Disclaimer: Don't own.

Chapter 3:

When Cameron walked into the office after her eventful lunchbreak, she was half expecting everyone to be sitting around, waiting to know exactly who Joe was and why he was here. She had already formulated in her mind several ways of saying 'none of your business', and was surprised to see all 4 men around the whiteboard.

'New patient?' Cameron asked, dropping her bag on the table and walking over to where everyone was gathered.

House did a mocking double take. 'Wow. We were beginning to think that the mysterious guy had kidnapped you.'

Cameron stared at him. 'I was gone for an hour.' She replied, exasperated.

'And in that hour we got a new patient. Lunch doesn't help save lives, Dr Cameron. Or I guess it would if we were dealing with an eating disorder.' House replied, frowning.

Cameron rolled her eyes and looked at Wilson, expecting to get an explanation out of him. '32 year old male admitted with abdominal pain, unintentional weight loss, fever and abdominal sounds.' Wilson said, rubbing his eyes.

'Clear symptoms for Crohn's disease.' Cameron replied, looking directly at House.

'Well yes, that was the assumption by the other doctors, but he's not responding to the Corticosteroids. Differential Diagnosis for abdominal pain?' House asked the group, pulling the lid off his whiteboard marker.

They rattled off several infections that were possible in the patient's current condition. When House finally agreed on one, he sent Foreman to go arrange an MRI, Chase to get the Family History and Cameron to go start on his blood work.

Cameron nodded and followed the other two out, staring down at the file as House looked at her exiting form. Wilson smirked when they were out of earshot.

'Could you be anymore obvious?'

House made a face. 'Could you be anymore annoying?' He replied, turning around and limping into his office where he turned on his TV and sat down in his chair.

Wilson shook his head and walked out of the department. This would be amusing.

… … …

Cameron sat in the Pathology Lab looking into the microscope that contained their patient's blood samples. She swivelled in her chair to the left hand side of the counter and wrote down some notes.

Cameron liked working in the lab. It was quite and secluded; it allowed her to think. Which was what she was doing at that very moment. Cameron still couldn't quite grasp that Joe was here. She hadn't heard from him in about 10 years. Yet here he was, right now, and Cameron only felt confusion.

A shadow appeared over the file Cameron was writing on and she looked up wearily, already knowing what she was going to see. House was staring down at her from the other side of the glass, and Cameron just rolled her eyes and averted them back down to the page.

The shadow disappeared, yet mere moments after the glass door to the Pathology lab creaked open. Cameron kept her eyes down on the page she was writing on, very much aware that House was walking towards her. He stopped about 4 feet away from her and leant against the counter, turning his head to look at her.

'So…' He said, knocking his cane against the ground.

Cameron slowly looked up at him. 'So what?'

'Who was that guy?' House asked conversationally, turning his head back to his cane.

Cameron smirked and took her glasses off, putting them on the counter. 'How did I know you were going to ask me that?' She said sarcastically, folding her arms in front of her.

House shrugged. 'Just like to be kept informed.'

Cameron rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, right. I don't think it's any of your business.'

'Probably isn't. But I like to know these things. Keeps me in the hospital gossip loop. You always are a source for great gossip.' He replied, turning to look at her.

'I'm sure I am. Still don't see how it's any of your business, though.' Cameron said, folding her arms in front of her.

'You told Wilson.' House said, knocking his cane on the floor again.

'In confidence. And considering I know he won't blab, your going to be out of the loop.'

House smirked and twirled his cane between his fingers. 'Well, from what I can deduct, he is someone from your past. Maybe an old boyfriend, but what I really want to know is was this before or after you were married.'

Cameron stared at him, her patience wearing. 'Again, none of your business.' She replied, her voice dropping slightly.

House smirked again. 'Seem to have hit a nerve. That gives me considerably more information.' He replied.

Cameron turned to face him, her face hardening. 'Why do you want to know so much? Why do you care?' She asked, rather forcefully.

The smirk dropped slightly from House's face as he shrugged. 'Like to know.'

'That's a lie. It's more than that, because you won't let it go. I'm not going to cave in and tell you, and neither will Wilson.' Cameron replied, anger becoming evident in her voice.

'Your trying to pick me apart again, aren't you?' House asked, rolling his eyes.

'Why do you care? What will me telling you achieve?' Cameron asked, staring him straight in the eye.

House stared at her. He didn't have a snarky comment to hit back so he did what he was best at. Not answering. Turning around, he limped out of the Pathology Lab, the door swinging behind him, leaving Cameron alone.

… … …