The Beat My Heart Forgot 9 - Life Itself Is Lunatic
A/N: Once again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I truly appreciate you all.
Chapter 9
“Okay, spyboy, I’m talking A1 or bigger if you can get it,” House whispered under his breath.
“No problem,” Lucas said as he leaned in towards him, “and you want me to put them. . ?”
They both paused at the sound of a pair of heels walking confidently down the corridor.
Cuddy approached, cautiously, looking at House suspiciously.
He gazed back at her with innocent eyes, before focusing back on Lucas. “Everywhere.” he replied. “Everywhere you can think of.”
Lucas’ smile turned to a unique kind of grimace as he quailed under Cuddy’s irate stare.
“Good morning Dr. Cuddy,” he offered politely.
“Good morning Lucas, do you mind if I have a word with Dr. House?”
“No, not at all, I’ll just be. . .” his voice trailed to a standstill as he turned around and sped away.
House pulled a red lollipop out of his blazer pocket and unwrapped it fiercely. “Dr. Cuddy.” he said, more of a statement than a question, sucking loudly, his eyes wild and laughing. This was just the kind of behaviour that irritated her the most, and he knew it.
“What are you up to House?” Cuddy demanded, her hands on her hips.
“Me?” House asked, the lollipop still in his mouth.
“Yeah. You.” Cuddy responded flatly, “You’ve done your clinic duty all week, you haven’t paid any late night visits to my House, or my office, or spray painted my car with the words. . .” she lowered her voice, “partypants, again. In fact, you’ve been acting, almost. . . normal. What the hell is going on?”
“I have nothing to reveal, Dr Cuddy,” House said, his eyes twinkling, peering down her top, “certainly less than you do.”
Cuddy’s eyes glanced down at her top for a second, batting away the insult. “Well, if I find out you’re - when I find out what you’re doing, you’ll have to pay.”
House could tell she regretted her words almost as soon as she had said them. “Oooh, how? Leather, whips and a trip to the dungeon?”
She breathed slowly, deeply, as if exhaling would make him go away.
“And if you do anything to sabotage the fundraiser tonight. . . well, I’m watching you.” she said, narrowing her eyes, before beginning to turn.
“No,” House replied, “I’m watching you.”
Her brow furrowed as she walked away, the sound of her heels echoing as she walked. House turned in the opposite direction, a sly smile forming on his features.
Thirteen ran to catch the elevator. A hand reached out from inside to stop it closing. She slowed, catching her breath as she stepped through the door, smiling.
“Hi,” Cameron said, pressing the down button, “in a rush?”
“No,” Thirteen replied, “I just wanted to see you.”
The doors closed smoothly as Thirteen turned to face Cameron. She took only a moment to register Cameron’s eyebrows rising in an expression of flirtation before she kissed her, pushing her back against the elevator wall. She wasn’t sure if the newly familiar feeling of vertigo was due to the touch of Cameron’s lips against her own, or the downward descent as the elevator dropped quickly on its travel.
Thirteen held Cameron’s face in her hands as they kissed. She felt Cameron pull her in closer, aware that they would have only a few second before the doors opened. Cameron’s hands intertwined in her hair as they reached the third floor. Thirteen pinned her wrists against the wall as they reached the second. Cameron’s hips pressed against hers as they reached the first. Heart pounding, Thirteen wrenched herself apart as the door slid open. A nurse stepped inside, as Thirteen and Cameron shared a secret smile, a lingering lust still present in both of their eyes. Cameron tried to regulate her heavy breathing and calm her body as she stared ahead.
With a lurch and a smirk from Thirteen, the elevator reached the ground floor, and the ER. The nurse exited as Cameron glanced back at Thirteen, both leaving the elevator together.
“So, I forgot to say earlier,” Cameron began, still breathless, “that I can pick you up at eight thirty, from yours, if you like?”
“Sure,” Thirteen responded, “that sounds good. It’s like the prom all over again. Only my date this time is considerably hotter. And has a lot less hair.”
Cameron playfully nudged her as they walked side by side. “No patient?” she asked.
“Yeah, we do.” Thirteen replied, unusually shy, “I’m gonna go get back on the elevator now.”
Cameron laughed at her as she leant towards her, “I’ll see you later then.”
“Yeah.” Thirteen responded, her face alight as she looked wistfully into Cameron’s eyes.
