Stacy/Cuddy
Title: Tights
Pairing: Stacy/Cuddy ; mentions House/Wilson, Stacy/Mark and Cuddy/OFC
Rating: PG:13
Warnings: Stacy in black tights ; Stacy angsting over Mark ; a romp on a desk ; bi-curiosity ; mysteriously appearing balconies.
Summary: A talk on House’s balcony leads to more then one confession.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned House. Cuddy would be wearing so much less, and she and Stacy would make out. Cameron can join in.
Notes: I wish I wrote this better.
Stacy was wearing a pair of sleek, black tights. They reflected the light from the sun outside Cuddy’s window, bouncing off around the room. It was probably just a trick of the light, but Cuddy couldn’t take her eyes off them, the ebony material, the glossy hosiery.
‘Lisa?’
Coming back to reality with a jerk, Cuddy raised her head, shakes it, and tried to collect herself. ‘Oh, sorry, I drifted off for a moment’ she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘What were you saying?’
‘Steve Jackson,’ Stacy repeated patiently, picking a file off Cuddy’s desk. She leant over it, licking her lips, and shifted through the pages. ‘He had a heart transplant two months ago… He wants to sue for… Jesus, I know I had the report in here somewhere…’
Cuddy nodded, trying to keep her eyes from drifting back to Stacy’s stockings. A pair of tights like that, she thought, should be made illegal. Especially when worn on a pair of shapely legs like hers.
‘Shit.’
The curse caught Cuddy’s attention and she lifted her head, her eyes only briefly glancing at the woman’s cleavage. Stacy rarely wore revealing shirts, and today was only a slight exception. The collared, white shirt showed only the slightest skin of the swell of her breasts, and when she turned to the door, Cuddy could only see a glimpse of her bra.
‘What?’ Cuddy asks politely. She stood, smoothing down her pink skirt, and began to collect Stacy’s papers.
‘I must have left it in my office…’ The woman turned to Cuddy, held a hand up and reluctantly allowed her to continue. Cuddy closed the folder, and handed it to Stacy. She smiled, and tucked the folder under her arm. ‘Thanks.’
She turned to leave and stopped abruptly. Glancing over the top of her desk, Cuddy raised an eyebrow. Stacy swore under her breath, set the folder on the chair beside her and reached down.
‘I caught my stocking on the chair.’ Stacy groaned. Rounding her desk, Cuddy let out a soft ‘oh’. Stacy’s tight was caught on the edge of the chair where the wood had been scratched slightly and stuck out. Stacy gave a tug, a small ladder forming along the edge of her thigh. ‘Would you mind… helping me?’ she asked, almost apologetically. Cuddy gave a flustered nod, and, kneeling, took Stacy’s tight between two fingers, and carefully maneuvered it from the wood. A long strand of fluffy, black string hung down Stacy’s leg, the ladder in her stocking running up, under her knee-length skirt and half-way down her calf.
Stacy sighed as Cuddy stood, looking at the hole in her stocking. ‘This just isn’t my day, is it?’ she sighed, with a gentle, almost tired, smile. Cuddy patted her on the shoulder, her hand resting there a moment longer than it should have, before falling back to her side.
‘I’d offer you a pair of my own, but I don’t carry hosiery around in my bag.’
Stacy laughed, waved a hand, and started to the door. ‘No,’ she said over her shoulder, ‘I’ll just take them off.’
And with that, she slipped out of Cuddy’s office, the door shutting with a gentle ‘click’ behind her.
*
It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that Cuddy saw Stacy again. She had entered House’s office, a manila file under her arm. Finding it empty, she was about to leave, when Stacy appeared on the balcony, her eyes wide with surprise. Looking behind her as Stacy waved her towards the balcony, Cuddy walked across the floor, setting the folder down on House’s desk, and walked onto the balcony. It was cool outside, and Cuddy found herself wrapping her arms around her waist as a breeze blew by.
‘What are you doing out here?’ Cuddy asked, pushing her hair behind her ear. Stacy rested her elbows on the edge of the balcony and rubbed her hands together.
