Chapter 1

Friday October 12, 2008

Allison Cameron was not the type of person who pouted. She wasn't the type of person who made obnoxious requests or threw her weight or name around to get her way. Right now, however, she was wishing that she were.

Cameron had been summoned to Cuddy's office by her nervous, twitching assistant. Since they had no case and the last one had been a relatively easy one - easy meaning the patient hadn't flat lined and Cuddy had only threatened to fire House once – she had no idea what it was about.

It turned out that it was worse than what she had been expecting. House was already sitting in their arguing with Cuddy when she walked in.

"A week?" He had asked. "But Mo-om, I would much rather stay here and play with Daddy Jimmy. I promise that I'll be a little angel." To prove his point he clasped his hands together and fluttered his eyelashes.

"Ah." Cuddy had smiled at Cameron. "The two of you are off to a conference in Chicago. It's a week. You leave on Sunday night." Here she shot a look at House. "If you don't go or I hear anything from the other doctors about Princeton Plainsboro's lack of respect or friendliness, there will be hell to pay."

House opened his mouth and Cuddy cut him off quickly. "You're going. And that's final."

Cuddy stopped Cameron an hour later in the cafeteria. "I hope its okay that it's just you and House."

Cameron put on her perkiest grin and turned on her charm. "It's just fine."

"With Chase still on leave and Foreman just back from being sick it seemed better just to send the two of you." Cameron nodded with a wince. Shortly after his fathers death Chase had tried to attack a patient who was a little too trying on his patience. He was given six weeks leave and still had another two weeks left to give him some time to try and heal. Foreman had been supposed to go with House to the conference, but it was hard to justify sending a doctor recovering from the flu to a hotel full of doctors.

"As long as both of us come back with no broken bones and alive," Cameron joked, "I'll consider the trip a success."

Sunday, October 14, 2008

Cameron stepped off of the plane with a tired sigh.

Cuddy had booked their flight for some ridiculous hour and it was already eleven pm. She was starving, tired and crabby. Worst of all she was back in the place she had grown up. It had been her prison and her home all into one and was the place she avoided unless backed up by all kinds of family and enough alcohol to last the entire trip.

"Sweet Home Chicago," Cameron muttered with a sigh, sending off a quick text to her older sister stating simply, 'Six and three is nine.'

"Little Miss Sunshine isn't all sunshine today?" House asked.

Cameron really wasn't in the mood for snark so she just shrugged wearily. Chase knew that her relationship to Chicago was rocky and for a moment she wished he were here. "Some days are better than others. Today is a bad day."

"Everybody lies," House came up behind her and poked her with his cane. "Even you fall to that truth."

"And life's a bitch and then you die. Everyone falls to that truth too."

House whistled. "Did someone forget to take their nice pills this morning?"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Let's get out of here, I'm starving."

"Avoidance, always the best tactic," he replied, but didn't press her. "Cuddles was kind enough to supply us with a rental car."

They headed through the maze that was O'Hare airport, to the baggage claim and finally to the rental car area where they loaded their SUV.

House stared at Cameron, holding his hand out for the keys. She blatantly ignored him and slid into the drivers' seat.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Driving."

"I drive."

"House, I grew up here. I am hungry and I want a burger. Right now. If you don't let me drive I will find a way to kill you with a rare tropical disease that not even you can find the cure to."

House held up his hands in defeat.

Twenty minutes later they were pulling up to a biker bar. At least, that's what the skeleton on a motorcycle in front indicated.

"Welcome to the Twisted Spoke," was all Cameron said as she grabbed her purse and stepped out.

"Are we lost?" House asked skeptically.

"Not even close to lost."

"Yet we're at a biker bar."

"They have great burgers and I'm hungry." This was definitely a new side to Cameron House thought as he watched her stride confidently into the restaurant.

"So how exactly did you find this place?" House asked around a mouthful of 'Boss Hog Sandwich' that Cameron had recommended. She set down her burger and took a sip of root beer.

"My Aunt and Uncle use to take my other siblings and me here."

"Really?"

House covered a smirk as he pictured a very prim and proper young Allison Cameron eating at a biker bar. Maybe she would finally loosen up at the damn conference.

"There were four of us, so my family used the 'divide and conquer' method concerning sporting events. This was usually where we would all meet up to eat, compare scores and switch family members." Cameron explained. "My cousins and my siblings were all very close in age and we all participated in various things."

