"House!"

House heard his friend shout his name, even before he saw the man himself. Cuddy had a big mouth.

"You want to put him in coma!"

House tiredly looked up at his friend. "What's wrong with that? You had no problem, when Cuddy did the same to me."

"You were shot!"

"Do you want me to shoot him, before I do that?"

"It's not funny, House, he's too weak." Wilson looked at Chase's sleeping form and felt guilty for raising his voice, he sat at the opposite chair, preparing himself for the long argument. "House, he's been in real coma only two month ago and you were afraid that he won't come out of it. Now you want to put him in coma intentionally. There is a chance, he may never wake up again."

"Don't you think, I know that?!"

"Maybe you can reason him, when he wakes up and he will change his mind."

"He won't."

"What exactly did he say?"

"Sorry."

"Sorry what?"

"Sorry, House."

"That's it?! He said sorry House, and you decided, that he won't testify, that's a long shot even for you, House!"

"I know, he's going to do something." House said firmly.

"But it can be something else."

"What else?"

"Maybe he decided to rat you out eventually?" Wilson didn't believe his own words, but still hypothetically it was possible.

"In that case, I should definitely put him in coma."

"It's not a joke! Besides it's illegal! And if FBI will find out? After all, you were their real target all the time, it will be a perfect occasion for them!"

"You don't give a damn about him, do you?! Why on earth are you all hate him so much?!" Again the same thing, they were concerned about him and Chase was just a cover.

"I don't hate him." Wilson was taken aback by his friend's words.

House looked at his friend. "Why?"

"Why I don't hate him?"

"Don't pretend you're an idiot! Why you hate.. all right, lets say dislike him?"

Wilson felt uncomfortable, it wasn't right to discuss, why he didn't like someone, when that someone was lying unconscious in the hospital bed. But House stare told him, he would not let him go without answers. House's curiosity had no limits, Wilson always wondered, why his friend wanted to know everything about everyone, it wasn't like he cared.

The oncologist always though, he treated everybody equally, why House was so sure he didn't like Chase, he didn't know, but deep down he knew House was right, he was always right. Chase was too laid back for his liking, too agreeing to whatever House had in mind. Wilson was sure that he wasn't the right fellow for the diagnostic department and won't last long. In his opinion, House needed someone like Cameron to take care of House and things he didn't bother to do, he needed someone like Foreman to disagree with him, even if it wasn't right. And Chase was just a quiet version of House himself, except not as talented. That was what he was thinking then, but much later Wilson was the first one to understand the real reason, why House fired Chase, he was the only one from the flock who was ready to fly on his own, he just hoped Chase knew that as well.

"He went to Vogler." Suddenly Wilson blurted out the only legitimate reason he could think of why he didn't like Chase.

"Vogler?" House snorted. " It was hundred years ago!"

"Just three, House. He betrayed you."

"So what? You did too!"

"I was trying to help you!"

"Nobody knows his real reason."

"He was saving his job."

"You got your job back as a result as well."

"But it wasn't my reason to go to Tritter! What a bastard are you, House?! I had to close my whole practice, because of you!"

"You got it back. So, you two did the same thing to me and got the same thing back."

Wilson was furious. "Do you know, why I made that deal with Tritter?!"

House nodded for him to say it.

"Because of him!" Wilson looked at Chase.


"Chase? What the hell is he got to do with it?"

"We've met after you punched him and he said something like, he's not going to wait any longer. I was afraid, he was going to betray you... again."

"So you decided to do it yourself?"

"I made you a good deal, you lost it because of your stubbornness. And if not for Cuddy, you would probably be still in jail."

House looked at Chase, suddenly he wished Cuddy wouldn't protect him. Maybe Chase would have been fine.

"If you had a choice, who would you chose to go to prison him or me?"

"I'm not going to choose, House."

"Why?"

"I don't want to play your stupid games, besides, I think, you know the answer."

House nodded, yes he knew. "And if Chase would have testified against me, what would you do?"

"I don't know, tell them that you were doing it in the best interests of the patient. Maybe Cuddy would have came up with something."

"I didn't mean that, I know, what you would have done to help me. I want to know, what you would have done to Chase."

"I don't know, House."

"Say it, Jimmy. You run out of your I don't knows. Say it, I want to hear it."

Wilson shrugged. "Wouldn't talk to him, persuade Cuddy to fire him, make sure Cameron dump him."

House was amazed. "Looks like, you thought it over."

"I was afraid, he would break down. I was sure, he would testify."

