Repeating History With Open Eyes - House/Cuddy fanfiction
Repeating History With Open Eyes; a House/Cuddy fanfiction
Summary: Cuddy shows up at Chase's bachelor party and only wants to talk to House.
Rating: T
Pairing: House/Cuddy
Fandom: House MD
Spoilers: House Divided
Looking around the room, she let the door close behind her, her ears immediately protesting as the music blasted in her ears. The short sleeved blouse and knee-length skirt she wore clashed horribly with the lighting, but she laughed it off, seeing Wilson standing dumbstruck a few feet away, dressed in his shirt, which was horribly rumpled. As she made her way towards the center of the room, she spotted Thirteen, Taub and Foreman huddled in a corner, all looking slightly awkward and out of place. Foreman looked the most sober and his arm was wrapped around Thirteen's shoulder as she gazed around, her eyes searching for something else to do. Taub leaned haphazardly against the wall, looking completely drunk, a half-full glass of wine in his hand. Squeezing between a few huddles of people, she made her way towards them.
"Cuddy?" Foreman asked, surprised to see her there. Feeling awkward, she nodded, fidgeting slightly with her skirt.
"They drunk?" She nodded again, glancing at Thirteen and Taub.
"He is," Taub looked at her, his expression dazed, "and I'm just enjoying the party." Thirteen smiled, slipping away.
Cuddy nodded, and slipped away into the crowd also, only to collide with a large object, which was headed in her direction. She jumped back, her grayish eyes meeting a pair of shocked blue.
"Cuddy?" House looked her, a full bottle of beer in his hand, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Celebrating," she shrugged, ignoring the stares he was giving her blouse, "Did Wilson know about this?" She titled her head towards him. House shook his head, and gulped down the beer, before reaching for a second bottle.
"House," she protested, "slow down."
"Whose to stop me?" He took a large swig, "Wine too and soda, for wimps like you."
"What would make you think that?" She snapped, feeling her cheeks redden, "I drink wine." Moving away from him, she spotted the area where most of the drinks had been placed, and poured herself a generous glass of wine, before gulping it down quickly.
"Damn," House watched her, "Think your body can handle something like that?" She narrowed her eyes, pouring herself a second glass and sipped it slowly.
"Think yours can?"
"I drink more." House finished his beer and leaned against the counter, putting a few inches between them. Ignoring the space, he moved closer to her, so he could look straight down into her eyes. "Unlike you, you don't drink. But you didn't answer my question, what are you doing here? This isn't your crowd."
"Wilson's my friend," Cuddy shuddered slightly in his closeness.
"Cameron's your friend too."
"Oh yeah, sure, then what's Thirteen doing here? She's just as good friends with her as me."
"Ph-lease," House whined, as Cuddy knocked his hand away from a third bottle of beer and she forced a glass of white wine into his hand. "Are you trying to get me drunk Dr. Cuddy?"
"You wish," she snapped, as he set down the wine glass and poured a second one, which, to her surprise, he offered to her.
"Well, I'm trying to get you drunk."
"I'd like to see you try." She downed the glass and slipped away from him.
A glass of wine and two beers later, House leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the party. Besides him, Wilson kept his eyes trained on Chase, who was moving from stripper to stripper, taking sips of wine and different shots from each. After a few moments, Cuddy slipped up besides them, her hair in a loose bun at the base of her neck. Seeing her, Wilson slipped away again into the crowd, leaving the two of them standing in the hallway.
"What do you want now?" House turned to Cuddy, surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Oh great, she's crying."
"Shut up," Cuddy snapped, drying her eyes with the back of her hand quickly.
"Leave me alone," he faced her completely, "I don't want to be surrounded by crying women."
"Then go over there," she pointed towards where the strippers had surrounded most of the guys.
"Why should I when I have you all to myself?" House stepped closer to her, seeing her eyes narrow.
"Why stay here with me when you know they're more fun?" Cuddy flinched, her back pressing into the doorknob of Wilson's bedroom door.
"Or I could stay here and kiss you."
"Or you could get kicked in the balls."
"Ouch, that was harsh Cuddles. Just one wittle kiss?" he whined, leaning forwards.
"You wish," she snapped, the doorknob digging deeper into her back. House smiled, leaning closer and pressing his lips against hers, both of his hands pinning her against the door. He let his lips linger on her for a few moments, before he pulled back.
"If you kiss me again, I swear House, I won't be afraid to kick you in the balls." Cuddy recovered quickly, "You haven't seen my at my worst."
"PMSing are you?"
"No … but … mpfh." He pressed his lips against her again, only this time, he didn't pull back, and he rested his hands on her hips.
"House," Cuddy placed her hands on his chest and pushed him backwards, but he held onto her, so in reality, the distance between them hadn't changed, just their location in the room. "If you want to see the hospital tomorrow as a doctor, and not a patient, then I'd suggest you get your hands off me."
