It's been a while since I've written anything. Hopefully, you guys will like it. This is set in a general time, where nothing really dramatic has happened on the show, (i.e. No bus crashes, or breakups, or makeups, etc.) It's a possible House/OFC. Just give it a chance if you'd like and let me know what ya think.

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Her stomach turned at the sight of him climbing through her window. Bruised and bleeding, he landed somewhat gracefully onto her floor. With a little help from her and a few pillows, he righted himself and shivered a bit from the cold.

She never thought she'd see him like this. Never thought, in a million years, that he would look as broken as he does now. Her mind was racing, she needed to get blankets. Something to keep him warm.

He stared into her carpet, unmoving except for the bouts of shivers that overtook him every few seconds. He gratefully accepted the warmth of her comforter as she wrapped it around his shoulders.

She wanted to ask him so many questions, she just had no idea where to start. Deciding to let him do the talking, she sat down beside him with her legs crossed underneath her. Waiting, breathlessly until he decided to speak. It didn't come. He was still staring into the same place, so intensely she thought maybe he could see a hidden message written in her carpet that was for his eyes only.

Patiently, she sat there with him.

He slowly lifted his head to look up at her, but turned away quickly.

This was not a simple task for him. He never felt the need to get someone's help like this. He was independent and strong willed and…beaten. This time. He was beaten emotionally and physically. His head was throbbing and his muscles were aching. But he could just stare. Nothing came to his mind that he could say right now. There was nothing that could ease this blow.

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Present Day:

"What is on the docket today?" House asked all too cheerfully to his audience of fellows. He had gotten his old team back to join up with a couple from his new team. He was almost giddy because of the extra bait that was laid out before him. He could criticize so many more people now! Today was a good day.

Thirteen spoke up, holding a folder in her hand, "Female, 12 years old, fever—"

House stopped her, grabbing the folder from her hands "I can read, but I appreciate your fervor." He slammed down his own open notebook on the table, "I have written your duties by your names on this piece of paper. Think of it as a scavenger hunt and meet back up here with your results. The winner gets…well, the winner will get nothing but the feeling of accomplishment. This feeling can be used to make fun of your colleagues or can be more subtle than that, who am I to tell you what to do with your prize? Okay? Okay! Now get to it, STAT."

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Chase asked, annoyed already with this day.

Before he could get an answer, he read Clinic Duty haha by his name. He rolled his eyes and looked up to debate, but House was already gone. As everyone started to halfheartedly head off into their designated direction, Chase threw his hands up in exasperation and followed suit, mumbling profanities the entire way.

House smirked to himself from inside his office at how easy it was to get rid of all of them. Now, if they could figure the case out on their own, he could get a solid nap in.

He put his feet on top of his desk and closed his eyes briefly before a knock sounded on his door. "You guys are good, but not THAT good." He declared loudly.

Wilson peaked his head in. "You wanna do lunch?"

"You buyin'?"

"I always do."

House stood, reaching for his cane, "Then yes, yes I do."

As they finally sat down in their booth, House eyed Wilson closely. "What's this about?"

Wilson's eyes squinted, "What do you mean? I always buy you lunch? Usually, when people are hungry though, they tend to get food."

"Yes, you usually do buy my lunch but you always put up a fight when you do…It's not exactly normal for you to be this compliant."

"Eh, I figured I'd just skip that step of arguing. I was pretty hungry."

Wilson's explanation was enough for him. House bit into his Ruben with vigor and smiled speaking with his mouth full, "I appreciate your weak resolution then."

Wilson rolled his eyes, "Anyway, about your new patient. Word from Foreman is, her mom is fairly prestigious. She was a high rank in the military, I think she's retired now, brilliant, drop dead gorgeous…" Wilson's words faltered off as he imagined the woman. He hadn't seen her yet, but coming from Foreman, she must be a bombshell.

House rolled his eyes, making a big show of it, "So this is why you invited me here? To tell me you're going to bang the new patient's mother?"

Wilson nearly choked on his bite, "NO! I'm not going to bang her. I was just making conversation."

"Judging by that twinkle in your eye, I can tell you want to get up on it."

It was Wilson's turn to roll his eyes, "As romantic as that sounds, I was simply relating back to you the description that was given to me. I'm not going to go after her…or," Wilson winced as he said it, "Get on it. I just was making conversation."

House smirked a bit, he truly did love it when Wilson tried to defend himself. As if House didn't know that Wilson was on a fast track out of here to his patient's room to see this new "bombshell" as soon as he was done taking his last bite.

"Are you going to be a consultant on the case?" House smiled as he asked.

"No, I…I mean I could, if it were deemed necessary."

"I knew it! Come on, James, don't act like you aren't interested in her enough to want to buy her roses and feed her an expensive lobster dinner already. I can already feel your pick up lines being formulated in your head."

Wilson simply shook his head. "I'm not interested in taking a worried mother to dinner with me, while her daughter is in the hospital."

House dropped it, he was getting bored with the conversation. "Okay, then."

"Yeah, okay."

The conversation wasn't much after that, Wilson's brain was preoccupied. Maybe House was right and he was really trying to get in the poor woman's pants. He shook his head, he just wanted to see the woman. That's it.

As Wilson argued with himself, House and he both headed off in the different directions of their offices. House knowingly gave a glance back at Wilson, as he was trying to straighten his thoughts out. Leave it to Wilson to be plagued by a woman he'd never met before.

House decided that it was again naptime. This time, though he would surely be able to get a couple of hours in. His team was busy with their testing, the patient wasn't in any grave danger as of yet, and Chase had his place in the clinic. So there was definitely some time for a little R&R. Sometimes, he just couldn't help it, he loved his job.

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"What happened?" She asked quietly, staring at his bruised face. He still didn't make eye contact with her. He was staring at the same spot.

He simply shook his head.

"You can tell me. You can trust me."

That was it, he couldn't trust anyone. Not anymore. Not after this. Years of this. She was supposed to be a fun little fling. Someone he would have to up and leave again anyway. There wasn't supposed to be this. Not any of this. He felt like a damsel in distress, and it was pathetic.

"Please." She whispered.

He was still cold. Inside and out. This last bout with that monster was freezing him from the inside out. He had to get away from her prying. He figured it would just be a place to stay. He hadn't thought about the questions that would come from it. He hadn't thought about a story he could tell her to make him feel less pathetic. This isn't how any of this should have gone.

She wouldn't give up though. That's why he loved her.

Wait, love?

This was all too much, his head was throbbing even more. He had to just get out.

It was a bit too late now, though wasn't it?

"I fell." Was all he said, in a small voice. She almost didn't hear him.

She decided to leave it at that. He didn't want to talk about and she didn't want to push him away.

She reached out her hand and he accepted it. As he stood, she gave him a gentle hug, and led him toward her bed. It was a twin size so she just left it to him and found a comfortable position on the floor beside it. Maybe he would talk about it in the morning.