secret santa fic
Author: athousandsmiles
Title: No More Goodbyes
Rating: mature
Genre: romance, mild angst, holiday
Summary: She didn't miss Princeton at all, nor did she miss the people there. Not even House.
A/N: My deepest apologies to my recipient for being late with this. The writer part of my brain was determined to make it a House/Cameron/Wilson story and I didn't know if you would like that, so I had to turn it into just House/Cameron despite lack of cooperation from said brain. Anyway, here is my Secret Santa fic for hughville, who's requests were:
Three things I would like:
1. Cameron strong and successful in Chicago
2. Both in character (the way they SHOULD be)
3. House bringing Cameron back in a unique way
Three things I would not like:
1. P***y whipped House/Huddy
2. Sad, mopey Cameron
3. Did I mention p***y whipped House/Huddy? Yeah, none of that, please.
The cab pulled up to the large brownstone, and House got out, leaving his suitcase behind and instructing the cabbie to wait for him. His cane provided extra traction on the slick, snow-covered cement as he hefted his way up the steps to the front door. He paused for a second and then rang the bell before his doubts sent him fleeing back to his cab.
When the door swung open, he was greeted by a lovely woman of about 65 with long brown hair sprinkled with strands of silver that fell in soft layers around her face and highlighted beautiful green eyes. She was Cameron in thirty years, and his breath caught in his throat as, unbidden, a vision of the future hit him like a blast of Chicago's winter wind.
"May I help you?" she asked, running her hands over her arms to ward off the chill.
He thought about turning and leaving right then. As it was, he was mentally cursing out Wilson for failing to mention that Cameron was living with her parents when he'd given House her address.
"I'm looking for Cam... Allison," he said.
"Oh, of course, you're Dr. House, aren't you? I recognize you from a picture Allison showed me once. Please, come in. I'm Allison's mother, Jaclyn." She held out her hand, and he shook it, and then followed her through the door.
Once inside, a stately gentlemen with silver hair came forward and House was introduced to Cameron's father, Don. He was tall and slim with grayish blue eyes, like Cameron's, and looked to be at least ten years older than his wife. There was something about him that House immediately respected, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was except to say he seemed to embody the same nameless something that intrigued him about Cameron.
The home itself was warm and inviting, with tasteful Christmas decorations that reminded House of a living illustration of The Night Before Christmas. And as he glanced around, visions of Cameron danced in his head.
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A sharp and bitter wind came off the lake and nearly cut right through all of Cameron's layers. She pulled her scarf up higher to cover her mouth and nose and resolutely marched on, eager to get home. Horizontal snow whipped at her cheeks and clung to her eyelashes as she adjusted her bag and quickened her pace to a light jog. It was beginning to pile up, drifting against the brownstones as if seeking the warmth and shelter they provided. Despite the weather, and forecasters were predicting a doozy of a storm, she was happy, exhilarated even. Coming home to Chicago was the right decision. She didn't miss Princeton at all, nor did she miss the people there. Not even House. But if she was honest, she missed House a little, but only a very very little, like on days when the sun lit up the lake in a sparkling blue that made her think of his eyes or when she passed the cotton candy vendor at Navy Pier.
Coming around the corner, she spotted a cab idling in front of her parent's home. She eyed it curiously and then headed up the walk toward the door.
"Hey Miss!"
Turning, she saw the driver rounding the cab to stand on the sidewalk, pulling his collar up to his chin, a scowl on his face. "Tell that guy he's got two minutes and then I'm leaving. I'll pawn the stuff in his suitcase if I have to, but I'm not waiting around any longer. I'm off duty in ten minutes and I want to get home before the roads get worse."
She just stared as he started muttering about Christmas and family and dinner and then she gave him a little nod and went inside.
"Is someone waiting for a cab?" she called out, as she kicked the snow off her boots and began pulling them from her feet. "There's a very impatient taxi driver outside threatening to pawn... " She trailed off to find House, of the sparkly blue lake eyes and the cotton candy memories, standing just inside the living room with her mom and her dad. Suddenly incapable of movement, she stood half stooped over with one boot off and one on, trying not to drown in his lake eyes.
"Is that your cab waiting, Dr. House? Let me take care of that for you," her dad said, grabbing his overcoat and heading toward the door.
"Thank you," House said with what seemed like rare sincerity, but though he spoke to her father, he didn't take his eyes off of her.
Finally able to move, she stepped aside to let her father pass and then removed the rest of her outer wear, placing it all in the coat closet and taking a deep breath.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprising herself at the anger in her tone.
"Allison, don't be rude," her mom scolded. "Come on, let's sit down and you two can catch up. Dr. House, would you like some coffee?"
"No, thank you," he said, glancing at her mother and then back to her again.
He sat on the couch while Cameron chose the armchair across the room, putting distance between them. Her father came back in, bringing a blast of cold with him and carrying House's suitcase, which he set down in the hallway.
From the kitchen, the ding of a timer went off and Cameron's mother jumped up just as she'd sat down. "That would be the chicken. Would you like to stay for dinner, Dr. House?"
"No thank you. I can't stay long," House said, glancing nervously from Cameron to her mom.
"I'm afraid you won't have a choice," her dad interjected. "It's getting wild out there. Where were you planning on staying?"
"I've got a reservation at the Hilton," House answered. "I'll call another cab."
"No cabbie's going to come out in this. But you're welcome to stay with us. We've got plenty of space."
"Of course," Cameron's mom added. "We'd love to have you."
Across the room, Cameron's mouth hung open and she wondered if she'd stepped into some parallel universe. She was tempted to offer to drive him to his hotel herself, even if it meant using a sled and some Huskies in order to get there. Though she might have missed him occasionally (all the time), she felt an irrational anger at his sudden, uninvited, appearance back in her life.
"Allison, why don't you show him to Aaron's room."
Without a word, she shot him a look meant to convey her unhappiness with the situation, noting the equally unhappy look on his face, and grabbed his suitcase. "Right this way," she muttered with false sincerity, and marched up the steps without looking back to see if he followed.
She led him to her brother's old room at the end of the hall and plopped his suitcase none too gently on the bench along the wall.
"Aaron doesn't snore, does he? A guy likes to be prepared if he's going to be sharing a bed," House quipped, eyeing the single queen-sized bed in the room.
"Aaron lives out in the suburbs with his wife and kids now, so you're safe from his snoring ways. The bathroom is here," she said, pointing toward a door to the left of the bed. "It's a Jack-and-Jill which you will have to share, so when you're not using it, please leave the other door unlocked." She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms over his chest. "You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"
"Brought you a Christmas present," he said, unzipping his suitcase and pulling out a small wrapped box.
