A/N: As I mentioned before, this is the last chapter so I can move on to other projects. I want to thank you for reading this story and for leaving reviews :) It inspires me to come up with ideas for more stories :) I also want to thank Hughville for being an awesome beta for me :) She and I are working on a new story as we speak so hang in there :) Anyway, here we go! Enjoy!

Chapter Seven

House called Allegra at the end of the day with the good news about the lab results for their tests but it went straight to voicemail. He left a short message, grabbed his stuff and headed home to catch the game with Wilson.

"So how much did you make at the club?" Wilson asked as they sat and enjoyed a beer.

"A little over four hundred."

"Wow! That's awesome."

"Yeah, I was expecting maybe a hundred, tops, but the place was packed so we also got a cut of the cover fee."

"Nice. So are you going to play with them again?"

"Most likely."

XXX

Meanwhile, at Allegra's, she and Otto waited for Rick's friend, Brett, to show up and audition.

"Just so we're clear," Allegra said, "we both have to like him."

Otto nodded. "Rick said he was a bit of a hot head. Not sure that will mesh with you."

"Well, it's our band so it's not like we have to keep him if he doesn't work out. There are tons of guitar players in this city."

"House, included," Otto said with a grin.

"Exactly. But we need someone regular and Greg is a doctor and more of a piano player."

There was a knock on the door so Allegra got up and let the guy in. He took one look at Allegra and grinned like a cheshire cat, showing off a couple of missing teeth.

"You her?" he asked with a bit of a southern drawl. He looked her up and down, taking in her hat, t-shirt, jeans and silver Doc Martens.

"She has a name," Otto muttered, already not impressed.

However, Allegra was always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt so she let him in and pointed to the amp.

"We're going to be doing a tribute show for Rick next weekend so I hope you know lots of Rush."

Brett rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. Do you?"

Allegra was taken by surprise at that question. Was this guy for real?

"Look, pal," Otto snapped, "we're letting you audition because Rick recommended you. But it doesn't mean you have the gig. So drop the attitude."

"Whatever. So are you the keyboard player?" he asked Allegra.

"No, I'm the drummer. So let's see what you've got." She took a seat behind her monster kit and waited for Brett. "What do you want to do?"

"Tom Sawyer works for me."

"Cool. Let's jam," Otto said and Allegra counted them off before she started to play. Brett watched her with scrutiny, like he was just waiting for her to somehow screw up but she played the entire song flawlessly.

"You're pretty good, for a chick."

Allegra frowned. "Am I supposed to be flattered by that? What? You think women can't play the drums as good as men? Would you say that to a female guitar player, too?"

"Probably."

She'd about had it with his attitude and she could tell Otto was about ready to toss him out on his ear.

"Do you know Lithium by Nirvana?" Otto asked him

"Yeah, but I hate Nirvana. Too emo for me."

"Well Rick liked them, and we're throwing in some Nirvana songs for good measure."

They played Lithium and Brett was decent, but Allegra and Otto both knew he wasn't going to work out. His guitar playing was decent but his voice left little to be desired. Rick was always able to sing anything, any genre, from blues to metal. Brett seemed more like a one trick pony whose ego was a lot bigger than his talent.

"We'll let you know," Otto said. "We'll see you at the funeral on Saturday, right?"

"That's mostly why I came out here. I wasn't going to, cuz it's kinda far, but then he died so I thought I'd come and pay my respects. And he talked about you guys a lot and how good you are so I also wanted to see for myself."

Allegra didn't care what he thought of her or Otto. All she did know was that she hoped Greg would be willing to play with them again if they couldn't find someone in time.

"So do I have the gig or what?" Brett asked them.

"I said we'll let you know," Otto snapped. "You can go now. Buh-bye."

Brett looked at Allegra as if he expected her to ask him to stay.

"We have other people auditioning," she told him.

"Seriously? Rick said it was a sure thing."

"As we said, we'll let you know."

"Whatever. Oh, and you look like a dude and that hat is dumb," Brett said to Allegra as he put his guitar back in its case.

"Get the fuck outta here," Otto said as he advanced on Brett, prepared to throw him out himself, even though he was half the man's height.

Allegra merely laughed out loud. "If I want your opinion I'll beat it outta ya. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Buh-bye."

Once Brett was gone, Allegra went to the bar fridge and tossed Otto a beer. "Can you believe that guy?" she groaned.

"No, I really can't. This is the twenty-first century for God's sake. I thought misogyny and sexism toward female musicians was gone with the wind."

"I hoped it was, but clearly it isn't if jerks like that guy still exist."

"Maybe we need another woman in the band."

Allegra nodded. "Know of any?"

"Not off the top of my head, but I'm sure they're out there."

"I'll post something online and see if we get any nibbles. Greg said he'd fill in when needed, so long as he doesn't have a patient."

"That's fine, but what if he does? We need a singer and a guitar player and I don't care if it's a guy in drag, so long as she's good."

