Author: TrUpHoEnIx4LyFe

Story Title: Down Low

The first of many more to come. Tell me what you think.

Chapter One

"This toast is for Allison Cameron," Cuddy held up her glass and watched the room follow suit, "For her return back to PPTH and I want to welcome her back from two and a half years in Los Angeles. To Cameron," Cuddy said.

"To Cameron," The rest of the room murmured.

Cameron, with color in her cheeks, held up her glass in thanks to Cuddy's toast. She took a sip to that and wondered how many drinks it took for Cuddy to muster the courage to make a small speech in front of a very large crowd. Cuddy was tough but she wasn't crowd-suicidal.

It made her smile to be back.

"They really missed you here, huh?" Michael, her boyfriend of nine months, whispered and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Cameron had met Michael while investigating a patient's home in Los Angeles. She hadn't known that other doctors went out in search of reasons for symptoms outside of House. She had bumped into him right in the patient's home. They had stared at each for long moments while Cameron's heart beat hard in her chest, wondering if she would be arrested for trespassing. Michael, however, had different plans.

After teasingly citing some laws, he playfully asked her to dinner that night as a way to get out of her predicament. It had come as a shock to both of them when she answered with a yes. He had asked her again to confirm her answer and she again surprised herself by accepting.

They went out that night.

And the next night.

And then two nights after that.

After two weeks of going on a few dinner dates and some interesting art museums and such, Michael had come to the conclusion that they were dating and that they should, you know, date. Cameron had laughed when he tried to spit it out. He finally suggested that they date exclusively, seeing no one else, type of dating.

Cameron had jokingly replied, "I don't know if I can do that."

He had said, "Aw, I see you as a one man woman."

And that's how it had started.

Cameron and Michael dated exclusively. They learned about each other's professions, lives, and pasts. She had left out the parts with Brian and some of the parts with House. She had, however, told him that she had worked for one of the most famous diagnosticians in the country. She had learned about his profession being a private investigator and being pretty renowned himself.

They moved in together after five months.

At eight months and two weeks, they found out that they both would be moving to New Jersey and that's where Cameron had run into Wilson and Cuddy at the grocery store one night. They had small talked and then Cuddy had brought up the fact that her old position was still in place after two and a half years of no one. This interested Cameron. A lot, in fact. She wanted to know why her position was still open after so long. It seemed nearly impossible.

"I don't know," Cuddy said, "House just didn't seem to want anyone for the job."

"Well, there was that one girl---" Wilson cut in.

When he spoke, Cameron was reminded that they were in a grocery store. What in the world was Cuddy and Wilson doing at the grocery store together? She decided that she wouldn't bring it up. Yet. Or maybe, ever. Ew.

The one girl turned out to be someone that only lasted three weeks before House couldn't take it anymore. It became apparent that the position was still open and Cameron currently had no job so she and Cuddy made arrangements to meet. It was Wilson's time to cut in again, reminding Cuddy that they should maybe talk to House about everything before anything became final.

Hearing House's name so ordinarily put into conversation released unwanted thoughts in Cameron's mind. It was like opening old battle wounds and watching them bleed, wondering how in the first place you got them. Was there an accident? It was too long ago. Cameron's mind filled with so many questions about him as soon as she figured out that she was consciously thinking about him. Was he the same? Probably.

But any further conversations about House or anything concerning that position would be put off for another week or so. They had exchanged phone numbers before Cameron drove home fast to tell Michael the news. He worried about her, not because he knew about Cameron's old feelings for the infamous diagnostician but because he knew about House's cruel wit. He questioned whether she really wanted that job back, that there were other jobs available to her, especially now that she had two and a half more years in the medical field under her belt.

That fact was true. So why was she sitting in that hospital at the party held for her? Because she wanted to be House's scapegoat again? Because she enjoyed it? Because she was damaged? She wanted to be sitting there and she suddenly couldn't remember why.

This aggravated her.

She stood up from her seat.

"Whoa, where're you going?" Michael asked, standing up as well.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just to the bathroom. I'll be back, I promise."

