This is for Syd (aka partypantscuddy) who is lovely and whom I love. Merry Christmas!
Lisa Cuddy awoke on Christmas morning to an empty bed.
Groaning and rubbing sleep from her eyes, she slowly sat up and looked around the room to see if her lover was anywhere to be found. As she had expected, he was not.
Cuddy slowly pulled herself from the warm bed and pulled a sweatshirt on before padding into the living room. Their beautifully decorated tree stood next to a window, lights on and garland sparkling. She looked down to see House and Rachel sitting under the tree, Rachel giggling in delight. It would be expected of House to allow her to open a present before Cuddy herself was there to see.
What she hadn't expected was that the present would be a chocolate Labrador retriever puppy.
But there it was, yapping and jumping all over the place, stopping every few seconds to lick Rachel's cheek as she giggled endlessly.
She failed to stifle a shocked gasp, which alerted the trio to her presence. Immediately the little dog ran over to greet her, jumping up and down and almost attempting to climb her. Suddenly grinning, she bent down to scoop up the little pup, allowing him to nuzzle her with his wet nose and scratching him behind the ears.
House rose from his position on the floor, and ambled over to her. "Do you like him?" he asked, although the answer was obvious.
In response, Cuddy set the puppy back down on the floor, watching as it scampered back over to Rachel, and threw her arms around House, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"I love him! Thank you." she whispered.
"I'm glad, and you're more than welcome." he replied.
"Can we name him Maxwell?" Rachel asked, picking up the small puppy and cuddling him closer to her.
"Absolutely no-" House began to reply before Cuddy clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Of course, darling." Cuddy answered, and Rachel smiled widely. "Do you think he might want some breakfast?" she asked House, "Unless you didn't buy food when you bought the puppy, which could prove problematic…"
House rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not an idiot, Cuddles. Come on." He took her hand and led her into their kitchen, where two dog-bowl shaped packages sat on the counter next to a bag of puppy chow.
Cuddy smiled, it would be like him to wrap dog bowls of all things. She didn't seem to notice how House's normally cool demeanor had turned slightly nervous.
She unwrapped the first bowl, which had the words Water Goes Here printed in the bottom of it, and set it aside. She unwrapped the second present, expecting to see Food Goes Here printed in the bottom of it.
What she was not expecting, however, was a slip of paper, with Marry Me? written on it in House's signature scrawl.
She turned around slowly, half-expecting to wake up from a dream any minute, and saw House there in front of her bent on one knee, holding a little black box inside of which a diamond engagement ring was sparkling prettily.
"Marry me?" He repeated the words on the paper.
Cuddy brought a hand to her mouth and nodded, tears forming in her eyes. House took her left hand, and slid the ring onto her fourth finger.
The minute the ring was securely on her ring finger, Cuddy flung herself into his arms, holding on to him as if he were the last thing on the Earth. House in turn wound his arms around her, and pulled her farther into him.
This would be the exact position they were found in minutes later when Maxwell and Rachel walked in.
And years later, with a much bigger Maxwell snuggling into her side, Rachel would still love to tell the story of how her Mommy and Daddy got engaged.