Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. I hope this ch makes up for it!

Chapter 21

House may be back, but he was nowhere in sight. He'd been gone since about a week before Halloween. No one had seen him since. Allison knew it had something to do with what happened at his house that day. She knew that she'd somehow gotten through to him, through the brick walls he built up around himself. She wanted nothing more than to go back to his house and talk to him. But after how things had ended last time, was that such a great idea? She still remembered his harsh tone, and the cold fury that had crept over his features, completely transforming him into an ugly monster. What if he lost his cool again and tried to hurt her?

But deep down, she knew that wasn't him. Knew that he wasn't a violent person. Funny thing was, she didn't even know him all that well. Yes, they'd spent time together, but it was mostly him making her do his homework while simultaneously tutoring her. But she had this feeling in her bones that he was a good person. Just highly…misunderstood. Maybe it was just her desire to see the good in everyone. Either way, she couldn't deny that she missed him. Just as friends, of course. He was, of course, a really good tutor. She didn't dare consider that there might be other reasons why she was dying to see him.

She couldn't help thinking that she was the reason he'd left town so abruptly. Practically dropped off the face of the Earth. Stopped responding to her calls and emails. She knew that she'd really upset him. Part of her wished she'd tried harder to contact him. Told him the truth about Wilson. Even if it didn't make him come back, at the very least it could alleviate some of his suffering.

Why hadn't she told him the truth? Once she'd found out, she'd debated whether or not it was a good idea. She'd convinced herself not to, reasoning that it would be better to tell him in person, since it would make him more likely to believe him. So she'd told herself to just hold out and wait for him to come back. But he never did. Until now.

What made him come back so suddenly? Above all, where had he gone? She hoped it had been to rehab or something, but knowing him, that would never happen. Not unless he was hallucinating or something. But it would probably be more like him to enjoy the hallucinations.

It didn't matter. She had to find a way to tell him. It was the only thing to do. The right thing to do.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

"I'm so excited for tomorrow night!" Savanna squealed, squeezing Allison's arm. "It's gonna be amazing!" It was the day before the dance, and it seemed as though everyone was buzzing with excitement.

As usual, Allison was busy scanning the cafeteria, hoping that House would just magically appear. No such luck.

Luckily, Savanna was too busy rambling on and on to notice. "So I'll come over around 4 so we can get ready. Are we gonna get our nails done, or just do them ourselves? I was thinking we could go to that place on 24th, but I don't know, a lot of people will probably be there…"

"Mmmm…" Allison said, surveying the crowded room. She knew she hadn't been hallucinating that day. House had been there; she was sure of it.

~I Know That I'll Regret It~

Incredible. That was one of the many words Allison could use to describe the transformed gym. Just incredible. To the untrained eye, the PPH gym no longer resembled a place in which you sweat. It was a winter wonderland.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Chase said for about the fifteenth time that night.

"Yes." Allison rolled her eyes, but secretly enjoyed it. Truth was, she knew she looked amazing. She and Savanna had spent hours finding the perfect dress for what Savanna dubbed her "first public outing since the scandal". And their efforts hadn't been futile, for they'd found an amazing strapless red dress. That, coupled with her loose brown waves, made her look even more beautiful than Lisa, who wore an ordinary black dress and a scowl. The Fearsome Foursome had each given her the finger as she'd walked in with Chase on her arm, but she just grinned at them. They all looked more miserable than usual. Vaguely, she wondered how House would react. As usual, Chase had pronounced her beautiful, but it wasn't like that was out of the ordinary.

Still, even with the great music and incredible decorations (not to mention her date!), Allison was unable to relax. Unable to take her mind off House. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing tonight. It was the last day of school before winter break, which was supposed to be one of the happiest days of the year. Knowing him, he was probably sitting home alone in misery, most likely surrounded by bottles of beer.

Of course, she was unable to do anything. So she played the part of a happy, carefree girl at an amazing dance with her boyfriend and best friend. She danced, laughed, and tried to forget. Forget about the hot, damaged senior who was alone, alone on a night where nobody should be by themselves, drowning his guilt and sorrows in alcohol, guilt that wasn't even his burden to suffer.

Two hours passed by in a blur of dancing and loud music. But the only thing on Allison's mind was House. All she could see was the haunted look in his eyes. And she knew she couldn't take it anymore. She had to go see him. It wasn't fair that she was here, enjoying her time (mostly), while he was all alone. She needed to go and make sure he was ok.

"Hey, I don't feel so good." She improvised. "I'm just gonna go home."

"Oh are you ok?" Savanna asked, all concern. "Do you want me to come with?"

"Nah, it's fine." Allison waved her off. "You stay. My mom's coming."

"Ok." Savanna shrugged. "Call me in the morning then."

Allison hugged her goodbye. "See ya tomorrow." She looked around for Chase, who was talking to Foreman and bunch of other football guys.

"Hey, I don't feel so good." She repeated what she'd told Savanna. "I think I'm just gonna head home."

A true gentleman, Chase immediately offered to drive her home. But Allison turned him down, saying that her mom was coming. Like Savanna, he made her promise to call and she nodded, slipping away towards the exit, trying to contain her glee. She couldn't believe she'd actually gotten away from them.

