A/N Another chapter before I go on holiday. Just to address some issues an anonymous reviewer brought up (I would have PM'd back but being anonymous I can't do that).

1- House does indeed have great insight and this story does not say he is completely blind to the fact something is wrong. But I think his relationship with Wilson has the ability to emotionally fog that particular side of him. As already pointed on the show his great insight ability it somewhat attributed to his ability to be emotionally uninvolved with his patients. As we know the person he is most emotionally invested into is Wilson.

2- As far as we have seen in the show it has mainly been House who has been the subject the physical tribulations whereas in this fic it is the other way round. We have never seen House deal with something of this magnitude with Wilson on the hurt side and himself in the periphery so this is just my take on it.

3- I don't think this fic portrays House as a complete asshole. I think he doesn't know what to do or where he stands with Wilson as Wilson is usually very predictable in his ways and words but this time he is somewhat OOC. More confused and bewildered than an asshole.

I hope that clears some of the stuff up. I mean one iffy review out of 30 isn't so bad. :) But thank you everyone else for the nice ones :)

Shortish chapter this one to set up the next couple. Oh and excuse my lack of geographical knowledge of New Jersey. I live on the other side of the ocean :)

"When did the nurse last check on him?" Cuddy paced around her office, chewing her thumbnail.

"Two thirty. Well they that say anyway." House stood leaning against the door frame of his boss' office.

"So what's that, about an hour ago. He couldn't have gone very far in an hour in his condition. I mean he didn't have any clothes." Cuddy stopped pacing and perched herself on the edge of her desk.

House closed his eyes. "It's enough time for him to go back to his apartment and get some. He could have easily slipped out of one of the back exits. Hailed a cab back to his apartment."

"You think he's at his apartment?"

"Well he's either there or he is on his way there. I know Wilson has walked in the street without pants on but I don't think a dress is exactly his style." Well at least he didn't think it was. Although after the events of the past few weeks House didn't really know any more.

"Well what are we doing here? We need to find him now." Cuddy turned at grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. She ushered House out of her office and they both headed into the hospital parking lot.

An empty apartment was what greeted House and Cuddy as they opened the door to Wilson's apartment. Their shoulders visibly dropped as the realised that their friend was not here at all.

House strolled into the bedroom and came out holding a lengthy piece of blue and white linen. He held it up in the air to catch Cuddy's eye. "Well we know he's been here. He left his hospital gown behind." He tossed it in the direction of his boss who caught it in her grasp.

"Where the hell has he gone? He doesn't go anywhere apart from here and the hospital as far as I know." Cuddy neatly folded the gown and stuffed it into her handbag.

"And my apartment but there is absolutely no reason for him to be there." House continued prodding the clothes that were sprawled across Wilson's bed.

"It's worth a try." Cuddy shrugged. She was out of any other ideas. "You really don't know anywhere else he would go?"

House wish he knew. I mean there were some places where he was sure Wilson would visit at any other time, Amber's grave for one, but this wasn't any other time. However, it was the best he had. He scratched his scalp before rubbing a hand across his chin. "There's Amber."

"You think he would go and visit Amber?"

House would usually find a logically explanation as to why Wilson would visit Amber but there was not logical explanation. It was a guess and guesses without a basis made House uncomfortable. He grimaced, unsure whether to waste time searching somewhere where House was pretty sure Wilson wouldn't be. "Honestly...no. It was just speculation."

Cuddy nodded and zipped up her handbag, catching the linen in the zip. "Come on. Let's go to your place."

Wilson hadn't driven up this road since he was 16. The air still had the same sweet odour like it did when he was a child. The skyline had changed, a few more houses had been built and there were fewer trees lacing the edge of the highway. But it still had the same warm atmosphere like it used to. He could see the sea several miles into the distance on his left and the boats, only seen in the distanct as white specks, were bobbing on the calm waves. He wasn't too far from his destination now, only a few miles left until he got there.

He flipped on the air conditioning in his car to cool his flushing body. He inhaled a deep breath as the cool breeze of salty sea air made its way through his nostrils.

Wilson's last holiday with his parents and his younger brother was spent here before Danny became ill. He and Danny had spent most of their week here skimming stones in the sea and seeing who could dig the biggest hole in the sand. Wilson had won after his brother had dug a mighty impressive hole only for the entire thing in collapse in on itself, burying Danny up to his head in sand, much to Wilson's amusement. Not content with his brother being up to his neck in sand, Wilson had then ran out to collect seaweed to drape over his brother's head. For the next three months Danny was known as the Sandman.

He hadn't been here since that last holiday. He knew his parents had tried to bring Danny for a holiday a couple of years later when Wilson was in college, but they came back after only two days.

But this place held good memories for Wilson. This was the obvious place to come when he had decided that he needed some time out. This was the last place of solace for a man who felt safe nowhere else.

