'Team! We have a case!' House shouted, tossing the slim blue files on the table and uncapping a black pen.

'I thought Cuddy gave us cases?' Thirteen said, her brow wrinkling slightly as she processed the latest information.

'She can't. Now ideas!' House hurried them on, writing the list of symptoms Cuddy had already exhibited at his house. Foreman flipped over the file and checked the name.

'House… are you screwing with us again?' He asked uncertainly, her brow knotting as he tried to figure out what was happening.

'Me? Screw with you?' he replied innocently, still scrawling on the board.

'House… what is going on? Cuddy's file?' Chase asked him, pushing his floppy hair out of his face and reading the file again.

'Yes Cuddy's file. No I'm not screwing with you. Shoot!' He capped the pen again and leaned against the chair, staring intently at the people in front of him. 'Well?' They looked blankly at him. 'Come on!' Taub flicked through the file and sighed heavily.

'With a list of symptoms like that there are several things it could be.'

'Tell me something I don't know.' Muttered House, quickly losing patience with the younger diagnostician.

'Sorry. Cancer fits.' House felt a part of him die.

'Cancer… do a bone marrow biopsy.' He looked at his team for a final time and walked out, heading as far away from them as he could. He heard the sound of high-heeled shoes behind him and turned, seeing the only woman on his team standing behind him.

'Thirteen.' He nodded and kept walking.

'House wait. If she's coughing up blood do a chest x-ray. It might not be cancer.'

'Then do both.' He said shortly, turning on his heel and walking to the elevator.

'Fine.' She turned, heading towards Cuddy's room as fast as she could.

-----X-----

'Cuddy…?' House asked hesitantly, pushing open the plate glass door with the flat of his hand and stepping inside, turning to face the still form on the bed.

'House.' Her voice was curt, short.

'Seeing as you're my patient now… I was uh… wondering if we could call a truce. Until you're better that is…' He trailed off, realising how feeble he sounded. Cuddy made no sound, or movement to indicate she'd heard him. 'Cuddy?'

'Fine. You already have what you want.' House was baffled.

'What do you mean?'

'Lucas has ditched me. You can screw with me as much as you like.' Tears were forming in her eyes.

'Cuddy I never wanted this! I swear!'

'Don't lie to me you son of a whore! You've wanted this ever since me and Lucas got together. Well now you have what you want.' House wanted to shake her, to make her see that this time he wasn't screwing with her but he doubted she'd care.

'Okay… but I need to do a history anyway. So Cuddy…'

-----X-----

Remy Hadley, A.K.A. Thirteen, paused by the door of the Dean Of Medicine's hospital room, her heart racing slightly as she read the history taken by House. She pushed the door open with the welcoming sound of brushes hissing softly against the floor and entered, her white coat nearly tripping her. So much for professionalism. She thought bitterly, straightening up again.

'Cuddy… I'm taking you for an x-ray.' She told Cuddy as she handed her a clipboard and a pen. 'Sign-'

'I know where to sign. I have done one of these before.' Cuddy snapped, taking the clipboard from the young Doctor's hand. Thirteen paused as Cuddy signed, the beeping of the cardiac monitor and the scratch of the pen the only sounds in the room. Suddenly, the cardiac monitor sped up, beeping incessantly in time with Cuddy's heart.

'Cuddy?' Thirteen asked, rushing to the Dean's side and wrenching out her stethoscope, placing it on Cuddy's exposed chest. 'That is not good.' She muttered, hearing the heartbeat speed up and flicker. 'Need a crash cart in here!' She shouted, pressing the emergency button and grimacing. 'Hold on Cuddy.' She muttered, scrabbling for a pulse. The cardiac monitor screamed, making her nerves feel as if on a piano wire about to break. Breathing through her teeth, she tried to restrain her boss as the older woman started to seize. 'Shit! Shit! No Cuddy stay with me! Hold on…' She hissed, holding the flailing limbs down with all her strength. The crash cart appeared just as the monitor flat lined. 'That is so not good.' She murmured, jumping backwards as they started to charge the defibrillation paddles.

'Charging, clear!' They yelled and shocked Cuddy, her chest rising as the shock passed through her.

'Charging, clear!' Thirteen shrank back against a wall as she watched the older woman's life drain away.

'Charging, clear!' They shocked her again, the shock passing through the brunette's body causing spasms in her muscles.

'Call it…' The orderly said sadly, checking his watch.

'No!' She heard House's familiar voice ring out. 'One more chance!' The orderlies looked at each other and applied a little more conducting gel to the paddles.

'Charging, clear!' Thirteen and House watched with baited breath as the shock coursed through their colleague. 'I'm sorry… we have to call it…'

'No!' House shouted, grabbing the paddles and cranking it up until it was at the highest voltage.

'Someone stop him!' The orderly shouted, glancing at Thirteen, who just shook her head sadly.

'Charging, clear!' House called, applying the paddles one final, desperate time to Cuddy's chest.

'I got something!' Thirteen shouted. 'There's definitely something there.' House sighed in relief.

'Now what caused that?'

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