Newton's Law

by gorblimey2

Newton's Law

"I'm not selling my soul again...no, I learned from Volger." Lisa held her forehead in one hand and the phone receiver in the other. "Why should I take a chance?...Right...no strings except a Fellowship for a special person. Alright, who is the fellowship for, some fat cat's son who graduated from a Grenada Medical school?"

Lisa paused as she listened to Mike Najera explain the terms of the donation. "Let's see if I get this right, the fellowship salary will be paid by the trust, the trust will make a donation to the hospital of $3.0 million and the Diagnostic Department will receive a grant of $500,000? The only catch is a three year fellowship for this medical student?" Lisa listened as she was corrected by Mike, her long time and trusted friend," The fellowship is for a practicing doctor, not a resident, not an intern, not a med student? I'm tempted, but you're asking a lot...I mean, it is a fellowship under House, our own Prince of Darkness. If I'm going to sell this to House you better tell me who it is and send me a CV." The friendly voice on the other side of the receiver revealed the information as Lisa's jaw dropped.

The attachment to the email confirmed the terms of the fellowship. Lisa hastily put in a call to Wilson. Within minutes, Wilson was reviewing the attachment and shaking his head. "I don't envy you. He's extremely competitive, why would he want to let the wolf into the herd?"

"She's not a wolf and she no longer has any affiliation with Bart's. She says that she wants to study under him. She thinks he's the best and she's obviously a masochist..what can I say?" Lisa looked to Wilson for approval.

"Are you up for this? Two maniacal doctors in one department? This could become a battleground." Wilson asked.

"What makes you think she's as bad as him? I heard she was well liked by her colleagues."

"Yeah, but you know diagnostician. She's reached the top of the pecking order over there...you can't do that without an ego." Wilson smiled.

"Molly McGee, Christ it sounds like an Irish whiskey. Dr. McGee has all the right credentials, she'll be an asset to his department, how can he argue with that?" Lisa looked directly in Wilson's eyes. They both broke down into peals of laughter.

"I suggest you start out with an Irish whiskey when you tell him."

***

House was much earlier than usual and the nurses all noted it with surprised glances to each other. House was not happy about getting up so early but he wanted to call his bookie in England to place a bet on the Derby. He always used the hospital phone for his overseas calls...why pay when you don't have to? He only had a half an hour to get the call in before his bookie went to the pub. Damn Brits, between tea, high tea and the pub opening, there was little time to place a bet. House had been a winner with Sir Percy and felt sure he had a winner for this one. But he sure felt lethargic, the price he had to pay to place a good bet.

"House, what are you doing here?" Doctor Chase asked with a slight hint of amusement.

"What is it with you Brits and your tea and your warm beer?"

"What?? Where did that come from? And, once again, I'm not a Brit and the beer is not warm." Chase shook his head in dismay.

"Yeah, well you Australians didn't immigrate from the Bronx."

"Yeah, well neither did you Americans...."

"Touche"

The elevator opened and they stepped in. There was a pause and then Chase chirped up, "The beer is on draft from the kegs in the basement of the pub, England isn't sunny and warm. The typical basement in England is about 10 degrees Celsius. The beer isn't ice cold, but it contrary to American hype, it isn't warm either."

"If you aren't British, how do you know so much about English pubs?" House tilted his head to the side and smirked at Chase.

"It's part of our grammar school curriculum, English Beer 101."

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out.

"Seriously, why are you here so early? Is there a case?" Chase asked hopefully, it had been over a week since their last patient left the hospital. The whole diagnostic team was bored and tired of clinic duty.

"Seriously, none of your bloody British Business and no, no case yet." House twirled his whangee cane at Chase before he turned towards his office.

House could see through the door of his office that Lisa Cuddy was hovering over his desk anxiously. "Oh, this should be fun..." he thought to himself.

"Are you here for the semen sample? I already gave at the nurses station. Seems Blue Eyes are all the rage."

"Funny, ha, ha. What are you doing here so early? I was just going to leave you a note." Lisa looked at House nervously.

"Her husband came home and wanted a threesome, I'm not into two boys and a girl."

Lisa grimaced. "I have good news for you."

"Yeah, I can tell from your relaxed posture that it's going to be REALLY good news. Well?" he made an overeager face at her.

"You get a new Fellow for your team. One that comes with a lot of credentials."

"Don't need anyone for my team." House was now bending over his desk and staring coldly at Lisa.

You need this one, you owe me this one after Vogler."

"What? What has Vogler got to do with a new Fellow."

"This Fellowship comes with a hefty donation to the hospital and your department. It won't make up for Vogler's donation, but it will pull your department out of the red for the first time in eight years."

"I'm not doing it." he said.

Lisa started to laugh. "House, this isn't your decision. The Board voted on this last night. If you say no, you go. Unanimous, even Wilson voted on this one. This Fellow not only comes well endowed, and I mean with money, she comes with a great reputation that will just add to the cache of your department. Imagine, another world famous diagnostician wants to study under the great Gregory House."

"Ok, I'm listening. Who is it, Catalina Cruise? Delores Chillis? " House was puzzled.

"Molly McGee."

"Barts' Molly McGee?"

"She quit Barts a week ago to take this Fellowship." Lisa started to relax, she could see House was curious and if House was curious, this was a good sign.

"Why? She runs the department, she gets all of the European patients." House was skeptical.

"She thinks she could learn something from you. God only knows what that could be, cynicism, sarcasm, impatience, misanthropy...."

"No." House tried to sound convincing.

Lisa laughed, she knew he was buckling. "She starts Monday, get used to it." Lisa turned around and walked out. A minor victory in their tug of war.

*** House spent the morning Googling Molly McGuire. Now he was not only curious as to why she was coming, he was leery. Was she returning to the United States and Princeton-Plainsboro to try to usurp him? Did she think she could sneak in under Fellowship and then convince the hospital to get rid of him and keep her?

The Google sites all mentioned the numerous medical articles she had authored. Most of them were milestones for diagnosing tropical and African diseases. She was one of the foremost authorities on Hemorrhagic Fevers, Avian Influenza and Zoonosis. Dr. McGee was a native Southern Californian who had done stints at UCSD, Cedars Sinai, the CDC and St. Bartholomews in London, England. She had numerous awards to her name. House winced. If anyone Googled him they were unlikely to find many medical articles under his name (unless one of his team had submitted it with his name as co- author.) Once a case was solved, he didn't want anything to do with it. He couldn't be bothered writing it up. And they certainly weren't going to find any awards. House wasn't one to curry favor with his peers.

"Maybe that's what McGee is counting on." He thought. Most of House's patients were referred by word of mouth because of his reputation. "Her advertisement are her medical articles..." He admitted to himself that they were great medical articles, many which he had used himself in his practice. But still, it was a form of advertising. He viewed it as cheating...writing articles and garnering a following that way.

Surprisingly, there was little on her family background on the net. And there was no mention of her backers for this Fellowship. House was sure that she must be a pharmaceutical whore. The donation was pretty hefty and very few foundations could afford that kind of backing.

Her photo showed a woman in her late thirties, not beautiful, not plain, and more important, one with a definite look of intelligence. House was both weary and curious. At least it broke the boredom. Monday couldn't come fast enough.

***

All hell broke loose Sunday. House received not one, but two frantic calls from Lisa Cuddy which he failed to pick up. The answering machine screamed "panic." He returned the calls at his leisure.

"There are two patients being referred to you. I need you to review the cases right away. They want to transfer the patients to the hospital as soon as possible, but I need to know if you want them." It always irked Lisa to know that House could turn down a paying patient if he wanted to do so. He didn't turn down many because doctors only came to him as a last resort. They hated dealing with House unless they were forced into it. But still, the last one he turned down was a famous clarinet player for the New York Philharmonic. The case went to another hospital and so did the money and the press. House shrugged his shoulders and said, he just wasn't in tune with the patient's needs.

House was not happy about giving up his weekend, but he knew if he didn't give his team something to do they would mutiny. He grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and headed for his bike. He was interested in both cases even though one presented with what might be an easy diagnosis. He decided to call in the team, which made him smile. It would be fun watching them moan about coming in on a Sunday.

House wasn't wrong. As each one came through the door of the office they had some retort about giving up their weekend. "Well, if you guys feel that way, I'll send them both back to their doctors with a little note, Sorry, but we couldn't be bothered on a Sunday, call us on Monday.'" They all shut up because they knew they'd rather give up a Sunday than drag their butts through another week in clinic.

House assigned Cameron and Foreman what appeared to be the more serious of the two patients and then handed Chase the file on the other patient. Chase studied the file while he waited for the patient to be transferred. At 6:30 p.m. he was notified by Nurse Brenda that his patient had arrived. He made his way to the third floor to get a history for the team. Chase was happy to be one on one with the patient. Sometimes he resented having to buddy up on a case.

He walked in to find a young man named George and an even younger woman named Margaret silently waiting for him. After introducing himself, he started taking the history. He almost felt like asking, "Tell me what you don't like about yourself. " but resisted the urge. He was watching too much tv.

The history included familial diseases, his medical history, immunizations, family pets, known allergies as well as travel.

"And have you been anywhere outside the USA in the last five years." Chase asked.

The answer came back quickly, "Just Germany. I was stationed there for two years before coming back six months ago. Before that, I was stationed in Georgia and before that, Florida."

"Anywhere else?"

"No."

"Pets?"

"Two dogs and a cat."

"Allergies?"

"None."

"Blood Transfusions?"

"No."

"So, are you in the military?"

"I was in the Army, but I got out in February."

"Ok, let's talk about why you are here."

Chase returned to the office an hour later and found Cameron and Foreman talking about the first patient to arrive. The white board was filled with symptoms and House was leaning on it. Chase was thinking about George and his symptoms and wanted to find his own white board.

"Earth to Chase, can we focus here?" House gave him a quizzical look.

"Sorry, just thinking ahead to my case."

"MYYYY CASE?" House pretended to be insulted.

"Our case. I was thinking about George."

"Ok, you are in the batting box. Right now, we're pitchin' with Cameron and Foreman...ok? Can you get your head in the game?" House cocked his head to the side.

"Yes, of course. Continue."

They continued, baffled by the fact that the patient had gone from being hypoxic to normal OSATS above 95 as soon as he was transferred to Princeton-Plainsboro.

"Ok, rash, burning in the mouth, inflamation, pneumonia. Sounds like a fungus infection. Run a RAST test and see if we pick up any allergies. In the meantime, Foreman, you check out his house and Cameron, you check out his hospital room at Milton Medical Center."

"We're talking about a four hour drive!" Foreman complained.

"Wellllll....the patient is getting better, not like we have an emergency here...you have the time, get up in the morning and go check out the hood." House waved his hand at them to leave.

"Ok, Chase let's take a look at Jeff."

"George, his name is George."

"Yeah...so, fluctuating fever.. cachexia, he's lost 13 lbs. in the last two weeks. We have an enlarged liver, enlarged spleen and night sweats...Check for hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, malaria... Check the aminotransferase levels. Get a CBC and find out if his wife can cook."

"I don't think Margaret is his wife...I think she is his sister."

"Ok, find out if his SISTER can cook. Find out what he is eating or what he isn't eating. After you get the samples to the lab, you can go home too. Doesn't look like he's going to die in the next twenty-four hours. In the meantime, I'm going home." House grabbed his backpack and leather jacket and headed for his bike.

Chase spent the next hour getting the samples to the lab and asking about Margaret's culinary skills. Margaret appeared to be a good cook from all accounts although Margaret didn't actually live with George. But George had been eating well up until two weeks ago when the pounds just melted away. Chase put down his pencil and turned out the lights. There was a Hardees on the way home, he was going to make a detour to pick up some food.

*** Molly looked in the mirror and saw her wet hair and scrubbed face staring back at her. Except for drying her hair, putting on moisturizer, deodorant and brushing her teeth, she just had to put on clothes and she was out the door. Her time at Barts had spoiled her. Makeup wasn't a part of her work life in England. Very few of the doctors bothered putting on makeup. Her white Celtic face, arms and legs weren't considered a social faux pas in England. In fact, most of the models in the magazines in England were milky white with blue veins running visibly through their bodies. She debated about whether or not she should bother with pantyhose and she took a pass. The last thing she wanted to do was to walk in looking like a fashion whore. She knew House would be gunning for her and why give him anything but the real, unvarnished woman to aim at?

Without makeup, Molly's eyelashes were a dark blonde and one could barely see how long they were. Her face appeared young for her age. But without mascara she look a little tired, even though she was well rested. She chose a loose fitting white blouse and an A line cotton skirt with a pair of tan Aerosole shoes to match. She looked professional but bland. Appearing anything less would evoke a lack of respect for the job, anything more would appear to be trying too hard.

Molly grabbed the keys to her Escape Hybrid and left for work. She was excited and nauseated. Her colleagues and friends had all had strong reactions to the idea of her working for House. Words like,"insane, out of your mind, masochist, loony, delusional..." .were bantered around in every discussion of her Fellowship. But Molly wasn't afraid of a challenge. She had spent her internship under Dr. Taregui at UCSD. He was an @ss, a sexist pig and a brilliant doctor. She had to bite her tongue so hard at times that it would bleed. But she had learned a lot from Taregui and she had gotten as far as she had because of it. One thing for sure, Molly was adaptable and Molly was a survivor.

The office was feminine but professional. Lisa Cuddy reached out and shook Molly/'s hand, " Welcome to Princeton-Plainsboro. I'm sure you'll find your Fellowship interesting and challenging."

Molly could tell that Lisa was having a hard time putting a good face on the Fellowship. She liked Lisa for that. Most administrators, knowing that several million dollars were on the line, would have polished the apple and made House sound like Mother Theresa.

"You need to go first to human resources to get your badge. I have your lab coat. You are suppose to wear it when here." she handed her the lab coat with Molly's name embroidered on it under the hospital logo. "You have to give us at least six hours of clinic time each week, more if the department does not have a case."

"If we don't have a case? You mean there are days when there are no cases?"

"House averages about twenty-four cases a year. He turns down the ones that he believes don't need his level of skill." Lisa explained.

"Wow, welcome back to private healthcare. We had the National Health and then the private pay patients. We didn't get to pick or choose. I can tell I am back in the USA! House must be God."

"More like Simon on American Idol." Lisa smiled.

"Ouch. I thought you might be more positive about the Fellowship."

"I want to be blunt about it. I don't want you coming in here crying every five minutes telling me what House said or did. I already get that from Dr. Cameron." Lisa smiled again. "He's a jerk, a bast*x!*, the spawn of the devil...but I already know that. He's been eight years despite that. So I doubt there's anything you could tell me about him that I don't already know or would surprise me."

"Understood. I know I am entering the lion's den. I'm just grateful for the opportunity. I have heard so much about House...I was getting stale, I needed to jump start my brain and he supposedly thinks and acts outside the box." Molly hesitated.

"Oh, House doesn't even know the box exists." Lisa pushed her chair back. "Let me show you where Human Resources is located. I'd like to have lunch with you or, better yet, you'll probably need a drink by the end of the week. Maybe I can take you out to Happy Hour on Friday and see if you still plan on staying for your Fellowship."

Molly laughed, "That sounds like a deal."

Molly finished filling out her tax form, applications, and debated as to whether or not to smile for her photo badge. Molly was an optimistic person so she smiled pretty for the picture. All the formalities were done, it was time. Molly straightened her shoulders and headed for the second floor.

***

House had just put down his knapsack when he saw her. He recognized her immediately as she walked down the hall hunting for the office. She looked shorter in person...maybe 5'4". Her hair was shorter too. She wasn't knockout gorgeous like Cameron but she certainly carried herself as if she was in charge...he'd have to remedy that.

The door opened and in walked Molly. She made direct eye contact. She wasn't expecting this. In the photos online he was clean shaven, nicely pressed, well turned out. In front of her was a homeless guy with designer sneakers. But those eyes. They took the wind out of her entrance. They were sharp; they were curious; they were blue. Boy were they blue.

"Greg House..." his arm was extended in an over-friendly gesture. He was playing her.

"Molly McGee." She smiled, relaxed a little and shook the very enthusiastic hand of the devil himself.

The false smile dropped and he snarled,"What the hell are you doing here? Is this 24? Are you the double agent that's going to infiltrate the department and get us all killed?"

Molly was taken aback, "I'm the student, you're the teacher...I'm here to learn. Obviously you want to score first blood." Molly opened up her arms and said," Well, take your best shot." The lines were drawn very quickly.

"I have no desire to "TEACH" YOU...You have been inflicted upon me. However, now that you are here, go see Chase and get your @ss in gear, you're already two hours late."

"Who's Chase?"

"You're a big girl, figure it out." and he walked out of the office and down the hall.

Molly had a big smile on her face. "Oh, Greg House, you have met your match." She thought to herself.

***

She found Dr. Robert Chase in a lab on the third floor. She liked what she saw. He was young, he was handsome and he gave her a gentle smile of welcome.

"Can I help you? " he said sweetly.

"I'm Molly McGee, the new Fellow in the Diagnostic Department...House sent me down here to...I don't know what."

"Molly McGee?? Barts' McGee? You turned me down on my Fellowship request."

"Oh, sorry. I got so many applications. Really, they only gave me a budget for one Fellowship every two years. Butt looks like you landed on your feet...." her voice trailed off.

"It's ok, I knew it was a long shot. I suspect House wants you to work on this case with me." Chase was excited about working with her. "You're a Fellow? Under House?" he asked as Molly shook her head yes. ""Crikey, this is going to be interesting."

Chase was Australian and Molly liked Australians. They were more optimistic than the British and less dour. Chase was no exception. His excitement at meeting her was palpable. He started to fill her in on the hospital pecking order, the lab and finally the patient.

Molly read the file and looked up, "He hasn't been anywhere outside of the USA except Germany? Are the transferase readings back?"

