Well, I decided to try my hand at a House/Bones crossover fic. It's written for a good friend of mine, mutemime, over on LJ HouseCameron comm.
Enjoy, and please R&R - it helps me better my writing.
Peace & Cheers
Amylia
xxxxxx
Title: Love is a Battlefield
Rating: R later on but this is PG.
Pairing: House/Cameron; Booth/Brennan; Booth/Cameron romance; House/Brennan friendship (sort of lol).
Summary of the fic: When Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan arrive at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in connection with a case of theirs, tensions are going to rise. Will a possible romance be over before it's really started, when people are set to get hurt? Or will the Special Agent and the world-renowed diagnostician kill each other first?
Disclaimer: None of them are mine blah, blah, blah. But put me in a room with David Boreanaz and Hugh Laurie and I'm so totally theirs!
LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD
Chapter One – Breaking Rules
It started out as a day like any other at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. There was one good case among many 'boring' ones, so House had Chase, Cameron and Foreman off running a variety of tests, fighting it out to prove their individual diagnoses. Their patient was a fifty-year-old male with severe skin rash, respiratory failure and parasthesis of his right side. Currently, though he'd never say it directly to him, House was favouring Chase's direction of 'it's an infection'. Sat in his office, absorbed in his thoughts as he pieced together the case, House registered his door opening but chose to ignore it. He already knew who it was, so he continued to stare out of the window.
"Dr. House."
Cuddy's voice from the doorway confirmed his suspicions and he gave a heavy sigh, audibly conveying his displeasure at the interruption to his chain of thought.
"Dr. House, " she repeated, an insistent and firm tone forcing him to finally acknowledge her, "This is Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan-"
House raised his eyebrows when he heard 'Special Agent'.
"The FBI? Cuddy, you could have just straight up fired me, no need to get all serious. I didn't sell those sex tapes, I promise you, I was just winding you up."
Booth couldn't help but smirk but tried hard to hide it and Brennan scolded him with her eyes. He immediately turned serious again.
"They're here regarding a case of theirs."
Cuddy chose to ignore his suggestive and highly derogatory comment, and was so used to him deriding her in front of people that she didn't even blush any more. House gave the two strangers a cursory glance before pointedly settling his gaze back on Cuddy.
"Why should I be bothered about their case? You're the administrator here; I didn't fail at being a doctor. You make me do clinic duty already, you cannot make me do guided tours too."
Cuddy wore the usual expression of weary contempt at his attitude as she glared at him, a clear warning in her eyes that if he continued down this path, he would end up with added hours of clinic duty. He obediently kept his mouth shut. Dr. Brennan, studying House, now turned to Cuddy, almost incredulous.
"You run this hospital and you failed to be a doctor?"
Booth put an arm around her shoulder and cast an apologetic smile to Cuddy, who couldn't quite decide if Brennan was using derision almost to the level of beating House, or if she really and truly believed what he had said. House nearly laughed at this. Either Dr. Brennan had great difficulty in grasping the concept of sarcasm or she was seriously good at it herself. If it was the latter, House would admit that he was impressed.
In an effort to get their conversation away from her medical expertise, Cuddy chose to bypass Brennan's question, rhetorical or not, and addressed House instead.
"Unfortunately for you, Dr. House, I'm still your boss. They're here because their case is connected to your current patient."
House let his eyes travel to the FBI agent and the socially deficient doctor by his side. Booth stared right back at him, regarding him critically, and had an air of instant dislike toward him, which House registered but didn't pay much mind. When he spoke, his words were carefully measured and matter-of-fact, keeping all opinion of House's character out of them.
"We believe your patient is connected to a murder that took place in Washington twenty years ago-"
House hauled himself to his feet and grabbed his cane; ignoring the warning glance from Cuddy that threatened certain areas of his anatomy he'd much rather remained unharmed, if he dared to give attitude to the FBI. Did he care? Not likely.
"You can have him once we've finished with him. I'm sure you'd much rather have him alive for whatever corporal punishment you have lined up. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and do my job and save this guy's life."
With a final look thrown to his boss that said 'there, that polite enough?' House was gone, much quicker than a guy with a cane should be able to disappear.
Brennan looked from the doorway House had vanished from, back to Cuddy as she addressed the Dean.
"Is he always like that?"
Cuddy sighed and nodded, apologising with the same embarrassed smile Booth had offered her earlier. Brennan still looked troubled.
"Did you really fail at being a doctor?"
--
"You done with that electrophoresis yet?"