The promise did nothing to sooth the look of concern on Michael's face so she offered him a small smile and a gentle, brief touch to his cheek before walking away from him and out of the lobby.

She walked down the hallway.

She pressed the button to the elevator.

She waited.

The door opened and she almost fainted.

House stood before her in the elevator.

Vibrant blue eyes clashed with her eyes.

"Did the elevator make a mistake?" House asked, his eyebrows arching.

"H-hi." That was all Cameron could say for the moment.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to be standing there, old cane and all, and still be able to utter more than one, lame word. She was supposed to be the strong one. Why?

"Hi." House replied and his gaze swept over her dress and womanly curves. For a second, she thought she saw relief and desire but when she looked again, those had been replaced by annoyance. "Are you waiting for hugs and kisses?"

This snapped Cameron back to reality.

"Thank you for allowing me to come back." Cameron said and stepped into the elevator.

"Uh huh." House said, looking up at the lit numbers going down. "Aren't you supposed to be at your welcome back party? What happened? Cuddy scared you off with her excessive cleavage? I knew those things were meant to repel competition more than attract more male doctors."

Cameron cracked a grin. "Same old House, huh?"

"Same old Cuddy." The elevator door opened and House limped out of the elevator with his cane by his side. Cameron watched and a second later, House turned around. "Well, are you coming or not?"

She frowned and before the doors could close, she immediately stepped out and walked with him. "Where are we going?"

"To show you our new case." House replied shortly.

She remained silent.

"Okay, don't jump up in joy now." House turned a corner sharply and Cameron had to walk a little bit faster to keep up.

"Yay?" She said.

"No," House said, "It's yippy. Didn't L.A teach you anything?"

Cameron halted and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

House stopped a few feet away, looking at her. "What?"

"Did you ask me to follow you just so you could initiate me back into your little club by being pointless?" Cameron huffed.

House narrowed his eyes and met her gaze evenly. "Can you really say a person can be pointless? It kind of goes against the whole thing of people meaning something to the world, doesn't it?"

Cameron let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't do this, I'm sorry." She turned around and started walking.

"If you can't handle it now, then why did you come back?" House walked toward her. He again narrowed his eyes. "Do you secretly have wet dreams about Wilson?"

"Um, no."

"I have the same problem---"

"House, stop it." Surprisingly, he did. "Look, I'm coming back to work for you. I think it's pretty big of me considering that I know this time around what I'm getting myself into."

"Yeah, Cameron, 'cause you're so big on self-sacrifices." House drawled. "Tell me something new."

"I'm seeing someone."

She hadn't meant to say that. In fact, she had told herself that anything personal did not go with anything House related. Those two things were to be separated if this were to work. So, it surprised both of them. She saw the look on his face change instantly.

House recovered quickly though, as always. He frowned, a look of confusion. "Is that supposed to shock me?"

Cameron narrowed her eyes. "You knew?"

"Does that shock you?" House started to walk in the opposite direction again.

She couldn't leave it like that and walked quickly toward him before touching his shoulder. She jumped a bit when he spun on her, unexpected intensity in his eyes. "House…"

"Cameron, go back to your party." He said, seriously.

"I don't want to leave it like this." She tried to explain. She tried to explain because she wasn't getting why she just didn't let him walk away. She didn't understand why she couldn't just walk the other way and go back to the party like he told her to. Her heart pounded in her chest as she swallowed. "I want us… to start off on a reasonable note. A professional one."

House scoffed. "Now, that is unrealistic."

"Is it?" Cameron challenged. "Because if it is---" Her words were stopped as her breath caught in her throat. House took a half step toward her but it was enough to be standing really close to her. She had to move away before something happened. What would happen? House had never attempted to make anything happen.

"Cameron." House whispered, leaning in close.

She couldn't think. He was too close. "Y-yes?"

"I think we both know that asking for me to be professional while you're wearing that dress is too much." There was a pause before House swiftly turned around and started limping the other way.

Cameron stared after him.

She had failed.

She had failed to keep her composure around him.

And so it began.

House, 1.

Cameron, 0.