"You are late House," Cuddy declared as she handed him a patient's file. "Exam room 3 is all yours."

"I was with the hospital's newest donors and then checking with my team to ensure my patient is properly cared for. You do want these donors happy don't you?" House stated piously.

Cuddy paused, "Are you done with them?"

"For now," he admitted.

"Than exam room 3."

"Did you know the girls get all perky when you get angry?" House observed making a direct reference to her ample bosom. Cuddy glared at him and walked away circling the nurses' station. "Oh those laser points are really shooting out now!" he said while still staring at her breasts. When he saw her stop he quickly grabbed the patient's chart and hurried into exam room 3.

"Now what do we have here, Miss Jones?" He looked up to verify he had the right file and saw her frantically scratching her legs, "You're scratching," House quietly voiced the obvious.

"Of course I'm scratching. I'm itchy! And it's driving me crazy! My legs look like they've been torn to shreds and I've only got two weeks until my wedding."

"How long have you been itchy?"

"It started about a month ago but its getting worse. As if I don't have enough to deal with."

"Tell me are you saving money by planning it all on your own?"

"Yes!"

"Are your family and friends driving you crazy and your fiancé is no help at all?"

"Yes, even Stephanie, my best friend since nursery school, whom I thought I could count on…" House held up his hand to stop the tirade.

"Take it as a sign. Cancel before it's too late."

"WHAT!" she screeched, "I can't do that I've waited so long to have the big wedding of my dreams. I have been planning this since I was a little girl. I already have deposit money on everything and the wedding is in just two weeks!"

House interrupted again, "But this isn't what you pictured is it?"

"No, it's a lot more work. People whom I thought I could count on are making the planning difficult especially family. Sam and I are paying for it all ourselves and our parents are insisting on inviting everyone they ever met."

"But you won't cancel?"

"No, it's too important to both my fiancé and me."

"Than take this," House quickly wrote three prescriptions one for Prednisone, one for a topical steroid cream and one for Valium.

"What's this?"

"The stress of your wedding is causing physical manifestations in your body. I do not recommend any of these medications for a long period of time but it will help you to get to your wedding with some of your skin intact. My first recommendation would be to wake up and run like hell away from this disaster before it happens." The patient stared at him in horror. "However given that you are obviously too deficient to listen to my sound advice my next piece of wisdom would be to elope. However as you have already stated that this is not an option than you should try to fit activities into your schedule that will lower your stress level like yoga and meditation. And for Pete's sake get a massage!"

"And will that cure me?"

"It will probably mitigate the symptoms but until your stressful event is over your body is going to pay. Stress kills." The young brunette was left looking at the prescriptions as House left exam room three only to have Cuddy hand him another file. "But Mom", House whined, "I've already seen a patient today."

"Exam room 2 now!"

House limped to exam room 2 to see a young man sitting waiting patiently. "Well Mr. Granger what seems to be the trouble?"

"I've got a growth on my arm and it's getting bigger. It kind of feels like there's something alive inside it."

"Roll up the sleeve of your shirt and let me see."

The young man rolled up his long sleeved shirt and House could clearly see a large bump on his arm.

"What is it doc? Is it a growth? Is it cancer? I've got cancer don't I? I'm gonna die!"

Interrupting the young man House asserted, "Mr. Granger, you seem to be remarkably tanned and it's only April. I'm assuming from the shade of your skin that you obtained it naturally, meaning not from a bottle or a store."

"Yeah, I just got back from backpacking with a bunch of buddies. We were in Central America for three weeks hiking through the rainforest. Best trip ever! You should definitely go, you'd love the trails."

"Unfortunately Mr. Granger my days of hiking trails through the rainforest are behind me." House tapped his cane on the floor a couple of times for emphasis.

"Oh man, that sucks."

House poked his head out of the exam room and waved for one of the nurses to assist him. "It would appear Mr. Granger that you brought something back with you."

"Only for myself man, I swear."

"Not that Mr. Granger although I would recommend showering after using as the pungent smell does cling to one's clothes. Did you get bit by any bugs while you were away?"

"I told you dude, I was in the jungle. Of course I got bit but it was completely worth it."

"Of course it was." House laid the young man's arm across the metal tray and gathered the tools he thought he would need. House froze the area and told the nurse to clean the skin while he got a scalpel.

"What are you doing?" the young stoner asked.

"Hold still, you shouldn't feel a thing." House sliced the bump open and with a pair of long handled tweezers he removed the botfly larva from the young man's arm.

"Congratulations! It's a bug," House stated as he pulled the inch long bug from the man's arm and put it in a container the nurse held ready.

