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Chapter 49

Cameron sat in the hospital cafeteria, lost in thought while drinking a cup of coffee. It had been one week since Christy's funeral and almost two weeks since she had been murdered and the police still didn't have any clues to who killed her, which left Cameron in the dark to who was stalking her. However, things had been quiet the past week, giving her a false sense of hope that whoever was doing this had given up but Detective Hodges had warned her that it wasn't unusual for stalkers to take a break from stalking their victims, usually before their obsession escalated. Even though the threat was real, Cameron wouldn't allow the situation to control her and instead, chose to believe that the stalker would be caught before anything happened to her or anyone else.

She took a sip of her luke-warm coffee, letting her thoughts drift to House. He had barely spoken a word to her since the weekend they had spent together. After he made it clear to her that he didn't want things to go any further between them, she had managed to avoid him unless it had been absolutely necessary to communicate with him. The last thing she wanted was for him to know how much his decision was killing her. Her head told her to stay away, to not get involved. He was not worth the turmoil he was causing inside of her but her heart saw things differently, it always did. She couldn't get him out of her head, out of her soul and she despised herself for it. Somehow, he had consumed her completely even though she swore she would never do this again. She couldn't deny that she wanted him, every part of him, the good and the bad and she desperately wanted to feel his touch again, his lips on hers, his breath against her face…

She closed her eyes and silently scolded herself for letting her mind wonder. She had been so lost in thought, she didn't notice that Wilson had been standing next to her for almost a minute before he finally touched her on the shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. When she saw it was Wilson, she smiled.

"Hi James." She said, turning in her seat to face him.

"Mind if I join you?" He was holding a bowl of pudding.

"Sure."

"Are you okay? You were really zoning there."

"I'm just tired."

"Want to come over for dinner tonight?" He asked as he sat down and took a bite of his pudding.

"You have fed me the last four nights."

"I don't mind. It's been fun. Besides, I love driving House crazy." Wilson chuckled.

"I'm sure the only thing that is driving House crazy is the fact he hasn't been able to have you all to himself. He hasn't even asked me if I'm okay. It's like I'm invisible to him."

"He knows you're okay because you have been with me and he knows I would tell him if anything happened."

"I don't know why I care anyway. I'm just stupid for thinking he could possibly…" Cameron's voice trailed off as if her words didn't matter.

Wilson stared at her for a long minute. "I don't know what happened between the two of you when you were together but you're not stupid. House is very aware of your presence. I'm his best friend and I know when something is eating away at him. He cares for you Allison, more than he wants you or anyone else to believe."

"I told myself that when I took this job, I wouldn't let myself fall for him again. Why does he have this affect on me?" She said desperately.

"I maintain my original theory."

Cameron raised her eyebrow. "And what is your theory?"

"You're in love with him." Wilson said seriously.

Cameron glanced around to make sure no one was in ear shot of their conversation. "I'm not in love with House." She said in a low voice, knowing she was trying to convince herself of that more than she was Wilson.

"And this is where the conversation always stops." He gave her a warm smile. "Come over for dinner. Stay the night. We can watch romantic movies together."

Cameron reached out and touched Wilson's hand. "As enticing as that sounds, I'm going to decline. I'm really tired."

"Fine. Break my heart." He said sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

Cameron laughed. "Why don't you ask Lisa?"

"Hmm. I'm not ready to go there again. I'm still licking my wounds."

Cameron nodded. "I understand but she is a fool."

Wilson became serious. "Are you sure you'll be okay alone tonight."

"I'll be alright. The police are still driving by my place several times a night."

"Well, I'm going to call you throughout the night."

"What did I do to deserve you?" She said with a smile, thanking him for making her feel better.

**********

House sat at his desk, brooding. His mood had been so bad the last couple of days, his entire team cringed when they had to talk to him. They all suspected it had something to do with Cameron but they didn't dare question him about it. They had managed to find themselves useful in different parts of the hospital and House could care less where they were or what they were doing. As for Wilson, House hated him at the moment. He hated that his best friend had taken it upon himself to butt in and help Cameron. He had driven by Cameron's apartment every night the past several days and if she wasn't at her place, she was at Wilson's. When he tried to coax Wilson in to telling him what they had been doing, Wilson blew him off, telling him he should be the one taking care of her and not him.

