Giving you all a two-fer today. :) As usual, I don't own the incredibly sexy House, just the O/Cs.

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The cab ride to the club was uneventful and mercifully short, and the two men soon arrived at an unremarkable building in what appeared to be a sketchy area of the city.

Johnny tapped on the window that separated them from the driver. "Drop us here, man." He shoved several bills into the driver's hand. "Thanks."

He easily slid out of the cab, waiting for House to follow with a slightly concerned expression. "Club's down in the basement of this building. You okay with a few stairs?"

"I'll make it." House answered. "Might take me a little longer, that's all."

"Take your time." Johnny shrugged. "Show probably hasn't even started yet."

House followed Johnny down a few stairs, and he could already hear a rough, soulful voice and a full band. "Sounds like the party's already started."

"Yeah…" A wide smile crossed Johnny's rough face as they approached the door. He nodded briefly at the man that was guarding the door. "Hey, Duke."

Duke nodded in response, frowning suspiciously at House. "Is he cool?"

Johnny turned to glance at House before turning back to Duke. "Yeah, man, he's cool. He's with me."

Duke fixed House with a glare before stepping aside to let them into the club. The place was smaller than where Johnny had played earlier, and a hell of a lot more crowded, smoky, and noisy.

House changed his mind on his earlier assertion. This, he decided, was heaven on earth. He kept his eyes on Johnny, thankful that he was taller than House. It made it a lot easier to track him through this dark club. As thrilling as it was to be here, House didn't want to get left behind. He'd never hear the end of it from Wilson.

"You alright back there, man?" Johnny hollered over the din.

"Fine." House hollered back.

"Just stick with me." Johnny told him. "Gonna find us a decent seat."

Johnny found them a table near the front where two other men were already seated, greeting them as if he knew them well. "Have a seat, man."

House eased himself into a chair, soon losing himself in the music. It was a heavy sound, the drums in the forefront, with growling guitars over the top. A tiny black girl fronted the band, her voice soaring over the instruments, almost an instrument in its own right. It was impressive, to say the least.

"What's your poison?" Johnny's voice in his ear completely caught him off guard.

"Uh…bourbon."

Johnny nodded and clapped House on the shoulder, turning to the waitress that had suddenly appeared. "The usual for me, and a bourbon for my friend here."

The waitress soon reappeared with their drinks, a bourbon for House and a bottle of water for Johnny. House was vaguely amused, and it must have shown on his face, because Johnny rolled his eyes as he took a long drink.

"Yeah, I know. Don't exactly fit with the image, does it?" Johnny chuckled a little. "The booze was killin' me, man. Had to give it up."

House nodded in understanding. His own Vicodin addiction had damn near cost him his rational mind. That was as good as death for him.

The music ended, and the lights came up for the set break. "Guess I'll introduce you, man." Johnny gestured to the two men that sat at the table with them. "This is Rex Harper. He's produced a bunch of my albums. This other guy's Calvin Reed. He and I are starting our own label." He turned to Rex and Calvin. "Guys, this is House. Met him at my gig tonight. He plays a mean guitar."

House shook hands with the other two men, taking a long drink of his bourbon and gesturing toward the stage. "So who's playing?"

"Bella Carter and Criminal Intent." Johnny answered. "Calvin and I are trying to get them to sign to our label. They're something special."

"They're damn good." House agreed. "Little chick with a big voice. She ought to be pretty easy to market."

Johnny laughed. "Yeah, and she's got the big attitude to go with that big voice. She don't take shit off of anyone."

House smirked behind his bourbon. "My kind of girl."

Johnny snorted, nearly choking on his water. "Too bad she's not into guys."

House rolled his eyes and drained his bourbon. "Maybe she's not picky, either."

Johnny merely laughed in response. "Good one, man. You want another drink?"

"You're not going to get anywhere by liquoring me up." House snapped sarcastically.

"Wasn't trying to." Johnny answered casually, signaling for the waitress. "Just wanna make sure you have a good time."

House debated internally before nodding. "What the hell? One more."

The waitress brought their drinks, and the lights went down for the second set. House could hear Johnny and the other two men chatting behind him as the music cranked up, but he was too distracted by what was happening on stage to tune in to the conversation behind him.

