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ok so i've been working on this fic for about a week (dont worry im still working on Cold Hearted, almost done with next chapter). Hopefully you will all like this fic as much as the other fics im writing. the first chapter is a nice long one.
please let me know what you think!
Title: Things Change Pt. 1/?
Author: ZeppoGrl7
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, except Dan and Aiden.
Pairings: House/Cameron, Cameron/other
Spoilers: assume anything from season 2
Raitings: PG-13 now, eventually R/M
Summary: Cameron’s return to PPTH turns her and House’s lives upside down.
Fic Theme Song: “Desperately” by Michelle Branch (I’ll post lyrics later)
Maybe in 5 or 10, yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out.
Maybe then honesty need not be feared
As a friend or an enemy.
This is the distance,
This is my gameface.”
“Vienna” The Fray
She sat in her car, her hands still gripping the steering wheel even though she wasn’t moving. She was parked in the PPTH parking lot - in her old space, no less - staring at the front entrance of the building. Honestly, she had no idea what she had been thinking; this would never work.
Her hands dropped to her lap and she grabbed her bag, only preparing to head inside. To keep her mind busy, she sorted through her bag, looking for nothing in particular. Buried within, she found a folded scrap piece of paper. Inside was written ‘Have a great first day!’ in neat writing and ‘I love you!’ in messy writing.
Cameron smiled a little and placed the note in her coat pocket.
The knock on her window startled her and she looked up to see, to her relief, a warm and welcoming face.
“Wilson!” She said happily as she climbed out of her car. They hugged quickly and she forced herself to follow him when he turned toward the hospital.
“Are you happy to be back?” Wilson asked.
“Happy?” She smirked playfully, and then sighed. “I’m nervous.”
“You’re a great doctor and you know mostly everyone here. Not too much has changed. And if something ever happens to Dr. Fischer, you’ll be head of Immunology.” He said enthusiastically.
Cameron looked at him warily and he knew she wasn’t worried about her job. “Does he know I’m coming back?” she asked.
“He knows a doctor is coming in to work in the Immunology department.”
“Great.” She said sarcastically. She didn’t really know if it would be better for House to know she was coming back or not; both possibilities had their downsides.
“It’ll be fine.” Wilson said gently as they entered through the automatic front doors.
They both knew he was just trying to be optimistic.
****
“For the last time, it’s not a food allergy!” House said loudly.
Chase sank back a bit in his chair.
House grumbled to himself as he looked over his team, minus one. Dr. Chase and Dr. Brendt. “Where’s Foreman?”
Chase and Brendt shrugged and looked out into the hallway, expecting Foreman to walk in at any moment. Which he did.
“Thanks for wanting to help save a life today, Dr. Foreman. Where have you been?” House pulled his bottle of pills out of his pocket, frustrated that they weren’t any closer to solving the puzzle of their patient of the week.
Foreman smirked. “Just welcoming the new immunologist. You should go say hi.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” House replied sarcastically, popping two vicodin into his mouth. “You know, after I make sure everyone in geriatrics has fresh flowers and all the babies have nice, cuddly teddy bears.”
Foreman continued to smirk as he sat down next to Chase. He and Chase had both known about Cameron’s return, but had been sworn to secrecy by Wilson and threatened bodily harm by Cuddy.
“Now if it’s not too much trouble, there is the matter of a dying kid here.” House turned back to the whiteboard to review the symptoms. “Do another MRI and a full body scan.”
His team looked puzzled when he turned back to them. They all know House thought full body scans were useless.
“You know, just for kicks.”
The three doctors left to tend to the patient as House headed into his office. Going straight out to the balcony, he looked towards Wilson’s office.
No Wilson.
What Foreman had said came back to him. If there was a new doctor, especially if it was a female, Wilson would be one of the first people to welcome them. Usually when there was a new doctor, Cuddy would have nurses set up coffee and doughnuts (or muffins or bagels) in the conference room of the appropriate department. The food alone would attract the staff and then they would be obligated to greet the new doctor.
Of course, House would be there for the food.
He rode the elevator up to the immunology department and followed the few hungry doctors who were just now making their way to the conference room. He found Wilson standing just inside the door, next to a small table topped with a box of doughnuts and coffee.
“Trying to save all the doughnuts for yourself or what?” He asked, grabbing a jelly-filled doughnut.
“Uh… well…” Wilson stuttered, surprised that House had actually shown up.
