Morning came quicker than Liz wanted it to. She rolled over in the bed and opened her eyes. James was still sleeping. She rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. The water was cold. She cranked up the hot but nothing but cold water continued to come out. So, desperate to wash her hair, Elizabeth Sullivan bathed in the frigid rain of the Hotel shower. When she walked out of the bathroom, shivering and wet she saw James sitting on the bed slipping into his work clothes. "You're not going to shower?" she asked him.

James shook his head. "Not since you used up what little hot water I would have gotten. I'll shower at the hospital." He pulled on his shoes and tied them. "You'd better get dressed, we'll be late."

Liz walked over and slipped into her clothes. She had brought a set to wear, knowing she and James would be spending the night together again. "I wouldn't want to be late on my first official day." she said with a smile.

James Wilson pulled his coat on over his shoulders and held Liz's for her until she was ready for it. "I wonder if he called her." he mused.

"Who? Huh?" asked Liz, slightly out of it.

"House. I wonder if he actually called Jesse."

Smiling, Liz replied "We'll know when we see him. If he's got a grin on his face he called her. It's what Amy would call a "stupid happy" smile."

James laughed. "Stupid happy huh? I guess we'll see when he decides to stroll in."

"He doesn't come in on time?"

Laughing, James handed Liz her coat and she slipped into it. "House only comes in early when he feels it's necessary. And by early I mean before noon."

Liz laughed too. "Before noon? Sounds like me on the weekends."

James Wilson frowned. "I don't want you being too much like him. I want to to stay the way you are."

Liz grinned devilishly. "But James, dear... He and I are alike... If it were possible I'd say he was my father but there's no way."

Sighing Wilson put in a relieved "Thank God." Liz swiped at him with her sleeve causing him to laugh and jump back. "Come on, now. I don't know what I'd do if I found out I was dating my best friend's daughter. I think I'd go insane."

Liz pouted, her lower lip protruding slightly. "And what if I was his kid? Would you break up with me solely on the principle? Bros before Hoes?"

James crossed his arms and looked at her reproachfully. "Elizabeth." he scolded. "I'd never do that, and you know it."

Liz grinned as she reached for her purse. "Oh, I know." she said matter of factly.

"What?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Don't play with me Liz..."

"I'm only saying... I know you'd never break up with me like that..."

"Because?..." asked Wilson warily.

"Because House'd kill you for breaking my heart." she replied with a grin. She leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the cheek while he stood stunned in the doorway.

The two young lovers walked out of the hotel and to James' car. Meanwhile, House had finally dragged his ass out of bed and was showering. The smile on his face had yet to dissipate. He even whistled a bit as she soaped up.

Liz and James were walking up to the main entrance of PPTH when the loud rumble of House's car met their ears. "Unbelievable." Wilson said. "He's here before noon!"

Liz smiled. "He called her." she said with such surety that Wilson gave her the 'yeah, right' look. "What?! I just know. Do not question the inner working of the Universe, James.. You may be a genius doctor but you are no match in the ways of magick when you're facing off with someone of, ahem, my caliber." She smiled up at him and motioned to the beat up automobile. "Fifty bucks says stupid happy."

"You're on. Another twenty says he's whistling."

"Deal."

The two watched as the aged doctor pried himself out of his car. He stood up and brushed himself off. Pulling his cane out, he twirled it around his finger and stepped off with a whistle. That tell-tale grin creasing his stubbled face.

"Shit!" swore Liz. "I owe you twenty."

Wilson laughed. "Yeah, but I owe you fifty." he grimaced. "That's the most terribly disturbing thing I've seen in a long while." he said to House when he got close enough to hear.

House, trying to look hurt said "Is it such a crime that I choose to be happy today?"

Liz waggled her finger at him "Someone talked to Jesse last night.." She leaned in and asked, childishly "So?..."

