Thank you once again. Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth but here it is. I think it's more of a filler really but days 4 and 5 will hopefully pick up. (Day 5 has A LOT of angst). So please stay with me.
If you haven't seen Premonition with Sandra Bullock and Julian McMahon, it's worth taking a look, even if it is just to see the latter in the shower.
Also, if you haven't noticed, this takes place in series 4. I completely forgot to mention it in chapter 1. Sorry...
Disclaimer: I don't own Tiger's Eye. I just wanted to live there when I was younger.
Cuddy didn't wake in her bed. She was in their bed when the sound of running water broke through her consciousness. She looked to the clock. '10:37am'.
"House?" She got up and headed to the en-suite. "Greg?" Pulling back the shower door, she almost burst into tears as House stood there bemused when she got in with him, pyjamas and all, closing the door behind her.
"I like your way of thinking," he told her and, again, seemed confused when instead she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight letting the water run over both of them.
"Okay…What's wrong?" He asked. Cuddy said nothing and instead squeezed tighter. "Kinda need my lungs to breathe."
"Sorry…I…just wanted…I missed waking up next to you…" She didn't mean today, like she guessed he would assume, finding him missing and in the shower. She meant yesterday when she'd woken up alone and then had to face him at work where he'd been his usual self, making her life miserable. Even more so because she knew the type of person he could be and he had no idea he was capable of such feelings.
"Okay…" He wrapped his arms round her and she was sure she would burst into tears right there. Here was Greg House giving her a hug without making any suggestive comments about her breasts or her ass. Although she liked both of these Houses, this was the one she wanted to see more of. He was still, a trouble-making, manipulative egomaniac but here, he was her trouble-making, manipulative egomaniac. And who was she not to take advantage of that.
"Unless this is going to lead anywhere…" she glared up at him. "No? In that case, I've gotta finish getting ready. Wilson and Thomas are waiting for me."
She finally let go of him, letting him walk past her and out of the shower. "What for?" Cuddy asked, following him.
"Monster trucks. Grave Digger…" Cuddy nodded assuming this had been some pre-arranged plan. "Yeah, Wilson's got something planned first. Apparently Tommy has something to tell me that he can only say in front of Wilson so…" he trailed off giving a shrug of his shoulders and heading back to the bedroom. "Jakob and Molly are all yours for the day," he shouted back to her.
Water dripping from her sodden clothes, she took them off hurriedly jumping into the shower, letting the steaming hot water rush over her. A whole day with Jakob and Molly. A whole day, with children that she had only really known for a day.
She shut off the shower, drying and changing quickly, heading out into the hallway just in time to catch House, Wilson and Thomas heading for the door.
"We're going. This news is big apparently." House rolled his eyes as he leant forward to kiss her. She noticed Wilson smirking at her knowingly while Thomas beamed at her. She smiled back at them, pulling House away from them.
"Not now, woman. You missed your chance. Now I've got to go." He pulled himself from her and she frowned at him as he smiled at her innocently.
"What am I supposed to do while you're gone?" She asked, looking round House into the living room where Molly and Jakob were sat.
"Improvise – Oh you meant with Jakob and Molly…" he smirked at her as she slapped his arm. "I don't know. Take them out somewhere." He told her as he walked back to the front door, Wilson and Thomas now sat in the car waiting for him. "And while you're doing that, have a word with Jake, he's just not interested in monster trucks. If he doesn't sort it out soon, I'll have to disown him." He said looking into the living room to glare at his other son.
Jakob turned from the TV screen, currently showing Sponge Bob to regard House. "Monster trucks are dumb," he told him confidently with a smile then turned back to Sponge Bob and Patrick's latest antics.
House held his hands to his heart and staggered slightly as though hurt. "I'll wash your mouth out…" He warned earning him a snort from the little boy. Cuddy looked on with a smile as House turned to her. "He gets that from you, y'know," he told her, limping out the front door and down the drive to get in Wilson's car. "Don't teach him anything else while I'm gone. The last thing I need is two of you giving me 'the look' when something goes wrong."
She watched as the car drove off, Wilson and Thomas waving and House giving her a nod, then closed the door once they were out of sight. She walked back to the living room and sat herself on the arm of the sofa, staring at the TV.
"So…have you had breakfast?" She asked finally breaking the silence and turning to look at them. Two sets of blue eyes looked back at her, the owners shaking their heads. "Typical, he couldn't even feed you before he left. Right then, how do pancakes sound?" She smiled, as they jumped up, grabbing a hand each and pulling her towards the kitchen.
