House seemed...happy. Ironic as that sounded. House and happy could hardly co-exist without a punch line. But happy seemed the only way to explain it. And why would he not be? He had his mobility back, he was pain free: it must have been something he never expected could happen. No cane, no limp. House's off-center gait was the only walk Cameron had ever seen him have.

And now it just seemed so...different.

Cameron found herself watching him as he walked past the elevator and headed towards the stairwell door. He stopped, turned around and caught her stare.

She quickly looked away, trying to act like she was doing anything but watching him, even though she knew she'd been caught. There was no getting away with anything when it came to House. That was something the Ketamine certainly hadn't changed.

"Gimpy can't catch a break, can he? He limps and people stare. He doesn't limp and people still stare. What up wit dat?" House yelled down the hallway at Cameron, with one hand on the stairwell door.

Cameron quickly looked around and cringed, wondering just how many people heard and how embarrassed she should feel. The handful of nurses and orderlies gathered around the floor's main desk were all staring now and she turned towards House and glared back at him wishing he'd really not just done that.

She quickly walked towards him saying, "I'm sorry. I'm just happy for you," her voice much lower than his, hoping their sudden audience would find something else to entertain themselves with.

"You really are a stuffed animal from Grandma, aren't you?" House said, pausing just long enough for Cameron to start to respond, then disappearing through the stairwell door.

Cameron, mouth open and air drawn ready for a reply, froze there as the door closed in her face. She released her breath, smiled, and rolled her eyes, watching through the small square window in the door as House retreated up the stairs, jumping two steps at a time.

She knew there was no use following after him. She didn't have a response for him anyway, she'd been caught, but the idea of House without that signature limp was something she was still trying to wrap her mind around.

She turned and headed towards the elevator avoiding the looks of those still watching her. Cameron was sure they were hoping for more rumor-mill material. House's antics were always cause for mindless conversation as far as the hospital staff were concerned.

Cameron hit the button calling for the up elevator and disappeared behind the protection of the steel doors.

Cameron unlocked her front door while juggling her work bag and the groceries she'd stopped and picked up on the way home. She swung the door open, picked up more bags she'd deposited on the floor in the corridor, walked into her apartment and kicked the door shut behind her.

She walked into her kitchen, dropping her work bag on the couch on her way and setting the rest of her bags on the table. She unpacked her perishables and placed them in the refrigerator, then left the rest of the groceries to be put away later.

She needed her run.

Leaving a trail of work clothes from the kitchen to her bedroom, she soon left her apartment, ready to clear her mind of the details of her day.

Going for a run to sort things out in her mind had been helpful to her while House was in his coma.

At first, she hadn't understood the magnitude of his request for the Ketamine. In the days of sitting with him in his hospital room, she read everything she could get her hands on about the subject. The parts that troubled her were the reports of various side effects regarding brain activity. Surely House was aware of this? But to risk losing his edge as a brilliant doctor with the only pay off being possible relief from his leg hurting…For the first time she began to realize the unimaginable intensity of the pain House must experience.

But these were things she rarely thought of while she ran anymore. House's Ketamine treatment had been successful. It was obvious he hadn't lost his unique ability to solve their medical cases and so far his pain seemed to be gone. And Cuddy had taken the liberty of administering Naltrexone and putting House through a UROD program while he was in his coma. So not only was his pain gone, his body was no longer chemically dependent upon the Vicodin.

The initial fatigue Cameron felt when she'd began her run had passed now and she'd settled into a comfortable pace when she felt the eerie presence of someone behind her. Immediately conscious of the idea that running out here alone in the dark wasn't the wisest of things to do, she began to pick up her pace as she removed the earphone from her right ear so she could be more alert to what was around her.

As Cameron increased her pace, the stranger did as well, until both of them were nearly at a sprint. Finally, she could see him out of the corner of her eye. Damn it, it was House! Relieved and a little pissed at the same time, she took a few more leaps forward as if about to lose her balance and bent over. Hands on her hips and gasping for air, she choked out, "What do you think you're doing? You scared the hell of out me!"

House slowed his pace. Cameron was sure she heard him laugh as he called back, "You're half my age! C'mon!"

Cameron caught up with him, still winded, and said, "I was plotting just which sensitive spot I was going to attack first, you know that?"

"That could have turned interesting," House laughed in response.

Cameron just rolled her eyes as she began to settle back into her pace and looked straight ahead, not acknowledging his comment. She decided to remove both earphones and hold them in her hand as she continued to run and listen to the sound of their breathing and their shoes occasionally beating the pavement in unison.

Although still a little angry from being startled, she couldn't help but smile. This was certainly something she never thought would be possible…she was jogging through the streets of Princeton with House.

They continued for several more blocks, in silence apart from the sound of their breathing and the pounding of their feet, until they made their way back to Cameron's neighborhood. Just short of her apartment, Cameron slowed her run to a walk. With her hands on her hips she tried to regulate her breathing once again.

House never slowed up, and never looked back.

Cameron smiled and walked towards her front door watching House until he disappeared down the dark street. She almost laughed to herself out of excitement for him. No wonder House had been so happy lately. That must feel absolutely incredible to him, she thought as she unlocked her door and went inside for a shower.

When House showed up again the next evening, Cameron's heart skipped several beats while it thumped inside her chest and she turned away so House couldn't see the smile that was plastered across her face. The first night she figured could have been pure chance that they met up with each other, but now it had happened again.

This went on for a few weeks, and their runs together quickly became Cameron's favorite time of the day. Somewhere along her run, House would join her. Sometimes early and sometimes late, but he always showed up. Cameron figured on some level he must be enjoying it too since House never did anything he didn't want to do.

Cameron noticed House wasn't bringing his iPod any longer, but neither of them ever spoke. Cameron had to smirk to herself when she reasoned she and House could get on quite well as long as neither of them said anything.

So Cameron knew better than to mention any of this at the office and of course she never expected House to bring up the subject either, unless he could find some smart-assed way to use it against her.

Over time, she'd learned to leave well enough alone. Not everything needed to be 'talked about' and everything certainly didn't need to become everyone else's business. She could respect that. Not that she totally agreed.

It was clear to her that trust was something House didn't give away without good reason, or even with good reason, so she'd decided to let it go and hopefully one day deserve it in his eyes. She just wanted to be present in his life and let him make any moves that might be made. She figured with House, there was probably no other way.

It was another beautiful fall evening, and as Cameron passed the elementary school, she began to wonder if House was going to show. He'd always joined her by this point. She even found him waiting there for her once; stretching. She decided he'd gotten an early start and had waited for her to come along, although he'd never admit it.

By the time she arrived back at her place she'd talked herself out of worrying about him. It could be anything, she reasoned and the last thing House would want would be her caring. But when he didn't show the next evening either, she decided it was time to break their unspoken code of silence.