Chapter 10

House limped into Buffy's room that night before he left for home and she was in a heated argument with Angel. House observed the two for a few minutes but for once didn't consider intruding. Maybe it was the way she looked when she was incensed that made her all the more appealing to him, or maybe it was the subject of her ire that he found completely captivating. Whatever had gone down between them had happened at least a few years ago and she spoke of trust and 'belly of the beast' and about law firms.

House wondered what the connection was between his fellow and this Angel guy was and what it was about the man that gave him a weird feeling. As if Angel wasn't all together human. This was as ridiculous a notion as Buffy crawling out of her grave and fighting vampires. House relied solely on truth; he prided himself on being able to find it.

As their argument began to escalate he made his presence known by clearing his throat and walking up to the bed. Angel glowered at him and Buffy turned from her heated glare at him to smile warmly, if a little uncertainly, at House.

"And how is my favorite patient today?" House asked in a pleasant tone that was not like him at all. If she noticed she made no sign of it. He checked her injuries or at least where the injuries had been, but if he hadn't known they were there he'd have sworn she never had them. A glance at her chart negated the possibility of drugs again.

"Great, wonderful, awesome. Can I go home soon?" Buffy asked as he helped her lean forward to adjust her pillow. Angel watched House like a hawk as the doctor smiled at Buffy and the two seemed to settle into a comfortable banter. House watched Buffy, totally dismissing Angel as if he wasn't there at all.

"I'm thinking tomorrow if you can wait that long. Or do I have to get the nurses to make sure you don't crawl out your window?" House joked, as he sat in the empty chair beside the bed. He was in a better mood than he'd been in a while. His leg was hurting but something about Buffy's nearness made him reluctant to pop Vicodin like he usually did.

"I really wouldn't suggest it- the trees here are a lot harder to climb than the ones outside your old house in Sunnydale." He commented dryly and she chuckled in reply. He was testing her for a response but he knew he wasn't going to get one. "The fact that you didn't give an excuse means you've done that a lot." House deduced and Buffy gave a half shrug, allowing him to make his own assumptions.

This was the game they played, he would try to dig into her past and she'd offer half truths with a sarcastic tone or she'd neither admit nor deny. The familiarity of it left them both at ease, and House found he enjoyed their verbal sparring.

House looked at Angel and gave him a fake apologetic look, "I'm sorry but my patient needs her rest." House continued to sit in his chair, showing he had no intentions on leaving the room, even though he was kicking her ex out.

Buffy looked between the two, almost expecting Angel to go into game face and attack the arrogant doctor. Angel frowned and leaned forward to kiss Buffy's forehead in an attempt to annoy House but Buffy sat stiffly, still a little mad at him. "I'll be back tomorrow." Angel muttered but before she had a chance to reply, House spoke up again.

"She's going to be busy getting all discharged, so I'm afraid there's not much point to you visiting, unless you want to be here bright spanking early." House commented perkily and Buffy and Angel shared a look.

"He's right, I'm fine. You should get back to L.A." Buffy told Angel in a calm voice that- she hoped- told Angel not to argue and to just go. Without answering or looking at either of them he swept out and House watched him go with a mocking smile.

"Damn, I forgot to find out how he holds his breath for so long. I'll have to find another way to brave the men's room after Foreman." House said and Buffy giggled.

"Did you have to antagonize him?" Buffy asked but to be honest, it had been pretty amusing. She and Angel had been arguing about the whole Wolfram and Hart thing again and she was relieved that House had interrupted. It was almost like he sensed she needed a break and had done something nice for her. Although she knew him well enough by now to know that he'd flat out deny he was capable of such a thing.

"What person who is nothing like me are you asking that question?" House answered with an 'Are you kidding?' Look that made her giggle again. House leaned back and laid his cane on his knees, then started studying her again.

"What?" She asked as she smoothed her hair self-consciously.

"I'm trying to figure out how to tap that." He said and then covered his mouth with his hand as if he was shocked. "Oops was that too blunt? My bad."

Buffy laughed at him and tossed an empty soda can at him that he easily dodged. "You're horrible, you know that?" She teased but she really didn't mean it. House could be a jerk at times but he also made her laugh with his blatant honesty.

"Sadly yes, it's been said." House mourned and she smiled at him then rolled her eyes. Her gaze flicked to the clock on the wall and she saw that it was almost 8pm. She looked back at him and he started to twiddle his thumbs complacently.

"Aren't you anxious to get home?" She asked and he looked over his shoulder at the clock then back at her with a shrug.

"I'll get there sooner or later; Spunky won't care if I'm not there by curfew." He confided with an exaggerated wink.

"Spunky? Who's that, your pet mold?" She scoffed and he made a face at her.

"Don't talk bad about Spunky, he's very sensitive."

Buffy snickered.

