As promised, here's the next chapter! For a story I thought I would lose interest in rather quickly, I'm totally loving it! I even rush home from work every night to work on it LOL. Even at work, I think of little perils I can put House and Cuddy through!

Thanks everyone for the reviews on the last chapter! You guys are soo great!

Enjoy :)

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"Well, what do you think? How about a ceremonial quickie to christen the island?" House asked, helping Cuddy onto the surf.

"Don't think so," Cuddy said. Tears welled up in her eyes. She never realized how good it felt to step on dry land, or to be standing in general! She had been laying down or sitting up for an entire day, never coming to a complete stand. Her knees trembled a bit and she was sore all over, but still vowed to walk.

"It might help if you take off your heels," he said, glancing down to her feet as yet another wave lightly came into shore. He was surprised she didn't lose them at some point during or after the plane wreck. The strap around her ankle must've kept them securely attached to her feet.

"Right," Cuddy said, bending over to release the straps around her ankles. After that, and a small shake of the foot, the shoe easily came off. She grasped them by the straps and continued to walk with House. High-heels and sand don't mix.

"We should probably try to find water before we sleep. We can worry about a fire tomorrow," he said, having trouble balancing himself in the sand with his leg.

"Are you okay?" Cuddy asked, straightening him up for the second time after he had almost fallen. Maybe she should be helping him walk, not the other way around.

"It doesn't help when the damn sand is so slippery."

"I know, but at least we're on land. I've always wanted to sleep on a beach."

"Yeah, well I've always wanted to have sex on the beach. Care to give it a shot?"

Cuddy shook her head in disbelief. That was the second time he asked her in two minutes. Even after all this, and his leg acting up, he could still muster up sexual jokes.

"House, the only sex on the beach I would ever give you is the drink. Now walk with me. I can't support your weight and mine at the same time."

"Spoilsport," he murmured.

It got dark fast and they still needed to find water. Cuddy knew that on an island, the further inland she went, the more likely it was that she would find fresh water. She helped House sit under a mass of trees and put her heels back on so she could attempt to find water. There's no way she could go another night without any.

"Cuddy, you don't even know what's out there. There could be bears for all you know."

"Bears on a deserted island, House?" she said disbelievingly. "That's why it's called 'deserted.'"

"Yeah, and it's 'deserted' for a reason. Half the food here is probably poisonous and fresh water supply is fictional."

Cuddy grunted, slapping the strap to her heel in place. "Stop being pessimistic, House. I'm the one going out to look. Just sit there and enjoy the feeling of laying in the sand until I get back. Play with it. It'll make the time go by faster."

"What do you expect to find? A small river of fresh water that flows through here?"

"You better hope I do, otherwise we're dead."

"How are you going to carry it back with you if you do find some?"

Cuddy bit her lip in thought. She didn't think of that.

"I'll carry it in my mouth for you," she joked with a smile and turned around to leave.

"Don't go too far! You don't know what's out there," House called after her when Cuddy's footsteps became more and more distant the further she walked into the island and away from him. He wished he could've gone with her. With each passing minute, it got darker. House watched the sun set over the ocean in the distance. It felt odd not having Cuddy with him to watch the sun go down. She would always marvel over how beautiful the colors were. The colors the sun left behind were different each night. The first night, the sky was pink and purple. Tonight, it was light orange with a touch of yellow. That seemed like the normal colors in a sunset. House's fingers lightly grazed the surface of the sand, poking it in places. He was bored without Cuddy.

Suddenly, something fell on his head, scaring him half to death. He wasn't expecting that. Reaching over, he grabbed a rough, circular item and looked it over. It was a coconut. He frowned at it.

"That hurt, you know," he said to the tropical food.

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Cuddy didn't know what she was thinking when she agreed to walk into the middle of nowhere when she could hardly see two feet ahead of her. It was getting dark and the only thing that lit up her path were the stars above.

"You've been kind to me so far, don't let me down," Cuddy whispered to the stars, holding her hands out to the trees to balance herself on the rocky patches of dirt and roots that protruded through the ground. It was hard to walk with heels.

She gasped when her foot got wedged in between the ground and a root and lost her balance. She fell haphazardly onto a patch of hard ground and sharp roots, tearing the knees of her pants and probably the top layer of her skin as well.

