A/N: Welcome back, dear friends, to this saga. Sorry if it has taken me a while to write, for a few weeks I had just about enough motivation to write one sentence before I got distracted. But, here it is, the completed sequel to "Broken Bridges". I hope that it reaches the same standard as Broken Bridges did and that it hasn't caught a case of sequel-itis. You know what I mean. Also, if you haven't read "Broken Bridges", I suggest that you do before reading this because I doubt that this will make much sense if you haven't. Please review, I love to know what people think of my stories. Flames aren't as loved as reviews. Thanks again for clicking. Without further annoying ado...
Torn Apart
She was torn. He was waiting for her but she clung on to what she knew. She couldn't look back. Allison Cameron held the blue phone in her hand, shaking violently as the man on the other end tried to calm her.
"I just thought that," Daniel Phelps gulped, somehow sensing her tension, "when you came back that you, me and Ellie could, you know…"
"We'll be here for a little longer than we expected," she rushed for an explanation, "I'm sorry, Daniel."
"No, no," he was shaking too now, "that's…that's fine. Just be safe."
"Okay," she whispered as he clumsily hung up the phone, she heard the click but she didn't feel it as her eyes stared out the office window. She only been in Princeton for the first time in ten years for two days now, still shaken over the sudden forgiveness she'd received from one Gregory House. She was over the moon with joy that Ellie and her father got on so well so far, even though they hadn't had much time to bond closely. But now she stood unsteadily, studying the carpet in the office and a feeling in the pit of her stomach rising to the top. She caressed the lace over her stomach in a soothing motion and she heard the telltale scratching of the door opening to the office. She spun around, a solemn look on her face and Ellie ran her hand down the side of the door. Ellie didn't speak a word, just smiling at her mother and walking towards her with intention to wrap her arms around her mother. Allison put on a smile and rubbed her daughter's back, soothing her as she felt her smile into her stomach.
"Are you happy to be here, Mom?" Ellie asked, bringing her face from her stomach and looking her mother in her ocean eyes.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Allison brushed a stray hair from Ellie's face as she smiled, nodding and turning away from her mother.
"I don't know, you just seem…tense here," Ellie walked towards the couch, "like there's some weird omen over you."
"You're too smart for your own good, my girl," Allison smiled and sat down on Greg's coveted leather chair. Before long, sleep flooded her as she curled up on the chair and she let the ideas that flew about her head rest for a little while.
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"Allison?"
"Wha?"
"Graceful."
Robert held a hand over her foetus position on the leather chair and she groggily stretched out her limbs in front of him, knowing that he wouldn't care.
"Cuddy wants you."
"Wha?"
"Yeah, she's still head honcho here. She wants to speak to you."
"Oh," Allison blushed, feeling idiotic as she left the seat warm and stood up, "what for?"
"No idea."
"Allison! What brings you back to Jersey?"
"Too many things to mention," taking Lisa Cuddy's hug with a small smile, Allison sat down before the desk.
"Too many or too few to distinguish yourself?" Her bright blue eyes looked inquisitive and Allison just shook her head.
"Anyway, was this just to catch up?"
"Actually," I have a proposal for you." Lisa smiled, clasping her hands together and spoke of her 'proposal' to Allison. Her face brightened when Lisa finished and her face sank when she thought harder about it.
"I'll need to think about it. Ask my daughter, things like that." At the mention of a daughter, Lisa's eyes widened at the news. They certainly had a lot of catching up to do.
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The warm water pounded on her back as she ran her hand through her wet hair. She hadn't showered the morning before and it felt nice to clean her of all the bad feelings she'd been having. She let her hair hang over the white fluffy towel she searched the big bathroom for as she let the steam roll out the door after her. She heard Ellie take a yawn as she walked through the hallway to Greg's room and smirked when she had an idea.
She felt like she'd never moved as she curled up on Greg's soft suede armchair, a red blanket around her and a cup of soup in her hand. Ellie was spread out on the couch as they waited for Greg to finish his marathon toilet trip and cook them dinner. She sighed, a small smile taking over her face as she snuggled further into the couch and wondered if Wilson minded at all that she and Ellie were spending a few nights at Greg's. She knew that Wilson would be over there anyway, having a few beers more often than not, but she still felt a little bad when Wilson had prepared for them to only stay one night. She decided that the couch was comfortable and she focused on the talking sponge on the screen until her cell phone started to vibrate. She let out a long breath, pulling off the blanket and reaching for the phone, which played a soft tune of the piano. She flicked it open and sighed when she read the caller ID.