Cameron didn't even lift her eyes from the microscope as she shook her head, a few loose tendrils of brunette bangs falling to frame her face as she did so. He leaned his elbows on the counter top opposite her and studied her, knowing she'd crack first. She always did. He pushed, she pulled, and then she gave in. That's how they worked and it was familiar. Strange that he felt somewhat comforted by it.
When she finally grew tired of the intense gaze focused on her whilst she tried to work, rendering her unable to concentrate, she rolled her eyes and finally looked at him, hating the way his eyes blazed into her, and always created that fire she'd tried many times to put out in her heart, despite their icy colour. She also hated the amusement in his eyes when she gave into him, as usual.
"Was there something else, Dr. House/"
The disdain in her voice was clear and he looked momentarily taken aback by it, but quickly covered it with a smirk before shaking his head and turning semi-serious again.
"We have some anthropologist and an FBI guy snooping around. Ignore them, if that's possible for you."
Cameron's eyes instantly widened, her attention completely lost from the slides under the microscope.
"The FBI? What did you do?!"
House glared at her, pushing off the counter top to sand up right and squaring his shoulders defensively.
"Nothing! Why do you suddenly assume I've done something?" At her raised eyebrows he decided not to push that and to leave it as a rhetorical question, "They're here because I think our patient has been a bad boy."
This seemed to settle her somewhat, but the discomfort remained, tension in her posture giving it away.
"Why would they talk to me anyway? If they need to know something about the patient, they'll obviously come to you. There's a reason you're warning me off…what is it?"
Cameron narrowed her eyes and for a moment he looked almost impressed by her deductions, which only confirmed them in her mind, but it was a fleeting expression and after a moment he scoffed. Without giving her an answer, he turned and awkwardly limped toward the door, again surprisingly fast for a cripple. He was gone before she could insist upon an answer, because she'd clearly hit upon something. After working for House for so long, she'd picked up some of his sharp observation skills. Pity for him they were being used against him.
--
"If you're going to be bothering me throughout this case, I suggest you at least bring coffee."
Booth and Brennan hadn't done much that could be classified as 'bothersome', but House regarded their very presence as something he could kick off about. The patient had been in a coma since they had arrived the previous afternoon, so for Booth and Brennan it seemed simply to be a waiting game. They used the Differential Diagnosis office when House and his ducklings weren't in there, to get on top of their paperwork for the case. It was gone five pm and House was tetchy after no developments with his patient for an entire day left him stir crazy with boredom and saddled with more clinic duty than he'd wish on his worst enemy.
"Whilst you're here, I say we set up some ground rules, " House ignored the snort of amusement from Booth, "No talking to my people – you need to know something, you ask me; no using my office as your fancy FBI headquarters – there's plenty of waiting rooms in this office and if you get in the way of my differentials it won't be pretty. If you really badly want an office, Wilson finds saying 'no' difficult and Cuddy will probably bend over backwards to accommodate you…if you get her to literally bend over backwards, call me immediately and I may rethink about your use of my office for a while."
Brennan seemed to be mulling the terms over in her mind, pointedly ignoring the suggestive comment regarding Cuddy, whilst Booth simply stared coldly back at House.
"Of course, you have to stick to our rules too. You tell us everything, no matter how small. And as soon as the patient wakes up, we get jurisdiction on whatever we want."
Booth added and it didn't go unnoticed how House abstained an attempt at covering his contempt at being given rules himself.
"Why don't you want us talking to your fellows? Worried we might dig up something on you, Dr. House? Contrary to your narcissistic view of the world, not everything is about you. To be honest, I couldn't care less."
A smirk settled on House's lips as he didn't even bother to grace the suggestion with a reply. Booth couldn't read people as well as he though, apparently. There was one very good reason House didn't want FBI Wonder Boy anywhere near his fellows. And that reason had a name. Cameron.
It hadn't been all that long since a certain Dr. Sebastian Charles had stolen his young immunologist's attention. Even now he remembered the jealousy and possessiveness that had coursed through him when he'd seen them holding hands, causing him to aggressively assert his authority and throw the door open, startling both of them, particularly Cameron, into withdrawing their contact.
House didn't want a repeat of that, especially not with some fancy FBI guy who could quite literally sweep her off her feet if he wanted to. He hadn't wanted to admit to himself that he'd been furiously jealous of a promising relationship between Cameron and Charles a few months previous, so if he had the possibility of preventing anything like that happening again with Special Agent Booth, then he'd certainly maintain control of the situation from the get-go.
"We'll be going now, but we'll be back first thing in the morning."
Booth told him as he began to lead Brennan out, a hand on the small of her back to guide her, but his eyes on House, who simply shrugged. It had almost sounded like a threat, but he really didn't care.