"Normal. And he is adamant that he's only been to Germany for two years."

"Doesn't make sense. Is the Hep test back?"

"It's Negative."

"Whoa..." Molly scrunched her face up in thought. Chase was fascinated, she was like House, her whole mind went somewhere else when she was thinking about a patient. He waited for her to make eye contact again.

"What's his fever like today?" she asked.

"103."

"It's strange to be working in Fahrenheit again. Ok, febrile, losing weight, no exotic travel and ex-military. I'd like to see the patient."

They went into the room. But George looked tired and upset. He was down another pound and his sister had to leave to take care of her children. He was all alone.

"Hi, I'm Doctor McGee and I need to examine you. So let's start with the upper torso." Molly gently removed the sheet and helped him untie the gown.

"What are you looking for?" Chase asked.

"Bites."

"Already looked, I didn't see any."

"Well, doesn't hurt for me to do the examine anyway." Molly stopped abruptly. "George, you've been a very bad boy and it almost cost you your life."

"What?" George was surprised.

"I see your tattoo." Molly pointed it out to Chase. It was in the shape of an upright sword and three lightening bolts going up the shaft. "You said you were stationed in Georgia?"

"Yeah." George hung his head.

"Fort Benning, right?" Molly asked.

"Yeah."

"What? I don't understand what that means?" Chase felt like he was in a Sherlock Holmes movie and he was Doctor Watson.

"Fort Benning is where they train Rangers...Special Forces. George here is a Ranger and if he did, let's say, have to make a special visit to some place like Afghanistan or the mountains inside Pakistan...he probably wouldn't tell us about it. Or, couldn't tell us about it. Am I warm George?"

"I'd have to kill you..." George answered sarcastically.

"I thought so. Well, we'll just assume that's where you were. A lot of Rangers are stationed in Germany so that they can do "special projects" for us in the mid-east." Molly turned to Chase, "You said that his transferase levels were normal?" Chase shook his head affirmatively. "Still doesn't make sense. Do we have a bone marrow specimen yet? I want to look for pesky little critters."

"No. House didn't order it."

"Well, let's get one." Molly smiled.

"Not so fast, we need House's approval." Chase said firmly.

"Oh, blimey, you're right. I'm not in Kansas anymore and the Wicked Witch is in control." Molly grimaced.

"Huh?" Chase looked perplexed.

"Let's go grovel." Molly turned to go find House.

As they walked the halls, Chase pummeled Molly with questions about why she had come to Princeton-Plainsboro. She was funny and self-deprecating. He was laughing all the way down to the cafeteria where House had been spotted. He wished he had worked with her at Barts, she would have been a lot easier to deal with than House. But then, she had come to House, despite his reputation for abuse. He had to respect her dedication and willingness to submit herself to House's control just to improve her already stellar gifts.

"Who is that with House?" Molly asked as they started towards the table where House sat with another doctor.

"That's his best friend and head of Oncology, Dr. James Wilson. He's a good guy, the only one who can, kind of, get through to House."

"You mean he is capable of forming meaningful relationships with other humans?" Molly chuckled.

"I didn't say that." Chase and Molly were both laughing when they reached House.

"Isn't this Special? The Pommy and the Aussie, bonding in that British Benny Hill way. Pretty soon they'll be shagging their brains out." House mocked them as he sipped on his coke. House looked the pair of them up and down with eyes that appeared to notice and note all.

"I wish." Chase responded but then noticed that Molly blushed. "I'm joking." He said in a sheepish apologetic voice. He forgot that Molly was new and not used to the banter yet.

"We need a bone marrow specimen from the patient and apparently we need approval from de Fuhrer. .. Please, please, may I???" Molly pleaded.

"Boy, she has your number." Wilson nodded. "Hi, I'm James Wilson." He shook Molly's hand. "I'm really pleased to meet you. I can tell that you are going to be my main source of entertainment for the next few months. At least until another patsy shows up."

"Glad to be of service." She acknowledged Wilson's pity and turned again to House,"I need it to check for parasites."

"What type of parasites?" House asked.

"Really bad ones." Molly said sarcastically but she could see House was not amused. "Kala-azar."

"Hindi? Black Sickness. Well, he didn't look black to me and his Transferase was normal. And, according to the fine history taken by Chase, he hasn't been in the Mideast."

"Well, apparently he lied." Chase butted in. "Molly saw a Ranger tattoo on him and he admitted that he had been to Afghanistan or maybe Pakistan."

"He hasn't turned black because it is Visceral, not Cutaneous. And not all patients show elevated aminotransferase levels right away." Molly said with unassuming authority.

"Kind of admit?? Is that like being slightly pregnant? Well, Doctor McGee, you wrote the book...I mean, the one of many articles, on these pestilent diseases. It would explain the weight loss, the fever, the enlarged organs... Ok, get a bone marrow specimen and if they come back negative, do a liver biopsy."

Molly wasn't sure what came over her but she clicked her heels together and gave House a Nazi salute. She regretted it immediately. Wilson and Chase laughed while House gave her a stern look of disapproval. Molly's sense of humor had gotten her in trouble before, but never so quickly. "Sorry." she said sincerely in House's direction. She turned and almost ran out of the cafeteria.

"Well, you've done it now. I'd make my self scarce around House. He's going to come after you with his wit and it isn't going to be pretty. He can be pretty scathing and callous." Chase warned.

"Yeah, I knew better. It was pretty stupid of me. But I thought he was suppose to have a wicked sense of humor."

"He does, but not at his expense." Chase patted her on her back and stepped into the hospital room to get the bone marrow sample.

After running a light-microscope examination, Molly was relieved to see Leishmanial parasites in two areas. She sent samples to an outside lab to run a test for rK39 antibodies just to confirm it. In the meantime, she started George on a lipid formulation of amphotericin B. She also notified her friends at the CDC.

House was outside of George's room so Molly stepped out to talk to him. "It was positive."

House shook his head as if he already knew. "Where did you learn about Ranger tattoos?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Once again Molly immediately regretted her response. But this time House actually cracked a smile. "I was occasionally called into Landstuhl to diagnose some of our soldiers. I would stay and visit. They get kind of lonely. I learned a lot about the Ranger mentality. The Rangers usually had one of three tattoos and George was sporting Airborne's tattoo."

"Visit?? Is that what they're calling it? I hope you used protection." House turned and went back to the office. But he was feeling uneasy. Molly McGee had walked in and, by physically examining a patient had solved a case in less than five hours while he had eaten lunch and watched his soap. He knew he had to get back in the game.

Molly, on the other hand, was hoping by solving the case House would see that they were on the same side and maybe give her a break. When she got back to the office, a young woman and man were sitting in the room talking to House.

As she entered into the room with Chase behind her, House was asking for a differential diagnosis of the patient on the board. "He's getting healthier each day. The pneumonia is clearing up. What did you find at the hospital?"

The woman spoke up. "I couldn't find anything out of the usual..it was a hospital room, lots of disinfectant, lots of clean sheets."

"I found nothing in the home." The man spoke up. The man and woman looked curiously at Molly.

"Children meet your new stepsister, Molly McGee. Molly is an orphan from Barts. Her family abandoned her and now she has bought her way into ours." House gave Molly a little bow of introduction.

The young and beautiful brunette was not only puzzled but appeared threatened. Molly took quick note of that and decided she needed to step gingerly into this arena. The young African-American man came over and introduced himself. "I'm Eric Foreman. I didn't catch your name, did he say, Molly McGee? Barts Molly McGee? Are we consulting with you on a case?"

"No, I'm the new Fellow, under Dr. House. I'll be joining you."

"Uh, welcome aboard." Foreman shook her hand.

"Wait," The brunette was obviously leery. "You mean you, Molly McGee, are the freshman Fellow on the team?"

"Yep, and that means she makes the coffee and answers the mail." House smiled wickedly at Molly.

"But I answer your mail." the brunette looked upset.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" Molly asked.

"Allison Cameron." Cameron gave her a warm handshake.

"Dr. House, if she wants to handle your mail maybe that would be best." Molly didn't want to step on her toes, she remembered that Cameron was the woman Lisa said constantly complained.

"No, I think having Doctor McGee handle all the crazy calls, the speaker invitations and fruitless requests for consults might just be the best use for her special skills. Now boys and girls and Molly, can we get back to the patient. Something is in the air that is causing this guy's lungs to shut down. It has to be environmentally related. We took him out of the environment and he got better. Ok, Chase and Minnie, you're up to bat. You go back out to the hospital and house tomorrow and find out what's eating Gilbert Grape."

"Minnie?" Cameron asked.

"My bad...I see you Dr. McGee and I think Minnie Mouse for some reason. Ah, yes, maybe it's the way you managed to sneak into this department...or perhaps its just your looks...but it makes me think "rat". But then, you're too short and pale for a rat, so mouse makes more sense." House gave a silly face and then shooed them out of the office.

Chase shook his head. "Now you will forever be Minnie to House. Just get used to it because if you fight it, he'll only play it over and over until you want to kick him in the nads."

"Yeah, I saw the writing on the wall." Molly paused, " It's been a long day and I'm going back to my hotel room."

"Hotel?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, I just bought a house but escrow hasn't closed. I'm staying at the Embassy Suites and living out of a suitcase. I'll pick you up here tomorrow and we can ride together, ok? " Chase nodded yes to her and she walked to her car.

***

The hospital room was as Cameron said, just a hospital room. Neither Chase nor Molly could find anything suspicious. The patient's house was three miles away from the hospital and when they arrived no one was there.

When no one answered Molly started to walk back to the car. "We are expected to break in." Chase said matter of factly.

"We are in Pennsylvania and I don't think they are going to appreciate two Jersey doctors and the, we're just trying to save a life, officer' defense." Molly replied.

"Molly, I'm much more afraid of House than the law. You can stay outside if you want but I'm going in."

"Ok, ok. Let me do it. I saw an alarm through the window and it looked armed. We set it off and we'll have the Keystone cops on us." Molly said. She stepped back and looked up at the windows of the house. The first floor windows were locked and armed. But the second floor windows were open. "Our in is up there." She said to Chase.

Molly climbed the back porch and then up onto the portico above the stoop. She took out the screen of the tiny bathroom window and hoisted herself up and through. She worried that there was a motion detector so she cautiously poked her head out the door. She didn't see any motion detectors so she continued downstairs and checked out the alarm. If she could figure out the pin number, she could disarm the alarm and Chase wouldn't have to follow in her footsteps. Where would you put a number so that your visiting sister could disarm it without having to memorize it? Then it hit her...you would pick a number your sister already knows. His birthday? Her birthday? No, that was too obvious and accessible on the web. But what about the street number where you grew up? That address wouldn't be in any current database but it would be known to both of them.

Molly went back to the bathroom and yelled out to Chase, "Chase, do you know the address of where he grew up?"

"Yeah, its on the questionnaire, 32092 Valley View Road. Why?"

"I'll Be Back." Molly yelled in an Austrian accent. As she turned she caught a glimpse of a dark line of grout at the bottom of the shower tile. The address disarmed the alarm and a grateful Chase walked through the front door.

"Whew, I thought I was going to have to squeeze myself through that bathroom window. Well, where do you want to start?"

"The bathroom." Molly said.

Molly found a screwdriver and a chisel in the garage and started chiseling away at the dark grout. She worked one of the tiles loose and pulled it out. Along with the tile came a portion of the greenboard behind it. The greenboard was covered in a shiny black substance. She loosened another tile and could see that the black substance stretched up and behind the tile. The whole wall inside the tile must was black.

"Poor guy. He never knew what hit him. Judging by the new fixtures, his bathroom was obviously remodeled in the last year. He probably started using this shower and mold started growing. It's a common mistake made by amateur tile installers. They are suppose to use a cement backerboard, not greenboard in the shower. But a lot of amateurs think you can use greenboard. The water gets through the grout and the greenboard gets wet. The constant water allows Stachybatrys Atra to grow. It produces mycotoxins that some people are very allergic to...we need to run some blood work, but I bet he is highly allergic to Stachy. Stachy is pretty sticky, but it was starting to come through the surface of the grout and that's when he started getting sick."

"Molly, you scare me. You ARE a Minnie....a mini-House. How the hell did you know this?"

"There was a rash of mold cases in California when I was at Cedars Sinai. I did some expert work for some lawyers and well, showers were the one of the usual suspects. The problem with my theory is the hospital room. We need to get back and find out if my theory will hold. If we don't find Stachy in the hospital room then I am out to lunch and we are back to square one."

They bagged the Stachy and looked around for anything else just in case she was wrong. They bagged some food, chemicals, some dust bunnies under the bed and some weeds around the house before leaving. They made a beeline for the hospital. On the way, Chase called Cameron and told her to test the patient's blood for antigens to Stachybatras Atra.

In the hospital room, Molly got up from looking under the bed. "I just don't see a source for the Stachy. I must be wrong." Molly conceded. They both collapsed in chairs.

"Ok, let's just wait a minute and think it through. The mold has to be airborne or he has to be in close contact with it to get sick. Well, there isn't a close contact source because it would be visible to us so it has to be in the air. If it is in the air, it....." Chase's voice trailed off as he and Molly both jumped to their feet. Chase grabbed the chair and a screwdriver and took off the vent to the heating/a/c duct. Nothing. They were both visibly disappointed and disheartened. Without another word, they slowly picked up their tools and bags and started down the corridor of the hospital. Chase looked at the little old lady in the next room. She was sitting in the hospital chair reading a book and enjoying the fresh air from the open window.

"The WINDOW....we didn't check the window. Princeton-Plainsboro's windows don't open, but theirs do! " They turned on a dime and ran back in the room. Chase pulled up the window casing and just about burst with excitement. Sitting outside on the second story roof, next to the window of the hospital room was an air conditioner with an obvious leak and even more obvious was the black goo around the fittings.

The ride back to Princeton was a celebration and a lot of high fiving. Chase wanted to get a drink, but Molly just wanted to get back to the hospital. She wanted to see if the patient had the antigens. Chase was really having fun with Molly and was glad to have her on board. Cameron and he had shared a strange night of sex and ever since then she had been trying to browbeat him with mean comments. It was nice to be with a colleague that was fun and insightful. Besides, even though she was older than him, she was pretty, not gorgeous, but certainly good looking and he was attracted to her. Who knows what she would look like with a little makeup.

The rest of the team had gone home when they got back. So much for a team celebration. Molly and Chase checked the lab results and a series of high fives were exchanged. House had read the results earlier and had already started treatment before they got back, so there was nothing left to do.

Chase suggested they go to The Tiger's Tale for a drink and bite to eat. Molly was hungry and on a high from solving two cases in a row so she said yes. They were walking in when they saw House and Wilson drinking at a tall table near the bar. Molly's stomach tightened and the wind went out of her sail. She could tell that Chase wasn't phased. Chase either had a comfortable relationship with House or he was a duck and water rolled off his back . He walked right over to the table and slapped Wilson on the back. House looked around Chase and spied Molly. He had a look of surprise on his face when he saw her. He and Wilson had just been discussing her impact on the department so far. The fact that she and Chase were 2 for 2 in two days and the rest of the team were barely pulling up the rear was depressing for Foreman and Cameron. Foreman, the consummate politician, asked House if he could pair up with Molly the next time. Cameron seemed wounded and moaned about the fact that the team seemed to be split and it was up to House to keep them all together like a well oiled machine. House himself was impressed with Molly, but he was also concerned. She had to be admired and she had certainly made his life easier at work, he hadn't had to do anything but approve tests. But then, that was the problem. The more work she did, the less he had to do and House lived for the puzzle. Take the puzzle away and what did he have? A bum leg.

"So, the conquering heroes have returned. Need sustenance? I'll even buy. What's your poison Minnie? I know Chase will have a lager." House reached for his wallet.

"A Mojito please." Maggie sat in the chair between Chase and Wilson and across from House. House got up, grabbed his cane and went to the bar to get the attention of the barmaid. She listened to his order and he sat back down.

Lisa Cuddy showed up a few minutes later and when the drinks arrived, House ordered her a Mojito too. She told the barmaid to have the bartender take it easy on the rum. Molly, on the other hand, could taste almost nothing but rum. She knew House must have ordered a double for her but she didn't dare call him on it. She also knew she was a lightweight and a double meant trouble.

She leaned over to Chase. "I'm going to need a ride home if I drink this so don't let me drive."

Chase nodded in the affirmative and held his hand out for her keys. She passed them to him under the table and he put them in his pocket. He then got up to go say hello to some friends and play some darts.

She could feel the alcohol relax her. House announced he needed to take a leak and left for the bathroom. Wilson immediately leaned in to talk to her.

"You need to slow down." Wilson said. "I'm on your side, but you're creating a problem for yourself and you don't even know it."

"Huh?" Molly was surprised and nervous but realized quickly that Wilson was trying to give her some advice for her own good. She knew she should listen to him.

"In two days you have walked in and, without the help of the team or more importantly, without the help of House, you have cured two patients practically single handed. That's great, but what did you learn? You came here to learn House's methods and process and so far you've skipped it all together. More importantly, what do you think is going on in House's brain?"

Lisa cut in, "You will not meet anyone more competitive than House. If you don't let him get one up, and soon, you will be on a treadmill to hell."

"Oh my God, this isn't the fifties where the girl has to let the boy win so he will like her." Molly was getting spooked.

"No, but you are dealing with a force greater than nature. House is that good...go up against him in a battle of wits and you will lose. You could go head to head with him, ignore the team and put yourself in the pissing contest with House for the next three years. You won't have learned anything from House because he'll spend his energies making sure you use your energy sparring with him. I know you didn't mean to start it, but just realize that you have." Wilson's voice was calm, firm and caring. Wilson sat upright as House rejoined the table.

"Wow this looks serious. Is Wilson hitting on you. Has he given you the line that he hasn't had sex since he divorced his wife?" House asked Molly jokingly.

