Shooting Range (11/?)
Title: Shooting Range (11/?)
Author: azuredamsel
Pairing: House/Cameron.
Rating: R.
Warnings: AU post-Hunting (2.07).
Summary: Sometimes she's not sure why she thinks about kissing him. What if Cameron had called House instead of Chase in Hunting? An alternate universe. A work in progress. Earlier parts (and an FAQ!) can be found here.
Disclaimer: Seeing as I have a bet that House and Cameron will hook up this season, I am the first to tell you that I don't own them. Or else I wouldn't need the bet.
Notes: Whenever I set goals for myself, I tend to over-achieve them. I wanted to finish this within ten days of the last part, and it got done in a week. Goals are delightful like that. Lots of love goes to all of you for giving me such wonderful feedback, and especially to spikes_sway for keeping me a little extra motivated. ♥ You guys are all my favorites. :) I hope you enjoy!
"Honor forbids me,
But honor be damned."
--Belle & Sebastian, Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It
Cameron's looking for House when she hears his voice coming from the direction of the gift shop.
"So who's the lucky lady?" For a second, she hopes it's Foreman he's mocking. It's been a long day. She's entitled to a little immaturity now and then.
But it's Wilson, and she can see the sheepish expression play on his features before he rearranges them into the usual affability. She'd never thought it might be a mask.
"My wife," he answers, holding out his right hand for change.
Cameron sees House grab the box of chocolates.
"You know, they say if you buy Norweigian chocolates, the terrorists win. Do you really want to off her like that?"
"Normal people say things like 'I love you' instead of being avoiding them like the plague."
She could swear that Wilson looks very pointedly in her direction. When did Wilson get to be observant? The potted ferns suddenly look very interesting. (There's a nurse in Podiatry who looks a little like her from behind.)
"I'm going to find out who you're having the affair with, Jimmy-boy." House hands Wilson the box of chocolates, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "It's just a matter of time."
"Before you drive me to an affair of murder." She can't tell if Wilson's being sarcastic or not.
"You still haven't denied that there's an affair." House is definitely smiling. She can hear it in his voice.
She hears a little crunch of cellophane as Wilson heads towards the door. Counts to twenty-five before turning around.
House is nowhere to be found. It's a full minute before she remembers that she was looking for him in the first place.
.
It's not an STD, they realize, when Henry goes into cardiac arrest.
Henry's heart won't last a week.
Cameron wonders if it's symbolic when the Transplant Committee refuses to give House a new heart.
Sometimes she wonders how long she could go without thinking about him.
.
House is sitting in his office, this time.
"I wrote a letter to appeal the Transplant Committee's decision," she says, handing the letter to him. "I need you to sign it."
He picks up the letter, dandling it between thumb and index finger. He hums a little while he reads. (She thinks it might be Chopin.) When he's done, he squints up at her.
"You're saying they hate me so much they're killing our patient?" (She shouldn't make the "our" so significant.)
"It's a strong possibility."
He hands her the paper, still held loosely between two fingers. "They made the right decision."
She takes the paper from the opposite end. "Oh."
Sometimes she's not sure why she thinks about kissing him. Sometimes the word "killing" flits across her brain.
He won't meet her eye.
.
Cameron fills her arms with files. Dead people. Dying people. It's morbid when she thinks about it.
She makes herself think about them as names. (Wilson would be so proud.) Not people. Not like her mother. Or Daniel. Just names that aren't people anymore.
She's wiped away all of the tears and re-applied her mascara before she brings them to House.
"If you really loved me," he says when she starts naming patients, "you'd find me a better corpse."
"If I loved you any less," she says before she can think about it, "you'd be the better corpse."
He blinks.
And then she tells him about the woman in the ER. His eyes light up and he limps off before she can process what she's said.
It's so easy to go back to default. (It wasn't her name he said. But it was his arms around her waist.)
.
Henry gets a new heart and gonorrhea and Cameron leaves the hospital, thoroughly exhausted. Chase gives her a hug, and even Foreman smiles a little and waves.
House doesn't look at her. He just bounces his damn ball against the office wall, and maybe it's the lack of sleep and caffeine, but this is the most annoying part. The red and gray ball bouncing against the office wall. Each impact seems to reverberate inside her head.
It's the exhaustion, she decides. Her thoughts seem a little too firm.
There's an instant when she wants to run into his office and throw her arms around him. (Her wrists still smell like that new perfume she bought in Paris.)
But he's still throwing the red and gray ball at the wall, and it seems like there are so many walls between them.
She's too tired to break through any walls right now. Even for him.
.
But Cameron knows two hours later that she won't be falling asleep any time soon. She was too awake three hours ago for sleep to come easily. (And when she shuts her eyes it's that damn ball against the wall and House's whisper of "Stacystacystacy" as he comes.)
This needs to be resolved.