"Fantastic," she muttered, coming to a stand and brushing off the front of her pants, as if it mattered. She felt the tears with her fingers. They were wide enough to fit two of her fingers through them. "My favorite pants, too." She sighed and threw her arms out, frustration quickly taking over, due to the lack of water in her system. "I need help." Tears came to her eyes, making her headache worse. She brought her arms back down by her sides and clenched her fists. "Okay, Lisa, calm down…just calm down and press forward. You're no good to anyone like this."

Cuddy watched her step carefully as she moved deeper inland. From what she saw coming ashore, this was a very big island. There's at least two miles of shore in diameter and over a mile of land mass in the center, resembling somewhat that of a mountain with rocks and trees. There was not much leveled ground the further Cuddy went inland; she clearly found that out. But there were many roots from various types of healthy and living trees. That could only mean one thing. They had to be getting their fresh water from somewhere other than the sky every other night. Even though tropical plants are designed to go without water for months at a time, the plants with the roots told Cuddy there were more than just tropical plants here.

"So if there are roots, there's water, right?" Cuddy asked aloud, pushing herself to move on. What drove Cuddy onward was the need for water. She didn't want to turn back now without finding any. "The water would be stored somewhere where the roots gathered…someplace that's not under the ground…Question is where?" she asked in a whisper, looking around. She hoped it wasn't where she was physically unable to go.

She needed water. She could barely think logically anymore and had the worst case of cottonmouth she ever experienced. Going back without water wasn't an option. Even if it was a drop, she was going to have it.

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House wasn't sure about the correct time, but Cuddy had been gone for a while now. The only sounds he heard were the light winds rustling through the trees and the waves crashing onto the beach. He didn't hear any screaming or yelling from Cuddy. She definitely has a set of lungs on her, even without water, so the volume of her screams wouldn't be an issue, unless she couldn't scream. That would be a problem. He nonchalantly picked at the hairs of the coconut that fell on his head. He had shifted himself out of the way of the coconut path so he wouldn't get hit in the head with another one. Since he moved, two more had fallen from the tree and plopped beside him. House had never been a huge fan of coconuts, but at least tossing them from hand to hand like a ball had passed the time. He had gotten bored poking the sand.

Perhaps it passed too much time, because House didn't recognize right away that darkness had completely fallen upon the island. The way he realized this was him noticing that it got harder to see the coconut he was throwing up into the air. It was becoming a mere silhouette. He was tuned in to listen for Cuddy's footsteps breaking twigs and stepping on rocks as she came back to him. He didn't hear anything that resembled such noises in the past fifteen minutes or so.

What if Cuddy was hurt? Those heels of hers are an accident waiting to happen. She could've easily twisted her ankle out there.

Hero time! House hoisted himself up. It wasn't easy, now that he was almost out of Vicodin and his cane was gone, but he was able to come to a stand, virtually pain-free. The only thing that hurt on him was his head, thanks to the damn coconut. His limbs were weak, but he managed to push past that.

"Cuddy!" he called into the black nothing and listened for a response. She was crazy for wanting to go in there at this time of night!

When he didn't hear her, he pushed forward. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be walking in there. His leg hardly gave him any trouble. The light from the stars lit up the necessary path for him. It definitely didn't compare to the wonderful light the sun gave off, but it was better than nothing.

He shouted for her again, as loud as he could. His dry throat made him cough afterwards.

"House, I found water!" she yelled, not too far away from where he was.

He found himself limping faster to get to her. There better be some there for him!

"If you drank it all, I'm going to hurt you," he said, catching up to her.

He turned the corner and saw her bent down to the ground with her hands in what looked to be the largest streambed he had ever seen. There wasn't much water in it, probably because it hadn't rained in some time.

He didn't care if the water was safe or not, as long as it was wet and not saltwater. Since it came from the sky, he was pretty sure it was and since there appeared to be no animals around, the streambed wasn't polluted. It was here to serve the trees around it. No wonder the island looked like a green, velvet blanket from a distance. It has its own streambed!

Cuddy didn't waste any time sticking her face in and vainly inhaling the water so fast that she made herself choke.

House knelt beside her. "Take it easy, will you? It's not going anywhere."

House wanted to be doing the same thing she was. The twinkling fresh water looked too good to be true. If he found it first, he would automatically think it was his mind playing tricks on him and probably ignore it. Judging by Cuddy's gluttonous attempt to take it all for herself, this water was very real, and very enjoyable.