Wilson smiled to himself as he drove into the city of Perth Amboy. The sign welcoming him was still the same as was the street he travelled down. It was exactly how he had wanted it to be. He pulled his Volvo into a vacant parking space just off the main street.

He felt safe.

"You were right. His apartment was a mess." Cuddy stood with her a hand on her hip. "What are you doing?"

"I left my keys at work. Lock picking is an art you know." House squinted as his tongue slipped out the side of his mouth. By sliding in a hairpin found in Cuddy's bag, he managed to unlock the door to his apartment.

"So that's how you break into patient's homes."

"Me? No. I learnt this off Foreman." He twirled the doorknob and let himself and Cuddy in. House stopped dead as soon as he entered the living room. "Someone's been here. There was an umbrella behind the door. It always falls over when I open the door." House span round and looked behind the door. "And...it's not there." House peered around the back of the set of draws next the door and under his piano before spotting the offending item on his couch. "I never put it on my couch."

"Looks like Wilson was here then."

"Or I've been burgled." House raised an eyebrow.

"Is anything taken?" Cuddy made her way into the kitchen.

"No but that doesn't mean-"

"House!" Cuddy waved her hand from behind the wall, encouraging House to come into the kitchen.

"What is it?"

Cuddy waved a yellow piece of paper and slapped it down onto House's open palm. "It was stuck on your fridge."

House unfolded the paper and began to read the note. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being an ass. I know this is hurting you as much as it's hurting me. I don't feel safe any more. Not at home, not even in the hospital. So I've gone some place where I know I will be. I do want to talk about things but i can't. I don't know why. I do trust you, it's just hard. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sorry. Wilson. House handed the sheet back to Cuddy when also proceeded to read the note.

"He sounds confused."

"Really? You think?" House angrily tossed his cane onto the couch.

Cuddy put an arm on House's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "We just have to think okay? Where does Wilson know is a safe place?"

Cuddy's patronising tone was beginning to grate on House, almost to point where it was making him angry. "I don't know! He's not here and he's not at his apartment so I don't know where else he would be."

Cuddy sighed. If House didn't know who else would know.

Wilson took a seat on a wooden bench overlooking the harbour. The weather had been kind as the afternoon sun bathed the harbour and the beach in a stream of warm light. It was surprisingly quiet, only a handful of fisherman scattered across the banks and some couples on the beach made up the public in Wilson's viewpoint. Exactly the type of place he needed.

He picked up a pebble off of the ground and began tossing it between his hands. Then he tossed it into the sea, hearing the gentle plop as the pebble hit the water. He closed his eyes, sat back and let the warm sun wash over his body. The serene calm that he felt here was a million miles away from the permanent feeling of consternation that hadbeen set in his mind for the past few weeks.

The stress had pushed him to take up his bad habit of biting the hell out of his fingernails again. He opened his hand and looked at the bitten and grubby fingernails and he felt shame.

Shame that he had been constantly pushing and pulling his best friend. Telling House that he wanted him there then telling him in no uncertain terms to leave only a few minutes later. He had rebutted House's offer of an ear to bend only then to turn round and accuse House of not listening and supporting him. He called House selfish and hypocrite but Wilson knew he was far worse a culprit than House ever was.

Wilson rubbed the sleep that had been gathering in the corner of his eye.

The fear of a mocking from House had been the thing that had been holding Wilson back from talking to House. He knew House cared. House wouldn't haven't bothered him that much about it if he didn't care. But the fear was so acute that it had stopped Wilson even trying to open up. The sheer embarrassment of it all was also to much to take. He was seeing things, hearing things, even smelling things that weren't actually there. He was scared to sleep at night. Sometimes too apathertic in himself to even wash. How the hell would House react to that? Wilson had assumed that a bark of amusement would be the obvious reaction but he had never given House a chance. And for that he was shameful.

Small tears began trickling down the cheeks of Wilson as he looked out over the harbour. He knew he couldn't just sit here forever. He would have to go back to Princeton eventually to face everybody. He gently bowed his head and listened to the crunchy gravel that was sitting beneath his feet as he dug his shoes in.

"Why didn't you just talk to him and then all this wouldn't have happened." He muttered under his breath and stabbed his shoe into the ground. Wilson cursed. If he had of talked to House then maybe he would be sleeping and eating instead of sitting on a bench in a random part of New Jersey.

In one last determined roll of the dice, Wilson flipped out his cellphone and dialled the number he should have dialled a long time ago. After several rings there was a click of a phone being answered. "House? It's Wilson... I need to talk... I'm not in Princeton... I'm in Perth Amboy..."

A/N As I said a little bit shorter but hope you enjoyed. Couple more to go I think.

So Why So Sad- Manic Street Preachers © 2001 Know Your Enemy