I'm sorry about the major delay in updating. My editor has had some personal struggles lately,and is no longer able to help me with this project. Then I found I'm pregant, and all things fandom got pushed to the back burner for a while. That said, I know I'm not going to get around to editing the rest of the story so I decided to post the rest of it as is. Please excuse any errors you find. As always I love feedback, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. There are about 10 more chapters, and I'll make sure to note the last one as final.

Thanks for reading,

Raven

TITLE: Chapter 15 Dibs

AUTHOR: new_raven

PAIRING: Hous/Chris

RATING: R-ish

WARNINGS: None

SUMMARY: Establishing a new routine.

DISCLAIMER: House and his pretty friends don't belong to me.

She stopped by House's office when she had time to kill. At least once a week she brought a bag of fries, part of a pie, or some other pastry. This was enough to gain the teams tolerance, if not approval. Most days she came in, poured herself a cup of coffee, and joined House in whatever entertainment pursuit he had chosen for the day. On the rare occasion that none of his staff was in the office they would go out on the balcony, and make out until Wilson closed his blinds.

The first time that she approached the room and saw House in front of his whiteboard she just kept walking. He later informed her that she could still hang out in his office, as long as she wasn't annoying. So the next time she caught them in the middle of a differential she just curled up in his comfy chair and read a book.

When they came to some decision and the team dispersed she would slip in and get her coffee. She'd linger near House long enough for him to acknowledge her if he wanted. If he didn't, she went back to her book. If he did, it was generally just a pat on the butt or a quick kiss, but sometimes he'd spew some medical jargon at her, until he noticed her eyes glazing over.

One day she came in and found them all sitting at the table bouncing ideas around. She moved quietly past them, barely noticed, and set a bag of bagels on the counter. She went ahead and got some coffee since she was already there.

"Lupus would explain the rash and the fever." Chase was saying.

"Wouldn't the steroids be helping if it was autoimmune?" Chris asked before she could stop herself.

They all looked up at her. The team looked confused. House looked entertained.

"You said that last week." She shrugged. "Sorry." She scurried out of the room.

"It's not lupus." She heard House tell them, as she sat down to check her e-mail, at his desk.

Later House had gone to roam and think and the team had gone to run tests and give experimental treatments. Chris was toasting a bagel when the team came back and sat down to do research and discuss their findings so far.

"Any luck?" She asked.

"Nothing yet." Foreman told her.

"What do you see in House?" Chase asked her. His colleges both gave him sideways glances, and the room got a little awkward.

"You don't want to know all the things I've seen in House." Chris quipped.

"He doesn't care why you like House. He wants to know why you blew him off." Thirteen told her.

Chris sucked in a breath through her teeth. "You really want to go there?"

"I'd like to know." Chase told her.

"I'm curious." Foreman nodded.

"You're a slut." Chris said bluntly. "You're obviously just about the sex. That usually means the sex is all about you."

"House isn't all about sex or himself?" Chase asked.

"If he just wanted sex he'd get a hooker."

"That's a good thing?" Chase asked.

"No, that's kind of pathetic, but nobody's perfect." She gestured to him. "This is part of the problem. You're arguing with me about my opinion. It makes me wonder if you can take direction. If I said 'go north, south, faster, slower' would you just stay the course and assume I was feeling it wrong?"

Thirteen and Foreman's eyes grew wide and they struggled visibly not to laugh.

Chase opened his mouth to defend himself, but then wondered if she was right, and finally asked. "House takes direction well then?"

Chris thought for a moment and smiled. "I honestly don't know. I've never had to give any."

Chase's face was turning red. The others laughed.

"You're my hero." Thirteen told her.

"Liar, we all know "don't stop" counts as direction?" House had been standing in the door way long enough to catch the general theme of the conversation. "You should tell him the truth though. That will really mess with his head."

"I can't believe you just blew my cover." Chris told House. All eyes were on her again, waiting for an explanation. She sighed. "Rachel called dibs."

"Rachel? She's got a boyfriend." Chase looked flummoxed.

"The correct response would have been 'she's underage'" House pointed out.

Chris shrugged. "Dibs are dibs. If not for that, and the fact I was already jonesing for your boss, you would be a reasonably acceptable one night stand."

"Thanks?" Chase said.

"Whenever this implodes" she motioned between herself and House. "You'll be the first one I call. No, she'll be the first one I call." She pointed to Thirteen. "You're on the list though."

"You could call her now." House said with enthusiasm.

The girls both rolled their eyes.

"No seriously. I'll give you both a hundred dollars right now, if you kiss for twenty seconds." He pulled out his wallet.

"What do you think?" Chris winked at Thirteen. "I could really use a hundred bucks."

"Sure." Thirteen stood and stepped over to her.

House, Foreman, and Chase watched in hopeful shock.

