Title: Succumb (16?)
Pairing: House/Cameron
Summary: We have to succumb to the feelings we can never face.

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So. This was it.

Cameron strode slowly into the briefing room, scanning the adjoining office and allowing her shoulders to relax when she realised it was empty. She hesitated over the desk that had once been hers, noticing somewhat surprisingly that Chase had cleared his belongings to the side to make room for her. A small smile hovered over her features as she traced the smooth wood surface, before she shrugged out of her coat and hung it carefully on the rack.

It was a routine she had repeated automatically for nearly two years, but this time, she revelled in its odd familiarity. Her old and new selves intermingled with a sort of seamless ease, a feeling that finally assured her she had made the right decision. She knew being back at the hospital in another department would have felt strange, and she never would have allowed herself to properly belong.

She peered in at House's office, taking note of the jumble of unopened mail on the edge of his desk. She could see the three men had developed their own routine without her, disorganised as it might appear to her, and she wondered if she would disrupt it with her presence.

Brushing off her insecurities, she wandered silently into his office. She paused, taking in the room without House's domineering presence. It felt empty. Despite its outlandish possessions, it lacked personality without its cranky benefactor.

Finally, she allowed herself to examine his motivations behind asking her back. She knew reading anything into it would only cause her unnecessary disappointment, and she wasn't going to start this new chapter of her life by returning to old habits. Some things were going to have to change.

Cameron's slender fingers closed around his stack of letters, sliding them in a neat, ordered pile. She paused when something on his desk caught her attention, frowning slightly. Perched between his magic eight ball and his computer was a small brown teddy bear with a red ribbon fastened around its neck. She recognised it as one of the common toys from the hospital gift department, but she couldn't help the unexpected rush of surprise that went through her, and she stared at it absorbedly.

"I see you're picking up mail duty again. That's good. Cuddy claims I've missed some very important documentation recently."

House's low, rich voice cut into her silent musings, and she snapped around, blinking at him uncertainly. "Uh, yeah. I figured it would be okay to get back into some old routine."

He nodded, eyeing her silently. He placed his bag on the armchair near the door. "If that routine involves coffee making then I'm all for it. Hudson didn't understand the concept of no sugar."

She pursed her lips, gathering the mail in front of her to still her nervous movements. "Is he… upset? About what happened?"

House scoffed. "You mean did he complain to Cuddy? I get the feeling his face was too shiny and red. Even he knows the big boss doesn't admire snivelling." He sighed happily, as if some peaceful balance had been restored. "It's times like these I wish I installed those spy cameras in here. Buzz-kill Wilson thought that would be intrusive."

She smiled faintly, looking down as he stepped closer. He heaved a sigh, gaze flitting over the desk behind her. Apparently he sensed the source behind her sudden uncertainty. "Consider it a welcome back gift," he said at last, allowing their eyes to connect fleetingly. He shrugged awkwardly, looking exceedingly uncomfortable. "Or… something. A bribe, whatever. Stop Brooklyn from stealing my toys when she comes here."

Cameron swallowed, touched by the uncharacteristic gesture. "I… enrolled her in day-care, actually," she said hesitantly. "I won't have to bring her to work anymore."

House glanced at her, and she swore she saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face before he quickly covered it. "Oh."

"Thank you," she said softly, attempting to convey the depth of her sincerity. She wondered how things had suddenly become so awkward between them, when they usually had so much to say.

He nodded, looking away as if he couldn't handle the honesty in her gaze. "Sure."

They stood there in self-conscious silence for another moment, before House decided the conversation was over, and rounded her for his chair. She took this as her cue to leave. She gathered up the letters and the gift, fingers briefly caressing the soft fur, sparing a brief glance back at him before striding through the adjacent door and returning to her desk.

The melodramatic sounds of General Hospital filled her ears as she brewed the coffee and sat down to sort through the mail, and she realised rather sadly that things definitely weren't the same. Not at all.

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Foreman and Chase were slightly more enthusiastic to have her back, and were pleasant with House for all of two seconds, before he said something caustic and they returned to their bitter version of civility.

Cameron found herself alone at lunchtime, as Foreman had to follow up on some lab work on their patient, and Chase was performing a biopsy.

A tray landing on her table caused her to glance up, and she was confronted with Wilson's friendly face gazing down at her. "So. I hear a congratulations are in order."