She took it from his hands reluctantly, still angry, but even more confused. He hadn't given her a present in years. He also could've mailed it, she thought churlishly. "You didn't come all this way to give me a present, House. What are you doing here?"
"Open it," he said, ignoring her question.
Frowning, she tore the paper off, revealing a snow globe. Inside she recognized the little brick buildings of the Princeton campus. "Princeton?" she asked, eyebrows raised in skepticism. "I'm not going back, House. So if this is your way..."
"Allison, dinner's ready. Come on down before it gets cold," Jaclyn called from downstairs.
She placed the snow globe on the nightstand and led him out of the room and back down to the kitchen, taking a deep breath that did nothing to calm her raging emotions.
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As awkward as it was to be sitting at the Cameron family dinner table enduring small talk, House couldn't help but enjoy the meal. The food was delicious and Cameron's parents weren't as boring as he might have expected, had he expected to be having dinner with them.
"So, Dr. House... " Jaclyn began.
"Mom, just call him House," Cameron interrupted, and then looked away sheepishly at the scolding look her mother shot her.
"Or you can call me Greg," House said, swallowing down a mouthful of asparagus, and eyeing Cameron as she made a scoffing noise in disbelief.
"Well then, Greg, what brings you to Chicago?"
"Yes Greg," Cameron said, "do tell us what brought you to Chicago?"
There was a long silence as he contemplated his answer, all eyes on the room staring him down. He settled on the truth, because... well he'd never been good at lying to Cameron. Lying to three Camerons seemed nearly impossible. "I came because I'm in love with Allison," he said, directing his answer to her parents at the other side of the table.
Her fork fell from her fingers, making a loud clanking noise against her plate, which seemed to startle her. She snapped her jaw shut, pushed her chair back and stood. "You are such a liar," she said, and he saw a hint of tears in her eyes before she left the room.
"That didn't quite go as planned," he quipped, trying not to squirm under her parent's gazes.
"I'll just go and check on her," Jaclyn said, clearing her throat pointedly.
Left alone with Cameron's father, House took a big swig of ice water and waited for either a speech about his intentions toward Cameron, or for the appearance of a shotgun. Possibly both.
"Would you like a Scotch?" Don asked, and House nearly choked on an ice cube.
"Sure. Neat please," he answered, watching as Don rose and went to a cabinet to retrieve the liquor. "Is this like one last cigarette before execution?"
Don chuckled and placed the tumbler of Scotch in front of House. "Of course not," he said, as he retook his seat. "I've heard a lot about you from Allison over the years. And now that I've met you... well, I think we're not so very different. When I met Jaclyn, she scared the shit out of me. This incredibly beautiful woman loved me, wanted to be with me and I freaked out. So much so that I volunteered to go to Nam as a medic." He paused and shook his head, lost in a memory. "Eventually I came to my senses and realized she was the best thing that ever happened to me. There's not a week that goes by that I don't thank the fates or whatever that she didn't give up on me and find someone else while I was away. I imagine you've come to some sort of similar conclusion about Allison?"
House nodded, swallowing down a ball of nerves that had lodged itself in his throat.
"Well, the good news is that Allison is a lot like her mother: patient and forgiving. I think you've got a good chance." He stood and clapped House on the shoulder, and then began clearing off the table. "C'mon," he said, "I think we can call this dinner done. Let's clean up a bit; I always find Jaclyn is more tolerant of my bullshit if I've surprised her by cleaning something."
House stood and grabbed his and Cameron's plates and brought them to the sink. Don scraped the food into the trash and rinsed the dishes as House brought the rest. They placed the leftovers in the fridge and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and then Don bid House follow him into the family room with his Scotch, where he turned on the television and found a football game. And if House hadn't been so worried about what was happening on the floor above, he would've felt quite at home in that moment.
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Up in Cameron's room, she and her mother sat on the window seat facing one another. "I don't know why he does this," Cameron said, staring out into the dark, snowy night. "Every time I think I've broken free from him, he finds a way to reel me back in."
"Maybe you should just hear him out," Jaclyn said. "He did come a long way to see you, after all."
"He probably just wants me to come back to his team; I heard Dr. Hadley left. Or he's just screwing with me. Last I heard, he was in a relationship with Cuddy," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably.
"And you didn't like that, did you? Because you're in love with him."
At that, Cameron's tears began to fall and she swiped at them angrily. "I was there... I gave him so many opportunities to be with me if he wanted. But he didn't want me. I figured he was just too screwed up to even want to try a relationship, but when I heard he was with Cuddy, well... it hurt, I admit. But mostly I just hoped he was finally happy, you know? And I guess that made it easier to move on. I've been happy here. I've been fine without him," she finished defiantly.
"But now he's here," her mom said gently. "And he loves you. So I guess the question is, can you still be happy here? Can you still be fine without him?"
"Yes," she said, but her heart was full of doubts, and from the look on her mom's face, she knew she hadn't been very convincing.
"Maybe so," her mom said, patting her knee. "But what would it hurt to hear what he has to say? This storm isn't going away anytime soon, so why not make use of this opportunity to tell him how you feel and see where things go from there. After all, it's not like he can get away," she finished with a wink.
"Would you?" Cameron asked, as her mom rose to leave the room. "Would you have given dad another chance if... ?"
Jaclyn chuckled and replied, "Oh your father is not so very different from your Dr. House. Stubborn men, both of them. But once you've got their heart, you've got it for good." She leaned down and kissed Cameron on the top of the head, leaving her with a soft, "Think about it."
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House was sitting on the couch feigning interest in the game on the television, when Jaclyn came back down. He watched as she moved to the arm of Don's chair and sat, saying, "I see you've cleaned up the kitchen. Thank you," before leaning down to kiss him.
"Wasn't just me," Don replied, with a nod at House.
"Well then, thank you Greg. I think the coast is clear, if you want to speak to Allison. I've hidden anything sharp up there, but I make no guarantees about blunt objects," she said with a teasing smile.
Nodding, he hoisted himself off the couch and made his way up the steps. He thought about going straight to her room, but instead went to the guest room first to formulate a game plan. Shutting the door behind him, he sat on the edge of the bed to think and when he looked up, there she was leaning against the jamb of the bathroom door, her arms crossed over her chest.
She pushed herself off the jamb and into the room, reaching for the snow globe she'd left on the night table and shaking it up as she waited for him to speak. All he could do was stare, watching her slender fingers toying with the snow globe, searching her face for some kind of clue as to where he stood with her. She had every right to be angry; he couldn't deny that, but the depth of her anger was unexpected. He didn't know what to say.
"Last I heard, you were with Cuddy," she finally said, her eyes full of questions. "What happened?"
