Beautiful Mess.

AN: House isn't mine, so you don't have to rub it in. Jeez. So cruel.

The name and the end quote are from the Diamond Rio Song Beautiful mess.' And the Sarah Mclachlan song in the middle is 'Stupid.'

My first House Fic! Like I don't have enough stories on the go as it is. Mwa ha. (it is now that all the other people waiting for the updates on my OTHER stories groan)

Any who, thanks to the (SPECTACULAR) EnchantedApril for being the Wonder Beta for this fic. If you ducklings don't know who she is (or haven't read her completely addicting and enthralling 'Saints and Saviors') Have you been living under a rock! Go read it now!

Right after you read mine. Mine first please. And then comment on mine. And then go read hers. Maybe pee first. Or get some food. Though if you pee and get food. Wash you hands. Cleanliness is next to godliness.

TALLY HO!

M

D

Music from her Walkman strummed through her ears as her fingers rhythmically flew over the keyboard.

Medical reports, Medical Reports, Medical Reports. Most doctors hated them but Dr. Allison Cameron found them to be a welcome release. They were no-brainers. While typing them she could think about other things, like the possibility of getting a dog, or what she wanted to eat for dinner tonight, or House…

Allison made a face, no not House. That misanthropic jerk was definitely not supposed to be on her mind anymore. Forget about him. An annoying voice snickered in the back of her head, yah forget about him. And while you're at it forget the way he makes your stomach fill with butterflies and your heart jump in your chest when he stands too close. Allison made a face again. Shut up me.

The music flowing out of the headphones hushed the approach of a figure behind her. Suddenly a muffled voice was filtering through the music. "You know, a Doctor once told me that music over 10 decibels wrecks your hearing."

Cameron was suddenly aware of a face hovering just beside her ear. "Jesus Christ!" She jerked away from a smug Dr. House and yanked her headphones off, her heart racing in her chest.

House pulled together a very somber faceand whispered in an over the top conspiratorial tone, "No no no, call me Greg. Or the other Doctors might get jealous."

Allison rolled her eyes slightly.

House settled a hip against her desk. "Whatcha listening to?"

Allison's eyes narrowed at she tried to figure out the Doctor in front of her. "Why?"

House made a face, rolled his eyes and stated matter-of-factly. "Because it has ab-so-lutely nothing to do with me. But, I am very nosy and wish to know." He had already turned away half way through this explanation and was now leaning behind her computer.

She quickly saved her document incase of a mishap. Though she didn't mind writing reports, she didn't like rewriting them. "What are you doing?"

Without coming out from behind her computer he said, "Now look who is nosy…" He came back holding a thin cream wire with a green jack. The speaker jack. He swiftly unplugged her headphones from her CD player.

"Hey!" Allison frowned.

As he plugged in the speaker jack he mumbled, "for horses, my good Doctor."

The music she had been listening to now filtered into the room. Allison opened her mouth to protest again but he held up his hand to silence her.

Sarah McLachlan's voice sang in an ardent voice, "…love has made me a fool; it set me on fire and watched as I floundered; unable to speak; except to cry out and wait for your answer…"

Cameron watched with a flush as House's eyebrows rose at the lyrics. She was immediately grateful for the dim light in her office, hopefully masking the red that now tinted her cheeks.

He turned his gaze to her, an amused smirk on his face. "Ooh, just recently scorned and Dr Allison Cameron surrounds herself with angsty women's music! How original. Are you going to join a self defense for women course just so you can shit kick a male training dummy?"

A flash of anger filled her and Cameron set her jaw and glared up at him, biting back a retort and a few other choice four-letter words that would likely get her fired.

She saw the gleam in his clear blue eyes as he took notice of the rise he had just gotten out of her.

She averted her eyes and tried to concentrate on the computer screen in front of her.

But House had settled comfortably into 'taunting-Allison' mode and wasn't about to let that go to waste. His eyes found the CD wallet settled between the tower and monitor. "I bet I would find Alanis Morissete and Carly Simon in here…"

She snatched it away before he decided to peruse through it and he continued on, "you really shouldn't be listening to music as it is. What about your beeper? What if there is a medical emergency that calls for some immunologist expertise and we can't get a hold of your pretty little backside because you are drowning your sorrows under the mournful wailings of some female rocker?"

Cameron was unable to stop herself from taking the bait and shot a look of disbelief his way. She regarded his far too serious expression for a moment before shaking her head slightly and turning back to the medical reports. "It is on vibrate. And this is rich coming from a man who often is found hiding away with his attention glued to a video game."

House ignored the video game comment completely. As she knew he would. "Ooo, vibrate. The torrid train of thought I could take..."