‘Nothing,’ Stacy replied quietly. ‘I was looking for Greg, but he’s not in…’ She paused, and Cuddy stood beside her, looking down at the street below. Stacy was still wearing her wrecked tights, although the string had been cut off. ‘I remember when Greg and I were still together,’ she started, and Cuddy raised her head to the woman. ‘He had been called in while we were at a restaurant. I had been waiting in his office while he was in surgery, or at least watching one. He came back two hours later, smelling of…’ she waved her hand, and Cuddy nodded, understanding, ‘with two chicken sandwiches. It was about ten PM, and we sat out here, eating. And… it was the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me.’
She turned to Cuddy, and gave a small, almost sarcastic, smile. ‘Is that stupid?’
Cuddy opened her mouth to reply, then shut it. She turned briefly to the street, then back to Stacy. Smiling, she shook her head. ‘No,’ she finally said, ‘I don’t think it is.’
Stacy was quiet as she stared down at the street, her fingers running over glass of the balcony.
‘I shouldn’t still be in love with him,’ she murmured so softly Cuddy could hardly hear her words. Pursing her lips, Cuddy touched Stacy on the arm.
‘He… leaves a lasting effect. You two were together for five years, and you’ve gotten back in contact. It’s understandable.’
‘You ever in a relationship like that?’ Stacy asked suddenly. She raised a hand and shook her head, eyes closed. ‘No, sorry, it’s your own business.’
‘Actually,’ Cuddy said slowly, ‘I have. Not for five years, mind you, but I still find myself thinking about them.’
‘Oh?’
Cuddy nodded. ‘I see them every now and then. We say hi, ask how the other’s been. You know, the usual. Doesn’t mean it’s any easier.’
‘What was his name?’ Stacy asked, curiously. Cuddy paused, giving Stacy a side-ways glance. One of the reasons she and Michelle, her ex-girlfriend of three years had broken up was because of Cuddy’s reluctance to "come out of the closet". Being Head of Administration was a difficult job, and being a woman didn’t make it any easier. It wasn’t that the hospital was sexist, Cuddy just found it difficult to gain respect from people because of her gender. And if she came out as bisexual… well, she didn’t need the added pressure. While she was comfortable in her sexuality, she found it difficult to admit it to other people. Very few people knew of her relationships that were with women- even House didn’t, although she suspected that he knew. But Stacy was a friend- a colleague, a friend’s ex-lover, but ultimately a friend. And she trusted her.
‘Michelle,’ Cuddy finally said after a deep breath. ‘Michelle Chapman. We dated for three years, and she’s a department manager at the supermarket I go to.’
She forced a smile, adjusted her jacket, and turned to buildings opposite them. She could feel Stacy’s gaze upon the side of her face, and out of the corner of her eye she could see her open mouth. Stacy coughed, obviously trying to collect her thoughts, and spoke.
‘You… dated a woman?’
‘Yes’ Cuddy replied quickly. Stacy continued to stare at her, then slowly turned away.
‘I shouldn’t be so surprised,’ she murmured. Cuddy raised an eyebrow and turned to the woman.
‘Why? You can be. I would be if I was in your position.’
‘No, no,’ Stacy shook her head. ‘You do seem the type to… experiment with women, but I never took you as the type to date one for any amount of time.’
‘I’ve never fully come out and said I’m interested in women’ Cuddy said quickly. ‘It could be damaging to my reputation, and I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I’m not going to fool myself and say that people won’t mind, that it would all be okay if I came out, because there’s a good chance it wouldn’t be. People… don’t like homosexuality, and I’m all right with that. It’s a large reason why Michelle and I broke up- she wanted me to come out and to admit to others we were dating. Everyone she knew, knew she was a lesbian. And I… well, I still pretend to be completely straight.’
‘But… you’ve dated men.’
Cuddy chuckled, her cheeks red. ‘Yes, I have. I love men. But…’ she shrugged, ‘I love women, too. That’s why it’s so easy to pretend to be straight, because I’ll date a man, I’ll sleep with a man, and so forth. I just happen to do the same with a female.’
‘Oh.’
They were quiet, Cuddy trying to calm her racing her heart, and Stacy so obviously trying to digest this new bit of information.
‘So Greg doesn’t - ’
‘No, he doesn’t know and I don’t want him to. If he did it would be all around the hospital like wildfire.’
Quiet once again stretched between them, and Cuddy found herself growing more and more uncomfortable with it. She shifted, her high heels clicking on the ground, and turned to go when Stacy reached out and touched her on the shoulder.
