Chapter 10
House rushed out after Cameron. It was a good thing that he was still holding onto the keys. He hoped that she had forgotten that small fact. To his relief she had.
When he dashed out of the elevator seconds behind her she was glaring at the car in frustration. She sent it a halfhearted kick.
"Damnit."
"Foreman's not here, but I'm sure he would help you out." House limped towards her. The keys dangled loosely from his hand. "You are not going to see Adam."
She tilted her chin up and glared at him defiantly. "When the hell did you become my keeper House?"
"When you started acting like you didn't care about your life. Someone needs to look after you. I don't want one dead immunologist."
"I thought we already discussed the fact that you're not my Night in Shining Armor. I can take care of myself. I need to do this."
"No." House cornered her against the car. "You don't."
"I'm not going to stand by and watch Shi get beaten and broken."
"Like everyone did for you?" Cameron glared and shoved him. She didn't care about his leg at the moment. He barely stumbled, and Cameron didn't have anywhere to go.
"You don't know anything House." She saw the keys and lunged for them. House grabbed her, and held her wrists in a vice like grip. It would leave a bruise that was for sure.
"And what exactly do you know Dr. Cameron?"
"I know my family. I know why we did what we did. I know how to survive. My childhood was bad House, but it doesn't take a rapist to make it that way. Words and actions can hurt just as much. I know that my father was a bastard with his words, but yours was one with his actions. I know that you think that I need to fix people, but you're really the one who feels the need to make everything better. Otherwise you wouldn't be here fighting with me. But then again, right now, I'm just another puzzle for you to solve."
House saw red. He had called her lobby art, told her that he didn't like her, but she had never been just a puzzle to him.
"Is that what you think?" He spun her around to face him and before she could answer, he slammed his lips against hers.
It was hot, and harsh. The one at Carmichael's had been spur of the moment, tentative and then passionate, but this one was like House was trying to prove something to her. He pulled his lips away from hers, and Cameron stared at him, breathing heavy.
"Why do you keep doing that?" She demanded.
"Well, it stops you from talking. Easy way to win arguments. Plus I like it. And you don't seem to be complaining. You're not just a puzzle and you're not going to see Adam."
"Did I mention that you can't stop me?"
"Want to bet?"
Before Cameron could answer him, her phone rang. "I swear to God -" She muttered.
"Hello?"
"Foreman?" She paused and groaned. "Seriously?" She shook her head. "No, I know a place don't worry about it. We'll be there in a few. Okay, bye."
She hung up and dialed a number. "You don't mind a few extra guests do you?"
"Thanks P.J. we'll be there soonish. Love you, bye."
She hung up again and held up a finger when House tapped his cane impatiently. "This is about the patient in room 472. Could you tell her to call P.J. when she wakes up? Thank you."
Allison turned to House who was watching her irritated. "According to Foreman, a pipe burst in the hotel. Everything is flooded, and all of the water has stopped working. They are closing down the hotel for the time being. We have to go pack. The conference has been canceled and rescheduled. Cuddy said that if we can get a flight back, do it. If we can't, take the next five days to see the city."
"And, pray tell, where are we going to stay?"
"With P.J. of course" was Cameron's reply. "I'll deal with Adam later."
"No, you won't."
"Once again, you aren't my keeper." They continued to argue all the way to the hotel.
"Home sweet home." Allison muttered.
The men in the car with her jaws dropped. The looming Evanston mansion she pulled up to wasn't what most would consider 'Sweet Home', but Cameron didn't seem concerned by it. She parked the car and got out.
"C'mon. I have to get some rooms ready." She yawned and they followed her obediently into the house, suitcases in tow.
Cameron opened the front door and listened for a minute. "They're upstairs, let's go." She walked up the winding staircase to the second floor. There was a hallway with three doors, all closed. Cameron opened the middle one.
The sound of a piano being played could be heard. Allison rolled her eyes and sighed. She stepped into the room and glared at her brother. Matt, Nick and Ellie were sitting in the room. It was a ballroom, with alcoves in every corner and a grand piano in the middle. There was also a bar and a stage.
"No."
"One song." Matt replied. He was playing the piano.
"No."
"PJ went to pick up Shi." Ellie informed her sister.
"When Shi comes back then, deal?"
"Deal. But we pick the song."
Cameron ignored Matt. "Guys, these are my coworkers Eric Foreman and Robert Chase, and my boss Gregory House, my sister Ellie and my brothers Matt and Nicky."
The siblings caught on quickly as to why she had introduced House to them again and just waved and smiled.
"How is this going to work?" Nicky questioned from his position on the stage next to Ellie. They were tossing a ball back and forth. Ellie lobbed it to Cameron who caught it and tossed it back easily.
"No idea." The siblings paused for a moment. Then Allison and Matt walked over to Ellie and Nicky and the four started an intense whispering conversation. Finally Cameron sighed and nodded.
"I'll go show them, we'll set everything up later." Allison turned back to the three guys and gestured for them to follow her.
"I'll give you the grand tour in a minute." They followed her upstairs, and Cameron paused once at the top.
"Okay. We normally have seven bedrooms, but we already packed up the two guest ones. Shi and Ellie are sharing, PJ gets his own, and Matt and Nicky are sharing. That means that two of you are sharing Nicky's room and one of you is rooming with me."
"I call rooming with Cameron." House called out before anyone could utter a word. "We were already sharing anyway."
Allison rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Fine."
She led them down the hall, pointing out the various closed doors. PJ's room was at the end of the hall, while the two guest rooms were on either side. Allison's was next to one of the guest rooms, Ellie's next to hers. The two girls shared a bathroom in between. One the other side was Nicky's bedroom and Matt's. They also shared a bathroom. Cameron directed them to Nicky's room and pulled out the futon for one of them to sleep on.
