Title: Succumb (2?)
Author: Teenwitch
Summary: We have to succumb to the feelings we can never face. House/Cameron
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The immediately identifiable surroundings of her workspace hadn't changed a lot, and she revelled in their familiarity. She shifted Brooklyn's weight against her hip as she considered the glass wall that led to the briefing room, quickly pushing through the door and enjoying the familiar scuffing noise it made against the carpet.
It was empty, the whiteboard still standing formidably over the rest of the room, coffee mugs gathered messily by the sink. She guessed in an instant that her replacement was a male, and that his cleaning habits weren't much better that the remnant of the team.
The shades surrounding House's office were drawn, and she wondered if he was suffering particularly bad leg cramps, or if he merely wanted his space today. It sent an unmistakable message to potential intruders either way: Disturb, and suffer the inevitable snark.
Not that that was anything new. She paused, but the tinny voices of the television were markedly absent. Before she could lose her nerve, she squared her shoulders and decided that he really must be inside. She carefully pushed through the door.
Light from outside filtered into the room, and she spotted House's familiar figure, slouched in his desk chair, twirling his cane absently over the carpet. His face was turned to the wall, as if considering something deeply, and she wondered if he was contemplating his latest case.
She placed Brooklyn carefully on the floor, watching him with bated breath. She was unsure whether or not he had detected her quiet entrance.
"If you're going to hover in the doorway, I hope there's a good reason".
She drew in a sharp breath, realising that he hadn't yet turned his head. "Actually, there is".
She could see the subtle stiffness in his shoulders as he froze for a brief moment, and he slowly swivelled in his chair, allowing his gaze to connect with her own. He looked exactly the same as when she had left him. Scruffy and haggard, with an earnestness he tried so very hard to hide. The only thing missing was the spark of mischief behind his bright blue eyes. The bitterness was still there, but it had almost completely overtaken everything else. She swallowed, forcing herself to remain unaffected by the change, perhaps something only she, as an outsider, was able to see.
"Hello House".
"Cameron", he said slowly, very deliberately, as if testing out the word.
He frowned, suddenly noticing the flicker of movement at her feet. Brooklyn wandered into the room, moving with tentative caution; examining it with the curiosity and innocence only a child could muster.
He recovered from his shock in typical form, clearing his throat swiftly. "I see you're procreating. I guess that's gives the pretty people a one-up on humanity."
There was a brief, fleeting look of regret that passed over his eyes, but it was quickly gone again; so quickly she was sure she had imagined it.
She sighed; unsurprised his first words to her could be so nonchalant. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."
"So," he said, whirling around in his seat, returning his attention to the outside world. A world he resented, yet contributed to everyday; saving the lives of anonymous strangers. "Feeling nostalgic? Thought you'd bring the kid for a round trip down memory lane?"
"I'm consulting with the Immunology department."
"Ah. Thought you'd swing by, huh? Foreman and Chase aren't here."
"I didn't come to see them."
His profile managed a cursory frown. "Huh. And Cuddy thinks I'm not likable enough for visitors."
She was frustrated with his evasiveness, but that was also nothing new. It was just that she had lost practice dealing with it. The feelings it evoked were almost painfully familiar. "I heard you employed Foreman and Chase full time."
Work. It was always their safety net. Well, it was always hers, anyway.
"They're like termites. Hardy. Impossible to get rid of."
She smiled vaguely, striding slowly around his desk. She stopped with her back to the window, and House was forced to look directly at her. His expression gave nothing away. "You look good," he noted absently, rolling the cane around in his fingers. "I guess stretchmarks and fatness are curses some young mothers don't have to deal with."
She decided to accept the veiled compliment in his words. "Thank you."
He glanced down, lifting an eyebrow as he continued to observe her. "No wedding ring," he added. "Either someone was very naughty, or someone did a Lola and ran like hell."
Cameron was unbothered by his analysis. "It was a mistake. He doesn't know about it."
"And you decided to go ahead and keep her anyway?" House prompted. "Noble. Or very martyr-like of you."
Cameron sighed. "We had this conversation once before," she reminded him. "I don't believe in abortion."
"No," he agreed quietly, letting her know he remembered. And what had followed. Their first, and more successful date. Non-date. Whatever they decided to classify it as. "You don't believe in God, but you believe in life at conception."
"I still do."
He chuckled humourlessly, straightening in his chair.
"How are you, House?"
She folded her arms, but she continued to stare at him earnestly. House met her gaze, looking unbothered by their shared intensity. Something the years had failed to wane.
