Disclaimer: Nope... Not mine yet.
A/N:Prepare yourselves ... for a teensy bit of fluff. And thanks again for ALL of the awesome reviews. I got a livejoural account, and I now have the link to the House/Cameron group... However... I haven't got the first clue on how to go about setting the thing up. So, if anyone wants to help, that'd be great. Me + computers disaster. So yeah. Drop me an e-mail or something. Thanks! And enjoy.
Chapter Eleven
It was seven thirty when Cameron finally called her brother and told him it was okay to come over. She'd had every intention of calling at six, but someone had managed to distract her and keep her in bed. By this point, she was almost tempted not to call Adam at all and blame it on a mortally wounded patient.
But House had smirked at her and told her that she had to call her brother; she'd promised. She had the feeling that he just wanted to see her smile through her now aching muscles and post-great-sex high. Ah, well. She'd managed.
She ordered a pizza right as there was a knock on her door, telling her that Angie had arrived with Adam. With a smile, she opened the door. "Hey, guys."
Angie, her younger sister, embraced her with a smile. "Someone's glowing. Where's the guy?"
"I'm not glowing," Cameron protested. "And he's in the bathroom. Just finished with a shower."
Adam flew past Cameron and settled on the couch, plugging in Resident Evil immediately.
"Mom told you not to play that, Adam," Angie scolded.
"But, Angie!"
"Let him play it, Angie," Cameron said with a shrug. "The guy that's over might want to play with him."
"The guy that's over?" Angie quirked an eyebrow. "Does this guy have a name?"
"Maybe…" She leaned against the door and cringed as Adam shot a zombie's head off. "You remember the guy I was talking about a while ago? House?"
"Your boss?" Angie whispered, an astonished and delighted look on her face. She had dirt on Ally. All right. "You're sleeping with your boss!"
Cameron laughed and poked Angie in the stomach before leading the way to the kitchen. "I said he was over. I didn't say I slept with him."
"That doesn't mean you didn't sleep with him, though. And you're glowing, which obviously means you have." She paused and studied her sister with a grin. "Are you two going to date or is this a one-time thing?"
"He's been staying with me while his apartment is being fumigated," Cameron explained. She cringed again when she heard the sounds of a zombie eating human flesh. "Adam, turn the volume down!" she called to him.
"Sorry, Ally!" The noises diminished.
"Anyway… I don't know if we're going to date… I don't even know where this whole thing stands." She traced a pattern absently on the counter-top, then shrugged. "We're playing it by ear, I guess."
"Don't tell me he's just a fling, Ally. I'd be really disappointed. You've been going on about this guy for a good year."
"I have not."
"You have. And if he's just a fling, I'm going to smack you."
House stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a towel over his neck and an eyebrow quirked. "If I'm just a fling, you won't have to smack her. I'll do it for you." He waved his cane in the air. "Or I can shove this up her-"
"Greg, meet Angela, my sister," Cameron cut in. "Angela, this is Greg House."
Angie waved her greeting. "Nice to meet you. Glad you finally hopped in bed with Ally."
Cameron groaned and held her hand to her eyes.
"Yeah. Me, too," House responded, smirking at Cameron. He kind of liked Cameron's sister so far.
Angie snorted. "So you're staying with her for how long?"
"Until the exterminator calls me back, which may never happen," he grumbled, going to the fridge and grabbing a small bottle of cranberry juice.
Angie frowned as House walked by her. "What happened to your leg?" she asked curiously.
Cameron's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to warn her sister off of the topic, but House went to her side and leaned against the counter casually. "What happened to your tact?" he asked flatly.
Cameron closed her eyes and wondered where she might be able to dig the nearest hole to crawl into and wait out the storm. Angie was a fireball; if someone insulted her, she threw it right back at them. House was just as bad, but he cut deep with his insults and always knew just where to hit to cause the most damage.
"He seems like a real sweetheart, Ally," Angie said sarcastically, frowning deeply. "Quite a winner you've got there."
