Fic: Tale As Old As Time: Chapter Four
Title: Tale As Old As Time
Pairing: House/Cuddy
Chapter: 4/12
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D., nor the characters. I don't own Beauty and the Beast by Disney either. I make absolutely no money from this.
Summary: Complete AU. An adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. House is the Beast. Cuddy is Belle. Begins mid Season Three or so.
(Chapter One.)
(Chapter Two.)
(Chapter Three.)
Fourth Floor.
Cuddy entered the elevator just before the doors closed. She smiled at the woman standing there before turning to the panel and pushing the button for the top floor.
“What’s on the fourth floor?” the woman asked, giving a nod to the button with the tape over it.
Leaning her back against the wall of the elevator, Cuddy looked over at the woman. “It’s under construction.”
“Oh.” The woman nodded. “My husband’s been on the third floor for the past week. Every time I take the elevator, I wonder what’s on the fourth.”
Cuddy smiled tiredly. “Nothing interesting, I can assure you.”
The elevator stopped at the third floor and the doors slid open. The woman gave a parting smile to Cuddy and stepped off the elevator. As the doors slid shut, Cuddy glanced at her watch. It was nearly eleven and way past any overtime Cuddy wanted to be spending.
As the elevator reached the sixth floor, it stopped, a quiet humming sounding as the lights flickered before going out.
“Damn it,” Cuddy muttered and reached for the glowing call button. She pressed it twice, causing two loud ringing sounds.
Cuddy waited a moment and then tried to open the door for the emergency phone. Just as she had her fingers on the handle, the elevator jolted, causing Cuddy’s stomach to drop slightly as her heart pounded in her chest.
The lights flickered back on as the elevator slowly descended and stopped at the fourth floor. Cuddy frowned as the doors slid open. She went to push the button for the top floor again when she froze, eyeing the fourth floor. She took a cautious step into the hall, her heels echoing just a touch.
There were no signs of construction due to the lack of tools and other building materials. The floor was dusty while papers, cabinets, and chairs littered the area. The elevator doors slid closed behind Cuddy and she let them as she stepped further away from the elevator.
It was dark, but from what Cuddy could make out, most of the rooms were smashed in, the innards destroyed and torn apart. It didn’t appear as if there was any construction being done at all, but rather, it was as if a tornado had ripped through the area.
The sound of a metal object clattering to the floor echoed around Cuddy, making her jump. She took another step forward.
“Hello?” she asked out and felt her heart quicken as she realized just how terrifyingly alone she was.
A breeze came from her left and Cuddy turned quickly, making out a passing shadow. She held back a cry as she stepped toward the elevator and jammed her finger into the buttons, neither of which lit up.
“Who’s there?” Cuddy called out, still trying to bring the elevator back to her.
There wasn’t an answer, but a soft padding, and another breeze as Cuddy again saw a shadow pass accompanied by the fluttering of fabric. Cuddy pressed her back against the dividing wall between the two elevators. She glanced around and noticed a dim glowing from down the hall, directly in front of her.
“If anyone is here, I advise you to show yourself.” Cuddy tried to keep her voice from shaking.
“Who are you?” a soft voice growled slightly from Cuddy’s left.
She turned quickly, completely forgetting the soft glow. Cuddy squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the figure that she knew was approaching.
“I...” Cuddy swallowed her fear. “Who are you?”
“I live here,” the voice was a bit louder and deeper.
“You live here?” Cuddy repeated, placing her hands on her hips. “Are you a construction worker? You can’t stay here. I’ll have to call your supervisor... or the cops.”
“I’m not a construction worker.” There was a slight snarl in the undertone.
Cuddy’s eyes widened as she backed slowly away from the approaching figure she couldn’t see. She raised her hands in front of her defensively.
“I think we should go down to my office and get this all straightened out,” Cuddy spoke as calmly as she could manage.
“Who are you?” the voice asked again.
As her breathing increased, Cuddy realized she couldn’t stand there anymore, staring whatever was planning on harming her in the face. Under the impression this floor’s layout was the same as the others, she turned on her heel and began to run down the hall, away from the voice.
If her assumptions were correct, she would soon be reaching a dead end, but there was a staircase on the right. Cuddy passed by patches of moonlight that peeked in from between the small areas of window that hadn’t been completely covered.
