Ship: House/Cameron

Rating: T for some cursing

Status: Completed, One-shot

Spoilers: None

A/N: Okay, so this is my first House fic. :D I've actually been wanting to write something House related for a while but I just got this idea yesterday. This story is inspired by the music video for "Breathe In, Breathe Out" by Mat Kearney (AMAZING song!) and this is basically my interpretation of the video (so if you've seen the video you might know how this story is gonna end). I think I kinda strayed away from House's real character so this might be a bit OOC. But anyway, read and enjoy and don't forget to leave a review! I'd like to know if I'm any good at writing House fics. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own House, Hugh Laurie, Jennifer Morrison, or Mat Kearney and his song.

Breathe In, Breathe Out

The first thing you see when you open your eyes is the jet-black abyss of the night sky. Stars twinkle overhead, almost seemingly within reach until you remember that they're light years away. You move your hand a fraction of an inch and feel the rough scratch of asphalt under your skin.

What the hell? you think.

Raising an arm, you glance at your watch. 8:07. You just clocked out of clinic duty seven minutes ago and should be on your way home. But instead you're laying flat on your ass on the open road. Screw rationality. You just want to go home and get away from those idiots who think conjuring a runny nose is a reason to visit the clinic.

You bend your legs, pushing yourself into an upright position while groping around for your cane. But your fingers don't come in contact with the familiar smooth wood. Cursing God's incompetence for not providing humans with magical powers like being able to find lost items, you gradually get to your feet, expecting your leg to start throbbing like always. However, life is just full of surprises today and instead of bucking to your knees, you stand up straight and feel no pain in your leg. Your heart beats frantically as you take a hesitant step forward. Nothing. Not even a slight twinge. You start to laugh, softly at first then louder while you jump up and down and spin in circles like a little kid high on sugar, faster, faster, faster until you think you're going to hurl.

Suddenly you stop. There's a man laying on the ground just a few feet away from you. Curious, you walk over to him and you feel the crunch of broken glass under your shoes. You kneel by his side and look closely at his face. There's something familiar about him but you can't quite place it. Then you realize that he's bleeding everywhere; temple, nose, mouth, arm. There's even blood slicked all over the asphalt. You look around and see the twisted remains of two cars ahead of you. Squinting, you can make out the form of a body pinned in the wreckage of one of the cars, a black Licoln Navigator. You glance at the other vehicle, the one with the gapping hole in the windshield, and again you feel a sense of familiarity that you can't describe.

Turning back to the man in front of you, you decide that he may still have a chance. The doctor in you kicks in and you automatically check for a pulse. It's there, but barely. Looking over your shoulder, you see the grounds Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital just a 100 yards away. You make your decision quickly and after making sure the man was still breathing, your start running as fast as you can.

The feeling is so foreign to you but at the same time it comes rushing back like an old friend. You relish the sensation of your feet thumping against in the pavement of the parking lot, almost in sync with your beating heart. People are probably staring but what the hell? You can run and there's a man dying on the street.

And then you see her and all coherent thought escapes your brain. She's just about to go through the hospital doors and step out into the parking lot. You slow down to a walk, momentarily forgetting about the dying man, and your eyes never leave her. She exits the hospital and looks both ways before crossing into the parking lot, like how we've all been taught to do. As she gets closer, you see that she's been crying. Almost on cue, you're reminded of what an ass you were to her. You thought that she'd get over it. Hell, you were Gregory House, the misanthropic, egotistical son-of-a-bitch who pissed everyone off. Why would she be any different to you? But you look at her now, at her tear-stained face and sagging shoulders, and it tears you apart to see her like this.

When you're finally a few steps away, you stop and just stand there. She starts to slow down, her steps becoming hesitant and uncertain until she, too, stops right in front of you. You look at her for a moment but her eyes don't meet yours.

"Allison." you say in a quiet voice and you wonder if she even heard you.

Still, she doesn't look at you. Instead her eyes wander the parking lot, almost like she's looking for something. You step forward, close enough that you can smell the scent of her clothes. You wish that she would look at you but you can hardly blame her for not wanting to. She starts to close her eyes and a fresh tear rolls down her face. You know this shouldn't bother you but it does anyway and you finally realize why.

Leaning down, you allow your lips to gently brush against the side of her cheek, just hairs away from her ear.

"I love you."

This comes out as barely a whisper but those words are for her ears and no one else's. Reluctantly, you pull back, hoping for some sort of reaction. She opens her eyes and you swear you see something flash in them for a second but in the next its gone.

Just then, the sound of sirens reaches your ears and you remember about the man you left dying on the street. She reacts first and bolts toward the street in a heartbeat. You follow, quickly outrunning her in a few seconds. When you get there, there's already a crowd of people surrounding the man but you manage to make it through to him. Once again, you kneel by his still form and this time why he is so familiar to you hits you like a brick wall...

The first thing you see when you open your eyes is the faces off several people looking down at you. They're talking, yelling, asking you questions but you don't want to respond. You just want them to shut up. You're feeling lightheaded, like you're floating somewhere between reality and your dreams, but you kinda like the feeling so you don't mind. The voices are getting louder and you groan in exasperation.

"House!"

But that voice...that one was different. You turn your head to find the source, ignoring the searing pain that shot through the rest of your body, and find yourself looking up at her kneeling form. She's crying and you feel her wet tears fall upon your face. You try to smile but the effort is excruciating. She leans closer to you until you can feel her hair tickling your skin. Gregory House never apologizes, not really. But now you realize that its time.

"I'm sorry."

You hear her say something but your brain won't process it. You take a breath and slowly, the pain starts to ebb away. When she leans over you, you find yourself looking straight into her blue-green eyes and now you see what you thought you saw in them before. She never got over you and while that thought would've comforted you before, it only breaks your heart now. You'll always love Allison Cameron and you hope to God that'll be enough.

You take another breath and let it out slowly, all the while never taking your eyes off hers. In... Another tear falls on your face and slides down your cheek. Out... Your eye lids start to get heavy but you fight to keep them open. In... The faces begin to get blurry but hers is still there. Out... Your chest feels as if a 50 pound brick has been laid on them as you take your next breath. In... Your eyes flutter shut as you lose your battle to keep them open but her face is still in your mind.

And then... nothing.

A/N: When I was brainstorming the plot, I actually came up with the idea that House and Cameron should have an established relationship but when I got to writing the story I didn't really have place to put that piece of info so I jus left it out. I think it works fine. Anway, review please :D

Also, as it's been pointed out to me, the story's kinda confusing but esstentially House gets into a car accident leaving the hospital, he has one of those "out-of-body" experiences which is why Cameron doesn't seem to react to him because basically he isn't really there, and when he gets back to the accident, he returns to his body and dies. Sorry if it was kinda confusing. This is what happens when I think about a story for only a day. It usually sits in my head for a while. XP