Disclaimer: I don't own House, Twilight or any of the lyrics used.

Savin' Me

Prologue

And you wash over me

You wash over me like rain

And you fall over me

You crawl over me like sunshine

Like sunshine

- Wash by Lifehouse

Third Person POV

A thick layer clouds shifted overhead, blocking out the sun's rays entirely – a rare occurrence for the locals. A young couple was strolling carelessly on a path alongside a river, hands linked, enjoying the breeze, even if it was a little humid. After a few peaceful minutes, the girl pointed out a cart selling ice-cream.

"I'll race you," challenged the boy, smiling at the look on his girlfriend's face.

"A race? How old are you?" she questioned. "Besides, somehow I doubt I'll win."

"I'll go easy on you," he promised.

The girl raised her eyebrows, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face as the wind picked up. "Very easy?"

"Well, if you think you need it."

She snorted, drawing the attention of several passing joggers and tourists. "You seem to have forgotten who you're talking to."

"Fine then, very easy. Have to keep it human, right?" He grinned at her.

"Okay, I'll do it. But," she added quickly, "on one condition. If I win, you have to take a bite of my ice-cream."

The boy grimaced. "Where did this sudden burst of confidence come from?"

She shrugged. "I'm testing you."

"Testing me?" he asked, puzzled.

"You'll see."

"It's times like this I wish I could read your mind. Do normal humans do such odd things, or is this Bella-specific?"

"Are you stalling?"

He stopped walking abruptly, pulling her around to face him before asking quietly, "Would I need to stall?"

Bella appeared to stop breathing for a moment, staring into his eyes. A deep pink flooded her cheeks as she regained awareness, hastily attempting to cover up her lapse by tugging him onwards. "Typical Edward, always delaying the inevitable."

"The inevitable being my victory, of course," affirmed Edward, back to light and cheery, though it seemed just slightly forced, as if there was something about Bella's reply that bothered him.

"Well, yes, that would be the case if you were a vampire racing a human."

"Aren't I?"

"Nope. Now you're a boy racing his girlfriend. And his girlfriend would very much like to win," hinted Bella slyly.

"Bella, are you blackmailing me?"

"Would I need to blackmail you?" Bella replied innocently, a touch of mockery in her tone.

"Funny. Are we racing or not?"

"Sure thing. But after this, let's go back to my mom's. I'm sort of tired." As she spoke, she stumbled a little. Edward caught her elbow, looking less playful and more worried.

"We can just go now, if you'd like."

Bella shook him off gently, smiling reassuringly. "Oh no, don't think you're getting out of it that easily. Come on, this was your idea. Let's race."

"All right. Ladies first."

Bella rolled her eyes, suppressing a chuckle at Edward's mock-serious expression. "Ready, set, go!"

It wasn't, by anyone's standards, a particularly quick race. Bella half-ran half-jogged at a comfortable speed, with Edward keeping pace beside her.

"Maybe I wasn't very clear," said Edward conversationally, his breathing slow and even. "When I said race, I meant a race to see who was fastest. I think you have it backwards."

This time Bella did laugh. "I think you're wrong." Putting on a burst of speed, Bella ran the last few metres to the cart, followed by an amused Edward a moment later.

"I win," stated Bella, wrapping her arms around Edward and looking up at him.

Edward laughed, returning the gesture. "I suppose you did. Well, we had a deal. One bite of ice-cream. Which flavour?"

"Hm..." Bella stepped out of Edward's embrace, examining the various flavours the cart had on offer. The light breeze had turned into an all-out gale, and the ice-cream cart was in danger of losing its umbrella. With the adrenalin wearing off, her exhaustion had returned in full force. She felt as vulnerable to the gusty weather as the umbrella.

"Bella? Are you feeling all right?" Edward's voice sounded faint, distant. Like it was being lost in the wind.

Bella swayed as the world spun violently around her. "I feel... dizzy." Her peripheral vision was disappearing, immediately accompanied by the strength in her legs.

Edward caught her moments before her head cracked on the pavement. "Bella! Listen to me, Bella. I need you to stay awake. Don't close your eyes," he instructed, forcing himself to steady his voice.

"Tired..." was the last thing she said before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

"No," Edward muttered frantically. "No, stay awake, Bella!" His fingers were at her throat, measuring her pulse. It was fast, much too fast. Keeping her head cushioned, he pulled out his phone, paying little attention to the small crowd that had gathered.

"I've called an ambulance," announced an onlooker. "They said they'd be here in five minutes."

Edward nodded in thanks, already hearing the sirens. He'd just have to be patient. Even if the doctors at this hospital couldn't figure out what was wrong, Carlisle could. If there was a better doctor in the world, he hadn't heard of him.

No, I'm not incapacitated, in a coma or any of the thoughts that may have gone through the minds of the maybe two people out there who noticed I hadn't written anything in quite some time. Unless one of the thoughts was that I had Writer's Block, in which case you're quite right. I've been saving whatever scraps of writing I can muster up until I had something even slightly worth posting. It's pretty pathetic, even by my low standards. But this idea's been stuck in my head for a while now, so I decided to give it a go.

Let me make this clear right from the start: I don't plan on frequent or regular updates. I write ninety-nine percent for myself, one percent for any bored readers out there. Review if you want, or just don't. I do appreciate feedback, though. It's hard to be objective about your own writing. I know this was short, but it's a prologue. You know, those two minute long scenes at the start of House episodes. I can most certainly promise longer chapters. But, again, it could be a while. So far, the story consists of roughly half a dozen short scenes with nothing to join them and a page of notes. I'll figure it out as I go. Not the best plan for a House fic, but I've never been one for planning. But I digress.

-TeamVampire