A/N: So first off, I'M SO SORRY! I know I was MIA for far too long with this update.

My excuse? Freshman year of college. It's been quite a challenge adjusting to it all (huge understatement). Please don't hate me. In extreme apology, this is a very long chapter. My longest ever actually. I hope it works and you enjoy it.

Also, now that Season 4 has started (hellz yes!!), this story is now an AU! Not that you care so much. You just want the angst and the drama and the romance and the eventual boinking... and I so didn't say or elude to any of that. Nope.

Disclaimer: I do not own House, M.D. and any of its characters. However, the duckies I've introduced are mine. So hands off!

"I'm telling you, that was brilliant. Enough entertainment to tide me over for a couple weeks, at the very least. I mean, I expected House to really pull out all the stops when he canned her, but your bit out in the hallway was like icing on the proverbial cake!" '16' excitedly spouted as the three fellows and Cameron filtered further into the conference room. "After only two days we all knew she was a goner."

"I really don't understand how someone like her could even manage to graduate from med school. The memory of a goldfish and the intelligence of a can of string beans," '24' muttered, looking out into the hallway with an air of annoyance.

'36' shifted in her seat and looked nervous. "Yes. Dr. Lampston never really did 'fit' here. But I wouldn't say she didn't show any promise…"

"Nah, she was on her way out as soon as she walked through the door, if you ask me," '16 interjected as his eyes shifted Cameron's way. "But, now that she has hit the dusty trails and is very much out of the picture, it's nice to meet and work with you Dr. Cameron," he stood slightly and reached across the table to give her a firm handshake.

"Considering I tend not to refer to people as numbers…" Cameron began.

'16' gave a quick chuckle. "Hah, yeah good call. Time to reveal our true identities. I'm Danny Harris, Hepatologist slash Endocrinologist extraordinaire." He shrugged as he settled back in to his chair.

'24' stood fully and extended his hand to Cameron. "And I am Dr. Benji Shorne. Cardiology. I'm from Harvard Medical", he added smugly. Although she kept her eyes set on the man in front of her, Allison couldn't help but catch Harris' roll of the eyes in her peripheral vision. "It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Cameron," Shorne continued, holding Cameron's hand a bit longer than necessary until she was forced to withdraw it herself.

She turned to face the last remaining fellow at the table. "And you are Alexa…?" Cameron started, trying to remember the young woman's interrupted introduction from earlier.

"Alexa Li, Neurologist," she smiled brightly sitting straight in her chair at being addressed.

Cameron nodded. "You'll have to excuse me if I'm mistaken, but you seem very familiar to me. Did you go to Princeton for your degree?"

"Actually, yes I did. In fact, you and I sat in on the same lecture a few years ago." Cameron cocked her head slightly in thought as Li continued. "The Diagnostics lecture that Dr. House filled in for? He was proposing three different cases pertaining to leg problems. You suggested muscle death in light of tea colored urine that Dr. House gave as a symptom. It was quite impressive. The whole lecture was actually. That's why I'm here I suppose. After that class I made sure to do everything I could to secure a fellowship here with Dr. House. And now being able to work with you as well, Dr. Cameron… well it's all very—"

"What Li's trying to say is that she worships the ground House limps on, and now that you're here too it's like Christmas has come early. Am I right?" Harris interjected. Li looked bashful and nodded in silent agreement.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you all. And I'm glad you all have names now, not just numbers. Which by the way..." Cameron trailed off.

"The numbering system. Ah yes," Shorne puffed out his chest as he sat further back in his steel chair. House has been going through fellows like five-year-old boys go through band-aids. Instead of actually bothering to learn our names or caring to learn anything about us," Cameron mentally scoffed at House 'caring' about much of anything, "he has chosen to appoint us each a number. Lampston was the most recent at '40', and I of course was number 36 in the long line of unfortunate victims," he finished with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Cameron had to admit she was a bit startled by the sheer number of people House had hired and fired in the year since she'd left. "So Dr. Harris, that makes you the senior fellow around here? How'd you manage that?", she asked, noting Shorne's scowl at the mention of Harris' senority.

