A/N: This is the sequel to The Downward Spiral. Basically it will follow House/Cameron and the rest of the characters while they begin their relationship. These first few chapters are a little different, as they are following the same event through the eyes of a different person. This story begins immediately following The Downward Spiral, while House is in rehab.

Thanks for reading.

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Chapter 1

Wilson

To most people, three weeks without House would seem like a dream vacation. For Wilson, they were nothing short of torture, both personally and professionally. Wilson was consulting on numerous cases for the diagnostics department while House was gone, in addition to helping cover House's clinic hours, at Cameron's insistence, and treating his own patients.

During all this, he was worried. He worried about whether House would make it through the program; he worried how House would manage three weeks with no video games, Ipod or even a cell phone. Mostly, he worried about what would happen when House came back. Would he be able to manage his recovery outside the treatment center? Would he be ashamed when he got back and close himself off even more? What would happen with him and Cameron? And what if it didn't work out?

"Dr. Wilson, we need your help," Chase's voice interrupted Wilson reverie.

"Sure," Wilson said. He dragged a hand across his tired face and struggled up from the couch in his office. He'd taken to napping in his office at odd hours of the day, trying to catch up on the sleep he was missing at night.

"Got a new case you need a consult on?" Wilson asked Chase, stretching slightly before following him into the hall.

"New case, but we don't exactly need a consult," Chase answered.

"What's the problem then?" Wilson asked. As Chase and Wilson rounded the corner from Wilson's office to the conference room, Wilson could hear voices almost shouting at each other.

"That's the problem," Chase answered. Wilson and Chase paused in the doorway to watch as Cuddy, Cameron and Foreman all tried to talk together. The cacophony was enough to make Wilson wish he'd locked the door before he lay on the couch.

"What happened?" Wilson asked Chase. There was no sense in trying to get into the middle of this without knowing what was going on.

"Cameron told Foreman to run some additional tests on our new patient, and he blew her off. Cameron went to check on him, the patient I mean, and saw the tests weren't done. When she asked the nurse about it, the nurse told her Foreman hadn't ordered any tests. I guess Cameron didn't cover very well that she was mad, because the nurse went and told Cuddy. Now Foreman is pissed because he thinks Cameron ratted on him, and Cameron is pissed because Cuddy gave the nurses instructions to let her know if anything weird was going on down here. And I don't really know why Cuddy is pissed. I sort of gave up when she started yelling," Chase finished.

"Well, week two is off to a rousing start," Wilson said.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I may be glad when House gets back," Chase admitted.

"Your secret is safe with me," Wilson said quietly to Chase.

"Hey?" Wilson shouted. Getting no response, he raised his voice even louder. "HEY!"

Cuddy, Cameron and Foreman all turned to look at him in surprise. None of the three had even noticed him come in the room. Wilson took in their expressions quickly. If there was one thing he was good at, it was his ability to read people. Cameron looked hurt, probably because she felt Cuddy didn't trust her to lead the team. Cuddy looked irritated, likely with Foreman for not following Cameron's instructions and with Cameron for taking it. Foreman just looked pissed, and Wilson guessed it was because he thought he should have left in charge and not Cameron. Wilson suspected Foreman was upset because he thought Cameron was getting preferential treatment.

"Not to sound like House," Wilson began, "But if the patient dies while you're in here arguing your faces will be so red." This statement garnered an eye roll from Foreman and Cuddy, and a disgusted glance from Cameron. "If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Cameron is in charge here. That means she gets to go first." Wilson waved his arm at Cameron to indicate she had the floor.

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Cuddy

To most people, three weeks without House would seem like a dream vacation. For Cuddy, it was turning her professional life into a nightmare. Despite the fact that House was an unbelievable pain in the a, he was a brilliant doctor. True he had virtually no work ethic and had no compunctions about breaking rules and regulations, or the law for that matter, but he always did so for the good of his patient. With House gone, Cuddy feared the diagnostic department would kill someone. House's fellows were good doctors, but they weren't House.

Cuddy had ordered the nurses to keep an eye on any patients that were assigned to Dr. House's service while he was away. She wanted to be kept apprised of all tests and procedures before they were performed whenever possible. She also wanted to hear all the goings on in and out of the patient's room. Basically, she was spying. She always feared a lawsuit when House treated a patient, but generally she feared a lawsuit from an angry patient. Currently, she feared a lawsuit from the distraught family of a dead patient.

"Excuse me, Dr. Cuddy?" a voice interrupted Cuddy's musings.

"Yes?" Cuddy replied to the nurse who had just entered her office.

"I think we may have a problem upstairs," Nurse Molly stated.

"What happened?" Cuddy asked, anxious. She stood up from her desk and walked to the coat hanger by the door. Donning her lab coat, she walked out of her office through the clinic and to the elevators, Nurse Molly in tow.

"Apparently Dr. Cameron told Dr. Foreman to run some new tests on Mr. Stephens, their new patient. Dr. Foreman didn't run them. Dr. Cameron just came in to check on Mr. Stephens and saw the test hadn't been ordered. She asked me about it, and I told her that Dr. Foreman had been in, but he hadn't ordered any tests," Nurse Molly relayed this information to Cuddy as they stepped into the elevator and began their ascent. The elevator doors opened and Cuddy stepped out quickly, followed by Nurse Molly. "She didn't say anything, but she looked like she could bite the head off a rat. Actually, she sort of looked like Dr. House for a second."

Cuddy grinned quickly, then shook her head. She knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. She thanked Nurse Molly as they neared the conference room, and the younger woman disappeared quickly, not wanting anything to do with whatever was about to happen.

Cuddy entered the conference room to hear Cameron and Foreman already arguing. They weren't shouting yet, but were closed. Chase sat in the chair in the corner of the room, watching but wisely staying out of it.

"Dr. Cuddy, what a surprise," Foreman seethed upon seeing her. "How long did you wait before you ran downstairs to rat me out to your boyfriend's boss, Cameron?"

"Dr. Cameron did not come to see me," Cuddy responded before Cameron had the chance. "Although she certainly would have had every right to. Dr. Foreman, I'm surprised at you. Dr. Cameron is in charge while Dr. House is out of town, and I expect you to treat any instructions from her exactly as you would treat instructions from him."

"How do you know that?" Cameron asked Cuddy. "Are you spying on us?" Cuddy didn't reply, and Cameron took her silence as an admission of guilt. "You don't trust me to run things either!" Cameron exploded.

Cuddy began speaking again, trying to assure Cameron that it wasn't that she didn't trust her but more like she was concerned about how the department would run while House was away. Cameron wasn't listening however, as she'd also begun speaking about how she couldn't believe that another woman would do that to her. Foreman was trying to make himself heard over both women with his opinion that he shouldn't have to take orders from Cameron just because House liked her better. None of the three of them noticed Chase leave the room and return with Dr. Wilson.

"HEY!" Wilson's voice pierced through the din. "Not to sound like House but if the patient dies while you're in here arguing your faces will be so red." Cuddy merely rolled her eyes at him. "If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Cameron is in charge here. That means she gets to go first." Wilson waved his arm at Cameron to indicate she had the floor.