Disclaimer: Not mine... sigh

A/N: Thanks for all the comments :) I hope you enjoy. It is a bit longer than the last few parts, and the next part will be longer still. However, this isn't my longest piece text wise; it is, however, seven parts long so far, with the potential to add more. But I like to leave things hanging, so I think seven will be enough.
Enough babble. Here's V :)


House maintained a look of deepest disinterest as he turned in the direction Wilson was indicating. Through the fog, he could make out Cameron's enchanting face. She was laughing, a cocktail held mere inches from her rosy lips. Chase and Foreman were with her, just as he knew they would be. There, seated beside her, was 'the stranger' from earlier.

House turned on Wilson, who was finally delivering his order to a waitress.

"Did you set this up?" he questioned sharply.

"I have to see these people all day, everyday, and now this?" he grumbled.

Wilson raised his brow and laughed.

"I didn't, I swear" he said in a none-too convincing tone.

"Maybe we should go say hi?" he questioned slowly.

House shot him a withering glare.

"It would be impolite not to" Wilson continued.

"And when have I worried over not being polite?" House retorted.

"They're your staff" Wilson said, clearly growing exhausted, "the least you could do is say 'hi'".

"No" House grumbled, "the least I can do is absolutely nothing. Suites me fine".

He frowned slightly and accepted his beer from the waitress, downing half the glass in a single gulp.


Cameron smiled as she brought the glass to her lips.

"As long as there are no onions, I'm in" she laughed.

Foreman turned round in his seat to wave at a nearby waitress.

"Oh my.." he said in a hushed voice, drawing Chase's attention.

"Well, will'ya look at that?" A smile spread across his face slowly.

"What?" Chase questioned, turning to see Wilson and House seated in a booth on the upper level of the small bar.

Chase's eyes widened in shock-- House, in a place of leisure? A place of leisure filled with hospital staff? Surely not! Foreman smirked at Chase, casting a quick look at Cameron-- she still hadn't noticed.

"I think I'll go order up at the bar" he called over the music.

Cameron nodded as Foreman rose to leave. Foreman approached the bar casually and leaned against it in wait for the next available waitress.


"What can I get'cha, cutie?" asked a slightly older woman with dark roots and too much mascara.

"Nacho platter, no onions, for that" he pointed to his group "table right there please, and another pitcher of Guinness".

The woman winked and put in the order.

Foreman forced an awkward smile before turning deliberately to his left, away from his table. Foreman smiled, and approached the table as if seeing House and Wilson for the first time.

"Dr. Wilson" he smiled, then, "Dr. House" he said in a slightly less enthusiastic tone.

"You guys come here often?" he questioned.

House frowned.

"Do I look like I come here often?" he scoffed.

Wilson laughed and shook his head.

"Foreman, good to see you. No, we don't. I just wanted to try something new. You can imagine how difficult that is with him" Wilson jerked his head in Houses' direction.

House feigned injury: "Ouch" he teased.

Foreman chuckled.

"Do you two have plans, or are you just hanging out?"

"No plans as of yet" House answered, a familiar note of sarcasm in his gruff voice, "but that could change once the hookers show up".

Foreman arched a brow and shook his head.

"Sorry to disappoint but Tuesday is Hooker night; tonight is $8.00 pitchers" he joked dryly.

"I'm here with Chase and Cameron... and some old friend of Cameron's" he continued, "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you joined us".

"Oh no-- we couldn't possibly impose" House said flatly.

"No imposition at all" Foreman insisted with a smile.

"We work together, it's no trouble to be civil outside of the workplace... even to you" Foreman assured him.

Wilson smiled. "If you're sure..." he began, casting a wary glance in Houses' direction.

"Definitely" Foreman smiled.

"Well, thanks" Wilson seemed pleased. Picking up his glass, he edged his way out of the booth.

House remained seated, frowning thoughtfully. Wilson leaned towards him.

"You know, it won't kill you" he muttered.

House picked up his glass and made his way out of the booth.

"It's never the fall that kills you; but that doesn't mean it's not unpleasant" he grumbled back.

Wilson rolled his eyes and laughed. The two men followed Foreman down the few steps to join the others.

"Look who I found!" Foreman said brightly, locking eyes briefly with Cameron as he stepped aside revealing a pleasant looking Wilson and a less-than-impressed looking House.