Harris managed to ignore the other man's reaction and simply nodded. "I don't give House much of a chance to fire me, is what it comes down to. I stick to my work, do what I believe in, yadda yadda. Plus, I think the guy's an absolute riot, not to mention a genius."

"So what brings you back to Princeton's Diagnostics Department, Dr. Cameron, if you don't mind me asking," Li inquired.

"Yes, Dr. Cameron. Tell us about yourself," Shorne added smoothly, his dimpled smile appearing once again.

"Well, it is true I was once a fellow of Dr. House's. For just about three years. I left the position looking for some… new opportunities," Cameron said, leaving her true motives for quitting sufficiently vague. "After spending a year at Banner Gateway Medical in Arizona practicing in Immunology and Diagnostics, I decided I missed the PPTH experience. But, to be completely honest, I wasn't exactly expecting to get this position. And I certainly didn't expect to have to fire anyone either." The small group collectively grinned. "However, I am most definitely thrilled to be here."

Harris ran a hand through his red hair, slapped his palms against his knees, and rose. "Cool. Well, I'm liking our chances here, I'm really "feeling the love". Seems like this could be it, guys," he spread his grin around the table. "And now, if you don't mind, it's lunch time." He made his was over to the glass door. "Again, nice meeting you Dr. Cameron," and he was off down the hall.

The two remaining ducklings also got up. "If you're looking to have some lunch, I'll be down in the cafeteria, Dr. Cameron," Shorne said with the barest hint of a Bostonian accent as he also walked out of the room.

Li turned sharply before exiting. "We don't have a case right now. We just finished our last one the other day. Tapeworm, as it turned out. If you are looking for our case files to browse over, I do believe they're still in the office?"The exceedingly young, oriental fellow took a moment to breathe. "Working with both you and Dr. House is sure to prove interesting and rewarding, I'm sure," she beamed and walked out leaving Cameron highly amused.

Allison twirled around lightly, wandered over to the coffee pot at the sink, and poured herself a cup. Having actual names for her fellows felt a lot better than the numbers had. My fellows. My interns. Our ducklings. She shook her head lightly as the hint of a blush rose to her cheeks. What a weird concept.

Cameron nearly gagged on the sip of luke-warm liquid in her mug. House really wasn't kidding about '40's inability to make coffee. Because, whatever it was that was currently swishing around inside her cup, it was most certainly not coffee. The contents of her mug and the rest of the pot were promptly poured down the drain and forgotten about. Cameron reflexively reached into the cabinets and started a new batch as she thought about the three doctors she had just met.

They were most certainly a mish-mosh of people. All from very different locations, backgrounds, and specialties. They had obvious differences in personality and point of view. That being said, as a team so far they seemed to possess real potential, and she hadn't even observed them in action yet. Still, they were a new bunch and undoubtedly had a lot to learn. How well they'd manage patients, and manage Dr. House, remained to be seen.

The sound of coffee boiling over onto the counter, snapped Cameron out of her internal dialogue. After pouring herself a cup, she paused. Her mouth formed a tight line as she contemplated her next move. With a small sigh of resignation, she took House's favorite red mug from the glassware and poured another glass from the pot. She couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious as she recalled the exact amount of sugar he preferred in his coffee.

Taking both of the filled mugs in hands, she headed slowly for the adjoining office.

She found, however, that the room still and deserted. No tennis balls bouncing off walls, no pair of Nike Shox propped up on any desk or chair, no Greg House in sight.

Cameron walked around behind his desk, and pushed the chair in delicately. Pressing her fingertips to the table-top surface, her eyes swept across the room. Here, the reality of her position settled heavily on her.

Not her position as Assistant Director of the department; no, that wasn't it.

The last time Allison (had) stood in this spot was the night she'd looked House in his cerulean eyes and resigned.

And she had left. For thirteen months. But not before telling him that she'd miss him.

Which she most certainly had. She had missed him dearly.

And although standing in this specific place reminded her of all the pain and emptiness of the past, it was also reminded her that she was truly back. She had lost over a year of her life feigning happiness with Chase, trying to be someone she wasn't, but she'd finally woken up and come back home. Back to what might be a second chance.

