Darkness Diablo: Muahahaha! My devious plan of converting those to House supporters is nearly complete! Err, sort of. And lol, Jane, I nearly forgot about her. I don't know what I'll do with her, but that will depend upon what I decide on what she claims about her and House. If her talk is just programming or if there really is some kind of something going on.

SwankDoll: Thank you much. :) Glad you're likin' the Swank bits. There are plenty more to come.

Function: I think I will remain mostly in the bounds of the Strip and close areas for the story. There will be times that I do follow her out on one of her missions, but I'm only going to try to write out things that I feel need to be told from her perspective or that I'm gong to change, as well as some original situations I'm going to be throwing in that are definitely not in the game and therefore cannot be glossed over. All in all I'm just kind of trying to go with the flow and keep the majority of the action between the relationship between Claire and House and the things that will make the most difference in that relationship.

KenzieGirl: I've been trying to loosely plan out the chapters in advance. Right now I've got about 11-12 planned for sure, and I know there will be more. At this time I'll try to project it to 20 to be on the safe side, but anything could happen, since I'm not sure where the original bits I'm going to be adding will play out yet.

KatrinaJG: I hope you had a nice work day! And I would absolutely love to hear what else you're thinking. So if you want you can also PM me. :) And yeah, House is a total badass. Even Swank's like "I'm glad the Legion stays out cause House would totally kick their ass." (Or something similar.) So one little network intrusion is nothing. I have to agree, the "don't be coy" comment caught me a little off guard the first time, in a good way, especially because of the inflection. House's voice is just... I think "unf" covers it for now. But as for the way that House treats the Courier's decisions, and him/her doing work for others, its probably one of the big reasons that I find myself House's girl through and through. I like bits of what the Legion does, and bits of the NCR, but overall House just has it right. And I think he has the confidence enough to understand that as long as the personal work for him is still being done it shouldn't matter what else they do for others (as long as they don't try to betray him, of course). I don't know whether its supposed to be viewed as arrogance on his part that no one could do anything to him by his inaction to certain things, but I see it more of, despite the things people have done to him, almost this want to trust the Courier. Am I rambling? I hope not.

A Terminal Affair

5

From: Terminal 292-A

To: (Blocked Location)

Subject: Lose-Lose Situations

Have you ever been in a morally ambiguous situation? One that you knew that no matter what you did you would be letting somebody down, and because of the circumstances neither option is quite acceptable. I have found myself in one of those situations tonight. On one hand I know the choice I want to make and know that its right, but on the other hand so is the other one. In one choice I have the option to potentially help a lot of people, which is something I've found that I really want to do. I never really have been able to make a difference in my life, trapped by my own inability to do anything about what's going on around me.

Lately I've had a unique leg up in the world and have done some pretty amazing and helpful things. I think more people need to take a stand in this world and try to help out others, make this world a better place. However, the big problem with the help loads of people option is that its not a for sure thing in my opinion, and to do it I would not only have to probably lie to, but also deceive my boss. Which, I can't reconcile in my mind. And to answer your question from before: yes, I do trust my boss. He's more than a little unorthodox but as far as I can tell he's never lied to me and means everything he says. Although, he does like to be very cryptic at times.

I'm not necessarily asking you what I should do. I'm just tired of having to deal with decisions like these by myself and need to vent. It's probably very unfair that since I've started messaging you all I've done is complain about my position in life. It makes me sound like I don't have my shit together – and maybe I don't. Maybe I'm just selfish or afraid. Afraid of losing the cushy life I've been given, despite its difficulties at times. Like things aren't complicated enough without this new issue rearing its ugly head. I mean, this woman comes out of nowhere like some kind of labcoat ninja and turns my entire world upside down. Or sideways. It was kind of upside down to begin with.

Oh, on a lighter note I actually got to go out and have some fun tonight. I'm not much the party type but no matter who you are the Tops is a swinging place, especially if you've got friends there. It was nice for once not to worry about anything and just relax. Too bad it didn't last. Its like the world just looks for ways to bring my spirit down. Heh.

I hope you're having more luck in your little corner of existence than I am. And I love the sound of your job. The simplicity is something I would actually love. It sounds like you always know what you should do and when, as well as fairly peaceful. You guys hiring?