"So you were happy, when he went to jail?"

"House, what the hell is wrong with you?! What are you trying to prove?!"

"That he was right. He knew, that he would lose everything either way."

"I didn't know, that it would end that way. Nobody did."

"Except for Chase." House added.

"House, I know you feel guilty... But it's not your fault..."

"The hell is not!" House interrupted him.

Wilson shut up, it was useless to talk to House when he was in the mood.

"Do you know, why I didn't fire him, after Vogler?"

"Huh?"

"He was the only one who went that far, because he so desperately wanted to stay. Cameron and Foreman, they didn't want to leave either, but they had their limits of what they were ready to give for that." Maybe that's why Chase went so far to protect him this time as well.

"Then why were you torturing him?"

"To prove my point. He was ready to do anything to stay. Foreman would have quit the first week or run to Cuddy, Cameron would have tried to talk to me and then eventually would run to Cuddy or to you, by the way. Chase... he just took it, pretended that it was ok, that it was normal. I bet, he coped like that with his parents as well, pretending what they were doing to him was normal."

Suddenly Wilson desperately wished he had a child of his own. He had to talk to Amber, they can't wait any longer. He will never be able to adopt someone, like House did, it just struck him, that his friend treated Chase like his own son, but on the other hand, they had so much in common. Both had troubled childhood, thanks to their parents, both had been extremely bright, with extraordinary thinking, no wonder House got so well with the kid for so long. At first Wilson was annoyed with conversation he was having, he didn't want to be a bastard, who didn't give a damn about Chase. Now he understood why he rejected Chase so much, he was envy of the parental feelings House expressed towards Chase, he could see it from the very beginning: the Vogler, then when he didn't tell Chase about his father, House was trying to protect him and then Kayla's death, Wilson doubted his friend would have done as much to protect him.

"I don't hate him, House. And I do like him, especially after..." He didn't say it loud, "But somebody has to protect you, that's why I worry about you more than him."

"I'm not lying unconscious."

"You're not, but it doesn't mean, that they can't hurt you as well."

"They hurt me by hurting him." House muttered to himself.

Wilson didn't hear what he said and didn't pay much attention to it either.

"House, I'm serious. Don't put him in coma, it's dangerous for him and you as well. You won't forgive yourself, if something goes wrong."

"Do you want me to wake him up, ask his permission, so my conscience will be clean?" House asked sarcastically.

"Why not?!" Wilson liked that idea. "It's his life, he has a right to make a choice."

"Don't you know, what he will choose, Jimmy?" If House called him Jimmy, it meant he was really annoyed with him.

"I don't know. Make him agree to it. You seem to have no problem with manipulating people into anything."

"I can't manipulating him to testify, how the hell I'm going to persuade him to go into coma again?"

"I don't know, I'm sure, you can think of something. You have time. By the way, when he's going to wake up?"

"By the amount of sedatives I gave him, not soon."

"House! You want him to become addicted, like you?!"

"What else can I do?! If you are that smart, maybe you can think of something?!"

"House, they are watching you!" Wilson warned him. "They are watching you, make desperate, stupid things! And they will use it against you!"

The look House gave him was way too familiar to Wilson, House had an epiphany.

"So? What's on your mind?" Wilson asked, when he spotted a hint of smile on the other man's face.

"Nothing"

"I don't believe you."

"That's your problem."

"What are you going to do?"


"Nothing."

"Again, I don't believe you."

"As you wish." He smiled and took out his game boy, to show Wilson that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Do you want me to clean... clean your apartment?" Suddenly Wilson remembered, why he came there in the first place, before he found out about coma.

House shook his head.

"They left a lot of mess, are you sure about it?"

This time he nodded.

"Maybe I better stay with you? I don't think, it is safe for you to stay alone. Or you can join us in our apartment?"

"With Amber?" House let out the snort.

"She's not that bad."

"Don't really care, it's your life."

"House, please, it's important. Your apartment is definitely not safe enough."

"For Chase, not for me. Don't worry, anyway, I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't stay here forever?"

"I need to think, I'll call you, if I'll go anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Don't be stupid."

"Ok, just call me, if you need anything"

House made sure, that Wilson was gone and limped to his office.

000

House knocked on the door, again there was no answer, maybe he got the wrong address? He stepped back to look at the windows, he was sure somebody was at home, so he resumed his banging.

After several minutes, he took out his phone to dial the number, he found along with the address, but at that moment door was unlocked.

