"Rainy Days and Mondays" (m) - (11 Parts)

[tma]

What can I say... I was inspired. I hope that I'm not poaching. Just got some ideas and wanted to try this out. Will have more later.

The skies of Princetown were gray and pregnant with the expectation of rain.

Cameron sighed as she walked out to her car. It was only the Start of what looked to be an incredibly long week and she was really looking forward to getting home.

She was halfway to the car when it began to rain. Of course Cameron was always prepared and popped open her umbrella and hurried to the blue Honda. She got in and closed it up after a brisk shake.

Suddently the rain started to come down in torrents with gusts of wind. Arrrgh! Just what I need. To have to drive home at a snail's pace because of this.

She drove slowly and flicked on the radio. Ironically enough "Rainy Days and Mondays" was playing and being in a strange humor she kept it on and hummed along.

She glanced casually to her left as she pulled out of the lot. There was a figure huddled over trying vainly to pull their leather jacket over their head and walk/run to the bus stop. She looked at her clock. There wasn't another bus scheduled for twenty minutes. What in the hell are they doing? Who would be crazy enough...

But then she noticed the jacket. Chase. She rolled her eyes. He Never checked the weather and even if he had would probably still have forgotten to bring an umbrella.

She pulled up next to him and rolled down her window.

"Chase!"

The blonde kept walking, totally unaware.

"Chase!!!"

He looked startled. Then he composed himself and tried to act like they had just bumped into each other in the hall. "Fancy running into you."

"Get in."

Again the deer in the headlights look. Honestly, the guy was gorgeous but he could be so thick sometimes it made you want to scream.

"But I was just..."

"Get In."

"But I'm wet and I don't want to get your seat"

She cut him off "You Are getting my seat wet by not getting in and letting me keep yelling at you in the rain."

He ducked his head and she was fairly certain that he was blushing.

He got into the car and closed the door. He was drenched. Water was dripping from golden locks that were plastered to his head.

"Where to?"

"Just the bus stop. I'll be f-fine." he murmured as his teeth began to chatter.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. My place."

"Has anyone ever t-told you that you are p-pushy?"

"Well, at least I have an umbrella and a warm car." she countered pointedly, running a hand through her wavy brown hair. Her Dry hair.

Chase couldn't argue with that. So he sat quietly with his head bowed and sniffed, but tried not to, which of course only made it More obvious.

"Really. You can just drop me back off at the hospital. I'll wait till the rain clears and taaa...." his nose wriggled a bitand his voice trembled slightly. Then he swallowed and continued. "take the later bus."

"What? Are you afraid to come back to my place?" she said, half teasing, half challenging.

That seemed to take the shyness and hesistation out of his voice. "Well, you are rather frightening." he said sardonically.

"Then it is settled."

A silence decended on the car- punctuted by little sniffs.

Then, "Th-thanks." The look on his face seemed withdrawn and embarrassed so Cameron didn't push it but simply nodded her head.

[Sneesee]

I am SO loving these characters, and when you guys write about them, I die!!!! And I don't even watch that show! I probably should, except that I am spoiled with such lovely writers on here, and they know how to trip my trigger. I'm afraid the actual show would be a disappointment.

Thanks tma.

[tma]

They rode the rest of the way to Cameron's apartment in silence. Chase hunched over sniffing and scrubbing at his nose and trying not to move least he get the car more wet.

When they arrived outside the apartment complex, Cameron got out of the car, put up the umbrella and gestured toward it. But Chase shook his head and gestured toward himself. Cameron nodded and chuckled to herself. It would be pretty useless at this point.

They went down the hall and came to her door. She unlocked he door for him and he paused at the doorway.

This was The doorway. The doorway that he hadn't entered since she had called for him to take her out and then had started kissing him. Hands roving all over his body; eyes dazed, desparate, frightened and needy. And then the look that she had afterward. Regret, avoidance, and disappointment. It had taken a while to get things back to a decent keel where they could have the friendly banter that they had once had naturally.

Suddenly Chase was aware of Cameron's cool white hand on his forehead, brushing back the dripping golden locks.

"Come on." she said pulling him toward the couch.

"Whaa?" he managed still dazed and not sure what either of them were doing.