--
"Booth, you heard what Dr. House said about his people. It's a rule."
Brennan grabbed her partner's arm and settled a firm gaze on him, eyes boring right through causing him to pause. Cameron was hard at work in the lab. He recognised her as one of the doctors House had been working with in the Diagnosis office earlier that afternoon. He remembered thinking how pretty she was, but had immediately brushed that thought away when Brennan had pulled him back on track with their paperwork.
There was honestly no reason for him to go in there, other than to piss House off when he found out one of his 'rules' had been broken.
"Bones, it's only polite to introduce myself."
Brennan immediately shook her head, hands on hips.
"Don't involve me in this. You just want to break a rule for the hell of it, to annoy House. I'll go and wait in the car."
And with that, she continued to walk toward the elevator. Sighing, he waited to see if she'd give in but, as he suspected, she simply raised her eyebrows and shook her head, cementing her stubbornness as she stepped into the elevator and let to doors close. The opportunity to royally piss House off was too good to miss though, and even from this distance of roughly two hundred meters, he was once again struck by how pretty Cameron was. Two incentives to be polite and introduce himself.
--
Due to most of the lab staff having hurried out as soon as the clock announced half past five, there was just a scattering of a few night staff early to arrive for their shift, and day staff late to leave. Cameron was currently on her own, leaning over the centrifuge.
"Hi."
Booth popped his head around the glass door and gave Cameron a dazzling smile as she jumped, startled, and turned quickly to face him. Returning a somewhat wary smile, to the suited stranger grinning at her in the doorway, she hesitated. She hadn't seen him in House's office, from where he'd caught sight of her through the glass, so she could only guess this was the FBI guy House had warned her away from. He certainly looked the part anyway.
"Can I help you?"
She offered a wary but polite smile. Was it any of House's business that she spoke to him?
"I'm sorry I startled you, I just thought I'd drop by and introduce myself seeing as we'll be working together in some form or another over the next few weeks. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI."
He held out a hand to her as he stepped fully into the lab and walked a little closer, without invading her personal space, that charming smile gracing his face again. She timidly reached out and shook his hand with her delicate one after a significant pause, pushing away the caution House had instilled in her with a shake of her head. She gave him a proper smile as he shook her hand gently, his eyes locked on hers, making a flutter of butterflies tangle in her stomach for some odd reason she couldn't quite explain.
"Dr. Allison Cameron, Immunologist and House's personal secretary."
The hint of sarcasm coupled with the roll of her eyes in a good-natured way at the second part of her job description made Booth laugh. He was quite sure he'd found the reason House had forbidden Booth contact with his fellows. He was possessive, and he clearly wanted to keep this beauty for himself. Tough luck.
He subtly took in various details about her. The sad eyes that held a lot in them, hidden strength being one of them; the in-between colour of her eyes, a shade he couldn't really describe in a way that would do justice to them; the lack of a ring on her left hand. He noticed all of these things with just a few cursory glances.
"Is House always such a…."
He waved a hand, searching for the right word.
"An ass? Yeah, pretty much."
She smiled wryly, continuing to fill the centrifuge as she talked over her shoulder to him. This gave him ample opportunity to let his eyes wander down over her body, pausing to appreciate what he would class as an impeccable ass.
"So I hear our patient's in trouble with you guys then? Must be serious if the FBI's involved. I'm guessing I'm not allowed to know what he's done?"
She glanced back at him, oblivious of his gaze tracing the contours of her petite frame. He chuckled quietly and shook his head.
"Sorry sweet, if I told you, I'd have to kill you."
He did his best 'Mafia boss' impersonation and his mischievous smile and wink made her laugh as she shook her head too. She wondered how she could feel so comfortable with someone she'd only just met. It would surely rile House if he found out this meeting had taken place, when he'd made it perfectly clear they weren't to converse. But why should he control who his fellows could and couldn't talk to?
"So, Dr. Cameron, any chance you might consider accompanying me to dinner tonight?"
She stopped filling the centrifuge and turned to face him, surprise clearly written on her face at his confident and sudden proposition. She honestly didn't know what to say.
"I'm not asking you on a date or anything, so if your boyfriend asks, it's dinner with a colleague. That's what we are at the moment, after all."
A blush crept onto her cheeks and coloured them a pretty shade of pink. He was subtly asking if she was single.
"I…don't have a boyfriend."
His feigned shock both amused and flattered her, which she was sure it was meant to. She gained a little of her confidence back and offered him another smile.
