Persephone

by gorblimey2

Persephone

My first husband made love a lot like my stepfather, in the missionary position. It was perfunctory sex and I can count on one hand the number of times I was on top during the three year marriage. He was in the same age range as my step-father so I presume that most men born in the 1930's assumed one position and pretty much stuck to it as long as they got their rocks off. If I received any pleasure from the act I was expected to keep it to myself, especially when Daddy made his visits.

When I was twelve, my real father was killed in an accident at the Hamilton Foundry in Harrison, Ohio. He was a foreman and had walked over to give the work schedule to the swing shift foreman when the weight of a bucket of molten iron cracked the bolt that carried it across the steel tracks above the foundry floor. My father and the second shift foreman became iron plated and at that moment not only did my sweet, smart and witty father's life end, but so did my innocence.

My mother was beautiful, intelligent and sensitive. She looked like Rita Hayworth, sultry and sensual with hazel eyes and dark auburn hair. Her small waist and great curves turned heads wherever we went. So it was no surprise when my mother, who had moved us to Los Angeles, became the mistress of Sterling Churchill, the owner of Churchill Shipping, Inc. Mom had worked at Churchill Shipping as a typist and had met my future step-father in the elevator. After living hand to mouth for the last two years, Sterling seemed like a God-send.

When I first met Sterling Churchill I was fifteen and I had never encountered the look that he gave me when we first met. It was one that I would become familiar with the rest of my life, the one in which a man undresses you. Sterling's wife wanted a divorce when she found out that Sterling wouldn't give my mother up. He divorced the first wife and for some unknown reason, jumped straight into a marriage with my mother just before my sixteenth birthday.

My mother wasn't a drinker until my father's death gave her a reason to pick up a bottle. She didn't start all at once, it was one drink at a time until the drinks blurred into one big bottle. My step-father would have divorced her if it hadn't been for me. He liked having me around.

One thing I can say for Sterling, he never spoke down to me. He made it crystal clear, without any euphemisms or flowery stories, what he wanted from our relationship and it wasn't good grades. I could keep my mom and me warm and safe and my mother in the bottom of her favorite vodka bottle as long as my bedroom door wasn't locked.

Sterling was also good to his word. He promised me a college education and a nice trust fund as long as I didn't leave Los Angeles to go to school. I was obtaining my Master's Degree in anthropology from USC when he and my mother made contact with a tree one night on the west side of Pacific Highway. No one is sure what happened but I remember many nights when my mother, in her drunken despair, would try to wrestle the wheel from Sterling. I know Mother knew about us just from the sad looks she would give me before pouring her first drink in the morning.

Sterling's only son kicked me out of the house and contested the will and trust which gave me one third of Sterling's estate. I was penniless and having discovered that I had an asset a lot of men wanted, I found a way to continue my education, I married Sterling's friend, Jack Paulson. Jack wasn't as rich as Sterling, but he had enough money to keep me safe until I had my doctorate. It was also long enough to get through the will contest which lasted just over three years. That's when I divorced Jack and started enjoying my hefty trust fund which consisted of one third of Sterling's estate. I managed to accomplish then what I tended to accomplish all my life, success. The court found in my favor and not only did I get my money, but the house sonny boy had kicked me out of. It was payment for the three years of attorney fees and court costs. The important thing was that I had remained friends with Jack, despite the divorce.

I loved college, I love to learn and I enjoyed getting my doctorate. I wrote my entire thesis on human mating. I studied, documented and wrote about the subtle rituals and cues we humans mate by. It meant I got to go to a lot of bars and social events, making me a regular on the charity circuit from coast to coast. By the end of my doctorate I had learned how to tell who was hooking up with whom and which unlucky sap would be going home alone. I was a nationally recognized expert on body language and dating.

But college was ten years ago and I've done a lot of mating of my own since then.

****

I had already finished putting on my La Perla panties, my new ones which I had bought just for my little tryst with Quentin later that day. They were a luscious Leavers lace with a mesh of draped silk that created delicate overlays on the front. Of course I had the matching underwired bandeau bra that just covered the bottom of my breasts and nipples, lifting the girls up for their stunning debut in my new low cut sheath which was draped over the chair in the corner. The silk stockings and garter belt were next. I pulled the first one up and hooked it, smoothing it gently with the palms of my hand so that I wouldn't run it. I was bending over to put the second one on when the door to the clinic examination room burst open and a man stuck his head in the door.

I am not modest, oh that doesn't mean I can't feign it, but I only do so when modesty can be used as a commodity. It was obvious by the fact that this man didn't try to hide his interest in my body that he could care less about modesty. I continued to bend over, showing off my breasts and snapping the last silk stocking in place while looking him right in his cold, intelligent blue eyes. There was a long pregnant pause, surprising only because the social convention would have been to give an excuse for the intrusion and leave. Instead he continued to eye me until I finally straightened up to give him the view he was obviously waiting for and then asked him, "Can I do something for you?" I knew the import of what I said and the answer that was probably flying through his head but would be curbed if he had any social grace.

Instead he answered, "I'm looking for Dr. Cameron."

I looked around the room as if we were in a busy subway and I was trying to find a short person in the sea of tall men, "Sorry, she left five minutes ago."

He took one last look, one really long lingering look, as if he were taking a photograph in his head and left. I had to laugh. He made no effort to hide what he was doing or apologize for it. There are few men in this world who have the cajones to take what they want when they want it. Sterling had been one but even he played or pretended to play within social conventions when he was expected to do so.

*** Nurse Brenda hated to see Dr. House in any form whatsoever whether it be on paper, email or in person. She had to take blood pressure medication because of him or at least, that's what she told herself.

"Where's Dr. Cameron?" House barked.

"She went to lunch." Brenda started to get tense.

"Who's the woman in exam room 4?"

"None of your business." Brenda said with as much venom as she could muster.

"You don't have to get testy! You look like a shrew when you make that face. The fact that you are a shrew may have something to do with it but still, that face is not flattering."

"Dr. House, screw you." and Brenda walked off with as much dignity as she could muster.

House came around and rummaged through the charts but it was obvious hers wasn't there and was probably one of those in Brenda's hand when she left. House went on the computer and found the clinic accounting record for the day. She was either Matilda Hanson or Persephone Camden. Both sounded implausible. He'd file it in his head and figure it out later. He needed to ask Cameron about the test she ran on their current patient.

Danny Havers had shown up in Urgent Care because of the sore on his neck. It was inflamed and painful. Havers was a 25 year old drama student at Princeton who worked construction during his days off from school. The doctor had taken one look at it and asked him if he had handled any insulation. In fact, he had just helped install insulation in the attic of a rich businessman in Plainsboro. The doctor said it looked like a typical fiberglass lesion. He probably had a piece of fiberglass get lodged in his throat from the insulation and it had gotten infected. The doctor cleaned the lesion, put some bactercin on it and then suggested he take a course of penicillin which he refused because of the cost. Fiberglass dermatitis with a secondary infection was the diagnosis.

Danny went back to the apartment he shared with two friends and continued to get worse. He went to dinner with his girlfriend and couldn't eat, he had no appetite. His temperature started to rise. The next morning his girlfriend noticed that he looked pale and pasty except for the neck which was now streaked in red. The sore was about the size of a blouse button, but the area around it was an angry red.

She drove him back to urgent care and the doctor saw him immediately. His temperature was now 102 and rising. Dr. Chung called Diagnostics and asked for a consult. Foreman and Cameron came down and decided to admit Danny before he passed out.

"I'll get the blood work going. You better give the chart to House to find out what he wants to do." Foreman told Cameron.

When Chase saw Danny an hour later, he noted in the chart that the neck had swollen up. They knew they were probably looking at a bacterial or fungus infection but what kind of bacteria or fungus? Strep? Staph? Aspergillus? Whatever it was, it was spreading fast.

House told them to get chest x-rays, an electrocardiogram, culture and urinalysis and to start him on 500 mg. Of Ampicillin, given intramuscularly.

House actually went in to examine the lesion on Danny's neck and became suspicious. He wasn't convinced it was a fiberglass dermatitis. He sent Chase out to do a reconnaissance on Danny's work, school and home. Chase enjoyed playing detective and House had to admit he was good at it. While Chase was out, Foreman did the work-up House had ordered.

Cameron was back upstairs and House joined her in the presentation room. "What are we looking at?" House asked.

"Chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and urinalysis are all normal. His white cell count is only slightly elevated. His pulse has gone up to 92 and his temperature was 103 but is coming down after the injection of ampicillin. He's asleep and seems to be resting comfortably. Apparently the infection is responding to the antibiotic."

"Did you culture it?" House looked at Cameron as if she were a moron.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful but the patient was still asleep and running a temperature. House remembered the woman in the silk underwear and remembered to ask Cameron, "The blonde this afternoon down in clinic...in her 30s. Was she Camden or Hanson?"

"I only remember that she had the name of a Greek Goddess...I thought it was appropriate for her."

"Persephone?"

"Yes, yes that's it. Why?"

"I wanted to know where she bought her underwear. What was she in for?"

"None of your business. You do remember HIPPA don't you? If you want to know, hack into the system like you normally do, I'm not going to get in trouble by telling you."

"Well, you don't have to get righteous." House went into his office and started hacking away. Persephone Camden. He found her file and started reading it. Married: Yes; Age: 35; Height: 5'4"; Weight: 114 lbs.; Blood Pressure: 110/65; Pulse: 65; Allergies: pollens, Alder, cats; Reason for Visit: Pap smear, STD check. Then he read Cameron's notes which essentially said that her vagina was in great shape and there was no evidence of any infections. That was good to know. He put a tag on her lab results which meant that all lab results would be copied to him through his hospital email.

Chase was back from the Danny's house. They took the bags to the lab and started running tests. House went down to the lab to see what Chase had brought back. There were tape samples of mold found on Danny's window sill and some in his bathroom. He brought back food, water samples, samples of Danny's hairbrush, toothbrush, shoes and miscellaneous things found in his house.

Chase had less luck at Danny's work...he managed to get a piece of the fiberglass batting insulation that Danny had installed, but the owner of the house they had worked in was out of town and Chase couldn't get in to investigate.

In his class he discovered that Danny had gotten a small part in a play that Danny had been rehearsing. Chase brought back the costume, which was an Edwardian suit and the props he used each night, including a hat, walking stick, billfold, shaving cup, shaving brush, shaving soap and a tape sample of the chair he sat in.

House looked at these items and didn't say anything at first but went home and slept on it. The next day Danny was feeling cheerful and ready to face the world. He wanted to check out because of the costs. Foreman and Cameron could see no reason not to let him go. His temperature was down, the redness was subsiding and the swelling in his neck had gone down.

House still wasn't convinced that they were on the right track and Cameron was annoyed with him. "He's a starving student and you're costing him thousands of dollars by not releasing him. Come on House, if he feels worse, he can come back."

House looked at her and said, "Since you put it that way...NO. Give him more ampicillin, another 500,000 units."

Cameron did it but went in to see Cuddy. She presented the facts to Cuddy but Cuddy wasn't convinced that House was wrong. "I'm going to have to let House ride this one out Cameron. Come back tomorrow if he still hasn't been released."

At four in the afternoon, Danny's neck started to swell again and his blood pressure tumbled. House came back to the hospital and told the team to start him on ciprofloxacin immediately.

Cameron and Foreman looked at each other as Chase went to get the drug and administer it. Foreman asked House, "You can't think this is Anthrax? He hasn't been around any farm animals and he's hardly a terrorists' target. Plus, the sore wasn't the typical black."

"We don't have time to wait for the cultures, we're going to have to treat and assume I'm right or this guy is dead." House was concerned because the lesion was larger but then again, Danny's only complaint was a headache. When Chase got back he told House that the swelling around the lesion had increased and was threatening to constrict Danny's throat and breathing. House ordered supplemental oxygen.

The best they could do was wait now to see if the Cipro worked. If it did, House was right, even though cutaneous Anthrax (the name which is the Latin version of the Greek word for coal) usually presented with a black lesion with a scablike crust, sometimes it wasn't black.

Within hours, Danny, who was on the brink of dying was responding positively and there were clear signs that the Cipro was working. House went in and examined Danny and told Cameron to notify the CDC and to warn Cuddy that all hell was going to break lose as soon as they found out Danny had Anthrax.

The CDC arrived within four hours, just after House went home. The cultures were responding positively to the staining test for Anthrax but the CDC was unsure how Danny got it. Cuddy called House and made him get his sorry @ss back to the hospital and handle this Pandora's Box.

Maggie Malone of the CDC was shaking her head. She had gone through med school with House and knew he was a genius but this was one she couldn't figure out. "I give up Greg, how did you know it was Anthrax? I mean there's no obvious causal connection."

"I disagree. We have it down in the lab. It's bagged item #48. I'm sure the culture on it will show up positive for Bacillus anthracis."

She looked on the list she had been given of items taken from the patient's home, work and school and found that item #48 was a horsehair shaving brush taken from the theater props at Princeton.

"During an epidemic of anthrax during World War I the Anthrax was traced back to horsehair shaving brushes. I suspect that we have a similar case here."

Maggie was impressed. "Damn you Greg, I wish I had your gray matter. You are definitely in a league of your own. Why don't you come over to the CDC, you'd love it?"

"Maggie, Maggie, Maggie...I would if you weren't there. But all I would be thinking about all day would be nailing that perfect @ss of yours." The team looked at each other and cringed.

Maggie giggled, "Just like old times."

***

Quentin was stroking my back and down the cheeks of my rear. It felt relaxing and frankly, after the sex we just had, I was ready for a nap. He was sweet and incredibly good looking in a dark eyes melt you' kind of way. He was eight years younger than me which means that he could get back "on the job" sooner, but lately he was sounding like an old man. We seemed to be caught in the same loop each week. We would meet at a hotel, have sex, have a few blissful moments afterwards and then he would start..."I love you Sephi, divorce your husband, marry me....blah, blah, blah." And today was no different.

"Sephi, you have such a beautiful shape to your @ss. I could touch it all day. It's so smooth and white...so gorgeous." He reached down and kissed the right cheek. "I can't let you go back to that Jack-@ss of a husband."

"Gee Quentin, that jack@ss just made another $5 million on his gamble in the stock market yesterday. What have you done lately?"

Of course this wasn't fair. Quentin was a Chester, from one of the richest families in Pennsylvania and he could take a pee and make money. Or at least his trust fund made money. Of course Quentin did nothing himself to make the money. In fact, Quentin's life was dedicated to insuring that his emotional and physical desires were met. And since Quentin had perfected certain positions that I was rather fond of in bed, I was more than happy to help him with his lifelong goal. But the whimpering after the sex was getting old.

"Sephi, leave him and marry me. I can take care of you."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Quentin, Giovanni can take care of me. I know he doesn't have your two hundred million trust fund, but we manage to squeeze by on his fifty million and my thirty million just fine. I'm rarely deprived of anything. You need to find a girlfriend...one in her twenties."

The fact that Quentin could make money simply by sleeping in on Sundays did get under my skin. I wouldn't be able to just sit around and do nothing. Before my Dad died, he was always working or working with me. If he wasn't at work he was at a desk helping me with homework or my piano or whatever project I had going. He loved me dearly and it was reciprocated. I may have money now but I work for my Dad. He would have expected nothing less.

"But I love YOU."

"Love? You don't LOVE me, you want to dominate me, you want to control me and you want to influence me but you don't LOVE me. And the more I say no to you, the more you want power over me. I'm the prey and you're the hunter and frankly sweetie, you're hunting with a pea shooter. You don't have many people tell you no and it drives you nuts." I leaned over, gave him a peck on the cheek, "I'm going to take my shower and get out of here."

"I can't take this Sephi, I'm telling Giovanni."

"Oh for God's sake Quentin, don't be a child, do you really think he doesn't know already? He's discreet, not blind."

"I cringe when I think of you with him."

"You don't have to worry about him "being" with me. Last time I slept with my husband was right after Katrina hit. He wanted to celebrate. The hospital he bought in New Orleans was flooded and condemned which meant the worst asset in his medical portfolio was history and, to top it off, a great tax writeoff. His usual sexual partner was out of town and he had to resort to having sex with his wife. Sad isn't it?"

"Sephi.."

"JESUS Quentin, your whining is driving me nuts. You may be good in bed but I can't take this monotonous droning on and on. I'm not in love with you. Period. Got it?"

"Are you in love with Giovanni?"

I had to laugh. In love with my husband? What a ludicrous idea. He was twenty years my senior and his sexual appetites were all over the board. I wasn't in love with him or any man. Love to me was just the biochemical results of the mating rituals we all go through. Giovanni and I married each other because we had assets the other person needed or wanted. I was Giovanni's beard, the front he gave to the business community while he played around in the mud in the background. He was a genius at making money and had promised me he would double my fortune in ten years or give me the difference out of his estate. In my book it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The union had turned out better than I thought. Not only were we good friends but Giovanni had recognized my talents and used them to increase our mutual wealth. I excelled in making the purchased assets more profitable. I really enjoyed working on the medical portfolio assets. Hospitals make money by running an efficient business and then sucking up to the government; scoring grants from pharmaceutical companies or charities; attracting patients or med students; or milking donors. I hated working the government angle and usually that wasn't where hospitals floundered. Most of the government money went out by simply filling in the right forms and making a few phone calls. No, I excelled at all the other issues.

Typically, whenever Giovanni acquired a new asset, such as a chain of nursing homes, a hospital or a pharmacy group, I went in and performed my magic. I streamlined operations, increased patient attendance, obtained donors and managed the onsite operations until the asset was making its maximum profit. In other words, I was either a hatchet man or the Florence Nightingale of charities. Whatever it took, I did it to increase the profitability and image of the asset.

"I don't love Giovanni, I respect and admire him. Now Quentin, be a good boy and get dressed. I'm getting my shower and leaving."The dejected look on his face was meant to inspire my pity and female need to nurture, but he had barked up the wrong tree. Nurturing wasn't exactly my strong suit. I ignored him and went to get my shower.

I was waiting for the valet to bring my Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT when the familiar, "Sympathy for the Devil" ringtone echoed from my purse. It was Giovanni.

"Bon Giorno." I said immediately. Giovanni and I frequently speak Italian on the phone, usually because we don't like people to listen to our cell phone conversations.

"Ciao, Verresti a cena con me?" (Will you join me for dinner?)

"Neanche se lei fosse l'unico homma sulla terra! O-mi lasci in pace." (Not if you were the last man on Earth! Leave me alone.)

"C' qualcosa che non va?" (Is there a problem?)

"Denominarlo successivamente, io devono andare ad una riunione." (Call me later, I have to go to a meeting.)

"Siete arrabbiati me?" (Are you angry at me?) He genuinely didn't understand why I was upset.

"S, sono arrabbiato voi. Avete comprato l'ospedale senza chiedermi." (Yes, I am angry at you. You bought the hospital without asking me.) I was annoyed because it meant we were staying in Princeton and I had my heart on buying the hospital in San Francisco. I had hoped to get back to the west coast.

"Non preoccupare il tesoro, prometto che godrete lavorare l...." (Don't worry my darling, I promise you will enjoy working there.)

"Sono ancora arrabbiato voi. Devo andare, io li vedr* al pranzo. arrivederci." (I am still angry at you. I will see you tonight at dinner. Good bye.)

"Arrivederci, tesoro." (Goodbye treasure.)

My custom Masarati was waiting. I slid into the tan kid leather seats and readjusted the driver's seat. I had a meeting with a realtor. I was going to need a house in Princeton if I was going to stay and whip Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital into shape.

I had spent an hour with the realtor looking through properties on her computer and had picked three to look at. I knew I would buy the last one when we drove up. The house was perched atop Lake Carnegie and had been thoroughly renovated. It had granite countertops, cherry cabinets, and a poured concrete topped center island. The adjacent eat-in-area had a wall of windows from floor to cathedral ceiling overlooking the picturesque waterfront. A first floor master suite had an open soaking tub looking out to the water, a huge walk-in closet, and lots of windows to take in the view of the lake. A second bedroom on the main floor could double as an office. Upstairs was one large bedroom suite with yet another windowed wall. The house had a lower level which had a walk out patio off of the family room. There was also a fourth bedroom and extra storage downstairs. To complete the lower level, there was a huge enclosed screened porch which had the most commanding water view. It was the perfect party house and that's what I needed. They wanted $1,950,000. I offered $1,850,000 in cash and received a phone call the next day saying that the house was mine. I gave the sellers ten days to get out.

*** House and Wilson were reading the bulletin that all of the doctors had received. Potente Enterprises had just purchased the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital,(commonly known as PPTH) and the yellow bulletin invited the doctors to an hour program to discuss the expected changes from the new administration.

House looked up at Wilson with alarm. It was one thing when someone on the Board of Directors changed, it was another when the entire administration was to undergo an overhaul.

"I wonder how secure Cuddy's job is?" Wilson looked at him with trepidation, "You need her if you're going to keep your job, no one else would put up with you."

"Do you have to remind me?" House responded nervously, keenly aware that he walked a tightrope between being the savior and the devil incarnate in the eyes of most of the staff, including the majority on the Board of Directors. Cuddy constantly had to parade out the pre-House statistics and post-House statistics to demonstrate his influence on the cache of the hospital. House may not have brought a lot of patients into his department, but having him at PPTH had raised the reputation of PPTH to a level that now had it mentioned in the same circle of names such as Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, Cedars Sinai, Harvard Medical School & Mass General, the leaders in teaching hospitals.

House had held his position at the hospital for over seven years thanks to Cuddy. Having been fired by every hospital he worked out previously, House was certain he would never find another hospital that would hire him. But then he had remembered his friend, Lisa Cuddy. They had been at Michigan State when House had been in his last year of his nephrology residency and she had just started her med school at Michigan. They had enjoyed one night of unbridled sex but Cuddy was furious when she found out that House had given explicit details of the sex to most of the residents. House never got to sample her wares again. But they had managed to remain friends and Cuddy had come to admire and respect the brilliant diagnotician even if he had driven her crazy along their tortuous path.

Wilson and House made a beeline into Cuddy's office. She didn't even look up when they came in, "It will all be explained when you go to the meeting." She continued writing.

"Do you still have a job or is the new owner gay and impervious to your low-cut blouses?" House looked down her top to emphasize the cleavage showing from her blouse.

"The owner's wife will be the Chairperson of the Board and from what I hear, you may want to dust off that curriculum vitae of yours." She looked directly into House's eyes.

"Come on, it can't be that bad. What's the scuttlebutt?" House asked.

"They say she's comes in for a year, evaluates the assets of the hospital and then she makes changes to improve the hospital's reputation and bottom line. She'll be taking over the fund raising aspect of my job."

"Who is the husband? Wilson was curious.

"Giovanni Potente."

House grimaced, "He's bought and closed several facilities all over the United States and Canada."

"But he's never closed a hospital, especially a hospital this famous."

Cuddy leaned back in her port wine St. John knit suit and looked at House and Wilson. "I've had some of my administrative friends say that it was a breeze and they enjoyed working with the Potentes and then others said it was their worse nightmare. So we're just going to have to wait and see, aren't we?"

They didn't have to wait long for the Potentes to show up at the hospital. They arrived unannounced the next day. They were shown into Cuddy's office while the staff paged her.

Sephi and Giovanni looked around the office. Sephi stood up, straightened her skirt and started to look at the books on Lisa's shelves as well as the photographs. Giovanni remained seated and watched his gorgeous wife investigate the life of Lisa Cuddy. He loved her legs, thin but very shapely with small, feminine feet. She had on a suit that had a skirt, hitting slightly above her knees but with a suggestive swing to it when she walked. He knew she was wearing Marc Jacobs perfume because he could smell the Gardenia as she walked by. Giovanni realized long ago that Sephi was a work of art. There were women who were more beautiful than her, taller than her and better proportioned, but none carried off being a woman better than Sephi. When she walked into a room she was the Alpha female, the one that all the men turned their attention to in the hopes that she would pick them.

"Do you want this office?" Giovanni asked in Italian.

"No, Lisa Cuddy has done a good job, I want to keep her and I want her to keep her dominance in the hospital. People will know I outrank her but I'll treat her as a contemporary so that they realize she has my respect. It will probably enhance her authority and make it easier for her to dole out the bad news when necessary." She turned and smiled at Giovanni.

"You make me laugh. This is all a behavioral experiment to you, isn't it?"

"This is business dear. And the behavior of people is part of our business."

Lisa Cuddy walked in and they stopped their discussion in Italian for her benefit and switched back to English.

"Dr. Cuddy? I am Giovanni Potente and his is my wife, Persephone Camden." He finished shaking Cuddy's hand.

"Please call me Sephi." Sephi reached out to shake Lisa Cuddy's well manicured hand.

"Call me Lisa." Lisa Cuddy looked at this woman and immediately felt threatened. She seemed to have the personal strength and confidence you find in a man but the body of a gorgeous woman. Sephi was wearing a coral suit with a flouncy skirt and nude shoes that blended in with her stockings giving the impression that her legs were longer than they were. Lisa didn't know if she would like Sephi or not, she just knew that Sephi, in one handshake, had established her authority. "What can I do for you?"

"My wife needs the human resource files on all of your doctors, including their legal files and billings." Giovanni gave Lisa a very sensual smile dripping with Italian charm. His Italian accent was delicious and his English impeccable. He reminded her of an old French actor, Louis Jourdan, tall dark and oh, so handsome. He was dressed in either Armani or Dolce & Gabanna judging from the delicate weaving of the fabric and Italian cut of the suit. Lisa was scared of him, he was too perfect.

"May I ask why?" Lisa looked at Giovanni but it was Sephi who answered.

"I need to get to know the staff and make decisions on who is valuable to the hospital and who is not." Sephi preferred not to unless it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes she was brutally honest but she found honesty in itself could be a terrible weapon. "Oh, I was also wondering if I could get my test results. I decided to try out your clinic the other day and I had a pap smear."

Cuddy went over to the computer and pulled up Sephi's record and lab results. "Everything is fine, your results were negative."

"Thank you. Now, Giovanni and I would like to take you to lunch so that you can get to know us. I'm sure that you have some questions and so do we."

Lisa looked shocked. "I already have plans for today, can we make it some other time?"

"I leave for Berlin tomorrow, is there any way you could manage to free your calendar?"

"I was going to have lunch with Herve Buchwoltz, he's promised to make a donation for the Neurology Department. I was hoping to close the deal today."

"Herve? Let me have his telephone number." Sephi smiled at Lisa. Lisa found it in her appointment book and Sephi dialed the cell phone number.

"Herve? It's Sephi. Yes, a long time. Princeton. PPTH. I'm with Lisa Cuddy dear and you were suppose to have lunch with her to close the deal on your donation. Why do you keep poor Lisa in suspense? Give me your promise that you'll send her the check for..." She looked at Lisa.

"$1.2 million."

She took her hand off the receiver, "$1.2 million dollars? Herve, you cheap SOB. Make that $1.5 million and I'll have dinner with you tonight. Great. 8:00 p.m.? Ciao." She hung up the phone and turned to Lisa, "You're now free for lunch!"

"My God is it that easy for you?" Lisa was amazed. It had taken her three charity events and two lunches, including one with her all of the doctors in neurology, to get Buchwoltz to even start talking money.

"Don't worry, it's not that easy, even for me. Herve just happens to be an old family friend of my Step Father and a good friend of my ex-husband. Now can we take you to lunch?"

Cuddy felted trapped but the only reasonable answer she could give to this woman who had just made her an extra $300,000 for the Neurology Department was, "Yes, of course."

***

***

We were seated by the maitre'd and had just ordered our drinks. Lisa had an ice tea, a fairly safe drink to have in front of your boss. I had the house Cabernet Savignon because the rest of the wine selections were no better. Giovanni had a Chardonnay which he said later was actually quite good. The waiter took our orders and I began to evaluate our lunch guest.

Lisa Cuddy was good at masking her emotion, but occasionally she would thrust her tongue forward to the point where just the tip showed, indicating her nervousness and discomfort. I realized quickly that I had to diffuse her fears that her job was on the line.

I leaned into the table, "Lisa, I was telling Giovanni how impressed I was with the work you've done at the hospital. It's nice to walk into a hospital that has a good administrator. What I think we need is a clearer division of your duties. Most hospitals don't put their Dean or Chair of medicine in the impossible position of having to farm for donors. You should have a professional capital fund raiser handling that job. That would allow you more time to actually handle the daily operations of the hospital and staff.

It was obvious that I had said the right things. Her shoulders lifted, her eyelids opened and she leaned into the table to mirror my body language. She was relaxing, she knew she was staying. Giovanni smiled at me, recognizing the same body language that I had taught him to watch for when speaking to someone.

We continued to talk about the hospital and then a little about Lisa before we finished our lunch. I liked Lisa. If I was the kind of woman who needed a friend or wanted one, I would have chosen someone like Lisa. She was no-nonsense and she was funny. The humor didn't come out until we convinced her to have a few glasses of wine, once she did we got see her sense of humor and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had no doubt that we would have some tense moments in the future, but I knew for the most part we were going to make a great team. I just didn't realize how tense the tense moments would get, but I didn't know then that I was going to go after one of her pet projects, Gregory House, M.D.

*** When we got back to the hospital the files and documents I had requested had been compiled and loaded in the Maserati's trunk and passenger side. I kissed Giovanni goodbye and left him to tour the hospital with Lisa and I went back to the hotel suite, worked on my computer, answered some email and took a nap. Around 7:30 I went to have dinner with my friend, Herve Buchwoltz.

The rest of the month I stayed away from PPTH. The talking heads from our corporation went in and gave the doctors an hour speech about the new work incentives and retirement plans. They also gave them each an outline of what would be expected, including hours, patient goals, conduct, and ethics. I always found the talk tedious until the end when the doctors would start to argue with the talking heads about the expectations. It never failed, there was a lot grumbling, some moaning and then compliance. Of course there were a few that refused to comply but then there are always those that are contrary just to be contrary.

I spent the month reviewing spread sheets on each of the departments, their personnel files and their legal files. There was a huge glaring anomaly, the Diagnostics Department. First, I had never heard of an entire department being devoted to diagnostics, it was something I thought that every doctor did or should do with each patient; and, second, the Diagnostics Department didn't make sense in a teaching hospital. It had three fellowships that had gone to three doctors three years ago? In addition, we were paying these doctors to be fellows. I always had fellowships sponsored so that we didn't get stuck with the salaries. I took three hours to review the file of the head of the department, Dr. Gregory House. It read like a Greek Tragedy. I did not understand why he was still at PPTH. Moreover, I knew that hospital human resource files only touch the tip of what was really going on and that I needed more information before deciding how to tackle the conundrum known as Gregory House.

*** "I don't understand why you are taking Cameron to the theater? Why not ask one of the nurses in Podiatry, those three are really hot? You're just going to stir it all up again." Wilson was trying to knock some sense into his friend but he wasn't making a dent.

"We aren't sending out engagement announcements, we're just going to go see "Evita." You know, you pay for two tickets and you each get to have your own seat. She doesn't have to give me a lap dance, unless she wants to."

"She wants to and that's my point. House, you don't want any labor issues hanging over your head do you? Especially with a regime change. They may take the view that the department head is sexually harassing his female fellow."

"Relax, it's not like we're going to end up in bed."

Wilson wasn't so sure.

*** House shaved and trimmed his beard and other wild hairs that men in their forties get. He brushed his teeth put on Salvatore Ferragamo cologne and got dressed. He had opted for some microfiber black trousers that not only felt good but hung well on his frame. He put on a tailored grey long sleeved shirt with no tie and picked out his black Armani loafers. He felt old and wrinkled especially since he was taking out a woman who technically could be his daughter. House grabbed the two tickets to "Evita" and took off.

Gregory House thought to himself that he needed to get his act together, he wasn't getting any younger. He had been spending too much time at bars and with hookers. It was time he worked on finding something more like a real relationship.

He was attracted to Cameron, he found her intelligent and nice. But the operative word was, "nice." She was trying too hard lately to be like him and it made him wish that she would find her own way, not just mimic him. She was getting meaner with her retorts and she was crabbier than she used to be. What had attracted him before was her steadfast commitment to her ethics. But three years around him had eroded that. He had wanted to talk to her about it several times but realized that he just didn't care enough to broach the subject. Tonight was his opportunity to see if there was real chemistry between them or just a flirtation that had gone on for years.

Cameron opened the door and was impressed with how well House cleaned up. She had chosen evening slacks with a low-cut burgandy satin blouse that draped down in the front. She had on low heeled evening shoes, small diamond earrings and carried a black evening clutch.

House thought she looked lovely. He wished she had a little more cleavage but she was still gorgeous, especially with her hair up and little ringlets falling down her back.

"Ready?" House asked.

"Yes, let me just get my wrap." She ducked in and grabbed her black pashmina. House stood in the entryway and looked around. The apartment looked very homey, like someone had taken mid-western Pottery Barn and transplanted it to her apartment.

It was only 6:00 p.m. and it was still light out. The production was at the McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts so House had made dinner reservations at The Ferry House.

"This is a great restaurant, I love the food here." Cameron was trying to make small talk. "What are you going to have?"

He adopted a french accent, "I will have zee Pan Roasted Fillet of Salmon set on Crab Crusted Portobello Mushroom, French Bean & Red Beet Saute with Saffron Pernod Butter."

"That sounds good, I think I'll have it too."

He gave her an adolescent frown, "Don't do that..get something else so we can taste each other's food. Half the fun is finding out whether you ordered the better meal." House genuinely enjoyed swapping tastes. It was a unspoken agreement between him and his ex-girlfriend, Stacy, that they would always order something different and then share.

"I don't think so. I'm ordering the salmon." She smiled and put her menu down. "I've always wanted to know how you got that little scar at the top of your nose...there on the right side?"

"I was in high school, drunk off my @ss and I decided to scratch it with a pop top."

"A pop top? I don't understand, what's that?"

"We used to open sodas and beers by pulling an aluminum tab completely off..they were pretty sharp. I thought it would make a good utensil to cure an itch...I took a chunk of my nose off with it. It was kind of funny at the time, sounds stupid now. Anyway, don't you remember Jimmy Buffet, "Slipped on a pop top?", you know, Maragitaville?"

"Oh is that what he means...I just never thought of it. I don't listen to Buffet much,his music is typically on the oldies station and I don't listen to oldies."

House shook his head "yes." Then he played with his fork and looked up at her, "What do you listen to?"

"Have you heard of Opeth?"

"Is that Oprah's illegitimate child?"

"It's a band...a melodic metal band. They're from Sweden."

"Is there such a thing as melodic metal?"

"Come on House, get with it. I'll bring in my Ipod and you can listen to it." She tried to smile at him, "What about that little scar on your right forearm...it looks like a burn scar."

"Yeah, my girlfriend in high school wanted popcorn and I was heating the oil while drinking a beer and some of the beer hit the oil...and the splatter got me."

"Why didn't you just pop it in the microwave?"

House scratched his ear and thought of how to explain this without sounding really long in the tooth. "We didn't have microwaves ...in fact, the first one my Mom got was an Amana Radar Range in 1976 and even then, microwave popcorn didn't come out for another few years. You made popcorn by heating oil in the bottom of a deep pan and then putting in the popcorn. Once it started to pop you put the lid on, held the handle of the pan and did the shimmy."

"The shimmy?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

"A dance in the sixties...you shake all over...shimmy all over?" He tried but was losing the battle.

"I see. So this girlfriend in high school, how long did you go with her?"

"We'd known each other a long time, her Dad was in the Marines too. When we were kids I did everything to make her pay attention to me. If she wanted a space food stick, I ran and got it for her; if she liked the Monkees, I bought her a 45; if she needed a channel changed I ran to the television and changed it, I was her personal remote control, she was groovy'."

"Why? Why not change the channel with the remote?"

"She didn't have a tv with a remote. She got one the next year, by then we were a couple..." House realized that Cameron had never seen a television without a remote control, "Cameron, my first car was a Pinto with a clutch and I was happy to get it. My first concert was Led Zepplin and I had to save up the $12 from my allowance to see them. When I bought weed we measured it with our fingers in a sandwich bag. Three fingers was $10.00 and a four finger lid was $12.00. I actually owned an eight track player and a reel to reel tape deck, an Akai. Pioneer speakers were boss. My reference point for music probably starts somewhere in the late 60's. I remember the September morning in 1970 when they announced that Jimi Hendrix had died. You weren't even born and wouldn't be born for several years. So I suggest we talk about work or monster trucks or politics or sports...something we have a reference for..."

Cameron was shifting in her chair. She had hoped this would go well but she could tell that House was regretting the date and was now giving up.

"House, what are you doing?"

"I'm asking myself that same question."

She tried again, this time picking a topic that they both could enjoy...recent movies. But even then House would occasionally ask if she had seen an actor in a certain movie that she had never heard of. House felt even older.

They arrived at the theater and went up the stairs so that Cameron could use the restroom. While she was in the restroom, House waited impatiently on the landing. He turned around and looked down the stairs as she began her ascent. She looked up and into his eyes. He drew in his breath. Sephi's lips were a pearl pink and her hair lifted off of her shoulders into curls on top, the shoulders were bare except for two tiny spaghetti straps that held up a low cut lavender satin dress that plunged to just below the breasts. He had a great view of her breasts, again. The dress flared out gracefully from the waist with a material that made the skirt , which came to just above the knee, sway gently with her hips. She had large Tanzanite earrings dripping from her ears. House's mouth curled up slightly at the edge and she returned the slightest of smiles. When she reached the landing, she and her escort continued into the bar area where he waited in line to get drinks. Several couples came up to Persephone and started a conversation. He was still staring at her back which was bare down to the waist and visible from where he was standing. Cameron came up to him and tried to follow his gaze but by this time another couple had cut off the view.

House and Cameron took their seats in the back of the orchestra section. When Sephi and Giovanni came in to take their seats they made their way into the President's circle, six rows back from the stage and in the middle of the aisle. She smiled and made comments to the other patrons as she walked down the aisle to her seat. She glanced up and saw him watching her. He was sitting with Dr. Cameron. She wondered who he was?

He looked at her with the appreciation of a man who is seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time. He studied her like a student who studies a piece of art. He didn't understand what made her so attractive. He wouldn't have normally called her beautiful but she was. And it wasn't because of her looks, they were lovely, but it was the way she carried herself with confidence. She smiled at him again and then took her seat.

Cameron couldn't miss the smile and saw that House was returning it. "How do you know her? She was ...wait, she was the patient you were asking about. Is that why you bought tickets to Evita?"

"What? Are you smoking something? I've never even been introduced to her. It's not like she calls me up, Hey Greg, I'm going to Evita tonight, want to pay $80 so I can give you a smile as I find my seat?""

"I don't know. Something's up and you aren't telling me everything."

"Sit back and enjoy Evita."

When House arrived back to his apartment and poured himself a whiskey, he started playing around on the piano and thinking about the evening. It hadn't been a total disaster, the food had been good and Persephone was hot. ***

When I saw him at the theater I was amused. He's good looking but not as good looking as Quentin or even Giovanni when Giovanni was his age. But there was something so incredibly sexy about that smile, the beard, even the limp. I wondered why he was there with Dr. Cameron. When I looked up as I was walking up the stairs and he looked straight into my eyes, I wanted to stop and say something. But that's the worst thing you can do as a woman. The man is geared for hunting. Making it easy for him to hunt you bores him and especially an intelligent man. He has to feel as if he has pursued and won you in a well fought battle or he's on to the next prey. I wasn't sure I wanted him to hunt me but I wanted to keep my options open, I didn't know who he was. Alpha males especially need the hunt, and there was no mistaking him for anything less than an Alpha male. Although I suspected his pack might be rather small. I couldn't put him in a social referencebecause he was by himself when I first saw him. I knew he was someone at the hospital who could interrupt doctors without being stopped by the staff, so he must be either a doctor or an administrator at PPTH and that meant he was my employee. Did he know I was his boss?

I was to make my debut at the hospital on Monday, May 14th. Lisa had called me and indicated that they had an office for me on the second floor with a lovely view of the campus. The week before I was to start I had Lisa send me the key to my office. On Saturday evening I went in with my assistant, Craig Rose and we measured my office for furniture and drapes. The office was about the size of Lisa's and it had two walls of windows since it was a coveted corner office. I wondered who had to be evicted to give me such a nice location. As we walked down the hall, turned the corridor and proceeded to the elevator, I noticed the office for the Diagnostics department. My key was a master key which opened all locks in the hospital. I made an appointment with Craig to go shopping for office furniture and then said goodnight. He continued to walk to the elevator. I put the key in the door and turned the lock. I opened the door and entered the lair of the dragon.

I noticed right away that he had toys, lots of toys and I thought that this was an interesting man who probably had a touch of ADD. I picked up a ball sitting on his desk and began to toss it myself while I looked around. He had IPOD speakers, a stereo, Bose headphones, CDs, books, juggling balls, a harmonica, a lazer pen, magazines (including Hustler, GQ and Gamer's Digest) and an Aeron chair. I remembered being in my husband's son's room when he was a teenager and seeing similar items. Was I dealing with a man or a child? From reading his files, I wasn't sure.

I found an old photo of a brunette in her late thirties when the photo was taken, dark hair, sharp eyebrows, nice smile. It was relegated to the lower drawer of his desk as if to put it out of his mind. Since the photo wasn't displayed I could only surmise that this woman had been important to him but if he displayed her photo it would be inappropriate. I thought that she was probably his former lover and either she was married or otherwise unattainable.

His office was organized, yet unorganized. I recognized right away that he knew where everything was, to some extent, in his office but never had time to organize the daily intrusions such as flyers, newsletters, medical journals, charts or correspondence. I decided to play a little with his mind. I took the ball.

*** On May 12th Craig and I brought in our workers and the office was painted a pale butter yellow with silk organza drapes with a blue sage and gold stripes. Most people expected a stale, sterile environment when they walked into my office or house. They were usually surprised to find that I surround myself with soft things, overstuffed furniture, delicate Hepplewhite tabes and chairs. Even my desk was unique. I purchased it at a Princeton Antiques Dealer it was a walnut kidney shaped desk, made by Gillows of Lancaster in 1790, with an inlaid leather top. The sides and back were carved panels, curved perfectly to incorporate three drawers above a recess, flanked by four graduated drawers locked by hinged pilasters. It was only $25,000, a real bargain. I bought two Chippendale chairs and had them upholstered in a fabric that complimented the drapes. I had a conversation area with a down filled couch and two down filled easy chairs. The couch was in a lighter butter yellow than the walls and the chairs were the sage blue of the stripe in the drapes. In addition, there was a small round Hepplewhite table with two regency chairs to provide a work space for me.

