AN: Woop, I wrote something; I guess all my stories I'm actually proud of come from when I'm feeling depressed/suicidal. Anyways, here's a fic about how exactly I want "Fall From Grace" to go. Therefore, there's some spoilers. Also, I had no idea how to finish it, so yeah …
Summary: Cuddy and Wilson show up at House and Dominika's wedding, and everything changes. Huddy.
Chances
"The fuck?" Cuddy eyed Wilson as her coworker and friend pulled up outside the apartment, "You're actually going to accept the fact that House is beyond insane to marry a hooker?" Her eyed widened as Wilson laughed lightly, then she frowned, "Wilson, you're beyond mad to think this is going to be good for him."
"I don't even know what's good for him anymore Cuddy," Wilson shut off the engine and ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly, "I thought he … could manage this better. He's been through rough patches before, I thought you two breaking up would be just like him and Stacy, that he'd hate himself then continue being himself." He cut the engine of the Volvo and looked over at Cuddy, "He needs to do some stupid stuff to realize that he's not making this any easier on him."
"I thought, I was going to be okay," Cuddy suddenly bit her lip, looking worried, "But I … I don't think I can. I love him Wilson, I really do – I can't watch him marry someone else." She shook her head, her faint brown ringlet bouncing against her skin, "I know … I nearly put him through this when I was with Lucas, but this … this is different somehow."
"Lisa, he's grieving your relationship, he'll do stupid things that we don't approve of, but we need to be ready." Wilson sighed and looked across the street at the apartment, "We need to just go in there, and face whatever he's throwing at us." He opened the car door and stepped out, "Let's go get this over with."
Cuddy brushed her hair out of her face and stared at the apartment, tucking the small clutch purse under her arm, "And don't even think that I'm going to crack a smile at being here." She straightened the black jacket she was wearing and smirked faintly as Wilson took in her full attire again, "What? I'm mourning who House has become. Deal with it."
"Somehow, I partly agree with you Cuddy," Wilson couldn't help but shrug a bit, and nod, "But as insane as House may seem, we have to be there for him."
"True," Cuddy took a few steps away from the car to stare at Wilson seriously, "But tell me, truthfully, what guy invites his former girlfriend to his wedding that he's having not even three weeks after we break up is too much." She bit her lip, looking regretfully towards the door, then hung her head weakly, "I miss him Wilson." Cracking a smile, she looked down again, "I miss everything about him; even his most annoying habits."
"I wish I knew what to say, besides that you should tell him that." Wilson jammed his hands in his pockets, "And that isn't exactly the best thing to say when he's about to make an insanely stupid mistake." He paused, dropping his voice so even Cuddy had to strain to hear him, "If anything, he should be marrying you."
Cuddy's head shot up, her eyes nearly burning as she turned her gaze on Wilson, "Don't...please." She bit her lip a bit harder, splitting the skin, "It's bad enough I'm dragging myself to this sham of a wedding he decided to throw himself." Swallowing, she took a deep breath, her voice faltering slightly, "You better be ready for hell when I get in there, cause I hate this already."
"I know you do, but hell, you agreed to let yourself come to this," Wilson gave a slight shrug, "Then again, I bet House would have just kept changing the date until you came. He wants you to be here, he wants to rub this in your face, no matter how stupid it is." He shuffled his feet, "Let's get this over with for real Cuddy, move on, literally. Not figuratively."
"Good," Cuddy flicked a ringlet over her shoulder as she turned to face House's apartment, "Let's go, I need to get this over with." Tucking the clutch purse under her arm, she strode across the street, leaving Wilson besides the car to smirk.
"You know," Wilson hurried after Cuddy after a few moments, "Not that I check you out on a daily basis, because you are House's, but the fact that your skirt is tight may cause the tension to increase, if you get my drift."
"Wilson!" Cuddy cried, half embarrassed and half flattered, "One, I'm not House's anymore, and even if we were still together, I'm my own person. And two, stop checking out my ass." She dropped her voice, mumbling to herself, "That's House's job." Stopping at the entrance to House's apartment, she raised her fist to the door and rapped her knuckles lightly against the green paint.
