Chapter 3

Intervention

Chase, Foreman and Taub sat outside House's office; each one possessing a look of disbelief upon their faces. As Wilson approached he found the trio silently staring as though they were lobotomized zombies.

"What is going on?" He asked as he drew closer to the three.

"The fucking Apocalypse that is what is going on." Foreman responded, the other two shaking their heads in agreement.

Wilson's brow rose in question. "What are you talking about?"

"House. You wouldn't believe what he is doing in there." Chase said finally breaking his stare to glance up at Wilson.

"Try me." Was his response and he found that this was going to be his typical reply for the remainder of the day whenever House was in question.

"Well as you know we had a patient in here yesterday." Taub chimed in. " Apparently, as with almost all of House's patients, once we finally know what is causing the problems and can give a defiant diagnose, House basically washes his hands from the case. We, typically, are left to make sure the patient re-covers and is sent upon his or her merry way.

Wilson nodded his head for him to continue.

"Anyway…" Taub continued. "Not only did House check in on the patient; he was actually genuinely nice to the guy."

"And for the icing on the cake, he is currently in his office finishing up all the paperwork pertaining not only to that case but actually to the last five cases we had. He is basically saving us weeks of paperwork." Chase finished.

"We have come to the conclusion that either, A: Due to the tragic events of yesterday, House's heart, like the Grinch, had grown three times its' size. B: He is suffering from a brain tumor or some sort of injury to the head that is conflicting with his personality. Or, C: The end of the world is coming as we know it and House is the first sign of the Apocalypse." Foreman spoke in a very monotone voice. "We have all agreed that C is the best answer."

Again the other two shook their heads in silent agreement. Wilson laughed, though he too seemed rather shocked at this news.

"I'm going to check in on him; I'll just leave you three to ponder the wonders of the universe some more." He chuckled to himself as he made his way through to House's office.

Wilson rather enjoyed knowing the truth behind House's strange behavior; indeed he was usually the first to always know what went on between the pair. Though now his greatest challenge was to appear to House as though he knew absolutely nothing; which was very hard to do, since House was notorious for ALWAYS knowing when someone is hiding something from him.


As he entered the office, the sight of House made Wilson stop for a moment; his mouth dropping at the image. There House sat expeditiously scribbling down notes as they related to the case at hand; his eyes shifting back and forth from his computer to the file before him. After a minute or two he finally shifted his gaze up to a bewildered Wilson.

"Well good afternoon sunshine!" House sang. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you it isn't polite to stare, or stand there with your mouth wide open?" His eyes shifted upwards in thought and a devilish smile crossed him. "Or to think naughty thoughts of the hot babysitter…"

Before House could continue on with his whirlwind fantasy, Wilson interrupted him. "What are your doing for lunch?"

"Your mama." House snickered as he signed off on his final paper.

"I figured we head out to Hole in the Wall for lunch? My treat!" Wilson's brow cocked as he gazed down towards his friend.

At that suggestion, and the fact that House was already suspicious, he dropped his pen and leaned back into his chair; his arms wrapping behind his neck and he took a moment to study his colleague.

"Sure." Was his reply as he dropped his reading glasses upon the desk and quickly grabbed his cane. He knew something was up, but being House he wasn't going to pass on a free meal.

Making his way pass Wilson he craftily turned around and jerked his head forward motioning towards the door. "Come on slow poke, you don't want to be overtaken by a cripple now would you?"

Wilson followed House out to the hall where the trio of doctors still sat in awe. As he approached them, their eyes widened as though they were caught in a spotlight.

"Meeny, Miny, and Mo." House called to his dumbfounded minions. "Take the day off, you all have worked so hard and deserve a break." His voice cooed at them as though they were precious children. They remained frozen, and House began to laugh as he turned towards Wilson.

"What was that all about?" Wilson questioned as they began to walk towards the elevators.

"You mean those bubbling baboons? Nothing…" There was laughter in his wicked eyes. "Can't a man be generous once in awhile?"