Night had crawled into day, as Claire lay awake in bed. She had tried to sleep after returning home, but nothing would hush the storm brewing in her mind about the conversation she'd had with Emily Ortal, the Followers technician. If she could she would have willed it into some jet-induced vision and shove the whole situation under a rock. Unfortunately her conscience wasn't allowing her to forget something like that. A sloshing noise interrupted her thoughts and she realized that she was tapping her foot anxiously in the small basin of salt-water she had under her desk for her aching feet. With a deep sigh she hit send, not being able to think of anything more to say to her new friend at this time and lifted her feet from the water; it was beginning to get cold anyway.

While she was gently toweling them off she heard Victor calling her name from the doorway and heard something about House. Dread gripped her for an instant, just knowing that he knew and that she was in some kind of trouble. "Wh-what was that Victor?" She stood up and eased herself over to her door.

"Mr. House wants to see you."

"Now?"

Victor's screen spazzed out. He was 'talking' with House. "He said soon."

Claire let out a breath of relief. If she were in trouble then House would have probably demanded her presence. He did that sort of thing when he was irritated or displeased with her. So apparently whatever he had to talk about was just usual business. "Uhm, I'll get dressed."

XXX

Calling Claire up to the penthouse was completely unnecessary, for he could have just passed his message through to her via Victor, and still he was doing it anyway. Mostly because he wanted to see how her actions would change, if they did at all, with the addition of this new development. Seconds after he requested her presence he received yet another message from her. It was the longest one so far, and from skimming it briefly he realized that it was bothering her a bit more than he had originally anticipated it would. He didn't know why she was stressing out so much over it. It was actually not that big of a deal. At least not to him. Then again he had to remind himself that Claire and himself were two quite different individuals. She was probably born to worry about everything under the sun.

House was still perusing the message when Claire arrived. It actually took her having to attempt a connection using the main terminal in his penthouse twice before he noticed her. Unprofessional. "Yes, Miss Stokes? I didn't expect you so soon."

"I was starting to think you weren't here." She replied to him.

"That, yes, I was just going over… an important document."

She transferred her weight from one foot to another uncomfortably, eyes flickering towards the top of the stairs and passed to the elevator beyond. "I could go if you're busy. I just figured 'soon' meant ASAP. So here I am."

"No, I was just passing time. I wanted to talk to you about the next step in our plans." He had been forced to rethink a few things, considering he had arranged for the chip to be back in their possession long before she had to go to Fortification Hill, but it looked like she would have to go there first. It didn't miss his attention that the thought of having to face Caesar himself was an idea that made her nervous, and the probability of her making multiple successful trips was statistically not very good. It was no insult to Claire, really. Caesar might be fooled once, but he would not chance the chip or Claire in hoping that he could be fooled more than that.

"All right." She backed up a few steps and sat down on the bottom of the steps. Her eyes remained on the pictorial representation of him as they talked; she always looked at him when they spoke. "What do I need to do?"

"It seems that there is a high chance that you will catch up to Benny at the Fort so while you are there I want you to do something for me. There is a bunker there, one that Caesar will likely mention as well. Whatever he asks you to do I want you to not do it. Instead I need you to go inside the bunker. It can only be opened with the chip. Once you are inside there will be another terminal. I will wait until you are there to discuss the specifics of the operation."

Claire bit her bottom lip, eyes sweeping across the floor for an instant as she thought. It always bothered her that he was never told her everything up front, but surprisingly never said anything out loud about it. Finally she lifted her gaze again, "what if Caesar gets the chip?"

"I have a distinct feeling that he will request you go down inside the bunker as well, so even if he has the chip you will get it back." House was always very certain about the things that he said. Between his calculations and many, many years of practice at reading people it was very rare that he was wrong. Yet even as he told her that everything would work out fine he felt a personal twinge of worry. It was fleeting, but if he didn't consider failure he would have been foolish. He hoped this was not one of those times he was wrong – for both of their sake. Claire being captured by the Legion and his Chip permanently taken would end everything before it really got a chance to begin.

This fact didn't escape his employee either. Her mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to broach another concern. Instead she just forced a smile, "when do you want me to go?"

"Take your time preparing. We cannot afford even the smallest mistakes. Make sure you are both mentally and physically able to make it through this task. This is one of the most dangerous missions I will send you on. I will understand if you back out." Although I will be most disappointed.

"I – Listen, I'm not trying to get out of this, but I have to ask something important. Are you sure you want me to do this? I've already screwed up so much. I mean, I've lost the chip: twice! I let Benny fool me so he could get away. I still don't understand why you want to keep me around. It seems like I'm just making things worse."