"I'll take that as a yes then."
An hour and a half later, Cuddy was sat at the breakfast table opposite the two children, surveying the mess in the kitchen. The counter tops were covered in flour, there was a pool of milk dripping onto the floor creating a small puddle, crushed blueberries on the floor and round the sink, the oven was covered in batter and Jakob and Molly looked no better. Flour dusted their hair giving them a mad professor look, pyjamas covered in batter and their faces covered in both. She guessed she looked pretty much the same, most likely covered in the same offending ingredients.
"So what do you want to do today?" She asked them. She didn't have a clue so who better to ask if she wanted find out.
"Can we go to Tiger's Eye?" Jakob asked, Molly nodding her head in agreement with the suggestion.
"Tiger's Eye? Sure…But," she continued, getting them to quieten down, "we need to clean up in here then clean ourselves up." The children sank down into their chairs obviously hoping to escape the first part of the plan.
"Don't even think about it. Just like your father. Come on." She told them passing them cloths to start wiping down the table.
"Jake if you don't stop teasing her, you can spend the day with Grandma while I take Molly to the play centre." Cuddy told him, glancing at the pair in the rear view mirror then turning her attention back to the road. "No, I didn't think so," she stated when he stopped. She'd noticed that her parents had moved from Chicago to New Jersey. Obviously, being the first to have children had earned her that…pleasure.
Tiger's Eye, as it turned out, was a play centre for children aged 18 months to twelve years, or so it said on the website. The pictures seemed child friendly enough, with slides, foam walls, a ball pit and other things the owners seem to think children enjoy. As she turned into the car park, Cuddy assumed the place must be as good as it said as the place was nearly full. After ten minutes of driving in circles, she eventually found a place, getting out of the car then heading to the back to get Jake and Molly out.
She flinched as she entered the building, excited screams coming from all directions covering the low rumblings of adult chatter. With Molly balanced on her hip, Jakob grabbed her hand and pulled her to the main desk where she parted with fourteen dollars for her children to stay two hours, then pulled along once again to where adults sat drinking coffee and children stopped by to eat their snacks.
"Lisa!"
Her head spun around looking for the voice calling her name and her eyes fell on a table of two other women waving to her. Jakob continued his quest to pull her arm out of the socket, and led her to the table. She had no idea who they were but obviously Jake did.
"Hey Jakob," one of the women started, bending forward to address him. "Callum and Alfie are up in the roller room if you want to go and join them," she smiled flicking her red hair back over her shoulder as she sat up straight again.
Cuddy watched as Jakob kicked off his shoes, saying a hurried "S'later" and rushed off to the room where his, she assumed, friends were.
"It's been a while, Lisa. Greg not with you?" The other woman asked wrapping her brown hair around her finger, trying to look past her.
"Err, no." She sat down and let Molly climb into her lap. "He's with James and Thomas."
"James…Wilson?" Cuddy nodded. "Hmm. I've been meaning to make an…appointment with him…" She smiled.
"Oh really? Did you find something that needed a consult, because if it's worrying you..." Cuddy asked, slightly amused.
"Ignore her. Ever since the divorce came through she's been looking for husband number three."
"Well sorry to disappoint you, but he has a girlfriend." Cuddy smiled as the brunette's face dropped. Molly began to fidget in her lap and Cuddy decided to use that as an excuse to get away from the pair. "I'm going to take Molly in," she started.
The red head interrupted her. "No don't worry about that. I'll get Ava to take her. She's already in there with Oliver…"
"It's fine. I'll take her…" She let Molly off her lap, bending down to pick up Jakob's sneakers, and headed to the ball pit. "What's the point in being here if you're going to bring the nanny with you, huh?" she asked Molly, who had no interest in what she was saying.
Cuddy helped Molly take off her shoes then helped her inside, standing close to the entrance in case she was needed in a moments notice. As Molly went in, a mixed race woman Cuddy recognised stepped out.
"Yvette, thank God."
"Lisa, hey. Have fun with silicon and plastic?" She laughed. Cuddy pursed her lips. "I would've saved you but Simeon wouldn't let me go. But now Molly's here it's fine. I'm telling you, we're going to be in-laws."
"Better you than one of those two." Cuddy nodded her head at the table she had just come from, laughing.