Because they'd taken Chase's car to the dance, she had no choice but to walk to House's apartment. Luckily, he didn't live far and it wasn't too cold out. On the way over, she tried to think about what she'd say to him, to explain why she was there, but she just drew a blank. The closer she got, the faster her heart started pounding. Briefly, she wondered what in the hell she was doing, ditching the dance to go see a moody and sometimes volatile guy. She reminded herself that this would be the perfect chance to tell House the truth about Wilson's death.

It was a dark, foggy night. So foggy that Allison could barely see two feet in front of her. She nearly tripped on a pebble, cursing herself for not thinking to bring flats. But then again, she hadn't exactly planned this.

She reached his apartment building relatively quickly. Through the fog, she could make out a dark figure sitting on the steps outside, drinking from a bottle.

"What're you doing here?" A voice slurred. Allison didn't need to hear his voice to know that it was House. Just the mere sight of him sent shivers down her spine. She'd forgotten how hot he was.

"I'm here to see you." She said, trying to keep her voice steady.

He gave her the once over, nearly gasping as he took in her strapless dress. He blinked rapidly.

"What?" Allison blushed.

"Our little Cameron has grown up." He took a swig from the bottle. Allison could see three other bottles lined up next to him.

"What are you doing outside?" She asked, sitting down next to him. She could feel the cold of the steps through her thin dress. She tried to pull down the silky fabric to cover up more of her bare thighs.

"I could ask the same of you." He raised his bottle at her. "Dressed up all pretty. Isn't the Midwinter's bash or whatever it's called tonight? Shouldn't you be out with all your little friends, dancing your booty off?"

By friends, Allison knew he meant Lisa and the others. "We're not exactly friends anymore."

"Right." House nodded. "Heard about the video." Then, seeing the questioning look in her eyes, he continued. "Just cuz I haven't been at school doesn't mean I live under a rock."

"So I guess you know about Chase then."

"Who doesn't?" He snickered. "Nice ass by the way. I always knew you'd make good lobby art."

She was grateful for the dark, for her face turned the same shade as her dress.

They just sat there in silence for several minutes. Allison's heart pounded so loud she wondered if House could hear it. Then, she heard an odd sound coming from her left. It took her a minute to realize it was crying. House crying.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

He didn't seem to hear her. "He died today two years ago." He mumbled incoherently.

"Who?"

"All my fault." He said, pouring the rest of the bottle down his throat and throwing it carelessly aside. "If only I hadn't had that drink."

Oh. He was talking about Wilson. Of course. It all made sense now. Why House looked even more miserable than usual and why the Fearsome Foursome had sour looks on their faces at the dance. Today was the anniversary of Wilson's death.

"House it's not..." She started to explain the truth, but was cut off.

"He was my best friend." He moaned, putting his head in his hands. "My best fucking friend. And I killed him."

Allison's heart nearly broke as she watched House sob. It was the saddest thing she'd ever seen in her entire life. She was reminded all over again of Lisa's cruelty. Above all, she cursed herself for not telling him the truth. Who cared about how awkward that conversation would've been? At least she would've been doing the right thing. Maybe he wouldn't be sitting here, drowning in guilt, if she'd had the guts.

Tentatively, she placed her hand on his trembling shoulder. All she wanted to do was take away some of his pain. The pain that she now knew Lisa and her buddies had caused. The pain that she had the power to alleviate, yet she'd been too cowardly to do so.

"House, it's not your…" She tried again, but House clearly wasn't listening.

"He was the only person who truly cared about me. And I killed him." He repeated. "I drove away everyone who cared about me. I have no one."

"That's not true…" She tried to protest.

"I'm sorry." He blurted, looking up at her, bloodshot blue eyes meeting green. Every fiber of Allison's being wanted to kiss him again, but after last time, she wasn't so sure.

Suddenly, he lunged forward and kissed her. Kissed her so hard she fell backwards. In the heat of the moment, it took her a while to remember Chase.

She pushed him off. "House…I have a boyfriend."

"Screw the wombat." He growled. "I want you…" His lips traced the outline of her cheek, sending delicious shivers shooting down her spine. The electricity in the air, intermixed with their obvious desire for each other was so thick, so tangible, Allison could practically taste it. "Can the wombat do this?" His lips met hers, resulting in a frantic yet passionate kiss.

Those were the words she'd wanted to hear ever since the first day at school when she'd run into him. Since the first time she'd gazed deep into his electric blue eyes, glimpsing the sadness underneath. And she just wanted to stop thinking. Stop resisting her feelings for him. Stop pretending that Chase was who she wanted. That he was enough. She felt safe, sitting on House's porch, shrouded by darkness.

And so she let him scoop her up as though she weighed nothing. Let him gently deposit her on top of his unmade bed. Let him kiss her some more. Let him reach back and unzip her dress. And let him do things, let him see things, that she knew were wrong. She knew she'd regret this. But she didn't care.

Author's note: So there you have it! The dramatic reappearance of House! What did you think? Review plz and I promise I'll try to update faster :)