I do not own the House characters

Black and white

The snorted laugher at her expense didn't bother her; neither did Chase's playful 'Get over yourself.' She wasn't even listening to him, and so continued to practise her speech, even after Chase grew bored, got up and left the locker room with an obvious sigh.

Why? Why had they caught her when she was half distracted with other things? Life was so unfair at times.


Man, was his life cluttered at the moment, and mainly with people of all things.

He hardly had time to think these days, what with lunch following so closely after breakfast and intermittent points of small talk with Wilson throughout the day. Then there was dinner. In there somewhere was a case or two, the CIA and then some people to fire at the end of the day. Throw in the study of Cuddy's ass at sporadic intervals and life was hectic. It hadn't really given him anytime to think about things. It was only now that he'd given any thought to this time last year - the differences between then and now, the cop, the drugs and all the drama. The old team.

He was watching the rest of the documentary. He'd wanted to watch without Wilson yapping in his ear. His eyes were getting tired now though and he was about to turn it off and leave when a short but unexpected scene started to play. He sat back in his seat, popped a pill and then folded his arms. He watched it, twice. It was weird, watching her this way, a voyeur of sorts, in a shady editing room at the top of the hospital that was cramped and cold. Cameron was in black and white, checking over a patient and only half listening to what the interviewer was talking to her about. Still, to him, it seemed like a truthful statement - I love House - it could be taken so many ways. He could take it so many ways. The bottom line was he just didn't have time to obsess over this right now, but he was glad that even though a lot of things had changed in twelve months, there was still an old constant in his life and it was a strange sort of comfort to him.

He allowed himself to throw a few ideas around before he made his way back to the office. Why hadn't she ever made him go stupid? He'd never agreed with any of her dumb ideas, ever. Maybe it was because she'd never had any really bad ideas. Not incompetently bad ones, anyway. He was struck then, with a potential reason. She wasn't just a pretty face. And then, soaked in monochrome from the glare of the TV, he decided that maybe she hadn't been attracted to the damage in him after all. Allison Cameron, in her own way, was as screwed up as he was. He reached forward and paused her bemused smile, just for a moment, moving his thumb across it on the screen before turning everything off and leaving the room.

Two months later

"Hey!" Allison Cameron was standing on his front step with a red nose, probably because it was ten at night and very cold outside. Her breath fogged the air three inches before his face.

"Hey," he repeated, in a slow and suspicious tone. Cameron looked obviously at the mug of hot chocolate he stupidly happened to still have in his hand and he observed it himself for a few seconds before saying -

"I can assure you, it's full of whiskey."

He was suddenly very glad he'd slurped the whipped cream right out of the can instead of putting it onto his drink.

"I ah…" Cameron's hands flitted up, as if she were about to conduct her words and House noticed her body language tense. He raised his eyebrows in the vein hope she might just get it out - whatever it might be.

"I wanted to ask you…well I thought that maybe if you saw that show that I should make clear…."

Oh God, what was this all about? Maybe she was about to philosophize about something, that was always dangerous. He stepped back; she could take someone's eye out when she got going. Please don't let it be Freudian, he willed silently. It was freezing and she hadn't been on his doorstep since - he had to think - maybe since the fake brain cancer. A ripple of shame, starting at the core of him, moved quickly through his body like a pebble dropped in a pond, with the recollection.

"Did you watch that documentary?"


Well, no not really he thought. He'd got as far as 'Patch Adams' then switched it off. He'd strived, painfully, yet fruitlessly to get it canned but to no avail. It had aired two nights ago.

"I don't love you."

House was brought out of his inner wandering by her short but firm statement.

"Uh huh," he half closed his eyes, "Um, yeah you do."

"Damn, you saw it; I honestly didn't think you'd watch it after the Patch Adam's thing?"

"It? No, it's just that 'I love House' has been your default position for about three years."

He watched her cheeks flush and a little patch of red just under her chin, mortification, began trickling down her neck until she had splodges of red embarrassment on her skin.

"I don't love you, honestly, I don't."

"I don't care. Why are you here anyway? Doesn't Chase's bed getting cold when you're not in it?"

He'd heard rumours of a break up but she didn't flinch at his words, she didn't even seem to acknowledge them.

"I needed to tell you."

"That you don't love me?"


"Alright, thank you."

He tried to close the door but it met with the flat of Cameron's forwardly moving palm, and stopped with a gentle slap.

"But you believe me though, right?"

"God you're neurotic. If it gets you off the step so I can close the door then sure, but in reality. No."

Cameron frowned and moved her head a fraction to the side so she could stare at the TV that was still on in the room behind him.

"Are you watching Sponge Bob Square Pants?"

"No," House said quickly, but then, why was he lying? It was only Cameron. He shrugged, "So?"

She looked at the drink in his hand again for a second time before she laughed to herself, then she finally began to leave.

"It came out wrong, in the documentary. I meant I love working with you, I mean I did, that I used to. That's all. Goodnight."

"See, you do love me, I drink hot chocolate and watch kids shows. I'm adorable."

"You're a child. It's not attractive," Cameron threw over her shoulder as she walked away.

He closed the door on her and then smiled to himself.

She so did love him.