There it was again, that feeling of inferiority he got from her much of the time. "Miss Stokes, I believe you are clearly underestimating yourself. I would not have asked you to do this for me if I did not believe you were capable. Your only problem is that you doubt your abilities."

"You really think so?"

"I don't say things I don't mean. Just remember that you've made it this far. What are a few more steps?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right. I can do it. This is important, right, what you need from there? Just give me a couple days to organize supplies and I'll head out."

"Is there anything you require?"

"Just some more ammo, but I can pick that up on the way."

"Very well. When you are ready to go check with Victor. I will make sure to pull some caps for you for whatever equipment you need."

"That's not necessary. I can afford it." She held her hands up. Most people wouldn't have a problem taking money from him. It made Claire uneasy.

"Nonsense. This is a business, and being that you will be given whatever means to achieve your goal."

"Of course, Mr. House." Claire nodded.

"Is there anything that you want to discuss with me before I release you from this meeting?" Here he would give her a chance to bring up the subject of the Followers and Emily Ortal's plan to gain access to his information. For a moment she looked rather uncertain, as if she was struggling with her personal thoughts. Finally she answered him.

"No. I have nothing else I need."

Interesting. "Then you are dismissed."

Claire climbed to her feet and started to make her way up the stairs.

"Oh, and Claire?"

She paused at the usage of her first name, tilting her head back at him. "Yes, sir?"

"Do take some of that money and buy yourself a better pair of shoes. We can't have you limping all over the Mojave, now can we?"

XXX

Did House know why she was so sore this morning and making a subtle comment about it? Or was he really just making an observation based on her obviously pained movements? For some reason Claire felt embarrassed with the situation if it was the former. She knew that he wasn't the type to judge her or others for the way that they lived their life. Hell, he was the leader of New Vegas for Chrissakes. Maybe it was the years of preaching she had endured as a child, spilled from the lips of authoritarians whose presences were similarly imposing like House's, or maybe she just didn't want her boss to see her in such a state, worn down by casual endeavors instead of her harsh surroundings.

She tried not to think of that as she rode the elevator back down to her room and turned her mind to whatever preparations she would have to make to travel to the Fort. Unpleasantly she realized that no matter what she was thinking about this morning it would be an unhappy subject. She grabbed a handful of sodas from the fridge and headed to her desk, ready for a day of work, work, work. Claire was anxious to complete everything and be on the road as soon as possible. After everything that had happened during her short stint in being House's little errand girl she wanted to get out there and get something right, give some proof to his words of her being able to be something more than a royal fuck-up.

It was strange how much she poured into this job. Usually she would just throw in the towel and hope that someone more apt would come along to fill in where she lacked. Heck, if it hadn't been for her deep desire to know why she'd been shot back in Goodsprings she would have abandoned the courier job altogether. Here, with House, she didn't want to do that. She'd never wanted to make someone proud before, not even her parents, but she wanted House to be happy with her. She also didn't know why the thought of letting him down would break her heart a little. Maybe it was because she'd never had anyone put so much faith in her before, even if sometimes that faith was tested and marred with moments of displeasure when she had failed him. Claire had experienced enough lets-downs in life that the last thing she wanted to do was be the source of that kind of disappointment for someone.

Determined, she set about planning her new mission.

XXX

"Have you ever been in a morally ambiguous situation?" Claire's opening to her last message was quite the loaded question. If he had been replying as himself and not the imaginary pre-war technology salvager he would probably have a few decent anecdotes to relay. Unfortunately, he was not speaking to her as Robert House, and would have to settle for a vague, generic response. Regretful, for he knew she would have enjoyed one of the stories her had to tell. Of course, he could have twisted it to fit a wasteland situation, but he feared he'd lose track of who he was supposed to be and say something that would out his true identity and end this little social experiment way too soon. No, he'd keep anything personally familiar far away from these communications.

From: (Blocked Location)

To: Terminal 292-A

Subject: re:Lose-Lose Situations

Sadly most people have difficulties in just surviving themselves, much less having the ability to do anything for anyone else. And anyone that does is probably afraid. Not to say there aren't individuals out there that don't just sit back without a care as the world continues to go to Hell around them. I'm glad that you've found yourself in a positive place and are trying to do something good. Quite admirable, honestly.

I couldn't help but notice you mentioned the Tops. You mean the Tops in New Vegas, don't you? Are you from there, or do you just work there? And speaking of work, you've talked about it a lot, but you've never said what you do. I know I mentioned my work needed secrecy. It seems yours does as well, especially with the situation with this woman who approached you.