"I invited them to join us" Foreman smiled, taking his seat.

Cameron caught her breath and forced a smile, letting her eyes wander towards Foreman-- he looked like a ten year old with a secret.
Damn, damn, damn...
Wilson smiled as he pulled a chair up to the end of the table nearest Cameron. House dropped down beside Chase-- directly across from the unnerved Allison.

"Fancy running into you three here". Wilson was his usual, pleasant self.

House raised a brow, watching him with veiled suspicion. Cameron swallowed, attempting to quell the sudden uprising of carnivorous butterflies in her stomach.

"Mark Caster" she motioned to Mark beside her, "Dr. James Wilson" she smiled, "and Dr. Gregory House; my boss" she said in a slightly smaller voice.

Mark reached across her and shook Wilson's hand before extending his reach to House. House simply stared at him. Mark cleared his throat in discomfort.

"Pleasure" he said warily.

Allison gulped in a deep swallow of her martini. Wilson, ever the gentleman, sense her discomfort and broke the awkward silence.

"So, you two are...?"

"Friends" Mark smiled, "we grew up next door to each other".

Wilson nodded: "Wow, you two go way back, huh?"

"Since Ally here was six". Mark prodded her gently with his elbow.

"Five" she corrected softly.

Mark laughed, "Right..."

He drank from his glass. The silence persisted.

"Mark's a guitarist-- just passing through from a gig in Vegas" Chase offered helpfully, "solo tour".

Wilson raised his eyebrows; impressed.

"The exciting life of a musician" he chuckled.

Mark laughed dryly.

"If by 'exciting' you mean, 'exhausting', 'miserable', and 'penniless', then sure, it's exciting as hell!"

Wilson laughed at this. A waitress appeared and set a large tray of colorful nachos and another pitcher of beer on the table.

"Can I get you another, sweetie?" she questioned, noticing Cameron's almost-empty cocktail.

"No" Cameron smiled, just as Mark said "Yes, thanks".

Cameron turned to him.

"I really shouldn't..." she began.

Mark smiled at the waitress.

"She'll take another".

The waitress glanced at Cameron who nodded, smiling lightly.

"After that, no more" she muttered to Mark.

"Aw... c'mon Ally. I gotta get you drunk enough so I won't have to sleep on the couch" he teased, a boyish smirk playing at his full lips.

Chase released a loud laugh but stifled it when Cameron shot him an icy stare. Foreman chuckled to himself, pushing the tray of food further down the table towards Wilson and House.

"Help yourselves, guys" he insisted.

Cameron smiled softly, trying desperately to ignore the heat rising up the back of her neck. How could he have said that! She turned her face from Mark and picked up her glass to swallow the last of her cocktail. Over the rim she met Houses' gaze. Great, just what she needed-- no surprise what his foul mind would make of this...
The waitress appeared then and set Cameron's drink down. Cameron smiled and reached out to pick up a nacho.

"So, you said earlier that you two hadn't seen each other in a long time, Cameron" Foreman pressed. He wasn't going to make this easy on her.

"That's right-- about six years actually" she admitted.

"My my" Wilson said, popping a cheese-covered nacho into his mouth, "that's a long time."

"You went to school together?" House mused, finally speaking.

"Sure did" Mark smiled, "I was in music, and Ally here followed a year later in Dance".

Foreman laughed suddenly, choking slightly on his beer.

"What? Really!"

Cameron's cheeks grew pink. She smiled softly.

"Only for two years. I switched into biology and went pre-med a few semesters later".

"You guys see allot of each other?" Wilson queried, sipping his beer.

"We did then" Mark teased, "only it wasn't really me she was spending her time with".

Cameron held her breath and rested a hand on Mark's knee under the table, urging him to stop. She looked up at him with silent, pleading eyes. House knit his brow slightly, narrowing his gaze to observe her.

"Oh?" Foreman laughed.

"Yeah" he sighed, feigning sadness, "she was only after my best friend, James-- we were in music together. That's how he and Ally met" he smiled, nudging her shoulder.

"James?" Chase questioned.

House watched Cameron closely-- he knew where this was leading.

"Hey, did'ja hear the one about the cripple and the nun?" he interrupted.

"Yeah" Marks' smile was tinted with remembrance as he turned to Chase, "her husband".