Author's Note: Well, I'm not sure what to think about that episode last night. I was really disappointed in House's behavior, and even more with Cuddy's! Anyway, on with the story.

House hadn't wanted to answer the door. He was certain that Sarah was on the other side. He couldn't understand why she would want anything to do with him after his silence on the drive home. She was doing him a favor and he could barely muster up the where-withal to thank her.

"I need some help," she'd said the moment he opened the door, and he hadn't felt like he could refuse, not after all the help she'd given him. She rattled something off about needing to go out and wanting him to stay with her dog. He'd reluctantly followed her to her apartment, feeling certain that he was being set up for something. She'd hurried out of there, no doubt running to get away before he could change his mind.

He dropped into one of the chairs, looking down her hallway. A minute later he heard the clatter of toenails on the floor and Maggie came into view. She saw him and her tail started to wag. Her whole back end was wagging as she raced to leap into his lap. He pulled his head back just in time to avoid being licked on the face. She stood on her hind legs, front feet on his chest, tongue stretching toward his face. Her tail was still wagging.

"Ok," he said to her. "Enough. You're putting me on." The dog just looked at him, her eyes shining. It looked like she was smiling. She lunged and managed to lick his cheek. He laughed in spite of himself. Suddenly he felt as if a weight had been lifted. No matter what else had happened today, this dog was happy to see him. He rubbed her behind her ears, putting an arm around her and pulling her into a quick hug before setting her on the floor. "Where's your toy?"


Sarah felt herself getting tense and she turned the car onto Baker Street. What if her plan hadn't worked? She didn't know what she'd do if he still had that dejected look about him. Maybe she could get him to talk to her.

She parked down the street and collected her purchases. There wasn't any reception at work the next day but she'd gone ahead and purchased paper plates and cups, along with plastic silverware. There was a birthday party scheduled for next week and she figured she'd be ready early.

Her curtains were closed so she couldn't get a glimpse into her apartment to see what was going on. She made her way into the building, feeling her heart-rate increase. She got to the door of her apartment and stopped, taking a deep breath. Here goes, she thought. I hope this worked. She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Hey, I'm back," she said, closing the door behind her. Greg met her at the gate, moving it aside so she could come the rest of the way in.

"Got what you needed?" he asked. She looked at him and thought, it looks like you did. That defeated slump was gone.

"Yeah. Thanks for watching Maggie. I picked up some dinner while I was out. Are you hungry?" She carried her bags into the kitchen and Greg followed her.

"So, what's this reception for?" he asked. She put her bags on the counter and turned to look at him.

"It's a birthday party, actually. Next week." She met his eyes. He was thinking; she could almost see the wheels turning. After a moment he nodded and stepped toward the table.

"What'd you pick up for dinner?"


House hadn't been surprised when Sarah admitted that there was no reception at her office the next day. He'd suspected a ruse when she'd asked him to stay with the dog. He had to admit, it had been a pretty good plan. Playing with the dog had made him feel better.

The fact that Sarah had come up with this plan surprised House. Why should she care, he thought. She barely knows me. He remembered his conversation with Cuddy that morning. The people who did know him knew that he was a jerk. How long, he wondered, until Sarah figures that out? Maybe I should just tell her.

When they'd finished eating, House helped gather up the dishes. He rinsed them at the sink while Sarah loaded the dishwasher. They hadn't talked during the meal and he could feel the tension building. She'd been watching him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction to her admission. It almost made him laugh. Making up an excuse to leave him with a dog was pretty tame compared to some of the things that Wilson, and Cuddy, had done to him. At least he hadn't wound up unconscious on the floor.

When they returned to the living room, Sarah went to the stereo. House sat on the couch, feeling his heart thumping in his chest. She turned on the music and moved to sit beside him. He took a shaky breath.

"My boss is upset that I've moved back into my old apartment," he said. He looked over at her. She looked puzzled but she didn't ask him anything. He looked away again and went on. "When I got out, my psychiatrist wanted me to stay with someone. I moved in with my friend, Wilson." He looked back to Sarah. Puzzlement had been replaced with thoughtfulness. She was reassessing what she thought she'd figured out.

"How long have you been out?" she asked.

"Nine weeks."

"How did your boss….. Your fellow, who was here last night, told your boss."

"He just told the rest of my team. One of them went to my boss to tell her."


Sarah's mind was whirling. She wanted to ask so many questions. Was this Wilson person the "friend" Greg had thought cleaned out the apartment? Why had he moved out? Was the boss the woman she'd seen in the parking lot? What were his fellows like? Which one of them had gone to the boss? What had made him so dejected this evening? Something that the boss said? He was watching her, waiting for her to say something.

"I… I don't know what to say," she admitted.

"You have questions."

"Yeah. But I don't know what you're comfortable telling me. You have to decide that."

"You sound like my shrink," he muttered.

"I know that talking doesn't always help," Sarah said. Sometimes, she thought, it just reminds you how miserable you are. He gave her a grim smile.

"No, it doesn't." He sighed. "I wasn't just in rehab. I was in a mental hospital. I was there for six weeks."

"Ok." Was he trying to shock her? Was he pushing to see if she'd crack and start asking questions? She wasn't sure how to respond to this revelation. She didn't want to stop the flow; if he wanted to talk to her, then she was willing to listen.

"I started… hallucinating. Seeing people who weren't there."

"From the drugs?"

"Yeah. After I was clean, the hallucinations went away. But the doctor at the hospital – my shrink – wanted me to stay. He thought who I was seeing meant that I had more to deal with than just getting sober."

"So you stayed."

"He wasn't going to recommend that I get my medical license back if I didn't."

"That seems… reasonable." He gave her a sharp look and she froze. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." He looked away again and Sarah waited. It was so hard to sit by quietly but she was amazed at how much he was revealing and didn't want to do anything that would make him stop. "I think he was wrong about me moving in with Wilson. I needed to be with someone, maybe, but not Wilson." Why not was on the tip of Sarah's tongue and she clamped her mouth shut tight. He looked over at her again and arched a brow.

"I told you. It's up to you what you choose to tell me," Sarah said.

"I just told you that I've been in the looney bin."

"I know. Am I supposed to freak out about that?"

"Some people might."

"Well, I guess I'm not one of them."

"I'm an addict who had hallucinations and wound up in the looney bin. That doesn't scare you?"

"You're also an addict who, when he found several bottles of pills in his apartment, asked for help disposing of them."

"People don't change."

"Of course they do."

"I'm always going to be an addict."

"You're always going to have a choice about whether or not you give in to that addiction. Calling you an addict is truthful, but it isn't the whole truth."


"I'm always going to be an addict," he told her.

"You're always going to have a choice about whether or not you give in to that addiction. Calling you an addict is truthful, but it isn't the whole truth." She flushed and looked away from his gaze.

"You really believe that," he said and she looked back up at him.

"People always have a choice."