A/N: I know season 5 is now up and running but as far as this fic is concerned it doesn't exist. I came up with the plot before season 5 started and I see it as my version of how things go after the end of season 4, I'm not going to change things to fit the real version. Basically, I'm not making Wilson leave, though the tension is still there. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter; things are going to start to heat up now :)

It had been a few days since House had offered Cameron a job and he still didn't know exactly what had prompted him to do it. Of course he thought she was wasted in the ER but to offer her a job, again, and as a partner no less had been an impulse decision and Gregory House never acted on impulse; he always had to weigh up every option, have solid reasons behind him. He had found himself in the young immunologists company more regularly over the last week and even he couldn't deny that the banter had been comfortable. In fact the ER had become his new hiding place from Cuddy and the clinic, despite the occasional flashbacks he got whilst he was down there. He said it was because of convenience, he had a number of excuses available to him to tell Cuddy for being there instead of the clinic; he was down there for a consult, he was looking for cases...Cameron never believed him.

This morning however House was going down for a different reason. Leaning against a wall he watched as Cameron stitched up a boy's arm, offering him some comfort as she did so and managing to stop him from crying. House was surprised to find a small smile appearing on his face, a smile he quickly got rid of. If Cameron, or anyone for that matter, saw him smiling for no apparent reason he'd never live it down.

"Avoiding clinic again?" Cameron smiled as she passed him and headed towards the nurses' station with the boys file.

"Nope" House replied, following her "avoiding the pile of paperwork on my desk" he added. Cameron looked at him for a moment, she knew that was a lie, he never went out of his way to avoid paperwork; he'd just get one of his team to do it, or just watch it pile up.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact Wilson is back today and you want to avoid him?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. House looked away from her and Cameron got her answer. "You can't avoid him forever House" she sighed "you two need to talk"

House looked at her, his face expressionless, and noticed the dark rings around her eyes, her skin slightly paler than usual. "You're not sleeping" he stated.

"And you're changing the subject" Cameron replied, a little thrown off by the fact he noticed.

"Fine, I need to talk to Wilson. I'll get right on it." House answered sarcastically. "Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked. Cameron sighed and glanced over at the nurses at the station who had not very subtly stopped their conversation and were now trying to give the impression that they were carrying on with their work whilst throwing her the occasional look.

"Apparently my split with Robert is big enough to be the main topic of hospital gossip." She mumbled under her breath and House understood. He knew the split had hurt her, even if she was the one who initiated it, and having wild rumours about it go around the hospital wouldn't exactly help.

"Want me to sort it?" he asked, already planning how to go about his task, he was always looking for an excuse to berate nurses. Cameron smiled and shook her head as she saw the excitement in his eyes.

"You have more important things to do, like going up and talking to Wilson." She replied. House sighed.

"You're no fun" he pouted.

"Come on, get out" she smiled, playfully hitting him on the arm with her next patients' folder "some of us have work to do"

"Fine" House said giving her another pout before limping off, leaving Cameron to watch him with a smile.

House stood outside the wooden door of his friends' office, hesitating slightly. He didn't know what Wilson's reaction towards him would be, he didn't even know if he blamed him for Amber's death. Not bothering to knock, he entered the room, finding the oncologist sitting at his desk catching up with paper work. He didn't even glance up to see who had walked in, knowing who it was.

"You're back then" House said, breaking the silence as he stood in front of him.

"Nice to see that your powers of observation haven't deserted you" Wilson replied, his eyes still not lifting from his work. House looked around, a little uncomfortable; he didn't deal with these situations. Tapping his cane subconsciously on the floor, he thought about what to say.

"I'm..."

"You're what House?" Wilson asked, finally looking up at him. "You're sorry? Cause if that's the case I don't want to hear it"

"I risked my life to save her" House replied, feeling the need to remind the other doctor that fact.

"I know, and you know what House, I'm actually grateful for that but you didn't do it to save her, you didn't even like her, you did it because you felt the need to make up for your mistake. I don't blame you for her death, but I'm sure as hell not going to tell you that we're ok. You have always pushed this friendship, always pushed to see when it will break, well here it is, it's broken"

House stared at him, his face emotionless before leaving the room, limping straight to his office and locking he door behind him, blinds shut.

A/N: I have almost finished writing the next chapter so it should be uploaded later tonight, tomorrow at the latest, if not, you have my permission to write, complain, shout, scream, cry...you get the message...