Molly took a drink and sat back. This was scary. She had started a war and didn't even know she had ammunition let alone a gun. She took another drink. The glass was emptying quickly. House signaled to the barmaid and another Mojito magically appeared. She was quiet as the conversation topic changed several times at the table. She looked across at House and really saw his hands for the first time. They were long, thin, graceful hands. She loved his hands. The fingernails were nicely clipped but not professionally manicured. They were the hands of a conductor, a surgeon, a masseuse, a pianist. She wanted to stroke them but even drunk she knew better. House looked at her and saw she was staring at his glass or was it his hand? She looked up and their eyes met. God the blue eyes again and now they were locked with hers. She was drunk and so a stare down meant nothing to her, it just meant she had something pretty to look at. House cracked up...she was drunk. She was funny drunk.

Lisa saw their eyes lock and decided she better do something quickly. "Well, I have to go and Molly, you are too drunk to drive. You should come with me and get your car tomorrow morning."

"It's ok, we'll make sure she gets home." House was just about to have fun at Molly's expense and didn't want it to end.

"Yeah...that's what I'm afraid of...come on Molly." Lisa picked up her purse and lead the drunk Doctor to her car. "Where do you live?"

"Embassy Suites, about five miles that-away." Molly pointed north.

Molly sat in the passenger seat and thought of House's hands. "I love his hands." she said mumbled. She wasn't sure if she had just thought it or said it outloud.

"What? What did you say?" Lisa wasn't quite sure.

Molly back-tracked. "The bartender, I loved his hands while he made those Mojitos...."

Lisa chuckled to herself, "Yeah, we all love those hands. They play the piano. Just watch whose ivories they are tickling." She paused, " Look, we all fall for the bad boy. I like House, he's a colleague, an employee and a friend. But I keep him at arms length because if you get too close, House will burn you and not even bother to bury the bones. Hell, he'll invite your friends over to see the bones. Just be careful, he's complicated. As he says, Chicks dig that.' Here you go, Embassy Suites."

Molly got out and watched as Lisa drove off. She still loved his hands and wondered what they would feel like on her. Molly shook her head. She really needed to get laid if she was starting to have fantasies about House. It had been well over a year since her boyfriend had died...she had been celibate long enough.

***

The next few months went quickly. Molly pulled back a little but not so much that House was suspicious. House started to demonstrate the genius for which he was famous. Molly was in awe of his thought process and realized Wilson was right. She would have been in a pissing contest and missed out on what she came to learn. The genius was messy sometimes, filled with sarcasm and moments of insanity. He had little respect for humanity let alone for his patients. But how he put together the pieces of the puzzle was truly different than Molly and Molly secretly enjoyed just basking in his lunacy. What Molly didn't know was that House was learning from her too and he enjoyed the process, as much as House could enjoy anything. He also enjoyed making her miserable.

"Minnie, you're looking a little mousy today. You must remember, Mojitos are the gateway to unprotected sex. You must be careful, wouldn't want any little Mickey Mouses running around out there." House grinned.

"Yeah..yeah, I'm tired because I moved all weekend. My stuff finally arrived from London."

Wilson saw the Bagels on the table in front of Cameron and popped in to the office to grab one.

"By the way," Molly began, "I have a friend who has given me the use of a 45 foot Gulfstar Hirsch for next weekend. Anyone up for a day of sailing off the coast of Brigatine?"

"I'm up for it." Said the voice from behind her. Molly twirled around and stopped in her tracks. It was House."That's a big boat." he added.

"Uh, well ok, that's great. Chase?" Molly wanted to appear unfazed.

"I'm in." Chase gave the thumbs up.

"Count me in." Wilson said.

Foreman shrugged his shoulders as to say, "Why not?"

Cameron looked around, "I don't know how to crew."

"Oh, don't worry, you can be the bar maid." Molly suggested.

"Ok. I'll be the barmaid." she smiled.

"Then its set, I think the best thing to do is to drive down the night before, stay overnight at the marina hotel and get an early start in the morning. Ok?" Molly asked. Everyone agreed.

The next Saturday they had breakfast at the hotel and were out on the docks by 8:00 a.m. As they loaded the stores, Molly noted that Cameron had on a lovely bikini and see-through coverup along with nice beaded sandals. A great thing to wear at a resort, not so great for crewing a large sail boat. All of the guys, except Foreman, had on Board shorts and deck shoes. Foreman had on respectable sneakers. House had on a sailing cap and Ray Bans. Molly was in a tank top, women's board shorts, a baseball cap and cheap sunglasses. Molly always bought cheap ones because she always lost them. She wore her old deck shoes, the ones that she had worn in California when she crewed.

"Ok, who knows how to crew?" Chase and House raised hands. Wilson raised his hand slightly to let her know he wasn't confident about his crewing. Foreman and Cameron definitely didn't crew and they were shaking their heads no.

"So...this is a big boat and we are going to need a lot of manpower if we are going to sail. I have to warn you Allison and Eric, if we get going you're going to want to hold onto something stable. The wind is up and this puppy could fly which means we'll probably be up on our side. You two better wear life jackets." She threw them each a life jacket and they put them on.

"House, can you captain?" She knew he wouldn't be able to man the masts with his leg but steering a boat this large at high speeds would be no easy feat either. It would take a lot of upper body strength but it would also mean House could stand in one place for the trip.

"Yes. I can do that." It was perfect, House could bark out orders and his minions would run. Molly smiled, it was just perfect.

"Chase and Wilson, we will be the deck crew. With this much sail we'll be busy. Is that cool?" They shook their heads yes.

They motored out of the harbor and unfurled the sails. House immediately started calling the orders and Molly was up first. She started laughing. It was clear that House knew what he was doing and loved making her run. It took a few minutes for the crew to get their sea legs and coordinate between them but it wasn't long before the boat was at top speed. Everyone was excited. The wind was high and the boat was on a 45 degree angle to the sea. Cameron and Foreman were grinning from ear to ear as they white knuckled the port side of the boat.

Chase and Molly were getting a real workout. Wilson was crewing occasionally in between snapping photos. House was holding his own with the steering and orders. At one point, Molly was up in the yard arm untangling a rope when she looked down and smiled at House. His eyes were crystal blue and smiling. His lips curled up and for one moment they were the only two on the yacht. All in all, the team was having a blast. It was a gorgeous day and they were pushing the yacht to extremes.

House pointed to the Starboard bow, "We'll anchor there by the buoy and have lunch."

Everyone began talking at once about the morning's trip. There was laughter over Chase slipping and falling from port to starboard and just barely being caught by Wilson before he went over. House was being teased about his cap and his method of barking orders in a voice straight out of Monty Python. Cameron and Foreman displayed for everyone how they kept each other from falling over. Everyone remarked at how fast Molly could move around the boat.

"Yeah, you have to give it to her, Minnie can run rings around all of us on this boat." House quipped. "Where did you learn to crew?"

"Wednesday beer races off the coast of San Diego."

"I know them well, my Dad was stationed at the Marine Base in Imperial Beach as an instructor for two years. I spent most of my summers doing beer races off of Coronado." House said.

"Is that where you learned to sail?" Cameron asked.

"No, I learned over in the Mediterranean Sea when I was twelve. My Dad taught me when we were stationed over in Italy."

"You're Dad?" Cameron seemed to be shocked by that, as if she didn't expect House and his Dad to be sailing together.

"Occasionally we would spend time together...actually sailing was something we both enjoyed." His voice trailed off and he got up, threw away his sandwich wrapper and empty bottle signaling for the crew to get back to work.

No one had ever seen House happier. He seemed to genuinely be enjoying the day and the company. Molly suspected it had to do with the fact that he was doing something very physical that several of those present could not do. It made him equal on the playing field.

The day continued and although no one really wanted it to end, Chase and Molly were beat. They finally asked House to motor back in because the wind had died down and they were too tired to tack.

Chase rode back with Molly while the rest rode with Wilson. The first thing out of Chase's mouth was, "He really seemed happy...almost human today, didn't he?"

Molly shook her head in agreement. "It's sad isn't it. Monday that grin will be gone."

*** Molly went to work each day in slacks and a shirt and the same Aerosole shoes but in different colors to match her slacks. She knew she probably should polish her appearance but it didn't seem to be important to anyone else and her plain appearance gave House the fodder he needed to needle her. As long as he was calling her mousy, he was berating her for screwing something up, even if she didn't do it.

Each year in the late fall the hospital held a Casino Night Charity event to fund certain endowments. The clinic was turned into a casino with several card and gambling tables, a buffet and a dance floor with a local band. Molly thought this was an odd venue, but everyone apparently looked forward to a night of eating, drinking, gambling and dancing. Each department head was expected to buy tickets for his department at $250 a piece. Two weeks before the event, Cameron handed out tickets to each of the team, apparently bought by House. She gave Foreman two tickets because he had mentioned he was bringing a date. She also had two tickets because she had just started dating an English professor from Princeton. House was going stag and so was Wilson in the hopes of hitting on the new staff. They both knew they cleaned up well and looked smashing in their tuxes.

"I'm not going." Molly said as she handed back the ticket to Cameron.

"You have to go." Cameron said, pushing the ticket back to Molly.

"She's right. House hates these events but even he goes. He knows the Board of Directors REALLY frown if you miss it. Last time he missed one of these and the whole department got extra clinic duty. You do have to go." Foreman cautioned her.

"I don't have a date."

"A lot of us are going stag. You won't have any trouble meeting someone who is single." Chase assured Molly.

"Ok, if I must...but formal wear to the clinic?" Molly asked.

"Its suppose to be a casino in the Mediterranean...you know James Bond and the Bond girls." Cameron added.

Ugh, I see painful blisters in my near future." Molly shrugged.

Molly went home and looked into her closet to decide what she would wear to the dance and if it needed cleaning. If the team could have seen her closet they would have been surprised. Very few people knew Molly's background. She was orphaned by the age of 14 but she had a very hefty trust fund. So hefty that it embarrassed her. The Fellowship, the grant, the donation were all from her own trust fund. It was old school money. Her family were some of the original east coast mining magnates. They had holdings throughout the world including South America, South Africa and Mexico. She tried not to be too flamboyant with her money. She really didn't need a lot of material things. When she did want to use a high ticket item like the sailboat, she just had to call one of her uncles or cousins. Everyone was happy to let Molly use their toys. She always took good care of them.

But one thing Molly did love to splurge on was designer evening dresses. She not only owned many of them, some of them had been designed just for her by designers she considered close friends.

The afternoon of the charity event, Molly went to her hairdressers and had her hair cut into short layers. Her hair was strawberry blonde. Although it was fine there was a lot of it and if it got too long it just laid limp. The cut was gorgeous and sophisticated. When she got home she had a snack, laid out her clothes and jewelry, took her shower and started to apply her makeup. It had to be just right because this would be the first time anyone at the hospital would see her in full war paint. She didn't want to over-do it but when you wear a designer evening gown, evening-makeup is a must.

She pulled out one of her favorite dresses by Carmen Marc Valvo. It was deeply cut black Spanish lace on top. The bottom was a flowing white satin that clung gracefully to her hips and draped down her thin legs and skimmed the tops of her shoes. Her breasts rode high and full above the built in wire bra, almost as if they would fall out of her dress at any moment. But Molly knew these girls weren't going anywhere, the dress was well made and insured that her breasts stayed put. The high cut of the waist made her look even thinner. The flowing satin gave a full but not too abundant shape to her rear. The dress made Molly look as if she had the proportions of a Goddess, even if some of it was done with smoke and mirrors.

It took thirty minutes to apply the foundation, rouge, concealer, eye shadow, eye liner, lip stick, lip liner, lip gloss and powder all by Trish McEvoy. It had been so long since she had seen herself in makeup that she stared in the mirror for a few minutes. Was it too much? She put her dress on, stuck her feet into her Jimmy Choo "screw me" shoes, put the flawless diamond necklace and earrings on, then grabbed her velvet full- length cape and headed for the Escape.

She was running a late. It started at 8:00 p.m. and it was almost 9:00 p.m. So what, she'd make an entrance.

House and Wilson were at their usual table playing poker with Lisa and, for the first time, Allison and her date. There were others at the table from Human Resources, Accounting and Cardiology, but House basically ignored them. House and Wilson were teasing Lisa and Allison about their attire, making lewd comments and insuring that both women knew that, despite the jokes, their assets had not gone unnoticed. The woman from Human Resources grew so uneasy about the sexual banter and the legal ramifications that she had to move to another table.

House was laughing at his own joke when he saw the shocked look on Wilson's face. He followed Wilson's gaze over his left shoulder. The rest of the table did the same. House wasn't sure who it was at first. She was beautiful. Her petite figure and her perky symmetrical breasts were stunning. It was only after a few seconds that he drew in a breath and realized it was Molly. Wilson had not recovered. Looking over to Chase, who was dancing, House saw that he had stopped in his tracks and stood with his jaw dropped.

All House could think of was the title of the Peter Sellers movie, "The Mouse that Roared." Well Minnie was roaring and nothing in the department would ever be the same.

Chase recovered first and made it over to Molly's side. "Molly, you are absolutely stunning tonight. I didn't even recognize you. All I saw was this incredibly delicious woman standing by the coat check. You really are magnificent. Will you dance with me?"

Molly giggled, leave it to Chase to be the kind gentleman who rescued her from wandering around the party alone.

"You dance a great cha-cha!" she told him.

"Thank you. Have you noticed that we are the center of attention?" Chase said.

"I don't think its our dancing, Chase, I think they're looking at your hair." She laughed. Chase smiled at the joke. His beautiful blonde hair was the constant butt of House's jokes.

Molly looked over and saw House, who nodded in acknowledgment of her presence. She felt her stomach tighten, his hair was nicely combed and in a tux he looked good enough to eat. It wasn't fair, men cleaned up so easily.

One of the cosmetic surgeons came up to Lisa and asked her, "Who is that woman?" House looked at him and considered what was happening. There were a lot of alpha males among doctors and Molly was definitely looking like an alpha female tonight. They would all be positioning themselves, hoping that they would have a chance to go home and make alpha babies with Molly. House wondered how that was going to impact the department.

Allison and Lisa were amused by the attention Molly had generated. Clearly Molly had scored the coup tonight. Both Allison and Lisa were gorgeous in their gowns but they had the disadvantage of having been seen dressed up at previous parties. More importantly, there was no getting around the fact that Molly carried herself as if she had "been to the manor born."

Chase grabbed a table for them, "Would you like a Mojito?" Molly said yes and Chase went to the bar. He knew it was not a wise thing to do, leave a woman like Molly alone with all the men circling, but he also knew he didn't have a chance with her. They had become too close as friends and she had never shown an interest in him romantically. Still, it did make him slightly sad that he wouldn't be the one going home with her tonight.

The poker table was trying to get back to playing. Everyone, including the dealer, had forgotten where they were. Since it was a friendly game, no one got upset when they decided to just toss in the hand and deal another. House sat back down but his mind was not on the game. He left the table after a few more rounds and went to get a drink. Wilson was doing well enough that he wanted to stay. And now that House was leaving the game, he had even a better chance at scoring big.

House wanted to go over and talk to Molly, but he knew he needed an angle, otherwise he was just one among several male drones hanging around the queen bee. House didn't have to think too hard because Molly was coming his way. He realized that he had placed himself directly in the path of the women's restroom.

She smiled as she walked by House and towards the bathroom. Five minutes passed and she emerged, lipstick freshened and walking back towards the room and past House. He held out a Mojito and she stopped.

"Mojito for the siren?" he asked, baiting her with not just a drink but a sly, sensual smile.

"Ooooh Doctor House, you are evil. You know Mojitos are my Achilles Heel." she smiled back at him with a sexy grin and took the Mojito. She paused, smiled and then kept walking back to the table where Chase was talking to a brunette .

House was surprised when she walked away. But then he grinned to himself. She was good. She knew that by walking away after that smile, he would be forced to pursue. "Well," he thought, "The game is afoot."

House took his cane and whiskey and made his way to a table near hers. He was directly in her eyesight. She was flirting with several other doctors. Molly tried to keep her attention on the plastic surgeon talking to her. After all, he reminded her of Eric Brana, only maybe just a little bit shorter. But in the corner of her eye she could see House staring at her like a hunter stalking prey. He looked so handsome, so smooth like Sean Connery in Dr. No. He was tracking her every move. It was unnerving.

She dropped all pretense of trying to pay attention to the surgeon and excused herself to go over to House. She sat down next to him and leaned in to give him the best view of her breasts, "Doctor House, are you following me? Did you want something?"

"Why no, I just wanted to observe the black widow and her male suitors."

"Afraid I may mate and eat one of them?" Molly teased.

"The thought had crossed my mind. You certainly have set a lovely trap." he said as he purposefully stared down at her breasts for emphasis.

Men staring at her had never phased Molly, so she continued to give him the best view. She didn't want to be the first to flinch. He finally made a funny face of exhaustion and looked away from her breasts and into her eyes. He had never noticed that her eyes were nicely shaped, not too big, not too small. They were gray and they were laughing at him.

"Minnie, you are an enigma, by day you are the plain, but consummate employee; by night you are the delicious and voluptuous minx. It is difficult to reconcile the two, especially when the minx shows up in couture that would cost the employee two months wages. Care to help me solve the puzzle?" He raised an eyebrow and sat back.

"A girl has to have a few pleasures. I don't spend my money on much, but I do have a few decadent luxuries." She leaned back too.

"Clothing, perfume, makeup, it plays right into our primal need to reproduce. Your clothing shows off the breasts and the hips, both designed to advertise fertility. You, Minnie, have done well tonight for a woman who is clearly at the end of the fertility spectrum. You had all the fertile males in the room ignoring the more fertile females just to get near you." House smiled but then he detected slight changes in her expression and her posture. He realized immediately that he had said something that had hurt her. He wished he could take it back.