"I'm starting to think I had one too many Vicodin with that scotch Cuddy forgot to confiscate."
Cameron smiled faintly. "You think I'm not real?"
"I kind of wish you weren't."
He rose to his feet, immediately towering over her, even with half his weight resting on his cane. She didn't flinch, gazing up at him slowly. "Why?"
He didn't answer, allowing his gaze to wander over her daughter, as if finally acknowledging her presence in the room. Brooklyn gingerly fingered a paperweight on one of his lower shelves, twisting her tiny features in a frown. House stared at her with a contemplative sort of fascination, a doctor's clinical view. "She looks like you."
"Yeah. I know."
"I hope the guy wasn't ugly. It might start to show when she gets older."
Cameron rolled her eyes. She remained silent, watching him watch the little girl, wondering what he was possibly thinking. The adjoining door slid open, disrupting the strange, charged atmosphere of the room.
Foreman strode in, with Chase close at his heels. Their white coats flapped almost comically behind them, and Foreman spoke quickly, as if expecting House to be particularly moody. "The results from the CT scan came back negative. Hudson is doing an MRI now—"
He cut himself off, finally glancing up from the sheet in his hand. He glimpsed Cameron and then Brooklyn in a fraction of a second, and his mouth fell open in mute shock. "Cameron!"
The interruption seemed to alert House to the reality of the situation. If he had doubted his sanity, he sure didn't now. He rolled his eyes, immediately standing back as Foreman moved forward to envelope Cameron in a warm hug. "Oh goody. And the ticker tape comes out."
Chase also moved to hug her, glancing down at Brooklyn over her shoulder with barely contained surprise.
"Cameron… what are you doing here?"
She launched into an explanation of her presence for the third time, completely mindful of their wandering stares. The two of them seemed uncertain what to react to first. Cameron; her unexpected but unmistakable offspring; or the fact that House looked marginally more animated than he had in months.
At last she sighed, folding her arms over her chest. She had been expecting the shock, but somehow she had blotted their particular reactions out of her mind. They had been absent from her life for a long time now. She hadn't thought it would matter to her.
"Yes, I have a daughter," she said wearily. "And no, I didn't tell you."
House frowned, and she realised with a smidgen of surprise that it was obviously something he had been inwardly considering. In that moment it was clear to her that Chase and Foreman didn't speak of their interactions with her. For what reason, she wasn't sure.
"Sorry, Cam, it's just… a shock," Foreman admitted, after a lengthy pause. "She looks just like you."
"Just in case there was any doubt," House muttered.
Chase ignored him. "Congratulations," he offered sincerely. "Uh, two years overdue."
"Thanks," Cameron smiled.
House clapped his hands. "Well, great. Now we're all reunited and everything, I do believe we're still on the clock for another few hours. You know Cuddy, she's a real stickler for that stuff."
Foreman shot him a look. "Aren't you supposed to be in the clinic?"
House waved a hand. "Oh, semantics. Where's Hudson?"
"Doing the MRI", Chase repeated impatiently.
"He's your replacement," Foreman added unnecessarily to Cameron.
She lifted an eyebrow, but remained silent. House looked annoyed. "Well, we do have blood work, don't we people? Shouldn't you be doing that right around now?"
Foreman folded the papers under his arm, sighing tiredly. It had been an unspoken agreement between them that when House was feeling particularly snarky it was better not to oppose him. "We'll catch up with you later, Cameron."
Chase shifted, patting her on the shoulder. "Yeah. We should go out for a drink or something after work." He reconsidered, glancing uncertainly down at Brooklyn, who was eyeing them all curiously. "Or ah, maybe something else."
Cameron smiled at him reassuringly. "We'll work something out, Robert."
He nodded, smiling briefly in reply, and slipped once again out of the room.
House slid his forceful eyes slowly over her, and she blinked back at him. The old, familiar discomfort had settled in. She mourned its return.
"I have to go, anyway," she murmured at last, breaking away from his silent, powerful gaze. She strode over to Brooklyn, taking the little girl by the hand. "I have a meeting with the Immunology department head in ten minutes."
House remained silent, and she sighed, starting for the door. She paused on her way, unable to leave their meeting quite like this. She twisted to look at him considerately. "House… It was good to see you again," she offered honestly.
House nodded, a terse, mute gesture of acknowledgement. He met her gaze, and there was some faint measure of agreement there. She decided that it was going to have to be enough. She turned back towards the briefing room, wholly aware that his eyes were on her the entire time.
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