Chapter 8

Alex was moving through the hallways, heading to a room that was rarely used nowadays so she could possibly poison her employer. Hah, at least nobody could ever say that her job wasn't interesting.

She paused as a shiver ran through her hand, making it tremble slightly. Her brow furrowed as she stared at it. Something was wrong with her. She had a diploma that said that she had gone through enough courses to know when something was wrong with someone and now... Her hand trembled slightly again. She clenched it into a fist, slightly worried.

*Trrrrrr*

She almost jumped when her back pocket vibrated suddenly, letting her know that somebody wanted to talk to her. She took out the phone, forgetting the tremors for now as she started to move towards the elevator again – after all she did have a boss to poison.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

Alex slowed down a bit, a smile on her lips now.

"Well if it isn't my knight in shining armour..." She begun, but that was all she could say before...

"Oh, you're talking to Coop, huh?"

Shocked, Alex looked to her left. Surprisingly, once again Kutner managed to squeeze himself and his sheepish smirk into her private life. Like seriously!

She placed the phone against her shoulder blade, glaring at Kutner.

"Private conversation here!"

"Sorry, sorry," the man grinned. "Just heard you were going to give that blood transfusion to House and I wanted to ask if I could tag along."

"No."

"I just want to help, so pleeeaasee?"

"No, go away," Alex couldn't help but grin a bit at the pleading look she got. "Kutner, I'm serious – Besides, weren't you supposed to be... Oh, wait!" She narrowed her eyes. "You're doing this because I have the right to eliminate you, aren't you?!"

Kutner managed to look so innocent that Alex could practically imagine the little golden halo above his head, as he spoke,

"Noooo! Of course not," suddenly he pulled out a coffee cup and a bagel from behind his back. "Want a snack?"

"Kutner, seriously, go away," Alex laughed. However she did grab the bagel anyways. She was starving!

"Fine," Kutner mumbled. "But you cannot blame me for trying!" Then he leant in, towards the phone and yelled. "Hey, Coop, your girlfriend is awesome and beautiful and smart and overall great and..."

"KUTNER!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Kutner raised his hands in defeat, stalking away mumbling under his breath. Then he spoke over his shoulder. "Amber hates you!"

Alex shook her head, rather amused, as she placed the phone back into her ear just to hear soft laughter coming from it.

"Sorry about that," she apologized as she entered the elevator.

"No problem," Marissa chuckled. "Besides, it's nothing I didn't know before."

Before Alex could even catch the hidden compliment, the other woman added,

"But how come he knew it was me anyways?"

Alex replied with one word that summarized everything better than any other word ever could.

"Summer."

"Ah," Marissa sighed at the other end of the line and Alex could hear papers rustling. "The Seattle case is killing me. Literally. By drowning me with papers, papers and yes, right you are, my dear, more papers!"

Alex laughed at the exasperated tone of Marissa's voice.

"Are you okay?"

Marissa sighed again, before responding.

"You know, I should be the one asking you that." A chuckle escaped Marissa's lips once again. "I haven't heard from her yet and since I know she must have done something... Do I even dare to ask what it was?"

Alex zigzagged through the crowded hallways heading towards the cabinet she was supposed to meet House in. She responded, narrowly dodging a collision with a cartful of bedpans.

"Well, it's a long story, but if you're still interested in buying me dinner to make up for what Summer did..."

"It's going to cost me all the money I have, right?" Marissa's tone was joking and yet wary at the same time.

"No," Alex laughed quietly. "Actually, if you're interested in dinner... You know, after tonight, then it should be my treat. Summer really helped me out... in her, uh, special way."

"Her special way, huh? You know what, I'm not even going to ask right now," Marissa replied a moment later. "I just wanted to know if our d... Well, if we're still on for tonight?"

"Yeah," Alex murmured, pausing behind the door to the room where House was in. "I'll be there. I might run a bit late if this case isn't figured out soon, but I'll definitely be there."

"Oh. That's great and..." Marissa fell quiet for a moment and then a moment later Alex could hear someone else speak. About ten seconds later, Marissa spoke, "Listen, I got to run. Apparently there's even more paperwork for me to look at!"