"Didn't work out," he replied, glancing out the window into the night sky.
"You're going to have to do better than that," she snapped, punctuating her words by plunking the snow globe down on the night stand.
His hand went to his brow, fingers tapping against his forehead while he thought. "We broke up three months ago," he finally said. "Realized we weren't right for each other. She wanted some idealized version of me that she made up in her head, and I was never going to be that guy."
"And what about you? What did you want?"
"At the time, I wanted not to be alone anymore. Hard as it is to believe, my choices in female companionship are pretty limited, unless my credit card is involved. Cuddy wanted me. And I figured she was the last woman who'd have me. Not that I don't love her. But there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. Cuddy and I got those two confused." He looked up at her, staring directly into her eyes as he finished. "She wanted to change me, and I... put up with it for a while. Even tried to change. Turns out I'd rather be alone than be with someone who can't accept me for me."
Her mouth turned down, and she sighed. "But you've been convinced I wanted to fix you."
"I was wrong. You never tried to change me."
"But I wanted to heal you," she said, looking up into his eyes.
"It's not the same thing. I realize that now." He stepped toward her, close, and reached out to place his palm against her cheek, marveling at the warm, smooth skin and the way her eyes closed at his touch. "I've missed you."
Her eyes snapped open again and she moved back, hugging herself and pacing in front of him. "So when it didn't work out with Cuddy, you figured pathetic little Cameron would be your next best bet?"
"No," he said, smiling a little at the way she characterized the situation. "It wasn't like that. When it didn't work out with Cuddy, I tried to go back to the way things were before. Being alone, doing my job, harassing my team, avoiding clinic duty and generally being a miserable bastard. I thought about you all the time. Tried not to think about all the ways I screwed up with you, all the chances I missed. I know I don't deserve another chance..."
"I'm not going back," she said, resolute. "If that was your aim, well... it's not going to happen."
He moved in again, touching her cheek, his thumb brushing softly over her skin, pleased at the little gasp she made. "You loved me once. If you can look me in the eyes and say you don't anymore, I'll leave you alone."
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That was the one thing she couldn't do: look him in the eye and lie about her feelings. She loved him. Past, present, future... he'd claimed her heart a long time ago. Though he'd stomped on it and handed it back to her many times, his fingerprints (and shoe prints) were still all over it. But it didn't matter now; she wasn't going back. She'd moved here (home) and managed to carve out a life for herself that was free from all the baggage she'd left behind in Princeton. And she was content. She couldn't imagine any way in which they could make a relationship work now. It was too late. Too late, too late, too late...
"Can you?" he asked again, the intensity in his eyes burning through her defenses like laser beams. He was still touching her, fingers brushing over her skin in the softest, most exquisite of touches and she thought she would melt into the carpet beneath her feet.
Shaking her head in the negative, she just sort of fell into him, clinging as if he alone was keeping her from turning into a boneless mass of goo. She nuzzled her face into his neck, unable to look him in the eye, lest he see the tears that had begun to fall and the mess of emotions on her face. And she was a mess: confused, bemused, elated, and devastated, warm, cold, safe and uncertain all at once. It was just like her life to finally get what she'd always wanted, only to learn that it would, could, only be temporary. He was there, in her grasp, murmuring words of love, but she knew in her heart that there was no way it would last.
He tilted her face up to look at her, and then he kissed her so tenderly that she cried all the more for it and kissed him back as if it would be the last kiss she'd ever give or receive. Willingly, she followed him to the bed, never untangling herself from him except to remove some piece of clothing. And then he was poised over her, and she was urging him inside of her and moving with him as if they were long lost lovers.
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They dozed; he woke her to make love again and then they slept some more. He slept fitfully, holding her as if she might disappear, half afraid she might be just another hallucination. Though she confessed she still loved him, he knew that it wasn't that simple. The next obstacle was convincing her to come back to Princeton, to trust that he was in this for the long haul.
In the morning, the soft gray light of winter filtered through the curtains and dissipated the darkness in the room. Cameron woke, blinking in confusion for a moment and then smiling a sad, little smile at him.
"Morning," she said, snuggling back down against him. "I don't suppose we could just stay here forever."
"Could, but it might get awkward when your parents come up to check on us," he joked, kissing her shoulder.
She sat up with a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face. "Despite... this," she said, waving her hand between them, "I'm still not going back to Princeton. I've made a life here."
"What life? Living with your parents?" he asked, suddenly annoyed. She could be so damn stubborn, he thought.
"No," she said calmly. "I bought a condo in a brand new building. It'll be done in the spring. I'm just staying with my parents until it's finished. And you know I have my own department here at the hospital, with my own team."
"And I've got a nice condo back in Princeton. It's already built," he retorted. "There are jobs there too. At hospitals, even."
"You mean the condo you shared with Cuddy while you were seeing her? And the one you shared with Stacy before that?" She paused, giving him a look that was a mix of sadness and frustration. "You know what else is in Princeton?" she asked, getting up from the bed and dragging his t-shirt over her head. "My ex husband."
He didn't know what to say to that. It never occurred to him that it would bother her to share the space he'd shared with past girlfriends. Or that she would be so reluctant to be around Chase again, though that was understandable; Chase was an idiot.
"I could move. Buy a new place," he finally said, taking her hand as she rejoined him on the bed.
"House, I can't go back. But you could move here," she said, a hopeful look on her face.
"No one's gonna hire me," he said, defeated. "I'm too much of a liability. Hell Foreman couldn't get hired anywhere else and he's only mini-me."
Nodding, she pulled her hand from his and hugged herself as if taken with a sudden chill. "I guess we're at an impasse," she said, sadly.
"I'm not giving up," he replied, dragging her back into his arms. Clasping her to him, he murmured it again to the top of her head.
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The next few days passed in a bittersweet blur. They spent most of their time in the guest room, in the bed. But then the storm passed and he had to get back to PPTH.
His cab stood idling by the curb as they said their goodbyes. He cupped her face with his hands, and swiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I have to go back for now, but I've got about twenty-seven and a half years of vacation time saved up. So don't think you're getting rid of me so easily. I told you, I'm not giving up."
She laughed through her tears and kissed him, telling him she loved him between kisses. Her own hands crept up to touch his face and memorize the feel of his whiskers beneath her palms, as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Love you too," he replied. "I'll call you when I get in."
With that he was gone. She watched his cab disappear around the corner, taking her heart with it. Despite his words, she was sure that that was the end of them. She wanted to believe, but she'd been disappointed too many times. Even so, she was okay. She had three days with him and that was more than she ever thought she'd get, a memory she'd treasure for the rest of her life.