"House you are never generous; and when you appear to be there are always consequences."

House laughed as they boarded the elevator. "Nah, I refuse to believe such nonsense."


Once House disappeared from view, Taub rose deciding to taking advantage of the offer and get out of the hospital as fast as he could.

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Foreman's voice boomed with authority.

Taub turned around, shrugging his shoulders in a confused manner. "What? He said we can have the rest of the day off."

" Yeah HOUSE said that; which means that most likely he is up to something. Seriously, when was the last time he ever told any one of us that we worked hard?" He became silent for a moment waiting for a reply but didn't receive one. "Exactly. NEVER! So in order to make sure that his foolish plans of fucking around with us don't happen, I propose that we just stay here and work."

"I'm with Foreman." Chase proclaimed as he rose to stand at Foreman's side. "There is something brewing in the air; most likely he up to something, I definitely believe it would be in our best interest to just stay and finish our work. Perhaps even do some overtime?"

"Perhaps we better scan over all those files House has been working on. Don't forget they have OUR names on all of them." Foreman muttered as Taub now finally drew closer.

"Oh come on. Seriously? That would take the entire day. " Taub moaned

"I don't give a shit if it takes the next two weeks. I'm not getting screwed this time." Foreman snapped back.

With a heavy sigh Taub joined the other two and they solemnly marched back into House's office; their heads hung low, but they were determined not to be made the fools…

If only they knew that they already were.


The Hole in the Wall was one of House's and Wilson's regular places to eat; but House knew that Wilson was up to something. Wilson was a man of routine; and though he assumed that he could easily trick House, his actions always defied him; especially since he always had a horrible habit of "treating House to lunch" whenever there was issues in question. For example, if Wilson needed to find out information from House, Wilson would treat House to The Hole in the Wall. If the news was serious he would take him to Perk, the coffee house just by the hospital; and if Wilson had exciting news to tell, it would usually be Leo's Italian Restaurant. It was only when Wilson didn't suggest a place that House knew they would be having a typical lunch; so today House was rather excited to see how long Wilson will last before needing to question him.

It was already going for 2:00 in the afternoon and the heavy, lunch traffic was finally dying down as House and Wilson made their way into the restaurant. The pair casually made their way towards an empty booth near the window and sat down. They bullshitted for a few moments until the waitress came up to place their order.

"I'll have the triple cheeseburger with the works, a large chili cheese fry and a large vanilla milkshake, extra thick." Wilson's eyes widened at House's request; but House simply smiled figuring he should milk Wilson for a good lunch especially since he knew what was coming.

"Can you also bring a crash cart along with his order?" Wilson sarcastically asked the waitress. "Gosh House you are going to have a heart attack before we even leave the restaurant."

House simply shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say, I'm a growing boy, and anyway I'm going to need the extra energy for later." He winked at Wilson but the guy ignored him and turned his attention to the waitress.

"Um, I'll have the house salad with light Italian dressing and a sparkling water with lemon, please." He smiled kindly towards the woman and handed her back the menu. House simply sneered at him.

"What?" Wilson asked as he caught House's glare.

"A salad? Sparkling water? What does Sam have your balls under lock and key? Seriously, I declare a rescue mission to reclaim your manhood and rejoin the rest of us!"

Wilson rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "No, it is just that I am trying to watch my weight and lead a healthier lifestyle; unlike yourself."

House grumbled as he fell back into the seat; his body taking up the length of the booth. "Your just one step away from becoming her man-bitch; next it will be chick flicks and scrapbooking. Why don't you just save us all the time and remarry her again; obviously she hasn't wasted her time in reattaching the ball and chain to you."

"I'll take that as your blessing if I ever do reconsider such thing in the future." Wilson smiled.

They remained quiet for awhile after that; that was until the food came, and Wilson had enough time to muster the courage to confront House about his strange behavior. House immediately dug into the massive burger; showing no care as the triple mound of meat practically exploded as he bit into it. Wilson, on the other hand, took his time to prepare his salad; but really was silently going over his approach.

