Holiday From Hell

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing House M.D.

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"Everyone. Meeting. My office. Now." Cuddy said to the team. They all stood up and strode to her office, even House.

"Okay, here's why I called this meeting. It's not to try and cover our asses because of House, again. It's because we, we being this department, are hosting the Holiday party on the 24th this year."

"Cuddy, do I have to help? I mean….of course I will." Wilson stuttered out, after seeing the look she gave him.

"Okay. Cameron, you and I will be on decorations. Foreman and Chase on spreading the word about the party through word of mouth and posters, etc. Wilson will handle food. And you, House…." She said, turning to him. "You will handle drinks and music."

"Finally, something that can be prevented from being screwed up by someone else." House said with a smirk.

"Okay. That's the plan. Now, scatter!" Cuddy said. They all leave.

Night of the party….House limps in wearing black pants with a faint silver pinstripe, nice black shoes, a black jacket, and a red shirt. He looks really good. Just as he was pouring himself some eggnog (with alcohol, of course), Cuddy entered. And she looked fabulous. She's wearing a strapless red satin dress with a gold headband in her hair and gold shoes. She walks over to House and pours herself some eggnog.

"Great choice in music and drinks." She says, nodding in approval.

"Thanks." He grunts, sipping his eggnog. They start walking around, nodding at people they know. After a few minutes of silence, Cuddy goes off to speak to one of the heads of another department, and House wanders around for awhile. A few hours later, they meet up at the drink table again, by chance.

Cuddy is a little bit tipsy from the eggnog.

"Cuddy, how many of those have you had?" House inquired at her glass, which she was refilling.

"Oh, honestly not that many." She said, slightly slurring her words. At that moment, the party's photographer comes up.

"Smile you two!" The photographer says. Cuddy wraps her arms around him and he puts his hand on the curve of her waist, and they both smile.

"You two are cute together. Another picture?" They both blush a little, then nod. Cuddy stands on her toes and pecks him on the cheek, he grins, and the photographer snaps the picture.

"Thanks." And the photographer walks away. Cuddy and House start walking around again. They stop in the doorframe, looking at everyone smiling and laughing together, and they smile. House looks up and nudges Cuddy.

"What is it, House?" She asks, looking up at him. He gestures above them, and smirks. "Oh, mistletoe. Well, I suppose we have to." She says and bends up towards him. He bends down and their lips touch. They both separate a few seconds later, blushing.

"Oh, I see Cameron waving me over. See you later, House." Cuddy says, and walks away.

"Bye, Cuddy." House says, limps to his office, and collapses in his chair. "What the hell was that? House, you can't feel this way. It must be the eggnog." He mumbled to himself. "Though by the way she was flustered, maybe she felt it too….no, it can't be. She's my boss, my friend…nothing more. There is and will be no more to it." House says to himself, but continues to think about it.

Meanwhile….Cuddy takes a break from the party and went to the women's restroom. She checked to make sure she was alone.

"Good god. This can't be happening. It has to be all the eggnog I've drank that made me feel like that. I mean, we're friends, colleagues. And he gets on every last nerve sometimes….but he does have a certain air about him that makes him comforting…no. It can't be, and I won't let it be." She said finally. Applying lip gloss and returning to the party.

A few hours later, the party is over, and House has returned home. He's sitting in his living room, a glass of scotch and a full bottle of pills in front of him.

"This has been such a great night…but I've been going through detox, and my leg has been killing me. If I can't get my pills, which I need, what is the point in living?" He mumbled to himself. He then wrote out a note to Cuddy.

Dr. Lisa Cuddy-

I'm sorry if what I've done hurts you. I don't want to have to do it, but I can't take being in pain 24/7. I'm sorry, and you've been great, being there for me. You've been a great friend. When we first met, I thought you were just a beautiful bitch, and you thought I was an arrogant ass hole. But once we talked, we found out otherwise. I'm very thankful you have been in my life. Now, I know we both felt something that night under the mistletoe, and I hope it wasn't just me. But I love everything about you, Lisa. I'm sorry to have to do this. I hope you'll forgive, and I'll be waiting for the day that you come and join me.

-Gregory House

"It's now or never." House said, and opened the bottle, poured all of them into his mouth, and swallowed them with the scotch. A few minutes later, he was convulsing, and collapsed on the floor in front of his couch in a heap, the note clutched to his heart.

