A/N: So I'm cranking the chapters out on this pretty fast. I don't think this is going to be a long story but it's been in my head for weeks now and I just have to let it out before it drives me nuts LOL. I'm reasonably sure there will be plenty of smut in future chapters, so ye be warned. :) And as usual, my partner in crime PurplemintPatty will be my beta. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own House or any of its characters. They belong to David Shore and Fox.
Chapter 1
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1992
"We're here now, you're going to be alright, dear."
House groaned at the sound of the woman's high-pitched and somewhat whiny voice.
"I'm fine, Mother!" another younger female voice snapped in response. "You're the one who insisted I be dragged here."
"Only because Brenda was worried, sweetie."
"Of course Brenda is worried. I'm her friggin' meal ticket!"
Now House's interest was piqued and he listened.
"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young lady."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with so I can go back to rehearsal."
The exam room door opened and both women's heads turned to the handsome man standing there holding a file. He was tall, slim and aside from the several days of scruff, his eyes were bright blue and intense.
"Caitlyn Van Ryan, I presume?"
"That's me," the young blonde with exotic looks said, still checking him out. "I don't know why they brought me here. I doubt you can do anything if it's a pulled muscle like they said."
"Define they," House said as he gestured for her to get on the exam table and lie back.
"The medic."
"Where does it hurt?"
"Right here," she said, pointing to her groin area.
"Wait, you're the doctor?" Mrs. Van Ryan sneered at him. She took in his disheveled appearance, the wrinkled shirt and rumpled hair. "You look like you just walked in here off the street."
"I did. My car is parked just outside," he said and gave Caitlyn a sly wink, which made her giggle.
"Shouldn't a female nurse be present for this?" Her mother snapped.
"That's up to your daughter since I have no plans to do a pelvic." He glanced at Caitlyn. "Would you like a nurse present?"
"Only if you think you're going to touch me inappropriately," Caitlyn said with a slight grin. "Would you?"
"Caitlyn!"
"Just do what you need to do so I can get the hell out of here!"
"Caitlyn! Language, young lady!"
House rolled his eyes as he performed an examination of the area and classified it as a third degree groin pull.
"What were you doing when it happened?"
"I was rehearsing on the runway, and my heel got caught between the blocks as I did a full turn."
"Runway road kill, huh?" House said, causing Caitlyn to smile back at him.
"You could call it that, yeah. What did you say your name was?"
"I'm Dr. House. And you're going to want to take it very easy for the next few weeks. No heavy lifting, no sudden moves, no running, no jumping. Nothing that requires you to lift your leg up."
"But...I have a show this weekend. I can't miss it."
"If you do it in flats, and not "do me" pumps then you should be fine. Keep ice on it, twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off.
House handed her two pills.
"Wait! What are you giving her?" Mrs. Van Ryan whined.
House ignored her.
"Take these now and I'll give you a prescription for Naproxen. You should be fine. If it gets worse, or doesn't heal in a few weeks, come back and see me."
"Thank you, Dr. House," Caitlyn said with a smile and let him help her off the table.
Then she dug into her purse and handed him a couple of tickets.
"Here, in case you want to ogle some models one afternoon. Best seats in the house, and admission to the after party. You'll be in your glory."
House was intrigued by her, and he chuckled as she left the room, her mother shooting him an icy glare as she followed.
XXX
House and Wilson met for drinks after work at the local pub to unwind at the end of the day. "I had to do some time in the urgent care clinic today," he said as he took a long sip of his beer. "Pretty girl came in with her Mommy."
"What's her story?"
"Third degree groin pull."
Wilson winced. "Ouch."
"Yeah."
"So what made her stand out? Aside from being pretty, that is. Usually it takes more than that to turn your head."
"She's a runway model."
"Nice. Young and nubile?"
"The whole package. She gave me these," he said and placed the tickets on the bar. "Doing anything this weekend?"
Wilson looked at the tickets and grinned. "Well if I wasn't, I am now. So, you're into this girl?"
"Yeah, and that's the problem. She's just a kid."
"How old?"
"Early twenties, tops."
"That's near retirement for a model."
"I know, but she's got the look."
"She must be really something. What does she look like?"
"She's blonde with green eyes, tan, almost as tall as I am and very athletic."
"Interesting," Wilson said, looking perplexed. "You don't usually go for blondes."
