Brief Encounters

[rtlemurs]

Title: Brief Encounters
Fandom: House MD
Characters or Pairing: House/Cuddy
Rating: PG
Word Count:1450 on the nose!
Summary: "Just take the damn shirt off."
Notes: Written for the "Comes As You're Not" party '08. Tremendous thanks to our hostess with the mostess karaokegal and the always wonderful hl_lover for their last minute beta work, concrit, and

Comments

[karaokegal]

I'm glad you could make it to the party. Lovely costume. I think working quickly may have paid off in this case. You're House and Cuddy feel very real together.

[rtlemurs]

Hey there, sorry about falling asleep on your couch during the party. I'm not as young as I used to be. Do I still have my eyebrows?

Thank you, it feels good to finally finish something again. and to get compliments for a master is icing on the cake.

Now off to mingle with the other guest.

[mer_duff]

I love how you tied past and present together with the parallel roads ending at different points. Great costume!

[rtlemurs]

Thank you! I felt these two have been doing this dance for a long time. As I said, I'm not a shipper of any sort, House is too screwed up to accept a relationship no matter how badly he may want it. But if forced to choose it would be House/Cuddy for just this reason. I think House does understands her better than she understands herself.

I've always been hesitant to write Cuddy because I don't feel I've ever gotten a good idea of what goes on in her head. So writing this from her POV was very interesting and I was very nervous about it would go over. But I am learning to trust what my beta says and it has paid off in praise from other writers I respect.

Thank you!

[pwcorgigirl]

I love the humor in this, and you write a pitch-perfect House voice. His remark -- I’m surprised you consider your pants an inn. From what I hear they’re more like room number thirteen at the Travelodge in the backwaters of the upper peninsula. -- is just hilarious.

And that's such lovely insight that he has waited for her to decide what she wants both then and now.

[rtlemurs]

*blushes*

Thank you. I am neither as smart or as witty as House and it is that combination that makes House special in my mind. I always worry that I may get the cutting sarcasm but not the wit that makes it special. So to have someone like you compliment me on that makes me absolutely giddy!

Well, he does tend to prod her along with a sharp stick more than quiet understanding but that element is in there too. Since I normally write angst I thought something a little more tender would fit the challenge. I'm glad it worked and you like it.

Thank you.

[daphnie_1]

Not normally a House/Cuddy person but you're dialogue is fantastic. I really liked this - great work.

[rtlemurs]

Thank you, I'm glad you gave it a try and liked it.

That is what I am finding is so great about this party. Not only are the writers writing outside their norm but readers are reading outside their norm too.

And not that they all don't write great stuff normally but I think the level of care in crafting that stories for this is jacked up a notch because you can't do it on autopilot. At least that is the way it worked for me.

Thanks again for reading, I appreciate the effort and the compliments.

[daphnie_1]

That's very true! I hadn't thought about the readers moveing out of their comfort zones. Intresting.

Yeah that's true, I know my story took me way longer than it normally would.

[hl_fan]

hl_lover here. (Yes, someone claimed 'hl_lover' on lj before I could. ;) )

I appreciate the opportunity to look at your story ahead of time, and it was well-worth it. :)
Love the way the story ends so tantalizingly, leaving an image of what might come and a smile on the reader's face.

Excellent take on Cuddy's thoughts here. She is a bit of an enigma on the show, with little canon-based back story to guide us, so you did a great job! Could see this as a scene on the show, definitely. Kudos!

[rtlemurs]

Yes, someone claimed 'hl_lover' on lj before I could.

How dare they! I'll send one of my ring-tailed minions over to swipe it in the middle of the night. :D

And I appreciate you taking on the task of beta at the last second. It wasn't really the last second but I felt like if I didn't get it done for the first night of the party I'd let it slide and never get it posted. So not only did you provide excellent beta services but unknowingly took away my excuses. Thank you!

I'm glad it left you imagining what might come. I remember hearing somewhere (Stephen King maybe?) that the reader can paint a much more vivid picture in his/her mind than you could ever write. For each reader it will be different but each will be satisfied with their vision of what happened because it is what fits best in their mind. I'm glad it worked for you and you walked away with a smile. That makes me smile so we're even. ;)

She is a bit of an enigma on the show,I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. Strangely, for House being such a mystery he is