*Chapter 3*

House and Wilson arrive at the airfield where the loaned FBI jet is waiting to bring them to DC. The sight of the jet puts a smile on House's face.

The two of them approach the stairs to the jet.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Wilson said.

"It's not like you have anything better to do." House said. "Your only three appointments of the day all canceled."

"Of course they canceled after you called them and told them I have a highly contagious foot fungus."

"So I've deprived you of boring conversation with dying people. Big deal." House stated. "You should thank me. Look at this… We get to ride in a private jet; a Gulfstream G550. This thing is luxury with wings."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring a hooker along."

"Going out of state apparently costs extra." House commented. "That would've been irresponsible of me to charge to the hospital."

Meanwhile, McGee enters into the office waiting room of his therapist. He sits down on a free chair across the room from a woman rocking back and forth. Their eyes meet. The woman stops, stands up and walks over to him. She sits down on the chair next to McGee.

"I hear voices." The woman stated. "They tell me I should cleanse you of evil before the evil takes control of you." After seeing the expression on his face, she laughs. "I'm just messing with you. I don't really hear voices. My name is Mac… It's short for Mackenzie."

"I'm Tim." McGee said.

"When my husband died, I had a breakdown. I just completely shut off mentally." Mac said. "He was such a sweet man. Loved me unconditionally. I don't know why I stabbed him fourteen times." She continued. "So why are you here?"

"You really killed your husband?"

"No." Mac answered. "I just wish I did."

"Timothy..." The secretary tries to get his attention. "She's ready to see you."

McGee stands. He walks to the door and enters into the short hallway. Mackenzie giggles to herself and starts rocking back and forth again. McGee enters into the room where the therapist is sitting on her chair.

"It's nice to see you, Tim." The therapist greeted him. "How are you feeling today?"

"I had the dream again last night." McGee immediately started in. He sits down on the couch across from her. "Ever since the incident, Jamie's been in the majority of my dreams. And when I see her… My heartbeat increases, I feel anxious, nervous and uncomfortable. I'm starting to think I love her."

"You're not in love with her."

"How can you be sure?"

"When the two of you were trapped in that funhouse, you depended on Jamie to get you through it. You couldn't see at all because your eyes were covered the entire time. The one sense you depend on more than any other is the one sense you were unable to use. Add that to the fear you felt… You were completely vulnerable to her." The therapist said. "Your life was in her hands. And your hands were on her hips as being the only way she could lead you around safely. Your mind associated that psychical contact with fear. The dream where you and Jamie are having sex is you reliving that vulnerable state. How you feel when you're around her is because your mind is still depending on her to get you through the fear." She continued. "We need to conquer the fear you still feel. Once we do that, the voice of the creepy puppet will go away and things with Jamie will be back to normal."

"So it's just fear that's doing this to me."

"Yes."

McGee's therapy session continues for another forty minutes.

A car pulls up to the Gibbs' residence. House and Wilson exit from the vehicle. They walk onto the lawn of Jamie's home and approach the fifteenth rock of the rock garden.

"The keys are under that rock." House said as he points to it with his cane. Wilson lifts the rock, grabs the two keys and hands them to him. "You're pathetic."

"I'm pathetic for getting the keys?" Wilson wondered about the logic in the remark.

"No… You're pathetic for not making me do it." House replied. "I'm not too cripple that I couldn't have done it myself. You know I could've gotten those keys. But you did it anyway. You feel guilty about something."

"I've seen you try to get something on the ground before. It was just faster to do it myself than to watch you pull your thigh muscle."

"Oh snap…" House chuckled sarcastically. "That's funny because I don't have a thigh muscle."

"And what I feel guilty about is the fact that I didn't call my patients to tell them a child contacted them about a non-existent foot fungus." Wilson commented. "Than there's the fact we'll eventually invade a woman's privacy for no medical reason whatsoever… Other than your interest in checking out her panties."

"She gave me permission." House stated. "Besides, she lives next door to the patient. They're family. They're close. I'm assuming he's at her home often. So there is medical reason to search her home too." He continued. "Hopefully they're not close close. It would be a shame if I cure a man who sexually abuses his daughter."

House moves in the direction of Jamie's home while Wilson moves in the direction of her father's home.

"What are you doing?" Wilson asked. "The patient's home is this one." He points to the house.

