Well, here is the sequel to The Eyes Can Mislead. If this is your first time checking out one of my fics, I would highly recommend that you read the first story in this series. Or else you are gonna be pretty danged confused.

PROLOGUE: CONVERSATIONS

I guess we all underestimated what that asshole could do, didn't we? He won't be able to bother you any more. You can finally go back to being Serenity. I've come to love Sera a great deal, and I'm positive I'll love Serenity, too… You are, without a doubt, the strongest, bravest, most intelligent and beautiful woman I have ever known…I don't…I don't know what I'll do if I lose you. My…life….it was empty…before I met you, I wasn't whole. You…you have become my everything and I can't…can't…

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I love you very much, sweetie. You were like a daughter to me and I wish so much that I could undo everything. Please forgive me.

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Hey, Peace. I want you to know that I have my best doctors working on your case. And you know House is like a dog with a big, juicy bone…he won't give up until he finds some way to snap you out of this. I miss you. I had just gotten used to having you around again and now… You have to hurry up and wake up. I decided to try for a baby again and I need some advice. Actually, I have an idea about a donor, but I don't know how good an idea it is. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's a terrible idea, but… Dammit, Peace! Open your eyes. I need you to be okay…

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Hello, luv. I finally got them to agree to move a bed in here. That chair is not nearly as comfortable as it looks. I'll be staying with you every night, unless Lisa takes a turn. She told me I might as well call her Lisa since we've been spending so much time in here talking, mostly about you. She'll probably kick my arse, though, if I slip and call her that in front of other employees. Oh, and she told me about your little "escapade" at the Delt Sig frat house in her last year. I can't believe you did that! And what were you, 16? 17? Naughty girl! But then, I already knew that, didn't I?

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Hey, kiddo. How are you doing? I guess that's a dumb question, isn't it? I just want you to know, we have some leads on Carmela's location. I wish I had gone against the director's orders and posted someone at your door. He ordered us to pull all of our manpower to New York, where she had been spotted at La Guardia. He sent me to lead the team. I didn't feel comfortable leaving when you were so…fragile, but I knew that you would want me to go catch Carmela. I don't know how she doubled back. She's wily, I'll give her that. God…when I think about what could have happened…she could have hurt you when she came in here! She left a note, but I think I'll let you read it when you wake up. She also left an album of photos. It's more of a scrapbook, really. There are lots of pictures of you, Jamal, David, Carmela…she even managed to sneak in a few of me…and you know how much I hate pictures. I hate what she did and the damage it did to you. I honestly don't know how I'll react when I see her again…But enough about her. I...uh…well, I was thinking about inviting Dr. Andrews out to dinner. I'm still not sure, though. Normally, you'd be telling me what to do about now in that bossy way of yours…I really miss ya, kid. I have to leave soon to go back to D.C., but I'll be back soon. I don't know if this is good news or not, since you two fight like cats and dogs, but Dave is going to be here leading the search for Carmela until I return. We have reason to believe she may still be in the area, so we're using Princeton as a base of operations. By the way, David seems to have developed an interest in Dr. Cameron. Something else for you to tease him about, huh?

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So, Wilson and I were thinking we should switch our baseball watching locale to your room instead of Coma Guy's room. We like you better, and your TV is bigger. How did you swing that, by the way? Oh, right…you're loaded. Getting Cuddy to drop some bucks on a nice TV is easy if she knows she can bill it to you and you can actually pay it. I think I'll watch General Hospital in here, too. You said that watching that stuff would cause an instant drop in your I.Q., but judging by your EEG, you're already there. Kidding…just kidding. On the off chance you remember this conversation, I don't want you to kick my butt when you wake up. Oh, do you want to hear something funny? Mr. I've-Got-A-Stick-Up-My-Butt, Live-By-The-Rulebook was caught in a supply closet with that Nurse Donna. I will NEVER let Foreman live this one down. You know who caught them? Wilson. The whole hospital knew about it in roughly 6 minutes. He's such a gossip….You really do need to hurry up and come back. Cameron is back to making the coffee, and although it's good, it's not the same as yours. By the way, which of your personalities are you going to come back as? Are you going to be Dr. Serenity, über doctor extraordinaire, or are you going to be meek and mild-mannered Nurse Sera? Not that you were ever meek or mild-mannered, but the metaphor doesn't work otherwise. Well, I gotta go. It's lunchtime and Wilson has to buy me lunch. Maybe we'll come up here tomorrow. You've been such stimulating company and all…

