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Chapter 44
Lisa had just dozed off on her sofa with a stack of files laying on her chest, when she heard the doorbell ring. It took her a few minutes to realize that it was real and not a dream. She groggily looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost ten o'clock. Who could that be? She wondered. She pulled her robe closed and shuffled to the front door. Needless to say, she was very surprised to see Wilson standing on her front porch. She quickly opened the door.
"James. Come in." She said excitedly.
"I saw your light on and decided to stop. I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Your not. Is something wrong?"
"Not with me. I'm here to see if you're doing okay with everything that has happened today."
She smiled warmly at him. "How about some coffee?" She asked not waiting for him to answer and headed to the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind instant."
Wilson followed. "You don't have to make coffee Lisa. I just wanted to see if you were okay."
She turned around and faced him. "I'm okay." She lied. "Have a cup of coffee with me."
Wilson knew she was lying about being okay but he let it drop. He walked over and opened one of the cabinet doors. "Where are your cups?" He asked.
"Next cabinet."
Wilson grabbed two cups and sat them down on the counter. Lisa put the dark crystals into the cups and filled them with hot water. "Cream or sugar?" She asked.
"Sugar." He answered.
They both took their cups and sat down at the kitchen table. Silence filled the room.
Wilson looked at her and saw that even with her hair in disarray and her mascara smeared underneath her eyes, she was still very attractive. However, he was still licking his wounds from the incident between her and House. He was very cautious to not let himself get too close to her again but he couldn't deny that he still had feelings for her. He leaned forward slightly and cleared his throat.
She glanced over at him. "I'm surprised you stopped by." She said as she held the hot mug in her hands.
"I'm surprised too but I was worried about you." He admitted.
"You could have called." She said softly.
"I know but I wanted to see you. A lot has happened today. Did you speak with Christy's family?"
"I spoke with her father. I didn't know what to say." She said sadly.
"What could you say? Do the police have any clues on who could have done this?" Wilson asked.
Lisa shook her head no. "I can't believe someone killed her and this same person could be stalking Cameron. It's like something you see in a movie."
"Yeah. House and I were suppose to go out for a drink tonight but he called and told me he was spending the evening with Cameron." He said and took a sip of his coffee.
"That doesn't surprise me. You should have seen him today James… with Cameron. He was really concerned about her. I don't know why I never saw it before."
"Saw what?"
"That House really cares for Cameron."
"House does care once in awhile. He's just really good at hiding it." Wilson said.
"No, today he was different. He was genuinely worried about her."
"Maybe you never wanted to see it. I'm not even sure House knows he cares for Cameron. He denies everything that remotely deals with emotion."
Lisa looked at Wilson. "So, you knew he cared about her."
"I suspected. Even before Cameron left, House showed signs that he had feelings for her but whenever I confronted him about it, he would always give me some lame excuse about why things would never work between them." Wilson paused. "He cares for you too Lisa."
Lisa swallowed the warm liquid in her mouth. "Not like that."
"Are you in love with him?" Wilson asked hesitantly, not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.
She let out something that sounded like a fake laugh. "No. I'm not in love with him. Honestly, I don't know what I feel any more."
Silence filled the room again.
"I better go." He suddenly said. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
They both stood and Wilson gave her a sheepish look.
"Thanks for coming by." She said and walked him to the door.
"You know if you need anything, you can call me."
She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know."
He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Goodnight Lisa."
"Goodnight."
Lisa closed the door and leaned against it, suddenly feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She went through the house and turned off the lights and as she laid her head down on her pillow, a smile crossed her lips. For the first time in a quite a while, it wasn't Greg House she fell asleep thinking about.
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Cameron leaned against the wall outside her front door and waited as House placed the key into the lock. She was doing her best to not act drunk but it wasn't working too well. A few seconds later, the click of the lock echoed loudly and House pushed open the door. He stepped to the side, allowing Cameron to go in first.
Once inside, Cameron flung off her coat and tossed it on the chair, not caring that it fell to the floor. She then kicked her shoes off and continued down the hall to her bedroom.
"There's beer in the frig if you want one." She said over her shoulder.
