Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I hope this chapter does justice to our favorite aunt and uncle and that it feeds those crazy stomach butterflies with our favorite Doc! Best Wishes, Onyx
Aunt Virginia won more than a few games of poker that night; she also won her argument with Cameron about her sleeping arrangements. She had called Joey and told him to bring Cameron's luggage from the hotel to her house. At 7am Cameron was eternally grateful that she had lost. The smell of butterscotch walnut pancakes and blueberry muffins made her carry her tongue all the way to the kitchen.
"Good morning angel." Uncle Cappy said as she entered.
Cameron walked over to Uncle Cappy and gave him a kiss and a hug. Then she did the same for Aunt Virginia.
"Did we wake you, sweetheart?"
"Oh no, the grumble monster in my stomach beat you to the punch. Those look wonderful."
"Butterscotch walnut pancakes and mini blueberry muffins with almond butter. Those are Uncle Cappy's favorite. I was in a good mood this morning so I thought I'd treat you both."
"I haven't had cooking like this since, well since last time I was here. If you don't mind I'm going to shower and get dressed and I'll be out to devour all of this when I come back."
"Go ahead love. Let me get you some towels." Aunt Virginia said putting down the pancake batter.
"No no, just tell me where they are and I'll get them myself."
"The linen closet is in between the bathroom and our bedroom. The towels and washcloths are on the top and if you need anything else I always have spare bottles of shampoo and soap under the sink in the bathroom."
"Better than the Waldorf-Astoria in the city." Uncle Cappy added.
"Be right back."
Cameron felt right at home in the small bathroom. The water was hot throughout the entire shower. At home her shower was hot for a maximum of fifteen minutes and then became sheets of ice. She dressed in the bathroom and looked up into the mirror to catch herself smiling. Cameron had to admit that she felt that way when she was anywhere in that town.
She topped off her outfit with her favorite perfume and headed back into the kitchen where Joey and Uncle Cappy were having a heated discussion about baseball.
"That bum Steinbrenner didn't know a good thing when he had it. Joe Torre was the greatest manager the Yankees ever had and now what, he's managing the Dodgers."
"Pop, Torre walked away. They offered him a salary to stay. He walked away from it."
"Joey, what are you saying? The man should take the salary of a batboy to the do the work of a legend? My own son is giving me agita over here, babe."
"Ah-gih-what?" Cameron asked with a laugh.
"Your Uncle Cappy's trying to say that Joey's giving him heartburn." Aunt Virginia clarified.
"I see. Well don't let me interrupt your indigestion." She teased.
"Oh by all means interrupt them. They spend all day fighting over sports, especially baseball. Uncle Cappy loves his New York teams, the Jets, the Knicks, the Rangers, and especially the Yankees. Joey is the opposition with his New England interests, the Patriots, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the dreaded Red Sox." She said shaking her head while placing a loaded plate in front of Cameron.
"That's right mom. I have all the winning teams and the best teams. Don't forget Pop, we had Babe Ruth first." He teased.
"Yeah, and one heck of a curse when he left. So don't be smug or I'll make you walk to work."
"Don't worry about it, Pop; Greg's coming to pick me up as soon as he drops Braeden off at the diner. In fact, that's Dan's work truck now. Greg's is driving it so he doesn't scratch the paint on that red sports car."
"Joey! Why don't you have a big mouth like the rest of us? Allison doesn't want him to know she's here!" Aunt Virginia hollered.
"Well Allison you better get out the back door than because he's headed up the walkway."
Cameron was out of her seat and out the back door within seconds.
"Does my stomach detect butterscotch walnut pancakes, blueberry muffins with almond butter and wait a minute there's something else too." House said sniffing the air.
Aunt Virginia could smell it too so she moved to hug him.
"Where is she Aunt Virginia?"
"Where is who?" She asked.
"Victoria Secret's Desire perfume is the only perfume that Allison Cameron wears when she isn't at work. And from the looks of it she just sprayed it. Combined with her untouched almond butter because Allison's allergic to almonds; I would say she flew the coop after having a bird's eye view of the dirt road I just drove up. So where is she?"
House didn't wait for an answer, he began going up and down the hallways looking for her. When he opened the sliding glass door and didn't find her he knew she'd left.
"How long has she been here?" He said grabbing a muffin from Cameron's plate.
Aunt Virginia glared at him. "Am I not Sicilian? Do I look like I'd give blood to a vampire?"
That made him laugh. He knew asking her questions were a waste of time.
"All right be stubborn you are only prolonging the inevitable."
"Uh-huh and what exactly IS the inevitable?" She asked.