House's initial reaction to their reintroduction that morning had given her a bit more hope. Seeing the look on his face...it had given her a toehold of solid ground. It made this move back to PPTH seem less foolish. It suggested she wasn't completely naïve in assuming she even had some sort of last ditch chance in that respect.

Her own desk, gleaming in the afternoon sunshine, spelled out another reason for coming back here. Everything was fitting as she was hoping it would… so far.

Pivoting in her spot, she looked to the windows through the blinds to the bright balcony. Sweeping her gaze over the panes of glass, she noticed that the sliding door was slightly ajar. Grabbing the two mugs of perfectly prepared coffee, she steeled herself and walked outside.

As soon as the breeze hit her, Allison stopped in her tracks.

"You're late. I was expecting you to come storming in on my ten-thirty patient meeting, ranting and raving about her busting down the doors of both your office and your life. So, I predicted ten-thirty and it's now… almost twelve fifteen? Hoh HOH! What'd you do? Slip in to a coma the second) Cuddy brought her in? You didn't bleed out and stroke did you? Maybe I should do a neuro assessment, check your Glasgow coma scale." She could hear the smirk in Wilson's witty and well-practiced voice as he leaned against the wall, looking off into Princeton. He had yet to turn and face her.

She held back a highly amused smile as she allowed the silence to settle heavier for a moment.

Finally, she had to crack.

"He's still a fifteen on the coma scale, Wilson." The oncologist went rigid in the shoulders, completely caught off guard by the feminine voice that most certainly did not belong to his very much masculine best friend. "He fired one of the fellows within twenty minutes of me walking in, but I didn't see any signs of stroke." Wilson slowly turned to face her, blushing and looking both horrified and sheepish.

She smiled genuinely. "Hi Wilson."

He clapped his hands together, bringing them up to his pursed lips in reflection and embarrassment. "You got me," he muscled out slowly. "You definitely got me there."

"I won't tell anyone, it'll be our secret."

"Thanks."

"In fact, this way, you'll be able to use those same lines when you actually do see House. It was very well thought out and composed...good delivery," she said cheekily. He laughed at this.

"What can I say? My strong suit is badgering people with meaningful advice laced with the odd Freudian concept. And by 'people' I usually mean House. Quick and biting pot shots are his area of expertise, not mine."

Cameron nodded and joined him over at the balcony's wall. Noticing him eyeing the two coffee mugs in her hands, she handed House's to him. "Three sugars, no milk or cream. Hope that works for you."

He paused, looking at her sideways.

"Making coffee for him already?"

She gave him a hard look. "More like securing some sort of a safe ground and the beginnings of a truce."

"Ah. Probably a smart idea. Not that I entirely buy it. For now."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Sorry," he coughed awkwardly. "Uh, did I hear you right before? House fired another of the fellows? When was this, just now?"

"Yep. Lampston? More commonly known as 'Number 40' I guess."

Wilson blanched. "She only lasted two days! A day and a half really. Good lord! I mean, I figured she'd go at some point soon but… man!"

"Lose any bets there?"

"Oh my good…" he caught himself, looked at her and sighed in defeat. "Maybe just a small one. Or two. Damn."

"Sorry, Wilson. She really did need to go, though."

"So you seconded his motion then." It was certainly a statement rather than a question.

"After trying to speak with her, yes. Absolutely. Although I didn't exactly use the same words he did."

"I'm sure you didn't. I'd be a bit shocked if you had."

Cameron decided to remain quiet about the slight fit of temper she'd released on the crazed woman out in the hallway. Wilson was bound to hear about it from the nurses as soon as he left his office.

Silence settled over the balcony.

"So. You came back. There any specific reason why?"

"A couple, actually. Sure."

"I see." He raised a inquiring, thick eyebrow at her and attempted a House-like stare, only to come up short.

Turning to him fully, she rolled her eyes again. "First off, quit looking at me like that. It's most definitely not your style." He smiled good naturedly but remain quiet, still looking at her expectantly.