"Only if you let me kiss you again." House didn't wait for her answer, and he pressed her against the wall, his lips crashing down onto hers.
"I'm dead serious Gregory House, get your hands off of me."
"But we're not done here!" He tried to ignore the obvious reaction his body was having to her closeness and he bent down, hoping to kiss her again.
"Ouch!" He cried a few seconds later as Cuddy's knee collided with his aroused groin. "What was that for?"
"Being an ass," she smiled, seeing his face twist into a slight grimace, "I should do that more often, it seems to work better than threatening you with a lifetime of clinic duty."
"You hurt Little Greg!" House whined, "You must pay Lisa Cuddy," he added in a mock stalker voice, which she wasn't fooled by.
"Oh really? Wait a week and you'll get your paycheck. That enough for you?"
"I meant personally, not 'the all powerful dean of medicine' payment. I meant the normal 'my name is Lisa Cuddy' payment." He smiled at her blush.
"And if I don't?"
"I'll tell the whole hospital that you showed up at Chase's bachelor party and nearly got drunk."
"You would know if I was drunk. Does this look drunk to you?" she asked, hands on her hips.
"No, that looks more like the 'I'm a sexy dean of medicine' look," he responded, seeing her eyes narrow, "Or the all too familiar 'the dean of medicine is about to kick the head of diagnostics' ass' look."
She smiled, a true smile, "Second one."
"You know I'm still going to kiss you, right?"
"What you do best, going around kissing people that piss you off twenty-four-seven."
"Correct," House kissed her again, and to his complete surprise, she responded to his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist, his fingers digging into her skin, inching upwards towards her blouse. After a few moments, his tongue ran along her lips, begging for better access, but she pulled back, her cheeks flushed.
"House, I … I think I should go."
"No one is ever going to know about that."
That's not my point, I should go before we do something we both will regret."
"Like what?" He asked, knowing exactly what she meant, but then again, he also knew that her leaving meant her walking home alone in the dark.
"House, is there anything you want out of this besides a chance to walk around the hospital and say that you had one night with me?" She stopped, remembering their night together twenty years ago. "Again."
"Maybe, who knows?"
God, you can be such an idiot."
"You're the one who implied that I was going to sleep with you tonight."
"You're the one who got a whole bunch of strippers here when it's not even your bachelor party."
"Chase is enjoying himself."
"Since when do you care about Chase?"
"Since never, I needed a good party." House admitted, glancing between Wilson, who was wandering half-drunk and half-naked around his apartment, and Cuddy, who stood next to him, her foot tapping on the carpeted floor.
"I'm going home," Cuddy stated suddenly, "Before anything else happens between us."
"You walked here," he protested, "You can't walk home alone through the university at eleven at night in that." He eyes her skirt, which floated slightly when she moved.
"Oh, so you're the protective father now?"
"Not father, boyfriend maybe." He smirked at her, "I'm dead serious Cuddy. Whether you like it or not, I'm giving you a ride home on my so-called 'death trap'."
"Kill me now," she muttered to herself as his hand closed around her wrist as he pulled her towards the door, and out of the apartment.
Ten minutes later, they found themselves in House's apartment, Cuddy's arms crossed across her chest, causing House to stare even more. He was grinning internally as she eyed the room, her foot tapping on the floor, but he hid it, moving around the room, clearing a few things off the couch and coffee table.
"You said you were taking me home, not to your bachelor pad." She protested as he moved towards the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"I said I would give you a ride," he replied, opening a bottle of beer. He leaned against the counter, facing her, "You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch for tonight."
"Your leg…" she began, but she narrowed her eyes as he tossed her a folded t-shirt from a stack on a table and shooed her from the room. Disappearing into the bathroom, she pulled off her blouse, skirt and bra, and pulled on the t-shirt, slightly surprised to see that it was one that bore the hospital's name across it. She hid her clothes under a stack of towels in a cupboard under the sink, hoping that she would remember them and House wouldn't find them, before exiting the room. She entered the living room, headed straight towards House, and she bent down, hugging him around the shoulders quickly, not realizing that he was able to see straight down the t-shirt she wore. "Goodnight House, you sure you don't want the bed?"
"Night twins," he muttered into her shoulder as he met her eyes, "No, couch is fine. I have Vicodin and beer, and I have my piano." He slapped her butt playfully, seeing her eyes narrow as his actions. "Good night Cuddy." He called after her as she disappeared into his room, the door snapping shut behind her, and he was sure that he heard the lock click, before he went back to his beer. After that, he stood, quickly changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before collapsing on the couch, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to consume him.
