After sending House off to work Monday morning, Marius spent the day working at home and thinking over what his next steps with House would be. Overall, he was quite pleased. House had been slowly becoming more relaxed and more trusting over the past month and this last weekend had showed the evidence of his patience. Marius felt that House would require the cathartic release of full bondage and probably even discipline for quite some time in the future; perhaps he would always need it. Time would tell.

After dinner, Marius was sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying a brandy while reading a book. His cell phone rang from the table next to him and he answered it, expecting House to be calling.

"Good evening," Marius said casually.

"Marius. It has been some time," the caller replied. Marius sat up straighter and put the book down.

"Master Lucius," he answered, far more attentive now. "It has been some time. How was your trip?"

"Invigorating. I very much enjoyed the Italian Mediterranean shore. I will be joining you for dinner tomorrow evening. We can renew our bonds then."

"I look forward to it," Marius answered.

The following evening, Marius was nervously waiting for his master's arrival. He had double checked that everything was in order for the visit and now had little to do but to try to center his mind. Lucius had not given any specific time for his arrival, which was his wont, to test Marius and his staff's ability to be ready and prepared whenever Lucius should come or call. While he waited, he stared into the flames and thought about when the proper time to tell his master about his newest submissive. He knew the likelihood was high that Lucius would want to meet House and may even demand his right to a session with him. How would he even begin to prepare House for this, he had no idea. He heard Timmy speaking quietly with someone and knew that his master had arrived.

Lucius dismissed Timmy with a series of orders for tasks that he wanted to have occur at specific times during the evening then went directly to the study to reconnect with his most successful submissive.

"Marius," Lucius said authoritatively as he entered the study and closed the door.

"Master Lucius," Marius responded, turning to face Lucius respectfully. Lucius nodded his approval that Marius was wearing his collar and was naked under his robe.

"I'm pleased to see you have remembered the proper way to greet your master. Remove your robe and display yourself properly on that rug," Lucius ordered as he moved to pour himself a brandy and settled expectantly into the large leather wing chair in front of the fireplace.

Marius removed his robe and knelt down in the center of the hearth rug. He spread his legs and sat back on his heels with his hands clasped loosely behind his back. Lucius regarded him impassively for a moment then slid his foot forward and toed Marius' knees farther apart for a better view of his endowments.

"I've left you to your own devices while I attended to my business overseas. I trust you have done nothing to betray my trust in you," Lucius said with an undertone of warning in his voice. "Your servants are well-trained, that is a point in your favor. I have heard that you have acquired a new submissive. I have never forbidden this but never have you done so without receiving my permission first, so I admit that it never crossed my mind to give you specific instructions in this regard. Consider this as rectifying that situation. Tell me about him."

"He is a loner, emotionally damaged and physically disabled. I first met him at the pub and he seemed so lost I made him an offer of simply being a helping hand on the spot. He turned it down but two weeks later he called in severe crisis. I picked him up and brought him here for the weekend."

"What type of crisis?"

"He is a doctor. He was on site at a crane collapse and forced to amputate a woman's leg in the wreckage. She died on the way to the hospital. He was in recovery from painkiller addiction and about to relapse when he made the call."

"It's not like you to take in drug addicts."

"He's not an addict. He has severe nerve pain from a leg injury for which he needs relief. The addiction came into play when he began to use the drug to treat emotional pain," Marius explained.

"Don't quibble semantics with me, Marius," Lucius said darkly. "Whatever the cause, at some point it became an addiction or he would not have made the effort to get clean. Do you disagree?"

"No, Master Lucius. At some point it did become an addiction," Marius agreed with reservations.

"I don't believe you," Lucius replied sternly.

"Use of the drug to treat his emotional pain was wrong and what became the addiction," Marius expounded. "But to have him completely off the drug and in true physical pain I believe is the wrong course of action. It dooms him to fail at some point in the future."

"Hmm. You believe that the injury he has requires the use of some amount of painkiller beyond over the counter treatments and alternative therapies?"

"I do," Marius answered firmly.

Lucius nodded, not entirely convinced but enough so as to defer the topic until he could determine for himself the validity of Marius' argument.

"How long has he been your submissive?"

"For a month now."

"Have him here for dinner tomorrow," Lucius ordered. "Now for you, my dear Marius. Bring me the box of toys. Let us reacquaint ourselves one with another, shall we?"