"So what?" House asked back. He stared Elizabeth in the eyes for a second before the young woman started to laugh. "What?!" he asked defensively.

"Lemme guess." Liz started. "Phone sex?" House's ears went pink and his eyes widened. Liz burst out laughing. "Oh, my gods!" she exclaimed. "I knew it!" She turned to James. "That's the gin of a man who's gotten laid."

Wilson laughed. "Wow, she really knows you, doesn't she?"

House shook his head and pushed past the couple muttering something about work and being late as he did.

James grinned. "He never uses work as an excuse unless he has nothing else to say. You must have hit the nail on the head."

"I usually do. Now, I expect to receive an email from Jess today. She no doubt has a few things to say. Questions about his behavior today." she giggled. "Girl stuff." James nodded and wrapped his arm around her middle and they walked into the hospital together, giving House enough time to get out of the way before they did.

As James and Liz parted ways for the morning, Liz laughed about House's behavior. She walked cheerfully into her new office and flipped on her computer. She wasn't due to actually work for another few hours so she had time to check her email. She tinkered with the monitor, getting it to just the right angle. She clicked on several pieces of junk mail and deleted them. A few offers to get a credit card, there was one from some kind of free offer for a new car... all she had to do was fill out a survey. Once those were gone she only had three legitimate emails. One from Melissa, and two from Jesse. She grinned. After reading the one from Missy, telling her all about her new position and how Jarvis was suspended without pay for his little outburst, Lizzie clicked on the first of Jesse's two emails..

Dear Liz;

Hey kiddo, how are things in the States? I'm pretty sure you know I talked to House last night. So I wanted to let you know to go easy on him. Don't be too rotten towards him, OK..

The school is coming along well and things are looking up. I hope that if you get some vacation time sson, you'll bring Jimmy and come visit me. If House wants to come along, you can bring him too I suppose. wink..

Gotta dash,

Lots of love,

Jesse.

Liz laughed. Typical Jess. She hinted at things but never came out and actually said what had gone on. With a sigh she resigned herself to keeping her attitude in check and not exchanging barbs with House too much. She moved the mouse over and clicked on the second email. It had an attachment. Liz hoped to all the gods she could think of that it wasnt a picture of something embarrassing.. one never knew with Jess.

Instead it turned out to be the rough draft of the crest for the school. It looked nice. Looking at the header she noticed that she had sent the same message to Jake, the twins as well as her. She grinned when she read the message "what do you think?" Liz hit the reply button.

She typed a small message in the space above the picture. "looks nice. Needs to be bigger, but that may just be me." She paused and giggled before adding in another line or two below. "House was in a really really good mood this morning... he needs to call you more often, wink wink. If he could have I bet he would have skipped in from the parking lot.."

After she sent the reply she sighed and started a game of free cell. She was halfway through when there came a knock on her door. Looking up she saw the scruffy face of House peering in on her. "Yes?" she asked as professional as she could. "How may I help you Doctor House?"

House walked in and waved his hands in the air. "Cut the crap, Elizabeth. We know each other too well." He seated himself in the chair directly opposite Liz on the other side of her desk. "How did you know?" he asked.

Liz leaned over the desk, looking the older man in his eyes. She grinned and said "I'm cool like that." She waved her hands in the air and made a spooky sound "Wooooo, scary... I did my witchy thing on you."

Rolling his eyes he asked "You didn't talk to Jesse then?"

Liz shook her head. "Not unless she called me at James' hotel last night.. I was there all night. Which.. I do not recall getting a phone call."

House sighed. "I really didn't want to know that." he said with a visible shiver. Liz laughed. "Really though, how did you know that?"

"House." Liz started. "I'm a woman. Women know things that boggle men's minds. It's a sixth sense if you will." She leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. "You know you won me fifty bucks this morning by being so stupidly happy. But I owe James twenty for the whistling."

House's mouth dropped open. "You two bet on me?!" he asked, apparently insulted. Liz was about to defend her self when House held out his hand and asked "Where's my cut?"