About two hours later, House sat his piano, unable to sleep. His mind kept wandering back to the woman curled up in his bed, and why exactly he had allowed her to stay there, and, on a deeper meaning, what exactly he felt for her. His fingers danced across the keys, not really caring about the volume, even though it was almost two in the morning, and he was too lost in his thoughts to hear Cuddy slip into the room. After he finished, he turned, taking a sip of his beer before moving to get up when he spotted her leaning against the wall. His eyes went straight to hers for a change, but after, he eyed his t-shirt on her appreciatively. The t-shirt stopped at her mid-thigh and hung loose around her hips, but clung slightly to her upper body. He had to admit it to herself, she looked rather beautiful wearing nothing but his shirt at two in morning and again, he smiled inwardly.
"Cuddy?"
"I can't sleep," she whispered, slightly embarrassed, his scent around her had kept her tossing and turning under the covers, and the fact that she had pulled out an old hooded sweatshirt of his from Michigan when she was cold, the fact that it was from Michigan kept her up even more. She moved towards him, sitting on the couch, pulling a blanket around her shoulders. "You have another bottle?" Her eyes went to the bottle besides him and he shook his head, but handed her the bottle anyways. Taking a sip, she shuddering inwardly, even the rim of the bottle tasted like his kisses from earlier.
"Sorry about earlier," House whispered quietly. Shocked, Cuddy looked up, her eyes wide.
"Don't be sorry, I shouldn't have come to the party." House sat besides her, taking a sip of the beer, then handed it back to her.
"You said it earlier, you're Chase's friend, you have every right to come."
"House…" Cuddy began, "stop kicking yourself for this. I responded to that kiss."
"Only because I would be forced you too before you left there."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it."
"Why are you so convinced that it was your fault that we kissed?"
"Because…I'm being an idiot about this. I should just go."
"It's two in the morning," House protested catching her wrist, pulling her down, dangerously close to him.
"House…" she began again, but she stopped, seeing how close their lips were. He leaned closer to her, pressing his lips to hers again, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.
A few minutes later, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, both of them slightly breathless. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen, and his kissed her nose lightly.
"Cuddy…?" He stopped himself from kissing her again, seeing tears in her eyes. "Stop crying, I'm being the idiot here, not you."
"Don't say that," she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "You're not an idiot at all."
"Then why are you crying?"
"I'm overreacting to this," she looked up, "This won't mean anything after I leave later this morning right? It'll just be another mistake?"
"Cuddy … listen," House took her hand, finding comforting her coming easily to him, when he never tried any other time, "I want you to talk to me."
"I … I, I think I'm in love with you, that's why."
"You what?"
"I don't want this to mean anything, because then I'll just get my hopes up that we could have a relationship, like I did after I lost Joy. If I know it doesn't, then I can just add this to the list of stupid things we've done and we can move on."
"You want to move on?"
"Why? What were you expecting? For us to suddenly fall in love with each other, get married and skip off into the sunset together?"
"Well, not exactly, but I wasn't planning to let you forget this easily."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it's not like you didn't just say that you're in love with me."
"And I'm still your boss from nine to five, Monday through Friday."
"Cud - Lisa," He stopped himself, calling her by her first name, which caught her off guard.
"You haven't called me 'Lisa' since we first met at Michigan."
"Your point being?"
"This is important."
"Did you come to that party to see me or to celebrate?"
"Both, more the first one."
"Have you ever hoped, since you hired me, that what happened between us at Michigan didn't end that night? And that, maybe, we could have had a normal relationship."
"Not then, no, but now, every now and then I consider it, but it always seemed stupid. I'm no idiot House, I know you like me, I don't know if it's because you think I'm sexy or because you actually have true feelings for me. But I know, somewhere inside, you actually care about me."
"The reason I crash every single on of your dates."
"You crashed all my dates because you care about me?"
"Why else? To torture you?"
"You're House, you would try and torture me."
"It's because," he caught himself, then continued, "I think our feelings are mutual."
"You mean … you love me too?" Cuddy asked quietly, not bothering to hide her tears.
"I wouldn't go that far, I know I have strong feelings for you." House admitted, reaching up and brushing a tear from her cheek, "Don't cry Lise, I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply.
"I'm tired," Cuddy yawned, her head resting on his shoulder, "Let's go to bed."
"Both of us? In my bed?" He was surprised that she was suggesting they sleep together so soon. "Are you sure about this Cuddy?"
"Positive," she took his hand, held it tightly and pulled him towards the bedroom, where they closed the door behind them. Crawling under the covers, she sighed as he slipped in next to her, wearing a t-shirt and his boxers, wrapping an arm around his waist. She kissed his lips quietly, resting her head on his chest, her eyes closed. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, his other hand running through her hair, and before they both knew it, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
- - -
Light shone into the room from behind the blinds, and Cuddy shifted slightly, blinking her eyes open and she sat bolt upright, seeing herself curled up in House's arms.
