Hey, sorry for the bit of time between this chapter and the last. Real life has been kind of kicking my ass. But, thank you guys so much for the awesome comments.


Katharine stood in front of Cuddy as they prepared to enter through a door that would lead them down a long hallway and to a room containing Neil.

"You ready?" Katharine asked Cuddy.

Cuddy glanced at the guard standing with them and nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay."

Katharine gave a nod to the guard. He used his key to open the door and he escorted them down the hallway. There were rooms on both sides of the hallway, the glass on the doors to each room allowing Cuddy to see inside.

A few rooms contained other prisoners, but most rooms were empty. It was a simple set up. A table, a chair on either side, and that was it.

"Here's how it will go," Katharine said to Cuddy. "I will talk with him while having an officer on the phone. When he gives us the information, we wait to see if it checks out."

Cuddy frowned. "How are you going to do that?"

"The police force on standby that is the closest to the destination will head out," Katharine told her. "Hopefully, it'll only take a few hours. If it checks out, you will go in. It will only be you, Neil, and a guard. I'll be waiting outside, listening in. If he threatens you or is offensive, anything like that, you will be pulled out."

"Okay." Cuddy nodded.

The guard stopped at a door on the left. Katharine stopped next to him and faced Cuddy. Cuddy drew in a deep breath, refusing to take a peek into the room.

"Any questions?" Katharine asked.

"No," Cuddy answered.

"Then, let's do this." Katharine gave her a tight smile. She turned to small box next to the door and turned a knob on it. A little green light came on. Katharine looked back at Cuddy. "You can listen in with this."

Cuddy nodded again, slightly overwhelmed. Katharine indicated to the guard to open the door. He slid his key card in and opened the door for Katharine.

She entered into the room cooly, her eyes on Neil as he sat on the other side of the table. A guard was standing behind Neil, but Katharine paid him no mind. She seated herself across from Neil and pulled out her cell phone. She punched in a number and set the opened phone on the table.

"She's really out there?" Neil raised his eyebrows, his eyes on the door.

"Yes," Katharine answered crisply.

"Can I see her?" Neil asked.

"Only when you give us the information we're looking for," Katharine replied and crossed one of her legs over the other.

"I need to know she's out there," Neil told her.

Katharine turned in her chair and faced the doorway. "Lisa, can you please look through the window on the door?"

Cuddy froze at the command. She hesitated, but she knew she had to do it in order for Katharine to get anywhere with Neil. She stepped up next to the glass and waited there a moment. She didn't look up, however, she didn't look at him.

As quickly as she stepped in, she stepped back. Katharine felt a bit of pride in Cuddy for the strength she was showing. Katharine turned back around in her chair and locked eyes with Neil.

"Now, care to start?" Katharine flipped open a notebook and took out her pen.

"Nina Rossetto," Neil began, completely emotionless. "She lived in Jim Thorpe. Pennsylvania."

"With you so far." Katharine stopped scribbling notes and made eye contact again. "Where is she?"

"Hickory Run," Neil answered and a small smirk crossed over his lips. "The boulder field. Walk past the sign in front, go straight across the boulders until you reach the woods. Walk two hundred feet. There's a tree stump with three rocks around it. To the left of that, you'll find Nina." He paused and cocked his head to the side. "Now... Lisa?"

"Once your story checks." Katharine picked up her cell phone and held it up to her ear, but her eyes remained on Neil. "Give us a few hours."

"That's bullshit." Anger flashed over Neil's face. "I'm telling the truth."

"I'm sure," Katharine replied with sarcasm.

Katharine stood from her chair and picked up her notebook. She turned and headed from the room, the guard in the hall opening the door for her. Cuddy stared at Katharine.

"Now, what?" Cuddy asked.

"We wait for word." Katharine snapped her cell phone closed. "Police are already heading for this Hickory Run place."


Katharine paced outside of the room Neil was being held in. Cuddy had her back against the wall as she leaned on it. She wondered what House was doing without her.

"What the hell is going on?"

Cuddy jumped at the sound of Katharine's voice. She looked over at her to see that Katharine was now on her cell phone.

"It's been four hours," Katharine said into the phone.

"Listen, we got here as fast as we could, but do you know how many fucking boulders are here?" the voice of a Detective Holt spoke through the phone. "It took us a half hour to walk across the damn thing. Jordan twisted his damn ankle."

"I don't care," Katharine replied. "Find the damn body so we can get the hell out of here."

"We're looking, Adair," Holt bitterly told her. "Get the stick out of your ass."

"I'd ask you to help with that, but it would take another week," Katharine spat back.

"Fuck you."

"You wish." Katharine turned her back to Cuddy.

Holt sighed on his end. "I'll call if we find anything."

"So, I've got about a month?" Katharine asked.

There was a click and Katharine knew he had hung up on her. She snapped her cell phone closed and faced Cuddy. She gave her a small smile.

"You don't get along with them, do you?" Cuddy said.

