Authors Note: If you guys are reading this, the last two chapters didn't scare you away. Coolios. This chapter talks a bit about what went on in those two, but from House's 'not cool with it' POV – so Cameron essentially gets a serious talking to. It's also the start of her downward spiral (hence the titles of these next few chapters).

Chapter 23 - Round One

Christmas had come and gone, as had New Years Eve. The holiday truce God had managed to give the couple was quickly wearing off. House had been adamant that the slumber parties were over, as were all the actions involved with them. This had resulted in Cameron temporarily moving in with Jacob as well as her calling in all her vacation days at work. Cuddy had suggested that she may as well take a leave of absence but the woman was not going to lose any salary on account of him. The dean of the hospital, who had no real idea what was going on between them, agreed. She gave her two weeks, full pay, on the condition that if she and House couldn't work together anymore, she would need to find another program in the hospital to transfer into.

House had been rather surprised that she'd agreed to let Ryan and God stay with him. Jacob's place didn't allow animals and she wasn't going to punish her younger brother by separating him from his new best friend. This also meant that she couldn't stay away permanently. Three days into her absence, House found himself in Wilson's office.

He had only gotten halfway through recounting the events of Halloween and November before Wilson had to stop him. "Look, House, I really don't think Allison would want you talking about this behind her back." He crossed his hands on his desk and paused a moment. "But since you are, all I can say is that this rift between you is only going to go away by you both talking about this."

"I did talk to her about this." House cut in rather angrily. He really hadn't thought that Wilson would take her side. "I told her it had to stop. If it stopped everything could maybe go back to normal."

Wilson closed his eyes and hung his head. He'd gotten incredibly used to House treating him like this; he'd learned to not take it personally. Only, he was now doing it to Allison, and she was taking it personally. Obviously she had a right to; he was telling her explicitly what she could or couldn't do. But despite his inconsiderate tactics, House really was looking at this situation from a non-biased point of view. What was going on between Allison and her siblings was not appropriate, no matter how hard they tried to justify it. "Asking her to quit something she's obviously been doing since she was a little kid isn't like asking her to stop biting her nails. It's really more like, well, asking you to give up the Vicoden."

"Vicoden isn't related to me." He replied, growing more and more incensed by the minute. He knew he was an ass, that he was often wrong about things but too cocky to admit it. This he was not wrong about.

"Obviously, but you're missing the point. Yes, this thing between them is not appropriate or healthy. Yes, it should by all accounts be stopped. But you need to understand that demanding it ends is only going to cause her to embrace it tighter." Wilson was really wishing he'd stayed in bed that morning. Part of him was deeply concerned about his colleague, having found this out, but the other part of him knew that telling House how to handle it was like telling a fish how to swim. He was already set in his ways, he doubted any advice he gave would ever be followed.

"So what am I supposed to do? Look the other way?" He slammed both his fists on Wilson's desk. "What their father did to Kathryn was blatantly sexual abuse and they all seem to agree on that. Is it because none of them are being forced? Or that there's no violence involved? Christ, Cameron's seven years older than them. She could have been sent to jail for statutory rape." House closed his eyes as he willed his heartbeat to slow down; he could already feel his face turning beat red. He knew the four of them had sworn up and down that there was never any nudity or any, by their definition, sexual contact involved. He just couldn't understand how four adults, especially one with a degree in medicine, could be so fucking naive to think that what they'd been doing wasn't abusive.

At this Wilson got up and turned to the bookcase behind him. After a brief search he pulled out a soft covered book and tossed it to the desk between House's fists. "Read that." He told his friend. "If you really love her and want to help her, you need to know what you're doing. There's a reason there's a whole branch of psychologists that devote their practice specifically to child sexual abuse and incest."

House took a few moments and then picked up the book in front of him. "How to Take Charge without Taking Charge: A Guide to Helping Others Break Free From the Cycle of Sexual Abuse." He read and then flipped the book over to skim the back.

"House, there's no question that you want to help her. But you should know this all too well; you can't help someone who doesn't think they need to be helped. Read the book." Wilson leaned against the bookshelves as he watched House studying the book.

House had held his tongue at the first suggestion that a book could solve this type of monumental issue. Now that he'd read the back cover and the first page of the introduction he was quickly coming around. After a few seconds he snapped the book shut and rose from his chair. "I'll give it a shot." It was his own way of thanking Wilson, and the oncologist nodded in reply. "But if it doesn't work, I'm tying her up and dragging her to one of those shrinks you mentioned." On that slightly lighter note, he turned and left.