House closed the door behind him, contemplating on just leaving but decided to take Cameron up on her offer and grab a beer before he made that decision. He still had a buzz from the drinks he had earlier and the beer would help it continue. Thinking that Cameron may just go to bed, he made his way into her small living room and tried to relax, still not sure if he should stay or not. He looked around and was somewhat impressed with her decorative choices. He had only been inside a couple of times before and both times, he was only there for a few minutes. So he had never really paid attention to what her place looked like. It was warm and inviting… had a homey feel to it.
He could hear Cameron fussing with something in her bedroom and wondered what she was doing but chose to stay where he was at and not investigate. Instead, he turned his attention to the built in bookshelves that were full of an array of books. Many were medical books, self help books but there were history books and mystery books as well. Several of the books he had himself and he wondered if she knew that, but then why would she? On one of the shelves, towards the bottom, something caught his eye. A brown scrapbook was stuffed in on top of the other books. Curiosity got the better of him and he carefully pulled it out and opened it, noticing that many of the pages were tattered and torn. He gently flipped through the pages, seeing that there were many cards and keepsakes carefully arranged on each of the pages. In the middle of the book were several pictures of Cameron as a little girl. Many showed her in pig tails, smiling ear to ear with her front teeth missing. A smiled tugged at House's mouth as he looked at the little girl in the picture. A couple photos showed an older Cameron, probably high school age. He held one of the pictures and studied it for a minute making note that even then, something about her stood out. He placed the pictures back and was putting the scrap book back where he found it, when a noise behind him caught his attention, causing him to turn around. At first, his mind didn't register what he was seeing before him and he had to blink his eyes several times to give his mind time to catch up.
Across the room, holding herself steady by placing her hand on the wall, was Cameron. She was standing before him in nothing but a black lacy bra and matching French cut panties. The black, strappy high heeled shoes made her legs appear longer than they really were. Her hair was tossled over her shoulders and the glow of the light coming from the lamp beside her, made her skin look creamy, almost edible. The scene completely took House's breath away. He subconsciously licked his lips and the only word that came to mind, was unbelievable. He couldn't believe it was Cameron standing before him like that. She was breath taking, every inch of her. Every curve was perfect.
"Are you going to come over here or am I going to have to go over there?" She asked, in a sultry voice.
It was a voice House had never heard before and it made his heart race. He couldn't say a word. He was frozen.
After a minute of waiting, Cameron grew impatient and decided she was going to have to make the first move. Even with all the alcohol she had consumed earlier, she managed to seductively moved across the room towards him.
House stood very still as he watched her move across the room like a sleek leopard about to pounce on its prey. She was slowly closing the space between them. He was afraid to even breathe. It wasn't until she took the beer from his hand, that he realized he had been holding his breath. He watched as she wrapped her pink lips completely around the top of the beer bottle and took a drink. She pulled the bottle away and sat it on the coffee table beside her. She then wrapped her arms around his neck placing her mouth only inches from his and looked up at him. Her eyes were dark and lusty.
"So, Doctor House, are you going to kiss me?" She asked in a whispery voice.
House wasn't sure how to respond but before he could give it another thought, he felt Cameron's soft lips press against his. At first he remained stiff, keeping his arms at his side, his mouth closed but feeling her tongue dancing on his lips, he finally gave in and let her enter, tasting the sweetness of her tongue on his. He instantly placed his hands on her slender hips and pulled her closer. He could feel the heat from her body as she melted into him. Their tongues began to dance faster as the kiss became harder. His head was spinning, his breathing becoming heavier and he could feel himself becoming aroused. When she grabbed the hair on the back of his head and slightly pulled, letting him know she wanted more, it was almost his undoing. But… reality of the situation began to creep into his head and he realized he couldn't do this. He grabbed Cameron's arms and pulled her away abruptly. He looked down at her upturned face and saw that her eyes were still closed.
Cameron slowly opened her eyes. "Why did you stop?" She asked breathlessly.
House was still trying to catch his breath. "We can't… I can't… do this."
With her head still swimming with alcohol, it took a few seconds for his words to sink in. When they did, she stepped back and stared at him. Her face was still flushed from the rush of the kiss. "Why? Surely I don't detest you that much."
"You definitely don't detest me."
"Then why? I'm offering you one night of free sex. No strings. No ties. One night and it's over with." She said, now biting her bottom lip.
House was still mesmerized by her beauty. It took all his strength to not take her in his arms again and do to her what she wanted… what he wanted. "I can't Cameron." He finally managed to say.
