Titled: Cabin fever

Author: wheretobe

Rating: PG (later chapters will get higher rating)

Summary: Lisa Cuddy is in desperate need for vacation, but ends up with a serious Case of Cabin fever

Authors note: R&R highly appreciated.

I had the idea to write something like this for a while now. But dropped it after not getting the plot right. Since I lost my beta reader I couldn't even bounce ideas anymore. But when you least exspect it a helping hand reaches out to you. So thanks to you glicine33 for bouncing ideas with me and being a good friend as always.

Pairing: Huddy

Disclaimer: I don't own House or its characters Fox does tho, I just used them shamelessly for this snippet.

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The silver of the key reflected the light of the lamp over the two woman, dangling enticingly between them, an offer Lisa Cuddy found hard to resist.

'C'mon Lis, take it. You need the time away, relax from everything. You've been through hell and back, lot's to think about if you ask me. And it so happens that I know just the place to do this.'

Sarah shook the key once more and smiled warmly.

She was right, shot through Lisa's head. She could need a break. Get away from the pain and anger. Maybe restart and come back with shoulders less tight, cheeks and eyes less fallen in and maybe a little sparkle back in her eyes. With a swift hand movement she grabbed the key, sighed, pulled her hand back and then looked at the key in her hand, glittering on her palm.

'I don't even know if I can get time off of work.'

Sighing she closed her eyes against the hopeful glimmer of the small silver metal.

'You're doing it again Lis. You're finding ways out of possible stress relieve. It's the same you do every time I offered you a get away."

'I am the Dean of medicine you did realize that?'

'Which basically means you have ton's of power just waiting to be used. Look Lis, I've been soft with you all those times before, because I saw you were managing somehow. But looking at you now?'

Her smaller hand laid down on hers, rubbing soft and warm.

'When I look at you now Lisa I see someone who's so tired of life and what it's dealing her that she just shuts down each morning to get through another day. When have you stopped caring for yourself and your needs?'

She feels herself almost tearing up at her friends words, knowing each sentence is more true than she'd like to admit. Life seemed to be a battlefield lately, and each day she spend there it was taking bits and pieces of her.

'I know, I just...I always feel like I leave them behind, alone you know?'

Bowing her head in shame at the admission, Lisa pulled her hand from under Sarah's, then turned her head to look outside of the little Restaurants window. A couple passed by, his arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her and then leaning in to peck the womans lips and just that tiny glimpse of someone else's life left her feeling even more hollow. When had Lisa Cuddy started to be jealous of others?

She used to be the one others admired. She had basically gotten everything a woman could wish for. A good University decree, a high paid job, helping people. Still, looking at something so simply as a couple made her heart clench painfully. It made her realize that even with all the goals she's reached, she had left so many things behind.

'They can deal Lisa. They're grown ups and Doctors like you.'

'I can't leave them alone with House. He'll reek havoc.'

Her head whipped back around from the window to Sarah as she heard the older womans snort. Sarah's hand clutched over her mouth as elegantly as possible as one could while trying not to spit the ridiculously expensive wine across the table. After a few seconds she had calmed down, blushing under Lisa's raised brow and fanned herself with her napkin.

'No seriously don't give me that look now Lis. You are always using him as your last resort excuse. You throw him at me every time I shot down your other tries to get out of vacation. So what, he'll get bored after he realizes you're not there to give him attention. And we both know that's all Gregory House ever wanted from you. Please Lisa at least sleep over it before you decline?'

She felt a bit offended by that last statement but as she realized that was exactly what she had felt like doing, declining again, her shoulders dropped and her hand closed securily around the key.

'Where did you say this Cabin was?'

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The Adirondack Mountains were laid out in Norther New York state, rolling hills, rivers and woods making up most of the area, with the occasional small town in between.

Sarah's cabin was close to the Town Lake pleasant. You just drove through the town, drove and drove for a few miles until all civilisation seemed to be left behind and then took the first road you saw leading into the woods, driving for another 30 minutes until you reached the cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Sarah had left pictures of the outside and the inside of the cabin behind for Lisa to look at, and the more pictures she had let glide through her hand the more had she settled in her decision to go.

A soft smile spread on her lips as she saw the last picture. It showed the cabin, enclosed by smaller mountains, standing right at a small lake.

Heaven.

A loud bang made her cringe and drop the last picture. As she heard the tell tale step and thud, panic broke in her and she, as calm as possible put a file over the scattered pictures.

'Aaaah see who's made it back from playing hooky.'

'Dr. House have you ever heard of knocking?'

'Have you ever cared?'

Lisa was already on slow boil and judging from the smirk on his face he knew.

'I need your signature on something.'

'If it's the same test from this morning only with an even more ridiculous explanation House, the answer is still no.'

'And here I thought the break for an afternoon delight loosened you up. Wasn't he good enough? Not scratching on your door afterwards and begging?'

' I was out with a friend, not that it's any of your concern.'

Lisa glared up at him and then shoved the consent form back over her desk towards him.

' I won't sign it.'

House puzzled her by nodding softly and then cocking his head slightly.

'How's Sarah?'

Leaning back she raised a brow at his question. Sarah and he Had never gotten along in Med school. Sarah was his age and had been his semester and had constantly warned Lisa, whom she had tutored, to not befriend Greg House.

'She's fine.'

Another nod.

'So you leaved through my planner again? Did you follow us too?'

'Not this time. Patient is trying to do a Clodius Albinus on me . That's actually the reason I am here.'

'We've been through this before. Give me a better reason for the brain biopsy and I will grant it.'

Waving her hand and looking back down at the random file she had pulled over the pictures she pretended to read and ignore him, hoping he would just finally leave.

'And here I thought dying was enough.'

He got no reaction so he stood with a heavy sigh.

'Well I'll send his family to you for explanations.'

With that House finally left her alone. Sighing deeply Lisa rubbed a wary hand over her face and pushed the file aside again, looking longingly at the Last picture of the cabin.

Adirondack Mountains here I come.