Chapter 29

When House opened his door, he was surprised to see Cameron curled up on the couch sound asleep. He strained his hearing as if trying to hear Madelyn crying before she even started to. Satisfied that she wasn't crying, but still having the desire to check on her, he headed back to his room to look in the crib. He looked down at the sleeping girl, and his heart constricted. He surprised himself by realizing he was becoming used to that reaction from looking at the girl. He pulled the blanket that was covering her up further so that it was covering her chest as well; he smiled at her. She shifted slightly, and House mentally kicked himself for disturbing her; but when she quickly went back to sleep, he quickly walked out of the room and back into the living room.

He reached over to his armchair and pulled the blanket that Cameron must have left there and covered her up as well. Then he placed himself in his armchair and flipped the TV on turning the volume down so he didn't wake Cameron. Soon he found his eyes drooping as well. Apparently the last couple of days had been exhausting because before House could look at the clock to see how long before Cuddy and Wilson got there, he was asleep as well.

xxxxxx

"It is not a double date Julie."

"It sounds like one to me... You, Lisa Cuddy, House and some woman I've never met all having dinner in House's apartment. What is it then?" Julie yelled.

Wilson sighed. He couldn't come up with one simple explanation that didn't sound like a lie. "Allison's sister died a couple of weeks ago. She's been depressed. We're trying to make her feel better."

"Yeah, because I'm sure that House just wants to make her feel better. House has never wanted to make anyone feel better. He's a jerk..."

"Stop."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you don't like him but he really is trying to help her."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, and they've found the cure for cancer." she said sarcastically.

"Julie..."

"I'm assuming Lisa is House's date considering you were having dinner with Allison last night."

Wilson looked at his wife curiously. "That wasn't a date," he said through clenched teeth then added, "and how did you..."
"You talk in your sleep you asshole," Julie said angrily.

Wilson took a deep breath. "There is nothing going on between me and Allison, or me and Cuddy."

"Why would I believe that? I know you're track record James. You cheat. It's what you do." Julie spat out spitefully.

"Allison is with House," he lied, feeling slightly ok with it considering he thought it was only a matter or time before it wasn't a lie.

"Then why were you having dinner with her last night?!" she yelled not believing him.

Wilson sighed. "It's complicated."

Julie looked at Wilson closely her eyes icy and her voice even more frigid. "Just go. You're going to anyway. Just get out." she snapped before slamming her bedroom door shut in his face.

Wilson groaned. "My keys are in there." he called through the door and was rewarded when the door was opened and his keys were thrown in his face. "Thank you." he called out annoyed.

"Go to hell!" Julie yelled through the door.

xxxxxx

Cameron was awakened by a loud knocking. She quickly sat up from the couch and looked around the room. She saw House's jacket so she knew he was there, but she didn't see him. The knocking continued, and Cameron finally registered that it was coming from House's door.

She got up and almost opened it right away expecting it to be Wilson, but her fear forced her to look into the peep hole. She was surprisingly met with Cuddy' face. She quickly began unlocking the door and paused before opening it, unsure if Cuddy knew she was there. When Cuddy knocked again, she threw all pretense to the wind and opened the door. "Hi." she said uncomfortably.

Cuddy smiled at her as Cameron moved to let her in. "Hi." she said warmly.

Cameron was in the process of shutting the door when a foot stopped it. Cameron not expecting it screamed, causing House to limp/run out of his room.

"What happened?!" he asked immediately.

Cameron shook her head feeling stupid when she heard Wilson say "Nothing. I just caught her off guard."
House looked at him quizzically then walked over to Cameron, who still looked like she was having a panic attack. "I would have been here to get the door, but then I heard her starting to fuss on the baby monitor. She's awake and fine now. Do you want to go get Mads?" he asked calmly. He purposely left out the part about him sleeping, the neighbor's dog barking loudly, and that's why Madelyn was fussy. It just didn't seem very important right now.

Cameron sighed and surprised everyone, excluding House, when she simply shut his bedroom door behind her and even more when they heard the lock click.

"Should someone..." Cuddy started.

"No." House said. "She'll be out in a minute," he added shooting her a look clearly saying sorry. Then, he turned his gaze towards Wilson.

"What happened?"