"House…? What…?" she trailed off, remembering the events of the early morning, before snuggling back into his arms.
"I don't get up early Cuddles, go back to bed."
"It's six-thirty House, and I don't have anything to wear to work. We need to stop by my place so I can change." She slipped out of bed, disappearing into the bathroom, swaying her hips slightly. After a few moments, House heard the water running and he lay back in bed, smiling up at the ceiling. Right now, he could hardly believe how lucky he felt, his leg didn't hurt at the moment, he was well rested, and, most of all; Cuddy had slept beside him, after admitting that she loved him, her arms wrapped around him.
Ten minutes later, Cuddy reopened the bathroom door, holding a large towel around her body, her dark brown hair almost black when wet, and it clung to her skin. Sitting up, he moved towards her, kissing her cheeks, and then he pulled back, tossing her the t-shirt she had worn to bed. She dropped her towel, pulling the shirt on quickly, then she turned, running her fingers through her hair.
"Can you grab some clothes then we can head off to my house so I can dry my hair and get dressed? We'll grab something quick somewhere, or I can throw something together at my house." Nodding, House rolled sleepily from the bed, grabbing a pair of jeans, a fresh t-shirt and a pair of socks, stuffing them into a small bag, which he stuffed into his backpack. He grabbed the keys to his bike and put them in his sweatpants pocket, and then, seeing Cuddy standing in the center of his room wearing his baggy shirt, he smiled.
"Got your clothes?" He smirked, nodding towards the closet. She blushed, grabbing them and pulling on her skirt, though it clashed horribly with his shirt. Pulling his backpack from his hands, Cuddy stuffed her blouse and bra into it, ignoring his smirk.
"Let's go."
Half an hour later, Cuddy emerged from her bedroom, wearing a dark red, tight fitting, short sleeved blouse and black slacks. Her hair was swept back into a loose bun at the base of her neck, which, as soon as he saw it, House pulled out.
"I like your hair loose," he kissed her cheeks, "It frames your face nicely, and brings out your eyes." He smiled at her choice of dress, and then wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms. "I love you," he began quietly, "What are we exactly?"
"What are we? I guess you could say that we're dating, boyfriend and girlfriend … what ever you'd like to call us." Cuddy turned in his arms, "Just don't let Wilson get that around the hospital yet, I don't think I really want everyone knowing yet."
"You know everyone is going to find out the minute we walk into that hospital together. One, because we probably won't be fighting. Two, because I never show up to work on time. And three, because I'll probably forget and kiss you."
"Whatever, want to heat up some frozen waffles?" She turned, changing the subject.
- - -
Three hours later, around noon, House stepped into James Wilson's office, a huge smile on his face. He closed the door behind him, and took a seat in the chair.
"I slept with Cuddy, you know, after she came over to my apartment, and we shared a bottle of beer."
Wilson dropped the papers he was holding, "You what?"
"I'm sleeping with your boss." He smiled, hearing a knock at the door, and Cuddy's face peer in.
"You two … what?" Wilson looked between them, as Cuddy squeezed into the oversized chair with House, placing a kiss on his lips.
"Yeah, we're dating," Cuddy responded quickly, "I thought I told you not to tell anyone." She hissed in House's ear as his arms snaked around her waist and he kissed her neck hungrily.
"Get a room," Wilson stood, "Actually, I'll leave and post a large sign on the door, telling everyone that I'm in your office House." His only response was a quiet, contented sigh from Cuddy as House's lips attacked her own. He stormed down the hallway, his cellphone in his hand, having snapped a quick photo of them kissing before he closed the door.
"Dr. Chase," Wilson stepped into the room, "It's urgent, I'm sorry," he glanced towards the patient in the bed. Moving towards Chase, he showed his the photo he had snapped, and then he frowned, seeing Chase grin.
"You owe me, fifty bucks." Chase held out his palm, ignoring the patient's curious stares, "A bet," he explained, "That the dean of medicine and the head of the diagnostics office would hook up. Don't mention this to anyone, it could be nasty if the dean finds out." Counting out five tens, Wilson slapped them into the outstretched palm and narrowed his eyes.
"Cuddy is going to murder you if you tell anyone else. Apparently House wasn't supposed to tell anyone either." Wilson closed the door, ignoring the patient and his companion completely.
Yet, by five PM that day, the whole hospital had heard the news, all because of a sneaky oncologist who had paid Allison Cameron to page them all and announce the news. And no one missed the loud shouting match later between Cuddy and Cameron when she finally figured out who exactly had spread the news through the hospital. But everyone enjoyed it even more when House finally got the two of them to shut up by grabbing Cuddy by the waist and kissing her passionately, much to her complete embarrassment. And five months later, no one was surprised to hear that Cuddy was pregnant and she and House were moving in together.