"Well, nice to know that the gown worked." she tried to act nonchalant, "I think I've had enough Casino night, I'm rowing in the morning. Good night Greg." with that she got up and said good night to Chase and several others, grabbed her coat and was out the door.

"Damn." House said under his breath, "Damn."

Chase smiled. House had struck out and no one was going home with Molly.

*** The next few weeks were busy and Molly avoided House except for the occasional meetings in the office. They both refrained from the usual verbal sparring that they had taken to an art form. It had kept the team in stitches because Molly was as good as House at dishing the wit and sarcasm. The team realized that something strange had happened between House and Molly and now House was back to aiming all his sarcasm and black humor at Chase, Foreman and Cameron. For the most part, he was ignoring Molly and she was ignoring him.

"I'm not sure what I said that caused her to bolt." House told Wilson at lunch. I remarked about her being at the end of the fertility spectrum. I guess she could either be upset because I was insinuating that she was getting old or there is something about fertility that upsets her. She's only 38, not exactly ready for Botox." He stopped and looked to Wilson for feedback.

"Ok, but either way, why would you choose to say that to the most beautiful woman in the room? Were you purposefully going for a buzz kill?" Wilson asked.

"I was going to follow it up with something charming, but she ran."

"Well, what if she hadn't bolted, where is this going? Are you attracted to her or just curious about her?" Wilson paused for his answer.

"Not sure. Won't know. Need more data." he said in clips to Wilson. House really wasn't sure. He had fallen for very few women in his life. He had screwed many, but had only given up a piece of himself to three that he could count. One was his second cousin, Hildy. He loved her as deeply as a teenager could. She died at the age of 17 of cancer. The second was his girlfriend while he was in med school, but she left him to become a white water rafting guide. The third was Stacy.

"Well, do us all a favor, don't hunt in your own backyard unless you're willing to clean up the blood." Wilson got up and took his tray to the dish stacks and left it. House was still sitting, deep in thought. Wilson shook his head in distress and went back to work.

*** Since coming on board, Molly had handled telephone referrals and the requests for speaking engagements while Cameron continued to answer the mail. House did not like to do speaking engagements unless there were perks that interested him. He went to Hawaii for one recent engagement and as part of the package in the last engagement he was given a chauffeur and a masseuse. Molly was good at filtering the calls. She talked to the doctors who had referrals and accepted more than House did when Cameron answered the phones. Most of the doctors were excited just to have Molly McGee consider the case. In fact, if she turned the case down for House she would still assist the doctor by phone and email until a diagnosis was reached. This assistance had started to create a lot of good will in the medical community, which in turn meant more referrals. House didn't usually overrule Molly's decisions on what cases to take because he figured that if she was curious about the case, then he was even more curious about her curiosity. Since Molly's arrival at Princeton-Plainsboro, the number of interesting cases had increased substantially and even Lisa Cuddy was noticing the revenue increase in the department.

"Molly, the CDC is on the phone in House's office." Foreman was a little out of breath because he had run down to the lab to get her.

"Ok, can you tell them I will be there in a minute or just find out who it is and I'll call back."

"Ok." And Foreman was off down the hall.

They had stayed on the phone. "Hello, this is Molly."

"Hey gorgeous." Said a deep familiar male voice.

"Hey handsome." She responded.

House and Foreman looked at each other with feigned shock.

"We need your help. We're here at Princeton General and we have some kind of African thing going on over here. Patient 0, who just spent two months in Liberia, bled out last night. We could use your help. We thought you might like in..."

"You're kidding! Any details?" Molly was excited and her voice reflected it.

"Can you get here by noon? I'll give you the file when you get here." He said.

"I'm on my way." She was looking at House and smiling. She hung up the receiver. "That was John Rapple, the CDC is requesting my assistance at Princeton General, they have a possible case of hemorrhagic fever. Mind if I go boss?" She looked to House for an answer.

"Wow. I've never seen one. Can I tag along?" Chase asked.

"You have a case already, remember the mother in room 329? The one with the symptoms we haven't figured out?" House admonished Chase. He turned back to Molly, "Sure Minnie, we can spare you. Scoot."

Molly almost skipped out of the office. House followed her out the door. "Minnie." He yelled down the hall at her.

Molly stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Call me and let me know how it is going. Let me know if we should be looking for it here." House said matter of factly.

She stopped and thought about it. House was one of the great diagnosticians, if not the best, but unless you had been in Africa or South America, the odds of having seen a hemorrhagic fever in person was rare. "Have you ever seen a case of hemorrhagic fever?" she asked him.

"No."

"The CDC typically don't like outsiders messing with Level 4 pathogens but since it would be you, and if I asked, they would probably let you in." Molly offered.

"The CDC and I don't have a lot of love between us." House answered.

"I was at the CDC when you lost their "love.'" Molly remembered the head of infectious disease screaming down the hall about some jackass doctor breaking all protocols on a Legionnaires disease cluster. It was House. "But if I tell them to forgive and forget, they will. Do you want in?"

"I wouldn't mind reviewing the case and seeing the patient." He said in his best professional voice. Molly thought it was ironic that House actually wanted to see the patient.

"Ok, if it turns out to be the real thing, I'll give you a call." and Molly ran off like a kid going to Disneyland.

***

"God, you're a sight for sore eyes." Dr. Rapple was always happy to see Molly. They had buddied all over Africa in search of nasty critters. Molly and John had worked the Ebola outbreak in 2001 and if it hadn't been for the fact that they had each other the horror of it would have been unbearable.

"God, I missed you too." Molly hugged John. "How's Tina?"

"Just talked to her. She's excited to hear that you were going to help. I think she loves you more than I do." John's wife, Tina, was a good friend to Molly. She missed the two of them and didn't get to see them very often. The last time they got together was for dinner in Washington D.C. about a year ago when Molly came over from Barts for a conference.

Molly read the record and the lab results. "The patient's husband returned home from Liberia two weeks ago and then presented at Urgent Care with fever, headache and pharyngitis. It was diagnosed as influenza and he was sent home? Didn't the word, Liberia give them a clue? Ok, let's see, then the patient went to California for four days on business only to return and find her husband worse with fever, headache, vomiting and bleeding through his nose. She cleaned him up and took him to the hospital. He died the next day. Oh great, she cleaned up his bloody nose. Now that's true love."

Molly looked up at John, "Have you notified the California contacts, the airline and health departments? Tell them that if anyone presents with fever, retrosternal pain, sore throat, back pain, cough, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, facial swelling, proteinuria, and mucosal bleeding they should immediately isolate and send us blood samples." she barked orders just like the old days.

"Molly, we're already on it. You think it's Lassa, huh?" John said.

"I'm afraid so, but I have to look at it through a scope and we need to run an ELISA. You know, while you're at it, why don't you try to culture it. It will take about ten days, but we need a good clean culture to do additional genetic studies to see if it has recombined or mutated. Do you have any samples set up? "

"Yeah, just suit up and I'll take you inside."

The CDC often set up labs inside a hospital but occasionally they would set up a Stage 4 trailer outside to insure that any lab work or critters didn't accidently escape. Today they had a trailer.

"John, before we go any further I'd like to ask a favor. Can I bring Greg House over to observe?" she asked very seriously but with a sweet pleading smile.

"GREG HOUSE? WHY? Are you a masochist?" John was visibly disturbed by her request.

"Look, he's an @ss, but he's the best. He may come in handy when the Avian flu hits. It would be good if you guys called a truce. I'll babysit him. He'll behave." Molly smiled again.

"From what I hear, that's a promise you can't keep. I don't think Greg House behaves for anyone." John chastised.

"Yeah, you're probably right, but I still need for him to see this. It will be helpful in more ways than one. It means the CDC and I both get the thanks of the brilliant Greg House. My relationship with him has been a little strained and I'd like for him to have a way to save face. If he has to spend twenty-four hours with me, it means he and I have to talk." Molly shrugged.

"Ok, but if he pulls any of his stunts he goes back to his cage."

"Aye." Molly nodded.

Molly grabbed her cell and dialed. House picked up his phone and answered it. "Greg House."

"How's the patient in 329?" Molly asked.

"It was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever without the spots."

"That happens. Hey, can you get over here? You'll find me in the Biosafety trailer outside the side entrance. You'll have a badge waiting for you at the front desk when you get here, they'll just need to take your picture."

"On my way." House was secretly thrilled. At least it would be something new and different.

House arrived on his motorcycle and went to the front desk where they pulled out a Polaroid, took his photo and them laminated it onto his pass. He followed a young woman to the trailer and was instructed to get into the clean room gear at the front of the trailer. After getting into the gear and going through the procedures, he walked through the negative air screen, through a door and into the lab portion of the trailer. Molly was talking to a man in his forties while looking at a computer screen. Molly looked past the man and at House. She smiled warmly.

"Greg, say hello to my leeetle friends...." and she pointed for him to take a look in the light microscope.

House walked over to the microscope and looked through. The virus he was staring at was round and enveloped, approximately 150 nm in diameter. He recalled the slides he had seen at one of the conferences on emerging diseases. It looked like Lassa.

"This and the ELISA results will differentiate it from Malaria and Streptococcal pharyngitis. Scary part is that the Patient has been on a plane to California twice since being in contact with the original infected patient, which was her husband. He died last night. We just started her on Ribavirin. He bled out but she isn't bleeding yet. However, she is showing signs of encephalitis and that's not good. I'm going to do the genetic analysis to find out if it has mutated, recombined or is static. But I can do that tomorrow, would you like to examine the patient?" She asked.

"Yes, I assume she's in isolation."

"Yes. I haven't seen her yet, I've been working on the blood results and viral identification. The husband's body is in the back of the trailer, we'll take a look at it and then we can go see the patient." Molly motioned for House to follow her.

"You have the body in the back?"

"It's being held for a full autopsy and to prevent contamination. Do you want to do the autopsy with me tonight?" Molly asked.

"Before or after dinner?"

"Probably during..." They were pulling the husband's body out of the body bag.

House noticed the positive air flow in the back to prevent the virus from spreading outside. The blood in the body had drained to the back of the corpse leaving the chest and face almost opaque. He could see signs of caked blood around the nose and sides of the mouth. Molly showed House a rash on the inside of the arms of the corpse. "Look up his nose." House took the scope and looked up the nose of the corpse. He could see capillary lesions which were obviously the source of the bleeding.

After looking at the corpse, they took off the protective gear and headed for the hospital isolation ward. Compared to Princeton-Plainsboro, Princeton General was a typical high-volume government hospital with old equipment and a harried staff. House left his cane outside the isolation room so that he wouldn't have to sterilize it coming and going.

Molly walked House through the examination of the patient. The patient was awake and when Molly pressed on the abdomen, the patient grimaced. "She has abdominal pain. Are you still sick to your stomach?" The patient nodded yes. "According to her chart, she's been vomiting and has diarrhea. Let's check the pharynx." Molly took a quick look and then let House have a look. He could see that the mucous membranes were inflamed and she clearly had pharyngitis and it was exudative...oozing up.

He palpitated the neck, "Her neck is swollen." House looked at her mouth and lifted up her top lip. "Minnie, her gums are bleeding."

Molly came to attention, "Crap." She nodded for them to retreat to the other side of the room to discuss this finding out of the patient's hearing.

"Bleeding in the gums is not good for her prognosis. Only about 25% of the symptomatic Lassa patients bleed and they tend to be the one that have the highest incidence of death. We better increase the Ribaviran. I'm afraid that she may go into shock followed by vascular collapse and death. The shock results from platelet and endothelial dysfunction, which causes the hemorrhaging and it allows fluid to leak into the intravascular system." She told him.

"Are you sure this is Lassa?"

Molly shook her head yes, "Looks like the hundreds of cases I saw in West Africa when I was there. It's pretty common down there. A lot of the infected are asymptomatic. Did you know that the last person to die of Lassa in the United States also died in New Jersey?"

"Yes, I remember that case. I was actually contacted, but by the time I called the primary doctor back the CDC was already there."

House found the disease interesting. He doubted that he would ever see another case, but that's what made it so appealing to him. Molly was right about dinner. By the time they had the body up and ready to do an autopsy, it was dinner time. John knew that Molly would not stop to go get dinner so he ordered a large beef and bean burrito for her. He poked her shoulder and she turned to see the burrito which she grabbed from his hand and said, "Ta."

"You're going to need fuel to keep up with Molly tonight." John offered a second burrito to House who nodded in thanks.

"Molly, I'm not feeling well, mind if I leave you and House to do this?" John asked.

"Not well? Are we talking Lassa symptoms here?"

"No, I was getting the flu before I left D.C. yesterday. I'll see you tomorrow. Just be careful, I don't want to have to wash your hiney again." he laughed.

"Ha..ha.."Molly said sarcastically as John left.

"What did he mean by that?" House asked.

"We were called into Uganda to figure out what was going on in a local village where they told us a few people had died from Lassa. We got there with little in the way of protection and discovered that it was more like two dozen that had died, including the doctor and nurse. The village hospital floor was covered in puddles of blood. It wasn't Lassa, it was Ebloa. I contracted Ebola. Ebola Sudan to be exact."

"WHAT???" House was truly surprised. He'd never met an Ebola survivor.

"Did you know that the Ebola virus can be passed in semen for up to 4 months?" Molly said matter of factly. "I guess that's the true meaning of being screwed..."

"Ebola?" House continued to press. "How did it happen?"

Molly stuffed down the burrito quickly. "Did you know that 15% of the patients that get Ebola Zaire present with hiccups?" She looked at him and started to giggle.

He started laughing. "Ok, answer me. How did the great Minnie McGee get Ebola?"

"You wade into a village where the blood is knee deep from your patients and see how well you fare. We were there over ten days putting out fire after fire in this village. Ebola was going through the village like crap through a goose. John saved my life by demanding that I be evacuated as soon as I got a fever but before we knew for sure that it was Ebola. He got me back to Gulu and the CDC evacuated me. But before they evacuated me I had diarrhea. The pilot wouldn't take me on board the helicopter until I was cleaned up. John risked his own life by being the one to clean my hinny. I spent five days on my back wishing I would die. I bled out of my nose, my ears, my mouth, my butt...it wasn't pretty. I became jaundiced. I had pulmonary interstitial edema...It took me six weeks on my back to recover fully. It turned out to be the largest Ebola outbreak ever. There were over 800 cases and over 50% fatalities. I am one lucky puppy...I survived. But I probably wouldn't have if John hadn't evacuated me when he did."

House had listened intently. He had never done what Molly had done, gone into the lion's den. Since he had become a doctor, he had the luxury of being protected by modern American science in the safety of modern American hospitals. He wondered if it would make a difference in the way he practiced if he had been in the thick of a massive outbreak of some virulent and deadly disease where the luxury of American medicine was not available.

"Why did you want to go into Africa after this disease in the first place?" He asked her as she got up and grabbed a scalpel to begin the autopsy.

"I was curious. I wanted to see how diseases act in the wild. I wanted to see what a deadly disease would look like without the benefit of modern medicine. I came away with a healthy respect for God." She saw him smirk. "I know you don't believe in God, but you remind me of what Isaac Newton once said. An atheist friend asked him who made the beautiful globe on his desk. He told the friend that no one did. The friend got annoyed and told him that someone had to have made it, it couldn't have made itself. And Newton asked him how he had such a problem believing that someone had to have made the globe on his desk but didn't believe that someone or something had to have made the Universe? I have the same problem. I watched this horrible disease sweep through these villages and towns and the force of it was scary. I also watched families and friends take care of their loved ones, even at great risk to themselves and sometimes ending in their own deaths. I saw the worst of nature bring out the best in man. Until you see that up close and personal, it doesn't have the same impact when you just talk about it. I believe in Newton's law, there are strong forces in this world, call them God, Gods, Spirit, the Force, whatever, but I believe we tap into their power and, depending on what we do with it, we are hurled on our own special path through the galaxy. I know, it sounds cheesy, but then that's me...a cheesy, romantic doctor who gets excited about killer diseases."

House had the good sense to keep his mouth shut. He looked at this woman as she wielded the knife across the chest of the cadaver and he had a desire to hold her. He shook his head and the thought went quickly away. He stepped towards her to assist in the autopsy.

*** The autopsy was unremarkable. It was Lassa. Molly sent tissue and blood for a PCR. She showed House the various markers for the disease. House began to talk about what had happened to Foreman the previous year when Foreman almost died from exposure to a waterborne infection. Molly found his story incredibly interesting, especially since she actually knew Foreman.

They cleaned up and left the trailer again to go back into the hospital to see the female patient. She was not doing well. In fact, Molly was pretty sure that the woman would be the next morbidity statistic. She was worried about the airplane passengers. Ebola was usually passed through bodily fluids. Most people were infected when they cared for a patient or attended a third world funeral of a victim. However, Ebola could be passed by aerosol exposure and if the woman had coughed during the flight, the plane's HVAC system would have been like a giant delivery system. Time would tell.

She was dead on her feet. She took a look at House and he was tired too. She grabbed his hand on an impulse and pulled him out of isolation. "You need to go home and sleep, me too."

"You want me to go home and sleep with you?" he smiled.

"You are so funny..." she said sarcastically. But inside she thought it would be nice to wake up in someone's arms, it had been a long time. She wondered if she would ever find love again. Hell, right now she would be happy to find sex. IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME.

*** For several months things got back to normal. House berated Molly and Molly dished it back as good as she got. "Watching them is like being in the middle of a Monty Python movie." Wilson told Cuddy. "I don't think either one of them knows how they feel about the other because they're too busy thinking about the next comeback. I guess denial works for them."

"Well, they both have scar tissue around their hearts. He may have sent Stacy packing, but I think he regrets it sometimes. Molly's love boat is just as shaky. She was suppose to have been married two years ago. Her boyfriend decided he needed one last adventure before settling down. Instead of getting a hooker to jump out of a cake, he and a friend go to the Himalayas and he summits Everest. On the way down his friend lost his footing and the two of them tumbled together into a crevice. From what I understand, both of the bodies are still up there somewhere. It's sad because her boyfriend had a daughter from his first marriage. Molly really wanted kids, but she's afraid she had her last chance with her boyfriend."