"Did she tell you I'm a drug addict, too?" House asked excitedly. "I rock at popping pills." He took the Vicodin out of his pocket and shook it. "Want some? I know a guy who knows a guy."
"You're dating a pill-popper?" Angie asked incredulously. "Does Mom know about this guy!"
"She knows we're having hot and steamy sex," House shot back quickly. "So I guess that means she does…"
"I wasn't asking you, honey," Angie snapped.
"Honey?"
"Enough!" Cameron exclaimed, stepping between the two of them. "Leave off, Angie. He suffers from chronic pain, which is why he takes Vicodin." She looked to House, pleading with her eyes for him to stop. "Greg, stop goading her. It'll only get worse."
"She-"
"Please," she begged. "Please don't do this right now."
He shrugged and took a swig of his cranberry juice, watching as Angie stomped toward the door in disgust. "A word, Ally?" she asked coldly, opening the door and waiting for her sister to step outside and talk to her.
Cameron rolled her eyes and brushed a kiss over House's lips. "I'll be right back," she told him with a sigh. "Adam's in the living room."
"Saw him," House replied. "I'll watch him play."
"Thank you." She followed her sister outside, closing the door behind her. "Let the rant begin," she mumbled as Angie turned to face her.
"You're sleeping with him? The man's a complete jerk! I ask a simple question and he blows up in my face about it!"
"Be fair, Angela!" Cameron exclaimed with a frown. "It's a sensitive subject with him. If you knew half of what he went through with it, you wouldn't have asked. How would you feel if he asked why you were a lesbian?"
"You told him!"
"No! I'm just using it as an example," she said calmly. "You would hate it if he threw something like that in your face, and that isn't even a handicap. He hasn't come to terms with his leg yet… He doesn't like people mentioning it."
"He should have his own personal disclaimer, then," Angie spat angrily.
"Angela, stop it!" Cameron begged. "Look, you may not like him, but I do. And that's what matters. You don't have to work with him, see him, or sleep with him. So it really isn't any of your business, is it?"
Angie was quiet and glared angrily at the door behind Cameron. "Does he make you happy?" she asked quietly. "Just answer me that and I'll leave it be."
Cameron contemplated the question for a while before answering. Did House make her happy? He often made her angry. He upset her a lot, and annoyed her many times. He pulled so many emotions out of her all at once. But did he make her happy? How could she know? "I haven't been with him long enough to answer that honestly, Angie."
"He'll break your heart, Ally."
"It's his heart to break," Cameron admitted in a whisper. "I need to get back in there. The pizza guy will be here soon. I need to pay him."
Angie frowned and nodded. "I'll be back around eleven to pick up Adam." With that, she left the apartment, leaving Cameron to take in a deep breath and let it out slowly before opening the door and going back inside.
The sight that she met made her smile.
House sat on the couch next to Adam, coaching him on how to properly shoot a zombie. "You've got to use the shotgun. It's the easiest way."
"But I only have, like, five bullets left."
House shook his head sadly. "Kid, haven't you ever heard of cheat codes?" he asked disappointedly. "Gimme the controller." Adam handed it over and House paused the game, punching in a series of buttons on the controller before handing it back to Adam. "Now un-pause it and you'll have unlimited shotgun ammo."
Adam un-paused the game and smiled widely. "Cool! Thanks!"
House winked at him and looked over at Cameron. "Sister leave?"
"Yeah… She'll pick Adam up around eleven."
"Eleven?" Adam asked, concentrating on his game. "Awesome."
Cameron laughed. "He's supposed to spend this time with me," she explained to House. "However, I take the back seat to video games."
"Well, yeah," House said, stating it like it was obvious. "Hello. They're video games." He stood and walked to her, nodding for her to come into the kitchen with him. She followed without a second thought. "Hope I didn't cause bad family vibes," he drawled.
"Don't worry about it," Cameron said with a shrug. "Angie's a firecracker. It would be nice if you wouldn't snap at everyone who asks about your leg… But it's not my place to say anything about it."
"Why not?" he asked calmly.