She continued dragging him and lead him toward the bathroom.

"Your jacket is ruined and you are a sopping mess and are running a temp. Get your clothes off."

She must have seen the smirk that sprung unbidden to Chase's face and rolled her eyes with a look that said "'Grow up."

"I'll toss you in some of Todd's old stuff- I think that they should fit well enough." Todd was the sainted husband of six months that had died of a terminal disease. The one that no man- except Perhaps Gregory House would live up to.

"I-I'm ff..Eishuh... Ishuh...Chuh...heh...EiChuh." he tried, sneezing into his cupped hands, droplets of water dripping down his hair.

"You're what? Feeling miserable? Thought so." came the smug retort. "Glad that you can admit it."

Chase cleared his scatchy throat sighed and started to peel out of his dripping clothes. Carefully hanging everything of over the tub, so as to minimize the mess. As he peeled off his shirt his nostrils began to tremble. Even though he tried to hold back at least till the shirt was off they started even before that happened. "EiShuh... Chuh.... heh... eiChuh...chuh" He somehow managed to finish getting the shirt off while sneezing which was a little tricky. There it was off and he was back to shivering. God he felt awful. He supposed that he should thank Cameron for the ride and the clothes and head out. Maybe he could get a cab.

All he really wanted to do was collapse on the sofa. His nose was still ticklish and his head was throbbing and he felt like he'd gone a round with a Mac truck and lost. But he didn't want to put Cameron out. He knew that she had gone a round with House about allowing her to do tests that Might help a woman save her baby. Since it wasn't a puzzle, and House considered there main case much more interesting, it hadn't gotten top billing on House's chart so Cameron had to fight for every inch on that one. And Chase knew that it was important for her. So it had being physically and emotionally draining and probably the very last thing that she needed was to have a clueless Aussie mucking about her place.

"Here you are." she said, pushing a neatly folded set of clothes through the doorway and backing away to allow him his privacy.

A grey t-shirt, jeans and a navy fleece that looked invitingly warm. Chase hurriedly changed. He figured that he'd deal with what to do about leaving after he at least got warm.

[Sneesee]

Oooohhh, this is soooo incredibly delicious! tma, you are so awesome! Thanks again for another installment!

[vignette]

You know exactly how to cheer a girl up after a long day! This was unbelievable adoreable and sneezy!Chase is sooooo sexy. There must be more... and soon! Thanks so much for posting this, it's divine. xxx

[vote_for_pedro]

Wee! You write such lovely fluff! Is there a next installment? *anticipation*

[tma]

am glad that you guys are liking it. it is fun.

He was about to come out when Cameron called, "Use the navy bathtowel hanging on the hook to dry your hair."

He flushed like a guilty schoolboy. Thankfully she couldn't see him. He picked up the towel and dried his hair as best he could. But he didn't have...

"Extra comb is in the top drawer on the right of the sink"

Chase chuckled and shook his head. Of course after getting things into order with his hair his nose started to tickle again. "Heeeeh Ishoo... huhEiShoo... Chuh ..EiChuh" the sneezes bent him foreward, tossing his hair back and forth.

"Ugh." Chase sighed and grabbed a couple pieces of toliet paper to blow his nose before checking his reflection. Thankfully he didn't think that he looked as awful as he felt. Maybe he could get away with trying to sneak away. Or at the very least not have Cameron feel like she had to babysit him.

Cameron meanwhile was making soup. Chicken noodle- of course. Easy on the stomach in case he had the flu, and good for congestion. Plus with all the rain and the miserable day that she had had- she felt in the mood to have some and curl up on the couch with a book.

Chase came out of the bathroom. Todd's clothes looked alright on him. A little baggy, and a touch too long, but all in all a good fit. It was odd seeing those clothes on someone else. Although she had to admit that it didn't feel as wrong and out of place as she had thought that it would. And Chase looked much drier. She gave him a little smile as she finished ladling the soup.

Chase had seen that Cameron was cooking something so he hesistantly came over after she smiled at him. As he drew closer he started to smell what she had made and his stomach gave an involuntary lurch. Oh God. That smell. He always made it for his mum after one of her binges and she'd come home and the next day would feel wretched and he'd pretend that she was just sick and he'd make her chicken soup and tell her that she was going to be fine and that he was there and would make everything alright. He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing. He never Could understand why certain smells or sounds would trigger memories with him.

