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In Rain and Shadows
by Teenwitch
Under rain, in atrophy, dare I watch this girl,
Combing her hair before the grey broken mirror
The golden sweetness trickling? Her eyes show
Awareness of my grey stare beyond the swirl
of golden fronds.
-Francis Webb, 'Wild Honey'.
1925-1973
Dr. Gregory House was not universally well liked at the Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital, though the diagnosticians' name evoked a kind of grudging respect from his fellow colleagues.
That was fine with him. He didn't need to be liked. He didn't want to be liked.
Which was why the after-hours silence of the hospital was a refreshing change, and his cane thumped against the floor beside him, a dull sound that disrupted the quiet, aiding his leisurely stride towards the elevator banks at the end of the corridor.
He made it into the underground lot before the skies rumbled ominously and released a torrent of rain, echoing dully throughout the compound. His scowl grew even more pronounced as he slammed the door to his car, tossing his cane onto the backseat before starting the engine. The rain always seemed to make his leg hurt more than usual. If such a thing was possible.
The parking garage was empty, and anyone who didn't know him would think him a diligent doctor staying late after hours to catch up on important paperwork. Yeah well, he just wouldn't disappoint them by letting them know he fell asleep watching reruns of General Hospital.
The streets were depressingly grey and he squinted through the windscreen, mentally calculating how much was left in that bottle of scotch left in his cabinet at home.
A dark shape caught his attention on the sidewalk, and he frowned, gaze drawn to it as he slowed his speed. The unmistakable figure combed her wet hair out of her eyes, clutching her jacket more tightly around herself and looking uncharacteristically dishevelled as she was beleaguered by rain.
House rolled his eyes, recognising Dr. Allison Cameron, the beautiful, softly spoken immunologist on his staff. What the hell she was doing out in the rain, he would never know.
He watched her for a moment; her pitiful form almost wraithlike in the shadows. She wasn't the greatest doctor on his staff, but there was no denying her ability. And her graceful beauty had given her a one-up on all the other applicants. He had her worked out from the minute he hired her, but she managed to surprise him occasionally. There weren't many people who could still do that, and he tolerated her somewhat more than the other two sometimes because of it.
It wasn't in his nature to be charitable, but even Gregory House had a small shred of decency in him. He sighed, pulling his car over to the curb, leaning over to wind the passenger side window down and shocking the hell out of her in the dark. "Is there some reason you've decided to make yourself completely useless to me tomorrow morning?"
Cameron blinked at him stupidly, holding the collar of her jacket over her long black hair. He was clearly the last person she had expected to stop for her, and he wasn't about to argue that.
"Excuse me?"
"The rain, Dr. Cameron. Of course, it's a huge toss-up between one less doctor on staff tomorrow or my leather upholstery, but I suppose we all have to make sacrifices."
His snarky tone wasn't lost on her, but she decided to ignore it, and accepted his veiled invitation, opening the door and quickly sliding inside. He winced as her drenched clothing started to scatter dark droplets along the floor of his vehicle. Screw charity, didn't the girl have any common sense?
"My car broke down", she explained defensively, hunching into the door of his car like he was going to attack her or something. Or maybe she was cold. "I was walking before it started to rain".
"What, no one to call in the big dark city?"
She sighed, looking slightly sheepish. "I left my cell phone in my office."
House lifted an eyebrow, keeping his gaze fixed on the road ahead. "Well, Dr. Cameron, this disorganization is refreshing. Here I thought you were the Martha-Stewart of perfectionism".
Cameron folded her arms impatiently. "Working late at the hospital?"
He shot her a look of mock sincerity. "Oh yes, catching up on all of my non-existent paperwork. It was quite a trial, but I managed to labour on through."
She looked at him. "Do you ever answer anything seriously?"
"Do I look like someone who enjoys small talk?"
She lifted an eyebrow, acknowledging the truth in that, remaining silent.