"Hello?" The door was yanked open by a smiling brown haired woman, and Cuddy's eyes widened in shock, and she nearly stepped back onto Wilson's toes. "You two must be Greg's friends." She smiled, missing the stunned expression on Cuddy's face and held the door open, poking her head around the other side, "Greg, some of your friends are here."
"Get off my feet Cuddy," Wilson mumbled quietly, "And now we're here, get inside." He nudged Cuddy lightly in the small of the back, "You get inside and look like you want to be here while I track down House and find out what the hell he's doing."
"Fine," Cuddy stepped off Wilson's feet and stepped into the living room, blinking in shock, then she bit her lip at seeing House's back turned to her. Glancing at Wilson, she grabbed his arm and whirred him to face her, "You stay here, I'm going to talk to House."
"Cuddy...you're insane," Wilson snapped, his eyes darting to where Dominika was adjusting her hair quietly in the mirror, "You shouldn't do anything stupid now." He paused, "Look, just let me talk to him."
"No, you don't need to talk to him about anything, I do." Cuddy bit her lip as Dominika raised her left hand into the air, the silver of the ring on her finger reflecting around the room, and she dropped her voice, "You're right Wilson, that ring should be on my finger." Releasing her grasp on Wilson's arm, she straightened up, "I'm going to say hi to House, and don't do anything to give what you think about this away." She flicked her hair over she shoulder and strode towards House, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.
"Hey," House turned, and the smile on his face faltered when his eyes landed on Cuddy, "I thought you were Wilson." He blinked, looking to where Wilson's back was to him, then back to Cuddy, "What do you want?"
"You think a woman can't talk to the soon-to-be groom before his wedding?" Cuddy's voice came out as a snarl and she narrowed her eyes, "You're an idiot House." She grabbed his wrist, dragging him into the empty kitchen after ensuring it was empty, "You think everything is going to constantly be about what you want, and how happy you get to be? Well, it's not always going to be about you House, no matter who the hell you decide to be with. Hell, you could marry Wilson and the two of you would still have problems." Pausing, Cuddy bit her lip, "I just … I don't know, I hope you're happy House." Looking down, she sighed loudly, then dropped her voice, "I just … I'm still crazy in love with you, and I want to make sure you know you're making the right choice."
"As opposed to what Cuddy?" House asked, not at all surprised by her rant, except for the last bit, "Go running back to the one person who broke my heart because she thinks she knows what's best for me?" He eyed Cuddy quietly, ignoring the tears forming in her eyes, "I know how to live my own life, thanks."
"I just … thought, I don't know … you would be able to think about this," Cuddy ignored the fact that a lone tear was slipping down her cheek. "But obviously, you know best." She rocked back on her toes for a few moments, then sighed loudly, "I guess this really is goodbye then." Hesitating, she glanced around quickly, then stretched up on her toes, crushing her lips against House's for a few moments.
"Don't … just … go." House pushed Cuddy away from him gently, "Please." He paused, "You're only hurting yourself by being here." He swallowed, suddenly looking over Cuddy's shoulder, and he released Cuddy from his grasp, "Ready?"
"What. The. Hell...?" Dominika's eyes darted between House's fingers, which were still lightly resting on Cuddy's hip, and the tears in Cuddy's eyes. She swallowed for a moment, processing the scene in her head, then turned her gaze on House, "Who exactly is this?"
"Lisa Cuddy," House couldn't help but smile at mentioning Cuddy's name, "She's my boss … " He trailed off, his eyes flitting to Cuddy's, "...and my ex girlfriend."
"You invited your ex to your wedding?" Dominika eyed House curiously, "How stoned are you?" She let her eyes travel slowly across Cuddy's body, then returned her gaze to House, "You are such an idiot, but I love you for it." Smirking, she brushed past Cuddy and pressed herself against House's chest, pulling him into a passionate kiss.