She glared up at him. "Do you have an actual purpose for being here? Or is it just to mock me and my taste in music?"

He shrugged. "Visit, mock, hide from Cuddy. Do I really have to pick just one?" He studied her for a moment. "Though I must say, you are much more irritable than usual Dr. Cameron."

She forced out a false smile, her eyes shooting daggers at him. "And you are much more irritating today Doctor House."

He waggled a finger at her. "See. The way you said my name."

She held in a sigh. "I always call you Doctor House."

He tapped a lean finger to his nose, "Ah, yes. But the way you enunciated Doctor. Like the way my teachers would stretch out the name Gregory when I had done something naughty."

He was beginning to wear on her and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dr House I am trying to finish this up."

House moved to the side of her and was once again invading her space. He leaned on his cane while his free hand now gripped the back of her chair, his knuckles lightly brushing against her back. As he leaned over her shoulder in an all too familiar fashion, her heart rate picked up and her breathing became shallow.

House chuckled. "Medical reports! You sure do know how to live on the wild side Cameron. I bet you colour coordinate your socks and underwear too. That is, if you have any colored underwear." His voice laced with that ever-present sarcasm.

She knew she should be angry at his snide comments but his body heat and scent were now drifting over her body and she was finding it very disconcerting. He smelled like soap, shampoo and a fusion of other scents that were purely House. By the ever-present five O'clock shadow she could determine that aftershave definitely wasn't one of them. It was mixture she found completely intoxicating. Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to gather her bearings.

House moved closer still until his voice rumbled softly in her ear, "did you know that you breathe less when I stand close to you like this?"

Cameron's eyes snapped open and she once again felt the uncomfortable feeling of a flush running across her face.

His voice continued derisively, "there, now you've stopped breathing completely."

Cameron forced a breath out and House chuckled lightly again and asked far too innocently, "Do I have a bad odor about me Doctor? A foul smell that perhaps I was unaware of?"

Cameron fought valiantly for her voice for a moment. Finally she said in a hitched whisper, "why are you doing this?"

As he replied, his breath lightly skimmed over her ear, sending a tremble through her body. "Doing what?"

Cameron closed her eyes and cursed the way her voice continued to tremble. "You are quite possibly the most intelligent person I know; able to read people without even trying. So don't even try to pretend that you're oblivious to what you are doing."

She finally worked up the courage and slowly turned her head so she was looking at him.

House had to pull back slightly so her face wouldn't collide with his. His intensely blue eyes studied hers but he kept silent.

Her voice continued on softly, "so why do you… jerk me around like this? You know exactly what it does to me…" She searched his eyes for a moment and he held her gaze. "You don't like me, remember?" Her voice tinged with bitterness and ache.

House's eyes narrowed slightly, his mouth a pursed line. "No, I don't."

Cameron averted her eyes, feeling foolish and hurt all over again as that embarrassing scene played over in her head again.

"They like you. Everyone likes you"

"Do you? I have to know."

"No."

What had she been expecting? For him to shout his never-ending love for her in the middle of the hall?

She pushed that memory away and took a shuddering breath. "God, I am usually a functioning Doctor. But then you do this and it is like my brain falls out." She glared at him, trying to ignore the way her stomach quaked at his continued proximity to her. "If your mission was to make me feel like a fool than you can stop now. You succeeded long ago."

He simply continued to stare, making no move to back up from her. She bet if she hadn't been holding her desk tightly her hands would be trembling. Her stomach was doing that annoying twinge that Foreman had talked about.

An uncomfortable silence filled up the room, making the small space between them seem even more confining. Sarah McLachlan didn't help matters by crooning on in the background, "…how stupid could I be? A simpleton could see, that you're no good for me. But you're the only one I see…"

Again House's eyebrows lifted at the telltale lyrics; his eyes still sparkling with a mixture of mirth and malice. She felt anger building up in her again and she spat out, "and you don't need to keep this ultra-asshole façade up any longer either; I get the point."

House cocked an eyebrow at her sudden vehement outburst, but still stayed silent. She gritted her teeth. She would rather he say something, anything, than nothing. God knows what was going on in that head of his. "You don't have to treat me special anymore. You can go back to being the average, everyday asshole you are with everybody else."

Despite the hostility in her words she was supremely irritated to find her body still singing at the very nearness of him.

House's eyes suddenly turned ruthless. "You thought you were special?"

Cameron was stunned for a moment before her eyes narrowed furiously and tears threatened to fill them. She couldn't hold it back any more. "Oh go fuc-"

But her callous words were cut off by House's mouth pressed harshly against hers. His hand gripped the back of her head tightly, leaving her no room for escape. His mouth pried hers open, and his tongue ran possessively through her mouth.

