"Me? You're afraid of me? What are you House man or MOUSE!" Cameron spat, "Because from where I'm standing you are neither, both are too dignified to be related to you in any way shape or form!"
House took the step he had just taken backwards, her words, her anger where so unlike Cameron that House had to do a double take to ensure that he had the right woman, "Cameron are you alright? You're acting out of character" House mumbled raising his hands in a peace gesture
"Don't ask me if I'm alright Dr. House, it's you who should be examined!" Cameron continued to rage, "You treat everyone with distain and superiority, well guess what, you bleed the same blood we do!"
"Maybe I should've…" Cameron cut House off
"Maybe you should've what House? Leave me at the car park? I would have rather you did if I knew this was coming. You can't keep pushing people just to see how far you can push before they crack! Because eventually they do crack, then what will you do House? Move onto the next victim, find another person you can toy with?" Cameron asked, her voice lowering only slightly
"I don't…" Once again she cut him off
"You don't what House? Toy with people, push them to their breaking point and stopping just before the fall off the cliff? What happens if they fall? Will you piece them back together? We all know how much you love puzzles" Cameron stepped closer to him backing him up against his piano, causing a rather off key distorted noise, "Wouldn't you hate for the puzzle to step off the cliff willingly?"
"What do you want me to say Cameron?" House asked finding his voice
"The truth for once, to accept change, to stop running from anyone who has the mildest interest to help you, not 'fix' you, no one but yourself can fix you" Cameron calmed down, "You don't get it, you can only push people so far before they crack" House gave her a sweeping glance, as if analyzing her body, "What? Are you surprised to find people do crack? Or just me?"
House seemed to find what he was looking for and stepped closer to her, reaching for a spot just beside her collarbone, "Right here, there's a crack" House stated gently prodding the surrounding area, "It was there when you came here, I didn't do this crack Allison" Once again his eyes began roaming, landing on a different spot just on the top of her shoulder, "This one was from the babies just after Foreman arrived" His eyes roaming again, "This one is from Voglar and leaving here" he touched her right cheek bone, before finally touching just above her heart, "Now this one, this crack actually has two…Brian, he first created this crack by lying to you about his health and the second time, which was surprisingly larger, was me" House was still staring at the spot where his fingers last brushed when Cameron began to talk.
"You think you know all my flaws House, but they aren't as clear as the cracks Stacey left in you, cracks that time won't heal because you don't want it to. You want to be able to be miserable and angry the rest of your life, because you think you've earned that much. You cling to the pain she caused you like it's some kind of lifeline, you let go and everything you thought you knew crumbles, because times changes everything outside the little world you've created and facing it, now that's a challenge you're not willing to accept" at these words House's eyes bounced up to hers, she could se he was going to say something, but she hadn't finished " They're wrong thinking the Vicoden is the problem, but they're wrong, the problem started the night you realized people could treat you the same way you treated them. Nothing has changed outside you're world House, people are still hurt and trust is broken more often than marriage vows, but something that has changed is standing in front of you and you can't even step outside for one moment to see past your miserable persona. Now if you have something to say, I would say it now because unless you want a repeat of before I'm going to bed" Cameron finished, the tears flowing freely as she spoke.
House had watched as the anger and fury subsided within her, he knew that interrupting her would have been a bad idea. He even saw as she tried to bite back the sobs that were racking her body, and also as she released those sobs in painful streams of tears. He knew he had to think hard and fast to get something out before she turned away. "I do have something to say actually…I was wrong. I was wrong when I told you, you were only after me because I was you're next charity case; I knew I was wrong when I said it. Like you said I keep people at arms length and a lot of it has to do with Stacey; OK that was the understatement of the year, but you have to trust me when I say I can't change, not for you, not even for Wilson" House explained " I can't do sentimental, I never have, not even with Stacey"
"I never asked you to change House, I don't want you to, because for you to change you would loose the edge we need to get the right treatment for patients, I just wanted you to realize that people do break, you can't keep pushing us House; because when you're stuck under heavy fire in the middle of a war zone, you have to rely on your other teammates to save your ass. Sooner or later, the war will come and we will be there saving your ass" Cameron replied before walking down the hall to the bedroom and closing the door.
Little did she realize that not only 10feet away a certain miserable doctor was beginning to open a few doors, like a child at Christmas time he was tearing apart a room two doors from her, he was looking for something. When his fingers curled around the cool hard box, he used all his strength to pull it out from underneath the other boxes. Falling back against the floor with the box in his grasp, the doctor limped with it out to his lounge room, where he placed it on the coffee table and sat. He stared at the box, a small blackened key twirling within his fingers, before he reached forward and unlocked the box.
