Again, stick with this guys, I know what I'm doing ;)
Thanks for all the lovely reviews!
It makes me smile that you're all so enthusiastic about how much you hate Andrew lol.

Peace & Cheers
Amylia
-x-

What If

Chapter Seven – Was I Just Your Paper Doll?


Paper Doll: n. someone used and played with like a child's doll; thrown around carelessly after done playing with.

[Previously...]

Sitting on the side of his bath and staring at the home pregnancy test, Cameron could feel the anxiety twisting inside her. She'd actually resorted to praying now, as she closed her eyes and waited for the compulsory five minutes. It was perhaps the longest five minutes of her life and she felt like she was going to throw up just from the anxiety of not knowing.

Her heart was racing and it felt like she had a swarm of butterflies on speed going ten-to-the-dozen in her stomach as the seconds passed by. After five minutes she convinced herself to open her eyes and stared down at the little stick in her hands…

----------

She dropped the stick into the bin and sat back down on the side of the bath, running a shaky hand through her hair as she tried to fend off the nausea continually sweeping over her. Touching her stomach and staring blankly at the stick in the top of the waste basket, she tried to sort her thoughts out.

After a few more minutes, House tapped on the door and she snapped back to reality.

"You ok in there?"

He asked and she was somewhat surprised by the question. He didn't generally ask after anyone's welfare. Standing up slowly, her legs feeling like Jell-o, she unlocked the door and he pushed it open, trying to gauge the answer from her facial expression. But as usual, he couldn't read her as well as he thought.

"In the clear then?"

He asked, judging the result by her apparently blank and calm façade. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a choked whisper.

"I'm pregnant."

----------

Andrew didn't really know what to do with himself. He hadn't eaten a meal alone for over a decade now and without Cameron around, the house felt empty. He couldn't believe what he'd done. How could he have used his infidelity against her, trying to make her into the bad guy in all this? The look on her face when he'd inflicted that wound had broken him. He hadn't even tried to stop her running out of the front door. He was too disgusted with himself and frozen by his drop-kicked admission.

It had been less than a year since he'd last been unfaithful. He'd told Abbie that he couldn't do it again after the first time, but she proved to be his weak spot. The 'first time' had been just over four years ago. The last time…barely six months. He was sure Allison had suspected something, the way her sister kept appearing even though they were never close at all. But apparently not. Apparently she'd trusted him so completely that it had never crossed her mind he'd do something that would hurt her so much.

Abbie was so very different to her sister. At twenty-five, she was only five years younger than Allison but Abbie had the over-confident persona Andrew had never really found to be a turn-on. That was why Allison's modest acknowledgement of her obvious beauty had turned his head back in college.

No, Abbie was much more in-your-face and was acutely aware of her sexuality, tight jeans and form-fitting tops accentuating it. Where Allison was very petite with her delicate figure with an angel's grace, Abbie was a real contrast, with curves and cleavage she wasn't afraid of flaunting. Allison had always envied that about Abbie, but it was the younger sister that was harboured the real jealousy.

Throughout their childhood, Allison was the golden child. She got the grades, she always made their parents proud and Abbie could never quite reach the standards her older sister had set. So she learned how to manipulate people to get what she wanted instead. She was both charming and confrontational. Reserved and unruly. Seductive and naive. A lesson in contradictions.

Honey blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, she was a devil angel and at first glance she seemed harmless enough. But she'd got him hooked too fast and too tight. When he'd met Allison he'd known she was 'the one' but her sister had never made it easy. She had the lips of an angel, hiding a dangerously mischievous temperament that tended to get her exactly what she wanted.

As he sat on the sofa with his head in his hands, moonlight sneaking through the window and stretching across the floor, he couldn't bear to think about what he'd thrown away. The happy family life they'd built over the years was now in ruins around their feet. And even if he did manage to win her back, they couldn't exactly go back to the way they were.

A firm knock on the door startled him and his heart skipped a beat. Had she come back so soon? Maybe she hadn't gone to House's place like he'd accused her of.

Throwing open the door, he could barely contain his surprise when he saw none other than Abbie, leaning against the doorframe, a coy smile on her lips, blonde hair falling around her face.

"Miss me?"

She smirked, pushing herself up straight and letting herself into the house, looking around and calling Allison's name.

"Hey! Big sis? Ally?"

She called, waiting for a reply but receiving an answer from nothing but silence. Turning back to Andrew, she smiled that too-sweet smile again.

"So, we're alone?"

She asked innocently, walking closer to him and biting her lip seductively, as though thinking hard about what they could possibly happen when they were alone. He stepped back and shook his head.

"Abbie…she knows."

The smile disappeared from her face, and her colour drained. A frown replacing the smile, hands on her hips, she looked defiantly at Andrew.

"And how the hell did she find out? Couldn't take lying to my sweet, perfect big sister any longer or something? She's not as perfect as you seem to think she is, Andy! We have a good thing going here, why spoil it?"

He could barely believe what he was hearing. Not that it was at all surprising Abbie would be so selfish and callous, but she had no idea.

"I accused her of cheating. I thought she'd been sleeping with her boss-"

"Dr. House?"

