When House walked into Cuddy's home that evening, he had the sole intention of crashing another desperate date. Seeing the empty living room, he contemplated leaving. A peculiar sense of guilt washed over him, making him question if he should let her have at least one decent night. Sighing, he headed towards the front door. The lone doctor had almost made it outside, when he heard her whimper and what sounded like a slap.
He moved to her bedroom, as quickly as his leg would allow. However, the site that was waiting appalled him. Cuddy was undressed and bent backwards onto her bed, at an awkward angle. She was ineffectually trying to push off the man that was pushing into her, roughly. She wasn't crying. Instead, her actions were full of rage and fury. Cuddy was not the type of woman to cry for help, while she still had any fight left in her. She simply did not give up.
Cuddy's date hadn't noticed House enter, too caught up in the woman writhing underneath him. She had noticed him, though. Cuddy pleaded with her eyes for House to save her. He nodded reassuringly, as he took a few quiet steps closer. House knew his actions needed to be silent and precise. However, it was taking all of his willpower to stay in control. His sole objective was getting the man away from Cuddy. After that, he would be free to unleash his own fury show.
Gripping his cane, House swung it harshly, striking the attacker from behind. As his cane impacted with the man's skull, there was a loud thunk, followed by Cuddy's date collapsing to the floor unconscious. House began to swing again, but his focus was diverted by Cuddy's sob. He turned his focus back on her, attempting to process the situation at hand.
Cuddy rushed into his arms, the instant she was unrestrained. There were no tears. Her sobs were dry and aching. She attempted to calm her heavy breathing, but struggled. They both understand that it was only an issue of time, before her fragile strength was shattered. House kept her close to him for a moment, sensing her body calm against his. He hadn't held anyone in a long time, and he definitely hadn't been anyone's rock.
A part of him understood that it was up to him to make this easier on her. She deserved to have a friend by her side. He just wasn't sure if he could be the friend she needed. He had to try, though. He would do everything he could to be what she deserved. This was not part of their game. This was real and it was deathly serious. "We need to call the police, Cuddy," he said, softly.
She nodded against his chest hesitantly. Mentions of the police brought her back to the current circumstances. As her ambiguous refuge faded away, the events of the night streamed through her mind. As the shock began to clear, the realization of everything that had and could have happened became obvious.
Cuddy's body tensed, as her thoughts skimmed through possibilities. Only instants ago, she had seen no way out. There hadn't been any hope that she would or even could escape. Not only did her date have sheer brute force on his side, but also they had been in her home away from prying eyes. "God House, if you hadn't shown up tonight-" she said quickly, unable to finish.
"Stop," House said, sternly, "I did show up. There's no use thinking about what could have happened. It's over." He didn't understand why people focused more on the possibilities in contrast to what was actually occurring. All he knew was that Cuddy was safe now, but that she probably didn't feel it. Going solely on instinct, since he had no actual experience with this role, he wrapped his arms around her more securely.
His behavior had the desired effect. She laid her head against his chest and stopped panicking. "Thank you," she whispered, shuddering slightly. His logic was exact; she knew that. He was always right when it came to things detached and logical. She couldn't stop the tiny smile that escaped, when she realized he was right about the emotional and physical aspects as well.
"Alright Cuddy," he spoke softly, "You go get covered up. I'm going to keep an eye on him and call the police." He was trying to be gentle with her, but the idea of someone raping his friend had him completely off kilter. His world was not supposed to change. Part of why he kept himself so isolated, was for the consistency that it brought. The people he did let into his life were as consistent as he was in their own ways.
He paused before letting her go. House knew he needed to reassure her somehow. This was not something that he was comfortable with. He pulled her chin up to meet his gaze. The openness he found jarred him. Cuddy needed to know that she could count on him. "You're safe now," he urged, solemnly. As she walked away, he could already see the marks on her body showing up, where her date had manhandled her.
It wasn't quite the reassurance she had in mind, but Cuddy knew he was trying. He had acted like House since the moment he got there, but there was something softer in his nature. She couldn't put into words how relived she was that she had always been right. He did care about her in his own way. He was showing her that now.
Keeping an eye on the piece of scum, lying on the floor, House pulled out his phone and called the police. He explained what happened and they said they would send over some officers. They started to explain that Cuddy shouldn't get cleaned up yet, but House cut the operator off, letting her know they were both doctors.
Cuddy slipped into her bathroom, feeling safe in the fact that if her date did wake up, House wouldn't let him anywhere near her. He may not be trustworthy when it came to clinic hours, but there was no doubt in her mind that he would protect her from actual harm. She found her bathrobe and slipped it on, knowing it was the garment least likely to destroy evidence. She stared at herself in the mirror, knowing that her night was far from over.
House paced around Cuddy's bedroom, anxiously. He needed to keep moving. He needed to focus on what he could influence and change. The situation they were in was breaking all of his walls. He pushed people away so that he couldn't hurt them. Now Cuddy was looking at him as if he were some hero. He was no hero, he told himself; he just happened to be there.
Cuddy examined the bruises already showing on her body. She could handle the police seeing her and all the other strangers she was sure she would have to face. It was House she was afraid to see. She didn't want to see the look in his eyes when he saw the marks. She knew there was no avoiding it, however. She had to face him. He would give her the worst of it and after that, everyone else would seem easy to face. Steeling her reserve, she opened the door.
House stopped, starring at the mass on the floor. He was sickened that someone could take advantage of another human in the way this man had. He had never understood the concept of greed. House knew he was selfish, but it was out of defense. With a father like his and a mother that stood by and watched, he had learned very quickly to depend on no one but himself. After years of that lifestyle and multiple betrayals, he had stopped worrying about other people as well.
He made no attempt to hide that he was misanthropic, but what people didn't realize was that it stemmed from heavy disappointment. He knew people were mean, greedy, selfish, and utter disappointments. He could just never wrap his head around the idea of intentionally backstabbing one another. That was part of why he pushed everyone so far away. He didn't want to hurt them and he definitely didn't want to be the one getting hurt.
Moments later, Cuddy stood in the doorway watching House. He was moving around her bedroom nervously, not quite sure what to do with himself. In a perverse way, it warmed her heart. She relished the fact that he cared enough about her to become unnerved. He may not ever tell her how he felt, but his actions spoke volumes to the broken doctor.
House could feel her eyes on him and spoke quietly, "They're on their way. It won't be long." He looked up to meet her gaze, losing his breath in the process. He may have stopped worrying about people in the past, but things were changing. Cuddy needed him and all the years they had known each other she had stood by him. She wasn't just another selfish person looking out for number one. She had selflessly loved him for years. Even now, she wasn't asking him to change who he was. She was content to let him be the man he had always been, but he wasn't. He wanted to change. Something deep inside, told him she was worth it.
Cuddy shakily made her way to him, scared of the close proximity to her crumpled attacker. She stood directly in front of House. She felt his arms slip around her, pulling her against him. There was something different about this embrace. It was more intimate and less forced than before. Had it been anyone else, she would have sworn she felt him trembling, as he pulled her even closer.