The Knife and the Cane

Chapter 18- The Rolling Stones

"H-Hey, House?"

House turned around and met Nora's gaze. The parking garage was mostly empty, House's bike, Nora's car, and a few stray vehicles were the only ones around.

"Hey, beautiful." He replied, relaxing his position on the bike. "What's up?"

"I didn't want to tell you in front of everyone else because I knew they'd make me stay in the office all day. I've been dizzy and nauseous since...this." She motioned to her head. "And I honestly don't trust myself to drive home."

House paused for a moment, taking in her words. It was blatantly obvious that she was dizzy, she kept looking around and messing with her hands, trying to ground herself.

"Do you want to go to your place or mine?" He asked quietly.

"Yours. If it's okay I mean, I-"

"Nora, it's okay. I live alone, you're not going to be intruding on anything." She smiled softly. He scooted forward and patted the seat behind him. "Hop on. You know the rules, let me know if something's wrong, okay?"

"I will."

Nora snuggled up to him, settling her cheek against his spine so his torso acted as a windblock. Over the past few days, the boss/employee feeling had been completely destroyed and had been replaced with pure love, regardless of how much they'd been avoiding the word. When they pulled up to House's place, he hopped off of the bike and extended a hand to her,linking their fingers. She stood up and a wave of dizziness seized her, causing her to wobble. House dropped his cane and reached out to grab her, pulling her close to him while she recovered.

"Let's go inside." She mumbled into his chest.

"Are you still dizzy?" He replied.

"Yes."

"Then we'll stand here until it's better."

"Going inside might help."

"Let me grab my cane." He leaned down just enough to grab it and stand back up in one fluid motion. Nora threw her arm around his neck for balance. They placed their stuff on the table beside the door and House settled her on the couch. "I'm gonna go get you something to drink, do you think you'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

House glanced back at her one last time before hobbling to the kitchen. He was oblivious to the fact that, to Nora, it felt like the temperature in the room was steadily rising. She bolted to the bathroom to throw up, but nothing came out. Settling next to the toilet, she sighed. An overwhelming sense of panic began to bubble up and the only word her brain could formulate was a barely audible "Stop." She wanted to run to House and tell him something was wrong, but it was as if fear had bolted her to the floor.

"Nora?" House said softly, knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you alright?" She could only let out a wilted sob in response.

Adrenaline kicked in and he turned the handle, immediately dropping to the ground next to her.

"Talk to me, sweetheart. Tell me what's wrong." He said firmly, trying to focus her attention on him.

"I'm so stupid." She cried, her breath catching in her throat.

"You're not stupid. What's wrong?"

"This is all my f-fault. W-Wilson, the kid h-hurting us, Chase almost getting st-stabbed."

"That is not your fault, okay? It just happened. We could have told Wilson earlier, but that's on both of us, not just you, okay?"

"I-I want..."

"Take your time.

"I..." She groaned, frustrated.

"Hey, you're going to be okay, Nora." House said, brushing her hair out of her eyes and gently tilting her head up so her gaze met his. "Just tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to make it happen."

"I don't know what I want." She sighed, exasperatedly.

"Start small. Are you okay with the room we're in?"

"No. I want to be in the living room." House stood and scooped her into his arms bridal style and deposited her on the couch, settling in next to her.

"What else?"

"I want to not feel guilty for not telling him earlier."

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you'll find you get what you need."

"Did you seriously just Rolling Stones me?"

"Depends, did it improve your mood?"

"It certainly didn't make it worse."

"Then yes, I did."

Nora laughed and stood up, exhaling heavily. House stood up behind her, his expression equal parts confusion and curiosity.

"I think I'm okay now." She said, smiling.

"Good, I was getting tired of being the psychologist for the psychologist."

"Well, you asked me what I wanted, what do you want, Greg?"

He looked her up and down, his oceanic eyes finally settling on her face after a beat. He moved closer to her, placing one hand on her hip and using the other to cup her cheek. House hooked his finger under her chin and tilted it upwards, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Nora gently placed her arms around his neck.

"I want so many things, Nora." He breathed. "I want to know what's on your mind. I want your strength. I want to be worth your time." His fingers slide under the edge of her shirt and he pulls gently on it. "I want this up." Immediately, his hand goes south and he tugs on the waistband of her shorts. "I want these down." He returns both of his hands to the bare skin in between the two, gently flicking his thumbs up and down. "I want to know that I consume entire portions of your day, even though thoughts of you exist in all of my waking hours and my dreams. I want to feel your heart racing, exactly like it is now. And I want to know that it's racing because of me. Because you want me still. Because you never want me to leave. I want all of you, every inch. Your heart, your mind, your time. I want you to love me in the same way I love you."

She couldn't think.

She couldn't breathe.

"Greg..."

"Yes I know I said it. You don't have to say it back, but that's how I feel."

"I love you, too."