A moment later, Wilson nonchalantly raised his eyes from his salad towards House and cleared his throat. "So…anything new happening in your life?" He really tried to appear as though he didn't already know, but House simply laughed at him for his failure.

"Congratulations, you actually lasted longer than I assumed you were going too; maybe you might have that same luck in bed." He smirked before continuing. "Just ask me already, enough with the charades."

"What…what are you talking about?" Wilson was busted but he attempted to save himself.

"Come on, Jimmy Boy, I'm not an idiot. Just spit it out already!"

Wilson was defeated. He leaned back into the booth and sighed heavily. "Alright, fine." He cleared his throat again. "A little bird told me that last night you and Cuddy were kind of…involved; that there is a possibility that you two are now in a relationship?" His brow rose in question.

"Quite possibly could this little bird actually be this smoking hot chick with a nice rack and a beautiful round ass?"

Wilson was unsure how to respond to that question. "Um, maybe."

House slammed his hand upon the table as a wide grin smashed his lips. "That little vixen! I knew she would be the first to blurt it out. She couldn't resist telling everyone about the amazing sex."

Wilson shook his head at House's immaturity. "Honestly she was very concerned that it would be you spreading the good news. She just wanted to make sure that…"

"That I wasn't going to cause trouble." House grumbled.

"Well you can't blame her. Your track record really isn't that perfect. Though I must say you really shocked everyone for the way you were acting today. I'm very proud of you."

House chuckled as he leaned in closer towards Wilson. "Honestly, I was going to do something…stupid. When I got to the hospital it was early, I didn't have anything really planned out and I was bored; so I stumbled into the clinic. I had figured if I saw a couple of patients then that would give me brownie points… in bed."

Wilson rolled his eyes at that coy statement. "But you didn't just see a couple of patients; you saw them all; plus you were…" He stopped and lowered his voice. "Nice. Then I hear you were checking on your own patient and working on paperwork; and you are telling me that you were bored?"

"Shocking. I know. At first it was because I was bored; then I saw everyone's reaction and realized that this is totally new territory for me; apparently me being nice scares everyone. I must say it did have its' benefits; just look at my team, they are probably still at the hospital working because they assume that I must have an alternative motive. Great, isn't it?"

Wilson was speechless for a moment and filled the empty void with forkfuls of salad; then it dawned on him about Cuddy and House. "Wait. So what about you and Cuddy? It finally happened then?" He couldn't help but smile childishly at the thought; again he held back from bouncing in his seat.

House's reaction wasn't so exciting. "For now." He shoved a handful of fries into his own mouth.

Wilson didn't really notice House's lack of enthusiasm; instead his grin just widened. "Well once you two get into the swing of things, we'll have to get together for a double date. Perhaps…"

"NO I WILL NOT SWING WITH YOU!" House obnoxiously yelled, drawing the eyes of the other patrons to glare upon Wilson with much curiosity; this scene obviously made Wilson turn three shades of red and he quickly buried his face downwards.

"I didn't mean it like that." He grumbled. "I meant that it would probably be fun to have a couple's night; that is once you and she are settled as a couple." His voice was barely audible, and he held his breath waiting for House's next snarky comment to echo through the establishment.

Unfortunately, House made no such comment. Instead he lowered his head, a strange expression swept across those fiery blue eyes; it was an internal pain. "I highly doubt that will ever happen; I'm sure this is just a passing phase." House's voice was cold as he spoke that statement.

Wilson's mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about? I thought…"

"You thought wrong, Jimmy Boy. Listen, I'm not a fool. She is probably just having cold feet, got scared and apparently did something stupid…by stupid I mean me. I'm sure by the end of the week she will be running back into his arms and all will be right again in the world."

Wilson shook his head, refusing to believe what House was saying. "No. No. No. This isn't true…" Again House interjected without haste.

"I'm better off alone; I can't hurt anyone that way. Trust me its' for the better." With that he slapped his fork down upon the plate and it made a horrid noise as the metal clashed with the glass. "I'm done, let's go." He didn't give Wilson a chance to speak; instead he quickly got up with his cane in hand, and limped his way out of the restaurant.

