This idea came about when I couldn't think of any ideas for Reunion. It wouldn't have fit in there so I thought I'd just do it separately. When I was in high school a lot of people made this promise and I thought it would be interesting to see how House and Cuddy dealt with it.

I'm hoping a T is the right rating for this. There's nothing graphic, just a bit of foreplay ;D

Disclaimer: House is not mine as much as I would like it to be...

"You're forty next week."

Cuddy jumped as someone appeared behind her, whispering into her ear.

"House!" She spun round and slapped him on the shoulder. "You can't just creep up on people like that." She turned back round as the elevator doors opened and sighed as he followed her in. "What do you want, House?" She crossed her arms over her chest, preventing him from looking down her shirt.

"Awww, you're no fun," he whined. "You're forty next week." He stated again. It wasn't a question.

She glared at him. "Thank you for reminding me. I can't believe I forgot…" She said her voice full of sarcasm as she slapped a hand to her face. "Now was there anything else?" She turned her attention to the changing numbers above the doors, telling her which floors they were passing.

"Don't you remember?" He asked.

Before she could reply, the elevator began to shake, the lights flashed and finally, the car stopped to a stand still.

Cuddy gave a small scream as she realised what had happened. She was stuck in an elevator with her most annoying employee. She reached for the emergency button but was stopped when House placed his body between her and the buttons.

"House, if I found out you had something to do with this – "

"Relax, Cuddy. It had nothing to do with me, it just happens to work in my favour right now." Cuddy raised a quizzical eyebrow at him and he let out a sigh.

"I can't believe you forgot," he sighed.

Cuddy stared at him then began speaking slowly. "No, that was sarcasm. For someone that uses a lot of it, I'm surprised you don't recognise it. I know it's my birthday next week and I know how old I'm going to be. Now move." She attempted to push him out of the way but they both knew she wasn't trying hard enough. She didn't want to risk him hurting his thigh, the guilt was already bad enough. "Fine," she growled, standing back from him.

"You're forty next month and you're not married yet…" he gave a smirk at Cuddy's reaction as his comment set in. Her face started turning a bright shade of red, her eyes widening as she tried, once again, to get at the emergency button behind his large frame.

"I believe it was, 'if neither of us are married by the time we're forty, we'll marry each other." He was smirking. He had no plans on marrying her but to get a reaction out of her was too easy.

"We're not going to get married, House," Cuddy told him, pulling herself together. He didn't want to get married, and neither did she, well not to him…

He placed his hands to his chest, pulling a mock pout. "But, Cuddy, you promised. I've been waiting five years for this day to come. Why do you think I never married?"

She snorted. "Because no one would have you."

"No because you already promised." He pouted again. "I've been saving myself."

Cuddy laughed. "Now I know that isn't true."

"Yeah," he smiled suggestively, "you do."

He watched as Cuddy started to turn red again. She cleared her throat. "You don't even want to get married and I don't want to get married to you…"

"What makes you think I wouldn't marry you?"

Cuddy was slightly taken aback. "House, I have a mountain of paperwork to get through and you have to start in the clinic in five minutes. We need to get maintenance."

House moved out of the way allowing Cuddy to pass, rolling his eyes when she looked at him suspiciously. She stepped forward cautiously and placed herself in front of the panel. Ringing filled the elevator and she gasped as House crowded her against the wall.

"House," she managed to choke out.

"Why won't you marry me?" He whispered in her ear and she tired to suppress a shiver from going through her body at the contact. "I'm smart, dashing, I'm great in bed…" He trailed off pressing himself closer to Cuddy's body and smirked as she stifled a moan.

Cuddy could no longer hear the ringing in the lift or make out what House was saying. She was instead focused on the soft and, uncharacteristically, gentle kisses he was placing on her neck and the burning on her hips where his hands currently presided. Her mind was telling her it was wrong while her body revelled in the close proximity. She spun around to face him and she didn't realise he could get any closer but he did, pressing her against the wall, their faces mere inches apart.

"I don't want to marry you," he told her, speaking so low that she had to strain to hear him. "But I do want to have sex with you." And with that he closed the distance between them and kissed her, softly at first then the passion kicked in. It took a moment for her to recover from his comment but she was soon returning the kiss with equal fervour, gasping as he ground his hips into hers and he took that as permission to deepen the kiss further.

He reached behind her and went to pull the emergency stop button out in case maintenance got the lift working before they could finish when Cuddy's hand snapped out and stopped him.

"What?" He mumbled against her lips, not wanting to break the contact.

"No."

House pulled away from her slightly and raised a confused eyebrow.

"It was something said when we were drunk, I'm not going to let anything come of it." She removed his hands from her hips and walked to the other side of the elevator, her back to him, trying to get her heart rate and breathing back to normal. It had been years since she had felt this way. There had been the odd flutter when they made eye contact or they stood too close at the nurse's station and she was quick to suppress any feelings that threatened to rear their ugly heads. But this, this brought everything back and she was struggling to keep her composure.

The ringing stopped and she stumbled slightly as the lift began descending again and she took a deep breath before turning to face House. She nearly flinched under his hard glare but remained strong and assertive. The last thing she needed when those doors opened was for her staff to see her hot and flustered after ten minutes trapped in an elevator with the infamous Gregory House. The rumour mill would practically burn down at that.

House turned back to the button panel and pulled the emergency stop button and once again, the ringing sounded and she visibly tensed as the lift jolted.

"Why not?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

She took a step back, cursing when she felt the cold bar along her lower back and once again he invaded her personal space. She couldn't get her brain to work properly as he pressed himself against her again, her body betraying her as she shivered again.

"It was a stupid thing said when we were both – "

"I'm not talking about marriage, Cuddy." He told her, placing a hand on her hip and the other against the wall beside her head, his cane long forgotten.

"Then what are you talking about?" She asked, her mind finally forming some words.

He rolled his eyes. "Sex. Intercourse. Copulating. Call it whatever you want but your reactions tell me you want the same thing…" he smirked as he bent his head towards her, his lips brushing hers slightly before pulling back.

"House." She placed her hands on his chest, with the intent to push him away, but instead they rested there and she could feel the heat pulsing through him, even through his shirts, and it sent shivers through her entire body.

"Just sex." He whispered again, his warm breath against the side of her face, enough to send her heart rate sky high.

She shook her head and succeed in pushing him away, ignoring the bubble of guilt as he stumbled slightly. "It's never just sex."

"It could be." House told her, stooping down to collect his cane. "A promise is a promise."

Cuddy frowned at him. "We're not getting married."

"No, it's a metaphor. Every 'marriage' needs consummating." He bobbed his eyebrows at her and received a glare in return.

"Not going to happen, House. Now get this elevator started NOW or you will be doing clinic hours every day until you retire." She put her hands on her hips and gave him a glare most other people would flinch at but not House. Instead, he smirked at her and started the elevator again, much to her relief.

There was an intense silence between them and Cuddy could feel herself turning red from the lust filled look he was giving her. She averted her eyes and breathed a sigh, from relief or disappointment she couldn't be sure, as the doors opened and hurried out into the lobby where she thanked maintenance and headed to her office.

"Hey Cuddy!" She froze as his voice drifted across to the doors of the clinic and turned slowly to see the sly grin on his face. "Marry me?"

She could hear the splutters come from some of the staff in the lobby and couldn't help but give a small smile.

"Never." She told him and walked away, her hips swinging slightly more than usual.

House remained by the doors to the elevator and grinned after her. Nobody else had seen the sparkle in her eyes.