BETTER VERSION OF ME

Chapter I

"Come in," Wilson heard Cuddy's voice calling out to him. With a sigh, he entered her spacious office, not before telling himself he was doing the right thing. He had to prevent Cuddy (her friend, in spite of everything) from making a most terrible mistake. Even if he had to expose Lucas and make a fool of himself by defending House, he felt it was his duty to intervene. Nevertheless, his stride was not confident as he approached her desk.

Cuddy was looking down, eyes fixed in one of the chart she was reviewing. "Everything OK?" She looked up at him after scribbling her signature and placing the chart in a small pile next to her computer. Wilson noticed the distraction in her voice. She was miles away…

"Well, that's debatable," was Wilson's reply. An annoyed expression appeared on her face.

"What now?" She asked, clearly exasperated.

"Oh, nothing. I'll have to invest a considerable amount of my savings and my next pay check in repairing the damage caused by the fire sprinklers. Not to mention the money I already spent in rebuilding my bathroom, which was, as you may know, practically destroyed by a particularly vicious wild animal. Other than that, everything's OK. Oh, wait. I forgot something... House's leg is swollen from a fall at the cafeteria and he is cranky as hell. Other than that, everything's great," Wilson blurted out, immediately regretting his tone. He noticed Cuddy's interest had been aroused by the mention of House, but tried not to get too hopeful.

"And this interests me because…?" She put her pen down and stared at him, urging him to either leave the room or speak his mind.

"Lucas did it," Wilson dropped the bomb and awaited the consequences.

"No, karma did it. I've already talked to Lucas and he said he didn't do it," Cuddy replied almost too quickly. She could not show hesitation, not in front of Wilson.

"How do you know he wasn't lying? Everybody lies, remember?"

"Don't turn all House on me. I know he couldn't have done it, he said it himself and I trust him." Again, she spoke hastily, trying to void all doubt from her rationalisations. "Maybe it was Divine Justice. You took the condo away from me, remember?"

"It doesn't work that way, Cuddy. I was punishing you…"

"For not dating your best friend?" Cuddy stood up, trying to appear calm. She was not going to endure that kind of behaviour. She had enough with her conscience and the constant and painful reminder that House was indeed trying to change and that Lucas was not what she was really looking for. Sure, he was nice and cared for her and Rachel. Cuddy cared for him too, but… but… truth be told, he wasn't House.

"It was more than that. Yes, I do think you should at least give House a chance, but I can't force you to. But telling Lucas about House's issues… that was low. And the way he spoke about them was even worse," Wilson admonished her. He had meant to talk to Cuddy about it months ago, but the chance never presented.

"He was rambling. House made him nervous," Cuddy explained, vainly. Wilson shook his head.

"Lisa, the guy is a P.I. He probably dealt with serial killers, and you're telling me House made him nervous? House was incredibly nice to him. He used the information you had given him to… humiliate him. You weren't there afterwards."

"Of course I wasn't! House isn't my responsibility, James."

"No, and you shouldn't tell strangers about his issues. You know how reserved he is," Wilson felt as though he was pressuring her too much, but he couldn't help but carry on with the conversation. "You…you… betrayed him."

"I made a mistake, OK? I thought he would understand. He always liked House. I never thought he would bring it up in front of him…" Cuddy explained, in vain. She knew she sounded pathetic. Not only she had betrayed him as a friend, but he had also behaved in an utterly unprofessional way. She hadn't even apologised to House. It wouldn't have made any difference. The damage was done. It had felt like the right thing to do, but looking back, it had been excuse to keep Lucas from a hasty formalisation of their relationship. She didn't want to rush into it… firstly, because she feared for House's reaction, and secondly, she was having second thoughts about the entire thing. In the end, she thought about Rachel when she made her decision. "I'm so sorry," she looked up at Wilson, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. The oncologist's anger subsided. He put a hand to her shoulder and spoke softly:

"Look, all I'm saying is you should at least glance at the cafeteria's security tapes. I promise I'm not lying to you. Take care, OK?" He gave her shoulder a light squeeze and proceeded to exit the room, leaving a very confused Dean of Medicine behind.

"You wanted to see me?" Lucas entered the office. The cheery sound of his voice wasn't very welcomed by a much-distressed Cuddy. She had watched the tapes earlier in the afternoon, and hadn't been able to complete much work ever since. Wilson had stopped by an hour ago, and had given her all the sordid details of the confrontation. After much consideration, she had decided to give Lucas a chance to tell her truth. "Lisa, what's wrong?" His smile faded when he took in Cuddy's upset look. He took sit on the couch, next to her, and placed his hand on her forearm. He was surprised when she rejected his touch.

"This is what's wrong," Her tone was sharp and serious as she turned the TV on and pointed at the screen. There, clear as day, was the evidence of Lucas' assault.

"It's not what it seems…" He mumbled pathetically.

"Care to explain?"

DISCLAIMER: I do not own House MD. I'm just borrowing the characters for FUN, not profit.

A/N: Hey there! It's been a while, I know. I'm working on Soft Spot's next chapter, but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a writer's block as regards that particular story. But NOT WORRY, I will complete it (eventually). I'm very proud of it.

I've been kinda busy and occupying my free time in baking all kind of sweet goods (I'm writing this author note as a delicious mocha toffee bar stains my fingers with gooey semi-sweet chocolate). I'm planning on starting a small cookie business, so I have to practise quite a lot and keep improving the recipes I usually make when I feel like baking. I hope you will understand : ) (I'm sure you will)

This story is probably going to be a two-shot (three-shot at the most). I'm so pissed at Lucas. He's such a pathetic character. He used to be, at least, nice, but all my sympathy vanished into thin air last Monday. WHAT AN ARSE. Not only did he destroyed the boys' condo, but he messed with House's leg (& related issues), and that's something I CAN'T stand.

Well, that's it. Hope you enjoy it. Leave some reviews… pretty please with a cherry on top?

RIP J.D. SALINGER.