A/N: An 'M' rated version of this story also exists, should you be interested in that sort of thing.

Don't Cry for Me Sweetheart

Hi, this is Sami here and the first moment I wrote is from the season one episode Fidelity. The moment takes place when House finds Cameron crying in the lab. More specifically, if takes place after Cam tells House how her husband died. He makes a comment about how she can't be that well adjusted and she responds by saying or you end up hating people. I'm sure the title of this one gives it away, but anyways. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Limping into the lab, House pauses and thinks to himself that this is where he could always find Cameron. She was indeed a sexy little lab rat and this was her sanctuary. However soon that won't be the case.

She's leaving, a voice inside his head spoke, and you're the only one that can stop her.

"It's too late," House silently argues with the voice only he can hear.

No it's not, the voice replies, just think of a moment you'd do over again if given the chance.

Surprising himself House begins to ponder all of the moments they've had together over the years. One that really stands out to him is the time he found her crying in the lab. It had been one of the earlier moments they'd shared, however the impact of it still had been lasting nonetheless. He'd found her trying to hide the fact that she was crying and it had taken all his strength not to reach out and comfort her.

Truth be told, not many people knew this, but one of his weaknesses was a pretty woman in tears. And let's just put it this way Cameron had definitely fit into that category at that point in time. It went back to his childhood and all of the times he'd found his mom crying; even at a young age he'd tried to comfort her. And despite what an a he'd become it was a quality that had stuck with him. Stacy and Cuddy were probably the two other women besides his mom that knew he even had that quality.

Cameron certainly didn't and he'd always thought it was better that way. Now he wasn't so sure because it had resulted in her wanting to leave. Leaving because she didn't think he cared, man if that wasn't the biggest load of crap ever then he didn't know what would be. The problem in reality, a very sad reality, was that he cared way too much.

Towards the end of that moment when he'd found her crying, she'd responded to his comment about her not being that well adjusted by saying something about hating people. He can see it now. The moment would have had an entirely different outcome if only he'd muttered the words he'd wanted to. If only he'd muttered, "I don't hate you."

"What did you say?" Cameron would have asked. Checking to be sure she'd heard him right and making sure her overactive imagination when it came to him wasn't playing tricks on her once again.

"I think you heard me," House would have answered. Then reaching out in a moment he would truly remember as out of character, House reached out and brushed a tear away. Without even realizing it Cameron leaned into the hand that was on her cheek.

They still would have soon been interrupted by his pager a few minutes later, because that was just the nature of the job. However it still would've surely changed the way things had inevitably ended up between him and his beautiful young fellow Allison Cameron.

… Written by Sami