Alcoves and Hideouts

Okay, so it's been a few days since I updated and I'm sorry about that. I was in a bad mood because I broke up with my boyfriend (actually he broke with me... BY TEXT!!!) and I didn't feel like writing. If I had written I might have killed everybody in this chapter so I decided that I should wait. Don't worry, nobody dies. I'm okay now.

So if you like this chapter please review, it'll make me feel happy and smiley (as always) so REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I own everything... and elephants fly (I was going to say pigs but elephants are bigger) Oh and all places are fictional and NOT real. So don't go searching on Google for them (you know you want to).

Cameron left at two o'clock in the morning. She had called a cab and had snuck out of the hotel room as not to wake House. She had hated his interrogation in the airport and didn't feel like having a repeat performance.

House had watched as Cameron had gotten into the cab and drove away before looking for his own. He found it hard to spot the cab because it looked like a normal car. When the man had asked him if he had been waiting for a taxi he had replied 'no, I'm just waiting for my cab to arrive.' He hadn't understood why the man had laughed at him but then he explained and House had got in.

She knew where she was going. She knew exactly where she was going. She could've recited the street names off by heart on the way. She didn't, of course; she just stayed quiet the whole journey. Getting out of the cab and seeing the all too familiar pub made Cameron's chest tighten and her heart race. She just stood there and allowed herself to calm off and steady her heartbeat before walking inside.

House watched her, from his little alcove, over his beer. The alcove was off to the side enough so that they wouldn't notice him, but not too far over so that he couldn't see them. By 'them' he meant the three adults and one teenager now sat to the side of the bar. Cameron was clearly the oldest at twenty-five. Then House guessed that it was either one of the other boy adults. They both looked about twenty one and then the teenage girl looked about seventeen.

Cameron, well the one he knew, was whispering into the seventeen year olds ear. The young woman's eye widened and she screamed at the man with the darker hair. House watched as the woman attempted to grab her drink but Cameron grabbed it first, laughing at the woman so hard that she spilt it all over herself. Cameron squealed and laughed. At first her other siblings had laughed but had immediately stopped at once and stiffened up when they noticed two men walk in. Cameron became aware of the awkward silence and looked up from her wet clothing.

House was forced to look away when he saw the horror-stricken face replace the happy expression Cameron had had not five seconds prior. House looked around and realised that the others were wearing expressions similar to Cameron's. The men, who had just entered, seemed amused by the reaction they had caused and House watched as, when one of the men took a step forward, Cameron took a protective step in front of the younger sister.

The move, however, didn't seem to go unnoticed by the man and the other, slightly bigger and more scary-looking man, laughed dryly and spoke.

"Now Allie, I won't hurt little Ellie here. You know I could never..." He was cut off by Allie before he managed to finish his sentence.

"What do you want Rick?" She snapped at him, taking a threatening step forwards towards the man, now named Rick. If the situation wasn't so unpredictable, House would've laughed at the thought of Cameron being a threat to the man, who was so clearly bigger than her. He could've taken her out with a single punch.

"Aw, come on Allie! Wait, you never told me you were in town." Allie broke eye contact almost immediately and cleared her throat nervously.

"Well... it... um... it was a... last minute thingy..." Cameron looked as if she would've blushed but didn't due to being obliged to stay a ghostly white.

"I'm sure." The man looked around before leaning in and whispering something into Cameron's ear. Cameron's eyes widened and she bit her lip but nodded before rushing out of the bar.

House noticed that the other three siblings had escaped whilst Cameron had been talking to Rick; they apparently weren't too keen to stay around and talk to the man who clearly petrified them.

The two men laughed at some joke House had not heard and were too busy at the bar to notice the old cripple, who had been listening to their previous conversation with Cameron, sneak out, leaving half a vodka on his table.

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Cameron ran out and opened her mouth just in time before her stomach rejected everything that she had eaten in a week. She didn't stop puking until a voice behind her made her jump.

"Either you're bulimic, which would explain a lot or..." House trailed off and Cameron interjected.

"Leave it House; it's got nothing to do with you." She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes and this didn't go unnoticed to the old man, he was, after all, the best diagnostician and was paid to notice little things that others would miss.

"What did he say to you? Who was he?" Cameron looked into his eyes with anger.

"An old..."

"If you say friend now I'm going to..."

"Uncle," House frowned.

"An old uncle," She sighed and sat down on a bench. "He's my family." She said it more to herself than to House and he realised this as he sat down next to her on the bench.

"Want to talk about it?" House said in an odd fashion. He wasn't used to caring, and he wasn't sure why he even cared now. All he knew was that he did care, or maybe he was just intrigued. He sighed.

"No. I don't think so. I guess I just want to go back to Princeton." House smiled at Cameron sympathetically. He had guessed she was damaged but he would never have thought that it was to this extent.

A few minutes passed and they both sat in comfortable silence next to each other; both preoccupied with thoughts of their own.

"He hurts her." House looked at Cameron with a puzzled expression upon his face. He didn't ask her what she was talking about; he waited for her to carry on when she was ready.

"Ellie... Adam sometimes looks after her when our father's out. He... he beats her up if he doesn't get his own way. You can't see unless you look really closely but she has bruises on her face. She has a split lip and walks with a slight limp because she sprained her ankle... well; Rick sprained her ankle; when he threw her down." House looked his immunologist up and down before wiping a tear that she hadn't been able to contain.

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The screaming came that night at 2:34am in the morning.

House was out of bead and by Cameron's side in a matter of seconds. She had screamed and started whispering frantically in her sleep.

"No! Please, I'll stop! I'll do anything, just please stop! Rick... Don't hurt me! Please don't do it! No, GET OFF HER!" House fell back in astonishment at the noise that Cameron was making now. He shook her awake with so much power and she grabbed his arms off her. "GET THE HELL OFF ME!!!" She yelled, before letting go and looking down ashamedly upon realising that it was only really House who was touching her.

"Cameron..." House whispered in a worrying voice. Now he knew that it hadn't just been Ellie Rick had beaten, he wanted to kill that man even more. "What did that man do to you?"

Okay so I know it's a bit cliché but it's like the only way I could think of that would move that story along. I wanted to leave it on a cliff hanger. I've only got five reviews for my whole story so far and this is only my second week writing fan fiction so please let me know how I'm doing.

Abbie

Xxx