Wilson sat there for a moment, confused by his friend's actions. His heart sank knowing that if something was not done immediately, then House will lose this one and only chance to be with the woman he truly loves.


Meanwhile back at the hospital, Cuddy walked into her office, her day finally over. She felt a sense of relief as she began packing up her paperwork and other belongings; for despite her panic early this morning, her day flew by as she had planned and now she will be getting home before 4. Once again she felt those same wonderful feelings whispering deep within her; she yearned to fall into House's arm, to kiss his lips, to have him inside of her. Those thoughts made her legs grow weak beneath her; so much that she leaned herself against her desk and began taking deep breaths in an attempt to recollect herself.

With her eyes closed and her mind concentrating on the flow of her breaths, she never heard the door to her office open; nor did she know that Lucas was now standing at its' entrance.

"Knock. Knock" He sang, making Cuddy's head whip up once she heard the familiar voice.

"You okay?" He asked with a soft laughter to his voice, he cautiously made his way over to her desk.

"Yes." She forced a smile. "Had to catch my breath, busy day." She felt a wave of awkwardness begin to strangle her stomach, and her heart began to pound again; though she remained calm and straightened herself up to greet him.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you again." She mumbled over her words not knowing really how to approach him now.

He sighed, his eyes showed sadness but his face was pleasant and kind. "I came to say goodbye, and to collect the ring." He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his foot across the carpet. It was just as awkward for him as it was for her.

Cuddy's face flooded with a rush of shame; and her face cringed in a mixture of pity and embarrassment. "Of course, um…um…" She couldn't form the correct words so she opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out the tiny velvet box. Slowly she walked over to him and extended her hand that held the ring. "Here."

He hesitated a moment, but slowly reached out and took hold of the box; his fingers brushing every so gently down the side of her palm. Immediately it felt as though a veil were lifted from Cuddy's heart for a great realization had dawned upon her. She had felt absolutely nothing when their skin had touched; how could she have thought it was a logical idea to sacrifice the remainder of her days with a man who didn't ignite her body in passionate fury, nor made her heart yearn, or her soul to miss.

They stood there silently staring at each other for what seemed like forever; each one unsure how to continue on with this awkward conversation. The tension was thick in the air, and each one felt that they would suffocate if they did not speak soon.

"Listen." They simultaneously spoke; making both laugh and thus breaking the tension slightly.

"Go ahead." Cuddy encouraged.

"No, by all means, you go first." Lucas insisted.

"I just wanted to say that I'm…I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and that it isn't that I don't care for you, I do. I just know that we wouldn't have worked." Her brow crinkled down and she crossed her arms securely around her. "I'm sorry." She sighed deeply not sure if what she said truly clarified the way she felt.

Lucas smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I will admit I was rather shocked by this; and yes I was a little hurt, but I have had enough time to think about this and I feel that it was best thing for the both of us." He paused for a moment and laughed gently. "You know my grandmother use to always tell me that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you won't know what that reason was until years later, but not matter what there is always a reason for the shit we go through." Again he smile and leaned himself comfortably against her desk. "I know what the reason is now. Your right, this wouldn't have worked. I deeply care for you and Rachel; but I realized that I was really just acting out the motions. I'm not prepared to settle down yet; I don't think that I am truly ready for that kind of responsibility. I was fooling myself that I was. As for you, well I know that you cared about me; but I wasn't what your heart wanted. I just hope that this taught you that sometimes it is better to follow your heart instead your mind."

"I'm sorry." She really had nothing else to say in response; she didn't know what to say, but she knew he was right.

He sighed. "Like I said, you have nothing to be sorry for. I don't regret this experience at all; the only thing I am sorry for was betraying you."

She laughed softly but her eyes held a confused expression. "You didn't betray me."

