Author Note: Here is the next chapter! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! The next chapter will be much longer, I just didn't want to stall this one any longer

I hope you all like it. Thanks for still hanging in there. I hope you like it

Jennie

Disclaimer: House and Fox are still not mine

Chapter 16: Finally understanding

For a moment, Daniel didn't register the words that came out of the man's mouth. He was too preoccupied by looking at the other member of this jolly ensemble. Looking at Allison, he noticed that she looked exactly the same. The same smile, the same hair, her eyes were even the same. The same innocent love was showing, but this time that love wasn't for him. It was for someone else. This line of thinking brought his eyes over to the man of the group. It was easy to recognize the protective stance that he had; after all he had perfected the stance during their time together.

"Allison." He said, jolting her slightly.

"Daniel." Allison started, when she looked at him she started to falter. But, one look at House gave her the courage to go on. "We were just going up to get some coffee. Care to join us?"

All three of the group stared in shock as she turned around and began to walk towards the apartment building. Slowly the rest of the party began to follow her, each in their own minds.

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The trip to the door came quicker than Allison wanted. Thousand's of questions flowed through her mind, to the point of insanity. She wanted to scream. Things were going so well. House was opening up slightly, Hannah was accepting them, and she was actually looking forward to getting home.

Then Daniel had to come. It amazed her how someone could give her so much, but also take so much away. While the feelings of love were gone between them, the past still hurt. And here it was again.

All Allison could do was be on her toes tonight. There was no telling what would happen, especially with House here.

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Bored. House was bored. His leg was hurting and nothing was happening. Allison was staring at her shoes. Daniel was staring at her. Hannah was staring at them. He wanted confrontation. That would be the only way for any of them to move on. The tension in the room was staggering.

They all jumped when House stood up and moved towards the kitchen. "Coffee." Was all he said as he limped to the kitchen. Hannah promptly excused herself, which left the two of them.

"Well, I can see that your choice in men hasn't gotten any better." Daniel said, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back on the couch.

"Maybe you should look in the mirror while you say that sometime." Allison replied.

"I knew you were in there somewhere. I'm happy that you still have some of that spunk." He said, looking over at her.

"Oh and how I live to make you happy." Allison sighed, "Why are you here Daniel? Checking to see if I had killed Hannah?"

"Nah, maybe wondering if you had ditched her like last time." Daniel said, with anger beginning to seep into his voice.

"Actually, if I remember correctly you were the first one to leave." Allison sighed, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in.

"At least I came back. You just decided when it was better for you Allison! She needed a mother and you weren't there!"

Silence came to the room after his outburst. Daniel was standing over Allison and she was forced to look up at home. Small clinks and the sound of a coffee percolator could be heard in the kitchen.

Allison just took a deep breath and looked up at him from the chair. "And I have to live with that, Daniel. She is the one that has to forgive me, not you." She said, in a voice that didn't sound like it really came from her. "Why are you here Daniel?"

"To see Hannah, of course." He said, turning from her and walking over to the couch again.

"That's bull and you know it, Daniel." She said, rolling her eyes at him. "Now, tell me why you're really here?"

Daniel had no easy way to answer that question. So they sat in a stand still, staring at each other. The tension was mounting, and neither noticed the small form huddled in the hallway, listening to every word. But, one person in the house did. He was currently staring at the two of them, when he slowly raked his eyes off them and to the hallway.

Hannah was currently sitting against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest. Anyone could see the turmoil on her face; he was just accustomed to it. After all, he was the one that usually caused it. The bright and colorful girl in the car was now deflated and crushed. His cane thumped silently on the carpet as he limped towards her. He didn't really know what he was going to do once he got there but he felt that he needed to go to her.

Hannah shifted her eyes up and looked at him, smiling slightly. "Umm this isn't what it looks like, I just stubbed my toe and it hurt."

This caused him to smirk down at her. "R-r-ight." He said, looking over towards the "parents" in the living room. Daniel was currently glaring at him, while Allison was looking at him with a silent thank you. He nodded his head and turned towards the now standing Hannah. Before she could walk into the living room, a cane stopped her.

"Can I help you? Or do I have to pay a toll?" Hannah snapped.

"A toll, now that's an idea. Show me your room. I haven't ever been taken on a tour of the Cameron Casa before. Show me around. Maybe we can snoop in your mom's room. Dig up some dirt."

House wanted to smile when her eyes lit up and she smiled at him. 'Definitely her mother there.' He thought.

"I know just where to look!" She said, as she turned and rushed off towards her mom's room. House watched her run off. Before he followed he turned to the two in the living room. "This needs to be done, one way or the other before we come back." He said to Allison, but glaring at Daniel with eyes as cold as ice. He just rolled his eyes and turned to walk down the hall.

Allison turned to Daniel, who seemed to be equally glaring after House. "You can stop that, you won't win. Trust me."

Daniel continued to glare at him, even after House completely dismissed him.

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House found his way down the hall and to Allison's bedroom. Just as he walked through the doorway, he paused. Since when did her start referring to Cameron as Allison. it seemed to just come to him now. He hardly ever thought of her as Cameron anymore, it would be only a matter of time before he started calling her Allison. He shook his head of these thoughts, when he saw Hannah in the doorway.

"Are you coming in or what?" Hannah smiled, slightly pulling his arm.

