Title: Patience of Love

Author: EvaRose

Rating: R (I think) for language and violence. No sex (yet)

Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing

Feedback: Yes Please :D

Beta: veronicca05

"People… dismiss me. Because I'm a woman, because I'm pretty, because I'm not aggressive. My opinions shouldn't be rejected just because they don't like me."

House noticed how she rolled her eye when she said she was pretty, almost as if she felt guilty about her genetics. She couldn't help it that she was beautiful. It must really have struck a nerve when he had told her he had only hired her for her looks. So he decided to take pity on her.

"They like you. Everyone likes you." Considering the conversation over he started to walk away.

"Do you?" Cameron asked timidly

When she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper, but to House those two, simple words seemed to echo loudly in his head and in his heart. Composing himself he slowly turned to regard her with his icy blue gaze, but he seemed unable to speak.

Cameron met his gaze unwaveringly, she had gone this far and she wasn't about to leave without an answer. She took a few hesitant steps toward him, "I have to know."

"No," was his only response, never looking away from her wide, hopeful eyes.

She refused to let him see how badly that one word affected her. She searched his eyes, hoping to find a different truth in their crystal depths cut he had locked all his emotions away and there was nothing there for her to read. So bracing herself against the tears she gave him a tight-lipped smile and quietly said, "Okay," before walking away.

House watched the stiff line of her back until she was out of sight. Good, he thought, Nip this silly crush in the butt before it gets out of control. He refused to listen to the part of his brain that just wanted to kick him in the ass for being such a fool.

"You actually told her you didn't like her?"

"Technically all I said was 'No'" House answered, taking a sip of his scotch. It had been a long stressful day, with Cameron's question only serving to make it worse. He had asked Wilson out for drinks after work and here they now were discussing who liked who like a couple of pubescent teens giggling over their soda pop.

"That's kinda mean, even for you," Wilson said, shaking his head.

"Well what was I supposed to do? She was looking at me with those big innocent, doe eyes of hers expecting me to get down on my knees and declare my undying love for her." House snarked.

"She knows you can't get down on you knees." Wilson deadpanned. House just glared at him but Wilson was unfazed "You could have just said you liked her as a friend or a colleague. Or you could have done the famous Greg House avoidance routine. You didn't have to crush her." He couldn't help but feel sorry for the naïve young woman.

House's only response was to grunt and take another drink. They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping their drinks, then Wilson looked over at House and said "SO?"

House looked at him, eyebrow raised "So what?"

"So… do you like her?" Wilson answered with a boyish grin.

"Ack… come on, what are we, in high school?"

"Greg likes Allison," Wilson said in a singsong voice.

"I don't like anyone." House answered pointedly giving him a full throttle glare.

"Now there's that avoidance routine I was talking about. Which can only mean one thing. Oh My God," he said when the full realization hit him, "You DO like her." He was laughing now. "Oh man you're in trouble."

"Either shut up or leave before I beat you down with my cane!"

This only made Wilson laugh harder, "You're in BIG trouble!"

House grabbed his cane and raised it above his head, ready to strike.

"Whoa there Pep Squad," Wilson jumped up from his stool with his hands raised still laughing, "I gotta go anyway. The wife was expecting me an hour ago." And with that he finish his beer and left the bar still chuckling to himself.

House ordered another drink and after the bartender set it down in front of him he downed it in one swallow trying to quiet the raging emotions he would never admit to having. Not even to Wilson. "I don't like anyone." He repeated to himself. Crap. Who was he kidding?

Cameron walked into the bar with Forman. Taking in the smoky, crowded atmosphere she thought to herself This is just what the doctor ordered. I just need to pound back a few drinks and forget all about that stupid conversation I had with House.

She had been in the lab running tests on their latest patient and berating herself for her stupid and juvenile behavior when Forman had found her and asked her if she wanted to go out for drinks after shift. She had jumped at the opportunity.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, then I'll grab us a couple beers," Forman said to Cameron, leaning in close so she could hear him over the din. "Why don't you try and find us a table?" Cameron just nodded as he headed toward the back where the restrooms were located.