Allegra giggled. "We're an equal opportunity band for real."

XXX

Rick's funeral had a decent turnout, but Allegra wished House was there with her. As she mingled with some of Rick's family, Cec walked in. She excused herself and marched over to him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"What do you mean? I knew Rick. I just thought I'd come pay my respects."

"You didn't even like him. And don't let it burst your bubble but he never liked you, either."

"Bullshit."

Allegra shrugged. "So you've paid your respects, made it seem like you care. You can go now. Bye."

But Cec wasn't finished with her yet and he pulled her back. "Where's the gimp?"

"His name is Greg, and he's not here. A funeral shouldn't be anyone's idea of a date. Well, except maybe yours."

"Some boyfriend he is. Not even coming to support you. If you were my girlfriend…"

"Well I'm not anymore, thank God. And Greg didn't even know Rick so he didn't see the point in coming and I told him it was fine, and I'm fine. So you can stop hovering and leave."

"Do you need a ride home later?"

"Nope. I'm not going home after this. Bye, Cec," she said and went back to her conversation.

When Allegra stepped out of the building, it was raining harder than she'd ever seen. The droplets were huge and the winds were close to hurricane strength. By the time she got to the safety of her car across the lot, she was soaked to the skin and it was a very uncomfortable drive to House's apartment.

He opened the door, saw her and laughed as he stepped aside to let her in. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

"Shut up," she muttered as she came in and gave her hair a shake.

"What happened?"

"There's a storm in them thar hills."

"How romantic. Follow me," he said and went to his bedroom where he dug out a T-shirt and sweatpants. "Here, put these on and toss your stuff in the dryer. I ordered pizza and it'll be here in a bit."

"Can I take a shower? I'm freezing."

"Sure," he said and then added a towel to the other items.

Fifteen minutes later, she entered the living room wearing his clothes that were huge on her and her wet hair was in a low ponytail.

"Cute," he chuckled as he moved over and made room for her on the couch. "So how was the funeral?"

"It was good, as far as funerals go. A few people got up and said some nice things, shared funny stories. Then Cec showed up, which was a little tacky but whatever. I told him to go home. Rick didn't like him anyway."

"How come?"

"They just never got along. Cec was jealous because Rick and I had always been close. Well, I've known Rick a hell of a lot longer than Cec. And before you ask, no, we never dated. He was more like a big brother type. We used to live next door to each other when we were kids and then he moved away, but then he moved back to town years later and we decided to start a band, since we love music and we used to play in his garage all the time. We put on concerts for the kids in the neighborhood."

House chuckled and the knock at the door let him know the pizza arrived. "What kind of music did you play?" he asked as he headed for the door to answer it.

"Anything and everything, really."

House took the pizza, tipped the guy and then shut the door in his face before returning to the couch.

"Wanna grab us both a beer?" he asked as he opened the box and took a slice. Allegra rolled her eyes but got up and grabbed two bottles and brought them back, handing him one. "Thanks."

He was already on his second slice when he noticed she'd barely touched her first one. "Not hungry?"

"I guess not," she sighed and shoved her plate towards him. "I did eat a little bit at the reception but I'm just...sad."

House nodded, finished off his slice and reached for hers, which had gone cold, but he didn't care.

"I guess it's all sinking in that he's really gone," she said softly.

"That happens."

Allegra sighed and leaned over, resting her head against House's shoulder as he continued to eat her slice, and when he finished, he sat back and wrapped his arm around her as she sobbed quietly.

"Sorry…" she murmured.

"It's fine."

"I hate crying in front of people."

"Everyone does, but it's good to just let it out."

"I know. Still doesn't mean I have to like it," she sniffed.

"So how did that guy's audition go?"

That made her sit up straight and she wiped at her eyes. "Oh my God, he was rude, stupid and misogynistic."

House laughed. "Tell me how you really feel. Some have said the same about me. Except the stupid part."

"You're not misogynistic."

"No, I'm just misanthropic."

"I'll take a misanthrope over a misogynist any day. He was just a cocky jerk and if I hadn't kicked him out, Otto would have, and used his head to bust open the door. So now we're back to square one, trying to find a replacement. We'd love for you to play with us in the meantime."

He nodded. "As long as I don't have a patient, I'm good to go."

"Awesome because we need you." She placed her hand on his cheek and gently stroked his whiskers. "I need you."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to help me forget about today."

"I can do that. Let's clear up this stuff and go to bed. It's getting late anyway."

"Okay," she nodded and helped him take the things to the kitchen while he put the leftover pizza in the fridge. Allegra went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck before giving him a soft kiss.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For just being here. For everything."

He smiled down at her and gave her a quick peck in return. "You're welcome. Now let's go to bed. And I'll turn that frown upside down," he said with a smirk that made her giggle and she scampered down the hall towards his bedroom as he followed close behind.

The end

A/N: Also, before you ask, there will NOT be any sequels to this story. That is all LOL ;) I love you guys!