" Alright, I should get back to work too," Alex replied. Then hesitantly. "I'll see you at the club?"

"See you there."

A grin on her face, Alex opened the door to the cabinet. It was a bit dark in there, but as she reached for the switch, a voice spoke up,

"Do not turn on the lights. I like the gloomy atmosphere we have going on here."

Surprised, she looked into the corner of the room. House sat there, comfortable in a chair and munching on what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies. An IV-line was already inserted into his vein.

"You were taking too long," he explained, as he took another bite. Alex didn't respond as she moved to check the bag of blood they were transferring him. As she did so, House looked for any weird signs. Through the day he had noticed her unusual behaviour and the trembles and had even cornered her once about it, but she had denied everything. But House wasn't known for being the one to give up on something.

"I have a new theory," he explained suddenly. "You're not stubborn. You're not getting yourself checked 'cause you already know the answer." He paused. "I found an old picture in your wallet."

Alex walked away from the IV, giving him a look that told him exactly what she thought about him 'accidentally' finding anything.

"Of course you did," She replied.

"I wasn't snooping," House protested. "I just needed lunch money and Wilson has been hiding his wallet from me ever since I borrowed some of his money to pay to a friend of mine."

"A hooker?"

"That's beside the point," House replied. "I found a picture. I figured it's your mom, except she looks about 32 years old. The only reason not to update a picture in so many years is if she's not talking to you – which would be interesting or she's dead – which would also be interesting."

He stared at Alex, taking another bite from his cookie, while the woman checked his pulse.

"She's dead?"

Alex stood up and moved away from him and towards the table with the supplies by the wall.

"You're pretty young to have a dead mom," House begun, but Alex interrupted him, turning around.

"My mother isn't dead," she spoke, placing a few papers on the table near House. "As far as I know she's still alive and kickin'."

House looked at her for a while, as if trying to decide whether or not she was lying. Then, taking yet another thoughtful bite out of his heavenly cookie, he asked,

"So she's not talking to you?"

"I was kicked out of home when I was seventeen," Alex commented, looking at House's vitals again. "Haven't seen her since."

"Intriguing," House tilted his head. "So what happened?"

"That's none of your business," the woman replied, clenching her fist as her hand once again trembled slightly. She was starting to get beyond worried by now.

"Tremors, huh?"

She threw House a look.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, I know, just hopped up on caffeine."

Another look, this one filled with questions.

"What?!"

"Wait, so you hadn't figured it out yet?" House asked, shaking his head as he devoured another chocolate chip cookie. "I'm really disappointed in you, Thirteen."

"Okay, I repeat – What?!"

"You're the only one on the team that drinks decaf," her boss spoke matter-of-factly. "But I've been switching it out for regular ever since you dropped that file. You're trembling because you're hopped up on caffeine. The first file wasn't my fault. Medical explanation for that is... People drop things."

Alex stared at him in shock.

"Why would you do that?!" She exclaimed a moment later. "I've been walking around the whole day, thinking I'm seriously ill! I've been worrying my butt off and now..."

She was getting worked up, ready to kick House's ass for making her worry like hell, when suddenly something else caught her attention, distracting her from her fury for time being.

"House, you're sweating."

House's brow furrowed, as Alex placed her hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up." She stared at him. "You're sick."

And so begun the road to actually solving the problem their patient had. It involved a bit of bondage between Alex and House, a long discussion and yet another epiphany from House, but eventually the case was solved. And that led to nothing other than the elimination.

Alex told House who she nominated, gathered her things and took off. The elimination took place without her present and Cole was sent packing. House gave him a heartfelt, logical reason, that even the brightest of minds in the universe had to agree with.

Amber was just better to look at than he was.

XxXxXxXxXx

She grinned, looking around the nightclub she had just entered. This was her kind of scenery. The place wasn't large – not at all. Instead it was a small, very well decorated place with a couple of tables here and there, a large bar and a stage, which already had the Cranberries on it.

Hell, the whole place could've been a big dumpster for all she cared if the Cranberries were there!

She smiled at some people as she brushed past them, looking around for her... date? Was she her date? We're they dating? Again?

Not sure of the answers, she continued to look. A few minutes later she gave up, deciding to wait for her by the bar. However that's when she noticed her.

