A/N: This was written for the Unattainable Dreams' Prompt exchange challenge. It´s so much fun being a part of it! The prompt: Dance, rain. I hope you enjoy it.
Post-series House/Cameron. That´s my version of the end :-)
Dancing in the rain
For once in his life Gregory House has no idea if he´s doing the right thing in sitting here and wait for her or whether he should just flee – again. Taking a long sip of his coffee, he looks around. The coffee shop is small and quiet. Not many people around. Maybe it´s because the annoying rain outside that is merciless hammering against the window, bringing back memories he would love to forget. Somehow only bad things happen when it rains and he knows that today will be another horrible day. The last time it rained that hard, he found Wilson dead in the bed of their hotel room. It´s been one month but the pain is still deep inside his heart. At least he died in a peaceful way. His best friend had been asleep with a content smile on his face when the cancer finally won. They had some really great months behind them and now it was time to pay for them.
Sighing loudly, House buys another coffee while looking around once more. Still no sign from her. He wouldn´t be surprised if she doesn´t show up at all. Maybe throwing a little piece of paper into her mailbox wasn´t a good idea. Especially without a name on it but a time and place. She´s already 10 minutes too late. Very untypical for little Miss Perfect. He wonders if he should just pay for the coffee and then make his way across the street where fate is waiting to take over when someone sits down across of him, throwing him out of his daydream. He´s ready to tell the person at his table to leave when he looks into the eyes he´s been dreaming of in the last weeks.
"House?" It´s really her since he would recognize this voice everywhere and she´s even more beautiful than ever. Her hair is brown again with heavy and wet waves falling over her shoulders. She still has this beautiful and soft smile on her face when she looks at him, waiting for him to say a word.
"Cameron. I thought you would freak out and scream or something like this since it´s not really normal to meet death persons in coffee shops."
She chuckles and shakes her head, finally shedding the long coat and revealing her thin body, far too thin body.
"You´re far away from dead, House. I knew it from the beginning that something was wrong. Call me stupid but I felt it, I felt you. I felt that you´re still alive and I knew I would see you again. I guess you had a great time with Wilson and your bike. Somehow strange that they both went missing after you faked your death."
He can´t help but grin proudly at her. House should have known that his clever girl would find out what really happened. After all she never disappointed him.
"Yeah, we had a great time. It ended too soon though."
Both hear that his voice is cracking and he has to look away from her or otherwise he wouldn´t be able to stop the tears from falling. Jumping slightly, he feels her taking his hands in hers and he knows that it was the right thing to come back to her. She understands him. She always did.
"I am sorry."
He nods and for a moment they simply sit there, hands entwined and watching the heavy rain outside. Several minutes later he speaks again.
"How is she? Tell me something about her. Please."
It hurts him to see the surprise in her eyes but he can´t blame her. It´s not like he ever asked how she´s been doing. Hell, he didn´t even bothered to ask the name of their daughter although she let him known that she gave birth. It would be more than fair when she just leaves now, not letting him be part of their child´s life but she surprises him again. He knew she was strong but he had no idea how strong she truly is.
"Her name is Grace Blythe Cameron and she´s 10 months old now. She´s got her daddy´s bright blue eyes, his curiosity and stubbornness. For me, she´s the most perfect little baby. She loves the rain. Pouring rain is the best sound to calm her down. Rain and piano music that is. Whenever I felt depressed because I missed you so much that it hurt, I listened to piano music and she´s been always smiling then. Now that she´s older, she tries to stand and dance to the music. Gracie can be an angel if she wants to but sometimes she shows her housian side. I work just until 2 pm because she´s crying all the time after her afternoon nap and I am the only person who can calm her down. We´ve been thrown out of five day cares and not even her babysitter could help us. I won´t complain because I love spending time with her though."
Watching her, House sees the far too troubled face of his truly amazing woman and he feels worse than ever to leave her dealing alone with the baby after their little one nightstand at the airport bathroom. Instead of sleeping with her, he simply should have told her to stay and who knows how it all would have ended. He hates himself for being such a coward and he made a promise to Wilson before he died and now it´s the time to make this promise real.
"Listen Allison, I am sorry. Truly sorry. I should have never let you deal with everything on your own and I promise to take care of the two of you from now on. Close your mouth again and let me speak. I´ve been such a coward when I heard about the baby and I hate myself because you and Gracie had to suffer because of me. I know that you´re having a bad and hard time. I know that you have a lousy job at this lousy hospital. You deserve more than this but working only a few hours with a baby is not really good for your career. When was the last time you ate a proper meal? When was the last time you did something for yourself?"
He feels Cameron clenching and avoiding his eyes but her voice is stronger than ever when she´s answering.