Inside were things that gave him cold shivers and nightmares, but he knew what he would have to bypass to find what he was searching for. At the bottom of the box his fingered wrapped themselves around a small stack of letters, pulling them out he rested his bad leg on the coffee table next to the box and opened the first letter.
Dear Gregory,
I hope college is everything you wanted, your father and I send you our love and hope. We know you have the brains, but your father seems to think your attitude might get you into trouble. Please dear don't do anything foolish while you're there, we do miss you, but we want you back with your degree! Not because you've caused trouble, I didn't raise you to be a troublesome boy.
Just remember what I always told you Gregory, your heart is the greatest gift God gave you, use it well, protect it above all else and remember that it is the most powerful thing you could ever begin to wield. With love you can conquer the world, without it you will fall miserably to the ground. You're better than that my dead son, remember that.
Love always,
Mum
House's thoughts drifted back to his second year at college and his first run in with the school's dean, his mother had sent him a letter then too!
Gregory House! I never raised you to be such a cruel and hurtful boy, you are to come home at once while we settle this problem with the Dean. I told you when I first met him that you were to stick by that James Wilson and what do you do? I'll tell you what you did; you left him on the curb while you damaged whatever chance at a good life you could have had!
You will notice I took the liberty to book your flight, your father will be at the terminal waiting tomorrow evening, and don't even think of not getting on the plane young man, I have a car and I will drive across country to get you!
Mum
The painful memories that the one incident caused had nearly ruined Gregory House that year. If it wasn't for his father's quick thinking and his mother's iron will, Gregory House would have never become a doctor. The next letter he hesitated before opening, he knew what was inside, it was the reason he had frozen over, he hadn't lied when he said he was never sentimental with Stacey, and once she left he took all her remaining belongings and burnt them, never again to grace his sight.
Gregory,
You have to come home, I know what I'm asking is a hard thing for you to do, considering you're now a famous doctor, but I'm begging you! Your sister has been in a car crash, she died instantly, and everything is a mess here! Your mother hasn't left her bed in days, the doctor is saying she may never be able to leave the house again, now please come home!
Dad
He remembers the description he got when he arrived home; she had been hit by a truck, the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel because of the medication he was on. The hardest part was, he recognized the truck driver, because he had seen him at his practice only a few weeks earlier, he had given the prescription which had killed his sister. After that, he vowed never to trust another patient again and resigned himself to a cold, miserable life; which ultimately ended with Vicoden and scotch as his friends.
It was morning when he awoke on the couch, box still open and the last letter he read laying softly on his chest. He could hear the familiar sounds of the shower and dragged himself off the couch to make some coffee; not before placing the letters back in the box and locking it again. 10mins later he heard the bedroom door open and the washing machine start, Cameron appeared at the doorway dressed in one of his faded t-shirts and a pair of shorts, obviously hers, "I hope you don't mind I needed to borrow a t-shirt, I hadn't realized I forgot to change the clothes over in my overnight bag" Cameron yawned as House outstretched his arm handing her the coffee
"No it's fine, just remember to return it" House grumbled, "Toast? It's all I have" House offered her the plate of warm buttered toast
"Yes please, I'm starving" Cameron took the plate and sat at the table, feet curled up under herself as she watched House settle himself across from her.
He watched her for a few minutes, noticing how she would tear off the crust of the toast and eat it, before folding the buttered middle in half, and repeating the tear and eat pattern she had made. "You eat…differently" House commented
Cameron blushed, "It's unfortunately a childhood habit"
"Crusts make your hair curly?" House smirked
"No, I just like the crust crunchy and warm, and the buttered center to be nearly cold…I don't really know why I do it" Cameron looked puzzled while trying to figure it out, "Probably stems from the sibling rivalry that used to happen, I could eat more faster than you and such. It's a very quick way to eat toast you know"
House couldn't help but laugh when he realized she had just succeed in convincing him that a toast race could be won if he ate her way, "You know, I'm going to have to try that out one time, maybe against Chase…or maybe Wilson"
The two continued the mild chatter, hoping the other would bring up the comments of the previous night, but both too scared the other would want to bury it. Unbeknownst to both, the flood gates had been opened and change was about to hit them full on.
A/N: EDITED FOR THE CONFUSION WITH THE NAMES…NOW BRIAN!
Fyre-anjel