He wanted to be able to give some kind of advice on this, despite her assurances that she didn't want any. House knew Claire better than that. She said she didn't want any help, but on the inside she was probably crying out for someone to tell her what she needed to do. However, he could not indulge this, even if he believed this mystery man would have an opinion. Whatever decision she made in the end he wanted it to be her own, wanted to know it was her own and not his or some fictional man's. In his business endeavors he was a calculated, controlling man, but this was not business for him. This was a personal issue of Claire's. Whatever she decided would not affect him in the very least. Yet it would have dire consequences for her if she felt she made the wrong choice and he just could not chance having her distracted by guilt over something he deemed unimportant.

It seems no matter where you are in this world there is always someone out there that wants to take what you have, or in this case take what your employer has. It's a sad fact that people feel it is necessary. I hope you find the answer that serves you the best. Don't stress yourself out about it. Think calmly and analyze all points. If all else, forget about it for a while and the answer might come to you out of nowhere. It works for me sometimes. Good luck, friend.

P.S. If you feel comfortable enough I'd like to know more about you. We've already passed quite a few of these e-mails back and forth and I don't even know your name.

Claire didn't talk about herself at all. House didn't know where she was from before she had come to the Mojave with his Chip, if she had any family, or even how old she was. Physical observations indicated she was probably anywhere between her early to mid twenties. Her mental capacity however was way across the board. Sometimes she seemed so very young while at other times showed wisdoms some people didn't begin to uncover until their thirties. Still, it was not completely out of the question someone in their twenties could think the way she did, for he had built RobCo in a short amount of time and had it going strong and stable by the time he was twenty-five.

Her latent potential was astounding, and sometimes he wondered what she would be if she had been born in a different kind of world. When given the chance she was a fast learner. If she had grown up in the time he had would she have been another name passed around as a pre-war prodigy? Perhaps he was giving her too much credit. Regardless who she would have been was a moot point, for she was who was and unless someone invented some kind of time machine (which he had always found to be a particularly idiotic idea anyway) she would remain that person. Prodigy status notwithstanding he was confident that with his guidance he could make something great out of her, greater than any of those other wastelanders could have even dreamed of. Verily, she was already putting them to shame.

XXX

From: Terminal 292-A

To: (Blocked Location)

Subject: re:Lose-Lose Situations

Claire. My name is Claire. Not the most exciting name ever, am I right? Haha.

No, I'm not from New Vegas. I'm not even from Nevada. I just came into the area while working and long-story (reaaaal long story) short, since I'm sure you don't want to hear the boring details, I ended up where I am now. It was kind of one strange event after the other that led me to my current place of employment. Sometimes I think I'm really lucky, and other times… Well, other times I wish I'd stayed in California. Don't get me wrong though, the Strip is a really awesome place to live. If it weren't for some of the stuff going on I wouldn't have one care in the world. It's never boring here though. I give it that. I know why people love it so much. It's always so bright and colorful here, so different than out there in the wasteland. And I can see the lights for miles and miles. The best part? Where I live I have this amazing view. I can just head upstairs to a lounge area and sit and look out over the city and surrounding wastes. Beautiful! Especially at night.

I just wish I were home more often. Most of the time I spent out in the Mojave, either doing things for my boss or helping out where I can. I think these two days is the longest I've been consecutively home in a while and that's not going to last because either tomorrow or the day after I'm heading out again and its going to take me about half a week to make the round trip to where I'm going. As to my work? I probably really shouldn't talk to you about it too much. I guess if I had to give myself a title though maybe mercenary would work. Although that sounds way too harsh. I worked as a courier before. Now I'm more like an errand girl or… an assistant. Yeah, I guess I'm my boss' assistant. Its really demanding at times and sometimes I have to go places I'd rather not. But that's kind of any job, isn't it?

XXX

From: (Blocked Location)

To: Terminal 292-A

Subject: re:Lose-Lose Situations

On the contrary, Claire, I'm a sucker for a good story. If you're not too busy, I'd love to hear it.

Oh, I have something interesting for you House fans if you want. I have this birthday book that lists info on Zodiac signs as well as a listing of every single day of the year and it describes a person's personality based on that. I've found it to be kind of scary accurate about a lot of things and mostly use it for my original stories, but since they actually have House's birthday revealed in the game I decided for the heck of it to look it up the other night and it totally fits him to a T, at least I think so. Its a lot, but I'd be willing to type it all up and post it up on my blog if any of you want to read it?