"My last warm meal doesn´t matter as long as Gracie has everything she needs. I would never leave her suffer or being hungry. It´s true, we both don´t have much money left but we´re doing fine and she has everything she needs to be healthy and happy. We´ll manage."
"I know that Ally. I know that you´re the best mother Gracie could imagine and I also know that you´re working your ass off to make her happy but I want you to know that you´re not alone here anymore. I saved some money for the three of us. I want you to concentrate on yourself and Gracie. Buy whatever you want. I bet it´s more than enough to buy a small house or an apartment for you and the baby. I want you to be save and happy until I come back again and maybe there will be a small place in your life for me, too but that´s up to you and Grace."
Her beautiful eyes widen in shock. "We don´t need your money and what do you mean when you´re back? You can´t leave. Come home with me and meet Gracie. Stay with us but do not dare to leave me again. I am begging you, House. Come with me."
He just shakes his head and takes the envelope out of his jacket, putting it on the table.
"That´s the money I saved before I left with Wilson. Please take it. I know you´re too proud but think of Gracie. I hate to leave you again but I have to. I will go to the police and I will go to prison. I am sick of running away. I want to be a father for Gracie, one she can be proud of. I promised Wilson and myself to do this for the three of us. I can´t go back with you and then leave again because the police is looking for me. I want to be a legal part of your life and that´s why I have to go now. Promise me to take care of Gracie and to wait for me. I am begging you to give me a new chance. Can you do this?"
She´s crying now but nods nonetheless. With one last kiss on her hand, he walks away from her through the rain and into the prison that will be his new home for the next months.
The time in prison is pretty hard but House tells himself that he deserves this after all he has done. He´s not even trying to make it easier but does everything that he feels is needed to become some sort of a father when he gets out. The hardest thing is the withdrawal. His leg is screaming at him but he tells himself to stay strong for one last time. No way in hell he wants his little girl to find a vicodin from her junkie father. He can´t threaten her life in any way.
He knows that yesterday was the first birthday of his little princess but he never thought that he would get the present. Smiling broadly, House takes the letter in his hands and carefully opens it. Not even bothering to stop the tears falling down his cheeks, he looks at the picture Cameron has send him and for the first time in his life he can see his beautiful baby daughter. Cameron has been right. She is perfect. The first pictures are showing Gracie on the day she was born, followed by pictures of her with her teddy bear in her cradle, with her first teeth and other pictures that are showing how she changed of her first year. The last pictures must have been taken yesterday because his little angel is sitting in front of her birthday cake surrounded by many pink balloons and presents. She really looks like a small princess with her soft brown curls and the cute white dress she is wearing. She looks like a mini version of Cameron. A mini-Cam with housian eyes. The last picture is making him cry even harder. The most important persons in his life are starring back at him: Allison, Gracie and his mother. All women are smiling broadly and look like they´re waving their hands at him. Gracie has even a small flag in her hand which is saying: "Waiting for my daddy!"
House gets even more letters in the next weeks. They give him the strength he needs to go on and he simply loves seeing his baby girl. It´s like he is taking part in her life already. He almost chokes on his meal when he looks at the last one: He sees Gracie sitting on a piano and he would bet his head that this is really his old piano she is sitting on! How the hell did Cameron get that? Behind the piano he sees three guitars as well, HIS guitars. He has no idea how Cam did it but he knows that he´s the luckiest guy on this whole world.
Finally the day of his release is here and House doesn´t even care that it is raining again. After all his daughter loves the rain. Without looking back, he leaves the prison and looks around. The sky is dark and it takes some time until he sees Cameron´s outlines coming nearer until they stand in front of each other again. One look into her eyes and she´s clinging to him and he never wants to let her go anymore. He´s never been happier and he knows that this is what he´s been always searching for. He leans forward to kiss her when he feels something pulling at his cane. There stands Gracie, smiling broadly at him. She´s even prettier than on the pictures and ever so slowly, he gets down on his knees to take a better look at her, not caring that he´s full with mud now or that his leg hates him for this.
"Look dada, I am dancing!" And she´s really dancing or better said turning around in circles in the heavy rain, not caring about getting wet or sick but simply enjoying her little dance in the rain. It doesn´t take long until she fells in the mud beside him, still laughing and the small family is heading towards their new home where Grandma Blythe is already waking for the wet and muddy but happy group. Just when he steps into their new little home for the first time, a little ray of sunshine is shining through the dark clouds. Grinning to himself, House is sure that this is the last greeting from his best friend in heaven. After all Wilson promised him to greet him once he kept his promise and afterwards he would spend his time lazy on some cloud, taking good care of the small little family of his best friend. Rain isn´t really that bad.