House angrily pulled out his bottom drawer and removed the bottle of scotch and poured a drink. He was placing the bottle back in the drawer when he saw the note Cameron had left him after she told Cuddy she was accepting his offer. He picked it up and read the words she so carefully wrote. He let out a mournful groan and wadded the paper up, tossing it into his trashcan. Hard to believe she had only written that note a month ago and now they weren't even speaking to one another.

Just then, the door opened and the source of his misery walked in. Standing in front of him was the blonde vixen who had been invading his every thought.

He didn't even give her time to speak. "What?!" He snapped.

House's tone startled Cameron. She saw the bottle of scotch on his desk and hesitated before answering. "I- I need to grab the box of files I put behind your desk the other day."

House saw that he had made her jump and softened his tone. "I moved it to the other side of the filing cabinet. I thought you were through working on the files?" He asked, not really caring if she answered him or not.

"I have a few more to go. Everything was such a mess. It's taking me longer than I thought." She said as she walked past his desk to get the box.

As she passed by, her perfume filled the air around him, reminding him of a spring day and rain showers all rolled up together. It was calming and intoxicating at the same time. He let out a loud sigh that caused her to look at him.

"I'm hurrying." She said, taking his sigh as a signal that he wanted her to hurry.

"No need. The view is good from here."

Cameron stood up and shot him a glance. "Don't do that."

"What? Admire your ass and the soft curves of your hips?" He said in a condescending tone.

Cameron turned to face him, crossing her arms in front of her. She didn't appreciate his tone. "Don't play games."

"I'm not playing games. I'm merely making an observation."

Cameron let out a sigh this time and gave up trying to make him understand that his mixed signals were driving her crazy. She proceeded to pick up the box and just as she turned to leave, House stood and blocked her way.

They stared intently at one another for a few seconds before he spoke.

"You have been avoiding me." He stated.

"I thought that's what you wanted." She said in a cool tone.

House paused. "Are you okay?" He asked with sincerity.

Cameron cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment how to answer the question. She didn't bother to hide her agitation. "Yes. No thanks to you." She said bitterly and tried to push past him. "Let me by."

Her tone angered him and he instantly changed his tone. "You and Wilson been having fun?" He asked in a mocking tone.

Cameron closed her eyes. "Unbelievable." She said through gritted teeth. "One minute you are Dr. Jeykle and the next you are Mr. Asshole. Why do you do this? Ruin every minute we have together? You don't get to wonder or know what has been going on between me and Wilson. You lost that right when you let me walk out of your apartment a week ago." Cameron could instantly see House's mood change. She knew she had hit a chord. "Can I leave now?"

Not having the energy to continue the discussion, House moved to the side and let her pass.

As Cameron opened the door to leave, she glanced over her shoulder to see that he still had his back to her.

It wasn't until she was out the door that House whispered I'm sorry. He turned to sit down again when he saw the wadded piece of paper he so callously tossed in his trashcan. He retrieved the note and began to smooth out the wrinkles. He then folded it and placed it in his shirt pocket, wondering why he even cared about a silly little note. He quickly downed the scotch in his glass. Disgusted with himself and the situation, he paged Foreman and told him he was leaving for the day. He needed to get drunk and hopefully rid himself of Cameron, who insisted on filling his every thought.

*********

Later that evening…

Across the city, in a small restaurant, Steven Mayer sat with his sister, sharing a drink to celebrate the new job she had accepted. It was located in Chicago and she and his niece would be leaving by Friday so she would have time to get their life in order before she started work.

Yes, he had a big smile on his face, pretending it was all for his sister's good fortune when really, the joy he felt inside was for himself. He would now be able to proceed with his plans and complete the necessary details that would allow him to finally be with Allison.