"Seriously, how come you're here so late? New patient?" She asked and he nodded and told her about the one who'd been brought in the same day she had. She listened as he explained the various tests and procedures they'd ruled out and the sound of his voice was soothing to her ears, melting away some of the tension she'd felt fighting with Angel. She didn't understand half the terms or diseases he was telling her about but the fact that he was there with her instead of home where he should have been was unbelievably sweet.

"Where are your shadows?" House asked finally and she laughed at the reference to her friends.

"Faith went to get a hotel room for the night; she's headed back to Cleveland in the morning after Lauren picks me up. Lauren I think is at my hotel packing and keeping Lestat company." She answered and his brows rose at the kitten's name.

"Lestat?" He repeated and she smiled. "Interesting name." He said simply.

"See, you always say that when something I say makes you curious." She commented and he tilted his head to one side to consider her.

"Like in the MRI lab?" He prompted and she gave him nothing to use against her in her reaction. "How did you hear us talking anyway without the speaker on?" He pressed and she shrugged.

"The door was open and the walls of that big honking thing are hardly sound-proof." She supplied, used to his questions and her excuses. She also knew he wouldn't buy a word of it but would just put it aside to think about later.

She was correct when he started talking about something else, dropping the MRI subject. She'd forgotten about her Slayer hearing earlier in her anxiety to know if everything was okay with her brain. She sometimes had nightmares that she'd find out she too had a brain tumor like her mother, or that Dawnie would develop one and that fear had made her throw caution to the wind. She needed to be more careful, she scolded herself, House asked idle questions now, but he'd never stop trying to solve the mystery that was her.

The time they talked seemed to fly by as one hour became two, then three. They paid no attention to the doctors or nurses walking past, not even when some of them stopped to observe the oddity that was Dr. House talking and laughing with a patient. None of them had ever seen the like. Everyone at the hospital was fully aware that Dr. Wilson was the only one House seemed to tolerate for an extended period of time, yet there he was, conversing with a patient willingly. It was simply unheard of.

The next morning House limped into the office and his fellows jumped when the door shut behind him. He smirked at them and went to go make coffee, then looked at each one to see they were all giving each other furtive glances.

"Someone want to tell me about out latest patient? Before they die that is." House prompted and Cameron updated him on the patient's status. House mulled over that information and Chase chose that moment to speak up.

"The nurses are all saying you spent time with Buffy last night?" He asked and House sipped his coffee, adopting Buffy's habit or neither confirming or denying.

"By all means, let's take this time to gossip instead of curing our sick patient." House deflected but Chase and Foreman shared a look. Cameron ignored them both and went on with possible diagnoses. "Why aren't you sharing in the gossip?" House asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because I care more about the actual dying patient as opposed to the one who's perfectly fine?" She scoffed and House looked at her for another moment before nodding to himself.

"Then you won't mind taking a blood test to confirm African trypanosomiasis." He told her and she got up from her chair, Chase and Foreman moved to follow but he raised his voice over the sound of their chairs being pushed out to address them. "Foreman and Chase are going to Mrs. Summer's hotel room to make certain that there's no sign of drugs that accelerate recovery time."

Chase and Foreman looked at each other and Chase glared at his boss. "I'm not going to break into her room just so you can snoop into your girlfriend's things." He argued.

"Fine, then go do the test. Cameron, you don't mind scoping out a girl's room right?" He limped out again without waiting for another argument. Chase glared at House's retreating back and followed him out into the hall.

"That's not right. You can't use us to further your twisted little game of 'what's Buffy hiding?'" Chase protested vehemently. House looked over his shoulder at him and stopped walking, facing Chase squarely in the empty hall.

"You're wrong, I can do that on account of I'm your boss. If you don't like it," House shrugged, "quit." He knew Chase wouldn't quit, the Aussie was moral to a fault at times but he wouldn't sacrifice his job just to stick it to his boss.

"You're telling me that if I don't break into her hotel I'm fired?" Chase asked and House rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Of course not, that'd be unethical." House again started to walk away and Chase stared after him, deciding not to follow. House wasn't really expecting them to find anything and since she was being discharged, this was the only time he'd be able to find something remotely useful in his quest for answers. He just hoped Lauren wasn't there.

Cameron sighed as she and Foreman opened the door to Buffy's hotel room, glancing around to make sure no one saw. The manager had given them an extra key after asking 30 million questions it seemed like and Cameron really wanted to be anywhere but there.

Cameron glanced around the room and pulled on a pair of gloves, but the room was pretty simple. There was a duffel on the bed, a food bowl in the corner, a small litter box and they noticed the owner of the litter box watching them from beneath the bed. Foreman walked to her dresser and pulled open the drawers while Cameron bent to pet the small gray kitten. The kitten sniffed her hand then dismissed her and Cameron peeked under the bed while she was crouched.

"God this is so typical," She grumped to Foreman. "House has a new puzzle to solve and we get roped into rooting through her things."

"She did recover quicker than I've ever seen; drugs would be a reasonable explanation." Foreman placated and Cameron threw him a doubtful look. "I'll check the bathroom."