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True to his word, House called her that night and the next and nearly every night after. Sometimes he'd call her from work on the pretense of needing a consult and sometimes he'd call her late at night just to hear her voice and tell her how much he missed her. He flew out to see her a few weeks after Christmas and they spent an amazing weekend in his hotel room. He still longed for her to return to Princeton and made no secret of it; he thought he could wear her down eventually and she'd come back with him. But the stubborn set of her jaw and the sad look in her eyes finally convinced him it was a losing battle.
December turned to January which then turned to February, and he managed to surprise her with a few more visits. But there was something different each time they were together, a deeper feeling of hopelessness. He knew she wouldn't come home with him, but fleeting weekends here and there were just not enough. Each new goodbye was more painful than the last and he didn't know how much more he could take. She didn't seem to be bearing up under the strain much better, smiling sadly and blinking back tears every time they parted as if she knew it was the end.
Something had to change.
Back in Princeton he became more and more churlish, barking at everybody who annoyed him, which was, well... everybody. He was more reckless with patients, and more and more tempted to procure himself some Vicodin with each passing day. It was only the thought of Cameron's disappointed face that kept him from it. Every night he lay awake missing her so desperately that he couldn't sleep, could barely calm his racing thoughts which kept pace with his frantic heartbeat.
He would move to Chicago in the blink of an eye, just to be with her and stop the pain. But then what? What would he do with himself there? No hospital would hire him, especially now when he'd become even more of a nightmare for the legal department at PPTH. His reputation as a diagnostic genius was only eclipsed by his reputation for outlandish, dangerous and unethical behavior.
None of it went unnoticed by Wilson, who in turn lectured him and co-miserated with him. But then, just when House thought he might actually go insane and end up back at Mayfield, Wilson also saved the day.
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The phone calls from House had grown few and far between. Cameron was convinced it was well and truly over and though she missed him like she'd never missed anyone in her life, she was alright. The hardest part in all of it had been saying goodbye to him each time he visited; the physical parting after being together... A desperate need would come over her to cling to him and never let him go. But once he was gone, she kept herself busy with work and family and friends, and life moved on.
Spring came and her new condo was finally finished, so she had been busy packing her belongings and shopping for new furniture. Her place was beautiful, with polished cement floors and a wall of windows in the living room that provided an amazing view of Lake Michigan. The rooms weren't huge, but were spacious enough to entertain her family. The living space was open concept, so that from the kitchen and dining area she could still enjoy the view. The master bedroom had an en suite bathroom with separate shower and tub, and there was a second bedroom and bathroom for guests just across from it. From the moment she'd viewed the model unit, she'd known she could make it her home.
Her family had agreed to help her move, and so they gathered into the empty space and began to make it livable. Her mom and sister-in-law, Delia, helped her in the bedroom, setting up the bed and making it up so she'd be able to sleep comfortably her first night there, and then they worked in the kitchen, stocking the refrigerator with a few supplies and unpacking pots and pans and dishes. Aaron felt the first priority was to get the television and the internet working, which made Cameron smile in amusement; it was so like him to think of technology over eating or having a comfortable place to sit or sleep. Her dad was unpacking books and lining them up on the shelves, moving slowly and methodically and stopping every few minutes to help Aaron with something or other.
Observing her family in her new space, she knew staying in Chicago was the right decision. These people loved her no matter what, which was just the tonic she'd needed after everything she'd gone through back in Princeton. She had their support, their love, the joy of their company whenever she wanted it. She was happy there, and the only thing that could make her happier was to have House there with her.
There was a knock on the door and Aaron answered it, calling out, "Hey Ally, the movers are here with more boxes. Thought you said this was all of it."
Confused, she came out of the kitchen to find two men with hand carts, wheeling several boxes into the room. Before she had a chance to speak to them, they'd unloaded the stuff right in the middle of her living room and headed back out the door. She was sure those weren't her things, and so she followed the men out into the hallway to clear up the confusion, and that's where she nearly ran smack into House.
Speechless, she just stared up at him with her jaw hanging open.
"Hi honey, I'm home," he said, smiling and reaching out to stroke her face.
His words didn't register at first; all she could do was launch herself into his arms, so happy was she to see him. He held her so tight she thought she'd stop breathing, her face crushed up against his chest, but she didn't care. Finally he pulled back just far enough to look down into her eyes, and in his own she read the struggles of the previous months, the long lonely nights, the need. That's when his words hit her.
"What do you mean, you're home?" she asked, almost breathlessly, too afraid to hope that he meant he was there for good.
"You're stuck with me permanently. Hope that's okay."
All she could do was blink at first, trying to process what he meant, how it was possible. "But... you said you couldn't move here because no one would hire you."
"I've still got my job at PPTH," he said proudly. "The board was... on the verge of firing me; I've been a naughty boy lately. But Wilson's a damn genius. He came up with a plan where I can still diagnose patients via webcam, which I can do from anywhere. It's win-win. I don't actually have to see the patients and if I'm not actually there, it means less liability for the hospital, which makes the board happy. Plus, no more clinic duty. Like I said, it's win-win," he finished with a wink.
"And you'll be happy with that?"
"Yup. What about you? You okay with me living here?"
She couldn't contain her smile, or the tears of happiness that were threatening to fall from her eyes as she nodded. "Yes," she said, wrapping her arms around him again. "I'm so happy you're here. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too," he murmured to the top of her head. "You have no idea how much."
"I think I do," she said, clinging all the tighter to him. "Every time we said goodbye, it killed me a little bit inside."
"Yeah, let's never do that again," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
From the door of the condo, she heard the shuffling of feet and the clearing of throats and remembered that they were standing in the hallway and her family were all inside waiting for her. She led House in, and there was a flurry of introductions and greetings and then suddenly her mom and dad, and her brother and sister-in-law were throwing on their coats and making terrible excuses for why they suddenly needed to leave. In a flash, they cleared out and left House and Cameron alone.
"Something I said?" House joked, amused.
"I think they wanted to give us some time alone," Cameron answered with a smile.
"Good. Now you can show me the bedroom," he said, waggling his eyebrows comically.
"Right this way," she answered, dragging him enthusiastically down the hall.
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The condo was no longer hers; it was theirs. They made a little office area on one end of the living room where House could work, though most times he needed only his laptop. There were times his team complained when he worked naked, but for the most part the staff and board members of PPTH breathed easier knowing he was miles away. Word caught on at other hospitals that House was working remotely, and he built up a little consultant business on the side. The guest room became known as Wilson's room due to the numerous times he visited. Cameron treated him like a king each time, in gratitude for how he had finally brought House to her for good.
And it was good, because there were no more goodbyes.