"Wow, now that's a tragic tale. It also explains why she was upset when House teased her about her fertility."

"All I know is that she seems to handle House better than I do. We haven't seen a single malpractice case from his department since she arrived. Even Cameron isn't making as many trips into my office as usual. I can't help but think that the other shoe is going to fall and this will all be a dream."

"Oh, come on, stop worrying and just enjoy the House-McGee show."

Cuddy had been right. The shoe was about to fall. It started several weeks later on a Monday morning. House turned down a case that Molly had accepted.

Molly pushed the office door open," What's this about? You're not going to take the Simon case? I don't understand."

"I don't want to work with children with cancer. Cameron ends up crying, the guys get all quiet and pouty, and I'm forced to make myself available for tears and hugs when they walk out the front door...only to have them die a few months later."

"Oh come on, I know about that little girl that Chase kissed. She was terminal from the start. Sherry Simon has a chance for survival...that is if we figure out why she has pleurisy and aphasia. I can't believe you would turn her down because it means you have to deal with feelings."

"I said no."

"Greg, this kid is the daughter of one of my friends, hell, I changed her diapers for God's Sake." Molly begged.

"No. That's final. And changing diapers isn't one of the factors we take into consideration for taking cases. Besides, we have another case that just got referred." House started handing out files to everyone.

Cameron, Chase and Foreman watched quietly while the anger registered on Molly's face.

She tried one more time, "Let me work on the Simon case alone. I'll figure it out and you can take the credit. Just let me call them back and tell them we'll help their ten year old daughter. Please."

He tilted his head to the right and scrunched his mouth, "What is it about the word, NO' that you don't understand?" He was firm.

"Come on House, we don't need Molly on this case, we could spare her." Cameron backed Molly. She just couldn't understand how he could turn down a ten year old girl with cancer.

"That's it." He slammed his cane on the glass table. They all thought it was going to crack into a million pieces but it didn't. "Doesn't anyone in this department respect my decisions? Look over the case I just gave you and I'll be back after I get a cup of coffee to discuss the differential."

But as he started to leave, Molly grabbed his cane and they had a tug of war. Chase started to come around the table to grab Molly because he was sure she was going to kill House. House finally let go of the cane and Molly went sailing backwards into the white board.

House was angry too. "If you don't like my decisions, there's the door." He told Molly as she lay sprawled on the floor.

Without a single moment of hesitation she got up and looked him calmly in the eye, "Fine, you have my two weeks notice."

As she walked past him and towards the door he grabbed her elbow. "I don't need two weeks, be out by the end of Friday."

"Not a problem." and Molly quickly left the office to go cool off.

House looked down and shook his head. Maybe he had been too harsh, but he knew from the new symptoms that the little girl was terminal. He just didn't have the emotional energy to deal with it. Since he had a choice between two good cases, he might as well take the one that wasn't going to keep him up nights after he solved it. But as he looked up he could see the disappointment in his team and their disgust. He stared back at them. He wasn't worried about Molly, when she cooled down they'd figure a funny way out of this stalemate. Molly would come back.

Two hours later, Cuddy appeared in his office. "I had expected you an hour earlier, what took you so long?" House said mockingly.

"I had to find out from Cameron what happened here this morning. You ARE going to apologize to her and let her take the case." she demanded.

"No, I am not." He made it clear that this was a control issue for him that he had to win. Cuddy was boiling.

"Alright, we'll play the game your way. Assign Molly to Wilson's department for the purpose of a consult. Wilson will be the doctor of record, you won't have to get involved with the cancer girl and maybe we can save Molly's Fellowship." She was firm herself.

"Fine, Wilson can have Dr McGee. But if he takes her, it's got to be on a three month rotation, just like a real rotation in this hospital." House pierced her with his eyes.

"Ok, that can be worked out." Cuddy left to go find Molly.

But it wasn't worked out. Molly had crossed the Rubicon. She was so angry at House that it physically hurt inside when she saw him. He was shocked when Cuddy came back and told him she couldn't convince her to stay.

"You've got to talk to her. You have to apologize."

"I....don't think so." House nodded no.

"Yes you will or you'll be the one leaving Friday." Cuddy threatened.

"Tenure." He smiled.

"Screw you." and Cuddy walked out.

On Wednesday, House and Chase had switched clinic hours because House wanted the afternoon off to go buy tickets to the jazz concert. The tickets weren't being sold online for another day so if he wanted really good seats he had to go this afternoon and buy them in person.

House was tired of the mind-numbing clinic patients and sat down a minute to fill out a chart. He started thinking about Molly and how she hadn't given an inch about leaving. He wished he could go back to Monday and do a better job of explaining why he was turning down the case, but the fact that she had mutinied along with Cameron had really ticked him off. After thinking it through, he had called the doctor on Tuesday afternoon to tell him they would take the case. But Molly had arranged for the girl to be transferred to another diagnostician in Dallas. The knot could not be untied.

House opened the door and there was Molly sitting on the edge of the examining bed. "I thought Chase had clinic hours." she said quizzically.

"We swapped." he said calmly. "Why are you here?"

"Vaccinations. Hep A and B, Meningococcal, Rabies, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Measles and Tetanus." She said with authority.

"You're going to Africa?"

She didn't say a word but shook her head yes and rolled up her sleeve. He went to the door and called the nurse to bring him the vaccines. He turned around and for a few moments, everything was quiet in the room.

He was wondering what it would be like to make love to Molly McGee. Was she serious in bed? Playful? A screamer? Quiet? This wasn't the first time that he had thought about sex with her. But then he thought about sex with just about every single female he can into contact with. But his thoughts about Molly were different. He actually wondered what would satisfy her in bed.

"Vacation?" he asked her.

"CDC. Democratic Republic of Congo. Suspicious outbreak, possibly Ebola." she told him.

His heart sank. Not only was she really leaving but she was going into a country that had recently lost 3.5 million people to civil war, the majority being women and children. Millions more had been displaced by the conflict. Outsiders were fair game to the guerillas. Outsiders were often kidnaped and ransomed, or just killed for shock value.

"Molly, you can't do this. If you were hurt, Cuddy and the Team would blame me. Stay and finish your Fellowship." He said solemnly.

He had called her Molly and this almost made her cry, "Can't, my face is already on the tea towels." she said, a reference to Princess Diana's pre-marital indecision about going through with the wedding to Prince Charles. "Don't worry, I've arranged for the hospital and your department to still get their funds." She could tell that this reference to money had stung him deeply. He shook his head sadly and started loading up the vaccines. They were quiet.

"Do you need Mefloquine?" He broke the silence.

"No, they'll supply that. They just thought it would be good for me to get a jump on my vaccinations as soon as possible."

"When do you leave?' House was finishing up the shots.

"One week from today." She rolled down her sleeve and their eyes made contact. "I heard that you called back and agreed to take Sherry's case. It's ok, I got Rhine down in Dallas to take the case."

He barely nodded his head yes and she gave him a brief smile.

You're done." House threw away the syringes in the biohazard waste can.

"Thanks." she said as she walked out of the clinic. Molly felt sad, she wanted to go home and sit in a tub for awhile and sulk.

Thursday afternoon House left work around 3:30 p.m. The team had planned a little going away party for Molly at 4:00 p.m. and House didn't think it would be appropriate for him to be around.

"We all went in on this, even House. AND this I made for you." Cameron handed her one small package and one larger one." Molly was grateful and teary when she opened the small box and discovered an IPOD. The gift Cameron had made was a scrapbook with photos. The scrap book had pictures of her with some of the patients, with the Team, of the trip on the sailboat and her with House. It was very sweet. There was one picture of just her and House on the sailboat. House had his hand playfully on the top of her head and they were both smiling into the camera. They both looked like they were having fun. It was her favorite.

On Friday Molly was frantic to finish all the paperwork including the charts, follow ups and human resource paperwork. At 6:00 p.m. House came into the Team's office. He was in his leather jacket and ready to go home. The rest of the Team had left an hour ago.

"Good luck." he said without inflection.

"Thanks."

"Let us know how you are getting along." he looked down at her and nodded goodbye.

"Sure, I have the email address, I'll keep in touch."

He left and her heart sank. She was quiet and then she started to cry a little. She wondered what had happened and how much of it was her fault? He had been wrong to turn down Sherry, but then he turned around and agreed to take the case. What was that about?

Usually they enjoyed working together and he had even been nice to her when the Team wasn't around. They actually had real conversations about their lives and work when it was just the two of them working together. But then he would pull something like he did this week and she wanted to get as far away from him as possible. He was impossible sometimes. Still she thought they had definitely grown closer over the last few months. Nonetheless, she still wasn't sure what her relationship was with him..Svengali? Friend? Mentor? Peers? Colleagues? Employer/Employee? Student/Teacher? Caretaker? Maybe once she was gone she could be objective about it.

She was winding down her work when she saw the JAMA on his desk and it reminded her of the article. They had been so busy she forgot about it. She rummaged through his desk and found it. It was the article she had written. She was waiting for House to sign as a co-author so they could send it in to be published. It was the best case that the Team had handled while she was there. It would elevate House to another level among his peers. He didn't care whether it got published or not, but Molly knew it would blow the minds of even the most adamant HOUSE-hating doctors out there. Cuddy had been ecstatic when she discovered that Molly was writing it up. It would probably translate into substantial revenues for the department. But House hadn't gotten around to signing it.

She grabbed the article and then scoured the office for anything that had House's home address on it. She found an old parking ticket notice and saw the address. She couldn't believe that he lived at 221B...was this a joke? Obviously not, because she found a second bill with the same address. Only House would have the same numerical address as Sherlock Holmes.

She looked at her watch, it was 8:15 p.m. She doubted he would be home, but if he was she might be able to play on his guilt to get him to sign it for her. She headed home to clean up a little before going over.

House wasn't feeling like going out so he called Wilson around 7:00 p.m. and cancelled their plans to go to the first night of the cartoon festival. Wilson wasn't surprised, House had been pouting all week. House changed into some flannel lounge pants, grabbed his bottle of Lagavulin single malt whiskey and poured his first of several drinks. At 9:50 p.m. there was a polite knock on the door.

"Damn." he said to himself. He just wanted to be alone.

He got up and opened the door. There stood Molly McGee holding a large brown envelope. She had on a peasant skirt, blouse and jacket. It even looked like Molly was wearing mascara and lip gloss.

He opened the door wider to let her in. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a favor to ask. Sign this for me." She handed him the envelope and then wandered over to the baby grand piano. She sat on the bench and waited for his cue.

House put down his drink and reached into the envelope. He pulled out a medical article that he had seen floating on his desk and then inside his desk for weeks. "I haven't read it yet."

Molly was starting to pick out tunes on the piano with one hand, "You don't have to, it's the Angus case and it's well written because I wrote it. All you have to do is sign it."

House reached for a pen and signed the first cover sheet and the last page. He initialed the rest. He then walked quickly over to the piano and slammed the cover down, barely missing Molly's fingers.

Molly jumped up in shock only to find herself less than six inches from House's chest. Those blue eyes looked down into her eyes, "Unless you can play with two hands, keep your paws off."

Molly looked up, gave him a sweet sensual smile and played the double entendre. She put both hands on his chest and said, "Oh, I can play with two hands."

House grabbed her and pulled back her head by her hair to kiss her. The kiss was deep, long and with just enough tongue. Molly felt something sexual rise inside from her groin to her lips. House was moving quickly. His long fingers found the hem of her shirt and he slipped both hands underneath and up her back. In less than a heartbeat he had the bra unsnapped and his right hand had come around to the front to cup her left breast. He grabbed her hand and lead her into his bedroom.

After hours of sex, they were both drenched in sweat and exhausted. House sat up on his elbows and looked down Molly's naked body. "I haven't gone blind since I was a teenager." He chuckled. " God that was "a howling success." he said in a phony British accent. He laid back down and then sat back up. "Molly, we skipped right over the, "are you using birth control" conversation. Are you?" He asked rather sheepishly.

"No. I haven't used birth control in three years. My boyfriend and I had been trying to have a kid, but after a year of trying nothing happened. We were going to go for testing but he died. It probably wasn't him because he had a daughter from his first wife. My gynecologist told me that at my age it was not only harder to get pregnant, but sometimes impossible. My eggs might be too old or too lazy. I was angry for awhile. You know, women have been sold the idea that you can have kids well into your forties and I was only 36 at the time. My gynecologist told me that, yeah, you can have kids in your late thirties, but many women need medical help to do it and lots of money to pay for it." she gave him a sad smile.

"That explains the Casino Night retreat." he stroked her shoulder and then down her perfect breast. He just wanted to touch her tonight, every inch of her body, every freckle, every mole, every rise and fall. It was like he had been dying of thirst and then offered a whole Sparkletts truck of water.

"Yes, I have thin skin when it comes to my "fertility.'" She told him and then slid closer to him. They held each other for several minutes before Molly asked him, "Do you usually use protection?"

"Yeah, I usually have an "overcoat" ready to put on at the sign of rain. Tonight just goes to show that you can lecture until you are blue but sometimes that primal urge to mate just shuts down all logical thinking. But then, I think it also depends on who you are trying to screw. If you had been a hooker I would have definitely had on the old french letters."

"I guess I should feel flattered that you thought I would be free of disease. By the way, is it true that you hire hookers?"

House wasn't sure how to handle the question. The truth was that he hired hookers on occasion when he just needed a sexual release and didn't want to have to do any emotional work for it. But that sounded pretty callous. Still he didn't want to lie to Molly. "Yes, they don't need a lot of small talk."

Molly laughed. "Oh, I understand that. Sometimes the beauty of a one night stand is that you don't have to worry if they are going to call you. Molly lifted up the sheet that covered them from the waist down. She reached over and stroked the scar on House's right leg. Then she lowered her head down and kissed the scar lightly. Her kisses traveled up his thigh to his pelvis, up the hip and then she lifted her head up to kiss his mouth. He stroked her back as he pulled her tightly to his chest. She reached up and stroked his beard.

"This beard needs to be just slightly longer if you plan to do what you did again. I enjoyed most of it, but that beard was just a little bit scratchy in the sensitive areas. However, there is something about the mixture of pain and pleasure....perhaps, I shouldn't gripe."

"Well, I have to admit, you are not the first to complain." He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, now I'm curious, who's been sleeping in your bed Papa Bear?"

"I'd have to kill you if I told you. At least, I would have to kill you before you killed me." He chuckled.

"Thirsty?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. By the way, that move with the ice cube was intriguing. It certainly combines the Yin with the Yang." He said.

"Oh, stick around little boy, I have more special moves. Have you ever gone through the positions in the Kama Sutra? Definitely makes life more interesting. Unfortunately, there are some in there that I just can't do anymore...not as limber as I use to be." Molly jumped up to go get some water.

"You seemed pretty limber tonight." He paused, "Molly, don't go to Africa. Stay...let's enjoy this....well, whatever this is between us." House said.

"Cat got your tongue? Can't quite say the word relationship or courtship or something with a ship in it?" She mocked him.

"Ok, I'd like you to stay and work on this relationship. Satisfied?"

She turned and gave him a sweetly sad look. "I'm sorry but I've made a commitment to the CDC for the next six months. Maybe when I get back you might let me finish out my Fellowship."

"I don't know, it takes a lot to convince me to do something." He wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

"Ooooh. Let me get that drink of water and maybe we can work on convincing you."

She walked naked through the apartment as if she owned it. She was comfortable with her body. He loved her body. Granted, Victoria's Secret wasn't going to sign her up for their Angel line, but he wouldn't have changed any of it. Her body was soft, womanly and round where it should be round. When he grabbed her to position himself, there was something to hold on to and a soft landing. It wasn't hard, boney or angular like some of the "hard bodies" he had bedded. Yet she was thin and she had definite signs of having worked out. Her muscles were developed but feminine. He loved the way that her body gave to his when they had sex. He also liked the confidence she had - strutting through the apartment naked with an air of "look at me' She knew he was looking at her and she liked it and he liked that she liked it.

She came back with two glasses of water. "What the hell is it with all that peanut butter? Do you eat or buy anything else? I didn't even see any jam or jelly."

"Ran out last week." He pulled her back down on the bed.

"No, before you ravish me again I want you to play the piano for me." She demanded.

House kept stroking her body but Molly jumped up, put on her panties and picked up the T-shirt House had been wearing and put it on. She crossed her arms and then crooked her finger at him. House knew it was fruitless to try and get her back in bed, so he stood up, slipped on his boxers and grabbed his cane.

Once seated on the Baby Grand he asked her, "What do you want me to play?"

"Rachmaninoff's 18th Variation on Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini." she said.

"You're joking, that's pretty cheesy." House grimaced.

"I LOVE IT, do you know it or not?" She demanded.

House started playing it for her. "If you tell ANYONE that I know this by heart I WILL kill you."

"Keep playing lover boy."

He played so well that Molly choked up at the cheesy, romantic part. She wondered if he had ever played professionally? A good question to ask later. He played several more pieces, some she knew and some that she didn't know. He looked content and relaxed while playing.

"Do you play any instruments?" he asked while he played her Coldplay's "Clocks."

"I play guitar and sing a little." she said.

"Well go pick a guitar off the wall and play me a song." He nodded behind him at the numerous guitars, banjos and mandolins that were hung up and down the wall. She picked out a smaller, beat up acoustical guitar and began tuning it. He smiled at her while he continued to play. "That was my first guitar, given to me by my parents when I was twelve."

"Sweet. I don't need anything fancy. I like a guitar that's worn in... she said.

