A/N: Thanks everyone for reading the first chapter. RL is kinda busy so replying to reviews isn't possible at this time, but we're glad you enjoyed chapter 1. Onward we go!

Chapter Two

Ella sat on the couch as Holly prattled on about her husband, her latest car, and other nonsense. Earlier, she'd ground up three pain pills and put them in Holly's wine. She just hoped she added enough since Holly was such a heavy drinker. Her tolerance was probably a lot higher than most.

She watched Holly as she yammered on, waiting for a sign that the drugs were working. Holly arrived two days ago and started in on Ella immediately. It drove Ella crazy that she spent hours in the bathroom putting on makeup and getting dressed up just to sit on the couch and ramble on with her ridiculous stories and complaints. She made digs about Ella's hair, clothes, voice, cooking and even the way she sat. In some ways, Holly was worse than her younger brother. Just the sound of her voice made Ella want to punch her in the throat.

Finally, Holly began to yawn. Her wine glass was finally empty.

"Instead of sitting there like a lump, go get me more of that cheap ass wine," she said slurring her words slightly as she held out her glass.

Ella stood, took the glass and looked down at her. "Alec loves this wine."

Holly struggled to keep her eyes open. "At least he has good taste."

Ella shook her head. How typical of her sister-in-law. If Alec loved it, then Holly loved it even if she initially said she hated it.

In the kitchen, Ella ground up two more pills and stirred them into the wine. She took the glass to her sister-in-law and sat down next to her.

"Why don't you wear makeup?" Holly asked with a sneer before taking a long sip. "You could at least try to look a little better for Alec. I will never understand why he married you."

Because he's a controlling asshole, Ella thought. And I wish I could see the looks on your faces when they tell you I'm dead, and that Alec's precious Mercedes is gone, too. The thought made her smile.

Again, Holly drained her glass but then she just sat there. She blinked a few times and Ella watched her carefully. Slowly, Holly's eyes closed and Ella let her slide off the couch, onto the floor. Without any hesitation, Ella checked Holly's vitals and then ran for her bag and money. Once she had everything, she grabbed the car keys and quietly drove away, not looking back. Traffic was unusually quiet that time of day and there was no traffic in the mountains. She parked the car on the edge of the cliff, put it in neutral and then pushed the car over. It plunged down the embankment and exploded in a spectacular fashion while Ella watched. She couldn't help but smile as she picked up her things and walked back into town. Buying a one-way bus ticket under the name of Hope Martin, she took a seat at the back, a cowboy hat dipped low over her eyes and watched the scenery of Colorado Springs disappear behind her.

XXXX

Summer in Princeton was hot and humid, but Ella still wore long sleeved shirts and pants. She just put down a first and last month deposit on an apartment on Baker Street. Ella was grateful there wasn't a security deposit required. She never got that back when she rented places before her marriage.

"You're lucky," the building manager told her, "we had a big fire a couple months ago and we just got this place fixed up. Your apartment only had a bit of damage but Dr. House's was gutted. His place is still being fixed up and he'll be back in a week or so."

Ella stared at him in shock. "Jesus. Was it a gas leak or something?"

"Or something. I heard it was a crazy ex-girlfriend. Lit the place up."

"Am I safe here?" she asked as she nervously looked around.

"Oh yeah. This is a nice part of town. You'll be fine. Most of the tenants here own their places, like Dr. House, but some, like you, just rent."

"When can I move in?" Ella asked.

The man's chattiness made her a little uncomfortable. When Alec came looking for her, and he would, the less people who could identify her the better.

"Tomorrow, if you want. It's not big. Just a studio but it's furnished just like you wanted," the building manager told her. He looked over his shoulder and past to her to someone who just entered the building. "Hey, Doc. They're still working on your place. You need to get in?"

Ella turned to see who he was talking to and was momentarily stunned. At the end of the hallway stood the most gorgeous man she ever saw. He was even better looking than Alec. His eyes were the most beautiful, intense shade of blue. He was tall, much taller than Alec and had broad shoulders, muscular arms and long legs. He leaned on a cane and she saw he had long, tapered fingers. His hair was a shade or two lighter brown than hers and his beard was perfect; not too full and not too sparse. She wondered how those long fingers would feel moving over her body as his mouth and beard brushed against her skin. Her skin heated up at the thought of it all and she looked down.

"Yeah, I need to get in for a minute," he said and to Ella his voice sounded like smooth silk.

"Uh, Doctor House this is your new neighbor, Hope Martin," the building manager said as he pulled a key ring from his pocket.

"Call me House," he said to Ella. "Everyone does. You aren't noisy, are you?"

Ella looked up and shook her head.

"Good," he said and was gone.

Ella released the breath she didn't know she was holding and went into her own apartment. It was small, but it was clean and there was still a scent of fresh paint in the air. The furniture was old but comfortable and she took a seat on the couch, pulled out her laptop and began the search for a job. She really wanted to get back to practicing medicine. Before she married Alec, she enjoyed being a general practitioner at a clinic. She liked the variety of the cases that came in on a regular basis. She saw there was an opening at the PPTH free clinic for a nurse and she quickly applied. A few hours later, she got a response from James Wilson, Dean of Medicine, offering her an interview.

Luckily for Ella, she could practice medicine again in the state of New Jersey with a new medical license as a registered nurse. It would be too easy for Alec to track her down as a doctor but as a nurse, with a different name, it would be a dead end.

The next morning, she waited outside the Dean's office for her interview and saw the handsome Dr. House in there, talking to him. Dr. House sat with his feet on Dr. Wilson's desk so she wondered if they were also friends.

When House limped out of the office, he looked right at her. "Are you stalking me?"

She looked startled. "What? No!"

He smirked and looked her up and down. She squirmed a bit.

"Then why are you here?" he asked with amusement.

"I'm here for an interview."

He looked her up and down once again. "You're a doctor?"

"A nurse. I'm applying for a position at the clinic."

"Well, don't let this place fool you. It looks nice on the surface but it can be toxic. Good luck." Then he limped away as Wilson came out to call her for the interview.

"Hope Martin?" he inquired as he extended his hand out to her.

"Yes, are you Dr. Wilson?" she asked as she shook his hand and tried to hide her blush. Of course he was Dr. Wilson. She still hated that good looking men could make her so nervous.

"I am, come into my office."

She thought he looked young to be a Dean of Medicine but, as she learned from Alec, looks could be deceiving. She sat quietly while he looked over her fake resume.

"Not a lot of work experience here," he commented.

"I took time off when I got married and then I quit work to make a home for my late husband."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

"Well, we need more nurses in our clinic. It can be long hours and weekends. I hope you're okay with that."

Ella nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

"The clinic closes early on the weekend so you'll have some sort of a life," Wilson smirked.

A life of hiding, she thought as she nodded. "I understand. I worked in a clinic for five years before I was married. I liked the atmosphere."

"Well, the job is yours if you want it, Nurse Martin." He slid a contract across the desk towards her. "Take it home, go over it with a lawyer if you have one. If you have any questions, you can call me. When can you start?"

She shrugged. "There's no time like the present."

Ella could see he was little surprised by her eagerness but shrugged. "Hey, you live at 221C Baker Street. House lives in the same building. I see you met him outside."

Ella nodded. "And I met him yesterday when I moved in, just briefly."

"He's been staying with me while they repair his place."

"You're friends then. That's nice."

Wilson smirked again but his eyes twinkled. "You could say that. I'm counting the days to when he's gone. But you didn't hear that from me."

Ella smiled broadly and nodded. "Understood, Dr. Wilson."

"You can just call me Wilson. Everyone's on a last name basis here."

"Okay...Wilson."