After the set ended, House felt someone lightly slap him in the shoulder. "We're gonna hang out in the back room for a while." Johnny told him. "Come with?"

House was nothing if not intrigued. He nodded and rose to follow Johnny and the other two men to a closed door at the back of the club.

The door swung open to reveal Bella and members of her band. She greeted the new arrivals with a wide smile, her dark face seeming to light up when she spotted Johnny. "Rocket! You made it!" She glanced around Johnny to look at House. "And you brought company."

"Sure did, girl." Johnny answered, crossing the room and bending down to embrace the young woman. "Y'all blew it out tonight."

"Thanks." Bella returned the hug, still giving House a curious once over. "You going to introduce your friend?"

Johnny laughed and released Bella, rubbing her lightly across her shoulders and gesturing toward House. "This is House. Met him after my gig tonight. He's one hell of a guitar player."

"No first name?" Bella regarded House skeptically as she held out her hand.

"I have one." House answered, taking the hand she offered. The girl had a surprisingly firm grip for her size, and House was a little taken aback. "I just don't usually go by it."

Bella shrugged casually. "Cool by me." She released his hand and turned to return to her chair, jerking her head to invite House to join her.

House eased himself into the chair next to her, and Bella casually pulled a joint out of her shirt pocket, firing it up and taking a hit before offering it to House.

Bella seemed to observe him as he took a long drag, her eyes crinkling in amusement when he nearly choked on the smoke that traveled into his lungs. "Don't tell me this is your first time."

"Been a while." House answered, still coughing while he handed back the joint. A large hand swooped down and took it out of his hand before Bella could take it back, and House glanced up to see Johnny take a long drag, closing his eyes as he held in the smoke before slowly exhaling with a slight smile.

"Good shit, Bella." Johnny intoned. "Hope you weren't trying to keep it from me."

"Yeah, right." Bella snorted. "You can smell a joint from a mile away…before anyone lights it up."

Johnny let out a low chuckle and handed the joint back to Bella. "Back in a minute." He glanced down at House. "Y'all had better save me some."

"Don't worry, Rocket." Bella huffed and rolled her eyes. "We've got plenty to go around." She shook her head as the man left the room, taking another hit and passing it back to House. "So…Rocket said you play guitar?"

"Just as a hobby." House told her, taking a smaller hit than before.

"You must be pretty damn good if Rocket's talking you up." Bella studied him carefully.

"I don't know about that." House shrugged. "We had a good jam session after his show. Sure as hell didn't expect that."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "A jam session?"

"Yeah." House was a little puzzled, the weed beginning to have its effect on him. "Right there on the stage."

Bella barely suppressed a snicker, and it dawned on House that her thoughts were going in a completely different direction. Finally she shook her head, flicking the ash off the end before taking a short hit. "Sorry…I guess you're being literal." She blew out the smoke before continuing. "Usually, when Rocket does a 'jam session'…"

"Yeah, I think I get it." House huffed and shifted in his chair, thumping his cane against the floor.

"Hey, it's all good." Bella answered casually. "He obviously likes you, or he wouldn't have bothered to drag you here."

"I take it I'm not the first one he's picked up after a show."

Bella smiled widely. "Far from it." She tilted her head at him. "You're the first one in a long time that's he's brought to the back room, though. You must be something special."

"You telling all my business again, girl?" Johnny's voice cut into their conversation, and he turned a chair around and straddled it, passing bottles of water to Bella and House.

"Just bringing the new guy up to speed." Bella answered as she took the bottle, opening it and draining half of it in one shot. "Figured if he's going to hang around, he might as well know the rules of the game."

She rose from her chair, passing the still burning joint, along with another full one to Johnny. "I've gotta fly. See you around." She nodded to House. "Nice meeting you, House."

Johnny nodded to Bella, tucking one joint in his shirt pocket before taking a contemplative puff of the one already in progress. House took a moment to observe the other man, noting the way he draped his body over the chair, almost obscuring it from view.

"How much did she tell you, man?" Johnny's voice snapped House out of his reverie.

"Not much." House took the joint Johnny offered, nearly burning his fingers as he took a final hit. "Apparently my definition of a jam session is a little different from yours."