*I have some "deleted scenes" from this story, since it was 12 pages in Open Office, where are posted here.
Summary: Cuddy shows up at Chase's bachelor party and only wants to talk to House.
Rating: T
Pairing: House/Cuddy
Fandom: House MD
Spoilers: House Divided
Looking around the room, she let the door close behind her, her ears immediately protesting as the music blasted in her ears. The short sleeved blouse and knee-length skirt she wore clashed horribly with the lighting, but she laughed it off, seeing Wilson standing dumbstruck a few feet away, dressed in his shirt, which was horribly rumpled. As she made her way towards the center of the room, she spotted Thirteen, Taub and Foreman huddled in a corner, all looking slightly awkward and out of place. Foreman looked the most sober and his arm was wrapped around Thirteen's shoulder as she gazed around, her eyes searching for something else to do. Taub leaned haphazardly against the wall, looking completely drunk, a half-full glass of wine in his hand. Squeezing between a few huddles of people, she made her way towards them.
"Cuddy?" Foreman asked, surprised to see her there. Feeling awkward, she nodded, fidgeting slightly with her skirt.
"They drunk?" She nodded again, glancing at Thirteen and Taub.
"He is," Taub looked at her, his expression dazed, "and I'm just enjoying the party." Thirteen smiled, slipping away.
Cuddy nodded, and slipped away into the crowd also, only to collide with a large object, which was headed in her direction. She jumped back, her grayish eyes meeting a pair of shocked blue.
"Cuddy?" House looked her, a full bottle of beer in his hand, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Celebrating," she shrugged, ignoring the stares he was giving her blouse, "Did Wilson know about this?" She titled her head towards him. House shook his head, and gulped down the beer, before reaching for a second bottle.
"House," she protested, "slow down."
"Whose to stop me?" He took a large swig, "Wine too and soda, for wimps like you."
"What would make you think that?" She snapped, feeling her cheeks redden, "I drink wine." Moving away from him, she spotted the area where most of the drinks had been placed, and poured herself a generous glass of wine, before gulping it down quickly.
"Damn," House watched her, "Think your body can handle something like that?" She narrowed her eyes, pouring herself a second glass and sipped it slowly.
"Think yours can?"
"I drink more." House finished his beer and leaned against the counter, putting a few inches between them. Ignoring the space, he moved closer to her, so he could look straight down into her eyes. "Unlike you, you don't drink. But you didn't answer my question, what are you doing here? This isn't your crowd."
"Wilson's my friend," Cuddy shuddered slightly in his closeness.
"Cameron's your friend too."
"Oh yeah, sure, then what's Thirteen doing here? She's just as good friends with her as me."
"Ph-lease," House whined, as Cuddy knocked his hand away from a third bottle of beer and she forced a glass of white wine into his hand. "Are you trying to get me drunk Dr. Cuddy?"
"You wish," she snapped, as he set down the wine glass and poured a second one, which, to her surprise, he offered to her.
"Well, I'm trying to get you drunk."
"I'd like to see you try." She downed the glass and slipped away from him.
A glass of wine and two beers later, House leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the party. Besides him, Wilson kept his eyes trained on Chase, who was moving from stripper to stripper, taking sips of wine and different shots from each. After a few moments, Cuddy slipped up besides them, her hair in a loose bun at the base of her neck. Seeing her, Wilson slipped away again into the crowd, leaving the two of them standing in the hallway.
"What do you want now?" House turned to Cuddy, surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Oh great, she's crying."
"Shut up," Cuddy snapped, drying her eyes with the back of her hand quickly.
"Leave me alone," he faced her completely, "I don't want to be surrounded by crying women."
"Then go over there," she pointed towards where the strippers had surrounded most of the guys.
"Why should I when I have you all to myself?" House stepped closer to her, seeing her eyes narrow.
"Why stay here with me when you know they're more fun?" Cuddy flinched, her back pressing into the doorknob of Wilson's bedroom door.
"Or I could stay here and kiss you."
"Or you could get kicked in the balls."
"Ouch, that was harsh Cuddles. Just one wittle kiss?" he whined, leaning forwards.
"You wish," she snapped, the doorknob digging deeper into her back. House smiled, leaning closer and pressing his lips against hers, both of his hands pinning her against the door. He let his lips linger on her for a few moments, before he pulled back.
"If you kiss me again, I swear House, I won't be afraid to kick you in the balls." Cuddy recovered quickly, "You haven't seen my at my worst."
"PMSing are you?"
"No … but … mpfh." He pressed his lips against her again, only this time, he didn't pull back, and he rested his hands on her hips.
"House," Cuddy placed her hands on his chest and pushed him backwards, but he held onto her, so in reality, the distance between them hadn't changed, just their location in the room. "If you want to see the hospital tomorrow as a doctor, and not a patient, then I'd suggest you get your hands off me."