Amazingly it only took a moment to find an empty table, which she procured and sat down to people watch until Forman returned with their beers. A moment later a Corona was set down in front of her, "Wow that was fast. I thought you'd be gone…" when she looked up it wasn't Forman she saw but a tall man in his early thirties who obviously had had too much to drink.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting all alone?" he asked her, sitting down in the chair opposite her like he owned it.

Cameron just rolled her eyes. She had seen this type a thousand times before. A regular night club junkie who roamed from bar to bar looking for nothing but another notch in his bedpost, who brought with him a multitude of STD's and self loathing to any woman gullible enough to fall victim to his questionable charms.

"Thank you," she smiled politely and pushed the untouched beer towards him, "but I'm here with someone. He just went up to the bar to get us drinks."

As if he hadn't heard a word she had said, he moved his chair closer to her so that his body was mere inches away from hers. "My name is Allen. What's yours beautiful?"

His breath smelled like his mouth had never met the business end of a toothbrush. She scrunched up her nose and instinctively put her hand on his chest to push him away. "Look Allen," emphasizing his name to get his attention. "I'm really not interested. My boyfriend will be back any minute so you better just leave." She hoped the word "boyfriend" would be enough to deter him. No such luck.

He leaned in even closer putting his hand on her thigh, "Come on baby, you know you want me."

"What I want is to not be manhandled by an over grown baboon." Cameron got out of her chair. She figured she would just leave and meet Forman at the bar. They'd just stand if they couldn't find another table, but he was quick for a drunk and grabbed her wrist hard. "You really don't want to leave now, do you baby?"

Cameron started to struggle, "Let go of me you pig!" She said pounding on his chest with her free hand but he was a big guy and she was no match for him in strength. He leaned in to kiss her on the lips but she was able to turn her head just in time and his wet lips schlepped on her cheek. She struggled harder, gagging over the putrid stench of him.

Suddenly there was a large hand on Allen's shoulder and he was physically pulled off of her. "Cameron. I leave you alone for one minute and you're already hitting on someone else."

Cameron's head shot up when she heard the ice-cold voice of her boss. It was a voice that she was very familiar with. She even heard it in her dreams but she had never heard it sound quite that…dangerous.

"What, YOU'RE the boyfriend?" Allen cried incredulously, "You're old enough to be her father. And you're a fucking gimp!" he said noticing the cane. "Why don't you go back to the old folks home and leave herto me."

She couldn't help but notice the twitch in his jaw; a sure sign that he was biting back some sarcastic comment that would only get him into trouble. Never taking his eyes off of her and completely ignoring the belligerent drunk, he held his hand out to her, "Come on sweetie. You've been a naughty little girl and now daddy needs to take you home and punish you."

Cameron couldn't help the blush his words caused but didn't hesitate to walk toward him. But for the second time Allen grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "She's not going anywhere with you pops," he said pulling an eight-inch stiletto switchblade out of his pocket and waving it in House's face.

"You know you really shouldn't play with sharp things. Someone could lose an eye," House quipped shifting all his weight onto his good left leg.

"That's not all you're gonna lose if you don't get out of here."

"Allen please, there's no need for this," Cameron gently put her hand on his arm in an effort to calm him. She knew House wouldn't stand a chance against the much larger and younger man.

"Shut up Bitch!" Allen said looking over his shoulder at her and shrugging her off. This was all House needed to make his move. He was surprisingly fast for a cripple as he raised his cane and brought it down on the arm holding the knife. Unfortunately though, Allen had had even more to drink than Cameron realized because he barely seemed to feel the impact and he never lost his hold of his weapon.

"Is that all you got grandpa?" Allen asked, his lips curling into a sneer.

"Why don't you bring it on Sonny, and find out?" Most people would have been terrified by the deadly glare in House's cobalt blue eyes, but Allen didn't seem to even notice.

"House no!" This time Cameron practically launched herself at Allen and grabbed the arm holding the blade. "Please, stop this." Allen, never taking his eyes off of House, pushed her so hard that she went flying into the table behind her.

House watched her hit the floor and he saw red. He lunged at the bastard who dared to lay a hand on his Dr. Cameron. Unfortunately his leg chose that moment to give him a jolt of pain causing him to stagger to the right. Allen took the opportunity to plunge his knife deep into House's gut.