Cuddy and Yvette had been friends since high school and she'd given her husband, Evan, a job as one of the hospital lawyers. The couple had made her god-mother to their three year old twins, Simeon and Elijah, and she assumed that in this life, they had similar roles in her children's lives.
"So how are things?"
Yvette sighed. "Evan's mother's in town." Cuddy nodded her head in understanding. "I swear, if she tells me that I need fattening up one more time, I won't be responsible for my actions. This is the only place she won't come, so Evan's stuck taking her shopping until we're done here." She grinned.
"And how long have you been here?" Cuddy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nearly four hours. The twins are bored and Evan's been ringing my phone non-stop for the last two hours and now my time's running out. Never mind me, how are things with you?"
Cuddy frowned at the change in tone of her friend's voice unsure of what to say.
Well you know, woke up married to House with three children, went to bed, woke up again and none of it was real and here I am again.
"Fine," she opted for instead. Yvette raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her.
"So you and Greg sorted everything out…"
Casting her mind back to Thursday, Cuddy remembered what House and Wilson had said about the Vicodin.
"Yeah, everything's fine. We talked and it's fine. Everything's…back to normal." Yvette was about to open her mouth again but was interrupted by her phone.
"Right, we're going to have to go. I'll leave you to with the inflatable dolls and we'll talk soon. Simeon! Elijah! Time to go."
Cuddy watched as her friend struggled to get her sons out of the play area, holding on tight to their wrists as they struggled to escape back into the play area.
"Call me." Cuddy nodded as she watched them head to the front doors where Evan and Mrs Henderson were stood waiting, the latter talking animatedly to her son. Cuddy thanked God that, so far, she hadn't had to face the 'in-laws'.
Cuddy collapsed onto the couch exhausted as she finally escaped Molly's tantrum. It seemed it didn't matter about the amount of sugar that child ate, she just didn't like bed times. Both of them had caused a scene at the play centre when it came to leaving and it seemed a threat to stay at her parents' was the only way to get them to do what she wanted, and she couldn't blame them really. House and Thomas weren't home yet which meant that she was left with her thoughts and she really didn't like that. Thinking led to thinking about how this would all be over by tomorrow and then she'd be faced with a House that had no interest in her, well parts of her, and the reality of a childless life. Just then the front door flew open, making her start, and House stomped in to the living room followed by Wilson carrying a sleeping Thomas.
"I'll just…" Wilson silently offered, taking the boy to his room.
"Thanks. What's wrong with you?" Cuddy asked as House flopped down next to her.
"He wants to be an oncologist." He raised his arms in disbelief and let them flop back down beside him. "An oncologist."
"What's wrong with that?" Cuddy smirked at him.
"What's wrong with that? Everything. There's nothing interesting about cancer. How hard is it to say 'it's cancer' or 'it's not cancer'? I mean, even endocrinology would've been better."
"Gee, thanks." She crossed her arms across her chest, not letting his comment get to her as Wilson came back, grinning from ear to ear. "Please tell me you got a picture or something?"
House turned to her incredulously. "You knew? You knew and you didn't tell me?"
Wilson took his phone out of his pocket beaming. "Every reaction recorded on here." He told her shaking it. "I filmed it."
"Get out," House growled throwing a cushion at Wilson, while the pair laughed at him.
"See you Monday." Wilson said, retreating from the room before House could start throwing heavier objects.
"Bye James," Cuddy called after him. "Right, I'm going to bed." She said, using his good leg to push herself up, and then pulling him as he reached his arms out like a toddler.
"Anything fun in mind?" He asked bobbing his eyebrows at her.
"Sleep's fun. It must be, since you do it at work so often…" she smiled at him.
"Oh come on, what about your vows? To love, honour and obey."
"Yeah," she snorted, "that's as likely as you agreeing to obey." She pushed open the bedroom door, walking over to the chest of drawers removing a set of pyjamas.
"Well, I'm pretty sure there was something about sex on demand."
"No, you probably read that on one of those 'business cards' in a phone booth," she smiled sweetly at him as she slipped into bed, pulling the covers up high under her neck.
"If you don't satisfy me, woman, I'll be forced to take action."
"You know where the bathroom is." She grinned at his expression and reached over to switch off the light. "Night, Greg."
"You owe me," he told her, getting in behind her and wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Yeah, and you owe me clinic hours. Goodnight, Greg." She could tell he was glaring at her but she didn't expect what came next.
"Love you."
She worried her lower lib between her teeth. Right words, wrong House.
"I…love you too."