It was 10.30 when House finally limped into work, avoiding Cuddy and threats of clinic duty he went the long way, taking the service elevator. With all the security cameras Cuddy had around the place it was a wonder he'd never been caught.

He was in pain, more than usual this morning; he'd left his bottle of vicodin on his desk and had to go all night with the two he'd found loose in his pocket. He was going to come in early and get them, but the earlier he came in, the more likely he was to been seen by Cuddy, and then he'd have to do a few hours work before he could get to his office.

Searching through the paper on his desk he found his little orange pot, filled with his favourite drug. But something had changed. Last night he'd left it carelessly on his desk, now a piece of paper had been attached to it with a rubber band. He threw it down on his desk, he'd read it after taking a pill, it was probably just a note from Wilson telling him to cut back. Sinking into his chair, he un-folded the piece of paper and read it.

It was a photocopied piece of paper, listing someone's details, name, age, and other pointless things. He read it, Alison Cameron. Interesting. Age, 13. Even more interesting. What was this doing here?

Had Cameron just decided to supply him with blackmail material? Weird. And only one way to find out the truth.

He walked out of his office to talk to his ducklings, only to see Cameron missing.

"Where's Cameron?" He asked.

Foreman and Chase exchanged hasty looks.

"I think she said she'd be in ummmmmmmm the lab." Chase finished triumphantly, looking proud of himself.

"Bad lie, where is she really?"

"She said she'd be in the clinic all day, but I doubt that's true." Foreman substituted.

"Good work."

A few minutes later he limped out of the elevator and into the lobby, only to be attacked by Cuddy.

"Where the hell have you been? We're already under-staffed, and you decide just not to turn up? What the hell is your problem?"

Before he couldn't come up with a half decent retort, she shoved a patient file at his, a almost through him into an exam room, he could hear her outside, making sure he didn't leave.

Meanwhile Cameron was up in Immunology running tests, after asking Chase to lie and say she was in the lab, she knew House would never look there. It was the perfect couple.

She knew what she wanted more than she ever had before. She wanted House. And she was pretty sure he wanted her too. Know she had a plan of how to get what she wanted. And it was foolproof.

The next day House limped into his office early, hoping to catch Cameron in the act, this time the paper was stuck to his computer screen. The heading read 'My best friend.'

"He best friend was her dad?" House scorned, "What a looser!"

Once again Cameron was not in the conference room, and so he asked Chase, who said she was working all day in the clinic, not believing him House stalked off to the lab.

Cameron knew he'd never check the clinic for her, not after being captured and forced to work 5 hours straight the day before. Another foolproof plan. But soon she'd run out of hiding places.

She had been so sure about her plan to begin with, but only as she sat in the lab the day before did she see the various problems. He could show someone, she only meant for him to know. He could just wait for the letters to stop and for once in his life not be curious about why they were there. He could come searching for her and find her before he reached the most important entry. He might even think they were fake, a joke played by one of the nurses. But it didn't matter, because it was her last chance. If it went well, she might never take the day off to cry again. But if it went badly, she'd be taking a lot more sick days.

All she could do was wait, and hope.