Another chapter, another smut alert. Don't like, don't read. Once again, I don't own anything related to House.

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Michelle was out working in her flower garden the next morning, still trying to process the events of the night before. She wondered how things would have played out if Shannon hadn't interrupted she and House. Well…she had some idea. Her lips quirked upward as she cut a few flowers for her dining room table, inhaling their glorious scent.

She hadn't heard from House yet, but it was fairly early, and she didn't really expect to. That didn't stop her from occasionally checking her phone for missed calls. Michelle chuckled to herself, amused at her behavior. She wasn't a high school girl, for crying out loud. She was a middle-aged woman with a teenaged daughter, settled and content with her professional life.

Her personal life, on the other hand…she had definitely let that slide over the years. The short time she had spent with House reminded her just how much she missed having someone in her life. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to make things work with House.

The chiming of her phone pulled her out of her thoughts. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Sunshine." House's sleepy voice carried over the phone. "Sleep okay?"

"I suppose. You?"

"Mmm…Not so much. Kind of missed you." The words tumbled out of House's mouth before he could stop them.

Michelle's lips curved upward. She was pleasantly surprised by House's sudden admission. "I…kind of missed you, too. What are you doing today?"

"Nothing I couldn't move around, I guess." House smiled to himself, relieved that Michelle hadn't rejected him outright after all. "Did you have…something in mind?"

"Well…Shannon's heading to the beach this afternoon with some friends. Maybe…we could pick up where we left off."

House twisted his mouth thoughtfully. "Hmm…You realized you'd be hanging out with me for two days in a row. Sounds serious."

Michelle rolled her eyes on the other end of the phone. "So I like spending time with you. Is that so wrong?"

"No, especially when the possibility for hot sex is involved." House chuckled. "Let me know when it's safe to show up."

"You're welcome anytime here." Michelle blurted out without thinking. "I mean…I don't know what I mean."

"It's cool. Don't worry about it. You like me, I like you, and…maybe we're just stumbling around, trying to figure out what the hell we want." House leaned back against the headboard of his bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Michelle sank down on one of the garden benches. "Yeah, I guess that's it. Anyway…I'll see you whenever you manage to get over here. I'll probably be in the garden."

"Sounds good. See you later." House quickly hung up before Michelle could respond.

She closed her phone, twirling it around in her hand. What was she thinking, giving House an open invitation to her house? Yes, she liked him, but did she like him enough to have him around…whenever? Talk about a leap into the great unknown. She wasn't just breaking some rules, she was practically tossing out the entire rulebook when it came to House. Clearly there was a shift happening. She just wasn't sure where this shift would take her…and House.

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House looked at his phone for the longest time after he hung up, turning over the conversation in his mind. Michelle was the queen of mixed signals, no doubt. It didn't make her any less appealing, but it was frustrating as hell.

Still, she was giving them another shot, so that couldn't be all bad. House pushed himself out of bed, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, finding his jeans on the floor where he had unceremoniously dumped them last night.

He found the Vicodin bottle deep inside and swallowed two before putting on his jeans and staggering to the kitchen. After finding his coffee cup, he dumped in a couple of spoonfuls of instant coffee, filling it with water and placing it in the microwave to heat.

The sound of a key in his lock pulled him from his thoughts. It could only be one person.

"Morning, Wilson."

Wilson walked in, looking a little stunned and disheveled. "Morning, House." He held up a bag and a drink holder. "I brought breakfast."

"Have you even been home?" House squinted at him suspiciously. "You dog! The panty peeler of PPTH strikes again!"

"No! It was nothing like that!" Wilson looked horrified. "Let me just say…that's the last time I ever let you hook me up with anyone. Ever."

House smirked behind his coffee mug. "This I've got to hear."

"You'd better sit down."

House settled in on the couch, grabbing one of the cups of coffee and a bagel from the bag. "Go ahead. I've got a while."

Wilson launched into his story, starting with picking up Sarah from her apartment, going to dinner, and dropping her off at her place.

House rolled his eyes. "Wake me up when this gets interesting, Wilson."

"I'm getting there, trust me." Wilson took a drink of his coffee. "So…she invites me in, we sit on the couch, we're talking, everything's…great. Then we get to talking about our exes…"

"Because that's just awesome first date material. Way to go, slick."

Wilson glared at House's interruption. "…and she goes into this story of her last boyfriend…they were together for three years, had moved in together, were talking marriage. Then, he drops this bomb on her."