"Only if you let me kiss you again." House didn't wait for her answer, and he pressed her against the wall, his lips crashing down onto hers.
"I'm dead serious Gregory House, get your hands off of me."
"But we're not done here!" He tried to ignore the obvious reaction his body was having to her closeness and he bent down, hoping to kiss her again.
"Ouch!" He cried a few seconds later as Cuddy's knee collided with his aroused groin. "What was that for?"
"Being an ass," she smiled, seeing his face twist into a slight grimace, "I should do that more often, it seems to work better than threatening you with a lifetime of clinic duty."
"You hurt Little Greg!" House whined, "You must pay Lisa Cuddy," he added in a mock stalker voice, which she wasn't fooled by.
"Oh really? Wait a week and you'll get your paycheck. That enough for you?"
"I meant personally, not 'the all powerful dean of medicine' payment. I meant the normal 'my name is Lisa Cuddy' payment." He smiled at her blush.
"And if I don't?"
"I'll tell the whole hospital that you showed up at Chase's bachelor party and nearly got drunk."
"You would know if I was drunk. Does this look drunk to you?" she asked, hands on her hips.
"No, that looks more like the 'I'm a sexy dean of medicine' look," he responded, seeing her eyes narrow, "Or the all too familiar 'the dean of medicine is about to kick the head of diagnostics' ass' look."
She smiled, a true smile, "Second one."
"You know I'm still going to kiss you, right?"
"What you do best, going around kissing people that piss you off twenty-four-seven."
"Correct," House kissed her again, and to his complete surprise, she responded to his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist, his fingers digging into her skin, inching upwards towards her blouse. After a few moments, his tongue ran along her lips, begging for better access, but she pulled back, her cheeks flushed.
"House, I … I think I should go."
"No one is ever going to know about that."
That's not my point, I should go before we do something we both will regret."
"Like what?" He asked, knowing exactly what she meant, but then again, he also knew that her leaving meant her walking home alone in the dark.
"House, is there anything you want out of this besides a chance to walk around the hospital and say that you had one night with me?" She stopped, remembering their night together twenty years ago. "Again."
"Maybe, who knows?"
God, you can be such an idiot."
"You're the one who implied that I was going to sleep with you tonight."
"You're the one who got a whole bunch of strippers here when it's not even your bachelor party."
"Chase is enjoying himself."
"Since when do you care about Chase?"
"Since never, I needed a good party." House admitted, glancing between Wilson, who was wandering half-drunk and half-naked around his apartment, and Cuddy, who stood next to him, her foot tapping on the carpeted floor.
"I'm going home," Cuddy stated suddenly, "Before anything else happens between us."
"You walked here," he protested, "You can't walk home alone through the university at eleven at night in that." He eyes her skirt, which floated slightly when she moved.
"Oh, so you're the protective father now?"
"Not father, boyfriend maybe." He smirked at her, "I'm dead serious Cuddy. Whether you like it or not, I'm giving you a ride home on my so-called 'death trap'."
"Kill me now," she muttered to herself as his hand closed around her wrist as he pulled her towards the door, and out of the apartment.
Ten minutes later, they found themselves in House's apartment, Cuddy's arms crossed across her chest, causing House to stare even more. He was grinning internally as she eyed the room, her foot tapping on the floor, but he hid it, moving around the room, clearing a few things off the couch and coffee table.
"You said you were taking me home, not to your bachelor pad." She protested as he moved towards the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"I said I would give you a ride," he replied, opening a bottle of beer. He leaned against the counter, facing her, "You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch for tonight."
"Your leg…" she began, but she narrowed her eyes as he tossed her a folded t-shirt from a stack on a table and shooed her from the room. Disappearing into the bathroom, she pulled off her blouse, skirt and bra, and pulled on the t-shirt, slightly surprised to see that it was one that bore the hospital's name across it. She hid her clothes under a stack of towels in a cupboard under the sink, hoping that she would remember them and House wouldn't find them, before exiting the room. She entered the living room, headed straight towards House, and she bent down, hugging him around the shoulders quickly, not realizing that he was able to see straight down the t-shirt she wore. "Goodnight House, you sure you don't want the bed?"
"Night twins," he muttered into her shoulder as he met her eyes, "No, couch is fine. I have Vicodin and beer, and I have my piano." He slapped her butt playfully, seeing her eyes narrow as his actions. "Good night Cuddy." He called after her as she disappeared into his room, the door snapping shut behind her, and he was sure that he heard the lock click, before he went back to his beer. After that, he stood, quickly changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before collapsing on the couch, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to consume him.