Title: No More Goodbyes
Rating: mature
Genre: romance, mild angst, holiday
Summary: She didn't miss Princeton at all, nor did she miss the people there. Not even House.
A/N: My deepest apologies to my recipient for being late with this. The writer part of my brain was determined to make it a House/Cameron/Wilson story and I didn't know if you would like that, so I had to turn it into just House/Cameron despite lack of cooperation from said brain. Anyway, here is my Secret Santa fic for hughville, who's requests were:
Three things I would like:
1. Cameron strong and successful in Chicago
2. Both in character (the way they SHOULD be)
3. House bringing Cameron back in a unique way
Three things I would not like:
1. P***y whipped House/Huddy
2. Sad, mopey Cameron
3. Did I mention p***y whipped House/Huddy? Yeah, none of that, please.
The cab pulled up to the large brownstone, and House got out, leaving his suitcase behind and instructing the cabbie to wait for him. His cane provided extra traction on the slick, snow-covered cement as he hefted his way up the steps to the front door. He paused for a second and then rang the bell before his doubts sent him fleeing back to his cab.
When the door swung open, he was greeted by a lovely woman of about 65 with long brown hair sprinkled with strands of silver that fell in soft layers around her face and highlighted beautiful green eyes. She was Cameron in thirty years, and his breath caught in his throat as, unbidden, a vision of the future hit him like a blast of Chicago's winter wind.
"May I help you?" she asked, running her hands over her arms to ward off the chill.
He thought about turning and leaving right then. As it was, he was mentally cursing out Wilson for failing to mention that Cameron was living with her parents when he'd given House her address.
"I'm looking for Cam... Allison," he said.
"Oh, of course, you're Dr. House, aren't you? I recognize you from a picture Allison showed me once. Please, come in. I'm Allison's mother, Jaclyn." She held out her hand, and he shook it, and then followed her through the door.
Once inside, a stately gentlemen with silver hair came forward and House was introduced to Cameron's father, Don. He was tall and slim with grayish blue eyes, like Cameron's, and looked to be at least ten years older than his wife. There was something about him that House immediately respected, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was except to say he seemed to embody the same nameless something that intrigued him about Cameron.
The home itself was warm and inviting, with tasteful Christmas decorations that reminded House of a living illustration of The Night Before Christmas. And as he glanced around, visions of Cameron danced in his head.
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A sharp and bitter wind came off the lake and nearly cut right through all of Cameron's layers. She pulled her scarf up higher to cover her mouth and nose and resolutely marched on, eager to get home. Horizontal snow whipped at her cheeks and clung to her eyelashes as she adjusted her bag and quickened her pace to a light jog. It was beginning to pile up, drifting against the brownstones as if seeking the warmth and shelter they provided. Despite the weather, and forecasters were predicting a doozy of a storm, she was happy, exhilarated even. Coming home to Chicago was the right decision. She didn't miss Princeton at all, nor did she miss the people there. Not even House. But if she was honest, she missed House a little, but only a very very little, like on days when the sun lit up the lake in a sparkling blue that made her think of his eyes or when she passed the cotton candy vendor at Navy Pier.
Coming around the corner, she spotted a cab idling in front of her parent's home. She eyed it curiously and then headed up the walk toward the door.
"Hey Miss!"
Turning, she saw the driver rounding the cab to stand on the sidewalk, pulling his collar up to his chin, a scowl on his face. "Tell that guy he's got two minutes and then I'm leaving. I'll pawn the stuff in his suitcase if I have to, but I'm not waiting around any longer. I'm off duty in ten minutes and I want to get home before the roads get worse."
She just stared as he started muttering about Christmas and family and dinner and then she gave him a little nod and went inside.
"Is someone waiting for a cab?" she called out, as she kicked the snow off her boots and began pulling them from her feet. "There's a very impatient taxi driver outside threatening to pawn... " She trailed off to find House, of the sparkly blue lake eyes and the cotton candy memories, standing just inside the living room with her mom and her dad. Suddenly incapable of movement, she stood half stooped over with one boot off and one on, trying not to drown in his lake eyes.
"Is that your cab waiting, Dr. House? Let me take care of that for you," her dad said, grabbing his overcoat and heading toward the door.
"Thank you," House said with what seemed like rare sincerity, but though he spoke to her father, he didn't take his eyes off of her.
Finally able to move, she stepped aside to let her father pass and then removed the rest of her outer wear, placing it all in the coat closet and taking a deep breath.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprising herself at the anger in her tone.
"Allison, don't be rude," her mom scolded. "Come on, let's sit down and you two can catch up. Dr. House, would you like some coffee?"
"No, thank you," he said, glancing at her mother and then back to her again.
He sat on the couch while Cameron chose the armchair across the room, putting distance between them. Her father came back in, bringing a blast of cold with him and carrying House's suitcase, which he set down in the hallway.
From the kitchen, the ding of a timer went off and Cameron's mother jumped up just as she'd sat down. "That would be the chicken. Would you like to stay for dinner, Dr. House?"
"No thank you. I can't stay long," House said, glancing nervously from Cameron to her mom.
"I'm afraid you won't have a choice," her dad interjected. "It's getting wild out there. Where were you planning on staying?"
"I've got a reservation at the Hilton," House answered. "I'll call another cab."
"No cabbie's going to come out in this. But you're welcome to stay with us. We've got plenty of space."
"Of course," Cameron's mom added. "We'd love to have you."
Across the room, Cameron's mouth hung open and she wondered if she'd stepped into some parallel universe. She was tempted to offer to drive him to his hotel herself, even if it meant using a sled and some Huskies in order to get there. Though she might have missed him occasionally (all the time), she felt an irrational anger at his sudden, uninvited, appearance back in her life.
"Allison, why don't you show him to Aaron's room."
Without a word, she shot him a look meant to convey her unhappiness with the situation, noting the equally unhappy look on his face, and grabbed his suitcase. "Right this way," she muttered with false sincerity, and marched up the steps without looking back to see if he followed.
She led him to her brother's old room at the end of the hall and plopped his suitcase none too gently on the bench along the wall.
"Aaron doesn't snore, does he? A guy likes to be prepared if he's going to be sharing a bed," House quipped, eyeing the single queen-sized bed in the room.
"Aaron lives out in the suburbs with his wife and kids now, so you're safe from his snoring ways. The bathroom is here," she said, pointing toward a door to the left of the bed. "It's a Jack-and-Jill which you will have to share, so when you're not using it, please leave the other door unlocked." She gave him a pointed look and crossed her arms over his chest. "You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"
"Brought you a Christmas present," he said, unzipping his suitcase and pulling out a small wrapped box.