"You've found the right one then. Give us a song." He turned around from the piano bench and watched her. He started to notice little things about her that he hadn't before. She had a laugh that attracted your attention, but not in a bad way. It was the type that made you want to know why she was laughing. She also had a way of tilting her head just slightly if she didn't quite believe what you were saying. She was funny and witty and well read. And sex with her was, and he thought hard about this, simply the best sex he had ever had.

Molly grabbed the guitar, "How about an old English Ballad?" Molly started playing. She played for him.

When I was apprenticed in London I went to see my dear The candles all were burning The moon shone bright and clear. I knocked upon her window To ease her of her pain She rose up to let me in Then barred the door again.

I like your well behaviour And this I often say I cannot rest contented When I am far away. The roads they are so muddy We cannot walk about So roll me in your arms my love And blow the candles out.

Your father and your mother In yonder room do lie A-hugging one another So why not you and I? A-hugging one another Without a fear or doubt So roll me in your arms my love And blow the candles out.

I prithee speak more softly Of what we have to do Lest that our noise of talking Should make our pleasure rue. The streets they are so nigh, love The people walk about They may peep in and spy, love So blow the candles out.

And if we prove successful, love Please name it after me. Treat it neat and kiss it sweet And daff it on your knee. When my three years are over My time it will be out And I will pay my debt to you By blowing the candles out.

"Am I suppose to read something into that song?" He asked. "I didn't know you had such a pretty voice. It's actually very pleasant to listen to..."

"Man, you will say anything to get laid." she grinned.

"No, I'll DO anything to get laid. But the truth is that you have a lovely voice." and with that he reached out, grabbed her and pulled her to him. He kissed her very gently on her lips. "Now can we go back to bed?"

"Ohhhh, alright. But first I need food."

He limped into his kitchen without his cane and picked a menu off the refrigerator. "I'm ordering a pizza. What do you want on it?"

"Ooooo, I want mushrooms, sausage, pineapple and pepperoni."

*** When the sun came up House woke to find that Molly was naked and tucked safely in his arms. His left arm was tingling from her laying on it. He thought about all the time they had wasted. He also thought about her leaving in a few weeks. Would she want to come back? Why was it that he stayed and the women he cared about left? He studied her face. He wanted to memorize it so that when she was gone he could play back this night in his head. He wanted to remember each detail. He leaned over, pulled back the hair from her cheek and kissed it. She woke up.

"Ahhh, just let me get a few more minutes." She whined.

"Ok, but I need my arm back. Can you please give a guy back his arm? Wilson is going to be here in a few minutes and I need a shower"

Molly bolted upright. "Wilson? What's he coming over for?"

"A threesome...We're driving down to Philadelphia for the car show."

"Man...you're already abandoning me for your buddies." she pretended to pout.

"Hey, when we bought these tickets I didn't know that there was a you to abandon. I'll be back sometime tonight, I'll call you when I get in." He said.

"Oh, so you can make a booty call?"

"Hell yes. Is there any other reason?" House grinned widely.

"No, except maybe my charming company. My inner beauty. This cosmic connection between us."

"Whoa, You do need more sleep."

"No, I'm up now. You better get you're @ss in the shower before I beat you to the punch." Molly got up.

"What's wrong with taking one together, it's small enough." he wiggled his eyebrows up and down to suggest some nookie.

"Boy, you really know how to entice a woman. Come on big boy, shower sex is my specialty."

House had to agree, shower sex was pretty damn phenomenal with Molly. He toweled off and then turned to her, "Why don't you come with us."

"No, I have to pack and start putting things in storage. My friend is going to lease my house furnished, but she doesn't want to stare at my family photos, clothing and other personal crap." Molly kissed House on the cheek.

The reminder of Molly's departure was depressing to House and his enthusiasm for the day at the car show quickly diminished. Still, he put on some Levis, a clean T-shirt and his new Nikes. Molly was quicker than him. She already had her skirt and blouse on and was picking up her purse to go. She grabbed House's dirty t-shirt and stuffed it in her purse.

"What are you doing with that, it's dirty?"

"It's mine now. It has your smell on it. I'm taking it to Africa with me. It should keep the mosquitoes away, don't you think?" She blew him a kiss and disappeared out the door. Molly really did want something with his smell on it. His body odor was masculine but not pungent and something primal stirred in her when she smelled it. It would be one of the first things she would pack for her trip to Africa.

House gave a quick shrug and thought, "Women are strange creatures."

When Wilson showed up he took one look at House and knew something was up, "You look like you've been ridden hard and put away wet."

"Well, in a manner of speaking, I kinda have." House replied as they got into the car.

"Hooker?"

"Molly."

"Golly Batman, what a cunning plan. Get her to quit and then screw her. You are good. You figured out how to screw a woman coming and going." Wilson said. He was a little annoyed with House. Molly was about to go to an incredibly dangerous area because House had been a jerk and now House starts something with her that he can't finish. "Why are you doing this?"

"I know you think I plan everything out, but I don't. This really did "just happen." House shrugged.

"Poor Molly." Wilson said shaking his head.

"Poor Molly? I'm the one who is going to be here wondering whether she is ok and feeling guilty for causing her to leave. Come on, give me some TLC."

"House, you don't feel guilty about anything." Wilson admonished.

"I do about this." House said solemnly.

They drove to Philadelphia, saw the car show, had a late lunch and then returned to New Jersey. The car show in Philadelphia was a favorite of theirs, it was huge and had all the latest models and some prototypes. It had turned out to be a good day after all.

*** House had never been in Molly's house. It was a three story townhouse with a basement. When he entered the house he could see a small bathroom at the far end of the hall. There was a staircase on the right leading up. To his immediate left was a room that Molly was using as an office. House was curious and stuck his head in the door. The office had built-in bookshelves on three of the walls that were packed with papers and books. Down the hall to the left was an incredibly large living room with several areas for conversation, a large fireplace and a corner of built-in book shelves that were brimming with books. The ceiling was very high so the books looked like they reached to the heavens. An LCD television hung on the wall to the left. This house couldn't have been cheap.

"How was the car show? Are you hungry?" Molly took his jacket and helmet and put them in the hall closet.

"The show was better than last year and yes, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since lunch."

Molly looked at the hall clock, it was 9:00 p.m. "Come downstairs and I'll fix you something."

They went downstairs to the basement which had been turned into a modern kitchen, adjacent dining area and separate laundry room. French doors lead out to a long, narrow garden and patio in the back. Molly rummaged through the refrigerator and freezer. She gave House a cutting board, an onion and a knife. "Chop." She insisted.

She fixed him a stir fry with rice and it hit the spot. They had talked while he sat at the counter chopping various vegetables for her. They talked like they had been together for a long time. Molly felt a certain urgency, like she had to find out as much as she could about House before she left, just in case. House felt the same urgency and it bothered him, no, it scared him.

"Did you bring an overcoat? I see rain in the forecast and I'm probably going to start ovulating soon. Don't know if we need protection considering my history, but we better not take any chances. I can't imagine having a mini-House running around causing havoc." She gave a pretend shutter.

"Have you been talking to my mother?"

"Ok, you stack the dishes in the dishwasher and I'll clean the stove and counters."

They started the climb to her bedroom which was on the second floor or two flight up from the basement. Molly was acutely aware that all the floors on this house would prove a challenge to House and his leg. He had popped some Vicodin during dinner, indicating that the long day at the car show and car ride was taking a toll.

The second floor contained the master bedroom, ensuite bathroom, a second generous bedroom and a hall bathroom. House wondered what was on the upper floor and if she was going to make him climb up the stairs.

Molly seemed to pick up on his concern and said, "I'm not going to give you the Cook's tour yet, so relax."

The lovemaking was neither wild nor sedate but satisfying for both of them. They were both tired and wanted a good night's sleep. When they woke up on Sunday, Molly made breakfast and brought it to House in bed. Rather than be happy and enjoy it all, House was getting melancholy, knowing that Molly would soon be gone.

"What's going on in that head of yours." Molly asked. "I feel like I just entered a funeral parlor."

"Nothing, just thinking." He said.

"I know." She stroked his cheek, "But we have four days left. Let's enjoy it."

"I think I better call Cuddy and let her know I won't be in this week."

"That would be great." Molly had been hoping that he would take the time off to be with her.

Cuddy was delighted with these new developments. If House and McGee were in a relationship it might mean that McGee would return to finish her Fellowship and keep a lid on House. Cuddy gave him the time off.

***

The four days went by quickly and both of them were acutely aware of the clock ticking down. On their last night they decided to stay in and spend the time with just the two of them. They grabbed a bottle of champagne and made their way to the Master bathroom and the Jacuzzi tub. House was leaning back in the hot circulating water when Molly got in, sat between his legs and leaned back on his chest.

Out of the blue House said, "I didn't take the Sherry Simon case because she had the same cancer that my cousin died of. I just didn't want to be reminded of it."

Molly felt horrible. Why hadn't he said this when she was insisting he take the case? She wouldn't be going to Africa. "You're cousin died of it? Tell me about him."

"It was a her.' Elizabeth Thompson. She was actually the daughter of my first cousin. We spent a lot of time growing up together. She gave me my first french kiss, taught me the Tango, told me what it was like when she got her period and, in general, was my friend, my first love and confidante. We really enjoyed each other. She was 13 when she got sick, she died when she was 17. I felt powerless. I didn't want to feel powerless again so I decided to become a doctor."

"You fell in love with your cousin? Where were you guys from, Arkansas?"

"My second cousin..." he corrected her, "...and even then she was my half -second cousin because her mom and my mom were half sisters."

"Wow, that's getting complicated, but I understand. I had a huge crush on my cousin Billy. Actually, I still do. So, why did you wait until now to tell me?"

"I've been feeling like crap because I didn't explain it to you that day you quit. I was flexing my power muscles ... you know, like when you ask your parents why you can't do something and they say, Because I say so. That's why.' I didn't think I had to give any reasons, it was my department. But, I'm sorry...I'm really sorry." He put his arms around her, pulling her deeper into his chest, like he didn't want to let go.

"Oh, bugger all. I'm an optimist. It will work out in the end. We probably wouldn't be here in this bathtub if you hadn't fired me." She rubbed his leg affectionately and they settled back to enjoy the champagne.

Everything they did that night caused both of them pangs of sadness. Knowing that it would all end the next morning was hard to deal with so they both worked hard to keep it out of their thoughts.

They made love early in the morning and when they were done they held on to each other without saying a word. Molly knew that if she tried to say anything she would start crying. Eventually she got up, took the clean underwear she had laid out and went in to shower. That's when she started crying, she sobbed in the shower, hoping the water would drown out the sounds.

House knew she was crying and he was biting his lip to keep from doing it himself. He could still smell her on him and the pillow next to him. Now he understood why she wanted the T-shirt. He almost took her pillowcase as a souvenir but thought that would be soppish.

When she came out, she stripped the bed and put the linens in the washer with a note to her friend to dry them. House took his shower while Molly shut the drapes and began the process of leaving. House was going to drive Molly to the airport and he would keep her car until she got home. They had to be at the airport two hours before takeoff just to get through security, so they left as soon as House was dressed.

It was every bit as painful as they had imagined it would be. Despite all the hugging, kissing and Molly's tears, neither would admit that they loved each other. It would be too much to bear if they did.

Molly's plane left for Washington D.C. where she would be briefed before actually leaving to go to Africa the next day. House was driving past the airport when he saw the plane fly over. He felt numb.

***

The computer image wasn't as clear as it had been the time before. But the satellite link between Kinshasa and Princeton was usually pretty good. House and Cameron were staring into the screen when Molly's face came up. The delay between the conversations was annoying, but the connection was better than nothing. Molly had been in Africa for five weeks.

"CAMERON!!!" Molly was ecstatic to see her sitting next to House. "It's good to see you, how's Matthew?"

"I'm fine and so is Matthew. The question is, "How are you and what have you been up to?" Cameron was smiling brightly.

"I'm fine. We'll be going out into the villages on the east side at the end of the week. So far we have been handling the disease here in town. It's definitely Ebola Zaire. We're looking for patient 0. Unfortunately, there's something new in the genetic code of this strain. If it is really novel they may give it a different subgenus...maybe Ebola McGee." She said jokingly.

"Not funny." House commented.

"Oh, lighten up...I'm ok." Molly frowned.

"Remember, just because you got Ebola once doesn't mean you're immune." House cautioned.

"Yes, mother. Cameron, you're more fun to talk to...how are Chase and Foreman? Are they still bickering over that football bet?"

"No, they're on to who's hotter, Jennifer Beal or Amanda Peat. But they're fine. Chase has a girlfriend but he won't let us meet her. I think she must be either a figment of his imagination or she's coyote ugly." Cameron started laughing.

"Jesus, don't those boys have anything better to do? Greg, don't you have any cases to give them?" Molly smiled. House looked tired and worried. He also looked good enough to eat.

"We've had several. I can't help it if they're morons. What are your precautions like over there, do you need any gowns, gloves, respirators..." His voice trailed off.

Molly was laughing, he was like an old hen, "For God's sake Greg, we're not in the stone ages. The CDC sent us in full battle gear. How's Wilson and Cuddy?" She was saving her personal questions about him for later in the hopes that Cameron would excuse herself.

Cameron chimed in, "Cuddy is pregnant and Wilson is the Daddy."

"You're pulling my leg."

"It's true. She's been taking IVF treatments. Did you know that House here administered the shots?" She's almost four months along...I just thought she was putting on some weight. She's so petite that she started showing a month ago. Well, I know you want some time alone, anything we can send you?"

"Chocolate. No, seriously I don't need anything right now. But why Wilson?"

"He has good genes." House said seriously.

"I'm going to go and let you two catch up." Cameron patted House on the shoulder.

It was good talking to you Cameron, give that boyfriend of yours a wet kiss for me." Molly waved at the web cam.

"I will and you take care too, we miss you." Cameron waved back and then left.

"You gave Cuddy hormone shots?" Molly was surprised.

"You know me, any chance to see a nice @ss. Yeah for over a year now. That's why I've laid low the past twelve months, I didn't want to be in her aim. " His voice became gentle, "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm enjoying being with my buddies, and it's always interesting being in Africa, but I miss you, and most of all, I miss my bed."

"Well, I see I come second."

"Hey, if you had to sleep on these cots, you'd put me, Wilson and your whole family in second place. Before I forget, I can do another link up the day after tomorrow but then it will be awhile before I can do it again. We won't be close enough to a satellite connection. I sent you a package so look for it in the mail."

"Any problems with the guerillas." House asked.

"That's funny, considering I'm in the Congo. I assume you mean guerillas and not gorillas. I haven't had any problems with either, yet. We have heard that there are some problems about 20 klicks from here. One of the supply trucks was ambushed but the escort team scared them off." Molly could see his face darken when she mentioned the ambush. He popped some Vicodin. Well, then, she certainly wasn't going to tell him about the missionary hospital that was attacked and burned down. She was going there next week. "But I sit her on my butt looking through microscopes and running tests. Sometimes I actually get to be a doctor and go to the clinics to monitor what's coming through the door. Have you checked into that new physical therapy we talked about?"

"I really haven't had time. We've had three cases and they overlapped each other. It has been a rough two weeks. I did manage to take care of that parking ticket."

"Well, there's some progress. Greg, I have to go. I only get so much time on this and then they start giving me the finger. I miss you." She wanted to tell him she loved him, but she knew it would only make things between them strained and make him feel worse. "Try to be good and please check into that therapy, it really sounds promising."

"I miss you too and I'll try. Don't forget to duck. From what I read on the web it makes me really uneasy about you being there. Bye."

She blew him a kiss and then hit the clicker to end the transmission. She sat for a minute trying not to cry. The tears rolled anyway. She got up and John Rapple saw her.

"Awww, poor baby." He held her tight like a big brother. "I cannot believe that you are crying over Gregory House. Are you insane?"

She shook her head yes as she continued to cry.

"Well maybe six months away from him will help give you some objectivity about who you are in bed with."

She continued to cry and shook her head no. He just laughed.

*** The package arrived the next day at his apartment but he didn't have time to open it. He was very late for work and had just had an emergency call. He took the package with him. It sat around on the credenza behind his desk for most of the day. Late in the afternoon Wilson walked in and noticed the package.

"What's that, sex toys?" He asked.

"Oh, crap, I forgot all about it. Molly sent it." He began to tear it open. Inside was a small box. He opened it and there was a small wand with two blue lines across it. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking at and then it hit. It hit Wilson at the same time.

"Holy Shi*!" House yelled.

Wilson started laughing like he had never laughed before. "Congratulations, Daddy."

***

If you want the next installment, please leave me a message. Otherwise I'll do something else. Thanks.

*** Wilson poured House into the car and then into his bed. House was moaning all night long about women and how sneaky they were.

"May I remind you House, you said you initiated sex with Molly...so where was your protection?" Something slurred and indiscernible came out of House's mouth but Wilson just ignored him. He didn't envy having House's head tomorrow. He was going to be in a lot of pain. A LOT of pain. Wilson smiled, he deserved it.

House woke up, dragged himself into the kitchen and grabbed some Naprosyn and Vicodin. He was pretty hung over. He flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. What was he going to do? Greg House was not Daddy material.

Molly's smiling face came up on the computer the next day. She saw his image at the same time. She could tell already what the answer would be. House was pale and stern. He was not pleased.

"Was that your idea of being cute? Notifying me that way? It wasn't funny and I didn't appreciate finding out that way." He lambasted her.

"I'm sorry, I was chicken. I wanted you to have time to digest it before we talked. I wanted you to be able to give me your thoughts without having to say, I need to think about it.' I admit it was poor judgment on my part. You deserved to hear it from me."

" We used protection when you said you were ovulating. What happened?"