I walked in on Monday and was pleased with my office, I felt comfortable sitting in my own Aeron chair (you need some ergonomics) and looking out over my office. I had them knock out a door between my office and Craig's so that we would have private access to each other. I wasn't happy that I didn't have a private bathroom so I looked next door and saw that the office was occupied by a Podiatrist. I instructed Craig to find him a new office and build me a bathroom.

I started making my calls:

"Dahlia? It's Sephi. Yes, just fine and you? Did you enjoy that vacation to the Canary Islands. Yes, I thought you would. We stayed in the same bungalows and I thought it would be perfect for your honeymoon. No, you don't have to thank me. I need some help. Could you get me some information on a doctor? Yes, he worked there about a decade ago. His name is Gregory House. Oh, you know him?" I listened to a list of travesties and perceived slights that she had experienced at his hand. "My, well now you know why I need his file. I could see you in Venice sometime this summer...yes, why don't you let me arrange it. Just let Craig know your available dates. Thanks. Ciao!"

Dahlia had a overwhelming love of travel and many times over our "friendship" I had arranged her trips. Of course she never paid for the trips I arranged, they were payment for her assistance. I had people like Dahlia all over the world. I was afraid that if we ever bought Johns Hopkins I'd have to fire her...but that wouldn't happen because Johns Hopkins would never be for sale.

I called Lisa, "Lisa?"

"Yes?"

"Sephi here. I have a favor to ask. There are several doctors I would like to arrange lunches with. I need Dr. Pearlman and whoever is his assistant chair in surgery, Dr. James Wilson and his assistant in Oncology, Dr. Vickie Granback and the Obstetrics assistant. And then I want you to arrange dinner with Dr. Gregory House."

I could tell Lisa was nervous by the inflection in her voice, "May I ask why you want to have dinner and not lunch with Dr. House?"

"Because our meeting may take longer than the others and I don't want to interfere with his work schedule or the care of the patient." I was careful to emphasize the singular in patient. It appeared that Dr. House rarely had more than one patient at a time.

"I'd like to come to the dinner with Dr. House." Her voice was tight and worried.

"Lisa, I know Dr. House is the bad boy of PPTH and for some reason you need to protect him. I'm not sure why you keep sticking your neck out for him, perhaps you could enlighten me after I have met him. It may be that I'll be able to pick up on why you do what you do at my dinner with him. But in the meantime, I want to have dinner with him alone. I'd prefer to have dinner with him this Friday after I return from New York. I'm leaving for New York this afternoon and will be back on Thursday."

"I'll see if he has the time and get back to you."

"Lisa, let him know that he needs to make the time."

"I understand."

"Thanks." I hung up the phone even more curious than I had been about Dr. House. I had an urge to get up and go down the hall to see him and introduce myself but I needed to get a lot of work done before I left so I decided Friday would have to do. Around 3:00 p.m. I left the office and drove to the local airport where my Cesna was waiting. I had to meet Giovanni in New York.

*** House opened the door soberly and looked around. His team was busy writing and reading journals in the presentation room. He put down his backpack and immediately noticed that the ball was missing. He limped into the presentation room.

"Ok, who had the balls to take the ball?"he demanded. They looked at him with confusion and amusement on their faces. "My ball." Cameron glanced at his crotch, "No, my large fuzzy ball on my desk, who took it?"

Chase looked at everyone in the room, "We didn't. It was probably the cleaning staff."

House pursed his lips tight and blurted out in frustration, "Well keep your eye out for my ball." They all broke up in laughter and House stormed out and down the hall to Wilson's. He opened the door and finding him eating a bagel, he sat down.

"The word is that Elvis is in the building." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Do you mean the new owners?"

"Yes, I heard the great Giovanni Potente, strange name come to think of it, it means Power...anyway, I heard he's here."

"He's not here, his wife is and she is the chairman of the board now so try not to oogle her breasts or make comments about her looks."

"If she's a dog it's going to be hard not to sniff her @ss."

"House!" Wilson grumbled. "I'm having lunch with her next week. Lisa is trying to find you, the new Chairperson wants to have dinner with you this Friday."

"I'm busy, I have to give Steve a bath, he's getting a little ratty."

"How old is Steve? How old do rats live?" Wilson asked out of the blue.

"He told me he was writing his will the other day, he's going to leave me his wheel. He's about two years old and they live to be 2-3 years old so he's just about ready to go to the Big Cheese in the sky."

"Cuddy told me this was a command performance, you need to go, besides, you're the only one she asked out to dinner. The rest of us get lunch."

"She wants to ply me with liquor and have her way with me."

"Whatever she wants to do with you, she's doing it alone."

"No Cuddy? No husband?"

"Not that I know of..."

"Typically these rich guys don't marry Rosie O'Donalds...they tend to marry Heidi Klum...mmmm. I think I just became available."

"Tell Cuddy."

House was curious about the new chairperson and decided to have a sneak peak at her before the "date" as he was now calling it. After looking in on the new patient and sending the team to do their lab work, House went back to the second floor and over to the office and knocked on the door. There was no sign up yet on the door but House had watched them do some of the remodeling before she arrived and knew this was to be her cave. A young man, obviously gay, came out from the office next door.

"Can I help you?"

"I ...uh, just wanted to confirm our meeting for Friday."

"Are you Dr. House?"

"Maybe..."

Craig smiled, he had read some of the reports Sephi had compiled on Gregory House and he was as intrigued as her, "Friday, Lawrenceville Inn at 7:00 p.m., don't be late, she's always on time."

House knew he was being dismissed. He was soon preoccupied with the new patient who just happened to be a local television newscaster, Brianna Berton, with a strange malady; she had an itchy red rash on her arms and legs. The medical charts on Brianna were unremarkable: She was 30 years old, had moved a month ago to a new apartment, was taking sudafed for hay fever, was on a low dose birth control pill, had received antibiotics two months ago for a strep infection and in general, was in good health. She had visited her physician two weeks ago with a rash on her upper arm. It was driving her nuts because she wanted to constantly scratch it and had even done so while on the news. Viewers had called in complaining about the itching and she had almost gone nuts trying to curb the itching. Her physician took applied a cortisteroid to the rash and sent her home, assuming it would go away. She had come back the next week and the rash had spread. He had injected her with prednisone and had conducted an extensive questionnaire on her environment and the foods she ate.

"Ok, so what did they find?" House asked Cameron.

"The doctor gave her a list of things to do. He made her wash her clothes in special, hypoallergenic detergent, she removed all jewelry, sent her dog to live with her mother, had her bedroom stripped down to bare essentials and then had then dusted and cleaned with hypoallergenic cleaners, she wasn't allowed to wear clothes with zippers, metal buttons, or metal thread. She was then told to take her diet down to a bare minimum of simple starches and proteins, which she did. But the rash has spread across her torso and onto her face, as you can see. She can't work because the rash can't be covered with makeup or it gets worse. They tried applying the cortisteroid and then wrapping her arms and torso in plastic wrap to make sure it soaks in...no luck."

"Sounds like you need to go bag her house and her dressing room. Don't forget the makeup room too."

House wanted Cameron out of the office because she had been moping all week, ever since their trip to the theater.

"I don't understand, I bought her a fish, a mojito and a ticket and now she's giving me the sad eye. You'd think I shot her dog."

"I told you not to do it...the date just opened up old wounds."

"Yeah, well if she wants to lick my wounds I'd let her."

"Where are you going Friday?"

"Lawrenceville Inn. Think I should reserve a room for after dinner?"

"Wishful thinking House. Let me know if I should wear something special when I have lunch with her."

Cameron and Foreman did the reconnaissance and reported back the next day. They all went to the patients room to discover that she was worse. The rash had spread. House ordered intravenous cortisteroids. Brianna's face looked like a moonpie, an indication of steroid use.

There was a spot on her body for them to run a prick test. But when House looked through the items brought back he ruled them out as having already been tested by the dermatologist who had referred them the case. House decided he had to interview the patient.

"You moved a month ago from where?"

"I moved two streets away from my old apartment."

"What's next door to you?"

"It's a residential street, no commercial or industrial buildings at all." The poor woman had agreed to have her hands tied down to keep her from itching her body. House had ordered bupropion to calm her down.

He spent some time going through all external causes of dermititis. "And no change in your diet?"

"No I pretty much eat salmon salads from the same place as always. I haven't changed that."

Chase looked at House and shrugged his shoulders. House continued, "Have you had any surgery?" He was worried that someone may have left a clamp or medical tools inside of her or possibly orthopedic pins.

"No, no surgery."

Chase said, "You went on a low dose birth control pill a month ago...maybe she's allergic to that."

"No, I felt sick on it so I went off of it within days."

House realized that if her partner was using a rubber she might be allergic to latex but that didn't fit because she had gotten worse in the hospital. "Have you had sex while you've been in the hospital?"

"NO!" she was offended.

"What did you use when you went off the pill?"

"I went to Planned Parenthood across the street from the studio and was fitted with an IUD."

House and Chase both looked at each other with alarm. Chase immediately grabbed the necessary tools and House started to close the drapes.

"Scoot down." He told her.

"What?"

"I need to get the IUD out...now scoot down and spread your legs, NOW!" she

Chase handed him the speculum. House removed the IUD and then his gloves. "Now we wait." He told her and then left the room. Chase stayed behind to clean up and answer questions.

"What does he mean?" She asked Chase.

"You are probably allergic to copper...IUD's are made of copper. If you start clearing up in the next few hours we'll know that's what it is."

"Oh my God...I just never thought that the IUD could be the problem. I thought they would be hypoallergenic because they go inside of you."

"Not many people are allergic to copper but in your case it would make sense."

House wasn't surprised when they were able to send Brianna home the next day. Her rash had already disappeared from fifty percent o her body and the cortisteroids were starting to work. She was sent home with a prescription and a recommendation to see her dermatologist in a week just to make sure she had recovered. Two days later she was back in the anchor desk with heavier makeup than usual, but still back to work.

Friday afternoon House went home earlier than usual. He had put on an air of nonchalance for Cuddy and Wilson's sake but in reality he was worried. He needed this job, it was all he had.

House was on time and was waiting inside the lobby when Persephone Camden walked out of the bathroom. She looked at him and realized that she this had to be Gregory House in the flesh. She started laughing. At first he didn't realize why she was laughing and then it dawned on him, this was the Chairperson of the Board, the woman he was going to have to charm. A vision of her standing in the examination room in her bra, panties, garter belt and stockings flashed through his head and he swallowed hard. He was screwed.

***

I almost wet my pants laughing at him. I could tell by the shade of gray he turned that he realized what he had done. He thought I would probably be offended and hold his voyeurism against him, but he was wrong. I already admired him for not flinching and not apologizing. Although I admired him, I also realized that he was lucky that he had not ogled some other woman who would have taken offense to it. It could have been a disaster for him and the hospital.

"Dr. House I presume?"

"Persephone Camden? I had expected to meet Mrs. Potente."

"I am Mrs. Potente."

He said nothing but acknowledged my response with a slow shake of the head. "Shall we?" He waved his hand towards the dining room and we were seated immediately.

I put the wrapped box on the table and proceeded to ask, "Have you eaten here before Dr. House?"

"No, it always looked too...too nice."

I looked around and said, "Yes I guess it is, but that's what appeals to me. I like the intimate feeling and the hominess. Don't worry, you will find the food to be excellent and the wine list is superb."

"Why don't you order the wine for us since you obviously know what you like?"

"Sounds good to me." When the waiter came to the table I told him, "Please uncork a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva for dinner and bring my guest a Yamazaki Single Malt Whiskey and I'll have a Vodka Martini, Grey Goose."

I could see he was thrown off by the fact that I had ordered him a whiskey. "You didn't have to order the $30 a pop whiskey, I would have been happy with the house brand."

"But Dr. House, you haven't had whiskey until you've had an 18 year old Yamazaki...it really is very good."

"We'll see." He looked me up and down, trying to figure out what I wanted from him.

I had asked him out because I wanted to see how Dr. House had behaved so appalling over all these years and yet had still keep his job at PPTH. So far, I wasn't that impressed. I had met many men who were better looking and more charming so I was still waiting to be wowed. In fact, he was sitting there with a suit coat on but he hadn't made much of an effort. His shirt was wrinkled and he wore a t-shirt underneath that had some type of logo on it. He also had jeans on. I'm sure he selected this outfit to send a message that he was not intimidated by me, but in fact, it sent just the opposite. You only feel the need to send that message when you are intimidated.

"Dr. House, may I be candid with you?"

"You know, when people ask that question I always want to see their reaction when I say no...but since you're my boss, ok, I'll bite. Sure, let's be candid."

"I'm at a loss as to what you do for the hospital? I mean in terms of the bottom line. Your department costs more than it brings in, you don't contribute to medical journals and you haven't brought in a single donor or sponsor for your fellowships or for your department. Furthermore, you only recently started to teach students and that seems to have been a bargain you made with Dr. Cuddy after your run-in with the law and the AMA. I see that you are a drug addict and that you've been through rehab but I have some resources that tell me you still manage to score your drugs from an orderly in rehab. So Dr. House, convince me of why I should keep you around?"

I saw him become defensive, he crossed his arms and sat back in his chair and gave me a stern look. Although his body language was defensive, his head was slightly tilted in a curious and seductive way.

"Have you thought about asking Cuddy this?"

"Yes, I have and I will, but tonight I'm asking you." I smiled the phoniest smile I could muster to indicate that I could play if he just wanted to play games.

"It probably has to do with my sexual prowess. I'm just a sex machine that the women at PPTH just can't get enough so they keep me around. You know, it really isn't a sock in my pants."

I almost said, "Perhaps you can demonstrate." But I knew he would have lapped that up and made a witty retort. Instead I simply said nothing. I knew he would be wondering if I found him funny or pitiful. The pregnant pause would send its own message of disapproval. But to tell you the truth, I found him abrasively funny but I couldn't let him know that. Instead I said, "Sadly the nurses and female staff don't sit on the Board of Directors, but I do."

His face dropped and his eyes darted away from the table. He wanted to appear that he was in control but his body said he was nervous. I remained calm and in control, it's easy to do when you hold all the cards. I just wanted a cogent reason as to why he should be kept. I thought it was an honest question deserving an honest answer, but I could tell it was still a game to him. He was wrong to assume that. When threatened this was a man who would stubbornly refuse to give an inch or even be reasonable even when he was dealing with something as important as his livelihood.

"I've lasted this long for a reason, I have tenure and the referrals come because of my reputation. I guess you'll have to figure it out for yourself and make your decision, won't you?"

"I had hoped you would help me make that decision." I paused, giving him the chance to give me that reason, but as suspected, it didn't come. "Well, if we can't agree on that, let's at least have dinner and enjoy it. Oh, by the way, I think this belongs to you." I handed him the wrapped box.

Before he unwrapped the box the waiter took our orders. I ordered the Mustard Crusted Loin of Veal with Horseradish Potatoes, Piopini Mushrooms and Veal Jus. Dr. House ordered the Filet Mignon with Haricots Verts, Acorn Squash, Crme Fraiche and Green Peppercorn Sauce.

He opened it and when he saw the ball his face relaxed into amusement. "So you found my bottle of Maker's Mark when you searched my office and that's how you knew what type of whiskey to order."

"That and I had other resources. I am a resourceful woman Dr. House and I don't miss much."

"Yes, you remind me of Mildred Pierce." He didn't expect me to get the reference, the movie was filmed in 1945.

"With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture. And this town and its dollar days, and its women that wear uniforms and its men that wear overalls."

I could tell he was taken aback by my ability to quote from the movie, but then, hadn't everyone seen Mildred Pierce?

"Dr. House, why does any hospital need a whole department dedictated to diagnostics?"

Instead of an answer, he asked me, "Tell me something, have you always popped your popcorn in a microwave?"

Now it was my turn to be taken aback. Was he being flippant? "Dr. House, what has that got to..."

"Just humor me. Did you always pop your popcorn in a microwave?"

"No, I've popped Jiffypop over a campfire and popcorn in a pot, why?"I was very curious and dumbfounded, what did this have to do with the price of gold?.

"If you weren't about to take my job away from me I'd want to f#ck you right now."

I wanted to laugh. No one else would have the guts to say something that blunt so quickly after meeting me, especially an employee whose job was being threatened.

"Well maybe in an alternate universe we do, but in this one I'm still waiting for you to convince me that you belong at PPTH."

"We could have been lovers."

I didn't respond to this as it clearly wasn't said to elicit a response. It was said wistfully as if he meant it and was lamenting the fact. I felt sorry for him because I sensed a longing for something, but for what I wasn't sure.

The food arrived at the table along with the decanted wine I had ordered. The food and the wine were perfect. Dr. House seemed to be enjoying his too.

"Dr. House, you really must try this veal and the mushrooms. You do like mushrooms don't you?" I was cutting a piece off of the veal and setting it on his empty bread plate along with a spoonful of the mushrooms and juice.

He gave me a look like I had just done something incredibly sweet and nice. It made me feel strange and I now regretted having made the offer. It's just that I love sharing really good food and this was so delicious. He cut me off a piece of his filet mignon and, instead of putting it politely on my bread plate, fed it to me off of his fork. It seemed rather an intimate thing to do, and I should have declined, but instead I opened my mouth and slowly took the piece of meat off of the tines. He smiled sensually at me and I have to admit something rather naughty stirred inside of me. Ah, men, can't live with them, can't kill them.

It was quickly becoming the most bizarre dinner I had ever had with a man. We continued to talk about music and some of our favorite genres and muscicians. I'm a rabid acid rock fan and have secretly attended several tribute bands including ones dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Jefferson Starship, Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf. When this slipped out he started to chuckle.

"Acid rock?" he shook his head in amazement.

"Yes, I like a lot of music but my two favorites are folk and acid rock."

"Aren't you a little young for acid rock?" He was curious.

"Well, the music came out in the 60's but I always seemed to hear it in Los Angeles and I was hooked. It was a little meatier than disco music and the urban cowboy that came after it. What about you?"

"Jazz, blues, acid rock is fine...classical. I have eclectic tastes in music." After he continued to tell me some of his favorites I discovered that I liked a lot of the music he liked and I hated some of the music he adored. We debated the merits of the various artists and I think we both enjoyed the banter. But an hour later it was over and I still didn't have my answer and despite the enjoyable evening, I wasn't here to be his friend. Unless Lisa Cuddy could convince me otherwise, the Diagnostics Department would be disbanded within the month.

I paid the check and once again thought I would give him the opportunity to save his job, "Dr. House, your department doesn't make any money and whatever cache you brought to PPTH has now been superceded by the quality of the treatment provided by the other doctors. In other words, PPTH can now stand on its own and doesn't have to lean on you to boost its reputation. Please, before I walk out of this restaurant, tell me why I should keep your department?"

"I don't have an answer for you." He looked at me with his big, cold blue eyes.

Dr. House wasn't a lawyer and didn't realized that he had tenure provided the hospital was owned by Medicon International. There was a clause in each doctor's contract that essentially said that all bets were off during the first ninety days of a buyout and we could let anyone go. If we did not get rid of someone in the first ninety days then their contracts were enforceable against Potente Enterprises.

I had a strange suspicion that there were going to be a lot of happy people at PPTH when I let Dr. House go, but I wasn't sure I would be one of them. He'd make things interesting if I kept him on and in my world I could always use a few laughs.

As we walked together to the parking lot we arrived at my car first. He looked it over and gave me a look of pure envy. I looked up at him in the light of the halogen streetlamd, "Maybe I could give you one reason." He placed the box holding the ball under his arm and grabbed me with his free one. I felt his hand on my upper arm and saw his face starting to come towards mine with his lips pursed. In reflex I tilted my head up and closed my eyes knowing all the time that I shouldn't do this. A sexual fling with an employee always got messy, especially one I was about to let go. But I was a sucker, he had those incredible eyes and he had certainly pricked my interest. I kept hearing Giovanni's warning in my head, "Non cacare nel vostro proprio cortile," which loosely translated means, "Don't sh!t in your own backyard." I could feel the heat of his body just inches from mine and the smell of Salvatore Ferragamo. I held my breath as he connected...with my forehead! He gave me a quick peck and stood back up straight. I was so humiliated...I pulled away and got into my car without another word. No one had ever, ever treated me like that. He just stood there and laughed as I drove off into the night.

***

House watched as the Maserati screamed out of the parking lot and he realized then how mad she was at him. He had fully intended to kiss her, he had wanted to kiss her all night long, but when he saw how receptive she was to the idea he couldn't help himself. He knew that by kissing her on her forehead he was rejecting her, but if she was going to take away the one thing in his life that he loved, then he was going to get in this one dig. But when he saw her look of horror and humiliation he understood just what he had done. He had taken someone who wanted to give him a chance and turned her into his enemy. There was no denying that sometimes he was his own worst enemy and he knew it.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Sephi couldn't sleep. She kept asking herself why he would choose to humiliate her when she had tried over and over to give him the opportunity to save himself. It wasn't as if she had hauled his sorry @ss in and given him an ultimatum, although she had done that in the past with doctors, some with as much, if not more talent than House. She had simply called them into her office, presented them with a severance check, wished them well and closed the door. She would have done this to House but she had noted from his files that he had originally been good for the hospital and Lisa had almost been anal in keeping him. He had certainly brought the hospital a reputation for providing excellent results, a reputation that helped recruit the best doctors throughout the world. House may have been the catalyst but now the hospital was able to stand on its two feet and didn't necessarily need House.

The next day Wilson called House at home.

"I've got two movies to watch, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Donny Darko. Are you interested?"

"Yeah, bring them over. I'll order pizza...what do you want, thin crust or thick?"

"I'm tired of thick, let's go thin and can you get some barbeque chicken on it?"

"What time?"

"Sevenish..." Wilson answered.

" I'll order the pizza at 6:30, get some beer."

"I'll be there."

When Wilson arrived the pizza had already arrived. They ate, opened some beers and sat down to watch the DVDS.

"Well? What happened at dinner?"

House tried to sound blase about the entire evening but Wilson just laid his head back and frowned. "And then , instead of kissing the lips that she had offered to me, I kissed her forehead like you would a sister."

Wilson shuddered. "What in the hell did you think you were doing? She asked you to give her a reason not to fire you and you said nothing and then, when she was succumbing to whatever charm you might have, you made her feel rejected? I don't know why I bother to care...you do this to yourself. Why? Why commit career suicide let alone not take advantage of a beautiful woman?"

"She didn't appeal to me?" House offered lamely.

"That's bull. We both know she had breasts and a vagina...your perfect woman. You did this just because you need to prove something to yourself, not because you didn't find her attractive."

"Don't forget she's married."

"And when did that ever stop you?" Wilson threw his hands up.

"Just watch the movie." House looked annoyed.

***

Cuddy called House on Sunday. "How did it go on Friday?"

"She wanted to know why she should keep me. I told her to ask you."

"Me?"

"Well, you brought me here and you've kept me at PPTH. She claims she just wants a reason to keep me."

"Ok..." Lisa wasn't convinced, "That was it?"

"Yep. But I really think she's looking for a reason to get rid of me."

Lisa paused, she didn't want to hear this. It just confirmed what she thought would happen. "Well maybe I can convince her that your job is worth keeping. Don't be late on Monday. Make sure you do everything by the book in the meantime."

But this fell on deaf ears, House knew that he had probably written his own epitaph. *** Sephi decided to have her driver take her to the hospital because she was going to join Giovanni in their Manhattan apartment later that evening. They had a dinner to go to and it would take an hour and a half to get to the apartment. She thought she could use the time to get some work done in the back of the car. The driver pulled up to the hospital in the silver Maybach 62 which Giovanni had purchased just to chauffeur her around. He jumped out, came around and opened the door for Sephi. As she got out she noticed House standing by the front door talking to someone in a suit. House stopped and looked at her getting out of the car. The driver grabbed Sephi's brief case and handed it to her. She began to walk into the hospital.

"Good morning Dr. Camden." House smiled sweetly.

"Good morning Dr. House." Sephi slowed down in case House was going to introduce her to the man he was with but he didn't and so the man smiled meekly at her. She gave a general, "Good morning." to him and continued into the building. Just seeing House made her blood boil. But it wouldn't be long, the lawyers were driving in today from New York to deal with him. He would be given a letter indicating that the new owners had chosen to terminate the contract within the first ninety days. A copy of his contract would be attached with the section highlighted that allows Potente to terminate his contract . She was expecting the lawyers in an hour.

Now she needed to explain to Lisa Cuddy what was going to happen. She opened the door to her office and took her seat behind the desk. She immediately contacted Lisa. "Lisa? This is Sephi. Can you join me in my office? I have some important news for you"

"Can this wait, I have a problem with a protocol that's gone haywire?"

"It involves Dr. House. You don't have to come up, I just thought you might like to be kept abreast of what's happening."

Lisa's heart sank and she started to get nervous. "I'll be up in ten minutes."

"Fine."

Lisa called House. "Greg House."

"House, you didn't tell me everything did you? She's asked me up to her office to discuss you and what's going to happen. Is there something I should know?"

"I wouldn't sleep with her."

"Don't be funny. What happened?" Lisa was annoyed and he could tell.

"We were in the parking lot, I leaned in and I was going to kiss her, she acted like she wanted to be kiss but I decided to just kiss her forehead. I think she felt rejected and I don't think Persephone Camden is used to being rejected."

"Are you telling me the truth? She wanted you to sleep with her?"

"She didn't say it but her body did."

"Right...you could "tell" that she wanted you."

"Hey, women want me, they want me bad. I can't help it."

"Well whatever you did, let's hope I can undo it."

Lisa opened the door to the assistant's office and Craig showed Cuddy into Sephi's office. Lisa hadn't seen the office since it had been decorated and was surprised by the interior. She had expected something very different. She had expected a corporate, sterile, stern environment. Instead she was sitting in the middle of what could have been an English countryside home. It was tasteful, it was lovely but it certainly wasn't sterile.

"Sephi." Lisa said in greeting.

"Thanks for coming up Lisa." Sephi got up and took Lisa over to the conversation area. Lisa sat on the couch and Sephi sat in the armchair. "I hate that this is going to be the first thing I do as Chairman of the Board and Vice President of Potente Enterprises, but I'm eliminating the Diagnostics department and letting Dr. House go."

Lisa's heart sank and she started to get angry. Sephi could see Lisa's shoulders stiffen and pull down. Her lips tighten together indicating anger and a defensive stature. She crossed her arms and said, "Did you think that maybe you should have consulted me first? You aren't the first to try to get rid of him. He is an incredibly valuable asset to this hospital. I know he's in the red but doctors from all over the United States and Canada have referred their patients here to be diagnosed by House. As a result, he's managed to be the catalyst for several incredibly large donations, including a $5.0 million grant from the Dupont family after he saved their youngest grandson."

The files did not have this information in them, they typically wouldn't. Normally this would have weighed heavily in favor of the employee but Sephi was confident that she could make up the lost donations. Princeton sat between two cities in which she had a lot of influence, New York and Philadelphia.

"I'm sorry, but the decision has been made to let him go. I'm sure he'll end up on his feet...and cane." She chuckled to herself, "I think House is a survivor."

Cuddy knew that House's reputation would make if very difficult for him to find a position with a hospital. It might be possible for him to join the CDC, Maggie Malone seemed to be fond of him and able to control House to a point. Still, she worried about him. He probably wouldn't last long in a government agency. Maybe she could use him as a consultant.

"I ask that you reconsider, House has pulled us out of the fire several times."

"Lisa, I don't know what it is about House that has made you put you career on the line several times but you need to let go."

"Is this because he wouldn't sleep with you?"

"What ? He said that?" She started to laugh.

"He told me that he refused to kiss you or have sex with you."

"Lisa, I'm sure you may find this hard to believe but I can have sex any night of the week with men much more handsome, sexier and interesting than Dr. House. Ah, there are the lawyers now."

Two suits came in and greeted Sephi with a handshake. "Donald Roberts, David Johansson, meet Lisa Cuddy, she's the Dean of Medicine of the hospital."

"Glad to meet you." They exchanged handshakes.

"Lisa, you can stay if you want to or I can do this on my own."

"He will be given good references, yes?" Cuddy was worried.

"You can do what you like, I won't stop you. But you should try and be honest in your references or it could have legal ramifications."

"I'll stay." Lisa didn't want House to think she was a coward.

Sephi picked up the phone and called Craig, "Please ask Dr. House to come up."

House received a phone call in his office, "Greg House."

"Dr. House, would you please come up to Ms. Camden's office?"

House laughed to himself, she didn't waste time. He finished his computer game, took a swig of his coffee and then grabbed his cane.

"Where are you going?" Foreman asked.

"To get fired." He swung out the glass door and made his way down the hall.

Craig showed him into the office with Cuddy, Sephi and the lawyers. House stood and refused their offer to sit.

Sephi leaned back in the chair and spread her arms over the armchair to give her more of an appearance of dominance. She looked House squarely in the eyes, "Well, Dr. House, have it your way. We are exercising our option to let you go within the 90 days. Our lawyers here have your severance package which is quite generous. You are receiving six months pay plus we will pay your COBRA for the next six months. You will be escorted back to your office now with a security guard and an employee from h.r. You will be given boxes and assistance to pack up what you can within an hour. What you don't pack up, we will pack up for you and send it to you. Do you have any questions?"

"Would this be happening if I had kissed you?"

"Yes."

House gave a shrug, turned around and simply said, "When you want me back, it's going to cost YOU big time." And then he left.

He went back to his office and was met by the security guard and Lilly from H.R. She looked rather sheepish, she had never had any problems with House and she felt a little sad for him. He was legendary, half jack-@ss, half savior but always a topic of conversation for her and her friends. "Dr. House, I'm sorry." She paused, he said nothing, "Here's the boxes. We'll help you load your car."

"I brought my motorcycle."

"Well, we'll have it delivered."

House quietly began packing up the last seven years of his life. Wilson came in along with the team. The word was spreading fast and they all looked worried.

"Did she say anything about our jobs?" Foreman asked.

"Nope...you'll have to figure that out on your own."

Wilson offered, "We'll put these in my car and I'll follow you to your apartment."

"Thanks."

Cameron started to cry which triggered Lilly. Everyone had expected Cameron but no one had expected Lilly to start crying along with her. House looked at Lilly like she was a Martian...and then went back to packing.

When House walked out an hour later he had most of his things. The only things left were the larger books. He felt strangely detached from what was happening. The entire staff watched him when he walked down the halls. Fear swept through every department. If they could get rid of the sacred cow, Gregory House, they could get rid of anyone. *** House and Wilson delivered the boxes home and then Wilson went back to work with a promise to meet House at the Triumph bar later that evening. House got out the whiskey and sipped a glass while he considered his options. House was still numb. He didn't want everyone to know that without his work he was without an identity and he felt more alone than he had since Christmas Eve of last year when he thought he as going to be struck from the rolls and unable to practice medicine. Everyone thought he was bigger than life but since losing his leg and Stacy he only had one thing going for him and that was medicine. If he couldn't practice then what did he have left in his life?

He got up, went to the bank to deposit his severance check, went home and took a nap. At 5:00 p.m. he drove over to meet Wilson who was there with Cuddy and the team.

Cuddy gave him a look of guilt, "Are you still speaking to me?"

He gave her a look of indecision. "You should have threatened a coup."

Lisa gave him a look that said, "Right. I'll remember that when she whips out the spread sheet that shows that you were in the red and the legal files that show how often you've been sued or threatened...I'll remember that."

"What's happening to the Three Musketeers?"

"They've all been absorbed into other departments. They're no longer fellows, they are attendings."

Foreman piped up, "I came here to learn from you. If I can't do that, I might look around...sorry Cuddy."

"I understand." she answered.

House said nothing but thought that at least they had a job. Each one of them took turns buying House a drink until he was pretty skunked. Wilson drove him to his apartment and managed to put him in bed. He was worried about House, but then House tended to be a survivor.

Maggie Malone heard about PPTH letting House go and called him. "Greg, I'm coming up to Princeton and we're going to talk."

"Maggie, I'm not in the mood."

But Maggie was a lot like House, she didn't listen to others, especially Greg House. House would have told everyone to get loss even if he wanted company. She knew him, they had been roomates when they were interns. They had tried sleeping together but the schedule and the fatigue made that harder to do than they had expected. Finally they drifted into their careers, each going off into their futures.

Maggie came up and knocked on the door to his apartment on a late Friday afternoon. House answered the door in his pajamas and disheveled hair.

"Oh dear, this isn't good. Thank God I got here in time." She walked in with her bag and pulled out a bagette of bread, cheese and a bottle of whiskey. "I want to talk to you about coming over to the CDC and working for me."

"Let me get dressed." House went back, took a quick shower and came out in levis and a shirt.

They talked for several hours about the logistics of him joining the CDC but House wasn't convinced. "I'm going to keep my options open for a few months. They'll want me back."

"Greg, I know Persephone, I've known her for years. She was the one who fired Kirk Richardson at San Francisco Memorial. He WAS San Francisco memorial as far as most people were concerned. But the hospital has done well without him. She made the right move. He's a genius in developing cardio-pulmonary surgical procedures but he was like you, arrogant, childish and a pain in the @ss to have around. No one would touch him after she let him go. They say that if Persephone lets you go, you're poison. She knows her business."

"What's Richardson doing these days?"

"Private practice. He's a consultant too But of course in private practice you have to deal with a whole set of problems such as finding people to work for you, setting up an office, running an office and you don't get the access to immediate labwork or other diagnostic tools, you have to wait. You would suffer, believe me."

"Maybe I'll go back and sleep with her."

"Are you sure she wanted to sleep with you? She tends to use sex like we use money. It's a commodity to her, not something to write poems or music about. She tends to sleep with the high rollers."

"I'm fairly sure of the signals she was giving. Maybe she was slumming."

"Well, whatever it was I just know that when's she's unfaithful it's usually with someone whose name makes the Fortune 500."

"Is she unfaithful to her husband a lot?"

"What do you mean by unfaithful? I've known them for years and she's devoted to him in many ways. I get the feeling that to them sex isn't something that has to be exclusive to the marriage. I've never heard of him getting jealous of her sleeping with anyone and the same for her. It kind of reminds you of the old royal families in Europe where both the king and queen would be expected to take on a lover."

"Ah, and there buds the cliche, "The rich are different.""

"They sure are. Well you think about my offer because I'm serious."

"Thanks Mags."

*** The satisfaction I had in taking away the one thing I knew he loved was tempered by the fact that I had misread the hospital staff. Yes, they were happy to see the back of Greg House, but while he was there they always felt that their jobs were secure. After all, if the hospital kept Greg House then they'd put up with just about anything. By letting Greg House go I had stirred up a frenzy of paranoia.

Normally it would be great to shake things up and let people know that they were expendable. But PPTH wasn't having personnel problems. The Board and especially Cuddy had done a great job insuring that the staff performed well. The hospital problems were with the lack of donors and some financial mismanagement, including having departments, like Diagnostics, employ fellows that the hospital paid out of pocket. That was the old fashioned way of doing it. Now we would create fellowships such as the "Chester Fellowship" and these would be sponsored by large corporations. The caveat was that the fellow would have to be willing to do meet and greets at the corporation's whim.

But now I had a staff that was afraid that I was going to come in and do a full frontal lobotomy on the staff roster. Paranoia did two things, the doctors started listening to head hunters or looking at the logistics of private practice and the staff, in general, would be nervous and make mistakes. I had to do something that would make everyone feel better. It was time to throw a party.

***

The satisfaction I had in taking away the one thing I knew House loved was tempered by the fact that I had misread the hospital staff. Yes, they were happy to see the back of Greg House, but while he was there they always felt that their jobs were secure. After all, if the hospital kept Greg House then they'd put up with just about anything. By letting Greg House go I had stirred up a frenzy of paranoia.

Normally it would be great to shake things up and let people know that they were expendable. But PPTH wasn't having personnel problems. The Board and especially Cuddy had done a great job insuring that the staff performed well. The hospital problems were with the lack of donors and some financial mismanagement, including having departments, like Diagnostics, employ fellows that the hospital paid out of pocket. That was the old fashioned way of doing it. Now we would create fellowships such as the "Chester Fellowship" and these would be sponsored by large corporations or foundations. The caveat was that the fellow would have to be willing to do meet and greets at the corporation's whim.

But now I had a staff that was afraid that I was going to come in and do a full frontal lobotomy on the staff roster. Paranoia did two things, the doctors started listening to head hunters or looking at the logistics of private practice and, the staff, in general, would be nervous and make mistakes. I had to do something that would make everyone feel better. It was time to throw a party.

***

Sephi made her way down to Lisa Cuddy's office. They had worked well these first few weeks but whenever she had a chance, Lisa would bring up rehiring Greg House. It was beginning to annoy Sephi. She entered Lisa's office after being announced by her assistant.

"Lisa, we need to give a party for the doctors. Who plans the parties for the hospital?"

"I do."

"Oh, Lisa, Lisa...you can't be all things to everyone. Your talent lies in running the perfect hospital machine. You know, being a woman in your position is a curse and a blessing. Women are better at understanding, organizing and keeping the staff on their toes. It's probably because we're more plugged into the gossip. But no man in your position would have been expected to be the chief capital recruiter. The entire board and a professional would handle it along with the assistance of your doctors. And plan parties? You should supervise, but let someone else do the hard work."

"I was never given the authority to delegate." Lisa also had a hard time turning control over to anyone.

"Well, you will be. Any thoughts on party planners or should I bring in my planners from New York?"

"I prefer it be local planners, looks better." Lisa said.

"Excellent point."

Lisa was thinking about it, she suggested, "There's the clubhouse at the golf course."

"Boring."

"Well, if you don't want boring, there's Katmandu, a party place on a lake in Trenton with a lot of party atmosphere."

"Why don't we drive down and see it. If I like it, we'll give them a budget and run. We'll put the burden on their shoulders to give us the perfect party. What was the budget of your Christmas party?"

"$25,000."

"For the entire hospital staff?" Sephi was shocked. "That will be the budget for this party alone and we're just entertaining the doctors. Happy doctors are important to us. When would you like to drive down there?"

"I won't have any time until Friday afternoon."

"Great. I'll have Craig call them and let them know that we're coming." Sephi smiled and left.

Friday rolled around and Sephi came down to Lisa's office in the freshest of Ralph Lauren's Black Label Summer collection which this year was nautical. She had a white short skirt and a blue and white striped armless t-shirt with white and navy blue Coach sneakers. She had a British straw hat and Armani sunglasses. Lisa had forgotten the trip and had simply worn her usual suit. When Lisa realized she was expected to make a road trip with Sephi, she jumped up, grabbed her purse and sunglasses and followed Sephi. The two went outside where the Maybach 62 was waiting with Sephi's driver, Guido.

When Giovanni had hired Guido, Sephi couldn't stop laughing. "No one names their child Guido!"

"They do in Italy. That man drove for several corporate officers in Rome, if you can drive in Rome, you can drive anywhere in the U.S. I trust him to drive you safely wherever you need to go."

"But Giovanni, Guido? Guido sounds like he's going to break a few legs, not drive me around."

"Just because you Americans have taken a great name and turned it into a cliche, don't blame poor Guido. Guido Torrino will be your driver." Sephi knew not to argue because Giovanni's Italian was getting very animated and his hands and arms were emphasizing every point.

Now whenever she introduced Guido she enjoyed it. The looks of the people were priceless. She knew they wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

"Lisa, this is Guido my driver. Guido this is Dr. Lisa Cuddy. "

"Bon giorno, signora." Guido opened the door and Lisa got in.

When they were in the car Sephi gave instructions to Guido in Italian. Guido already knew where they were going, Craig had given him the instructions. Sephi was just letting him know that they were in no hurry.

Lisa turned to Sephi, "How did you learn Italian?"

"I spent some time in Italy before I was married and then Giovanni and I go back to stay at his family home every year, sometimes for up to six months. I had to learn Italian quickly. When we are in our apartment in Rome it's not a problem, most of the Italians in Rome have a rudimentary understanding of English. But in Casserta, where his home is, only the upper class speak English. Giovanni says that I speak Italian with a Californian accent, I still haven't figured out what that means!"

Lisa was still curious about Sephi, assuming that she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. "Where are you from?"

"I was born in Harrison, Ohio just outside of Cincinnati on the border of Indiana. Actually, we lived in Bright, Indiana, a community of about 5,000. My dad worked at the local foundry. He died in a foundry accident when I was twelve. We moved to Los Angeles and then to Pacific Palisades. I think of California as my home. Why do you ask?" Sephi could see that she was shocked.

"I don't know. I thought you'd say something like Manhattan or Boston or Philadelphia...someplace with snob appeal."

"Do I seem like a snob to you?" She watched closely for any body language. When Lisa shifted in her seat and looked briefly away from Sephi, she knew that Lisa was having a hard time dealing with the question.

After a pause Lisa said, "Yes, I guess you do. I think it was very presumptuous of you to come in and fire our best doctor."

"Dr. House?" Sephi shook her head in understanding, "We always come back to the great Dr. House. Yes, it was presumptuous but I knew you would argue in his favor just from the files and the information I obtained. I know that you slept with him when you were a student. I know he has been your friend and he certainly did help this hospital, but I didn't see him as an asset, but a liability. I'd like you to tell me why you lied for Dr. House on the stand and then continued to put your own career on the line for someone who is a known drug addict and from all accounts I have received, is cruel and mean to you?"

Lisa wasn't sure she liked Sephi. She appreciated her frankness and her business acumen was exceptional, but in some ways, she reminded her of a female House. She was blunt, knowledgeable and ruthless.

"House has saved my @ss several times. He has taken poor decisions made by doctors and pulled the irons out of the fire. Just one example, we had a senator come through and the original doctor treating him continued to treat him for the wrong disease until I pulled House in and he diagnosed the Senator properly. The original doctor is considered one of the best in his field and is still at this hospital, but if he had continued down the path he was going, the senator would be dead and the autopsy would have revealed the reason. That's just one incidence. Whenever he teaches, the students flock to his lecture. Oh he abuses them but they learn more from him in an hour than most teachers teach in a semester. The students forget a lot of things from med school, but the never forget Gregory House's lecture.