"Well, in that case we can call it a date. I can't say I'm sorry you're not taken," he grinned again, leaning against the counter top and studying her in a way that mirrored her confrontation the previous day with House, "But your boss seems a little…possessive. Not that I can blame him."
Cameron flushed deep red and quickly turned away with a short laugh, trying to hide her embarrassment and will away the burning sensation that had taken over her cheeks.
"He's…like that with everyone. It's a power trip. Chase, Foreman and I – we're just his toys really. And House doesn't like sharing his toys."
Satisfied and quite impressed with her cover for him, she couldn't help but grimace when she thought of what House would say if he found out she went for dinner with Booth…as he inevitably would. After all, he had the uncanny ability of sensing everything, especially if it was being hidden from him. But then again, maybe a night out with a hot guy and a few drinks would be good for her. She hadn't done that in far too long.
"I'll go for dinner with you," she swiftly moved the subject away from House, back into a more comfortable zone, "Do you know many places around here? I can suggest a few nice restaurants."
Her mind involuntarily flickered back to the disastrous date with House at what had formerly been her favourite restaurant. Well, she wouldn't be suggesting that place for dinner with Booth.
"Sure. You can give me directions, I'll pick you up at seven."
She nodded in agreement as he checked his watch.
"Well, if I'm going to make myself look all spiffy for you, I best get going. Bones is going to wonder where I've disappeared to."
He got her address and phone number before he left, and she was once again alone in the lab, feeling like an excited teenager looking forward to her first date.
--
"What took you so long? I was getting worried."
Brennan frowned as Booth slid into the driver's seat, a grin on his face. If she was being honest, she didn't want to know, because she had a feeling her jealous side would be roused. She'd caught the way Booth had checked Cameron out when they'd seen the three doctors through the glass from House's office, and she hadn't liked it. In fact, she'd formed a dislike for the pretty young doctor her partner was attracted to, simply because of jealousy. She knew it was wrong and she assured herself that Dr. Cameron was most likely a nice enough person, but she greatly disliked the way Booth had looked at her. Not that she could blame him. It wasn't like he was dating, so technically he was free to oggle as many beautiful women as he wanted to. Of course, Brennan never noticed that he looked at her that way. She was too busy berating herself for being jealous when he noticed other women.
"Oh, I just got talking, sorry."
And he didn't offer any more of an explanation, piquing her suspicions.
"Were you talking to that woman? That Dr. Cameron whom House told you to stay away from?"
She pushed, switching her gaze from him to an opportunely positioned bug on the windshield. She tried to quash that rising jealousy that she knew was childish in a woman of her age and stature. What did she have to be jealous of anyway? For a start, Dr. Cameron wasn't a best-selling author and top forensic anthropologist. And perhaps more importantly, Dr. Cameron would only be spending minimum time with Booth, especially if House had anything to do with it. She wouldn't dispute it either.
"Yes."
She knew she wasn't going to get very far with this line of questioning so she decided to drop it…for the moment. No good getting into a heated discussion of that kind just yet, when they were stuck in New Jersey together for two weeks. She wanted to know though. She needed to know. Something had obviously occurred back in the relatively short period of time he was 'talking' with Cameron. Brennan was determined to find out what it was. But she'd be wasting her time if she pushed it now, so she changed the subject.
"Shall we go for something to eat in a few hours? There's food served at the hotel but I'd rather go out. Let's go to a restaurant, check out some 'sights' or whatever it is you do in unfamiliar locations."
She turned back to look at him and caught the grimace that crossed his expression. It intrigued her. His fingers drummed the steering wheel as he visibly deliberated on what to tell her.
"I can't, Bones, I'm sorry. I've got…business to attend to."
Confusion mired her thoughts for a moment before realisation dawned. She was getting used to the unorthodox – or, at least unorthodox to her – way that he described things. Covered them up. And this was definitely something he was covering. She'd changed the subject and put the previous one to rest for a while, whilst unknowingly stumbling onto the subject that she would extort her answers from.
"You're taking her out, aren't you? You're going on a date with her!"
Brennan was altogether relieved that the timing of their arrival back at the hotel was flawless. She got out of the car without another word, ignoring him as he jumped out of the driver's side and called her name repeatedly. She knew she was being childish, but she couldn't help it. He hadn't planned on telling her, and that was what stung the most. He'd known it wouldn't go down well so he'd planned to…what? Sneak out for his date with the pretty little doctor? If he asked why she was getting so upset, she already had her answer planned. 'It's breaking House's rules'. Like she cared. But it would pass; she knew that. She wouldn't have to say what she really felt. She wouldn't have to tell him that it hurt because she wanted him to take her on a date, not some young doctor he'd only just met.