A/N: I know this one is really short, and I am sorry about that. But the next one will be longer, I promise. And House still isn't mind, no matter how much I plead.

Chapter 5

Twenty-Six

Thursday morning dawned clear and crisp. Stunned would be an understatement in describing the reaction of the twenty one remaining fellows to find House already at the conference table, leafing through a slim stack of papers.

"Dr. House, why isn't 5 wearing his number?" 14 asked petulantly.

"Because I'm keeping him. He gets to have a name now," House said. He then turned to 5. "What's your name again?"

"Duncan," he answered, without a shadow of a doubt that House knew exactly what his name was.

"Do we have a patient?" 11 asked hopefully as she eyed the pages spread across the glass.

"No, we have Dr. Paul Simkins," House said, flipping the page he was reading.

"Who's Dr. Paul Simkins?" 11 asked.

"Me," answered 15 with surprise. "Dr. House?"

"15?" House mimicked his tone.

"Is that my CV?"

"Your medical file," House announced. "And your credit report, criminal record and college transcripts." Several people gasped along with 15 in a mixture of shock, anger and fear. House looked up at 15 briefly. "You're boring."

"Dr. House, you have no right, you can't just …" 15 stuttered his protest as his face grew steadily more flushed under House's stare.

"Class, what is rule number eight?" House asked, tilting his head to the side while keeping 15 pinned with an inquisitive gaze.

"You don't follow rules," 8 answered promptly.

"How appropriate," House smirked. "And what is rule number four?" House glanced around and then paused. "Huh, already fired 4. Anyone else?"

"You don't care if it's illegal, immoral or unethical," 8 answered again.

"Nobody likes a suck-up," House answered back. "But, correct. 15, is there a problem?"

15 didn't answer, merely unpinned his number and gathered the pages spread across the conference table before silently exiting the conference room.

House registered a look of mild surprise. "More?"

There was no response, but later that afternoon when House slipped over the balcony wall from Wilson's office and back into his own, he found three more numbers left on his desk. He frowned a little when he picked up 11. She was hot.

His disappointed musing was short-lived, as 26 entered his office from the hall. Expecting to have another number to add to the growing pile, House was surprised when 26 held out a large manila envelope.

"My medical file, criminal record, credit report, college transcripts and an embarrassing naked baby picture," 26 said. House raised a questioning eyebrow as he accepted the envelope. "Unless one of us is a serial killer, all of those reports are going to be boring. The interest is only because you're not supposed to have them. I figured mine might be a little less intriguing if it wasn't ….illicit."

"Give me your number," House ordered. 26 hesitated, not willing to give up his chance without a fight. "You get to have a name now too."

-Good, bad, indifferent?-