Evening, Tuesday 3 July
Cuddy quickly brushed a little blush on her cheeks and studied her reflection in the mirror critically. She…didn’t look half bad if she did say so herself. Of course, she didn’t know what House would say but she was doing the best she could with what she had to work with. She thought he'd like the result. Truth was, after the weeks of shapeless
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"Go and grab your purse," he agreed. Turning to Emma, who was now peering curiously at his collar with a spit bubble forming on her lips, he lifted her up so she was eye to eye with him. Her eyes widened but then her face lit up and her mouth twisted into a gummy, lopsided infant version of a smile. For a moment, House completely forgot the babysitter was there, and he grinned fondly at Emma.
"No wild parties while we're gone," he told her. "No booze and definitely no boys. Think you can stick to those rules?" Emma gave what could be perceived as a nod - a hard wobbly bob of her head that caused her forehead to bounce painfully off his jaw. House grunted an, "ow!" in surprise, jerking his head away.
He worked his jaw, then lifted Emma up higher and he said in a playfully reprimanding tone, "No headbutting, either. Got it?" Emma let out a squeal, that same delighted smile on her face, which made House instantly forgive her. "You rascal," he muttered fondly.
He remembered he wasn't alone in the room when he saw out of the corner of his eyes the babysitter standing up from the floor. Lowering Emma to look like he was going to kiss her on the cheek, he murmured by her ear, "You have permission to headbutt the babysitter if she doesn't let you play the Playstation. Don't tell Mom I told you that, though."
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She knew Emma would be just fine without them. She knew she and House needed an adults' night out. She knew her anxiety was irrational but irrational as it was, she still felt it. It was hard to leave Emma, especially when she was as alert and happy as she was at the moment. Who could resist that? She had to, though. She had to learn to let go a little.
With a sigh, she grabbed her clutch from the corner of the dresser and flicked off the bedroom light as she left the room. She walked quietly up behind House. She couldn't hear what he was telling Emma but she knew it had to be something Emma didn't need to hear.
"What have I told you about corrupting the baby?" she asked House. She cupped her hand around the back of Emma's head and kissed her cheek. She wanted to give her one more snuggle but she was afraid if she did, they'd never get out of the house. It would faster if House handed Emma off to the nanny.
"We'd better go," she told him. "Our reservations are for 7:30."
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"Have a great night," the babysitter said, lifting Emma up against her shoulder to give her back a pat. The babysitter smiled. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."
"Oh, that's reassuring," House replied with a hint of sarcasm. He wasn't worried, though. He knew the last thing Cuddy would have done was hired a babysitter who had any shred of incompetence. Really, he was just glad as hell, even excited, to be able to hand Emma over to someone else for a change so he and Cuddy could have some time together.
He turned to Cuddy. "All right," he continued. "Let's get outta here." He was sure, knowing Cuddy, that she would have run over and over again Emma's routine with the babysitter, would have made sure everything was in place, double-checked everything was in place, triple-checked everything was in place... He was eager to get going and not waste another minute. He extended a hand in the direction of the hall. "After you."
Following her out down the hall, he opened the door for her and stepped outside after Cuddy. When he shut the door, a feeling of instant relief washed over him, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The whole night was going to be theirs. At long last.
He looked at Cuddy with a smile and held his hand out for her to take. "You look great."
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Just the hint of a grimace flickered over her face as he closed the front door behind them. She kept it hidden from House. She knew it would bother him if he thought she wasn't happy to be getting out with him. And the thing was--she was excited about the two of them having an evening to themselves. She really was. She loved Emma with her whole heart but she did miss being a couple. She simply needed a little time to adjust from being Mommy to being the girlfriend.
"Thanks," she said, grasping his hand. She stepped back and did a little half spin, still holding his hand. "I was a little surprised it fit but...it's not too bad." She fell into step with him then as they headed for the car. "And equally surprising--Emma managed not to puke all over it."
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"Ah. Still has yet to learn the art of sabotage," he said of Emma not puking on Cuddy's dress. "Good thing she didn't choose tonight to learn." He reached into his pocket to fish out his keys as they approached the car. He unlocked the passenger side door and opened it for Cuddy, then closed it once she'd climbed in and went around to the driver side.
