Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends out there!!! :-)
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Chapter Three
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On the third day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me...
three parting words,
two annoying companions,
and a migraine
House felt like he'd been gut shot. Again.
After traveling over eight hours and multiple states, all to escape her presence for a few days and she shows up here, at his aunt's bed and breakfast.
It was times like this that he wished he could believe in a god, just so he could curse it.
"House. Wilson." She walked over and greeted them with a forced smile. "What are you doing here?" The baby on her hip watched them with wide brown eyes. When the tall man with the cane approached, her round face broke out into a wide smile. She happily babbled, speaking a language known to her, and she reached out a chubby hand, trying to grab on to him.
He stared at the little girl. "Sorry kid," he frowned, lifting up his cane. "No rides." The girl tilted her head to one side, and frowned exaggeratedly, mimicking him. She tilted her head to one side, and he did the same, not changing his gruff expression. Then she smiled widely, giggling. She jabbered something rapidly, but what she was saying was known only to her.
"Must be something wrong with the kid," he grumbled.
"Well, she's not crying and trying to run away," Wilson observed, a quiet smirk playing on his lips. "House might be right. She's either brave, or there is something wrong with her."
"I didn't say anything about being brave," House griped, narrowing his eyes. He stared at Cuddy, trying to read her. "Where's your boy-toy?" He couldn't conceal the bitterness is his voice, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.
"In Trenton, working on a case." She met his gave brazenly, but underneath her strong facade, her stomach was churning. His nearness made her very uncomfortable.
"What are you doing here?" Wilson's soft voice broke the tension a bit. Two sets of blue eyes snapped his direction. "Not that I'm judging," he added quickly. "Just curious."
She sighed. "My parents are in Hawaii, visiting my sister for Hanukkah and New Years, and I wanted to get away from Princeton for the holidays, but I didn't want to get that far away," she told them truthfully. "I found this place on-line." She was still in shock from meeting them, but she recovered enough to ask them, "why are you here?"
Before they could answer, Cathy noticed them, and she came from around the counter "Greg! Jimmy! Did you enjoy the town?" She greeted both men with a hug.
"It was too damn cold," House complained. "Where the hell is global warming when you need it?" He sneered at the doors. "Al Gore's a damn liar."
"Thought you didn't believe in global warming," Wilson grinned.
Cathy laughed. She turned, and she saw Cuddy standing there. "Miss Cuddy," she smiled warmly. "Do you know these two?"
Cuddy was in shock for a moment, watching the buxom blond laughing with the two men. "I'm their boss. We work at the same hospital. I'm the Dean of Medicine there."
Cathy's smile grew even wider. "Oh, you're that Lisa Cuddy!" Cuddy was stunned by the inflection on her name. Cathy took House's arm. "Greg's told me about you!" Ignoring the shocked look on Cuddy's face, she turned towards House, "You're coming to dinner tonight, right?"
House had been jarred out of his thoughts by her question. He'd been secretly enjoying Cuddy's confusion, and yes, the look of hurt on her face when Cathy grabbed his arm and called him Greg. He could barely conceal his smirk at that look. Payback's a bitch, he thought, bitterly.
He fumbled for an answer to Cathy's question. "Huh, yeah. Sure." He nodded at her. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He shot Wilson a warning glare, and Wilson just gave him a little smirk and a nod.
"Good!" Cathy gave them a wide smile, then she went back to work behind the desk.
He turned a grinned at Cuddy. "Nice seein' ya, here, Cuddy." He gave her a little nod before he left, letting her stew in the lobby, alone.
"That was cruel," Wilson muttered to him as they made their way up the stairs.
"No worse than a cold turkey sandwich."
Cuddy bit her lip as she made her way up the stairs. Part of her wanted to turn and run, go back to Princeton, but her pride wouldn't let her. She remembered the way he'd seemed so familiar with the blond bimbo at the front desk, and it hurt. It shouldn't have hurt that much, after all, she'd been the one to tell him that there had been no "us." That she had moved on, and apparently, so had he.
But why did seeing him make a date with the blond hurt so much, she asked herself. She tried to push it out of her mind. "I'm just missing Lucas," she mumbled aloud. "Christmas Eve. Once Christmas Eve gets here, so will Lucas, and then, we can be a family again."
Lucas. A little voice in the back of her mind whispered softly as she unlocked the door to her room. Now, there's another lie you've been telling yourself. She tried to drown that annoying voice out by taking in the spacious room, complete with a balcony that overlooked the deep pine forest that the B & B was nestled in.
She carried Rachel around the room, taking in the large, king size bed, soft leather couch and chairs, large screen television, and a desk and dresser in one corner. A small but neat bathroom led off the large room, and the high ceiling gave it an even more, airy feel.
A soft knock on the door jarred her from her wandering, and she sat Rachel down on the beige carpeted floor. The little girl crawled around, inspection her new surroundings.
Cuddy opened the door, expecting to find someone carrying her bags up, but what she didn't expect was House standing there, looming in the door way like a large shadow. "What do you want?" she demanded, annoyed.
"Don't let me being here destroy you having a good time." His eyes roamed around the room, not meeting hers.
She tossed her head back. "I wasn't planning on it."
"Yeah, you were." His eyes finally met hers. "I could see it in your face. Down stairs." He stared at her for a few moments. "You were thinking about leaving. Don't. Especially not on my account."
She narrowed her eyes. "You self-important ass," she breathed, angry. "Go to hell." She shut the door in his face, more angry at herself than at him, but not willing to admit that. She slumped to the floor, tears stinging her eyes.
"Love you, too!" he called out, sarcastically, before limping down the hall, back to his room, leaving her alone, wondering how he was going to get through the two weeks, knowing she was so close, yet so far away.
