I should note, I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine!
Also, I do not own House or Cameron. Though they are on my Christmas list.
Read on, dear readers!

What If

Chapter Twelve - Revelations and Resolutions

"Hello, sweet angels. I hear we have a case. Must be an important one too considering Chase decided breaking into my apar-"

"You're sleeping with Cameron, House?!"

Foreman cut him off, disbelief and disgust in his voice. House figured the disgust came from more of a moral stand-point than a reflection on Cameron herself. House sighed and glared openly at Chase, his words dripping with irritation and a little bit of venom.

"Couldn't keep your big mouth shut, huh? How about we say 'none of your business' and move on? That'll work. Apparently someone's dying?" and when both of the men in front of him looked indignant, he added "If either of you bring it up, you'll be dead ones."

Foreman shook his head but House knew Chase wasn't going to let it go quite so easily. He didn't know if he was protective of Cameron in a brotherly way or if it ran a little deeper than that. He didn't care. If the blonde-haired moron continued to push, he'd see the real wrath of Gregory House.

"Thought you weren't coming in today..."

Chase was surprised when he caught sight of Cameron in the lab and he couldn't resist de-touring to talk to her. More like corner her, really. She hadn't made her presence known at their earlier differential diagnosis and House had completely ignored any attempt by his fellows to find out where she was or whether she was turning up at all. He'd even managed to side-step Cuddy's Cameron-based enquiries.

Cameron, her back still to Chase as she recalibrated the centrifuge, rolled her eyes and steeled herself for the expected interrogation. She was somewhat surprised it had taken him just over three hours to find her.

"I'm running all the labs. Decided that was a better use of my time today."

"So you could avoid the 'you're sleeping with House?' conversation, right?"

Again, she rolled her eyes before turning to face him, a blank expression on her face giving nothing away.

"It's none of your business, Chase."

"You're not wearing your wedding ring...you left your husband for House? How well do you think that's-"

"My marriage is none of your damn business," she started off indignant, but then her voice softened, "Don't jump to conclusions about things you know nothing about, Robert."

He could see the tears filling up in her eyes and felt a stab of guilt. It really was none of his business but he coudn't help but push when it came to her. Just a month ago, her husband had turned up with their daughter and they'd seemed relatively happy. How had things gone so wrong in the space of four weeks? How had she ended up in House's bed? He was a little jealous, he'd admit that much.

She turned back to the centrifuge, clearly signalling an end to their conversation before it began and a silent, 'leave me alone'. She heard him mutter something akin to an apology followed by the lab door opening and closing. She closed her eyes and let the silence soothe her again. In the lab she could collect her thoughts and emotions, could immerse herself in seemingly mundane procedures and forget for a few minutes that her marriage lay in ruins and her life had been turned upside down.

Going into medical school, she'd always imagined herself as a pediatrician or an Emergency Medicine doctor. Maybe even a psychiatrist. But it was in Immunology that she found solace during particularly testing times. She'd married Andrew in college, and balancing school, the honeymoon period of their marriage and a terminally ill father had taken a toll. The quiet comfort of the lab and the reassuring soft whir of machines running countless electrophoresis and autoantibody screens became somewhat of an escape for her. So, naturally she'd followed her heart and chosen Immunology as her main speciality. And it was times like these, when she needed to drown herself in numbing silence, that she retreated to the lab.

Chase found House in his office, the ever-pensive look on his face as he absently turned his oversized tennis ball round and round in his hands. He gave nothing away but Chase knew he was thinking about Cameron. He still couldn't understand though, why she'd turned to House for comfort instead of someone more...well, comforting. Himself, for example. Or even Wilson, with his infamous track record of over-caring for vulnerable people. Especially women. That had lead him to wonder if anyone else other than himself and Foreman knew about Cameron and House's...situation. He couldn't help himself, unable to leave it well enough alone even though he knew his boss and co-worker's private lives were none of his damn business, as Cameron had so nicely pointed out.

Pushing open the door to House's office, Chase took a breath and met the pair of ice blue eyes already trained on him. He stood awkwardly by the door and shook his head.

"I'm...sorry. I shouldn't have put my nose in where it didn't belong. And I shouldn't have broken into your place this morning."

House narrowed his eyes and placed the ball down on his desk, never taking his eyes off his subordinate.

"You were all righteous and indignant earlier. You wouldn't back down until you knew what was going on. How such a little angel could be sleeping with me. So, I'm guessing someone's put you in your place by shutting you down...you found Cameron in the lab and cornered her into feeding your pathological need for gossip, huh."

He began to protest but knew it was futile. Shoulders dropping a little, Chase averted his eyes from House and moved to sit in one of the chairs facing his boss.

"I didn't corner her," he muttered defensively, "and she didn't tell me-"

Before he could finish jumping to his own defence, the office door swung open and both men looked to see Andrew walking with purpose into the room. He looked more dishevelled than the last time he'd turned up, and he was either hungover or just hadn't slept for a week. Maybe both. House could see why losing Cameron would have that effect on a man, but this man deserved every ounce of pain he felt from losing her.

"You've been fucking my wife, you bastard."

"At least I haven't been fucking her sister as well."

The quick retort drenched in venom knocked Andrew a little and Chase's gaze shot to House. So that was what had happened, he mused, unable to believe any man would cheat if they had Cameron coming home to them each night.

Ignoring the verbal sucker punch, knowing he'd been beaten, Andrew simply glared at his wife's boss.

"Where is she? I want to see Allison."

Maybe more drunk than hungover. House could feel the fury building up inside of him, but his expression remained neutral. This man had broken his vows and her heart, then had the audacity and so little respect for her that he turned up at her place of work drunk and slurring?

House grabbed his cane and pushed himself up, slowly moving until he was face-to-face with Andrew, his eyes challenging and cold. But Andrew didn't back down. Instead, the younger man sloppily kicked House's cane, making him stumble a little. Regaining his composure, House stood and with one mean right hook, he sent Andrew sprawling backwards, crimson red exploding from his nose as he reeled in surprise. Chase's jaw dropped and he was frozen in his seat. Had that really just happened?

Cameron chose that moment to round the corner and enter the differential office. She glanced sideward into House's room and stopped dead, her eyes widening and darting between House and Andrew. Chase was pretty sure none of them were even aware of his presence anymore, so stayed quiet, observing in stunned silence as everything unfolded before him. He'd pushed to know what had happened and...well, there wasn't much he didn't know now.

Cameron approached the doorway, looking down at Andrew holding his bloodied nose for a moment before raising her eyes questioningly to House. What had transpired in the moments before she'd walked in?

"What the hell are you doing here, Andrew?"

She asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she turned to look at the man she'd shared the last decade of her life with. He was practically a stranger now. The man she'd married would never have put her through the torment that this man on the floor in front of her had, would never have left her so broken that she'd spent too many nights in the past month lying on House's bathroom floor, the shower running to cover her sobs, crying until she was sure she had no more tears left to cry. She watched in disgust as he struggled to his feet.

"Allison," he started, his voice muffled from cradling his nose, "we need to talk about all this."

"It's taken you almost a month to want to 'talk about this'? What, have you been too busy playing house with Abbie?"

The venom in her voice even surprised her and silence descended on the room for a few endless moments before Cameron folded her arms and looked at him coldly.

"I want a divorce."