"Hi Daniel," she said, he was the last person she wanted to speak to.
"Hey there, Ally," he said warmly, "I just wanted to check…it was Princeton Plainsboro that you said he worked at?"
"Yes Daniel," she wasn't in the mood to call him by his nickname and this made Ellie raise her eyebrow, "I might not always be there though, so it's better to call me by my cell phone." Greg limped back into the room and he gave her a look that inquiring look, she just shook her head.
"Yeah, I know. Just checking. Thanks love." She hummed and closed the phone, sighing heavily. Ellie asked who that was but she didn't respond, simply curling up again and throwing Ellie her phone to check for herself.
His eyes widened when he realised that she was wearing a daggy old Eagles t-shirt of his. Even though he admitted that she looked fantastic in it, he still shook his head at her. "Girls shouldn't be allowed to wear guys t-shirts unless they've 'spent the night' if you know what I mean."
"Oh, but I have," she looked at him with a sultry look in her eyes and dipped her finger into the freshly opened take out box. He laughed at her mockingly and they heard a resounding disgusted sound come from the next room.
"You shouldn't understand, young lady!" He called out to his daughter, shaking his head at the giggling Allison in front of him.
She took the last mouthful of fried rice childishly and shoved it in her mouth. Her parents looked at her with oval shaped mouths but still let her get away with it. Greg had received a phone call earlier about what, Allison didn't know. He still had that smirk on his face and he put his chopsticks together as he sighed.
"Okay, either get out of that ridiculously good-looking shirt or put some jeans on," he looked at Allison who blushed lightly, "we're going out."
"Where?" She questioned but he simply hummed and shook his head.
Less than ten minutes later, her hair was blowing in the swift wind creating by the red Corvette they sped along the dark street in. She was still oblivious to where they were going but as the car turned into a narrow dirt street, she couldn't hide the smile erupting on her face.
"No. Way." She said in surprise and nearly jumped from the car as the flashing lights and neon signs greeted her to the New Jersey Monster Truck Rally. Ellie raised her eyebrow at her mother's excitement and Greg let out a brief roar of laughter at her squealing.
"We're here," he opened the door sharply and rolled his eyes at her squeak.
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After a nice night together, Allison adorned the coveted trucker hat that Greg always bought on the night to commemorate the visit. She was smiling as Ellie's eyes were wide open, taking in all the lights and unlikely magic of the monster truck rally with her mouth open ajar. They all had candy floss in their hands and Greg had switched his normal work cane for a sleek, stained wood one with a silver handle, polished in all it's glory which he only used for special occasions. This one, where his daughter jeered and revelled in the ambience of such improbable places, was particularly special.
"Are you gonna finish that?" He smirked, looking over at Allison who smirked as well, joyfully handing over her candy to him and playing along in his game of remembrance.
"Gravedigger never disappoints," she laughed, pulling her hands under her jacket and smiling at Greg who understood her reference and smiled back.
"We saw Doomsday, Mom, what are you talking about?" Ellie sounded like she knew exactly what she was talking about and tapped at her mother's hat, which had the trucks name in clear writing. Allison and Greg both looked over at her serious face and laughed at her, she just shrugged and skipped ahead.
"Do you want me to find some good pick up on the way home?" Greg suggested dinner and Allison let out a breath.
"How about you show your daughter that you can in fact cook?" She cocked her head to one side and he gave a hum, acknowledging her point.
"Pasta, pasta and more pasta," Allison raided Greg's cupboards when they arrive home whilst Ellie and Greg were watching another cartoon.
"Did you find the pasta all right?" Greg called back and Allison walked out into the lounge room, putting a packet of spaghetti and a jar of bolognaise paste on his chest.
"Yeah, now you cook it." She reached over him and grabbed the remote, sitting between him and Ellie as he sighed. Hoisting himself up, she watched him limping back to the kitchen and she noticed that his limp looked softened again, like it used to be when she lived in Jersey.
Half an hour later, Ellie was slurping up a tomato paste covered string of pasta and had splashes of the sauce all around her mouth.
"This is great, Greg," Allison looked over at a childish looking Greg who slurped up his spaghetti worse than a two year old would. She giggled and he made a pouting face, looking idiotically offended at her laughter. Even after ten long years, he was still the same two-year-old she used to work for. She savoured the moment, knowing that things like these didn't come easy in her lifetime. A soft knock came from the door and Greg hobbled over to the close door. He looked through the peephole and raised his eyebrow.
"Allison," he said, she nodded and walked over to him, "you know this guy?"