"They're a bunch of idiots." Katharine rolled her eyes. "Men."

Cuddy gave a nod toward the door to the room Neil was in. "He's been in there for four hours. You think he'd be pissed."

"He's playing it cool in case I flake out," Katharine replied, slightly distracted, as she walked back over toward Cuddy.

"You mean, in case I flake out," Cuddy corrected.

Katharine held her eye contact. "Yeah."

"I won't," Cuddy told her. "I'm doing this for Nina."

"You're braver than I am." Katharine's eyebrows flicked up and she diverted her eyes.

The cell phone in Katharine's hand began to ring. She quickly flicked it open and brought it up to her ear.

"Got something?" she asked into the phone.

"Skull." It was Detective Holt.

"How do I know it's hers?" Katharine, again, turned her back to Cuddy.

"Dug a little deeper," Holt told her. "Broken collarbone when she was sixteen. Pretty sure it's her."

Katharine let out a sigh. "All right. Thanks." She hung up her phone and turned back to Cuddy. "He said it's her."

Cuddy nodded and realized that she wished it wasn't Nina they had found. She drew in a breath, hoping it would give her more strength to do this.

"So, I just go in there?" Cuddy looked to the closed door.

"If you want to," Katharine replied.

"It's part of the deal." Cuddy felt her muscles tightening in her body. She gave a nod to the guard standing by the door.

The guard swiped his key card and opened the door for Cuddy. Cuddy swallowed hard to prevent herself from vomiting on the spot. She passed Katharine and stepped into the room. Neil perked up in his seat, a smile crossing over his face.

"I said I was telling the truth," he said to her as his smile grew even more. He nodded to the chair across from him. "Take a seat."

"No." Cuddy shook her head, unable to move her feet.

"Come on, Lisa." Neil raised his eyebrows. "For old time's sake."

"Why did you want to see me?" Cuddy asked.

"If I can see you without the guard, I'll tell you where another body is," Neil offered.

The was a click at the door and it opened. Cuddy turned to look as Katharine stood in the doorway. Katharine locked eyes with Neil and shook her head.

"No. And hurry up. Your time is limited. And any offensive or threatening comments will not be tolerated."

"Leave," Neil spat at her.

Katharine stepped back and the door closed. Cuddy looked back over at Neil.

"She is such a bitch," Neil commented, but he quickly removed any anger from his face. "Come on, Lisa, sit down."

"No," Cuddy told him again.

"What?" he asked. "Trying to gain back some control or something? Don't even bother. I'm going to be in your head until the day you die."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cuddy shook her head slightly. "You were like... two different people."

A smirk appeared on Neil's face. "No. I wasn't."

Neil stood from his chair and Cuddy backed up. Her eyes went to the guard, but he didn't move, let alone look at her. Neil took a step, but he was chained to the table and it clanked at the sudden tension of metal on metal. He stopped, his eyes on Cuddy.

"I still scare you," he said simply.

"You were going to kill me," Cuddy offered as the reason she was still scared of him.

Neil raised his eyebrows. "I was going to do more than that."

Cuddy didn't reply, but diverted her eyes instead. Neil sat down and leaned back casually in his chair.

"Where's Dr. House?" Neil asked her.

"That's none of your business," Cuddy answered.

"I was so stupid to fall for you," he told her. "I thought you were too perfect. I should have known you were already taken."

Cuddy shook her head. "I wasn't."

A frown crossed his face, but his words were still casual. "Don't lie to me, you bitch. You were."

"I'm going," Cuddy announced, preparing herself to walk out of that room and never look back.

"No." Neil sat up. "Sit with me."

"No," Cuddy replied.

"Lisa." Neil clenched his teeth and his voice hardened. "Sit. I fucking told you where I buried that cunt, so you should sit your ass down."

There was another click at the door and it flew open. Katharine gave a wave to Cuddy. "Come on, Lisa."

"Bitch!" Neil stood and the guard in the room moved closer to him. "This is not how it's suppose to go!"

"Too bad life isn't fair, Neil," Katharine told him as she entered into the room. "If it was, you'd be dead now." Katharine gave a tug on Cuddy's arm. "Let's go, Lisa."

"You're a coward!" Neil's eyes were locked with Cuddy's. "A fucking coward bitch!"

Katharine pulled Cuddy from the room and the guard closed the door behind them. He followed them as Katharine led the way back down the hallway to where they had entered from. Cuddy kept her eyes on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Katharine asked, her eyes focused on Cuddy. "Lisa. Talk to me. Are you okay?"

"I'm... no." Cuddy stopped at the door that would lead them out as the guard moved around them to open the door. Cuddy drew in a breath and brought her eyes to Katharine. "No. Yeah, I'm all right. He can't-" She bit her bottom lip. "He can't hurt me. He just wants to... own me... have control. I won't... can't let him."

Katharine nodded and reached out a comfortingly hand to place on Cuddy's arm, but Cuddy stepped away and out the door once the guard had opened it. Katharine paused a moment and then followed after Cuddy.