House just looked at her hand, before slowly letting her pull him into her mother's sanctuary. It was completely what he expected. The room was well lit and was decorated in a light blue color. Deep blue roses adorned her bedspread, and light blue curtains were draped on her wall.

Hannah was currently on the bed with a big Rubbermaid box. She had a sneaky smile on her face. "And her we have the box o blackmail!"

House limped to the bed and propped his cane on the bed. In the box were hundreds of pictures. "Oh goody."

Like kids in a candy store, they dug in the pictures. Hannah, just laughing at them and occasional showing pictures to House when she found a "good" one. While House was learning things about Allison that he never knew, in her teen years she looked exactly like her daughter. Or rather, Hannah looks like she used to. From Ballet, to Cooking, then the Graduation. It only took House a split second to realize that Hannah had stopped looking and was now studying a picture in her hands.

"Give me." House said, plucking the picture out of her hands. In the picture was a much younger Allison, round with her baby. She was standing with her hands on her hips, pointing an elegant finger at a much younger Daniel. A bright smile was on his face, as he held up his hands in a 'peace' gesture. House dismissed him but was studying Allison intently. She was beautiful, glowing and the love coming from the photo even made his heart skip a beat.

Looking at Hannah, she was staring out the window. "My uncles house is full of pictures like this. Were my mom and dad are happy and smiling. Pictures of them together, of them alone, I always believed that they were always happy."

"Well, that's a stupid thing to think." House said, leaning back on the headboard. "If there's one thing you need to know, it's that everybody lies. Pictures are just a single point in a person' life. Like a stop sign."

"I wanted us to be together as a family. I thought we would be happy, like the pictures."

"Now, I know you are entirely to smart to even believe that for a moment. That is an ideal that you picked up from your mother no doubt. I should name it the 'Barney Syndrome', it would make millions." He said, looking at the picture.

Hannah just sat in silence, just processing everything he just said. It all seemed lonely and depressing. This must be what he truly felt, maybe that's why he never let's her mother near him.

"But." House started to talk while looking at the pictures of a pregnant Allison. This caused Hannah to look over at him. His brow was creased and he seemed to be analyzing the pictures. "There is one thing you can't fake in these pictures." He started, while catching her brown eyes with his blue ones. "She may not be in love with him, but you should never think for a second that she doesn't love you."

Unease began to fill him as he watched small tears trail down her cheeks. "Oh, jeeze, the one time that I actually don't want to make someone cry. If you want a hug, go to your mom. I am soo not going there." He said as he watched her move to the headboard beside him. She grabbed a small black folder of pictures and handed them to him.

"And these are?" He asked, looking over at her.

"The Cancun Photos." She said, cryptically to him.

House froze when he felt her head lean on his shoulder. He looked over at her and sighed. Just before she closed her eyes, she said in a small voice, "Thank you."

He looked up towards the roof and sighed. He could hear Wilson softly saying taunting him, telling him that he was getting soft. He sat there for a few minutes before looking down at the black album in his hands. When he opened the book and took a look at the first photo, his eyes widened.

"Now, these I could use." House smirked, as he continued to flip through the book.

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Previously in the living room

"Now, why are you here?" Allison asked Daniel once more, with a sharp edge to her voice.

"I have already told you, Allison. I'm here to see .." Daniel started, looking at Allison.

"And yet you are out here with me." Allison ended for him. "Which is strange, that the one person that could give the devil a run for his money, and still manage to cure almost every illness known to man is in there with her."

"I don't like him." Daniel growled at her.

"Your disapproval has been noted." Allison sighed, rolling her eyes at him.

"He's not good for you or Hannah."

"I think that should be our choice, not yours." Allison sighed. "I think it's time for us to call, whatever this is, a night. I'm tired and exhausted, and we are getting nowhere with this. I don't have to work this weekend and Hannah will be here. Call her tomorrow and you two can meet up or something."

"Where are you going to be?" Daniel asked, looking over at her.

"Out Daniel. I am going to be out." Allison said, raising her voice. "Just give it a rest, Daniel. I'm through with this tonight. Do what you came to do and spend time with your daughter."

Allison stood up and walked to the door, while Daniel just stared at the seat that she was sitting in. After a few minutes, he stood up and walked to the door. Before she could shut the door, he stopped it with his hand.

"I want to be a part of your life, both of your lives. We used to be inseparable Ally, why can't we go back to that?"

"We will always be inseparable Daniel, just not together." Allison said, before she closed the door.

Allison ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she leaned against the door. Daniel just showing up at her home threw her. Feelings that were buried years ago, were threatening to make themselves known again. As she walked back to her room, she was wondered what she would find.

With House there were so many scenarios, most of them involve crying, when she came to her bedroom. She quietly opened the door a crack. What she saw made her eyes widen and her heart flutter. All the feelings that she was worried about vanished.

There, on the bed was Hannah and House. They were sleeping soundly, no crying or yelling. Hannah was cuddled against House's shoulder, while House had his head tilted against hers. For the first time, House looked at peace.

Allison just smiled and closed the door softly. It seemed like the perfect time to heat up some of that coffee that House made. After putting a cup in the microwave, she took the coffee and walked to the couch. All business now as she put on her glasses, she pulled out her briefcase and sipped her coffee.

Smiling to herself and once more looking down the hall, she looked at the papers in front of her.

'Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.' She thought to herself.