As far as his history with me. I agree that he doesn't act within the normal social conventions but he does care. Oh he masks it with bravado and brutal truths, but he will do things that show you he's human just when you think he isn't. And frankly, he's the best doctor I've ever seen...maybe not the best bedside manner, but the best doctor. I've seen him diagnose someone while he had the chills and sweats from detox. Mark my words, we'll be wishing he was back."

"Maybe. By the way, there's an orderly in the rehab ward that I want fired, no benefits or severance. He's been supplying drugs, including Vicodin to Dr. House."

Lisa was clearly shocked. Her mouth opened and her pupils dilated. "When he was in rehab?"

"I'm afraid so, I think Dr. House has curbed his indiscriminate use, but he's still a user. Judging from his medical chart it looks like he has a reason to use. He must be in incredible pain. Lisa, if I've made a mistake, I've never been afraid to admit it and make it right. I know that he hasn't found a hospital to work at yet. I don't think anyone is going to take him on in the U.S I could find him work as a consultant and I know that Maggie Malone wants him to come over to the CDC, so he will be ok. Are you in love with him?"

"Maybe I was at some point. But our relationship is well past that now. I know we'd kill each other if we lived together."

*** Katmandu turned out to look like a fun party place to both of them. Sephi and Lisa agreed that there would be a semi-open bar. Each doctor would get four drink tokens, two for them and two for their date. Plus there would be a table of free beer, wine and Mojitos. Mojitos were chosen because both Cuddy and Sephi liked them. There would be a buffet of Mexican food, including chicken mole, crab enchiladas, fish tacos, lobster chipotle salad and then the more mundane Mexican fare. They ordered a karaoke setup and a D.J. The place wasn't really big enough to have a band. There was a band playing in the restaurant if anyone wanted to dance to live music. The party was to be held in three weeks.

Lisa picked out the invitations and they went out on Monday. Wilson received his and debated on who to take. He went over to see House who was still living in his pajamas and going nowhere fast.

"Elvis is giving a party for the doctors at the hospital."

"Really?" House showed an interest that he hadn't shown in several weeks. "Ah, then you need a date that everyone will take notice of..."

"Yeah I was thinking maybe Sherry in Preventive Health."

"I was thinking ME."

Wilson gave House a shocked look and then started shaking his head, "No, no...House if you ever want them to consider hiring you back then you don't want to go to this."

"Will Elvis be there?"

"I'm not sure if she'll be there or not, but Cuddy said she's helping plan it."

"Where is it?"

"Katmandu in Trenton."

"Hmmm..that might actually be fun. I think we need to wear our parrot shirts. I better get mine out and run it through the dryer."

"I want to take Sherry." Wilson tried to sound firm but knew he had already lost the fight.

"Well get the extra ticket from Cameron, you know she'll go stag. Just tell her that your date has to have a chaperone."

The doctors at PPTH were actually in high spirits. They'd never been to a PPTH party where they got to wear casual clothes and party at Katmandu. Arrangements were made for hotel rooms in case anyone needed to crash rather than drive. On the day of the party Wilson, dressed in Tommy Bahama, picked up House who was wearing a Tori Richards Vintage Hawaiian shirt.

"Where's the babe?" He looked in the back seat.

"I don't dare bring a first date if you're riding with me. I'd never see her again."

"You have a point."

"Here's your drink tickets."

They arrived at the part and as soon as House walked in mouths dropped and the stress level went up. Everyone had come with the idea that they were going to knock back some brewskeys, dance, eat, and get happy. With House floating around, it would be interesting but not necessarily fun.

House grabbed a beer and started looking for Elvis. She hadn't arrived yet. He looked around. There was a small lake that the deck they were standing on abutted. Attached to the deck was a large square palapa that covered a large square bar with stools on all four sides. There were additional palapas and tables with tikki torches and lots of festive Polynesian lights. He knocked down another beer. There was a long tikki bar about ten feet high with shelves to hold the booze and glasses in the back. The front was your standard bar height with stools.

House went over to his least favorite surgeon whose middle aged brunette wife was standing next to him. The man grimaced when House walked up to him. "Hello House."

"Hello Taggart, Where's that blonde I saw you with at Trophy's the other night. The way you had your face in hers I guess she had something in her eye. Oh, who is this? Your mother?"

Taggart grabbed his now furious wife's arm and took off in the opposite direction from House. House smiled. He passed the beer table and grabbed a Guiness. He saw Foreman make a play for one of the new interns. House went over to him and said, "Hey Foreman, can you score me some of those DVD players that fell off of your friend's truck? If you do I promise to take a look at your seepage problem."

Foreman just gave him an amused look. "Yvonne, this is Dr. House, my former boss."

"I know doctor House, I went to several of his lectures before graduating."

I can see you're very smart, what are you doing with a former felon?" House said with all the fake sincerity he could muster. "I actually have a bigger...ball than him. It's fuzzy and he used to play with it all the time."

"Let's go get you a drink Yvonne." Foreman gave House a look of frustration and left.

House turned around and there she was. She was about average height, maybe shorter. She had on espadrilles with a 3 inch wedge that flexed her calf muscle. She looked incredibly sexy in a strapless dress that wrapped around her curves, making her waist look small and her cleavage more prominent on top. The dress had a Hawaiian pattern that was predominantly red making her skin tones warmer than usual. She had on just enough makeup to look young, fresh and beautiful. Her hair was down and her makeup subtle. House wanted to kick himself for not taking advantage of her non-verbal offer that night.

She saw him. ***

I love parties because I love to listen in on the unspoken conversations that go back and forth between people in social settings. I have fun just figuring out who is having an affair, who is disliked and who is courting whom just by reading their body language.

The night of the party I wanted everyone to see me as just a woman to calm their fears. But I wanted them to see me as a desirable woman. Why not?

The way we present ourselves at social events is all based on the primal instinct to mate. If you want to be noticed, you have to understand that. All men and women are hard-wired to mate even when they aren't consciously thinking about mating. When I dress for a party, I play up what is already naturally ingrained in a man's primal brain. It's a commodity and I use it to my advantage.

When I first researched mating I was sure that I was going to discover that the most important physical female characteristic that attracts a man are our breasts. But they aren't, they're not even second. A male will unconsciously check your waist to hip ratio within the first few seconds of seeing you. He may say that he's attracted to your breasts, your hips, your legs, but checking out the waist is the first thing that the male is hard-wired to do. Why? Fertility. If you are pregnant already then you don't have a waist and he knows to move on if he wants to pass on his seed. If a woman is older, past child-bearing years, she tends to put on weight around the waistline indicating that she is no longer fertile. He moves on.

The most recent studies have indicated that as long as the waist to hip ratio is below 1.0 you have a great chance at attracting the attention of a man. The average centerfold is 0.67 and mine is 0.73. Even if a woman is overweight, as long as she has a waist to hip ratio lower than 1.0, the man pays attention. Doesn't necessarily go home with him, but will at least give her another glance.

Humans are attracted to bright colors, especially fruity colors. The berries, the apples, the yellows of bananas. Bright colors arouse our attention just like peacocks. If you want to attact a man, forget black, wear colors, at least on top. It is your plumage.

Our bodies are symmetrical. If you do something to add asymmetry to your body, it attracts attention and catches the eye because the unusual is more intriguing than the norm. For example, wear a pin on one side of your chest, it makes you slightly asymmetrical. This even goes for parts in your hair. A side part is asymmetrical and will be noticed quicker than one down the center of your hair.

Now let's talk hair. Bangs bring out the eyes and provide a color contrast to your face to draw attention there. I do have bangs, wispy blonde bangs that frame my eyes and bring attention to them since, other than waist, eyes are the second physical attribute that a man focuses on (and we thought it was breasts!)

To accentuate your eyes and to make them feminine you have to try and arch the eybrow. Male brows hug the top of the eye orbit making the eyes look more deeply set. This gives the male a serious, authoritative look. But a woman's eyebrow naturally runs higher and rounder than a male. We show more flesh between the eyebrow and the eye and this makes our eyes look more shallow and less broody than the male. Because our eyebrows are higher they help suggest eagerness, happiness and "wide-eyed" innocence. If we want to mate we have to put out a non-verbal signal that says, "I'm harmless-I'm friendly".

Shall we talk shoes? The most attractive shoes to a male are those that reveal your ankles, toes, flesh. Even a slightly elevated heel will enhance the shape of your bottom and firm the lower legs. High heels shift the center of gravity forward, causing a compensatory forward lean. This causes our rears to protrude an additional 25 percent...and a lifted protruding booty says "fertile" to a man.

I have tried several perfumes and have read studies from the olfactory institutes around the world. My favorite perfumes are spicy like Obsession, Amarige, and Shalimar. Strangely, in one very important olfactory study, it was discovered that men believed that women who wore spicy fragrances were twelve pounds lighter than women in other fragrances. However, floral-fruity fragrances are great attention getters because they say "friendly" and "I'm edible. " So depending on whether you want to be thin or eaten, you can go either spicy or fruity. I've personally found that I get the most compliments from both sexes when I wear the three fragrances I mentioned earlier and they're all spices. Tonight I am wearing Obsession by Calvin Klein because of the vanilla notes in it. It says, I'm thin, now eat me.

The study of mating was my passion in my twenties. Part of my curiosity was why Sterling wanted me over all the women he could have screwed. After spending my doctorate studying mating I still didn't know. He never touched another woman, not even my mother, after our first night together.

So, now you know why I wore my red Hawaiian patterned dress that wraps at my waist. I have on three inch espadrillas to emphasize the flesh on my feet and the calves of my legs. I suspect my butt is sticking out more because of the heels. My hair is down and my long bangs are framing my eyes. My lips are pink to draw attention to them. I've outlined my eyes in brown and put on mascara. The eyebrows have been properly groom to say..."I'm harmless."

I'm ready for my closeup.

*** Persephone didn't arrive until an hour after the party started. She walked in and started to greet those doctors that she had already met. She also stopped to meet some doctors that she hadn't had a chance to chat with yet. She made her way to the Tikki bar out on the deck, grabbed a Mojito and started to mingle again. Sephi was laughing at a joke when she turned around and looked into those blue eyes.

House made his way over and leaned towards her. She immediately bent back away from him, almost falling over. He reached around her, grabbed another beer off the bar, smiled and walked off. That SOB, who had the guts to invite him? Probably Lisa or Cameron, they both have marshmallow filling when it comes to him.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Where was Giovanni when she needed him? Giovanni would protect her from Gregory House. He'd charm him into leaving the party. But Giovanni had decided to go to Italy alone this time, leaving Sephi in charge of the new asset. Giovanni had been acting strange lately, not his usual self. *** When it was time to eat, I gratefully grabbed a chair at Lisa's table. Lisa was sitting with Dr. Wilson, whom I had taken to lunch when I first arrived at the hospital. "Mind if I sit here?" They looked at each other with a strange look of foreboding. If I hadn't already committed to joining them by sitting my plate and drink on the table, I would have excused myself to eat somewhere else. But they recovered and Dr. Wilson stood up and kindly said, "Yes, of course, please have a seat. I sat down and quickly realized that someone else was sitting at the table because there was an extra plate of food and drink next to Dr. Wilson.

I saw the tabasco sauce bottle first and then I looked up to see who had just planted it on the table. It was Gregory House and he had a sardonic smile on his face. Now I understood why they had looked so frightened. I wasn't going to let him get the better of me and I wasn't going to run. Sterling used to torture me in front of people at dinners we attended by grilling me on current events and other topics of conversation. If I couldn't answer his questions he would look to his cronies and lament that I was just a poor ignorant girl from Ohio, what could they expect? He did this once in front of Rob Lowe at a fund raiser and I was so embarrassed I ran to the rest room. He was furious, "Persephone, when you are older you are going to encounter horrible events and nasty people who are going to make you want to run away, but if you do, they win. You must never let them win and you must never run away. Deal with it face to face." I met Rob Lowe ten years later and he remembered the entire incident because I had run away. I realized that had I stayed and ignored Sterling as usual, it would have been forgotten and people would have gone on with their meals.

"Dr. House." I said in greeting. But he just looked at me as if he couldn't believe I had the guts to address him let alone sit down at his table. He blinked, shook his head and sat down by Dr. Wilson.

Lisa tried to start a friendly conversation, "Did anyone see that series on Rome?"

I followed her lead, "I wanted to, my favorite era is early Roman history. They were so brilliant at everything they did."

House stopped eating and looked at me, " That's because Rome didn't become great by having meetings or parties, they did it by killing all those who opposed them, something you're familiar with."

I stopped chewing my food and looked at him. He smiled at me.

"HOUSE!" Lisa gave him a look of a mother chastising her child.

He looked from Lisa back to me, "Since coming to PPTH you've taken something right out of the Roman playbook haven't you?

"What's that?" I knew he was baiting me.

"Something along the lines of the beatings will continue until morale improves.' But then, you know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed, try management."

Wilson said very slowly and with a growl, "Hooouuussee."

House continued, he looked at Wilson and said, "What? I look around me Wilson and see mediocrity, see Dr. Jeffries over there, twice he's left clamps in patients and sewn them up. Dr. Danson didn't catch tuberculosis in a patient until he had given it to his entire family. What about Dr. McKennit in your department and his failure to diagnose that melanoma? It seems that doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security."

"Dr. House, I never said you weren't brilliant at what you do. I..." I was trying to make peace at the table before it got too bad but he interrupted.

"...Dr. Camden, don't worry, by letting me go you've simply sent an important message to everyone at the hospital, eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."

I felt myself starting to pull back, get up and run but Sterling's proverbial hand was on my shoulder and I relaxed and stayed put. "Dr. House, I really am sorry for having to let you go, but I asked you to help me find a way to keep you and rather than help, you chose to be offended that I had even suggested you should go. I wish we could have worked something out." I continued to eat my dinner.

He was almost done with his plate, "See Wilson, PPTH is like a septic tank: All the biggest lumps eventually rise to the top."

Once again he looked at me...this time I smiled, "Dr. House, you remind me of sperm, you both have a one in a million chance of becoming human."

This time we both smiled at each other. Lisa looked at Dr. Wilson and he shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Well Sephi, if God is merciful he won't allow you to breed."

"Well Greg, apparently you got into the gene pool when the lifeguard wasn't watching."

He almost laughed but didn't. "Ah yes, but at least I don't have a room temperature I.Q."

"I don't know, you're so dense light bends around you."

"Sephi, Sephi, you're one neuron short of a synapse."

"You amaze me Dr. House, you set such low personal standards and then you consistently fail to achieve them."

"OK...now you two stop before I have to use my cattle prod on both of you." Lisa was holding up her plastic fork and jabbing it towards us.

I started to laugh at her and so did House. Lisa and Wilson carried on the conversation while House and I occasionally stole glances of each other as we finished our meals. I downed by third Mojito and House sipped his whiskey.

***

After an hour of regular Karaoke the D.J. picked up two lists. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our first contest of the evening. This is the Department list at PPTH, each department head will be called up to sing a song picked from this list by the person who sings the song before them. If they don't know the song, they have to fake it. The person picking gets one minute to choose. The department head who wins gets a gift certificate to take your entire department to Triumph's for lunch. Ok, the last person on this list is Dr. James Wilson of Oncology. Since he is last, he gets to pick the song for the first Department head, Dr. Victor Taggart. Our judges will be Lisa Cuddy, Niki Pastor and Dr. Paul Malloy, all on the Board of Directors. The criteria isn't just a good singing voice, you only get 25 points out of 100 for staying in tune, the rest is delivery. If you deliver the song better than anyone else, then you win."

House leaned in and whispered in Wilson's ear. Wilson smiled. Wilson went up and looked through the list and found it. He handed the list to the D.J. and pointed to the song. "Ok, Dr. Taggart, you get to sing, "I Feel Pretty."

Taggart glared at House who just smiled, "Don't look at me Taggart, Wilson picked the song."

Everyone died laughing as Taggart, a fairly plain-looking man, began to sing his heart out..."I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feet pretty and witty and gay...." The howls were heard all over Katmandu.

A few others went up and then he said, "The next is Dr. Gregory House of Diagnostics."

Everyone went quiet. House looked across the courtyard at Sephi to see if she was going to stop him, instead she shrugged her shoulders. He went up to the mike. The song picked for him was, "I Will Survive." Everyone laughed. He sang it in his best torch song voice and at the end everyone actually clapped for him.

"Ok, we have Administration, but Lisa Cuddy is a judge and cannot sing so Dr. Cuddy, is your boss here?"

Everyone turned and looked at Sephi..."Oh no, I can't..." The D.J. and the entire room egged her on and refused to let anyone else take her place.

The D.J. told her, "The entire administration staff is counting on you. Come on Ms. Camden."

Sephi went up, cringing because she knew House was going to pick the song. As soon as he did she wanted to sit back down, but Sterling's hand on her shoulder kept her frozen in front of the mike.

The D.J. announced the song, "High Flying Adored. This is the abbreviated version so are you ready?"

"But this song has a male and a female?"

"Tough, you've got to fake it, ready?"

Sephi nodded yes,

(Male)

High flying adored, so young the instant queen

A rich beautiful thing of all the talents A cross between

A fantasy of the bedroom and a saint And you were just a backstreet girl hustling and fighting scratching and biting

High flying adored did you believe in your wildest moments all this would be yours that you'd become the lady of them all?

Were there stars in your eyes when you crawled in at night From the bars, from the sidewalks from the gutter theatrical

Don't look down its a long long way to fall

High flying adored what happens now where do you go from here?

For someone on top of the world the view's not exactly clear

A shame you did it all at twenty-six There are no mysteries now Nothing can thrill you no one fulfill you

(Female)

High flying adored That's good to know, but unimportant

My story's quite usual local girl makes good, weds famous man

I was stuck in the right place at the perfect time Filled a gap, I was lucky but one thing I'll say for me No one else can fill it like I can.

She sang the last two stanzas directly at House. The entire audience was impressed, her voice was clear and pretty. It wasn't Broadway worthy, but it certainly beat out everyone who came before her. Lisa was cringing the whole way through, realizing the humiliation that Sephi must be feeling having to sing the lyrics of the song. But at the end of the song, everyone appreciated the fact that she had sucked it up and sang it well. They gave her a rousing round of applause. Even House applauded.

The contest went to Dr. James Wilson who had a beautiful voice and was given the song, "Sexual Healing." He was drunk enough to give a few bumps and grinds and was so out of character that he stole the show.

As the evening was winding down Sephi thought that the party had been a great success and was patting herself on the back and swaying to the music. She had stepped away from the crowd towards the deck rail to get some air. She was humming the slow song the D.J. was playing, "Fallin'" when she looked to her right just in time to see House staring at her. He had been sipping on a few whiskeys for the last hour but wasn't quite a stumbling drunk yet.

She held her breath as he made his way over to her. Sephi looked around wondering if she could take off gracefully. She started to back up and managed to get around to the back side of the Tikki bar when he finally cornered her and trapped her exit with his cane.

"Dr. House, you shouldn't even be here, please go back to your table before I have you escorted out by security."

"I'm a guest of one of your doctors."

She looked at him intensely, "Well, no matter what, please leave me alone."

"You're not my boss anymore. I don't have to do anything that you say and this isn't sexual harassment, it's just harassment." House placed his cane on the deck rail and then placed his right hand on the upper part of her waist, just below her breast and his left hand came up to hold her head still. He leaned in and as he did Sephi tried to pull away or kick him but House used his body to pin her up against the wall. He opened his mouth just slightly and went in to kiss her lips. She could feel his arousal and started worrying that someone might see them. She was trying to bring her knee up into his groin but his full weight was pressing her up against the backside of the Tikki bar. He managed to get his lips on hers and his mouth was just slightly opened and his tongue started to part her lips. She could smell the whiskey and the warmth of his face. His hand inched up to touch the underside of her breast. His thumb came up and brushed her left nipple sending a chill down her spine.

He pulled away slightly and she whispered to him, "Stop this...stop this, please stop this."

He looked down into her eyes and could see she wanted him off of her and that she really did want him to stop. He pulled back, grabbed his cane and went in search of a drink. Sephi slid down the wall of the Tikki bar and onto the deck. She wasn't sure what she was feeling and needed few moments to collect her thoughts.

*** My mind was racing, "That arrogant b@st@rd, who does he think he is? I'm Persephone Camden and he's the jerk I just fired. How dare he even touch me. Crap, I can't believe I feel...oh, I feel strange...it was battery, don't forget that, it was assault and battery. I should have him arrested. Oh, man. I can't believe it, I feel like I need something...I don't understand him. He looked at me and he stopped because I asked him to. No man has ever stopped when I asked him to stop...why did he?"

I straightened my clothing and came around from the back of the bar. I didn't see him so I made my way over to Lisa Cuddy and said my goodbyes. I climbed into my car and Guido drove me home but I was haunted. He scared me. He actually looked at me and seem to care about what I wanted. Why? He's a man and men take, they don't care what you want.

The drive was one of the longest in my life but I was excited to see Giovanni's Ferrari in the driveway. Guido let me out and I almost ran full speed inside to see him. He was watching television with a glass of Cognac in his hand. He looked up and smiled sweetly at me. He patted the sofa next to him and I crawled up next to him. He put his arm around me. He started to speak in Italian, "This house is small, why did you buy it?"

"It's 5,250 square feet, I don't need more room for just me. You're only here a few days a month, if that. This way I don't need a live-in maid. I can get weekly help and I like that, I don't like having live-in help when you aren't around. Besides we're just going to sell it in a year."

"But who's going to cook for me?" Giovanni was concerned.

"What? You don't like my cooking?" I asked.

"I love your cooking, but you'll be at the hospital." He said soberly.

"Does this mean you're staying here, with me?"

"For a month or two." He coughed a little and then took a drink of Cognac.

I was delighted. I had missed Giovanni's company. He was not only kind to me but he was funny and interesting. "Well then, if you're staying, I'll hire someone to come in and live with us. Giovanni, I'm so glad you're staying. It's been over a year since we spent any real time together."

"I know, that's why I'm here, I missed you too."

I realized in that moment that I did love my husband. Not the way most women love their spouses, but we were good companions and he had picked me up when I was at a low point in my life. He looked tired though. I cuddled up to him and realized he was on fire.

"Giovanni! You're sick. What's going on?"

"My niece had the flu and she gave it to me."

"Oh sweetie, you should be asleep."

"I've been sleeping all day. Can you get me an aspirin, I have a horrible headache."

Giovanni was a typical male, he never took any medication unless he was in dire straights. I jumped up and got him some Excedrin, but I was worried.

"Giovanni, you need to drink water, not Cognac. Give that to me and I'll get you a bottle of water."

"Just take my joy away." He gave me the glass and then started coughing. Giovanni had been coughing for over a year, but the cough sounded dryer, meaner. I always worried when Giovanni coughed because he had terrible asthma as a child and his lungs were not in the best shape. I smiled reassuringly at him but he was having trouble keeping his eyes open because they burned and ached from the fever. I instructed Guido to go buy me a thermometer.

While Guido was gone, Giovanni complained of being nauseated and having some pains around his lungs. The more I heard, the more I wanted to take him to PPTH. Guido arrived with the digital thermometer and I got Giovanni to put it in his mouth. His temperature was 103 F and that was after he had taken Excedrin, which probably brought his fever down. I told Guido to get ready, we were taking Giovanni to the hospital.

"NO, I will not go to the hospital."

"Giovanni, I know you don't like being sick, but you are seriously sick and we have to get you into the hospital."

"NO."

"Giovanni, look at my face. You know I will not accept no as an answer...you see it in my face, don't you?"

"Yes." He was looking at me with his glazed eyes and I could see he was giving into the fact that he was going to lose this battle. There were very few times that I overruled Giovanni. He said he could tell when he would lose the battle from the look of determination I gave him. He started to get up to go but then fell towards the couch. Guido and I caught him and managed to get him into the car.

When we arrived at the emergency room I called Lisa Cuddy. She was asleep, having gone to bed half an hour ago when she got home.

"Lisa, Giovanni is in PPTH. He's seriously ill. I want you to assign the best doctors to him."

"Giovanni Potente?" Lisa realized now who she was speaking to, "Ok, ok, put the attending on."

I gave the attending my cell phone and he walked away to have a private conversation. When he came back he said, "Dr. Cuddy wants to talk to you."

"I'm coming in, I'll be there in less than an hour. I'm calling Drs. Chase, Cameron and Foreman in to handle this. I just hope one of them is sober."

It occurred to me that she was right, except for the doctors who had worked that day, most of the doctors had been at the party. I remembered her telling me one thing. ***

When House left Sephi at the party he went in search of a drink, but decided against it. He didn't want one, he wanted to go home. He found Wilson who was chatting up another young female doctor.

"Can we go?" House asked.

"Right now? Right this minute?"

"Is my English that bad? Excuse me, I'll clarify it for you, I WANT TO GO HOME."

Wilson was frustrated, he had just found a pretty, single woman who was funny and sweet and he wanted to get to know her.

She patted his arm, "I'd love to go out with you ...what about Friday?"

He was glad that she was a mind reader because it meant that he didn't have to make a quick and fumbling attempt to get her phone number and ask if he could call her sometime.

"Friday is good." He said as he watched her write down her name, phone number and address.

House was twirling his cane as he watched them exchange information. He started walking towards the parking lot and Wilson caught up to him. "Thanks House, another half hour would have been nice."

"What are you moaning about, you're going out with her on Friday."

"I was bored. I want to get home and go to bed."

"Yes, master." Wilson gave up.

As they were driving home Wilson was telling him about the young doctor and how impressed he was with her frankness and down to earth sensibilities. House just rolled his eyes.

"So what did you do? Are you drunk?"

"I was, but I'm sobering up, that's why I want to sleep, I'm getting a hangover."

"God, I hate when the hangover begins before the night is even over. What a buzz kill."

They got back to House's apartment and he literally crashed onto his bed and fell asleep.

*** "Well I don't care how many tests you ran, run some more." Lisa was waving her hands at the three doctors sitting in her office.

"Cuddy, he's been on almost every continent, in conditions that could make Superman sick and he's running a high fever, has a bad cough, chest pains and nausea. Gee, that could fit just about any virus or bacterial infection. We've been running the obvious ones but it's hard. He has asthma, the asthma improved as he got older, but this illness is bringing it back with a vengence." Foreman told her.

Cameron spoke up and sighed with frustration, "Until we can figure it out, we've got him on a wide spectrum antibiotic. We need to put him in an ice bath. His fever is up to 106 f."

"Well, don't stand here, go do it and start running tests for Strep, Staph and any other bacterial condition you can think of that fit the profile...Sephi said his niece was over and she had the flu, are we sure it's not the flu?"

"We're spinning the sample to run the tests as we speak." Cameron assured her.

As they left Chase's face was contemplative. He wasn't sure they were on the right track but this was the most logical methodology for ruling illnesses out.

***

I was frantic, they admitted to me that his symptoms fit several diseases but that the tests for many of them would take days to run. The x-rays had come back that he had ulcers in his lungs. His fever was high and his liver and spleen were swollen. I started calling his New York and Roman doctors and sending them his test results and his stats. They all told me that Chase, Cameron and Foreman were on the right track, that they were doing what they would do if they were at PPTH treating him. I had a nagging feeling that I wasn't calling the right person.

Lisa came in and checked his vitals, it was obvious that she was tired and worried. She looked at me and wanted to say something. I could tell from her body language that whatever she wanted to say, she didn't think I wanted to hear it.

"Lisa, I'm too tired to play games. It's 9:00 p.m. and I've slept maybe four hours on that chair. If you have something to say, say it."

"I'll have them bring in a rollaway for you. We've been testing him all day, looking at this from all the normal angles. We need someone who thinks outside the box."

"You want to call in House don't you?" I was so worried and tired, I wasn't even mad at her for bringing up her pet project, besides she was probably right.

"He's your best chance...this is what he does best. Your husband is getting worse despite the antibiotics."

I looked at her and kept shaking my head no but I knew it was useless. We needed a miracle. "Ok, let's do it."

"I'll go over and ask him...." Cuddy started to leave, but Sephi interrupted.

"He told me it was going to cost me to bring him back. He wants a pound of flesh from me, not you. I need to be the one to go beg or he'll just tell you to send me. Give me his address."

I still had my party dress on so I used the time and went home to clean up and put on fresh clothes. I put on a skirt, peasant blouse, some ballerina-style shoes and grabbed my purse. I told Guido that I would take the Maserati. It was 10:00 p.m., I just hoped he was home.

I pulled up to the apartment listed on the piece of paper in front of me and could see a light on in the apartment. I was hoping that this was a sign that he was home.

I walked over and took a deep breath. I knocked on his door and could hear a piano playing. It stopped and I heard the piano bench scoot back and footsteps come to the door. I heard the door unlatch and open as his head popped out. He had a second day's growth to his beard and he was in a pair of sleeping shorts and a t-shirt. He looked very sexy in a bed-head way. I could tell he was surprised to see me there but not shocked.

"I thought you'd send Cuddy. Come on in."

I walked in and looked around. He had a lot of musical instruments and a nice leather couch and chair. There were book cases all over and they were full of texts and hardbacks. He sat down in the leather chair and used the remote to turn on the stereo. It was Eric Clapton's new album but he had it turned down to a comfortable pitch.

"I've come here..."

"Your husband is sick and they don't know what it is or how to treat him." He looked me up and down, "Cameron has been calling every thirty minutes and leaving voice messages. I was waiting for Cuddy to come over. I was going to tell her to send you. I see you short circuited that problem. It's a shame, I wanted to see her beg."

"I knew you would only want to talk to me. What do you want to come back?"

"What makes you think I want to come back? I've had offers."

"The CDC wants you. Yeah, I know. Don't play games House, I'm too tired, I know you want to come back, so what will it take?"

He smirked, "I want my department back with full benefits, as if nothing happened. I get six weeks vacation a year. I want a new LED 40" television for my office, an increase in my budget by 50% and just one more, little thing."

She didn't care what he asked for, if he could diagnose Giovanni, it was worth it, besides she was sure he was going to ask for her car.

"I want you to have sex with me."

***

I was sure that I had heard wrong and he was asking for something else. "Excuse me?"

"Sex, I was told that you treat sex as a commodity. You use it to get what you want. I want sex with you and you want something from me."

I couldn't argue with him. I had used my body to get what I wanted and now he was just giving me a taste of my own medicine. I wasn't really surprised because I had heard that House hired hookers from time to time. He obviously believed that sex was a commodity.

But this was different, except for the years with Sterling, whenever I used my body it was on MY terms.

My cell phone rang and it was Lisa.

"Hello?"

"Is he coming?" Lisa asked.

"We're still negotiating."

"Well you better seal the deal, your husband just had a mild heart attack."

I hung up. "Alright I agree to do it, but you have to come to the hospital now, he just had a heart attack."

"I don't think so. There's no guarantee that you'll follow through."

"House please, he's very sick." House said nothing so I finally said, "Ok, it's a deal. I'll draw up the papers on your job requests when we get to the hospital." I bit my lip, "Now, where's your bedroom?"

We went back to the bedroom and he threw himself on the bed and turned to look at me. His bedroom reminded me of a frat house, I was just hoping the sheets were clean, but I doubted it.

"Undress for me." He ordered and then turned on some jazz.

I took off my blouse and revealed my new deep purple lace bra. It had a lavender ruffle around the edge.

"Nice." He remarked.

***I took off my skirt and he gave me a signal to continue. I reached behind and unlatched my bra, taking it off to reveal my breasts. For the first time in my life I felt modest. I wanted to grab my bra and put it back on but I took a deep breath as he pulled his shirt and t-shirt over his head. He was sitting there in just his shorts.

"Come over here." I walked to the side of the bed. He looked directly at my breasts and then up into my eyes. He reached up and pulled me down onto the bed and into his arms. He cradled me and kissed me while his hand played with my left breast. He slipped me onto the bed and then pulled my panties down with a look of appreciation. He started running his hand up my calf, knee, thigh and between my legs. He rolled back and took off his shorts to reveal a very aroused Gregory House.

I said nothing but I opened my legs and he moved on top of me. House was about to enter me, when I closed my eyes. I was back in my bed as a teenager and Sterling had come into my room. He was telling me to take my clothes off and lay back down. I remember it being quiet except for the sounds he made while on top of me. I was trying not to look at Sterling's face, it was contorted as he moved inside of me. Sterling would then sit up, put on his shorts, his robe and leave the room. I would lay back and cry.

I couldn't help it but a damn tear fell down from my eye to the bed. House pulled back and looked down at me with confusion. He hesitated. I tried to speak but my voice was choking up, "Let's get this over with."

He hesitated but then he started to kiss my breasts and my neck. When I couldn't look at him and turned my head to the side, he stopped, rolled over and then sat up. He reached down and put his shorts on.

He looked at me,"Get out."

"But we had a deal..." I knew if I didn't do this he would back out on our agreement.

"GET OUT!"

I put on my skirt and blouse, grabbed my panties and bra and looked at him to plead with him but he got up, walked past me into his bathroom and closed the door. I didn't know what to do so I left and drove back to the hospital. I walked in and saw Giovanni hooked up to oxygen and more intravenous medicine, I sat down and put my head on his bed, I kept going over and over what just happened, I wanted to go to sleep. A few minutes later I saw Lisa come running in.

I shook my head in sorrow, "I couldn't get him to come."

"What do you mean? He just showed up in my office, he's talking to his team."

*** House looked at the x-rays and test results. " Well, he has hilar lymphadenopathy with diffuse nodular infiltrates." He picked up his chart, "His platelet count is less than 70,000 and his alkaline phosphatase levels are elevated." House looked out into space, "I need to ask his wife a few questions."

They went up to the ward and he saw her sitting by Giovanni's bedside. He was too engrossed in the puzzle to worry about what she was thinking. She looked up at him and then down at the ground. "Your husband, tell me again where he's been in the last two years."

"The last two years? He's been a lot of places." He gave her a look to continue, "He's been to Iraq, China, Taiwan, Hawaii, Italy, England, Sweden, Canada but mostly around the United States."

"Where in the US?"

"New York, Philadephia, Princeton, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, Honolulu..."

"When was he in New Orleans?"

I tried to think, I was so tired it was hard to remember, "A year ago."

"Why?" House asked urgently.

"The hospital we own down in New Orleans flooded during Katrina and he was reviewing the damage. It was so bad that they demolished it."

House turned to Cameron, "Get a blood and sputum culture, check for Histoplasma capsulatum. Start him on Itraconazole 200 mg PO qd, continue the anti-biotics and get him a surgical consult." House turned to leave the room.

"That's it? You've figured it out in twenty minutes?" Sephi was bewildered.

House turned around and looked at her, "That's right and just think if you hadn't fired me he would have been diagnosed yesterday when he was brought in. We have a diagnosis now but it's too late, your husband is dying."

Lisa's eyes got big and she went over to Sephi.

Sephi looked at Lisa and then back to House, "Is that true? Is he really going to die?" Lisa shrugged her shoulders.

House left. As he was walking down the hall he felt her hand on his arm yank him around. "YOU son of a b!tch...don't walk out when I ask you a question. ARE you telling me the truth, is Giovanni dying?"

House looked at her and realized she did care about her husband. His assumption that Giovanni was a huge meal ticket was wrong. She was going to grieve for him just as most wives grieve for their husbands. House felt sheepish, he realized how harsh he had been.

His voice was quieter and softer, "Yes, he's going to die. Even if we manage to get rid of the fungus in his system, his lungs have inoperable damage, his adrenal glands have shut down, he has overwhelming sepsis and his system is too compromised for him to survive."

She started crying. "Were you telling me the truth? If we had caught it yesterday he might have had a chance?"

House looked her in the eye. "I was telling the truth, he wouldn't have sepsis, we had a good chance to save him."

The impact of what he said took Sephi's breath away and she started to feel dizzy. House watched as she fell to the floor in front of him, hitting her head with a thud. Lisa ran over to her and looked up at House, "What did you tell her?"

"I just told her that she killed her husband. I'm going home, see you tomorrow." House stepped over Sephi on the way out the door. *** Sephi eventually went back into the room to be with Giovanni. The next day more and more doctors arrived and the decision was made that he was too weak for them to perform surgery on him. The tests came back positive for H. Capsulatum. Sephi told the team that she wanted to see House.

"Persephone Camden wants your presence in her husband's room." Cameron said.

House was moving his stuff back in...he laughed at Cameron, "You're the third person to tell me that. Is he dead yet?"

"Almost."

"Well, when he's dead she can come find me."

Chase chimed in, "House, she looks horrible. She hasn't slept in days, she's not eating and she feels incredibly guilty. Come to think of it, so do I. We should have figured it out. If we had, he might be recovering and not dying." Chase's voice revealed that he was upset.

"Yep, three years and you guys haven't learned anything." House found it funny that they were all depressed.

"We spend our wheels for 40 hours and you figured it out in half an hour." Chase said.

"Yep, that's why they pay me the big bucks."

House sat down and looked up at the entire team. He saw her come through the door. The team backed out, somewhat embarrassed that they hadn't diagnosed her husband in time. House was tossing his ball in the air.

Sephi reached out and swiped the ball out of the air when it was in free fall. "I realized after waiting several hours that you weren't going to come up, so I have come down to your level."

He smiled at the jab. He took a good look at her. She still had on the clothes she was wearing when they had...well, whatever they had. Her hair was in a braid in the back, her eyes were swollen and red and she was obviously distraught. House felt crappy about not going up to see her. What was it about his woman? She could fire him, tease him, humiliate him and he still felt attracted to her.

"Well, you've found me, now what?'

She sat down across from him. "Tell me how you figured it out."

He wasn't sure he wanted to tell her how he figured it out. It was like a magician revealing his secrets, as long as the world didn't know, he was brilliant. Once you showed people how you do it, they loose interest and begin to think they could do it too.

"You haven't followed through on your promise." House told her.

She froze and looked at him, started shaking her head and stuttering, "I, I, uh,uh made a promise...I'll honor it."

He realized that she thought he meant the sex. He would have let her squirm but she was already stressed out from her husband's imminent death.

"Good, you said you'd put the terms about my job in writing when you got back to the hospital, I haven't seen it yet." He watched the anxiety slip away and a faint smile come over her face. "Histoplasmosis is endemic in the Mississippi Valley. He was probably exposed when he went into the wet humid environment of the flooded hospital. There has been an increase in cases down there since Katrina. I reviewed his lab results and medical history. Your husband's asthma made him more susceptible. It developed into chronic histoplasmosis last year and when he did get the flu from his niece, it developed into overwhelming acute histoplasmosis. His system was too weak to deal with the fallout."

"That's how you do it? You're like Sherlock Holmes, aren't you? Cuddy was right, you are a genius at what you do." She looked away as if she was thinking about what he had said. She started to get up. As she did she leaned across the desk, "But, let's get one thing straight, I'm still your boss and when I tell you to come and see me, you come and see me. Capite? " she gave him a stern look of authority, walked out to the elevator and went back to her husband's side.

House didn't say anything he just stared at the empty space that she had occupied. He couldn't figure her out. Did she cry when she had sex with everyone or just him? Did she really think it was going to be that bad with him? Did she find him that repulsive? Was it the scar?

Giovanni died two hours later and was immediately whisked out of the hospital, embalmed and put on a plane to Rome. The knives were out. His sons and daughter immediately moved to freeze the Potente estate in Italy. Luckily the apartment in Rome was in Sephi's name and so the government refused to kick Sephi out of it. Potente Enterprises was the USA branch of the Potente empire. The remainder of his assets were under Potente Incorporato. Sephi was weary, here we go again.

Sephi allowed Giovanni's children plan his funeral but insisted that she sit in the first pew where wives sit. They were not happy with this because in their eyes his father was not divorced. The Catholic church doesn't recognize divorce. The children insisted that their mother was the true wife and Sephi was just a high priced whore. In the end, Sephi got her way and she not only sat in the first pew but in the first limo to the graveyard in Casserta where he was entombed with his family.

Giovanni had left Sephi all of his shares in Potente Enterprises, worth $34 million dollars. The children and first wife were to split the Potente Incorporato shares and receive all of the Italian real estate, except Sephi's apartment in Rome. They would end up with an equal amount of money, approximately $33 million dollars. They weren't happy but the lawyers quickly told them that if they contested the America portion of his trust and estate, they would lose the Italian asset as well, it was a part of Giovanni's trust and will that if anyone contested his wishes, they would lose everything. Things were settled quickly and Sephi washed her hands of the children and first wife.

Sephi quickly realized that she didn't want to take over Giovanni's place as President of the corporation. She would sit on the Board of Directors and vote her majority shares (67% of the shares) but she would continue what she did best and allow Antonio Capone to run the corporation. Giovanni and Antonio had grown up together and Giovanni had trusted Antonio like a brother.

After six months of putting all of this in place, Sephi took a vacation in Costa Rica and then returned to Princeton to decide whether or not she should finish her time and work in Princeton. She spent time walking Princeton, stepping solidly in the crunch of the snow and making her way through the cold grey campus and town. She was lost, she wasn't sure what the next chapter was, what it should be. Giovanni had given her boundaries, direction, and companionship.

***

I guess I was clinically depressed. I wasn't sleeping and eating was done sporadically. Guido kept complaining that I looked like a "scheletro", a skeleton. I wondered why I was feeling his loss so deeply? Giovanni and I did not have a conventional marriage and yet I truly missed him. He was the first to recognize my abilities and strengths and put them to use. He encouraged me to live my life, enjoy it. We rarely had sex because he liked things I couldn't or wouldn't do for him. But we enjoyed the warmth of each other, the cuddling, the feeling of a deep friendship. Now I had none of that in my life. I had no friend, no husband, and no direction.

I came back to Princeton because I knew it was a job left undone and that bothered me. But when I first arrived I didn't have the energy to go back and face the decisions I would have to make. PPTH hadn't suffered, it was still in the black, but it was slipping and at some point I would either have to sell the asset while it was in the black or go in and make the changes I needed to make.

I was in the bookstore on Nassau Street, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the Italian Vogue when I saw two tennis shoes and a cane standing next to my table. I wasn't ready for this, he was a reminder of my failure to save Giovanni. I looked up and noted the corduroy jacket, scarf and headphones, which were now resting on his shoulders.

"When did you get back?" He asked without fanfare.

"A month ago." He kept sizing me up.

"I haven't seen you in the hospital."

"I haven't been to the hospital."

He abruptly walked away and over to the counter. He ordered a cup of something and brought it back to my table, put it down and took the chair across from me.

"I was kind of hoping to have this time to myself." I told him.

He glared at her, "You've had too much time to yourself. You look like crap." He was blunt as usual.

