Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D., nor the characters.
Author's Note: It takes place between Season Three's "Airborne" and the beginning of Season Four.

Cuddy closed the bathroom door with a sharp click. She glanced down the aisle and felt the plane shift slightly beneath her feet. She made her way back towards her seat and frowned when she saw House sitting there.

"What do you want?" she asked him.

House looked up at her, feigning surprise. "Oh. Is this your seat?"

"Fine." Cuddy folded her arms across her chest. "Sit there. I don't care. I'll go sit in your seat."

"Ah." House grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Nope."

Cuddy yanked her arm away, almost hitting the person in the seat behind her. House nudged the middle aged balding man sitting next to him. The man glared in return.

"Think I should give her the seat back?" House asked the guy.

"Yes," the man said bitterly, just wanting House to leave.

House glanced at Cuddy and frowned. He pulled the book she was reading from its wedged in place between his leg and the armrest. Cuddy reached for it, but House held it away from her.

"Would you knock it off?" Cuddy demanded harshly. "It's bad enough you got away with sending me to coach again, but I'd really appreciate it if you would-"

Cuddy stopped herself as House leaned over the arm of the seat and threw Cuddy's book towards the back of the plane. Cuddy glared and pressed her lips firmly together to keep from yelling. She began toward the back of the plane to retrieve her book as House stood from her seat.

The plane tilted sharply and House grabbed onto the seat in front of him before sitting down quickly. Cuddy fell to her right, landing hard against an older gentleman. She quickly straightened up as she mumbled apologies to him.

Cuddy let out a cry as the plane tilted again and began to shake. She quickly sat herself in the empty seat on her left. The woman sitting next to the empty seat glanced at her, but said nothing. There was a crackling sound and a voice came over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the pilot advises that you please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. There is a little turbulence, but it is nothing to worry about. Thank you."

Cuddy glanced toward her former seat to see House still occupying it. She rolled her eyes and fastened her seat belt as the plane began to shake more. The woman sitting next to her turned.

"Do you fly often?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not often, but enough." Cuddy gave her a smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

The plane suddenly tilted downward, causing cries to emit from several people. The luggage was rattling in the overhead compartments and a whizzing sound began. Cuddy swallowed hard and clutched onto the armrests. The plane gave a lurch forward and the left side of it dipped down as the oxygen masks released from above.

Cuddy looked up at the oxygen masks and tried to understand how this was happening. She reached for hers as did the woman next to her and they both put them on. Cuddy glanced up the aisle and her eyes met House's as he looked back at her before turning around and placing his oxygen mask on.

With a harsh jerk, the plane leveled out before shaking harshly from side to side. Cuddy felt her side slam hard against the armrest and heard the thuds of luggage falling from the overhead compartments. The noise level had risen to a mixture of tears, prayers, and screams.

The plane rumbled and tilted sharply to the right. Cuddy let out a cry as a black suitcase smashed into the side of her face before continuing on to the rest of the right side of the plane. Cuddy placed her hands to her throbbing face as blood oozed from the cut across her cheek.

A loud ringing sound was intertwined with a high pitched whizzing as the plane nose dived. Cuddy leaned forward in her chair, gravity pulling her. She fixed her oxygen mask after it had come slightly askew. She took her bloodied hands away from her face and pressed them against the seat in front of her to hold herself up.

The plane began to tilt upwards slightly before a harsh, hard, metallic hacking sound started and Cuddy was suddenly enveloped in darkness.

She awoke slumped over in her seat. Cuddy opened her eyes slowly, aware of the painful swelling of her right eye. She stared at the floor and moved her feet slightly, making sure they still worked. One of her high heeled shoes was missing. There was also a small amount of blood on the floor due to the dripping cut on her cheek.

Cuddy closed her eyes, her head throbbing. She could hear someone crying and she could smell something burning. She opened her eyes again and sat back. The plane was full of misty grey smoke which was getting thicker with each passing second.

Swallowing with a dry mouth, Cuddy unfastened her seat belt. She realized her oxygen mask had somehow come off in the crash. Looking to her right, she expected the woman next to her to be coming to as well, but the woman wasn't moving. Cuddy reached out to her, felt for a pulse, and then drew her hand back. She was dead.

Knowing she couldn't stay inside if she wanted to live, Cuddy glanced around the plane. Her thoughts went to House for a moment, but she pushed him out of her mind, knowing she couldn't worry about him if she wanted to get out.

The front of the plane was filling with a darker, blacker smoke now. Cuddy glanced toward the back of the plane and identified a bright light through the smoke. She used the top of her seat and the one in front of her to hoist herself up. She attempted to stand, but her left ankle screamed in pain and she fell to her knees.

Cuddy thought that it probably would be better if she crawled anyway, so she made her way towards the light at the back of the plane, avoiding suitcases, books, pieces of the plane, and a torn off limb. She reached the large jagged hole and did her best to make her way out, only receiving a few scratches to her legs.

Trying not to look at the mess of the plane, Cuddy forced herself to her two feet, being careful of the tender left ankle. She thought it was best to move away from the plane, for now, until she could be sure it wasn't going to explode.

She looked at her surroundings, scanning over a few bodies, twisted metal, and strewn luggage. The land was rough and trees surrounded her in every direction. Cuddy headed out into the woods, hoping the trees would provide some shelter until she was certain she was safe. She hoped that she would see others making it out alive as well.

Again, she thought of House, but she pushed him out of her mind still. She couldn't think about him. She didn't want to. She hoped he was alive, almost believing he could never die in a plane crash, but she knew odds weren't good. Especially since she didn't see any other moving bodies. Although, she could have sworn she did hear someone crying. But, she could be wrong as well because her ears were currently ringing.

Cuddy limped past several large trees before turning back and taking in the wreckage. The front of the plane was crunched as if it had been as flimsy as a paper cup. The back of the plane had a gaping hole and a few other missing pieces, but was otherwise undamaged. The middle of the plane was emitting great clouds of thick, dark smoke.

A feeling of lightheadedness rushed upon Cuddy too fast for her to sit down. Darkness impeded on her vision and she closed her eyes before falling harshly to the rough forest floor.