A/N: Only a couple more chapters to go! Thanks everyone who's stuck with this. Appreciate your support and hope that you feel that your perseverance has paid off! Hope you like this chapter - I think it's my favourite.

--

They didn't speak much all the way to the restaurant and when they arrived Jess ordered a bottle of champagne instead of House's requested merlot.

"Celebrating?" House asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Bubbles. Gets me drunk faster," Jess explained, not wanting to go there just yet.

The waiter poured her drink first and she drained it before he'd finished pouring House's. She put the glass back down on the table and indicated for him to fill it again.

"So, you're up for no-nonsense drinking tonight then," House observed.

"Dutch courage," she muttered.

Jess drank half of the new glass in a single gulp and then put it down. She really did want to wipe her memories of this hideous day from her mind – having been so sure she'd nailed the job, the rejection stung badly – but first she needed to be clear-headed enough for the conversation they had to have. She felt like she should have learned her lesson by now, but it seemed like life was yet again reminding her that she couldn't have everything she wanted. But she hoped she could still salvage something.

"You believe in logic above all else, right?" she asked, pinning him with a stare. He stared right back. She'd done barely any work all day, spending her time thinking about what she needed to say to him tonight. She didn't want to be defensive or pleading, knowing emotional appeals would have little impact.

"It has served me well in the past," he said cautiously.

"Right. So, if my motivations with regard to you were purely about getting a job, why would I continue our relationship past the point of having learned enough to be successful in my application? Especially knowing that being in a relationship with you might actually harm my chances?"

"I don't know," he said sarcastically. "The best sex you've ever had?"

Jess couldn't help a little smile.

"Well, yes, the sex is amazing. But sex is sex. That aside, what else did I have to gain from continuing to spend time with you? I had enough knowledge to ace the interview questions after that first weekend."

"Really? One weekend and you had a complete read on me." Jess didn't miss the disbelief and challenge in his tone.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I just meant I knew enough to answer interview questions. Even now, after four months, you surprise and astonish me. I think I could spend the next forty years with you and still not have a clue what goes on behind those eyes of yours."

"Lucky I'm not going to live that long then," he muttered.

Jess's protest died on her lips as the waiter arrived to take their orders. They each asked for steak, both medium-rare.

If only they could agree on everything else that easily, Jess thought.

"Jess, as logic goes, you're coming at this problem from completely the wrong angle," House said as soon as the waiter was out of earshot.

"Why?" she frowned.

"I don't care that you studied up on me for a job. I don't even care that we would be working at the same place – although to be honest I'm really not sure if it's a good idea; people tell me that I can be a bit of a prick to work with." He gave her a sneaky look, and she wondered if he had any idea of how sexy he was. But the sparkle disappeared with his next statement. "You should have told me."

"I know, but I…"

"If for no other reason than I could have helped you manipulate Cuddy."

She laughed uneasily. Not sure if his joke was a sign of forgiveness. "Hmm, I'm not sure if your help would be helpful. But I can see why you like her. She's smart enough to keep you on your toes."

He nodded. "She does occasionally win. But only occasionally."

Jess took a deep breath and decided to bare her soul. "Greg, one of the reasons I didn't tell you was that I…" she wavered, wondering if she really had the courage to admit this. "I…find it hard to trust people."

"You find it hard to trust people?" He was mocking her and it was almost enough to make her give up. Almost. She drained the rest of her champagne and nodded her thanks when House refilled both their glasses.

"I know. It sounds like psycho-babble bullshit and I also know you're exactly the same. It's just that, in the past, I had someone I loved and they left. He left me right when I really needed him and I lost everything – I lost him and I lost a baby too." She looked away from his intense stare for a moment, then returned to his gaze. "Nothing meant anything except for my work. I don't mind trusting my work, because it's never let me down. But people have."

It was more about her past than she'd ever shared with him before and she watched as he digested the information. A look of pain crossed his face and she wasn't sure if it was for her or for himself. He reached into his pocket and took out his pills, swallowing one with an entire glass of champagne.

"Let's get really rat-faced tonight, hey?" he said, gesturing for her to drink up.

--

House and Jess made their way into his apartment, each clutching the other for balance, neither very helpful. Jess was staggeringly drunk, House was pretty drunk and crippled, which didn't help.

"What happened to your singing?" House asked.

"Isn't that what got us chucked out of the bar in the first place?" Jess asked, squinting up at him as they staggered into the bedroom.

"I think it was my harmonies, actually."

Jess fell onto the bed, pulling him with her. He landed on top of her and more from habit than arousal he pressed a sloppy kiss to her mouth.

"Ew, you taste like a bar mat," Jess complained when he pulled away.

"So do you," he replied, rolling off her to lie uncomfortably half on and half off the bed.

"Can't believe you got me this drunk."

"Yeah, like I tied you up and forced it down your throat." House stood up and weaved around the bedroom as he pulled his sweater and t-shirt over his head and tugged his jeans off. "Actually, that gives me an idea." He leered over her, now in only his boxers, and yanked on her top. "Wanna play?"

"Yeah, like I'm gonna let you tie me up. You'll pass out halfway through. I'll pass out halfway through. It'll cut off my circular . . . thing. Then I'll get green . . . thingie . . ." Jess waved an arm in the air randomly.

"Gangrene?" He pulled back the covers and flopped onto the bed, his head falling heavily on the pillow.

"Yeah. That." Jess struggled to sit up and pull her top off, then made hard work of pulling off her black trousers, realising belatedly that she hadn't taken her shoes off first. Eventually she lay back in the bed next to House, still in her bra, panties and socks, and pulled the comforter over them both.

"Ugh. Is it just me or is the room spinning?"

"Don't throw up in the bed," House warned, his eyes closed. "Wanna kiss me?"

"What? You're worried about me puking and then you want a kiss? That's d'gusting," she slurred.

"I don't want you to throw up. I want you to kiss me. Instead. Take your mind off the spinning."

"No." Jess couldn't think straight, couldn't process her thoughts coherently. Couldn't even, at that moment, remember why it was that she'd got this drunk in the first place.

"So you don't wanna kiss me." He put on a mock pout.

"No."

"Wanna have sex?"

"No."

"Wanna get married?"

"No."

Wait a minute. Jess's drunken brain struggled to keep up.

"Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay."

Jess frowned and then propped herself up on one elbow. "You know, I could have sworn that you just asked me to marry you."

"You're very drunk."

"Yes. I am. Very drunk." Jess nodded slowly. "So are you."

"Not as drunk as you are. I could still have sex."

"You want to have sex?"

"Always." He cracked open one eye to look at her. "As long as you don't vomit."

Jess gave him a lopsided smile. "You sure you didn't ask me to marry you?"

"You sure you don't want to have sex?"

Jess felt the sudden clench in her stomach.

"Oh God, I'm gonna be sick."