Cameron looked over and noticed that Chase had closed his eyes and was looking even more pale than usual. She left the soup on the counter and came around the island to see what was the matter.

"Chase?"

He blinked, those wide blue-green eyes still filled with memories of a darker time. But he wasn't going down that path. He couldn't take Cameron there with him, as tempted as he might get.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Errrr... I just thought of something that I forgot to take care of. So thanks for the ride and the change of clothes. But I'll just call a cab and be out of your hair."

Cameron shook her head stubbornly. "Come on. It's not That bad being stuck with me, is it? At least have some soup."

Another wave of nausea swept over him. As he didn't trust his voice, Chase merely shook his head and swallowed.

"Come on. I wanted some soup anyway. Trust me- not an imposition." she tried.

Chase coughed harshly and then tried, "I... I just have this Thing with chicken soup. I'm sorry. EiChuh...Ishoo... Chmpt" He turned to the side and covered his mouth with his fist. He shuddered a bit afterward.

She led him back over to the couch and said, "That's fine. I understand. Half my friends are vegetarians of one form or another. I have some vegetable broth. Just lie down."

Chase decided to let her misunderstand. It was simply easier than telling her the truth. He sat down on the couch.

Cameron dumped the soup and started anew, then glanced over at the couch. "Down." she commanded as if to a puppy.

Chase looked suitably reprimanded and laid down, curling himself into a little ball.

After a little while the broth was set and Cameron brought it over along with a glass of water. She grabbed a quilt from the rocking chair by the window and laid it over Chase.

Chase coughed and whispered "Thanks." He sat up and gingerly tried some of the broth and had to admit that it felt good on his scratchy throat. Although the steam seemed to keep teasing his pinked nostrils and he tried to scrub the itch away to no avail.

"huh... eIChuh.... hetChoo... heeeTChoo chmpt." They were harsh, wet and tossed his body forward. He sneezed into his cupped hands and was hoping for a Kleenex when he was given a small handful which he gratefully took.

He looked over at Cameron with eyes that were watery and tired. "You're not on the clock. You don't..."

Then she pressed her finger lightly to his lips. "Doctors make lousy patients, do you know that?"

He chuckled at that but started coughing. Cameron patted him on the back and got him to sip at some water.

"I don't want to pry, and I'm Sure that you will let me know if I am, but... you don't seem comfortable with this. Surely you've had people take care of you before when you've been sick. Same general principle. I know we've had things be a little weird with us before but..."

Chase interrupted her, "No." he cleared his throat. "I umm... haven't really had this happen before. I'm not sure how to act. I just don't want to take advantage of you." at that he flushed crimson and stared down at the floor; his blonde hair effectively shielding his eyes.

[Sneesee]

MMMMMM! tma, this fluff is addictive! I need...more... Sorry, I got a little carried away.

[tma]

Chase bit his lip nervously. He knew that he didn't always make the right decisions, especially when he felt lost or needy or was acting on impulse. Right now the thought of Cameron's cool hand on his forehead and having her right there to watch over him was tempting. Very tempting. But was it right?

He cleared his throat roughly. "If you are the expert, what was your favourite being tended to memory?" he asked with a sniff, feeling congested and a little self-consicous, but starting to feel warm and dry and comfortable curled up on the sofa.

Instead of brushing him off, Cameron actually appeared to be contemplating his question. Then she smiled over at him and said, "Well... I'd say the time that I was 9 and I had the chicken pox. My father actually spent the entire day in my bedroom playing games, reading me stories and getting me my favorite sick kid treats like jello, ginger ale, and nice thick vanilla shake. Oh and he sang me all sorts of goofy songs. I told him to stop, because I wasn't a little kid anymore, but secretly I was relieved when he kept on." She had this beautiful peaceful look on her face as she recounted her memory. A light seemed to awaken in her brown eyes that made them sparkle and her face became animated. All that Chase could do was just stare at her.

