Author's note: I am a horrible, terrible person and I have no excuse for my negligence. I am very sorry that I've fallen behind in posting this story. I'm REALLY bad because it's already written. I just need to post. Sigh…forgive me? I'm posting three chapters to sorta make up for it all.

Oh, and House doesn't belong to me, etc…

CHAPTER 15

House jumped up and moved to the phone quicker than anyone had ever seen him move. Sera yelled, "Don't answer it yet!" as she took the recording equipment off of her phone and ran over to the desk phone. The phone rang a third time and House said impatiently, "The hell with this" and pushed the speaker button and growled out, "Hello?" They heard someone's breath hitch and a soft, tremulous voice say, "House?"

House paled. "Cameron?! Where are you? Are you okay?"

They all became quiet as she started to whisper, "House, it's the Pink Rose…"

House cut her off. "Yes, I know, but where are you?"

"I don't….I think it's some kind of abandoned building. There seems to be some stained glass…maybe it's an old church. I'm not sure which direction…

They all heard Allison gasp as a man's voice came over the speakerphone. They heard the clatter as Foreman's cell apparently fell to the floor. The voice was familiar to all of them.

"What are you DOING? Where did you get that phone…I took your phone!! Tell me who you called!!"

The group at PPTH heard Dumas's voice get louder. From the sound of Allison's sobs, he was shaking her as he yelled at her. They heard a thump and Allison cry out in pain. Then Dumas picked up the phone.

"Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" Dumas was breathing heavily and obviously trying to regain his composure and calm down. House answered him.

"This is House. What did you do to Cameron? If you hurt her, I WILL destroy you…"

Dumas started laughing. "Oh, Dr. House, I am delighted to finally meet you. Sorry it's under such…unpleasant…circumstances. You have a really beautiful employee here. She's quite lovely…and intelligent, too. Lifting the telephone from her fallen comrade…I actually didn't anticipate that one. I love it when there are brains behind the beauty. Just like our lovely Dr. Blair. Serenity, darling, why aren't you speaking to me? Wombat got your tongue?"

While Dumas chuckled softly at his own joke, Sera hit mute. "He must have been here at the hospital watching us…watching you, House. There's no way he could have known about the wombat thing unless he hung out here."

Sera jumped slightly when Dumas spoke her name sharply. "Serenity! It isn't polite to mute the phone so you can talk about people." Sera hit the button.

"Well, you were boring me with your lame jokes, Winston. Put Allison back on the phone. She's way more fun."

Dumas chuckled again. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Although I doubt there's anything useful she could tell you. You probably already figured out the church thing. Between you and Dr. House, the brain power is probably stinking up the place. He is, after all, a genius." This last bit was just oozing with sarcasm.

Sera hit the mute button again and turned to House. "Ok, he definitely hates you. Find out why." She pushed the button again.

House spoke up. "So, Dumas, what's your beef? You obviously have a problem with me. Why don't you be a man and deal with ME, face to face? Or are you too much of a coward?"

Sera looked at him and muttered, "Well, that's being circumspect!" She didn't bother pressing the mute button. She wanted to amuse Winston to offset the irritation House's comment may have caused. She was slightly relieved to hear him chuckle once more.

"Ah, Serenity, I have missed you. Glad to have you back in the game, my dear. I thought you and I were through after that whole mess with Agent Rodriguez."

Sera saw red. "There is no 'you and I' you son of a …"

"Serenity!!" Carmela cut her off and shook her head warningly at Sera.

"Dr. Ling?" Dumas's voice went up a notch on the last word, the surprise evident in his voice.

Sera frowned and cocked her head to the side, staring at the phone. 'Why would he be surprised that the Professor is here? She and I always work together on his cases.' Sera mused. There was something there that seemed kind of off, but she decided to examine it later.

Carmel spoke to Dumas. "Yes, Winston, I'm here. We are all very concerned about Dr. Cameron. May we speak to her?"

House pushed the mute button and turned on her. "Why the hell are you being polite to this murderer?

Carmela glared right back at him. "Do NOT interfere in what I'm doing. I know this man. We've been working on this case for six years now. You definitely get more flies with honey with this man."

House shot back at her. "Six years? Well, your technique is working amazingly well! Just ask…" House turned to gesture to the whiteboard. "…Mary Hazlett, Jenny Singleton, Cherie Foussaud, Connie Gonzalez…"

Sera shushed House and raised her hand to forestall comments from Carmela. "We don't have time for this crap now! House, you don't like anyone to come around pissing in your territory, so don't muck around in ours! Your interference could hurt Cameron!!" Sera hit the mute button forcefully and called Winston's name.

He responded sulkily, "Well, I was about to hang up. My feelings were hurt because no one seemed to want to talk to me."

Sera cringed at what she was about to do, but she thought about Allison and gritted out, as nicely as she could, "Winston, we really need to speak to Allison. We just want to make sure she's okay."

Winston sighed. "Well, I don't think she's able to talk right now. Apparently, when she…er…tripped a few minutes ago, she hit her head."

Sera took a deep breath to calm herself. House was gripping his cane tightly as if he wanted to jump through the phone and beat Winston to death. "Winston! Go check on Cameron to see if she's okay, or I swear I'll hang up this phone and not talk to you again."

Winston scoffed at her. "You wouldn't do that. You have to save House's precious little girl. The girls always get special treatment, you know."

Sera filed that comment away to examine later, too. "Winston, you've known me for several years now. What's the one thing I've never done to you?"

Winston thought for a moment. "Well, you've never lied to me."

Sera encouraged him. "That's right, I never have. I always do what I say I'm going to do, don't I?"

Winston quietly agreed. Sera pressed home her point. "So, when I say I'm not going to talk to you anymore if you don't check on Allison, you know that I mean it. Go make sure she's breathing okay and that her pulse is strong."

They all heard Winston put the phone down and walk a few steps away. They heard him say out loud, "Well, Dr. Cameron, you appear to be no worse for…oomph!"

House, Robert, Eric, Dave, and Mitch all cringed a bit. Sera saw them and surmised, "The jewels?" They all nodded and Robert said, "Sounded like it."

They all listened anxiously as they heard running and the sound of someone trying to open a locked door. Donna was muttering under her breath, "C'mon, Allie, c'mon…" There was the something that sounded like a chair being smashed. Then more banging on the door and the sound of Allison's breathing and sobbing. Then they all gave a collective gasp as they heard a groan, the sound of heavier footsteps and then Winston's voice, sounding grim and foreboding.

"Now, now, Dr. Cameron, that wasn't very nice, now was it?"

The group listened in horror at the unmistakable sound of a knife unsheathing.

"That wasn't nice at ALL!"