“Yeah yeah, save it.” House took a bite and looked around the room. The conference table had boxes of muffins and bagels on it, signaling to him that Cuddy was fond of the new doctor. “So, who’s the new guy?” He asked with his mouthful. He could see Cuddy standing amongst all the doctors and nurses huddled near the long table. “Let me guess, Cuddy bribed this guy with a job so he would sleep with her.”
“Uh, no.” Wilson replied, shaking his head.
“Damn.” House sighed, turning around and grabbing a cup of coffee. “One of these days, that’s gonna be the reason.”
“House, I didn’t expect to see you up here.”
House turned back and smirked at Cuddy. “You know me, I have to make sure every new doctor feels welcome here.” He said sarcastically. “Really, it has absolutely nothing to do with the free food.”
Cuddy and Wilson shared a look.
“So, who is this new guy anyway?” House asked again, almost done with his doughnut.
Before Cuddy or Wilson replied, a brunette broke free of the small crowd and turned toward them.
House stopped mid-chew when he saw her, reaching for a muffin from the table.
Except for her hair being a little darker, Cameron looked exactly the same.
He managed to swallow the food in his mouth and try to get a hold of himself before she looked up and saw him.
They looked at each other for what seemed like forever. He didn’t smile and she didn’t give in to the urge to go to him. Of course, she looked away first and was immediately pulled back in to the crowd that she had just escaped from.
Leaving his doughnut and coffee on the table, House hurried out into the hallway. He knew Wilson was following him, but he rode down to his usual floor alone and was in his office for a few minutes before Wilson showed up.
Wilson walked in to the office slowly, expecting a loud and angry House. House was, however, unusually quiet. He had turned his tv on and Wilson went over to sit down while House glared at the screen.
Minutes went by and Wilson had begun to relax a bit when House finally spoke.
“You knew.”
Wilson tried to look confused, but only succeeded in looking guilty.
“You knew she was coming back and you didn’t tell me.”
Wilson sighed, defeated. “She didn’t want me to tell you.”
“Well then, you get the Best Friends Forever award.” House said, his voice dripping with anger.
“She didn’t want anyone to tell you. She was afraid that-“
“What do you mean, ’anyone?!” He turned from his tv to look daggers at Wilson. “So everyone knew?!”
Wilson remained quiet.
‘I can’t believe this!’ House thought, turning back towards the tv. He bit his thumb nail as his thoughts ran over and over in his mind.
He was the last to know! Had they all just been laughing at how thrown off he would be by her return?! They had made him look like an idiot!
As quickly as he could, he pushed himself out of his chair and stalked towards the door. Wilson stood to follow him.
“Don’t.” House said angrily, pushing his office door open roughly.
Wilson sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face.
For, at least, the next couple of weeks, the hospital was going to be a living hell.
****
A little over an hour later, Cameron was setting up her office. She could barely believe she had her own office (and if she had any girl friends, she would have been on the phone in seconds, sharing her excitement with them.)
Since she’d never had her own office before, she didn’t have many things to put in it. She was down to her box of stuff for her desk - papers, pens, etc. - when Wilson came in with a guilty and worried expression on his face.
Cameron sighed at the sight of him and put down the picture frame she had been holding. “He still hasn’t come back?”
“No.” Wilson sat down in the chair in front of her desk.
Cameron turned and looked out her window, trying to think of where House might have gone. Her eyes drifted as she thought and, after a moment, landing on the parking lot that she could see; the front parking lot. She leaned closer, trying to see more of the lot, and found what she wanted to see.
“His motorcycle is still here.” She said, turning back to Wilson. “He’s got to be in the hospital somewhere.”
“I check everywhere. The clinic, the roof, the locker rooms and bathrooms.”
“Even the -“
“Even the women’s locker rooms and bathrooms.” Wilson nodded. “I even went to see if he was in the coma patient’s room, be he wasn’t. He wasn’t in the oncology lounge either.” Wilson sighed and rubbing his forehead, trying to fight off another House-induced headache.
“So, he’s in the hospital but he’s not in any of his usual hiding places.” Cameron said quietly to herself.
“He must’ve found another hiding place. It’s probably the same one he’s been using to go to when he needs to think alone.” Wilson said.
“He doesn’t just watch tv when he needs to think anymore?” She asked.
He shook his head.
“I think I know where he is.” She said, heading for the door.
“Where?” Wilson stood up.
“I’ll get him.” She replied.
“Do you really think its wise for you to go get him?”
She sighed and looked back at him, her hand on the door frame. “No.”
She was being honest, but she turned and went off to find House anyway.