Evidently though, that wasn't all that he could do, because from out of nowhere a mischievous set of tickles had crept up on him and he turned and sneezed into his elbow "heeEiChuh... Chuh... Ishuh... Chmpt." then he realized that he had sneezed into Todd's fleece and not his own clothing and felt his face getting red and he mumbled "sorry. Pardon me."

Cameron felt a little self-concious as well. She was berating herself for telling Chase stories instead of making sure that he felt better, since obviously he wasn't feeling well. And of all the stories that she could have told.... she Had to pick one that featured a happy father/child bonding moment. Her cheeks started to pinken and she turned to Chase with a smile that was just a bit too bright. "Well, I've been keeping you from resting long enough. Is there anything else that you need?"

Chase simply shook his head. Now he felt sure that he was wasting Cameron's time. She probably just wanted to come in a crash after the day that he was sure that she had had. "I'm fine." he lied with a little smile and closed his eyes and tried not to feel so small, and so alone.

[hypersnuff]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Yayyyy for Cameron/Chase!!!!!! Mmm yummy!

[magictoes11]

I've really enjoyed reading this! I love the flashbacks, and all the random snarkiness between them both. They're so cute!

[tma]

*grins* Glad you guys like. I love writing the little snarkiness- so fun.

Will write more as muse inspires. Am happy camper though.

[Sneesee]

tma, you ROCK! I love all of this. I can't wait for more!

[tma]

**A/N- for some reason it gets a little angsty in this section. Not sure why. If you are anti-angst- this is your warning. lol! Also- for emets- Warning- nothing graphic... but- brief mention. Just to alert you**

Cameron sat curled up in on a chair in the corner of the room with a good book. Something light and with no socially redeeming value. As she read, she absently twirled her long wavy brown hair.

Part of why she had chosen the chair as a place to read rather than her bed was the fact that she had a good, inconspicous view of the sofa from there.

When Chase had admitted that he hadn't had the experience of being taken care of before, for some reason Cameron believed him. At first the idea had come as a surprise. With the way that he would flirt with the nurses and the way that he could get pouty when he didn't get his way she would have figured that Chase would have been one of those whiney sick guys that made every sniffle into something catostrophic.

But he almost acted as if he didn't want to be here. And that annoyed Cameron more than she had thought that it would.

At least having Chase here offered a welcome distraction from the mess that she had been dealing with with House. And an ill and embarrassed Chase was easier to deal with than a pouty or chauvenistic Chase.

She looked over towards the sofa and noticed Chase thrashing about on the sofa. There were beads of sweat on his forehead and he seemed to be moaning something that she didn't quite understand.

He must be having a nightmare.

She wanted to wake him up, but she knew that she'd have to be gentle. She rubbed a hand lightly on his arm, "It's ok" she murmured.

He kept tossing.

She lightly bent over and stroked his damp golden bangs and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then she started to unbutton his shirt to keep him cooler. "Shhh..."she whispered as he moaned and thrashed. "It's ok. She finished unbuttoning his shirt and said "It's alright Robbie. You'll be fine." She hardly realized what she was saying. She was trying to calm him down and comfort him.

As she gently bathed his chest with cool water she could feel his heart. It felt like it was beating so hard and fast that he'd explode. "Just relax for me Robbie. Just relax" she murmured. Suddenly, he shot up pushed her away from him with a scream "Don't touch me!!" and ran into her bathroom. She could hear the violent retching sounds.

Cameron was startled and confused. She went into the bathroom and looked over at Chase who sitting on the floor trembling and was curled almost into a ball.

"Chase." she began.

When he first looked up at her he had a look of sheer terror in his eyes. Like he was still playing a horrific scene in his mind. Then he shook his head and lowered his eyes. His face was pale and his cheeks were flushed.

"Are you...." Cameron tried, hesitantly. She wasn't sure what was the matter or how to help. She wasn't used to seeing Chase this vulnerable. He had seen her at one of her most vulnerable times and had tried to comfort her and first she had tried to push him away. And then she had taken some drugs to take the edge off let her enjoy life (at least that had been the Plan) and then she hadn't been able to stop herself from flinging herself at him and pinning him against a wall.

"I-I'm f-fine. I ummm... I'm sorry. I j-juuuh EiTchuh...Chmpt...pardon. It's just a bit of a stomach bug. B-but I'll be fine. I should go." he said, trying to stand but still feeling too dizzy.

