Saving Grace:
The Non-Date
A/N: Your smutty desires have been noted, and the steamy chapter has been added in! I hope it ends up being up to par—this will be my first attempt at writing smut. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews so far. It means a lot to me that you all are reading and enjoying this!
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Unnecessary disclaimer: None of the characters appearing in the TV show "House, M. D." belong to me.
Abstract: When Cameron's marriage with Chase falls apart, she decides that she cannot wait for another man to come around to be a mom. What happens when a wrench gets thrown in her plans? HC
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When House arrived, Cameron was home already, in sweatpants sitting on the couch watching TV. "You wearing that to dinner?" he asked.
"Depends," she answered with a shrug. "Where are we going?"
"Put on a dress or something," was his reply as he headed back towards his bedroom to get ready.
She smiled as she got up to head to her room as well. It was so nice to get out. She hadn't been out to a nice restaurant since things fell apart with Chase. She went back to her room and looked through her closet. She frowned. She really needed some new clothing for the pregnancy. She ended up choosing a lilac empire waist dress that fell to the knee. She reached around to zip herself up, but her muscles complained. She needed a hand.
She walked down the hall to knock on his door. "House?"
He answered wearing a gray suit and navy shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked incredibly handsome. "What?" he asked.
She blushed a bit. "Can you zip me up?" She turned around to reveal the unzipped dress and pale sliver of her back to him.
She didn't hear a response, but she felt him zip up the dress slowly. "Thank you," she said. "I'll be ready in a couple more minutes."
House just nodded in reply, the memory of the soft bare skin of her back fresh in his mind. He stood in the doorway as she headed back to her room. "Snap out of it, Greg," he told himself. She was right there, but totally unattainable. Anyways, he only wanted her because she was hot. Right?
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The pair sat down at a table in the same restaurant they had their date in several years prior.
"The house red for me," House told the waiter.
Cameron sighed. "Just water."
As soon as the waiter left the table, an uncomfortable silence passed over them.
House was anxious to break it. "Just so you know, this isn't a date. I'm just trying to make you feel better about the one I ruined here."
"Duly noted. Thank you for taking me on my second non-date," Cameron said with a mirthful smile.
The silence washed over them again. This wasn't a date, but House thought it sure felt like one. He had to think of something, anything to say.
"So… your hair," he said, gesturing. "Losing the blonde?"
She laughed a little. "I'm not allowed to dye it while pregnant," she answered. She made a face. "I can't even dye it back to my natural color. I have to let it fade and grow out. It's looking pretty bad."
"I think it looks fine," House responded. And he did think so; he thought she looked gorgeous, as always. He mentally berated himself for saying so, though.
"Thanks," she responded simply.
The silence returned, and Cameron sighed. "This is awkward."
"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious," House responded sarcastically. "What other amazing insight can you reveal?"
"Hmm," Cameron mused with a twinkle in her eye. "I can tell you that you look really nice, you're bored out of your mind, and you wish we were anywhere but here."
House clapped slowly. "Bravo, Miss Cameron. You really are a mind reader."
She smiled. "Nope, I just know you." She paused. "We don't have to stay here, you know."
"But I'm making it up to you for the crappy date," House protested.
"I think we'd both have more fun somewhere you could relax," she countered.
House thought about this for a moment, and then pulled out his wallet. He put down enough for the drinks and a generous tip. "Let's go!" he said, and the two doctors took off.
They got in the car and drove. "Where are we going?" Cameron asked.
"It's a surprise," he responded. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing, waiting to see what was in store for her.
They pulled up in front of the crappiest, dirtiest looking hole in the wall restaurant that Cameron had ever seen. "What the hell is this?" she asked him incredulously.
"Home of the best burgers in New Jersey," House answered. "Come on!" He pulled her along with his free hand.
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House had not lied about the burgers, Cameron could certainly attest to that. She had miraculously regained her appetite, and had two cheeseburgers for dinner as well as a heaping plate of fries.
House looked on in amazement. Pregnancy was really a freaky thing.
"Anything else for the lady?" the smiling waiter asked in amusement as she polished off her second burger.
"I think not, Louie, I'd rather not have her puking on me later," House answered, getting a death glare from the woman in question.
"But you promised me dessert," Cameron pouted.
"Well that settles it, Greg, I'm getting you two the famous ice cream sundae," Louie the waiter said with a large grin before walking off.
House just shook his head and watched him walk off.
"You must eat out a lot," Cameron mused.
"Why do you say that?" House asked.
"Because you know every damn waiter in the state of New Jersey!"
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They headed home later that evening, both full and happy. It had been the most fun Cameron had had in a long time, and House might have agreed if he let himself think about it. Cameron headed to bed as soon as they returned, but House opted to stay up and watch TV a little while.
He listened to her movements around the apartment for a while before he ended up drifting off on the couch.
House awoke to sounds in the room. He looked around sleepily and saw Cameron near the front door, with her jacket and keys.
"What's going on?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm going to the hospital. I started bleeding." There were tears on her face, and she was visibly shaking.
House was up like a shot. "Jesus, Cameron, why didn't you wake me? Why the hell are you living here if you aren't going to get my help when you need it?"
"I don't need your help!" she said angrily, the fear in her voice evident.
"No way in hell you're driving in your condition!" he ranted at her as he slipped on his shoes and jacket and grabbed his keys.
They headed down to the car as quickly as possible. Cameron was silent on the ride.
House finally broke the silence. "I know you're an independent person, but you need to let people take care of you once in a while," he said, still angry.
"I don't know why you're mad anyways, it's not like you should care about me or my child," Cameron shouted at him, tears running down her face in the moonlight.
"Well I do, Goddamn it, so stop being so high and mighty that you kill yourself by not asking for help!" he said, irate as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Once inside, she was whisked away by the nurses and he was left alone to worry and wonder.
"Fuck caring," he thought as he sat down in the waiting room, head in his hands.
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