Scoffing at him she scooted herself back away from him. "Who said you got a cut?"

"I deserve one."

"Says who?"

"I do."

"Like hell. I won that fair and square."

"I want fifteen."

"I'll owe you."

"No, now."

"No, later." Liz was getting annoyed but she was having fun.

House stood up. "I'll get you."

"And my little dog too?" asked Liz..

"No, your little boyfriend."

Liz laughed outright. "Yeah, whatever. OK." House went to say something but Liz's phone rang. She held up a finger for him to be quiet. "Yeah, yes. I see. Where? I'll be right down." She hung up the phone and stood up. "That was Dr. Cameron. It's Amy..." she said. "She's in the ER." She headed toward the door. "Well, come on." she said.

House shrugged and followed her out the door and toward the elevator.

When they got downstairs Liz saw her best friend, lying unconscious on a gurney. She looked to Cameron who told her and House that Amy had been brought in by her boyfriend. She'd had a seizure earlier in the morning. There was no apparent cause. After being examined by House, he agreed to take her on a patient. Liz walked with them up to the ICU while she went over Amy charts. She asked for three vials of blood to test for various diseases. Once those were taken, Liz went to work in her new lab.

As she worked on the tests with Dr Hadley, House and the other two went about trying to figure out what could be ailing the normally healthy 30 year old. It was Hadley who noticed a small anomaly on one test. "What's this?" she asked, showing the results to Liz.

"It's a genetic mutation." Liz stated but she trailed off as she added "That I've seen before."

"Where?" Hadley asked.

Liz sighed and leaned in closer, not saying anything, but she squinted and mumbled to herself. "I'll be right back." she said finally.

Hadley, left alone in the Hematology lab, sat confused for a second before she decided to go back to the tests. When Liz returned to the lab she had another vial of blood. "Test this for the same mutation. It'll be on the mitocondrial strands." Haldey nodded and ran the test.

Amy lay still snd silent. Daniel sat in a chair in her room and bounced his knees. When House came in he asked "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

House looked at the young man and shook his head. "We're waiting on some tests to come back."

Dan lowered his gaze and sighed. Closing his eyes he sent out a small message astrally to the coven, pleading for help. He hoped it would get through in time.

Liz was working on a separate test when Hadley walked over to her and said. "The test was the same. Why did you bring me another sample? We have plenty of blood to test."

Liz looked at the paper that had been handed to her and nodded. "The new blood wasn't from Amy.." she said quietly. "It was from me."

Liz walked briskly out of the lab, leaving Hadley alone.. again.

House paced his office. It was too weird. How could she have seizures without any brain abnormalities?

He was about to call down to Pathology when Liz stepped through his door. "Anything?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. She had decided to not tell him about the similar test results. He'd only worry and blow things out of proportion. "She's my best friend, House. Something has to be wrong."

"Or does it?" asked House. The wheel sin his head were already starting to turn. Liz could actually see the gears grinding.

"What?!" she blurted out stupidly.

"What if it's a manifestation of something?"

"You mean like Psychosomatic?"

"Kinda, except that she doesnt realize that she's deluded."

"House!"

"What?!" he asked indignantly. "It's valid. If her brain thinks shes sick, then she'll BE sick. What's been going on in her life lately? Anything out of the ordinary?"

Liz shook her head. "I work all day. You'd have to ask Daniel."

House walked past Liz and out into the hall, leaving Liz alone in his office. "Ok... Your welcome." she muttered as she too stood up and exited the room and headed back to Pathology.

Dan and House stood opposite each other in the hall. They were eyes to eye and talking heatedly. "She's not on drugs!" Dan spat at House. "What the hell kind of doctor are you?!" Liz was walking the halls, worried and upset that she couldn't find anything wrong with Amy. When the sounds of Dan and House met her ears she flew into a rage.