Johnny let out a low chuckle as he took back the roach, carefully trapping it between his finger and House's to keep from dropping it. He dug into his jeans pocket, retrieving an alligator clip and expertly attaching it to the remains of the joint. "Bella's a good kid, but she is still just a kid. It's all about sex with her."

House was somewhat taken aback, but allowed Johnny to continue. "Yeah, I dig guys, alright? It ain't exactly a secret." Johnny gestured expansively after disposing of the roach in a nearby ashtray. "But that's not why I invited you here."

House frowned and leaned forward in his chair, tapping his cane between his legs. "Then why did you drag me along?"

Johnny shrugged and pulled the other joint out of his pocket. "I just had a feeling about you, that's all."

"Yeah, I gathered that." House snorted.

"Not that kind of feeling." Johnny laughed and lit up, scooting his chair closer to House. "I guess I figured you'd get into this sort of thing. You seem to be having an okay time."

House nodded, relaxing as the weed's effects started to overtake him. "I have to admit, this whole thing is pretty cool. It's not every day I get to hang out, play music, and smoke weed with a legend."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "I ain't no legend. Clapton, Hendrix, Beck…those guys are legends. I'm just some guy who got fourteen of his fifteen minutes of fame and then faded away."

"Bullshit." House snorted derisively. "You come up on a lot of those 'most influential' lists."

"Yeah, the most influential guy nobody's ever heard of." Johnny huffed disgustedly and flicked an ash off the end of the joint. "Or if they have heard of me, it's more in that 'What the hell happened to that guy?' sense."

"Tell that to all those people that were crammed into the club tonight." House snapped.

A twisted smile crossed Johnny's face. "You know how many that club holds?" House shook his head. "Three hundred and fifty. Hell, there was a time I could draw three, four thousand folks to a show. Guess those days are over."

House felt a pang of something like sympathy for the younger man. It was a hell of a thing, knowing there was a possibility your best years were behind you. "You're still putting out good music, though. I know I'm still buying your CDs."

"I appreciate that. Don't get me wrong." Johnny's face smoothed out into a more pensive expression. "But sometimes I think the only reason I'm still out here is because it's all I know how to do."

"What about this record label you and your boys are putting together?" House asked.

Johnny shrugged. "That ain't no small thing, launching a label. It'd be easier if I have major label backing, but…I don't have that anymore. It's just me and whatever money Calvin feels like throwing in the pot." He shook his head as if to snap himself out of his train of thought, taking one more long hit off his joint before passing it back to House. "Anyway…I didn't drag you out here to listen to me bitch about my piss-poor excuse for a life."

"So I ask you again…" House started before taking a hit.

"I like you, House." Johnny cut him off, shifting to turn the chair around and pull in closer. "I like your passion for the music, and I like the way you handle a guitar." He took the joint from House, taking a hit and leaning forward, obviously holding his breath.

House was fairly certain what Johnny had in mind in that moment. He hadn't shotgunned with anyone in a long damned time, and he couldn't remember ever doing it with a guy. To be fair, he didn't remember a lot of his recreational drug activities from his younger years. He very well could have done this with a guy.

Before House could analyze much further, Johnny was almost nose to nose with him, waiting for a response. House nodded briefly, and Johnny leaned in, exhaling the smoke while House inhaled.

It was oddly intimate, almost sexy, and House didn't know what to think of that. He held the smoke in his lungs for a long moment before gesturing to Johnny, returning the favor.

He could have sworn he felt Johnny's lips brush against his, and the other man leaned back in his chair and exhaled with his head tilted back, relaxing with a small smile.

Johnny inched his chair forward, one hand sliding up the outside of House's left leg as he leaned in again. House could feel his heart hammering in his chest, awareness finally starting to cut through the weed-induced fog that filled his head.

Under ordinary circumstances, House was fairly certain he would have pushed his chair away and clocked the guy with his cane. But these were hardly ordinary circumstances. The man, the legend, Johnny Rocket was putting the moves on him, and House was oddly amused with the whole situation.

Johnny's large hand curved around the back of House's neck, cradling his head while he studied House intently with soft hazel eyes. Suddenly House wasn't so amused anymore. He wasn't sure what he felt. Oddly enough, he didn't feel the need to pull away as Johnny's lips touched his.