Cameron applied the last of her make-up, looking down at her dress again. She felt confident in a way she had never felt before, because it was all for one person, she was all for one person, and that made her feel whole. She was often resentful of her beauty, despising it even; so much that every compliment had felt like a fake and sweetened insult. She had always known that there was more to her, if only someone would see it.
She had spent her life over-compensating for her looks, trying to out-shine them in every way possible, to be more intelligent, more compassionate, a better doctor. There was an undercurrent of failing with each attempt, the inexorable feeling that she would simply never be good enough. And if she was seen as good enough, she had always been certain that the real her had not been seen. She was beginning to feel changed now, as if there was an invisible force slowly eroding her insecurities.
She pulled her coat over her dress and locked her door behind her, climbing into the taxi waiting outside.
As she sat back in her seat, her thoughts returned again to Thirteen. She felt a longing for her company, a bittersweet constant in the events of her day. It was always there, in the back of her mind, how much she was losing. Every moment she gained something she knew she would lose it, in the end. Her life was becoming richer and fuller every day with the spices of love, trust, an ephemeral hope; but it was marred by the greys of her past and their future. She hid her paralysing fear somewhere deep inside, as she knew Thirteen did, and suppressed its cry of despair. The present was about living, she reminded herself daily, the future kept its secrets.
She wiped away the blur of condensation on the windows as the taxi pulled up at Thirteen’s apartment. She felt a small jolt of nervous anticipation as she ascended the steps and rang the doorbell.
Thirteen was a haze of green and satin as she opened the door. Once again, Cameron felt her mind reel at the sight, at the drop of the dress as it clung to the arch and curve of her body.
Thirteen’s mouth dropped. She hadn’t seen Cameron’s dress yet. She felt herself blinking rapidly as she tried to take in the image; Cameron’s gold hair falling on the ink black of her dress, the thin straps exposing her soft collarbone in the way that she loved.
“You look amazing.” Thirteen said as she inhaled slowly, her eyes never leaving Cameron.
“So do you,” Cameron replied, her eyes twinkling, “My prom date was definitely not as beautiful.”
She placed a chaste kiss on Thirteen’s lips, revelling in the sensation as she thought again how much she loved her.
“Are you ready?” Cameron asked.
“I’ve never been more ready.” Thirteen smiled.
Wilson was speechless. His mouth dropped as he stared incredulously at the walls of the corridor leading to the ER, every double door displaying the same picture.
“Cuddy,” he said with shock and awe, “is going to kill you.”
House smirked. “I know.”
“Literally,” Wilson replied, “with her bare hands.”
House grinned devilishly, “Just wait ‘til you see the party room.”
Thirteen wasn’t sure which she noticed first, the posters plastered all over the walls, or Cuddy’s shrill screaming. She looked at Cameron beside her, her mouth open in amazed shock just like her own.
“How. . ?” Thirteen stuttered. “How. . ?”
She sighed deeply as she took in the images on the wall. Printed across huge pictures of herself and Cameron kissing passionately were the words, “Give us a call Dr Cuddy, you were great. Three really is better than two.”
As they walked forwards, she saw Cuddy, screaming at House.
“And making the hospital foot the bill for an outrageous stunt like this warrants immediate dismissal. I have never been so angry in my life, House.” she cried, clearly fuming.
“Well you’ve certainly never been as hot.” he replied jovially.
Cuddy appeared to be speechless. She closed her eyes, and Thirteen thought she saw her shaking.
“You will do forty extra hours of clinic duty a month for six months.” she trembled, before catching sight of Cameron and Thirteen.
She walked up to them, nudging past House as she did so. “Dr Hadley, Dr Cameron, I apologise for this. . . absolute. . . this, I am so sorry. It appears that House thought it would be funny to have his pet dog follow you and take pictures and make extremely large copies of. . . well, you can see.”
She continued, “I can completely understand if you want to leave. We’re trying to take them down but they’re stuck with super glue. You’re lucky there aren’t many people here yet.” she added flatly.
Cameron and Thirteen looked at each other. Both were at a loss for words. Cameron knew she ought to be angry but something inside of her wanted to laugh. As she looked at Thirteen, she thought she saw a similar glint in her eyes. Before she knew it they had both collapsed into a silent fit of hysterical laughter. Cuddy seemed taken aback.
Cameron fought to talk as tears rolled down her face, “Sorry Dr Cuddy, I don’t know what’s come over us, it’s just that it’s, well, it’s quite funny.”
