Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I'm glad y'all like the story, although I wish I'd thought of this BEFORE our Dr House actually DOES go to court – but not for the same reasons. :o)

CHAPTER EIGHT – 1 of 50 Dates?

House turned and looked blankly at the door that led to the courtroom, as if he waited for a puff of smoke that would overtake him and he'd be back in his apartment, drinking a beer and smoking a cigar. But that wasn't to happen, not with House. He never got any breaks, especially when it came to women.

He turned and looked around the room to 'read' the other jurers to see who would be the most difficult to persuade in whichever direction he needed his decision of the case to be. He loved manipulating people, and hated those that could not be. He always had to have the upper hand, be in control.

His thoughts trailed off when he felt as if someone was piercing through his very soul. He turned to his left and noticed another familiar face – the blonde, Kathi.

'She has a great smile. Man, why me? I've got my ex sitting to the right of me and a future ex sitting across from me. My life SO sucks right now.' The song Stuck in the Middle with You popped into his head: "Hottie right across from me, an old ex to the right…stuck in the middle of this CRAP …"

The door leading to the courtroom opened and the bailiff told them to follow the protocol as was outlined in the Code of Court book as they entered the courtroom. House was jurer number 3, while Stacy was number 11 and Kathi was 8. (All that meant was that Kathi sat directly diagonal to his left, while Stacy sat in the front row two jurers over to his right.)

'Oh, Lord, I won't make it. I won't, I tell you! I'll stop taking the Vic. I'll even stop seeing hookers (well, depending on how much they charge). Man, I'll even be nice to Chase but PLEASE let me make it out in one piece! PS-Give me Katie's phone number?'

HOUSE MD HOUSE MD HOUSE MD

Later that afternoon, the jury of 12 walked into the waiting room before they were to leave for the day. The bailiff closed the door behind him and read from a piece of paper, "Judge Sasser reminds each and every one of you that what has been discussed here MUST remain here. It is strongly advised to keep a low profile, as any obstruction in this case will severely jeopardize the outcome of the case. Be here tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m." He then left the room and they quietly exited the room through another set of doors.

House's leg caused him a great deal of pain because he hadn't been able to take any Vicodin while sitting in the jurer's box; he hadn't taken any since he left his apartment. His grasp on the cane was harder than normal, causing the knuckles on his right hand to turn white. The cool autumn, early evening chill in the air hit his face as he stepped outside the building, which made him suddenly feel weak, forcing him to lean against the side of the building to get better control on his pain.

With his eyes closed he heard a voice and a soft touch on his right shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and found himself looking down at Kathi; at her 5'4" and his 6'4", there was a lot for House to look down on.

He sheepishly lifted his eyes without moving his head and looked around. He did see Stacy walk away and she was headed towards Mark, who was no longer in a wheelchair and giving him a dirty look. He looked back down at his feet and slowly nodded his head. He didn't know why but was a little concerned about what Stacy would think, not that he thought she'd really care.

"Greg, you look a little pale. Are you sure?"

"I don't get out much. I burn too easily," House answered, not knowing for sure exactly why he'd said it; it sounded more stupid when he said it than when it was in his head. A grimace crossed his face but it was so much from the pain as it was from his own stupid answer.

"Okay, well, if you are sure. I'll see you tomorrow," Kathi said as she turned and started to walk away.

"Katie, wait," House called out after her. She turned around and walked back to him.

"It's Kathi. K-A-T-H-I. What?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look angry, but she really wasn't.

"Uh, Kathi, right, sorry. I was wondering if, uh, maybe you're hungry?" House stuttered, feeling like a stupid school boy asking his first girl to a school dance.

"Yeah, I am," she simply said and enjoyed seeing him squirm.

They stood staring at each other for an awkward moment, but one House actually liked. He looked deeply at the color of her eyes – blue/grey with specks of faint, orange/brown around the pupils. They weren't as brilliantly, azure, gorgeous blue as his own but he liked hers nonetheless.

"So am I," House stated. Feeling better, he shuffled to his feet and steadied himself on his cane. Again, they shared a moment of silence. 'Why was it so much easier when I asked Cameron out?'

When House didn't say anything further she said, "Alrighty, then. Glad we got that straightened out. See ya later." She didn't move from her spot.

House raised his voice and practically screamed out, "Do you want to get dinner, uh, together? With me?" He hadn't meant to ask her so loudly but he just knew she was going to turn on her heels and bolt away and he wouldn't get the same amount of courage to ask her out again.

HHHHHHH - Coming up: the dinner between the two turns into a learning experience for House and an eye-opener to the case they were both on the jury for.