Cameron knew exactly where House was hiding, but she took her time getting there. As much as she tried to prepare herself for seeing him again, it would never be enough. When she reached the elevators on her floor, she turned right and took the stairs instead. As the heavy door to the stairwell closed behind her, she pulled off her heels to carry them.
The butterflies in her stomach grew more restless with each step she took. She went down one flight of stairs and when she turned to continue down to the next landing, she saw him.
He was right where she knew he would be; on the landing between the third and fourth floor.
House sat facing down the stairs, but even without looking, he knew she was there.
“House,” she said quietly, yet sternly.
Looking back over his shoulder at her, he saw her shoes in her hand. “Didn’t want me to hear you coming? Thought I would run away?”
She raised an eyebrow at his second question and he turned away from her. Sighing inwardly, she looked around the stairwell. She couldn’t believe he had actually come down here - or rather, that he had continued to come down here after she had left four years ago.
“Your leg doesn’t hurt, climbing up and down these stairs?”
His back and shoulders tensed a bit and he tapped his cane on the steps. “I’ve said it before; I can get down here when I need to.”
“I head that you ‘need to’ a lot.”
“No one bugs me here.” He said and glanced back at her again. “I suppose now that you’re back, I’ll have to find a new hideout.”
Wanting to finish their conversation, he stood up and prepared to walk the rest of the way down to the third floor.
“I’m not going to bug you.” She said.
Reluctantly, he turned back to face her. He had expected her to have that puppy dog look she usually had in these situations. Instead, she looked calm and collected… almost uncaring. He could see she had changed; he just didn’t know how much.
“I’m not going to bug you.” She repeated. “Really, there’s no reason for use to even see each other.”
He continued to stare at her.
“You have an immunologist on your team and it isn’t me. You won’t be needing a consult… and… you’ve never showed interest in being friends. You don’t need me,” she hesitated for a moment, trying to keep a steady hold on her emotions. “And I don’t need you.”
“Liar.” He replied harshly, but didn’t raise his voice.
“It’s true. I don’t need you to make me happy anymore.”
“You’ve found God? Mazol Tov.” He turned and took a step down.
“No, I found my husband.”
For the second time that day he was startled to a stop and he could barely keep the shock off his face when he looked at her.
“And I have my son. So now that that’s all out in the open, we can both go back to work. I’m sure you have a patient that needs saving.” She slipped her shoes back on quickly and walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.
For once in his life, House was left speechless.
Next Chapter
please let me know what you think!
Title: Things Change Pt. 1/?
Author: ZeppoGrl7
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, except Dan and Aiden.
Pairings: House/Cameron, Cameron/other
Spoilers: assume anything from season 2
Raitings: PG-13 now, eventually R/M
Summary: Cameron’s return to PPTH turns her and House’s lives upside down.
Fic Theme Song: “Desperately” by Michelle Branch (I’ll post lyrics later)
Maybe in 5 or 10, yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out.
Maybe then honesty need not be feared
As a friend or an enemy.
This is the distance,
This is my gameface.”
“Vienna” The Fray
She sat in her car, her hands still gripping the steering wheel even though she wasn’t moving. She was parked in the PPTH parking lot - in her old space, no less - staring at the front entrance of the building. Honestly, she had no idea what she had been thinking; this would never work.
Her hands dropped to her lap and she grabbed her bag, only preparing to head inside. To keep her mind busy, she sorted through her bag, looking for nothing in particular. Buried within, she found a folded scrap piece of paper. Inside was written ‘Have a great first day!’ in neat writing and ‘I love you!’ in messy writing.
Cameron smiled a little and placed the note in her coat pocket.
The knock on her window startled her and she looked up to see, to her relief, a warm and welcoming face.
“Wilson!” She said happily as she climbed out of her car. They hugged quickly and she forced herself to follow him when he turned toward the hospital.
“Are you happy to be back?” Wilson asked.
“Happy?” She smirked playfully, and then sighed. “I’m nervous.”
“You’re a great doctor and you know mostly everyone here. Not too much has changed. And if something ever happens to Dr. Fischer, you’ll be head of Immunology.” He said enthusiastically.
Cameron looked at him warily and he knew she wasn’t worried about her job. “Does he know I’m coming back?” she asked.
“He knows a doctor is coming in to work in the Immunology department.”
“Great.” She said sarcastically. She didn’t really know if it would be better for House to know she was coming back or not; both possibilities had their downsides.
“It’ll be fine.” Wilson said gently as they entered through the automatic front doors.
They both knew he was just trying to be optimistic.
****
“For the last time, it’s not a food allergy!” House said loudly.
