This story will become quite smutty before it ends, hence the M rating.

Disclaimer: Not mine…

"And the verdict is…." He trailed as they stepped into the room.

"He wants the Pallidotomy and Thalamotomy." Foreman sighed, his arms folded across his chest as the three stood before House who was staring in amusement at a beaming Cameron.

"Gloating doesn't become you." He informed her.

"I never said a word."

"You didn't have to." He replied.

"Are you going to go talk him out of it?" Chase spoke up.

"No, he picked what I would have recommended."

"Figures." Foreman muttered beneath his breath.

"I need to go speak to him anyway, make sure he knows what he's doing by agreeing."

"Cameron already explained it to him." Chase and Foreman replied in unison.

"I'm sure she candy-coated it, he needs to know what's really going to happen." And with that he grabbed his cane and made his way out the door, leaving a fuming Cameron in his wake.

"You do know they're gonna cut your head open and discontinue the use of part of your brain, right?"

"What?" The young man gulped, staring at House with wide eyes.

"Yeah, did Cameron fail to mention that?"

"Where did you escape from, the psyche ward?" He asked, staring at the stranger.

"No, I'm your doctor." He said, making his way over to the side of his bed, hand extended. Scott eyed him suspiciously and shook his hand. "Did they explain your options to you?"

"Yes, they told me that I have brain degeneration."

"Yeah that too. HHS has caused you to take on a feature called the "eye-of-the-tiger", this is the degeneration of your retina."

"I was told about that too."

"You'll be blind in less than a month." He stated simply, taking a seat next to the patient. "Where's your family?"

"Don't have any, parents died in a car crash when I was sixteen, neither of my parents had siblings and neither do I."

"Grandparents?"

"Dead long before I was born."

"Foster parents?"

"Lived on the streets after they died, had no other option, nobody wants a grown, sick kid. I've got more hospital bills than a jaguar has spots." House remained silent, listening to the kid talk. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"Everybody has to die." House shrugs.

"I know that you asshole."

"Five minutes and already calling you an asshole." Cameron states as she enters the room with another pillow.

"Hey Allison." Scott smiles, reaching for the pillow she holds out for him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She replies, looking at House. "What did you say to him?"

"He asked me if he was going to die and I told him that everybody has to." He shrugged.

"But he did it just like that." Scott accused. "Like a dick."

"He's always a dick." Cameron smiled, looking to Scott. "But he can help you, he's a good doctor." Ignoring House's face she smiled at Scott and left the room. Pulling his Vicodin from his pocket House downed two and looked back to a bewildered Scott.

"She likes you?"

"What gives you that impression?" House asked, resting his good leg on Scott's bed and flipping on the television. "General Hospital's on." He explained, pointing to the television. Only shaking his head Scott positioned the pillow behind his head and looked up at the TV as the drama unfolded.

Limping back into his office an hour later he looked over to see Cameron in the conference room picking at a salad. With his cane he knocked on the glass wall and motioned her over. Sighing she put her fork in the container to head over to his office. "Let's go to lunch." He said as she stepped through the door.

"I'm eating lunch."

"No you're eating rabbit food, let's go to lunch." Wilson chose this moment to step into his office. "Yes?" House asked somewhat politely, looking over Cameron's contemplating figures.

"Cuddy said you're supposed to be on clinic duty."

"I have a patient." House defended.

"Apparently you've already diagnosed him and you need to be in the clinic."

"Since when did you become his messenger boy?" House smirked.

"Since I asked him to get your ass down there." Cuddy replied sharply as she stepped through the door.

"Damn it Jimmy you were blocking the door." House smiled. "No can do." House replied. "Cameron here just offered to take me to lunch. She's hungry for some House." Cameron sighed in exasperation as Cuddy turned her head, just noticing her.

"Is he being serious?" She asked.

"Of course I'm serious, we were just getting ready to leave, Wilson walked in as we were discussing where to go, didn't you Wilson?"

"Well, I guess, they were getting ready to go." Wilson replied, only knowing that House was readying himself to leave and Cameron had been here. Cuddy still eyed House who was now smirking at her.

"Take your lunch and then limp your ass down to the clinic." She barked, passing Wilson and leaving the room.

"Ready?" House asked, standing.

"House-" Cameron started.

"I'm gonna go now, House I need to talk to you before you leave ok?" House only nodded as Wilson left the office.

"C'mon." House said simply, grabbing her upper arm and turning her towards the door.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they stepped onto the elevator and she broke her arm from his grasp.

"I told you we're going to eat." He said, sounding exasperated.

"Don't you usually just steal Wilson's food?"

"Not today. I'm taking you to lunch."

"Why?"

"Cameron." He said turning to face her as the elevator began to move. "I want to take you to lunch, that's all there is to it, ok?"

"Alright." She sighed as he continued to stare at her. She shifted her gaze from the door of the elevator to his eyes and she couldn't help but gasp as she again noticed their proximity. 'Twice in one day.' She thought, licking her suddenly dry lips and averting her gaze back to the floor after she thought she heard him whimper. 'No.' She chided herself. 'You're imaging things.'

'Did she hear me? She's ignoring me, she's blushing. Damn it she heard me. What the hell is wrong with me?' As the elevator opened out onto the first floor he only stretched his cane towards the door while saying, "Age before beauty."

A/N: Review please.