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Um…hi, Sera. Oops, I mean Serenity. It's going to be weird calling you that from now on. I…uh…well, I just need to apologize. When you joined our team, I treated you like…well, to be blunt, I treated you like crap. There was no reason for it, other than jealousy. You seemed so confident and smart and pretty….you pretty much had House's number, that's for sure. And he seemed to respect you. I hated you for that! I'd been trying to gain his respect and friendship for two years and you just swoop in and suddenly you're eating with him and Wilson and going to monster truck rallies. So I acted like a jerk. There's no excuse for it, but…well, everyone told me how you were willing to risk your life and exchange yourself for me. If I had made some gesture like that, House would have called me an idiot. But you…you're treated like a hero. Wow…I'm really mucking up the apology, here. Sorry. I don't hate you and I do wish we could be friends, but I kinda wish you weren't so…so perfect! Great…now I sound like a total bitch, saying these things to someone in a coma. Sorry, Sera…Serenity. I have to go. Maybe I'll come back later.

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Hey, squirt. Wow…this is weird. Usually you call me some name back. I can't get used to you lying there so quietly…not being a smartss to me, then running off to snitch to Mitchell. You were such a brat, you know that. You acted exactly the way I always imagined a little sister would act. Got on my nerves, was a tattletale, teased me about my girlfriends, made fun of the way I dressed, always got me in trouble when you were the one who did it…huh….I'm kinda getting irritated with you just thinking about it! But you know what you would always do? Just when I was about to snap and throw you over my knee or something, you would give me that grin and wink that always made me smile. Or you would bring me some brownies. You'd even put nuts in them although you hate nuts. You would laugh at me one minute over the woman I was dating, give me hell if I mistreated her in some imagined way, then turn around and hug me and comfort me when the relationship ended. Dammit…what a mess…where's the tissue…oh, there it is…now I'm really mad at you for making me do this. I'm glad you can't tell anyone I was crying. Ah, crap…I didn't mean that. I would gladly take the humiliation of having everyone in the bureau and all of these new friends of yours laughing at me if it meant I could hear you laughing at me, too. Come back to us, Serenity. I…I kinda have someone special and I need your advice. Just come back, 'kay?

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Good afternoon, Serenity. You know, I actually like calling you Serenity instead of Sera. It's sexy, and it fits you perfectly. Um…speaking of sexy, I made a CD that I think you'll like. While I was putting it together, I was thinking of you and the amazing experience we had in the back room downstairs. And in the shower. I was going for the trifecta and planned on seducing you in the kitchen, but that bastard ruined my plans. Ah, well. That gives us something to look forward to, eh? Look, Lisa wanted to spend the night in here. Actually, I think Cameron is coming too, and maybe Donna. They said something about a girl's night and might have mentioned doing hair and nails and such. Lisa said that a coma is no excuse for your nails to look, and I quote, "that raggedy". You don't seem to be into all that girly stuff, but I do see you wearing makeup and your nails always look neat and polished. I guess you keep it low key? Whatever…I will definitely be making myself scarce tonight. Lisa threatened to braid my hair and put ribbons in it if I showed up. She's kinda scary when she wants to be, so I'd better listen. Eric and Dave are dragging me out somewhere. They won't tell me where, but they promised it wasn't anywhere that would get me in trouble with you, so I guess it'll be okay. If not, I'll just tell Donna and Allison on both of them. Hey, do you think we should invite House? He's been…different lately. Not nice or anything, but not such a complete bstard either. He's actually called me Robert a few times. And I think I heard him use "Eric", too. I think watching Dumas die was harder on him than he's letting on. I think he blames himself, even though he had nothing at all to do with what that creep did. I gotta tell you, though. I know I should probably hate Dumas. I hate what he's done to you, and what he did to all of those other people. But if it wasn't for him, I would never have met you. Weird, huh? I owe all of my joy and happiness to a psychopathic killer. Oh, look at the time! I have to get to clinic. I'll come back and see you before all of the other "girls" show up. Oh, and I'm going to put the CD on, okay? I love you, sweetheart.