Despite her anger at his abrasive words she was even angrier to find herself responding to him instantly, caving in against him. Her body betrayed her and gave in to all the suppressed yearnings and cravings she had felt around this obstinate man. She felt her resentment melt as he continued to kiss her with a building intensity. And just as suddenly as he had kissed her, he pulled back, his hand still firmly tangled in her hair.

Her disoriented gaze met with House's pointed look. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes as they bore into her. His jaw was hard set and his breaths came out ragged, his chest heaving. As he spoke his voice was low and livid. "Do you want me to say that I like you, Dr Cameron? Is that what you want! Do you want me to say that the very thought of you makes me come unglued. That I have been trying desperately to make you hate me so you won't get caught up with some drug addicted, son of a bitch, cripple who definitely doesn't deserve the time of day, let alone respect, friendship or love of a beautiful, far too young and naive, Doctor?"

She sat shocked, her heart moving erratically in her chest, unable to say anything at all.

The hard gleam in his eyes intensified. "That will never be me Allison. I don't discuss my feelings and I don't look for relationships and connections." He searched her eyes for a moment before his gaze landed hungrily on her mouth. He finished in a rush, "and I will never admit I like you," before kissing her hard again.

This time she met him head on and the fervor built up between them instantly. Again there was no slow, sweet build up. No testing of unfamiliar waters. While House's hands were now being used to support him, Cameron's swept through his hair, down his neck and across his shoulders. His muscles trembled beneath her touch, though she wasn't sure if was her, or the strain from standing like this that caused it. She shifted slowly and grabbed hold of the lapels of his jacket, drawing him with her, till they were both standing.

House quickly shed his cane and leaned against the desk, pulling Cameron back with him, her chest tight against his. His now free hands held her face, as his mouth continued to work against hers and she moaned into him. At his touches, her body continued to react and she arched into him. His hand slid down her body and settled tightly on her lower back, pulling her hips into him.

Cameron felt her head become light and was certain that if she had not been pinned against House she would have collapsed. She was nearing on frantic now, her hands ran eagerly over his chest, loving the way his muscles bunched and clenched beneath them. She heard a sharp intake of breath as she drew his lower lip into her mouth and bit down.

House pulled away and mumbled in a hoarse voice into her lips, "Do me a favor Allison and take three steps back to the wall."

He pushed her back a step and she looked up at him in confusion as she complied. Before she could start to question his motives, or begin to doubt what she was doing, House steadied himself against the desk with one hand and moved towards her. He suddenly had his hand and forearm bracing himself on either side of body, pinning her to the wall.

As his mouth hovered over hers again he mumbled, "there, better." He kissed her deeply again, his tongue moving urgently against hers. With one hand he began to tug at the white lab coat she wore. Without a second thought, her fuzzy brain happily complied and shrugged the jacket off. He pulled back again and moved his mouth to the now bare skin of her neck. Any little bit of air she was managing to get was suddenly sucked from her as his teeth and mouth began to work at the point where her neck and shoulders met. A gasp of, "oh god," escaped her mouth before she could stop it and she felt House chuckle lightly against her skin.

He brought his head back up, his beard rasping over her skin. "I told you, Call me Greg."

Cameron completely ignored the joke and arched her hips into his while pulling him down to her for another kiss; She could still feel a faint trace of a smile on his lips against hers. She threaded her fingers behind his neck, pulling herself up to him, trying to get as completely close to him as possible.

The need for a proper intake of oxygen consumed her and she pulled back, resting her forehead against his chest, her finger gently looped around his neck as she drew in jagged breaths. She could feels his pulse racing beneath her finger tips; his hard breaths traveling down her neck. His body warmth pressed against her made her melt against him. She felt him tense up and she brought her gaze up to his.

He was staring at her intently, a slight scowl on his face. He was uncomfortable, she realized with a slight trace of wonder. He had just pinned her against a wall and stuck his tongue in her mouth but Cameron holding him like this made him uncomfortable.

As if reading her thoughts he warned, "I will never be a nice guy, Allison." He stared into her eyes to gauge her reaction.

Instead of the usual look of hurt filling her them she just contemplated him for a moment. Then she surprised him when she drew herself up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his mouth. Not the hungry searing ones from before; just sweet and simple. Her hands lightly held his lapels as she teetered precariously on her tiptoes; her small frame no match for his tall lanky one. After lingering for a moment she pulled back but didn't return to the flat of her feet. Her breath moved across his face and he could feel his heart rate pickup up again. Her eyes searched his for a moment before a light smile covered her face. A smile that shook to his core because it said loud and clear, I know you like me. I win.

