A/N: I "borrowed" some of the conversation from season 6's "Help Me".

We've changed canon a little bit for the purpose of this story. We thought it might be fun to see what would happen if Cameron never worked for House but was in the position of authority instead. So here goes nothin!

Disclaimer: Hughville and I do not own House (though we wish we did!) House and its characters are property of David Shore and FOX. So please don't sue us. We're just playing :)

Chapter One

House limped through the busy clinic area and pushed open the outer door of Cuddy's office with his cane, while carrying a large brown envelope under his left arm. He hesitated in front of her office door for a split second, then opened it and walked in. Cuddy stood beside her desk pulling on a pair of dark blue coveralls with the PPTH logo on the front.

"A crane collapsed in downtown Trenton."

House shrugged, looking everywhere but at her. "Don't care."

Still not looking at her, House handed Cuddy the brown envelope. She pulled an old book out of it, and held it up looking at the title, Approach to the Acute Abdomen by Ernest T. Cuddy.

"My great-grandfather."

"No, it's just a book he wrote. Open it up."

Cuddy opened the front cover, revealing an inscription, which read, "To Lisa and Lucas. Here's to a new chapter. Best. Greg." She closed the book and looked up at him.

"Seriously, you're giving this to us?"

"It's a big step you're taking. I wanted to congratulate you. I understand that's the adult thing to do."

Cuddy looked surprised. "How did you know?"

House shrugged. "I've known for a while. The fact that you decided to co-habitate is not exactly a spoiler. Unless my intel is wrong."

"Partly. We're engaged House."

"Seriously? Since when?"

"It just happened last night."

He studied her for a minute. "There's more, isn't there?"

She sat down at her desk and let out a deep sigh. "I'm leaving, House. Leaving PPTH. I need to take some time off. Be a wife to Lucas and a mother to Rachel. I can't do those things and stay here."

"Please tell me it's not someone from this hospital taking your place."

"It's not. It's a doctor out of Chicago. An Immunologist. She's very good."

"Has she ever run a hospital before?"

"She's had some experience, but only temporarily. This is her first time at the rodeo, so House, leave her alone." She zipped up her coveralls. "We need to get to Trenton."

She breezed past House without another word, leaving the book on her desk and making him wonder what the hell just happened.

Two weeks later...

As Doctor Allison Cameron stood in front of her full length mirror, buttoning her blouse and straightening her skirt, her mind churned with everything Doctor Cuddy told her.

"House will make things difficult for you. He'll lie, manipulate and browbeat you to get what he wants. His practices are unorthodox at best. The only thing is, he's usually right. And whatever you do, do not let him get into your head. He's a master at reading people and he will prey on your weaknesses. When he's discovered them, he'll keep poking with a sharp stick."

Cameron, as she was called by everyone, reached for her brush and ran it through her long blonde hair, freeing it of tangles. Her fair complexion was flawless and her green eyes sharp. She missed nothing and didn't let people get to her. She assured Doctor Cuddy of that very thing, but still, Doctor Cuddy seemed skeptical.

"I can handle it," she said to herself. She felt confident and secure in her responsibilities. She had some changes in store for the hospital, however. Some of the things she discovered both surprised and appalled her. Doctor Cuddy ran a tight ship, that was for certain. And while that was good, it was a little too regimented. Especially for a teaching hospital such as PPTH.

There were things she planned to change but she would do them slowly so the staff had time to acclimate to her way of doing things along with the changes. With one last look in the mirror, she turned and left her bedroom. She picked up her briefcase, purse and keys. On the drive to PPTH, she listened to blues music. It helped to center her before she faced her new staff. She was a bit nervous about meeting with them all at once but it seemed the best way. She could announce her first change and then get acquainted with the staff one on one later. Pulling into the parking lot, she looked up at the large building. Early morning light glinted off the windows. She parked in her new parking space, gathered her things and got out. As she walked along the sidewalk toward the front entrance, she noticed a handicapped parking space marked with the name Doctor Gregory House, M.D. She knew about his infarction and Vicodin addiction. After talking to Cuddy, she researched the world renowned diagnostician. She didn't find a picture of him but she did read every article he published and online reviews from patients and other doctors. One review from a patient stuck with her.