She took it from his hands reluctantly, still angry, but even more confused. He hadn't given her a present in years. He also could've mailed it, she thought churlishly. "You didn't come all this way to give me a present, House. What are you doing here?"
"Open it," he said, ignoring her question.
Frowning, she tore the paper off, revealing a snow globe. Inside she recognized the little brick buildings of the Princeton campus. "Princeton?" she asked, eyebrows raised in skepticism. "I'm not going back, House. So if this is your way..."
"Allison, dinner's ready. Come on down before it gets cold," Jaclyn called from downstairs.
She placed the snow globe on the nightstand and led him out of the room and back down to the kitchen, taking a deep breath that did nothing to calm her raging emotions.
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As awkward as it was to be sitting at the Cameron family dinner table enduring small talk, House couldn't help but enjoy the meal. The food was delicious and Cameron's parents weren't as boring as he might have expected, had he expected to be having dinner with them.
"So, Dr. House... " Jaclyn began.
"Mom, just call him House," Cameron interrupted, and then looked away sheepishly at the scolding look her mother shot her.
"Or you can call me Greg," House said, swallowing down a mouthful of asparagus, and eyeing Cameron as she made a scoffing noise in disbelief.
"Well then, Greg, what brings you to Chicago?"
"Yes Greg," Cameron said, "do tell us what brought you to Chicago?"
There was a long silence as he contemplated his answer, all eyes on the room staring him down. He settled on the truth, because... well he'd never been good at lying to Cameron. Lying to three Camerons seemed nearly impossible. "I came because I'm in love with Allison," he said, directing his answer to her parents at the other side of the table.
Her fork fell from her fingers, making a loud clanking noise against her plate, which seemed to startle her. She snapped her jaw shut, pushed her chair back and stood. "You are such a liar," she said, and he saw a hint of tears in her eyes before she left the room.
"That didn't quite go as planned," he quipped, trying not to squirm under her parent's gazes.
"I'll just go and check on her," Jaclyn said, clearing her throat pointedly.
Left alone with Cameron's father, House took a big swig of ice water and waited for either a speech about his intentions toward Cameron, or for the appearance of a shotgun. Possibly both.
"Would you like a Scotch?" Don asked, and House nearly choked on an ice cube.
"Sure. Neat please," he answered, watching as Don rose and went to a cabinet to retrieve the liquor. "Is this like one last cigarette before execution?"
Don chuckled and placed the tumbler of Scotch in front of House. "Of course not," he said, as he retook his seat. "I've heard a lot about you from Allison over the years. And now that I've met you... well, I think we're not so very different. When I met Jaclyn, she scared the shit out of me. This incredibly beautiful woman loved me, wanted to be with me and I freaked out. So much so that I volunteered to go to Nam as a medic." He paused and shook his head, lost in a memory. "Eventually I came to my senses and realized she was the best thing that ever happened to me. There's not a week that goes by that I don't thank the fates or whatever that she didn't give up on me and find someone else while I was away. I imagine you've come to some sort of similar conclusion about Allison?"
House nodded, swallowing down a ball of nerves that had lodged itself in his throat.
"Well, the good news is that Allison is a lot like her mother: patient and forgiving. I think you've got a good chance." He stood and clapped House on the shoulder, and then began clearing off the table. "C'mon," he said, "I think we can call this dinner done. Let's clean up a bit; I always find Jaclyn is more tolerant of my bullshit if I've surprised her by cleaning something."
House stood and grabbed his and Cameron's plates and brought them to the sink. Don scraped the food into the trash and rinsed the dishes as House brought the rest. They placed the leftovers in the fridge and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and then Don bid House follow him into the family room with his Scotch, where he turned on the television and found a football game. And if House hadn't been so worried about what was happening on the floor above, he would've felt quite at home in that moment.
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Up in Cameron's room, she and her mother sat on the window seat facing one another. "I don't know why he does this," Cameron said, staring out into the dark, snowy night. "Every time I think I've broken free from him, he finds a way to reel me back in."
"Maybe you should just hear him out," Jaclyn said. "He did come a long way to see you, after all."
"He probably just wants me to come back to his team; I heard Dr. Hadley left. Or he's just screwing with me. Last I heard, he was in a relationship with Cuddy," she said, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably.
"And you didn't like that, did you? Because you're in love with him."
At that, Cameron's tears began to fall and she swiped at them angrily. "I was there... I gave him so many opportunities to be with me if he wanted. But he didn't want me. I figured he was just too screwed up to even want to try a relationship, but when I heard he was with Cuddy, well... it hurt, I admit. But mostly I just hoped he was finally happy, you know? And I guess that made it easier to move on. I've been happy here. I've been fine without him," she finished defiantly.
"But now he's here," her mom said gently. "And he loves you. So I guess the question is, can you still be happy here? Can you still be fine without him?"
"Yes," she said, but her heart was full of doubts, and from the look on her mom's face, she knew she hadn't been very convincing.
"Maybe so," her mom said, patting her knee. "But what would it hurt to hear what he has to say? This storm isn't going away anytime soon, so why not make use of this opportunity to tell him how you feel and see where things go from there. After all, it's not like he can get away," she finished with a wink.
"Would you?" Cameron asked, as her mom rose to leave the room. "Would you have given dad another chance if... ?"
Jaclyn chuckled and replied, "Oh your father is not so very different from your Dr. House. Stubborn men, both of them. But once you've got their heart, you've got it for good." She leaned down and kissed Cameron on the top of the head, leaving her with a soft, "Think about it."
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House was sitting on the couch feigning interest in the game on the television, when Jaclyn came back down. He watched as she moved to the arm of Don's chair and sat, saying, "I see you've cleaned up the kitchen. Thank you," before leaning down to kiss him.
"Wasn't just me," Don replied, with a nod at House.
"Well then, thank you Greg. I think the coast is clear, if you want to speak to Allison. I've hidden anything sharp up there, but I make no guarantees about blunt objects," she said with a teasing smile.
Nodding, he hoisted himself off the couch and made his way up the steps. He thought about going straight to her room, but instead went to the guest room first to formulate a game plan. Shutting the door behind him, he sat on the edge of the bed to think and when he looked up, there she was leaning against the jamb of the bathroom door, her arms crossed over her chest.
She pushed herself off the jamb and into the room, reaching for the snow globe she'd left on the night table and shaking it up as she waited for him to speak. All he could do was stare, watching her slender fingers toying with the snow globe, searching her face for some kind of clue as to where he stood with her. She had every right to be angry; he couldn't deny that, but the depth of her anger was unexpected. He didn't know what to say.
"Last I heard, you were with Cuddy," she finally said, her eyes full of questions. "What happened?"