"Cool, can I keep it?"

"No," House said giving him a slightly disgusted look, "But you can have this," House handed him a prescription for antibiotics.

As the nurse cleaned the area where the bug had been House advised, "There shouldn't be any infections as this type of larva produce antibiotic secretions that help to prevent infection while it's feeding."

House had just started the process of stitching the young man's arm when Buffy walked into the exam room just as the nurse was leaving. "What are you doing? Why aren't you working on our case?" Buffy demanded.

"I'm busy at the moment," House muttered as he continued to stitch up the cut.

"And you're doing a terrible job. It's going to leave him a scar; give me that." she stated as she took the needle from his hands and began a professional job of suturing the cut. House was surprised at her ability.

"Thanks Dudette. Hey foxy lady nurse, do you want to go out with me some time?"

"No," Buffy answered in what House would describe as a 'knee jerk' reaction. She looked up taking in the rumpled clothes, the unkempt appearance and the smell of ganga and clarified, "definitely not."

House smiled and looked down quickly but he noticed it was not quick enough, 'she saw that' he thought to himself, 'remarkable' thinking about her ability to perceive her environment. House and Buffy left exam room 2 together to see Cuddly making a determined beeline for House. Buffy saw House grimace.

"House, I have another case ready for you in exam room 1."

"She is making me pay for commenting on her breasts," he theorized aloud as he reached for the file. Buffy batted down his arm before he could touch it.

"No, our corporation has made an impressively large donation to this hospital under the express condition that Dr. House and his team focus all of their energy on our cases. We own him now, and until these cases have been solved and Maryse and the other girls are well, House is off limits."

"Well Buffy, that would be a waste of hospital resources. House's team is busy running tests on the patient and while that is being done he can make himself useful by performing his mandatory clinic hours."

Having faced down a Hell Goddess and the First Evil Buffy was not about to let the hospital administrator run roughshod over her. "Dr. Cuddy, to you its Miss Summers and there will soon be over a dozen patients with similar symptoms. We are having them all shipped here. I hope that is not a problem?"

"No, of course not," Dr. Cuddy stammered.

"The SWC expects these girls to receive the finest care money can buy. And by the way Dr. Cuddy," House noticed Buffy's eyes harden, "if we lose a single girl we will take vengeance upon the party responsible."

"Is that a threat Miss Summers? Because I can tell you that we have excellent lawyers at our disposal and Princeton-Plainsboro does not react well to threats."

As Buffy bristled ready to give an angry retort House watched Giles walk into the clinic. House could see him mumbling words in a foreign language and whisking his fingers in a quick half circle.

"Miss Summers it's always a pleasure to deal with you. Please let me know if there is anything Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital or I can do for you." Dr. Cuddy smiled brightly and walked away.

"Giles, I was handling it."

"I know you were Buffy I just expedited it."

"What did you just do to Cuddy?" House demanded.

"Do you believe in hypnosis?" Giles asked.

"Well yes, but..."

"Good that's what we're going to call it, now on to Maryse, can you cure her?"

"We still don't know what's wrong with her. Perhaps if you and Bunny here were a bit more forthcoming with information…" House trailed off purposefully mangling Buffy's name as a childish reaction to Cuddy's treatment by the head of the SWC.

"My name is Buffy you jack-ass, and you have all of the information that you need," the petite blonde stormed at him stamping her foot to emphasize her point as she glared up at him.

"Ok, how about a shot in the dark, what did you do to these girls in this cult you all belong to?"

"Cult? Us?" Giles asked.

"Yes cult, mysterious organization whose members include a bunch of impressionable young ladies led by a middle aged man and his bag of parlour tricks."

"Hey!"

"Don't worry I didn't forget about you sweet cheeks. You two act as though you've been together for years but from Blondie's age that would mean you probably got together while you were still in school. What was he, your homeroom high school teacher?" House stared at Buffy.

"The librarian actually." Buffy admitted, "But it's not what you think."

"Oops my bad," House continued while walking to the elevators, "I really wish…"

His sentence was cut off as Buffy put her foot out and tripped him while Giles gave him a push from behind.

"What did you do that for?" House fumed looking up from the ground. Both Giles and Buffy offered him a hand to help him up. "Tripping a cripple. Is there anything the two of you won't stoop to?"

"No, and neither will you. John Henry told me all about you and the tricks you'll play to get your own way. We are okay with your tactics but there will be no using the word 'wish' while we are involved nor will you or any your team ever use that word in connection to us or any of the girls who belong to the SWC." Giles stated.

"Can I ask why?"

"Of course you can ask anything you want but you won't learn a damn thing," Buffy answered.