Got a little long-winded with this one. :P Still don't own them, wish I did like I own Avery.

Avery nudged House, attempting to get him moving. It was already 9:00, and while she wasn't opposed to being fashionably late, she did eventually want to make it over to Hadley's and Foreman's.

"Aw come on…there's nothing out there that we don't have here…"

"Except other humans. Come on, it's good to interact with others of your species."

"It's Foreteen. They hardly qualify."

She rolled her eyes. "Thirty minutes, and I leave without you. Then you'll have to rely on secondhand accounts of any body shots."

House considered this, then heaved himself out of bed. "Fine. But you have to promise me something."

"What's that?"

He limped over to her, tilting her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "Promise me that you are going to cut loose, have fun, and get absolutely shit-faced. You need it."

"Promise me a safe ride home and you have a deal."

"Done." House gave her a gentle kiss. "I've got too much other stuff in the system to make room for booze anyway."

# # #

Standing in front of Foreteen's door, House suddenly felt apprehensive. He was mostly here because of Avery. For his part, he would have been perfectly content to hole up in his apartment with the piano and the bourbon, only the bourbon wasn't really an option these days. Damn drug interactions anyway.

He grudgingly admitted that things were getting better, pain-wise. The drug cocktail seemed to be doing more for him than the Vicodin alone ever had. This last six weeks he had nothing but time to adjust and heal. While the shooting definitely wasn't the best thing that happened to him, it did somehow serve as a catalyst for other changes. Would he have even attempted it if it hadn't been for Avery? He wasn't sure. He was only sure that he would do what he needed to do to ensure being around Avery for as long as he could.

Which led him to here, Foreteen's apartment, for a party that he normally wouldn't have attended if his life depended on it. Avery had convinced him that he needed to get the hell out of the apartment. Aside from doctors' appointments and PT, he hadn't really left the place since he was released from the hospital. Besides, Avery needed to get out, too. She wasn't designed to be a homebody. She needed this way more than he did.

Avery knocked on the door, and Thirteen answered, cheerfully tipsy already. House suspected that her personal party had started very, very early.

"Hey, you two, get in here! Good to see you!" She practically dragged Avery in, her green eyes glittering with…something indefinable. House glared at Thirteen, more in jest than anything else.

"Don't think you get to keep her all night! She doesn't roll that way anyway, I don't think…"

Avery glared back at House. "You are a mess."

House waved his fingers at Avery. "Have fun…I'll be around."

He stayed on the outskirts of the group, watching Avery when he could. It was kind of fun, watching her from a distance. Now that she had a couple of drinks in her, she was relaxing and having a good time. House finally had enough of the crowd and found himself out on the balcony of the apartment. He cracked open a Coke and snipped off the end of a cigar, lighting up and taking a couple of contemplative puffs.

House heard the door open behind him, turning to find Foreman joining him. Damn, just when he thought he'd get some alone time.

Foreman merely nodded in greeting, turning down the offer of a cigar from House. He took a long pull off his beer and gestured toward the living room.

"Looks like Matthews is having a good time." Foreman looked amused.

"If she is…it's all your girlfriend's fault." House peeked through the sliding door to see Avery chatting with Cameron and Thirteen, elegant hands waving wildly, the three women laughing at something. Suddenly her ring flashed, and both Cameron and Thirteen examined it, appearing to be suitably impressed, each giving Avery a quick hug. A barely suppressed grin crossed House's face. Yeah, I gave her that. That was me. Be jealous, girls.

Thirteen poked her head out the sliding door. "Eric! You should see the ring House gave Matthews! It's gorgeous." She turned to House, a wide smile lighting up her face. "Nice work."

As she disappeared inside, it was Foreman's turn to glare at House. "See what you started? Now Remy will want one."

"Well, what the hell are you waiting for? How many years have you two been together now?"

"She never wanted anything like that before. Something about not dragging me down with her when the time came." Foreman frowned and took another pull from his beer.

House nodded in quiet contemplation. "Yeah, I wouldn't know anything about that." He drained the remains of his Coke and leaned against the railing. Something occurred to House. He knew that his long term Vicodin use had done damage, and he, like Thirteen, didn't want to drag anyone else down with the inevitable end result of that overuse. It was still possible that the damage was already done, and that his time was already limited.

It wasn't that he never wanted what he had with Avery, it was that he never allowed himself to want it. Now that he had it…he was still conflicted. No wonder he alternated between affection toward her and pushing her away. Damn. He and Thirteen were more alike than he thought.

House stubbed out his cigar, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. "Look, Foreman. I'm only going to say this once, and I'll probably deny I said it after this." He scowled, deep in thought. "If you love her…do what you need to do. Buy her the damn ring, get down on one knee, whatever. Make the most of what's left."

Foreman watched House step back through the balcony door, still not sure what he heard. It sounded like House, looked like House, but it sure as hell didn't act like House. Somehow it didn't seem like a bad thing.

He noticed Matthews grab House by the hand almost as soon as he stepped into the room. She was chatting excitedly about something, and House dipped his head down in laughter, a relaxed expression on his face, one Foreman had never seen. House wrapped his arms around her waist as Matthews reached up to place hers around his neck. He seemed to notice Foreman and stopped to tap on the sliding door with his cane.

"Get your own!" House hollered, giving Foreman a small wink before Matthews guided him away from the door and back into the small crowd. Foreman could do nothing but shake his head in response. House was still House, whether he was happy or not. All seemed right in the world, and Foreman left the chill of the balcony to go seek out Thirteen.