"Ballet is not a sport."

"I did do ballet," Cameron admitted freely. "As well as tap. But I also played soccer and hockey as well as horseback riding, ice skating, gymnastics. By the end of high school I was down to track, soccer and horseback riding though. Between my siblings we managed to participate in almost every sport offered at the Park District."

"I can't really see you as a hockey player," House snorted.

"I played offense," Cameron grinned. "I lost my two front teeth when I was seven to a rather angry goalie."

Their waiter appeared and handed Cameron the bill. She smiled her thanks before pulling out a credit card.

"You know we can charge this to the hospital." House grinned manically.

"Too much hassle waiting to be paid back," Cameron protested. "Besides its not like thirty bucks will make or break me."

The two walked out and climbed into the rental car tiredly.

Chicago was home, but since her mothers' death when she was 12, it hadn't been the mystical magical place she loved.

Being there with House (no she didn't still like him) had the possibility to make it special again. They had never been to her old haunts, had never climbed the rocks at Evanston with her or done a mad rush to Wishbone or hung out in a recording studio. They didn't have the same scars that she did. With that thought, Cameron climbed into the car and drove away from the Twisted Spoke towards their hotel.

"Reservations under House." The woman at the front desk glared at House irritated. No one liked working at one am, even if it meant mostly sitting at a desk with a glazed look and playing Spider Solitaire.

"One moment sir."

The floor of the Intercontinental Hotel was sparkling and Cameron stared at it trying to look past her distorted reflection. If she tilted her head more to the left she couldn't see the sign stating where they were and it made her feel less angry and more tired. Her Uncle Adam had taken her to this hotel on more than one occasion for some family bonding and just seeing the name of the place made her nauseous.

The woman from the front desk handed him a set of keys and then gave them instructions on how to get to their rooms. Cameron listened with only a half ear, but fell back into reality when she heard House's voice.

"Okay and now time for room situations my duckling." He made a face. "Foreman was supposed to come with me so Cuddy booked us a single room with two double beds. Are you going to have a girly melt down about privacy?"

"Two brothers, House. I doubt you have anything I haven't seen before." With that Cameron strode off towards room 721.

Cameron had been serious about the brothers. Growing up with two of them meant that the rooming situation while awkward would be slightly less awkward than it could have been – she had become an expert at turning her head just before one of them forgot she was there and walked out of the bathroom naked. They were her brothers though, not her boss. Maybe if the couch were comfortable enough she would sleep there tonight instead.

The door to the hotel room opened into a small hallway that led to a small kitchen and living room area. There was a set of double doors that opened into a bedroom with two double beds and a bathroom.

Cameron automatically moved to the doors opening them and throwing her suitcase on the bed closest to the window.

"Hey why do you get to pick?" House whined limping in after her.

"Because I'm the girl. Also because you don't actually care and your bed is closer to the bathroom which lessens the probability of you flashing me after you shower."

House stared at her as she silently began to unpack.

Two hours later Cameron lay in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. Tomorrow was a free day to mess around and sight see and then Tuesday brought meetings, conferences and uncomfortable dinners and luncheons.

Cameron was absentmindedly braiding her hair when she felt her phone vibrate softly against her chest. She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom answering the phone call she had been awaiting with a half smile.

"Hey El." She paused wrinkling her brow as she thought through directions. "Okay. I think I can do that. I'll call if I get lost. Not too late though. Love you. Bye."

She hung up and using her phone as a flashlight began to quietly pull clothes from the dresser she was using. Holding a pair of skinny jeans and a black hoodie that she had kept from high school she changed quickly. Her purse, key card and a few other odds and ends were on her nightstand and she grabbed them.

In the kitchenette area she jotted down a quick note stating, This is my home town so don't freak out. I went for a walk and then I'm off to meet some old friends a few blocks from here. If you get really desperate and I'm not answering my cell find Denny's. – Cameron.

It was very unlikely that House would notice she was gone and if he did notice, that he would actually care, but Cameron was going to cover all her bases.

She pulled on some flats and left the hotel room, closing the door quietly behind her. Once in the hallway she pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, slid on her glasses and put one ipod ear bud in before starting out the hotel door and out onto Michigan Avenue.

It almost felt good to be back in Chicago.