Since Paris she's skirted around him. And in her head it's because of the article. (He always knows everything. He should have known. He should have told her. He should have been the kind of boss person she could trust. Not simply have to impress once a day.)
And since Paris she's tried to tell herself she's stopped thinking about him, but then their eyes will meet (completely on accident) and she realizes all the distance between them. As if she's suddenly become aware of each individual atom that separates them. And then she'll find herself wanting to trace lacy patterns on his skin, trying to remember what his stubble felt like against her cheek.
She never should have slept with him. Now it's impossible to get him out of her head.
And before she can completely grasp the implications of her actions, she's slipped out of bed and she's dialed House's number. She doesn't quite realize it until the phone starts to ring. (And suddenly she's back at that night a few months ago. She doesn't remember what the meth felt like. Not that she'd try it again.)
But House doesn't answer; it's some caustic answering machine message. His voice telling her the number has been disconnected.
It only takes a few minutes to pull on a pair of jeans and a Northwestern sweatshirt over her tank top. She's too sleepy to do anything but take matters into her own hands.
She's tired of the distance between them. The longing. The combination. (To kiss him or to kill him?)
.
Cameron's not quite expecting anyone to answer the door. She almost runs away when she sees it start to open, the crack of light under the door slowly growing larger. (She never ding-dong-ditched as a little girl.) She shuts her eyes; she thinks of House's eyes for a second and braces herself.
She has to do this.
She opens her eyes. And it's Wilson standing there, brown eyes, slippers, a McGill sweatshirt. She starts to laugh.
"Allison?" He looks a little lost, even allowing for confusion. She collects herself.
"Wilson? Why are you here?" Hopefully he won't think she's too rude. She'll have forgotten by morning, anyway. He might.
He frowns. "Julie. She..."
Cameron remembers the gift shop conversation she'd overheard. A day ago? A month? Time always works strangely when she's tired.
Wilson collects himself. "She was having an. Affair. She, well, she kicked me out."
He's not looking her in the eye.
"Oh." What is there to say? "I'm sorry, Wilson."
It's not like she can ask for House, now. But before she can think of a way to ask, the door closes on her.
Wilson's definitely lying to her (about House? about Julie? about everyone?). And there's nothing she can do but drive home.
.
The answering machine has just started when Cameron opens the door to her apartment.
It's House.
Wilson said you stopped by. Why? He hangs up without saying goodbye.
She's too tired to call him back.
Author: azuredamsel
Pairing: House/Cameron.
Rating: R.
Warnings: AU post-Hunting (2.07).
Summary: Sometimes she's not sure why she thinks about kissing him. What if Cameron had called House instead of Chase in Hunting? An alternate universe. A work in progress. Earlier parts (and an FAQ!) can be found here.
Disclaimer: Seeing as I have a bet that House and Cameron will hook up this season, I am the first to tell you that I don't own them. Or else I wouldn't need the bet.
Notes: Whenever I set goals for myself, I tend to over-achieve them. I wanted to finish this within ten days of the last part, and it got done in a week. Goals are delightful like that. Lots of love goes to all of you for giving me such wonderful feedback, and especially to spikes_sway for keeping me a little extra motivated. ♥ You guys are all my favorites. :) I hope you enjoy!
"Honor forbids me,
But honor be damned."
--Belle & Sebastian, Take Your Carriage Clock And Shove It
Cameron's looking for House when she hears his voice coming from the direction of the gift shop.
"So who's the lucky lady?" For a second, she hopes it's Foreman he's mocking. It's been a long day. She's entitled to a little immaturity now and then.
But it's Wilson, and she can see the sheepish expression play on his features before he rearranges them into the usual affability. She'd never thought it might be a mask.
"My wife," he answers, holding out his right hand for change.
Cameron sees House grab the box of chocolates.
"You know, they say if you buy Norweigian chocolates, the terrorists win. Do you really want to off her like that?"
"Normal people say things like 'I love you' instead of being avoiding them like the plague."
She could swear that Wilson looks very pointedly in her direction. When did Wilson get to be observant? The potted ferns suddenly look very interesting. (There's a nurse in Podiatry who looks a little like her from behind.)
"I'm going to find out who you're having the affair with, Jimmy-boy." House hands Wilson the box of chocolates, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "It's just a matter of time."
"Before you drive me to an affair of murder." She can't tell if Wilson's being sarcastic or not.
"You still haven't denied that there's an affair." House is definitely smiling. She can hear it in his voice.
She hears a little crunch of cellophane as Wilson heads towards the door. Counts to twenty-five before turning around.
House is nowhere to be found. It's a full minute before she remembers that she was looking for him in the first place.
.
It's not an STD, they realize, when Henry goes into cardiac arrest.
Henry's heart won't last a week.