The kiss was surprisingly soft and tender, not at all what House would have expected. Not that he was expecting it at all. He sure as hell wasn't expecting to relax into the sensation, allowing the other man to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping just inside House's mouth.

"Hey, hey, hey, Rocket, get a goddamn room!" A voice broke through the fog, and House suddenly realized that he and Johnny had been locking lips in full view of the small crowd that was still lingering here in the back room of this little club. Laughter and further ribbing continued as Johnny pulled away, his hand still smoothing over House's leg, an amused expression crossing his face.

"Y'all mind your own goddamn business." Johnny threw over his shoulder, never moving his hand away. He turned back to House, seeming to scan over him. "When do you have to go home?"

"Checkout's at eleven." House answered, having trouble finding his voice.

Johnny checked his watch. "Damn, it's almost four now. Guess I'd better get you back to your hotel." His voice seemed to hold a note of disappointment, and House couldn't say he didn't feel the same way. "Wouldn't want your friend to worry."

"He'll worry anyway." House replied as he pushed himself out of the chair, a little unsteady from the bourbon and the weed.

"Whoa there, man." Johnny reached out with his large hands, ready to catch House. "You gonna make it?"

"Fine." House waved him off, gesturing toward the exit. "Lead the way."

The two men left the club, the cool air and the eerie silence of the late hour helping sober House up somewhat. They strode up the street, House easily keeping up with the taller man's strides, until Johnny spotted a taxi and flagged it down.

House found the business card with the hotel's address and told it to the driver, and they rode in silence until Johnny broke it.

"About what happened back there…if you're weird about it, I get it." Johnny told him. "I didn't exactly plan that."

House shrugged. He wasn't sure he had processed the whole experience just yet. "Not that big a deal."

"Cool." Johnny looked visibly relieved. "Wouldn't want to part on bad terms."

They arrived at the hotel, and House paid the driver before climbing out and rounding the rear of the cab. Johnny had climbed out as well, looking down at House with a neutral expression.

"Thanks for coming out with me, man." Johnny told him. "Sure was a hell of a night."

"Yeah, it was." House answered, tapping his cane on the concrete. "I just hope I remember it in the morning."

Johnny's face broke into a wide grin. "I know I will." He lifted House's chin and planted a kiss on his lips.

The kiss almost automatically deepened again, and House wasn't sure which one of them initiated the action. It didn't matter, House decided. While this surely ranked up there with one of the strangest experiences of his life, he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it.

Finally they broke apart, and Johnny slid his hand away to move toward his wallet. He pulled out a business card and tucked it into the pocket on House's jacket.

"I'm going to be here for the next few months working on a new album and doing some work launching the label." He told House as he patted the pocket. "Sure would like to see you again."

House narrowed his eyes. "For what purpose?"

Johnny smiled again, shrugging his shoulders. "To hang out, play music, lay down some tracks…" He briefly kissed House again. "…and whatever else might come up."

House nodded, turning over the idea in his mind. He wouldn't mind jamming with Johnny again, and as for whatever else…he found himself mildly curious about that as well. "My real job keeps me busy, but…I'll see what I can do."

"Cool." Johnny clapped House on the shoulder. "Take care, man. I'll see you around."

House watched as the other man strode away, a slow smile curving onto his rough face as he entered the hotel and rode the elevator to his room.

He slid in his keycard and quietly entered the room. Wilson immediately shifted and turned on the bedside light. "Jesus, House, you smell like a Grateful Dead concert. Where the hell did you go?"

House smirked as he dumped his jacket and toed off his shoes, picking up his backpack and heading for the bathroom. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

"Try me."

"Let's see…we jammed for a while, then went to some underground club, listened to a killer band, hung out in the back room, smoked a shitload of primo weed, and made out."

Wilson rolled his eyes and turned out the light. "Never mind."

House snorted as he changed clothes and climbed into the other bed. He wasn't surprised that Wilson didn't believe him. He still wasn't sure he believed it himself.

One thing was for sure. He was definitely going to find a way to get back to New York while Johnny was still here. If nothing else, he needed to satisfy his curiosity. That was House's story, and he was sticking to it.

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And once again...you know what to do. Read and review.