„Yes."

Cuddy looked at Wilson. „Yes?"

The oncologist slowly nodded. „Yes, I'll do it… House was willing to risk his life to save Amber's. I'm going to do it."

Cuddy quietly turned her head to look at House. He was pale, but he looked as if he was just sleeping."I'm in as well.", her voice wasn't more than a whisper, „ I already feel guilty, I can't take anymore. If I don't try it, I'll always wonder what would have happened if I did."

DEATH seemed to be content and a small grin appeared on his face. „So be it." And with a short wave of his hand Wilson and Cuddy slumped to the ground, the world around them turning dark.

…

He blinked. Everything was blurry. Bright colors. Way too bright. He blinked again, his eye lids feeling heavy. He took a deep breath, air filled his lungs, but it felt unusually weird. It didn't actually feel as if he needed to breath. Which was weird as well.

After some minutes he finally managed to keep his eyes open, they were getting adjusted to the brightness around him. What was he lying on? It felt soft. A carpet?

He slowly turned his head. Some strange white material. He thought it was icky. For a moment he kept lying there on this white thing which was everywhere and looked up at the sky. Damn, never in his whole life had he seen such a sapphire blue sky.

„Do you like it?", a voice asked and forced House to turn his head again to look who had spoken to him. It was a man he didn't know, dressed completely in white.

„Pretty cheesy. Even for the afterlife.", House replied and sat up, „ Don't tell me this white icky thing I have been lying on is a cloud."

„Actually it is. Most people like it."

„Most people are stupid."

„Get up. You don't need your cane to walk."

House eyed the stranger suspiciously. He had no idea what was going on. Probably some really weird dream – or just another hallucination?

„So… I take it you are god and you healed my leg?" House got up and noticed that he didn't feel any pain in his leg. Definitely a plus.

The man in white smirked. „I'm DEATH."

„Not so good, I guess." House looked around, but there wasn't anything to see. Just the blue sky and the white „cloud" he was standing on.

„At this point most people fall to their knees and beg me to let them live."

House faced him again. „Sorry to disappoint you then."

„Do you want to be dead?" DEATH looked at him with shrewd eyes and for a moment House was silent.

„It doesn't matter.", he then said a little bit more quiet than before.

DEATH approached him.

„What are you doing?", House watched him.

„I'm reading your feelings."

House sighed. „Playing the shrink?"

DEATH ignored his comment. „Hm…I see pain."

„Of course.", House murmured, „ that's my leg, I don't own a cane because limping looks cool."

„No you can't feel any physical pain right now. This isn't your body. This is just your soul. Your body is still lying in a hospital bed in the Princeton- Plainsboro teaching hospital."

„That's where I died? Nice.", House still tried to figure out what had happened before he woke up here.

DEATH kept looking at him without speaking. His face didn't show what he was thinking.

„So what are you doing here? Don't you have to, you know, go get other people?"

„Time is standing still.", DEATH simply replied.

House looked at him unbelieving.

„I froze time."

House didn't reply to this. Instead he turned around and started to walk away.

„Where do you think you are going?"

„Looking for cable TV, or I'm a supposed to just sit around here and meditate at this cheesy place forevermore?"

„There's something you might want to see."

House turned around. DEATH's voice suddenly had a scary and threatening undertone he didn't like at all.

„What is it..?"

DEATH moved his hand and a big TV appeared in front of them.

„Nice…", House murmured, still suspicious as he slowly walked closer.

„I invite you to watch a game with me." DEATH grinned and sat down in front of the big TV.

„A game…?" House suddenly got a bad feeling. What the hell was going on?

„Yes, a game." DEATH turned the TV on. The picture of a hospital room appeared. Someone was lying in the bed. House didn't need to take a closer look, it was obviously him. He glanced at the monitors. „No heartbeat…"

At the next minute, the picture changed again. This time the hospital bed was empty and the nurses were gone as well. Two people were lying unconscious on the ground. Cuddy and Wilson.

House felt panic coming up inside him and DEATH noticed it as well. „So you care about them?"

„What did you do to them? What's going on?" House stared at the screen. Was this just another hallucination? He didn't know what was real anymore and what wasn't. Could he even trust his eyes?

He suppressed his confusing thoughts when he saw that Wilson started to move. House watched him as he felt Cuddy's pulse and tried to wake her.

„Dr. Wilson.", DEATH clearly said to the TV. House watched his friend. He seemed to have heard it, because he raised his head and looked around confused, not knowing where the voice was coming from.

„Dr. Wilson, you and the other doctor just have to get out of the hospital alive. That's your first test.", DEATH slowly said and Wilson nodded after hearing DEATH's voice, even though he couldn't see him.

„Wilson!", House shouted at the TV, „ Can you hear me?"

No reaction.

„Wilson?!", House tried again. Still no reaction.

„He can't hear you.", DEATH said to House.

„What's going on??"

„They're trying to save you."

„What… Wilson! Cuddy?!", House tried to speak to them again, but it was pointless. They couldn't hear him.

DEATH leaned back and grinned. „This sure as death is going to be interesting."