Disclaimer: [H]ouse is not mine and never will be. Title has nothing to do with current CBS show.

Enjoy!

Eyes never leaving the tall figure stepping off the rail, Wilson plummets into the pool with House, but doesn't get wet. While House risks another of his nine lives, a layer of Wilson's emotional insulation peels away.

He turns his back on the revelers, blindly finds his way to his car, and settles into the safety of its interior. He scrubs his face with his hands, taking a moment to collect himself, then backs out of the parking spot. He slams on his breaks as a shadow appears in his rearview mirror. A fist pounds on his trunk accompanying a string of molten hot invectives. Wilson raises his hands in surrender and tilts his head, nodding an apology. He deserves it. He expects the guy to knock on his window holding a gun, but the harangue ends with one last furious, "Motherfucker."

The engine falls silent as he shuts the ignition. He leans back against the leather upholstery. He thinks about the bumpy road he has traveled with House—the infarction, Stacy, that one Christmas Eve, Amber, and Mayfield. Cuddy is the latest collision.

Wilson can't get the image of House bobbing to the surface of the pool with a grin. Relief mixes with nausea. Serial sex and Vicodin isn't enough for House. What will he do next?

House has shut him out.

What about his own sanity? Where should he draw the line? Friends for almost twenty years, he feels like the "good wife." Other than the period he mourned for Amber, he had stuck by House's side, through good times and bad, sickness and health. After this last stunt, Wilson's not sure if he can do it anymore.

There's no easy answers. He heaves a sigh. With a steady hand, he turns the key in the ignition and cautiously cruises to the exit, making a left out of the lot. For now, he can drown his thoughts with loud music from the car radio. When he arrives home, he will drown them in scotch. Tomorrow, paperwork and patients will serve as refuge. And when he runs into House….

He presses on the accelerator as he heads for the highway.

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Thank you for reading. Comments welcome anytime. :-)