A/N: We hope everyone is well and staying safe. Here's another chapter. Keep those reviews coming :) It inspires us to write more :) Cuz what else is there to do these days?

Chapter Five

Cameron looked over the next applicant's resume and brightened. They'd gone through four completely unsuitable people and she knew House was getting ready to do something drastic. She called the lobby and asked that Jane Poole be sent up. Cameron knew the fact Poole was a cardiologist would make House happy but the fact she was nearly as close to retirement age as he was, wouldn't. Since there was no picture on Poole's resume, Cameron was expecting a grey-haired woman who was probably on the plump side. She heard the elevator doors open and a dark-haired, slender woman appeared. She wore a red wrap dress and navy blue flats. She also didn't look a day over thirty five.

"Doctor Poole?" Cameron asked as the woman entered the conference room.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Cameron," Poole said holding out her hand.

Cameron shook it and motioned for her to sit down.

"I think there's a typo or two on your resume," Cameron said with a smile.

Poole laughed and her bright green eyes shone. "No typos. Just good genes."

"Well," Cameron said as she looked at her. "I have to ask why you want to change jobs for less money. You are the head of Cardiology at Princeton General. You've been there for years."

"Honestly, I'm bored. I don't want to retire and I'm being gently nudged to consider that." She lifted one shoulder. "This sounds fascinating. Like a good challenge. Over the years, I've seen so many patients die because all the doctors I worked with were convinced it had to be a heart problem. They wouldn't get sent to our department if it wasn't. A lot of times, though, I knew it wasn't a heart problem but I could never get a chance to figure out just what it was." She tilted her head and smiled. "I also like puzzles and that's a bit like what you and Doctor House plan to do. Solve the medical puzzle."

Cameron knew she wanted Poole on the team but she also wanted to know more about her. She also knew House was waiting. She stood and sent Poole in to see House. Hopefully, Poole would survive his interview.

House looked up when Poole entered. He looked back down at her resume.

"You're a liar," he said as she sat down.

"Everybody lies at some point," she responded.

"Even patients?"

She smiled. "Especially patients. They lie about not smoking, changing their diets, exercising...pretty much everything."

"Do you watch porn?" he asked. "I did a little research on you. Religious family members would frown on that."

Leaning back in her chair, she sighed. "I heard about you. You like to manipulate people and set them on edge. But, to answer your question, I occasionally watch porn."

"One grandfather was a minister, one grandfather and dad were deacons."

"Dad is still a deacon. Grandparents have passed on."

"Why the move from sunny Florida to snowy Colorado?" he asked. "Dad caught cheating? Find out the youngest is really the milk man's kid?"

She laughed. "Nothing that interesting. Dad got offered a transfer and took it. I did spend summers in Florida. Don't you want to know my cup size?"

House laughed. "You did research me."

"I can use Google, too," she smiled.

"You're married."

"You're single but interested in Doctor Cameron."

House's head jerked back and he blinked. "That is not on any search engine."

"True but you keep looking toward the other room."

"Maybe you're boring," he said defensively.

"Should I leave?"

"No one else is going to hire you," he grumbled.

"Doctor Cameron hired you so I figure I have a good chance," she smiled.

"Is hubby going to go all caveman on my ass if you have to work late?" he asked.

Again, she smiled. "No. He has a job that keeps him pretty busy."

"Got any problems breaking into a patient's house?"

"Nope. We always keep a few thousand dollars on hand for bail money."

"Ha."

"No. I'm serious."

House narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "Hubby going to be pissed if you start work on January second?"

"No. And his name is Rob not that you'll bother to remember that."

House leaned across his desk. "I am going to snap you like a dry twig," he whispered.

She leaned in and smiled. "I think you'll find I'm very flexible." She sat back. "So, I'll see you on the second."

Standing, she smoothed her skirt, called out a goodbye to Cameron and left.

Cameron came in and looked at House.

"Three down and one to go," he said with a frown.

"I heard her. She's very observant," Cameron commented.

"Nothing but smoke and mirrors. We'll probably replace her before the end of the year."

Cameron shook her head. She thought about warning Poole but figured the woman was more than capable of taking care of herself.

The next day they interviewed the last applicants. Two left crying and one threatened to sue House.

Cameron came into their office and stretched out on the couch under the windows. "I didn't hear you use the code words once." She closed her eyes. "We have no more suitable applicants and one position open."

"Isn't this a teaching hospital?"

"Yes."

"Then let's get an intern in here. You know I'm all about teaching."

