Title: Cabin Fever
Rating: PG
Summary: Right at the end of Babies and Bathwater, Cuddy got a conscience, Vogler took his $100 million and left. What if Cuddy never got to see House in action that last time?
Author's Notes: There wouldn't have been a story if it hadn't been for Merrie so big thanks there. While this first chapter/prologue is short, I don't know what's going to happen later on so don't get discouraged quite yet.
Chapter 1
House sat behind his desk, leg propped up on top. The Game Boy lay abandoned on a stack of papers. He looked guarded and nervous. Vogler stood opposite House with his arms crossed. He looked smug.
"Vogler," House said. "What an unpleasant surprise."
"No clever diatribe? That's not like you, Greg," Vogler pointed out.
"You'd be a bit ornery too if you knew you weren't going to come back the next day," House practically spat.
"Ornery? Have you taken my offer?"
"Which one would that be?"
"To resign peacefully. I'm a reasonable man," Vogler answered airily.
"Too kind. Yes, I'm resigning," House snapped.
"You're doing the right thing," Vogler assured him. "No hard feelings, right?"
House looked away, his jaw tight. His eyes squeezed shut and he nodded stiffly. Vogler handed him a tissue from the box on the desk. At House's suspicious glance, Vogler nodded knowingly. House blew his nose loudly.
"Good luck, Greg."
"Thanks," he whispered.
Vogler grinned, his daydream at an end. Now to tell Dr. Gregory House for real.
JJJ
House put the finishing touches on a note about the treatment of Olive Kaplan. One of the remaining ducklings would find it, take over and make sure things got done. He didn't think it likely that he'd get the satisfaction of doing it himself.
The click of a pair of highly glossed shoes made him pause. Not a duckling. Too important to be a duckling. Definitely a masculine shoe though. The second set of footwear interested him even more. High heels. Not a nurse. Both pairs of footsteps were too confident, despite the dragging quality of the high heels. It had to be Vogler and Cuddy.
"Greg. You got a minute?" Vogler asked. He stepped through the glass door anyway. Cuddy followed with an apologetic look.
"No, I haven't. I'm in the middle of composing a love letter. I was going to propose to Cuddy, but I can see I'm not going to get to surprise her now," House replied. "Sorry, lover."
"House," Cuddy reprimanded shortly.
"Someone die?" he asked callously. "Can I have their parking space?"
"Greg. The board took a vote tonight." Vogler cut in.
"Oh good. That's good. Boards do that sort of thing, don't they?"
"You're fired." It hadn't been as glorious as Vogler had planned it. It even lacked the Donald Trump feel Vogler had wanted. Not that he had really believed House would cooperate.
"Bet you enjoyed that," House muttered. "Say it again. I know you want to."
"I'll expect you to clean out your office by the end of tomorrow." Vogler turned on his heel to scrape up what pride he had left and exited the office. Cuddy spared one last look for her best doctor.
"Do I get a complementary goodbye hug and kiss?" House asked. "Only fair."
"Goodbye, House." She too left the room. House finished off the note, his last case from Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
JJJ
Allison Cameron had rather enjoyed her day off to a point. She would have preferred doing her job to searching for a new one, but at least her résumé was out there now. She was getting ready to crash with a book when a knock sounded from the vicinity of her front door. House was behind it, calmly looking everywhere but at her.
"House? Why are you here, it's almost ten. Is something wrong?"
"Hm? No, nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong?"
"Well, you did pick kind of a strange time to see me."
"Visiting people during the day is so overrated."
"So you're visiting for the sake of visiting? Why don't I believe you?"
"Good, I don't believe me either. You didn't have to resign," House remarked.
"What do you mean?" Cameron frowned.
"Exactly what I said. Vogler got his way. You jumped the gun."
"Are you trying to tell me that-"
"Vogler's a power-hungry idiot? Yeah, more or less."
"He got the Board to vote you out, didn't he?" Why did Wilson-"
"He didn't. Vogler got him voted out too," House muttered.
"House, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. Be sorry you missed out on 100 million smackers. Thought I'd just pop by and deliver the good news."
"You don't even care a little bit?"
"Sure, I care. I care that I never have to see Vogler ever again. Makes me positively giddy."
"You don't care that you have no job to go to?"
"I, unlike you, don't feel the need to save the world one life at a time."
"And that's why you avoid the Clinic and play video games all day."
"Uh, yeah," House rolled his eyes.
"Thanks for telling me you got sacked," Cameron said stiffly.
"If you're interested in my life story, I bet I can make it over Tuesday at midnight."
"I'm sure you've got better things to do." She shut the door. House didn't make any attempt to reconcile; she could hear him leave. Cameron sighed and went to her room to change into PJ's and read. There was just something about Greg House that made a girl want to alternately pummel and hug him.
JJJ
House poured another snifter of whisky. He drank it in one gulp and poured another. Home sweet home.