Chase sank back a bit in his chair.
House grumbled to himself as he looked over his team, minus one. Dr. Chase and Dr. Brendt. “Where’s Foreman?”
Chase and Brendt shrugged and looked out into the hallway, expecting Foreman to walk in at any moment. Which he did.
“Thanks for wanting to help save a life today, Dr. Foreman. Where have you been?” House pulled his bottle of pills out of his pocket, frustrated that they weren’t any closer to solving the puzzle of their patient of the week.
Foreman smirked. “Just welcoming the new immunologist. You should go say hi.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” House replied sarcastically, popping two vicodin into his mouth. “You know, after I make sure everyone in geriatrics has fresh flowers and all the babies have nice, cuddly teddy bears.”
Foreman continued to smirk as he sat down next to Chase. He and Chase had both known about Cameron’s return, but had been sworn to secrecy by Wilson and threatened bodily harm by Cuddy.
“Now if it’s not too much trouble, there is the matter of a dying kid here.” House turned back to the whiteboard to review the symptoms. “Do another MRI and a full body scan.”
His team looked puzzled when he turned back to them. They all know House thought full body scans were useless.
“You know, just for kicks.”
The three doctors left to tend to the patient as House headed into his office. Going straight out to the balcony, he looked towards Wilson’s office.
No Wilson.
What Foreman had said came back to him. If there was a new doctor, especially if it was a female, Wilson would be one of the first people to welcome them. Usually when there was a new doctor, Cuddy would have nurses set up coffee and doughnuts (or muffins or bagels) in the conference room of the appropriate department. The food alone would attract the staff and then they would be obligated to greet the new doctor.
Of course, House would be there for the food.
He rode the elevator up to the immunology department and followed the few hungry doctors who were just now making their way to the conference room. He found Wilson standing just inside the door, next to a small table topped with a box of doughnuts and coffee.
“Trying to save all the doughnuts for yourself or what?” He asked, grabbing a jelly-filled doughnut.
“Uh… well…” Wilson stuttered, surprised that House had actually shown up.
“Yeah yeah, save it.” House took a bite and looked around the room. The conference table had boxes of muffins and bagels on it, signaling to him that Cuddy was fond of the new doctor. “So, who’s the new guy?” He asked with his mouthful. He could see Cuddy standing amongst all the doctors and nurses huddled near the long table. “Let me guess, Cuddy bribed this guy with a job so he would sleep with her.”
“Uh, no.” Wilson replied, shaking his head.
“Damn.” House sighed, turning around and grabbing a cup of coffee. “One of these days, that’s gonna be the reason.”
“House, I didn’t expect to see you up here.”
House turned back and smirked at Cuddy. “You know me, I have to make sure every new doctor feels welcome here.” He said sarcastically. “Really, it has absolutely nothing to do with the free food.”
Cuddy and Wilson shared a look.
“So, who is this new guy anyway?” House asked again, almost done with his doughnut.
Before Cuddy or Wilson replied, a brunette broke free of the small crowd and turned toward them.
House stopped mid-chew when he saw her, reaching for a muffin from the table.
Except for her hair being a little darker, Cameron looked exactly the same.
He managed to swallow the food in his mouth and try to get a hold of himself before she looked up and saw him.
They looked at each other for what seemed like forever. He didn’t smile and she didn’t give in to the urge to go to him. Of course, she looked away first and was immediately pulled back in to the crowd that she had just escaped from.
Leaving his doughnut and coffee on the table, House hurried out into the hallway. He knew Wilson was following him, but he rode down to his usual floor alone and was in his office for a few minutes before Wilson showed up.
Wilson walked in to the office slowly, expecting a loud and angry House. House was, however, unusually quiet. He had turned his tv on and Wilson went over to sit down while House glared at the screen.
Minutes went by and Wilson had begun to relax a bit when House finally spoke.
“You knew.”
Wilson tried to look confused, but only succeeded in looking guilty.
“You knew she was coming back and you didn’t tell me.”
Wilson sighed, defeated. “She didn’t want me to tell you.”
“Well then, you get the Best Friends Forever award.” House said, his voice dripping with anger.
“She didn’t want anyone to tell you. She was afraid that-“
“What do you mean, ’anyone?!” He turned from his tv to look daggers at Wilson. “So everyone knew?!”
Wilson remained quiet.
‘I can’t believe this!’ House thought, turning back towards the tv. He bit his thumb nail as his thoughts ran over and over in his mind.
He was the last to know! Had they all just been laughing at how thrown off he would be by her return?! They had made him look like an idiot!