Chris bit her lip as Thirteen put one hand on her hip. They couldn't avoid their chests rubbing together. Every cock in the room stood a little taller when Chris reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Thirteen's ear. The girls looked into each other's eyes and burst into laughter.

"What do you know about cars?" Chris asked one night as they were watching nothing in particular on TV.

"I know enough. Why?"

"I need to buy a car."

"I thought you had to use that money for school."

"I have some saved, not much, but enough for a piece of crap that will get me around town."

"You could just use my car. I've got the bike." House suggested.

"Ok." She rolled her eyes. "I know we were talking about cash the last time this came up, but I don't take large gifts in exchange for sexual favors either."

"It would be a loan, not a gift."

She looked at him. "Are you serious? What if it rains?"

"Then you would have to give it back. We could carpool. We're usually going to the same place anyways."

She considered this. He was right. She could get to school and back to the hospital before he left for the day. "Yeah, but my neighborhood is shitty. If it got stolen or broken into, I couldn't replace it. I might not even be able to fix it."

"You could just park it here."

"That kind of defeats the purpose, especially after the buses stop running."

"I could get a house key made, when I get one for the car. You could just stay here."

"Are you asking me to move in…here…with you?"

"It sounds crazy when you say it." House laughed at her.

Utter panic flashed across her face and she reached for her cigarettes. "How did we go from maybe borrowing your car to living together…here, where you live?" She lit a cigarette.

"You're about to freak out aren't you."

"No." She exhaled a long string of smoke. "I'm just… it's, well… Sudden is what it is, and huge. Do you think that might be more weight than this…relationship can bear?"

"It would just be temporary, until you can sell the house and get your own place."

"Just temporary?" She took a breath. That sounded a little less insane. "I would be here all the time though."

"Oh, well, I hadn't considered that." House's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You're not even home half the time."

"Yeah, but I hate my place. I like it here. I wouldn't have to avoid being home all the time if I lived here."

House squinted and cocked his head to one side. "Which side are you on again?"

"I'm not saying it wouldn't have its perks." She smiled. "But what if your leg hurts and I'm PMSing at the same time? We could kill each other."

House laughed. "You would still have another house to go to."

"You would just kick me out, in the middle of the night?" She huffed at him.

House looked even more confused, and offered, "You could take the couch?"

"Why do I have to take the couch?"

"It's my apartment and my furniture."

"See that's just not cool. If I move my crap over here and forward my mail, I at least deserve some kind squatter's rights."

"True, you'd get the couch either way, because you're young and spry and my leg hurts."

"Ok," she agreed, "but I can't really pay you rent here, while I've still got the house payments."

"I can cut back on my Pay-Per-View if you're here. That should make up any extra utilities."

She laughed. "What if I want to watch Pay Per View with you?"

"Then it's coming out of your pocket."

"I'll have to get a new toothbrush."

"Is it pink with Hello Kitty on it?"

"No, it's the orange, like yours. I realize we've exchanged quite a few fluids, but I still don't want to accidentally use your toothbrush."

House sensed that he had convinced her. He reached into his pocket and threw a set of keys at her. Chris inspected them and smiled as she read the "Frankie Says Relax" key chain.

"You really like me." She grinned and put her cigarette out before sliding closer to him on the couch.

"Eh, you're alright." House shrugged.

"You like having me here."

"I like having you here." He grabbed his crotch.

"Here?" She put her hand over his and kissed him. He nodded under her lips.

"She's moving in?" Wilson repeated House's statement as a question.

"It's temporary, until she can get another place."

"You see her with her clothes on for half an hour every other day. What if she takes two hour showers and leaves nail polish soaked cotton balls on your coffee table? You could barely handle living with me."

"You never put out." House shrugged. "Besides, she couldn't possibly be as annoying as you."

She brought a couple of boxes over a few days later. She stuffed her clothes into the two drawers he had cleared out for her and lined her shoes up across from his array of sneakers in the closet. The bedroom looked exactly as it had before she came except for her chap stick and a few books on the right side night stand.

The bathroom was another story. The shower shelf held a collection of fruity scrubs and washes and the counter was littered with six different kinds of lotion. There was a plastic box full of hair accessories and makeup.

"SPF 100?" House asked her as he walked out of the restroom one day. "That's what that smell is."

"What smell? It's unscented." She was prepared to be offended.

"You smell like summer, all the time." He said.

She tried not to smile too big. "That's a great line. You could get all kinds of laid with that."

"Why do you use three kinds of sunscreen in winter?"

"My mom used to tell me that my real dad died of skin cancer." She shrugged.

"She used to?"

"I'm pretty sure it was just a story, so I wouldn't argue about wearing sunscreen. It worked a little too well."

"She lied to you about your father's death?"

"It's not like she had anything better to tell me. I think he just took off, when he found out she was pregnant. I wouldn't want to tell my kids that story either."

