Managed to make my way over here, too. Don't own House or the team, just the cavalcade of O/Cs.

# # #

Johnny's phone rang a couple of days later while he was in the middle of a recording session with Pushing Daisies. He grinned a little when he saw whose number was on the Caller ID.

He stepped out into the hallway to take the call. "House, what's shaking, man?"

The other man paused briefly before speaking. "Looks like I won't be making it up there this weekend. Got one wild case on my hands."

"It's cool." Johnny assured him. "I already told you I'd find my way there, right?"

House let out a short snort. "I can't guarantee I'll be around much."

Johnny let out a low chuckle at that. "We'll figure it out, man. Ain't no thing."

"Gotta fly." House quickly told him. "Patient just took a nosedive."

With that, House was gone, and Johnny closed his phone and stuck it back in his pocket. House's abrupt manner on the phone was taking a little getting used to, but it was worth it just to hear his voice on the other end.

Johnny shook his head at that. Maybe House was right. Maybe it was a little pathetic. He didn't give a damn, though, not really. For the first time in years he had a good thing going with someone. If that made him a little pathetic, frankly, so be it.

He reentered the studio and closed the door behind him. Rex was sitting at the sound board with something resembling a smile crossing his face.

"What's up, man?" Johnny asked him as he eased himself back into a chair next to Rex. "You're smiling. Even when you're happy with something, you never smile."

"Just listen." Rex hit the playback button, and the sound of soulful guitar and a heavy drum backbeat filled the room. Derek's growling voice soon followed, the other guys falling in during the chorus in nearly dead solid harmony.

Johnny could feel the wide grin split his face. What had happened here was pure magic, something that happened rarely in this industry. "Check that out, man." He held his arm out to Rex. "Goosebumps. I'm signing these guys before some big name label snaps them up."

"Uh…you don't have that kind of power, Rocket." Rex pointed out. "Better go to the man with the money before you get too excited."

Rex was right and Johnny knew it. Johnny let out a short sigh and pulled out his phone to find Calvin's number in his contacts.

"Reed."

"Calvin, it's Rocket." Johnny shifted in the chair. "You know those guys Pushing Daisies that I was telling you about the other day?"

"Yes?"

"We're recording a demo with them right now. They're fucking fantastic, man." Johnny couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. "We should sign them."

Calvin let out a sigh at the other end. "Give me ten minutes, then I'll come down and listen to your little discovery. We'll talk then. Good bye."

Johnny huffed a little as he shoved the phone in his pocket. There were times when Calvin's taciturn manner served to rein Johnny's enthusiasm in. Usually it was a good thing. In this case, in Johnny's not so humble opinion, not so much.

Rex let out a short chuckle. "Let me guess. He told you to chill a bit."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Said he'd come down to listen to my 'little discovery' in a few. Bastard."

"Cut him some slack." Rex told him. "He just wants to make sure you're not throwing his money away."

"Like I'd do that." Johnny growled and slumped slightly in the chair. "I know good music when I hear it. Been doing this a while."

"From what I heard, you didn't want anything to do with them." Rex pointed out. "At least, not until that…friend of yours pushed you into it."

"House ain't no musical slouch himself." Johnny argued. "And I liked Pushing Daisies just fine. I just…you know…" He shrugged, his temper evaporating somewhat. "They're young, that's all. Worried me a little."

"Of course." Rex nodded in understanding. "Probably don't exactly want them to follow your path, right?"

"Right." Johnny's musical path had been a rough one. He had shot to fame at a young age, scoring a recording contract shortly after his sixteenth birthday. Just over a year later, his first album went platinum, and he had hit the road opening for Stevie Ray Vaughn.

God, what a summer that had been. Stevie Ray had become a mentor, a friend, a confidante, trying to point the young Johnny in the right direction. It had been one hell of a collaboration, and they had talked of recording an album together.

Then he had died in that helicopter accident. If not for a twist of fate, Johnny would have been on that same helicopter. Nothing had been quite the same since. Not to say that Johnny fell apart, but he had definitely stumbled. His next two albums fell short of expectations, followed by a brief recovery after he had climbed out of the bottle.

Johnny never found that early fame again, and he had fallen into what he could at best call a musical funk that lasted for years. He continued to record and tour, but the crowds shrunk as the years went on, and sales never followed the critical accolades.

It wasn't a path Johnny wished on anyone, and he often wondered what would have happened if he hadn't signed a contract so early in life. He tended to avoid the young bands for just that reason.

Rex was talking again, and Johnny shook himself out of his reverie. "What was that?"

"I said…" Rex spoke with exaggerated patience. "That maybe we should get Bella in on one of these sessions. Calvin would eat that up."

"Funny." Johnny chuckled. "Bella and I were talking about that. Let's hook it up."

"Hey." A voice called out from inside the studio. "Anything else we need to do here?"

