Samantha Carr awakened to her boyfriend pressing his lips to hers, and she grinned against his mouth. The lips pulled away, and she opened her eyes to see James's face inches from hers, smiling down at her.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Well good morning," she replied, leaning up to join their lips again. They kissed passionately, fingers tanged in each other's hair, and kissing soon gave way to a wild round of lovemaking.

Sam hugged her pillow to her chest, grinning into it while James kissed her temple before rising to shower. She loved Sundays. Waking up to sex, knowing she didn't have to hold back her moaning because James had (finally!) kicked House out, and now she could even go back to sleep if she wanted.

She opted to get up, though, maybe she could get in a morning workout so she wouldn't have to feel guilty about eating a thorough brunch.

With this idea in mind, Sam got out of bed and changed into a tank top and sweatpants. She heard James turn on his hairdryer and smiled to herself as she made her way to the living room. As she passed House's old room, it occurred to her that they could convert it into an exercise space. That would be perfect! They could fit a treadmill or elliptical machine in there, and she could get one of those exercise balls, maybe put up some mirrors...Sam decided she would bring the idea up with James over brunch. He might not be immediately receptive—he still spoke of it as House's room, as though the man were coming back—and might not be too enthused with the thought of giving it up. She shook her head at her boyfriend's uncanny attachment to the man and decided she would make a big show of having to move the living room furniture to make room for her exercise as a segue into the conversation.

Sam was about to stick on of her workout DVDs into the player when she heard a knock on the door. She frowned; visitors usually needed to be buzzed in—you couldn't get inside the building without a key, and they certainly weren't expecting anyone. It must be one of the neighbours.

"House!" she exclaimed when she opened the door, having to work hard to force her expression into a smile. "What a surprise!" 'Unpleasant surprise' would have been rude and 'pleasant surprise' would have been simply untrue, so Sam refrained from adding any adjectives at all. "We weren't expecting any visitors this morning."

"It's inconceivable how often pests make their way into your homes when you least expect them," House shrugged, stepping uninvited into the condo and flashing Sam a significant smile. She did not smile back. "Wilson home?" he continued predictably, heading into the kitchen as though he still lived there.

"He's just finishing his shower," she responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Listen, as...unexpected as it is to see you, I really don't think now's the best–"

"–Relax, I brought a peace offering," House interrupted, holding up a paper bag and a cup of coffee Sam had assumed were for him. "I don't know how you like your coffee but I know Wilson's got cream and sugar here if it needs adjustments. And a whole-wheat bagel—he mentioned you're a health nut. So let's drop the hostilities for the time being, all right?"

Sam was saved from having to respond by James coming down the hallway. "Hey," he said, looking from his best friend to his girlfriend and back again. "What's going on?"

"Wilson, just the man I wanted to see," House said, ignoring Sam. "We've gotta have a talk. Over breakfast okay?"

"Uh," he said in lieu of actually answering, still looking back and forth between House and Sam.

"I know you were probably planning on breakfast with your beloved so I thought ahead and brought something just for her," House continued, gesturing at the coffee and paper bag on the counter.

"Wow, that was thoughtful," James said, looking at House in surprise. Then he turned to Sam. "Do you mind if I grab breakfast with him?"

Yes, she minded very much. House did not live here anymore—the reason James had kicked him out in the first place was so he and Sam could have alone time. Letting House barge in here whenever he felt like it and kidnap James defeated the entire purpose. But she didn't want to look like the bad guy either. As much as she wished James would sever all ties with House, if he caught on as much, he would be resentful and just cling to House more.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "You're an adult, James. You don't need my permission to get breakfast with your friend."

"Great, thanks," he responded, smiling at her and then at House. The two made their way past Sam out the door, James giving her half a peck on the cheek before leaving.