Allison's room was painted a lavender House realized when he stepped in it. There was nothing extremely girly about it either. Pictures lined the walls. She had a bunk bed, which House found amusing, but then he realized that she had been just a child. Allison had been only 15 when her mother had died. Cameron's bed was lined with a nightstand. She had two bookshelves and a walk in closet. There was a desk in the corner and a bulletin board above the desk covered in papers. House went to get a closer look at the papers. Most of them were beaming pictures of whom he assumed to be Lizzie Kramer with her four children in various poses and activities. Some appeared to be letters and he strained his eyes trying to read the faded handwriting quickly.
"Hey." He spun around and looked at her guiltily and she rolled her eyes. "Like I didn't expect you to snoop. I'm not an idiot. C'mon, I'm giving the guys a tour. Shi and P.J. should be here soon, and I promised the brothers a song. We have a theatre in the basement, so we'll probably watch a movie tonight."
She didn't mention Adam, but House had a feeling that she would be seeing him with an attempted sneak out. He wasn't going to let her do that. With quiet resolve he followed her.
The grand tour had the men gaping after it ended. (Cameron had grown up there?) The middle floor consisted of the ballroom, a backroom that connected to the stage, and a recording studio. The recording studio had her mothers old record pictures, and copies of every CD she had ever made (12).
The downstairs was a big kitchen that any chef would die to have, a dining room, a library, and a living room. The ceilings were twelve feet, and Cameron had told them that their Christmas trees growing up had always been huge. A hot tub and a patio were outside as well as a massive swing set and an impressive garden. There was no pool, because as Cameron explained, they were in walking distance of Lake Michigan. A five car garage was out back. It was two stories and the top story had been converted into a play area for the kids when they were younger. As they had gotten older they had turned it into a cool 'hang-out zone' for them and their friends.
The basement was what everyone was really impressed with. There was a theatre with every movie known to man (even PJ's newest one that was not yet released), a wine cellar, a sauna, an office and a family room. There was a pinball machine and other arcade games as well as a pool table, a foosball table and a ping pong table. The whole house had five fireplaces, 6.5 bathrooms and was gated. Cameron didn't seem to notice the massiveness of it, but the guys did.
"I grew up here, it was never really a big deal to me" was Cameron's simple reply.
They finished the tour, and were trouping back upstairs when the front door opened. Cameron disappeared down the stairs and reappeared half-supporting her sister. She waved off Foreman and Chase's offers to help her and PJ and the two sat Shi down on the stage.
"You owe me a song Allie." Matt reminded her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He sat at the piano and began to play the opening notes of whatever she was singing. Cameron laughed and began the song. House was surprised when Nick moved over to a drum set that he hadn't noticed and began to tap out the rhythm.
"Come on
Oh baby don't you wanna go
Come on
Oh baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago
Come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Hidehey
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Oh sweet home Chicago"
Cameron got up and sauntered over to her coworkers, grinning innocently as she continued the song. Her eyes were dancing, and she pulled on Foreman until he stood and began to dance with her- albeit reluctantly.
"Well, one and one is two
Six and two is eight
Come on baby don't ya make me late
Hidehey
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago
Come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago"
Shi was laughing and holding her ribs. House could tell that they had given her something for the pain because of the dopey smile on her face. Foreman sat down and Ellie joined her sister in dancing, and singing the last few lines. P.J. was shaking his head at the two of them as the giggled. House could tell that dancing and singing was common by the way everything seemed so routine. They had done this before and would do it again.
"Six and three is nine
Nine and nine is eighteen
Look there brother baby and see what I've seen
Hidehey
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago
Oh come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Come on
Baby don't you wanna go
Back to that same old place
Sweet home Chicago"
Cameron ended and House, Foreman and Chase clapped.
"I didn't know that you could sing Cam."
She shrugged and offered Foreman an innocent grin. "You never asked."
"If I ask, will you sing another song?" Chase smiled innocently.
"Nope. One was enough."
"Let's go in the basement." Shi suggested. "I can camp out on the couch and you guys can watch a movie or play some games, and then we can order pizza."
The group nodded and all stood.
Neither Forman or Chase had been brave enough to question what had happened to Shi.
House hung back slightly and caught Ellie, who was the last to walk out.
"I need to talk to you for a minute." She paused and met his eyes steadily.
"Allie told you." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yeah. At the hospital today, she said that she was going to see Adam, to make him stop. I'm assuming she's going to try and sneak out of here. I want to follow her, or one of you needs to - to make sure she doesn't do something stupid."
Ellie nodded. "Do you know how to drive a motorcycle?"
House stared at her. "I just told you that your sister is putting herself in danger and you want to know if I drive a motorcycle?"
"It makes sense, just answer the question."
"Yes. Now explain."
"Tonight Matt will take you guys out to see the cars. Don't do anything obvious and just follow his lead. You'll get the keys and the code to get in the house. When Allie leaves you can follow her on the bike. See it makes sense."
House wondered what part of letting their sister sneak out of the house instead of just shutting it down completely made sense but he kept his mouth shut.
And that was how it happened. One minute they were talking about jobs and House made a crack about Foreman stealing cars.
It had led to a conversation about the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette, the 1969 Firebird and the other various cars that they had. They had gone out to see them, and House had asked if he could take out the Harley that was also there.
Matt had let him, and when he handed him the keys, there was also the code to get in the house.
The motorcycle had been left outside when they had gone in for some Chicago Style Pizza, and now House was just sitting in wait for Cameron to make a move.
He heard the rustling of her climbing off the top bunk, and the door opening. House swung his body off the bed. Now all he had to do was follow.