As quickly as he could, he pushed himself out of his chair and stalked towards the door. Wilson stood to follow him.
“Don’t.” House said angrily, pushing his office door open roughly.
Wilson sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face.
For, at least, the next couple of weeks, the hospital was going to be a living hell.
****
A little over an hour later, Cameron was setting up her office. She could barely believe she had her own office (and if she had any girl friends, she would have been on the phone in seconds, sharing her excitement with them.)
Since she’d never had her own office before, she didn’t have many things to put in it. She was down to her box of stuff for her desk - papers, pens, etc. - when Wilson came in with a guilty and worried expression on his face.
Cameron sighed at the sight of him and put down the picture frame she had been holding. “He still hasn’t come back?”
“No.” Wilson sat down in the chair in front of her desk.
Cameron turned and looked out her window, trying to think of where House might have gone. Her eyes drifted as she thought and, after a moment, landing on the parking lot that she could see; the front parking lot. She leaned closer, trying to see more of the lot, and found what she wanted to see.
“His motorcycle is still here.” She said, turning back to Wilson. “He’s got to be in the hospital somewhere.”
“I check everywhere. The clinic, the roof, the locker rooms and bathrooms.”
“Even the -“
“Even the women’s locker rooms and bathrooms.” Wilson nodded. “I even went to see if he was in the coma patient’s room, be he wasn’t. He wasn’t in the oncology lounge either.” Wilson sighed and rubbing his forehead, trying to fight off another House-induced headache.
“So, he’s in the hospital but he’s not in any of his usual hiding places.” Cameron said quietly to herself.
“He must’ve found another hiding place. It’s probably the same one he’s been using to go to when he needs to think alone.” Wilson said.
“He doesn’t just watch tv when he needs to think anymore?” She asked.
He shook his head.
“I think I know where he is.” She said, heading for the door.
“Where?” Wilson stood up.
“I’ll get him.” She replied.
“Do you really think its wise for you to go get him?”
She sighed and looked back at him, her hand on the door frame. “No.”
She was being honest, but she turned and went off to find House anyway.
Cameron knew exactly where House was hiding, but she took her time getting there. As much as she tried to prepare herself for seeing him again, it would never be enough. When she reached the elevators on her floor, she turned right and took the stairs instead. As the heavy door to the stairwell closed behind her, she pulled off her heels to carry them.
The butterflies in her stomach grew more restless with each step she took. She went down one flight of stairs and when she turned to continue down to the next landing, she saw him.
He was right where she knew he would be; on the landing between the third and fourth floor.
House sat facing down the stairs, but even without looking, he knew she was there.
“House,” she said quietly, yet sternly.
Looking back over his shoulder at her, he saw her shoes in her hand. “Didn’t want me to hear you coming? Thought I would run away?”
She raised an eyebrow at his second question and he turned away from her. Sighing inwardly, she looked around the stairwell. She couldn’t believe he had actually come down here - or rather, that he had continued to come down here after she had left four years ago.
“Your leg doesn’t hurt, climbing up and down these stairs?”
His back and shoulders tensed a bit and he tapped his cane on the steps. “I’ve said it before; I can get down here when I need to.”
“I head that you ‘need to’ a lot.”
“No one bugs me here.” He said and glanced back at her again. “I suppose now that you’re back, I’ll have to find a new hideout.”
Wanting to finish their conversation, he stood up and prepared to walk the rest of the way down to the third floor.
“I’m not going to bug you.” She said.
Reluctantly, he turned back to face her. He had expected her to have that puppy dog look she usually had in these situations. Instead, she looked calm and collected… almost uncaring. He could see she had changed; he just didn’t know how much.
“I’m not going to bug you.” She repeated. “Really, there’s no reason for use to even see each other.”
He continued to stare at her.
“You have an immunologist on your team and it isn’t me. You won’t be needing a consult… and… you’ve never showed interest in being friends. You don’t need me,” she hesitated for a moment, trying to keep a steady hold on her emotions. “And I don’t need you.”
“Liar.” He replied harshly, but didn’t raise his voice.
“It’s true. I don’t need you to make me happy anymore.”
“You’ve found God? Mazol Tov.” He turned and took a step down.
“No, I found my husband.”
For the second time that day he was startled to a stop and he could barely keep the shock off his face when he looked at her.
“And I have my son. So now that that’s all out in the open, we can both go back to work. I’m sure you have a patient that needs saving.” She slipped her shoes back on quickly and walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.
For once in his life, House was left speechless.
Next Chapter