When Marius woke the next morning, Sidney had drawn a cool bath for him in order to soothe the welts that covered his ass and thighs. He was stiff and sore as well as tired from the very late night but he didn't have the luxury of sleeping in this morning. He had preparations to make for House to meet his master that evening. The idea of introducing House to Master Lucius had him full of anxiety this morning. Having needed to tread so softly and slowly with House in order to keep him from bolting in fear had been very necessary and he did not regret it. Lucius would respect that to a degree, but tonight would be very much a test, both for House and for himself.

While eating breakfast, Marius called House, but only got his voicemail on both the landline and his cell. He left a message to call him back the moment he was free.

"Master Lucius is returning this evening for dinner and to test House," he said to Timmy and Sidney. "Don't believe for a moment he won't be testing you on this visit. Be sure that the house is in perfect order. Dinner is to be filet mignon. I'm going to have House come here early to prepare him."

"Forgive me for asking, but won't Master Lucius want to test him without preparation?" Timmy asked as he poured coffee.

"Yes, to a point," Marius confirmed. "But he did say before he left last night that he expected me to have House ready, with allows for some preparation beforehand. Besides I need to make certain he won't bolt out of the house tonight."

House got just before lunch and called Marius back at once.

"Something wrong?" he asked when Marius answered. "It sounded urgent."

"It is urgent, although nothing is wrong," Marius replied. "You are coming to the house tonight to meet someone. Be here by 4pm."

"But I have a patient," House objected. "I can't just leave."

Marius closed his eyes and sighed. Of all days for House to have a patient. "You must get away. Be at my house by 4pm. We will work out what can be done from there."

"Okay. I'll let my team know it's time to fly solo."

As House was leaving, Cuddy ran around the desk to block his way to the doors. "Where do you think you're going? You have a patient, you can't leave."

"And yet I'm leaving. Don't get your thong knotted, the kiddies are running tests and I have my cell phone with me."

"And again, where the hell are you going?" Cuddy demanded.

"I have a drug counseling session with my sponsor. That okay with you? Boss?" House said sarcastically, pushing around her. "Wilson agreed to be on call too so butt out. I've got it covered," he called back as he left the building.

At five minutes to four, House pulled into Marius' driveway on his motorcycle and walked up to the door. Timmy opened it before he could knock and gestured him in. "Put your collar on," Timmy said tensely.

House frowned but reached into his backpack and switched out his necklace for his collar. "Why is everyone so wound up?"

"Master Marius is waiting for you in the study. I'll take your coat and your backpack."

House handed them over and made his way to the study. "Master Marius? What's up?"

Marius turned to face him and House took a step back, startled. Marius was wearing a leather collar, well-worn and stamped with intricate scroll work.

"It's all right," Marius said reassuringly. "Come in and sit. I have something very important to discuss with you."

"If you're cutting me free, I'd rather just hear it standing so I can get back to my patient," House said coldly, pulling his mask and armor back into place.

"I am not cutting you free. I want you as much now as I always have. Sit down. Bourbon?" Marius asked, turning away to pour the drink and giving House the chance to reassess and make his choice whether he would stay or go.

After a moment's indecision, House crossed the room and sat down, taking the drink from Marius. "So why are you wearing a collar like that? Like you're a sub."

"Because my master is in town," Marius replied simply as he sat down across from him. "Yes, I have a master. I've been with him for twelve years now. He's been overseas for 18 months now and returned last night. He already knew that I had taken a new sub and he wants to meet you. Here. Tonight."

"Me?" House asked nervously. "Why does he want to meet me? You're his sub, not me."

"My subs are his subs. I warned you this was different. I…if you wish to leave, you may. It won't change our relationship. I will handle it with my master," Marius said quietly. "I should have told you about him when we first made our agreement."

House stared at the fire through his bourbon as he thought through this startling turn of events. "He didn't want you to take a sub without his knowledge did he?"

"No," Marius admitted, "although he never explicitly said so. He has done so now."

House nodded and was silent for another minute. "Is tonight supposed to be about him deciding if we can stay master and sub?"

"No. He has no intention of breaking the bond we've made with each other. But he does want to know you and how we work together since he and I have a bond as well," Marius answered reassuringly.

"If I walked out that door right now, you wouldn't cut me loose?"

"No, I would not."

"And he wouldn't force you to?"

"He would not."

"But it would reflect badly on you if I did walk out wouldn't it?"

Marius nodded silently.

"What would he do to you?"

"I would face correction from him, for failing to follow his command and for my lapse in training you."

House got up and put his bourbon down on the table. He nodded to Marius, collected his coat and backpack from Timmy, got on his motorcycle and left, driving around to a nearby park to sit on a picnic table and think things through, free of any influence to think this through