"Uncle Cappy what happens between a man and a woman when they've played doctor together for three years?"
"Don't put me in the middle of this. I know who feeds me."
"Ok I'll answer for you. The same thing that happened between you and Aunt V in the back of Pete's broken down Ford. As I recall the tires are still flat and the bed is now rusted. What a stallion you are Uncle Cappy."
"Ah man! Greg I'll be in the truck!" Joey said as he kissed Aunt Virginia and walked out.
"How in the name of Greta Garbo did you know about that?" Aunt Virginia fumed.
"Well Greta, it just so happens that you took one of my normal romper rooms. Dakota and I were going to take the alternator for a truck he was fixing up. Thought a rabid dog had gotten back there. I didn't know you called Uncle Cappy, Roy Rogers. Does that make you Trigger?"
Aunt Virginia didn't say another word. She hit him right between the eyes with her pancake battered wooden spoon. The batter ran down his face and onto his plate. And if that wasn't enough she took the plate from him with the remaining food on it.
"I think this diner is closed pal." Uncle Cappy said laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his cheeks.
House waited for Aunt Virginia to turn around and throw something else but when she turned to look at him she broke into a fit of giggles.
"It was worth it to see batter on your face. But at least I get some after all these years. Not the same can be said for you. And don't think I don't know you've been alone since Allison left. I have my sources."
House cleaned the batter off his face and then grinned.
"I know your sources. You've done laundry at 8am on Thursdays at Luigi's Laundromat since before I was born. Your gossip channel includes, Vivian, Mrs. Cregol , Rosina, Benadette, Jo, Esther, and Bea. I might also point out that these are your bingo buddies as well."
"Take your muffins and get out of here. I need to clean up my kitchen and I have a doctor's appointment at ten fifteen."
House got serious for a minute.
"Is your arm still bothering you?" He said walking over to her.
"Now and then but Dr. Jairstein gave me some better pain pills and they work a lot better. I don't know what this town will do when he retires. He's been my doctor since I was twenty years old."
"Greg you ready or what? I wanna get down to the restaurant before Dakota eats all the pistachio muffins!" Joey hollered from the front porch.
"Joey, you just ate! How can you be hungry?"
"I always got room for muffins Ma! Love you! Pop, we'll catch you down there in about an hour or two."
"All right! And tell Taddy and Charlie to wait to hang the last of the shelves. I got a better idea on where I want them."
"Sure."
House kissed Aunt Virginia on the forehead and fainted pain when she swatted him with her wooden spoon.
"You better watch it or I'm going to have you arrested for assault."
"Bring your ungrateful culo over here and let me show you assault."
"No, thanks. I'm saving that for prison."
She threw the spoon at him and it nicked his shoulder as he went out.
Cameron waited outside until she saw the truck drive away. She brushed herself off and came in through the back door.
"Where did you go?" Uncle Cappy asked.
"I hid in that dog igloo outside. I'm surprised people don't take them camping, that igloo is big enough for four people. But it's a good thing the dogs were in the woods."
"That was a close one." He said with a laugh.
"Yeah you can say that again. I heard everything. He knows I'm here now but I wasn't ready to see him. I don't know what I want to say to him yet. Anyway, Aunt Virginia are you up to doing errands with me?"
"I am all yours as long as you don't mind waiting for me at the doctor's."
"No problem, I bought a new Robin Cook thriller last week so I can read that while you see him."
"Good. Here's my pocketbook and a bag of vegetables from the garden. I like to bring them to down to Vivian and Ruthie. We have such a big garden."
"I saw it. I like the benches out there. It reminds me of one of those garden party settings." Cameron said.
"Also a lovely place for a wedding." Aunt Virginia said with a wink.
Cameron turned away at the suggestion. "I'll just go put these in the car."
"Go on hon. I'll be out after I fix my hair and put some perfume on."
Cameron leaned up to get a kiss on the cheek from Uncle Cappy and walked out onto the front porch.
"I've been in the doghouse before, but typically it's a metaphor that Cuddy stamps on my forehead."
Cameron's stomach clenched so tightly that she nearly forgot how to breathe. She didn't know how to turn around and face House. The sound of his cane touching the wooden planks on the porch indicated that he was moving closer. She felt his hand close around her waist. Her breath caught when she felt him invade her space. Her thoughts began to race because she didn't want him to have the control. It was all supposed to be on her terms, her way.
"Al." He said barely audibly.
