Disclaimer: not mine sadly...

Thanks to everyone who reviewed- I really appreciate it! My particular thanks to:

Dr Cameron: for consistantly letting me know what you think. (And for a very sweet review)

Psycho Strider: I hope you like this chapter.

SilvaK: I got your review and felt the urge to update! LOL

beachbabe23: I'm glad that you thought I did House ok. Please let me know what you think for him in this chapter.

danishdynamite: I love getting your reviews!

Lady Knight 19: Never fear, there'll be interaction between the two of them real soon...

Saucy-Duck: I find angry House so much more appealing than caring House...LOL

MedicalGeek: This is for you!

So, I hope that you guys think this chapter is ok. Please let me know! Enjoy!

While Dr. House was trying his best to burst Lisa Cuddy's eardrums with his exceptionally loud yelling, Allison Cameron was venting in her own way.

After her conversation with her boss, she'd gone to House's office to wrap a few things up, explained to the boys that she was taking some time off, said goodbye to James Wilson, and headed home.

A quick phone call to a friend who'd been offering her the use of his cabin in Maine for what seemed like forever (she'd always refused, but there was a first time for everything) and a packed suitcase later, she was on her way.

The radio blared as she took to the freeway, blotting out her thoughts; pushing back down every emotion that threatened to rise to the surface.

It was late when she got there. And she was tired. Very tired.

As soon as she stepped out of the car she felt it- silence. It enveloped her and soothed her. She heard only the far away hoot of an owl that was roosting beyond the tall pine trees which crowded the cabin. The moon was up and the stars were out, and finally she was somewhere that she didn't have to pretend anymore; she could just be herself.

She took a deep healing breath, and mounted the steps.

Allison calmly let herself in with the key her friend had given her, silently shut the door behind her, and carefully placed her case on the floor.

And all of a sudden everything came rushing up- everything that she had squashed back down inside of her, and kept locked away with an iron will.

She stared blindly ahead as realisation struck her: "I'm in love with him," she said blankly, but there was no one to hear her.

Suddenly she wasn't an organised boss and a hard-as-nails career-woman, she was just someone who was finally coming out of a three-month period of self-enforced numbness.

She couldn't think; she could only feel, and clutch at the door handle for support as she slid weeping to the floor.

When Dr. Wilson judged that it was time to intervene, he slipped into Cuddy's office without knocking. Not that they would have heard him if he had.

House's furious shouting was echoing across the clinic, and- not for the first time- Dr. Cuddy thanked her lucky stars that her office was on the ground floor rather than upstairs near…say, the ICU- or some other ward where distraught relatives gathered to say goodbye to their loved ones. House's too frequent shouting would have been too much of an intrusion. But now she wondered idly if, in fact, their grief would have acted as a sort of muffler- even House wouldn't be so selfish as to destroy a painful leave-taking with his senseless yelling. Or maybe he would. You could never tell what he was going to do.

She sat back in her seat and watched him pacing angrily. She'd given up trying to reason with him about fifteen minutes ago, and now she was waiting patiently for him to tire himself out.

It was strange. In all the time she'd known him, she didn't think she'd even see him so angry. She'd seen him laugh, cry (when he'd said goodbye to Stacey before they put him in the coma for the pain in his leg- but then that was probably due to the fact that he'd been in unbelievable pain), be pissy and sarcastic- but never this angry.

It was almost funny to watch.

Almost.

It would have been hilarious, if she hadn't been carefully watching his leg, rather than giving herself up to the pleasure of being entertained by House completely losing his head.

"House!" Wilson shouted at him from the door, effectively cutting him off, "Calm down."

His friend paused in his manic pacing to stare at him.

Realisation dawned.

"This was your idea," he said it accusingly as he advanced on his friend, "Is she sleeping with you? Is that why you decided to recommend her? That girl couldn't diagnose a cold!"

"That's enough!" It was Cuddy who spoke.

She was on her feet, her eyes blazing and she didn't looked the slightest bit amused.

"I made the decision to give Dr. Cameron your job. I had my doubts about her, but you know what? It was the best decision I could have made. Not only did she not kill anyone," she shot him a particularly dirty look here- it was what he'd been screaming about for the past five minutes, "but she managed to get all her paper work done on time, treat more patients than you treat in a year, and (with Foreman and Chase's help) clear all of your clinic hours."

He just stared at her.

"You're getting angry for no reason," Wilson chimed in, "Allison did a terrific job."

House shot his friend a look before turning his attention back to Cuddy.

"I want all of Cameron's charts- every single one," he barked, "And I want my old carpet put back- and my office sorted out."

Wilson and Cuddy exchanged a look.

"Right now," he insisted, "or I'm not leaving."

He lowered himself into a chair and crossed his arms: waiting.

AN: How was that? I'm mostly nervous about Cameron's part. Was it too weird??