She was already there, sitting behind the bar, chatting with the bartender. Her brown hair was in organized disarray so to speak, with lonesome strands falling out of her haircut, framing her face perfectly and her eyes twinkled as she laughed.

Damn, she really was incredibly beautiful.

A small smile on her lips, she approached the woman. However, someone else noticed her before Marissa did.

"Alex!" The bartender called out, "Long time no see!"

A grin broke out as she turned towards the man.

"Mike!" She greeted him, aware that the woman barely a metre away turned to look at her immediately. Her eyes fluttered to hers briefly and they both smiled, before Mike caught Alex's attention once again, as he spoke up.

"Fine," He replied to her earlier question, throwing the towel on his shoulder. "I've missed you, but you know, I can accept the fact that you have to work and don't have time for a social life..."

"Actually," Alex interrupted, turning to look at him again. "I took your advice and I actually have a, um, thing tonight – with somebody."

Mike paused, frowning.

"Seriously? You have a date?"

"Yeah, I guess you can call it that," Alex mumbled, suddenly very aware of the woman nearby listening in.

"Seriously?!" Mike stared at her. "Alex, you are aware that while I was trying to pressure you into dating again, I was referring to good ol' me, right?"

He shook his head, clearly exasperated. However a grin appeared on his face soon, as he looked at Marissa.

"Hey, Marissa!" He exclaimed, looking at her. "My new great friend! You're an incredibly hot, successful woman yourself! Could you please tell my friend here that I'm a total hunk and that she should've so taken the chance when it was given to her?"

"I'd love to, Mike," Marissa replied, as she gazed at the woman nearby, while tracing her finger over the rim of her glass. "But you could say I was a bit... biased in this situation." Her eyes locked with Alex's and she smiled softly. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Alex murmured, a dazzling grin starting to appear on her lips. "You look... incredible."

Marissa's soft smile remained, as she responded.

"Well, you don't look bad either. Actually," she bit her bottom lip gently. "You look pretty damn amazing."

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" Alex frowned, appearing to be concerned.

"Nah, I've only been here for about ten minutes," Marissa replied, before nodding to Mike. "Besides he kept me company."

"Woah, hold on here," Mike stared at them with wide eyes, which kept flicking between the two extremely good looking ladies in his bar tonight. He finally rested his eyes on Marissa. "You're her...?"

"I'm her date," Marissa spoke without hesitation as she picked up her handbag and stood. She brushed her lips against Alex's cheek a moment later and once she pulled away, she spoke, "It's great to see you again."

"Likewise," Alex responded, smiling sheepishly. She gestured towards the general area where the tables were. "Do you want to sit down somewhere?"

"Sure, I'll go find us a slightly quieter spot," she grinned. "I still want to hear what the hell did my best friend do today, remember?"

Alex nodded and Marissa brushed past her heading into the crowd. She looked after her for a moment, but then noticed her friend staring at her.

"What?"

"You've been hanging out in here whenever you could for months!" Mike exclaimed. "And you never once thought to mention the fact you were into girls?"

"Well, you didn't ask," Alex defended herself.

Mike shook his head as he pulled out a bottle and handed it to the other bartender – the one who actually worked while he just stood there chatting to hot chicks.

"But, now I can forgive you," the guy spoke a moment later. When Alex only gave him a confused look, he clarified. "For choosing her over me. Hell, I would choose her over me!"

Alex smiled at him, as they both surveyed how Marissa moved through the crowds with grace and skill, not once bumping into anyone.

"Oh yeah," Mike murmured. "I'd definitely tap..."

He didn't get any farther, because already Alex had snatched the towel from his shoulder and thrown it into his face.

"Perv," she snapped. However the grin on her face clearly showed that she didn't disagree with him completely...

XxXxXxXxXx

A/N – Yeah, anyways I'm not sure what'll happen after this. Do you want more details about the club thingy? Or maybe I should just cut the chase and skip it? Hmm... I'm torn :D So, I hope you like it and remember that a review is a writer's best friend... (Some say it's a dog, but come on, people! We all know dogs cannot tell you that they like how you write ... Seriously...)