Greg House walked through the front doors of PPTH thirty minutes earlier than he'd ever arrived there before. Unfortunately, no one on his team would ever know since his first stop of the day was not the fourth floor, but Lisa Cuddy's office.

He stood outside the heavy wood and glass doors to her outer office gathering his thoughts for a moment before pushing through them. If she heard him make his way across the carpeted floor to her desk, she never let on. In fact, she continued to work efficiently, making marks and notations with her pen on random papers scattered along the top of her desk.

"Must be something pretty big to bring you down here," she said flatly, without lifting her eyes from her work. "And, wow before nine o'clock, too. That's got to be a personal best. And it can't be the leg, because getting shot took care of that. So, what's up?" she said, as her eyes finally lifted from her work to lock onto his.

House slowly lowered himself into the old, but very uncomfortable chair opposite her desk. His cane he rested against the side of his right leg. "Nice suit today…" he started, before being abruptly cut off. "House. Don't. What do you want?" she asked. Her words were clipped and icy.

"So…how are you?" he asked, sincerely.

Lisa put the pen down on one of the documents to which she had just been adding her signature and pushed back slightly in her chair. "I'm fine. I'm really just fine," she said, as a slight smile curved on her mouth.

House searched her face for some sort of lie. Her eyes though, cut deep and her expression held steadfast.

"So, we're ok then?" He said softly, as he stared at feet before raising his gaze to meet hers. "Work is work," she said flatly, as her eyes slowly settled back on her work. "And, everything else has no place here".

"Was that all?" she added coldly, as she dramatically scribbled her signature along the bottom of a piece of paper.

House stood as if to go, but slowly turned back around to face her. His face slipped into a pained expression as he spoke. "Actually, I need a favor," he said, bluntly.

"Of course, you do," Cuddy said, still concentrating on her work. House stood beside her desk silently.

"Well, what? Is it for a case you're working on?" she asked, impatiently.

"Nope, not exactly a case," he said, as he moved to stand behind the chair he had just vacated, his fingers gently tapping out an indistinguishable rhythm on the fabric.

"If it's personal, then the answer is no," she said, abruptly. A vigorous debate on how to answer raged on inside House's head. "Pretty sure its work related," he finally replied. "I went to see Chase this past weekend. I told him to take his time at the monastery…" he started.

"It's a cloister," she added, sarcastically. "Ok, whatever," he shot back. "They're wearing dresses, making animal topiaries and there are no women within two miles of the place. Might as well be a nunnery. Anyway, I told him he'd have a place here when or if he was ever ready to come back.

"Well, that'll make Legal's day and to think they were taking up a collection to send you away for an extended sabbatical.

"Oh, they love me. If I wasn't around they'd be nothing but glorified hall monitors," he volleyed back.

Annoyed by his antics, Cuddy looked up from her work to make sure House knew his time was about to run out. "Right. So, uh really busy here. What's the favor?

"I can't be down two doctors," he said, his face turning suddenly serious. "If Chase is out and we've got to break in someone new, that only leaves half of Foreman..."

"No."

"Extend Cameron's contract. Six months," House urged.

"No."

"Five months and I'll make her pull extra clinic duty".

"Forget it House. In case you've forgotten, this is a teaching hospital, not General Hospital. Those positions are funded through board approved grant money. You can't violate the terms of the fellowship or you'll lose the funding. If you want to keep Cameron, pay it out of your own pocket. And, since we both now that's not going to happen, I suggest you start those interviews in earnest".

"So it's not personal, huh?" he asked, in frustration.

"Is it for you?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Glad we talked," she said, dismissing him as she reapplied her pen to paper and set back to work.

Cameron stood in the doorway between House's office and the conference room. "Five new applications for the fellowship," she said softly, wondering just how deep in thought House actually was.

He swiveled slightly in his chair to face her. His eyes subconsciously ran up the length of her body before settling on her face. "Thanks," he said as she placed the small stack of papers on his desk. "Anyone promising?"

