Okay, finally, here's chapter 2 of the Cam/Hayley story. I promise, things will get rolling in the next chappy, but I just love exploring the Hayley character, so I want to drag this out as long as I can, and write as many mother/daughter scenes as I can.

Please read and review!

House had failed. Again. He hated that. He always got the last word, and everything he wanted. But last night he still wasn't able to convince Cameron to come back to work for him.

And then there was the discovery of the daughter, which had really thrown him off. Who knew? She hid it well. Or, he should say, hid her well. But why would she want to? As near as House could figure it, the girl must have been the product of her six month marriage. Maybe that's why. He knew that she probably regretted telling him about her marriage in the first place, who wouldn't? He's a jerk. You don't typically want to tell your deepest, darkest secrets to a jerk.

But House couldn't help wondering how Hayley would feel about her mother keeping her a secret. It certainly wouldn't do wonders for her self-esteem, and Cameron didn't seem like the person that would do that to a child. On the other hand, he was sure that whatever Cameron's reasons for keeping Hayley a secret were, they were good ones, and she had thought them through thoroughly.

Now, how to get her back. He needed a new plan of action. Going to her apartment and begging clearly wasn't doing the trick. Unfortunately, he couldn't continue his plan-hatching, as he was interrupted by Foreman and Chase, coming in to update on the patient. House was taken away from his Cameron thoughts for the rest of the day.

"Did you ever talk to Dr. House again?" Hayley asked her mother as they got out of the car.

"Huh? Oh, no. I still haven't decided if I want to," Cameron told her daughter.

Hayley cocked her head at her mom and sighed. "Just go back already! You know you want to!"

"Hayley, you know I already accepted a position at another hospital. I'm starting there next week."

"Yeah, but you could always back out."

"The world doesn't work that way."

"I thought that with House, the world worked however he wanted it."

Cameron smiled down at her. She really was a smart kid. It scared her sometimes how often she had adult conversations with her eight year old daughter.

"I'll tell you what," she said, placing her arm around her daughter and steering her towards the building they had parked in front of. "You go in there and dance your little heart out and I'll consider going back to work for Dr. House."

"Deal!" Hayley said, a grin spreading across her face.

"Okay, I'll be back to pick you up in an hour," Cameron said.

They said their goodbyes and Hayley ran inside her dance studio to fulfill her end of the deal.