"Get off," House mumbled quietly, looking Dominika in the eye, "You don't need to get possessive because Cuddy showed up, you two are like fire and ice." He looked up to where Cuddy fiddled quietly with a small silver bracelet on her wrist, "I know where my heart lies." Avoiding Dominika's gaze, he flashed Cuddy a genuine smile before innocently pulling Dominika into his side.
"Like hell you do," Dominika narrowed her eyes, facing Cuddy, "Get the hell out of here." She extracted herself from House's grasp, stepping closer to Cuddy, "Now."
"No," Cuddy growled quietly, curious on how much attention she and Dominika were going to attract, "Your fiancee thought I would be able to come, and I can. I don't give a fuck about what you think about House and I, cause whatever we had is over."
"You're a lying, selfish bitch, you know that right?" Dominika shot back, her eyes narrowed, "You prance in here, thinking everything will be about you, and what you want. Well, Greg obviously decided it wasn't worth being with you, so you need to get over yourself and move on."
Cuddy bit her lip, "Funny, you think that House was the one with the problem in the relationship, and that I was the one who caused them, but yet you know nothing about us. And I bet you don't know anything about House either." She smirked, narrowing her eyes after Dominika, "I bet you don't know what happened to his leg, or why he never talks about his childhood, or why his mother isn't here?"
"I don't care about those things," Smirking wider, Dominika turned and ran her hands along House's chest, gazing up at him, "I care about who Greg is now, not who he was."
"But who he is now is because of his past," Cuddy snapped, her arms folded across her chest, "Trust me, not even I know everything about House, and I don't expect to. But you need to know enough in order to expect to marry him."
"Hm, I think I can decide that for myself thanks," Dominika looped her arms around House's neck, gazing at him, "I get that you think you need to know someone, but I'm happy."
"Hey, chill out, both of you," House rolled his eyes, looking irritated at the two of them, "Just drop it." He pulled Dominika's arms out from around him, "Give me a few minutes, I want to talk to Cuddy alone, please." He paused, waiting for a nod from Dominika, and he turned his gaze on Cuddy, "Please?"
"Okay, I'll wait in the living room, but make it fast," Dominika managed a weak smile as she brushed past Cuddy, heading into the living room to leave House and Cuddy in the kitchen alone again.
"You're right," House mumbled under his breath after a few moments of silence, not meeting Cuddy's eyes, "Everything isn't going to be about what I want, especially when it comes to love." He shifted his feet awkwardly, looking out at the decorated living room, then to Cuddy, "How stupid is it to call off a wedding right before it happens?"
"You … what?" Cuddy stared at House, her eyes wide, "You're going to call off a wedding because of something I said to you?" She frowned, "House, I get what you're trying to do here, you just want to find how you can push away your pain to pretend that our breakup isn't as hard on you as it has been." Folding her arms across her chest, she looked over at where Dominika stood in the living room, "Won't she be upset?"
"She'll find a way to stay here," House shifted his feet, "She needs a green card … she thought marrying me would be a way out." He paused, looking out to where Dominika and Wilson were attempting a conversation, "She can find another way to stay here, without marrying someone who is only looking for something stupid to do."
"You … you're sure?" Cuddy asked, her eyes wide.
"Don't fight it Cuddy, it isn't your relationship to deal with," House strode out of the kitchen, leaving Cuddy to stand besides the island table, her eyes wide.
Biting her lip, Cuddy looked down as House grabbed Dominika's arm lightly and dragged her off to the side, his voice low. She unfolded her arms from across her chest and let out a long sigh, watching her refection on the refrigerator out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she looked over as Wilson approached her, and she refolded her arms across her chest, "It's not my fault he's doing what he's about to do."
"What is he doing?" Wilson's eyes darted between where Dominika and House stood, then he looked back at Cuddy, his eyes wide. "He's … calling it off?" His eyes widening, he eyed Cuddy, "You didn't … say anything, did you?"