Cameron laughed. "Yes you are." She rolled onto her side and looked at him. "We could get an intern. We could open up this department as part of their rotation."

"Then we're four for four. We've got Tyler as our assistant and that hard ass nurse."

"And I found the perfect person to take over the ER."

"Oh, and who is this oh so perfect person?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

"You are going to leave her alone," Cameron warned him.

"What's her name? Or is that a state secret?" he asked with an exaggerated pout.

"Doctor Ruby Lucas. She's transferring from Maine."

House leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. "Sounds like a boring old lady."

"You said the same thing about Poole," she reminded him.

"There is no way Poole is fifty-six. She's lying."

Cameron got up and went to her computer. She typed for a bit and then turned the screen so House could see.

"Here she is at her parents' fifty-eighth wedding anniversary. None of them look old enough to have parents married that long."

He leaned forward and looked at the picture. Her parents looked young and so did her four siblings. He noted they all looked like their mother.

"Dad isn't dad," he told her as he sat back.

"All four of them have some of his features."

"She has two sets of twins."

Cameron looked at the photo again.

"Not the mom," House said. "Poole. Two sets of fraternal twins. Three girls and one boy."

"You really did Google her."

"I Googled them all. Can't have a serial killer working here. Bad enough we hired those two Canadians. Though, the sister is hot." He watched Cameron closely for her reaction.

"She is but I think Poole is gorgeous. I've always liked mine older."

"Do. Not. Tease. Me."

Cameron grinned. "Think Gill and Poole would report me to HR if I invited them to join me in a threesome?"

"You are evil," House said with a slight smile as he got up and grabbed his cane. "Let's go find an intern to torture."

XXX

"No!" Cameron said firmly.

She and House were in their office. It was late and it was snowing outside.

House gave an exaggerated sigh and then folded his hands in supplication. He poked his bottom lip out and widened his eyes.

"Please? She's going to fail. We can shape her and mold her into anything we want. She can be our own Build-A-Doc."

Cameron smiled slightly at his antics. "Greg, she lacks focus. She spends too much time chatting to the patients."

House leaned back and grinned. "Exactly. She's chatty. Think of all we can get from the patients by sending the little chatterbox in. You, Hottie and Psychic Pixie should whip her into shape in no time."

"Are you referring to Doctor Gill and Doctor Poole?"

"Obviously."

Cameron shook her head. "I don't know. This department is going to be like a pressure cooker. The last thing we need to do is babysit an intern."

House folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Fine. Go with the smart nerd."

"You'll like him. I promise," she smiled.

"I get to call him and tell him," House said with a mutinous look in his eyes.

Cameron knew House would decimate the intern. Leaning forward, she rested her arms on her desk and smiled at him. "Why don't we start with Noah Charles and if he doesn't work out, we'll get Jenna Hamilton on the team?"

"Why can't we have both of them?" House asked with a tilt of his head. "They aren't getting paid and we need people to do scut work. We can pit them against each other and whoever comes out on top gets to stay."

"You're going to play a game of some sort one way or another, aren't you?" she asked before dropping her head down onto her arms.

"Of course," he said as he reached for the phone.

Cameron sat back and folded her arms across her chest. If he wanted to play, she would play. Once he finished cajoling the Dean into letting them have the two interns, she got up and walked around the desks.

"Since I caved on the interns, you have to give me something in return," she said as she leaned against the edge of his desk.

"Seems fair," he said slowly, noticing that he could totally see down her top, and he liked what he saw.

"Good. Then you're coming to the holiday party next week."

"NO!"

She nodded and leaned down until her lips brushed against his ear. "Quid pro quo."

He shivered but backed his chair away from her.

"You can have Nerd Charles. I don't want to go!"

"I already worked it all out with Dean Harlow. You don't have to wear a tux. And there's an open bar."

"You have to wear something really sexy. All three of you do."

"Deal," she said holding out her hand.

He looked at her suspiciously before shaking her hand quickly. The jolt of electricity wasn't lost on either of them. "Cleavage and legs," he told her.

She smiled. "Cleavage and legs. All three of us. Wait. You did mean Poole, Gill and I, right? Because seeing Parkinson and Tyler in drag might be fun."

"Evil. Although I don't think Parkinson does the drag thing. And if he did, it would be creepy because then he'd definitely look too much like his sister."

She laughed and went to gather up her things. "See you in the morning, House."

He grunted and she left still laughing. Once she was gone, he banged his head lightly on his desk.