Oh what the hell. Why was this man so good at getting people to talk? He should have looked in to the FBI or something, really.

She took a deep breath. " Wilson. I'm going to put everything out on the table for you here, okay? Because I know that's what you want me to do, and you won't leave me alone until it's out in the open. Okay?" He nodded in quiet agreement and pivoted to look at her more directly.

"Good. I've been out at Banner Gateway since I resigned here. I was with Chase. And yes, the word 'with' has multiple meanings in this case. But all of that is over and in the past at this point. Both Arizona and Chase. It wasn't right for me. It never was and it never would have been. I contacted Cuddy. I thought maybe I could come back here and be more comfortable with my location. 'Location' being physical and metaphysical, alright? Yes, I missed my job here. Yes, I missed the challenges it constantly presented me. And yes Wilson, I missed House. Don't ask me to explain why. But as of right now, I'm back at PPTH, I'm trying to secure my career and, the way I see it, the proverbial ball is very much in House's court… as it usually tends to be. And for now, I'm okay. In fact, I'm better than I have been in a long time. All that good with you, Wilson?" She breathed in deeply, watching him confidently. Although his eyes had widened marginally and his head was now cocked to the side, there was little change in Wilson's demeanor. His silence held.

She rolled her eyes. "And yes, Wilson. If you hadn't caught it before I left over a year ago, I'm a big girl now. And contrary to House's popular belief, yes; I do have a backbone.

At this, he chuckled lightly and watched her with skepticism, one eyebrow raised.

Allison returned the small grin. "Alright. So I'm getting better with backbone thing. But in any case, there you have it. Your turn. Pychoanalyze me. Go."

A patented Wilson chuckle followed. "Well, I'd definitely have to agree with the 'Cameron's changed a bit' thing. I actually think you've changed a hell of a lot. In fact, I have to agree with most of what you said. I only say most because I've seen this 'ball' you speak of being passed pretty evenly between you and House since you first started here. Hell, I'd say that this is a game with multiple balls in play," he raised his eyebrows high, "And a game like that… can be pretty difficult if you ask me. Makes things excessively complicated. There's a lot to be dealt with."

Cameron held back another roll of her eyes at this classic Wilson metaphor. "I know how much is involved here, Wilson. I know it's going to take some fighting. A lot of fighting. And I'm more ready now that I ever was."

"I don't doubt that, Cameron. But…," he shook his head and ran a hand through his thick, brown hair, "There's always going to be something else with House. Another layer, another secret, another stubborn issue, the list will go on and on and on. What's good is I think you're as aware of this. And the simple fact that you're here ready to, I don't know, give it another shot in the dark… that spells out a lot. But there's still no guarantee."

She nodded imperceptibly and looked out at the Princeton skyline. The immunologist started thinking aloud more than anything then.

"It'd be worth it. He never saw that before, I know. And I'm not about to force him to see it this time around. I can try this one more time, though, and hope. But I would never consider changing him. Yeah, he can be a jerk. But there's much more to him than that. I've seen glimpses of it before. I guess… he's the concept of home and familiarity I came back for, as weird as that sounds. He is who he is. Why would I ever change that? Or want to?"

Cameron looked back at him and was caught off guard by the Wilson's expression. Understanding, acceptance and above all, trust shone back at her.

"Cameron… I," he stumbled with a temporary loss of words before continuing. "Going on what you just said, I know… I mean. I trust…," he sighed deeply, "Forgive me. You caught me off guard there," he took another breath before continuing.

"What you just said proved a lot of things to me. One point being that you really do know him. More than he knows you do by ten-fold. The hard part is getting him to see and accept that," he shook his head sadly. "Cameron, he's never had an easy life. Never. Especially after Stacy… well. I won't really get into that here. But the way I see it, if you can ever get him to come around and accept himself, I'm almost positive he might be open enough to accept you. Who knows, he may even accept some semblance of happiness again. It's a long shot, I won't lie, but I hope with all I have it works. After watching him go through this past year especially… I'm convinced more than ever that he needs this. Needs something," he sighed. "He needs you."

She could have let the tears that had slowly built up as he spoke spill over at that point. But Allison held herself in check and settled for a glowing grin.