"You're both morons!" she shouted, causing both of them to stop and turn, looking at her with dumb faces. "Amy is in there possibly dying and you're arguing?!"

"He accused Aim of doing drugs, Liz." Dan protested but Liz waved him off.

"He suspects that from every patient until he rules it out. Which, dumbass, is what he's trying to do. So just answer his questions and get over yourself." Her face was red and both men could tell she was pissed. Dan took a step backward.

"It isn't good to piss off people like Liz." he muttered.

House knew the look too, having see it in Jesse's eyes more times than he cared to admit. He too stepped back and nodded. "That kind of woman is dangerous, I say we do as she tells us to."

Dan turned to House and shoved him. "Fuck off, old man. And stay away from my girlfriend. I want a new doctor!" he shouted.

"No." Liz said. Her one, solitary syllable echoed in the following silence.

"Huh?" Dan asked stupidly."

"I said no, Daniel. House stays her doctor to the end of this, good or bad. He's the best this or any other hospital in the area has to offer." She paused and in one fleeting second she thrust the folder containing the test results into House's hands. She faced Dan. "And I'll only have the best for my sister."

Dan's jaw dropped open. "Amy isn't your real sister, Lizzie. You only grew up together."

"Then why do they have the same genetic mutation, on the mother's side?" asked House from behind the folder.

Liz lowered her head slightly. "Amy and I have the same mother. The woman that raised Amy isn't her real mom. My mom had her before me. One year. I know my mom is my mom because she has the same mutation. She's Amy's real mom, which makes Amy my half sister."

House stared at the paper in the folder and bit his lip. "Dr. Sullivan, I'm going to need a full medical history from your mother."

"Good luck." Liz said. "She's incarcerated, remember." House swore. "But I can give you as much as I can from my own memories."

"It'll have to do for now. But I want you to get her files for me. I'm going to need to see all of it."

Liz nodded and turned and walked off. Her heart was pounding and she was sure she was sweating a little bit.

House turned to Dan and said, rather nastily "The sister card trumps the baby-daddy card. Just so you know."

Elizabeth walked out of the hospital and to her car. She knew that would leave James with no way home but she thought, under the circumstances he wouldn't mind. As she drove out of the parking lot, she started to talk to herself. "Am I really doing this? Am I really going to see her after all she did?" With a sigh Liz drove to the prison where her mom was being held until her transfer to a higher security facility where she could receive the medical attention she required.

The next few hours were a blur to Liz. She drove, barely away if she had stopped at stop signs and used turn signals. Her thoughts didnt clear until she was sitting in the parking space in fromt of the prison. She stepped out of the car and walked into the visitation area. "I'm here to see my mother." she told the guard behind the glass. She gave her mom's name and wasthen was directed to wait in the room at one of the tables and to leave her purse in a secured locker where her mom couldn't get at it.

When her mom walked in she had the nerve to smile at Liz. "It's so good to see you baby." she said as she sat down at the table. "I'm taking medicine now for my demons. They don't whisper in my ear anymore." her smile suggested a doped version of her mom, happier, yes, but still not that same woman who raised her.

Liz forced a return smile. "You look.. happy.. mom." her heart was racing and she just wanted to get things over with. With a heavy sigh she looked at her mother and said "I have a few difficult questions for you."

"You want to know about your father, don't you?" asked her mother in an unnaturally cheerful way.

"No." Liz said. "I want to know about my sister." Her mom's face split into a grin.

"See, you're such a smart girl... I knew you'd figure it out." Liz interrupted her.

"Mom, Amy's sick. I need to know things."

The smile faded from the older woman's face and she lowered her head. "I told him when I got pregnant the first time that I was giving it away. He said he was OK with it. But when I got pregnant with you he flipped out and told me that another of his children wasn't going to be raised my some stranger. He made me keep you. He made me to God that I would. And I did..." There was no expression on the woman's face. Liz sat stunned.