I just tightened my lips and shook my head at him. I was too worn down to reply. I did note that his eyes must have gotten bluer. They felt like ice on my skin and I wanted to ask him to shut his eyes so I could think.

"I read that you kicked the kids to the curb."

"Not really. I gave them what their Dad wanted them to have, the European assets. I took the American ones. How is Lisa?"

"Fine. So how rich are you?"

"None of your business."

He looked at me with a funny squint, "I'm just wondering how big a raise I should ask for."

"Don't push your luck Dr. House, I may have made a deal with the devil but I still have a few tricks in my book and I'm not afraid to fire you again. I don't have anyone left in my life that I need saved by using your talents." I paused, tired, frustrated, I drew in a breath, "How is your leg? I see you're in more pain than usual." I could read it in his face and body language that today was an exceptionally painful day.

"Someone had my Vicodin connection fired and Cuddy had him blacklisted around here. Now she's being chintzy with my meds."

I had to chuckle, he really was a piece of work. "Something tells me that you'll find a new source, you're inventive, I'll give you that."

Without missing a beat he replied, "And you're miserable. You need to get laid." With that he stood up and, with his cane, walked away.

I hadn't thought of sex since that furtive attempt to have sex with him. I wonder what he thought happened that night? Knowing men, he probably thought it had something to do with him, his prowess, his looks. It wouldn't occur to him that I might be thinking of something else. I had to ask myself why it went the way it did?

I know that he dredged up the feelings I had of being powerless when I was young. I had the power to keep my mother and I housed and clothed, but I was powerless in what I had to give up to achieve it. I felt that way when House demanded sex for my husband's life. I didn't really blame him, he had heard right. I had used sex as a commodity, but it had always been me wielding the power to have sex or not. That night the power was all in House's hands.

I guess I've had a lot of time to think about this, but something in me is different. Now that I've lost Giovanni, I want so much to have someone look at me and make love to me, not just have sex, but make love to me. I want someone to reach for me because they have feelings for me, not because they just want my body. Just thinking this way makes me feel cheesy. I realize that the world doesn't work that way. That type of lovemaking is a Hollywood fantasy. But even if I couldn't get the fantasy, I wished I could just find someone who didn't see me as a piece of meat.

House was right about one thing. I needed to get laid. I read that to mean I needed to get a life, although if I think about it, House probably literally meant I needed to get laid. I walked straight from the book store to Cuddy's office. She was kind enough to come from around her desk and give me a real hug...not the socially acceptable barely touching hug that I got in New York, but a warm, sincere hug.

"How are you doing?" She asked it as if she really wanted to know.

"I need to get back to work."

"You look...thin." She was trying to be as polite as possible.

"It's ok, House told me that I look like crap."

"Well you have lost a lot of weight and your eyes are dark circles. You're probably right, getting back to work will be good for you."

"Craig is driving down from New York and should be here soon. I'll go open up the office. Can you get me the spread sheets and budget reports for the last six months."

"Sure. Hey, would you like to go out to dinner and have some drinks on Friday?"

I was shocked. I had women that I dined and lunched with but it was to get information and to stay tuned into the gossip. We never pretended that we went out because we had an affection for each other. But this offer from Cuddy was an offer of friendship. I almost started crying but I simply nodded yes.

"We'll decide on Friday where to go." she smiled warmly and went back behind her desk.

I had to get control. I had to find my armor.

*** House had been wondering where Elvis was. According to gossip, she had been back almost two weeks and he hadn't seen her come or go. He was thinking about this when the phone rang. "Greg House."

"Dr. House, this is the George Kuklas at the U.S. Attorney's office. We need for you to come down and have a chat with us about an orderly that used to work at Princeton-Plainsboro."

House swallowed hard and then mustered up all the bravado he could, "I'm busy. My job is saving lives...kind of need to keep doing it."

"You kind of need to come down to our office at 402 East State Street. You'll be meeting with me and Special Agent Janet Smith and Detective Michael Tritter."

House cursed under his breath. "Another witch hunt?"

"I don't know what you mean. We'll see you down here at the Federal building at 2:00. Good bye."

House thought about blowing it off but decided that he better not, not after what happened the last time.

House took off for Trenton at 1:30 and managed to make it to the U.S. Attorney's office by 2:00 pm. He walked in and Tritter smiled at him. Introductions were made.

"Sit down Dr. House, water?" George Kuklas asked.

House shook his head no but said nothing. He thought that maybe he should have brought an attorney, but too late now.

"Dr. House, we've been monitoring a drug dealer in New York named Sal Gaglione. Sal services some sections of southern New York and Northern New Jersey. He has a penny dealer named Ralph Staben. I think you refer to him on our tapes as Voldemort." Kuklas stopped and chuckled, "Staben moved from Princeton to New York when he was fired about six months ago from the hospital. We've had him tapped and trailed for the last year. As long as you were buying your Vicodin from him in New Jersey, we didn't care. But you slipped up. You should have made him meet you in Newark or Jersey City like his other buyers. But you actually crossed the state line into New York to buy your Vicodin. I believe you bought 300 tabs from him and then crossed the state line again into New Jersey. By doing that, you now have the attention of both the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI."

House looked at them and said, "I want an attorney."

"We haven't arrested you yet Dr. House. If you tell us about Voldemort, we may be able to make it easier on you." As he talked to House he threw photo after photo of House making the drug deal on the table. House had to go to a dive in New York last week to get his stash and the photos, grainy as they were, clearly showed him paying for the drugs and then downing some of the pills with a beer. The dive had been wired for sound and so they had House on tape asking for more than the 300 they were giving him. House was complaining about not wanting to make the drive again for a long while.

House looked at Tritter who just smiled at him. "I suppose you put them up to this." House said.

"Actually, we went to Detective Tritter. He didn't want to cooperate but we finally showed him your photos and tape and then he agreed."

House didn't like Kuklas. He was medium in height, slightly balding, with a pudgy stomach. His eyes were small and brown. His face was round and his nose was a little too large for his face. He wasn't coyote ugly, but he was close.

House stood up. "If you're going to arrest me, do it now so I can get my attorney. If you aren't then I'll be going."

They all looked at each other. They placed him under arrest because they wanted to get a subpoena to search his possessions for the drugs. If they let him go he might have time to hide or destroy them. House was taken down and booked. They took a vial of Vicodin from him. Luckily this vial had been prescribed legally by Cuddy.

In the meantime, Federal Magistrate Jake Morrow issued three subpoenas, one for House's apartment, the second for his car and the third for his office. When the FBI showed up at PPTH Cuddy was the first to intercept them. They informed her why they were there and Cuddy just closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I have to call my boss, our legal department and security to escort you." She called Sephi first.

"The FBI is here to search Houses's office for drugs."

Sephi immediately went into action, "Pretend you're talking to me and stall as long as you can." She hung up and ran down the hall to Diagnostics. She opened the door to the Presentation Room, "Where does House keep his stash?"

They all looked dumb. "COME ON FOLKS, the FBI is on its way up to look for his stash, where is it?"

They all looked at each other. Chase got up and went into his office, opened a large text book and inside was a baggy full of Vicodin, probably 200-300 pills.

"Jesus." Sephi murmured and then grabbed the bag. She saw the FBI coming. She pulled up her skirt and stuffed it down her panties and then straightened herself out, handed the hollowed text book to Chase and nodded for him to go into the presentation room. He went inside carrying the book. He put it on the shelf behind him.

"Persephone Camden, this is Attorney George Kuklas, Agent Smith from the FBI, and that is Detective Michael Tritter. " Lisa made the introductions while security stood next to the door.

"Glad to meet you." She shook hands, " What did Dr. House do?"

"He bought Vicodin in New York and brought it across state lines. Here is the subpoena for us to search his office and the outer office."

Sephi looked like she was going over it with a fine tooth comb. "It looks in order." She handed it back and then said, "Call me when you're done. I'm going to close the blinds while you do this. Please remember that this is hospital property so we expect you to treat it with respect." She and Lisa pulled the blinds and then went to Sephi's office. Sephi lifted up her skirt and pulled out the baggy.

Lisa almost screamed bloody murder. What was House thinking? "Well, this must be what they're looking for, that's a hell of a lot of Vicodin. He probably just refills my vial at work and carries it around." Lisa said.

Sephi looked at her with disappointment, "He's in jail. I'm tempted to let him rot." Sephi looked at her watch and then shook her head. "Christ, it's already 4:30 p.m. I've got to find a bail bondsman." She gave a look of frustration to Cuddy and grabbed her purse.

By the time Sephi got to Trenton it was 5:30 p.m. While she had been driving, Lisa had arranged for a bail bondsman to meet her at the jail.

Sephi got out and saw a man on the steps to the jail and knew right away he must be the bondsman, "What's the amount on the bail?" Sephi asked.

"Two million."

"TWO MILLION! You'd think he was a drug lord."

"I'll need $200,000 to get him out." the guy said while chewing bubblegum.

"Who do I make the check to?"

He had seen her drive up in a Maserati and so the fact that she could write a check for $200,000 seemed reasonable. She handed him the check and they went inside the federal jail.

She waited another hour and then she saw House, shirt, t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, no worse the wear. He looked up and when he saw her he had a look of anguish. Anguish that it had been her to come and bail him out.

He walked up to her and she looked at him for some explanation. He shrugged his shoulders and practically yelled, "I'm an addict."

They climbed into the Maserati and she turned to him, "Let's get you home...they're searching your apartment, your car and your office."

"My office? We need to get to my office."

"No, we'll go home. If you're looking for these," she pulled a baggy out of the glove compartment that sat between the two of them, "...don't worry, I found them. But now they're mine and so is your @ss."

"I haven't had Vicodin in four hours, I need a tab or the pain will become too much."

She could read his face and his body, he was telling her the truth. "Dr. House, you're going to blow out your liver one day. I can't have that. You're worth too much to the hospital and besides, Cuddy and Cameron would sulk for years if you went to prison. You can have a tab now, but when we get back to your apartment, we're going to renegotiate our previous agreement or I give the cops these and tell them where I found them. Now tell me what they said in there and don't leave anything out."

He told her everything, warts and all.

The rest of the ride was silent.

*** We went into his apartment and it was torn apart. He seemed resigned to it, like this wasn't a shock, but I was mortified. "I can't believe that they treated your personal belongings like this."

He went over to his guitar and checked it out, put it back in its case and said nothing. I took off my high heels and put my purse down. I started picking up and putting things back. I picked up some books and started climbing the step stool they had used to get things down. As I was putting them back on their shelves he looked at me from across the room. I could feel his eyes on me so I turned around.

"Want a drink?"

It was Friday night and I had nowhere to go. "What have you got?" He pointed to a shelf of liquor. I could see a bottle of Grey Goose. "Grey Goose on the rocks please."

He went and poured it for me and brought it back. It was a rather large glass and I hadn't eaten. I drank some and realized I needed to pace myself or I'd be drunk. The vodka went down smoothly.

He turned on his stereo and put on some Cream. I knew he had played it just for me. I turned around, gave him a smile and said, "Thanks."

We worked for an hour on the living room while I was nursing my second vodka. I sighed and said to him, "I need something to eat, what about you?"

He shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn't admit it, but I could tell he was worried. I got off the stool and went over to his refrigerator. There was nothing in it worth considering as a meal. I looked on the front of the refrigerator and there was a menu for a local pizza joint. I ordered a pizza and a salad.

"You eat pizza?"

"I've lived in Italy...of course I like pizza. I hope you do."

We kept working on the living room until the pizza arrived. We went into the kitchen and took two stools at the corner of the preparation table. He poured me a glass of a 2003 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a very good wine, with a fruity body and a great after-taste. "This is a good wine, why open it for me?"

"I figure anyone who posts a $200,000 bond for me deserves my best wine."

"I did it for the hospital, not you."

"Doesn't matter, you did it." He was busy eating the pizza.

"After all the chances you've had to get straight, I think you deserve what you're going through."

"Thanks, I can always use the encouragement."

"The new contract says that you agree to rehab one more time...the rehab of my choice. And you go as soon as you are arraigned."

"I'll have to stay in New Jersey."

"No you won't. That's why my lawyers make $900 an hour. They'll arrange it with the court." I took a bite and kept looking at him, "Tell me about the operation, the recovery and the pain." I was curious as to what had set this all in motion for the last few years.

For the next half hour he told me the story of the leg infarction, the failure to diagnose it, House's girlfriend's decision (I realized this must be the woman in the picture in his desk) and the eventual breakup of his relationship. He described the pain and why he was having it. He told me about a Ketamine treatment that worked for awhile and then wore off. I had hoped that after he told me the story I would be more convinced that he should be in rehab. After recounting his history I wasn't so sure it was going to work. Vicodin had numbed not just the pain in the leg but the pain in his heart. The pain he felt not just for his former girlfriend but for the life he used to have. I had to admit that I was sad for him.

I cleared the table and he poured us the last of the wine in the bottle. I didn't remember us drinking the whole bottle but I sure could feel it. I decided to finish the glass and not drink anything else. As it was, I was going to have to call Guido to come and get me.

I went out to the living room and started to help pick up the CD's, every once in awhile I would stop and make a comment on an album and we would argue as to what was the best song or if the album was one of the top 25 albums of all time.

"No, you have to listen to "Road to Escondido," Clapton and JJ Cale capture the roots of American music." I told him.

House shook his head no, "I prefer his previous albums."

"That's because you have no taste." I shrieked, "Look, here's a Barry Manilow CD! You're a fan of Barry Manilow?"

"No, it was a joke gift, my girlfriend gave it to me one year for Christmas." he tried to get it away from me.

"Oh no, no, no...I'm hanging on to this as evidence of your lack of taste...I can just see you at your piano belting out, "I write the songs...."

"Give it to me..." He was laughing and trying to get the CD.

"...that make the young girls cry..."

He grabbed my arms and wrapped around me trying to get the CD. I could feel his chest on mine and I stopped cold and shivered. He took a tentative step back with the CD now in his hand. He was watching my reaction, measuring it.

I wasn't thinking that this was Gregory House, @sshole personified. I was thinking that this was Gregory House, former boyfriend, former golfer, former LaCross player who was now living his own nightmare over and over again, day after day. I realized we were both caught somewhere in limbo...neither of us living...neither of us dead. He knew right when to go in for the attack. I was vulnerable and ready. He stepped towards me and kissed me. He was warm and his beard was a little scratchy. His lips were slightly opened and his tongue explored mine sweetly, gently. Now it was my turn to step back and look at him. I said nothing, couldn't get my wits about me. He stepped in again and this time he kissed me longer and I kissed him back with equal conviction.

I'm not keen for floor sex, but sometimes when the urge hits you've just got to go with it. ***He undid my Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dress and I was mortified when I remembered that I had put on pantyhose that morning and not my usual thigh highs Pantyhose was a great invention but a real splash of cold water when you undress for a man. But he didn't seem to care. He just wanted them off. So did I. He pulled me down to the floor and took the pantyhose and the panties down and off in one fell swoop. He was talented. I grabbed a couple of pillows off the couch and put them down to make me more comfortable. He took his shirts off and I put my hands up on his chest to feel the hair that was a nice mixture of gray and brown. He took off my bra and then his pants. This time, when I looked in his eyes I saw me. My heart bounced out of step when I realized he wanted to have sex with me...not my money, not my connections, just me. He pulled me up as close as he could get to me while he kissed me. I reached down and felt him and held him and stroked him from all the way underneath and up the shaft. He grabbed my hips to position me and pushed my legs open with his knee and thigh. He looked at my face, I think to see if I was crying, and then entered me. At first he didn't move but continued to just watch me. I finally smiled and raised my hips up to him, pushing him deeper inside and then we started our dance.

He made noises as he came that were muffled by his face being buried in my neck and the pillow. I was close to coming but hadn't arrived yet. He pulled out and continued to stimulate me until I came. I knew I was grabbing his arm tightly. I must have looked like I was in shock because he had a look of worry on his face until he realized I was having an orgasm. It was so delicious that I didn't want it to end. When it was over he started laughing.

"I thought you had a stroke or heart attack from the way you looked." he said.

"God, I think I could have. Oh, that was great...it would have been better in a bed, my back is killing me, but wow."

He kissed me and put his leg over my thigh while he stroked the full length of my back. The feel of his fingers floating over my back and then the cheeks and hips was ticklish and I giggled. When I did, he grabbed me again and kissed me.

We lay there entwined and making small talk about freckles and scars and back to music. I didn't realize we had been laying there for a couple of hours until I looked at the DVD player and saw the time lit up in teal blue.

I sat up and started to grab my clothes.

"Don't go." He said quickly and sincerely.

"I've got to, I have to drive to New York tomorrow for a morning event." I lied. The truth was that I was scared. I had never experienced this kind of intimacy and it was scary. I knew if I stayed he would own me and I couldn't let that happen. Sterling had owned me and never again would I allow that to happen.

"Cancel what you have to do, stay here with me." He almost sounded desperate, like he was feeling vulnerable and needed someone or something to take his mind off of things.

"I can't, they're expecting me." I said knowing that he probably knew I was lying.

"What the hell is it with you?" He was starting to get angry. "You send out signals to me and when I act on them, you pull away...you run. You're just a pr!ck tease."

I stopped what I was doing and looked at him with my mouth open. Now it was my turn to be angry, but I said nothing. As I got up, he put on his boxers and the t-shirt. I grabbed my keys and purse.

And then he said it, "It doesn't matter if you stay, this was just about payback. It was about time you honored our deal. I was wondering if you had forgotten that you sold your sexual services to me in exchange for my diagnosis."

It hurt. This was just payback to him? It wasn't making love, it wasn't anything more to him than just getting his rocks off. I was such an idiot to think someone could see me as more than just a piece of @ss. I slammed the door and ran to the Maserati. I was in no shape to drive so I sat in my car and called Guido.

When he arrived he saw I was drunk, crying and that my clothes were disheveled. He was ready to do battle, "Lo desiderate ucciderlo? " (Do you want me to kill him?")

"No, lo punir*." (No, I will punish him.) I got into the car and we drove home leaving my Masarati. Guido took a cab back and picked it up for me later. I didn't want to go near Gregory House.

*** He knew when it came out of his mouth that he shouldn't have said it. He wanted desperately to take it back. For some reason she was sensitive about having sex in exchange for his services. He realized that if he had let her go without making a big deal, she wouldn't be angry and they'd be able to work through it. Now he was back to square one with her.

House walked in on Monday and received a phone call from Taylor, Tyler and Fithmore. His lawyer, Theodore Tyler, told him that he would arraign him without his presence and that he could keep his passport so that he could attend Crossroads in Antigua. This had been arranged with the agreement of the Attorney General's office. House knew Crossroads, it was Eric Clapton's rehab center and it was suppose to be good. Strict, but good. The airline tickets were good for two months. He was going to be gone for two months?

Cuddy came in and threw some papers at him, "You'll be using up all your vacation time for this year and the carryover from last year to attend this rehab center, that's the agreement or you're going to be terminated and the drugs will be turned over to the Attorney General's office."

House knew that Cuddy wouldn't turn over the drugs but he had no doubt that Sephi would. He nodded in agreement.

A few days later, House flew out to Antigua and the Crossroads Centre.

***

House had been gone a full month and I was going to meet Teddy Tyler for drinks in Princeton. He looked good, tall, lanky, glasses, a short attorney hair cut and looking young for 50. He smiled and waved me over to a table. I hugged him and sat down.

"Sephi, you're looking better. You're gaining some weight...and I mean that in the best way."

"I know...you don't have to worry. I know I was getting too thin."

We ordered drinks, talked about his family, about Princeton and how his firm was doing. Teddy handled all my sticky criminal matters throughout the US, anything to do with my corporations or personnel. The law firm had several offices in different states. If they weren't located in a state, then they hired local lawyers and supervised the case for me. Teddy was licensed in New York and New Jersey as well as the corresponding Federal courts, so he was handling this matter personally for me.

I took a drink, put it down and looked him squarely in the eye, "Ok Teddy, why did you ask me here?"

"We have a problem." He looked around to make sure no one was listening. "They have a hard on for your guy, House. I guess Tritter made his life miserable before and almost got him tried for possession for sale. It was dropped after testimony from Dr. Cuddy. But now, between Tritter and Kuklas, they aren't bending an inch or making any offers. Since he was never tried in the first matter, there's no double jeopardy. So they can use all that evidence from the previous case along with the current evidence which includes photos and audio tape of the drug deal. They don't have his stash. Apparently his place and office were clean so they don't have the actual drugs but they have his previous stash and the forged prescriptions. Under the mandatory Federal sentencing guidelines, he'll get between 11-14 years and that's if he admits to being guilty. It's 12-16 if he goes to trial and is found guilty. And trust me, he'll be found guilty."

My stomach felt queasy and my brain went into overdrive. I felt cold and clammy.

"Sephi? Are you ok? Does this guy mean something to you?"

I looked at him and tried to sound as sincere as possible, "No, he's just a doctor...but our best doctor, even on drugs."

"I'm glad you said that he doesn't mean anything to you. I've had several meetings with the guy and he's an arrogant jerk."

"Yes, he is and he'll go to trial rather than admit he's guilty. Who's in the driver seat on this one, Tritter?"

"Nah, he's a minor player really. Kuklas is the main guy with the power to prosecute or not. He wants House because it sends a message to the New York drug ring that they'll go after their users, their upper class users. It's not good for business and Kuklas is hoping someone will turn in one of the bigger fish so that they can continue business as usual. Kuklas wants to take someone with a name down so that he can run for office."

I thought it through and nodded at Teddy, "Ok, I get the picture. I'll see what I can do on my end. Let's enjoy our dinner."

I drove home and wanted so much to fly down to Antigua and kick the crap out of House. I was so anxious that when I got home I took a Xanex. I finally got to sleep around 1 a.m.

The next day I tried calling in some favors but discovered that Kuklas was more or less acting on his own, trying to establish a name to run for office someday and wasn't responding to pressure from the people who were doing me a favor.

I had Kuklas followed and I had a file compiled on his background, including the fact that his youngest kid was mildly retarded. I had the life and times of George Kuklas on my desk and it was pretty boring. It did say that every Thursday he ate lunch at Amici Milano's.

Thursday I put on a fresh kiwi green blouse that I tucked into a cream pencil skirt with a gold belt that emphasized my waist. I exposed my bare neck to let him know I was vulnerable, likable. I put on high heels, a garter belt, no panties and I wore my hair down to emphasize my femininity. I went to Amici Milano for lunch. I grabbed a table near the one that I was told he liked and ordered a Cabernet and Chicken Alfredo. I was waiting for my meal when he came in alone. He said hello to the staff and took his usual table. At first he didn't recognize me, but when I got up to "use the rest room" I had to go by his table. It was then that he realized who I was.

"Ms. Camden. Hello."

I smiled but acted like I didn't know who he was. I did know that he was pretty unappealing on any level. I figured his wife must be pretty plain or blind.

"George Kuklas, Attorney General's office... Dr. House?"

"Yes, oh yes. How are you? You know we packed him off to rehab." I smiled broadly and he nodded yes. "If you'll excuse me, I'll catch you on the way out." And I pretended to go to the rest room. When I came back I stopped at his table. "I don't know how House gets away with it. It's such an embarrassment."

"Please, sit down. Carmine, bring Ms. Camden's drink over here."

I thanked the waiter and sat in the chair next to Kuklas at the table. "Like I was saying. He needs help but we've been negligent in recognizing it."

"Don't beat yourself up. He's an @ss according to Tritter and has been abusing the system for years."

"Yes, he would have been gone a long time ago if he wasn't so damn good at his job. I'm afraid that I only have the hospital's interest in mind when I say that I want this whole thing over with."

He paused. He wasn't quite sure if he was getting my drift. "Yes, well in a few months he'll be in prison, so don't worry."

"Prison is such bad press for my hospital. I'm going to have to pay a million dollars to clean it up in the press. I wish I could spend that million up front and avoid the mess."

He was quiet. "Carmine, bring us a bottle of your best Cabernet Savignon."

Frankly, Carmine's best bottle could have been bought for under ten bucks at Trader Joe's but I drank it with my new best friend, George Kuklas. He and I talked about a lot of things and, although I wasn't drinking much, I was filling George's glass every chance I got. He was loosening up.

"I really mean it when I say that, if given the chance, I would willingly to pay $1.0 million to make this all go away. Did I tell you that I know a great school for kids with cerebal palsy? It's not cheap but I arranged for my friend's kid to go there and I paid for his upkeep for ten years. I was happy to do it."

His voice was low, "A million and ten years for my son in this place for retarded kids? Is that your offer?"

"Offer? Ooooh. I don't know about that. Why don't we go somewhere quieter and talk about it?"

He looked around. "I need to call my office."

"Could you call them while I listen? I love to listen into conversations, terrible habit." I didn't want him to blow the whistle on me.

He dialed from the table. "Let me speak to Samantha...Sam? I'm going to be gone for the rest of the afternoon. I need to investigate a lead on the Delano case...yeah, just send them to voice mail. Bye." He looked at me as if to say, "Satisfied?"

I paid the bill and we left in my Maserati. I started to feel him up and he was ready in minutes. I let him run his hand up my thigh. We he found out I had no panties on he almost popped his pants. The bulge was enormous.

I pulled into the hotel and we registered under phoney names but I had to laugh, this hotel had security cameras every where and I had already paid for them to send me a copy of the DVDs. I made sure we did a lot of snuggling and deep kissing in the lobby and elevator. I also let him feel me up in the elevator. When we got to the room he started peeling his clothes off like a banana.

"Wait." I said seriously. He stopped midstream with the biggest boner I had seen in a long time peaking out of his shorts. "George. I want all the evidence delivered to me within two days, including all of Tritter's crap on House. I want the charges dismissed completely. In exchange you'll have $1.0 million deposited in a Swiss bank account and I will have my husband's charitable foundation pay for your child's participation in the school. And of course, you'll have this afternoon with me to seal the deal. Do we have a deal?"

He was practically panting as I started to take off my shirt. He was thinking about it. I dropped my skirt and that's was what pushed him over. "Yes, yes. We have a deal."

"George. I'm extremely wealthy. If you cross me you're life as you know it is gone. Do you understand?"

He nodded and then threw me back on the bed. He didn't even let me get my demi- bra off and he was on top of me. It was disgusting. He sweated like a pig and when he came I'm sure I heard grunts like a pig. He rolled off and I took a deep breath to clear my nose. I sat up, put on my skirt and blouse. I took one look at him. His undershirt, a wife-beater, was still on and his shorts hung around his ankles. He was spent. I grabbed my purse and keys. Two days later he hadn't honored the agreement. I sent him a copy of the security DVD from the hotel. I had everything the next day, Tritter's evidence, including a huge bag of vials of Vicodin, the wire taps of House and the documents dismissing the case against Gregory House, M.D. sat on my desk.

I gave Lisa the documents dismissing the case and she looked up at me with a shocked look on her face.

"My GOD! You did it! I can't believe this. That SOB is so lucky. I hope you didn't have to sell your soul for this."

I said nothing. *** House flew home first class and had a couple of whiskeys on the plane to cut through the boredome. Wilson met him in Newark and drove him home. House got out of the car and they unloaded his luggage, including a guitar case.

"What's the guitar about?" Wilson asked.

"Clapton was auctioning off some of his guitars to support the center. I was the successful bidder on this Gibson. It's autographed by him."

"Did you meet him?"

"Yeah, he came down from his house to see me in all my detox glory. Apparently Sephi is a big donor and sends him a lot of doctors from her hospitals. She had personally asked him to look in on me and report back."

"You mean you aren't her first addict?"

"Apparently not. Just her favorite."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Judging from the rug burns we both had, I'd say I was her favorite or a close second."

"House, you didn't screw the boss did you?"

"Not until she screwed with me. Hey, she's the one who made me go to Crossroads."

"Yeah, and it sounds more like a vacation for you than rehab. Please tell me that it helped, that you've cut back your Vicodin."

"Well I wasn't able to find a Voldemort if that's what you mean. I'm on a non-narcotic pain reliever right now and I've got to go to out-patient treatments once a week for six months and therapy once a week for the next year. My therapist is apparently a Nazi that requires drug testing from a sample taken in his bathroom each week."

"Just try to make it work for once." Wilson lamented. "I want to see the back of Tritter permanently."

The two of them went out for dinner and then watched some DVD's before Wilson went home. House went through the house looking for some Vicodin just in case he needed it, but someone had come in and found all of his stash. It had to have been her, the b!tch.

On Monday House returned to work and the announcement that Foreman was leaving. He had a job offer at UCLA as the next in line to be the department head of neurology. The current department head was 62 and was expected to step down in three years. House wasn't too upset. He had expected defections. The team had been with him almost four years and it really was time that they spread their wings.

House decided that he needed to thank his benefactress, so he arranged to have a hamster in a cage delivered to her. The cage was wrapped up in gift wrap with a big red bow. When she got into the office she saw the package on her desk. There were noises coming from it but she couldn't get Craig to open it for her. She took the scissors and started to take the paper off while she stood as far away as she could reach. When she saw the hamster she was baffled. She opened the cage and grabbed the card that was taped to the hamster's wheel. "Now, you have someone who can run circles around you...watch out." She told Craig to take the hamster down to pediatrics and give it away.

Sephi had started the grim task of cutting out the unnecessary personnel. She and Lisa spent hours going over the budget, the personnel files and Lisa's input on every person that Sephi wanted to let go. In some cases they argued, but when Lisa saw each month the profits improved she began to trust Sephi's judgment. The donors were increasing too. Lisa had attended more than a dozen dinner parties at Sephi's house in the last two months and the money was flying in along with fellowships.

"Lisa, I have a big donor coming to dinner at my house the Saturday after next. He wants House to be there."

"WHY?" Lisa couldn't fathom why anyone would want to eat a meal with Gregory House.

"He's a masochist. It's Quentin Chester. I guess House saved one of his family members, his cousin, Kelly White. He's also heard what a misanthrope House is so he wants to meet him. Quentin's family are wound so tight that he loves people who misbehave. I'm going to invite Joseph Dorr , Steven Winterhaven and their wives to make up the rest of the party. They each have a pretty wicked sense of humor and will find House amusing and they all are stinking rich. Cocktails at seven, dinner at eight. It's your job to get House there and make sure he's dressed appropriately."

The night of the dinner House showed up with Wilson who had been told by House that he had been invited. Sephi hastily set another plate, but since it balanced the table, Sephi didn't care. House found the Yamizaki and requisitioned it for his own personal use. After having it the night of their dinner, House had bought one bottle of it. But at $180 a pop, he wasn't going to be drinking a lot of it at home. He figured Sephi probably had a case of it somewhere (he was right) and so he could grab the bottle and they could break out another one for everyone else. Sephi saw House walking around with the bottle and broke out another one for the remaining guests.

By the time dinner was ready, House was three sheets to the wind. He was in rare form and pissed that Quentin was pawing and kissing Sephi. At dinner they were seated with Sephi at the end of the table, House at the other end. Quentin was near House's end, Wilson near Sephi's. Lisa was sitting closest to House on the right side of the table.

"Sephi, the appetizers were delicious. You are a wonderful hostess." Joseph Dorr, owner of Dorr Pharmaceuticals always enjoyed dinner at Sephi's. Her chef was one of the best private chefs in the US. Sephi would bring him in from New York for her Princeton parties.

"Well, I like to keep my guests happy." Sephi smiled at him.

"Isn't that what you get paid for? Keeping your guests happy? At least that's the job description for most whores." House was chuckling to himself. Sephi ignored him.

After a few minutes, the dinner was served. Wilson asked for the rolls to be passed. House started to pass them and then said loudly, "Do you know what Sephi and margarine have in common?" No one answered, "They both spread for bread."

The women all looked mortified, especially Sephi. Quentin saw the look of horror on her face and started to laugh. "Oh Sephi, don't worry, he's just drunk."

House was slurring his words, "Hey Sephi, what did Santa give you for Christmas? A hundred as usual?"

"House." Wilson started to get up. Lisa was kicking House under the table. Lisa and Wilson escorted House into the closest bedroom and laid him down. He didn't fight, he just rolled over and went to sleep.

The dinner was somewhat subdued but because everyone felt so bad for Sephi, they offered huge donations to the hospital. When they were gone and it was just Cuddy and Wilson, Sephi told them, "In a round about way, House just scored more donations for the hospital than I could have on my own. You better get him out of my guest room before I sneak in and castrate him."

They laughed. Wilson went in and woke House who was still drunk but able to walk to the car. When he saw Sephi he called out, "Hey Sephi, I wouldn't worry about it, some people are good at sex, others aren't, at least you're good at screwing the rich out of their money...we can always work on your screwing, but I'll need a lot more whiskey."

Lisa stayed behind after Wilson left. "You ought to tell him that it was you that got his case dismissed. He thinks it was because they didn't have enough evidence."

"I don't care what he believes anymore. If he wants to dig his own grave from now on, he can. I did it for the hospital." Sephi told her.

"Sephi. We both know that the hospital no longer needs House for the bottom line. We benefit from his reputation but since you've streamlined operations, his contribution has little to do with how much we make. You got him off the hook for some other reason. I also know that even drunk House has a tendency to tell the truth. So, did you sleep with him?"

Sephi pressed her lips together, indicating a desire not to say anything but Lisa wasn't going to go away. "Regrettably, yes."

Lisa smiled, "Well, from what I remember, it was probably a toe curler."

Sephi threw her head back and smiled. "Oh yeah. I wish it hadn't been. Now when I have a sex dream it always involves him. I used to like them when they were about Johnny Depp...now I have to take a shower in the morning, I feel so dirty."

Lisa laughed heartily. "Oh, he's gotten to you. Join the train, it pulls out of the Greg House terminal nightly and goes nowhere."

"Tell me about it. Now if we could give him a lobotomy without sacrificing what makes him good in bed, he'd be the perfect lover." They sat down and had a couple more drinks and talked. Sephi still didn't understand why Lisa had chosen to befriend her. But over the last few months they had gotten close.

*** House was seeing his therapist but he was anything but the perfect patient. In fact, the therapist took up most of his own sessions with his therapist talking about House. House was staying clean though because the therapist had his urine taken at the office for the first six months of therapy and the act of peeing in a bottle was monitored by a lab rat that House couldn't bribe.

House did become friendly with Sephi's Craig, because Craig thought House was funny and cute and adored his bad boy persona. At lunch one day Craig let slip that Sephi had a huge stash of Vicodin in her office and he wasn't sure where she had gotten it. House heard the word stash and Vicodin and was all ears. He had a few months left to pee in a bottle and then he was home free. House filed this information away for later use.

House hardly ever saw Sephi until one day while he was hanging out at the nurses station in Clinic, he heard that she was going to marry Quentin Chester and his $200 million trust fund. He couldn't believe that she would be engaged just ten months after the death of her husband, but the rumor had come from Cuddy's inner circle of gossip- mongers and so he had to believe it was true. There was a rumor that they had plans and tickets to fly to Hawaii to be married sometime soon. House wanted to see Sephi's calendar to find out if she had made note of this trip to Hawaii and had plans to go through with it. He wanted to know not only if it was happening, but when. On a day he knew Craig was going to meet his new boyfriend for lunch, House went to Craig's office and sat down a few minutes before the noon hour.

"When will Elvis be back?"

Craig smiled sweetly, "Not for at least an hour."

House put on a stern face, "I'm going to wait right here until she comes in...I'm pissed."

"What happened?"

"One of the nurses pushed the wrong meds into my patient and it's not the first time. I've talked to Cuddy but she didn't do anything. This time I'm going to the top."

"I've got to go to lunch, you'll have to wait outside."

"Nah...I can't stand with this leg, I'm going to have to sit here. If you're worried, I won't answer the phones or cause you any embarrassment."

Craig knew House had trouble standing for long periods. "Ok, just this once. You can wait in here, but don't go in her office. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

As soon as he knew Craig was out of the building he went to Craig's desk to pull up Sephi's calendar on the computer, but he was having no luck. It had a password generating software that created a new one if you tried more than three times. If you tried a fourth, the whole system locked down. As soon as he tried the third time House stopped. He opened the door to her office and went to her desk. He rummaged through her things looking for a written calendar. He found one stuck inside her middle desk drawer. He was surprised to see an entry on a Thursday about three months ago marked out for George Kuklas. He started thinking about the charges that Kuklas had brought against him and how absolutely relieved he was that the charges had been dropped. The lawyers had told him they lacked enough evidence although they admitted to him that the evidence seemed overwhelming to them.

His mind came back to his mission but he didn't see any dates marked out for Hawaii. Then he remembered what Craig had told him about the stash. Where's the Vicodin? He looked around the room and noted a vase, probably from some Chinese dynasty ending in an " -ing." No one would dare touch it...they'd be afraid they would break it. He went over and opened the lid to it. He couldn't believe that he and Sephi thought so much alike. His mouth dropped open. Inside wasn't only the Vicodin he had bought in New York, but an evidence bag filled with the vials that Tritter had confiscated from his apartment over a year ago. He stepped back and stared into space. What did this mean? He decided to grab a few of the vials rather than the loose pills from the bag. She was less likely to miss a few vials than 60 pills from a bag.

He started looking around some more, to see if he could find airline tickets, reservations or any indication that they were getting married. He went over to her cabinet but it was locked. He went back to the desk, pulled out each of the top drawers, looked inside them and then looked under them. Attacked underneath the right one by velcro straps was a key. House smiled.

He opened the cupboard and found a DVD marked, "Security, W Hotel" with the date of her meeting with Kuklas. He pocketed it and then saw a stack of documents, including the original Tritter files. He was dumbfounded. What was she doing with all of this? Was she going to use it as blackmail against him?

He locked the cupboard and straightened up everything he had touched. He closed the door to her office and walked back to his own. He put the DVD in his player as Wilson walked in.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching "Debbie Does Dallas", I love the part where she chokes."

House fast forwarded, he saw people coming and going on four split screens. Two were located in the elevators, one in the lobby and one was a view of the entrance.

"What are we looking for?" Wilson asked.

"I don't know. Shhh. I need to concentrate." He kept fast forwarding until around 2:00 p.m. he saw them enter the lobby. They were hanging onto each other, kissing and touching. They registered for a room and received the security card.

"Isn't that Sephi Camden?" Wilson asked, unable to believe that she was allowing herself to be mauled by such an ugly guy.

"Yep."

Wilson was frowning,"Who's the ugly guy she's with, he looks famliar?" .

"George Kuklas, Assistant Attorney General."

"Isn't he the guy who was here with the subpoena?"

"Yep."

"What is Sephi doing with him? Did she turn you into this guy?"

House was quiet as he watched her ride the elevator with Kuklas pawing her all over. Less than half an hour later she got in the elevator alone and started straightening her skirt. Ten minutes later Kuklas gets in the elevator half undressed. House went cold inside. He knew what it meant. This took place right about the same time they dismissed the case against House. He put his head down in his hands and felt sick.

"House, what's going on?"

House raised his head and shook his head as if to say, "Don't ask."

Wilson went quiet and waited a minute but House couldn't or wouldn't talk. Wilson went back to his office. House took the DVD out and wasn't sure what he should do with it. He put it in his backpack.

Lisa Cuddy was on the phone when House walked in and pressed down the buttons cutting the conversation off. She looked up with fire coming out of her eyes. "Are you an idiot? That was the President of Johnson & Johnson and it took me two months to coordinate that phone call."

House simply said. "Tell me about Sephi and Kuklas."

"I give up. What do you think I know?"

"Alright, play it coy, was Sephi responsible for the charges against me being dropped?" After the way he had behaved at her house he was hoping that she'd say no.

Cuddy tilted back in her chair and looked at House, summing him up and wondering what he was going to do with the information. "She singlehandedly got the charges dismissed."

House looked up at the ceiling as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to his next question, "How?"

"I never asked her, I know that she didn't want to talk about it. I do know that she made sure that it will never come back to bite you in the future."

House was trying to figure out why she would do it. "I assume she realized it wouldn't be good for the hospital if I were in prison?"

Lisa Cuddy laughed. "House, she's raised $9 million dollars in just three months. She's cut out the fat and showed us how to get others to pay for our Fellowships and large pieces of equipment. And because of her efforts, some of the best doctors in the US have put in their resumes. Are you important to the hospital? Important, maybe. Essential? No. This hospital would function just fine without you. So, in answer to your question, why? I can only tell you this, it wasn't for the hospital or its reputation."

House sat thoughtfully for a minute. He finally got up and left without saying anything to her. He still didn't have his answer or at least he wasn't sure that the answer made sense. ***

Opening day at the Monmouth Park Racetrack was also a fundraiser for PPTH. It typically didn't bring in much money, less than $15,000, but it gave the doctors and some of the patrons an excuse to have fun.

House and Wilson always agreed that the Monmouth Park Racetrack Fundraiser was the best of the year. They got to spend a nice day outside, go to the races, eat the catered food, drink from the open bar and flirt with the girls in the crowd. To top it off, they did it with the approval of their boss. On days like this, life was good.

House was dressed in a Guayabera shirt, lightweight sage colored trousers, sneakers and a panama hat. Wilson was in a white dress shirt without a tie, tan trousers and a Navy sport coat with a visor on. Both had on Ray Bans and were sure they looked hot. *** Lisa rode down with Quentin and me. She kept stealing glances at Quentin. The best I can describe Quentin is that he is 6 foot 3inches tall, thin, sandy brown hair with a constant broody look, greenish brown eyes, with very handsome features that aren't heavy, but not feminine. The best comparison I can come up with is that he could be a cousin of the British actor, Matthew Macfadyen . However, to be fair to Quentin, he's better looking.

The ride to Monmouth Park took almost two hours with the traffic. It seemed to go fast because we were in Quentin's limousine drinking champagne and telling tales. Lisa kept us in stitches with House stories and I told a few of the pranks I had been party to in college during my research on mating cues.

Lisa had on a sun dress with a nice bright fruit pattern that fit her perfectly and was low enough to expose the neck and her cleavage. She wore red Jimmy Choos and carried a Donovan red straw hat with a wide brim, maybe a little too wide for her height. I was wearing a white cotton skirt that came to about four inches above my knee. I had a gold chain belt that hung about two inches down from my waist. I had an electric blue satin halter top. I had Stewart Weitzman white strappy shoes with a three inch heel. I topped it off with a white straw hat with an electric blue band. I had brought a matching white blazer. I wore dangling Tanzanite earrings. My hair was back in a chignon.