"No drug I've ever heard of would make those bruises disappear in only 2 days, and besides, wouldn't they have shown up on the tests?" Cameron argued as she rifled through her clothes. There was a small chest at the foot of the bed but when she tried to open it, the lid wouldn't budge.

"Wow color me impressed by the maid service. I've gotta remember to leave a tip," drawled a voice from the door and Cameron turned her startled gaze to the girl who'd been in Buffy's room the day before, Faith.

Faith leaned casually against the door jamb, having spotted and heard the pair long before they entered the room. She's managed to secure a room next door to Buffy's and she'd been in the process of packing herself when she'd heard the voices next door. She'd reached for a knife but relaxed when she recognized House's fellows. The blonde looked guilty at being caught snooping and the guy came back out of the bathroom with both hands up to show he meant no harm. She didn't let her guard down the slightest bit, but she didn't shift into a fighting stance either. They better have a damned good reason for breaking into her friend's room, one she'd be sure to get, but otherwise they weren't a threat.

"Faith right?" The guy asked and she gave him a stern look but didn't reply. "My name's Eric Foreman and this is my associate Allison Cameron. We work for Dr. House." He offered and she rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Yeah I got that part; skip ahead to exactly why you're breaking into my girl B's room." Faith said coolly and they stepped toward her. Faith watched the woman- Cameron- as she came closer to her and away from Buffy's weapon's chest. Unless she was mistaken, Red had probably spelled the case for such an event. Hmm maybe she'd have to ask for one of those herself.

"House told us to check her hotel room for anything that'd accelerate her recovery," Cameron explained, opting for the truth. Faith broke into a smile and laughed, nodding her head in amusement.

"That tracks, and did you find anything?" She asked, fully aware that they couldn't have because nothing existed. The healing thing came with the Slayer package, a secret she wasn't about to let them in on.

"Actually, we were just discussing that there isn't really a drug that could have made her injuries disappear the way they had. Nothing that wouldn't have shown up in one of our tests anyway." Foreman told her and Faith cocked her head to one side. On the one hand she was pleased they hadn't found squat, but on the other she was a little disappointed. She didn't know why but she was.

"Wicked, now what say you get out of her room?" She said flippantly, jerking her thumb at them and they filed out of the room. Faith glanced around the room once to assure her that nothing was out of place and smiled at the small furry head of Lestat. She'd spent a half hour in the room talking and bonding with Lauren the night before and had grown fond of both the girl and the cat. She'd told herself she was simply bored, that it had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that she worried about her sister Slayer. That she wanted to be sure that her friend was in good hands and doing well on her own in New Jersey, away from the Scoobies and her Watcher. That had nothing to do with it at all, really.

Faith watched them climb back into their car and Cameron nodded a goodbye to her but she maintained her steely expression until their car had gone out of sight. Looks like she had to make a stop before heading back to Cleveland.

Buffy smiled at Faith and at Lauren when they came to pick her up in the hospital's lobby. She'd just been discharged and Lauren had brought some of her own clothing for her to change into. House had made a vague comment about seeing her later and Chase had wheeled her to the elevator and down stairs in one of the hospital's wheel chairs. Chase set the brakes on the chair and helped Buffy get to her feet just as House reappeared, limping on his cane as quickly as he could to get away for Cuddy. The group watched the two bicker as they approached.

"What about me speeding away from you says 'let's chat'?" House drawled to her and Cuddy's heels clacked after him as she pursued him.

"You can't speed away anyway." She shot back.

"Now that's just mean." He returned and as he reached Buffy, he moved behind her, using her as a shield from his boss. "Hide me; mommy wants to make me do actual work." He gave Buffy a pained look and peeked out from Buffy's shoulder. The whole scene looked rather comical as she was much shorter than he was.

"Why would she want to hide you after you told your minions to break into her hotel room?" Faith spoke up and House turned to look at her.

"Tattletale," he said starkly but she just gave him a smirk and House turned back to the infuriated blonde.

Buffy turned and glared at House, her fists balled on her hips and her eyes sparkling with anger. "You did what?" She said slowly and House darted behind Lauren for protection, sensing he was about to be hit again. Lauren giggled and Faith looped an arm through Buffy's to calm her friend down before she really blew her already tentative cover by killing the doctor.

Buffy turned to glare instead at Chase, "Did you know about this?" She demanded and he blanched. Chase glanced at House who mouthed 'yes' behind Buffy's back but she ignored him to focus on the Aussie.

"He told me to go and search your place but I said no. I swear I was going to tell you." He replied bleakly and she spun to scowl at House.

"You and I are going to have some words mister." She threatened but allowed Faith to lead her outside, Lauren in tow, still giggling.

House watched the girls go and looked at Chase, stating with finality, "I'm a dead man." Chase nodded simply and they both winced when Cuddy started in.

"You did what?" She sputtered and House heaved a sigh.