‘I’m sorry if I seem so close-minded,’ she apologized, her hand dropping to her side. ‘I guess I’ve been with Mark too long. I’m not against that… stuff; I just have never really considered the idea. Mark has really traditional values. He likes the idea of a man/woman relationship with two kids and a dog and a picket fence and…’
She waved her hand before she wrapped her arms around her waist.
‘I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay. I’m not going to tell anyone, especially Greg.’
Cuddy stared at Stacy for a moment, before nodding, flustered almost. ‘Okay.’
‘And I don’t think he’d blurt it out to everyone if you came out to him.’ Stacy said suddenly. Cuddy gawked at her, before the woman continued. ‘He’d probably tease you and say he would, but in the long run I doubt he would. He’s got too much to hide, after all.’
Stacy turned back to the street leaving Cuddy to stare at her confused.
‘Hide what?’ she asked. Stacy’s eyebrows shot up, and she let out a soft snicker.
‘What, you’ve never noticed the way he and Wilson…?’
Cuddy shook her head slowly. Stacy leant forward, looking first into House’s office and then Wilson’s, before turning back to Cuddy and taking a step forward.
‘Yesterday, I walked into Wilson’s office without knocking and he and Greg were all over each other. As in on the desk and kissing as if they were never going to see each other again. It was actually why I was here, I was going to say something to them.’
Cuddy had raised a hand to her mouth and was chuckling not-to-softly behind it.
‘You’re not serious, are you?’
Stacy waggled her eyebrows, smirking coyly, and turned back to Wilson’s office. ‘Unfortunately, I am. It’s to be expected though, I suppose. The sexual tension has been there for a while, even while Greg and I were together. I just never expected something to come of it.’
A pause. Cuddy lowered her head slightly, her eyes drifting towards Stacy’s tights. The hole in the calf of the stockings had gotten bigger, her skin contrasting harshly to the material.
‘You never took them off,’ Cuddy muttered. Stacy glanced at her, then down at her legs.
‘Oh… right. I… just forgot. I ripped the string off, but that’s it. I’ve been meaning to get around to it, actually.’
‘Why don’t you run down to the store and grab a new pair? No one will notice you’re gone.’
Stacy smiled, and shook her head. ‘No, it’s okay,’ she replied.
They’re quiet again and Cuddy headed towards House’s office, ready to leave. She opened the door when Stacy called her name. Turning expectantly, Stacy approached the woman, mouth open.
‘Just a small question.’
‘Mm?’
Closing her eyes, clearly getting her thoughts together, Cuddy adjusted her weight, eyebrows raised. When Stacy opened her eyes, the question she asked almost knocked Cuddy over.
‘Would you kiss me?’
Cuddy tilted her head, trying to get her head around the question. ‘I’m sorry?’
Gesturing with her hands, Stacy took another step towards her. ‘I know it may seem horribly inappropriate, but…’ she sighed, putting a hand to her head. ‘I guess I’m curious. And you’ve just admitted you’re not fussed about it, so…’
‘Stacy…’ Cuddy began slowly. She glanced down at the woman’s stockings, licked her lips, and then pushed her away from House’s office. It probably wasn’t the safest area to do this, but Cuddy found herself not caring too much.
Cuddy checked over her shoulder once, then, with her hands on Stacy’s shoulders, leant in and pressed her lips against the woman’s. Instead of pulling away immediately, Cuddy found Stacy’s hand low on her back, her other pressed between her shoulder blades. Cuddy’s own hands slid down the woman’s shoulders, down her arms and then curling around her waist. Stacy’s head tilted slightly, their noses knocking. They both pulled away fast, Cuddy’s face flushed and Stacy looking more than a little bit surprised. Clearing her throat, Cuddy let her hands drop, one raising to her mouth, running her finger under her lip.
‘Wow.’ Stacy whispered, her own hands dropping momentarily. Cuddy cleared her throat again, glancing up at Stacy. She opened her mouth to speak when Stacy had her arms around her head, her mouth pressed firmly against Cuddy’s. Cuddy almost cried out before regaining her composure and leaning into the kiss. Stacy’s hands cupped the sides of Cuddy’s face, Cuddy’s own hands slowly moving and coming to rest on Stacy’s hips. The faintest of sighs came from Stacy when Cuddy reached further around and rested upon the middle of Stacy’s back.
