Past and present

A.N. The description of Cameron's place is adapted from the season 1 episode 'Kids'. The case they discuss occurs in the season 2 episode 'Clueless' which is a decent Hameron entry and just one of the many missed opportunities the showrunners had to explore the relationship between our two protagonists. I mean, I don't blame them; the writers had their own priorities. But this writer only has one priority!

On the question of priorities, this is the fiftieth chapter. I never thought I'd get this far when I started back in November. It's been unbelievably good fun. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has commented, followed, favourited and read this story. It's a massive motivator to know that people are enjoying it as much as I am, and as long as there's an audience for this I'll be writing for a good while yet. Bigger picture, we're still in the honeymoon and comfort phase, but I reckon I've got a long-term plan that isn't all plain sailing. I'm not going to give any plot or timing clues but just remember that, whatever happens, this story exists for Hameron…


House and Cameron took the elevator to her floor even though it was only one flight up. Although the former already felt better, there was no point using the stairs. Once Cameron had unlocked the door and led them into her apartment she poured them both a glass of water. House threw his wallet and phone on the sidetable, but not before peeling off a hundred dollars and speaking in a posh British accent: "well played, madam. Your decision to double it up was inspired".

Cameron accepted the money with a laugh. "In fairness, the odds were stacked in my favour".

"I knew what I was getting into. Our next contest will go differently, though".

"Uhuh. Got any ideas?", she asked, taking a sip of water.

House leant against the counter, tilting his head slightly. "How'd you feel about swimming or cricket?".

"I know more about the first than the second, as you might expect. Y'know, since I'm American, and Americans don't play cricket". Cameron had yet to ask the other about his interest in this sport and where it came from. It had been a question to which she had long wanted an answer, not because it was important or a defining feature of his personality but because its very triviality made it automatically more interesting to her, as if its explanation would afford yet another glimpse behind the curtain.

She had come to appreciate that, in the best possible way, House was a man of simple pleasures—he liked sex, drink, sport, and TV. So far, so normal. But alongside all this was that streak of the special that set him apart—his relentless rationality, his unusual sarcasm, his obsession with music, his desire to see puzzles everywhere and to solve them at the cost of everything else. More than this, though, she appreciated his characteristic blend of strength and vulnerability, in both mind and body.

As she had told him in their office, House was by turns the strongest man she had ever met and the weakest: one day insisting on a course of treatment despite conventional medical wisdom and rescuing a seemingly hopeless cause; the other taking off on his motorbike and fleeing feelings like a boy avoiding bedtime. The man was a walking paradox, exemplified, she thought, in this passion he had for a sport which, at first glance, appeared completely uninteresting.

"What're you thinking?".

Cameron placed her empty glass in the sink. "I'm thinking", she said, "how a man who loves monster trucks and go-karts, sex and drugs, can also love cricket".

The other rolled his eyes, though his voice was playful. "This again. Maybe you should just stop asking, eh?".

"Maybe I shouldn't have worked under you for two years", she replied with folded arms. House had taught his fellows to question everything. It wasn't her problem that this impulse had transferred from the professional to the personal.

"Ahhh, so now I see what you're getting from this—you're indulging the teacher/student fantasy. Predictable. I'm up for it, though", he winked at her. "Just, for the love of Satan, don't start calling me 'daddy'".

But Cameron wasn't ready to let him off the hook that easily. "I want you to tell me why you like this particular sport".

"Why? It's just sport".

"Because I want to know, that's why". Cameron's tone was light but insistent. House still hadn't come to terms with the realisation that she was curious, too.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But I think you'll be disappointed in the answer. There's no deep reason. But before I do, I need a shower and a toothbrush". House placed his empty glass next to the one already in the sink and moved towards the bathroom. "It's this way, right?". He remembered the layout of her apartment from their first date, when he had chased her through the rooms. It was only a month or so ago yet felt longer, given how much their relationship had progressed.

"Good guess. I'll lay out a towel and some clothes for you as well. Hopefully they fit…".

"Are they the last remnants of your teenage I-love-eating-cookie-dough phase?".

Cameron snorted but when she replied her voice was far-off. "Actually, they belonged to my husband".