"Well?" House looked exasperated. "Don't leave me hanging."

"One day, he tells her he's leaving her…for a man."

House shrugged. "I've heard worse."

"And…he's starting…gender reassignment."

House's eyes grew wide. "Wow."

"Yeah. So…she totally breaks down sobbing, hysterical. She goes on and on about how men are pigs and can't be trusted, and throws herself at my chest. Suddenly, she falls asleep."

"And so you couldn't just leave her there." House shook his head and sipped his coffee.

"Right. I managed to slip away about an hour ago."

"Tell me you didn't leave her a note."

Wilson hung his head. "Yeah, I did."

"You idiot!" House smacked his own forehead. "Congratulations. You are now in possession of your very own stalker. Enjoy."

"You don't know that. She probably doesn't even remember."

"Which means…she's your next wife. I'm not sure what's worse." House drained his coffee and reached for another bagel.

"As always, thanks for your support." Wilson munched on his bagel. "By the way…how are things with Michelle?"

House paused, thinking before answering. "Let's see…we had a great day, went riding, stopped for food, practically made out in her driveway, and were just about to totally get it on when…"

"When what?"

"We were busted by the kid. Totally killed the mood."

Wilson winced. "Damn, sorry to hear that. Guess we both struck out."

"Ah, but I have a shot at redemption today. I'm about to head over. The kid is off to the beach for the day, so you know what that means…" House waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"It means I'd better head for home." Wilson gathered up the trash and headed for the door. "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks. I think I'll need it."

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House pulled into Michelle's driveway, feeling a little apprehensive after the previous night's events. He shut off the bike, removing his helmet and hanging it over the handlebars as he dismounted the bike.

He took a deep breath and rapped on the door with his cane. The door flew open, revealing Shannon, dressed in a bikini top, shorts, and flip flops, blond hair twisted into a messy bun.

"Oh, hey, Doctor House. Come on in. Mom's out back."

"Thanks." House started down the small hallway to the kitchen.

"Just so you know…" Shannon's voice stopped him before he got too far. "I think you're kind of a cool guy. It's been a long time since Mom's seen anyone, you know?" She approached him, leaning as if she was sharing a secret. "She really likes you, you know. Give her some time, she'll come around."

House appraised this young woman. "It sounds like…you're trying to hook your mom up. Why me?"

Shannon shrugged. "Why not you? You treat her pretty decent, and you're not trying to rush in here and take over."

A knock on the door ended the conversation. "I've gotta go. MOM!! I'M LEAVING!!! AND DOCTOR HOUSE IS HERE!!!"

House's ears were ringing. Jesus, that kid had a set of lungs on her. Michelle came trotting through the kitchen, cut flowers in her hand. "Bye, kiddo. Have a good day. Be home by eleven."

"I will." Shannon gave her mom a quick hug. "Have fun. Bye, Doctor House."

"Bye." The door slammed behind her. "The human tornado strikes again."

Michelle laughed. "I know, right?" She turned and headed back to the kitchen, making a right turn into her dining room, where she arranged the flowers in a vase.

"I've…got one more to add, if you don't mind." House ventured, reaching into his leather jacket.

Michelle looked surprised. "Sure…"

House produced a single yellow rose. "I come in peace. No pressure."

"It's beautiful. Thank you." Michelle took the rose from House and set it in the middle of the vase, surrounded by the other cuttings from her garden. "Look…about last night…"

"Don't." House placed a hand on Michelle's cheek. "Once you start rationalizing…"

"I'm not rationalizing. I'm explaining." Michelle took a deep breath before continuing. "I've dated since…since I split up with Shannon's dad, but I've never tried to have any sort of relationship with anyone. It just always seemed like more trouble that it was worth. So…I made this whole stupid set of rules for myself and the men I date. Now…I find myself throwing those rules out the window, but I don't have anything to replace them with."

House shrugged. "So…make it up as you go. Stumble along with the rest of us humans."

"That means opening myself up to a lot of possibilities." Michelle reached out and took House's hand from her cheek, holding it in her own. "I don't know you well, but I know your reputation. You aren't close to many people. You could hurt me without even trying just because I try to get too close."

"Yeah, well…" House didn't know what to say. She had pegged him pretty quickly. "Same goes for you. You boldly pursue me, seduce me, and then you run like hell. What the hell am I supposed to think?"

