Now it was Kelly who was served by the darkness in the room as she turned 17 shades of red. However it also placed her at a disadvantage because she couldn't see his expression. Which was probably good, because if she HAD seen his smug, triumphant smirk she likely would have experienced --- if not given into --- the urge to slap it off his face.

"Do I need to try to qualify that poorly edited statement?" she asked, hoping that the levity disguised her embarrassment.

"Probably not," House answered, "but the attempt would no doubt be entertaining." She tried to pull her hand from his but he held on, taunting her.

"You know what I meant..." And then God Himself seemed to intervene on her behalf: House's phone rang in the other room. Kelly was relieved. "You should get that."

"It's just a text; it'll still be there."

"No, really. This is the most convenient distraction I've ever taken advantage of. So I insist."

He was laughing aloud as he made his way, in the dark, to where he had left his phone. He was loathe to look at it because the only other people besides Kelly herself that texted him of late were his team, and considering the hour he assumed he was being called in.

He was. 911 text reporting a new patient in critical condition.

"Who was it?" she asked when he returned. Her voice was muffled.

"Foreman. I've got to go." And then the light was on again, and he saw that she was laying on her back with her head under a pillow, hiding from him.

He pulled the pillow off and she squinted at him as her eyes adjusted. "Remind me to bake that boy a cake or something." She sat up and climbed out of bed, following him out to the main room.

"Can you call me a cab while I get dressed?" he requested as he pulled off his shirt.

For a reason she couldn't put into words, the fact that he was so free about dressing and undressing in front of her made her feel good. "It's late. Just take my car and I'll take a cab tomorrow to pick it up if I need it."

"Or you can take a cab to my house and take MY car."

"Whatever." She dug her keys out of her purse and attached the extra hotel key card to the ring. When she looked up again he was struggling into his jeans, still topless. "Doesn't the hospital have a dress code for its staff?"

He knew where that line of questioning was going. "Uh-huh," he grunted.

"But the rules just don't apply to you," she pressed as he slipped on a loud patterned tee-shirt advertising an 80's band she was only vaguely familiar with.

"Obviously," he answered, cocky as always.

She shook her head, muttering "Oh, brother" under her breath. Then she leaned sleepily against the wall by the door and continued to watch him as he got ready, using the quiet moment for some critical thinking. What did she see in this rude, arrogant man who was at least a decade her senior? He was widely disliked by his peers, took wild risks, had little concern for others, and...

It suddenly became harder to think as he approached her, standing much closer than he needed to. He took her keys from her, pocketing them, and pressed his own into her hand before touching her forehead with his fingers, and then his lips.

"You feel a little warmer than before. If your temp gets any higher, text me."

"Okay," she said agreeably without meeting his eyes.

He made no move to step out of her personal space, instead stepping even closer, essentially pinning her against the wall though without touching her. When she finally looked up he said, "And about your poorly edited statement..."

She held her breath.

"...I won't hold it against you," he said in a teasing, sultry voice. "I'm aware that I'm fairly irresistible to women."

"You're so lame," she told him as she raised a hand to his chest to push him away, but he resisted and held it there, her fingers splayed over his heart. In the silence that followed she could feel it was beating rather fast. But then, so was her own.

And then his lips were only an inch from hers, and she could feel their breath mingle as he added quietly, "You're fairly irresistible yourself."

Kelly surprised them both by being the one to waste no time in closing the gap between them. But the gentle kiss only lasted a moment before HOUSE surprised them both by being the one to pull away. Kelly made an impatient noise and leaned towards him again, but he was steadfast in his decision to deny her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, wide eyed.

"I, uh... Well... What were YOU doing?" Kelly was mortified by her momentary lapse of judgement... and moreso by her apparent misreading of the situation. "You were- I just thought-"

"I was just messing with you. I wasn't going to -"

"And I was just -"

"But I wouldn't have really -"

"Can we just forget that -"

"But I wanted to."

It was unclear whether House's final statement had been meant to bring the conversation to a halt, but it definitely left Kelly speechless.

"What? That surprises you? You, who takes such pride in knowing everything about me?" House wrestled with conflicting urges, one to step towards her again, and one to step back and give her space. The conflict kept him still. When she didn't reply he continued. "For the record, I should get an award for my restraint, because I'm not only keeping my hands to myself but I'm trying my damndest not even to let my mind go there."

"Why?" Her voice was small and uncertain.

"You know why."

She did. "Because of Mark."

And so the elephant in the room was acknowledged and named. "Too soon" had been the frequent refrain to both of their thoughts over their past days together, placing firm boundaries and demanding the strictest respect. Because of Mark, and her memory of Mark, and the mere months since his passing that would have made any relationship taboo during this period of mourning.

The fact that tears sprung to her eyes at the very mention of his name told House that he'd done a great and noble thing. He couldn't have known that it was his own thoughtfulness and unexpected ethic that had made her emotional.

"I'm so tired, Greg. And you need to go. I'm sorry; this is a terrible time to be having this conversation."

He nodded. "Yeah... But..."

"I'll see you later. Have a good day at work." She opened the door and held it for him as he departed wordlessly.

And so House left intensely frustrated, not at her or even at himself, but by the situation that made her appear hopelessly and permanently out of his reach. And there was nothing he could do about it.