Damn Wilson for always being able to get people to talk about anything and everything. And damn him to hell for knowing exactly what to say and how to say it. She hadn't realized how much she needed to talk about all this with someone. It also surprised her how much she was unconsciously seeking Wilson's guidance and… approval?

She cleared her throat and looked down in sudden embarrassment.

"Who would have thought you would have been the first one to make me cry," she laughed, sniffing the almost-tears away. "On day one too? I was doing so well!"

"Sorry about that," he smiled apologetically.

"No, no." She looked back up at him. "God I'm embarrassed. I don't usually talk so freely, I have to admit…," she trailed off lamely. "What I'm trying to say is thank you. For listening. For… just thank you."

He nodded and smirked. "Anytime. Really. That's what I'm here for. Truth is, I'm not even an oncologist. I'm just some weird guy with an affinity for lab coats and silk ties that likes listening to people and getting all Freudian on them."

She laughed heartily at that.

Wilson smiled and turned as if to head back into his office, but Cameron called after him. He turned, eyebrows raised in question.

"You really thought I was going to let you walk away after spilling my emotional baggage all over the place without getting you talk about Lisa?" Cameron drawled out her boss' name in a low, sultry tone, coupled with a clever grin. "It's your turn, Wilson. Fair is fair." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him smugly.

He turned scarlet immediately and looked skyward. With his hands on his hips, he gave a short chuckle before leveling his eyes on to Cameron again.

"So you know about us, huh? May I ask how?"

She shrugged. "I'm just that good," she paused before shrugging again. "Cuddy dropped your first name this morning before my tour. I called her on it, and her reaction practically screamed you were together. You didn't honestly think this would stay a secret, Wilson, did you?"

"We've kept it pretty quiet thus far I'd say"

Allison was thoughtful. "How long?"

He sighed and looked uncomfortable.

"Oh come on, Wilson! You get everyone else to dish about themselves but when it comes to you, you clam up? Shame on you."

"Okay fine. Two months. And we're trying to keep it as low key as possible. The nurses' rumor mill hasn't caught on. I don't even know if House has fully zeroed in yet, which is huge! So please…"

"Don't worry about it. You have my confidence. Plus, I think it's great. Always thought you two would work if the chance ever came up," Cameron mused as Wilson blushed deeper.

"Alright enough with all this. I'm going to read some charts and catch up with things around here," she declared evenly.

"Good plan," he smiled. "Anytime you need to talk, Cam-"

"Same to you, Wilson," she took the now empty coffee mugs in to her hands and walked back to the office with a small grin on her face. She hadn't felt this light and comfortable in a long time. Talking all of that out with Wilson really had done some good. No wonder House actually puts up with his psycho mumbo jumbo. It actually works! Who would have guessed it… House is lucky to have him around.

After washing the mugs in the sink and setting them on the drying rack, Cameron returned to the office and dug around in the file cabinets. She finally stumbled across some files from the past few months in no particular filing order. Loading her arms with a stack she maneuvered her way to her desk, dropping them in a heap, and sat down heavily.

After allowing a minute to compose herself, she selected a file from the top of the mountainous pile in front of her and began.

His scrawling hand writing dotted the page with only the most important of details; nothing more or less than that. She had to smirk.

Where was House anyway? She glanced at her watch. One (thirty-two) in the afternoon. Clinic duty. Or hiding from Cuddy and avoiding his clinic duty, more than likely.

She turned her attention back to the task in front of her and read one sentence before having to (resist) another look at her wristwatch.

She sighed.

It was going to be a long afternoon at this rate.

An hour passed. And with it went four files. Two of which were simplistic time killers, while the other two were challenging. Winding trails of unheard of diagnoses followed by entirely unorthodox treatments. Another suburban patient with The Black Plague? What are these people doing to themselves? Honestly.

There was a knock on the conference room door. After calling for the person to come in, Cameron was met with Dr. Benji Shorne, his dimples, and a fruit salad he was holding.

She set down the file and folded her hands together as he came in to the room.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you, Dr. Cameron," he said smoothly.

