„House, MD" doesn't belong to me, and neither do the characters. I am simply borrowing them to have a little fun here. A violation of copy rights is not intended.

English isn't my first language, and this story was not corrected by a beta reader. Please have mercy.

A/N: I have absolutely no clue how the American school and university system works, it confuses me deeply. And I am too lazy to do research, so if I make any horrifying mistakes, please don't be too mad at me.

PLEASE read and review.

Green Fairytales

1984

With her left hand, Lisa Cuddy gathered her black curls in a thick ponytail at the base of her neck, to keep them from getting wet as she greedily gulped down the water from the tap.

The sink itself wasn't the cleanest one she had ever seen, but right now, she didn't care. Drinking lots of water was the only solution to her current problem that came to mind.

The music was loud, she could still hear it in the bathroom, even with the door closed.

After a while, she turned off the tap and straightened up again to check her appearance in the bathroom mirror, one hand resting on her stomach, as if to ensure that the water was settling well with the other liquids down there.

Her vision was slightly blurry and unfocused, but she was certain that the make up she had so carefully applied only a few hours earlier was intact. It was still as perfect as she had intended it to be.

Lisa sighed.

It was her first college party, as a real college girl. She'd been invited by a guy named Brandon, who was a couple of years older than her. They had met in a coffee shop near Campus, and he had paid for her coffee after they'd started chatting as they stood in line.

It was her first college party, and it was the first time that she'd had this much to drink.

Brandon had been incredibly nice to her, joking and laughing, asking her about her family and friends, and why she wanted to be a doctor. He had gotten her drink after drink, and truth be told, she liked the burn of alcohol in her throat. It made her feel warm somehow. She was careful enough not to drink too much, but Brandon didn't seem like the type who would get a girl wasted just to get her into his bed. He didn't need to, his looks alone made her feel weak in the knees.

And her friend Julie was here, too. They had promised to look out for each other.

The party took place in somebody's house, Lisa had already forgotten the owners name. The place wasn't big, but she assumed at least sixty people to be here, it was a miracle that she was alone in the bathroom right now.

Slowly, things started spinning, so she rested her forehead on the cool glass of the mirror, closing her eyes for a moment.

She had recognized a few people, most of them where older students, and quite a few freshman girls – big surprise there. During her third drink, she stopped concentrating on Brandon's words and let her eyes wander.

A girl who shared two classes with her had waved at her quickly, only to disappear in the crowd again.

Lisa wiped her mouth for no reason. She wondered if she'd start getting homesick soon. She had always looked forward to college, but now, being her was a bit strange. But she would be getting used to it.

Some of the guests hadn't seemed as if they actually belonged here, they were looking too "old", too mature to actually be attending a party like this.

Just like him.

She had seen him before, once or twice. He was a legend among the students, if one could put it that way. Some people said he was a genius, some were calling him an ass. Well, he did have quite a reputation.

He had been sitting on a chair in the living room, a girl with glossy brown hair and a face like Isabella Rossellini next to him. If she hadn't been mistaken, his hand had been on her bare knee.

Compared to Brandon, he wasn't exactly good looking. But there was something about him that made people turn their heads. He was incredibly tall, he seemed to tower over everybody around him. Even when he was sitting, like now. His face was long, with high cheekbones and a broad chin, a straight nose and straight, thin lips. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, but it suited him.

But the most amazing thing about him were his eyes. Lisa had seen a colour like this only once before, in a television documentary about glaciers. His eyes were the same blue as the lakes on glaciers, they made her want to dive into them so badly she couldn't breathe, but she knew their coldness would kill her instantly.

"Lisa, are you even listening to me?" Brandon's voice had brought her back to reality.

"Huh?" was the only thing she had been able to reply.

He had blinked a couple of times, obviously not used to losing a girls attention.

"Come on, I got something for you!" he had smiled, and she could tell that he probably had the most beautiful teeth outside of Hollywood.

He had pulled her to the makeshift bar in the kitchen and raised two fingers at a guy behind a beer barrel. He handed Brandon two tiny shot glasses, smaller than the ones she was used to. They held a green liquid.

"What's that?" she had asked, curious about the colour and the size of the glasses.

"Absinthe." was all she got for an answer, and watched him gulp it down.