When we got to the racetrack, Quentin was in seventh heaven. He had two beautiful women on his arms, one blonde, the other brunette. Lisa and I had to mingle with the patrons, so I pushed a drink in Quentin's hand and told him to go handicap his horses. It was actually fun seeing a lot of the patrons because they were old acquaintances of Giovanni and I. Of course I received several condolences and questions about Giovanni's illness, but once they were politely out of the way, we had a good time joking about previous adventures.

Lisa was very good at courting the more serious patrons. Her no-nonsense persona appealed to them. Very few of them knew the wicked sense of humor that inhabited her soul. I started to giggle to myself at something she had told us earlier about House shooting a corpse. The doctors were also milling about in the box where the bar and food were located. We had both an inside room overlooking the finish line as well as outside boxes and then theater seats underneath the upper overhang that had a great view of the finish line. It was a great setup thanks to Craig's wrangling. Usually the hospital settled for an outside area on the floor level that sometimes was too hot or too windy.

I had done my best to greet everyone and it was almost post time so I grabbed my hat and my score card and took off for the paddock to catch up with Quentin and Lisa who had left just a few minutes before me.

The paddock was packed and it was difficult for someone as short as I am to see the horses well. I decided to make my way down to the fence where the horses eventually come out onto the race track. I was looking over the fence and marking my race card when I felt two hands on my waist. I turned around smiling, sure that it was Quentin, and was shocked to find Gregory House smiling down at me.

He pulled my race card from my hand and looked at it with his lips pulled tightly together and his eyes squinted. "You don't want Danny Boy in this one. Trust me."

I had to laugh, "Trust you? I don't think so, not after the margarine remark."

He cringed, "Yeah, that was ...a mistake. I guess I could claim I was sh!tfaced but that really doesn't excuse it, does it?"

"Where's your shadow?" I looked around for Wilson.

"In the Paddock. He's met up with the newfront runner for Mrs. Wilson."

"Where's your fianc,?" House asked.

Now it was my turn to cringe, "Do you mean Quentin?"

"Yeah, word on the street is that you're flying to Hawaii soon to get married."

Now I just howled. "Quentin and I are just friends with privileges."

"I love that euphemism. Do you need any more friends?" he smiled suggestively.

"I have plenty of "friends."

The smile stayed fixed, "I bet you do."

I tilted my head to warn him, "No margarine references."

He looked away laughing gently, "I just wish I was a piece of bread."

It was a joke but also an odd compliment and I kept my mouth shut. He handed me back my race card and said, "Don't Ya Love It to win." He walked away and I wondered why I felt like a schoolgirl, all fluttery.

Don't Ya Love It won the race and he waved his ticket at me. Although I had bet Danny Boy to win, I had also bet Don't Ya Love It to place so I waved my ticket back and shook my head yes to let him know I did have a winning bet. Quentin owned a horse that was running in the fifth race. We had talked to the jockey who warned us that the longshot, "Kiss Me Quick" was looking exceptionally good at practice yesterday and he thought that she might give Quentin's horse, which was favored to win, a run for his money.

Quentin stayed around the paddock and I left to go catch up with House, who was down next to the fence where we had met up before. I was excited that I had an inside tip for him. I tapped his shoulder and as he was turning around I said, "Kiss Me Quick." He swooped me into his arms and planted a very passionate kiss. I was confused and unsure as to why he had done that. I stepped back, a little off kilter, and looked at him with a very puzzled look.

It was his turn to look puzzled. But I guess he thought he better strike while the iron was hot and stepped back in, took my hat off and kissed me again, slowly and with lots of tongue. His hands were on my bare back and I wasn't conscious of the crowd anymore. His long fingers and warm touch along with just the right amount of tongue made me wish I could have more. When he pulled back he looked at me and raised an eyebrow asking me, "Is that what you wanted?"

I still hadn't put two and two together, "I really don't know...it was...fine, I...uh ...as kisses go, it was rather....fine. Why?"

"Why what?"

"Kiss me?"

He gave me a rather strange look that said he wasn't sure if I had lost my mind."Kiss me quick?"

My eyes opened wide and my mouth dropped. I held my breath, "It's a horse in the fifth that you should bet on..." I started laughing so hard that tears rolled down my cheek. He joined me and every time he tried to stop and look at the fifth race he would start laughing again. He finally found the page, took a look at the horse and started laughing all over again. I had never seen Gregory House laugh like this. Oh there had been short laughs, snickers, chuckles but never a full on, can't control it, laugh.

He put my hat on my head and tried to ask without breaking into gales of laughter, "Why Kiss Me Quick?"

I told him what the jockey said and he shook his head as if he understood. "It's a longshot but still..."

"Thanks." He turned to go but paused and came back, "Just fine?"

"I'm not following?"

He looked me straight in the eyes, "The kiss...it was just "fine?""

"Well what did you expect me to say, I had no clue why you were kissing me. I thought you had pulled a "House." The kiss was nice...lovely..." He kept standing there just staring with a smug look on his face as if he knew the truth, "Ok, you win...the kiss made my heart beat strangely. Ok? Does that work for ya?"

"I could try kissing you again. I was going for curling your toes."

"I don't think so, here come Quentin and Lisa."

Quentin stuck out his hand and smiled at House, "Greg, good to see you again."

House nodded his head, " Quentin, Cuddy." He turned to me, "Thanks for the tip, I'll see you later."

I watched him go back up to the box and hated myself for wanting to go with him. I thought for sure I'd have a good time. Quentin must have noticed my wistful look because he hugged me and said, "Go play House...Lisa can keep me company."

I blushed and Lisa said, "Sounds good to me."

***

I was happy because Lisa and Quentin made sense. He was playful and supportive and she needed someone who could help her loosen up. Her job was tightening her to a point that someday she'd find herself unable to unwind. Also, he was young and fresh, but not too young or too fresh. Plus if anyone could curl Lisa's toes, Quentin could.

I almost ran up the stairs to the box but he wasn't there. I realized he was probably placing a bet. I ran back downstairs to the Totes and looked around for him. I saw him standing in line a few betters back from the window. I went up behind him and put my finger to my lips to signal to the guy behind House that I was playing a game. The guy smiled back. I put my arms around his waist and said, "Kiss me quick. "

He chuckled and turned, "Take that damn hat off." I took it off and he gave me a kiss, not as passionate as before because the line was moving but one that said he was happy I was there. "Quentin?"

"He's hooked up with Lisa."

House rolled his eyes, "Do you guys always share your men?" A reference to the fact that Lisa had slept with House before.

"We have good taste in men."

We reached the window and he took out a wad of money, "$5,000 boxed Exacta 4 & 10 in the fifth race."

The teller handed him his ticket. This meant that he was betting that 4 and 10 would come in first and second and because he had boxed the exacta, it could be in either order, ten could be the winner and four second or four the winner and ten second. Number 4 was Chester's Trollop, Quentin's Horse and number 10 was Kiss Me Quick. I recognized that this was a big bet for House. I had seen much larger bets, including some I had placed before, but in proportion to what the person earned annually, House was betting a lot.

I know that I looked worried when I said, "That's a large bet for you. I'm going to feel guilty if you lose."

"You shouldn't, I'm a big boy and I'm able to make my own decisions, Mom." He grabbed me again.

I pulled away, "Hey, I have to get back in line and place my bets." I got in line and placed several bets for the fourth race, which was about to run and I bet my own Exacta for $1000 on 4 and 10 in that order, I didn't box it.

He put his arm around me and we went up to the bar inside our box and he ordered a gin and tonic while I ordered a Margarita. We went outside to sit down and watch the race. We took the very back box off to the side, it was the most private of the boxes in our section. Most of the boxes were empty because most of the patrons and staff had either gone down to the paddocks or had taken seats in the theater seating which was closer to the finish line and tote board. I sat in the cold metal chair and placed my drink on the white tablecloth. House sat down to my right. We talked a little about race tracks and betting as they brought the horses to the gate. The gun was about to go off but they were having trouble getting some of the horses into the gate. House didn't have a bet in this race and so he started to nuzzle my neck as I tried to watch. I felt his hand going up my skirt and I wasn't sure if I was getting excited over the race or his hand on my thigh. The gun went off and the horses were charging around the track. When House reached his destination under my skirt I was already close to climaxing. It didn't take much on his part. I jerked back when I came, almost falling out of the chair but he pulled me back up with his free arm and held me while I screamed along with the crowd. I went stiff and had to pull his hand away, I couldn't take anymore. My body relaxed and I started to breath again. I looked over at him and he was smiling.

After a long pause I asked, "I didn't see, what horse won?"

He chuckled, "I think you did...that was a spectacular finish."

I looked at him, smiled and then looked at the board. My horse hadn't even placed but I was frankly, I didn't even care. A patron came over to our table and talked to me for at least fifteen minutes about purchasing the new mammogram machines. I pretended to be interested in every word and when he finally excused himself to go place his bet on the fifth race I looked at House and we let out mutual sighs of relief.

I scooted closer to House and started playing with his knee and then I lightly ran my hand up his thigh. He turned and kissed me, cupping my breast in his right hand. I could tell what he wanted and it wasn't a fresh drink. I moved the table and the chairs so that we had more privacy behind one of the wooden partitions of the box. I sat back down and started rubbing him with the zipper and thin fabric separating my hand from his flesh. He was very excited. I undid his belt and the button on his pants and then I unzipped his zipper and exposed him. I went down and started gently making motions with my tongue and mouth. I could hear the horses coming to the gate for the big race. I had a feeling that he would have liked to have stood up for the race but he was enjoying my tongue too much to do so. When the gun went off, I reached down, took off my panties while never missing a beat. He was trying not to move up and down too much so as not to bring attention to himself. I looked up and saw that everyone had their backs to us and was watching the race. I got out of my chair and straddled House while he tried desperately to pay attention to me and the race at the same time. We were keeping pace with the announcer's voice which got faster and faster as the horses approached the finish line. He was now unable to hold back from thrusting. The crescendo of the crowd was growing louder as our pleasure grew. House lost control just as we heard, "It's Chester's Trollop by a nose, followed by Kiss Me Quick." He exploded clutching me and yelling, "Oh God, oh God, ...yes, yes." It ended with him burying his head in the middle of my chest while he tried to compose himself. I grabbed the napkin from under my drink and gave it to him while I extricated myself from his lap. I gave him a quick kiss as he cleaned himself off. I put on my panties and we went to our respective bathrooms. When he came out he smiled broadly and grabbed me around my waist.

He continued to grin and said, "Let's go get our winnings."

I could tell that he was incredibly excited and when we got to the window I discovered why. They had to bring over the manager and House waited for his winnings. He agreed to take a check for $40,000 and $22,500 in cash. They counted his money out in $100 bills. I went to collect my winnings and I was happy with my $12,500.

It was strange being with a happy House. He was animated and funny, not mean, just silly and making me laugh as we made our way down to congratulate Quentin who was over the moon. He and Lisa were drinking Piper-Heidsiesck straight from the bottle and Quentin was drunk. House went up to Quentin and shook his hand. "You made me very happy in several ways."

"Great! I'm glad that you're feeling happy, so am I!"

Wilson and his new squeeze, Linda, also came down to congratulate Quentin. When he saw House kissing me and Lisa standing in the Paddock with Quentin's arm around her, he had the strangest look on his face.

His confusion was compounded by the fact that House was actually smiling and laughing. Wilson came up to me and said with a sober face, "Tell me that hell has frozen over, right? This is the end of days?"

"He just won $62,000 dollars on a bet."

House walked over to Wilson, "Let's see, I still owe you $10,000 for the bail you posted. You know I had the money all along, but I was waiting for you to ask for it. You're such a gentleman, I could have died with a million bucks around my neck and you wouldn't ask for it back. Here's your $10,000 and an extra $1,000 as interest, go buy a prenup."

He didn't respond to House because he really thought House was high on something, "Are you sure he didn't snort something or take something?" Wilson was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Come on Jim, just enjoy it." I told Wilson.

We all started to go to the box again. On the way up House had put his arm around Wilson's shoulders and was engaged in some banter. Lisa looked at me and said, "If there's anything you want from House, today's the day to ask. He'd give you the world. It's been years since I've seen him laugh this much."

"What would I ask for?"

"A puppy, a certain sexual position, no sex, lots of sex, a baby, to get married, move in together, dinner...hell, I don't know...whatever you think you might want...ask today."

"Don't want a puppy, the sex is fine and I can't have children, I had my tubes tied when I was 17." It just rolled out of my mouth.

Lisa looked shocked. "When you were 17? Why?"

I was still thinking about House being happy and didn't realize what Lisa would read into what I was saying, "Oh, my step-father suggested it and I thought it was a good idea." I said it so nonchalantly because it was a part of my history, something I didn't think about anymore, and it seemed reasonable to me at the time.

But she stopped, grabbed my arm and with pure suspicion said slowly, "Your stepfather suggested it?"

I tried to hide my concern because it was clear she suspected what had happened, "Yeah, yeah...I told him that I didn't want kids ever and he made arrangements for me. It was my decision. My family has had genetic problems, and besides I just never thought I would make a good mother." I was lying. Sterling had insisted that I have the procedure. He didn't want anyone to know what was going on between us. "I figured that I could adopt if I really wanted kids later."

She pulled me off to the side. "Have you ever talked to anyone about this?"

"About my tubal ligation? No, why should I?"

She pulled me further away, still afraid that our voices might carry. "You weren't even old enough to give consent to sterilization, who performed the operation?"

"My family arranged it. We went down to Tijuana to have it done at a clinic."

"Who's we?"

"My driver and I."

"At the age of 17 you went down to Tijuana with your driver and had a procedure that would mean that you would never have kids? And this was arranged by your mother?"

"NO, not my mother, my step-father." I could tell she knew and my avoidance would just prolong this, "Lisa, I had to do what I did to keep my mother safe. I can't undo what was done. I have chosen to move forward. Besides, he's dead and buried. What good does it do talking about it?"

"Oh, Sephi, don't you know how much this affects everything that you do?"

"Look, I've lived for half my life knowing I'd never be a mother...I've made peace with that fact."

"Have you made peace with the fact that your step-father raped and abused you?"

I just stared at her. "He didn't rape me, he said I kept giving him looks, that I was so seductive it was hard for him to keep away." Her look said it all, she was horrified, "Lisa, it was my fault. I was a mature 16 and I must have been sending out signals."

"You were 16. Were you a virgin when he first slept with you?"

I hesitated to answer it, "Yes."

"Don't you see, he betrayed your trust, made you feel like it was you who had brought this all on yourself?"

"Oh, come on. I was 16 not 2."

"He took a lot away from you. He took away that first sexual experience with a boy, in an appropriate age range, that you really like; he took away your ability to have children and, he must have made it hard for you to trust people."

"I guess we don't agree on this and we're starting to get looks. Let's join everyone else and talk about this later."

She nodded yes but grabbed my arm, "You promise to talk to me about this later?"

I chuckled and looked at her for what seemed a full minute but I could see she was serious and wasn't going to let me go unless I said yes, "Yes, I promise."

We joined the jubilant males who were now knocking back Kamikazes. I asked them if they knew the Kamikaze song. There was a universal, "no."

"We sang it in college when we would go out drinking:

(Sung to the tune of It's Howdy Doody Time)

It's Kamikaze Time, It's Kamikaze Time, An Opportunity To Lose Sobriety.

A really perfect chance, To find love and romance, So turn them upside down And watch the world go round!

Of course this encouraged another round of Kamikazes and before long we had sung three rounds and I was drunk. At the end of the day we poured Lisa, Quentin, House, Wilson, Linda and myself into the limo and were delivered safely back to Princeton. I know that Lisa ended up with Quentin at her house. Wilson made it to Linda's townhouse and House came in with me when we pulled up at my house. It had been a fun day.

*** The next day was spent swallowing Naprosyn and wishing we could stop aching all over from the alcohol. Neither House nor I got out of bed for very long streteches of time except to grab water and snacks. Around 5:00 p.m. he remembered his car down in Monmouth.

"I've got to go down and get it..."

I laughed at him, "You paid Guido $500 to get a cab and go down and pick it up. He would have done it for free, except for the cab fare, but you insisted."

"Christ, how much money do I have left?" He grabbed his pants off of the floor and checked the pockets. He had just over $42,000 so he relaxed. He was on his side looking at me. I was laying on my stomach with my elbows crossed on the pillow supporting my head with my eyes closed. I could feel the cold of those blue eyes looking at me so I opened one eye and looked back. He picked up the sheet and looked underneath. He then slid over next to me.

"Uh-oh." I was so hung over I wasn't sure I would be able to have sex without throwing up. "I hope you're just assuming the cuddle position because my stomach isn't up for anything more."

"You could just turn on your side and you won't even know I'm there."

I had to chuckle, he almost sounded serious. "You mean you'll just get in and out real quick, like a shower?"

"Good analogy."

"Hang onto that thought and check back in an hour. I'll go get something for my stomach. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

"More water, chips, dip..."

That sounded disgusting to me but he seemed to be doing better than me. As I left the room he turned on the LCD television. I came back with tortilla chips, salsa, an empty plate, a napkin and a bottle of water. I had water and pepto bismol. He watched me like a bee buzzing around him. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You're naked, I'm suppose to stare. Would you prefer that I be more interested in the baseball game?"

"You have a point."

I got back in bed and put my head on his chest. We both smelled like we had been drinking and it was pouring out of our pores. I thought maybe that was my problem. "Come on, shower time."

"Uh...I just got comfortable, the Phillys are up to bat."

"F#ck the Phillys, come on, let's have a shower. YOU NEED ONE...the booze is sweating through."

He pretended to be offended. "Oh and I assume you don't need one?"

"I need one, now let's go."

We took our shower and after we did a lot washing of each other I was primed and ready for some horizontal dancing. My stomach was feeling better. He went back into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed in his towel drinking his water and watching the game. I climbed up behind him and started to rub his back and then stroke his chest and then I slipped my hand under the towel. Nothing was going on...he really was interested in the game. He pulled my hand out and gave it back to me. The whole time he kept his eye on the game.

I threw myself back up on the pillows and started to sulk. At the commercial he turned and saw I was pouting. "Hey, you had your chance. Does every guy you sleep with automatically turn off the game if you come on to him?"

"YES. Men tend to find me desirable."

He reached up and grabbed my left ankle and pulled me down to the end of the bed and started to laugh at me. He put his hand behind my rear and I wrapped a leg around him and pulled him closer. He said, "I guess you do want some action."

He stood up and took off his towel and then pulled my leg over to the side while he stood up. He was at the end of the bed and I was now on my side. He pulled me down toward the edge, still on my side, and entered me quickly. It was rather rough sex but exciting and fulfilling for both of us. I had never been in this position before and I liked that he was inventive.

He fell onto the bed behind me drenched and out of breath. After a few minutes of just laying there, he reached up and started playing with my hair. He separated it into three strands and started to braid it. It felt good to have a man touch me that way. When he was done he reached around my waist and pulled me close, I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I just wanted to stay in his arms until we were both old and brittle.

I broke the ice, "Where did you learn that position?"

"That is called Nagabahnda in the Kama Sutra."

"I like this Kama Sutra stuff...how much of it do you know?"

"I've tried just about all of the positions except some of the standing positions. You'd have to be a weight lifter to make them happen." He slipped his hands around my breasts. "I can teach you Grasshopper."

"Oh Sensei, I am your willing student, when can we begin?"

"I thought we just did?"

I turned over and hugged him. I felt giddy and playful, it was so strange to feel like I didn't have to be something other than just myself. It felt good.

"Do you want me to go home and get out of your hair?" House reached up and combed back my bangs and kissed my forehead.

"I want you to stay." I kissed his mouth lightly.

He looked at me and it was like a light bulb went off, "We didn't talk about birth control."

I giggled, he was so funny to think of it now, "What would you like to say about birth control?"

"Well we both know I didn't use it. Did you?"

"I had my tubes tied years ago."

I could see his face relax but then he was curious, "Years ago? But you didn't have any kids...why make that decision in your twenties?"

"I didn't. Can we talk about something else?"

He looked like he was studying me, "No, we can't, you're hiding something. What did you mean you didn't make the decision?"

"I made the decision, but not in my twenties." I knew Cuddy would probably tell him if I didn't, "I was seventeen."

He actually snapped backwards. "You couldn't have, the law won't allow sterilization for anyone under 18 unless they have a court order."

"It was done in Tijuana."

His eyes were intense, "Your mother took you to Tijuana when you were 17 and had you sterilized?"

"No...and can we change the subject?"

I could tell he wanted to know more, "And once again the answer is NO we can't change the subject...why did your parents allow you to be sterilized?

"My Dad died when I was12."

"And isn't that when you inherited a lot of your money from your Dad?"

"I inherited my money years later from my step father."

His face went quiet and then there was a flicker of understanding. "Oh, don't tell me step-daddy had a thing for you...oh damn. I see, he didn't want you to have any babies after he knocked on your door at night."

I was uneasy but I wasn't going to lie, "He never knocked."

House looked at my face but didn't see me, he was thinking, "You got pregnant, he sent you to Tijuana for the abortion so that no one would know and told the doctor to tie your tubes so it wouldn't happen again. He took your babies away from you and you've been telling yourself ever since that you didn't want them anyway."

It was all true and I couldn't talk about it. I closed my eyes and just wanted him to stop talking about it.

"What did he promise you to get you to go along with it?"

I opened my eyes and the tears spilled out, "He promised my mom and I would be safe."

House pulled me to his chest and held me. He was finally quiet. After a few minutes he said, "Mexico wasn't considered very advance in terms of sterilization. They probably didn't even cauterize your tubes back then. The younger you are when you have a tubal ligation, the higher the percentage that it will fail because they grow back. Did you ever have them checked?"

"I'm almost 36, I haven't been pregnant since they were tied and I've had a lot of unprotected sex."

"It's not as easy as you think to get pregnant. The odds are about 3-5% for each unprotected encounter. And as your eggs age the percentage drops. By the time you are in your thirties your chances for getting pregnant each time you have sex drops off by 50%. Your chances of getting pregnant from us having sex today would have been about 2%at best , provided you hadn't been sterilized."

"Sterilized...sounds like a Nazi medical experiment."

"Have you thought about having the procedure reversed?"

"I was never with a man who wanted children. Most of them already had children. They all seemed happy that I couldn't get pregnant. Do you want children?"

House immediately went quiet. He gave her a weak smile.

"You see. If I had it reversed you'd be worried about getting me pregnant, so why do it?"

"Because you might meet someone who wants kids."

"Yeah, and I might find John Galt. Ok, now you know my deepest, darkest secret. What's yours? How about your Daddy, any issues there?"

He let out a snort of air and tried to look unfazed.

"Oooo, I hit a cord. Did Daddy like to knock on your door at night?"

"No, but he was abusive in his own Marines should be disciplined" way."

"At least he let you keep your reproductive equipment. The gene pool will be purged of all things Persephone. And the rabble rejoiced." She closed her eyes.

*** Persephone seemed to have adjusted to the fact that she would be childless all of her life but House couldn't get his mind around what was done to her. She was 17 so she was definitely old enough to know what she was giving up to make her mother safe. But Persephone hadn't really been safe, not as long as that door could open up at any time.

He blamed her mother, a lot like he blamed his own. House loved his mother, he even loved his father, but he always wondered how his mother could just stand by and let his father do what he did. Persephone's mother had been worse. Not only did she let the abuse continue but by being drunk all the time, Sephi felt obligated to take care of her mother, keep her safe.

House wondered what Sephi would have been like if these things had shaped her growing up. He wondered what he would have been like if he hadn't been abused. He lay there with her in his arms and wondered if she could really trust anyone? Did she trust him? He hoped not.

Sephi woke up from her nap and tried to get up but House pulled her close again. She gave him a look of urgency, "I have to go pee...let me up."

He opened one eye and let go of her. As she trotted off to the bathroom, he looked at the clock, it was 8:00 p.m. He yelled at her, "I need to get going." He started putting on his clothes.

Sephi had been having a dream but could only remember one part, she saw House wave goodbye to her and she knew from the way she felt in the dream, he wasn't coming back. As she stood in the bathroom by the sink her heart started to race and she had trouble catching her breath. It scared her, she'd never been this nervous, this scared. Sephi didn't know what to do so she sat down on the edge of the tub, closed her eyes and started to think of nothing but the sound of the florescent light buzzing. After a few minutes, she was ok. Her heart was calmer and she could breath.

She came out in a robe and watched House get dressed. His legs were nicely shaped and hairy, just like they should be. His arms were long and his frame was thin but not skinny. He looked good most of the time although sometimes the wrinkles that were etched in his face were more prominent when he was tired or deep in thought. Just in the year she had known him he had gone grayer. She like it on him, but she didn't know why. Despite his fears, he would have made a good Dad. A different sort of Dad, but a good one.

"What are you thinking?" House asked when he caught her looking at him.

Should she lie? "I was thinking how good looking you are and that you would have been a good father."

He hadn't expected that. A good father? Everything sane in him said she was delusional. He was too cold, too mean, too damaged. He was going to say something but she continued.

"I know, you don't believe that. But you know what, you need something to think about besides yourself. You wallow too much in your own misery. You and I are both egocentric and from everything I've heard, children make you want things to be better for them. It would make you work harder on healing yourself. I can't have kids, but you should think about having some of your own with someone who could give them to you."

He knitted his brow as if she were crazy, "You are joking?"

"No, I'm not. You really would make a good father. You're intelligent, you're pragmatic and I think you'd probably curb those tendencies to be mean if you had a kid."

"I'm ok with the way I am." He said with an affirmative nod of the head.

"Well, you shouldn't be. Greg, I'm just getting to know a whole side of you that I didn't think existed. If it was actually cultivated instead of pushed down inside of you, I think you might actually find some happiness. Or at least be less miserable."

He thought about what she was saying and it reminded her of what Stacy used to say and how he felt when they were together. He wasn't so angry at everything when Stacy was around, or at least before the operation. He was never going to be warm and touchy, but he was more content, able to tolerate himself more when he was with Stacy, when he was Sephi. Stacy had been able to call him out when he acted up, just like Sephi. Neither of them let him get away with much and he needed that in a woman.

Stacy and House had talked about having children about a year into their relationship. She had even talked him into it, basically saying what Sephi had just said, that he would make a good father. He had allowed himself to get used to the idea, even like the idea, but then they started having difficulty getting Stacy pregnant. Because she was in her late thirties, her ability to get pregnant wasn't good to start with. Then she discovered she had endometriosis and her fallopian tubes were scarred. The doctor said that if she did get pregnant there was a good chance it would be an ectopic pregnancy. He was right. The night she had to go to the emergency room because of the pregnancy was one of the worst in House's life. He couldn't stand seeing her in pain. And the emotional pain of losing the baby was worse. They stopped trying after that.

He grabbed his keys and walked over to her. "I had a great time. But you scare the hell out of me. I don't know if I'm ready for this. You are a formidable woman."

"Oh, get over yourself. You just have to dive sometimes and pray. You think the logical part of my brain isn't screaming, "What are you doing with Greg House?" The alarms are going off all over, but f#ck the alarms. I want some fun in my life. And you're fun."

He started to chuckle as he put his arms around her. "I know it won't be dull."

She walked him to his car. "Hey, Cameron mentioned that your birthday is coming up. Is that true?"

"In a week."

"Let me take you to New York for the weekend and stay in my apartment."

He looked at her and thought about it, "Ok. Sounds good."

*** On Monday, the hospital gossip ran rampant with the word that Sephi had dumped her fianc, for Gregory House. Most people were convinced that House had drugged Sephi or blackmailed her into hooking up, no one could believe that someone as savvy as Sephi could fall for House.

Foreman had been gone for over a month when the new Fellow, sponsored by Dorr Pharaceuticals, showed up for work. She was a tall, dark brunette with green eyes. House had selected her mostly on looks even though she had been given great references from the hospital at UCSD. Plus she said that she had always wanted to study "under him" and House had smiled when he heard her say that.

When Sephi saw her she immediately noted that she must have a waist to hip ratio of .65, the girl was beautiful. Sephi was feeling something that she had never felt in her life over another man, jealousy. She wanted that girl out of House's department. Sephi walked into House's office as he was sitting at his desk and the new Fellow was filling out some paperwork across from him. He was obviously daydreaming in the direction of the new Fellow. He startled when he saw Sephi standing in the doorway looking at him. Sephi knew that Gregory House had been fantasizing and it hadn't been about her and the upcoming weekend in New York. Sephi walked up to House and looked him square in the eye, "I brought you your monthly department revenue numbers, I want you to look at them and give me some ideas on how we can improve them."

"We could sell my sperm."

I looked at the ceiling like I was considering it and then shook my head, "Yeah, but then, who would buy it? I guess we could market it as sperm with attitude? Or maybe, I'm not going anywhere, let the egg come to me sperm."

The young doctor looked a little baffled. I waited for House to introduce us. At first he just stood there smiling like a stupid idiot. Finally I cleared my throat and nodded towards the woman. "Oh, Cherry Steadman, meet Persephone Camden, the owner of this hospital and notorious ball buster."

"Glad to meet you."Sephi stuck out her hand. When Cherry took it, it was a firm handshake and when Cherry tried to pull her hand back Sephi held it tight just a little longer while looking into her eyes with a very sober look. Then Sephi smiled, dropped her hand and turned to House. "Lunch?"

Sephi said it more like a command than a question. House was uncomfortable, he felt like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "I need to show Cherry around."

"Get Cameron to do that, we need to have lunch today."

"But I..."

"Dr. House, this isn't a request so please don't be late. I expect you in my office at noon."

"Yes mistress. Should I bring the handcuffs and whip? Or just the KY jelly?"

"Just you. Nice meeting you Cherry."

House showed up in Craig's office at noon. "Oh, are you in trouble." He told House as soon as he walked in, "She's pissed at you. When you go in, duck."

House wasn't sure what he had done but he was beginning to worry. He walked in and saw her sitting at her desk talking on the phone. She looked up at him expressionless. He sat down across from her desk in a Regency chair. She hung up the phone.

She was emotionless, "Cherry?" She paused, "You hired a Cherry with dark hair, green eyes and a body to die for as your fellow? Wasn't Cameron enough eye candy?"

He felt like an adolescent being scolded. He knew that she had in front of her all the applications and resumes for the doctors who had applied for a fellowship. He had turned down much better applicants...much better male applicants.

"In my defense, I hired her a month ago, before we, you know." His hands were trying to explain what his words could not.

"I'm not upset that you hired a woman, even a good-looking woman or that she's not as qualified as several of the other applicants. I am upset that you hired the woman that looks like Stacy."

This took him back. He didn't realize that she knew what Stacy looked like. It was true, part of him wanted Cherry around because she reminded him of Stacy. But he had hired her almost a month ago when Foreman turned in his resignation. "So you're jealous already? Jealous over me?"

"Oh don't go getting a big head. I'm not jealous, I just don't want to be made a fool of. Everyone in this hospital is talking about you and me. I don't want to be the fool who hooked up with House and then he went out and banged the new fellow, Capite?"

"Yeah, yeah, capite."

"Greg, if I find out you've dipped your wick anywhere close to Cherry, then you won't have a wick to dip when I'm done...oh, and Cherry won't be looking so cherry when I'm through either."

House actually felt a shiver go down his spine. She wasn't being funny or flippant, she meant it and he could tell she'd follow through on her threats. He got up and looked at her. She looked up at him as if to question what he wanted?

He raised his eyebrows meekly, "Lunch? Or was that just a rouse to get me here for my spanking?"

"Don't kid me...you'd like a spanking...but let's not go there until this weekend. You want to go to lunch? I have to go somewhere soon, is the cafeteria ok with you?"

He gave a look of disappointment but shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, if I can be with you." He gave the sweetest smile he could muster.

"OH, you ARE good." She laughed and got up, walked around and up to him. House took one look at her and forgot Cherry. She had changed in order to make an early afternoon reception for a new artist and was now wearing a black fitted sheath made of silk Dupioni. She had on two and 1/2 inch black lace and leather open toed shoes. Her hair was up in the back and she had on rich red lipstick and red ruby earrings. Sephi looked magnificent. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in.

"Will you buy?" He asked.

She put a finger up to his cheek, "Sure. But you've got to prove that you deserve it."

He leaned in, nuzzled her ear, her neck and then gave her an open mouth kiss that ended with him tightly holding onto her back and hips. She went behind the desk, grabbed her wallet out of her purse and they made their way down to the cafeteria. She walked out in front of him towards the elevator and he smiled as he walked behind her. Sephi had the perfect sway, just enough to draw attention but not so much that she looked like a caricature of Marilyn Monroe. She always reminded him of a panther. He had to adjust his trousers. When they got into the elevator he cornered her in the back.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing...Greg this is the hospital." He turned and hit the red button stopping the elevator midstream. "Greg, you can't do that ! This elevator serves the hospital, not your depravity."

He didn't say anything, he just put his cane up against the wall, grabbed her butt in one hand and reached around her back with the other and pinned her into the wall and kissed her several times on her neck and lips with the buzzer from the emergency button ringing as they rubbed against each other. Sephi could feel him and she hated to admit that she was responding.

"We can't do it here. You better back up so that you can get composed because I'm putting this elevator back into service." she ducked around him and pulled the red button back out, the elevator started again with a jerk.

She was now at the front of the elevator and he was in the back facing the back wall trying to think of anything but her body. The door opened as they reached the first floor. The whole lobby was watching the elevator trying to see who had set off the alarm.

She was trying not to laugh, "Are you coming Dr. House?" She held the elevator door open for him. He shook his leg and then turned around with his cane and followed her. She thought he looked cute smeared with red lipstick all over his lips and face and following her like a puppy to the cafeteria.

They got in line but she refused to tell him that he should go to the restroom and take the smeared lipstick off. Sephi saw some room at the table where Chase, Cherry and Cameron were sitting. She went over to them with her tray.

"Mind if we sit here?" Sephi asked.

Chase was looking at Sephi like she was a Playboy centerfold. She sat down and House came over. Cameron looked at House and smiled broadly. "House, you looked like you had an accident with Dr. Camden's lips.

Sephi turned to him and smiled seductively, "Oh she's right, you've got lipstick all over your lips cheeks and neck."

House pulled out his napkin from his tray and started to rub the lipstick off.

Chase was trying not to laugh but he pointed to Sephi's neck where House had been nuzzling in the elevator. He leaned into her and she leaned forward to hear him, "He's given you a hickey."

Sephi had been smiling at Chase. He watched as she went from that smile to abject horror at the idea that she had a hickey on her neck. She turned and grabbed her neck where he had been kissing her and then looked at House like she was going to kill him.

"You crafty SOB...I have a party to go to this afternoon and you gave me a hickey?"

"I debated between that and herpes." he said calmly. The table started laughing.

Cherry had no clue whether it was ok to laugh at House or not. Chase and Cameron laughed heartily. Sephi hit House in the arm. She got up and took her tray over and put it on the dish belt. She looked back at House and gave him a harsh look. He just smiled and continued to eat the steak he had ordered.

Sephi left and went back upstairs. She tried covering the rather obvious hickey with makeup but ended up unable to cover it completely. A few of her favorite patrons at the gallery that afternoon were amused.

"Looks like you had a little fun. Who's the hickey?" Cassandra Kellogg asked. Harold Robinson, Cassandra and Sephi had been good friends in college, back when I had good friends.

"A jerk. Someone I should be running from."

"A bad boy?" Cassandra asked. Sephi nodded yes, "Oh Sephi, have some fun with it. You're always trying to find a guy who can raise your social status, enjoy just being with someone who gives you guilty little pleasures. Who is it?"

"Gregory House...he's a doctor."

"I've heard of him. I think his name came up at a party...he's suppose to be good."

"He's good, very good...oh but you meant as a doctor." She gave her a sly smile. *** Guido and Sephi picked House up at 4:00 p.m. on Friday for their trip into New York. Sephi had a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting for them in the back of the Maybach 62. Guido went to the door and a few minutes later he came out carrying a duffle and a garment bag and with House in tow. House was looking good in his plain silk T shirt and sports coat. He got into the car and gave her a look that said he appreciated the sun dress she had on. The kiss he gave Sephi told her he was ready to enjoy the weekend.

They arrived in New York around 5:30. Guido unloaded the luggage and the doorman came out to get it on a cart. Sephi's apartment was at 1 West 72nd Street, also known as the Dakota Apartments overlooking Central Park. Inside the Dakota, apartments range from 4 to 20 rooms. None of the 65 residences are the same; however, living rooms and master bedrooms are always located in the front with the view of the park, while other rooms overlook the lovely courtyard in the center of the building. Some rooms are as long as 50 feet, ceilings in a number of apartments are 14 feet high, and the floors are covered with the most expensive woods available, including mahogany, oak, and cherry.

Sephi had an eight room apartment, it had two bedrooms, one office, a dining room, huge living room, a very modern kitchen and three bathrooms. The ceilings were all twelve feet high.

"Can you see any of his blood?" House asked as he stared at the ground when they entered the front of the building where John Lennon was shot.

"No, but it you don't behave this weekend, they'll be mopping up your blood."

When House and Sephi got up to the sixth floor and she opened the door, he whistled. "Holy Mother of God. The view of Central Park out of the tall and wide windows was gorgeous. The living room had a baby grand Steinway in one corner and several furnished areas for conversation. The floors were cherry covered by huge oriental rugs. The furniture was beautiful and tasteful but overstuffed. The apartment was very comfortable, not sterile. It wasn't quite as homey as Persephone's Princeton home, but the furniture certainly was inviting. The colors were all muted shades of gray, butter yellow and white. The ceilings had white ornate ceiling tiles and crown molding. The rooms were lovely. She grabbed his hand and took him into the master bedroom which was as large as his living room in his apartment.

As soon as Sephi walked into the master bedroom she threw her purse on the chair, took off her shoes and went into the bathroom. House looked out the windows onto Central Park and realized for the first time just how rich Sephi was. He wondered why he hadn't really faced the fact that she functioned and thrived in a world so foreign to him. It was probably because he had not really seen much of her outside of Princeton or the hospital. He walked over and opened a door and saw a closet as large as his bedroom. One side was obviously devoted to Giovanni's things and the other hers.

"Greg, come out of the closet."

He turned gave her a half smile at the remark and walked out.

"You still have his things?"

"I kept them in case the kids complained that they wanted them."

He wondered if she felt some sort of attachment to them, "Is it hard for you to part with them?"

She looked inside the closet and then back out at him, "No. Those things aren't Giovanni, they're just things. Would you like anything? I gave the children until the end of last month to come and get them. As soon as I get a chance I'll be sending them to charity."

"You must be joking. You're sending all of that to charity?" He shook his head in disbelief. She walked back into the closet and turned on all of the lights. There were cherry drawers, shoe holders and glass front drawers for jewelry. There was also a mirror and a place to sit and apply makeup. She opened the top drawer on Giovanni's side.

"Do you want a watch? Take one." She had the drawer opened and was showing him at least two dozen watches including IWC, Brequet, Louis Errard, Tiquot, Rolex and several other high end brands.

House felt envious of a dead man, "You can't be serious?"

"As a heart attack. I swear that in a few weeks these watches will be on some homeless guy in Central Park. Take one...take two...take them all." In reality the charity would auction the watches off and reap the benefits, but she wanted to make her point.

House realized that there was over $300,000 in watches in front of him. "Why not sell them?"

"I'll get a bigger benefit by the tax write off." She took House's wrist and started to unbuckle the Seiko watch he was currently wearing. "This is one of my favorites, I bought it for him for Christmas two years ago but he rarely wore it, he liked a different style than I did. It's a Jaeger-LeCoultre, they're Swiss watchmakers. Since he never wore that, why don't you take it?"

He watched as she put it on his wrist and said, "Do I need to insure it?"

Sephi chuckled. "No, I only paid $10,000 for it." She picked up another black faced watch with a black band and silver looking casement. "I want you to have this one too. I bought this for him for our fifth anniversary and he never wore it, not once. It's a Lange & S"hne, platinum, with a Calibre movement. It has a manually wound chronograph, a flyback, and precise jumping minute counter. The crystal is a sapphire-crystal glass. It was too modern in taste for him."

"It's fantastic. What's a flyback?"

"A second second-hand that can be used as a timer."

He looked at her and asked, "Should I insure this one?"

"That depends. Can you afford to lose a $49,000 watch?"

House's face dropped and he started to hand it back, "I can't take it." He hesitated, yanked it back and smiled, "Oh well, if you insist." He slipped the watch into his pocked and wondered how much the others were worth.

She pulled another drawer opened to reveal dozens of ties. "You see this one? I bought this from a famous tie painter on the Ponte Vecchio, he never wore it either. He didn't really like my taste in clothes or decor, but he tolerated it."

House looked at the lovely blue tie with a beautiful pattern carefully painted on the silk. It was certainly his taste. She handed it to him.

She brought over a suit coat and tried it on House but it was too short in the arms. "I thought it would be too short. It would probably fit someone with shorter arms, like Jim. Too bad, it's Armani."

Sephi looked around, "You know, screw this." She grabbed a large Louis Vitton satchel from over head and stuffed the ties, tie clips, watches and belts into the bag. She had a big smile on her face, "Here, take this."

He took it from her and put it on the floor. He walked up and just gently put his arm around her. "I don't mind a couple of things, but I can't come in here like a vulture and pick the bones off of your dead husband."

Sephi turned her face up to his, looked him squarely in the eye and said, "That's a shame because he'd have no problem picking your bones if you had something he wanted."

House started rubbing her backside,"I do know one thing I want. I want to get you in that big bed out there and make you scream."

"But we have dinner reservations in just over an hour."

"Well, that's why they call it a quickie." He smiled and grabbed her hand.

As they left the closet he started taking off shoes his t-shirt belt, pants, socks. Sephi was down to her underwear within seconds. They reached the bed and he threw Sephi down and she giggled. She took off her bra and he said, "Mamma Mia! Those are some spicy meatballs...come on...get those knickers off, I don't have all night."

Sephi pulled the panties off. He quickly reached down and turned her over. He took her from behind and in a few minutes he had collapsed on top of the 1200 thread Egyptian percale sheets. She could feel the hair on his body against the smoothness of hers as she crawled up and draped her leg over his groin and thighs avoiding putting any pressure on the right one. He had his eyes closed and was just relaxing. Sephi took her fingers and ran them slowly up his thigh and then she put her hand flat on his abdomen. She wanted to just look at him. She could see every mole, every follicle of the hairs on his chest, the little pink nipples, the collarbone, the red mark on his neck where he had been shot, the pulsating vein from his scalp to the socket of his eye. She had never looked at a man like she was looking at Greg House. She jumped up quickly and ran into the bathroom.

