Disclaimer: I don't own House or any of the characters mentioned herein. If I did I wouldn't be here.

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James headed for the elevator and hit '1'. As he stood watching the numbers counting down, he tapped his foot impatiently, hesitated a few times before reaching out and pushing another button. He clasped his hands together in front of himself and stared at the floor. His head shot up when the doors opened and he stepped out into the deserted hallway.

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Cuddy sat humming to herself, tapping her feet to the beat as her legs rested atop her mahogany desk. She was intently reading through the last of her paperwork when there was a knock on her office door. Pausing mid-bar, Cuddy rapidly swung her legs from the table and sat up a little straighter in her chair.

"Come in!" she said loudly. The door slid open to reveal a tense-looking Jimmy WIlson.

"Hey," He greeted with a nervous smile, "Working late?"

As if on cue, Cuddy yawned.

"Actually I was just finishing up and about to head home." Cuddy tilted her head inquisitively, "Are you ok?"

Wilson looked taken aback by the sudden change of topic but after a few gaping moments he responded with a frown.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why d'you ask?"

Cuddy shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, you just seemed like you were... avoiding me today. I had a good time last night and I got the impression that you did too. Then I show up at work and you avoid being in the same room as me all day. Have I done something to offend you?"

"No!" Wilson exclaimed reflexively, his eyes wide with panic. "No, I just... House." He finished, by way of an explaination. Cuddy placed the span of her thumb and index finger across her brow and massaged it. She could feel another House-induced migrane suddenly coming on.

"What's he done now? Broken an MRI scanner? Insulted a patient's mother? Whatever it is just tell me I don't need to call legal."

"You'll be glad to hear the answer is 'no' to all of the above." Wilson stated with an upward inflection. He reached one hand behind his head and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "He, ah, sent me a bunch of flowers." Cuddy's brow creased in confusion.

"I know, he told me. Is there something I should know about you two?"

"From you." He continued and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. Cuddy opened her mouth to ask a question but it died on her tongue only to be replaced by a second.

"Were there kisses?"

James's eyebrows shot to his hairline as his hand shot down by his side and he looked at her in shock.

"Ah, urm, yeah." He admitted sheepishly. The silence that followed was not entirely uncomfortable as Cuddy ran over the possible implications of Wilson's behaviour and Wilson awaited a response. After what seemed like far too long to Jimmy, Cuddy looked up.

"So you've been avoiding me because you aren't interested in me and you didn't know how to break it to me?" Wilson remained silent. "Oh." A small blush crept up James's face.

"Look, it's really not a big deal. I'm your friend and I like you. That's my problem, not yours, it doesn't have to complicate anything. Like I said, it wasn't a date, it was a social activity between friends. I'll understand if you would rather we didn't socialise outside of work any more." Once his speech was over, Cuddy was staring at him with intrigue. She slowly peeled her glasses off and dangled them from her left hand.

"I had a great time last night. I enjoyed your company."

"I hear a big 'but' coming here." Wilson interjected, looking between her and her desk. Cuddy stood and walked around her desk only to perch herself on it in front of him so that nothing was physically separating them. Wilson idly noticed just how short she was in her stockings.

"No 'but'. I'm not going to lie to you, James, I'm planning to have IVF in the very near future. I'm not getting any younger and I want a child before it's too late. I'll be a single parent and I'm fine with that. I don't expect the 2.5 kids and white picket fence. I don't know many men who could handle that and that's ok. I'll understand if you want to walk away, pretend we never had this conversation."

Wilson stared at a spot on the carpet several feet in front of him for a few moments which Cuddy took as a bad sign. She stood up and began to walk back round her desk when-

"Are you busy this evening?"

Cuddy's head shot up to find him looking at her, honest and warmly inviting.

"No."

"Want to go for dinner?"

Cuddy looked taken aback then pleased.

"I'd love to! Just give me five minutes to finish up. Meet you at your car?"

Wilson smiled.

"Sure. See you soon," and with that he left her office, leaving the door ajar.