Getting friendlier with House was great. After all, James was his best friend, I sort of wanted him to accept us dating. I wanted to be his friend.
As I got closer to House, it became more concerning to me when I noticed Chase, Cameron and Foreman weren't really around as much. I knew Foreman had been looking for another job, but I didn't know why Cameron and Chase had disappeared.
Those two had been going through a rough patch, anyway. They were sleeping together for a while, but now they're not and Chase is looking for something more and it's a whole big thing... Ugh. Who knew doctors could be so dramatic?
I got to work in the morning and went to the meeting room to get a coffee. James came into the room a few minutes later. He stopped in the doorway and smiled at me, staring at me while I stirred my coffee.
"Hey," he half-whispered.
"What's up?" I smiled.
"Nothing," he grinned back.
I chuckled, "Seriously, why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm swooning over you, darling, it's what one does when one has a girlfriend who's so alluring," James walked over and kissed me.
"Wow, you're in a good mood," I said, pressing my forehead against his.
James smiled at me, so lovingly. It felt so pure.
"Won't be in a good mood for much longer," he chuckled after a while, "Gotta go convince House to do interviews for some new recruits for his diagnostics team."
"Doesn't he have Cameron and Chase?"
James shook his head, "Not anymore."
I smiled, "Good luck trying to get him to do anything that'll actually benefit his job."
He rolled his eyes, "See you later, lovely lady."
"Bye, handsome fella," I laughed at the cheesy nicknames.
James went to go find House and I went back to my office. All was perfectly normal until my fifteen minute break.
House was in his office and gestured towards me through the clear, glass door as I was walking past. I strolled up to the door and opened it.
"Byrne, sit down," he said, looking a little flustered and agitated.
I sat down in the seat opposite him at his desk, "What's up?"
"You're boyfriend kidnapped my guitar," he scowled.
"House, did you say 'kidnapped'?"
"Yes it sounds insane, whatever, but it was literal kidnapping. There's a ransom note and everything!"
House handed me a piece of paper with words and letters cut out from magazines stuck onto it to make out a message:
"I have your guitar. Tell no one. Await my instructions."
I laughed, "What on Earth-"
"I know! He's crazy!" House stared at the page, "I try to be a civilized adult about the whole thing and he takes my guitar hostage!"
"Woah, woah, how do we know it was Wilson?" I asked.
"He rang the phone and put on a phony voice," House explained, "When I went to his office to confront him, he was reading out of a newspaper with words cut out of it. Does that seem obvious to you, Claire?"
I sighed, "House, I have absolutely nothing to do today. Please let me help you steal the guitar back."
"Yes. Byrne, this is why I have you on this team."
"Yes, not to do medical procedures and save lives, but to help you solve crimes against musical instruments." I raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Shut up and help me make a plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The plan seemed fairly simple when we made it. James goes on his break, I sneak into his office because I have a key, I get the guitar and leave out the door to the outdoor balcony space where House will be waiting on the other side of the separating railing between his balcony and James's. Easier said than done.
House popped his head around the door of my office at around 12:15. It was go time.
"He just left for coffee, but he'll be back in fifteen minutes," House said, "Just get in, do your thing, and get out. Which is probably something you say to Wilson at night."
"Gregory, I will use your cane as kindling in a fire," I mumbled, elbowing him slightly.
We made our way to James's office and I unlocked the door with ease. Then, House rang my phone and we put the phones in our pockets so we could talk easily, kind of like walkie talkies.
I quietly stepped into the office and shut the door.
'If I were a fancy ass electric guitar, where would I be?' I thought to myself.
Under the couch? Nope. Behind the desk? No. In the shelves? Not a trace.
I didn't have a lot of time left. It had been eight minutes already.
I sighed and scanned the room for any kind of clue as to where the guitar might be. My eyes immediately fell on a locked closet in the corner of the room.
'Bingo!'
I ran towards it and fiddled with the lock. Nothing. I took a pin out of my hair and tried again. Sure enough, the lock popped right open.
"House, I found it!" I whispered towards my pocket, marvelling at the shiny, sleek guitar in front of me.
House didn't respond.
"House? Greg?"
I took the phone out of my pocket. The call had hung up. There were two messages on it.
"WILSON'S ON HIS WAY UP THE STAIRS HURRY!"
"MAYDAY, EMERGENCY, NOT A DRILL."
Two minutes ago. SHIT!
The door started rattling. I stood there stupidly for a moment before lunging into the closet and gently closing the door behind me.
I sent a message to House. "Inside the closet. Found the guitar. HELP."
I could hear James closing his office door and sitting down at his desk.
BEEP BEEP. My phone screamed as House responded to my texts. My heart started racing as I heard James stand up and start walking towards the closet. I buried myself behind a pile of coats and put my phone on silent. Stupid of me not to have done that already.
The closet opened. I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to laugh.
James looked unfazed and closed the door. I silently let out a sigh of relief.
There was a knock at James's office door. I heard it open, then I heard House's voice speaking.
"Hey, Wilson, Cuddy's looking for you," he lied his ass off.
James sighed and left the room.
I opened the closet door and stepped out, holding the guitar. House was about to walk into the room to get it when we heard James talking to Cuddy RIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM.
I ran towards the door to the balcony and House ran back to his office to get to his balcony.
"You owe my big-time, House," I whisper-shouted, passing him the guitar.
"No, this is my payback for you dating my best friend," he huffed.
I rolled my eyes. Unfortunately, he had a good point.
I lifted my leg over the railing to get over. House suddenly pulled me over the railing violently.
"Duck!" he whispered, lowering the guitar.
I dove behind the railing. James was looking in the closet, which I had left open. He spotted House standing outside, pretending to look at the view.
I was army crawling towards House's open door to get the guitar inside. Just as I managed to get inside, James walked out onto the veranda.
I slid the guitar further away and stood up.
"Hey, House," I said, popping my head around his glass door as naturally as possible, "I, uh, need you for, uh, a thing."
"Right, yes, of course," he said, and we speed-walked out of there.
We were almost at the elevator when we realised James was following us. It was just the three of us in the elevator.
"House, your guitar is missing," James said, accusingly.
"Isn't that a shame? Oh well," House shrugged.
I stood there silently until we stopped at a random floor that wasn't any of our stops.
"Ok, bye guys," I said, swiftly walking off the elevator at this random floor.
"Ah HAH," James realised, running after me, "It was YOU!"
SHIT!