"Go on." she urged.

"I was about seven months along with you when your father went away."

"Went away where?" Liz asked.

"Oh, " said her mother. "To a better place."

"You mean he's dead then?"

"Oh, yes. He went to meet his true Master long ago. I made a promise to myself that I'd raise you on my own. With no help from anyone else. I became friends with the people who adopted your sister and you two girls became the best of friends as I hope you would. But then you got swept up in that devil worship." Liz rolled her eyes. "And I was so terrified for the both of you. I saw nothing but trouble from it and now look at how things have turned out. Amy Jo is sick and you... well. I see more of your father in you than I ever saw in your sister." She nodded as if that made sense to her more that it did Liz.

"Mother, I need to know if anyone in the family suffered from seizures." Liz interrupted.

"Seizures?" her mother asked. "What are those?"

"Convulsions. Dropsy... Caesar had it, it's called epilepsy. Is there a history of it in the family.. yours or dad's?"

After a pause, Liz's mother sighed and mentioned an old uncle that had died a few decades back who was prone to falling asleep for no reason. "Other than that, I can't recall."

Liz was exasperated. "Aside from narcolepsy, is there any other odd illness that plagued your family. How did Gramps die?"

"Heart attack."

"Granny?"

"She died of complications due to Diabetes." Mother nodded again with that certainty that could be mistaken for extreme confidence.

"Any uncles or aunts that you failed to mention to me over the years, mother?" Liz was getting furious. Her mother was only answering her with one word sentences or with answers so vague that she needed a translator. Her words were dripping with sarcasm and she was getting to the end of her patience rope. "I need answers mother, not riddles. I know you aren't crazy, just deluded. Answer my damn questions."

The older Sullivan straghtened herself and cleared her throat. "I suppose you should know." she said, "About your uncle Charlie."

"By all means, go on."

"Well, Uncle Charlie was Granny's uncle. My uncle. He had the dropsy, and mother used to take care of him. He was special, you see. 'A fragile boy', mother used to call him. He was sort of retarded, you see. A mongoloid."

"He had Downs Syndrome?"

"If that's what these fancy doctors call it these days."

"It is... So he was a Downs baby and he had epilepsy, anything else?"

Well, uncle Charlie used to claim that his eyes hurt a lot. Sometimes he'd complain about it for hours and hours. Nothing but how badly the lights hurt his eyes and how the room seemed to spin and go dark for minutes, sometimes hours at a time. Mother used to say it was all in his head."

"Liz had stopped listening to her mother. She muttered a "Maybe it was." as she stood up and walked away from the table, leaving her mother to talk to herself for another few minutes until she noticed she was alone and slipped out of the room and went back to her cell.

As Liz drove back to PPTH her mind raced. She knew it might be a long shot but she called House from her cell. "Pick up... come on, pick up you old goat!" she grumbled at the phone as it dialed the number.

With still nothign to go on, House and his team were milling around in the conference room, doing very little. When House's cell went off, everyone in the room jumped. "You could have given five people a heart attack just now, you know that?"

"Check her eyes." Liz said.

House raised an eyebrow. "What?" asked Foreman. "Is that Elizabeth, what did she say?" He was on his feet, ready to do anything that wasn't sitting around on his ass.

"What would I be checking for?" House asked.

"You're the doctor, I just run blood tests and diagnose Cancer. You tell me. I had an uncle, my mother's uncle. He had Downs but complained of his eyes hurting and how the room would spin, then go dark. He also had epilepsy."

House's face lit up. "OK then, lets wake her up! Get her eyes checked. Every possible test you can think of, do it." he ordered his team who gladly raced from the room, finally having a propose. After they left he asked Liz. "How did it go with your mom?"

"Nuttier that a fruitcake but she's still mom."

"You coming back here?"

Liz smiled. "Yeah, I gotta get James, I drove this morning and I want to be the one to tell Amy that we're sisters."

