We Are Family

As those of you who are reading this for the first time, or the 10th time might notice, this story is undergoing some construction. I know that 'Take Two' is a rewrite of this but I'm methodically going through this one and deleting various personal things I no longer want on this site and doing some light editing. Very little is changing except some grammar/spelling and condensing of chapters for an easier read. If you come in during the editing process though, I apologize! Some chapters may seem to duplicate themselves until I get all of the editing done. 08.05.13 ~Jess

I don't own House.

Chapter 1

Allison Cameron stared at her boss in disbelief. She knew that Foreman and Chase were next to her doing the same thing.

"A week?" House asked. "But Mommy, I don't want to go. I want to stay here and play with Daddy Jimmy. I promise I'll be good."

"All of you are going. And you will go to see the speakers, and you will mingle." Cuddy's voice was dangerously low. "If you don't go House, you get an extra month of clinic duty. For every hour you make one of your Fellows do, you'll get two extra hours."

"That's not fair."

"Yes House, it is. You're going and that's final."

Cameron stepped off the plane behind House and sighed.

She was starving, tired and crabby. She was in Chicago. It was the place that she had grown up, the place that had been her prison, and her home all rolled into one. But because it had been her home it was full of secret places and good restaurants and the knowledge that she could meet up with any of her siblings at whim when the nightmares became overwhelming.

"Sweet Home Chicago" Cameron muttered under her breath.

Chase caught her mutter, and shook his head. He knew that she had grown up in Chicago but that was all.

"What, you didn't like it here?"

"Some days were better then others." She responded.

"Everybody lies." House came up behind her and she jumped a little before giving him a sharp glare.

"And life's a bitch and then you die. What else is new?"

House whistled. "Dr. Cameron, what did they do to you on the plane? You're not bright and cheerful."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Let's get out of here, I'm starving."

"Avoidance, always the best tactic" House replied but didn't press her. "Cuddy said that we have a rental car." The Ducklings followed him with their suitcases, towards the rent-a-car area until they finally got to the car.

House raised an eyebrow when she took the keys from the man standing there and slid into the drivers' seat of the car he had taken them to.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Driving."

"No, you don't drive." Chase and Foreman had climbed in the back – figuring that House was driving and being gentlemen decided to give Cameron shotgun.

"I do though. I'm hungry, and I know where I'm going, so if you drive it will just take longer to eat." The two glared at each other for a moment before House grumbled good-naturedly.

"It better not be a girl salad place."

"Nope." Twenty minutes later they pulled up to a place that looked like a biker bar, with a skeleton on a motorcycle in front.

"Welcome to the Twisted Spoke," was all Cameron said as she grabbed her purse and stepped out.

"You brought us to a biker bar?"

Cameron merely shrugged. Technically, House was right but it didn't become a Biker Bar until much later into the evening.

"It's only a biker bar late at night, and as you can tell, right now its only 6:30."

"So we're not going to die?" Cameron snorted.

"Nope, we're fine."

This was definitely a new side to Cameron House thought as he watched her stride confidently into the restaurant.

"So how exactly did you find this place?" Foreman asked around a mouthful of 'Boss Hog Sandwich' that Cameron had recommended. She set down her chicken and cheese quesadilla and took a sip of root beer.

"My Aunt and Uncle use to take my other siblings and me here."

"Really?"

"We would go to whatever game was that day and then we would drive out here for lunch, depending on who got to pick."

"Games?"

"Different sports."

"You played sports?" Cameron leveled Foreman with a look.

"Don't most kids? Between my siblings we had basically every sport covered. By the time I got to high school I had to drop down to just hockey and soccer, but before that I tried almost everything." The waiter handed her the bill, successfully interrupting her word-vomit and she smiled her thanks. "Let's get out of here."

Foreman and Chase began to immediately protest when she paid the bill and Cameron rolled her eyes again.

"You can pay next time."

The four walked out into the setting sun and Cameron shielded her eyes. At a little after eight, the sun had started to slowly sink below the horizon.

Chicago was home, but since her mothers' death when she was 15, it hadn't been the mystical magical place she loved.

Being there with House, Foreman and Chase was making it special again. With that thought, Cameron climbed into the car and drove away from the Twisted Spoke towards their hotel.

"Two reservations under House." The woman at the front desk glared at House irritated.

"One moment sir."

Cameron just barely held in her sigh. Of all the places that they had ended up it had to be the Intercontinental. Sure, it was a beautiful hotel, but it held some not so great memories – just like most things in Chicago did.

The woman from the front desk handed him a set of keys and then gave them instructions on how to get to their rooms. Cameron listened with only a half ear, but fell back into reality when she heard House's voice.

"Okay and now time for room situations." He made a face. "Sadly I cannot make all three of you room together, I'd get in trouble. Ladies first, Chase who do you want to room with?" House snarked.

"Umm… Cameron."

"The people that are here will need to get some sleep, so for all our sanity I'm going to say no. Next pick."

"Foreman."

"Fine. I guess that means I'm sleeping with Cameron." He grinned at the three of them and their startled faces. "Not like that! Only I can constantly keep my mind in the gutter. Let's go."

Cameron followed the three of them feeling dazed and slightly out of it. And tired, so very tired, all she wanted to do was sleep. She wished that she were rooming with Foreman. Out of all of them it probably would have been the least awkward. Things with Chase were still uncomfortable. She had ended their little tryst, but that didn't mean much to him.

The two rooms were right next to each other with a sitting room/kitchen area in between. There were connecting doors so that you could go from room to room. Most of their time at the hotel would probably be spent in that room because it also had a big screen TV.

"Earth to Cameron!"

Cameron looked at House and realized that they were at their room.

"What?"

"You blanked out on me for a minute, c'mon, we're at our room." Cameron didn't say anything, just followed him into the room.

As a child she had always been able to tune people out. It was a skill that constantly frustrated her family, but that was useful when her parents use to argue, or someone was fighting in her house. She would slip into one of her siblings' room and curl up at the foot of their bed, reading until she fell asleep.

Cameron put her suitcase on the bed and collapsed next to it. She shouldn't have been that tired, but the week that she was going to have was torture. Keeping up her façade, especially in Chicago, would be exhausting alone, and not running into anyone who would tell her father that she was there wouldn't help.

Cameron had too many siblings in her opinion, and they made life exhausting more then her father even did. Matthew was 42 and the oldest, followed by Nicholas at 40, Eleanor at 36 and herself at 33. Those were her full siblings. Then there was Finna at 23, Teagan at 20 and Siobhan at 18. They were her three half siblings, and their relationship was a lot more rocky due to age and differences to how they had been raised.

Cameron's phone began to ring, the chorus of Wish You Were Here and she smiled before answering it.

"Hey Ellie. Yeah. Okay, that sounds good. See you later."

She hung up and wondered how she will sneak out of the room at 4:30 in the morning. It was easy when she was alone, but with someone in her room – she'd figure it out later.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw House standing there. He was leaning against the door jam, watching her. And suddenly, it was all too much. Memories were flashing in her head and she needed to get out. Cameron stood and met Houses gaze steadily.

"I'm going for a walk." With that she disappeared into the hallway, already lost in memories.

So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? Review!