"Didn't work out," he replied, glancing out the window into the night sky.
"You're going to have to do better than that," she snapped, punctuating her words by plunking the snow globe down on the night stand.
His hand went to his brow, fingers tapping against his forehead while he thought. "We broke up three months ago," he finally said. "Realized we weren't right for each other. She wanted some idealized version of me that she made up in her head, and I was never going to be that guy."
"And what about you? What did you want?"
"At the time, I wanted not to be alone anymore. Hard as it is to believe, my choices in female companionship are pretty limited, unless my credit card is involved. Cuddy wanted me. And I figured she was the last woman who'd have me. Not that I don't love her. But there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. Cuddy and I got those two confused." He looked up at her, staring directly into her eyes as he finished. "She wanted to change me, and I... put up with it for a while. Even tried to change. Turns out I'd rather be alone than be with someone who can't accept me for me."
Her mouth turned down, and she sighed. "But you've been convinced I wanted to fix you."
"I was wrong. You never tried to change me."
"But I wanted to heal you," she said, looking up into his eyes.
"It's not the same thing. I realize that now." He stepped toward her, close, and reached out to place his palm against her cheek, marveling at the warm, smooth skin and the way her eyes closed at his touch. "I've missed you."
Her eyes snapped open again and she moved back, hugging herself and pacing in front of him. "So when it didn't work out with Cuddy, you figured pathetic little Cameron would be your next best bet?"
"No," he said, smiling a little at the way she characterized the situation. "It wasn't like that. When it didn't work out with Cuddy, I tried to go back to the way things were before. Being alone, doing my job, harassing my team, avoiding clinic duty and generally being a miserable bastard. I thought about you all the time. Tried not to think about all the ways I screwed up with you, all the chances I missed. I know I don't deserve another chance..."
"I'm not going back," she said, resolute. "If that was your aim, well... it's not going to happen."
He moved in again, touching her cheek, his thumb brushing softly over her skin, pleased at the little gasp she made. "You loved me once. If you can look me in the eyes and say you don't anymore, I'll leave you alone."
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That was the one thing she couldn't do: look him in the eye and lie about her feelings. She loved him. Past, present, future... he'd claimed her heart a long time ago. Though he'd stomped on it and handed it back to her many times, his fingerprints (and shoe prints) were still all over it. But it didn't matter now; she wasn't going back. She'd moved here (home) and managed to carve out a life for herself that was free from all the baggage she'd left behind in Princeton. And she was content. She couldn't imagine any way in which they could make a relationship work now. It was too late. Too late, too late, too late...
"Can you?" he asked again, the intensity in his eyes burning through her defenses like laser beams. He was still touching her, fingers brushing over her skin in the softest, most exquisite of touches and she thought she would melt into the carpet beneath her feet.
Shaking her head in the negative, she just sort of fell into him, clinging as if he alone was keeping her from turning into a boneless mass of goo. She nuzzled her face into his neck, unable to look him in the eye, lest he see the tears that had begun to fall and the mess of emotions on her face. And she was a mess: confused, bemused, elated, and devastated, warm, cold, safe and uncertain all at once. It was just like her life to finally get what she'd always wanted, only to learn that it would, could, only be temporary. He was there, in her grasp, murmuring words of love, but she knew in her heart that there was no way it would last.
He tilted her face up to look at her, and then he kissed her so tenderly that she cried all the more for it and kissed him back as if it would be the last kiss she'd ever give or receive. Willingly, she followed him to the bed, never untangling herself from him except to remove some piece of clothing. And then he was poised over her, and she was urging him inside of her and moving with him as if they were long lost lovers.
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They dozed; he woke her to make love again and then they slept some more. He slept fitfully, holding her as if she might disappear, half afraid she might be just another hallucination. Though she confessed she still loved him, he knew that it wasn't that simple. The next obstacle was convincing her to come back to Princeton, to trust that he was in this for the long haul.
In the morning, the soft gray light of winter filtered through the curtains and dissipated the darkness in the room. Cameron woke, blinking in confusion for a moment and then smiling a sad, little smile at him.
"Morning," she said, snuggling back down against him. "I don't suppose we could just stay here forever."
"Could, but it might get awkward when your parents come up to check on us," he joked, kissing her shoulder.
She sat up with a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face. "Despite... this," she said, waving her hand between them, "I'm still not going back to Princeton. I've made a life here."
"What life? Living with your parents?" he asked, suddenly annoyed. She could be so damn stubborn, he thought.
"No," she said calmly. "I bought a condo in a brand new building. It'll be done in the spring. I'm just staying with my parents until it's finished. And you know I have my own department here at the hospital, with my own team."
"And I've got a nice condo back in Princeton. It's already built," he retorted. "There are jobs there too. At hospitals, even."
"You mean the condo you shared with Cuddy while you were seeing her? And the one you shared with Stacy before that?" She paused, giving him a look that was a mix of sadness and frustration. "You know what else is in Princeton?" she asked, getting up from the bed and dragging his t-shirt over her head. "My ex husband."
He didn't know what to say to that. It never occurred to him that it would bother her to share the space he'd shared with past girlfriends. Or that she would be so reluctant to be around Chase again, though that was understandable; Chase was an idiot.
"I could move. Buy a new place," he finally said, taking her hand as she rejoined him on the bed.
"House, I can't go back. But you could move here," she said, a hopeful look on her face.
"No one's gonna hire me," he said, defeated. "I'm too much of a liability. Hell Foreman couldn't get hired anywhere else and he's only mini-me."
Nodding, she pulled her hand from his and hugged herself as if taken with a sudden chill. "I guess we're at an impasse," she said, sadly.
"I'm not giving up," he replied, dragging her back into his arms. Clasping her to him, he murmured it again to the top of her head.
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The next few days passed in a bittersweet blur. They spent most of their time in the guest room, in the bed. But then the storm passed and he had to get back to PPTH.
His cab stood idling by the curb as they said their goodbyes. He cupped her face with his hands, and swiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I have to go back for now, but I've got about twenty-seven and a half years of vacation time saved up. So don't think you're getting rid of me so easily. I told you, I'm not giving up."
She laughed through her tears and kissed him, telling him she loved him between kisses. Her own hands crept up to touch his face and memorize the feel of his whiskers beneath her palms, as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Love you too," he replied. "I'll call you when I get in."
With that he was gone. She watched his cab disappear around the corner, taking her heart with it. Despite his words, she was sure that that was the end of them. She wanted to believe, but she'd been disappointed too many times. Even so, she was okay. She had three days with him and that was more than she ever thought she'd get, a memory she'd treasure for the rest of her life.