House had been floating in that space between being awake and sleeping. Feeling her touch him had been relaxing and calming. He had been thinking that he was becoming addicted to her and then he felt the bed spring as she jumped up and ran away. He lifted his head to catch a glimpse of her as she closed the bathroom door and a few minutes later he heard water as she started the shower.

***

I panicked. Laying on that bed, feeling how warm he was, smelling him, touching him, seeing the angles of his nose, the length of his fingers, the curve of his lips, I realized that this must be what it feels like to be in love. I don't like it. I can't control it. It feels foreign and overwhelming. I sat down on the edge of the bathtub and started to have trouble breathing again. My hands were clammy and I thought I would pass out. I had to get control, think of nothing.

I realized that I had to spend the whole weekend with him. I was falling further down the rabbit hole every second I was with him. I hated him. I hated that he was going to own me. Not like Sterling, but in a way that was even worse. He was going to own my feelings. Worse yet, he had none to give back.

I started to cry and so I turned on the shower. I hadn't cried for a long time, not since Giovanni died. F#ck him, f#ck Greg House. The doorknob turned but I had locked it.

"Hey, what's going on? I need a shower too...haven't you heard about conserving water for the people in Darfur?"

I quickly jumped into the shower. "Sorry," I yelled from the stall, "Just my habit, I'll be right there..." I let the water hit my face to hide the tears and then I got out ran to the door, unlocked it and ran back. He opened it and looked in...

He was playful, "Ready or not hear I come." I heard him limp over and I turned just as he got in the shower with me.

There was enough room in the shower for the Yankees to join us, but he was right up next to me, taking the soap from my hand to wash me. I looked up at him and warned him, "NO more hickeys. I'm almost 36 for God's sake, not 16." He was behind me, nibbling my ear and rubbing my breasts. I turned and washed his hair, my breasts pressed up against him and kissing him. The soap came down the sides of his face and we got a little taste of it. "Phtew..." He spit it out to the side and I laughed. He rinsed his hair quickly and then continued to kiss me as he pulled me so close that I didn't know where he stopped and I started. I pulled my head back, "Hey, we have to get going, they're pretty strict about these reservations."

He sighed in frustration but we both got out and dried off. I went back out and into my dressing room to get dressed. He pulled his suit out of the garment bag and began to dress. I put on a cocktail dress, thigh highs and some red Jimmy Choos. He went into the bathroom and trimmed his beard back and then put on his brownish-green suit. His blue eyes made me smile, they were like magnets, drawing you to his face. He had on the Lange & S"hne watch and it looked good on him.

Guido drove us to 1 Central Park West, or Trump Tower to "Jean George" the famous French restaurant. House unbuttoned the top button of his suit as we took our seats in the ultra modern restaurant. Jean-George Vongerichten's fabulous French cuisine is prepared tableside and then served immediately on your plate. The meal was a prix-fixe at $85 each. The waiters came over and dropped the napkins into our laps.

"Ms. Camden, it has been too long. It is good to have you back. What may we get you to drink?"

I looked at House. "Greg, order whatever you like it is your birthday weekend."

He looked up at the waiter, "Do you have a 1975 bottle of Thunderbird?"

I giggled at the look on Daniel's face. "Daniel, bring us a 2003 Takler Cabernet Franc for now."

Daniel left and went over and whispered something in the ear of the maitre' d who looked over at House. I rolled my eyes at him. He gave me a look of feigned innocense and I leaned forward. "You're ruining my reputation for dating suave men..."

"Sorry, I'll try speaking French when he comes back."

"Do you speak French?" I asked.

"Do you?" He asked back.

"No. Just Italian and Spanish."

"Then you should have taken me to an Italian restaurant."

"That's tomorrow night."

The food was exceptional and the wine was one of the best I had imbibed in years. House was still amazed that one bottle of wine could cost more than our dinners combined. I had been rich for so long I had forgotten what it was like to look at the price of anything before buying it. I know that sounds snobbish but it did drive home some of our differences between us. House did indeed speak fluent French and managed to make the waiter laugh at something. He wouldn't tell me.

"Would you like to go for a drink?" I asked him as we got into the car.

"I think I'd like to go back to your apartment and enjoy laying in that huge bed on those great sheets rubbing our bodies together like two sticks starting a fire."

"Then home to start a fire."

When we got to my place, I had him pick out music and he picked out John Coltrane. I brought us Piper Heidsech champagne and glasses and After Eight dinner mints. Then I ducked into my closet, which is also my changing room. I got out the bra, panties garter and stockings that I had on when he first saw me in the exam room. I put on a little a black sheer robe and three inch black heels and went out with a feather in my hand. When I stepped out he grinned and whistled.

"I remember that outfit....I thought you were exquisite that day, I wanted to make love to you back then." He was sitting, propped up on pillows watching me.

"I could tell." As the music was playing I started to rub my thighs and then up my hips and to my breasts. I turned my back to him and I let the robe slip down my arms ever so slowly and onto the floor. I then reached around, unlatched the bra and took it off and dropped it onto the floor as the music got louder. I still had my back to him. I bent my knees and swayed back and forth. I kept dancing and then I turned around with my arms across my breasts, danced a little more and then turned back around, bending over and took off my shoes. I danced with my back to him and barefoot.

***I turned to show him my breasts, came over and got into bed. I could tell he wanted desperately to touch me. He knelt at my calves and pulled the panties completely off of my hips and then slowly down my legs. He put his hands on my legs and slid them slowly up my calves and thighs, up my hips and to my breasts until he lay between my legs. He looked down the length our bodies and then gave me a deep kiss. Once again, he placed me in a position that I haven't tried before. I suspect that it was a Kama Sutra position, but at that moment I was just enjoying the look on his face as he made love. He would make love quickly and then slow down and then pick up speed again. I knew that if I clamped and released my muscles at that moment that he wouldn't be able to control it and all of his hard work would quickly come to an end.

The truth is that I couldn't help it, I love gripping down with my muscles and watching the reaction as the man realizes he can't control what's happening anymore. When I contracted them Greg opened his mouth and stopped breathing. It's strange that when we are at the pinnacle of sex, when it feels the best, we look as if we are in excruciating pain. He looked as if the pain was too much and he couldn't take it. He opened his eyes and in one look he acknowledged that I had brought him to his knees with pleasure. He didn't have to move for the pleasure to continue because I was in control with my muscles. I contracted and released over and over causing him to jerk slightly with the pleasure and release it brought him. When he finally begged me to stop, I started laughing. He fell into a heap next to me and started to breath again.

I was a little concerned, he really did look like it was too much, "Are you alright?"

"You minx. I'd ask where you learned to do that, but I don't think I want to know the answer. Having sex with you brings me so close to death I can almost see Hades coming up to claim me." He made me happy and then we melted back into the bed and since we were both tired, we fell asleep almost immediately. *** The next morning around 8:00 a.m. I heard Maris come in. Maris cleans my New York apartment and, when I'm in town, acts as a cook, butler and valet. She walked into the bedroom and was surprised to see a man in bed with me. The only man that had ever been in my bed in my New York apartment was Giovanni. I knew that Giovanni frequently brought women home to the apartment when he knew I was out of town. But if I wanted to meet up with someone in New York, I went to a hotel. I didn't bring them home.

"Good morning Maris. How are you?"

"Fine Persephone, I see you have company, is there anything I can do for you?"

"We'll need breakfast, tea and coffee. We also need the newspapers."

"An hour fine?"

"Yes, 9:00 am sounds good. Thanks."

She left the room and I rolled over and looked at Greg laying there. I pulled up the sheets and looked underneath. He had a lovely morning friend and I almost reached down to play with him but I thought I'd let him sleep. Maris brought me the papers and I sat up in bed with a cup of tea and began to read them. About 8:50 I woke Greg.

I climbed under the covers, scooted over and rubbed his hair and face. "Greg, it's time to wake up sweetie, we're going to have breakfast in a minute. If you need to get up and use the bathroom, now would be a great time."

He opened his eyes but didn't say anything, he just rubbed his face and sat up on his elbows. He took his long fingers and rubbed his face again as he yawned. Then he stood up and, without his cane, made his way to the bathroom, scratching his genitals and stretching. Maris came in a little early with the trays just as Greg came limping out of the bathroom nude. She took one good look and said, "Good morning sir, would you like anything special for breakfast? I've brought sausage, bacon, eggs and toast.

House looked at Maris and then at me. "Gregory House, meet my housekeeper and cook, Maris Tyne."

"I see you're carrying a tray or I would shake your hand. And no, what you have there sounds fine except that I'd like coffee with sugar and milk." House smiled without trying to cover anything up. He didn't even seem to be conscious of the scar.

"That's fine Dr. House, if you'll get back in bed, I'll give you your tray.

House climbed back in bed and she provided him with the tray. She smiled at him and then went back out to the kitchen to get a tray for me and to get his coffee.

"Breakfast in bed? Does someone do this all the time for you?"

"When I'm in New York or Pacific Palisades. I have housekeepers in both homes." I lowered my voice a little. "I love Maris, but Kellyin Pacific Palisades is the better cook."

"Do you think I impressed her with my manliness?"

"Oh yeah baby...I'm sure that's the biggest one she's ever seen." We both started giggling. I'm sure Maris probably ran into many naked women in our bedroom when Giovanni was alive. I know she once saw Giovanni naked but I'm not sure if Giovanni had brought any of his male guests home to the apartment. That would have been too dicey so I rather think she was only used to naked women.

We ate breakfast and when Maris removed the trays I cuddled up to House and put my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and the swishing of the blood being pumped. I loved the contrast between the soft cool sheets and House's warm hairy body. He rubbed my ear lightly for several minutes and then rolled onto his side. "So what do you have planned today?"

I looked up into his blue eyes, "We have shopping, dinner and a party on the program for today."

"Shopping?"

"For you birthday suit. We'll go to Bergdorf Goodman first and then wherever you want. It's your day."

He gave me a hug. I loved smelling him and when he purposefully rubbed his beard on my cheeks I pulled away and laughed. I gave him a kiss and then went into the bathroom to start the shower. I started thinking about how much fun he was and how affectionate he could be when he was alone with me. Then I started wondering how long it would all last. I had no control over it. My throat started to close up and my heart felt strange, I started hyperventilating again. I leaned back on the tub and clutched my heart. Once again I had to concentrate on getting control over my breathing. It took longer this time.

We finally got out of the apartment around 11:00 a.m. and headed to Bergdorf Goodman on 5th Avenue. I took him to the Men's department and asked A.J., Giovanni's personal shopper at BG, to help me pick out the best suit for House. He took some measurements and said that either Hugo Boss or Alexander McQueen would have the best suits for his body frame. He recommended a dark blue or light gray. Within an hour we had narrowed it down to two suits. One was a fall-weight wool Hugo Boss. The other was a silk and wool blend dark Navy suit by Alexander McQueen that was light enough to wear in spring and summer. I bought them both over a lot of protest from Greg. I watched as the tailor marked the suit and asked House what side he dressed.

"I dress the left but sometimes the right gets so cold, I put clothes on it too." I didn't dare laugh because the little Jewish tailor was not finding it funny. House finally admitted that he dressed on the left. I could have told the tailor that. I occasionally enjoyed feeling House against my right leg when we hugged.

I had AJ start pulling shoes, shirts and socks for House to try on. I figured I had enough designer ties and belts at home in the Louis Vitton bag that he could take his pick out of them. I made him buy the Prada black slip-ons and the Gucci lace up black wingbacks. They both looked good on his long, thin foot.

I thought that we had done well by getting out of the store and only spending $9,400. But House was clearly uncomfortable with the amount of money I had just spent. I had to remind him that I made more money in interest on my estate while we were shopping than I had spent at the store. Bergdorf Goodman was going to deliver the tailored and pressed suits and shirts to my apartment later that afternoon.

I took House to a late lunch at a small restaurant that had great salads. We had some wine and then went for a massage, pedicure, manicure and I had them cut Greg's hair just perfectly. We got home around 5:30 p.m. and lay down for a short nap. Maris had changed the sheets to my favorite Italian ones. They were so soft and light I always felt tingly when I first got into bed. Our dinner reservations were for 7:30 p.m.

House wore his new blue suit with a dark blue shirt and the hand painted tie from the Ponte Vecchio. I wore a gold brocade dress with a matching light-weight swing coat. The dress was strapless and belted around the waist by a three inch black brocade belt

We went to Salvatore's for dinner and ran into Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro having dinner. They both came to my table to express their condolences over Giovanni's death. I was mortified when House asked both of them for their autographs but they obliged him.

I think Salvatore's serves the best Italian food in New York. The only thing that makes me feel ill at ease is that a lot of the mafia eat there and, I know how silly this sounds, I always worry that they're going to have a shoot out in the restaurant. I image a scene right out of the Godfather so I make sure I always sit in a booth.

"This food is phenomenal. It's great, this is the best meal I've had since last night, thanks." House raised his glass to me. "Sephi, I don't know how to react to all of this. I never realized how much money you actually have. I don't have to worry too much about what I spend because my salary covers it, but you could sit on your butt for the rest of your life and make more money than I could ever spend...well, almost."

"Does the money bother you Greg?"

He squinted and looked up and to the left while he debated in his head how he felt. "I'm not sure. I think I just don't know how to act around money. Maybe it just takes time."

"Greg, if you acted like most rich people, I wouldn't be across the table from you. I like the fact that you aren't conventional, that you think and live outside the box. I have lived inside the box for so long, my head is square in shape."

"Yeah, right. If I had one of my usual outbursts in front of your friends you'd have apoplexy."

I laughed at the thought of Greg House exploding or pulling one of his antics in front of the Park Avenue group. Their sphincters would probably get so tight they'd be constipated for weeks. On the other hand, the Soho group that we were going to see tonight would love it and find Greg interesting. Quentin was a member of the Soho group although most of his cousins and siblings would have qualified for the Park Avenue Group.

The party we were going to was a birthday party for one of the Fords, I'm not sure which one, but Craig had sent a gift Friday so that we wouldn't have to drag one around tonight. When we got to the party, it was being held in an old Mason's hall with the entire downstairs floor dedicated to the party of over 1,000 people. There were two bands. One large dance room had a rock band and the other, more intimate room, had a quartet that played a variety of dance (ballroom) music. Greg and I went into the smaller room. He went to the open bar and got us both a drink.

When House came back he was surprised to find three gorgeous women at the table. House sat my drink down and then smiled at the gaggle of beauties. "Greg, this is Daphne Dupont, Mary Johnson, and Kat Gamble. They want to play with you."

House tried his best not to start dancing a jig. I could tell he was interested. "Do you want a fivesome?" I cringed and shook my head no. He didn't realize how serious they were.

"That's why we're here. We saw you when you came in and we like your eyes. We're only sleeping with men who have blue eyes this month. And you have beautiful blue eyes. So we thought we'd take you home. You don't mind do you Sephi? We'll bring him back in good working order."

"Be my guest. Honey, do you want to have a foursome with these three gorgeous women?"

House was finding it very difficult to say no, but he finally saw the wisdom of turning them down when he saw the quizzical look on Sephi's face. He laughed, "I'm sorry ladies but this month I'm only sleeping with women who have the name of the Queen of the Underworld. Anyone here named Persephone? He raised his eyebrows and landed a big kiss on my lips.

"Persephone? Isn't that your name Sephi?" Kat asked.

I felt sorry for Kat, she wasn't the sharpest blade in the tool shed,"Yes Kat I guess I'm the only one here having sex with Greg tonight."

Mary squirmed a little and said, "Well Greg, if you change your mind, call us at this number." She slid the number over to him and blew him a kiss, he blew one back.

Greg was still smiling as they all looked back over their shoulders and waved at him. "Now this is a party." he said as he waved back.

"SEPHI!" I looked around to find Keith Wilderspin was standing by me bigger than life.

"Keith! Keith! I haven't seen you in three, no four years."

He grabbed me and gave me a very passionate kiss. I pulled back and looked guiltily at House who was looking smugly at me.

Keith looked at me with a broad smile, "Hey, Sephi, why don't you and I go back to my place and have a pillow fight."

"Keith, this is Gregory House, my parole officer. He won't let me go anywhere without him. I'm afraid if I went home with you I'd have to bring him along and he likes guys, you up for that?"

"Man what a shame Sephi, I miss you, no one can..."

"Keith...how's business these days?"

I managed to divert Keith's attention for a few minutes. Eventually we were joined by other people and the conversation was very lively. After the party House couldn't believe that these were some of the richest people in the United States. We were in the car and he put his head back and looked up at the ceiling, "I swear to God they need some chlorine in that gene pool."

We were in the back seat. "Look we're in the back seat of a luxury car, don't you want to make out?" I asked.

House grabbed me and started to kiss me. Then he pulled me over and I rested my head on his new suit.

"Did you have fun?" I was hoping that his birthday weekend had gone well.

"I had a great time, it would have been better if you'd had let me play with Mary, Kat and Daphne."

"Does that mean you expect me to make up for three gorgeous girls?"

"You owe me."

When we got inside my apartment we made love the old fashion way, boy on top and girl on bottom, nothing fancy. The nice thing was that we looked into each other's eyes the whole time. He would watch me and then give me small kisses, he nibbled on my lower lip or sometimes licked and nibbled my ear lobe. I let my tongue outline the outside of his ear and then when he had finally reached climax he kissed me but didn't bother to move. He fell asleep still inside.

"Greg...Greg?

"Mmm?"

"Could you just roll off to the side, you're a little heavy for me."

He rolled off and onto his back and before I could get to sleep he was snoring.

*** I fell asleep a few minutes later and when we woke up it was to Maris bringing in a tray at 9:30 with a light breakfast, tea and coffee. House turned over and looked at Maris as she put the tray down on the chair. Greg said, "Good morning Maris, you're looking foxy this morning, care to join us in bed?"

"No thank you Dr. House, I have a lot to do today and screwing you wasn't on the list."

I raised my eyebrows at House and had a hard time not laughing. He did laugh and said to her, "Maris, will you marry me?"

"I have a lot on my list to do today and marrying you isn't on it." She left and we broke up laughing.

After breakfast I turned over to talk to him but he beat me to it, "I don't want to go back. If that b!tch hadn't taken away all of my vacation time we could stay another day."

"You do know that it was me who took away your vacation?"

"Of course I do." He smiled and then reached over and planted a kiss on me.

I was feeling sad that the weekend was almost over, "I've really had a good time."

He looked at me with real affection, "Was there any doubt? You're with me, good time Greg."

I jumped up rather abruptly and went into the bathroom to take a shower before we left. I was worried about what would happen when we went back to Princeton. I started to get that feeling again. My pulse shot up and I had a hard time getting my breath. My face was pale and sweaty. My chest felt constricted, I turned around and tried to make it to the door but only made it to the bathtub where I sat down and gasped for breath. I saw the door knob turn and it opened. House took one look at me and immediately started asking questions.

"Point to where it hurts."

I pointed to my chest.

"You're young and don't do drugs so I don't think this is a heart attack. Have you had this happen before?" He grabbed my wrist to take my pulse. I shook my head, yes. "Do you think it might be a panic attack?" I shook my head yes. He looked visibly relieved. He grabbed me and held me close and started saying very softly while stroking my hair, "It's ok, you'll be fine, try to concentrate on your breathing. Come on, breathe with me...breathe in, breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...breath in...breathe out.

I started to breathe with the rise and fall of his chest and I calmed down. I leaned forward into arms. I could feel my pulse coming down and my breathing returning to normal. Once I had my breathing under control he asked me, "Are you ok? Let's take you out and lay you down on the bed."

I went out and crawled onto the bed. He looked down at me, "How many times has this happened?"

"Four."

"When did it start?"

"Last weekend. It's getting worse."

"What has changed since last weekend?"

"Just you. I also told Lisa about Sterling. I told you. I've never told anyone about the abortion, about the tubal ligation."

"Monday you need to see a shrink. These attacks are going to get worse and come more often if you don't figure out what's causing them and deal with it."

*** After they showered, Sephi, dressed in jeans and a Donna Karan tank top, went out to the kitchen to go over the bills and plans with Maris. House went out and started playing piano. Unlike his piano, the Steinway was in perfect tune and had an incredibly rich sound. It had beautiful burl woods on the veneer, which meant that the piano probably cost more than the one used by the New York Philharmonic. It was gorgeous and he wished he owned it.

Sephi came back out to the living room an hour later. She loved hearing the piano through the doors of the kitchen while she and Maris covered the business of the flat. House played well and he knew a variety of pieces from different genres of music.

He looked up at her, "Do you play?"

"Yes."

He got up and said, "Play for me."

Sephi sat down and asked, "What do you want to hear?"

"Anything."

Sephi started to play some Beethoven, her fingers playing softly and swiftly. She made no mistakes as she walked her fingers up and down the keys. House shook his head in amazement. "You're almost as good as I am." They both smiled because they both knew she was as good, if not better than House. She had been playing since a little girl and had trained with several famous instructors. She could have played with an orchestra but she made a lot more money in the hospital business.

She finished the Beethoven and played and sang him one more song:

He's a fool and don't I know it. But a fool can have his charms. I'm in love and don't I show it, Like a babe in arms.

Love's the same old sad sensation. Lately I've not slept a wink, Since this half-pint imitation Put me on the blink.

I'm wild again, Beguiled again, A simpering, whimpering child again, Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I.

Couldn't sleep and wouldn't sleep, When love came and told me I shouldn't sleep. Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I.

Lost my heart, but what of it? He is cold I agree. He can laugh but I love it, Although the laugh's on me.

I'll sing to him, each spring to him, And long for the day when I'll cling to him. Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I.

Men are not a new sensation, I've done pretty well I think, But this half-pint imitation, Put me on the blink.

I've sinned a lot, I'm mean a lot, But now I'm like seventeen a lot. Bewitched bothered and bewildered am I.

The song made House slightly uncomfortable because he knew she had picked it just to send a message to him. He wasn't sure how to respond.

The ride home that afternoon was quiet. Sephi was napping with House's arm around her. House had tried to nap but couldn't. He was too worried that this would all come to an end soon. It felt too good to just keep going the way it was. Maybe she would find someone else who could give her what he wanted to give her but didn't know how anymore. Or maybe he'd drive her away as usual by ignoring her or slicing her down with his tongue. It had happened many times before and he had paid the price by being alone these last five years. House sighed heavily, wishing they could go back to New York and never leave.

When they got back to House's apartment he woke her up gently and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Thank you for the best birthday I've ever had, I mean it."

"I enjoyed it too. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." He and Guido walked into his apartment with his luggage.

*** The next morning I called Harold and told him I was coming to California to see him tomorrow and that he needed to clear his calendar for a few hours.

"Sephi, I have patients, I can't just clear my calendar because you want to have lunch."

"Harry, I'm having panic attacks and you're the only professional I trust. Besides, you know some of what happened to me when I was younger, you won't need a lot of time to be brought up to speed. Please, I trust you? Please. I promise, I'll pay for your clients to see you another day, please?"

I could hear Harry breathe deeply and papers rattle. "Ok, Sephi, just this time. I knew I'd get this phone call some day. I'm actually surprised you lasted this long."

I flew out to California to Los Angeles where Harry had his practice in his home in Bel Air. I climbed the steps and saw him open the door and come out to greet me. He waited on the landing and put his bit teddy bear arms around me to give me a warm hug. Harry had been a true friend when I was in college and one night when I was particularly upset with Sterling's son, I let slip what Sterling had done to me. Harold, who was getting his doctorate in psychology, took me aside the next day and made me tell him about Sterling. I didn't tell Harold about the abortion or tubal ligation, but he knew that Sterling and I had sexual relations.

We had tea and then he started asking me questions about what had happened to me in the year since I went to Princeton. I told him everything I thought might be relevant.

"Sephi, why didn't you tell me about the abortion and the sterilization? My God, that's enough trauma to send most people to the loony bin. You have incredible fortitude to have gotten this far without working on it."

"I was ashamed. But why is it so painful now and what are the attacks about?"

"You've fallen in love and you know that this Gregory's feelings aren't in your control. You can't buy them, exchange sex for them or demand them. You've never been in love with a man and this feeling of helplessness and lack of control remind you of Sterling. You were helpless and had no control when you lived with Sterling. So you have two things going on here, you have a very strange and I'm not sure whether it's healthy, romance; and, you have to deal with your past and all the feelings you've pushed down inside to function."

"Healthy romance?"

Harold shifted in his chair. He was glad that she had finally started to form a real attachment, but this guy sounded like damaged goods. "From what you tell me about this Gregory, he's not exactly the picture of perfect mental health. He sounds like he needs therapy too. You say he lived with a woman for five years but she left him. Do you know why?"

I tried to explain everything that Lisa, Wilson and House had told me about Stacy and House's relationship.

"He pushed Stacy away twice, not once, but twice. I think his friend, Wilson, probably has a pretty good lay person's understanding of what's going on. House doesn't like himself so he doesn't think he can or should be happy. He perpetuates this with self-fulfilling actions. He doesn't understand how anyone can love him so he tests them over and over to see how far he can push them. When he finally pushes them clear out the door he turns around and says, "There, I told you so, people are crap and I'm not lovable." He's on a merry-go-round. Until he allows himself to be loved and not sabotage it, he'll keep finding Stacys to push out of his life. He obviously wants someone to love him because he's allowed you to get close, but his old fears are going to start biting at his ankles soon and you're going to be the one to suffer. He's going to start doing to you what he did to Stacy, he'll test you by ignoring you and if that doesn't work, he'll start being mean."

"That sounds like fun. What do I do in the meantime? I'm in love for the first time and the thought of being without him sends me into panic attacks."

"You aren't going to be able to function well in any relationship until you deal with Sterling. Otherwise, Sterling's going to raise his head up and bite you on the @ss in every relationship. You'll soar during the honeymoon period and then you'll fall to earth with a splat when you have to deal with relationship issues that come up."

"So you think that I need to end my relationship with Greg?"

"That's for you to decide. If you stay in it he's going to hold back any feelings he has so that he can test you first. Sephi," he paused and finally looked at me, "did you ever think about having children?"

The tears came so quickly it surprised both of us. I finally stopped crying so that I could answer, but I think he already knew. "When I was a little girl I always imagined having a family. Even when mine fell apart I would say to myself, when I have a child I'm going to do this or that. It helped me feel in control so that I could deal with losing my Dad and my mother's drinking. After Tijuana, I never said anything to myself about children again. I started to force myself to hate children. If people had babies on a plane, I'd make sure I was as far from them as possible. In restaurants I did the same. I never went to showers. I always had someone else buy the baby gifts for our circle of friends. I ignored pregnancies. I had to toughen up. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense. You need to feel back in control, give yourself back what Sterling took away. Why not have the procedure reversed and after you get some therapy, have a child."

"Right." I thought for a minute he was making fun of me but then I realized he was being serious, "Don't you know, I'm the biggest b!tch in the city, a whore who will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. That makes good mother material?"

"You're a survivor, you did what it took to exist in your world and now you don't need to exist in that world anymore. The fact that you let yourself fall in loves says a lot about where you are in your life. You're changing Sephi, you're becoming who you should be. Look, you've got money, power, a career and you've found out that you are capable of loving. Granted you're not good at picking who you love, but you can love. The great thing about motherhood is that you don't have to pick who you love, they're preselected."

She smiled at him, "I'll think about it. So I'm going to continue to have these attacks?"

"As long as Gregory is in control of the relationship and you don't work on your Sterling issues, you will. The attacks will probably grow in severity and hit you at very inopportune times. Until you either take back control or he makes his decision to let you love him, you're going to feel helpless."

"How do I take back control?"

"You force him to give you an answer about how he feels or you move on. Or you do both. It's a little early in your relationship, so I doubt you're going to get him to commit. Until he stops beating himself up, he's going to need to test you."

"Why does he feel this way about himself?"

"I think Daddy probably made Greg feel pretty worthless as a kid. Mom didn't help. She made him feel even more worthless by not getting him out of the situation...or that's probably how his inner child interpreted it, if Mom loved me she'd do something."

We talked a little more and then finally I asked him, "Well, how much do I owe you?"

"I want to be your child's Godfather."

"IF I ever have one."

***

Harry knew Sephi, once she decided she deserved something, she'd make it happen. Sephi had always treated him well. He suspected that for some reason he had appealed to the twelve year old who still came from the midwestern town with the midwestern values. He knew how generous and kind she could be and how loving she was to people she really cared about. She singlehandedly nursed him back to health when he was out four months with a flesh eating Strep. None of his other friends ever showed up, they admitted later that they were afraid of catching it. But not Sephi. She came to his apartment, slept on the couch for four months and made sure he was ok. She had enough money that she could have hired a nurse for him. But she didn't pawn it off to someone else. He loved her like a sister and would do anything for her.

Sephi's pilot received authority to take off from LAX in her Cessna Citation X, a 12 seater private jet. She didn't use it much and leased it out most days to corporations. But it was nice to have it when she needed it. She sat back with a bottle of Grey Goose and began to pour herself her mother's favorite drink. Vodka on the rocks.

Sephi wasn't sure what to do. She had known House for a year now, but they had really only been seeing each other less than two weeks. It was hard to demand that someone declare their feelings so soon in a relationship. Sephi sat back in the jet and felt the attack coming on. She was frightened. There was no one around to help her get thought it. Her heart raced, she started to sweat, she felt nauseated and her breathing was becoming irregular. She found a xanex in her purse and took it but she was still scared. Sephi started to hear House coaxing her, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. It was slowly working.

House had been trying to call her for the last two days but there had been no answer on her cell phone. He wondered where she was, she hadn't been at the hospital. What did it matter? He had his TIVO and the Yamizake that she had given him. He had another drink and thought about her perfect little ... everything. He never thought he'd fall for a blonde, he liked brunettes, but she was incredible, an original. They had a lot in common, especially music, the piano and great sex. He had a hard time with the money issue and she made him angry sometimes with how bossy she could be, but on the whole, she was a whirl wind that made him happier than he had been in years. He knew that she thought she was in love with him, but if she was around him for long, she'd realize how wrong she was. He was a self-centered jerk and tigers can't change their stripes.

The next morning, Sephi was on her way down to see Cuddy when she saw that House was in his office. Her heart did that funny hiccup and she opened his office door with a big smile. She went up to his desk, "I'm back!"

He looked up and simply nodded at her. He stood up, grabbed his cane, looked at her again and said, "I couldn't be happier for you, now I have to run...people to pr!ck, patients to make cry." And then he was out the door.

She took a deep breath and sat down. Wow, the honeymoon was already over, now comes the test. She hadn't expected it so soon from him and she wasn't up for it. After a few minutes she picked herself up and went down to see Cuddy.

"You look like your dog just died, what happened?" Lisa asked. "Wait, wait, don't tell me...House said something to you or he did something."

"Both. I was gone for two days, I showed up in his office and he acted like he could care less...he was also flippant about it."

"Sephi, do you really expect anything more?"

She shrugged. They started to go over the figures for the new additions to the Neurology department. Sephi's heart rate started accelerating and her breathing became erratic. Cuddy looked up at her friend and thought she was having a heart attack.

"Sephi, I'm getting you to the Emergency room."

But Sephi was shaking her head no, "Ok...minute...anxiety..."

"You're having an anxiety attack?"

Sephi nodded yes. Within a few minutes Sephi had it under control but she soon realized that these attacks were starting to come at very inopportune times and she couldn't have that.

Cuddy was worried about Sephi. She had never seen Sephi anything but in control and steady. "What was that about?"

"I've been having panic attacks. My shrink thinks they are related to dredging up the affair with Sterling and then my romance with House."

"Your shrink?"

"Well, he's an old friend and a great psychologist out in Bel Air. That's why I flew out there to see him."

"What are you suppose to do about the attacks?"

"Deal with my emotions over my Stepfather and figure out what to do about Greg."

"What are you going to do about House?"

Sephi wasn't sure, "I don't know when or if Greg is going to let me love him and I can't keep having panic attacks. I'm going to have to think about it. I might have to give up on the relationahip."

Cuddy was pretty sure that if Sephi left, House was going to be impossible to deal with, "Sephi, are you sure you just want to give up on the relationship?"

"No, but Lisa, look me in the eye and tell me that you think he's going to allow me to love him?"

Lisa tried to look her in the eye but Sephi saw her look away briefly. Lisa knew she had given herself away, "I don't think he can let anyone love him until he deals with whatever is going on inside of him. And it's been going on a long time, I don't really see him changing."

"Thanks for being honest." Sephi had come to appreciate Lisa's friendship.

House walked in the door to his apartment and slammed the door. He had been both happy and angry to see her come through the door that morning. House couldn't stand for her to have the upper hand. If she could disappear and not talk to him for a couple of days then she probably didn't care about him. Nonetheless, he was having second thoughts over the way he handled it. She seemed genuinely happy to see him and he had ignored her.

He started thinking about his past. Had ignoring Stacy worked in the past? No. Why did he do it? He wasn't sure...maybe because he wanted to know if someone could love him unconditionally, even when he behaved badly. The problem was that Stacy had interpreted the ignoring as meaning he didn't love her. Would Sephi do the same? Probably. Crap.

He got on his motorcycle and went over to Persephone's house. The light was on in the family room and kitchen. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for her to answer. Sephi wasn't expecting anyone and so she had been sitting around in her short short p.j.s. She had to run up and grab a robe and then run back down the stairs to get the door. House had already gone back to his motorcycle and was putting his helmet back on when he saw the door open. She was dressed in a robe, standing on the front porch and looking at him. He got off the motorcycle again and walked up to her on the porch.

"Hi. I thought I'd stop by."

"Come on in." Sephi was glad to see him but was also unsure what to say to him.

She took him into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Beer?" he asked.

"Sure, Guinness, Samuel Adams, Abbots Ale, Modelo Negro?"

"Guinness will do."

"Are you hungry?"

"What do you have?"

Sephi smiled at him and started to get out the makings for a sandwich. She built him a hoagie and he sat down at the breakfast counter and started to eat it. She stood across from him drinking a diet coke and watching him. They said nothing to each other. When he was done he took a swig of Guinness while he watched her clean up. She looked up and saw him staring intensely at her.

"Ok, what's going on? What was that about this morning?" She could see this had hit a note because he had a hard time looking directly at her and had to glance away indicating he felt guilty. "Come on, grab your beer and let's go downstairs."

They went down to the family room and sat on the couch. She sat in the corner of the sofa with her knees up under her chin. He sat at the other end about three feet away looking at her and wishing he could just hold her. He knew that if he held her she'd see how sorry he was for ignoring her this morning, he wouldn't have to say anything.

Sephi tried hard to stay calm,"I'm waiting for you to explain why I got the cold shoulder this morning?" House was having a hard time trying to decide what to tell her. Sephi shook her head, "Sometimes I wish life had subtitles. I'm waiting?"

"You know, talk is cheap because supply exceeds the demand. I'm just trying to make sure my words have some weight here."

Sephi shifted her weight in frustration, "Right now any words would be helpful. I suggest you be sincere, even if you don't mean it."

House said, " I was pissed at you for not calling or returning my calls for two days."

"My cell was dead and I was in such a hurry that I forgot my charger, that simple. I deserved at least the courtesy of asking for an explanation before I was tarred and feathered."

"Fine, I didn't act maturely, I was hurt."

"Greg, I flew out to California to see a shrink."

"You had to go all the way to California to find someone to talk to about your panic attacks."

"Do you have a problem with whom I decide to talk to about my issues? I went to see my friend who's a well known psychologist. I trust him."

"Ok, ok, so what did he say?"

"He said I felt out of control, like I did when Sterling was abusing me and that was causing me to panic."

"Out of control? Why now?"

Sephi fidgeted in her seat. She looked at him and thought maybe this was one of those time she should just lie. Sephi decided to be honest. "Greg, he says that I'm falling in love with you and that makes me feel out of control because I can't make you love me. I can't buy it, I can't barter my body for it. So I feel helpless, I feel out of control like I did when I was being abused." She stopped, she watched for a reaction. He was uncomfortable.

"I don't know, maybe I can be bought. How much do you have to offer? A case of Yazimake might just do the trick."

I said nothing at first, not finding the joke funny. "The idea of me being in love with you makes you nervous, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You don't feel the same way, right?"

"Jesus Christ Sephi, we've only been dating two weeks."

"I understand. You're right. Of course you're right. I think I've been attracted to you from the day you stuck your head in the door. But you're right, just because I have feelings doesn't mean you've developed them." They were quiet for several minutes, "Greg, it boils down to the fact that I just can't function with panic attacks happening every five minutes."

House turned his head to the side and looked at her curiously, "What does that mean?"

"I can't function...I think of you leaving me and I start to panic. It's ridiculous, I know. I don't think we can be together, at least until I can purge myself of Sterling's brand on me. I'm buying a hospital in Portland, Oregon and I'll be leaving PPTH in a month."

House couldn't believe it, "You're running away because I can't tell you I love you after two weeks?"

"No, I need to deal with my pain from what happened when I was young. You've stirred up things I should have dealt with years ago. I'm sorry but I'm finding it too difficult to deal with both issues at once."

"And what about me?"

"Well, since you don't have feelings for me, it won't be too hard for you to move on, will it? Something tells me that Cherry might be able to help you deal with it."

He looked incredibly hurt. He got up and said, "You re a piece of work Sephi."

House left. On the way home he pulled over and got off the motorcycle. He just looked at the sidewalk for a few minutes thinking about what had just happened. He shook his head, started the motorcycle and drove off.

*** I was so hurt when he came over and told me that he couldn't tell me that it was too early to talk about feelings. I was also embarrassed. I knew how pathetic I sounded, claiming I loved him and we had only been going out two weeks. But it hadn't been just two weeks. It had been a year since I had met him and although we had a strange relationship, I still knew how I felt. I made my mind up to leave Princeton the night he came over. Why torture both of us? He'd be constantly aware that I was desperately hoping for him to fall in love with me and I'd be having panic attacks because I couldn't control how he felt.

I purchased the hospital and was ready to move within the month. PPTH was doing extremely well and I brought in a professional capital fund raiser to assist Lisa. I was going to miss her but she understood why I had to go. House didn't call me after that night. I was glad. I think if he had touched me, talked to me or even looked in my direction, I might have had second thoughts. As it was, I didn't see him. I made sure I used the back stairs next to my office and therefore I avoided walking in front of House's lair. He never came down to see. Craig had decided to come with me to Portland since his boyfriend had broken up with him the previous month. He was already in Portland making arrangements for the new office. I loved my desk so much I had it shipped to Portland and I purchase s simpler one for PPTH. I kept an office in each of my hospitals. I had 10 of them.

I leased out my Princeton House, for some reason I didn't want to sell it. I liked Princeton and could see myself staying there part of the time when I was able to get the Portland Hospital up and going. Everything was packed and ready to go at the end of August. I said my goodbyes to Lisa and Jim in Lisa's office. I was walking out of her office when I looked up and saw Greg hanging over the second floor balcony. He didn't smile, but I did. I even blew him a kiss as I walked out the door.

I cried. I cried in the car. I cried in the plane. I cried in the hotel suite in Portland. I cried just about everywhere I went. Craig kept telling me I looked like a puffer fish my face was so swollen from crying. But I was no longer having panic attacks. I was back in control.

It took me two months of daily therapy with a therapist recommended by Harry, before I could spend one day without crying. That was my turning point. I also realized that if I couldn't have Greg, I was going to get back what I had lost as a child, my fertility.

I had gone in to see if they could harvest my eggs and do IVF but the doctor wanted to see my reproductive system first. I went in for my follow up appointment with Dr. Cato, a short very sweet man.

"Did you know that you have one functioning fallopian tube? It appears to had an egg in it the day we took these MRIs. You've just been incredibly lucky or unlucky that you never got pregnant. I think, judging from your left ovary, I might be able to reverse the ligation on that side as well. With some fertility drugs you might just be able to get pregnant naturally."

Within the week I was on the table having the reversal done. Now I just had to either find a man to have sex with or some fresh sperm that I liked. I flew back to New York after having three injections of hormones. It was making me cranky and I was back to crying again. I had to attend the annual meeting of the Potente corporation. While I was there Quentin insisted on coming into New York and having dinner.

"So what happened between you and Lisa?" I asked.

"Nothing dramatic, it just fizzled. When I would call her she was busy, when she called me I was busy. We still have a great friendship and talk a couple times a month, but we don't see each other any more, not since you left Princeton at least."

"How's therapy?"

I had finally told Quentin what had happened to me and he was insanely angry at Sterling. I was rather moved by the fact that he cared so much. I told him about the reversal and he was all for it.

"Sephi, you'll be a wonderful mother. I know it. I wish you would consider me as the father. I would love to have a baby with you. It would mean a lot to me because I know I would love the child dearly if it came from you. Please consider me."

"I will Quentin, that's very generous of you."

I did consider him but I wanted Lisa's input. It had been four months since I had left PPTH and so I met her for dinner in Princeton before flying back to Portland.

"You don't have to worry, I adore Quentin but it just isn't going to happen between the two of us. He's ten years younger than me and he's not Jewish. I really want to find someone who's Jewish. He'd make a good Dad though. He really loves you...I'm not saying he loves you like a husband, but I know he has deep feelings for you."

I spent the whole evening avoiding the elephant in the room. She finally brought it up.

I know you want to ask me about House." She paused and I nodded. "He's dating Cherry. She looks a lot like Stacy and of course Cameron is livid and has put in for a position as an Attending in Infectious Diseases. I think Cherry has actually moved in with him or, if not, practically lives there. House is House. He ignores her and he's mean to her but she sticks it out. Cameron told me that Cherry is trying to get pregnant but House doesn't know that. Cherry stopped taking her birth control pills but apparently House always uses a condom. Cherry desperately wants House to marry her. Wilson is afraid that he just might simply to avoid being alone the rest of his life."

"I'm sad to hear that. I still love the man despite his flaws. But I'm glad I left when I did. I would have made his life a living hell until I had coerced a response to whether he loved me or not. It's good that he doesn't have to disappoint me with an honest answer. I must run now. I have to be up at 5:00 a.m. to fly back to Portland. When are you coming to see me? I have a gorgeous Craftsman home. You'd love it, you'd love Portland."

We said our goodbyes and the next day I flew back to Portland to find Quentin waiting for me at my house. Craig had loan him his key.