She bit her lip, unsure of what to do, but then decided to drink it. What could so little green water be doing to her anyway?

Lisa opened her eyes again to find out that closing them hadn't helped the world to stop spinning. Not a bit.

She placed her hand next to her head, so she could push herself away from the mirror, but the coolness of it felt so good.

"Getting visits from the green fairy already?"

She didn't need to turn around to see him, his reflection was clearly visible in the mirror right next to her. He stood in the doorway, doorknob still in hand. Maybe it was because she was drunk, but she had never seen a man more handsome in her whole life.

"What?" she mumbled, her words slightly slurred. "What do you need to do to get some privacy around here?" she was getting angry.

House smiled a bit. "Well, locking the door would be a start. I'm just checking if you are ok. Saw that asshole giving you Absinthe. You ever had it before?"

"No."

"Don't worry. If you start drinking enough water, you should be fine. It was just one shot. And if you start seeing fucked up stuff…don't worry either, it's gonna go away eventually."

She considered shouting at him for coming in here like this, for calling Brandon an asshole, for having those amazing blue eyes…but then decided against it.

"Okay." she whispered, and felt her legs giving out beneath her.

He was at her side in no time, grabbing her waist, holding her upright.

"You gonna throw up?"

Lisa shook her head. "Don't think so…" she inhaled his scent. He smelled of alcohol and cigarettes, but so did she. The difference was that underneath it all, he smelled just like a man was supposed to smell.

Inviting and warm.

She sighed and rested her head against his chest. 'This must be a dream. It can only be a dream…' she thought. She was sure that as soon as she opened her eyes, he would be gone.

Suddenly, she heard his voice next to her ear. It was like velvet.

"Absinthe is traditionally a distilled, highly alcoholic (45-75 ABV) beverage. It has similar effects to anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Absinthe is typically of a natural green color but is also produced in a clear style. It is often called "the Green Fairy". Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor. Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a high proof but is normally diluted with water when it is drunk." His lips brushed the shell of her ear as he quietly explained all this to her.

"Absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. But don't worry, most of it is a myth."

Eventually, the world did stop spinning, and she dared to open her eyes again. He stood behind her, supporting her weight to keep her standing on her own feet.

"Better?"

"Yeah"

They didn't look at each other, but stared at their own reflection in the mirror.

"You smell good." There, she had said it. It wasn't embarrassing, it was the truth and the truth needs to be told. Or maybe it was the alcohol speaking.

He smiled. "So do you."

With that, she leaned into him even more, and he closed his arms around her waist. He placed his lips on her hair, but without actually kissing it.

Lisa sighed, enjoying his touch.

"You are drunk."

"I noticed. I have been worse. I don't care."

She thought she heard him laugh again, but then he started to rub gentle circles over her belly, and all things in the world were forgotten. His fingers trailed under the hem of her shirt, brushing over her naked skin. She had Goosebumps immediately.

"You sure you want me to do this?"

"Stop talking."

"Yes, mistress." He let his fingers brush over her belly button, then down to her skirt, but before he reached crucial points, he turned and headed north.

His hand easily found its way underneath the wire of her bra. She moaned quietly. He sighed, appreciating, but then stopped his ministrations.

All of a sudden he pulled his hands away from her.

"What are you doing?" she was getting angry again. How dare he…

"You are drunk. You don't know what you are doing. Tell your friend Julie to drive you home." His eyes were like glaciers again. With that, he left the room.

The next time she saw him was in May, 6 months later. He hadn't changed a bit, but the girl at his side had. She was petite with blonde hair, she was looking like a fairy. They couple sat in a small park by the Campus, he was reading a book while she was just resting her head in his lap.

As if someone had shouted his name, he looked up. And saw her.

Silently, he raised a hand to wave at her. She only nodded at him.

"Hey honey! Have you been waiting for me?" Brandon came out of a bookstore across the street and put his arm around her shoulders. They were a couple since a week after the party.

"Uhm, yeah, of course I have!" she smiled at him, putting her arm around his waist. "Let's go, ok?"

Lisa and Brandon strolled down the road, she never dared to look back.

Okay, that was it. I guess I should mention that House's speech about Absinthe was entirely copied from the Wikipedia article. So credits go to the guy who wrote that.

Thanks for reading and PLEASE review, ok?