Meanwhile…..Cuddy was sitting in her apartment. Finally, she got up an hour later and drove over to House's place. She knocked on the door and got no response. So she knocked harder, and the door swung open because it hadn't been shut all the way. She went in.

"House, are you here?" She called and got no response. "House?" She still got no response. She then walked into the kitchen and looked around. When she turned around and looked at the living room, that's when she saw him in a crumpled heap on the floor. Really pale, with the pill bottle next to him and the note clutched to his heart. She ran over to him, calling his name.

"House, House, House!" She yelled, dropping to her knees next to him. She shook him, but he didn't move. She then started crying, and immediately dialed 911. She told them what had happened, and then hung up. She saw the note, and took it out of his hand. She couldn't bear to be here when the ambulance arrived, so she took the note, her purse, and left, leaving the door open enough for them to come in. She then walked out and stopped at a crosswalk, reading the note. She finished reading it, tears blurring her eyes. She then began to cross the crosswalk. Halfway across, she heard a horn and then felt air around herself, and then nothing.

At PPTH….two gurneys are being brought in….Cameron stops in front of both of them.

"The man has a severe drug overdose. And the woman was hit full force by a speeding vehicle while crossing a crosswalk." The EMT said. Cameron looked at both of them.

"Oh my god….it's…." She couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"You know them?" The EMT asked.

Cameron nods then speaks. "The man is Gregory House. He's my boss. And the woman is Lisa Cuddy…she's his boss and heads our department here." At that moment, Chase and Foreman come forward.

"What's going on?" They both ask in unison,

"It's Cuddy and House. We have to help them. Cuddy's been in an accident, and House has a drug overdose." Cameron whispers. Chase and Foreman immediately take action. Cameron goes with Cuddy, and Chase runs between the two while Foreman is with House. Both House and Cuddy are in really bad shape. House has to have his stomach pumped, so Foreman takes him in to surgery. And Cuddy has a broken neck, and a piece of the car lodged in her spine, that could leave her paralyzed. She's also in a coma.

A few hours later….House is alive, but barely and very lucky. But Cuddy is still in a coma, and not doing much better. House suddenly goes into a coma, and won't come back out. Two months later…Cameron is sitting, watching over Cuddy.

"Cam-Cameron." Cuddy stutters out. Cameron's head snaps up.

"Cuddy, you're awake!" She says.

"Cameron, where's House?" At this, Cameron looks away from Cuddy. "He's not…" Cuddy can't even begin to finish that sentence.

"No. He's here. Just in serious condition. Look, Cuddy. We have to see if you can walk." Cameron says. Cuddy nods, staring into space.

"How…how long has it been?" Cuddy asked in a whisper, while grabbing Cameron's hands.

"Two months." Cameron says, helping Cuddy to her feet. Cuddy doesn't say anything. She's weak, but she can walk, and is very lucky to be able to do so. Cameron puts her in a wheelchair. At that moment, Chase and Foreman come charging by.

"Cameron, follow them." Cuddy says. Cameron does. They end up outside of House's room. Cameron pushes open the door and leads Cuddy in, in time to see Chase shocking House's chest.

"What happened?" Came Cuddy's voice above Chase and Foreman's. They look at her.

"He went into cardiac arrest, Cuddy." House still doesn't have a heartbeat. They try for thirty minutes. Cuddy is just silently watching them.

"He's gone." Chase says, setting aside the paddles. He notes the time of death. At this, Cuddy's eyes fill up with tears. Cameron gestures at the guys to leave Cuddy alone with House. They do. Cuddy wheels herself over to his lifeless form and cries heavy tears on his chest.

"House, oh House. How could you do this to me? I didn't even get to say goodbye! It's not fair." She cried. She then took his hand and squeezed it. "I never got to properly kiss you before now, so I will." She said, and pulled herself out of her chair. She then bent over him and kissed him fiercely on the lips, with all the passion of a woman who is been in love for so long, but hasn't done a thing about it. She then pulls away, gets back in her chair, squeezes his hand one more time, and starts to wheel away. But then, she feels a touch on her arm, and turns around, thinking she imagined it. But when she turned around, she found herself staring into the bright blue eyes of one Gregory House. And he had a heartbeat.

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Okay. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I felt like writing a holiday House story. I will be updating my other stories more often now, because I'm on winter break from school now. So, check out my other stories. Oh! And review, review, review! I love comments! They are so fun to read, whether they be constructive or not. So, hope you liked it and look for chapter two tonight or in the next few days.

-K