Cuddy shifted her face slightly, her lips brushing along Stacy’s cheek and down her jaw. Her face rested there for a moment, her breath warm on Stacy’s neck. Stacy’s own breathing was almost ragged, her hands still on the sides of Cuddy’s face. Stacy’s hair tickled the edge of Cuddy’s face, the ends of her hair catching on her face and mixing with her own. They stood like that for a few minutes, Stacy’s hands running through Cuddy’s hair, Cuddy’s fingers rubbing Stacy’s back. There was a click from House’s office, and the women let go of one another as voices floated onto the balcony.
‘You coming around tonight?’
‘Yeah, sure, Julie’s having one of her girly get-togethers. Want me to bring pizza?’
‘Sure.’
Cuddy looked over her shoulder where House and Wilson were standing beside House’s office. Smoothing down her skirt, she glanced briefly at Stacy who was running a thumb over her lips, and back to the two men who were suddenly watching them. Forcing a smile on her face, she strolled into the office.
‘I thought you had clinic duty’ she said briskly. Stacy walked in behind her, and Cuddy studied the look on House’s face as his lips twisted into something resembling a grimace mixed with embarrassment. House’s eyes shot towards Wilson who was rubbing the back of his neck, eyes downcast. Giving a knowing smirk, Cuddy turned back to House. ‘I expect to see you in the clinic in ten minutes. I also expect you to explain why Wilson’s desk has suddenly become a bed.’
House gawked while Wilson just turned and groaned into his hands. Winking towards Stacy as she picked up the folder she had set down earlier, she and Cuddy exited the room, leaving House to wonder how and why Stacy had told Cuddy about their adventure on Wilson’s desk.
As they turned down the corridor, Cuddy felt Stacy’s hand on her back. Looking towards the woman, Stacy cleared her throat.
‘Do you want to go get a drink or something tonight?’ she asked. Cuddy, surprised, frowned.
‘What about Mark?’
‘He’ll be fine. It’s just a drink between girls.’
Cuddy let out a laugh as Stacy gave a smirk and a flirty wink. As they arrived at Cuddy’s office, passing through the secretary’s office silently, Stacy hovered around the doorway, hand on the doorframe.
‘I’ll get out of my tights then,’ she said, faux-innocently. Cuddy’s eyes grew rounder, but she smiled all the same.
‘I look forward to it.’
Pairing: Stacy/Cuddy ; mentions House/Wilson, Stacy/Mark and Cuddy/OFC
Rating: PG:13
Warnings: Stacy in black tights ; Stacy angsting over Mark ; a romp on a desk ; bi-curiosity ; mysteriously appearing balconies.
Summary: A talk on House’s balcony leads to more then one confession.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned House. Cuddy would be wearing so much less, and she and Stacy would make out. Cameron can join in.
Notes: I wish I wrote this better.
Stacy was wearing a pair of sleek, black tights. They reflected the light from the sun outside Cuddy’s window, bouncing off around the room. It was probably just a trick of the light, but Cuddy couldn’t take her eyes off them, the ebony material, the glossy hosiery.
‘Lisa?’
Coming back to reality with a jerk, Cuddy raised her head, shakes it, and tried to collect herself. ‘Oh, sorry, I drifted off for a moment’ she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘What were you saying?’
‘Steve Jackson,’ Stacy repeated patiently, picking a file off Cuddy’s desk. She leant over it, licking her lips, and shifted through the pages. ‘He had a heart transplant two months ago… He wants to sue for… Jesus, I know I had the report in here somewhere…’
Cuddy nodded, trying to keep her eyes from drifting back to Stacy’s stockings. A pair of tights like that, she thought, should be made illegal. Especially when worn on a pair of shapely legs like hers.
‘Shit.’
The curse caught Cuddy’s attention and she lifted her head, her eyes only briefly glancing at the woman’s cleavage. Stacy rarely wore revealing shirts, and today was only a slight exception. The collared, white shirt showed only the slightest skin of the swell of her breasts, and when she turned to the door, Cuddy could only see a glimpse of her bra.
‘What?’ Cuddy asks politely. She stood, smoothing down her pink skirt, and began to collect Stacy’s papers.
‘I must have left it in my office…’ The woman turned to Cuddy, held a hand up and reluctantly allowed her to continue. Cuddy closed the folder, and handed it to Stacy. She smiled, and tucked the folder under her arm. ‘Thanks.’
She turned to leave and stopped abruptly. Glancing over the top of her desk, Cuddy raised an eyebrow. Stacy swore under her breath, set the folder on the chair beside her and reached down.