It wasn't long before House's face was in there, taking giant gulps to satisfy his dehydration. He never thought he would enjoy the feeling of a lukewarm liquid going down his throat. Cold water would've been better, but he wasn't complaining.

No one would ever believe this if he told them. Him and his boss, after sundown, drinking lukewarm water out of a streambed at an island in the heart of no man's land. It's a miracle they were even able to find a streambed like this! He wasn't sure if he believed this himself!

Minutes later, Cuddy sat back on her legs with a satisfied sigh. She also splashed her face at some point, for the top of her head glistened under the starlight.

"I feel like a million dollars," she said, tossing her head back with a sigh.

House was also finished. He couldn't mimic her position because of his leg, so he stood instead. He had to agree. Just like that, his headache was starting to go away and his body didn't feel so achy and tired. It's amazing what dehydration does to you. They weren't kidding when they say you can't survive more than three days without water.

"The streambed can't be anymore than twenty feet or so away from the beach. Where were you for the past fifteen minutes?"

Cuddy got to her feet, also feeling the relief of her headache and joint aches.

"Drinking," she said simply.

They left the streambed and headed back out to the beach, Cuddy behind House.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Cuddy asked, supporting House with her arm around his back once they were out there.

"You can sleep under the coconut tree, I'll take the beach."

He broke away from her and limped clumsily through the sand after retrieving the coconut that fell on his head earlier. He vowed that when this was over, he would never set foot into another batch of sand for as long as he lived. Walking on sand with a limp took skill.

Cuddy gasped when a coconut fell at her feet.

"Thanks a lot," she grumbled to House while he limped away. He set her up.

"It's a big island, I'm sure you can find someplace to call your own," he said, looking back at her over his shoulder.

Cuddy watched him walk away with confusion splashed on her face. He didn't want to sleep beside her? She understands that it was a necessity for the past night and this is a fairly huge island with many places to get away from one another, but Cuddy grew used to having him beside her. How nice of him to think of their closeness as a mere necessity. What did she expect?

"Fine," Cuddy said, snatching her white button-up shirt to use as a pillow and removed her shoes. "That's the last time I clue you in on a water supply."

She stepped out a little ways, not wanting to go too far from the trees. She watched House plop himself down about ten feet away from her and stretch out onto his back, tossing the coconut into the air. Still grumbling, she also plopped down and turned onto her side, away from him. She couldn't stand the sight of him. Tucking the shirt under her head, she wiggled her body to try to shift the sand so there weren't any lumps jutting into her side. Laying on the sand was better than laying on that stupid door for another night.

"Goodnight, Cuddy," House said, raising his voice slightly to reach her.

"Bastard," Cuddy mumbled, fixing the shirt under her head.

"Cuddy…goodnight," he repeated when she didn't respond back.

"Go to hell." She violently shifted her body to level down the one lump protruding in at her thigh that was getting on her nerves. House wasn't helping much either. Why didn't he want to sleep next to her?

"Gooodniiiightt Cudddyyy," he drew out slowly, raising his voice louder.

"House, shut up!" she yelled back. It was easier to yell now that her throat wasn't dry.

"Whoa…what's your problem? You found water and you're still bitchy. Isn't anything ever good enough for you?"

"You don't even know what you're talking about!" she said, turning her head in his direction, but only seeing an outline of him laying on his back.

"So then clue me in!"

Cuddy turned her head back around to the original position and forced her eyes shut. "Go to sleep."

Cuddy had to admit that she missed his warmth. Last night was the best night's sleep she had gotten in a long time. Being in House's embrace, listening to the calm beating of his heart. She hated it that the only reason it happened was because they had no choice but to be together. And they had to keep warm somehow. Tonight, it wasn't that cold, but Cuddy still missed the bodily contact she had with House.

And that kiss…Cuddy screwed her eyes shut tighter, trying to will her mind to think of anything but the kiss. God…he was so good! He knew just how to put the right amount of urgency into the kiss without it being too overbearing or too weak. It was enough to get Cuddy's mind off one of the scariest moments of her life. The fear she felt when that shark circled them was a fear she never knew existed inside her. It was more frightening than jumping from the airplane and somehow, with one simple kiss, he melted her fear into nothing. Cuddy knew it was essentially because she wanted it. She would lay awake at night in bed wondering what it would be like to be involved with the infamous Gregory House. Pushing past the fact that he would give her headaches on a daily basis and drive her absolutely crazy if they were seeing each other and he expected a free pass to do whatever he wanted with his patients and a year off clinic duty because he was banging the boss. He would never be able to open up to her. It would be very frustrating being with someone like that.

