AN: Sorry if there's errors or anything I wrote this extremely hastily before work and i just wanted to get something up. Unbeta'd so mistakes are my own. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the great feedback. I started this story during human development class yesterday and thought of it as a oneshot but it's turned into more, I think this might be a 3 part story or something. it's not done here, that's for sure. Also, I don't write smut cause I wouldn't know how, but if someone wants to do that for me PM or something. Anyway here's the next part.
"You're on time?" She asked after opening the door and letting him in.
"Along with all the new life skills, they even give you a watch when you leave the loony bin. It's a nice parting gift don't you think?" he said sarcastically. "So what's for dinner? And how much am I going to wish that you didn't cook this?"
"You could have cooked if you wanted to House. You're the one who was on a cooking binge not so long ago."
"Ah, but that would be cheating our little game. It would also require work."
"You can set your stuff down where ever."
"Thanks."
Suddenly, as if on cue, they heard fussing coming from a room down the hall.
"That's Rachel, I should get her. She was down for a quick nap while I was making dinner but she should sleep through the night; she was out and about all day with the nanny."
"Is there any reason she should need to sleep through the whole night?"
"If you play your cards right... there might be." Cuddy said as she was walking down the hall to get her daughter. House smirked to himself.
"I'm just gonna put her in her high chair. You can sit down, while I finish up dinner."
"Need some help in there?" he offered not out of politeness but the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a room with her kid.
"Wouldn't want to make you do any work House" as she walked into the kitchen "lord knows you don't do much at the hospital," she murmured under her breath.
House stared at Rachel. Just under a year or so, he thought to himself. He didn't know when her birthday was exactly due to the birth mother's negligence and his own for that matter.
"So come and eat here often?" he said to the kid. She just stared on at House. "Thought so."
While Rachel sat in her highchair adjacent to him, House had begun tapping his fingers on the table in the dining room trying to keep him and his thoughts occupied. He began staring at the big blue eyes that stared back at him intently. They continued to stare at each other, no longer than 2 minutes before Rachel hiccupped and blinked. "I win." House stated. "You're gonna need to work on your game if you ever plan to beat me in a staring contest." House went back to avoiding Rachel. Kids really weren't his things. And he wasn't exactly sure how this whole thing was going to work with Cuddy now that she was a mom. But he figured he'd enjoy it while the getting was good, and he planned on getting some tonight.
A few minutes later Cuddy came into the dining room 2 plates in hand. Set one in front of House and the other in the seat across from him.
"Linguini." she stated. "Nothing fancy, but you didn't exactly give me a lot of notice and I wasn't sure what you wanted and..."
"It's fine Cuddy. Sit down."
"Oh. So..." She said awkwardly trying to break the ice.
"Yeah, so."
The awkwardness had set in. House didn't do small talk and he hadn't been on a date since he was forced into one by Cameron. Wooing Stacy back into his bed for one night hadn't exactly been about formalities. So there they were eating in silence. But he realized after some time it wasn't so bad. The awkwardness had started to dissolve and instead of being awkward it was a comfortable silence.
Cuddy was eating her food, and House had begun to stare at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing, it's just, you don't look half bad when you're not in your do-me pumps and cleavage hugging tops. I mean, not as much eye candy, but not half bad."
Cuddy examined herself, jeans and v-neck t-shirt. "Thanks?" she hesitantly offered back to him. She knew that was House's way of complimenting her but she didn't want to make too big a deal of it, nonetheless her heart leapt a little.
"Wilson is seeing someone." He stated, quickly changing the subject.
"I know."
"What do you mean you know?"
"We have lunch on Thursdays. We talk about things. He didn't tell you?"
"No, but I guess he figured it would be more fun for me to find out on my own," he paused then leeringly said, "is that all he told you about her? Wanna know more?"
They continued talking about Wilson, laughing occasionally at his expense and especially his new girlfriend's. Conversation flowed with relative ease with some moments of more comfortable silence.
After they finished eating Cuddy picked up their plates took them to the kitchen and came back into the dining room. "I think I should go put Rachel down," Cuddy announced. Rachel had sat relatively quietly in her high chair in the dining room while the adults ate. She had cooed and babbled every so often, but Cuddy had fed her before House arrived and she was a quiet and easy baby. "Make yourself at home."
"Yeah, okay."
House lifted himself from the table and moved over to the couch where the only TV in Cuddy's House was located. He turned on the TV and began to let his brain absorb the mind numbing images on the screen. Time had passed and Cuddy still hadn't returned from putting Rachel down. He returned his attention to the TV and 10 minutes later Cuddy returned to the room Rachel in tow.
"I'm sorry, she just won't go down," she apologized.
She knew every relationship with House was like balancing on a tightrope even the slightest push in one direction and there was no getting him back. She hoped that Rachel wouldn't be the difference between a push in one direction.
He just looked on at her appraisingly said nothing. She was worried that this would be how their night ended until he patted the seat next to him offering it to her. And for some unknown reason to her she was hesitant to do anything afraid it would disturb this delicate balance.
"Just sit down Cuddy, it's not that big of a deal."
"Are you sure?"
"Sit down."
She moved to sit next to him Rachel in her arms and ever so slightly she leaned her body into him. "What are we watching?"
"I think it's Dollhouse. Not all that sure. But there's a hot chick in it and there's not all that much to watch on a Friday night. I just switched it from the show where Jennifer Love Hewitt goes to sleep each night looking like Bridget Bordeaux. I think she does something else too, but her cleavage distracted me." He looked at her through the corner of his eyes and could tell she was in a playful mood. "It reminds me of how good you are at employing this tactic with donors," he added sarcastically.
"Thanks House. I do try."
They commented on the shows they were watching, at the ridiculousness of the plots and the unrealistically good-looking people that were supposed to pass as average. This continued for sometime until they got quiet and it was getting late and Cuddy had dozed off at some point. House watched her for a few minutes. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath, the soft pout of her lips, the soft lines on her face and the tiny girl still in her arms. He looked at Rachel, her eyelids were still open but they were getting heavy and he could tell she would finally be out any minute.
"This is all your fault kid." He said to the girl. "I had a hot night planned with her until you couldn't just go to sleep." And at the sound of House's voice Rachel was out like a light. "Yeah now you fall asleep." House rolled his eyes. He sat for an hour or so watching the TV while the girls slept until his leg started becoming a bit stiff. He stood up and paced the floor to loosen it up. Once again his attention was drawn to the two sleeping girls. He carefully extricated Rachel from her sleeping mother's arms and awkwardly walked with her down the hall towards the nursery.
"She's not half bad you know," he said looking down at the small child, "your pseudo mommy I mean. She can be bitch when she's working. Which is most of the time. I'm pretty sure you've realized that by now. But she's a put up with me and she's hot. And not just hot, she's... I don't know, she's something else." He put Rachel into her crib and grumbled to himself realizing this is not the night he had anticipated. Cuddy passing out was not part of the plan.
He returned to Cuddy on the couch and gingerly shook her awake. "Common Cuddy, lets get you in bed." He took her hand and lead a mostly sleeping Cuddy to her room. "God Woman, did you take a sleeping pill? A horse tranquilizer? There's no way you can be this heavy of a sleeper." He set a sleeping Cuddy on the bed and walked out of the room.
AN: I'll try to get the next part up tomorrow. please read and review that'd be great. flames and love are both welcomed. con-crit is especially welcomed!