‘I caught my stocking on the chair.’ Stacy groaned. Rounding her desk, Cuddy let out a soft ‘oh’. Stacy’s tight was caught on the edge of the chair where the wood had been scratched slightly and stuck out. Stacy gave a tug, a small ladder forming along the edge of her thigh. ‘Would you mind… helping me?’ she asked, almost apologetically. Cuddy gave a flustered nod, and, kneeling, took Stacy’s tight between two fingers, and carefully maneuvered it from the wood. A long strand of fluffy, black string hung down Stacy’s leg, the ladder in her stocking running up, under her knee-length skirt and half-way down her calf.
Stacy sighed as Cuddy stood, looking at the hole in her stocking. ‘This just isn’t my day, is it?’ she sighed, with a gentle, almost tired, smile. Cuddy patted her on the shoulder, her hand resting there a moment longer than it should have, before falling back to her side.
‘I’d offer you a pair of my own, but I don’t carry hosiery around in my bag.’
Stacy laughed, waved a hand, and started to the door. ‘No,’ she said over her shoulder, ‘I’ll just take them off.’
And with that, she slipped out of Cuddy’s office, the door shutting with a gentle ‘click’ behind her.
*
It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that Cuddy saw Stacy again. She had entered House’s office, a manila file under her arm. Finding it empty, she was about to leave, when Stacy appeared on the balcony, her eyes wide with surprise. Looking behind her as Stacy waved her towards the balcony, Cuddy walked across the floor, setting the folder down on House’s desk, and walked onto the balcony. It was cool outside, and Cuddy found herself wrapping her arms around her waist as a breeze blew by.
‘What are you doing out here?’ Cuddy asked, pushing her hair behind her ear. Stacy rested her elbows on the edge of the balcony and rubbed her hands together.
‘Nothing,’ Stacy replied quietly. ‘I was looking for Greg, but he’s not in…’ She paused, and Cuddy stood beside her, looking down at the street below. Stacy was still wearing her wrecked tights, although the string had been cut off. ‘I remember when Greg and I were still together,’ she started, and Cuddy raised her head to the woman. ‘He had been called in while we were at a restaurant. I had been waiting in his office while he was in surgery, or at least watching one. He came back two hours later, smelling of…’ she waved her hand, and Cuddy nodded, understanding, ‘with two chicken sandwiches. It was about ten PM, and we sat out here, eating. And… it was the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me.’
She turned to Cuddy, and gave a small, almost sarcastic, smile. ‘Is that stupid?’
Cuddy opened her mouth to reply, then shut it. She turned briefly to the street, then back to Stacy. Smiling, she shook her head. ‘No,’ she finally said, ‘I don’t think it is.’
Stacy was quiet as she stared down at the street, her fingers running over glass of the balcony.
‘I shouldn’t still be in love with him,’ she murmured so softly Cuddy could hardly hear her words. Pursing her lips, Cuddy touched Stacy on the arm.
‘He… leaves a lasting effect. You two were together for five years, and you’ve gotten back in contact. It’s understandable.’
‘You ever in a relationship like that?’ Stacy asked suddenly. She raised a hand and shook her head, eyes closed. ‘No, sorry, it’s your own business.’
‘Actually,’ Cuddy said slowly, ‘I have. Not for five years, mind you, but I still find myself thinking about them.’
‘Oh?’
Cuddy nodded. ‘I see them every now and then. We say hi, ask how the other’s been. You know, the usual. Doesn’t mean it’s any easier.’
‘What was his name?’ Stacy asked, curiously. Cuddy paused, giving Stacy a side-ways glance. One of the reasons she and Michelle, her ex-girlfriend of three years had broken up was because of Cuddy’s reluctance to "come out of the closet". Being Head of Administration was a difficult job, and being a woman didn’t make it any easier. It wasn’t that the hospital was sexist, Cuddy just found it difficult to gain respect from people because of her gender. And if she came out as bisexual… well, she didn’t need the added pressure. While she was comfortable in her sexuality, she found it difficult to admit it to other people. Very few people knew of her relationships that were with women- even House didn’t, although she suspected that he knew. But Stacy was a friend- a colleague, a friend’s ex-lover, but ultimately a friend. And she trusted her.