"What are you doing here?" I was actually happy to see a familiar face. It had been a sad ride home.

"Sephi, marry me. I want to have babies with you and I want to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself Quentin."

"I know, but I really do want to have children with me. We're good together, let's get married. You didn't love your first two husbands, at least you and I really like each other and we have great sex. I've never found a woman I enjoy more than you."

It was so tempting. He was good to me and always kind. I wasn't sure he would make the best father but he would try hard. The kids would look good and they certainly would have a large trust fund. I thought about it for two weeks and then he flew back out for my answer.

"I'll marry you in June but you have to move in with me to see if we can make it."

"Here in Portland?"

I was miffed because he made it sound like I wanted him to move into Tijuana, "Is that a problem?"

He was nervous, "No problem. But you only have one live-in servant. Are you sure that's enough?"

"Quentin, if nothing else I'm going to teach you how to survive without all the trappings you are used to having."

Quentin moved in just after Thanksgiving despite the fact that his parents were upset. They liked me but they had been hoping Quentin would find someone younger than him to marry. We decided to keep up the hormone shots and not use any birth control. We were screwing like rabbits but as of February nothing was happening. We both were scheduled to go in for testing but we were both having trouble finding the time.

In March I had to fly back to PPTH for the annual meeting and to work on the budget with Lisa. Before I left, Quentin and I once again had marathon sex. I think he rather enjoyed the idea of being a stud horse.

I tried to avoid going into the hospital but the Board insisted on meeting there to go over several issues involving the new four story maternity hospital that was going to be built four blocks away from the main hospital.

***

House, Chase and Cherry were in the presentation room going over symptoms of the latest patient when Wilson walked in nonchalantly. He stood by the door while House talked to the team.

House addressed his comment to Cherry, "Hellooooo! The lights are on but nobody's home. You have to start thinking out side the box if you're going to stay in this department."

Chase rolled his eyes at Wilson to indicate that House was out of control again. Wilson nodded his acknowledgment.

House caught these non-verbal communications and almost yelled at Chase and Wilson, "Why don't you two just drive up to Canada and get married." House turned to Wilson, "I assume you want something?"

"Elvis is in the building."

House was stunned into silence. "How do you know?"

"I just saw her walking in while I was pulling into a parking space."

House looked off into space while he thought about this information. He flipped the marker he had between his fingers back and forth, back and forth. He put the marker down, grabbed his cane and walked out the door. Wilson caught up.

Wilson was worried at the abruptness of House's actions and what affect they might have on Cherry who adored House. "You can't just run off in front of Cherry when you hear your old girlfriend is in the building."

"Why? Have I broken one of the laws of physics? She'll be ok. I can do nothing wrong in her eyes." They got into the elevator to go downstairs to the conference room. He saw Wilson's stern disapproval, he sighed,"I thought I wanted someone who stayed with me no matter what I did. But now that I have her, I have no respect for her. How can she allow anyone to treat her the way I do and stay?"

Wilson was taken aback by this revelation, "That's an interesting observation, but what does it all mean?"

"Not sure. I just know that Cherry's forgiveness gets on my nerves. Just once I want her to tell me to go to hell."

Wilson went off to his oncology clinic and House continued to look around for Elvis. He looked in Cuddy's office. Cuddy was there but not Sephi. He walked in and closed the door with a bang.

"Where's the goddess of the underworld?"

"Why?"

"I have a gift for her."

"What gift?"

"A pomegranate." He left the office when he realized Cuddy wasn't going to tell him where she was.

Cuddy called Sephi. "Sephi, House is looking for you. He says he has a pomegranate to give you. Do you understand what that means?

***

When Lisa told me that House had a pomegranate to give me I laughed. I told her not to worry, I'd refuse to eat it. She had no clue what I was talking about. Of course in Greek Mythology, Hades kidnaped Persephone and made her the Queen of the Underworld. When Persephone's mother obtained her release, Hades tricked Persephone into eating the fruit of Haedes, three pomegranate seeds, and thus Persephone was doomed to spend three months each year (winter) with Hades in the underworld as his Queen. But there are those that say Persephone ate the seed of the pomegranate willingly to stay with the King of Haedes.

I had been in the accounting department which is in the lower floor and was on my way up to my office when I got the call. The elevator door opened up on the first floor and I drew in my breath when I saw the cane and then House.

I think I blushed because I know I felt warm, "Greg, how are you?"

He got in, "Lisa says that you and Quentin are getting married. Is that true?"

"Yes, at the end of June."

"She also said you were trying to get pregnant."

"True. Who knows, I might be pregnant as we speak." I refused to look in his eyes or in his direction. I didn't want him to see how nervous he made me.

I got off the elevator at the second floor and started to go back to my office.

" Are you happy?" he asked as he tried to keep up with me.

"Yes, very. I understand that you're happy too." This was a lie, Lisa told me that he had been hell to be around since I left, even with Cherry granting his every whim. "I'm happy for you and Cherry."

"I've been dipping my wick in Cherry...weren't you going to do something about that?"

"I guess I was, but that was months ago. Now I'm glad that you have someone." I walked into Craig's office, which was dark since he was in Portland, and then into mine. "Greg, I have work to do so that I can fly home tomorrow. Don't you have work to do?"

"You don't love Quentin. Why are you marrying him?"

"I haven't been in love with any of my husbands but that didn't mean we didn't have good relationships." I finally let myself look at him. He was thinner, His hair grayer but he looked so sexy leaning on his cane and piercing me with his cold blue stare. I tried to appear as nonchalant as I could.

He stepped forward until he was in my personal space, I stepped back and almost tripped but he caught me. "Thank you, now please let me go."

He pulled me close and I warned him, "Greg, I'm engaged, please stop this childish behavior. Go back to Cherry."

"I will but I want you to look at me and tell me that you're over me because I'm not over you."

"Don't do this Greg. Let me go. Go back down to Cherry where you belong."***

Instead of letting me go, he pulled me into his chest and continued to stare down at me. I tried to give him a look of disgust. But he put his hand under my top and his warm fingers went up my spine while his thin lips and bearded face gently kissed my lips over and over again.

"Go back to Cherry." I said adamantly as he continued to kiss my neck and ear.

He nibbled on my ear as his hand went up to my bra and he unhooked it in the back. I started to pull as hard as I could away from him but he was much stronger.

"You don't love him, you love me." He said softly into my ear.

"I don't love you anymore." I said. "I was just infatuated."

He chuckled softly into my ear. "Then why is my hand on your breast and your hand hanging onto the back of my suit?"

"Because you are molesting me. I'm going to scream out for help and you'll be arrested for assault." I kept talking the whole time his hand was cupping my breast and his thumb and forefinger were playing with my nipple. His mouth was on mine and his tongue, the tongue I knew too well, was in my mouth exploring my tongue. He reached down and went up my skirt and down my panties in the back. He pushed me back onto the couch. I fell down and he started quickly unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. He pulled my panties off like they were gift wrap on a birthday present.

I realized I was in real trouble. "Greg, I'm going to give you one more chance before I scream bloody murder and start kicking."

House took his hand and opened my legs, letting my right one hang off of the couch with the right foot balanced on the floor. He felt between my legs and entered me before I could say anything more. I screamed softly from the familiar feel of him. "Oh my God..."

He didn't hesitate, he just kept a steady rhythm. My head was being pushed into the soft arm of the couch over and over. He had my top up over my breasts and he was kissing them, running his tongue sweetly over them and then he raised up and kissed me deeply until he started to moan. It was more than I could take and my entire groin started tingling as I escalated into a massive orgasm. I screamed, but it wasn't for the police. The two of us were making sounds that I was sure could be heard all over the hospital. I started to come back to earth as he reached the pinnacle of his climax. I could feel the climax inside of me and I clung onto his back to keep him steady.

"Sephi, I love you. God, I love you."

I wanted to believe those words but its such a cliche to hear them when a man is inside of you. I said nothing as he collapsed and lay with his full weight on me. I came to my senses, "Greg, get off of me. Get off of me now. This shouldn't have happened."

He pushed up and looked down into my eyes. I tried to make them as angry and disgusted as possible. He whispered into my ear, "Your eyes can't lie. You enjoyed that as much as I did . You still love me."

I started to push him hard, push him to get off of me. "You're wrong, this was a horrible mistake, I'm marrying Quentin. I'm over you. You're just a great piece of @ss. Maybe after I'm married we can hook up and screw our brains out but don't mistake this for love."

I pushed away and he sat up, smiled like a devil and grabbed his cane to stand. "Sephi, don't marry Quentin if you don't love him. Come back to Princeton, be with me."

*** "Be with me?" I mocked him, "Should I ask Cherry if she can make room in the dresser for my clothes or should we just share clothes?"

He looked frustrated, "Cherry is fixated on me, she's not in love with me."

"Guess what Greg, I'm not fixated on you and I'm not in love with you. What just happened was stupid of me and I feel guilty, but don't read anything into it. You're nothing to me any more."

He apparently wasn't going to leave, so I grabbed a file from my desk and took off. I did feel guilty. I had promised myself that I would be faithful to Quentin when we got engaged. I knew he wasn't being faithful. Sources from back east had already spotted him with some of his mistresses in the lobbies of hotels. He tended to like older, rich and married women. Sound familiar? I didn't mind as long as he didn't bring home any diseases.

I walked past House's department and saw Cherry. I slowed down as she looked up, recognized me and waved a pathetic little wave. I wanted to go in and tell her that her boyfriend had just screamed, "Oh God, God, Jesus Christ" in my ear and it hadn't been because he found religion. He found something he liked better. It hit me that I wanted Cherry to suffer. I was angry with her for being with Greg. I picked up speed and went downstairs. We were having a meeting in a minute.

I burst into Lisa's office, "Lisa do you have brush I can borrow?" I knew my hair was sticking out in all direction. She grabbed one out of her bottom drawer. I took my hair down and brushed it. "Can I borrow a notepad from you for the meeting? I can't go back upstairs House is stalking me."

"From your appearance, it looks like he caught you." She got up, grabbed a notepad, handed it to me and we left for the meeting in the conference room. We had several department heads in the meeting along with members of the board.

We had been going through the agenda when the doors opened and in walked a smug and silly looking House, "Anybody loose a size 5 Perla pink and black lace panties? I found them in my pocket..." He was holding them up in the air. "Wait, I see part of a strap on your bra Ms. Camden, it sure looks like the same color. Why don't you check to see if you're wearing any panties, these may just belong to you.?"

I was blushing so red I could have heated up a department store. I looked at Wilson and Lisa and they were as mortified as I was. The remaining people had expressions that ranged from curiosity to disgust. I jumped up and went out into the hall, knowing he would follow me. Unfortunately, the walls are glass so I told him to follow me.

I was standing in Lisa's office, shaking I was so angry. "Do you think this is cute? That letting the whole world know what a whore I've been will suddenly make me think, "Oh, look at that, isn't he darling?"

House looked guilty but annoyed, "I want you to realize what a mistake you are making."

I had spent four months trying to strip him from my mind and here he was, begging me to come back and yet not promising me anything if I did. He was so transparent. He just didn't want another man to have me.

I calmed down and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, but this is safe for me. I know he doesn't love me and I don't love him. I don't have to think about feelings, I can focus on everything else in my life. Quentin and I have a good relationship. When I'm with you I feel like I'm on one of those amusement rides where the man running the machine has all the control, I go up, I go down...sometimes I feel elated, sometimes I feel sick to my stomach. I can't handle that. I really am sorry."

I went back into the conference room and tried to concentrate but my heart felt so weird, so heavy and literally achy. I hate love. It really does hurt, physically.

*** The next day I flew back to Portland, six days later I went in with Quentin to take the fertility tests. Quentin went first and had some fun with some porno giving the nurses some samples of his semen to send out. I went in to see Dr. Cato. I asked him about Quentin's tests and why they were necessary when we know about my problems.

"We're sending them out right now and should have all the results when the two of you come back in next week. Remember, 50% of the fertility problems are with males so it's good to get him tested too. Have you guys been doing everything we went over?"

"Yes, I was ovulating before I left so we didn't even get out of bed for two days. I put my legs up and I did everything you said...fingers crossed."

"Well, before we do these tests we're going to give you a pregnancy test. Go pee in the bottle."

I peed in the bottle and the nurse whisked it away like it was gold. I went back in to see Dr. Cato. Quentin was done and so he was sitting there talking to the doctor. When I came in he gave me a warm smile and grabbed my hand.

Dr. Cato told us about new fertility treatments we could try if I was the infertile one. Since we both had all the money in the world, he went over all of them, even the new ones that cost a fortune. The nurse came running in with a big smile and handed the results to Dr. Cato. I was feeling excited just from her expression.

"You're pregnant!!!" Dr. Cato jumped up and shook Quentin's hand. Congratulations. I squealed and started crying. I guess Dr. Cato was used to this because he gave me the biggest hug.

"Now we have to see if it is multiple pregnancies because the drugs often make both ovaries send out eggs. Your last period was 21 days ago which means you are probably 9 days pregnant, give or take a few days. "

I sighed with relief, it meant that the baby was Quentin's and not House's. I hugged Quentin and he was delighted. He gave me a big kiss. It was time to go out and celebrate. We spent a few more minutes with Dr. Cato and then went out for lunch. Quentin had champagne, I had one sip and then switched to milk.

"Quentin, I don't want to tell anyone for three months, not until we get out of the first trimester. You heard Dr. Cato, 15-25% of pregnancies don't make it to the second trimester for women over 35."

"I understand. Don't worry, you're going to make it Sephi."

I couldn't believe it. I was so excited and I felt like a terrible weight had been lifted from my soul, like I had trumped Sterling. Quentin flew back to Philadelphia for a fortnight to attend some charity events that the Chesters were sponsoring. I stayed in Portland to continue putting Willamette Hospital in order. Willamette Hospital is one of the few downtown hospitals not located on "Pill Hill." It is a smaller hospital but it has a good reputation for solid medical care. It was going to be a nice asset to the portfolio.

There are three cities in the United States that take me back to the hippie days and they are Asheville, North Carolina, Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Oregon. There are a lot of open markets, pipe shops, organic food stores, hemp products and just about anything that reminds you of those days. The atmosphere is one of community and caring. You can get your aura checked, join yoga classes, have your tarot read, exchange record albums, eat vegetarian and learn how to dance like the Hari Krishnas. It's so groovy.

Portland is wet and green. It gets about 45 inches of rain a year which makes it so beautiful. The Willamette River flows through Portland and meets up with the Columbia on the edge of the city. The Columbia is a much faster river and hurries quickly to the sea, about fifty miles away.

Portland Street cars connect Nob Hill, a retail and restaurant area, with the Pearl District, which I think of as the Hippie and gallery area. It is a fun place to shop, eat and see new artists. The city is full of little parks and open spaces which are carefully protected and promoted by the City Council. I even bought a pass for the street car. Oregon is so environmentally conscious that everyone is encouraged to act environmentally responsible. Quentin and I were actually culling our recyclables and I had purchased a Ford Escape Hybrid to drive around when I wasn't using my monthly pass on the street cars.

West of Portland are beautiful forests, mountains and then quaint seaside towns like Astoria. East of Portland are more mountains including Mount Hood and the ski resort, Timberline, which is open all year for skiing.

I enjoyed Portland, it reminded me of this little gem of civilization set down in the wilderness. There was lots to do and I was enjoying it. I kayaked, walked, hiked and in general, I tried to stay healthy. I cut back my hours to just eight a day and got plenty of sleep and boy did I need it. If I sat for more than ten minutes I fell asleep.

When I made it to April without losing the baby, Quentin wanted to send out announcements saying that I was pregnant. I put an end to that idea. In fact, I told him that I wanted it kept secret for as long as possible. I told him that he could tell his parents and his sister, but that was it. We had our biggest fight over it, but I told him I just didn't want the attention. People would know at our wedding because I would be almost 24 weeks pregnant and definitely showing.

Quentin wanted a large wedding, but I didn't. I wanted the wedding in Portland, he wanted it in Philadelphia because his family lived there. We compromised. We had it in Philadelphia and we agreed to invite just 200 people to the wedding rather than the 600 he wanted. Quentin got to send out invitations to 150 guests and I was to send out 50. Most of the people that Quentin was sending invitations to were the same that I would send out, so I didn't mind. We picked out our invitations in April and had them printed. I was happy. *** On April 15th PPTH handled an outbreak of a Vancomycin resistant MRSA and the CDC was now heavily involved. I had been in Philadelphia staying a few days at Quentin's mansion, trying to nail down some specifics about the wedding, when Lisa called and requested that I get my butt to the hospital. I had Guido drive me to PPTH. I was wearing an empire dress and had on a cardigan over it. If I wore something with a waist you could tell I was pregnant, but usually no one noticed if I wore an empire waist top or dress.

I walked into the hospital and asked them to page Lisa and let her know I was upstairs in my office with the reports that they had sent me that morning. I went to the back and climbed the back stairs just outside my office to avoid the elevator and going by House's department. I opened the office and turned on the lights. I was tired so I thought I would wait for Cuddy while I lay down on the sofa. I fell asleep for an hour, felt something and looked up to see Lisa calmly shaking my shoulder.

"Sephi, wake up. We need to go over the CDC reports."

I sat up and looked at her and smiled. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

"I'm starved. I have to eat something. If I don't I'll crash."

"Let's go to the cafeteria, grab some food and bring it back up here."

"Ok, sounds good."

"Boy you were out. I didn't know planning a wedding could be so tiring! You look like you could use another eight hours."

"I am tired, but then I've been traveling back and forth between the west and east coast for weeks now."

Lisa took me towards the elevator and so I made sure I was on her right side, away from the offices. We passed by House's office and I know she saw me ducking. "You can forget about avoiding him. His friend, Maggie, at the CDC put him in charge of finding the source of the infection and getting rid of it. You'll be meeting with him sometime this afternoon.

"That's just friggin' great. What's going on with him these days besides the usual misanthropic behavior?"

"Besides making everyone's life hell for the last few months, he's tormenting poor Cherry by refusing to get engaged or married. She's off birth control and he's using rubbers. I wouldn't be surprised if she's been taking straight pins to the rubbers. She's desperate to nab him and have his baby. He's just as desperate to avoid it."

I was disheartened, "Why doesn't he just split up?"

"He thinks of it as a game of wits and it keeps him amused. Plus, he's getting the milk without buying the cow."

I shook my head, "That's childish."

"Did you expect anything different?"

We arrived in the cafeteria where I could see Chase bussing his tray. He waved at me and then came over.

He smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek, "Sephi, good to see you."

"Robert, good to see you too. What are you up to nowadays?"

"I'm an attending now in Diagnostics, not a Fellow. Cameron's now in Immunology. House has Cherry and another woman named Milly as his fellows. They're both spectacular brunettes. Diagnostics is in the black you know. Now that the fellows are paid by corporations, we're making money."

"Good, I'm so glad you stayed on."

"Well congratulations." He smiled widely.

"Thank you, I'll send your best to Quentin. He'd invite everyone to the wedding but we don't have room."

Chase looked puzzled. "I was congratulating you on your pregnancy. You are pregnant aren't you?"

I felt my blood pressure drop and the blood drain out of my face. If Chase could tell, House would know within seconds.

"I didn't think I was showing that much."

"You aren't, but you're a small thing and any weight on you is noticeable. Does House know? I only ask because I have to work with him and when he finds out you're pregnant, I want to be somewhere else."

Lisa took a step back and took a good look at me, "Oh my God, you are pregnant. You're pregnant and you didn't tell me?" Lisa seemed crushed.

"Quentin knows and his parents know...you two are the only others that know. I just didn't want the word to get out until I was well into the second trimester."

Chase looked down at my midsection and asked, "I think the secret is out. How far along are you?"

"I'm 14 weeks so I'm technically into the second trimester."

Lisa was biting her lower lip and was worried, "Christ, we don't need House distracted right now with your pregnancy. Congratulations by the way."

"I'm sorry, but the baby comes wherever I go."

"Is Quentin excited?"

"Oh yeah...he's been very excited! We had been trying for months. "

She pretended to lament over Quentin, "Why did I let him go? I need a fertile one to knock me up."

We laughed. We got our food and made our way back to my office and the round table. We talked about the CDC and how to handle the publicity. We asked Esther Laughlin to come up. She was the new capital fund raiser and she was pretty savvy when it came to publicity. She gave us some ideas on how to handle it. She also told us not to let House speak to any reporters. But that was a given.

"Are you ready? Let's go down to the conference room. I have several doctors, the CDC and three Board members attending."

We went down and entered the room, everyone was there except the two of us. House had positioned himself where the only seats around the table were either side of him. I had not choice but to take one next to him. I took one and Lisa the other. He watched me like a hawk.

"Sephi?" House looked at me as I sat to his right. "What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant?...Are you sure it's mine? What do you call a smart blonde?" I continued to remain quiet, "A golden retriever."

I was already getting fed up with him, "House, save your breath, you'll need it to blow up your dates."

The entire room roared. Maggie from the CDC started the meeting and House kept sneaking glances out of the corner of his eye. His hand went under the table and on my knee. I jumped back and out of my seat in one fell swoop. Everyone looked at me.

"I need to use the restroom, excuse me." I practically ran out of the room.

*** House could tell immediately that she was pregnant. He couldn't really tell how far along she was because she was wearing that high waisted dress and she was small boned. He was envious of Quentin. He didn't know he could envy someone for knocking a woman up, but he was. He got up and left the room. Cuddy shook her head, her fears having come true. House was distracted and they needed him. Maggie Malone asked, "Where's he going?"

House went towards the bathroom and saw her taking a drink from the drinking fountain. She straightened up and tried to get around him but he kept sticking his cane out and stopping her. Sephi was obviously annoyed.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" She yelled.

House grabbed her hand and took her into the small, empty conference room. "So now he's gotten you pregnant and you're going to marry him ...is that what you really want?"

"Greg, we can't keep harping about this every time I see you. You don't want to be a father, so why do you care? I had the ligation reversed and Quentin managed to do the deed. We had to work at it but it finally took. I'm happy. I love Portland, I love my house, I love my baby and I am marrying someone who is very good to me. I just wish you could be happy too. I sincerely mean that." He gave her a look of annoyance, but she continued, "If you could figure out a way to love yourself, to accept love and to give it back we might have had a chance." She was on a roll but he couldn't look at her when she started talking about loving himself, "It didn't happen. I know I ran out on you rather abruptly and before we really had time to see if it would work. But I couldn't function knowing that you might decide one day you really didn't love me. Please, let's move on. I'd like be able to come to PPTH and not have to duck when I'm near your office." She moved towards the door, half expecting the cane to come up but, instead he stepped aside.

The rest of the day went smoothly. House participated in the discussion like an adult and actually sounded quite brilliant. Sephi was proud of him and his department, they had really come through.

Lisa was all smiles afterwards and when Sephi was leaving she gave her a big hug. "I'll see you on June 29th. Are you excited about marrying him?"

"I'm pleased. He's been such a good friend and he really went all out to get me pregnant. He babysat me through all the procedures, the drugs, the shots, the tests. He's really more of an adult than I thought he was."

"Yeah, I wish that I had kept him or could find someone like him, he really did come through for you!"

"Sorry."

"Not your fault. I seem to always throw away the good ones." Lisa patted Sephi on the shoulder and let her go.

House went home and grabbed the Yamizake, his last bottle. He looked around and saw bits and pieces of Cherry in the new decorations around the apartment. He wished he knew why he didn't love her. He was pretty sure he loved Sephi. He didn't think of Stacy anymore, he thought of Sephi. When he made love to Cherry, he thought of Sephi. Maybe having a couple of drinks would make it all go away.

Cherry got home and found House drunk again. He had been getting drunk a lot since the last time Sephi had been in Princeton. She knew that if she could just get pregnant, it would take his mind off of Sephi and he'd realize how much he loved her. She always had her best chances when he was drunk because he would sometimes forget to put on a rubber. She thought she might be ovulating, maybe tonight she could get him to make love to her without a condom. Maybe. *** Sephi and Quentin flew back to Portland and went to Sephi's check up with Dr. Cato. Dr. Cato looked nervous and Sephi started to worry.

"Quentin, can I see you in here?" He took Quentin into an adjacent room and talked to him. Sephi didn't see or hear anything and her heart was racing, afraid of what he was telling Quentin about the baby. Quentin ran from the office with a piece of paper.

Sephi jumped up and tried to run after him but he was gone. He had taken the car and driven away. Sephi was confused. She went back inside to talk to Dr. Cato.

"What was that all about?"

Dr. Cato tried to smile, "I can't tell you, you're not married yet and it's patient-doctor confidentiality. Let's get you up on the table and examine you. Have you had any problems since you were last here?"

Sephi had broken out into a sweat, "Wait, wait doctor...did it have anything to do with the health of my baby?"

"No. It had nothing to do with how healthy the baby is. Come on Persephone, let's examine you."

He let Sephi hear the heartbeat again and it gave her chills. He found everything to be fine and gave her some more vitamins. Sephi had no way to get home so she had to call a cab. When she got to the house she found him packing a bag.

Now she was really worried, did the doctor say he was sick? "Quentin, what is it, what's wrong?" But Quentin couldn't look at her. "Please tell me what's wrong?"

He stopped and looked at her. He had tears in his eyes and he looked like his heart was breaking. He sat down on the bed, "Sephi, I haven't been faithful to you since we've been engaged. In fact, I didn't think it necessary in our relationship but now I know how important it is in a relationship."

"What are you talking about? I don't expect you to be faithful, just discreet, just safe."

"I know. And I know that this is going to sound like a double standard but I thought you were being faithful to me. I found out today that you weren't. Here." He handed me a lab printout. It said that his sperm count was not only low but the motility of the sperm was almost nil. Quentin couldn't be the father of the baby or any baby.

***

I gasped and fell backwards against the wall. "This can't be true, it can't be."

"It makes sense. I never use protection, never and I've never gotten a single girl pregnant. Did you sleep with someone in January? I've been racking my head but I can't remember you being out of my sight for long. Please tell me, I really want to know."

I was shaking and sick to my stomach. I started throwing up all over the floor and finally I made it to the toilet. I had to lay down but first I needed to clean the floor up. I grabbed some towels and started to mop the floor. Quentin stopped me and did it for me.

He motioned to the bedroom,"Go lay down."

I went in and crawled up onto the bed and put my head on the cool pillowcase. He came in, "Tell me what happened."

"I had to go to PPTH for a meeting of the board. Greg cornered me, wanted to know if I was happy. He was aggressive, it happened so fast I didn't have time to think it through but that's no excuse, I should have done more to stop him. I didn't want or plan to be unfaithful. I don't want that anymore, I just couldn't hold him off and a part of me didn't want to. I have no excuse really. If I had been more forceful about saying no he would have backed off."

Quentin took the news with grace and he remained calm.

I looked in his eyes, "I suppose you'll want to call the wedding off."

"I need time to think, get away for a few days. I think I'll fly over to Hawaii and clear out the cobwebs. Let's not do anything for now. Let me just think. Ok?"

I nodded yes and sat up. I couldn't help but cry for him, he had so much wanted to be a daddy. He came over and sat down next to me and hugged me. I hugged him as hard as I could to let him know how sorry I was. He gave me a kiss on my forehead and then one on my lips. I watched the taxi pull up and he disappeared down the street.

I was getting nervous. We didn't have a lot of time to call off the wedding. Quentin had been in Hawaii for the last three weeks. I had to fly back to PPTH for the Founder's Ball and Casino Night. Instead of holding the event at the hospital, I had them rent the golf club's very large clubhouse.

I wore one of those dresses that display your bosom prominently but floats over the rest of your body so as to not to emphasize my every increasing waistline. I was afraid that I was going to give my secret about the baby's paternity away to the ever vigilant Gregory House. I was trying to avoid him, it's not easy to avoid Greg House.

I was very self-conscious that I was making an appearance without my fianc,, especially since he was a large donor to the fellowship programs and this night he was suppose to be a guest of honor. The dinner went well and, because Quentin didn't show, I simply thanked everyone for him, said that he had been ill and was recuperating and let the games begin.

House came over to me while I was at the roulette wheel. He started putting chips down next to mine. "Hey buddy, do your own betting." I teased him.

"I always do better when I take my tips from you."

We played a few rounds and broke even. I needed to go sit down and take my shoes off. "I've got pregnant feet." He pulled a chair out for me to sit down and I took it.

I looked at him and he smiled back very kindly, sadly. I looked around for Cherry. "Where's Cherry?"

"Probably in the next room on the dance floor. She loves to dance."

"Lisa told me that Cherry was biting at the chomp to get pregnant. Any luck?"

He laughed. "She'll do anything to get me not to wear an overcoat. So far I've dodged the bullet...or at least my bullets have dodged her."

I chuckled. "How have you been?"

He let out a little sigh and then managed a smile, "I'm ok. Are you excited about the wedding?"

He hit a nerve and I knew I shouldn't have swallowed, "Sure."

He gave me a look that said he knew better. "What's going on?"

"Just nerves. Quentin and I are both a little anxious. Aren't you suppose to be?"

He let me off the hook. "How's the baby?"

"Absolutely great!."

"When's your due date?"

I didn't want him to even try to put two and two together so I lied, "October 1st."

He shook his head and started to look around. He noticed a piano in the corner. "Come and play for me. Come on."

I got up, grabbed my drink and shoes and went over to the piano. "What would you like to hear?"

"How about something romantic, what about Clare de Lune?" He went to the nearest table and took a seat.

"That's pretty romantic." I began to play and several people came over and took seats near the piano to listen. Lisa, her date, Jim and his date both came over and sat down at the table where Greg was sitting.

When I was done there was a lot of clapping. I had been practicing a lot lately, it helped keep my mind off of Quentin's decision. I looked at House, "Now what?"

A guy in the crowd, who was obviously drowning his sorrows, yelled, "Play, Thanks for the Memories.'"

I looked at House. "Want to sing with me?" He had his lips closed but he chuckled.

He got up, grabbed his drink and hobbled the six feet over to the piano. He sat down on the edge of the bench and set his drink down. I moved over and offered him the lower register and he turned to play. We started playing and alternating verses between us.

Greg:

Thanks for the memory Of sentimental verse, nothing in my purse And chuckles when the preacher said "For better or for worse" How lovely it was.

Me:

And thanks for the memory Of sunburns at the shore, nights in Singapore You might have been a headache but you never were a bore So thank you so much.

Greg:

We said goodbye with a highball Then I got as "high" as a steeple But we were intelligent people No tears, no fuss, Hooray! For us

Together:

So, thanks for the memory And strictly entre-nous, darling how are you? And how are all the little dreams that never did come true? Aw'flly glad I met you, cheerio, and toodle-oo And thank you so much.

Everyone clapped but I had to look away. I had tears in my eyes, it was such a sad song. He seemed to know because he patted my hand and then got up, picked up his drink, went to the table and grabbed his cane. That's the last that I saw of him that night.

*** Quentin Chester had always suspected that there was something wrong with the little fellas. He had been with one girlfriend for four years and she never got pregnant. She thought it was her, but when they broke up she got pregnant right out of the box during a one night stand. He hadn't expected Sephi to remain faithful but he still had been surprised to know that she wasn't. He was surprised because he just couldn't imagine the timing of it, she had been so busy. One thing that hadn't surprised him, that it had been with Gregory House.

As one guy to another, he could tell House was in love with her. He wasn't sure how House had manage to push Sephi clear across to the west coast, but he had. Quentin liked the west coast Sephi. Since she had been going to therapy she was laughing more, enjoying life and treating the people around her like humans instead of chips on a poker table. He even liked how sweetly she was treating him. He knew she loved him in a friendly way, not the I want to throw myself off of the Ponte Vechio for you' way, but one which he found comforting and pleasant. He had a soft spot for Sephi and wanted to make her happy.

Quentin had a penchant for the dramatic and while he was in Hawaii he decided that he needed something to look forward to and he knew just what it was. He flew back to Portland, the cultural wasteland that Sephi was so fond of, and took a cab to the house. He let himself in with his key and waited for her to get home.

Sephi saw that the lights were on and, with trepidation, she went to face Quentin's decision. Quentin had ordered pizza and had it waiting for her in the oven. Sephi was grateful, she hadn't eaten much all day. She sat down with her pizza and milk and looked at him, hoping he would be kind.

Quentin sat next to her and put his hand on her beautiful little knee. "Let's get married. I'll raise the little rugrat like it's my own. I enjoy your company Sephi and I'd like to come home to you."

Sephi let out a big sigh and tears ran down her cheeks. "Are you sure Quentin? This is a lot to ask of you."

"I want to do it."

***

I didn't think he would do it, but when he said he would marry me I was so damn happy. I didn't want to go through parenthood alone if I could avoid it. I enjoy Quentin, even if his job is flying from one charity event to another. At least he does that well. And he's very well read, articulate, funny and bright. I couldn't ask for a better companion, not to mention that he is very hot in bed. I bought him a book on the Kama Sutra and we were making our way through the positions that I could still manage at a rapid pace.

On June 15th we flew back to Philadelphia to complete the final preparations and then enjoy our nuptials. I drove to Princeton to work on our audit with Lisa. She kept wanting to touch my growing abdomen and talk to it. She finally stopped and looked up at me.

She got a look in her eye, "Let's go see what sex it is."

"I don't know if I want to do that."

"Oh, come on, you know you do."

"OK!" I giggled. She was right, I did want to know.

She took me into a clinic room and made me drink a lot of water. After ten minutes she put me up on the table, rubbed cold jelly on me and started the machine. I was so excited, the pictures were incredibly clear and the baby looked well developed. I could see much more than I had just three weeks before in Portland. She laughed.

"Come on Lisa, what is it?"

"It's a mini-Quentin. Must be him, look how big that penis is!!!"

I laughed out loud. You could definitely see that it was a boy. There was no mistaking it and he didn't seem to be shy about showing it off. It reminded me of House and Maris.

"He sure does take after his Dad, but if it was a girl I could dress it up in frilly things." I didn't really care, but it sounded like something you should say.

"Don't worry, he'll probably be gay and you can still dress him up in frilly things." We both laughed. "Congratulations, he looks very healthy."

We were laughing while coming out of the exam room. House was also exiting an exam room. He looked up and flashed a smile at both of us. "Mmm, two women laughing as they come out of an exam room, was there a little one on one going on in there?"

"No, Sephi just found out that she's having a boy."

"Is that good or bad?" He asked.

"It's just information, neither good nor bad. He looks healthy too...now that's important."

House smirked, "Give me a break, everyone says, "As long as it's healthy I don't care what the sex is" but they care, they care a lot. Come on Sephi, what were you hoping for?"

I looked him straight in the eye and said without flinching, "I wanted a boy, just like his father."

House flinched at the reference to Quentin but recovered quickly, "Well congratulations, you got one."

"Thanks."

"When's the wedding?"

"Friday."

He looked very sad but he put on a brave face. "Good luck, I hope it rains an hour before your ceremony."

"Thanks Greg."

We went back to Lisa's office and she confided, "I think Cherry is wearing him down. He actually said at lunch a few days ago that kids weren't too bad and that he thought only the intelligent should have them."

"I think he would make a good Dad."

Lisa's mouth dropped and she stared at me like I had just announce that I was really a man. "House?"

"Lisa, when he and I were alone he was incredibly generous and sweet. As soon as he has an audience he reverts back to House the Horrible. I think he would be a great Dad."

"You aren't the first to say that. Stacy told me the same thing. It's just hard to believe he can be warm and sweet. It just seems that when you say that you should precede the sentence with, and now that the world is coming to an end..."

I picked up my very large envelope and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now, I have to get this pre-nup back to my lawyers in Philly. I'll see you Friday."

"Friday it is."

*** Saturday arrived and Quentin dropped Sephi off at the hall along with her dress to get ready. Quentin's sister and Lisa were bridesmaids. Cassandra Kellogg was Sephi's maid of honor. The wedding was held at Greystone Hall in West Chester County. Greystone is a stately mansion at the center of an English style country estate.

Sephi walked down the aisle on the arm of Harold. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. He had spent the entire rehearsal dinner trying to talk her out of doing this but she wouldn't listen. She just told him, "My face is on the tea towels." Whatever that meant.

Harold knew this was a disaster in the making. He knew Quentin from the few times he had been around Sephi at parties or other events. Quentin was bright, articulate and a ship without a rudder. He had no desires in life other than those that appealed to his five senses. Harold believed that Quentin had feelings for Sephi, but not the kind you build a marriage on. Harold didn't think the marriage would last long, but then he didn't think the one with Giovanni would last either.

The wedding went off without a hitch and made the front page of every society section in the United States. Sephi looked incredibly beautiful in her dress that was low cut but was jeweled and beaded from the empire waist to the Elizabethan collar. The same jeweled and beaded detail was on the cuffs. She had tried on a lot of dresses and thought they all looked alike. They were all a variation on a strapless gown. This gown was gorgeous and it was different from the rest. She looked like a very regal queen.

House picked up the newspaper from the sidewalk and walked inside. He was looking for the sports page when he saw her on the society page. God she was beautiful and she was now Quentin's wife. The photo was of her alone and it was so captivating that House would have stared at it even if he hadn't known her. There was a photo further down of her and Quentin Chester of West Chester County. They looked great together. You couldn't even tell that Sephi was eight years older than Quentin. She didn't look it. House cut the photo of Sephi out of the newspaper and stuck it in a text where Cherry wouldn't find it.

House had been incredibly busy at the hospital and Cuddy was delighted to see his revenues go through the roof. His reputation was spreading through the efforts of Sephi who required that all patients who had not been diagnosed and needed a diagnotician be referred to House. House was unhappy with the cases that were easy, but occasionally he would get a fun one and so he stopped his moaning. House kept busy and that kept him from dealing with Cherry, who was still trying to trick him into getting her pregnant.

Quentin and Sephi went to Monaco for their honeymoon and did some gambling. Quentin's yacht had been moored at Monaco awaiting their arrival. After a week in Monaco they went around the Mediterranean Sea, stopping when they felt like it.

A month later Sephi flew back to Portland. Quentin joined her after first stopping in Philadelphia. Sephi had photos of each gift and the card that was with it so that she could write the thank you cards. She wrote 50 out each night for six nights in a row. They had received numerous gifts from people who had not even been invited to the actual wedding. Sephi looked at the photos of the bounty, most of which was in a room in Quentin's mansion. There was a huge Waterford punch bowl set, a Waterford chandelier, a tapestry from 1549 Italy, a complete set of Limoge china. It went on and on. Lisa's gift was one of her favorites, it was a down comforter with ducks embroidered on it. She thought it was cute.

Sephi was kept busy at the hospital and didn't have time to miss Quentin much. However, whenever he did show up she was delighted. She had heard from Cassandra that he was already banging his old girlfriend, Rachel, at the Dorchester, but then Sephi figured he needed a release while they were apart.

Sephi was at the hospital on October 5th when her water broke. She immediately called Quentin but his cell was turned off. She tried her mother-in-law who promised to track him down. Sephi learned later that he and Rachel had gone down to Palm Beach to have a little fun before the baby was born. Rachel lived in Palm Beach so Sefi wasn't surprised. His mother called and said that the family jet was scheduled to take him to Portland the day after tomorrow.

Sephi had her son without the presence of either of his Dads. It was her and her alone. Dr. Cato was kind and asked a nurse to stay with her during her contractions. Sephi wanted someone, anyone, there to share it with her. It turned out it was Sephi, two nurses and Dr. Cato who welcomed Nathaniel Randolph Camden-Chester into the world. He was gorgeous. She took off his blanket and just stared at the tiny but long fingers and toes. She played with the sparse brown hair that covered his head like a layer of soft down. He had an angular nose for a baby and long, long eyelashes. He opened his eyes and Sephi could tell that when he was older those eyes would be an incredible blue. The child looked like a minature Greg House.

Sephi received a phone call from her husband two hours after giving birth. It was an animated Quentin, yelling over the roar of a jet engine, "We're taking off now. I'm so sorry darling, I was in Florida on business. I'll be there in six hours. Is the pain too much?"

"Quentin, I had the baby two hours ago. My labor lasted 10 hours. He's healthy and we're doing fine. We'll see you when you get here."

Announcements with a photo went out to everyone on the social registers and to several who weren't, like Lisa Cuddy. She opened the gorgeous Linen announcements to see that, "Quentin Gerald Chester and Persephone Nephrite Camden are happy to announce the birth of their son, Nathaniel Randolph Camden-Chester, born at 11:39 pm on October 5th, 24 inches long, 7lbs. 2 oz. A photo of Nathaniel was attached. Lisa wasn't sure who he resembled. It must be someone on Quentin's side because the baby was long and thin. But then newborns don't look much like anyone at first. Lisa propped up the announcement on her desk and went back to work.

House went in to Lisa's office to check her calendar for this coming Wednesday. He wanted to take off early for a concert and he wanted to see if she was going to be around to try and stop him. He saw the announcement and sat down to look at it. The baby wasn't that ugly for a newborn. He stared off across the room and wondered if she was happy?

*** The day after he was born, Quentin kept asking me if I was happy. Happy? I was F#cking tired!!! Quentin left three days later and the nanny I had hired still had a week left on her previous contract. I was dead on my feet and alone with a newborn. The only bright spot was that Nathaniel was sleeping well. All my ideas about having someone around to support and help me went flying out the window.

As soon as the nanny started, I was able to get some sleep. I fed him around midnight and she would change and get him back to sleep. I was able to get a little extra sleep by doing this. My nanny was British and had gone to nanny school. I found it odd that someone would actually go to nanny school, but apparently it was popular in England.

Motherhood for the first two months sucks. If the baby cries you think you should be able to sooth it and if you can't, you blame yourself. You don't think you're doing it right at all. You can't understand what your baby is trying to tell you until the end of the second month and to top it off, you are mind-numbing tired. You want to take the baby in and exchange it for a puppy.

Quentin couldn't handle a crying baby and so he begged me to let him go back east. I told him to go, I didn't want to have to babysit two kids. I was a little miffed when I found out that he filed a flight plan for Florida via Philadelphia.

Nathaniel was growing and doing very well and by the end of the December, I had gotten the hang of it all. Quentin wanted me to come back to Philadelphia for Christmas but Nathaniel had his first cold and I didn't want to take him up in an airplane with a stuffy nose and ears. Nathaniel and I ended up spending our first Christmas and New Year's alone. Quentin was upset with me because I wouldn't come back east. I finally told him to go ahead and go down to Florida and enjoy himself. I didn't have to tell him twice.