“I must say I’m a little surprised at you Cameron,” Cuddy said incredulously, “you don’t normally let House get away with this kind of thing. Or you, Dr Hadley.”
“I know,” Thirteen replied, shaking away her laughter, “I think that’s why he keeps doing it.”
“Well in that case, if you’ll excuse me, I have some poster removal to oversee. . .” Cuddy replied, still apparently angry, but as she turned away, Thirteen thought she caught the hint of a smile on her lips.
“I can’t actually believe this is happening.” Cameron said, looking at Thirteen.
“Me neither. But I don’t think I care.” Thirteen replied, “I don’t care if people know we’re together, they’ll probably think it’s just a joke anyway.”
Cameron smiled at her, “Do you know what?” she said, “I don’t care either.”
She took Thirteen’s hand as they sat down at a table, watching and laughing at the reactions of people entering the party room.
Cameron unlocked her apartment door, fumbling with the catch due to the buzz of the wine, the high of being exposed, and being around Thirteen.
She laid the keys on the kitchen counter, the sound echoing in the silence.
“So,” Cameron said, “that was quite a night.”
“Yeah, it really was.” Thirteen replied. “And the worst thing is, we’re not gonna be able to sneak around at work any more, someone’s bound to see us.”
“Oh, I don’t know. . .” Cameron added michevously, “subtle is my middle name.”
“Not in that dress it isn’t.” Thirteen whispered, dangerously low, as she moved closer to Cameron.
The atmosphere was charged, heated, flirtatious, as it had been all night. Cameron felt her fingertips reach out of their own accord, to stroke the side of Thirteen’s face, and down to her lips. She ran her thumb over Thirteen’s bottom lip, looking into her eyes. She trailed her hand over her neck and lightly over her breast onto the green satin. She could see the lust in Thirteen as she moved lower and lower, her own breathing rapidly increasing with anticipation.
She found the hem of Thirteen’s dress, and slowly slid her hand underneath, and up her soft thigh. Thirteen drew closer, until they were only inches apart.
Cameron spoke softly, “Do you know what turned me on the most?” She paused, her hand sliding higher and stopping, “That everyone in that room knew I was allowed to touch you like this.”
She could see warmth filling Thirteen, something more than pure lust. They spent a moment just looking at each other, re-connecting, before their lips met in a fervent kiss. Thirteen’s hands reached around Cameron’s waist, pulling her to her. She slid her hands upwards, until they reached the top of Cameron’s dress, and skimmed the black material down over her shoulders.
She broke her lips away only to kiss Cameron’s neck and breasts, before slipping the dress all the way down, over Cameron’s hips until it pooled on the floor. Her eyes shone with awe as she gazed at Cameron’s body, her eyes following every curve as if they were holy.
Cameron’s hands reached for her face to pull her into another searing kiss, yet more heated. Cameron’s hand moved to the back of Thirteen’s neck, pulling her in further. They moved clumsily to the sofa, hands and mouths touching skin desperately. Thirteen gasped as she felt Cameron slide her own dress down, the satin gliding over her skin in one smooth motion.
Cameron pressed her into the sofa, kissing down her body, over her slender, defined, waist, and over the ridges of her hipbones. She placed kiss after kiss on her centre until Thirteen was gasping with pleasure, her hands stroking Cameron’s shoulders as Cameron touched her in the perfect place again and again, Cameron’s name on her lips as she came.
Cameron kissed her tenderly as she regained her breath, her eyes wide and shining.
“Come here.” Thirteen whispered as she kissed Cameron again, moving over her and placing a trail of hot, breathy kisses over her breasts and stomach, and hovering above her core. Cameron caught a small smile on Thirteen’s face before she gasped at the sensations overtaking her body. She let Thirteen overwhelm her, her body giving in to her touch, moaning her name as the world fell apart.
Thirteen held her face in her hand as she kissed her again. “I hope Lucas isn’t anywhere near,” she laughed.
Cameron pulled Thirteen next to her, her arm wrapping around her back to hold her close. There was a look on Thirteen’s face like the one when she had first known she loved her. A mix of tenderness, awe, a touch of heartbreak. As Thirteen laid her hand over Cameron's heart, smiling at her with a wonderment, and Cameron placed her own on top, she knew her face said the same.
I'll try not to be too long with an update! Many thanks to you all for your generous support and for staying with the story.