So I know that I told everyone that my updates would start being less sporadic, and they will be soon, but I just got back from my final vacation of the summer with a group of friends. School starts a week from Tuesday, and things should start evening out then. This is the last chapter of More Then A Memory, and I may or may not be doing a sequel after I finish some stories. The next chapter of I'll Stand By You will probably be the last. Hope you enjoy!

Jess

Chapter 15: Perfect

House waited almost impatiently for Cameron to say something – anything.

She made no movement though, and just started at him eyes wide, breathing shallow.

Her eyes were searching his, frantically, and House idly wondered what she was looking for.

"This isn't some joke, right?"

Her voice was quavering and House understood that she was looking for the glimmer of laughter in his eyes that would signify soon he would be teasing her or swiping her mouth to test for HIV.

"Yes. It's a joke. This whole week has been my lying to you, and this is just the icing on the cake."

She flinched and House cupped her cheek in his hand. "You needed to take that test Allison. Otherwise I wouldn't have done that. And I knew me cornering you wouldn't have helped any. And this time I'm not kidding. I love you."

"Get out."

"What?"

She was trembling visibly and House wondered what he had done wrong this time. It wasn't like Chase or Foreman were in the room. And he wasn't kidding.

"I don't know what you think you can get this time. Because fake love isn't going to make me better. You can't fix me. Don't you get it? I'm not the one who needs damaged. You do. Get out. Get out. Get out. And don't come back!"

House stood because he knew that her blood pressure was skyrocketing and that she was close to having a breakdown.

It was all very dramatic and movie-like, and later, on House would be amused by their dialogue.

"I'm only leaving because you need to calm down. I'll be back later."

"Get out."

House paused at the door. His anger and irritation were growing, but he would wait until he was out the door.

"I do love you."

House stepped out of her room and shot a helpless look at Cole. The rest of the group had dispersed again, to where, House had no idea. But he didn't really care.

Richard, it seemed, was in the front of the clinic dealing with a patient.

"Mild car crash." Cole supplied helpfully. "There are four or five people with various bumps and bruises so they're helping out up front and in the main area."

The twenty-four hour treatment center had four personal rooms, and then eight beds that were set up, two behind each curtain.

There was also a room with an X-Ray machine. All in all, it was a very nice treatment center for such a small place.

"You should go in and talk to her," was House's only reply as he nodded his head. "Tell her she's wrong."

With that he disappeared out the side door and into Rudyard.

What the hell was he thinking?

He shouldn't have told her that.

Shouldn't have brought up love. It was stupid and backpedaling when she stared at him would have been the smarter idea.

House leaned against the side of the brick building, hitting his head against the wall repeatedly. He then popped about three Vicodins and sighed.

House needed a drink. And he needed it now.

Three times he had told Stacey he loved her.

The first it had just slipped out, the second time they had gone out for a nice dinner and he was mentally prepared for the hurdle he had set up for himself. While she told him quite often that she loved him, the words were usually followed by a ditto or me too.

The last time was right before he was put into the coma. And then the last I love you hadn't been a real declaration of love. It was been filled with pain, and a tinge of anger and regret.

After that, it was all downhill.

"What happened?"

Wilson's voice startled him. And House turned - cane in hand, swinging to hit Wilson in the shins absentmindedly.

"Woah." Wilson took a step back, just narrowly missing the wood whistling in the air. Nothing he wasn't used to though. "Not a good time?"

"Is it ever?" More Vicodin was swallowed down and Wilson took a tentative step closer.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing means something."

"If nothing means something does something mean nothing? If I tell you something happened does that mean you'll leave me alone?" House snapped.

Wilson retreated. When House was like this, no one could talk to him. Which meant that something big had happened.

"What'd I miss?"

"What?"

"House just walked out and told me to calm you down and then to tell you that you're wrong. So, I repeat, what did I miss."

"Oh." She went back to looking out the window. "He told me that he loved me and then I threw him out for being a sick bastard that's messing with my head."

"Hells Bells!"

"Ace!" He glared at her and she sighed. "What?"