Every new year I was expected to visit each hospital and go over the budget, review the troops and make sure we were on our way to a great year. I started in California since I had four hospitals in California, in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. I visited one in Seattle, Washington, two in Denver and Glen Springs, Colorado, one in Beckley, West Virginia, one in Hershey, Pennsylvania and then I was going to go to PPTH. I spent the first two weeks visiting the hospitals on the west coast, dragging Nathaniel and the nanny with me because he was nursing and frankly, I didn't want to be away from him for very long. I spent the rest of the month visiting Colorado and West Virginia, baby in tow.

Mid-February I went to Philadelphia and stayed with Quentin who actually seemed happy to have us in the mansion. He treated us like royalty and even played with the baby quite a lot. Quentin still had trouble when Nathaniel cried and I had to abandon Quentin in the bedroom to take care of the baby. We stayed three weeks at the mansion. I had so much help with Nathaniel that I caught up on my sleep. Because PPTH was in great shape, I didn't have to run over and try to put out any fires. I called Lisa and said I was coming in at the end of February.

Nathaniel was almost five months old and cute as a bug's ear. He was laughing and gurgling and looking around. He could roll over and he recognized his name. He also reached up for me when I came in. He could almost sit up on his own.

At the end of February I drove into Princeton, parked in the PPTH parking garage and took the elevator up to the first floor. I walked into Lisa's office and she jumped up.

"OOOooh. Let me see the baby. Hello Nathaniel ...how are you doing?" Lisa looked at Nathaniel and then at me. Wow, he must have your family's eyes, they're such a pretty blue. Oh, he is sweet."

Lisa continued to play with Nathaniel and I collapsed into a chair. "Well, I'm yours for a month. I know we have a lot of decisions to make about the maternity hospital and we need to conduct those interviews so I'm staying at the Homewood Suites for the next month.

"Is your nanny with you?"

"She'll be here the day after next."

"Let's go to accounting and get the documents."

As we caught the elevator down Lisa played with Nathaniel in his stroller. She was a natural with the baby. We spent the time during the afternoon going over the budgets and working through the changes that were to be made that year. I never once thought of Greg. That's the funny thing about being a "single" parent, all personal thoughts, needs, desires go out the window. The only need or desire I had was sleep.

I was reviewing the resume of one of the candidates for administrator of the new maternity hospital as I was walking out to buy a diet coke from the vending machine when I ran smack into, and I mean smack into, Greg.

He screamed, "ARE YOU ...blind?" He soon recognized it was me.

I had plowed right into his cane and his leg and I felt bad about that, "I'm sorry Greg, I wasn't looking. Are you ok?"

"How's married life?"

"Not much different from being single. He didn't like Portland that much and so he spends most of his time on the east coast. It's probably better, I spend most of my time nursing and taking care of the baby. This way I only have to concentrate on one kid."

He just nodded and looked away.

"How's Cherry?"

"She's giving me ultimatums...get married or get out."

From the look on his face he had made up his mind, "Uh oh...well?"

"I bought the ring last night. I'm going to propose this weekend."

I couldn't believe that I still felt sad and hurt. I was married, living in a different world, had a baby and I still didn't want anyone else to have Greg House, "That's great! I really hope you'll be happy. You have a lot in common... right? And she's so beautiful, I'm sure you're the envy of every man." I think I sounded too ebullient. I should have left it at, That's great.'

"How long are you in Princeton?"

I was shifting my weight from one leg to the other over and over, "Oh a few weeks."

"Where are you staying?"

"One of the hotels. I've got to get back, Lisa and I are trying to get through this so that we can call in the candidates. I started to walk away.

He grabbed my hand in front of all the nurses, "Have dinner with me tonight?"

I walked back and said in a quiet voice, "You're getting married, it wouldn't be right, not unless you bring Cherry too. Besides, I don't have a sitter. My nanny doesn't get in until Friday. I do have to get back now. Congratulations."

When I walked into Lisa's office I felt so disoriented. I took one look at her and she said, "House?"

I nodded my head, "He's asking Cherry to marry him this weekend."

She gave me a look of sympathy, "You knew this might happen."

"Yeah, but it still hurts. Come on, let's get back to work."

A few minutes later House showed up in Cuddy's office. "I need to talk to you two about the new equipment I need for my department."

We looked up and House went straight over to the stroller where Nathaniel was sleeping. He reached in and picked the baby up.

There is an old adage, "Never wake a sleeping baby." It's something that each mother instinctively learns. I jumped up to stop him when he went to pick up the baby, "GREG.." Nathaniel started to wail. Greg immediately handed him to me.

"Is there something in here that can quiet him?" Greg started pawing through my diaper bag. When he found it, a napkin from Homewood Suites, he had what he wanted and simply said, "Fine, I'll come back when the rugrat isn't crying." He stormed out.

Lisa and I looked at each other wondering what that was about?

At three I packed up Nathaniel and took off for the suites. It had been a long day and I was tired. Nathaniel was making sounds in the back seat and laughing. It was damn cold out. I got Nathaniel inside and collapsed on the couch for a few minutes while Nathaniel played in his portable crib. I made some tea and was sitting on the couch when there was a phone call.

"Mam there's a delivery guy down here who says that Lisa Cuddy ordered you dinner and he's delivering it. What do you want me to do?"

Lisa was so sweet, she knew I was tired and probably dreading going out to get some food in this cold weather. "Send him up."

A couple minutes later there was a knock on the door. I grabbed my wallet to give him a tip and opened the door to find Greg standing there with three brown bags. "I brought the mountain to you."

I opened the door and looked out in the hall guiltily.

He gave me a mischievous look, "You're afraid someone will see us? Are you expecting more than dinner from me? I would have brought my marital aids and condoms."

"Just get in and shut up."

He walked in and went over to the little kitchenette and started to pull out Chinese containers from the bags and put them on the counter. "Plates?"

"I walked over with a frustrated look on my face and got down the plates." I watched him as he dished it out. "So what's the suckler's name?"

"Nathaniel."

"You mean, Nate, right? No self respecting mother is going to let her kid go through life called, Nathaniel. People will think he was born with a silver spoon up his @ss. Oh, that's right...he was. Poor kid, the weight of those fortunes on his little shoulders. I'm sure he'll take after his Dad and work hard...on his tan."

"If you've come to insult my baby you can leave now."

"I don't even know your kid, does he need insulting?"

I jumped up and pointed at the door, "That's it. Greg, just leave and take this food with you."

"Calm down, calm down. You're pretty sensitive about the little bambino." House stuck half an eggroll in his mouth and walked over to Nathaniel. He leaned over the playpen, "Hey Nate, do you crap into 1000 thread Egyptian Cotton diapers or is that a Huggy I see on your butt?

Nathaniel laughed at Greg and Greg chuckled back at him. Nathaniel reached his arms out and at first Greg did nothing but stare at the little fingers and hands that grabbed at the air in the hopes of being picked up. But he finally succumbed and picked him up and limped back to the table with the baby.

"Who does he take after?" Greg was examining Nathaniel like a Ming vase.

I was getting worried, "His Dad's side."

"Really. Doesn't your husband have brown eyes?"

"His mother has blue, just like Nathaniel's." This was a lie but House had never seen Quentin's mother.

They both stared at each other for a full minute without turning their gaze away. House gave Nathaniel a very silly look and Nathaniel laughed at him.

"Did he come with a warranty, a manual and a spare tire?"

"What you see is what you get." Nathaniel started to turn towards my voice and his arms came out with his little hands and he indicated he wanted to go to me. House handed him over.

"It's time for his dinner. I lifted up my top and undid the flap on my nursing bra. House watched and when I looked up he gave me a very sly smile. "My son is eating for his nourishment, not for your carnal pleasure."

"Still, you have to admire the view. I was just thinking how lucky he is to have that to stare at every day. Have you told him that it's all going to come to an end soon and it will be a long time before anyone offers him one again?"

"Oh yes Greg, we have those conversations nightly. I also reminded him to wear a condom and make sure that the woman comes too."

"You are a good mom."

I was anxious that Greg would put it all together and so I was having trouble getting my milk to let down. Nathaniel was getting cranky and frustrated. I got up and went to the couch to relax, I sat down and took some deep breaths.

"I'm having trouble letting down my milk. I should probably let him wail, that usually does it."

"Do you always have trouble or just when I'm around?"

"Just when you show up uninvited."

He smiled and continued to eat and watch. It finally started to flow and Nathaniel was happy.

House got that sound in his voice, like a detective asking a murder suspect questions, "So why are you so anxious over my being here?"

"Because you have a fianc, and we have a history."

He scrunched his face, "Ahhh, technically I don't have a fianc,. I haven't asked her yet."

"You have the ring...you have a fianc,."

"Nope. Doesn't work that way. I have to ask, she has to say yes. Hasn't happened."

"The real question is why are you here? To see me with my son acting like normal boring humans trying to get through the day?"

"Boring? You could be comatose and not be boring. I wanted to see you. So life with Quentin is easy because he's not there?"

I was annoyed by the glee in his voice, "Kinda like that."

We sat quietly for a few minutes and then he asked, "Is the ankle biter done?"

I nodded yes as I looked down on my sleeping son. I got up and put him in his portable crib. House put the plate of Chinese food in the microwave and nuked it for a minute and then took it out and handed it to me. I scarfed it up like I hadn't eaten in days.

He laughed, "Jesus Sephi, at least pause to breathe."

"Yeah, you have all the time in the world...you don't have a baby. You eat as fast as you can because you never know when they're going to want you."

He went back to the couch and sat down, turned on the television with the remote and took off his shoes. I was stunned, "Excuse me? But what is this? You look like you're moving in, making yourself at home. You have a home, now go to it."

"Come here." He patted the couch next to him.

"You must be joking, you think I'm your lap dog and will just pitter patter over to you because you pat the couch and look sweet? You never answered me, what are you doing here?"

"I think you've screwed up royally. You should have stayed with me and you'd have my baby and not some gadabout's kid.

"YOU DIDN'T WANT KIDS! Do I have to keep reminding you?"

"I never said that. I just didn't answer you when you asked. You'd be surprised what you can talk yourself into, like a bad marriage."

I jumped up and threw my hands out in front of me, "Too late...you're too late. Go pop Cherry's cherry and give her what she wants. I'm the ship that has sailed and you didn't buy your frigging ticket soon enough."

He grabbed my hand and I literally pulled back so hard that he came flying off the couch and we both landed on the floor. I had the wind knocked out of me and was gasping. He was laughing. "You could have just asked me to let go of your hand."

"And when did that ever work?" We were both sprawled out on the floor looking at each other. I moaned, "Every time I come to Princeton you break my heart, can't you leave me alone?"

He looked at the ceiling and bit his lower lip, I could barely hear him say, "Do you think I like feeling like this? Don't you think I want to love Cherry and not you? As soon as I see you I do stupid things."

"You've never said you love me."

"Yes I did. Last year when we made love in your office."

I shook my head, "Telling someone you love them when you're having sex is like telling Santa you've been a good boy. Everyone knows you say it to get what you want."

"Technically I said it AFTER I had what I wanted...or maybe as I was having what I wanted..." He smiled at me.

"We have screwed up, haven't we?" I sighed and turned to look up at the popcorn ceiling.

He scooted over , rolled on his side and put his arm lightly over my waist. He didn't do anything. He didn't say anything or try to kiss me, he just looked at me. He laid back down on his back and I rolled over and put my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and the blood swishing and I just wanted to stay there until we were old and brittle.

We didn't make love. If he had made a move to do it I would have let him, but he didn't. Because we didn't, it actually hurt more when he got up and left. I went in, laid down on the bed and let the tears drip down and onto the pillow. This weekend he would give Cherry the ring and our fates would be forever sealed. I hated being out of control. My therapist told me to get used to it, most of life was beyond our control, but I still didn't like it.

*** Quentin was falling in love and it wasn't with his wife. He had dated Rachel St. Martin off and on for four years until she married a gigolo. Rachel's estate wasn't a match for Quentin, but she had enough that men wanted to marry her for it. Rachel's speedy divorce surprised no one. Quentin had met up with Rachel at a party in Philadelphia and before the night was over they were screwing their brains out in a pantry. Rachel lived in Florida most of the time and she looked forward to the days that Quentin spent time with her in her home. She felt a little guilty, she had attended Quentin's wedding and Sephi looked like a pregnant princess. There was no doubt that Sephi was beautiful.

Quentin had confessed that he couldn't have children and that he married Sephi knowing the baby was not his. Quentin had also confessed that every time he saw the baby it reminded him that he was sterile and that Sephi loved someone else. Rachel couldn't have kids either and so she knew how Quentin felt.

Quentin drove to Princeton to meet up with Sephi for a big PPTH fund raiser . It was a costume party. Sephi had begged Quentin to come for it. He agreed but refused to stay in the suites with its kitchenette and popcorn ceilings. He insisted on staying at the Hyatt Regency. Sephi let the nanny have the suites and she went to stay with Quentin for the night. They dressed as Anthony & Cleopatra.

"My costume shows my little pooch." Sephi complained to Quentin. The costume showed a lot of skin and had the infamous black wig and serpent headpiece.

Quentin wasn't buying it and gave her a look of displeasure, "For God's sake Sephi, you look gorgeous and the tiny little pooch makes you look like a woman instead of flat like a little girl. I'm happy with the new curves and you know I'll tell you the truth."

Sephi knew that was true. Quentin could be very critical if he didn't think something looked, tasted, smelled or acted right. He had criticized Sephi in front of a group of their friends because she wore the wrong shade of lipstick. He went on all night about it. Normally Quentin thought that Sephi was the epitome of good taste and beauty. He had to admit that not even Rachel could hold a torch to Sephi in the looks department, but he wanted Rachel.

Sephi had to drive back to the suites and feed Nathaniel and also pump out enough milk for the night. She told Quentin that she would meet him at the party. The party started at 7:30 p.m. meaning that Quentin had an hour. He went down and ordered himself a gin and tonic.

As soon as Quentin arrived at the country club he headed for the bar to get another gin and tonic. He looked around and saw some friends, big donors of the hospital, and he made a beeline to talk to them. Sephi arrived a few minutes later and greeted Quentin.

House and Cherry came as Sid and Nancy. Wilson was an elf out of the Lord of the Rings. Everyone looked great, the costumes were spectacular. Lisa eventually showed up as Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie." She was darling.

As the evening progressed and the dancing started, Quentin asked Lisa to dance because his wife was talking to an important donor. Lisa danced with Quentin but soon realized he was drunk...really drunk.

"Quentin, let's sit down before you fall down. Come on, over here."

Quentin sat down and said, "I need another drink."

Lisa looked at him sideways, "I don't think so. What is wrong with you?"

His head bobbed up and down, "I'm in love."

"Of course you are, you're lucky to have Sephi."

Quentin turned around and looked across the room at Sephi who had her back to them. "She's gorgeous isn't she? Too bad I'm not in love with her."

Lisa felt strange, she wasn't sure she should continue with this conversation, "I think you need a ride back to your hotel."

"Lisa, I can't have babies."

"Of course you can't, you're a man."

He shook his head in a drunken stupor, "NO, no, no...I mean I can't make babies."

Now Lisa was curious, "Quentin, you made a beautiful baby. Nathaniel is gorgeous."

He looked at her and became indignant, "He's not my baby. My sperm can't get anyone pregnant. For God's sake Lisa, the baby has blue eyes and mine are brown...you saw my parents, they both have brown eyes. Blue eyes Lisa...blue eyes."

Lisa took a deep breath and looked around to see where both Sephi and House were. She was safe, they were both out of earshot. "Quentin, you're telling me that Nathaniel is really House's baby?"

"You got it." Quentin continued to bob and weave. "And I knew it when we got married. It's not Sephi's fault, she would have let me back out of the wedding, but I didn't, I thought it would be interesting to raise the baby. I mean, for God's Sake, we're talking about the spawn of Zeus himself. But I didn't count on falling in love."

"This is too much information. I'm getting you back to your hotel." She got him to stand and then took him out to get a cab but discovered his driver was there. She told him to take him back to the hotel. Lisa took a deep breath and went back into the party, life was about to get interesting.

House was sitting at the table and Cherry was running around the room showing off her ring.

Sephi came up to Lisa, "I just nailed us a donor, $1.0 million. What's wrong with you? Have you seen my husband?"

"I sent him home, he's very, very drunk. He's talking out of school." Lisa was trying to get Sephi's attention but she was in fund raising mode. She was trying to figure out who her next victim would be.

"What? Hold that thought, I'll be right back." Sephi took off to the other side of the room and Lisa sat down shaking her head. A hand pulled back the chair next to her and she looked up to see House. She startled when she realized who it was.

"What is up with you? I saw you take Quentin outside. What happened?"

"He was just drunk. I sent him back to his hotel." Lisa looked up and saw Sephi making her way back. Sephi sat down at the table.

Sephi nodded at House, "Nice outfit, are you Sid Vicious ?

House nodded yes. Sephi drank her orange juice and looked around for another mark. She was still looking around when Cherry came up, sat down and cuddled House and then smiled at Sephi.

"Did you see my ring?" Cherry asked, holding the diamond out for Sephi to see.

Sephi had to pause, get her emotions under control and respond appropriately, "Oh My God, how gorgeous. Congratulations you two. When's the wedding?"

"I want to get married in June but he wants to wait until the fall sometime."

House was taking a drink and looking calmly at Sephi the whole time. Cherry looked up into House's face and he smiled down at her. Lisa was thinking, "Oh this is so F#cked up. Sephi loves House, House loves Sephi, Cherry Loves House, Sephi's married to Quentin, Quentin loves...someone. And the baby's father is a jerk." It felt like a Shakespeare tragedy and Lisa was playing the fool.

Sephi smiled at the two of them, "I hope you both are very happy together and that you have a great wedding. Excuse me, but I see a possible donor I need to talk to..." She jumped up and walked away, out into the hall. House's eyes followed her and Cherry followed House's eyes and Lisa watched it all unfold. Lisa felt like she was riding a meteor headed straight for earth.

***

I went into the foyer and looked around for the bathroom. I found it and it was a good thing. The thick black eyeliner for my Cleopatra outfit was now streaking down my face like skidmarks from a Goodrich tire. I couldn't understand why it had hurt so much. He told me he was going to ask her. I just thought that he might hold off, but why? Why should he hold off? For what? Come on...he deserves to be happy. I hate sitting in public bathrooms and usually try to get out of them as fast as possible, but there I was sitting down on a toilet seat with the door latched wailing like a banshee.

"Lady, are you ok?"

The disassociated voice came from the sink area, "Yes...yes, I just got some bad news but I'm ok."

"Ok." And then I heard the bathroom door open and shut.

I just couldn't get a grip. I needed to sneak out and get back to the suites as fast as possible. But my whole body was heaving up and down with the tears. I felt so stupid. He was just a man. But he was my son's father. He was the only man I had ever loved and he was going to marry someone he didn't love. Now I knew how he must have felt when Quentin and I got married.

"Ok, I know you're in there. I could hear the sobs all the way down the hall, you sound like a Hoover vacuum with a plastic bag stuck in it. Open the door and talk to me." It was Lisa and she sounded a little pissed off.

I opened the door, stood up and walked out. Lisa tried not to laugh but I guess I looked rather comical. Not only did I have skid marks but my wig was cockeyed and my lipstick was smeared.

She shook her head and patted my shoulder, "You look like the love child of bozo the clown and Elvira. We need to get you cleaned up. Lisa took some Kleenex and paper towels and started to mop me up. My face was rubbed raw but presentable. She put her thin little arm around me and escorted me to the bar. She pulled out a credit card from her Jeannie bra and told the bartender to bring us both shots of Patron.

I was still unable to talk properly, " I...(sniff)...can't .(hic) ...drink...(sob)...alcohol."

Look, I'm sure you have some breast milk stored and there's always formula. You need a drink and so do I."

We were sitting at the bar drinking and not saying anything yet when Lisa watched Sid Vicious walk in."Oh crap." Lisa shook her head no but House kept coming.

I looked up and saw him and started wailing. He shook his head in frustration, "Jesus H. Christ Sephi, what did you expect? You marry a gadfly and have his loser kid..." Lisa coughed loudly, "...and I'm suppose to just stay at status quo? You can't expect people to do nothing while you insist on screwing around with your life."

He handed me a handkerchief because the snot was flowing from my nose. I just kept nodding like I understood what he was saying but my shoulders and chest were rocking up and down with my crying. He closed his eyes as if he wanted to be somewhere else.

"You're...hic...sob...right."

Lisa was going crazy holding back. She finally thought she could say something safe, "You know, you don't love Quentin and he loves someone else, so why not get a divorce?"

I looked at her, "HE LOVES SOMEONE ELSE???" I started crying again, people were staring at us.

Lisa was nervous, "I thought you said you knew he was having affairs?"

"Affairs...hic...sob...not in love. He doesn't ...sob.... sob...love ...me?"

She decided to be blunt, "He loves someone else."

"Doesn't anyone...sob..sob..love me?"

House put his hand to his forehead, "You're acting like a child."

Lisa came to my defense, "And you always act like an adult. Hey cut her some slack, she just found out her husband doesn't love her and wants someone else and you're getting married and her baby's fathers are both abandoning her."

I sucked in air when she said it. I knew House would catch it too, but how did Lisa know? Lisa stopped talking and turned to look at me with her eyes wide open. I'm sure I looked shocked and scared because she swallowed hard.

House pursed his lips to say something but hesitated while he thought, "Cuddy, what did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

He chuckled, "You said the plural of father, fathers. What did you... oh forget it." He turned away from Lisa and looked straight at me, "Is Nate my son?"

I hadn't taken a breath yet and all of a sudden everything went white and then black but I managed not to pass out. They could see I was struggling, having a major panic attack. House was not happy with me, but he put his arm around me and said, "Breathe. Breathe in...breathe out....breathe in....breathe out..."

I was doing what he said but my breaths were punctuated by sniffles. I must have looked like a total loser sitting there, unable to function or respond. House looked over at Lisa who had her hand on my arm to give support.

I was breathing and after a few minutes, he ducked down, got right in my face, looked me in my bloodshot eyes and said slowly and deliberately, "Is Nate my son?"

I looked at Lisa who nodded at me. I looked him in the eye and said, "Yes. Yes."

House stood up and stared into space. "Whoa. And you married Quentin? Did you know it when you married Quentin?"

"Yes."

He looked at me and gave me a look of pure disgust. "You are one cold B!tch." He walked away. *** Lisa put her arm around me. "Let's get you back to your hotel."

I had to go back to the suites, I couldn't bear being with Quentin, knowing he was going to leave me. It wasn't like our marriage was so great but it was all I had. Things sucked, Greg was marrying Cherry and I wasn't going to make it to my one year anniversary. I wasn't sure what Greg was going to do. I'd never seen him look so displeased, so angry, so disgusted.

The nanny was in my bedroom asleep so I slept on the couch. When I woke up I looked in the mirror and I looked like the elephant man. My entire face was swollen and red. I tried to put some antioxidants and cold gel packs on my eyes.

I eventually started reviewing documents for the new Maternity Hospital while I entertained and took care of Nathaniel. The nanny had left and gone back to Philadelphia for her days off. I had just had lunch and was feeding Nathaniel when someone knocked on my door. "Who is it?"

"Greg."

I opened the door with Nathaniel latched on nursing and me looking pretty pathetic. He walked in and turned around to look at us. I closed the door and sat back down to continue feeding the baby.

"Is there a purpose to this visit?"

"I wanted to see my son."

"Well, he's eating. When he's done you can hold him." I switched breasts and Nathaniel kept looking at his father while he nursed. "What now?"

He gave a funny little laugh, "You hide the fact that I have a son, marry a man who then pretends he's my son's father, don't tell me he's mine even when I'm making fun of him and you ask me what's next?"

I kept quiet while I finished nursing and then handed the little towel to Greg. He took it and asked, "What's this for?"

"Put it over your shoulder so that when he drools or spits up it doesn't get on your t-shirt."

He sat down in the easy chair and put Nathaniel up on his shoulder and looked at him. House looked a little awkward, like he wasn't sure if he really wanted to hold him right after his lunch. "Should I expect the expelling of bodily fluids here?"

"Oh, he's already pooped, we just have to see if he's going to blow tubes. If he doesn't in the next minute or two, then you can take him in and change him. Welcome to parenthood."

"I also came to tell you that you're going to change his birth certificate and put my name down as his father, you're going to change his name from Chester to House and you're going to give me custody of my son."

I was pretty sure he was saying all of this to get even. "Ok. I'll do all of it." I kept thinking of the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for or you may just get it." I got up and started packing up all of Nathaniel's stuff. I broke down his portable crib, his portable playpen and packed up his diapers, clothes, baby blankets and some baby food.

House watched this with an expressionless face. I held out my hand, "Ok, give me the key to your car and I'll load this stuff up for you."

He started to smile, "You're going along with this because you think I'll relent and back down."

"You have me wrong. You see this face, this body. I'm tired and if my son's father wants to take over, that's just fine with me. I trust you, I know he'll be ok, you're a doctor. It means I get a break. Did you want him permanently? What do you want to tell the lawyers, full, partial or joint custody?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I hadn't decided." I was loaded up and ready to make a run to his car. House shook his head, "You are joking...you don't really expect me to take him right now?"

"Yes, yes I do. You come in here, make demands and when I say yes, you back down? You don't get to come in here and insert yourself into our lives when it meets your schedule. This is a human being...a baby... you can't treat him like he's an option."

"I'm not taking him now, I'll take him tomorrow after I talk to Cherry."

I roared, "YOU HAVEN'T TOLD HER?! I don't believe you. Honey, marry me and, oh by the way, I have a five month old son which means that I screwed his mother while I was living with you...but you don't mind do you? Just think, you get to take care of the baby I had with the woman I actually love." I shook a finger at him, "It's time you live with your choices Greg."

I dropped the baby equipment and quickly grabbed my jacket, my keys and my purse and walked out. I left House holding his son and looking shocked. I took off and went to get a a quick massage and facial at a shopping center spa, had lunch and then shopped for a couple of hours before going to a movie. I had been gone for seven hours straight and my breasts were aching, they were so full. I needed to get home.

I walked through the door around 9 p.m. and started laughing. The diaper bag had been dumped out on the floor, there was food spewed all over the dining area, The dirty diaper had almost made it into the trash bin but obviously had been tossed and missed. The playpen was half way set up, toys were all over and there was something green (I think split peas) down the front of Greg's t-shirt. The baby had on a new t-shirt and a very loose diaper that looked like it probably needed to be changed again. But I have to admit I choked up a little when I saw Greg laying dead asleep and snoring on the floor with Nathaniel sprawled asleep on top of him. I put my stuff down and started to pick up. I dropped a spoon and it woke Nathaniel who started to fuss. As soon as he started fussing my milk let down and I was soaking my top. I grabbed him off of Greg and sat down to nurse. He was feeding when I saw Greg's head lift up and one eye open. He saw me with the baby and laid back down and closed his eyes. It took me about half an hour to feed and change Nathaniel. I laid him down on the bed and set up the crib again. I put him in and he went back to sleep. His afternoon with Dad had worn him out.

I got into my p.j.s and went to bed. A few minutes later I heard Greg come in the bedroom, sit on the bed, take off his clothes and his watch and then climb in and spoon me. I was still cold from being outside and so his warm body felt good. His breath on my neck reminded me of all the good times we had. I felt safe with him. We both fell asleep within minutes. Around 5:00 a.m. Nathaniel woke up and demanded he be fed. I nursed him and he wanted to play so I got up to let Greg sleep. We were out in the living room and around 9:00 a.m. there was a knock on the door. I opened it up and it was Quentin. I was surprised, I never expected him to show up here.

"Quentin, what are you doing here?"

He walked in, looked around and said, "I wanted to apologize. I think I said some things to Lisa that I shouldn't have. I told her that I can't have kids and she knows now Nathaniel is House's baby. I don't know if she'll tell him or not. But I thought you should know. I also told her that I'm in love."

"Rachel?"

"Yes. I want to ask her to marry me. I'm sorry Sephi, I shouldn't have gone through with the wedding once we knew Nathaniel wasn't mine."

"You bet your sweet @ss you shouldn't have. Sephi would have been with me" House was standing in the bedroom door in just his shorts scratching and yawning.

Quentin looked at him and then me, "Well, I see that you didn't waste any time."

"Quentin, Lisa told Greg and yesterday he spent some time with Nathaniel. He stayed over but we didn't have sex."

Quentin held up his hand to stop me from saying anything more, "Sephi, it's ok. You two are idiots if you think you can keep apart. You're like two gigantic magnets and until you get together, you're going to attract a lot of crap in your lives.

I'd like to ask for an annulment. I could claim fraud, you know claim that I didn't know that House was the baby's father. Then you don't have to say you've been married three times and two of them divorces. What do you think?"

"Sure. I'll do whatever you want as long as you give up all rights to Nathaniel." I looked as kindly as I could at him, "I know that in your way you've tried your best to be good to me. I want us to be friends."

"I'd like that too." He stepped in, gave me a hug and a kiss and then gave Nathaniel a kiss. He looked at House and said to him, "Don't screw this up again." He closed the door and left.

I was sad but I was happy too, happy for Quentin because I thought that he and Rachel made a good couple. I looked at Greg and said quietly, "You better go home to Cherry. We'll work out the custody issue tomorrow. I'll call and let Lisa know you'll be in soon. I'll probably see you at the hospital because I have to go in too."

The nanny had Sunday and Mondays off so I had to take care of Nathaniel until she got back the next day. Before Greg left I asked him to watch Nathaniel while I took a quick shower. I packed up the baby and we arrived at the hospital at noon.

***

I don't know how Lisa found out so quickly that I had arrived but she soon came running into my office, "What happened?

"House demanded custody of his son. I walked out and left him with Nathaniel for the afternoon and evening. When I got back the suites looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. House and I both collapsed...he didn't go home to Cherry but we didn't have sex. Quentin showed up this morning and asked for an annulment. I sent House back to Cherry. You're caught up now."

"OH MY GOD, you left House alone with a baby? You are one brave woman."

"I figured two things, he's a doctor and he has your cell phone number if things got to be too much."

Lisa looked straight into my eyes, "What about you two?"

"He drove home to Cherry to tell her about Nathaniel. Do you think Cherry's going to enjoy hearing that he was doing the horizontal tango with me while he was coming home and eating her home cooked meals?"

"If House explains it to her, Cherry will forgive anything House does. She's pretty pathetic. But Cherry arrived at the hospital at the same time I did this morning so I doubt he's told her."

"Then I guess Greg has a few decisions to make."

"You ought to make the decisions for him, remember we are talking House and you both seem to screw up when it comes to the two of you. You should pull a House, he respects that type of bold action."

I thought about what Lisa had said for quite awhile. I grabbed Nathaniel and the diaper bag and took off. I went around the corner and down the hall and saw House, Chase and House's two beautiful Fellows sitting in front of the white board going over symptoms. I breathed in deeply and pushed the door open with a lot of force to give emphasis to my entrance.

I rushed up to House, handed him Nathaniel, dropped the diaper bag in front of Cherry on the table. Sticking out of it was Greg's watch that he had left on my nightstand. "Can you watch him? I just had an emergency come up and have to rush out for an hour. You know where everything is in the diaper bag, I just fed him so you probably need to change him. I looked at Nathaniel and kissed him, Ok Mr. Blue Eyes, you be good until Mommy gets back." As I started to swing through the door I looked back at an ashen face Greg, holding my wide eyed son and said, "Oh look at you two, two peas in a pod." I smiled at a fuming Cherry and left.

Chase told me later when I got back that it was if a nuclear bomb had been detonated. He and the new fellow ran to get away from the fallout. Before Chase left, Cherry' s opening salvo had been, "You told me you went out drinking with Wilson and stayed with him so what is she doing with your watch? And why does she want you to watch her child? And why are his eyes so blue?"

I got back an hour later and went down to the office. House had a black eye! "Oh my God, did Cherry do that?"

He just looked at me and nodded. "Seems infidelity doesn't sit as well with her as one would think."

"Where's our son?"

"In Cuddy's office. Let's just say we came close to police intervention and Cuddy thought Nathaniel would fare better in her office. Well, did this have the intended effect that you wanted?"

"I don't know. Are we done screwing around now? Are we finally going to put all the past behind us and admit that we both love each other and that we should probably try to make this work?"

He pretended like he was shocked by what I was saying. He stood up and came over, "You say it first."

I looked at him and began to smile slowly. "Dr. Gregory House, from the first day you stuck your head in and leered at me in my underwear I have been attracted to you. I fell in love with you in New York. I never stopped loving you. Now, are you going to let me love you or are we going to be like ships in the night for the rest of our lives?"

He put his hand on my cheek and said very firmly, "I love you." He clapped his hands and said, "Unfortunately I have a patient and I'm short a fellow. I'll see you later."

Epilogue

I shrugged my shoulders and thought, "That was a good start, wasn't it?" I went and picked up my kid.

That night there was a knock on the door and there was a solemn Greg House with one large duffle bag and a garment bag. I started chuckling and let him in. He put his bags down in the bedroom and came to me while I was in the kitchen. He put his arms around me and started to kiss me. He looked around and saw Nathaniel sleeping in his crib.

He was still kissing me but he managed to get out, "When did you put him down?"

"About five minutes ago."

***"Houston, we have lift off." House took my sweater off over my head and looked at my nursing bra. "That's one ugly piece of underwear, I hope you're not planning on wearing that on our honeymoon, if we have a honeymoon, if we get married." He popped the tab in the back like an expert. I pulled the bra all the way off. We were moving fast, like teenagers. He put his hand down my sweat pants and panties and pulled me into him. He started kissing me down my shoulders and then on to my breasts, first the right one then the left. He took another look at them and the increased size and said, "Wow. Will they stay that way?"

"I don't know. Are you just going to stare at them or are we going to have some action here? I need some action. NOW."

He gave me a funny face and started pulling me to the bedroom. He threw me on the bed. I pulled off my sweat pants and panties and lay there in the nude. He was trying to get his shirt and sweater off over his head but he had forgotten to unbutton the sleeves and he got stuck in midair, his head was covered and the clothes were turned inside out. I started giggling. He said in a muffled voice, "Hey, this isn't funny, come undo the buttons on the sleeves."

I yelled, I don't think so, I need sex now ...I'll start without you and you can catch up." I started making all kinds of moans and sounds of pleasure. He was sure I was taking care of business and he was missing the show, so he tried harder to get the stuck shirts over his head. He started dancing all over the bedroom with his arms and the sweater up over his head in an attempt to get the shirts off. When that didn't work he tried to get them back on so he could unbutton the sleeves. I kept moaning as if I was pleasuring myself, but in reality I was writhing in laughter.

I could see he was just about ready to get out of the predicament and so I pretended to come and then as he finally got the tops off, his hair completely disheveled and sticking up. He looked quickly to see if he could catch me in the act. I pretended to be done, breathing heavily and acting like I was tired and spent. The look on his face was priceless. It was as if he was five years old and just missed his favorite cartoon. I'm pretty sure he was pouting. He continued to take off his clothes but his pace had slowed considerably.

I crawled to the end of the bed where he was and smiled up at him. I put my hands on his abdomen and came up his chest and to his neck, pressing my breasts on him and kissed him with a little tongue. I pulled back just a little, "Do you really think I'd start without you?" I squated at the end of the bed and he entered me as we fell back on the bed. I grabbed some pillows and put them under us to lift my hips higher.

We weren't joined too long when he yelled, "Damn, I'm coming. Oh....man...." I rocked to give him more sensations and to make it more pleasurable for the both of us. It was over almost as fast as it began. "Oh....crap."

I started giggling, so did he. "It's not funny. I feel like a teenager who can't control himself."

"I think it's flattering. You've just made me feel like a woman again instead of a milk cow."

House jumped up and brought back some water and orange juice. He got on the bed and kissed my stomach and then looked up at my face. He pulled himself up to sit next to me.

I raised my eyebrows,"So what did Cherry say?"

"She said she would forgive me if I would give you up."

"Oh. What did you say?"

"I told her... I wish I could quit you."

I giggled and hugged him. "So we're both going to be single soon. Want to come to Portland and live with me? I know someone who owns a hospital and could get you a job."

"I like my job just fine. You're going to come back to Princeton and you're bringing back my favorite lawn gnome."

"You know, if it weren't for your fragile ego being so wrapped up in your job, I'd make you move. But since I'm just the little woman here and powerless...I'll make you a deal. I'll come back to Princeton if you marry me?"

"You really want to go for number 4?"

"If I get this one annulled then it will be number 3..."

"I'll marry you if you'll keep your knickers on and don't take them off for anyone, including people like Kuklas."

I was mortified...how did he know? My jaw must have dropped open because he finally said, "I saw the DVD of the hotel. I know you saved my butt and I know I treated you like crap. For that I really am sorry. But I don't want you to do that again, for anyone."

"Ok, I'll keep my knickers on if you don't abuse Vicodin."

"That can be worked out." He looked solemnly at me. He had been controlling his Vicodin fairly well since he had been in Crossroads.

"Let's shake on it."

"I think we should do something more intimate to seal it. I don't remember you riding the big one during the last wave. Let's get you up on the board and take you to shore..."

"I just love your analogies Dr. House."

***

I spent two weeks with Quentin's valet sending back every gift received unless it had been used and then the appropriate compensation was sent. The annulment was obtained two months later, just as I was moving house. Greg was also moving his stuff out of storage. He had stored his things when he moved out of the apartment he shared with Cherry.

Cherry was given the option to stay in Greg's department, move to another department at PPTH or transfer to any hospital that I owned, I agreed to pay for her transfer. She chose to go to California and I don't blame her. She wanted as far away from Greg House and me as possible.

House was to receive a new fellow and I made sure I sat on the selection committee. We picked a nice young married man who was brilliant and seemed to tolerate House and his quirks about as well as could be expected. I made PPTH my base and bought another house for us, this one wasn't directly on Carnegie Lake so that I didn't worry about Nate falling in the lake. I bought one that had a view of the lake and Princeton University and had room for the nanny, housekeeper and Guido to live with us.

Nate, (I was informed that if I continued to call him Nathaniel, House would start dressing him in Little Lord Fauntleroy outfits) adored his Dad. House frequently took Nate with him to the hospital like some strange behavioral experiment. He discovered that no matter how much people hated him, they were kind and pleasant if he had Nate with him. House would grab a wheelchair and balance Nate on his lap and take off down the corridors. I had to buy the nanny a car because House would insist on taking Nate to the hospital on a slow day. As soon as a new referral came in, House would barge right in the middle of a meeting and our son would be unceremoniously dropped on the conference table in front of me and House would run off. I got so used to this happening that I learned to keep a refrigerator of breast milk and other foods in my office along with a selection of diapers, toys and other baby items. I would then call the nanny and tell her to come and get the baby.

We actually learned to live with each other. I thought the first two months we were going to end up on the front page of the Daily Sun like a bad version of John and Lorrena Bobbitt with me holding up House's genitals like a trophy. I certainly know there were days when I could have cut his willy off and thrown it out the window. I never knew anyone who could make me so angry one minute and then a minute later make me laugh my @ss off.

Sex was exhausting in the beginning. We were like rabbits in every room of the house. Of course like all couples, that slowed down, but it never became perfunctory with Greg. I could be in the middle of a presentation or speech and he would walk in and he could give me just the right look and I'd want to start ripping his clothes off. He seemed to know when I had these urges because he would unbutton the first button of his shirt and play with his collar to tease me. Of course I would get back at him. I would frequently "forget" my panties at home and I would put my hand on my hip and pass it up and down to indicate that there was no panty line. We had a lot of sex at the hospital. His favorite place to nail me was in his office on his Aeron chair because it rolled and he liked the idea of almost getting caught.

House believed that I had some magical ability to control the crying of my son and when I failed to use that ability it was done to drive him crazy. I had to assure him that sometimes Nate just cried and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Kind of like my ability to make him be nice. He quickly learned how to make his son laugh and so some of the burden of keeping Nate from crying was taken off my shoulders.

I was surprised as to how many women came on to Greg. I finally got used to it and would just ignore it. The fact that I ignored the flirting upset Greg but I quickly learned that when Greg is in love, he's all bluff when it comes to other women. But he never seemed to get used to the men from my past or if one made a pass at me, he would make my life hell until I could prove that I loved him.

Harold came out and stayed a week with us while he was giving a series of lectures at the University. He told me we had the most stable dysfunctional relationship he had ever seen. He liked Greg and thought he was a pretty good match for me because I couldn't control him and he could often outwit me. Something very few men could do. He said we would never be bored or boring.

A month before Nate's second birthday we were married without much fanfare. We flew Wilson, his girlfriend and Lisa to San Diego and were joined by House's parents at the court house. We got married in five minutes and then celebrated for the rest of the weekend. We took the nanny and Nate and went for a vacation on Quentin's yacht in the South Pacific. Turns out Quentin and I were better friends than lovers and I really enjoyed Rachel too. Quentin always had a weak spot for House because he loved his irreverence. We spent weekends with Quentin and Rachel in Philadelphia and Palm Beach. They came and stayed with us in Princeton and out at Pacific Pallisades, a house that Greg fell in love with.

Every day with Greg House is a challenge. He says the same about me. The only stable personality in the family is Nate. He seems to love everyone and has a way of winning over everyone he meets with his blue eyes and quick smile. Because of this, his father thinks he has a 666 embedded somewhere on his body and will eventually rise up and take over the world. I think it is just wishful thinking on Greg's part.

As Nate gets older there is no way Greg can deny that he is his son. His mother sent me several photos of Greg at Nate's age and I honestly thought she had snapped some of Nate. The fact that they were black and white was the only give away that they were of Greg.

I love my husband and I know you're wondering if I've been a good girl. I have to be, Greg picks up on every thing, every nuance, just like I do. He doesn't ignore me because I cannot be ignored...neither can Nate. If House is watching television, Nate will crawl up in his Dad's lap and sit there with him until a commercial and then all hell breaks lose. The two of them are wrestling and eventually one of them ends up crying from a misplaced fist or arm and it's not always Nate. Nate has learned that Daddy's groin is a fairly sensitive area if he needs to make a point.

Well I hope I haven't bored you too much. I'd say that we're just like any other family but that would be a lie. I can't think of any other family like ours. I can say that, like other families, we have our bad days, our good days and yet we're still together. I still don't understand why this is the man who rocks my world, when you know, could you drop me a line?

THE END

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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.

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