He's a mean son of a bitch and only came to see me when his team ran out of options. Truth be told, though, I'd rather have him as my doctor than one who sits and holds my hand while I'm dying. I owe him my life.

Cameron knew she needed to keep a close eye on him and his team. Hopefully, he would work better with her than he did with Cuddy. She heard through the rumor mill they had a brief fling in college and he supposedly still had feelings for her. Cameron resumed her walk toward the hospital entrance. There was no chance of her falling for him. She didn't have time for a relationship. Running a hospital was hard work and very time consuming. It left very little room for a personal life, and that was fine with her.

House sat in the hospital auditorium tapping his cane on the floor. James Wilson, his best friend and the head of Oncology, sat to his right. House's team was somewhere in the room. He glanced over at Wilson. Wilson looked straight ahead. House noticed he wore a new tie and a new shirt. His trousers were neatly pressed and he wore his lab coat and ID badge along with a pocket protector and pens in his right breast pocket. His dark hair was neatly combed and House resisted the urge to mess it up. House wore his usual suit coat over a wrinkled dress shirt untucked over jeans. His beard needed trimming and he couldn't remember when he last brushed his hair. He had no idea where his lab coat or ID badge were and he didn't care.

"So where is this newbie anyway?" he asked Wilson.

"We're early," Wilson responded. "The meeting isn't due to start for five more minutes."

"You lied to me about the time this thing started?" House asked in an exaggerated tone of shock.

"Of course I did."

House started to say more but the woman entering the room and walking toward the podium caught his attention. Her long blonde hair fell down her back in soft waves. She was slender and wore a lab coat over her blouse and skirt. She wore black pumps with a low heel and her legs were toned. She stepped behind the podium and House got a good look at her face. Dark brows slanted over her large eyes, she wore pink lipstick and had a slight cleft in her chin. She wore tiny earrings and a watch but no other jewelry. House smiled smugly. She looked like a complete pushover. He would enjoy chipping away at her until she quit.

"Good morning, everyone," she said. "My name is Doctor Allison Cameron and I'm the new Dean of Medicine. I won't keep you long. I just wanted to introduce myself and talk about a small change I'll be making."

"Oh, here we go," House whispered to Wilson. Wilson shushed him and he tapped his cane more forcefully. The noise drew Cameron's attention and she actually smiled at him.

"The change I'm making is in regard to the clinic," she continued.

House groaned.

"I've hired two doctors and assigned a team of residents who will work there exclusively. I feel the doctors on staff need to be available to their patients. This is a teaching hospital, after all, and the best way to learn is by seeing patients. I spoke with the board of directors and they all agreed. So, starting today, you no longer have to log clinic hours. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop by my office. You've all been sent an email with my office hours. I look forward to working with all of you. Thank you," she concluded and walked off the stage. She was stopped by several doctors and nurses who smiled at her and shook her hand.

"Did you hear that?" Wilson asked with a smile. "No more clinic duty."

"I heard," House said distractedly as he watched Cameron smile at people.

"I would think you'd be a little happier. You hated clinic duty. What are you going to do with all your free time? You won't have to hide out anymore."

"There's always General Hospital," House said as he rose slowly and made his way toward Cameron. He stopped in front of her and looked down at her. She was shorter than he first thought.

"Nice move, boss," he told her.

"I'm glad you approve," she responded with a shy smile. The man was older, quite tall and he clearly hadn't shaved in at least a week. He didn't wear a lab coat or a name tag like the other doctors.

He twirled his cane. "So, did you and Cuddy have a good gossip and giggle session about me?"

Realization over who the man was hit her like a ton of bricks but she showed no signs of fear or apprehension, even though inside she was feeling a little intimidated.

"You must be the infamous Doctor House, head of Diagnostics. I googled your name and I was quite fascinated. You're...quite an interesting character," she told him, still smiling.

He ducked his head in mock shyness. "Oh, stop! You're making me blush!"

She laughed. Leaning close, she whispered, "I know you're going to try to get rid of me. Good luck with that."

Patting his arm, she turned to Wilson. House stared at her for several seconds before leaning heavily on his cane as he limped away. When he reached his office, he sank down in his Eames lounger and reached for his pills. He shook two out into his hand and dry swallowed them as he propped his feet up and began his first plan of attack.