# # #

It was close to midnight, and Avery still had her arms around House's neck. Somehow she had convinced him to dance with her, at least a couple of slow songs. He really wasn't up to anything else, and seriously doubted he ever would be, but swaying to a couple of songs with this drop-dead gorgeous woman in his arms…not so bad, actually. House had impulsively pulled her in for a couple of long, slow kisses, earning giggles from a tipsy Avery and some teasing catcalls from the peanut gallery that surrounded them. For once, House didn't give a damn. She was his, and he was happy to prove it over and over.

Thirteen found a chair to stand on to lead the guests in the countdown to midnight. Fortunately, Foreman was there to keep her from falling off the thing as she scrambled to climb on. She waved him away and continued.

"5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!" Noisemakers and horns blew around them, creating a cacophony of sound that House was sure could be heard for miles around. He drew Avery close to him in another of those long, slow kisses, she returning a bit sloppily in kind.

"Happy New Year, baby." Avery slurred, a silly grin on her face.

"Same to you, woman." House responded, amused at Avery's drunken state. She was still in control, but she had definitely accomplished the mission he had set before her tonight. This should be a fun ride home.

House looked around the room at the couples that surrounded him. Foreman and Thirteen held each other close near the chair she had been standing on, clearly in their own world. Chase was spinning Cameron around, Cameron's head thrown back in laughter at something Chase whispered in her ear. Even Wilson seemed to have found someone to ring in the New Year with. Avery confirmed House's suspicion that she was one of the newer clinic nurses. He looked happier and more relaxed than House had seen him in ages.

For once, House didn't feel out of place. So many times he found himself holding up the bar at one of these things, observing from the sidelines. Once again it dawned on him how he had slowly isolated himself from the world. House was grateful to whatever forces of the universe that brought Avery into his life, dragging him kicking and screaming back into some semblance of normalcy. Not that he'd want to do this all the time, but once in a while…yeah, okay. Not so bad.

His leg and shoulder were starting to throb a bit, sending out their familiar warning signs. House slipped away from Avery for a moment to take his meds in peace. Now that he was on an actual 'pain management' program, he didn't feel the need to draw attention to the whole process. Cameron came upon him as he was leaning against the kitchen counter, swallowing the pills and washing them down.

She wandered over to the counter, weaving slightly. House's head was bent down, and Cameron was unsure if she should approach him.

"House?"

He turned around with a small smile. "Ah, Blondie Number Two. Having fun?"

"You bet." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Nice to see you out and about."

"Blame Avery. She dragged me out here."

Cameron giggled. "She's a riot. I like her. And I like her with you." She reached out and patted his arm, perhaps a little heavier than she intended. "You two are just so cute together. I'm really happy for you."

Drunk Cameron was funny and cute beyond all reason, but she was making House a little nervous. He didn't do well with great shows of emotion, positive or negative, and Cameron was positively gushing. Suddenly she wrapped him in a big bear hug.

"It's just so good to see you happy. I didn't think I'd ever see the day."

"Oookay…CHASE!" House quickly extricated himself from Cameron's grip. "Come get your woman. She's…gushing all over me. Make her stop!"

Cameron looked almost offended. Fortunately, Chase showed up to rescue them both. "Come on, Allie. He's not a teddy bear, you know." He turned to House, with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. She gets a little…huggy when she's been drinking."

"Great for you, not so much for me." House rubbed his shoulder where Cameron had squeezed him so enthusiastically. "Take her home and work some of that off already."

"Everything okay in here?" Avery showed up, nearly as unsteady on her feet as Cameron. She saw House rubbing his shoulder, and her eyes grew wide with concern. "Are you alright, baby?"

Chase snorted, Cameron giggled, and House fixed them both with a glare. "I'm fine. The girl Care Bear here just went a little crazy with the hugging action." He place an arm around Avery and kissed her temple. "You about ready to bail out?"

"Whenever you are." Avery gave Chase and Cameron each a quick hug, then staggered off to find Foreman and Hadley to say her goodbyes. House followed, nodding to the pair and limping off to find Avery.

Cameron nudged Chase in the side. "See? I told you. Totally head over heels. You should see the ring he gave her. It's fabulous."

Chase rolled his eyes as he guided Cameron out of the kitchen. "Don't get any crazy ideas. You've got a pair of pretty fabulous rings already, you know…"

# # #

House and Avery finally made it out of the apartment and out the main entrance. A light snow had begun to fall, dusting Avery's hair and eyelashes. To House, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

"Watch your step, babe. It's a little icy." Avery turned slightly to make sure House was still behind her as she carefully made her way down the steps. She started to slip on the last one, and House caught her arm just before she took a tumble.

She smiled up at him, her brown eyes sparkling in the snow. "My hero."

House snorted. "Hardly. Seems I recall leaving you high and dry not too long ago."

"What are you talking about?" Avery looked baffled until it dawned on her what he was saying. "Oh…"

She placed both hands on his face, drawing it closer to hers. "How many times do I have to say it? None of this was your fault, got it? I don't expect you to play Prince Charming, the knight in shining armor, any of that bullshit. That's not you." She kissed him firmly on the lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth. "I love you as you are, you snarky old cripple, and don't you ever forget it."

"Ah, that's just the booze talking." House grinned a little under Avery's powerful kiss. "I'm surprisingly okay with that, though." He kissed her back, pushing harder than she had, drawing her as close to him as he could, earning approving wolf whistles and hollers from a small group of college boys staggering down the sidewalk. One of them broke away and stumbled toward House.

"Dude, you are, like, so lucky. She's totally hot." He gestured at House, looking for a fist bump. House just looked at the kid as if he were crazy.

"Get the hell out of here. Can't you see I'm busy?" Avery giggled as the young man, looking a little hurt at House's rejection, staggered back to join his laughing friends. House turned back to Avery. "So...mind if I take you home?"

Avery smiled teasingly. "By 'home', you mean your place, right?"

"Duh."

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