The street lamps had been on for a while now as the snow danced underneath them. Addison found herself watching, stopping in her tracks and just... watching. But the street held so many distractions that these moments didn't last for very long before something else captivated her. There were getting to be more and more sounds, louder and louder as more and more people began to crowd around her. They were going from building to building laughing and talking, some shooting her glances every now and then, but then continuing on their way. Addison moved through the crowds watching and smiling in excitement. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She had never felt this free in her entire life. The air smelled like car gasoline and burned food, but she didn't mind. It was far better then the sterile smells of the hospital or the musty smell of her "cage" at her mother's house. Her mind suddenly shot back to the room and she looked for something to distract her out of thinking about it. It came sooner than she had expected, in the form of... a television. Since leaving the captivity of her mother, this flashing box with little people in it was her favorite thing in the world. Like a moth to flame, she made her way across the street to the window of a bar, where the television blared a basketball game. She pressed her hands against the window and watched, the rest of the world melted around her.

"Hey, don't do that! Don't touch the glass." A booming voice next to her yelled and she shrank back in surprise to see a large man in a black sweatshirt standing in the doorway. "You wanna' watch it, go inside and watch... wait..." The man stared at Addison, his face contorted in thought. "You look really familiar. Damn!" His face changed instantly from thought to excitement and Addison was having a hard time trying to make sense of all the emotions begin shown to her. "Hey Reggie! Reggie!" The man was leaning into the door of the bar now yelling. "Reggie, get your ass out here damn it!" There was a moments pause as the big man simply stared at Addison a huge grin on his face. Then, out from behind the door came a thin man with wild hair and a faded skull on his shirt.

"What is it man? I got a hole bar full of people back there."

"Look who it is!" The big man shoved a thick finger towards Addison's direction. "Its that frickin' wild kid. You know in the papers?"

"Jesus, I think you're right." Reggie grinned too and leaned on the door frame for a moment watching Addison intently. Not being able to take any more of this intense eye contact, Addison slowly started to back away from the window, not caring about the television anymore.

"Wait, where are you going? You, uh, you wanna' come in?" Reggie began. Addison stopped and looked quizzically at both men. "Come on, first one's on me. Maybe you can sign something for my wall, bars do better if a celebrity comes to them, yah know?" Reggie held the door open smiling. Addison peered into the door and to her amazement saw that the bar was full of televisions, everywhere, and they were all showing something different. She smiled at Reggie and began up the steps.

"There ya' go, yeah come on in. Good call Mosh." Reggie shot back to the man at the door who gave him a thumbs up and then was forced to deal with the line of complaining people who had been waiting in the cold to get in.

* * * *

"We get a phone call, right? Isn't that how this works? A phone call?" Wilson was frantic. He couldn't believe that he was sitting in the police station accused of being a rapist in handcuffs.

"Yeah, you do. You do get a phone call, after I talk with you." The sergeant sat in front of them shuffling through paper work and sipping his coffee slowly. Presently he looked up, distracted by Wilson leg twitching out of control. "Why are you so jumpy Mr. Wilson?"

"He's new at this." House began.

"New at what?" The sergeant shot back, already knowing that he wasn't going to like this man with the cane.

"At having to deal with you imbeciles arresting people for nothing. I, on the other and, have been through this system before." House didn't even make eye contact with the sergeant. He had his head resting on the back of his chair, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you telling me, Mr. House, that you've been arrested before?" The sergeant eased back as if he had just made a huge point.

"Isn't that what that paperwork tells you? Or is that just a clever prop to make my friend and I pee our pants?" House now looked the sergeant in the eye.

"I don't think you quite get the kind of trouble that you two are in right now. If you did, you'd be answering my questions and not issuing me a handful of smart ass remarks. Do you have any idea the kind of looks you two were getting from the other cops on the way in here, hell even the other inmates? Do you know how easy it would be for me just to throw you in one of those cells back there? One of the ones full of guys with sisters... daughters... mothers? How long do you think you'd last?" The sergeant was sitting on the edge of his chair staring House coldly in the eye. House could tell that if this man had half a chance he would "commit police brutality" on both he and Wilson.

"House, tell him you've been arrested." Wilson snapped, leg going a mile a minute now.

"He knows I've been." House refused to break eye contact with the argent, refused to let him win.

"What were you two doing to that girl?" The sergeant broke contact with House and moved to Wilson.

"The girl is a patient of ours. Addison Hopwood. She escaped from the hospital. Our superior called you to tell you to put men out to look for her. That was her, we were trying to bring her back to the hospital."

"Is she dangerous?"

