So, um, yeah, I know it's been a year and a half, but, ah, better late than never, right? (In case you were wondering, the first few paragraphs were written back then and the rest today, so if the style looks a bit different... that's why.)

Chapter 3-

"He can't stay mad at me forever."

House and Thirteen were sitting in Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital's cafeteria, waiting for Foreman to return with the lab results they sent him to get. House was drinking a smoothie and stealing some of Thirteen's fries while quietly telling her all that has happened since Cuddy came to bail him out. He knew Wilson trusted Thirteen and talked to her often, and he was hoping she might be able to help him make up with his friend. He did not care what it took. All that he wanted was to have Wilson back.

"Technically, he can," Thirteen stated. She took a couple of fries as she silently thought for a moment. "Did you try talking to him about how the two of you feel? I'm sure he's hurt and feels betrayed."

"You're guessing or you know?" House asked.

"I'm thinking," She replied. "The last time he saw you, you crashed your car into Cuddy's house, he broke his wrist and you ran off God-knows-where-to. It kinda makes people see you in a different light," She added. He stared at her for a moment before nodding, accepting the fact that she is right. "Why did you do it?" She asked suddenly, curious.

"What?" She surprised him. He did not expect that question, not at that moment.

"I never would have expected you to crash your car into her house," She replied, "Not just because you feel like it. You had some reason to do that, only you won't tell anyone. What was it?"

He opened his mouth to say it was none of her business, before changing his mind and shutting it. After everything he put them through and after all the help she was giving him, she had every right to ask that question. Besides, knowing her, he felt she was one of the few people in the world he could trust. "She told me she wasn't dating anyone. But she was," He replied simply, quietly. "It angered me."

Thirteen whistled quietly. "It obviously did. Try talking to him. He may not reply, but he listens." She added as she took the last of the fries.

He nodded briefly. "So what's changed around here?" He asked, leaning back as he noticed the fries were over.

"Not much. Last we've heard from him, Chase was in California having fun. Taub's still in New Jersey, but he has his own clinic now, so he gets to spend more time with his girls. Cuddy put Foreman in charge of the Diagnostic department, Wilson moved in with his girlfriend last week and I hear Cuddy and her boyfriend are searching for an apartment."

"What?" He attempted not to show just how shocked he felt by the news of his best friend and ex-girlfriend, but failed miserably, as the sympathetic look in Thirteen's eyes told him.

"Yeah." Before he managed to stop her, she took his cup and drank from his smoothie. "I'm sorry." He nodded briefly, silently thanking her. Thirteen thought for a moment before adding quietly, "I don't think they really want you out of their lives, or they wouldn't be here. They knew you'd be back here at some point; if they really wanted to get away from you, they'd have been long gone, leaving no trace behind them."

House nodded once again. "Except they don't understand it."

"I think to some extent, they do." She said thoughtfully. "But maybe that's what you're here for."

"I thought I was here to fix a lung," He said sarcastically.

She didn't even bother rolling her eyes. "Think about it."

He opened his mouth to response when he heard steps behind him. Turning around, he saw Foreman hurrying towards them, holding a few papers in his hand. Something about him didn't seem quite right to House, and a heartbeat later, as Foreman dropped the papers on the table, he understood what it was.

"Cancer?" He asked as he picked up the papers, quickly scanning them in search of test results. It didn't even occur to him that he and Thirteen were clever enough to examine the body already.

"Almost definitely not." The other doctor exchanged a quick look with Thirteen. "But it probably won't matter anyway. The lung collapsed."

"Probably?" His tone wasn't cynical, but inquiring. He knew there was something more.

"We managed to save it. Most of it. So there's still a chance we can use it."

House glanced at his watch. "But we're running out of time. This lung won't survive for much longer." He turned back to look at Foreman. "Did they find an alternative?" He shook his head. "There wasn't much of a chance anyway. How's Wilson's patient?"

"Not good."

"Really? I thought she was here for fun."

Foreman rolled his eyes. A smile hovered above Thirteen's lips, although she hurried to conceal it. "House, for once in your life, start acting like a grown up." He retorted, the tone of his voice showing just how much he didn't want to handle House's cynicism at the moment.

"Sure." House got up, leaning on his cane. "If you stop acting like a moron."