"Half sisters, right?" asked House.

"Not according to my mom. She said we have the same father. I'll have to do a more comprehensible DNA test but I'm pretty sure that , given how crazy she is, she really does know who fathered her children."

House grinned. "Well then, hurry back." he flipped his phone closed and twirled his cane as he walked out of the conference room toward Amy's room to see how the tests were coming along.

As Liz pulled into the parking lot she sighed. This was going to be difficult to say the least. She had to run interferance between House and Dan as well as between House and Amy and herself and Dan. She shook her head and turned off her car. As she walked into the hospital she was met by Hadley.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeing the blank expression on Liz's face. "What's wrong?"

Liz looked up at the slightly taller woman and smiled weakly. "Amy's my sister and she's dying from some kind of birth defect she and I both share. I may be the only way to save her and I still don't know how to do that." She sped up and headed toward the elevator, leaving Hadley to ponder the information she'd just been fed.

Back on the ICU floor, she went to Amy's room. Dan was outside in the hall. "Why can't I see Amy?" he asked angrily.

Liz looked up at him. Her eyes had gone cold and she was obviously in no mood to talk. Seeing this Dan backed down.

House was leaned against the wall a few feet away when Liz stepped out of the elevator. He would have said something to her but Dan had got there first. And.. seeing the way the impressively built man shrank away from the petite woman told House that Liz wasn't in the mood for his brand of snarkyness. He learned that the hard way with Jesse.

Liz walked past Dan and into Amy's room. She stood by the bedside for a second before tears welled in her eyes. Someting clicked in her and she bolted from the room and ran straight to her office. Tears welled in her eyes she dialed her phone and waited.

"Hello?" asked the familiar voice. At first Liz couldn't speak. "Hello?!" the voice asked again, this time slightly annoyed.

"Jess?" she managed to eek out.

"Liz? What's wrong?" Jesse asked, hearing the tears in the younger woman's voice.

Liz rattled her story out to Jesse in a matter of seconds. "I need help." she said. "I don't think I can do this on my own."

There was a pause before Jesse spoke again. "Listen to me real good now, ok."

"OK."

"You need to get yourself together. You're a damn good doctor and Amy is lucky to have you, House and Wilson all working to fix her. Even Cuddy, if she's even aware. You can do this and you will. You have the strength and the smarts to do this. I know you do. You've come through tougher things than this, kiddo. Believe me, you're a lot stronger than you think you are. All you have to do is believe it." Jesse's words stung at Liz's heart but deep down she knew Teach was right.

After a moment's pause she calmly said "Thank you Jesse. I needed that. See, I knew you'd help me. Just not in the way I first thought."

Laughter met her ears. "That's me. I never cease to surprise. Now you go off and be the hero. And give House a kiss for me." That last sentence came off with a certain childish glee.

"I will Jess, and thanks again." she hung up the phone and sighed.

"Everything alright?" asked a most welcome voice. James walked over to her and hugged her tightly. "You wanna tell me what's going on?" Liz sighed and repeated the story she'd told Jesse just moments ago, although she coated it with prettier words for him. Jesse knew Liz had an extremely foul mouth. James on the other hand was still getting to know her and she wanted to bring him in easily on that little fact. When she had finished he sat on the corner of her desk and rubbed his chin. "Interesting. So you're not even half sisters?"

"Nope. Full sisters. Same mom. Same dad."

"Huh." he said, as if it had somehow become obvious to him. "Cool." he said. "Not cool that she's sick but cool that you have a sister."

"Yeah." Liz concurred. "I just wish I'd have found out some other way."

"I know baby. I know." He hugged her again and kissed her softly.

Liz pulled away from him gently and said "I have work to do. And so do you." She walked out of her office and down the hall. She spotted House and his fellows standing in the hall talking. She walked right up to the older man and said, right into his face. "Enough standing around. Go figure this out so we can fix my sister."