Cameron wonders if it's symbolic when the Transplant Committee refuses to give House a new heart.
Sometimes she wonders how long she could go without thinking about him.
.
House is sitting in his office, this time.
"I wrote a letter to appeal the Transplant Committee's decision," she says, handing the letter to him. "I need you to sign it."
He picks up the letter, dandling it between thumb and index finger. He hums a little while he reads. (She thinks it might be Chopin.) When he's done, he squints up at her.
"You're saying they hate me so much they're killing our patient?" (She shouldn't make the "our" so significant.)
"It's a strong possibility."
He hands her the paper, still held loosely between two fingers. "They made the right decision."
She takes the paper from the opposite end. "Oh."
Sometimes she's not sure why she thinks about kissing him. Sometimes the word "killing" flits across her brain.
He won't meet her eye.
.
Cameron fills her arms with files. Dead people. Dying people. It's morbid when she thinks about it.
She makes herself think about them as names. (Wilson would be so proud.) Not people. Not like her mother. Or Daniel. Just names that aren't people anymore.
She's wiped away all of the tears and re-applied her mascara before she brings them to House.
"If you really loved me," he says when she starts naming patients, "you'd find me a better corpse."
"If I loved you any less," she says before she can think about it, "you'd be the better corpse."
He blinks.
And then she tells him about the woman in the ER. His eyes light up and he limps off before she can process what she's said.
It's so easy to go back to default. (It wasn't her name he said. But it was his arms around her waist.)
.
Henry gets a new heart and gonorrhea and Cameron leaves the hospital, thoroughly exhausted. Chase gives her a hug, and even Foreman smiles a little and waves.
House doesn't look at her. He just bounces his damn ball against the office wall, and maybe it's the lack of sleep and caffeine, but this is the most annoying part. The red and gray ball bouncing against the office wall. Each impact seems to reverberate inside her head.
It's the exhaustion, she decides. Her thoughts seem a little too firm.
There's an instant when she wants to run into his office and throw her arms around him. (Her wrists still smell like that new perfume she bought in Paris.)
But he's still throwing the red and gray ball at the wall, and it seems like there are so many walls between them.
She's too tired to break through any walls right now. Even for him.
.
But Cameron knows two hours later that she won't be falling asleep any time soon. She was too awake three hours ago for sleep to come easily. (And when she shuts her eyes it's that damn ball against the wall and House's whisper of "Stacystacystacy" as he comes.)
This needs to be resolved.
Since Paris she's skirted around him. And in her head it's because of the article. (He always knows everything. He should have known. He should have told her. He should have been the kind of boss person she could trust. Not simply have to impress once a day.)
And since Paris she's tried to tell herself she's stopped thinking about him, but then their eyes will meet (completely on accident) and she realizes all the distance between them. As if she's suddenly become aware of each individual atom that separates them. And then she'll find herself wanting to trace lacy patterns on his skin, trying to remember what his stubble felt like against her cheek.
She never should have slept with him. Now it's impossible to get him out of her head.
And before she can completely grasp the implications of her actions, she's slipped out of bed and she's dialed House's number. She doesn't quite realize it until the phone starts to ring. (And suddenly she's back at that night a few months ago. She doesn't remember what the meth felt like. Not that she'd try it again.)
But House doesn't answer; it's some caustic answering machine message. His voice telling her the number has been disconnected.
It only takes a few minutes to pull on a pair of jeans and a Northwestern sweatshirt over her tank top. She's too sleepy to do anything but take matters into her own hands.
She's tired of the distance between them. The longing. The combination. (To kiss him or to kill him?)
.
Cameron's not quite expecting anyone to answer the door. She almost runs away when she sees it start to open, the crack of light under the door slowly growing larger. (She never ding-dong-ditched as a little girl.) She shuts her eyes; she thinks of House's eyes for a second and braces herself.
She has to do this.
She opens her eyes. And it's Wilson standing there, brown eyes, slippers, a McGill sweatshirt. She starts to laugh.
"Allison?" He looks a little lost, even allowing for confusion. She collects herself.
"Wilson? Why are you here?" Hopefully he won't think she's too rude. She'll have forgotten by morning, anyway. He might.
He frowns. "Julie. She..."
Cameron remembers the gift shop conversation she'd overheard. A day ago? A month? Time always works strangely when she's tired.
Wilson collects himself. "She was having an. Affair. She, well, she kicked me out."
He's not looking her in the eye.
"Oh." What is there to say? "I'm sorry, Wilson."
It's not like she can ask for House, now. But before she can think of a way to ask, the door closes on her.
Wilson's definitely lying to her (about House? about Julie? about everyone?). And there's nothing she can do but drive home.
.
The answering machine has just started when Cameron opens the door to her apartment.
It's House.
Wilson said you stopped by. Why? He hangs up without saying goodbye.
She's too tired to call him back.