She gave him a tight lipped grin in response. Clearly you're interrupting me. I've stopped working, haven't I?

"I noticed you hadn't taken your lunch break," he continued as he set the plastic container of fruit down on her desk lightly.

"Thank you, Shorne."

"No problem at all. And you can call me Benji if you'd like."

She swallowed and gave him a short nod. "I'll remember that. But as this is a professional workplace and I am your superior, I have to insist we use earned titles or formal names."

Shorne's eyes widened slightly before he smiled brightly and nodded. "Understood and noted." He paused hesitantly as if considering his next words carefully. "Well. I'll let you get back to your reading. Excuse me." He turned and headed slowly to the door.

Cameron sighed wearily. Definitely have to keep an eye on him, she thought.

She looked hard at the bowl of fruit before taking a piece of pineapple and turning back to the folder in front of her.

Another hour and fifty minutes had passed.

Cameron knew this because of her repeated looks at the time. She was starting to hate herself for it.

Five o'clock was looming off in the distance.

She'd successfully navigated her way through the entire bowl of fruit salad as well as seventeen files. Impressive, but that was only about halfway through the stack.

With a flustered grunt of frustration, Cameron wiped her hands down her face and covered her eyes for a moment.

"Long first day or what?"

To say she jumped would have been a serious understatement. Hands flying away from her eyes, she looked up through the darkness to see someone standing in the doorway to the conference room.

"Sorry about that. Caught you a bit off guard there."

Harris.

"It's okay. Come in."

He strolled in to the office and, instead of approaching her desk, sat down on the couch that was now situated against the solid conference room wall.

"Definitely a nice set-up in here. Might get a bit rough sharing the space with House all the time though. He's been on a bit of an AC/DC kick as of late."

She had to smile. "That's fine. Nothing wrong with some 'Back in Black' action here and there. I think everything will be just fine."

The man shrugged and nodded. "Again, I like how you see things." His eyes swept around the office until settling on the now empty plastic bowl on the desk. "Oh, no way did he…"

Cameron kept quiet and looked thoughtfully at Harris. "Shorne's an idiot. Really. Probably came up, flashed some dimple and floated away, am I right?" he spouted off quickly.

Cameron remained quiet but couldn't help her amusement to seep through. "What a tool," the red-headed doctor rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Sorry. Shorne's a bit of a… well a tool. I mean, he's an okay doctor, sure. The problem is that he thinks he's pretty much cream of the crop because he went to Harvard and has a perfectly styled haircut. And a dad with some clout in the medical world, don't forget that part."

Good looking, powerful father, perfect hair… file that one away for some further thought and comparison.

"Well, Harris, I'll keep all that in mind. And don't worry; the fruit wasn't that good."

He looked at her for an extended moment and then laughed as if he decoded some secret message in her short statement. "Gottcha."

Noticing how dark it was getting, Cameron switched on her desk lamp with a small click. The light illuminated the still monstrous stack of unread case files and made her slump unconsciously.

"You've been at those for a while now. Almost quitting time you know," Harris mused lightly.

"Have to level the playing field some more, I'm afraid. Can't go into work here without knowing what's been happening. Although it isn't necessarily in the job description, House would probably end up preying on my ignorance if I didn't read through all these. Plus, there's always more learn," she said heavily.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like you have it all figured out," he mused while looked around the office curiously before looking back to Cameron with them same sort of look.

Noticing this, Cameron immediately made for file number eighteen of the stack as Harris continued to study her. His look was nothing compared to House's all-knowing, ever-piercing glare, but she could still feel his thoughtful eyes on her as she pretended to read.

There was a soft knock at the door drawing Cameron's attention to the door again. Li stood almost apologetically in the frame.

"Yes, Li?"

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Dr. Cameron. I just wanted to let you know that I was planning on going home now. It's nearly five and I have finished my lab work for the day."

"Sure, Li. That sounds fine. Have a good night."

"Thank you. Goodnight," and with that, the young fellow disappeared from sight.

Harris stood and stretched casually. "I think I'm going to call it a day too, if you don't mind, Dr. Cameron."

