Disclaimer: Fox owns House, Md. and all of its characters. Sera and anyone else you don't recognize belong to me!

CHAPTER 3

James Wilson strolled into the Diagnostics department, looking for House. He checked his office and the conference area. Chase, Foreman, and Cameron were sitting in the room, working on files. Before he could ask, Foreman said, "House went down to the clinic."

Wilson's eyebrows went up. "No, I'm looking for Gregory House." Foreman chuckled. "Yeah, I know. He's in the clinic. Wilson glanced at the clock on the wall, and then looked at his watch just to be certain he wasn't crazy. "But…it's only 9:30!" Cameron smiled at Wilson's confusion. "Wilson, he was due in clinic at 9:00."

Wilson nodded. "Yes, I realize that. This is House we're talking about. Normally it takes at least an hour before Cuddy can round him up and browbeat him into the clinic. Now you're telling me he's already there? He went voluntarily?"

Chase answered. "Things have been a bit different around here while you've been off teaching that pain management class for Dr. Houston."

Wilson rolled his eyes at the understatement. "Obviously!" He was about to say more when they all heard the clicking of Cuddy's heels. She came into the room and said to Wilson, "Come with me. You have GOT to see this. You won't believe it!"

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Wilson and Cuddy, along with Elaine, the clinic nurse manager, watched House take patient after patient in the clinic for nearly an hour. Wilson's mouth was hanging open while Cuddy looked stunned. At the end of the hour, they saw House try to creep away after dropping an unfinished file on the nurse's desk. Sera didn't even glance at the file or look in House's direction, but she called out in a sweet voice, "Dr. House?" House, who was trying to make his way to the lobby, stopped in his tracks, cringing. Sera's eyes never left the computer where she was working as she said, "I think you forgot to finish making your notes in that file. And I have two more patients for you before you're done for the day."

House looked rebellious for a moment. Sera looked up from the computer, then got up, picked up the file, and held it out, waiting for House to come and get it. House, eyes flashing, limped angrily over to Sera and stood towering over her, not taking the file. "I'm finished for the day. I am NOT touching that file and I will NOT see any more patients. You're NOT my boss and I'm tired of you trying to order me around. And don't even THINK about calling Cuddy down here. I've seen ten patients in the last hour and I'm DONE!" House's voice became louder towards the end of his speech.

Sera's mouth dropped open, and then her eyes took on a dangerous glint. House took an involuntary step backwards before he realized what he'd done. Behind the pillar, Cuddy murmured under her breath, "Oh, he shouldn't have done that!" Wilson, who had been rather impressed with House's tirade, looked at her questioningly. Cuddy just smiled wryly at him. "Wait for it.", she advised.

Sera's voice was nearly as quiet as a whisper. "Did you just raise your voice to me, Dr. House? I know you did not disrespect me that way. Especially when all I did was my job. No, I'm not your boss, but OUR boss insists that all documentation be kept accurate and current. It's my job when I am charge nurse to see that that happens. Since YOU saw the patient, YOU are the only one who can make notations in the file. Since I'm not willing to risk my license filling out paperwork for you and forging your name, YOU have to do your job and update the file. Now, I don't give a flying flip what you do up in the diagnostics department, but here in MY department, you WILL do your job so that I can do mine. And don't you EVER raise your voice to me again, is that clear?"

Sera's voice stayed quiet, but with the emphasis she put on certain words and the way she was glaring at him, she might as well have been shouting. House even flinched at one point. Sera still held out the file to him. House glared at her and snatched the file from her hand. To his surprise (and the surprise of the three people watching them), Sera snatched the file back and said to him in a slightly raised voice, "Are you crazy? You just snatched something from me? I think you need to try that again." House looked at her for a moment like he was contemplating what drug he could slip her to finish her off, then he, with exaggerated slowness and gentleness, took the file from her then stalked off to exam room 2 to finish his paperwork, slamming the door behind him.

The three observers looked back at Sera, who was staring after House with narrowed eyes. As they watched, she smiled and said in a soft voice, "Good boy." Cuddy tugged on Wilson's lab coat and gestured in the direction of her office. He followed her, along with Elaine.

Once they arrived in Cuddy's office, Elaine and Wilson started chuckling. Wilson said, "I've never seen anyone handle House like that!" Elaine looked at Cuddy, who was biting her lower lip with a worried expression on face. Elaine asked the administrator, "So, now do you believe me? I think that idea Sonya had will work. It will keep House from bothering the nurses and it might rein him in a bit, too,"

Wilson looked at Cuddy. "What idea?" Cuddy sighed. "Another nurse manager was complaining about House's treatment of the nurses. She suggested that I assign a nurse to House's team…one that would work with House's patients whenever he was on duty to keep him from harassing the other staff members. I know House's team does a lot of the things that nurses often do, but they don't do it all. House can be a bit…testy with some of the nurses."

Elaine snorted at Cuddy's comment. "He can be a right bstard, you mean!" Cuddy glared at her, then shrugged. "I don't know if I like this idea. And I definitely don't want Sera to have to deal with him all the time!"

Wilson frowned at Cuddy. "Lisa, even I could see that Sera seemed to enjoy sparring with House." Cuddy frowned even more and muttered, "I know, that's what worries me." Cuddy had also seen what the other two might have missed. As Sera was fussing at him about snatching the file, Cuddy had caught the brief flash of intrigue in House's expression before he plastered his frown back on. The last thing Cuddy wanted to do was put Sera in close proximity with House if he was interested in figuring her out. House was the type of person that would not rest until he solved a puzzle. Cuddy shuddered slightly. In Sera's case, solving the puzzle could endanger her life.