"Yes, two that I would say are very promising. Their files are on top of the stack. Let me know which ones you select and I'll call them to set up interviews". "Your calendar is open this Thursday and Friday," she said, as she made her way back over to stand between the two offices. "I'll take your clinic hours Thursday morning and then you'll have the entire day to interview".

House studied her with interest. She was being way too agreeable about the entire process. She always seemed to give the good fight, but this time she was reluctant. It was as if she had given up or maybe just let go. House shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. "I'll need Wilson. Can you see what times he has blocked off? And if Foreman is around, he needs to sit in also".

"I'll let him know," she said, as she turned towards her desk. "Think Chase is coming back?" she asked, at the last minute.

"Wouldn't know," House said, as he started to flip through the application folders.

"I guess you better pick a back up then, just in case," she said, nodding towards the folders on his desk.

Five minutes later, she sat at her desk catching up on patient charting. Her eyes followed his form as he made his way past her and to the coffee pot. Not wanting to let on that his stroll was of any interest to her, she quickly redirected her gaze to her computer screen. Silently, a red coffee mug came to set on her desk by her right hand. Cameron looked up to find House standing just off to the side of her chair, his knees almost touching the mesh seat back.

"I tried to get Cuddy to extend your fellowship agreement," he said softly, his voice was deep and low.

"Why? What's changed?" she said, as she looked up into his face.

House shifted anxiously on his feet as he plunked the cane down forcibly onto the carpet with two quick taps. "Timing, opportunity…I can't break in somebody new. It's too much, too quickly. The team's just getting back onto its feet. It's not time to throw it out".

"You only think that because the prospect of it seems like work. But, think of all the fun you'll have screwing with someone new. It'll be like Christmas morning". Cameron's face tried to appeared encouraging, but she didn't realize her eyes gave her away.

"Yes, well you're not a believer. How would you know what Christmas morning is like?" he replied, sarcastically.

Cameron sighed and restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "You know what I mean".

"Oh, you agnostics, always leaving the Christ out of Christmas," he said, as he turned to the window behind her desk leaving Cameron to frown dramatically at the crass comment.

"Oh, come on. You know me," he said, hoping she'd understand how much he hated change.

"No," she said, softly shaking her head. "That's the thing. Once I thought I did, but as it turns out I really don't know anything at all," she said, as she rose out of her seat.

Seeing that she was going to make one of her trademark exits, House reached out quickly, stopping her in her tracks by grabbing her wrist.

"Find something else here," his voice was devoid of inflection as his eyes searched hers for some sort of compliance.

Cameron moved in closely to his body, staring him directly in the eyes. Slowly, she reached down to cover his hand with hers and gently pulled it from her wrist. "We both know it's too late for that," she said, as she rounded the desk and conference table, passing Dr. Wilson in the doorway.

House stood still for a moment before looking up at his friend. "What do you want?" he asked, gruffly.

"Yes, well just checking on your plan, Donner. The pass ahead looks snowy and the rest of the party says they're hungry," Wilson said sarcastically, as a slight smile made its way across his mouth.

"Oh, shut up. Have you got any better ideas?" House shot back, defensively.

Wilson rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Besides going out drinking tonight? No. I take it you talked to Cuddy today?"

House walked back to his desk and flopped himself down into his desk chair. Wilson followed and sat in the chair in front of the desk, stretching out one leg before him while he propped the other onto the corner of the desk.

"She said Cameron can stay if it comes out of your budget," House said, swatting Wilson's expensive French loafers off his desk with an applicant file.

"What about Chase's spot?" Wilson asked, obviously not fazed by losing his comfortable position.

"Can't. He's all tied up in legal. I couldn't touch him if I wanted to," House's eyes drifted off towards the conference room.

"Yes, and you would never go up against Legal," Wilson said, mockingly.

"Well, this is just great" House said, as he threw his prized red and gray ball over Wilson's head and towards the glass wall. "I should have never gotten involved with Cuddy."

"And?" Wilson asked, knowing that was not the end of the thought process.

"And I should have never followed Cameron into that shower," House said softly, as he rubbed his forehead as if it ached.

Wilson looked over sympathetically at his friend. "Karma's a real bitch, isn't it?"