"I won't press." she said softly.

Chase wasn't quite sure what she had said, his head was pounding, and he was miserable, congested, trembling and exhausted. "Wh-what?" he questioned, still trying to rise.

"I'll help you over to the sofa and you can lie down. I promise that I won't ask you any questions, alright."

Boy that had really gotten down to business. Cameron actually was promising not to ask questions. How had that happened? Chase felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him and he gave up trying to tough it out. He merely nodded his head slowly.

She helped him over to the sofa. Taking note of the fact that he was shaking like a leaf. He rolled onto the couch with a sigh.

"I just want to take care of you."

Chase nodded and sniffed quietly. "eh... Chuh...IsChuh...EisHuh" he raised his arm and sneezed again into his elbow. "You want to save the world." he said with a tired shake of his blonde hair.

[Bongo]

I had a feeling angst would sneak into the story. Doesn't make it any worse though. Really good job so far!

[vignette]

I love a good bit of angst, especially where Chase is involved. I'm enjoying this so much; your sneezy!Chase is the definition of hotness. More, please?

[magictoes11]

The only thing better than sneezes is sneezes with angst!

That's so cute! I love that last line, about how Cameron wants to save the whole world--it's absolutely true.

[hypersnuff]

I think my knees gave way under me.

Aww. It's cute. And hot sneezy Chase...mmm!

[March Hare]

EEEEEE! TOO effing SWEET for WORDS, zeg ik je! You're REALLY good at this fluff/angst thing, my dear, you REALLY are! I'm all overcome with the sweetness! Awww...

Lovely story!

[evelyn]

........faint........

It's sooooo sweeeet! And I love Chase!

MORE PLEASE!!!! /I hope you will update it soon! and your other Chase stories too! I love them /

[Guest Clare]

awwwwwwwwwww...this is SO sweeeeeeeeeeeet. Keep writing!

[tma]

I Will be working on my House-centric story... but I Miss my Chasie... and I just Had to write some more of this. Hope you guys like.

Chase closed his eyes, more in an effort to try to shut Cameron out than because he actually wanted to sleep. In fact, sleep was the last thing that he wanted. Despite feeling miserable, tired, and laying on a comfortable couch, his heart was racing. He was focusing all his energy on controlling his breathing to avoid hyperventilating. Obviously if he started to really fall apart like that Cameron would be sure to back pedal on her recent promise of not asking any questions.

Why did she have to care so much? It didn't make any sense to Chase. Nothing good came from it. All the examples that he knew caring deeply for someone had a direct correlation to getting hurt. Deeply. Even the examples that he knew of in Cameron's life. Caring for a terminal husband was a setup for heartbreak. Her crush on Dr. House, which Chase wasn't sure had fully abated, and never been reciprocated, and often just set her up for being toyed with more than she might otherwise have been. Caring about him. Where had that gotten her? Snapped at, taken advantage of when she was scared, and currently stuck having to play nursemaid.

Chase trembled involuntarily and clutched the blanket more tightly. His body was shaking but his head just felt so hot. Suddenly, he felt something cool and wet on his forehead. Cameron. She never gives up.[\i] He tried to tell her that he was fine, but it felt too good and somehow the words just wouldn't form.

Cameron looked at the shivering young intensivist laying on her couch. While part of her mind stayed focused on the task of bringing down his fever, the other part just had to wonder. What on earth happened? Obviously everyone has bad dreams now and again, but something about the look on his face afterwards left her with the feeling that if it was a nightmare that it wasn't the "forgot to dress before going to work" type of thing. She bit her lip as she felt the urge to question welling up inside her. Now isn't the time. She reminded herself. But what could it be? Argh!! She needed a distraction.

Thankfully Chase provided one. Cameron happened to notice Chase's breathing becoming a bit uneven. At first she was concerned about a repeat of earlier events. Until she noticed his nose twitching.

Damn. The horrid thing about colds, Chase thought was how they tended to irrupt sleep, or in his case, playing possum. The tingling sensation grew as he tried to quell it by biting on the inside of his cheek. Not working. Then he realized that he couldn't move his arms. Cameron had him tucked in tighter than a proverbial bug in a rug.