Abbie interrupted, incredulous laughter slicing the tense atmosphere in two when Andrew nodded.

"You really think Ally would cheat on you with her boss? With House? Wow, you're even crazier than I thought. I would have assumed after ten years together you'd have figured out her insane moral compass by now. If anything's happened between them...well, it won't have been initiated by Allison."

Andrew wanted to shake her. Did she not see what was happening here? He'd lost everything. And she was more concerned about how funny it was that he'd thought Allison would cheat. Well she'd clearly never seen House and Allison together before. The chemistry they had was undeniable, and that had been entirely too clear even from just seeing them interact for a few moments. He'd not let it dwell on his mind but when he'd come home to find House breaking into that part of their life together too – he had her at work all day every day, why should he have any part of their home life? – his anger had bubbled over.

"You'd have suspected something too, if you saw the position they were in when I walked through the door."

Abbie still looked sceptical.

"Were they in bed together? Did he have her pinned to the wall with his hands in naughty places? Was she on her knees? I very much doubt it. Precious Ally is too scared of consequences, of getting into trouble or hurting anyone, to ever cheat on you. I think," she stepped closer to him again, speaking her words slowly, dragging them out across his lips, "you were transferring. Get scared she'd started to figure us out, Andrew? So you go and accuse her to make yourself feel better. How manly of you."

She taunted him, trailing a manicured fingernail down his chest and stopping at the buckle of his jeans. His breath caught and he knew he was a lost cause. This thing with Abbie…no matter how many times he tried to end it, she always had her ways of twisting him right around her finger. For a while, she made him forget there were any costs to what they were doing. She didn't care if her sister got hurt; all she cared about was getting her own way.

----------

"What are you gonna do?"

They were sat stiffly next to each other on the sofa, House taking the initiative to speak first after an endless five minutes of silence. He couldn't help it, but he kept glancing at her stomach, wondering if she was going to go back to her jerk of a husband now that she was carrying his kid. It was almost an unbearable thought, and before he knew what he was saying the words had left his lips.

"Don't go back to him."

She looked up sharply at him, tear-filled eyes searching his, trying to decipher and extract meaning. She didn't know what reply she could give him, her mind scrambled with all sorts of arguments. She still loved him…and she was pregnant with his child. But he'd broken her so cruelly, the worst kind of cheating she could ever imagine being the victim of. But here she was and this was all real. The world was a horrible place and fate was crueler than she could bear to think about.

"House…"

"Do not go back to him, Cameron."

He repeated, more firmly this time. He realised that he'd called her Cameron, instead of Allison like she'd said, but it didn't seem to register with her. She was too concerned with the mess she was currently in.

"I'm carrying his baby, what else am I supposed to do? I can't raise two kids on my own!"

Her voice shrill, she stood up and began pacing the room, a hand pressed to her temple.

"I-it might have been years ago for all I know! It might've been before we got married! Or he might not have slept with her at all," at House's dubious expression she tried to assure herself as well as him that it was a possibility, "he could have said it for impact, just to hurt me."

"Right."

House was wholly unconvinced and shook his head, wishing she'd just open her eyes to the truth and stop trying to find the good in everyone. Her asshole of a husband had cheated on her with her sister, yet she was defending his confession. He hoped to God it was just her hormones running riot, because she really wasn't that stupid he was sure.

"House, he's all I've ever known! I can't just give that up. I was eighteen when we met, and I'd never…been with anyone else. He was…he was my first, and he was always my 'one'. I just find it hard to accept that he'd throw it all away now, over some stupid little fight we had."

"Yeah, well believe it. Screw your brain back on, OK, because you're pathetic when you're not being rational."

Ever-tactful, he was determined to make her see sense. He could hardly bear the thought of her running back to Andrew now, after all this. He could hardly bear to let her go now that he'd had a tiny taster of what it could be like to wake up to her in the morning. They hadn't even slept in the same room, but her open vulnerability in the morning had stirred a kind of longing in his chest. He refused to consider his feelings for her. Her life was already too complicated now as it was, without adding his own complications to the mix and consequently taking on all of hers too.

"I have to talk to him."

She was biting her nails now, walking to the window and staring out into the street below, as though the cause of all her anguish was out there calling her back. His jaw clenching, House shoved himself to his feet with a wince, limping heavily over to her, taking hold of her shoulders and forcing her to face him. The physical connection sent a spark of static through them both and momentarily he forgot the purpose of his actions.

"You don't need him. He doesn't deserve to get you back."

He finally said; his voice quiet as he struggled with the admission – because there was one underneath all his metaphors and sarcastic jibes – with 'supportive' certainly not being his strong suit.

She looked up at him, her gaze glittering with unshed tears, never wavering from his. In one movement he'd leaned down and their lips had connected, his hands moving from her shoulders to her neck, tasting the kiss with everything he had. He felt her sob into their kiss, his cheek becoming wet with the tears streaking down hers. He brushed them away, a gentle touch from calloused fingers, and she clung to him in a desperate cry for answers.

If she wasn't to go back to Andrew, she needed someone to help her through all this. He wasn't the helping kind. But maybe, just maybe, he could try this once.