At first, he didn't recognize the man before him, he seemed so much older, but last time he saw him was only a couple of months ago.

"This time, it is definitely you, who wants to meet me, Dr. House." Warden didn't move from the door.

"Will you let me in?"

"Why should I? I have a feeling, I'll regret it."

"You'll regret it much more, if you don't."

Eventually warden stepped aside to let House in, he closed the door, but didn't invite his guest any farther.

"What do you want?"

"I'm a cripple, I can't stand for so long."

"Than make it short."

"Do you have a couple of hookers in your bedroom, you don't want to share?"

Warden gave him a look and led him to the living room.

They sat opposite each other at the coffee table.

"I'm afraid, asking you for something to drink would be pointless."

"Dr. House, don't try my patience."

"Ok, I came to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" He couldn't stop himself from laughing. "The kid's case going down the drain and you're offering me a deal?"

House made a mental note, he called Chase a kid. From the very first moment, he felt that warden didn't want anything to happen to Chase, eventually it was he who helped, he could have sent him to any other hospital, where nobody would care less and let him die, but he called him, knowing that he would do his best.

"Do you really want him to come back?"

It was obvious, warden didn't expect that question. "I don't care. Besides, it is none of my business, if they decide to send him back."

"It will be your business to kill him."

Warden looked down at his hand, studying it. "I don't know, what you're talking about, Dr. House."

"Fraser told me, all tapes from the security cameras in prison were destroyed. Hard to believe really?"

"All this new equipment, Dr. House, can't rely on it nowadays. Our main computer got a virus or something and everything crushed. If it would have been good old tapes, everything would have been on place." He was talking casually, but House could feel the tension, he just had to find a way to break the ice. He looked around, hopping to find something he could use as a bargain chip.

It was a big house, at first he expected 20 kids to jump around, but there was no one. The living room was nice and tidy and clean, but everything was quite old. It felt like he stepped into the time machine and now was somewhere in 1985. There was a big black and white photograph on the fireplace, bride and groom smiling faces stared at him, he could hardly recognize the latter. There were also a couple of photographs of the little blond boy.

"We won't press charges against you. Fraser promised me, he'll let you go." House was sure, warden was a wise man and he would understand, that it was a good deal. "Now you have a choice, what tapes you want us to see, but if they find them, you won't."

Warden was quiet, but it was obvious, he was thinking hard.

"So, what is you answer?"

"Are you accusing me of stealing the evidence?" He looked up at House.

"I don't, I just think, you were smart enough to make a copy, before FBI destroyed it."

"Didn't you ever want to be a detective, Dr. House?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, did you?"

"I was a detective, Dr. House, I know how system works, they won't find an elephant on the sunny day, let alone non existing tapes."

"If you were a shitty detective, doesn't mean the rest are as well." House could feel he hit a nerve there, but before warden would kick him out, he asked. "They are dead, aren't they?" He motioned to the pictures.

Warden had one of the most furious looks, House had ever seen.

"Get out, Dr. House!" He said quietly. "Nothing is saint for you, I really wonder, why he went that far to protect a piece of shit like you."

"Look, you lost your job, your family and now they are making you lose what is left of your dignity as well. If he goes back, they will make you kill him, maybe you won't be the one who will deliver the final kick, but you'll be the one who will order it. And it will make you a killer, someone you were against so much on your previous job."

There was a long silence.

"I killed them." Warden eyes were locked on the invisible spot on the coffee table, he spoke barely above a whisper, replaying in his head a car accident that took away his family, leaving him alive to suffer. "I was driving."

House wished, he could say he was sorry, but he wasn't. There was no way, he would be able to feel any sort of compassion for the man before him, despite the fact that warden did help Chase, House still hated him. He could have reported about what was happening in his prison, he knew Chase was innocent, but he didn't and it made him as bad person as people who ordered that.

"So, what are you going to do? Kill another innocent man as well?"

This time House received, very well known to him, hateful look.

Warden shook his head, he couldn't change the man before him, but he could still help the kid.

"I'll call Fraser." He got up to see House to the door.

House was smiling, "Nice to have business with you, Mr..." He didn't even remember his name.

"Just leave, Dr. House." He shut the door behind him.

A/N: I don't personally think, that Wilson made the deal with Tritter because of Chase, it just fits here.

This story is coming to an end and my "muse" for this story is running out as well. But I don't like unfinished stories, so I'm going to finish it, even if it won't be good. If anybody has any suggestions, I'm ready to hear them.

As always, your comments make me really, really happy :)