Author´s note: I don´t own House. I just play a little.
Ha. No time trouble with this chapter. I hope you guys like it, and don´t forget to leave a comment!
A very special Thank you to Katie, my Beta!
Chapter twelve
"Cameron?"
A loud crack.
"Cameron! Are you still there?"
Another crack, a little moan.
"Cameron! Talk to me! What´s happening there?"
But silence is the only reply.
House replays his words and her silence over and over as he drives to her place, not giving a damn about all the traffic regulations. His first thought had been to call the police, but then, it had seemed too dangerous for him. He had then called Cuddy, quickly telling her about Cameron´s phone call. Now both were in their cars, racing to get to Cameron, and they already knew Cuddy would arrive first.
"Cameron! It's Cuddy! Open the door!" Come on girl, just open the damn door!
The brown door flies open, showing a very angry and yet frightened Allison Cameron.
"A fucking cat! Can you believe that? A baby black cat attacked me in my living-room!" her voice breaks as she speaks.
"A cat." Cuddy is about to let out a relieved sigh, when the haunted look on Cameron´s face stops her.
When entering the apartment, she sees a bundle of black fur lying on the couch. "How did the cat get in here?"
"I don´t know. Maybe I left a window open and she slipped in. Must be. But that´s not why I called, Cuddy." She pauses, gazing in the direction of her bedroom. "There is something else. And if I wouldn't know that…there has to be a simple explanation for this, I would have freaked out by now."
"What is it, Cameron?" The elder woman sees the direction Cameron is gazing. "Something in your bedroom?" When Cameron nods, Cuddy walks toward the room and enters, followed closely by the younger doctor.
Cameron points to the middle of the room. "Right on the bed. The dress." She sees Cuddy´s puzzled look and shakes her head. "Right, right, you can´t know. Well, this dress…I´d bought it during a vacation with…Jared and he´s the only one who ever saw it. I never wore it again." Cameron sighs, looking down as she continues to speak. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I didn´t put It on my bed."
Cuddy turns around surprised, closely studying Cameron´s face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. And as I said, there´s only one reason why I haven´t freaked out yet. Your brother was the only person who knew about this dress. But we can…debar him. He can´t be the one who put it there. So this whole thing has to be…I don´t know."
Cuddy´s voice is almost a whisper as she speaks. "You mean that this", she points toward the bed. "can´t mean that they've found you?" It better not mean…
Cameron nods. "Right. No reason to pull out that dress. Nobody knows about it. And besides that, let´s be honest Cuddy. If it where the Mafia, I would be dead right now."
A hard knock on the door startles both woman and Cameron is the first to catch herself. "That´s House. I Know that sound by now."
The second she opens the door House is inside, looking around attentively. "So, what´s going on?"
"It´s…" What's she supposed to say? That a cat attacked her? She looks over to Cuddy, searching for help.
"Hell-lloo, " He snaps his fingers in front of Camerons face. "I asked you something!"
The three of them are sitting on the couch, every one gazing blankly at the table before them. House´s cane is going up and down on the ground. "Can you please stop that?" Cuddy´s voice cuts the silence, but not House´s actions. She stands up, walking around the living-room.
"Something else that seems strange to you?" He turns his head to the side, facing Cameron.
"No. Just the dress."
"And the cat. I looked, all windows are closed." Cuddy responses.
Now House stands up, going into the kitchen. He opens the fridge, and looks in the sink. As he limps back he looks at Cuddy, then Cameron.
"Cameron, have you eaten something since this morning?"
"No." Was this his only worry?
House nods when he sits down on a chair, his face covered by an unreadable expression.
"Thought so. But there's food missing in the fridge, and there´s a dirty plate in the sink. And I washed the dishes last night."
Both House and Cameron avoid the amused look on Cuddy´s face. "That´s interesting."
House waves a hand in the air. "Whatever, I was up to something. If you didn´t eat something, then who did? And what about the cat? Cuddy said that all your windows are closed. So how did it get in here? And then your dress. You said it wasn´t you who put it on your bed. So again, who did?"
And after a small pause, House asks a last question. "And by the way, who did say that your charming Boyfriend is really dead?"
It was getting better and better. First Cameron´s puzzled look when she saw the dress. Then her frightened face when she walked back to the living-room, grabbing her phone. And it obviously wasn´t Cuddy who took the call.
Ah, and then, the cat. Little black cat. And the look on Cameron´s face when the cat attacked her!
When his sister Cuddy had entered the scene, he got a good look at her puzzled and frightened face too. And when Cameron said his name, he almost couldn't stand it. It was so good to hear his real name after four years, and it was even better coming from his little girl.
It was a really good idea to put that dress on her bed. At first he was surprised that she had kept it. But on the other hand, why shouldn´t she? He was hurt and disappointed when he had searched through her belongings, only to find out that Cameron had thrown away anything that was related to him. Even her year book! But it was all right, there would be plenty other things in the near future to keep.
And then, this House came in. He growls. House. Who was he to assume the right to be near his girl? He even dared to touch her arm! Fucking Bastard! And did he say that he had spent last night at Cameron´s? He would have to pay for that. Jared hoped that Cameron hadn´t…slept with him. 'Cause then she would have to pay, too.
This son of a bitch's last sentence made him smile. Ah, finally! Someone was going in the right direction! He zooms in on Cameron´s face, enjoying the shock filling her beautiful face.
Yeah, that´s right my Love. Your man is back.
And neither House, Cameron nor Cuddy are aware that the little camera, covertly hidden in the floor lamp, is telling Jared Carter every move.