She settled back down against the floor and continued looking up at him in that unnerving manner. She ran a hand lightly down his face and part of him wanted to pull back from the unfamiliar feeling of the comforting touch. People weren't supposed to treat him like this. He was an insufferable bastard. Amazing women did not want to be this close to him. People in general did not want to be this close to him. The thought dug at his mind and he finally could not take it any more.

"Why are you doing this Cameron?"

From the look on her face, he had surprised her with the question as much as he had surprised himself.

She slid her arms around his waist, fitting her body against his before responding, not really caring for the moment that doing so might make him uncomfortable. "Whether you like me or not, I like you. Because beneath your callous, tactless, sarcastic, grumpy-"

House glared, "I get it." He already regretted asking the heavy question. All this serious talk was making him supremely uncomfortable and as he studied her earnest face he desperately wanted to turn and run right now. Except that would mean leaving the comforting heat of Cameron's lithe body against his and he wasn't quite ready to do that yet. So he fell back on his sense of humour. Sarcastic humour he could deal with. "... though you forgot debonairly handsome. And you're not going to finish with 'beats the heart of a good and caring man' are you? Because that would just be too cliché. "

She grinned up at him and nimbly dodged past his attempt to be offhand. "This is my heartfelt speech, you can have your own."

He glared again, but with her warm body fitting nicely against his, he was finding it harder and harder to muster the glares up. "I don't do heartfelt speeches."

She smiled slightly. "Everything you say is heartfelt." She shrugged softly. "Sometimes that heart is more than a little petulant and irritable, which probably has something to do with all those clinic patients you make cry but, but you still always say what you feel…" She thought a moment. "Another reason your patients cry." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked up at him.

He shrugged. "Crying is the best medicine."

She cocked an eyebrow, a look that she had most definitely picked up from him, and teased, "Isn't that supposed to be laughter?"

He feigned a scowl. "But then it would be a cliché. And we've already gone over what I think of those."

She gave him a full-blown smile and he realized that he loved that response and reaction almost as much as the one he had gotten when he had run his tongue over her lip. Almost.

She slowly let her arms drop and looked away. House took a step back, but found that the action was something that he didn't actually want to do. Well, shit. Two minutes kissing her and he was already starting to be clingy. Damn women.

Allison bit her lip lightly, a smile still playing on her lips. The face was so sickly cute he wasn't sure if he wanted to gag or pin her against the wall again.

Allison's tongue slowly ran over her lower lip and House felt his heartbeat stall for a moment.

The wall thing. Definitely the wall thing.

She moved lightly over and picked up his cane from where he had dumped it. She made no move to give it back and House wouldn't give her the satisfaction of reaching for it. He simply turned and leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed lightly over his chest. He watched her as she began to roll the cane between her palms.

Cameron's eyes focused on some distant place in her mind. She had something to say and House knew that if he waited it would come out. Whether he wanted it to or not. Either that or he would make some desperate attempt to snag her and pull her back to him. Because as she continued to unconsciously spin his cane, her hips jutted slightly to one side, her skin still flushed due to their previous… engagment, he found himself really wanting to kiss her again.

His appreciative stare was broken as she spoke up in a quiet voice tinged with the same feeling he was experiencing at that moment. Contentment. Happiness. Who would have thought either of those words would ever apply to him?

"I am going to go."

He quelled a feeling of slight panic and he simply cocked an eyebrow. "You were here first."

She smiled lightly. "Well I need to go get some test results for those reports. And you have your "I need to think" face on. Just don't over think it. I know how you love to analyze and pick apart."

House scowled. "Don't think you know me so well, Cameron."

She moved towards him until she was standing between his splayed feet. "And don't think you are such a hard one to figure out…Greg." She pressed the cane into his hands and gave him a soft smile.

House ignored how much he enjoyed hearing his name pass through her lips and responded gruffly, "Good, no deity inference."

Her lips turned up into a sly grin. "I've been told I learn quickly."

From the way she walked out of the room with more than a bit of a sway in her hips, House gathered that she wasn't referring to her aptitude with picking up the quadratic equation.

With a final parting grin from the doorway, Allison sauntered (oh yes, there was some definite "saunt" in her step) down the hall and out of House's sight. He was ever aware of her jacket still crumpled at his feet. The lingering feeling of her fingers in his hair. Her lips on his skin.

House took a calming breath.

Why in the hell had he just gone and done that? This could be a really bad idea.

He felt a smile stretch slowly across his face.

Cool.

"What a beautiful
what a beautiful mess I'm in…"

I am thinking of continuing this story. What do you think? Oh, I know, you could tell me in a review! Yah, that's the ticket. And remember, after you comment, go read 'Saints and Saviors'! Or pee and eat or whatever. I don't know, I'm not psychic.