Cameron felt hot tears boiling at her eyes. She was prepared to run knowing full well that she could outrun him if he tried to chase her. She couldn't seem to catch her breath and she felt him moving closer so that she felt his chest against her back. With the few thoughts that she could gather she found some phrases that could help ease her out of this situation but her lips were frozen. It was then that she felt his heart beating against her. It was the heartbeat of a man that held his life together by a thread and if she moved away from him, she'd certainly snap it.
"If you're going to run, you better do it right now because I've felt like crap for a month now and I'm through with it." He said.
Cameron turned to face him. This was the challenge she needed to gain control but when she looked into his blue eyes she saw not a sarcastic ploy but a desperation. She stared at him for a minute as if she'd never seen him before. He dropped the cane to the porch and opened his arms slightly. Cameron didn't hesitate to take the invitation. She wanted to kiss him more than she wanted the feet she stood on, but something told her that he needed reassurance of another kind. He clung to her tightly and laid his cheek on the top of her head.
"Are you here to tell me you're better off without me and that you needed to do this in person?" He asked suddenly.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"If everything I've been hearing about you lately is the truth or if people are making things up to get us together." She confirmed.
House finally let Cameron out of the tight grip he had and led her to the porch swing that he, Joey, and Uncle Cappy had built when he was in college.
Cameron was finally able to look at his physical appearance. His biceps seemed to have gained some muscle. He was nicely tanned and the stubble on his face was neatly trimmed. He had old faded blue jeans on and a gray t-shirt under a worn out black flannel shirt.
"How are things here?"
"Listen Al, we can sit here all day and shoot the breeze. I can repeat all the gossip that Aunt Virginia has no doubt already told you. But here's the barbeque on the chicken, I have one chance to make you see things the way I have since you've been gone. If I don't you're going to try and convince yourself that you can live with me damaged and that somehow you have the answers when you don't. And because I've spent most of my life caring only about myself and the needs of myself, I will let you pretend that you know how to fix everything. Then one day you'll wake up and realize that you let me screw up your life. I will let you walk out and I'll chalk it all up to how screwed up I really am. So let's start from the top."
Cameron was so shocked that she just nodded her head.
"The way I see it, you're on the fence. You know for certain that when you climb over into the other yard a rabid Doberman is going to tear you apart but for some reason you pity the dog and decide if you spend enough time with it, you will lose half your limbs but you will tame it. I've become your disease."
"You're analogies are killing me. Stick to one or the other here before I get totally lost." She finally said.
"Before we diagnose a disease, we write down the symptoms. When I started this whole thing I wanted to come up with a cure for you. I wanted you free from me so that I didn't kill what's left of your good and pure soul."
She smiled to herself knowing he was teasing her.
"I made a list of every reason that should keep you from being around me. I folded it up, I stuck it in an envelope, Braeden so kindly licked the stamp, I wrote your address on it, I drove down to the post office, I handed it to Sam Kerry, I walked to the door, and I was ready to wash my hands of everything."
"Then what happened?" Cameron asked.
"Sam Kerry told me to tell my aunt and uncle hello and that he was sorry he missed their anniversary party. Then he winked at me and told me he'd make it up to me by making sure his grandson's didn't miss our anniversary when we were married that long. I nodded and then I walked out."
"I never got the letter, House."
He reached into his back pocket and he took out an envelope that was severely worn. He handed it to Cameron.
"I made Dakota steal it off the mail truck as it was loading at the station. He loves a good challenge. Here, read it."
Cameron stared at it for a minute looking at him as he stood up.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"I got some appointments to keep. You know sow my oats or something like that."
She stood up and looked into his eyes.
"Don't leave, House."
He took a step away from her but then he looked back at her.
"I don't want to-"
"You can't save me House. It isn't up to you. You were right about me that day in the lab. You said I couldn't be this nice and well adjusted, that I was damaged. We just took opposite roads. You hid behind this bitter wall of anger. I tried to hide behind butterflies and buttercups. But you already knew that, I'm no better than you."
"Just read the letter."
"I can't because I'm afraid you're going to try and talk me out of everything. House, I lo-"
House was within a breath of her face before she could get it out.
"No, don't say it. Neither of us can be objective if you say it. Read the letter Cameron. There's another page that I added. Read all of it first."
He turned from her but it wasn't enough for Cameron to just let him go. She followed him down the step and he turned to force her back into the house. She grabbed the two parts of his open flannel shirt and forced him to stumble hard into her. The look in his eyes was something she'd never seen and she wasn't sure if she feared it or if she should explore it.
"You never listened to me at the hospital, why am I not surprised you're fighting me on this? And as usual you have no idea how to fix this you just want to get personal with your patient!"