Foreman said nothing. For a moment he stood there and looked back and forth between House, who was looking completely serious, and Thirteen, who attempted to remind him that they needed House with looks alone. Eventually, still frustrated by House's behavior, he turned around and left, leaving the two alone.

House looked after him for a moment before grinning at Thirteen. "He missed me."

She laughed and shook her head slightly. "No doubt about that."

Cuddy sighed as she read the complaint form resting on her desk. House wasn't even back in Princeton Plainsboro for ten hours, and she already got two complaints about him – one from a nurse and another one from one of her cardiologists. Once again, she found herself wondering why she ever asked him back to her hospital.

A knock on the door showed her why.

Wilson didn't even wait for her approval before walking in, a grim look in his eyes. His patient was running out of time, and House was her only hope. Despite everything he did to her and the hospital, she knew she would still be the first to admit he really was the best diagnostician there is.

"How is she?" She asked quietly as he sat down in front of her, looking tired.

"Getting worse by the minute." His voice was just as quiet. "Her kidneys are shutting down. If we don't do this transplant soon…"

"House and his team are doing their best," She reminded him tiredly. She did not miss saying those words, certainly not to Wilson. "You know him. He'll probably end up having an idea the way he always does and will find a way to save the lung."

Wilson nodded briefly. "I'm just hoping that would happen before my patient dies."

"We all do."

Eyeing the forms in front of her, he asked, "Complaints?" She nodded. "How many?"

"Two." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Of who-knows-how-many. I'm beginning to think by the end of this month there'll be nothing I'd be able to say to keep him here for that entire year. It wasn't a popular decision to start with."

"He'll justify it."

"I hope." Her phone beeped, causing them both to turn towards it. She quickly read the message she got before sighing again. "I think we'll have to postpone that to tomorrow."

"Dinner?" She nodded. "Looks like it. Tell Mark I'm sorry."

She nodded briefly once again. "That's what it's like to be a doctor."

Wilson just nodded silently, not telling her that this was actually what it's like to be dealing with House. Now that he had returned, Wilson had no doubt they were going to have a lot more sleepless nights at the hospital. Seeing the tiredness in Cuddy's green eyes, he knew that even if she didn't say it, she knew it just as well as he did.

She was surprised when she arrived to her office the next morning and found her assistant waiting for her with a note. Frowning, she picked it up along with the rest of the papers she needed – including letters and bills for the hospital – and walked into her office, closing the door behind her. She was even more surprised to find out the note was a request from House to talk to her.

She took her jacket off and then walked back outside, still holding the note. Her assistant had just left – she assumed he was getting himself a cup of coffee – and so she simply left the note on his desk, writing 'No' on it. If House wanted to talk about medicine – she knew he'd find her. Otherwise, she didn't want to see him.

But the way it always was with House, he didn't really act in accordance with her decisions.

Less than five minutes after she returned to her office and started working, he walked in. Once again, he couldn't help but admire her looks. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. He closed the door behind him and limped all the way to her desk, stopping in front of her.

"House-"

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, blinking in surprise. "What?"

"I'm sorry," He repeated simply, looking completely serious. His blue eyes were looking straight into her green ones, not allowing her to escape. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, attempting to use it as a disguise for her feelings. She wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling, but she knew the longer she'd look into those eyes, the easier it will be to unfreeze her heart.

"You've said that already."

His right hand rubbed his right thigh. "I wasn't talking about that."

"Then what about?"

"Everything you're going through right now." She couldn't stop herself before surprised filled her features. "Seeing how left this place, I know it must have been hard to convince the board to let me come back. And you know just as well as I do that nothing's changed, not really, and at some point it'll all explode in our faces. But you still did that."

"I didn't do that for you."

"I know. But you're still giving me another chance. And just like before, I'm screwing this up." The pain in his eyes seemed sincere, and she found herself wondering if he really was the same House she knew. "I heard Rachel's sick," He changed the subject suddenly, causing her, once again, to blink in surprise.

"Yes."

"I hope she feels better soon." He looked as if he was going to say something more, but then turned to leave, not even giving her the chance to respond. He stopped at the door and added, "You shouldn't even be here today. Go home. Be with her. We've solved the case, so I'm going home now; the hospital will be fine even without you here." With those words he left, leaving her staring at the place where he stood.

When she finally realized what was happening and attempted to catch up with him, she found out he was long gone.