About two hours later, House sat his piano, unable to sleep. His mind kept wandering back to the woman curled up in his bed, and why exactly he had allowed her to stay there, and, on a deeper meaning, what exactly he felt for her. His fingers danced across the keys, not really caring about the volume, even though it was almost two in the morning, and he was too lost in his thoughts to hear Cuddy slip into the room. After he finished, he turned, taking a sip of his beer before moving to get up when he spotted her leaning against the wall. His eyes went straight to hers for a change, but after, he eyed his t-shirt on her appreciatively. The t-shirt stopped at her mid-thigh and hung loose around her hips, but clung slightly to her upper body. He had to admit it to herself, she looked rather beautiful wearing nothing but his shirt at two in morning and again, he smiled inwardly.
"Cuddy?"
"I can't sleep," she whispered, slightly embarrassed, his scent around her had kept her tossing and turning under the covers, and the fact that she had pulled out an old hooded sweatshirt of his from Michigan when she was cold, the fact that it was from Michigan kept her up even more. She moved towards him, sitting on the couch, pulling a blanket around her shoulders. "You have another bottle?" Her eyes went to the bottle besides him and he shook his head, but handed her the bottle anyways. Taking a sip, she shuddering inwardly, even the rim of the bottle tasted like his kisses from earlier.
"Sorry about earlier," House whispered quietly. Shocked, Cuddy looked up, her eyes wide.
"Don't be sorry, I shouldn't have come to the party." House sat besides her, taking a sip of the beer, then handed it back to her.
"You said it earlier, you're Chase's friend, you have every right to come."
"House…" Cuddy began, "stop kicking yourself for this. I responded to that kiss."
"Only because I would be forced you too before you left there."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it."
"Why are you so convinced that it was your fault that we kissed?"
"Because…I'm being an idiot about this. I should just go."
"It's two in the morning," House protested catching her wrist, pulling her down, dangerously close to him.
"House…" she began again, but she stopped, seeing how close their lips were. He leaned closer to her, pressing his lips to hers again, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.
A few minutes later, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, both of them slightly breathless. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen, and his kissed her nose lightly.
"Cuddy…?" He stopped himself from kissing her again, seeing tears in her eyes. "Stop crying, I'm being the idiot here, not you."
"Don't say that," she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "You're not an idiot at all."
"Then why are you crying?"
"I'm overreacting to this," she looked up, "This won't mean anything after I leave later this morning right? It'll just be another mistake?"
"Cuddy … listen," House took her hand, finding comforting her coming easily to him, when he never tried any other time, "I want you to talk to me."
"I … I, I think I'm in love with you, that's why."
"You what?"
"I don't want this to mean anything, because then I'll just get my hopes up that we could have a relationship, like I did after I lost Joy. If I know it doesn't, then I can just add this to the list of stupid things we've done and we can move on."
"You want to move on?"
"Why? What were you expecting? For us to suddenly fall in love with each other, get married and skip off into the sunset together?"
"Well, not exactly, but I wasn't planning to let you forget this easily."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it's not like you didn't just say that you're in love with me."
"And I'm still your boss from nine to five, Monday through Friday."
"Cud - Lisa," He stopped himself, calling her by her first name, which caught her off guard.
"You haven't called me 'Lisa' since we first met at Michigan."
"Your point being?"
"This is important."
"Did you come to that party to see me or to celebrate?"
"Both, more the first one."
"Have you ever hoped, since you hired me, that what happened between us at Michigan didn't end that night? And that, maybe, we could have had a normal relationship."
"Not then, no, but now, every now and then I consider it, but it always seemed stupid. I'm no idiot House, I know you like me, I don't know if it's because you think I'm sexy or because you actually have true feelings for me. But I know, somewhere inside, you actually care about me."
"The reason I crash every single on of your dates."
"You crashed all my dates because you care about me?"
"Why else? To torture you?"
"You're House, you would try and torture me."
"It's because," he caught himself, then continued, "I think our feelings are mutual."
"You mean … you love me too?" Cuddy asked quietly, not bothering to hide her tears.
"I wouldn't go that far, I know I have strong feelings for you." House admitted, reaching up and brushing a tear from her cheek, "Don't cry Lise, I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply.
"I'm tired," Cuddy yawned, her head resting on his shoulder, "Let's go to bed."
"Both of us? In my bed?" He was surprised that she was suggesting they sleep together so soon. "Are you sure about this Cuddy?"
"Positive," she took his hand, held it tightly and pulled him towards the bedroom, where they closed the door behind them. Crawling under the covers, she sighed as he slipped in next to her, wearing a t-shirt and his boxers, wrapping an arm around his waist. She kissed his lips quietly, resting her head on his chest, her eyes closed. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, his other hand running through her hair, and before they both knew it, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
- - -
Light shone into the room from behind the blinds, and Cuddy shifted slightly, blinking her eyes open and she sat bolt upright, seeing herself curled up in House's arms.
"House…? What…?" she trailed off, remembering the events of the early morning, before snuggling back into his arms.