"I don't know." Michelle dropped House's hand. "I do like you, and I want to spend time with you, and I definitely want to have sex with you. I'm just not crazy about being so open about it in front of Shannon."

House's mouth quirked upward. "Shannon seems to think she's pretty cool with it…as long as she doesn't bust us making out on the couch like a pair of teenagers."

Michelle chuckled. "It seems odd to think of her as anything but my little girl."

"I'll bet." House pulled Michelle close to him, lightly kissing her forehead. "Tell you what…the rules for us will be…no rules. Whatever happens, happens. Just don't jerk me around, okay?"

"I think I can do that." Michelle wrapped her arms around House, inhaling the combined scents of his leather jacket and his own scent.

"Good. Now…" House's hand spread out over Michelle's back as he lifted her chin, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. "Where did we leave off last night?"

Michelle laughed. "We've got some catching up to do if that's the case."

"Looks like we've got…" House checked his watch. "…a better part of the day to figure it out." He slipped a hand under her shirt and kissed her neck. "Seems we started right about here…"

Michelle tilted her head, simply enjoying the feel of House's lips on her neck. "Mmm…think we'd better move this elsewhere if you want to keep playing catch up."

"Why?" House continued up her shirt, easily popping the closure on the back of her bra. "That table will probably hold you."

"Greg!" Michelle giggled at House's boldness. "What about you?"

"Sex…releases endorphins…" House murmured as he worked his way down her neck. "Natural painkillers…" He broke away long enough to give her a teasing grin. "Trust me. I'm a doctor. I know this stuff."

"Right. How silly of me to doubt you." Michelle laughed softly.

"Damn right." House pushed Michelle until she was up against the dining room table. He quickly pushed her t-shirt off her body as she shoved his jacket off his shoulders. Michelle moved her hands under House's t-shirt, once again feeling the strong muscle underneath before taking it off him.

"Ah…I think I'm starting to remember now." House muttered as he took off her already unhooked bra, adding it to the steadily growing pile of clothing on the floor. He cupped each breast in his hands, lightly caressing the nipples with his thumbs, evoking a rough sigh from Michelle.

She climbed up on the dining room table, moving the flower vase aside so that she could lay down across it. House quickly undid her shorts, removing them, leaving her clad in only a pair of simple white cotton bikinis. He leaned down over her to kiss her along the waistline, pressing a hand against her pelvis, feeling her desire for him through her underwear.

He quickly removed them, pulling up a chair for himself and placing Michelle's legs on his shoulders. House started to leave a trail of kisses up the inside of one thigh, brushing the other with his hand, meeting in the middle, slowly inserting a finger inside her, stroking lightly.

"Greg…" Her voice came out as a whisper as she spread herself wider, wanting more.

He complied easily, slowly licking her, flicking her with his tongue, evoking a moan as she arched her back, taking all that he was giving her.

With ever increasing speed, House stroked inside Michelle with his finger, somehow sucking and licking her at the same time, and she reached out to grab the back of his head, bucking upward as the orgasm overtook her.

She finally came back down, visibly relaxing, her breathing and heartrate returning to normal. House rose and stood over her, grinning as he lightly kissed her neck.

"Come here, you…" Michelle sat up and wrapped her arms around him, spreading her hands over the small of his back.

"Mm…you hitting on me?"

"Maybe…" Michelle brought him closer, lifting his chin to draw him in for a long, lingering kiss. She could feel him harden against her. "Need anything?"

"Got it covered this time. I know to be ready for anything around you, wild thing." House grinned, leaning on the table as he reached into his back pocket, pulling the condom out of his wallet. "See, just like high school."

Michelle laughed, taking the packet from him and holding it in her teeth. She slowly unbuckled his jeans, shoving them and his boxers to the floor in one move. Ripping open the packet, she covered him and gently pushed him into the chair, settling on top of him as he entered her.

"Nice…" House stroked into her, grabbing her rear, developing a quick, steady rhythm. Soon his back arched, and Michelle could feel him tense as he let go inside her, throbbing as he finished, relaxing into her. "Damn…Stick a fork in me. I am done."

"We can always…relax, take a nap, watch a little TV…" Michelle gathered up her clothes and started dressing. "We've got all day."

House's mouth twisted in a smirk. All of it sounded good, along with a little more action from Michelle. As she said, they did have all day.

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