Johnny and Rex looked at each other sheepishly, and Johnny hit the microphone button. "No, man. We got all we need for today. Thanks."

The band packed up, shaking hands with the two men and leaving the studio after making arrangements to return in a couple of days. After the band left, Rex turned to Johnny. "So how's your album work going?"

Johnny shrugged. "Pretty good. Got a bunch of music written. Just need to arrange it and start laying down a few tracks."

"You plan on doing that sometime before you turn forty?" Rex asked him.

"I've got time." Johnny snapped. "Got a whole lot going on right now."

"Yeah, I can see that." Rex smirked. "Any chance this has anything to do with that House guy that was hanging around all weekend?"

Johnny smirked in response. "That's a real recent thing. Not really relevant." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "If anything, he's the one that's kind of helped kick my ass into gear again. Not that he knows that."

"That's good, but if you've got no material, it's going to be kind of difficult to produce an album."

Johnny snorted derisively. "Shit, man. No one wants to hear my stuff anymore anyway. Pushing Daisies, Criminal Intent…that's the stuff people want to hear. Hell, it's what they should be hearing. Those two bands are going to be huge." He shook his head as he reached for the cigarette pack in his shirt pocket. "I'm just some washed-up former boy wonder."

Rex let out a low chuckle at that. "You know as well as I do that the public is a sucker for a big comeback. We put together a solid album, and you'll be back on top again. I can virtually guarantee it."

"Maybe." Johnny gestured with his cigarette pack. "Be right back, man."

He left the studio and made his way outside. Even in the city, he could smell the promise of spring in the air. It was almost time to pull the Mustang convertible out of storage and get her checked out for the season. With any luck, he would be making plenty of road trips down to Princeton in the little beauty.

Johnny had bought the Mustang brand new when his first album went platinum. The move was the source of a million jokes back in the day, as he had just gotten his driver's license not too long before that.

It was the one thing he'd held on to during the ups and downs that made up his career. People let him down. That Mustang rarely did.

He gave further thought to Rex's words. Being back on top meant being back in the public eye, and Johnny wasn't sure he wanted that anymore. The one good thing about fading into relative obscurity was the freedom it brought him. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to indulge in some of those somewhat public make-out sessions with House otherwise, and he definitely wouldn't want to expose House to that kind of scrutiny.

Johnny sighed heavily as he took a final drag on his cigarette before flicking it into a nearby ashtray. He'd thought he had the professional end of things figured out. Maybe not.

He flung the studio door open and strode inside, returning to the studio where Pushing Daisies had been recording. The increasingly familiar bluesy sound spilled out of the door when Johnny opened it, and he spotted Calvin and Rex at the soundboard, deep in conversation.

Calvin turned as Johnny entered, extending a hand and clapping him on the shoulder. "Johnny, my boy, I think we've got something here."

Johnny snorted and rolled his eyes in response, accepting the hand in a solid grip. "Tried to tell you."

"Right, right, I know." Calvin nodded. "Let's draw these boys up a contract and see about getting them signed, shall we?"

Johnny and Calvin walked side by side down the hallway to the elevator, the other man taking two steps to Johnny's one. They were silent until they stepped on and the doors closed behind them.

"So Rex tells me you're dragging your feet on your own album." Calvin casually threw out. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Johnny shrugged. "I've been busy. Other bands, other projects." He glanced over at Calvin. "Been busting my ass trying to get some talent to this label."

"And you're doing a hell of a job." Calvin told him. "But you were supposed to be the lynchpin of this label, and nobody's seen an ounce of evidence that you're working on anything."

"I've been writing some songs." Johnny suddenly felt more than a little defensive. "Working on some arrangements now."

"You need to get your ass in that studio and start recording." Calvin told him. "You go much longer between albums and people will think you've died."

Johnny snorted derisively as they exited the elevator at the floor containing their offices. "You saw how many folks showed up at my last show. I ain't dead yet."

"Right. All three hundred of them." Calvin sighed. "You used to attract ten times that."

"I know, man." Johnny snapped. "You don't have to tell me."

"Then get on the ball and start recording that album." Calvin snapped in response. "I'm not paying you to be a glorified talent scout. I'm paying you to make some damn music."

Johnny felt his temper flaring, even as he knew Calvin was right. It was part of the deal when they had first started putting together this label. Johnny couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow made a deal with the devil.

"You got a number for these boys?" Calvin asked him when they arrived in his office.

Johnny pulled out his cell phone and looked it up, passing it on to Calvin. Calvin hit the speakerphone and dialed.

Someone picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Derek." Johnny called out. "Got some news for you guys."

"Yeah…?"

"Talked to my partner here. He listened to the tracks you guys laid down earlier, and…" Johnny grinned a little. "…he wants to hammer out a contract for you guys. Interested?"