Before Cameron could say a word he spun her around and pushed her almost painfully into the grill of Uncle Cappy's truck. His mouth came quickly over hers as he held her hands firmly against the hood. The kiss was angry but uncontrolled. And with a resolve he barely had, he bit her lower lip immediately tasting the salt of her injury. He pulled back and looked at her lip. He took his thumb and wiped the blood off and then on his jeans. Then he stared at her as all of the anger drained from him.
"Read the letter, please."
This time Cameron stayed where she was as he got into Uncle Cappy's truck and backed away from her. She felt the blood droplet that had formed again on her lip. When she touched it, her body shook with the remembrance of his kiss.
From the window Uncle Cappy watched Cameron over Aunt Virginia's shoulder. They were both grinning from ear to ear.
"Looks like Greg bit her." She commented. "Must be a vampire like his uncle."
"Must be." He laughed.
"When did you call Greg to tell him she was here?"
"When she was in the shower. I know better than to have him see her when she just woke up. You women are nutso about that."
"Good, if she finds out we told Greg she was here she might never forgive us."
"Looks like John Gotti would've been proud of our little conspiracy." Uncle Cappy said. "You better get out there. She's going to be waiting for you, remember?"
"Yeah I'm going. Give me a kiss, Dracula. But watch your fangs." She teased.
"I love you. Greg's waiting down at Pete's place for me. I'll head down there after you head out." He said with a kiss.
Aunt Virginia handed Cameron some tissues as she went outside.
"Are you all right?" She asked when Cameron got into the front seat.
"Yeah I guess so. Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course honey."
"When did you finally learn to trust Uncle Cappy?"
"The day before our wedding."
"Why that day?"
"He asked me to meet him at the church. I thought he wanted to go over some wedding stuff so I came down from the deli I was working at. Father Delano and Father Auggie were there. You know Father Auggie was young then but Father Delano really taught him so much. Anyway, he takes me by the hand and leads me over to the alter and sits me down on the steps leading up to it. Father Delano tells me that Carrado wants to talk to me before God and his servants. I was confused."
"What did he say?"
"He got on his knees in front of me and took my hands in his and then he looked up at the crucifix for a long time and finally back at me. Then he told me how much he loved me and how right I had been to leave him when I did, both times. And painfully he drug out every wrong he believed he'd hurt me with. He asked for my forgiveness from the drinking, the lying, leaving me for the war, and even the physical pain from the nightmares he had. Remember I told you about that on the phone?"
"But you were already married when all of that happened."
"We were married by the church but we weren't married in our hearts. When he came back to take me home from my father's house, he promised we would get married again. So that was our real wedding and the anniversary we celebrate too."
"I see. So he apologized?"
"Oh Allison, that man sobbed and sobbed. I would've expected less from a repented serial killer. He even confessed things that I'd forgotten about. It was like he bore every scar he thought he'd inflicted on me. He said unless God and I forgave him then he couldn't marry me cause he'd taint our love. Allison, I cried with him and I held onto him on the floor of that church and we prayed together and we forgave each other. And I've never doubted him in my entire life. I can't explain everything all I know is that God united us in such a way that we can't be apart. I knew as I watched the flames burning around me in that restaurant that it wasn't time for me to go. Carrado and I aren't going unless we go together."
"I believe it will happen just as you say it will. Even God doesn't want to be cut off from your baked ziti."
"That's right my sweet girl."
"Can I ask you one more question?" Cameron said.
"Sure."
"Is Greg anything like Uncle Cappy?"
"Oh yes, but his scars run much deeper. I'm not talking about the baby or Margerite, Allison. He doesn't believe that he'll hurt you or break your heart. He's afraid he'll destroy your soul. We spent three hours on the phone one night. He told me things that made me believe he was talking about someone else. The difference is that Uncle Cappy needed me to forgive him. Greg needs you to forgive him or he can't forgive himself. You are meant to be Allison. I met Stacy and I liked her very much, in fact I hear from her every now and again. He loved her very much but she accepted him the way he was and it was easy for him to hide. But you are unmatched when it comes to him. It's like you were the only one brave enough to suck the rattlesnake venom out of him. He's had to face everything that's hurt him, but you've saved his life. You want to know the best part? Allison, he knows you saved him because he's told me so. It killed him to write that letter but he also knows that he had to for you and for Braeden. Read it for them both, cry miserably for the man that wrote it, and then baby, rejoice for the man that's emerged, the man that you can trust."
Cameron hugged Aunt Virginia tightly before they pulled out of the driveway. She now held onto that worn out letter like it was House's very soul in her palms.