"Ah. I didn't mean-", he began, before being cut off by a raised hand.

"-don't be silly", she smiled at him. "It was years ago, and I kept them for just such a situation".

Still, House stood in the doorway as if on the verge of speaking.

"Go!", she shooed him off with a wave of her hand. "Don't make me swat you with my broomstick".

Finally he turned, and within a few moments she could hear the shower from the bathroom in the hall.

Cameron rinsed the glasses and went into her bedroom and to the large dresser which rested against a wall. With deliberate care she opened the bottom drawer and removed a selection of clothes. Then she picked out a fresh towel and toothbrush from the cupboard. Once she had what she needed, she padded out to the hallway and quietly entered the bathroom, whose door had been left ajar, depositing the items on the little stool by the entrance. House, humming a tune to himself behind the curtain, was unaware of her presence.

After this, she returned to the kitchen and gathered up the takeout menus which lived in a box by the kettle. House had cooked them a meal last week but after their run she didn't fancy emulating him, not least because her own culinary skills, though adequate, were not particularly impressive. The way to a man's heart may indeed be through his stomach, but that route wasn't open to her.

She did a cursory wipe of the surfaces while waiting for House to finish. He had begun to apologise for referencing her husband, but the fact was she had barely thought about it. The man had been her first love and for that reason would always hold a place in her heart, and yet offering his clothes to House had seemed an entirely natural thing to do. She didn't know what, if anything, this signified. It could be nothing. It could be everything.

Suddenly she felt arms around her, and House's voice in her ear. "Hey", he whispered, nuzzling her neck.

"Hey back". Cameron rubbed his encircling arms with her hands. The embrace, and the feeling of warmth it invariably generated, was becoming increasingly familiar.

"Listen", he said, turning her to face him. His hair was still damp, and she could smell the mint of the mouthwash. His eyes, for once, were serious. "I didn't mean to bring up your husband".

She smiled and brushed his cheek with a thumb. "You didn't. I was the one who mentioned where the clothes came from".

"What I mean is, I'm not looking to replace him. However long this lasts, I'll be myself; we'll be ourselves. And we can see where that takes us, if you want?".

"That sounds good to me", she nodded. "Anyway, you're both very different. I couldn't even begin to compare you".

"Fair enough. But if you ever wanted to, y'know, talk about him or…that time, I'd be happy to do so". He thought back to the day he'd found her crying in the lab. She'd been damaged; she was still damaged. If talking it through helped her repair herself, then it was something he would do without a second thought.

Cameron poked him in the chest. "Huh. The last time we discussed psychology and deep thoughts was during our date at Café Spoleto. You weren't particularly keen then, if I recall".

House stuck his tongue out. "Well, the situation has changed. We've had some mind-blowing sex, for one".

"No disagreement there. Well, maybe I'll take you up on that offer at some point. But now I need to use the shower. I hope you haven't contaminated my loofah with guy cooties".

"Nope. I was disturbingly respectful of your bathing apparatus. Big fan of the periodic table shower curtain, by the way. Kudos".

"Thanks. Make yourself useful and pick out what you want for dinner. I'll order once I'm dressed. There's beer in the fridge". With that, Cameron wandered out of the kitchen, ignoring his parting suggestion that she not bother with clothes at all.

House picked up a menu and glanced through it while he ambled over to get himself a beer. Nothing he read grabbed his eye so instead he decided to explore the living room as he drank.

Although he had technically visited Cameron's apartment several times, it had only ever been to pick her up and the visits had been necessarily fleeting. He could remember the first time he had called on her, just a couple of days after Vogler's departure. When she had opened the door, he'd attempted to sneak a peek over her shoulder, but she'd pulled the door to, blocking his view. It wasn't unwelcome, though, since it had focused his gaze on her body. Silver linings. If someone had told him then that they would be in a relationship, he wouldn't have believed it. But then, he wouldn't have believed getting shot, either. Not for the first time in the last few months, he briefly reflected on how times had changed.