"Hell yeah!" Derek shouted, and Johnny could hear other voices in the background. "When?"

Calvin took over then. "I'm in the office right now. We can work out the details whenever you can get here."

There was a brief pause, followed by murmured voices. "We're on our way." Derek announced.

"Excellent." Calvin smiled at Johnny across the desk. "We'll see you soon."

With that they hung up, and Calvin eased himself into his desk chair. "So, that's two artists potentially in the stable. Maybe you could work on that little friend of yours and get Criminal Intent to sign a piece of paper, too."

"No promises." Johnny laughed. "Bella's one stubborn girl."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Calvin answered. "Minus the girl part, of course."

Johnny chuckled and left Calvin's office to retreat to his own. It was only when he sat down behind his desk that he considered the significance of Calvin's words. Did Calvin really just think of Johnny that way? He had thought that they were friends, on some level. Maybe Johnny really was nothing but a business asset to Calvin.

The thought disturbed Johnny. It was just one more aspect of the music business that rubbed him the wrong way. Artists weren't really artists. They were more the intellectual property of whatever label they were signed to at the time.

He had hoped to escape that notion when he and Calvin started this label. Only it was mostly Calvin's label, financially speaking. Johnny didn't have that much to contribute except his own talent and the talent of whoever he found out in the club scene. Lately the club scene in New York had been slim pickings, and Johnny wondered if it might be worthwhile to expand that search to other nearby cities.

Johnny sighed and pushed himself out of his chair to return to Calvin's office. The other man arched an eyebrow as he entered. "What's up?"

"Thinking about making a little road trip." Johnny told him casually. "Seems like New York's a little light on the kind of talent we're looking for."

Calvin leaned back in his desk chair. "Did you have a destination in mind?"

"I'm leaning toward Philly." Johnny answered. "Thought I'd swing through there for a couple days, see what I can scare up."

Calvin nodded thoughtfully. "Don't think that relieves you of your recording obligation."

"I'm not trying to avoid anything, Calvin." Johnny snapped. "When the hell have I ever run out on an obligation?"

Calvin threw Johnny a skeptical look, and Johnny huffed irritably. "Fine, there was that one time in Seattle, but I was going through a whole lot of mess then. And that was a long damn time ago. Should have known you wouldn't have let that go."

Calvin glanced down at the contract he was working on. "So what's your plan?"

Johnny took a moment to think about it. "Leave Thursday, come back Sunday. That should give me plenty of time to check out what Philly's got to offer."

"You staying at your usual place?"

"Actually…" Johnny ventured. "…I might be hanging with a friend of mine. He doesn't live too far from Philly."

Calvin smirked. "Is this the guy from the Criminal Intent show? Word is you two are a little more than 'friends'."

"Yeah, same guy." Johnny answered. "He's kind of tied up with work, so I figured I'd make it a two-fer. Go hang with him, maybe get him up to Philly for a second opinion on the music."

Calvin shook his head. "Gotta admit, I don't get the attraction. You just don't seem like the type to be…you know."

"Takes all kinds, man." Johnny shrugged. "See you around."

With that Johnny left the office, digging his phone out of his pocket and finding House's number in his contacts. Surprisingly enough, the man picked up on the first ring.

"House."

"Hey, man." Johnny started. "Looks like I'm coming your way this weekend. Scouting out some music in Philly. You interested?"

There was a pause before House answered. "Don't know. This case is taking some very interesting turns...hold on." House's voice was suddenly muffled, and it sounded like he was taking someone to task. While Johnny would hate to be on the receiving end of House's ire, it was mildly amusing to listen to. "Anyway…kind of depends on what kind of shape my patient's in by then. When are you coming?"

"Thursday afternoon." Johnny replied. "Figured I'd stay through Sunday."

Another pause. "I assume you're staying in Philly."

"I could." Johnny spoke carefully. "Might make it a little harder to see you, though."

House huffed. "And now we get to what you're really after."

"Well, yeah." Johnny chuckled.

"Hold on." Johnny could hear House giving muffled instructions before he returned to the phone. "Okay, got the kids occupied. So…you say you're going to Philly to scout out talent, but you really want to come see me."

"Yes…and yes." Johnny told him. "So what do you say, brother?"

There was silence on the other end, and Johnny found himself holding his breath, waiting for House's response. A soft sigh followed. "You'll probably have better luck tracking me down at the hospital. My office is on the fourth floor of Princeton-Plainsboro."

"You sure that'll be okay?"

"Sure." House answered casually. "They're so used to my weirdness around here that no one will even bat an eyelash." His voice dropped to a low tone. "And…I kind of want to see you, too."

Johnny couldn't stop the wide smile that he knew was spreading across his face, and he released the breath he was holding. "Cool, man. I'll see you Thursday."

"Looking forward to it."

