"I still don't get it. Why the hell are we in D.C.?" a gruff, unshaven man asked, out of breath from trying to keep up with his boss.
"I told you, House, I have a conference I need to go to tomorrow. I knew you had the mind of a five year old, but I was under the impression that your memory was more developed. I did only explain the situation when I asked you to come with me." Lisa Cuddy replied, rolling her eyes. She wasn't entirely oblivious to her employee's struggle to keep up with her, but chose to ignore it. He had played a rather juvenile prank on her the night before, involving replacing her salt with sugar and her sugar with salt. Needless to say she was not amused when her dinner guests tasted the lasagna and gagged on the cake. Her wine supply ran out quickly.
"I think the question I really want to ask is why am I here? Surely Wilson Wonderboy would have been the prime choice."
"And this is a really good time to ask, right when we're getting off the plane. Maybe you should have inquired before agreeing to come with me."
"You didn't answer my question. Why am I here?"
"And my answer would have changed since yesterday why? I told you, they wanted a head of department."
"Damn Cuddy, you never told me you fired Wilson! Otherwise, being a department head, he would have been perfect!"
"Ha. Maybe I don't even know why I invited you. Right now it's looking like a really bad idea." She walked over to the luggage and picked out her red suitcase.
"Oh, I know why you invited me. You just couldn't stand the thought of being away from me for a week." He smirked at her, grabbing his own black leather luggage.
"Right, I forgot, I'm madly in love with you. Keep dreaming, House. This trip is not an excuse to try to get in my pants, as much as I know you want to." She winked at him, then instantly regretted it. His eyes grew wide, but not mockingly so. There was an emotion in them that she couldn't quite place. Could it be longing?
"Is that an offer? It's one I couldn't refuse." His eyes glittered.
"No, it's not. This is a business trip, not a sex fest in my hotel room."
"Damn, because I thought this would be the weekend I would achieve my life goal, getting in your pants."
"You've already achieved it, then." Damn, she spoke without thinking, again. What was it about this man that always screwed her up? He winked at her.
"Ah, so you still remember that night, after your exams, on your desk. I guess I really should pick a new life goal then. Though I definitely wouldn't mind reliving that night when we get back to Princeton. I seem to recall that some valiant gentleman was kind enough to return that desk to you." They had reached the exit of the airport.
" Again, in your dreams, House. There's more chance of us finding a dead body in the hotel bathtub than of us ever having sex on my desk again." She reached into her purse for a map. "I think we need to go to the south exit to get to the taxis."
"You're the one with the map. Lead on, master." She rolled her eyes at him again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him limping behind him more heavily than before. She slowed her pace. Why on earth did she bring him anyway? She supposed that she figured he would be more fun to have around at the hotel bar than anyone else. Except Wilson. But he had some "business" to attend to that night. Business she suspected wore size double D and worked in accounting.