"Just that I wanted to make sure he was happy," Cuddy avoided Wilson's gaze, and she dropped her voice, "And I told him I still loved him too."
"Oh..." Wilson looked over to where Dominika was nodding at House, then glanced back at Cuddy as the pair looked over at him, "You think he's going to be okay?"
"Dunno," Cuddy gave a shrug as Dominika gave House a nod, and stepped away from him, her eyes confused, "I guess I can assume … it's over?"
"It is," Dominika stepped up besides Cuddy and Wilson, "But you … you were right Cuddy, I don't know Greg, it wouldn't work as well as I assumed." She glanced over to where House was trying to urge the other few wedding guests out of his apartment, and she stuck out her hand awkwardly, "It was nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too..." Cuddy forced a smile onto her face, and shook Dominika's hand quickly, "I hope you're able to stay in the area." She dropped Dominika's hand and glanced at Wilson, "I guess we should go then, mind giving me a ride back to my place too?" Dominika's eyes darted between the two coworkers, and slipped into the background,
"Not so fast," House strode over to where both Cuddy and Wilson stood, "You two stay here, I want to talk to both of you." He waited until even Dominika had left the apartment after a few moments, looking around at the empty apartment, then turned his gaze on Wilson. "You can go now Wilson."
"Wh...what?" Wilson's eyes widened, and he looked between Cuddy and House, "And let you two kill each other? I think I'd rather stay here." He paused after his words, and he shrugged, "Okay, I think … I'll go. But don't try to kill each other, got it?"
"We won't," Cuddy rolled her eyes at Wilson, "You're the one who keeps pushing us to talk, so we will." She leaned against the island table, "We'll be fine Wilson."
"Ooookay," Wilson dragged out his words, then eased his way towards the door, "Call me if you guys need anything." He pulled open the door, eying the gaping chasm that seemed to stand between Cuddy's curved figure as she leaned against the island table, and House, who stood stoically in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, his eyes wandering over Cuddy's body.
"So what are we talking about?" Cuddy leaned against the table, shifting her hips slightly to face House front on. She rested her palms on the wood surface, faking her oblivion to the way House was slowly taking in every inch of her body. "Why we broke up, why you went back on Vicodin …?" Looking down, she fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist again, "Anything."
"I messed up," House spat out first, "I kept telling you … I was scared. You were dying, and I thought I would loose you … Cuddy, I slipped once. You thought that was enough to end our relationship." He looked down at his hands, "If I keep this up, then you know what's going to happen, we both do."
"I don't want that to happen, you know that House, none of us do." Cuddy pushed herself lightly off the table, taking a step towards House, "But please, don't keep doing stupid things because you don't know where to go after this."
"You mean you would be happier if I was sitting on the couch in my boxers watching endless marathons of Prescription Passion while living off ice cream and booze?" House couldn't help but snap, and he stared Cuddy down, his eyes on hers, "That's honestly a better choice for you?"
"Like hell it isn't House," Cuddy snapped, her eyes narrowed, "But I would prefer you moping around in your underwear as opposed to you drugging yourself up on Vicodin again." She folded his arms across her chest, "The drugs haven't even helped you, I bet. You want them to help you, but they only erase your pain for as long as they stay in your system."
"They erase my pain." House growled quietly, "They erase the pain you caused." He turned, limping into the living room, and he reached into the black jacket pocket, making sure Cuddy saw the flash of the orange Vicodin bottle in his hands. Unscrewing the cap, he shook three of the white pills into his hand and dry swallowed them before looking back to where Cuddy stood in the doorway, watching him quietly.
"Give me those." Cuddy snapped, striding across the room a few moments later, and she pocketed the bottle of pills. "You're too emotionally unstable to think of taking anything, if you need to do anything, then sit around and mope." She placed her hands on his shoulders and forced him onto the couch, "Just sit down."
"Fine," House shot back, eying Cuddy suspiciously, "You can't expect me to stay here all the time though." He leaned back against the leather, his eyes wandering over Cuddy's legs slowly, "How are your stitches?"