Cameron noticed the blankets shifting and then realized that the covers were too tight. Grabbing a couple of Kleenexes she quickly helped Chase sit up and held the Kleenexes in front of his quivering pink lips. She could feel the quick warm puffs of air and then the cooler inhales as he succumbed "Huuuh… EiChumpt… EiChmpt… chmpt… hehhhhh….EiTchuh." He untangled his hands by the second sneeze but since they kept coming, he merely put his hands over hers.

When he had finished, he dropped her hands like they were wildfire. "Cuse be." He sniffed. "I'b…. I'b sorry. The bladket ad I just did't bean to…" The combination of a tired, embarrassed, congested Australian accent were too much and Cameron started to shake.

Was she mad? Was she disgusted? Chase didn't blame her if she was. He felt like an absolute idiot. But then he noticed the mischievous twinkle in her warm brown eyes. She was…. She couldn't be… yup.. she was Laughing at him. Chase's first reaction was to pout or to burying himself in the covers. Although… that was akin to what created the problem in the first place. And once he found the humor in the situation a shy grin tugged at the corners of his lips and even a little chuckle managed to emerge. Although it was hard not to laugh because once Cameron had seen that Chase wasn't going to throw a fit the silent laughter turned into a giggling fit. And Chase didn't think that anyone could resist a giggling Cameron

[evelyn]

Awwww...

ADD MORE PLEASE!!! This is too good to stop reading it here....

[Aisha]

Yippee!!!! That was too adorable tma!!! I read this story quite awhile after you finished posting the last section of it and I figured there wouldn't be anymore coming... so this was a WONDERFUL suprise!!

Looking forward to more of this one and the House-centric one too

[tma]

Awww! Thanks guys. The last episode I was like "Noooo!!! Wait!! Bring back my Chase! " So I *had* to play with him.

Sorry that this is alternating from the angst to the cheese and back and forth. Just is seeming to flow that way.

Here is some more.

"I'm sorry." Cameron said, drying her eyes, "It's just I was remembering the time that the kid snuck in their family dog because they thought he would help their mother get better."

"I had a bit of a surprise that morning."

"Yeah… just a bit. And he tried to get you to stay quiet about the dog. How did he manage that anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Chase ducked his head down a bit. "It wasn't a big deal. Any of you would have done the same thing."

Cameron shook her head, "I can't see Foreman doing that. House only if the dog could let him steamroll Cuddy on something. And as for me… honestly if I was as allergic as you are, I would have been having second thoughts right from the beginning."

"Well I was a bit hesitant but I figured that I bluff fairly well."

"Hah! Hate to break it to you, but you are terrible at bluffing. Never play poker." There was an abashed expression on Chase's face. "What? Don't tell me? You didn't?"

He nodded slowly, "Well they needed another player and Wilson told me that he thought that I'd be great."

"And you believed him? House totally suckered you in."

"But… it was Wilson. He seems so honest."

Cameron snorted. "Yeah… all three of the former Mrs. Wilson's thought so too. Anyway, how did you think that we wouldn't notice how horrid you sounded?"

"I didn't sound that bad." Chase weakly protested.

"You were Barely intelligible. You're lucky that House only pelted you with a tissue box."

Speaking of which, Chase thought, where might they be? The congestion was steadily increasing and simultaneously brought back the fluttering and persistent itch. His blue green eyes flitted around the table as they started to water slightly. He opened his mouth to ask Cameron but before he could utter the words three wet and miserable sneezes escaped his lips. He caught each in his cupped hands, being thrust forward with each explosion. "P-pardon" he managed with his hands still cupped. Then he left the room.

While Chase scrubbed up in the bathroom, he thought that at least he had been able to have an excuse to escape. Not that the banter had made him uncomfortable. In fact, he thought that was the problem. He didn't want to feel too comfortable with Cameron. The more comfortable and relaxed he got, and the more trust that he had, the more likely it was that he'd slip up. He didn't want to see the disgust that would surely be in her eyes. Disgust. Or pity, which would be worse.[\i] He didn't want to be another "project", something that Cameron could work on and fix until she became bored, tired, or resentful or whatever she would end up becoming. Until she left him. That was the assumption and the fear.