Cuddy stopped, knowing she had to be close. She placed her hand on the wall, skimming it along, hoping to feel the door to the stairs. She froze when she heard the padding of footsteps coming down the hall.
Her breath catching in her throat, Cuddy hurried further down the hall. She sighed with relief when she felt the cool metal of the staircase door. With a great amount of force, Cuddy pushed against the bar across the door. It didn’t budge. Cuddy tried again to open the door. Again, she failed.
Letting out a cry, Cuddy pounded against the door. “Help! Please, help!”
Cuddy glanced toward her right, knowing the person was still approaching and becoming aware of the fact that the figure wasn’t alone. She couldn’t tell how many others there were, but the soft glow she had seen before was from a candelabrum that someone was holding.
Looking back at the door, Cuddy pounded again. “Help! Anyone! Please!”
She heard a deep growl, but missed the words spoken. Cuddy looked back toward the hallway where the candles quickly went out. She felt close to tears and backed away from the approaching figures until her back smacked into the wall.
Holding her breath, Cuddy hoped that if she couldn’t see them, then they couldn’t see her. However, she knew that didn’t very well matter considering she was backed into a corner. Cuddy saw an outline coming into focus. The person was at least two feet taller than her and very, very large. She could hear whispering from behind him.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the deep voice said.
“Who are you?” Cuddy asked, pressing her body as hard as she could against the wall.
“You first,” he snarled, but his tone softened a touch. “Sorry.”
Cuddy shifted slightly. “Dr. Cuddy. I’m the Dean of Medicine. Now, who are you?”
A foot stepped into a small patch of moonlight on the floor. Cuddy stared down at the large, fur covered foot that resembled a dog’s paw. A very large dog’s paw. The figure shifted slightly and part of his face was lit by another patch of light.
Cuddy heard herself gasp, but she felt very far away from it for what she saw was hairy and dark. One blue eye peered at her and pierced through her even though it was surrounded by a mass of thick, brown fur. As quickly as it had revealed itself in the moonlight, the figure stepped back.
Her mouth still hanging open, Cuddy felt her vision blur as her head buzzed before she collapsed to the cold, hard floor.
Chapter Five.
Pairing: House/Cuddy
Chapter: 4/12
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D., nor the characters. I don't own Beauty and the Beast by Disney either. I make absolutely no money from this.
Summary: Complete AU. An adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. House is the Beast. Cuddy is Belle. Begins mid Season Three or so.
(Chapter One.)
(Chapter Two.)
(Chapter Three.)
Fourth Floor.
Cuddy entered the elevator just before the doors closed. She smiled at the woman standing there before turning to the panel and pushing the button for the top floor.
“What’s on the fourth floor?” the woman asked, giving a nod to the button with the tape over it.
Leaning her back against the wall of the elevator, Cuddy looked over at the woman. “It’s under construction.”
“Oh.” The woman nodded. “My husband’s been on the third floor for the past week. Every time I take the elevator, I wonder what’s on the fourth.”
Cuddy smiled tiredly. “Nothing interesting, I can assure you.”
The elevator stopped at the third floor and the doors slid open. The woman gave a parting smile to Cuddy and stepped off the elevator. As the doors slid shut, Cuddy glanced at her watch. It was nearly eleven and way past any overtime Cuddy wanted to be spending.
As the elevator reached the sixth floor, it stopped, a quiet humming sounding as the lights flickered before going out.
“Damn it,” Cuddy muttered and reached for the glowing call button. She pressed it twice, causing two loud ringing sounds.
Cuddy waited a moment and then tried to open the door for the emergency phone. Just as she had her fingers on the handle, the elevator jolted, causing Cuddy’s stomach to drop slightly as her heart pounded in her chest.
The lights flickered back on as the elevator slowly descended and stopped at the fourth floor. Cuddy frowned as the doors slid open. She went to push the button for the top floor again when she froze, eyeing the fourth floor. She took a cautious step into the hall, her heels echoing just a touch.
There were no signs of construction due to the lack of tools and other building materials. The floor was dusty while papers, cabinets, and chairs littered the area. The elevator doors slid closed behind Cuddy and she let them as she stepped further away from the elevator.
