Cuddy was the first up. Her first of three realizations was that for the third time, she had slept with Gregory House. That realization was quickly followed by the second realization that Jade had been left at the hospital all night alone in Cuddy's office. Cuddy looked across the bed, and realized that House was still asleep across from her, his hand resting on her hip. Cuddy slowly shifted his hand onto the warm bed where she had used to be. Once she left the bed, she came to the last realization: She was completely naked in House's apartment. As she searched for her clothes, she realized how this situation was just the opposite of how it was 17 years ago: House had left before she had awoken, and now she was leaving before he woke up. Cuddy found her shirt, skirt, and panties. She came up, clutching them to her chest, and she found House smiling at her mischievously. He once again beckoned to her. Cuddy moaned, threw her clothes back onto the floor, and threw her self at House. They kissed passionately, hands floating around randomly with minds of their own. When Cuddy finally came up for air, she said,
"Greg…" She didn't get much farther, since he silenced her by once again planting his moth firmly over hers. Cuddy momentarily surrendered. The next time she came up, she gently but firmly planted a hand on House's chest, saying,
"Jade. She was at the hospital all night. We have to get her." House let go of Cuddy, the passionate spell they had cast dissipating like morning dew in the sun. House sighed and said,
"Damn kid. She had better not make a habit of pooping on my party. Of course, I should probably thank her for a wonderful night." Cuddy laughed, and as she turned her head, caught a glimpse of the clock. Her lively laugh disappearing, replaced by a look of horror. House said,
"What?" His gaze followed her hers and he saw the red digits showing the time 9:37. He grinned and said, "Is mommy late for work?" Cuddy ignored him, and went to the edge of the bed, gathering up her clothes. As she ran down the hallway, she realized she was missing something very important, and she had a feeling she knew where it was. She walked back to the bedroom, all playfulness gone from her walk. She stood in what she hoped showed authority. House grinned as he dangled the sexy red bra by the strap, his eyes laughing at her. Cuddy blushed and held out her hand, saying,
"Give. It. Now." House ignored her and said,
"You're so cute when you try arguing naked. It's very hard to reply when you are looking so perky this morning. Cuddy went a deeper shade of red; she knew he was right about her perkiness. House looked at the tag and read aloud, "'36C'. I'll have to remember that." Cuddy shook her hand out at him and said,
"Give it here. NOW!" House replied with a devilish glint in his eyes,
"Only if you let me tell the whole hospital about what happened." Cuddy said incredulously,
"No! Give it now, damn it House!" He pretended to think about it for a second, and then shook his head and said defiantly,
"No." Cuddy gave up and said,
"No, you can't tell the hospital. That's final." Cuddy went to the bathroom to shower and change.
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When Cuddy came out, she found House in the kitchen, wearing boxers and a white t-shirt, and eating Oreos. Cuddy said,
"What are you doing?" House looked up at her, and choked on his mouthful of cookies. He stared at her breasts. As far as he was concerned, this was one of the best views. It had been a low-cut shirt to begin with. He replied,
"I'm eating breakfast. My, are we going into a new profession?" Cuddy blushed and said,
"I'm going home to get properly dressed. You need to go to the hospital and make sure Jade is OK." With that, she headed for the door. Just as she grabbed the handle, her cellphone started ringing. She yanked it out of her purse, and seeing it was Jade, she ripped it open and said,
"Jade? Jade? Is that you, sweetie?" She heard her daughter say sarcastically,
"No, this is the pizza man, and he wants you to drop by his home in as little clothes as possible. Yes, it's me. Just wanted to let you know that I'm at Wilson's. He's going to bring me in today, and I will watch him work. I figured you weren't coming for me right around midnight." Cuddy could hear her daughter holding back her laughter. Cuddy said in a tone full of authority,
"Jade, you had no right to do this." Jade laughed and said,
"Oh c'mon, it can't have been that bad. I mean, for heaven's sake, you slept with him! Now tell me in all honesty you didn't enjoy the evening." Cuddy said nothing for a while, and Jade said, "That's what I thought." Cuddy smiled and rolled her eyes, saying,
"Put your partner in crime on the phone." Jade shouted away from the phone,
"Partner in crime, get your ass in here! The poor victim wants to give you a verbal thrashing while simultaneously having sex with your best friend!" Cuddy heard Wilson shout back,
"Be right there!" Cuddy heard him walk in and he took the phone, saying,
"Yes, my poor victim?" Cuddy smiled and said,
"As soon as I get to work you're deader than a dead thing on dead tablets in Deadville drinking dead juice on Dead Road." Wilson laughed and said,
"You missed your early appointments. I cancelled everything else you have planned for today, and told House's team that he won't be in today. They don't know why. You two are going to talk." He hung up. Cuddy pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it, confused and surprised. Wilson wasn't ever this forceful or aggressive. She suspected Jade had something to do with it. Cuddy flipped her phone shut and turned to House, saying,
"Wilson and Jade are forcing us to talk. We can't go to work." House smiled mischievously and said,
"We're talking right now. We've talked to each other. You are free to go." Cuddy smiled to herself. House's rule-breaking habits weren't always bad. Cuddy went to turn the handles, and discovered it to be locked. She didn't remember any locks on the door the previous night. But then again, she thought, blushing, I didn't notice much other than his lips on mine and his hands on me and my hands on him. She tried the handle again, but it didn't budge. There was no lock on the inside. She sighed, frustrated. Wilson and Jade must have put locks on the door the previous night while she and House made love. Cuddy walked back to the kitchen and told House,
"It appears our daughter and Wilson has locked us in." House sighed exasperatedly and said,
"For being such a genius, you really do have a habit of missing the obvious." He limped over to the window, and found it nailed shut. He sighed, and tried to pick up a chair to throw through it. The second the heavy solid-oak chair was off the floor, a lightning bolt of pain shot through his leg like someone was slicing his leg from the inside out. He grimaced, and put the chair back. He sat down on it, and popped 2 Vicodin. Cuddy sighed, and plopped down onto the chair across from him. She said,
"Look, we've been playing this juvenile struggle for power for the last over 20 years. We either need to talk it out, or I will fire you. You know I can." House was taken aback by this. He weighed his options: Option A- Keep emotions hidden; no more sex; Cuddy fires my ass; I need new job. Option B- I confess feelings; we have rough and nasty sex; I keep job. The choice was rather obvious to him. He said with that familiar twinkle in his eyes,
"Fine. I love your body and soul." Cuddy smiled; she knew it would never be that easy. She smiled, and looked up at House through her long eyelashes, saying,
"You know, this is so much easier when you are having vigorous and breath-taking sex." She grinned, and raced House to the bedroom.
2 HOURS LATER…
Cuddy and House lay breathless next to each other, both naked and bruised under the sheets. Both were breathing heavily. House said between breaths,
"I love," breath, "you." Cuddy turned on her side and said to him,
"Seriously?"
"Seriously." Cuddy thought for a bit, then snuggled in close to him. She said into his side,
"You have no idea how long I've wanted you to say that. I love you too." And the passionate sex recommenced.