"Oh God, Greg, who cares? I must have miscalculated. But even so, if you recall, the first time we had sex you didn't stop to find a rubber, so what does it matter?" She was getting upset too. She could see this conversation wasn't going to end well. She took a breath, "Hey, it happened, we can't go back. I still want to know what you think. No matter what, if I have the baby I won't ask you for a dime or ask you to be involved. "

"What I think is that we have two options, either you have the baby or you abort it." House hated not having control. The control was all in Molly's hands and he knew that she wanted to have a baby. This wasn't going to go his way. "Molly, I won't lie, I have never wanted children. I'm not cut out for the diaper changing, life altering, hair pulling world of parenthood."

"So Greg, what are you saying?" she bit her lip as it started to quiver. She could feel it coming, she braced herself.

He knew this was it, this was going to be a deal breaker. But he wanted to be honest with her. Even though there was a delay in the communication, he had to look away to say it. He couldn't bear the pain he knew he was going to cause her. He didn't want to see it register in her eyes. "I want you to have an abortion." He looked up and saw her frozen on the screen.

"Coward." and she hit the button to end the conversation. She got up and started shaking. She left the building and ran into John.

"We're moving out tomorrow. Molly? Did you hear me?" He knew she had been on the satellite link with House. Something was up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be ready." She walked away briskly.

She was angry. Well, House must have shown his true colors. John went to prepare the trucks.

The next day they were to move out towards Kindu and then Masisi. It was going to be a very long ride, taking several days. They had received notice that Kindu, Masisi and neighboring villages were experiencing a massive outbreak of Ebola. John and Molly were being mobilized to take supplies to the towns and access the situation.

"John, we should travel in separate trucks. It's our best way to make sure that the supplies get through. If one of the trucks breaks down or God forbid, it taken, maybe the other can get through." Molly suggested.

"No,no,no,noooo." John was shaking his head, "Molly I want you to stay with me. We need to stick together just in case we do get taken."

"That makes no sense and you know it. The only real chance we have if the rebels get us is for one of us to get away. Come on, you know I'm right. We have to travel royally." It was a reference to the fact that the Queen did not travel in the same plane as Prince Charles...just in case.

They argued for another ten minutes but John knew she was right. In the end they separated. They were going to keep in contact through walkie talkies. Molly had the GPS in her truck since it was going to lead the way.

The villages were small with little chance of stopping for sustenance or a stretch. The road was killing Molly's back. She hated this part of her job, the days of bone- crunching, butt-bouncing travel.

They had an escort from the Movement for the Liberation of Congo through the western and central part of the country and then there was suppose to be a handoff to the Rally for Congolese Democracy as they moved into the Tutsi controlled areas of the country. In the meantime, there were over 200 rebel groups within the country roaming around like gangs. It was these groups they were worried about. Both the MLC and the RCD both wanted the CDC there. The Ebola outbreak was spreading rapidly because the Congo had a high percentage of people compromised by HIV. It took very little to infect them. The disease was starting to get a foothold in the army camps and the two factions were losing their soldiers. Molly and John were not sure what to expect, 40 per cent of the health infrastructure has been destroyed in Masisi, North Kivu during the civil war. This would mean that their support structure would be extremely compromised.

Her nurse, a young man named Joseph Kabila, was also her interpreter. He spoke both Swahili, Lingala and the national language, French. Unfortunately there were over 100 other dialects spoken in the country. Usually, some form of French would fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, Molly did not speak French although she did speak Italian, Spanish and Arabic. John spoke French and he had his own nurse/interpreter with him.

Joseph's wife and children had all been tortured and massacred by a fraction of the RCD. Before she died, his wife had been gang raped in front of Joseph. They left Joseph for dead but the U.N. had rescued him. That was six years ago and now Joseph was a trusted and kind friend of Molly and John. He had sad soulful eyes and a huge heart.

*** Greg House was sleeping soundly in his comfortable queen sized bed. The alarm went off and he looked at the ceiling. He thought of the conversation the day before and he closed his eyes. Again he wished he could take it all back, say it in a way that would not have forced her hand so abruptly. Wilson had chastised him all night long. They had rented some DVDs and watched them at his apartment.

"Couldn't you have said something like, "I know how much you want children Molly, but I think I'm too selfish and narcissistic to be a good father. I wish it weren't true, but it is. And I would hate for a child to be raised without a good father. If I had to make a choice, I wouldn't have the baby. I know it's your choice, but it's going to impact both of our lives, so I hope you consider what I've said." And not, "Get an abortion.' How thoughtful and considerate is that?"

"Diplomacy is not my strong suit." House said. "You're right, maybe I could have been a little more subtle. But I was still angry about the package. Well, now I'm up the creek. She's left for the east. She doesn't have the ability to send emails or make satellite calls. My only contact with her is the mail and God knows when that will get to her. I'm not sure what I would say if we did make contact. I can't take back the truth."

"True, but maybe you could tell her that you will accept her decision and, to whatever extent you can, be a part of their lives. After all House, it will be your child, get used to it."

"Ahhhhg." House replied. ***

Two days in the truck and Molly was not a happy camper. She was feeling nauseated and tired. She slept when she could and drove when the driver needed to sleep. She snacked on crackers to keep her stomach from coming up into her throat.

Molly's truck slowed for the children playing in the road. John's truck was a few Klicks behind her because he had to stop to take a leak. Molly kept looking outside at the side mirror to see if John was catching up. She saw a glimpse of metal flash and she knew immediately they were in trouble. The jeep escort of four men with automatic weapons was now stopped, confronted by two jeeps of Union of Congolese Patriots. Molly surveyed the entire area and saw one more jeep. They were greatly outnumbered. She was scared that John was going to drive right into this mess and they both might be captured. She kept her eye on the jeeps and on the mirror. She saw a speck in the mirror and knew it was John.

"God, please don't let John get into this mess. Please." Molly prayed. She was relieved when she saw the truck make a quick right and drive out of sight. The rebels hadn't noticed the second truck. They were too busy barking orders at her MLC escort. She started to get out when the automatic weapons went off and the bullets went flying everywhere, including within a few feet of her. Molly screamed and scrambled back in the truck where the driver and Joseph were both supine. She joined them on the floor of the truck. Molly was brave but she was no hero.

Within minutes the rebels were pulling them all out of the truck. Words were exchanged between Joseph and a short man who had the look of authority. "He's instructing us to follow him."

"Please tell him that these supplies are needed to save lives in Kindu." Molly pleaded with her eyes.

Joseph interpreted and the man became agitated and started screaming and pointing his gun at Molly. "He said essentially to shut that bitch up and follow him."

Molly kept her mouth shut and they all crawled back in the truck. Molly could see that the escorts were all dead, their bodies shredded with bullets. The rebels put one jeep up in front of the truck and the other behind with the leader's jeep flanking them. The truck started and they rode south for awhile before turning east. Molly was sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy or the stress, but she vomited into her handkerchief and then threw it out the window.

***

John was out of his mind. Molly's truck had already traveled too far for walkie talkies. He had to use their radio to contact Kensasha. The radio contact was spotty and he had to be brief. The CDC immediately contacted both the CIA and the U.N. to let them know what had happened. John turned his truck around and headed back to Kensasha because they were closer to it than to any other large town or city. The following day he met the U.N. division on the road. They were traveling with several jeeps and a truck of MLC soldiers. They had been dispatched to find Molly.

"Look, we have to assume that they kidnaped her for ransom. I know she's not dead. She was traveling with a GPS. We need to have them track her. The CDC in Kensasha will have her frequency." John started to give as much information as he could. The last thing Molly transmitted from the truck on the walkie talkie before going out of range was that there were 14 UCPs and they were heading south. She also told him the escorts were all dead.

The U.N. caravan took off to the south and kept driving until the CDC could give them the coordinates of the GPS. The U.N. was suppose to remain neutral and give tactical assistance only. Only the MLC was suppose to engage the rebels. But those boundaries often got blurred when the U.N. soldiers were in the thick of it.

John had another day to go to get back to Kensasha. He started to worry, what if the UCP found out who Molly is? What if they discovered they were sitting on a gold mine? John hated having to call Tina, she would worry to death.

*** House didn't like having feelings he couldn't suppress. He was pissed at Molly for putting him in this position. He did know that if he felt anger he didn't feel the sadness and worry. So he stayed mad at her. The Team was bored again, there were no cases and House was acting bizarre. He wouldn't talk about it and neither would Wilson, although they did try to get it out of him.

His phone rang and when he picked it up he knew it was international by the static on the line. "Greg House."

"House, this is John Rapple."

"I thought you were headed east and wouldn't be near phones?"

"I'm back in Kensasha. I have bad news. Molly has been kidnaped by the rebels."

House sat down and went blank. "House?? Are you there?"

"Yes, how did it happen?" he was numb and calm and like a stone.

"Our trucks were separated by a few Klicks, all I could see was that Molly's truck was surrounded so we turned and got out of there. They killed all the soldiers accompanying her and headed south. We have the U.N. looking for her. She had a GPS and it is still giving off signals. She's gone east now. She has an interpreter with her."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing. It's being done. I just hope they don't find out who she is." John commented.

"Who she is? She's a doctor working for the CDC. What do you mean?"

"No, I mean I hope they don't find out about her family. Got to run, they need the satellite phone. I'll keep you posted." The phone went dead.

House didn't know what he should feel. It was like everything inside him shut down to reboot. He was curious about what John meant about not finding out who she is. He went back on the web and tried to hunt down information about her background but he was hitting dead ends. Then it came to him. He looked up the phone number for the marina in Brigatine.

House dialed the number and a man answered. "Brigatine Marina."

"Hello, my name is Greg House and this summer I had the pleasure of sailing on the Irene with Molly McGuire. I'm in the market for a Gulfstar Hirsch and I was hoping to talk to the owner of the boat about their experience with the upkeep and maintenance."

"Well that boat is owned by the Getty Petroleum Market Inc. but its usually Gordon Getty that we have to call if there is a problem. But I don't think you're going to be able to reach Mr. Getty, he's in San Francisco. You'd get more information from Molly or her cousin, Bill Getty, they use the boat more than the others."

"Do you have Bill Getty's phone number?"

"I couldn't give that to you, but if you leave your number, I'll contact him and see if he will call you back."

"That would be great." He gave him his contact information, " If you get a hold of him, please tell him that I have some important news about Molly McGee."

"Ok, I'll do that. So Long."

"Thanks, Goodbye." House hung up the receiver.

House sat back and stared at the x-ray screen. It started to make sense and yet it didn't make sense. Molly wearing couture, the large house, her desire not to publicize her background and her famous words, "I had a crush on my cousin Billy" all added up. But why did she even work? Why put herself in danger? And she didn't live a lavish lifestyle. Did he really know Molly. Obviously not.

John Rapple was right. The rebels were sitting on a gold mine, a diamond mine and an oil field and so far, they didn't know it.

***

Now that House knew where to look he Googled the Getty family and found a hole where he was sure Molly fit in. The tree simply showed a line for Agnes Getty Harrigan (deceased) with a line to a question mark (deceased) and a line descending and showing a child born in 1968. It did not give the name of the child. This would mean that Molly had descended from John Getty's first marriage. She was fairly removed from Gordon Getty which probably meant she called him uncle out of respect but not because he really was her direct uncle. William Getty would have been three times removed from her, but technically speaking, he was still her third cousin. The Getty fortune was in the billions, how much of that had trickled down to Molly he did not know. But he suspected that Molly could have bought Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital if she had wanted to.

The fact that Molly went out and contributed to the world when she could have stayed home and eaten bon bons was perplexing. She was a mystery to him. Why did she choose the life she did? The phone rang and he picked it up, "Greg House."

"Hello Doctor House, I'm Bill Getty, Molly's cousin."

"Oh, thanks for calling."

"I want you to know that you are a hero to my brother and I. Whenever we have dinner with Molly or we go sailing she tells us "House stories." You're a legend among my family. The supervisor at the marina said you had news about Molly. Isn't she there at Princeton-Plainsboro?"

House was sullen,"No she is in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the CDC working on an Ebola outbreak." But before he could finish Bill Getty butt in.

"Jesus Christ, we told her to stay home. We thought with a three year fellowship she would be safe. What's happened, did she get sick again?" He sounded a little angry with Molly but also very concerned.

"She was captured a few days ago by rebels."

"Oh Man." Bill Getty sounded very upset. "Was John Rapple with her?"

"Yes, but he was in a separate truck and he got away."

"Is she ok?" he asked quickly.

"They don't know yet. John told me that they have the U.N. working on it."

"Do the rebels want money?"

"I frankly don't know. They are tracking her truck with the GPS system and it appears that they are headed east to the more unstable areas of the country. You now know as much as I do." House said calmly.

Well I appreciate you calling me, I better call our corporate security and put them on notice. I suspect my brother, Andrew, has been told because he is listed as next of kin." He sounded like he was trying to formulate a plan. "Thanks again for letting me know. If you hear anything would you please call me, my cell is 909-254-7867."

"Actually, I was hoping you would do the same. Molly and I became very close before she left and I am worried about her." House was trying to stay calm but he could feel his blood pressure rising as it began to dawn on him that Molly might not be coming home at all.

"Sure, I'll let you know when and if I know. Take care." the phone went dead.

Now there was nothing to do and House was alone with his guilt and his worry. He would deal with the baby issue later. Right now he just wanted Molly to be safe.

Wilson walked in and House looked up at him. "What?? House??" Wilson asked. House looked like a deer in headlights and it scared Wilson.

"Molly has been kidnaped by rebels."

"Oh no. What all did they tell you?" Wilson asked.

House filled Wilson in on the details. Wilson didn't know what to do. House wasn't touchy feely so hugs were out. The best he could do was sit there with him until he wanted to talk. There was a pause for what seemed several minutes as House stared at the floor.

"I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do, just sit here? She has to be scared." House threw a rubber ball across the room. "Turn on CNN, see if they have anything."

CNN did not have anything yet. The CDC wanted to keep it quiet until they knew where Molly's truck would stop. They were about to get that information. The truck stopped near the Lualaba River south of Kindu.

*** The rebels waived their guns at Molly and the driver, motioning for them to get out of the truck. Joseph followed Molly out of the passenger's side. They stood in what appeared to be a camp in a lush tropical area. It was raining, it always seemed to rain in the Congo. Molly, Joseph and the driver stood in the rain for more than an hour until the short little rebel started yelling at Molly.

"He wants you to come and look at someone who is ill."

"Tell him I need to get supplies out of the truck." Molly said. Joseph told them and they allowed Molly to grab some stuff out of the back. Molly nodded and motioned for them to lead the way.

They could smell it long before they reached the tent. It was blood and human waste mixed together. "Oh man, Joseph, I don't think we are ready for this. We need real protection from the truck." Joseph tried to explain to the short rebel that they needed to go back and get more supplies. But he wouldn't let him. Molly held her breath, the smell was unbelievable and Molly was gagging. They opened the tent and Molly flashed back to 2001. There were puddles of blood and cots full of sick boys.

"Where did all these boys come from?"

"Molly, these boys have been stolen from their parents and forced to fight for these rebels." Joseph said quietly.

She counted 26 cots full of boys from as young as nine up to men in their twenties. They were bleeding and dying. The short man waved his gun to indicate that Molly should examine them. She looked up and said, "Joseph, we need to put on protection. We have gloves, plastic sheets, masks and gowns here. But we really need those respirators that are in the truck. Beg him to let you go back and get them. We also need saline, sponges, Platelets, you know what we need..."

Joseph nodded yes, he started talking to the short man when a taller, thinner and much more imposing man walked in.

"Yes, you may go back to your truck and get your equipment." he told Joseph in English so that Molly could understand too. Joseph left to get the equipment.

"Are you a doctor?" He asked Molly.

"Yes."

"We heard that they had an important doctor in Kinsasha, one who knows this disease and how to cure it." The man looked at Molly with great expectation.

"I am a specialist in this disease, but there is no cure. There are ways to improve the chances of survival and to keep others from getting ill, but there is no cure." Molly was firm.

"Well, Doctor, what do you suggest we do first?"

"First everyone who comes in here must wear protection. Second, we need to move these patients and cots into a clean area while we clean this tent up. Third we must make sure that all dead bodies are either burned or wrapped in plastic and buried. We have the plastic in the truck. Fourth, we start treating the living. We give them a new medication that increases their chances for living. It is an anti-clogging protein known as rNAPc2. The CDC and WHO are using it under a compassionate protocol. We can also treat with the usual platelets, blood and intravenous fluids. Now I need to examine the boys to see which ones can be saved."

"That is fine doctor." he said. "You will have the help you need." The man left but before he did he gave orders in a calm voice.

Molly went from being scared to death to full battle mode in a matter of minutes. She suited up and made sure the men working in the tent were protected too. Within hours the tent was washed and sanitized, including the floor. The patients were rotated off their cots while both the cot and the patient were cleaned. Each patient got a clean blanket from the truck and their old one was burned. Molly was horrified at how young these little soldiers were and how fast they were dying. In just the two hours they were there they had lost two. There was no doubt that Joseph and Molly were standing in the middle of a very virulent Ebola Zaire outbreak. Molly made the tall leader have his men dig latrines and gutters to drain the rain away from the tent. They needed to keep the patients dry and clean. Molly assigned a soldier to every four patients to make sure they were kept clean, cry and sanitized.

Molly checked each of the stricken soldiers to see if they should receive the protein. She found that about half of them were at a stage in which the protein would probably be helpful, the others would receive the regular treatment with platelets. Molly was pretty sure that they were going to lose the half that wasn't going to get the protein. After the drive and working another eight hours, Molly was feeling lightheaded.

The tall man entered the tent, took one look at her and said,"You must eat and get some sleep. Come with me."

"I can't, some of these guys are in the stage where we could lose them." Molly said. "You will be no good to these soldiers if you are sick. Tell your nurse to get some food and sleep too. We will tell Stephane to administer the drugs, he is very bright."

