Ruined Part 11

It was already the night of the hospital's benefit dinner. House had cleared it with Cuddy that if they didn't have any open cases, then House and his team could leave early to get ready for the dinner.

House had gone home at around 2:30 and Cameron had shown up at his door at 3, her dress slung over her arm in a plastic dry cleaner's bag. She also had a bag with her shoes and jewelry and other things she'd need to get ready.

"You need all that to get ready?" he asked, surveying her huge accessories bag.

"Well, I thought 'I could go in these scrubs' today at work, but those might've been too-"

"Weird?" he asked.

"I was going to say bloody."

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An hour later, they were lying in House's bed. They were both dozing off and Cameron asked softly, "what time do we have to be there?"

House gave a half-hearted lazy shrug. "5:30?" He rolled over to look at the clock and groaned. "C'mon." he nudged her a bit. "We gotta get ready. I have to take a shower." He sat up, put his legs out of the bed and stood up slowly.

Cameron smiled, leaning her head on her arm, as she watched his bare ass heading for the bathroom. When she knew he was in the shower, she got up and went in to join him.

"Can't get enough, huh?" He teased as she climbed in the shower.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You know me too well."

After their shower, they continued to get ready for the party.

Cameron decided to leave her hair down in big loose curls, and she'd picked out a sleek sequined tan dress to wear. House had gotten one of his nicer suits dry cleaned and reluctantly put on a tie.

She smiled when she saw him, reminded of the first date they had gone on so long ago. "You look nice." She walked over to him and straightened his tie.

He gave a half smile, clearly uncomfortable.

She looked down at his tie as she smoothed it over his shirt. "Are you nervous?"

He didn't reply; just looked at her thoughtfully.

She sighed and tried to smile bravely. "I am." She looked back up to him, wondering what his reaction would be.

He smirked down at her. "You're always nervous."

Strangely, his words made her feel a little better. That's when she realized how their different personalities actually complement each other and balance each other out.

While Cameron would be worrying about how others thought about her, House couldn't give a damn about what people think about him. She wished she could be more like House; indifferent to what others thought or said.

House saw she was having one of her 'deep in thought' moments and nudged her gently. "Time to go."

She gathered herself together and met him at his front door. She pulled on her shin-length black tweed coat and turned to House as she buttoned her coat. "Ready?"

"I'm never ready for these black tie dinner deals." They walked outside and House locked his front door.

She looked at the choice of transportation; her car or his motorcycle. "I think I'll drive this time."

**********

The hospital's benefit dinner was being held at a dining hall. When House and Cameron walked in, she immediately recognized it as the same dining hall where Vogler had forced House to make a speech about a "new" drug.

House must've remembered that too for he groaned beside her.

"Hopefully this time will be better." She nudged him playfully and headed for a table that Wilson was already sitting at. "Hey Dr. Wilson." She smiled at him as she sat down a couple chairs over.

House sat down between them.

"You made it on time! Impressive." Wilson nodded his approval to House.

"Where's Julie tonight?" House asked.

"She's at her mother's. I don't want to talk about it." Wilson replied quietly.

House checked his watch impatiently. "I thought this whole thing started at 5:30?"

"It does." Wilson shrugged. "Cuddy's waiting, hoping a few more people will arrive."

"When he says 'people' he means 'donors.'" House said jokingly to Cameron.

"Good thing you cleared that one up for me." She chuckled lightly.

As House and Wilson went back to talking, Cameron scanned the room to see where everything and everyone was. She spotted Chase and Foreman at the open bar, ordering drinks. She went over to join them. "Hey guys."

They turned. "Hey Cameron. You look great." Foreman said sincerely.

"Thanks. So do you." It amazed her sometimes how people she saw every day could look so different with nicely pressed clothes, and without a labcoat.

"Hey Cam, we're gonna sit at your table." Chase said, grabbing his drink from the bar.

"Ok, I'll be right over." She said as they walked away. She ordered a couple drinks (one for her and one for House.) She scanned the room again as she waited for their drinks.

"Dr. Cameron."

Cameron turned to see Stacy standing there, maybe getting ready to order a drink herself. "Stacy."

"I didn't expect you to be here. It's mostly for heads of departments... y'know, that sort of thing." Stacy leaned her elbow on the bar counter.

"You're right, it is mostly for department heads. Chase and Foreman are here too." Cameron shrugged.

"And you're here because...?"

"I'm here as Greg's date." Cameron stuck her chin up a little and reached for her drinks.

"You know Greg likes scotch-"

"On the rocks. Got it. Thanks though." Cameron nodded and walked back to the table, holding her head up high.

Chase, who had been watching the whole thing, nudged Cameron approvingly when she sat down at their big table. He held up his glass slightly and quietly said to her, "Cheers, to Stacy's demise."

Cameron wasn't usually catty, but just shrugged and clinked glasses with Chase. "Cheers." She said, then took a sip of her drink. She didn't really like the jealousy that came out of her when Stacy was around; it made her feel unlike herself.

Chase stood up and left the table quickly, startling her. She watched him walk over and start chatting up a woman at the bar.

Foreman moved over a chair, sitting next to Cameron. "So, I thought you hated these things." He ran his finger around the rim of his glass.

"I hate the prospect of begging rich people for money." She took a sip of her wine.

"What made you decide to show up?"

She looked to her other side at House, who was enjoying a conversation with Wilson, and then back to Foreman. They had decided to take their relationship public within the hospital, so she only hesitated for a moment. "Um... I'm here with House." She smiled lightly.

Foreman didn't know if he'd understood what she'd meant by that. "What do you mean, you're here with House?"

She took a deep and silent breath. "We've been seeing each other... for a while."

He looked away from her for a moment, stunned and unsure of how to react. "How long is 'a while?'"

She bit her lip. She wasn't looking for his approval, but he was still her friend and - well, she kind of did want his approval. "Um, since a little before Christmas time." She seemed to catch herself. "I mean, we did kind of break up for a few days a little while ago, but -"

"How did I not know about this??" he asked incredulously.

"We didn't want anyone to know."

"Am I the first to know?"

She smiled wearily at him. "No. Chase knows -"

"Chase knows??"

"And Wilson... and Cuddy..." she frowned and practically spit out the next part. "...and Stacy."

"So I'm, like, the last to know." He shook his head.

She shrugged a little. "Sorry."

He seemed to have shaken off most of his shock fairly quickly. "You and House."

"You and Drug Rep Lady." House said, leaning across Cameron. He'd heard the last few bits of her and Foreman's conversation. "Some courtesy." He nodded his head towards the stage where Dr. Cuddy was welcoming everyone.

Cameron smiled to herself, guessing House wasn't fully ready to have their relationship discussed as openly as she had been discussing it with Foreman.

She didn't know if she was even ready to talk that openly with others about their relationship yet, but she figured it was only a matter of time.



{end}

Ruined