It was dark, but from what Cuddy could make out, most of the rooms were smashed in, the innards destroyed and torn apart. It didn’t appear as if there was any construction being done at all, but rather, it was as if a tornado had ripped through the area.
The sound of a metal object clattering to the floor echoed around Cuddy, making her jump. She took another step forward.
“Hello?” she asked out and felt her heart quicken as she realized just how terrifyingly alone she was.
A breeze came from her left and Cuddy turned quickly, making out a passing shadow. She held back a cry as she stepped toward the elevator and jammed her finger into the buttons, neither of which lit up.
“Who’s there?” Cuddy called out, still trying to bring the elevator back to her.
There wasn’t an answer, but a soft padding, and another breeze as Cuddy again saw a shadow pass accompanied by the fluttering of fabric. Cuddy pressed her back against the dividing wall between the two elevators. She glanced around and noticed a dim glowing from down the hall, directly in front of her.
“If anyone is here, I advise you to show yourself.” Cuddy tried to keep her voice from shaking.
“Who are you?” a soft voice growled slightly from Cuddy’s left.
She turned quickly, completely forgetting the soft glow. Cuddy squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the figure that she knew was approaching.
“I...” Cuddy swallowed her fear. “Who are you?”
“I live here,” the voice was a bit louder and deeper.
“You live here?” Cuddy repeated, placing her hands on her hips. “Are you a construction worker? You can’t stay here. I’ll have to call your supervisor... or the cops.”
“I’m not a construction worker.” There was a slight snarl in the undertone.
Cuddy’s eyes widened as she backed slowly away from the approaching figure she couldn’t see. She raised her hands in front of her defensively.
“I think we should go down to my office and get this all straightened out,” Cuddy spoke as calmly as she could manage.
“Who are you?” the voice asked again.
As her breathing increased, Cuddy realized she couldn’t stand there anymore, staring whatever was planning on harming her in the face. Under the impression this floor’s layout was the same as the others, she turned on her heel and began to run down the hall, away from the voice.
If her assumptions were correct, she would soon be reaching a dead end, but there was a staircase on the right. Cuddy passed by patches of moonlight that peeked in from between the small areas of window that hadn’t been completely covered.
Cuddy stopped, knowing she had to be close. She placed her hand on the wall, skimming it along, hoping to feel the door to the stairs. She froze when she heard the padding of footsteps coming down the hall.
Her breath catching in her throat, Cuddy hurried further down the hall. She sighed with relief when she felt the cool metal of the staircase door. With a great amount of force, Cuddy pushed against the bar across the door. It didn’t budge. Cuddy tried again to open the door. Again, she failed.
Letting out a cry, Cuddy pounded against the door. “Help! Please, help!”
Cuddy glanced toward her right, knowing the person was still approaching and becoming aware of the fact that the figure wasn’t alone. She couldn’t tell how many others there were, but the soft glow she had seen before was from a candelabrum that someone was holding.
Looking back at the door, Cuddy pounded again. “Help! Anyone! Please!”
She heard a deep growl, but missed the words spoken. Cuddy looked back toward the hallway where the candles quickly went out. She felt close to tears and backed away from the approaching figures until her back smacked into the wall.
Holding her breath, Cuddy hoped that if she couldn’t see them, then they couldn’t see her. However, she knew that didn’t very well matter considering she was backed into a corner. Cuddy saw an outline coming into focus. The person was at least two feet taller than her and very, very large. She could hear whispering from behind him.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the deep voice said.
“Who are you?” Cuddy asked, pressing her body as hard as she could against the wall.
“You first,” he snarled, but his tone softened a touch. “Sorry.”
Cuddy shifted slightly. “Dr. Cuddy. I’m the Dean of Medicine. Now, who are you?”
A foot stepped into a small patch of moonlight on the floor. Cuddy stared down at the large, fur covered foot that resembled a dog’s paw. A very large dog’s paw. The figure shifted slightly and part of his face was lit by another patch of light.
Cuddy heard herself gasp, but she felt very far away from it for what she saw was hairy and dark. One blue eye peered at her and pierced through her even though it was surrounded by a mass of thick, brown fur. As quickly as it had revealed itself in the moonlight, the figure stepped back.
Her mouth still hanging open, Cuddy felt her vision blur as her head buzzed before she collapsed to the cold, hard floor.
Chapter Five.