House leaned back a little, looking at this girl he thought he knew. She'd somehow become much more authoriatve and menacing. Nothing like the sick little waif he'd first met a few months ago. She'd grown up in the span of four months. Grown up so dramatically that House was a bit shaken by it. "Yeah." was all he could say to her. "OK." He and his team fled the hallway in favor of the whiteboard room and sanctuary from Elizabeth.

Wilson's jaw dropped and he stifled a laugh. Once House and his ducklings were out of earshot he let it out. "He's afraid of you. Isn't he?"

Liz turned to him and shrugged. "I don't know. But if he decides to fool around and my sister gets worse, he will be." Her gaze bore into his and James Wilson visibly shivered.

"You know," he started. "Every time you talk to Jesse you come off more... assertive."

"Is that bad?"

"No." he said, covering his tracks. "It's refreshing.. in a way."

"and in another way...?"

"It's kinda frightening." he said, not wanting her to get angry with him.

Liz only laughed. "Really?" she asked happily. "I make people scared of me? Huh, who'd have thought.. little ol'e me making everyone scared." She laughed some more. James looked confused. "Look at me James. I'm five feet two. I weight just under one twenty five. I don't scare ten year olds but I scare House."

At that, Wilson had to laugh as well. "Yeah, that is something." he said. He leaned over and kissed her softly on her cheek. "I should get to work then huh?" He smiled at her as he walked toward his office.

Liz smiled and leaned into him when he kissed her. She sighed as he walked away and she steeled herself for the battle that she was going to have to fight for Amy's life. She sat at her computer researching the various diseases that might have caused the normally dormant condition she and Amy shared to become active and start destroying her sister's body. the screen was getting blurry when her phone rang and startled her back to reality.

"Yes?" she asked into it. There was a pause and she stood up from her seat. She rubbed her backside and tooka few steps before laughing at teh fact that her left foot had fallen asleep. "Crap." she said, still giggling. "Club foot." She snickered as she stamped her foot on the floor tryinh to wake it up.

"Is this a new dance?" The question came from her doorway. House stood there, leaned against the framing. ""Cause if it is.. I'd really love to learn it."

Liz gave him the finger. "My foot's asleep. Jackass." She said as she stamped on the floor a couple more times. "Are you here for anything productive or do you just wanna mess with me?"

"Well..." he started. "We know what it's not." he said.

"Comforting." Liz shot back. "So what isn't it?"

House sighed. "It isn't Lupus, anemia or any member of the Lymphoma family."

Liz rolled her eyes. "I knew that dummy. I have the same gene."

"You do?" he asked, his eyebrow raising slightly.

"I do." She noticed the look and asked "What?"

"Your sister is sick, so we can't do any tests on her that'll possibly harm her.. but you on the other hand..." he trailed off.

Liz finished for him. "Am a doctor, hired by Cuddy, and the gene in me is dormant, a recessive trait that needs to be awaken in order for it to cause me any harm. And no, you can't wake it up." She sighed. "I sometimes wonder what Jess ever saw in you. You're twelve!"

House made a face. "Am not." Liz slapped her forehead and sighed.

"A genius with a twelve year old mentality and a fifty year old libido... The men Teach chooses... I swear."

"What's she say about me?" he asked, standing up straighter and becoming alert. "What'd she say?"

"That you were an pain in the ass and you deserved to be put down... no wait.. maybe that was Lily's dog... No, it was the dog.. you're the ego-maniacal sex fiend."

House scoffed at her and quipped. "Keep it up, little girly. I'll get you back."

Liz walked out of her office past him. "No..." she said without turning around. "You won't."

House followed her. "Where you going?"

"To see my sister. She woke up." House tried to catch up to her but she was younger and better abled than he was and she got too far ahead of him.

"I'll see you around then." he called out to her as she turned tha corner. "I'll catch up in a minute." He grumbled after she was out of sight. "Damn kids."