"I don't get up early Cuddles, go back to bed."
"It's six-thirty House, and I don't have anything to wear to work. We need to stop by my place so I can change." She slipped out of bed, disappearing into the bathroom, swaying her hips slightly. After a few moments, House heard the water running and he lay back in bed, smiling up at the ceiling. Right now, he could hardly believe how lucky he felt, his leg didn't hurt at the moment, he was well rested, and, most of all; Cuddy had slept beside him, after admitting that she loved him, her arms wrapped around him.
Ten minutes later, Cuddy reopened the bathroom door, holding a large towel around her body, her dark brown hair almost black when wet, and it clung to her skin. Sitting up, he moved towards her, kissing her cheeks, and then he pulled back, tossing her the t-shirt she had worn to bed. She dropped her towel, pulling the shirt on quickly, then she turned, running her fingers through her hair.
"Can you grab some clothes then we can head off to my house so I can dry my hair and get dressed? We'll grab something quick somewhere, or I can throw something together at my house." Nodding, House rolled sleepily from the bed, grabbing a pair of jeans, a fresh t-shirt and a pair of socks, stuffing them into a small bag, which he stuffed into his backpack. He grabbed the keys to his bike and put them in his sweatpants pocket, and then, seeing Cuddy standing in the center of his room wearing his baggy shirt, he smiled.
"Got your clothes?" He smirked, nodding towards the closet. She blushed, grabbing them and pulling on her skirt, though it clashed horribly with his shirt. Pulling his backpack from his hands, Cuddy stuffed her blouse and bra into it, ignoring his smirk.
"Let's go."
Half an hour later, Cuddy emerged from her bedroom, wearing a dark red, tight fitting, short sleeved blouse and black slacks. Her hair was swept back into a loose bun at the base of her neck, which, as soon as he saw it, House pulled out.
"I like your hair loose," he kissed her cheeks, "It frames your face nicely, and brings out your eyes." He smiled at her choice of dress, and then wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms. "I love you," he began quietly, "What are we exactly?"
"What are we? I guess you could say that we're dating, boyfriend and girlfriend … what ever you'd like to call us." Cuddy turned in his arms, "Just don't let Wilson get that around the hospital yet, I don't think I really want everyone knowing yet."
"You know everyone is going to find out the minute we walk into that hospital together. One, because we probably won't be fighting. Two, because I never show up to work on time. And three, because I'll probably forget and kiss you."
"Whatever, want to heat up some frozen waffles?" She turned, changing the subject.
- - -
Three hours later, around noon, House stepped into James Wilson's office, a huge smile on his face. He closed the door behind him, and took a seat in the chair.
"I slept with Cuddy, you know, after she came over to my apartment, and we shared a bottle of beer."
Wilson dropped the papers he was holding, "You what?"
"I'm sleeping with your boss." He smiled, hearing a knock at the door, and Cuddy's face peer in.
"You two … what?" Wilson looked between them, as Cuddy squeezed into the oversized chair with House, placing a kiss on his lips.
"Yeah, we're dating," Cuddy responded quickly, "I thought I told you not to tell anyone." She hissed in House's ear as his arms snaked around her waist and he kissed her neck hungrily.
"Get a room," Wilson stood, "Actually, I'll leave and post a large sign on the door, telling everyone that I'm in your office House." His only response was a quiet, contented sigh from Cuddy as House's lips attacked her own. He stormed down the hallway, his cellphone in his hand, having snapped a quick photo of them kissing before he closed the door.
"Dr. Chase," Wilson stepped into the room, "It's urgent, I'm sorry," he glanced towards the patient in the bed. Moving towards Chase, he showed his the photo he had snapped, and then he frowned, seeing Chase grin.
"You owe me, fifty bucks." Chase held out his palm, ignoring the patient's curious stares, "A bet," he explained, "That the dean of medicine and the head of the diagnostics office would hook up. Don't mention this to anyone, it could be nasty if the dean finds out." Counting out five tens, Wilson slapped them into the outstretched palm and narrowed his eyes.
"Cuddy is going to murder you if you tell anyone else. Apparently House wasn't supposed to tell anyone either." Wilson closed the door, ignoring the patient and his companion completely.
Yet, by five PM that day, the whole hospital had heard the news, all because of a sneaky oncologist who had paid Allison Cameron to page them all and announce the news. And no one missed the loud shouting match later between Cuddy and Cameron when she finally figured out who exactly had spread the news through the hospital. But everyone enjoyed it even more when House finally got the two of them to shut up by grabbing Cuddy by the waist and kissing her passionately, much to her complete embarrassment. And five months later, no one was surprised to hear that Cuddy was pregnant and she and House were moving in together.
*I have some "deleted scenes" from this story, since it was 12 pages in Open Office, where are posted here.