AN: Hi again! I'm back...sorry; I know it's been awhile...I got dragged to the back of beyond, and I have exams next week (Five hours of art! On my birthday!), but I'll try to keep updating regularly...hope you like the new chapter...I was gonna put it up on Friday 13th (Chapter 13, friday 13th - it just seemed to fit), but I thought it would be mean to make you all wait that long...

Chapter 13

Nobody sees House all day. He doesn't go to the clinic; he doesn't go to the cafeteria, or to the coma patients' rooms. He just stays in his office, head down, and shooting icy lasers at anyone who braves coming in to disturb him.

Cuddy wishes she could just hide in her office all day, but she has to meet benefactors, talk to lawyers and deal with patients who feel they have been mistreated. And all the while she's trying not to let them – let anyone - see how unsettled she is. She feels as though she invaded House's privacy just listening to the song, and yet, Casey didn't seem to feel any of that, while she played the man's feelings on an old keyboard.

Wilson brings his paperwork into Casey's room, and they sit, talking and thinking, thinking and talking. She can read people, he can tell. She managed to shake House up, not an easy thing to do. He would go and talk to his friend, or try to, but House is determined to be alone today.

Foreman is the first to leave. He hasn't had much to do, besides play cards with Chase. He sees House, but if he's interested he doesn't show it. Not in front of Chase and Cameron at least. But, as he walks past the glass wall, he can't help leaning closer to catch a glance at what House is doing.

Chase doesn't bother hiding his interest when he leaves, after losing spectacularly at blackjack to Foreman. House sees him and snaps at him to get back to work or go home. 'Well,' Chase thinks 'Home it is'. Maybe he can convince Cameron to come round later.

Cameron sees House when she leaves, late. She's finished answering his mail, run Casey's hormone tests and watched Chase and Foreman's card game while she waited for the results, which were normal. Now, as she gets her coat from the hook, she sees House, working furiously at his desk, listening to his iPod and writing. From her distance, she can't see what, and she doesn't feel like getting yelled at like Chase. So she leaves.

'Interesting', House muses. 'You can never be good at everything'. He knows he is good at almost everything. Medicine, trivia, music. Hell, he can even draw fairly well – not that he does it often. But the one thing he finds incredibly hard, besides all the 'feelings' crap Wilson goes on about, is transcribing music – listening to a song, and working out the notes. Casey can do it, he knows. Which is why he's here, way later than a sane person should be, working out the notes to Casey's song. Damn her. And whoever wrote it.

Wilson sees House when he goes to leave. He looks ready to go too, throwing things into his rucksack, and clearly satisfied that he's finished something.

"Want a ride home?" Wilson asks, "It's raining, not safe to ride your bike,"

House is about to say no, but catches a glance at the menacing sky outside and thinks better of it. "Visiting hours over then?" he asks

Wilson smiles, knowing that this is a yes. They walk down the corridor together in silence, Wilson unconsciously imitating House's loping gait. He's not noticed he does that until now. House obviously hasn't, or he'd have made some joke, a comment about there being only enough room for one cripple in this hospital.

House has noted that Wilson always walks just behind him, standing in from of him only when they argue. 'Cool' he thinks 'I have two shadows. 'Three, if you count Chase,'

Wilson stays at Houses apartment after dropping him off. "It's late," He says "Dark, rainy," He wonders idly if House will buy this. Probably not. Doesn't matter. They sit, talk, drink beer, watch TV, not unlike the other night when Wilson came to apologise and ended up (almost) being apologised to. He wonders how to bring up the subject of this morning's 'performance'. He decides on an offhand remark, something to stir House up.

"Casey's sure she freaked you out this morning,"

"And I'm sure she's too young for you but I'm not saying anything,"

Wilson considers this. The age difference is over ten years, he knows, but... "Nice try House, but you can't change the subject so easily."

The older man gives a wry smile. "That used to work," He complains. "Either you're getting smarter or I'm losing my touch. I'm not really sure which option I prefer"

Wilson laughs and goes to fetch another beer from the fridge.

While his friend is searching through the kitchen (the fridge is hidden behind some...stuff) House checks his watch. Having finally finished transcribing, he wants to make a start on playing the dammed tune, but if Wilson stays much longer, he'll have a hard time seeing the keys, let alone the scribbled staves he drew on the back of one of his charts. Beer, Vicodin and little sleep, he notes, make playing the piano a little difficult.

Wilson gets back from the kitchen, and notices that House's fingers are twitching, like he's playing the piano. House clearly hasn't noticed; if he had he would have stopped, controlled himself. Wilson knows he should think about leaving now, but he's curious. You don't have your soul exposed in front of other people and just walk away. Hell, if House's behaviour today is anything to go by he hasn't.

"So, what do you think of her?" Wilson asks, knowing House will welcome the chance to point out every tiny flaw that makes her 'not right'.

"She's...more intelligent than Bonnie," He says, carefully leaving out any references to himself. "And she's kind of creepy." Damn, how did that slip out?

Wilson senses he's getting somewhere, but decides not to push it. Instead he just leaves the silence hanging, knowing that House will need something to fill it, that he doesn't do too well with silence unless the T.V is on at full volume.

"You know, that whole...reading people thing and the like," House continues. His voice is awkward, but Wilson feels that he's finally broken through a wall with his friend.

Wilson finishes his second beer, tries to pretend the bottle still has some in it. Unsurprisingly House isn't fooled. "You should go," He says "Mommy won't be happy if her prodigy is late tomorrow,"

Wilson shakes his head "Don't let Cuddy hear you call her that,"

"No...It'd probably turn her on or something." House shudders

Wilson laughs, raises his eyebrows at House, before getting his coat from the back of the couch. A few seconds after he shuts the door, he can hear House playing 'Casey's' song on the piano, at first slowly, hesitatingly, but quickly gaining confidence. For the first time he remembers since he's known House, he envies his friend's gift. 'Casey would probably like it if I played something' He thinks, as he leaves House to his music.

Woohoo! Long chapter! I'm getting the hang of making past the 1000-word mark now...

Review if you liked it, review if you found typos, or if you have an idea of where you think this should go...I have a sort-of idea, but it's a WIP, so I'm open to suggestions...

Smiles

--CBT