A/N – ok, so I literally wrote this in….30 minutes? Haha, umm….yeah – just a little Christmassy story for you all :) It is OOC…but, hey – it is Christmas; we need a little fluff in our lives!
Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D. It all belongs to David Shore and Fox.
~Christmas When You Were Mine~
Cuddy sat in her office, slightly regretting the fact that she let Wilson to convince her to do a 'Secret Santa' event for the hospital. All the employees would be participating, and she liked the idea of people getting to know each other better. Yes, it sounded like fun, despite the fact that she was Jewish. Out of all the nurses and doctors, the chances of her drawing his name was very, very slim.
Obviously not slim enough.
She remembered sitting in her office, working on paperwork, just like every other day. Three nurses walked in, smiles plastered on their faces as they announced the 'Secret Santa' event and held out a big bag proudly. Cuddy had gotten up and walked around her paper-infested desk as she went to retrieve a name. The white bag was full of prescription bottles, each one containing a white piece of paper folded in half with a name inscribed with black ink. The nurses mentioned that they were hoping for red and green ink, a different colour for the first name and last, but were encouraged to stick to black. People wouldn't keep the pieces of paper for long, and there wouldn't be point in wasting the colour ink on something that would be thrown away in a couple of days or less. She smiled as she pulled out an orange bottle, thanked the girls, then walked back behind her desk. She didn't want them to see her smile or frown at the name she had picked.
It had been three days since she picked up the bottle. Unlike every other employee, she still kept the small piece of paper.
It should have been very easy to get him a gift, just drive by the liquor store and pick up a bottle of whiskey or scotch. Cuddy sighed.
No. She couldn't. It would be like saying she didn't mind him drinking his problems away. As if she didn't care. She couldn't let him get that impression from her.
But he wouldn't know, right? That it was her. He couldn't. It was called 'Secret Santa' for a reason.
She shook her head. He would find out. He would make it his duty to find out – it would practically be a case to him.
Why should she care? He would be happy with it…wasn't that the whole point of Christmas? Just buy people what they wanted, wrap it up, and give it to them; just to see them smile when they saw what the wrapping paper was concealing? It was as if everyone was celebrating their birthdays, on a day, which wasn't their own. Now, she wasn't an expert on other religions…but wasn't the whole point of Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? Cuddy sighed and shook her head. Her mind was drifting…again.
An idea flew into her thoughts. Money! She would get him money; he could buy whatever the hell he wanted, and everything would be fine. Her smile slowly faded. No. Money was too impersonal. Anyone could give any money. There was no meaning in that whatsoever.
She buried her head in her hands. She had less than two hours until the time he usually left work. After he left, she wouldn't see him for a couple of days while he went on holidays.
She would have to go somewhere close by; in order to find something, buy it, wrap it up, and give it to him in less than two hours.
She wasn't superwoman, and it would be difficult to give him the gift since he was probably hiding from her so she couldn't send him to the clinic.
Her head rose slowly. She didn't need to give him the gift, she just needed to place it on his desk…without anyone else seeing. She groaned. How could something so simple, be so complicated?
"Don't answer that," Cuddy told herself with a sigh.
Cuddy had known him for years; it shouldn't be hard to get him anything at all.
Thinking back twenty years ago, a new idea came to her.
She took a deep breath as she opened the bottom drawer. Reaching down, she pulled out a picture. It was inside a black wooden frame, capturing the picture perfectly. It was the two of them together…about twenty years ago. He was standing behind her, holding her against him as his head bent down into her neck. She was smiling at the camera; he was smiling at her. Both were wearing Santa hats, the red contrasting nicely against her dark hair, and his sandy blonde.
He hand ran over the picture slowly, silently wishing she could go back in time.
If she gave him this, there would be no secret. He would know it was from her. Could she risk it?
She placed the picture on her desk softly; maybe she should just get the liquor. Her heart skipped a beat. No. Maybe this picture would…do something. Change him a little. She laughed. He would never change.
Cuddy looked at her watch. Time was running low. She picked up the picture, and walked out of her office confidently, despite the lack of confidence she truly had. She had mastered putting up a fake front.
She rode up the elevators, holding the picture against her stomach as not to flaunt the old picture to all of her employees. It was bad enough people thought they were sleeping together; they didn't need more proof of that.
She reached his floor and made her way towards his office. No one was in sight. She smiled at the luck.
Walking in, she placed it face down on his desk. No note; he didn't need one. A picture said a thousand words, right? Sighing, she grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pen.
'Christmas when you were mine'
She contemplated scribbling it out and writing something else, but couldn't bring herself to scribble out the truth. That was the Christmas when he, was hers. She took one long look before walking briskly out of the office. In an hour and a half, he would be leaving. Going back into his office to retrieve his backpack, and jacket. Hopefully seeing the picture frame in the process.
She made her way back to her office, surprised when she found a little present on her desk. She smiled, and got excited; wondering whom her 'Secret Santa' could be.
She opened it slowly, smiling when she found a 'Toys 'R Us' gift card, a Shop card to the mall, and some chocolates.
She nibbled on the assorted chocolates while working on paperwork; she needed to finish before the holidays. Even if she was only off for a couple of days.
"Subtle."
Cuddy jumped slightly as she looked up to see House standing in front of her desk with the picture frame in his hand.
"Don't you-" Cuddy started angrily.
"Knock? Nah," House responded with a chuckle.
She blushed as he sat down.
"Where'd you find this anyways?" he asked her seriously, there was no smirk on his lips, only curiosity in his eyes.
"I…" she looked away. There was no way she was going to tell him that she kept it in her bottom drawer.
House noticed her struggling, and smirked. That meant one of two things. Either she had kept it somewhere she could look at it frequently, or else – he stopped his thoughts as she continued.
"I shouldn't have given it to you…"
House looked slightly shocked by her comment, but recovered quickly.
"Why? So I wouldn't know how much you missed me?" House mocked as he made kissing faces, accompanied by sound effects.
Cuddy looked away as she tried not to show him she cared. She didn't know why she gave it to him, she regretted it, and she probably would for years to come.
She sighed as her eyes slowly filled with tears. Normally when this happened, she ran to the safety of her office. Now she had to run away from her safety, she didn't know where, but she was going to go somewhere. Anywhere but there.
"Screw you," she whispered as she walked past him.
House put the picture on her desk and grabbed his cane quickly as he stood up. He reached forward and lightly held her forearm.
She stopped walking and closed her eyes.
"What," she snapped.
"Merry Christmas, well…Happy Hanukkah," He told her honestly.
"House," Cuddy started, but stopped when House captured her lips with his.
He kissed her softly for a moment before starting to walk away.
"House, don't forget your-" she started when she looked back and saw the picture on her desk.
"Aren't you supposed to give people something new for Christmas?" he asked over his shoulder as he limped out of her office.
Cuddy smiled.
A/N - hope you liked it! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, etc :)