*****

House had only gotten a few chapters into the book before he'd given up on it and tossed it onto the coffee table. Who was he kidding? Books like those were written for sensitive, caring, sympathetic individuals. He loved Cameron but he certainly wasn't any of those things. He popped open his fifth beer and washed down a Vicoden with the bitter liquid. The irony of their current situation had only dawned on him this last week. He'd called her damaged on many occasions but he'd also once told her that "she didn't love, she needed." He'd accused her of seeking out relationships with individuals who had damage themselves; individuals she could devote herself into fixing. Why did she have to be so blind that she couldn't understand she needed this fixing herself?

When he'd spilled the last drop of his Labatt Blue down his throat he grabbed the phone off the edge of the couch and dialed.

"Allison?"

"Don't hang up, please."

"Ryan had a nightmare, he's asking for you."

"No he doesn't want to talk to you on the phone, he want's to see you."

"I promise I won't say anything."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes."

He hung up and tossed it back onto the cushion next to him. He needed to clean up the alcohol before she got there.

*****

Twenty minutes later Cameron was through the front door, completely uncaring that her keys missed the island and rattled to the floor. She'd managed to get halfway past the den when House appeared, blocking her path. "Move." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest and balancing most of her weight on one leg.

House shook his head and gestured for her to keep her voice down. "They're still asleep, I lied." Before she could turn around he'd managed to grasp her shoulder and spin her into his arms. His hand quickly went up to cover her mouth while the other gripped tightly around her arms and waist. "Let's not wake them up." His voice relatively calm considering the rage he was still suppressing. For the sake of her brother, Cameron stopped struggling and allowed House to walk her down the hall and into their bedroom.

As soon as the door closed behind them she yanked himself from his grasp and open her mouth to yell. Before a syllable could escape her lips, House had lunged forward and clasped his hand over her mouth again, his other holding tight to the back of her head so she couldn't wriggle free. "It's your turn to shut up and listen." He narrowed his eyes as hers grew wider. "You're fucked up, I understand that. But you brought me into your life practically kicking and screaming, so you are going to listen to me, because I'm only going to say this once." He took a painful step forward, his body now only inches away from hers. He hadn't removed his hands. "This thing that you've been doing with your brothers is not okay. I don't care if you four were the last individuals on this Earth, there are some lines you just don't cross. Intimate, sexual, those are just words. I'm sorry your parents hurt you, I'm sorry your brother was molested, but this all has to stop." He could feel the wetness of her tears running along the side of his hand. "I need you to tell me that it will stop. I'm willing to help you however I can, but you've got to stop lying to yourself and admit that you need help."

Cameron couldn't stop the tears as she stared up at House. He'd been so angry when he began but now he seemed almost defeated. She raised her trembling hands and pulled at the one covering her mouth. He let her move it but kept the one around her head firmly in place. "They love me." She whispered. "And I love you, but-"

House had brought his hand up to her mouth again and this time the force of it caused her to tumble backwards. Thankfully they'd been close enough to the foot of the bed that she landed on the mattress and not on the floor. He'd kept his hands on her even as they fell, their eyes never breaking contact. "How can you love me, Allison, when you don't even know what love is?"

She was starting to hyperventilate as his body pressed across hers, his hand now partly blocking her nostrils as well as her mouth. She didn't struggle though, she almost welcomed the chance to black out. House wasn't going to give that to her and when he realized what was happening he pulled his hands away. She was still struggling for breath even with him off her; each intake coming in a serious of gasps while her hands clasped the blankets around her. She hadn't had a panic attack since leaving foster care and was growing more and more upset as her body refused to take in air.

Swallowing everything he'd been holding against her the past two weeks, House pulled himself onto the mattress and hoisted her into his arms. She was turning white, her gasps now failing to bring any air into her lungs. He pushed her back into his chest and wrapped his arms loosely around her torso. "Breath." He instructed. He wasn't surprised when this failed to solve the problem. He tried again, "God damnit Allison, breath!" She was now clawing at the hands around her waist as her body continued to gasp for air. House only held on tighter and pushed his chest as far into her back as he could without leaning her forward. "Breath with me!" He shouted this time, knowing at any moment she could pass out. He sucked in a lung full of air and held it two seconds before slowly letting it out. He repeated this two more times before she stopped struggling. There was a painful moment when he thought she'd lost consciousness but suddenly he felt her body try to take in one long gasp. Halfway through her gasp began to break up again but on his next inhale she tried again. Four or five times they did this until she could fully expand her lungs before exhaling. She hadn't stopped shaking and he hadn't let her go. They sat like this for for nearly ten minutes, their bodies rising and falling in sync with each other. Neither one spoke. This had only been the first step. Talking would have to come later.