Breaking away from him finally, she bit her lip, trying to tie herself back together.

"I need to go and talk to him. I just…I just want to know he's sorry, for all of this, for breaking me. I need that closure."

"And if he's not sorry? What then?"

He challenged, his words hanging between them. She couldn't find a reply to that, didn't know 'what then' if he didn't regret any of it. Backing up a few steps, needing some distance, some space to catch her breath, she pushed loose wisps of hair off her face.

"Could you keep an eye on Elle? She'll be no trouble; she's ready for a sleep now anyway. Just for a half hour, whilst I go and…talk to him."

House could do nothing but nod succinctly, wondering what 'keeping an eye' on a child involved, as he watched her go. All he could hope for was that this wouldn't all backfire and leave her even more damaged than she currently was. Because he wasn't sure how much more one person could take.

----------

Sliding her key into the door, Cameron paused a moment, wondering if she was doing the right thing. If she walked into here, her heart still aching from his callous confession the night before, what was she going to say? And should she tell him about the pregnancy or would that only make him want her back for all the wrong reasons?

Second guessing herself, she backed up a few steps, intent on leaving without getting the closure she thought she needed, but something stopped her. They needed to act like grown-ups and deal with this reasonably. She couldn't forgive what he'd done, even she had her limits. But she'd hear him out, maybe there was some less-hurtful explanation that he'd twisted to use as a weapon last night.

Summoning the courage she knew she had somewhere, she unlocked the door and stepped inside the home she and Andrew had made together. It felt cold now; she couldn't really place why. She could hear movement in the bedroom so, dropping her bag on the sofa, she made her way toward it, practicing what she was going to say to him. She knew she had to protect her heart at all costs right now, because he could break it so easily.

Pushing open the door, she stopped dead, a hand flying to her mouth and a stunned gasp leaving her lips. She couldn't drag her eyes away from them. Right there, in her bed…her sister and her husband…

She felt physically sick, tears spilling from her eyes and blurring her vision as she stumbled backwards. She needed to get out, his voice calling her name echoing in her head and making her dizzy. Gagging, she fumbled for her bag blindly, knocking a chair over and smashing a vase in the process. But she didn't even register any of that. All she could see was the image on a loop in her mind, torturing and tormenting her, of Abbie and Andrew...in her bed, doing that.

Andrew suddenly appeared in the living room, having pulled on his boxers as quickly as possible.

"Ally…please, don't go-"

"So you expect me to stay when she's in there…in our bed? You must be delusional, Andrew!"

She spun round to face him and yelled, fury and pain proving to be a potent mixture. Visibly deflating before him, her legs practically collapsing from beneath her, she gripped the side of the sofa for some kind of support, dropping down to sit heavily on it for fear she couldn't hold herself up. He approached her and she held her hand up.

"Do not come near me. I came here to…to talk like an adult. To talk about it and maybe work something out. I cannot believe you've got her here…I-I've been gone a night! One night."

The tears flooded like rivers down her cheeks and she brushed them away harshly. She wanted to be angry instead of hurt, strong instead of weak, able to stand up and walk out of his life for good.

"I thought maybe it was a one-time thing, that perhaps ten years ago you made a mistake. But it's still going on…how many times have you fucked her in our bed? How many times have you come home to me after being with her? She's my sister, damnit!"

Her voice cracked and she wanted to hit him, crash her tiny fists into his chest until he held her and she could cry it all out, until all the tears had washed away the agony she felt at this enormous betrayal.

"How long has it been going on? Just tell me the truth."

She demanded. Abbie was still in the bedroom, possibly afraid of facing her sister's wrath or possibly ashamed of what they'd done. Most likely the former, Cameron thought bitterly. Abbie was almost like a female version of House. She didn't care who she hurt. As long as she was enjoying herself, she didn't give a passing thought to anyone else. But somehow she was drawn to House despite that imperfection. Somehow she'd fallen in love with him along the way…had Andrew fallen for Abbie?

"Four years."

He said quietly and she didn't even respond, her heart numb with the whole situation becoming near-unbearable. Four years of their marriage had been a joke. Four years…nearly half of their marriage…and she'd been so blind. She couldn't believe she'd never even suspected anything. All those times he'd been 'late' from work, she'd never doubted. The thought had never crossed her mind that he'd be so cold.

"She's the opposite of me, Andrew. Were you really that unhappy that you wanted the opposite of everything I am? Do you feel that little for me-"

"I love you, Allison-"

"Don't you dare say that!" She yelled, standing up suddenly and landing a sharp slap to his face. He just took it, knowing he deserved that and a hell of a lot more, "Don't you dare try to smooth this over. You two deserve each other. I hope you're happy together."

Feeling the emotions choking her, she grabbed her bag and practically ran for the front door, suffocating in the home they'd once been so happy in. Throwing open the front door, she turned to him. Levelling a broken gaze with him, her hand drifted to her stomach, bitter words leaving her lips and burning her tongue.

"And just so you know, that baby you wanted? Congratulations, I'm pregnant."

The look of complete shock on his face was enough and she slammed the door behind her, leaving him to think about everything he'd thrown away.