"Give it time, though. Sabotage will probably be her first word," he said when he climbed in, shutting the door after him. He keyed the ignition but instead of turning the engine over straight away, he looked over at Cuddy. House leaned over to finally get his kiss that he hadn't had a chance to get inside. At the same time, he reached his hand over and placed it on Cuddy's knee, squeezing it gently while their lips met.
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She got herself settled and waited for House to start the car. When he didn't, she looked over with a faintly puzzled expression. Her lips curved into a smile as he leaned toward her. She lifted her hand to cup his cheek and guide his mouth to hers. It was a soft, lingering kiss and even when it ended, she simply leaned her forehead against his instead of pulling away.
"We really shouldn't get started or we'll never make it out of the driveway," she said, grinning. She could just see it now--the nanny would catch them making out like a couple of high school kids. She patted his cheek. "Besides, I'm hungry."
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"Hmmm," he quietly hummed, reluctant to pull away from her. He pecked a final kiss on her lips, then leaned back in his seat to start the car. "Won't argue with a hungry woman. Not this time, at least." He flashed her a smirk as he turned the engine over and pulled out of the driveway.
The traffic was light driving into downtown Princeton and they arrived at the restaurant in good time. After House parked up in the restaurant parking lot, he locked the car and reached for Cuddy's hand. He paused to quickly kiss Cuddy's lips, a small but pleased smile on his face to be with her, and he walked with her across the lot to the restaurant.
As they approached the entrance, House was struck with the memory of the last time they were here. Things had been so new then. New and scary and wonderful and... somehow things had managed to get a whole lot scarier from that point on. "This place seems familiar," he said in a mock serious tone as he ushered Cuddy into the front entrance.
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She was slightly surprised he hadn't chosen to argue with her, since that was his default response, but she wasn't going to argue with his not arguing. Sometimes he actually did make a good choice and it was best to encourage him whenever he did.
She spent the ride to the restaurant trying not to think about Emma. She kept her hands folded together so she wouldn't pull her cell phone out of her purse and call the sitter. That would be pathetic. The sitter was completely competent and Emma would be fine. She knew that and yet the compulsion to call was strong.
She was glad when they arrived because it kept her from doing something pathetic. And because she was genuinely hungry. "Can you believe it's almost been a year since the first time we came here?" she asked him as they entered the restaurant. She could hardly believe it herself. It had been a tumultuous year to say the least. Parts of it had been absolutely horrible, and yet she'd survived it. Against all odds, they had survived it.
She took his hand as they waited to be shown to their table. "A year ago, I know neither of us would've thought we'd end up where we are."
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He squeezed her hand with an obnoxious smirk. He knew exactly what she meant, though. Given their ups and downs over the past year - sometimes extreme ups and downs - it was a miracle they were still together. Well, it had much less to do with fabled miracles and much more to do with the fact that he and Cuddy were two of the most stubborn people this side of the American coast.
He released her hand when they were directed to their table and he pulled her chair out for her. The waiter offered to bring them the wine list and House nodded as he took his seat. Relief hit him again that he and Cuddy were finally out on their own together.
Along with that relief came a mild sense that something was missing. Having spent so much time around Emma, it was almost weird to be without her. He wondered if Emma was all right with the sitter, but dismissed the thought in the next instant. Of course she was all right. Unless the sitter called to say something was wrong, and no such thing would happen, he wasn't going to worry about Emma tonight. It was his and Cuddy's night.
He quirked his lips in a small smile, then reached his hand across the table for Cuddy's. He threaded his fingers with hers and rubbed his thumb up and down hers a few times while studying her. "Hear that?" he said after a short pause. "That's the sweet sound of temporary freedom."
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She settled into her seat and set her purse aside...but not without another twinge of wanting to pull out her phone and call the sitter. Just to check in--not because she thought there was anything wrong. As before, she forced herself to leave it alone although her hands fidgeted with the silverware until House took one of her hands.
"You make it sound like we're prisoners at home," she chided him mildly. Admittedly she'd had some bad days, days when she had felt a little like a prisoner. She was so tied to Emma's schedule, especially with the breastfeeding, that she'd sometimes wondered if she'd ever get free for a moment for herself. Still, she hated to make it sound like it was Emma's fault.
"This is nice, though." Despite her concerns about Emma--unfounded as they most certainly were--she was glad they were out, just the two of them. House looked nice, the restaurant promised a good meal, and she truly enjoyed being on a real date again. She chuckled, though. "It's been so long since I've interacted with only adults, though. I'm almost afraid I've forgotten how."
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