‘Michelle,’ Cuddy finally said after a deep breath. ‘Michelle Chapman. We dated for three years, and she’s a department manager at the supermarket I go to.’
She forced a smile, adjusted her jacket, and turned to buildings opposite them. She could feel Stacy’s gaze upon the side of her face, and out of the corner of her eye she could see her open mouth. Stacy coughed, obviously trying to collect her thoughts, and spoke.
‘You… dated a woman?’
‘Yes’ Cuddy replied quickly. Stacy continued to stare at her, then slowly turned away.
‘I shouldn’t be so surprised,’ she murmured. Cuddy raised an eyebrow and turned to the woman.
‘Why? You can be. I would be if I was in your position.’
‘No, no,’ Stacy shook her head. ‘You do seem the type to… experiment with women, but I never took you as the type to date one for any amount of time.’
‘I’ve never fully come out and said I’m interested in women’ Cuddy said quickly. ‘It could be damaging to my reputation, and I’ve worked hard to get where I am. I’m not going to fool myself and say that people won’t mind, that it would all be okay if I came out, because there’s a good chance it wouldn’t be. People… don’t like homosexuality, and I’m all right with that. It’s a large reason why Michelle and I broke up- she wanted me to come out and to admit to others we were dating. Everyone she knew, knew she was a lesbian. And I… well, I still pretend to be completely straight.’
‘But… you’ve dated men.’
Cuddy chuckled, her cheeks red. ‘Yes, I have. I love men. But…’ she shrugged, ‘I love women, too. That’s why it’s so easy to pretend to be straight, because I’ll date a man, I’ll sleep with a man, and so forth. I just happen to do the same with a female.’
‘Oh.’
They were quiet, Cuddy trying to calm her racing her heart, and Stacy so obviously trying to digest this new bit of information.
‘So Greg doesn’t - ’
‘No, he doesn’t know and I don’t want him to. If he did it would be all around the hospital like wildfire.’
Quiet once again stretched between them, and Cuddy found herself growing more and more uncomfortable with it. She shifted, her high heels clicking on the ground, and turned to go when Stacy reached out and touched her on the shoulder.
‘I’m sorry if I seem so close-minded,’ she apologized, her hand dropping to her side. ‘I guess I’ve been with Mark too long. I’m not against that… stuff; I just have never really considered the idea. Mark has really traditional values. He likes the idea of a man/woman relationship with two kids and a dog and a picket fence and…’
She waved her hand before she wrapped her arms around her waist.
‘I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s okay. I’m not going to tell anyone, especially Greg.’
Cuddy stared at Stacy for a moment, before nodding, flustered almost. ‘Okay.’
‘And I don’t think he’d blurt it out to everyone if you came out to him.’ Stacy said suddenly. Cuddy gawked at her, before the woman continued. ‘He’d probably tease you and say he would, but in the long run I doubt he would. He’s got too much to hide, after all.’
Stacy turned back to the street leaving Cuddy to stare at her confused.
‘Hide what?’ she asked. Stacy’s eyebrows shot up, and she let out a soft snicker.
‘What, you’ve never noticed the way he and Wilson…?’
Cuddy shook her head slowly. Stacy leant forward, looking first into House’s office and then Wilson’s, before turning back to Cuddy and taking a step forward.
‘Yesterday, I walked into Wilson’s office without knocking and he and Greg were all over each other. As in on the desk and kissing as if they were never going to see each other again. It was actually why I was here, I was going to say something to them.’
Cuddy had raised a hand to her mouth and was chuckling not-to-softly behind it.
‘You’re not serious, are you?’
Stacy waggled her eyebrows, smirking coyly, and turned back to Wilson’s office. ‘Unfortunately, I am. It’s to be expected though, I suppose. The sexual tension has been there for a while, even while Greg and I were together. I just never expected something to come of it.’
A pause. Cuddy lowered her head slightly, her eyes drifting towards Stacy’s tights. The hole in the calf of the stockings had gotten bigger, her skin contrasting harshly to the material.
‘You never took them off,’ Cuddy muttered. Stacy glanced at her, then down at her legs.
‘Oh… right. I… just forgot. I ripped the string off, but that’s it. I’ve been meaning to get around to it, actually.’
‘Why don’t you run down to the store and grab a new pair? No one will notice you’re gone.’
Stacy smiled, and shook her head. ‘No, it’s okay,’ she replied.