Cameron clumsily stumbled a little as she backed up to her sofa and sat down. "You're kidding, right? I offer you one night of sex with no strings attached and you turn me down? You really do hate me."
House knew that it was mainly the alcohol talking but he knew she was genuinely hurt by his actions. "I don't hate you Cameron. You know that." He said, still standing in the same spot.
"Really? I find that hard to believe." Tears were beginning to sting her eyes.
House saw the tears and he hated himself.
"Chase was right."
Her comment caught him off guard. "Chase. What does Chase have to do with this?"
"He said you would never love me the way I love you and that I was crazy for still holding on." She placed her head in her hands and began to cry.
"You're drunk Cameron. You don't know what you're saying or doing."
Cameron snapped her head up. "I do know what I'm saying and doing." She slurred. "I'm trying to get you to make love to me and you won't touch me." She stood, unsteadily.
House reached out to help her.
Cameron swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me! Just get the hell out!" She shouted and pushed past him and made her way towards her bedroom.
House sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Hearing her cry tore at his insides and all he wanted to do was run. He was stupid for thinking he could do this, to stay with her and pretend there were no feelings involved, for either of them. The last thing he wanted was to feel anything for her. It was Cameron for Gods Sake! He shouted in his head. She is everything he doesn't want in his life.
He could still feel the bulge in his pants from the kiss they shared only moments ago and this angered him even more. He didn't want to desire her and it pissed him off that his body betrayed him. He quickly put on his leather jacket and headed for the door. He didn't need this. Hell, he didn't want this! He could still hear her muffled cries and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sound. He placed his hand on the door knob and swung open the door. The rush of the cool air against his face made him feel free… free of her, free of feelings. He quickly started limping down the sidewalk, fishing for the orange vile in his coat pocket when he remembered he didn't have his bike there. Son of a bitch! He said out loud. He stopped and sighed heavily. He pulled out his cell phone to call a taxi when he realized he didn't lock her front door either. He shook his head, sure that there was some force out there trying to punish him. He reluctantly turned around and slowly headed back so he could lock the door. His anger subsided some and the memory of why he was there entered his head. Someone wanted to hurt Cameron and she was alone. It wasn't her fault that he was stupid enough to offer his help. And why did I do that? He wondered. I never offer to help. She gave me every opportunity to bow out but I didn't do it. He mumbled as he made his way up the sidewalk. He stood outside the door and looked upwards as if he was going to find an answer in the stars. He knew he was being an ass and doing what he always did and that was thinking about himself. He also knew he couldn't leave her like this.
He took a deep breath and walked back inside. He listened for any signs that she might still be awake but he didn't hear anything. He locked the door and against his better judgment, he limped quietly down the hall to her bedroom and pushed her door open. She was lying on her side on the bed, still in her shoes. He could see that she was shivering from the coolness of the room. He stepped closer and stared down at her face, still wet from the tears. It amazed him at how fragile she looked lying there. He reached down and carefully removed her shoes, one at a time, causing her to stir.
"I thought I told you to leave." She said in a stubborn tone.
"When do I ever listen?" He whispered and pulled the covers over her small form. He then reached over and turned out the lamp.
"Are you staying?" She asked barely above a whisper.
He paused. "Yes." He finally answered.
Cameron rolled over on her back and tapped the bed. "In here."
House stared at her and then at the bed.
"House?" She mumbled.
He knew he shouldn't but he wanted to. He kicked off his shoes and walked to the other side of the bed and hung his cane on the corner of her dresser. He undid his belt and slipped off his jeans and gently climbed into the bed next to her and pulled the covers over his tired body. He laid very still, his breathing shallow. Lying next to Cameron was uncharted territory and it felt strange to be so close to her. Just as he was starting to relax, he felt her move closer to him, placing her head and her hand on his chest. His breath caught in his throat. His first instinct was to move, get up, run again… but then the smell of her hair and her perfume drifted through the air and it calmed him. He could feel her snuggle closer, letting out a little sigh and he could tell by her breathing that she was finally falling asleep. The warmth of her body nestled against his felt good. He relaxed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He knew that tomorrow it would all be over with and they probably would never be this close again… but tonight… tonight was what it was. One night, no ties, no strings and no regrets.