Molly knew she should have argued, but she was so tired, so hungry and so faint that she nodded her head. Joseph was grateful for the break and Stephane appeared competent enough to provide palliative care. Molly followed the tall man to a smaller tent. It appeared to have one cot and a folding table and a folding chair. She suspected it was his tent. She got a sinking feeling. What did he expect of her?

"Please sit. My men will bring you some food." He pointed to the table and then after speaking to a young teenager, he sat on the cot.

"Why do you spend your time treating Ebola?" He asked in a distinct rich Congolese accent.

"I am not sure right now. It suddenly hit me how stupid I am. I could be home in the USA sleeping in a nice bed with my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend is an idiot to let you come here to this God Forsaken Land."

"You have no argument there. He is an idiot." She sighed and wondered if House knew she had been taken. "Why do you take these little boys from their families?"

"I am not proud of that, but it is their country too. If we do not make sure that our voices are heard, then they will be lost." He said convincingly.

"But the civil war is suppose to be over. Why continue the fighting?" The food had been brought and she was scarfing it down fast. She looked at the man. He was handsome with a scar across his left cheek. He had a look of intelligence and he was articulate. He had long thin cocoa colored fingers, long like House's.

"Our region is one of the poorest and so far it has been ignored by the larger factions. We are trying to get the new government to pay attention to us and our needs."

"Well, I don't think it will make a good impression if you use your youth as fodder." she said.

"Fodder?" He asked.

"Something you just use and is easily thrown away."

He smiled. "You see them as fodder, I see them as patriots."

"Why didn't you just ask for us to come down here? Why scare us and kidnap us?" Molly sat, full of ...well she wasn't sure what she just ate but she was full.

"We are not high on the list of the government, you would not have come."

"I would have." She said with authority. "I don't care about your politics except when you kidnap me..then I'm not exactly happy about them. Those four escorts lost their lives because of your needs." She. said sadly

"My man tells me that he tried to make them come but one of them started firing and, well you know the end.

Since she did not see who fired first, this could have been true. This man was an enigma. He seemed so gentle, but no one could be gentle and steal children from their homes. "What should I call you?"

"Jean. Now you should get some sleep."

"One more question, Jean, are you going to let us go?" She asked.

"We will see."

Molly laid back on the cot and listened to the rain on the tent. She thought about House's hands stroking her head and back and it calmed her. She eased into sleep.

***

House wasn't sleeping and John Rapple hadn't called him since the first call a week ago. House had even gone into work early each day because he wanted to be there if Rapple called. Lisa stopped House in the hall as he walked in. She had just gotten back from a week long conference in Los Angeles.

"God House, I'm so sorry. Do you need anything?" Lisa was obviously concerned.

He shook his head no.

"I called my contacts at the CDC. I left them my number and yours just in case something comes up. I don't know why she puts herself in these positions. Why not just devote yourself to something a little closer to home?" Lisa shook her head, nodded sympathetically and went down the hall.

House wondered what Cuddy would say if she knew Molly was pregnant. Lisa herself was looking radiant.

Around 2:00 p.m. House received a call. He picked it up, "Greg House."

"House, its Rapple. Sorry I didn't get back to you. Someone in D.C. called and told me to call you and someone named Lisa Cuddy to give you an update. The truck has stopped in an area that they know is the base for these rebels. The U.N. isn't going to take any action until they get a few more truck loads of MLC and that should take a few days. We haven't received any requests for money, which isn't a good sign. If they had kidnaped her for ransom, we probably would have heard from them by now. They are starting to think that Molly and Joseph may have been taken just for the supplies and if that's the case, they'll probably kill Joseph and keep Molly for...." His voice cracked. He took a breath and continued..."for the satisfaction of the soldiers. Or they may just kill her and dump the body where she can be found so that the MLC won't look for her and try to take the camp." Now John was having a hard time talking and trying to keep from crying. "I'm really sorry. I wish I had good news, but I don't."

House closed his eyes. This was too much to bear. "Is there anything else? "

"No, but I promise that I will call more often. I just forgot, I've been working in our Ebola clinic and trying to monitor the situation at the same time. I'm pretty frazzled."

"John, I don't know if this information is important right now or if she already told you, but Molly is pregnant." House said sadly.

"Oh sweet Jesus..." John blew out a deep sigh. "Damn...I assume it's yours." He paused, "Congratulations. I don't see how it changes anything but it will be good to know if they bring her in and she isn't conscious. Well, that's about all I can tell you for now."

"Have you called her cousin Bill?" House asked.

"No, I think they are in contact with Drew. Well, must go. Take care." and the phone went silent.

House updated Bill Getty and Bill told them that the corporation was sending in their own team to access the situation. He wouldn't give details but House was afraid that with all the guns floating around between the U.N., the MLC and now the Gettys, Molly might get caught in the crossfire. Bill assured him that their team was comprised of "the very elite."

House had a case come through the doors and he briefed his Team. He wasn't sarcastic; he wasn't witty; he wasn't House. Cameron stopped into his office. "House, what's up? You've been so distracted, so distant this last week. What's wrong?"

House looked up and Cameron was struck by not only the fatigue in his eyes, but the sorrow. "Molly has been taken by rebels and they aren't sure if she is still alive."

"Oh, noooo." Cameron started to shed tears. She had really grown to like Molly. Molly had been both a friend and a mentor to her. "No wonder you've been ...well, is there anything I can do?"

House shook his head no. But Cameron came over anyway and patted his hands to comfort him. House looked up and gave her a weak smile to acknowledge the sympathy. Cameron left and it was then that House finally cried. He was just too tired to keep it in. Luckily, he recovered before anyone else came into the office.

Late in the afternoon Chase ran into House's office, "TURN ON THE TV, TURN ON CNN."

House quickly turned on the television. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen was the news about Molly. There was an old picture of her with longer hair and a big broad smile.

"...taken by militant rebels in the DRC. It is not known if she is still alive, but the CDC has indicated that they are taking all necessary action to insure her return. Dr. McGuire is one the foremost authorities on Ebola and had been sent to the Congo to address an outbreak of the disease. Colleagues at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, England expressed concern at the kidnaping of the Doctor." The newscast went to a shot of a man in a white coat standing outside of Barts.

"Molly is one of a kind. She's generous, hard working and kind. We are all distressed at this news and have contacted the Prime Minister to see if there is something that can be done. We are very concerned about her welfare and hope that she returns to us safely." The man was identified as Doctor Nigel Weston, head of infectious diseases.

"Great, just what they need, the British MI6 involved. Half the world is in the Congo trying is trying to find her." House was getting agitated.

"How long have you known?" Chase asked in an accusatory voice.

"Over a week now."

"And you didn't tell us? You don't tell me about my father and now you don't say anything about Molly? You're such a jerk." He was yelling at House.

"What good would it have done? What, you're going to grab your UZI and rush over to rescue her? I thought it would be easier on the Team to not know until they had information about whether she was alive or not." House was yelling back and the release felt good.

"You're still a jerk." Chase left to go find a bigger television and watch.

***

"Molly, you have made the news. " Jean told her.

"What?" Molly was confused.

"I was in town yesterday and your face was on CNN. There was a doctor, a doctor Weston taking about you. Is this your idiot boyfriend?"

"No, hardly. Dr. Weston is gay. My idiot boyfriend is in New Jersey probably playing piano and watching DVDs. No, I shouldn't say that. I'm sure he is worried about our safety. Jean, we have done about all there is for these boys except to administer fluids and keep them clean. The disease is under control, we've only had one new case since I've been here so that's excellent. Stephane can handle the treatment from here. Can we go home now?"

"You are so valuable to us. We have no one to help our soldiers when they get sick or injured. I am not so sure I can let you go." He sounded sad that he could not grant her wish. There was something very sympathetic about Jean even when he was refusing to release her

"Jean, I need medical attention. I'm pregnant and I need to get vitamins and care for my baby." Molly said matter of factly.

"Your Idiot boyfriend is even more of an idiot than I thought. I do not understand American men. Or maybe it is the women. But they have strange ways of demonstrating their affection for each other. I would never let my pregnant girlfriend come here." He was shaking his head in amazement. "I must give this some thought, I am not without sympathy for your situation."

Jean left the tent and Molly sat down. Now that she knew these boys would be ok, Molly just wanted to get back to Kenshasa and some form of normalcy. She let her thoughts wander to New Jersey and her family, friends and House. She could see his blue eyes and she tried to remember everything she could about his body from the shape of his nose and lips to the very temperature of him as she lay next to him. She wondered what he was doing and if he even cared. If she was gone, the baby issue would be resolved. She smiled, not even House would be that callous. She knew in her heart that he was probably worried and frightened for her.

It was Joseph that broke her reverie. "What is it Joseph?"

"Molly, they are very nervous outside. Apparently they spotted a helicopter not far from here. They think it is the American Army coming to rescue you." He said.

"That's crazy. Politically the USA has to let the U.N. handle this. If anything, it's the French or Italians, not Americans."

"Well, whoever they are, they are stirring up the rebels. I am afraid that they may do something to move us or maybe even worse." Joseph was very concerned and Molly had to agree that Joseph was usually right in these matters.

"Crap." Molly said. "I need to talk to Jean again."

Molly left the tent to look for Jean. Her guard followed her around the camp. He was a sweet faced sixteen year old and nervous about chasing after her. There was a lot of frantic movements in the camp. Something was up. She found Jean under a canopy talking to some men. He looked up at her.

"Molly, go back to the tent." He said calmly.

"Jean, if they are looking for me, then it is time for you to let us go. Otherwise, they'll storm this camp and you'll lose more than the 10 who have died from Ebola. You and I know that the smart thing to do is to give me to them so that you can keep your camp. I will not be an asset to you. They will continue to hunt for me unless I am dead or returned. I'm betting on your humanity and hoping that dead isn't an option." Molly said sincerely.

"Molly, do not make any bets. I must think of the men. You know where the camp is now and could show them." Jean said.

"Jean, they know where the camp is already. They've known since I've been here. The truck has a GPS system and they have to be tracking it. Let me go and I will make sure that they do not storm the camp." Molly wasn't sure it was wise to let him know about the GPS but if his concern was over his camp location, then he had to know that Molly wasn't what he needed to be worried about.

Jean immediately gave orders and the truck was stripped of the GPS. He instructed the sixteen year old to take Molly back to the tent. Molly went without a fight but she could see that the camp was being dismantled very quickly.

"Molly, I think we are in trouble. They are talking about the white woman and they are not sure if she should be burned or buried in plastic." Joseph said.

Molly started to get a feeling of panic in her chest but she pushed it down. She had to remain calm so she could think. She continued to treat the soldiers in order to keep herself focused. But all around her she could hear activity. An hour later she looked out the tent and the camp was packed up, all except the tent with the patients.

Jean stepped towards her. He smiled and said, "Molly, please tell your idiot boyfriend that he is a fool if he does not keep you safe and near to him. You will make a good mother. Take care of my soldiers." With that he jumped in a jeep and the camp, along with the CDC truck, disappeared.

Molly started to cry with relief. Joseph was smiling and dancing. They sat for a few minutes and then returned to their patients. They worked on them most of the day. Around 3:00 p.m. they heard a helicopter. Molly stepped outside to see what it was.

A helicopter hovered near the tent. Men dressed in camouflage and with guns scurried down a rope and jumped to the ground near her.

"Dr McGee?" The first soldier said in an American accent.

"Yes. I'm Molly McGee."

"Are you ok and is this place secure?" he asked as if he was Kiefer Sutherland in 24. "I'm treating some sick children in that tent, but we are safe and the rebels have moved on." She said.

The man appeared to relax and he radioed up to the helicopter.

"What is the American Army doing here?" She asked when all of the soldiers had landed.

"We're not the American Army, your family sent us to get you out."

"Oh Lord. Glad to see you. Now, I need for you to radio back and get me some trucks to transfer my patients back to Kenshasa." Molly was back to giving orders. She went to sit down for a minute. She had a fever.

*** The computer made a sound, the one that indicated a satellite hookup was coming in. He was hoping it was John Rapple. House sat down at the computer and punched up the connection.

In front of him was Molly. Tired, thin, but safe Molly. House had such a violent physical reaction to the relief he felt that Molly was sure he was having a heart attack. He had closed his eyes, grabbed his chest and his shoulders had fallen forward.

"Greg....GREG...are you ok?" She said. She watched his reaction and was worried.

He tried to sit up but he wasn't doing a good job of it. He finally took a big gulp and answered in a broken voice, "Are YOU ok?"

"Yes, they brought me back by helicopter this afternoon." she saw how much this had affected him and she felt bad. He had been very upset. "I still have ten fingers and toes." she said softly.

"The Baby?" He asked.

"No spotting so I assume I'm still pregnant"

He shook his head in acknowledgment. "What happened?"

She spent the next five minutes giving him the Reader's Digest version and then sat back. "God, it is so good to see you. I'm sorry about hanging up on you. It wasn't very mature of me. Why do we make each other so crazy?"

"I don't know about you but I think you drive me crazy because I love you so much."

Now it was Molly's turn to react. She started crying. Within minutes the entire two weeks boiled down again to the issue of the baby.

"I'm not having an abortion." she said calmly.

"I know. You don't have to. I'm not sure what kind of Dad I will be, but I'll do my best to be whatever it is you need from me." House smiled.

"I just want you to be your irascible self. I'm not expecting miracles. I know this is not going to be easy, for any of us and for the record, I love you too." She put her hand to the screen and he did the same. ***

She ended the transmission and went back to see John again. "I have a fever and my head is killing me."

"Ah, crap. MOLLY..."

She scrunched her shoulders and sat down. She let him draw blood and she was placed in isolation. She was given Tylenol for the fever and headache. Luckily the Tylenol did bring down the fever to a level not threatening to the baby.

Molly saw John come in with lab results in his hands. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear the news. The idea of bleeding out of every orifice again was depressing.

"Good News. You have Dengue Fever. You're going to feel like hell for the next few days, but you'll live." He smiled widely and squeezed her hand in his gloved one.

"I never thought I would be happy to have Dengue Fever!" She laughed.

"Now I want to check the fetal heart rate."

"You know?"

"House told me, he thought we should know in case it became an issue in your treatment." he grabbed the fetal stethoscope which was attached to a speaker so that anyone in the room could hear.

For a minute he couldn't find anything and Molly braced herself for the worst. Then there was a strong rhythmic gushing sound beating fast and strong. Once again Molly started to cry. She was so happy and so tired. She laughed outloud and John chuckled too.

"Well, I can't imagine another House on earth, but apparently this one can survive just about anything.

*** House wasn't happy when Molly refused to come home. She felt that she had made a commitment and should honor it. However, the CDC removed her from the Ebola cases and placed her on the Tuberculosis crisis. It was unlikely that Molly would get sick reviewing and monitoring these cases. She learned so much about TB that she became one of the world's authorities on the African strain.

House renewed his passport, got his vaccinations and flew to the Congo for two weeks in Molly's fourth month. He had to laugh when he saw her. He admitted that she looked sweet and happy with her belly protruding slightly.

"I need some maternity clothes." She told him.

For the next few weeks House saw the horror of some of the worst diseases in the world. He was humbled by what Molly and the others were doing. So much so that he didn't have any sarcastic or witty remarks while he visited the clinics and hospitals. At night he would cling to Molly in the hopes that he could make her safe from all of this. They made love each night and then fell into a deep slumber in each other's arms. He hadn't felt this way about anyone, not even Stacy.

One day he got up the nerve to ask her, "So, how much are you worth?"

"39 million." She said matter of factly.

"Then that's why we'll never get married." He saw the look of disappointment and then explained, "I don't want anyone saying I married you for your money."

"Don't worry between the prenups the Getty Trust prepares and the limitations on the Trust Fund, you wouldn't get a dime anyway, unless of course I gave it to you." She grinned.

"Well then, it's set, when you get home we'll get married. Have your goons draft those papers."

She was happy but she couldn't help tease him, "What makes you think I'd be crazy enough to marry YOU, Gregory House?"

"To paraphrase you, my charming company. My inner beauty. This cosmic connection between us.'" he mused.

"Oh man, that came back to haunt me."

*** They were married Getty style. Four hundred of Molly and House's closest friends and family were there. House never expected David Bowie to attend his wedding but there he was. How the hell did she know him?

Blyth and John House were over the moon, getting both a daughter-in-law and a grandchild was what they always wanted, and more importantly their own baby looked happy for the first time in years. Despite the fact that House was notoriously anti-social, he managed to come up with a respectable 72 guests.

Molly was very pregnant and decided to wear white anyway. Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang wanted to design the dress but she went with Carmen Marc Valvo, the one that had designed the dress that had turned House's head. There was no denying that even pregnant Molly was gorgeous.

Lisa Cuddy was there with Madeline, her three month old daughter. The child had deep brown eyes, not the blue of Lisa's. Wilson was very attentive and no one could fault him for not being the perfect donor. He didn't crowd Lisa, didn't demand or ask anything from her, but did babysit and help out when needed.

Chase brought the girlfriend that he kept talking about and she looked like a young Molly. Even Cameron was impressed. Cameron and Matthew had broken up but she had recently started dating a friend of Molly, Jeff Dupont, so she was pretty happy.

House had to live in the four story, painful mansion from hell for a month while their single story house was built overlooking a New Jersey wooded park. Molly gave him two new toys, a Ducati motorcycle and a Volvo C70. It was a convertible but it was also a Volvo and she felt it would be safe with the baby in the back. House was chuffed. He didn't know which one to drive first so he switched back and forth frequently. House gave her his Great -Grandmother's necklace that still carried a lock of his Grandfather's hair. She was moved.

When Molly went into labor, House amused her with silly antics in-between the contractions. When the baby's head finally came out, House was silent and Molly actually saw a tear go down his left cheek. They named him Hugh. He had deep blue eyes, just like his Dad's.

The End

Please post a comment on this story.

Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of NBC/Universal, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.

The House Fan Fiction Archive

Newton's Law