"By searching her home first, we can concentrate our efforts more when we finally get to his home." House said as he walks to the front door of Jamie's home. "Come on…"

"The only thing you want to concentrate on are her panties."

"You got me." House chuckled. "There's no fooling you."

The two of them enter into Jamie's home. As House walks to the stairs, Wilson looks into a side room.

"Interesting…" Wilson said. "They have pets."

"Lots of people have pets." House stated as he approaches the threshold to the room. "There's nothing interesting about…" He sees what Wilson is looking at; two large aquariums, one consisting of two iguanas and the other consisting of something unordinary. The two of them approach the aquariums. "These people have a lobster for a pet. The lizards I can see… But a pet lobster. Who the hell has a pet lobster? Who the hell would even want a pet lobster?" He continued. "This lady obviously has a mental disorder." There's a brief pause as he watches the lobster.

"There's a litter box against the wall." Wilson stated. "If the cat is allowed to go outside, then it could've contracted a disease. I'll take a stool sample." He walks to the wall and kneels down next to the litter box.

Wilson freezes in his place at the sight of an animal entering into the room. The animal stops, stands still and stares at him.

"When you're done digging for buried treasure, take a sample of water from this tank." House said. "I'm going upstairs."

"House, don't move." Wilson said. "A sudden movement might set it off."

"Oh yeah, their cat is going to go postal on me if I…" House begins to say as he turns around and sees the animal. "Is that a…"

"It's a skunk."

The skunk walks to the litter box and steps inside.

"This lady definitely has a mental disorder." House stated. "Get me that skunk's pooh. I'm going upstairs."

"You can't leave me with…"

"Relax. The skunk's scent glands are obviously removed… I think." House said. "You can always politely ask the skunk not to spray you. Or run away like a coward. I really don't care."

House walks away while Wilson puts a latex glove on and reaches into the litter box. He acquires the sample, puts it in a sample bag and takes off the glove. Then Wilson slowly walks away in order to take a sample of water from the lobster aquarium. The skunk follows him. A feeling of being uncomfortable hits him as he looks down at the skunk on the floor. After taking the sample of water, Wilson makes his way upstairs to get away from the skunk. He finds House in the bedroom.

"Most of her panties are red." House said he holds up a pair for Wilson to see. "I was right."

"Put Jamie's panties down, House." Wilson said. "This isn't what we're here for."

"You called her Jamie…"

"So?"

"I never told you her name."

"I saw a magazine downstairs with her name on it."

"No you didn't. You know her." House said. "There's no point in denying it. I found a batch of cards you sent to her. They were in her pantie drawer."

"They were?"

"No, they were in the second drawer. But my original point still stands. You know her."

"I was friends with her foster family before they were murdered." Wilson said. "I keep in touch with Jamie. Send her a card on holidays… Phone-call once a month to see how things are going… Referred her father's case to Cuddy to give it to you."

"You told her about me."

"I told her nothing about you. I only referred the case. Nothing more… Whatever she knows about you, she found out on her own." Wilson said. "Now if you're done indulging your interest in Jamie's pants, maybe you can search the bathroom while I search the kitchen."

"My interest in Jamie's pants is purely medical."

"Right…"

"But it's interesting how you got defensive." House said. "There are only two reasons a person would get defensive. Either you definitely told her something about me, or, you want to tap the keg. I hope it's you want to tap the keg because that would be a heck of a lot more interesting since she's married. But I doubt that's it. So I wonder what it is you told her about me that you're ashamed of."

"Have you ever thought about channeling your powers into something more productive? Maybe using your powers for good?"

"Messing with people is productive. It's what makes me, me." House said. There's a brief pause. "Go downstairs and play with the skunk. And get me a blood sample while you're at it."

"How am I supposed to get a blood sample?"

"Use your imagination."

House tosses the pair of red panties at Wilson who catches it. While House enters into the bathroom, Wilson walks to the dresser, puts the panties in and closes the drawer.

Wilson walks downstairs where the skunk is waiting in the foyer. He sits on the bottom stair in trying to figure out how to possibly get the blood sample from the animal. The two of them stare at each other.

"Man versus animal." Wilson said to himself.

House steps out of the bathroom and searches the area around the woman's side of the bed. Upon finding Jamie's diary, House lies on the bed, opens it and starts reading.

After finishing their search of Jamie's home, House and Wilson move onto the home of the actual patient.