House made his way over to the bookcase leaning against the far wall. This, and what it contained, was the main feature of the room. Aside from the large bookcase in front of which he now stood, there were various free-standing shelves attached to the walls. All of them were crammed with reading material. On the bottom shelf were her hefty medical reference volumes—he skimmed over these as uninteresting, preferring to scan the spines of others. There appeared to be a wide range of novels. No particular author stood out, though from their titles many of them seemed to be romantically themed. A few photographs adorned the walls.

He was about to turn away when the books on the shelf above the pale blue cushioned chair caught his eye. He took down the nearest bookmarked and opened the page. Egyptian jewelcrafting techniques. Cameron's reading habits were perhaps not quite so straightforward, after all.

The woman herself found House sitting on the sofa leafing through several more similarly titled books. "Have you decided what to order? I'm starving", she said, running a hand through her hair.

"I didn't know you liked ancient Egypt", he answered.

"You found them, then".

"Since when do you like Egypt?".

She picked up the discarded menus and flicked through them. "I think you've already figured out when".

House shut what he'd been reading and walked over to stand before the other, causing her to look up. "The case last year…", he began, thinking.

"Go on", she smiled, now focused on House.

"The couple who seemed happily married. You were convinced of it; I wasn't. We bet".

"Getting warm…", she murmured, kissing his cheek.

"We used chelation therapy with dimercaprol. Gold poisoning of the husband by the wife. I won the bet", he finished, now looking down into her eyes.

"You thought you'd proved that all marriage was doomed to failure". Cameron kissed his other cheek before lacing her hands loosely behind his neck, content to let his brain run its race.

"I don't care about that. We found the woman in the bathroom attempting to clean her hands, which had been stained purple from the stannous chloride. I only knew this from my time in Egypt, which I told her…". His expression was unfocused as he recalled the memory.

"Mmm. You said you used to dig for mummies when you were a boy because there was nothing else to do".

House's attention returned, a smirk playing around his mouth. "You got those...tomes after that case".

"Well, more specifically, I got them after what you said". As if to emphasise her point, she placed a finger to his lips.

"Why?".

Cameron chuckled at this. House's face betrayed the same intense curiosity as when she had admitted desiring to travel across London with him. For all his genius insight, he still remained adorably in the dark when it came to matters of the heart. She had yet to decide why this was so. Perhaps because such things were not academic problems but emotional ones, and therefore harder to reduce to reason. Or maybe he simply wasn't used to a woman actually seeking a significant connection with him. Either way, it helped ground the fantasy. So often in differentials, House could seem simply more intelligent, more intuitive than anyone else. In life, however, Cameron was beginning to appreciate that she had her own contribution to make, and it made her appreciate him even more.

"I was curious", she answered.

"Huh". He tilted his head a little, as if struck by a sudden thought.

"Do you think that's weird of me?", she wondered.

"No. I think it's pretty touching". House kissed her nose. "Was your research worthwhile?".

"More or less. Though I've moved on to the Romans now".

"Am I to blame for that as well?", he grinned.

"Nah. Once you'd set me on the path it was an inevitable consequence, unfortunately". Cameron angled her lips towards his.

"I can think of worse things. I'd love to discuss history with you", he whispered, dipping downwards to initiate a kiss.

But Cameron once more placed a finger on his lips. "Easy there, mister. Have you cleaned your teeth? I like you a lot, but not enough to sample your throw-up". She knew already that he had, but he'd put her in a playful mood.

House raised an eyebrow as he answered. "No. No, I have not. And I'm gonna engulf you anyway".

Cameron released a squeal and attempted to free herself, turning her head side to side, her hair whipping his face. But he was too strong, and before long their lips met in a hungry kiss, both enjoying the smell and feel of the other.

"We should make out after showering more often", he murmured into her mouth.

"We should", Cameron agreed, nibbling his lip. "Or we could make out in the shower".

"Good thinking. I always knew you were a smart egg", replied House, tapping her forehead with his thumb.

"Come on", she said, breaking away finally. "Let's order some food, you can tell me the origin of your interest in cricket, and we can eat while watching Airplane!".

"And after that?", House asked as he perused the leaflets.

"After that you can claim your dessert", she winked at him.

A lick of his lips. "Yummy".