"I know."
"Still, she might prove to be a nice distraction. You've been burning the candle at both ends lately since they added more shifts in the ER. And I know how much you hate it in there."
"It's not so bad. I've come across some interesting cases and solved them. I even caught the eye of the chief."
"Is that good or bad?" Wilson laughed.
"I'm not sure yet but he's sent some difficult cases to me which I've solved. If I can convince him to give me my own department, I might be on to something."
"Good luck with that. You're still pretty green, as brilliant as you may prove to be. Nobody's going to give a rookie his own department."
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence," House said dryly.
"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is."
XXX
The local mall where the fashion show took place was a complete mob of people but House and Wilson were ushered past the crowd and shown to their seats, which were in the front row near the end of the runway.
"What are they going to be wearing?" Wilson asked House as they looked over their programs.
"Haven't read the latest edition of Glamour. How the hell would I know? I haven't heard of half of these designers."
"What did you say your model's name was?"
"Caitlyn."
"Well she's up first. I can't wait."
"Mine," House said with a low growl, to which Wilson threw his hands up in surrender.
"Hey, I'm just curious, man. Besides, there will be plenty of other girls to work my charm on. Jesus, possessive much?"
"Just remember the Bro code. I saw her first."
Just then, the intro to Madonna's Vogue began to play and House sat back in his seat to enjoy the show.
"How appropriate," Wilson muttered.
"Shh!"
Caitlyn came out on the runway dressed to kill in a long silver trench coat and thigh high silver boots with no heel, causing House to grin. At least she took his advice. Her long blonde hair was set in large ringlets that flowed over her shoulders and down her back and when she turned around, he could see her wince slightly but she kept her gaze forward and intense as she walked back and disappeared through the blue curtain.
"Holy crap," Wilson whispered. "Now I see what you're talking about. She's amazing!"
"I told you. Mine."
The show was about an hour long and when it was over, they were herded into a conference room for the after party where champagne flowed freely and hors oeuvres were offered by attendants with silver plates and crisp white uniforms.
House reached for a glass of champagne and wandered away from Wilson to find Caitlyn, but she'd already set her sights on him and they met somewhere in the middle of the room. "Dr. House, I'm glad you were able to make it."
"Wouldn't miss it. You looked hot, and I don't mean from the lights."
She grinned at him and tossed back a glass of champagne before grabbing another from a passing tray.
"Oh, I forgot to give you something the other day," House said and handed her a red sucker. "For being a good patient."
Caitlyn giggled and immediately tore off the wrapping before shoving it in her mouth.
"Caitlyn!" her mother shouted at her from across the room, "that's not what a cover girl puts in her body!"
"Oh for the love of..."
"Is she always like that?" House inquired as he glanced at her mother, who was still fuming at them.
"Unfortunately. She better enjoy it while it lasts."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not going to be a model forever. Or so my agent keeps reminding me. I'm practically a dinosaur in the industry."
"Oh I don't know. Look at Cindy Crawford and Christie Brinkley," he pointed out. "They're still front and center."
"They've also made careers out of it. I have no intention of making this my career." She fanned herself and sighed. "It's hot in here. Want to step outside for a few minutes?"
"Sounds good," he said and started following her when her mother's voice rang out yet again.
"Caitlyn! Photo opportunity, dear!"
"Oh great," Caitlyn groaned. "I've gotta go nash my teeth for the paparazzi," she said and put on a fake smile, showing off perfectly straight white teeth. "I'll see you in a bit, okay?"
Half an hour later, House was bored and ready to leave. He managed to catch Caitlyn's eye and she made her way toward him through the crowd.
"Leaving so soon?" she asked, looking disappointed.
"Yeah, I have a shift in the ER tonight."
She smiled at him. "That's too bad. I was hoping we could talk some more."
"Give me your number. I'll call you," House said and handed her one of his cards for her to write on.
"I'm heading to New York in a few days," she told him as she handed back the card, their fingers slightly touching, sending an electric current through both of them. "I put down my pager number as well just in case."
"Good."
"Thanks for coming today. It was nice seeing you again," she said and then she was swept up in the crowd once more.
"So did you get her number?" Wilson asked as he patted his friend on the back.
"Of course."
"And are you actually going to call her?"
"I think I just might."