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Hey, Serenity. Sorry it's taken me so long to talk to you. I've visited a few times, but I never seem to know what to say. I stopped by a bit earlier and heard Robert talking to you. It sounded like a normal conversation, so I figured I'd give it a shot. You'd think a neurologist wouldn't feel weird talking to a coma patient, but it's totally different when it's someone you're close to. Rob is down in clinic now, so I figured I'd pop in…what the hell is that? Do I even want to know why a Prince CD is playing? Although I do like this song. What is it…? Oh, right… "The Beautiful Ones". Very sexy song….ew…I think I just figured out why it's playing. Bad mental image! I remember I was about 11 or 12 when Purple Rain came out. My mother wouldn't let me go see it, so my friends and I snuck in. It was the best thing I'd ever seen. Of course, I was stupid enough to walk into the house singing "Let's Go Crazy" at the top of my lungs. My mom is pretty quick and she figured out what I'd done. Man, I couldn't sit down for about a week… You know…Robert is pretty miserable without you. We all are, but it's especially hard for him. I honestly don't know how he'd handle it if you didn't wake up. He loves you…so much. He's here every night with you. He hasn't spent but 2 nights at his place. I've seen him in here, crying, praying, begging…he isn't giving up. He hasn't lost hope that you'll come back to him. So you can't give up…you can't stop hoping. If he loses you this way…he may lose faith. And that faith is the only thing keeping him going these past two months. Don't let it all be for nothing! You are nothing if not a fighter. So fight, dammit!!

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Hi, Serenity. I'm back. I can't stay long this time either. We have another lead on Carmela, so I'm going to follow up on that. But I just needed to stop by and see you again before I fly out. Everyone at the Bureau is pulling for you, kiddo. But you have to battle this out yourself, too. You gotta fight, Serenity. You are as stubborn as a mule…don't let this beat you!

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Dammit, Serenity, enough is enough. Cameron has completely forgotten how to make the coffee. Cuddy is crankier than usual. The boys are acting like they don't have a brain between them, and Cameron has this guilty look on her face all of the time. I can't take this anymore. You have go to beat this thing. I thought you told me once that nothing was tougher than you. Were you just full of crap? Or did you mean it? Well, then prove it! Fight this!! Or let go!! Do one or the other, but this limbo crap has got to stop!!

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Peace, I know you better than anyone else here. I've never known you to give up…not ever. And this would be a really lousy time to start. So come on back to us, sweetie. Or next girl's night, I will let Cameron dye your hair like she wanted to.

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Hey, Sera. I sure wish you'd hurry up and get up already. Lunchtime just isn't the same without you. Although my wallet is happy, since you used to mooch off of me nearly as much as House does. He misses you, you know. He said, and I'm not lying, that the team feels incomplete without you. You've made House wax sentimental. I didn't think it could be done. Look, I deal all the time with hopeless cases, and I know one when I see one. And you…you are NOT a hopeless case. But you have to believe it. You have to struggle and claw your way out of that abyss I know you're floating in. I believe in you. You can do it. Come on home, Sera.

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Fight this thing, Serenity!!

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You can beat this, brat. You are so doggone pig-headed about everything else. Don't give up!!

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You can do it Serenity! We need you back. Really. Because if House complains about my coffee one more time…..well, no need to go into that. Just come on back to us!! We miss you.

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I love you, my angel. I need you here with me. Please….God please….please….