Wilson shook his head. "It's my fault. I wasn't thinking. I had a fight with Julie before I left and..."

"What did you do?"

"I thought she saw me when she was letting Cuddy in I wasn't that far behind her. I was trying to get Julie to talk to me; otherwise, I would have just caught up with her when I saw her..."

"Make a point Jimmy..."

"Anyway, Cameron was holding the door open, so I assumed she saw me and was waiting on me to come in before she shut the door, so when she went to shut it, I kind of stuck my foot in to stop her. I guess it scared her." House shot him an angry look. "I told you I wasn't thinking..."

House sighed. "Whatever, it doesn't matter."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

House nodded. "Yeah. Excuse me." he said heading towards his room. Before he got there he heard a knock on his door. "Oh Wilson... that's the Chinese. You're taking care of that right?" he said smirking.

Wilson sighed. "Why can't you?"

"How much of my money did you spend today?" he asked while knocking on his bedroom door. "Allison come on... let me in."

Wilson groaned and pulled out his wallet before opening the door. He quickly glanced back at House who had obviously gotten Cameron to let him in, because he shut the door behind him; and once again, Cuddy and Wilson heard the door lock behind him.

xxxxxx

House looked at Cameron carefully. He watched her cry for a few minutes before he decided he had to do something. He was about to say something when she opened her mouth. "I feel like an idiot."

House sighed. "You're not an idiot. You're scared. You have every right to be. You were threatened and you're hiding out in an unfamiliar place with none of your things to make you feel more comfortable," he said reassuringly.

Cameron nodded. "Yeah..."

"And I'm going to fix that. I'm going to find out how to get your stuff out of the apartment without alerting Jake. I just have to figure it out, and I will. It's a puzzle. I'll figure it out." House said more to himself to her.

Cameron reached over and pulled Madelyn out of her crib. "We should go back out there. I'm sure Cuddy's uncomfortable," she said tears still rolling down her face.

House nodded. "Come here." he said gently. Cameron walked over to him and he reached up carefully and wiped some tears from her cheeks.

"There…that's better," he said softly ignoring the heat the moment was creating.

Cameron blushed. "Thank you," she said before walking away and opening the bedroom door and heading back into the living room House right behind her.

xxxxxx

Cuddy watched House follow into the room she assumed was his and lock the door behind them. "Am I really supposed to believe that there's nothing going on there?" she asked Wilson once the delivery people were gone.

Wilson looked at Cuddy and smiled. "Yes. You are. Because until someone tells me different, I have to believe it to."

"Do you think they are lying?" she asked softly.

Wilson shook his head. "Yeah…but not to us. I think they're lying to themselves," he answered. Wilson was about to say something else when he saw Cameron and House come out of his room, Madelyn, for once, in Cameron's arms. He immediately headed towards her.

"Cameron I'm so..."
"Don't. It wasn't your fault. I'm too damn jumpy and I have no reason to be. I'm safe here and I know it" she said forcefully. Then looked at Cuddy. "It's time to fill you in," she said placing Madelyn in her play pen and smiled gratefully at House who had already put her favorite bear and a few other toys she liked in it.

House sighed. "Cam... don't you think we should eat first or something. I mean Wilson paid for all this food..."

"House you cannot invite people over for dinner and then make them pay for it..." she huffed reaching for her wallet.

"What are you doing?" House asked.

"I'm going to pay him pack for half the food..." she said in an obvious tone.

Wilson shook his head. "Cameron stop it's fine. I don't want your money." he said forcefully.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"If you give me that money, I'll put it back into your purse when you're not looking."

Cameron sighed. She put the money back into her wallet and her wallet back into her purse. "Ok."

House came back out and handed her a plate before handing one to Cuddy and Wilson as well. "Dig in."

xxxxxx

Twenty minutes later, they were all eating peacefully after Cameron took a ten minute break to feed Madelyn. She was now lying peacefully in her play pen playing with her bear again. Cameron finally decided that she had waited long enough and was ready to get it over with, so she put her chopsticks down and looked at House. As if he could read her mind, he knew what she was doing and put his down as well. He reached over and placed his hand on her and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I think my sister's ex-husband murdered her," she said bluntly, surprising even House who hadn't known that tidbit.