Cameron entered the conference room with a small grin that she couldn't shift.

She was going to have House's child.

Their child.

Chase and Foreman watched her with hawk like eyes as she moved to the kettle and began working mechanically on her morning routine at two-thirty in the afternoon.

"Hey Cameron, where've you been? You left early yesterday and I thought you were supposed to have a day off today." Foreman asked in a friendly tone.

"I had to bring Greg in this morning, some experiment." she said off-handedly.

She could feel their shock.

She grimaced slightly.

"Greg?" Chase questioned standing and drawing closer, "Since when did you start calling House, Greg?"

"It's none of your business." she replied defensively, flipping on the kettle before turning around with warning glistening in her eyes, "And I wouldn't push this if I were you."

"Why? Why are you calling House Greg and why shouldn't I ask? Did you get him to give into your stupid hero worshiping crush? Are you sleeping with him? Did you get high again and decide you wanted a go with someone else? Is he going to beat me with his cane for talking to his new hooker?"

Chase edged threateningly closer with every word.

"Chase stop. Now." Cameron growled, backing into the counter. "I know you're still bitter..."

"You know that's all you are to him, a cheap substitute for a hooker, House isn't capable of love." with a sour tang in his sweetly caring voice.

"And you are?" she said sceptically with an amused smile.

"Yes."

House opened the blinds just in time to see Chase reach forward and attempt to pull Cameron to him.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" House roared bursting into the room.

Mere seconds later House had his hands wrapped tight around Chase's neck as he pressed him to the wall.

House had been able to feel Cameron's rising tension and worry, but when he saw Chase reach for her he saw red.

Rage, malice and pure venom flowed through his veins like poison.

"Hou...sh..." Chase gasped unable to take a breath.

House let loose a low rumbling growl, his hands squeezing tighter around his neck.

House could taste his fear; it was bitter but still thoroughly invigorating.

"Greg!" Cameron said rushing to him and resting a hand on his upper arm. "Stop, please."

But she could tell her words barely penetrated his rage.

She moved, slipping her hand under his shirt to cover his fast beating heart and stood on her toes to press her lips to his ear.

"Greg, please stop." she whispered only loud enough for them to hear, "Today is about life. You are alive when you shouldn't be. We are both starting new lives together. We're going to create life when we get home. Please don't taint this day with another useless death. He's not worth it."

She could tell the rage was fading, she could feel it seeping from his body.

"Greg, please. I love you so much."

House snarled once more at Chase before letting him drop to the floor in a heap of barely conscious limbs.

He wrapped his arms around Cameron and held her to him fiercely until all the poison was gone from his body.

"I love you too, I'm sorry." he whispered into her hair.

He kissed her hair and stepped back from her to lift Chase to stand against the wall once more.

"House," Foreman said at the other side worried that he'd finish the job.

House growled lightly in his direction and he backed of instantly.

"Chase." House barked gripping his jaw and lifting his chin.

"Houze." Chase said breathlessly, his eyes out of focus and rolling slightly in his head.

"Oi!" House shouted gaining his attention, before his voice dropped to a low threatening rumble, "You can say what ever the hell you want to Allison, she's strong enough to deal with that on her own. But if you ever, try touch her like that again I will kill you. I'll gut you, I'll rip you limb from limb and I'll make sure you're conscious for the whole thing. Got it?"

Chase nodded fearfully.

"You have no idea what I'm capable of." House muttered his last threat.

House very nearly carried him to a seat at the conference table and deposited him into it.

"I'll take him down to the ER." Foreman offered attempting to lift him from the chair; he was entirely unable to do so, Chase's body still limp and as easy to move as a four sacks of potatoes.

Foreman was surprised; it had seemed so easy for House to move him.

"His respiration and heart rates are fine; he's just in mild shock." House answered as Cameron snuck her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his back. "Some coffee and the rest of the day off and he'll be fine."

House ran his hands along her forearms before stepping out of her embrace and sitting at the far end of the conference table.

Cameron went about preparing tea for herself and House as well as two mugs of coffee for her colleagues as House watched Foreman confirm his diagnosis.

Once satisfied, Foreman sat in the chair next to him, attempting to get a response from him.

He got nothing more than small shakes and nods of his head.

"Are you okay?"

Yes.

"Are you having trouble breathing?"

No.

"Any other symptoms?"

No.

House knew he was lying. Reaching into his sports coat he pulled an orange phial with four pills lingering in its depths and tossed them across the table to land in Foreman's lap.

"Give him one and let him take the bottle home. He's in pain and he will be again the second that first pill runs out."

At which point Cameron placed two mugs and a glass of water in front of Foreman.

By the time Chase had taken his pill and enough strength had returned to his body that he could grip his coffee mug Cameron was seated next to House with her legs draped across his lap as they sipped their coffee.

"So you two are... what exactly?" Foreman ventured surprised with the ease they developed between each other.

"For all intents and purposes we're husband and wife." House answered in a low serious tone, his hand moving soothingly across her calf.

Chase and Foreman gaped at them.

"You have got to be kidding me." Foreman said disbelieving.

"Not at all." House replied.

"We're entirely serious." Cameron added.

"And what you did to Chase?"

"Did you hear what he said to her?!" House hissed angrily, "And he touched her! I don't know what hell he was trying to accomplish but there's no way in hell I was going to let him get away with that. She's mine."

Foreman raised his eyebrows at such a possessive statement, even more at Cameron's slight smirk. He never thought she'd be okay with being someone's possession.

"Sorry." Chase mumbled after the coffee wet his parched lips and throat.

House met Chase's apologetic gaze, nodded once and that was that.