"Don't give me those puppy dog eyes. They don't work on me."

"Yes they do." The pouting grew and Cole sighed.

"Maybe they do, but not this time."

"And why not?"

"Because I think he really does love you."

"Does not."

"I'm not going to get into a childish argument with you on this. I'm right, you're wrong. Trust me."

"How do you know he loves me? You've met him once."

"I met him at your funeral actually. And let me tell you, no one can fake that emotion. And if he could, one, he should've been an actor and two, he wouldn't have faked that at your funeral for God's sake. If you were alive and he was trying to mess with you, that would be something else. But-"

"I am alive. Therefore he's trying to mess with me." Allison cut in, an almost triumphant smile on her face. It hurt, but at least she hadn't risen to the bait this time.

"We thought you were dead for three months. We had a funeral Al. There's a grave stone with an empty box on the farm. It wasn't faked, sis. He really loves you. Besides, if he didn't love you why is he still here?"

Allison frowned. Eddie had told her that House loved her. House had kissed her. But still, the cold hard facts were the same. No one loved her unconditionally except for Cole, Nana, Gramps, and two or three close friends.

"I think you screwed up Hells Bells. Want me to go get him for you?"

Still frowning, Allison nodded.

"When Allie and I were born we weren't wanted."

Cole's voice startled House. He was still outside silently cursing himself in various languages.

"What?"

"Our parents didn't want us. We still debate why our mother didn't abort us. It wasn't against any beliefs she had. Our mother is a very cold and calculating woman, Dr. House. She only thinks about herself. Having an abortion wouldn't have affected her at all. That's why Allie tries to be perfect. When we were little she thought that if she was just this much better at that, or had gotten an A instead of a B, got first place instead of second, did more then anyone else, if she was perfect that they would have loved us more. I went the opposite way and was a demon child." Cole grinned at some far off memory that consisted of childhood antics.

"Why exactly are you telling me this?"

"Because Hells Bells at this moment does not feel remotely close to perfect."

"And…"

Cole's face darkened momentarily. "She's scared Dr. House. One screw up and you'll go back on your words. Beside the fact she barely just got her memory back and you spent years teasing her about her crush on you."

House scowled. "If it took me this long to act on anything then she should understand that this isn't something I'll take lightly."

"What does she have to base that off of?"

"I don't know, but you'd think that after years she would understand me better." He paused for a minute to stare at Cole. "Why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"A few reason's actually. One, I don't want to go to jail. Two, even though Allie is scared at the moment, I think you two could really have something. Three, if I beat you up immediately then I have nothing to threaten you with if you do end up breaking her heart. Because then I will really kill you. According to Al, no one understands you. Why should she be any different?"

"Because she loves me."

Cole shook his head.

"Look: She's scared. No one has ever loved her unconditionally before. Nana and Gramps loved us of course, but that's not the same. She had her husband of course, and I was raised not to speak ill of the dead, but he was a manipulative bastard. And to this day I believe that's why he died. It's called karma." Cole shook his head and looked House in the eye.

"And suddenly after all the years of shit you put her through; you tell her you love her. That's not unconditional love to her, it means you want something, and you scared her. Not to mention all she's been put through over the past months. And you're talking in circles. Just go talk to Hells Bells and work it out."

"You wanted to talk to me?" House stepped back into Cameron's room and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes." She glanced down at the sheets she had twisted tightly in her hand and shook her head. "No." Cameron paused again and sighed. "Maybe."

"I knew I hired you for your great decision making skills." House limped into the room and settled into the chair he had previously occupied despite Cameron's indecision.

"I thought it was because of my great lobby art status?"

"That too. And your coffee."

She smiled and stared at the blanket again, immediately averting her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For asking you to leave."

"People have done worse." He wasn't going to accept her apology, but Cameron knew it was the closest thing that she would get.

"I know." She bit her lip. "I just- you told me you loved me once. What's going to stop you from using that trick again?"