They’re quiet again and Cuddy headed towards House’s office, ready to leave. She opened the door when Stacy called her name. Turning expectantly, Stacy approached the woman, mouth open.
‘Just a small question.’
‘Mm?’
Closing her eyes, clearly getting her thoughts together, Cuddy adjusted her weight, eyebrows raised. When Stacy opened her eyes, the question she asked almost knocked Cuddy over.
‘Would you kiss me?’
Cuddy tilted her head, trying to get her head around the question. ‘I’m sorry?’
Gesturing with her hands, Stacy took another step towards her. ‘I know it may seem horribly inappropriate, but…’ she sighed, putting a hand to her head. ‘I guess I’m curious. And you’ve just admitted you’re not fussed about it, so…’
‘Stacy…’ Cuddy began slowly. She glanced down at the woman’s stockings, licked her lips, and then pushed her away from House’s office. It probably wasn’t the safest area to do this, but Cuddy found herself not caring too much.
Cuddy checked over her shoulder once, then, with her hands on Stacy’s shoulders, leant in and pressed her lips against the woman’s. Instead of pulling away immediately, Cuddy found Stacy’s hand low on her back, her other pressed between her shoulder blades. Cuddy’s own hands slid down the woman’s shoulders, down her arms and then curling around her waist. Stacy’s head tilted slightly, their noses knocking. They both pulled away fast, Cuddy’s face flushed and Stacy looking more than a little bit surprised. Clearing her throat, Cuddy let her hands drop, one raising to her mouth, running her finger under her lip.
‘Wow.’ Stacy whispered, her own hands dropping momentarily. Cuddy cleared her throat again, glancing up at Stacy. She opened her mouth to speak when Stacy had her arms around her head, her mouth pressed firmly against Cuddy’s. Cuddy almost cried out before regaining her composure and leaning into the kiss. Stacy’s hands cupped the sides of Cuddy’s face, Cuddy’s own hands slowly moving and coming to rest on Stacy’s hips. The faintest of sighs came from Stacy when Cuddy reached further around and rested upon the middle of Stacy’s back.
Cuddy shifted her face slightly, her lips brushing along Stacy’s cheek and down her jaw. Her face rested there for a moment, her breath warm on Stacy’s neck. Stacy’s own breathing was almost ragged, her hands still on the sides of Cuddy’s face. Stacy’s hair tickled the edge of Cuddy’s face, the ends of her hair catching on her face and mixing with her own. They stood like that for a few minutes, Stacy’s hands running through Cuddy’s hair, Cuddy’s fingers rubbing Stacy’s back. There was a click from House’s office, and the women let go of one another as voices floated onto the balcony.
‘You coming around tonight?’
‘Yeah, sure, Julie’s having one of her girly get-togethers. Want me to bring pizza?’
‘Sure.’
Cuddy looked over her shoulder where House and Wilson were standing beside House’s office. Smoothing down her skirt, she glanced briefly at Stacy who was running a thumb over her lips, and back to the two men who were suddenly watching them. Forcing a smile on her face, she strolled into the office.
‘I thought you had clinic duty’ she said briskly. Stacy walked in behind her, and Cuddy studied the look on House’s face as his lips twisted into something resembling a grimace mixed with embarrassment. House’s eyes shot towards Wilson who was rubbing the back of his neck, eyes downcast. Giving a knowing smirk, Cuddy turned back to House. ‘I expect to see you in the clinic in ten minutes. I also expect you to explain why Wilson’s desk has suddenly become a bed.’
House gawked while Wilson just turned and groaned into his hands. Winking towards Stacy as she picked up the folder she had set down earlier, she and Cuddy exited the room, leaving House to wonder how and why Stacy had told Cuddy about their adventure on Wilson’s desk.
As they turned down the corridor, Cuddy felt Stacy’s hand on her back. Looking towards the woman, Stacy cleared her throat.
‘Do you want to go get a drink or something tonight?’ she asked. Cuddy, surprised, frowned.
‘What about Mark?’
‘He’ll be fine. It’s just a drink between girls.’
Cuddy let out a laugh as Stacy gave a smirk and a flirty wink. As they arrived at Cuddy’s office, passing through the secretary’s office silently, Stacy hovered around the doorway, hand on the doorframe.
‘I’ll get out of my tights then,’ she said, faux-innocently. Cuddy’s eyes grew rounder, but she smiled all the same.
‘I look forward to it.’