"Yes I did. The moment I saw you and House together I knew that you two shared this amazing chemistry. Your eyes would illuminate every time he was near you. I'd figured if I acted more like him that you would fall for me, and you did. I mean you can't blame me; I saw this absolutely amazing hot, intelligent, wild woman before me and I knew that if I didn't leap on the first chance to be with her that would miss out on the opportunity for good. I convinced myself that I could become that man you so desperately yearned for and then some; but what I failed to realize was that your heart had already been stolen. House is a complete dick and he doesn't deserve you; but in the end I know that he was and is the only man that could ever truly make you happy."

Cuddy smiled and embraced him. "You are seriously the sweetest man alive." She whispered in his ear.

"So does this mean we get to make out now?" He chuckled and she pushed him away from their tender embrace.

"On second thought, I would like to retract that last statement." They both laughed.

"So how long will you be in Vegas for?" She questioned.

"I don't know. It was only going to be for a week, but with the current events that took place, I think that I will be spending more time there. It is time for a change, and I know there are a lot of opportunities there for me. Besides, my stuff is already packed; thanks to you." He winked at her and smiled.

"Please have a safe trip and call to let me know how you are doing." They both began walking towards her office door.

"And you take care of yourself as well; make sure you give Rachel a kiss for me. Please if you ever need anything, and I do mean anything don't ever hesitate to call me."

"I will keep that in mind, thank you."

He began to step out then suddenly turned back around. "Oh…and Cuddy…"

"Yes Lucas?"

"Make sure you tell House from me, that if he ever hurts you that I will personally break his other leg and he'll never have to worry about walking with a limp again." He chuckled at his lame attempt of making a threat."

"Don't worry I'll make sure he gets the message." She smiled.

"Good bye."

"Good bye."

The second that door shut behind him, Cuddy felt as though a massive weight had been lifted from her. She knew that a chapter in her life had ended and a new chapter had started. For the first time in Lisa Cuddy's life she didn't feel the need to question where her heart was leading; she knew now that it lead directly to House.


The car came to a halt as Wilson pulled into the empty parking space. Not one single word was exchanged between the two; and had it not been for House needing to constantly shuffle through the radio stations every 5 seconds, there would have been complete silence altogether.

The second Wilson shifted the car into park; House's hand had reached to open the door; only to be halted by the clicking of the locks. A curious humor captivated his eyes and he slowly looked towards his disgruntled, young friend in question. Wilson didn't return the gaze; instead his eyes were locked straight ahead and his hands still firmly planted upon the steering wheel.

House annoyingly jingled the handle once more; his action was more geared to that of a five year old child than a forty-five year old man. Wilson still did not break; the only response House could see were Wilson's knuckles slowly changing to a pale white due to him tightening his grip upon the wheel.

"As much as I absolutely love being stuck in a car, in 90 degree weather I may add, and with you; I do have some VERY important work that still has to get done. Those porn sites aren't going to look at themselves, now are they?" He jested towards Wilson.

Wilson's palms smashed against the wheel in frustration. "You're a fucking idiot House!"

House appeared undaunted by his friend's sudden burst of emotion. "So I've been told, but really must we always talk about me? It makes my ego overgrow." He rolled his eyes knowing that a lecture was going to be thrown his way.

"You are seriously set out to ruin this aren't you? You spent all these years pining over this woman, and the moment you finally get her you're willing to throw it all away because you think that you are destined to be alone! I don't get you House, you're a walking mental case!"

"Correction, I WAS a walking mental case. One stint in the institution and I'm labeled for life." He gave an overdramatic gasp. "In the words of Stephanie Tanner, 'How rude!' "

"Everything is a joke to you isn't it? What you don't see is that woman has loved you for twenty years. She has sacrificed her time, her money, her reputation, her career and everything else to make sure she never loses you. And you don't care! She has been there for you every time; in the worst moments of your life as a grown man, Lisa Cuddy was there for you."

House closed his eyes and leaned back into the cushion of the leather interior. "This is just beating a dead horse. She is going to wake up someday and realize that she made a huge mistake with me." He paused for a moment. "I rather just end it now before more damage is done."