"It's not my leg," she responded honestly. "And therefore not my place." She picked up the washcloth out of the sink and rubbed a small stain off of the countertop. "So I take it you're getting along with Adam?"
"I usually get along with people who have mental problems," he stated simply. "Asperger or Down?"
Cameron smiled. "Nothing gets past you," she said with a sigh, tossing the cloth back into the sink. "He's got a mild case of Down Syndrome. He's a great kid, though. And he's in normal classes. My parents wouldn't let the schools put him in the special education programs. And it's a good thing. He gets counseling and tutoring and he keeps up in his classes."
"You sound really proud of him," House noticed. Hell, he'd be proud of the kid, too. Down Syndrome wasn't easy to overcome, and no one could ever fully overcome it. It was a genetic defect, not an infectious disease. There was no cure.
"I am," Cameron answered with a wide smile. "Adam's the greatest kid in the world."
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Cameron grabbed up the money that she'd left on the kitchen counter. She paid for the pizza and set it on the table before going into the kitchen for plates. "Pizza's here, Adam!" she called to him.
"All right! Is it pepperoni and ham?" he asked excitedly.
"Open it up and find out," she told him with a laugh.
House watched as she got the plates and set them on the table, and noticed how good Cameron was with her younger brother. A lot of older siblings might be resentful, having a younger brother with a debilitating defect. But not Cameron. Of course, what else could he expect? He sometimes doubted that she even had it in her to be so resentful. He went to the table and stood behind her. "Do I get a piece?" he pouted.
She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. "Have you been a good boy? Only good boys get pizza."
"It's true!" Adam exclaimed. "She won't order pizza if Mom tells her that I was bad."
House smirked and rested his head on Cameron's shoulder. "You should know," he told her simply. "Have I been a good boy … or a bad boy?"
Cameron turned her head slowly to look at House, biting back a smile. "You've been good enough for a piece of pizza, I suppose."
Adam made a face at the two of them. "Ew, Ally. Is he your boyfriend?"
"Well-"
"Yeah," House said, purposely cutting Cameron off and reaching for a piece of pizza. "You okay with that, kid?"
"You're, like … old enough to be Dad."
"He is not," Cameron said, sounding as exasperated as she felt.
House, however, snorted. "But do you have a problem with me dating your sister? That's the question. I'm not dating her if you don't approve… That'd just be bad."
Adam looked at House with narrowed eyes before shrugging. "Okay. You can date her. But only 'cause you know about cheat codes."
House looked at Cameron as he chewed on a pepperoni. "You see that? Cheat codes are the secret to the meaning of life."
Adam took his pizza into the living room and switched off the game, turning on the television instead. "Can I watch a movie, Ally?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Sure. They're in the drawer under the PlayStation." Cameron looked at House and leaned against the table, taking a small bite of her pizza. "You're my boyfriend, huh?"
"I figured it was fair," he stated, leaning next to her. "I mean… I solve your problems, use your shower, and have sex with you. Doesn't that qualify me?"
Cameron laughed and nudged him. "You're such an ass."
"Yeah." He saw Adam grab up the movie The Princess Bride. "Kid, if you put that in, I'll smack you with my cane."
Adam squealed with laughter.
"He thinks I'm joking," he muttered to Cameron. "I'm not joking."
"You smack him with your cane and I'll kick you out of my bed," she said sweetly.
"How come you have a cane, anyway?" Adam asked from the living room, sorting through the movies.
Cameron cringed and waited for the fallout. Two mentions of his leg in one day? That couldn't be good…
"Because I have a limp," House answered blandly.
"Well, why've you got a limp? Did you get bit by a dog?" Adam looked up from the movies and over at House. "My friend Mark got bit by a dog and he had a limp for a whole week."
"I got bit by a bug," House responded after a short pause. "It made all of the blood go to my thigh and stick together like glue."
Adam's eyes were wide. "What kind of bug?" he asked in horror. "I hate bugs."
"I do too, kid. But don't worry. This bug can't get you."
"How do you know?"
"I'm a doctor," House answered with a smirk. "I know everything." He took a bite of his pizza and nodded to the movies. "Come on. Pick a good movie."