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True to his word, House called her that night and the next and nearly every night after. Sometimes he'd call her from work on the pretense of needing a consult and sometimes he'd call her late at night just to hear her voice and tell her how much he missed her. He flew out to see her a few weeks after Christmas and they spent an amazing weekend in his hotel room. He still longed for her to return to Princeton and made no secret of it; he thought he could wear her down eventually and she'd come back with him. But the stubborn set of her jaw and the sad look in her eyes finally convinced him it was a losing battle.
December turned to January which then turned to February, and he managed to surprise her with a few more visits. But there was something different each time they were together, a deeper feeling of hopelessness. He knew she wouldn't come home with him, but fleeting weekends here and there were just not enough. Each new goodbye was more painful than the last and he didn't know how much more he could take. She didn't seem to be bearing up under the strain much better, smiling sadly and blinking back tears every time they parted as if she knew it was the end.
Something had to change.
Back in Princeton he became more and more churlish, barking at everybody who annoyed him, which was, well... everybody. He was more reckless with patients, and more and more tempted to procure himself some Vicodin with each passing day. It was only the thought of Cameron's disappointed face that kept him from it. Every night he lay awake missing her so desperately that he couldn't sleep, could barely calm his racing thoughts which kept pace with his frantic heartbeat.
He would move to Chicago in the blink of an eye, just to be with her and stop the pain. But then what? What would he do with himself there? No hospital would hire him, especially now when he'd become even more of a nightmare for the legal department at PPTH. His reputation as a diagnostic genius was only eclipsed by his reputation for outlandish, dangerous and unethical behavior.
None of it went unnoticed by Wilson, who in turn lectured him and co-miserated with him. But then, just when House thought he might actually go insane and end up back at Mayfield, Wilson also saved the day.
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The phone calls from House had grown few and far between. Cameron was convinced it was well and truly over and though she missed him like she'd never missed anyone in her life, she was alright. The hardest part in all of it had been saying goodbye to him each time he visited; the physical parting after being together... A desperate need would come over her to cling to him and never let him go. But once he was gone, she kept herself busy with work and family and friends, and life moved on.
Spring came and her new condo was finally finished, so she had been busy packing her belongings and shopping for new furniture. Her place was beautiful, with polished cement floors and a wall of windows in the living room that provided an amazing view of Lake Michigan. The rooms weren't huge, but were spacious enough to entertain her family. The living space was open concept, so that from the kitchen and dining area she could still enjoy the view. The master bedroom had an en suite bathroom with separate shower and tub, and there was a second bedroom and bathroom for guests just across from it. From the moment she'd viewed the model unit, she'd known she could make it her home.
Her family had agreed to help her move, and so they gathered into the empty space and began to make it livable. Her mom and sister-in-law, Delia, helped her in the bedroom, setting up the bed and making it up so she'd be able to sleep comfortably her first night there, and then they worked in the kitchen, stocking the refrigerator with a few supplies and unpacking pots and pans and dishes. Aaron felt the first priority was to get the television and the internet working, which made Cameron smile in amusement; it was so like him to think of technology over eating or having a comfortable place to sit or sleep. Her dad was unpacking books and lining them up on the shelves, moving slowly and methodically and stopping every few minutes to help Aaron with something or other.
Observing her family in her new space, she knew staying in Chicago was the right decision. These people loved her no matter what, which was just the tonic she'd needed after everything she'd gone through back in Princeton. She had their support, their love, the joy of their company whenever she wanted it. She was happy there, and the only thing that could make her happier was to have House there with her.
There was a knock on the door and Aaron answered it, calling out, "Hey Ally, the movers are here with more boxes. Thought you said this was all of it."
Confused, she came out of the kitchen to find two men with hand carts, wheeling several boxes into the room. Before she had a chance to speak to them, they'd unloaded the stuff right in the middle of her living room and headed back out the door. She was sure those weren't her things, and so she followed the men out into the hallway to clear up the confusion, and that's where she nearly ran smack into House.
Speechless, she just stared up at him with her jaw hanging open.
"Hi honey, I'm home," he said, smiling and reaching out to stroke her face.
His words didn't register at first; all she could do was launch herself into his arms, so happy was she to see him. He held her so tight she thought she'd stop breathing, her face crushed up against his chest, but she didn't care. Finally he pulled back just far enough to look down into her eyes, and in his own she read the struggles of the previous months, the long lonely nights, the need. That's when his words hit her.
"What do you mean, you're home?" she asked, almost breathlessly, too afraid to hope that he meant he was there for good.
"You're stuck with me permanently. Hope that's okay."
All she could do was blink at first, trying to process what he meant, how it was possible. "But... you said you couldn't move here because no one would hire you."
"I've still got my job at PPTH," he said proudly. "The board was... on the verge of firing me; I've been a naughty boy lately. But Wilson's a damn genius. He came up with a plan where I can still diagnose patients via webcam, which I can do from anywhere. It's win-win. I don't actually have to see the patients and if I'm not actually there, it means less liability for the hospital, which makes the board happy. Plus, no more clinic duty. Like I said, it's win-win," he finished with a wink.
"And you'll be happy with that?"
"Yup. What about you? You okay with me living here?"
She couldn't contain her smile, or the tears of happiness that were threatening to fall from her eyes as she nodded. "Yes," she said, wrapping her arms around him again. "I'm so happy you're here. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too," he murmured to the top of her head. "You have no idea how much."
"I think I do," she said, clinging all the tighter to him. "Every time we said goodbye, it killed me a little bit inside."
"Yeah, let's never do that again," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
From the door of the condo, she heard the shuffling of feet and the clearing of throats and remembered that they were standing in the hallway and her family were all inside waiting for her. She led House in, and there was a flurry of introductions and greetings and then suddenly her mom and dad, and her brother and sister-in-law were throwing on their coats and making terrible excuses for why they suddenly needed to leave. In a flash, they cleared out and left House and Cameron alone.
"Something I said?" House joked, amused.
"I think they wanted to give us some time alone," Cameron answered with a smile.
"Good. Now you can show me the bedroom," he said, waggling his eyebrows comically.
"Right this way," she answered, dragging him enthusiastically down the hall.
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The condo was no longer hers; it was theirs. They made a little office area on one end of the living room where House could work, though most times he needed only his laptop. There were times his team complained when he worked naked, but for the most part the staff and board members of PPTH breathed easier knowing he was miles away. Word caught on at other hospitals that House was working remotely, and he built up a little consultant business on the side. The guest room became known as Wilson's room due to the numerous times he visited. Cameron treated him like a king each time, in gratitude for how he had finally brought House to her for good.
And it was good, because there were no more goodbyes.