On the other hand, Cuddy wouldn't have to question the love he feels for her. House can't open up, but that doesn't mean he can't love. Stacy is living proof of that. Cuddy remembered being in the room just before he had the surgery on his leg. He told Stacy he loved her. It wasn't just a show either. He loved her then and probably still does to this day. When she worked as a lawyer at the hospital, he would purposely get punched by patient's relatives, just so he had an excuse to go see her. Cuddy felt a twinge of jealousy then and still does now. She was cold to Stacy in her last few months at the hospital and wasn't quite sure why. She never would've thought it was because she was slowly starting to fall for House. She might never be able to fill the void in his heart that Stacy left behind when they split up. If Stacy were here now instead of her, even if they were split up, they would be cuddling together on the beach, talking until the sun came up.

Cuddy gnawed on her lower lip to the point where it hurt. What did she expect? She's not another Stacy; she's his boss. That's probably all he sees her as. He'll protect her for as long as he can, only because he knows if she's replaced at the hospital, he couldn't get away with half as much as he does.

"Hey," House said, towering over her.

Cuddy gasped and turned so violently that she cried out in pain when she twisted her body where the bruise on her other side was still tender.

"What do you want?" she asked, gently rubbing her hip and the area around it.

"Why are you mad at me?"

Cuddy scoffed. "Like you care if I'm mad at you. Just put it in the back of your mind with everything else I've ever said to you."

"Is it because I'm making you sleep alone?" This would almost be a normal conversation if he didn't sound so damn sarcastic all the time! He was definitely mocking her with a whiny tone.

"No," she spat, turning back over onto her side and shutting her eyes. "Go away."

"It is, isn't it? You've grown attached to my illustrious and tempting body, haven't you?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"I don't have to flatter myself; you do that for me. What is it? It's my mad skills that drive you wild, isn't it? Or maybe it's the eyes. The chicks dig the eyes. It's what helps me get laid."

"House, go away!" Cuddy yelled. Good thing they were on their own island. There weren't any neighbors to bother. The only downside is that she couldn't get away from him!

"I'm not going away until you tell me what's wrong with you. Besides being bitchy."

"I'm tired and we're in an unfamiliar area! Are those good enough reasons?" She looked up at him again. She could see him much clearer now that he wasn't ten feet away. Even though he was looking down at her, his eyes sparkled in the starlight. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed on a man. The way the stars made him glow. It made him irresistible.

'Remember Lisa, you're mad at him,' her mind told her.

"No, it's not, because it's not true," he said, sitting down next to her with a soft grunt. Cuddy followed him with her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Sitting."

"Why are you sitting?"

"Because my leg was starting to hurt."

"House, I'm serious."

"So am I!"

Cuddy sighed. "Whatever. Sit there and watch me sleep, I don't care." She turned away from him again and shut her eyes. She felt better now that he was near her, although she would never tell him that. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing.

Sleep was coming to her quicker.

She felt him run his fingers through her hair and fell into complete tranquility. Since they last spoke, House stretched out behind her and continued to put her at ease until she was just seconds away from falling asleep. Sleep sounded good right now. He rested his head on his arm while his other hand went from Cuddy's hair, down her arm, and around her waist. He drew himself closer to her to the point where they were almost spooning, but still kept some distance.

"Cuddy…" House said, using perhaps the smallest voice he had.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks…for saving my life."

The corners of Cuddy's mouth drew up into a small smile. Even though she was seconds away from sleep, that was the sweetest thing she's ever heard him say. She had to wonder just how hard it was for him to say that. "Anytime," she responded in a low whisper before falling asleep.

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Cameron didn't sleep a wink last night. She kept glancing to her cell phone, hoping it would ring with good news on the other line. It never did. In fact, it didn't ring at all until she had just gotten out of her car and walked the length of the parking lot to get to the front entrance to the hospital.

"Where are you?" It was Wilson and he sounded anxious.

"Just coming in now, why?" Cameron asked with worry. "Did you hear from House?"

"Come to my office when you get upstairs."

Cameron hung up and quickened her pace, automatically thinking the worst. Wilson sounded in a way she never heard before.

When she arrived up at Wilson's office, Chase and Foreman were already there and they didn't look happy. They didn't look angry either. Chase looked as if he was about to cry at the drop of a hat and Foreman looked upset. That answered part of Cameron's question.