"No. But the world is to her. She can't be out by herself. Look if you just let me call the hospital I'm sure I can get this cleared up." The sergeant looked at Wilson and took another long sip of his coffee. He waited a minute... two minutes... what seemed like five minutes and then stood and walked away.

"Wait... where's he going? Are we getting the phone call?" Wilson perked as he watched the sergeant walk away.

"A million bucks says he's going to talk to his boss to see what the odds are that we're going to sue. Probably make it easier for them just to stick us in a cell, make it look like there really was a valid reason for arresting us. Don't want the pigs to look stupid." House stared at the ceiling trying not to think about Addison wandering around alone.

Five minutes later the sergeant was back and Wilson instantly knew the news wasn't going to be good.

"Okay, we're going to put you guys in a cell in the back until we get this sorted out." Another officer flanked the sergeant's side until there were two sets of menacing eyes staring at them.

"I'm telling you, you let me have my phone call... or HIS phone call for that matter." Wilson motioned to House, who pretended to act shocked, "and this is sorted out, in five minutes."

"It'll just be for a bit, just until I have a chance to talk to the chief."

"You got a million bucks Wilson?" House mumbled as both were grabbed by the arm.

* * * *

"So then I told her that I was through and you know what see said?"

"What?"

"She said that she had been seeing this guys for months... months! And they had an apartment together, some little piss hole on Jefferson Ave."

"Oh man that sucks." Addison sat on the bench next to the man who was talking and felt the room around her spin. She had never felt her head feel so heavy.

"What do you think Wild Child? That sucks right?" When there was no response the man at the bar slapped her on the back and said,

"Yeah, it sucks, yeah." Addison slowly turned towards the man, whose eyes looked as heavy as hers felt. Ever since she had sat down to watch the TV they had been giving her bad tasting water, but she was sure that if she stopped drinking it she wouldn't be allowed to watch the TV as everyone sitting around her was drinking it. Now Addison felt strange as if the stool underneath her was moving on its own and it made her smile. She watched the man next to her form the words with his mouth and somewhere from inside her she made the same motion with her mouth and let sound come out.

"Yyyyyyeahhhhhhhh." Everyone around her erupted in cheers and laughter.

The bartender smiling, filled a small glass in front of her with some clear liquid.

"Here kid." Addison's head swiveled and she looked down at it not knowing what to do. She looked to the man next to her who was showing her his small glass and putting it up to his mouth. She grabbed the glass and did the same. The taste was horrible and she coughed as it burned her throat, making her eyes tear up. There was another round of applause and cheers as she set the drink down. The room got more wild as the spinning increased and increased. She gripped the wood of the bar for stability. Presently she pushed herself away from the bar and stood, trying to find her feet. She could see her sneakers and then the wood of the floor and then it felt like a split second she was to the door.

"Wild Child!!!!" The bartender and the man that had been seated next to her yelled out and clinked their glasses together laughing. She turned towards them with a huge smile on her face.

"Yeahhhhh." She grinned drunkenly and pushed open the door.

The cold air hit her like a ton of bricks, but her face felt hot, as she stumbled out of the bar and started down the sidewalk. She looked down at her hands and smiled widely, they looked so funny, she let out a snort of laughter and let her head fly back against the wind. She felt wonderful. Her head was spinning and the stars above her seemed to follow in suit. She wondered how everyone else was able to walk so straight. She kept stumbling down the street, shivering now as the wind and snow cut through the sweatshirt she was wearing.

As she walked the streets began to get less and less populated by people and it became quiet and dark. The feeling was amazing as the world spun around her and she wondered what it would be like if she were to jump, would she be lifted right off the ground? She grinned and began to run and then after a few seconds jumped high into the air. She landed and fell over, her legs feeling wobbly under her. She giggled and got up, staring up at the stars. She stood watching them twinkle above her, grinning widely and then at the top of her lungs,

"YEAHHHHHHH!" She giggled and continued to stare up at the sky. All of a sudden the contrast of the dark to the lighted stars was interrupted by headlights. There was a black car making its way down the quiet street towards her. She glanced at it for a moment and then looked back up at the stars, thinking that it would just keep going by like the others had. But the car came closer and then slowed to a stop next to her. There was the sound of an automatic window going down and she turned to see who it was, the man with the stick maybe.

"Hey there cookie." It was a voice that was unfamiliar to her. "It's cold out here isn't it? Wanna' hop in? I could take you were you need to go." She couldn't see the man's face only hear his voice. She walked up to window to see who it was, drunken grin still plastered on her face. Just then the door in front of her was kicked open slamming into her knee and sending her tumbling to the ground. She whined in pain and felt the feeling of strong arms scooping her up around her waist and hauling her towards the car. She struggled and kicked, screaming, but to no avail, she soon found herself being thrown into the car and felt it speed off.