She nodded and stretched a little herself. "Yeah that sounds fine. You're free to go I guess." She shook her head. "Sorry. It's just strange giving you guys permission to go. Don't let that get out though."

Harris smirked and shoved his hands in to his pockets. "No problems there. We're all still trying to get some footing around here. And I've been here for months now." He headed to the door before turned around again. "How about you though? Not like we have a case right now. I'm pretty sure those files will be there tomorrow morning."

"Probably. But I'm going to try to get a couple more out of the way tonight I think."

He nodded and took a casual look around again. "Alright then, if you say so. Have a good one, Cameron."

"You too, Harris." And with that he was gone.

She checked her watch. Five oh one. She should think about packing up soon.

Instead of diving back into the folders, Cameron sat back in her chair and swept her eyes over her surroundings. The sun was low in the sky through the slats of blinds over the windows. The soft sunlight and her desk lamp cast shadows over the majority of the room. She could just make out the mortar and pestle sitting on the bookshelf behind House's desk. She noticed that his bag and leather jacket were still slung on top of his chair.

Forcing her eyes back on to the files, Cameron played with the band on her wristwatch.

She really should go home at some point. What was there to wait for anyways?

Two more hours. Six more files. The sun had disappeared from sight over an hour ago and still Cameron sat alone in the office with her desk lamp and House's belongings staring her in the face.

He hadn't come back yet for whatever reason.

Before, House would be peeling out of the hospital at five on the dot. Unless they had a case. And now it was nearing seven fifteen.

To say this was odd was a given and an understatement.

Cameron pushed out of her chair and stood a little too quickly. Fuzzy dots danced in front of her as she struggled to regain her focus. After a moment of rearranging herself, she walked from behind the desk and over to the windows. Looking out in to the darkness of Princeton at night, she stretched her arms wide, groaned tiredly and slumped with a defeated yawn. More relaxed, Allison drew the blinds together tightly. She stayed where she was for an extended moment trying to organize her many fragmented thoughts.

So many cases she'd missed! Sure, a typical department would have had many more cases in a year, but House was picky when it came to the challenges he accepted. Challenges rather than patients. But even still, she had missed so many different cases and experiences. It only made her wonder about all the things she missed because she'd moved on and away. Allison had never put much stock in God or in Fate… but one had to wonder occasionally.

She rolled her head in a circle as she massaged her aching shoulder muscles.

"What'd the heck you do?"

Her head snapped up at the sudden sounding of his gruff voice from far behind her.

"What, did you throw out your back while reading or something? You youngsters are supposed to have good strong bones and muscles for that kind of arduous work. Drink some milk or something."

She turned around and could just barely see his distant silhouette in the light from the hallway, slightly hunched yet demanding.

When she didn't answer, House took a few more steps in to the office before stopping in front of her desk. As he picked up a random file and opened it, Cameron took note of the way the dim light of the desk lamp filtered across his features, highlighting his strong set jaw line and brow.

"Flesh-eating bacteria guy. He was a riot. Until he threatened to sue if I went anywhere near his infected leg with a buzz saw. Some people are so stubborn when it comes to their limbs," he flipped the file back on to the desk as he gave a hard look at his cane. "I just don't get it," he said, letting his heavy sarcasm blanket the room as he stared at Cameron.

She met his glare yet still remained silent.

"Well, jeez, someone's talkative tonight." He walked slowly over to his desk and to Cameron without bothering to keep looking at her. She stayed where she was as he started packing his bag.

Curious, Cameron finally broke her silence. "Where've you been all day?"

Glancing over his shoulder at her, he feigned shock as his eyebrows shot up. "And so she does speak! A blessing, a blessing from the Lord!" He grimaced and turned back to his bag.

She waited.

He straightened a bit and looked up to the ceiling. "Clinic duty. Doing my gosh darndest to heal the sick as they pester me with their diseased children, groins and senses of intelligence."

"You actually did your clinic duty?"

House turned to her again, clearly annoyed. "Yes, Mom, I did. Can I go sleep over Johnny's house tonight? Pretty please?" he pouted his lips before rolling his eyes back to his task of packing.