"If you cuddle with Ally during the movie, I'm gonna barf," Adam warned.
"That's okay," House replied with a grin. "If I cuddle with Ally, I might barf."
"Hey!" Cameron exclaimed with a laugh, hitting House's chest. "I'm not that bad."
"But you have cooties..."
Adam held up Hook. "Is this okay?" he asked.
"That one's a lot better than The Princess Bride," House responded, putting his empty plate down on the kitchen table. He took Cameron's and put it down, too. "Come on," he said, nodding toward the couch. "Let's go make your brother barf."
She smiled and followed him to the couch, cuddling into his left side as the movie started. If someone had told her days ago that she'd be cuddling with Greg House as they watched a movie with her younger brother, she would have laughed at them and then told them to go to the psych ward. But this was nice. It was too nice to take advantage of, she thought as she cuddled closer, biting her bottom lip to keep her smile minimal when House's arm tightened around her shoulders. She knew this wouldn't last… But she'd cherish it while it did.
They stayed that way for then entire movie, interrupted only when Adam got scared and felt the need to sit in front of Cameron on the couch. She smiled and stroked his hair soothingly, reminding him that it was only a movie and that Captain Hook wouldn't come get him in the middle of the night.
House marveled at her. She was the epitome of a mother, and he couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't even the least bit upset that she had a sibling who got much more attention that she ever would have as a child. Of course, by the time Adam was born, she would have been starting high school… So maybe it really made sense that she'd be so motherly.
Once the movie ended, Adam jumped up to turn off the DVD player and the television before sitting in one of the chairs. He looked at the clock and tapped on his knees. "Angie's gonna be here soon," he said matter-of-factly.
House frowned. "It's only ten-thirty…"
"She's always early," Adam said. "She'll be here fifteen minutes before she has to be because she doesn't like to be late." He picked at the threads on the chair and sighed. "But I like spending time with Ally because Ally's the cool one."
Cameron smiled and sat up. "I am the cool one, aren't I?" She yawned and stretched. "I'll see what I can do about freeing up a night next week," she promised. "We'll have a sleepover and watch tons of movies."
Adam smiled brightly. "Really? You promise!"
"You bet." There was a knock on the door and Cameron checked the clock. Right on time. She started to stand to get the door, but House stood instead.
"I need to stretch out my leg, anyway," he used as an excuse. In all honesty, he just wanted to see how outraged Angie would be when he made himself right at home and answered the door. He wasn't disappointed in the least; the woman who looked like a Cameron-clone, but with shorter, choppier hair, fumed when he answered.
"I need to pick up Adam," she snapped.
He opened the door wider. "Hey, kid. Your sister's here to get you," he said, nodding toward the very pissed of woman standing in the doorway.
Adam gave Cameron a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then dragged his feet all the way to the door. Before he left, House handed him a piece of paper. Adam opened it, looked at it, and smiled brightly. "Thanks!" he exclaimed before running to the car.
Angie left without saying goodbye, and House shut the door behind her.
"What did you give him?" Cameron asked, confused.
"I wrote down some more cheat codes."
Cameron laughed and pulled him to her for a slow kiss. "It's official," she said with a sigh. "You have a new best friend."
"I needed one," House replied solemnly. "Hanging out with Wilson and talking about chicks was just getting old. I needed someone young and immature to play video games with." His eyes slid over her. "Oh, wait…"
She looked at him with a small grin and crossed her arms over her chest. "I hope you like floors."
"Gonna do me on one? That's hot, Cameron."
"Well, you'll be sleeping on one," she said sweetly.
"You're going to knock me out cold?" he asked with wide eyes. "You were good, Allison… But I don't know if you were quite that good."
The grin melted off of her face and she sauntered up to him slowly. "I could … feasibly … prove you wrong," she told him quietly, trailing her finger along the waistband of his jeans.
He took in a quick breath and stared at her, his eyes darkened with lust and intense concentration. "I might let you do that." He took her hand and placed a single kiss in the center of her palm. "And we both know how often I let people prove me wrong."