"What happened?" Cameron asked Wilson, who sat behind his desk, wearing the same look as Chase.

"Shut the door," he said and waved her in the room.

"Are House and Cuddy okay?" Her pulse quickened. She could fee the blood rush to her temples.

Wilson swallowed hard. "Their plane never made it to Narita International in Japan."

Cameron's mouth dropped. "So what does that mean? How do you know it never made it there?!"

"Koshidi's assistant called me this morning. I told him to call me back yesterday if he got in touch with House or Cuddy. He informed me that flight 171 from LAX never arrived. The airport, as well as LAX, received an SOS call through a fuzzy radio signal and they think it was from that flight." Wilson took a breath. "If so…the plane crashed into the Pacific two days ago."

It pained him to say that as much as it pained Chase and Foreman to hear it again and for Cameron to hear it even once.

Tears welled up in Cameron's eyes. "S-So you're saying House and Cuddy could be dead?" she asked and then looked at Foreman and Chase.

"The survival rate for someone adrift at sea is very slim, especially without water or proper flotation devices. If they are floating out there somewhere…they have a day at the most left to live."

Cameron shook her head. "It's not possible. I don't believe it. House would never allow himself to succumb to dying in that manner. He would hold on for days, just to spite the odds!" Cameron cried, tears falling from her eyes. "Is anyone looking for them?!"

"They've had rescue teams from Hawaii and Japan flying to where they think the crash site is ever since the plane went missing. So far, they've found nothing."

"How long will the search teams continue?" Cameron asked, pacing back and forth. She couldn't keep still.

"He said he would connect me to both the LAPD and Hawaii's rescue team. When I talked to them either, both of their answers were the same. If they don't find anything by tomorrow, they'll stop the searches."

Cameron shook her head. "I know he's out there and he's just so damn stubborn that Cuddy has to be with him, too. They're not dead. House will hold on."

"Easier said than done, Cameron," Wilson said. "His ego can only bring him so far without the necessities of life."

She would've said something to follow, but Wilson's phone ringing interrupted her. He answered it quickly. The conversation wasn't long at all. Wilson hung up about ten seconds later.

"That was…someone from the LAPD involved in this. He said that the rescue team from Hawaii found the crash site no more than a hundred miles away from them."

"How do they know?" Cameron asked, eyes wide.

"Parts from the airplane were found adrift. If House and Cuddy are still out there…hopefully they'll be found in the extra day they'll allow the rescue team to be flying around."

"Cameron, relax," Chase said, watching her pace the same stretch of carpet now for the eightieth time.

Cameron chuckled, but no humor came from it. "Relax, he says," she said, continuing to pace. "House could be dead and you tell me to relax?!"

"How do we know this isn't a mistake?" Foreman asked. "They could easily have the wrong flight and House and Cuddy are stranded somewhere else. Or knowing House, he's doing this just to get us going."

"Are you kidding me?!" Cameron exclaimed. "House is a major ass on multiple occasions, but he would never do something like this as a joke! Cuddy's with him and she wouldn't let him."

"Guys, enough," Wilson said in a surprisingly calm voice. "This is not a joke. Believe me, I'd much rather this be a joke than real."

Cameron sat in the nearest empty seat, as if in a trance. Her eyes stared at a random point in front of her. Now that it went through her mind that this wasn't just another one of House's pranks and that it was an actual serious event, she didn't know what to feel. She didn't cry and she didn't panic. She felt numb.

"Cameron…are you okay?" Foreman asked, wondering why there was such a decline in her actions.

Cameron already had someone she loved very much die prematurely on her. She had no idea how she survived that while staying sane. She couldn't take it if someone else she cares deeply for died also.

Cameron's mind moved at the speed of light, imagining the plane crashing into the water. The bottom of her stomach fell. She had to stand to fight the nausea. On that flight was a very intelligent doctor, one who could diagnose someone without even meeting them, and there he was, powerless to do anything to save his own life as tons of water constricts the plane, crushing it like it's a mere piece of tinfoil.

"Oh…god…" Cameron murmured, barely moving her mouth.

Chase and Foreman rushed to her side when she collapsed to the ground.

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Okay so that's probably too extreme for Cameron, but judging on how emotional she is when she loses patients, it's possible she would collapse if she thought she lost House! In any case, the next chapter is just about done and will be up soon. Thanks again everyone! Oh, don't forget to review! :)