"I thought you were done with duty at five." It was most definitely a statement rather than a question. She had no idea why she was bothering questioning him like this.

He zipped up his backpack with an excess amount of force and quickly pivoted to face her head on.

"I put in some extra time. What of it. Might as well do something if I'm going to be around here. That okay with you, Ms. Assistant Head of my department?" he growled, eyes lowered in suppressed anger.

Although she was expecting him to snap at her in some fashion, she wasn't exactly expecting this harsh of a reaction and her surprise clearly showed on her face. Immediately, his eyes dropped and started shifting around the room, avoiding eye contact with her at all costs. Flexing his jaw to the side, he looked up and over her shoulder.

"I kept busy tonight. That's all," he mumbled evasively as if he was making up for what he'd just said.

She nodded and looked away from him, sensing how uncomfortable this situation had suddenly made him. As soon as she did, Allison could feel his eyes studying her again. They stood in silence for maybe a moment too long before she pointedly looked at her watch.

"It's definitely getting late," she awkwardly transitioned. He only nodded in response. After another beat of silence, Cameron walked from behind his desk to her own, trying to gather her belongings. House stood in that same spot facing the windows for a bit before turning to double check he had everything in and around his desk. All this was done in complete silence.

After a while, it seemed to Cameron that both of them were struggling to find other things to occupy themselves with before having to eventually leave. Still, she kept the silence and the front of being busy.

"I heard what you said to 40," he said quietly and without looking up from whatever he was doing.

She straightened and looked at him, waiting.

He continued to shift around his desk and its drawers aimlessly. "Out in the hallway. Pretty bad ass of you. A nice touch with the Willy Wonka thing… even if you totally ripped off my concept." At this, he looked up and watched her carefully. All Cameron could do was nod once and say thanks. "I'm just glad you didn't re-hire her or do something equally as nice and stupid as that."

With that out of the way, the silence resumed until House slipped his jacket on, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. A final glance around his desk and he grabbed both his cane and the helmet for his bike.

Neither looked at the other as he limped heavily past her desk.

Just as he reached the door to the hallway, House stopped in his tracks and hung his head, chin to his chest. He then turned around and looked back to Cameron behind the desk. Even through the barest of lights cast off from the single lamp, even through the distance that was between them, she could see the blue of his eyes shining in the semi-darkness.

Blowing out a breath he held, House looked evasively around the office before speaking.

"I'm not exactly giddy with excitement to have a new Assistant Head. And I'm not big on this whole 'sharing the office' deal," he stated as if addressing an entire invisible audience of people.

"But," he paused and drew his eyes back to hers. "I can deal."

Allison didn't dare blink for fear she would lose this rare moment of allowed connection he was giving her.

Another brief pause and the smallest of sighs from the door. He hung his head again, looking at the carpet before lifting just his eyes to hers again. "I'm glad you're back, Cameron." She held her ground and her stare even though her breath caught.

He turned after a second and pushed the glass door open. Without looking at her this time, House spoke again. "Don't go running around the hospital with that either. There's only so much the nurses and my reputation can take."

And then he was gone.

Stunned in to submission, Cameron slowly lowered herself to perch in her computer chair.

How was it that only after a year away was House willing to open up to her as he just had? Even if it was just for a moment, one sentence. Sure, they had had shared moments of clarity and truth before she'd moved away, before she quit… as few and far between they had been.

But this was something entirely different in her mind. She barely knew what to do with the information, the moment.

So she simply held on to it with all she was worth. Who knew if anything like that would come from him again.

Change around the hospital? Cuddy got that right. She just didn't know how much of an understatement her claim of change was.

After sitting still like that for nearly five minutes, Cameron rose, grabbed her stuff, and rounded the desk. As she reached to turn off the light, Allison smiled brilliantly. With a sharp click, the room plunged into darkness.

I'm glad I'm back too, House. Now more than ever.

A/N: Special thanks to my beta, Jenni. You're fantastical!

oh and P.S.: Reviews make me smile. And as I have no friends in college yet, I need smiles where ever I can get them! So... please?