She smiled slightly, inching her tray to the side to make room for him. She wondered if he was here to play mediator, and if he ever tired of having to make peace for House. "I guess so."

"It's good to have you back," he said, and she knew he meant it. Inwardly, she marvelled at the contrast between him and his best friend. It amazed her that someone as upfront as Wilson was so close with House sometimes.

"Thank you."

He took a sip from his coffee, eyeing her thoughtfully. Apparently he wasn't there to bridge any gaps, or whatever he might perceive was wrong. "So. Chase and Foreman take you out to celebrate yet?"

She smiled absently. "They're taking me out tomorrow, or so they tell me. I guess I'll just have to arrange a babysitter."

Wilson pursed his lips, tracing the condensation on the table. His earnest features were twisted in a frown. "You know… my wife is really good with kids. If I mentioned it to her, she would probably be happy to watch Brooklyn for the night."

Cameron was surprised and touched by the offer. She always got the impression Wilson preferred to keep his home life exclusively separate from his work life. Of the PPTH doctors she knew, only House and Cuddy had met the elusive Julie Wilson, and she had never been friendly enough with either to inquire about her.

"Are you sure she wouldn't… mind?" Cameron asked dubiously.

He shrugged dismissively. "Not at all. Hey, if she sees that I actually know people who have children, she might think I'm sincere about wanting them."

She lifted an eyebrow, catching onto the undercurrent of bitterness in his tone. He frowned apologetically. "Uh, sorry. That's probably too much information."

It occurred to her that they had a kinship here of sorts; that Wilson probably wouldn't be able to talk about this with anyone else.

"Your wife… wants you to start a family?" she asked cautiously.

He shrugged vaguely. "It might have come up once or twice."

She suspected it might have come up more than that, but didn't say so.

Wilson frowned, glancing up at her cautiously as he considered his next words. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

She shrugged, inwardly bracing herself. It was strange, but she actually trusted Wilson a lot more than Foreman and Chase, despite the fact that they were her peers. Wilson understood her relationship with House, and he didn't constantly throw it in her face or mock her with it. He also understood House's deeper flaws and sympathised with her for different reasons than others did. He was, for all intents and purposes, a neutral work colleague. Their conversations could always be a little more direct, and she knew anything they shared would be in confidence.

"Did you… Did you ever think it would have been better to have a partner raising Brooklyn? That it would make things easier?"

She smiled, slightly relieved by the harmlessness of his question. "Sure. A lot of things would have been easier with another person. You're lucky you have that."

Wilson nodded. "I know this is a baseless question, but… did you ever wonder what would have happened had you stayed here?"

Cameron glanced down at her fork, prodding neglectfully at her salad. "I couldn't stay here", she said quietly. "I was… I didn't like the person I was becoming here."

Wilson frowned, genuinely curious by her admission. "So why come back?"

"Because… things are different now. I'm different. And I realised you can't always run away from your problems."

A small smile graced Wilson's features, and he sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. "For what it's worth… I think he's an idiot."

Cameron's gaze slid up to his, and she had difficulty shielding her surprise. Wilson just shrugged. "He told me what happened. Or… vaguely referred to it, anyway."

Cameron shifted uncomfortably. "Whatever he said…. it was my fault, not his."

"And now he's pushing you away, right? Look, Cameron… House can't look at the bigger picture. He sees things in relation to how they affect him, and he shuts down because he can't handle dealing with his emotions. He's using what happened as an excuse to ignore whatever it is that's going on between the two of you. It's easier for him that way."

Cameron frowned. "So what are you suggesting?"

"I'm just saying… you have to understand that he's insecure. Most people wouldn't realise it's there behind all that brash and sarcasm."

Cameron smiled humourlessly, placing her fork over her unfinished meal. "You really think I haven't noticed that by now?"

He laughed softly. "Sorry. I guess I forget that you know him better than most people do around here. He… opens up to you. Not a lot, but you're closer than most. I know you have bigger priorities now, but… just keep that in mind, okay?"

He rose to his feet, dragging his tray with him. "I'll talk to Julie. Just let me know what time you want to bring Brooklyn around."

She nodded wordlessly, watching him as he crossed the cafeteria and disappeared in the crowd. His words struck a chord in her, and she sat in quiet contemplation, wondering exactly how she was supposed to follow his advice.

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