"I never use the same trick twice. You of all people should know that. It's just -" House mock shuddered making Cameron laugh. "- so lame." He frowned, suddenly, his expression turning serious. "Trust me on this one, it's not a trick or a joke or a lie. I was a mess when you disappeared. Ask Wilson. Ask Cuddy. Hell, ask Chase and Foreman or my new team. You know that stupid saying about not knowing what you've got until it's gone?"

Allison nodded. "But I left before."

"But you weren't gone."

"Yes I was."

"Not dead." House moved his hand and stroked some hair away from her face. "I could always get you back when you were alive. But you were dead and I needed you. And then-" is hand moved to grasp hers. "- I got a phone call from an old friend, saying they had an unidentifiable woman that he thought might have been you. She was in an accident and unrecognizable. But it wasn't you. And that just broke me a little more. Cemented the fact that you were really gone."

"And then Richard wrote."

House sighed. "Yep. Got a letter from Richie-Boy. And it was you. Alive. And then here I was, ready to see you and sweep you back to Princeton and never let you leave. I showed up, and you took one look at me and flipped out."

Allison frowned, not liking his choice of words. House caught her eye and shrugged.

"What would you like me to call it instead?"

"Something that doesn't make me sound crazy."

He rolled his eyes. "The point of this story is not to make you sound crazy. The point is that I love you and I'm not lying. Got it?"

Allison grinned. If it was a trick House would have dropped it earlier. He loved her – he did, he really did – and she felt content.

Content to sit with this new version of House, this side that he had never let anyone see. It was nice to just be loved.

When Cole reappeared later he found his sister curled into House, as House watched her, face expressionless.

"So I'm guessing it all worked out?"

"Nah." Allison replied. "I'm paying him to fake everyone out."

"Of course."

"And no one can talk to a horse, of course." Allison responded, not missing a beat.

"That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mister Ed."

"Did you two ever consider going on the road?" House eyed the two of them. Such weird siblings with such weird quirks.

"Of course," they chorused before dissolving into laughter.

Cole shook his head. "Not why I came in here though. Richard wants to release you but they sent me in because I've seen you naked – although not since we were like, three - and they didn't want to scar anyone."

"Cole Cameron! You are impossible!" Allison fumed. "There's nothing in here that I can throw or you would be the one with a concussion right now."

"I know." Cole grinned and darted over to kiss his sisters' forehead affectionately. "I'll give Richard the all clear. Perk up Hell's Bells you know you love me."

He was out of the room before she could yell at him again.

Three Weeks Later

Allison buried her face in Iris' shoulder.

Maybe if she just. didn't. move. –

"Allie."

"No."

Iris tugged her firmly from her shoulder, face just as tear-stained. "We all knew it would happen. It's just sooner rather then later. And it's not like you're leaving forever."

House would have tapped his cane impatiently and dragged Allison away if not for the fact that these people had taken care of her when he couldn't and the fact that Allison would've never forgiven him.

So he waited with a mock patience as Cameron said her good-byes to her friends for one last time before the large group departed for a long car ride and an even longer plane ride.

Cameron cried as she hugged Ollie and then Eddie good-bye as well, before tucking herself firmly under Houses' arm. Most of the people that Cameron associated with here had said good-bye yesterday, including Richard.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

There were still a lot of things to come, House knew. A meeting with her grandparents, where they were stopping before boarding the plane home, seeing the parents, getting a new apartment - though House was pretty sure that he had taken care of that one. He had offered to let her stay with him, and he was pretty sure that she wouldn't be leaving - new clothes, getting re-associated with the world, with Princeton, with her job.

Allison looked up, as if sensing the frown on his face. She darted up and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"I'll be fine, I promise."

And then there was another thing. Them. They were something that wasn't nothing. Or something as vaguely identifiable as that. They were past friends but not quiet dating. Not friends with benefits because they weren't sleeping together. A word that was in between.

Allison hugged everyone one last time, her tears still flowing steadily.

She turned to look at House and then sighed. "I'm ready."

And with one last sniffle and then a step Allison Cameron stepped back towards her Princeton Family, back towards what was once, and would be again, home.

THE END

Allison and Cole are quoting the lyrics to the Mr. Ed theme song. Um, yeah…