Amber mulled over what Eric said, adding the new data to her mental whiteboard. The problem: their boss would sooner or later find out they were together, and once he did, he would make them miserable until they split apart or she got fired for some bogus reason like insubordination. All because House couldn't let go of what didn't make sense to him, tearing apart the layers until he reached the center of the truth. Including happiness—and happiness might not survive the tearing.

Rather than let it rest on his thigh, Amber's hand latched onto Eric's, fingers twining. Already his hand felt so familiar, the startling thinness of his digits, the sharpness of his articulations. How raised the tendons along the back of his hand ran. Knowing what to expect, it didn't make him boring, like Amber always thought having the same partner would be. It just made him dear. It made her want to come back, always, because she knew she loved how her hand fit in his.

Amber wanted Eric. And she always got what she set her sights on.

"We'll ignore him," Amber said, her tone brooking argument. "If he tries to mess with us, we'll know what he's doing, and so it won't work. Cameron and Chase are still together, right?" She threw him a grin, wanting so badly to wipe off that look of imminent destruction off Eric's face. If he walked around like the storm was already over them, House really would do them in before the blink of an eye. "And if it's House's misery that's the problem, we could make him happy. Set him up with someone."