"You are going to have to give me directions here, you know", House said at last, impatiently. "I'm good, but I haven't tapped into my powers of ESP quite just yet. I'm saving that for a special occasion."
"Take a left at the end of this road."
He complied, already inwardly imagining the kind of place Cameron would call home. Some cutesy apartment overrun with flowers and teddy bears, no doubt.
She remained silent, probably still bitter over his reason for hiring her. He rolled his eyes. Women could certainly hold a grudge. Well, she would have to deal with it. Doctors that looked like she did weren't exactly commonplace in their line of work, and she would have to deal with much worse discrimination further in her career. He might as well prepare her for it now.
"So what are you doing at the hospital this late? You do know that brownie points don't mean much if no one knows you're there".
He could feel Cameron's green eyes piercing his face. He preferred not to look at her eyes. They were entirely too pretty for someone who required his ridicule.
"I actually was doing paperwork."
"Answering my mail again, hmm?"
He wouldn't admit it, but that was one of the things about her that managed to surprise him. It didn't surprise him that she was nice enough to do it. It just surprised him that she would bother with someone like him.
"Well, someone has to do it. Not all of your patients have sore throats and hypochondria".
He rolled his eyes. He naivet would be irritating on someone else, but it just added to her doe-eyed charm. Which only made her irritating in an entirely different sense. "You really should take your one woman pep-squad on the road."
"Why are you so cynical?"
"Why are you so optimistic?" he shot back. "The whole world isn't puppies and roses, you know".
"If you got over that chip on your shoulder for five minutes, you'd find out it wasn't that bad, either".
Hmm. She was good. Not as good as Cuddy, but you couldn't expect her to be that damn diabolical.
"Take another left here".
"I find your insight on my character fascinating, Dr. Cameron", he continued sardonically, following her directions. "Have you ever considered a degree in psychology?"
"I took psych 101 in college, thanks. And I don't think a seasoned professional would be able to understand you any better."
He smirked. He hadn't enjoyed this kind of banter with anyone but Wilson for years.
"Why are you smiling?" she snapped, tightening her arms over her midsection, looking almost sulky.
"Left or right?" he prompted, approaching a t-intersection, ignoring her question.
Cameron frowned. "Uh, right".
The rain continued to pelt down, but it had let up a little, and he could see reasonably clearly through the windshield. In the corner of his eye, he could see that Cameron's irritable mask had slipped to reveal her own small smile, and he felt an unfamiliar sensation deep within his stomach. Cameron pointed him to a small Victorian style house at the end of the road, and he pulled to the curb, right in front of the door.
She sighed, glancing at him, and he was forced to meet her deep green eyes. They were an unusual colour, and only accentuated the rich near blackness of her long wavy hair.
God, just looking at her was going to make him start waxing poetry, or something. He shook those thoughts away, and Cameron cleared her throat.
"Well, thanks for the ride, Dr. House. I appreciate it. You didn't have to stop".
For some reason, it hurt that she would think he would just leave her in the rain. He offered a gruff shrug in response. "Anything for a pretty lady".
She frowned slightly, probably trying to figure out if there was any insult behind that comment, then turned and opened the passenger door.
"Cameron", he said, suddenly seriously.
She blinked, glancing back at him, questioning in her eyes.
He frowned, not quite sure what he had been meaning to say, and shifted uncomfortably, feeling the familiar pain wind its way more intensely through his leg. "See you tomorrow. And don't come in with a cold to spread around. The last thing I need are more whiny flu patients down in the clinic".
Her eyes glittered somewhat merrily. He wondered if being around her too long would make her good mood contagious. He was already starting to loose his snarky edge.
She just smiled at him. "Goodnight, House".
The door slammed closed and she was already up on her porch before he managed to mutter back, "Goodnight, Allison".
He definitely needed a drink. He threw two Vicodin pills in his mouth, telling himself that there was no way in hell she had just put him in a good mood.
FIN.
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Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of Fox Television, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.
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