"Do you love her?" It was a simple question, but up until now Wilson never heard his friend confess his true feelings for Cuddy.

House didn't answer; instead he kept his eyes closed and his head reclined.

"I said, DO YOU LOVE HER?" His voice rang.

"YES! YES I LOVE HER!" House's eyes snapped opened and for the first time Wilson actually saw House's true feelings. "I love her so much that I can't put her through the misery that is me. I will destroy everything beautiful that she is; I will drain her until she hates me. That is just how I am!" Evidence of tears began forming in the corners of his eyes. "She is better off with Lucas, and the sooner she realizes it the better off she'll be."

"You are right, she would be better off with Lucas. He is kind, supportive, and protective; he'll always be there for her. You on the other hand, are arrogant, rude, and selfish; and not to mention you have a drug and alcohol problem. You always need to cling on to others but just as easily push them out of your life whenever it suits your needs. You are all about yourself."

"Oh stop, your making me blush." He snipped.

"But you have one thing that Lucas doesn't have, one thing that he could never possess and the only thing that Lisa wants."

"What?" House mumbled.

"You are you. All that she wants is you. I don't understand why, but you are the only person that will make her completely happy." Wilson heavily sighed and his head bowed down. "All our lives we are brainwashed to believe what love is suppose to be like. Our parents, our teachers, our entire society makes up this illusion that love is this wonderful experience, free from hardships and pain. We are constantly looking for that magical spark that will never die, those carefree moments without responsibilities, perfection without any flaws. What you and Cuddy share is something entirely opposite of that. Your love is this backwards, upside down, completely insane mess of emotions that takes everyone who is around you for a rollercoaster ride of doom. It is unexplainable how fucked up it is; yet to me what you and her have is probably the only evidence I have ever seen of raw love; true love. I am so envious, because I know that I most likely will live out my entire life and never, ever come close to a love like that for myself."

"What about Sam?" House questioned in a curious tone.

"Yes, I care for Sam; I guess you can even say I love her, but it is nothing compared to you and Lisa. I guess the closest I ever came was with Amber, but unfortunately…"

"Yeah, yeah I know, I had to go ahead and kill her for you. Did I ever mention that I was sorry for that?"

Wilson lifted his eyes. "It wasn't your fault. Listen, I will not be lecturing you anymore on this subject; I just have one final thing to say to you. As God as my witness, if you break her heart over your inability to finally let yourself be happy; if you hurt her like that, because you are a selfish beast, I swear to you House you and I no longer friends. I will make it my mission to make sure you ARE alone for the rest of your life. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." House retorted, his eyes widening from the raw threat he had just received. Wilson did have a point, and House knew it. He only just got her and he was already preparing himself to lose her. Somewhere, deep within the voids of his soul, he knew that he must begin to make an honest attempt at making this work. The locks of the car were lifted and House didn't hesitate a moment longer to escape.


As he made his way back to his office, Larry the janitor was passing by, and House stepped into his way of passage. The old man grumbled at House's sight but he stopped despite wanting to run the man down with his cart.

"What do you want Dr. House?" He growled.

"Listen do you think you can gather some of your comrades and go up to the rooftop? There is something I need you to do, and quickly."

The man sighed heavily. "Are you serious? What now?"

"On the helicopter pad, I kind of sprayed painted 'GH hearts LC' in very big red letters. I'm going to need you to go up there and wash that away." He reached in his pocket and pulled out two hundred dollars and handed over to Larry. "Will that compensate for your time and energy?"

"Sure will, sir!" The man ripped the money out of his hands and smiled. "Get on that right away!"

As House walked near his desk where a pile of papers were carelessly scattered, he noticed a bright, florescent pink post-it slapped right in the middle. It read…

My house for dinner. 7:30. You better be here!

1172 Downing Drive

-Lisa-

A wide grin swept upon his lips at the thought of her; and without a moment's hesitation he packed up his belongings and made his way out of the hospital. He was finally ready to honestly make this work.

TO BE CONTINUED…