A/N: Written for Hughville as a Secret Santa fic. These were the criteria:
WANT:
1. House/Cameron when she first got hired to his department.
2. Wilson
3. Something fun and light with lots of UST and eye!sex

DO NOT WANT:
1. Cuddy and her retconning.
2. Chase being an ass.
3. Foreman

Snowflakes and Snow Globes

"She...got me something," House said, sounding a little dismayed and unsure of what he was even saying.

Wilson stared at his friend from across the table as he picked at his salad. "Who's she and what did she get you?"

"Cameron. She got me a Christmas present."

"What was it?"

"A medical text. Modern Infectious Disease Epidemiology. It's pretty cool, actually."

"Wow. So what are you gonna get her?"

"Nothing."

Wilson arched an eyebrow. "You have to get her something."

"How about the clap?"

"This is serious, House. Have you even thanked her for it?"

"She knows I'm grateful."

"Does she? House, this is a new low, even for you. Why can't you just admit you like her?"

"I don't like her."

"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. Eventually you'll believe it. In the meantime, you have to return the favour. We'll go after work and find something."

"Of course you would know the places to shop. Why don't I give you $20 and you pick something?"

"It's gonna cost you more than $20. I'm sure that medical text wasn't cheap."

"It's $50. I looked online," House replied with some thought.

"Right. That's why we're going to go shopping."

"I can find my own thing," House replied with disdain as he kicked his feet up on the desk. Wilson merely held up his hands in surrender and left the office.

If House were honest with himself, he really didn't know why she liked him so much. When he'd hired her a few months earlier, he thought she was a goody-goody, too pure to be working for the likes of him. On the other hand, she was smart, met all his criteria and was extremely pretty. Since Cuddy told him he had to hire a female fellow, he decided he couldn't do much better than Allison Cameron, the Immunologist from Chicago. He could certainly do worse.

He glanced into the conference room where Cameron and Chase were talking. Feeling eyes on her, she looked right at House and for a moment it felt like time stood still. He was holding his breath as they stared at each other through the glass door.

Her face flushed but she didn't look away. It was like they were speaking some unknown language which only they knew.

House's mouth was suddenly dry and he moistened his lips with his tongue. Cameron did the same and then directed her attention back to Chase.

Oh yeah. He needed to get her something. Nothing too personal, just to return the sentiment.

But there was a problem. House didn't know how to do sentiment.

He glanced her way again and she was looking at him once more.

I'm so screwed, he thought to himself as he opened his laptop and began browsing.

It wasn't hard to find something when he knew where to look. On his way home from work he stopped and bought a card. He spent all evening working on what to say in it, going through several drafts before he finally decided to keep it simple.

He paid extra to have her gift shipped overnight and it arrived, gift wrapped later the next day, thankfully while Cameron was in the lab and he left it on the chair by his desk for her to find.

As he stood out in the hall, out of sight, he watched her as she discovered it, and sat down. He laughed as she gave it a shake and then took the card out of the envelope. She smiled and shook her head as she read the inscription and then she opened the present to find a snow globe with the Chicago skyline inside.

House pulled the door open and limped in, startling her, as she quickly rose up from his chair. "I...I thought you were gone for the day," she stammered.

"Relax. I'm not going to chastise you for sitting at the big man's desk."

"House..." Cameron said, holding the snow globe close to her chest. "Thank you."

He merely nodded, unsure of what to say so he said the first thing that popped into his head. "Wanna get something to eat?"

She blinked once and looked stunned, and he tried not to laugh as he added, "just dinner. And God knows I need a drink after today."

Again, he found himself holding his breath while she thought it over and then she nodded in agreement. "I'll just get my coat."

X X X

Three drinks and a meal of burgers and fries later, they were both relaxed and very full. They sat together in the large booth in a comfortable silence until he glanced at the time. "Wanna get outta here?"

"You're in no shape to drive, House," she pointed out.

"Neither are you. But my apartment is just around the corner. You can make us some coffee," he said as he began to slide out of the booth. Cameron was so surprised at being invited over that she didn't say a word as she followed suit and put her coat on. It had started to snow but they made it back to his place before it really started to come down.

"Kitchen's through there," he said as he pointed. Then he helped her off with her coat and hung it and her scarf on the rack next to the door.

"Nice piano," she said as she passed by it, running her hand along the smooth, black surface. "Will you play me something?"

"What do you want me to play?"

"Know any Christmas songs?"

House rolled his eyes but nodded and sat down on the bench while Cameron found the coffee and set about making them some.

Several minutes later, she came out with two steaming mugs on a tray she found and put them on top of the piano. She then fixed both cups the way they liked and handed him one. Their fingers slightly touched, even lingered for longer than necessary as he took the mug from her.

"That sounded nice," she said. "Play another one."

"Anything specific?"

"O come, O come Emmanuel."

"Hmm, not sure I know that one," he said as he cocked his head to one side and thought. "How does it go?"

Cameron's eyes widened and she blushed. "You want me to...sing it?"

"Just a little," he chuckled at the look of horror on her face, as if he'd suggested something insane.

She cleared her throat and sang a short verse, very softly so that he could barely hear it, but it was entertaining to see her so flustered. She then stopped, took her mug and sipped, signifying that she wasn't going to sing another note.

"Hmm," he said as he placed his fingers on the keys and began to play the song almost perfectly all the way through. At the end, she playfully slapped his arm.

"You knew that song the whole time!" she laughed.

"Guilty," he laughed as he reached for his own mug and sipped. Why couldn't anyone else, himself included, make coffee like she did? He placed the mug back on top of the piano next to hers and when he turned his head to look at her, she was staring at him.

"Thanks for inviting me over, House."

"Someone had to sober me up. And your coffee making skills are better than mine."

He then watched her get up and walk over to the window to watch the snow. It had accumulated quite a lot in the past hour and she didn't relish walking home in it. That's when she heard him move across the room and stand close beside her.

"You could stay," he suggested, not looking at her. "I mean, your car is still at the hospital, and I left mine at the bar. You shouldn't walk at this time of night."

"I could call a cab," she pointed out.

"It would take them forever to get here in that," he said as he pointed to the several inches of snow outside.

"What about your rep? What do you think people would say if they knew I'd spent the night? It would signify that you actually cared."

"Oh, you.." he chuckled as he waved his finger at her. "To hell with my rep. It's purely innocent."

Cameron arched an eyebrow. "Is it?"

"Isn't it?" he countered with a raised eyebrow of his own. "What do you want? Are you reading something more into this than there is?"

"Would it be so terrible?" she smiled as she turned to face him. "I...like you House. I think you know that. Everyone else does. If I spent the night and nothing happened between us, nobody would believe it anyway."

He nodded. "That's true. So then let's give them something to talk about," he said and closed the gap between them by taking a step closer and bending his head down.

Cameron took another step closer as well and had to stand on her tip toes to reach his lips as they gently brushed against each other at the same time.

It was a sweet kiss. Not the least bit as intense as it could have been, but it definitely spoke volumes as to the mood of the evening. She didn't want to go home, and he didn't want her to. He dropped his cane and wrapped both of his arms around her waist, pulling her against his warm body. Her hands slid up his arms and squeezed his biceps as he nibbled her lower lip. "Are you going to stay?" he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I probably shouldn't. But the snow..."

"It's much warmer in here. And less lonely. For me, anyway."

Cameron smiled up at him. "Me too. Looks like I'm staying then."

House grinned as he looked down at her, still holding her close. "Good." And they kissed once more as the snow continued to fall.

The End