Disclaimer: Not mine- woe is me!

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Cameron accepted, though reluctantly.

Her initial response had been "No way", but Cuddy had explained to her that this wasn't 'about taking House's department away from him'. It was, she said, 'for the good of the patients'. But Allison was no fool. She realised that Cuddy had been looking for a way to control House for years and now that one had presented itself, she wasn't about to let it go. The Dean of Medicine had decided to make the fullest use possible out of the young immunologist; the young immunologist was, of course, hell-bent on doing the same. This wasn't to say that she didn't feel any guilt for what this was going to do to House. She had categorically told him that she didn't want his job- now half of it was being handed to her on a silver platter. True, it was the half that he disliked almost as much as clinic duty, but it was still part of his job; part of what made him who he was.

Despite her misgivings, she was still prepared to accept the job. But the feeling of guilt prompted her to ask Cuddy if she could be there when she told House the…. 'good news'.

House's reaction had been understated.

There was none of the unrestrained shouting that had greeted the announcement that Cameron had filled in for him while he's been out 'sick'.

He calmly made a jibe about every great genius needing a Personal Assistant to answer their emails and do their paperwork.

He seemed fine; his usual sarcastic self. But Cameron thought that she had seen a look of hurt briefly flickering across his face.

It prompted her to follow him out of Cuddy's office to try and explain that she hadn't ask for the job and that if Cuddy hadn't told her that if she "didn't take it, someone else would"- something which, to Cameron's ears, had sounded almost like a threat- she would have refused the position.

"House," she called his name to get his attention because it looked like he had been going to walk off without saying anything.

Her boss stopped in his tracks and turned to face her: "What is it Cameron? Have you come up with a new ingenious way of running the department? How about you select and treat the patients and I came make the coffee to fuel your differentials? I have to say, the misdirection was sheer genius," he added, "A little 1936 perhaps. Hitler would be proud."

She understood that he was angry- hell, she would have been too. And she also knew that it wasn't just anger that was causing him to lash out; he was scared too. Scared of losing the job that defined him; scared of losing part of himself.

Allison opened her mouth, ready to apologise and explain but House got their before her:

"I think the real question is: how many board members did you have to sleep with to make this happen?" his tone was malicious, "Because there's no way anyone promoted you out of merit alone."

She just stared at him, hurt forming in her eyes. She remembered only too well the humiliating discovery that her boss had hired her for her looks but this insinuation was worse. House might not actually believe it, but if he was angry enough he might feel the urge to spread it around the hospital- just to make things difficult for her.

His words lacerated her pride and it took all of her strength not to snap back with some angry retort. But she didn't; she said nothing because there was nothing too say. She had been going to explain how sorry she was, but not now. Instead, she drew herself up and walked away, angrily thinking that if that was how House wanted it, that was how it was going to be. It was a little said though. A long time ago she had decided that it House couldn't love her he was damn-well going to respect her as a doctor. She hadn't realised how far she was away from that objective until now.

Greggory House saw the hurt look in the immunologist's eyes and almost felt the urge to apologise- then he caught himself just in time. What had he to apologise for? Nothing. She was the one trying to steal his job- after she had categorically told him that she didn't want it. If anyone should be hurt, it should be him.

So, the diagnostician pushed away the nagging feeling that he had gone a bit overboard with Cameron and headed to the canteen for a much needed Ruben. What better way to celebrate losing half your job?

AN: How was that? I know it was short, but I'll be posting again tomorrow. I'm not sure if the Hitler reference needs to be explained- let me know!