"Erm, they're fine," Cuddy dropped onto the couch awkwardly beside House, leaving enough space between them for a large pillow to sit comfortably. "I mean, they itch, but you know, everything's normal." She shrugged against the couch, "Why?"
"Because I care," House straightened up, looking up at Cuddy, "Just because we secretly still have the hots for each other doesn't mean we can't be civil to each other." He smirked at the surprised look on Cuddy's face, "And yes, I know you're only faking the fact that you're surprised about the fact that I still have the hots for you."
"I am not," Cuddy smirked back, leaned against the arm of the couch, and she bit the inside of her lip, remembering the last time they had had a relatively normal conversation in his apartment. "You have the hots for everyone."
"Not like I do for you," House looked down, then back up, reaching across the space between him and Cuddy to tentatively brush his thumb along her cheek. He looked down, not expecting Cuddy to lean into the nervous touch, and he pulled his hand away quickly, as if burned.
"House … don't," Cuddy leaned across the space between them, grabbing his hand in hers, "You don't need to push yourself away from this." She pulled his hand to her heart, resting his fisted hand above her breast, "I love you." Opening her mouth to continue, she gasped softly as House leaned forwards, kissing her back gently, and she dropped her hand from his, resting her shaking hand on the nape of his neck.
"I love you too," House mumbled softly, his lips brushing against Cuddy's as he spoke, "I'm sorry." He pulled back, letting Cuddy's hand slide along his neck to rest on his chest, "I … I can't change, you want that though." Looking down, House pushed Cuddy's hand lightly off his chest, his own hands shaking, "You want me to change … to be there for you, I can't do that without being who I am now."
"Just … be that person then," Cuddy lifted her hand again to rest it on House's chest, but looked down, avoiding his gaze. "When I came to break up with you, I was angry; angry that you thought you couldn't show up at my bedside without getting high on Vicodin, angry that you even thought of taking Vicodin to avoid your problems, but I still care about you now." She looked up quickly, "I want you House, only you."
"Even with my selfishness and insensitive behavior?" House pushed Cuddy's hand off his chest again, "You didn't want that when you broke up with me, and now you do." He let out a long sigh, "I don't know which me you want."
"The one you want to be," Cuddy curled her fingers around House's neck, inching herself closer to him. "Minus the Vicodin addiction though … you're strong enough without having to expect drugs to keep your pain away." She leaned forwards again, brushing her lips nervously against House's, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling herself closer to him.
"Mhmm," House mumbled softly, kissing from Cuddy's lips to her jawbone, "Stay tonight." He ran his hands from Cuddy's shoulders, down her arms, to grab her hands tightly in his. As he reached her neck, he sighed softly, blowing against her skin gently, "Please."
"Oooh," Cuddy gasped softly as House's breath flitted across her skin, and she reached between them, fumbling with the knot on his tie. She smirked a bit as House ran his fingers along her side and shuddered as he popped the bottom two buttons on the black jacket she had picked out, "I … will."
House smirked and continued to run his finger along Cuddy's chest, easing the buttons open with his thumb. He trailed his light kisses across the front of Cuddy's collar bone, kissing his way from the base of the right side of her neck back up to her jaw, "I knew you would." Pulling the jacket off Cuddy's shoulders, he smirked at the tight-fitting black blazer she had picked out, and he slowly ran his fingers up her side, tracing the contours of her breast.
"House," Cuddy gasped softly, her breath quickening as House circled her nipple above the satin material, "Stop." She shuddered as House pulled open the blazer and dropped a light kiss on the curve of her breast, and she glanced down, "Stop … teasing." Easing herself into a sitting position, she smirked playfully at House, undoing the rest of his shirt, running her fingers along his chest as she went.
"Minx," House smirked and he couldn't help but smile as Cuddy pulled the hem of his shirt out of his black jeans. Reaching down, he continued light traces across Cuddy's skin, his lips placing gentle kisses on her neck. "I love you," he smirked as Cuddy undid his jeans quietly, and repressed a shiver as she ran her finger along his boxers.
