1/14/2008
Disclaimer: I don't own House or Cuddy because if I did there would be lots of blue eyed Huddy children running around PPTH. Sadly, David Shore owns them. But I'll be nice and return them. I don't own the song "Black and Whites". It's written by Phil Vassar and Craig Wiseman. Phil sings the song, it's off his CD Shaken Not Stirred.
A/N: Huddy Established, but House-Centric fic.
Rated: T My apologies if House/Cuddy seem OOC.
Please R&R!!
It was a late Monday night around 10:30p.m, there were very few people left in the halls of PPTH. Only House, Cuddy and the cleaning staff remained. House was sitting at a black baby grand piano tinkering with the keys. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans, an old black Lynard Skynard t-shirt and Nike Shox and of course he had his ever present cane, which was conveniently resting atop the baby grand piano.
He had been there for quite a while, almost an hour playing whatever he fancied. It wasn't often that House played the piano; he did it only when no one was around, or just when Cuddy was nearby. He closed his eyes and began to play a random song. Unbeknownst to him, his lover, best friend and boss, Lisa Cuddy stood in the shadows watching him play. Cuddy wore a maroon colored outfit, with black pumps. Her feet were bare.
Cuddy smiled at watching her lover play, he didn't know that she watched him play and she loved having this secret. He looked so peaceful when he played. To her, he looked like he was in his element, that he could forget about the worries of work and life and just be content. She watched him as he smiled with his eyes closed lost in the music. It wasn't often that she saw him smile, really smile. It made Cuddy smile, and think about their relationship.
Everyone around PPTH had more than an inkling of thought to know that House and Cuddy had once been lovers way back when. They wouldn't be wrong about that fact. House and Cuddy had been and were currently lovers, co workers, best friends and colleagues. They had met back in med school and soon became fast friends, despite House's pain in the ass reputation and Cuddy's hard working, no nonsense work ethic. They argued and fought and bickered with each other and at med school everyone thought they hated each other. Little did everyone else know that after they fought and bickered and argued, they had make up sex, which was fantastic for them both.
Cuddy blushed slightly and grinned at the thought of her and House's fights and the make up sex afterward. 'Those were some great times' she mused. Cuddy then continued on to thinking back to their relationship.
Of course, not everything was roses and sunshine. There was the infarction, the drinking, and the yelling and this was before Stacey left House! After this, House had realized that he had to become dependent upon people and the only other person he trusted bedsides Wilson was Cuddy. It wasn't long after Stacey left that he had called Cuddy up, drunk and wanting to talk. Cuddy would have nothing to do with him while he was still drunk and told him so. Cuddy knew that House trusted her and she trusted him and she told him that the only way she would help him was if he quit his drinking.
House loved to drink, but he loved Cuddy more, but he had never told her. So he agreed and she helped him deal with the pain of loosing his leg muscle, loosing Stacey, and loosing his ability to walk like before. Through all of this, their friendship that was strong was made even deeper. House wasn't the kind of man to say "I love you" although Cuddy knew that he loved her, even if he showed it only in their love-making.
Through the infarction and Vogler, and Tritter, they had rekindled the love and passion between them they had in med school. It had been very hard on the both of them, but they found strength in each other to get through it and get on with their lives together, as a couple. In spite of all of this, their love they shared was now deeper and more powerful than ever.
Cuddy was brought back to the present as she heard the keys start to play an unfamiliar song. As she heard each verse, she let her mind wander and think as to how they applied to House and herself.
So many choices in my life these days
So much confusion so many shades of gray
That sometimes I don't know my left from my right
But I've got these old black and whites
Cuddy knew that for House there were many choices he had to make each day: choices about the pain level for that day, what the wear, how much Vicodin to take etc. Cuddy knew that he also had choices when it came to their relationship. She knew how much it hard hurt him when Stacey had left and Cuddy knew that through it all, House made the choice every day to love her and be with her.
He also made choices when it came to work, solving cases and saving patients. The choices he made were never the most ethical ones but they often saved lives and for that Cuddy was grateful because it meant less paperwork for her to fill out if the patient had died, plus that meant less lawsuits.
Well, I'm every color that you can paint
A father, a lover, a mother and a sinner and a saint
From Sunday morning to Saturday night
I've got these old black and whites
Since they didn't have kids, they had tried the IVF treatments, but none of them took and adoption wasn't an option for them because who would give them a kid when Cuddy took care of House, after all he was a big overgrown kid himself. Plus there was House's drug issue…
Even though they didn't have kids, Cuddy knew that House was a wonderful and amazing lover, he made her feel safe, and she trusted him like no other. He was there for her and told her what she needed to hear, not what she wanted to hear and sometimes it sucked to hear the truth but at times she knew she needed to hear it.
Under the spotlight or all alone at midnight
I know I'm right where I belong
It always unwinds me, it finds me and reminds me
That life is as simple as a song
Cuddy knew that House was only himself and he was only happy when he played the piano. When he did play the piano and Cuddy spied on him or not, she knew that playing the piano gave House a sense of peace and relaxation after a hard day of working on a case. Or he played it for her and only for her; he would play things he knew she loved to hear. When House played the piano, Cuddy knew that all was right in the world, that nothing could make him happier.
Lovers, they come and surely they go
They fly you so high say hello say goodbye and they leave you low
But that's all right here in these songs that I write
Right here on these old black and whites
Under the spotlight or all alone at midnight
I know I'm right where I belong
It always unwinds me, yeah it finds me and reminds me
That life is as simple as a song
So roll over Beethoven – cause 'ol Phil could use some room
I may be out of time and I may be out of tune
But you know how it feels to pour out your life
Right here on these old black and whites
Livin' life in black and white
As Cuddy listened to the last few verses of the song, she thought back to Stacey and how she had affected House in many ways and how that emotion had come out when he had played the piano. Cuddy also knew that over time, he had let go of Stacey and his emotion when playing the piano was more content and it became even more so when they had found each other. Little did anyone know that House had written Cuddy songs about her, he was happier now with her than he had ever been.
The Dean of Medicine also knew that with all of the craziness in House's life between the various lawsuits, the patient cases and life in general that when House played the piano whether it be for himself or for her, she knew that he was the happiest that she had ever known.
The song ended and House opened his eyes. He smiled at her, because he knew that she often watched him play. It didn't bother him to have her watch, as it did to have most other people watch. Cuddy walked over to House and sat down on the bench next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.
Then she whispered in her ear "Honey that was beautiful! You surprise me more each and every day. Thank you for playing that" With that Cuddy moved her body so that she was able to kiss him on the mouth gently.
House responded to the kiss and smiled at her. Then he spoke, "Since I did so good in playing for you, does this mean that I can get out of clinic duty this week?" He said with a sly grin.
Cuddy laughed and said "Don't even think about it" He pouted his face and that made her laugh again and he smiled a bit. The two lovers helped each other up from the piano bench and they walked out to their respective vehicles and towards their home they shared.
When they got home to each other, they ate dinner and sat on the couch watching mindless TV and as House fell asleep he knew of the few constant things in his life that made him happy: Cuddy, human puzzles, music, the piano and his friendship with Cuddy and Wilson. And Vicodin.