House just stood with his arms folded. He clearly wasn't buying any of this and she really couldn't imagine why.

"I had enough issues as a kid without throwing a deadbeat dad into the mix."

"Then clearly the cancer story didn't work that well."

"No, I was messed up before she ever told me that. I was just a mean pissy little kid. I didn't like people or trust anyone."

"Kids aren't naturally mean. They are naturally gullible. If you were a pissed off kid it means someone pissed you off."

"Thanks Dr. Phil. Are we going to have an Aha moment now, or are you going to buy me dinner?"

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" House asked as Chris was climbing into bed. He'd been watching from the bed, as she brushed her hair and took off her clothes.

"You're not so bad yourself." She took his question as a compliment and moved in close to him.

"No seriously, what do you see in the mirror?"

"I don't know. The same thing anyone else see's when they look at me." She was incredibly uncomfortable discussing her looks, and particularly taking his compliments. "I'm pretty enough. I mean I'm not deformed or anything."

House nodded. "That explains a lot."

"What?"

"You're not just pretty. You're hot, a perfect ten. You're the kind of ten that makes other tens look like eights. You could be a model or…"

"House, I am not tall or skinny enough to be a model." She turned off the lamp beside her and moved to kiss him, to stop the conversation, but her kept going.

"Maybe not on a runway, but there are other types of models. You could be a pin-up girl."

"Gee thanks. There are thousands of pin-up girls out there House."

"And even with silicone parts, makeup, and photo shop most of them aren't as hot as you. You could have any straight, single guy you wanted. You could have most the married gay ones too." House told her.

"Is that what this is about? Do you think I'm dating you because I have a negative body image?" Chris asked.

"You just don't think you can do better."

"You're right, because I've never known anyone I like better than you."

"So, you just have a thing for old crippled guys."

"I have a thing for smart, funny sexy guys. House, you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a doctor. That alone can get any proctologist laid, but you're not just some doctor. You're a big deal, a genius. You're funny, and you can be incredibly sweet, when you don't think anyone is watching. And besides all that, you're hot. You've got the salt n pepper hair, the stubble, the baby blue eyes, and you can really fill out a pair of jeans. Especially those grey one, with the little hole on the back pocket, when you lean over in those, it's all I can do not to take them off of you."

"That's why you're attracted to me?" House asked.

"I don't know. It's attraction. It's ten percent physical, ten percent mental, and the rest is just hormones and chemical responses. I was drawn to you the first time I saw you under the bleachers. Honestly if we'd met once on the street, I would have thought you were hot, and not even remembered you ten minutes later. But there was more to it than that, and when I was in the hospital and you figured out I was eighteen, when I told you about my past, you didn't look at me with pity. You saw more than a wounded girl, maybe because you're wounded too, but it's the first time anyone really saw me in a long time."

Chris stopped and looked away. She'd said much more than she'd intended to say. Her face was burning in the dark, and she was a little afraid of how he might respond. House was holding her, and slowly pulling her closer, afraid to spook her. As he pressed his lips to hers, she stopped him.

"Why are you attracted to me?" She asked, not sure she wanted an answer.

"Because you're naked." He told her sliding one hand down her body.

"And when I'm not naked?" She asked.

"Because I want you to get naked again.

She laughed a little. "Is that it? Is it just about sex?" Her whole body stiffened as she realized he might say "yes", that might be all she was to him, and she's just given a monologue to how great he was.

House realized she needed to hear something, that she'd out herself out there and a lack of response on his part would not serve him well. He calculated his words at first, not wanting to say the wrong thing as usual, but soon his thoughts were flowing out uncensored. "You're smart, sexy, funny, not boring. Actually you don't make any sense. You like me. You try to distance yourself from people, but then you do things like save Rachel's life or help that deaf girl in the clinic, that only endear you to people. You're strong, but you don't know it. You're like a lion that thinks it's a house-cat. You're so stunned every time you take down a wildebeest. It's fun watching you test your limits and realize what you are capable of."

"Oh." Chris said. She was even more uncomfortable, almost embarrassed to hear herself praised. She was also stunned, and flattered, and speechless.

"And you're incredibly beautiful. I would have been an idiot not to make love to you." House said softly and kissed her again.

This time when he kissed her it was different. They both felt it. Like that first kiss on Wilson's balcony, it felt reckless, like he was diving into her and he didn't know if he would sink or swim. She pulled him down deeper. When they made love it was different too. This was the typical race to an orgasm. It was two people needing to be as close as they possibly could and never wanting to let go.

When they finished she shuddered against him. As she caught her breath, he just held her. He knew what she was feeling, new that it was more than she'd ever felt before, and that he just needed to hold her. Chris had never felt anything like this before and hadn't known to expect it, but has wasn't surprised. He'd known it was inevitable from the first time they kissed. He'd always known they'd fall in love.