Suddenly there was silence, followed by a ring tone, and House was gone once again. Johnny suddenly found himself feeling impatient in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. Thursday, he decided, couldn't come soon enough.

# # #

House spent the next couple of days alternating between anticipation and dread. What the hell had he been thinking, inviting Johnny here?

He huffed irritably and returned to the case file, poring over pages of test results that had led to nothing. If that was any indication, this case would keep him ridiculously busy over the weekend anyway. The chances of getting away long enough to do much of anything with Johnny were looking pretty minimal.

Thursday afternoon found House and his team back in the conference room, the whiteboard filled with symptoms. "Okay, kids. Let's start at the beginning. Patient presented initially with…" He glanced at the four faces that were now focused on something inside House's office.

House rolled his eyes and tapped the whiteboard. "Hello, eyes on the board, please. Got a dying patient here."

"There's a somewhat legendary rock musician standing in your office." Chase blurted out.

"I thought he looked familiar…" Thirteen chimed in. "What's his name?"

"Johnny Rocket." Chase looked a little starstruck. "He's bloody fantastic. Got all his albums."

Foreman rolled his eyes while Taub looked vaguely amused. "Maybe you should get his autograph." Taub suggested.

"You think I should?" Chase's eyes went a little wide.

"Focus." House huffed irritably. "Once we figure out what's killing the patient, then everyone can do the meet-and-greet." He tossed the marker to Chase. "Talk amongst yourselves. I'll be right back."

He left his team and pushed through the door that separated the conference room and his office. "You created quite a stir. Half my team is acting like squealing fangirls."

Johnny chuckled and held his hand out to House. House returned the gesture, expecting Johnny to release it soon after.

He didn't, holding it in a firm grip, his thumb lightly stroking the back of House's hand as he moved in closer. "Good to see you, brother." He murmured, sending a shiver through House.

"Good to see you, too." House murmured in response, well aware that there was a possibility that his team wasn't concentrating on the differential. Oddly enough, now that Johnny was here, House wasn't that concerned. He almost felt as if he was back in that rock star fantasy bubble, and it felt good.

Johnny nodded toward the conference room. "Think your team wants something."

"It's probably nothing." House grumbled, pulling away and limping toward his desk for a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled his address on the paper and handed it to Johnny. "There's a spare key on top of the doorframe. I'll be there when I can."

"Alright, man." Johnny tucked the paper into his shirt pocket. "Good luck with your case. I'll see you when you show up."

The other man left the office, and House let out a long breath. He glanced down at his slightly shaking hands, barely believing what had transpired between them.

He shook it off, attempting to refocus his attention on his case before pushing his way back through the door to the conference room. "So…come up with anything?"

"I'd like to redo the MRI." Thirteen spoke up. "Maybe we missed something."

"MRI was inconclusive." Chase argued. "We need to redo the CAT scan."

The two doctors debated, with Taub and Foreman jumping in with their theories. House rolled his eyes and thumped his cane on the floor.

"Can't you kids agree on anything?" House snapped. "What the hell were you talking about the whole time I was gone?"

Four faces glanced around with guilty expressions. "That's what I thought. Just for that, all four of you are sticking around until you figure out what's killing our patient. And no speculating about me and the Rocket man, either. You're all wrong anyway."

House left his team murmuring behind him, smirking slightly as he put on his leather jacket and grabbed his helmet and backpack. Let them stew. As long as they spent time figuring out the mystery of their patient, they could speculate about the nature of his and Johnny's relationship all they wanted.

He soon arrived home, pulling in behind a Mustang convertible and dismounting his bike. His heart was pounding slightly, and House willed himself to calm down before he entered his apartment. Just because Johnny was here didn't mean he wanted to jump House's bones immediately. Not that House would object to that.

House took a quick breath before opening the apartment door. Johnny was sitting on the couch, humming to himself and moving his fingers as if he were playing guitar as he scribbled notes on sheet music paper. He glanced up when House closed the door behind him.

"Hey, man." Johnny rose from the couch and met House at the door as he set down his helmet and backpack. "Didn't expect you so soon."

"I managed to skate out early." House told him, his nerves jangling as Johnny came closer. "Left the team gossiping about us."

"Good." Johnny placed a brief kiss on House's lips. "Wonder how close they'll get to figuring out the truth."

"Not very." House murmured as Johnny's lips wandered over his skin. "They're not that bright."

"Doubt that, brother." Johnny answered. "Aren't you the one that hired them?"

"Rather not talk about them right now."

"Fair enough." Johnny chuckled, his hands moving to slip off House's leather jacket. "I know I've got better things to do."

House pulled Johnny in closer, letting his hands wander under the other man's t-shirt while letting Johnny's lips and mouth explore him. His team and his case were forgotten for the moment. Right now, House was right where he wanted to be.

# # #

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