"I love you too," Cuddy smirked, and she looked up at him, pulling his jeans off slowly, "You better not only be showering me with 'I love you's is because you want to get laid." She eased herself off House's lap and stood, standing in the living room, and she folded her arms across her chest, looking at him.
"I hope you realize you're only turning me on more by letting your arms frame the twins like that," House smirked back, standing as well, "You ever have a fantasy involving yourself and my piano?" He leaned forwards, enveloping Cuddy in his arms, and he dropped light kisses on her shoulder, "Because if you haven't, I'll make sure you have one after tonight."
"Mmmh, is that a promise?" Cuddy let out a small squeal as House lifted her into his arms, heading towards the black Yamaha piano. She squealed again as House dropped her onto the piano keys, the sound making a loud clash as the off-key notes sounded through the empty apartment. Running her hands along House's chest, she curled her legs around his hips, pulling him towards her.
"It can be," House traced the zipper on Cuddy's slacks, causing her to shudder in his arms, and he eased it down slowly, before pulling the slacks of completely. Smirking wider, he grinned as Cuddy wigged herself on the piano keys, running his hands along her legs. He dropped a kiss on Cuddy's shoulder, curling his arm around her hips enough to pull off the red thong she wore.
"Hmm," Cuddy let her eyes flutter closed and she ran her hands along House's side, looking into his eyes, "Stop teasing and make love to me now." She leaned forwards, kissing him gently on the lips as House guided himself into her slowly.
"God..." House growled softly against Cuddy's neck as she rocked her hips against the piano keys, "I missed this." He grazed his teeth along her skin, beginning to move slowly to her pace, "So much."
"Me too," Cuddy gasped, rocking her hips, ignoring the ivory piano keys poking into her skin, "How … did we ever think we could last long enough without each other?" She bit her lip as House increased his thrusts, and mumbling softly, she buried her face on his shoulder, "Love this, so much."
"Mmhm," House nodded and tilted his head enough to rest his cheek on the top of Cuddy's head, his hands gripping her hips tightly. He groaned as Cuddy dug her nails into his shoulders, her whimper sending him closer towards the edge, and he bent his head towards Cuddy's neck, nipping the skin gently.
"Ooh, God," Cuddy mumbled, the love bites House was leaving on her neck causing her rock precariously on the edge, and after a few moments, she gasped, crying out as she came. She dug her nails into House's shoulders, rocking her hips against his as he began spilling himself inside her, "House." Gasping, Cuddy tightened her legs around his hips, groaning quietly.
"God … oh fuck Cuddy," House growled quietly, mumbling as her nails raked across his back, "You're incredible." He sighed and leaned against the wall as Cuddy released his back from her nail's grasp, and blinked fondly at her, a smile curving onto his lips.
"Mmmh, so are you," Cuddy smirked a bit as House pulled himself from her, and she shifted on the piano. "Can I get off here now, the keys really hurt my ass." She laughed softly and slid off the piano keys, eying House quietly. Crossing the room, she bent down and picked up the collared shirt House had been wearing, pulling it on, "What's for dinner?"
House smirked at her, "Round two?" He let out a laugh and picked up his jeans and boxers, making his way back towards the bedroom, "And I'm kidding about that one!" Disappearing into the bedroom, he grabbed his bathrobe from the chair before heading back into the kitchen, smiling at the way Cuddy wandered around his kitchen, looking for something to heat up for dinner.
"Stop staring," Cuddy snapped, turning back to where House leaned against the doorjamb, his eyes trained on her. "Come and help me find something to eat, or if you don't want to help, pick a place where we can order something from." She leaned against the counter, looking at him, a smile on her lips, "I'm glad we … can give this a second go."
"Your smile might be contagious," House stepped closer to Cuddy, a smile forming on his lips, "Or at least the fact that you're happy again is." He leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around her waist loosely, "Thank you for giving me another chance at this."
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