You know the drill. I don't own them, I'm just having fun with them. :)
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Maria spent the next few weeks working with the other members of the legal team to bring herself up to speed on things. As a result, she found herself with very little time outside of her job for much of anything, and even her lunches with Wilson had fallen by the wayside.
She was not the least bit surprised to find that after the OB/GYN department, House's department had the most legal actions filed against it, due to the unconventional nature of the cases that found their way there.
Her office phone rang just as she started in on the lunch she had brought with her. "Maria Martinez."
"Hey, stranger." Wilson's warm voice came through. "Thought I'd see if you were free for lunch."
Maria sighed. "I am…very busy. You are welcome to visit in my office."
"I might just do that." Wilson answered. "Would you like something?"
"An iced tea would be very good." Maria replied.
"Great." Wilson responded enthusiastically. "I'll see you in a few."
There was a knock on her door a few minutes later, and Maria invited the person in. It wasn't Wilson.
"Greg?" Maria gave him a questioning look. "What brings you here?"
House shrugged. "Need some legal advice."
Maria was amused by the idea. "Somehow I do not think that is the case."
House pressed his lips together, thumping his cane on the floor, his eyes everywhere but on Maria. He started to open his mouth when Wilson suddenly appeared, carrying a bag and a tray containing two Styrofoam cups.
House's expression suddenly turned dark. "Never mind. You're obviously busy."
He turned and stalked out of the office, and Maria sighed heavily, giving Wilson an apologetic look. "I shall return."
She quickly trotted out of the office, easily catching up to House within a few steps. "There is no point in trying to run away from me. I can keep up with you now."
House stopped and turned around, fixing Maria with a hard look. He shook his head and snorted derisively, starting to turn away again.
"Espera un minuto, por favor." Maria reached out to grab House's arm, her fingers curving around the muscle underneath. "I think we have another one of those…misunderstandings."
"There's no misunderstanding, Maria." House snapped softly. "I'm not an idiot."
"Greg." Maria didn't know why it was so important to make this point. "James and I are friends. Close friends. That is all."
"Does he know that?" House studied Maria intently.
"Of course." Maria answered, even as she wasn't entirely sure.
"Huh." House looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "You might want to remind him…if you don't want to be more than friends with him." He glanced down at the hand on his arm. "If you don't mind…"
"Right." Maria released House's arm, and the man slowly limped down the hallway toward the elevator.
She suddenly felt a pang of something she couldn't quite identify. The man acted almost heartbroken, but she couldn't imagine why. Maria thought they had clarified things the last time they spoke.
There was no misunderstanding, was there? Maria suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.
She returned to her office, where Wilson had settled in with his lunch. Maria's iced tea sat near her lunch on her desk.
She could feel the younger man's eyes on her as she sat down at her desk. "Something is on your mind. You might as well tell me now."
Wilson shrugged and continued to eat. "Something going on between you and House?"
"No." Maria let out a tiny laugh. "Why would you think that?"
"Don't know." Wilson answered. "Seems like every time you two are in the same room there's this…tension."
Maria snorted. "Don't be silly, James. It has been many, many years since we have felt anything for each other. Don't look for something that is not there."
A slow smile crept across Wilson's face, mixed with a bit of sadness. "Oh, it's there, at least on his end."
Maria sighed and stuck a straw in her iced tea. "If you were me, what would you do?"
Wilson shook his head and laughed. "Trust me, I'm the wrong guy to ask."
"And why is that?"
"Because…I'm not exactly impartial." Wilson took a deep breath. "House is my best friend, and you're…a good friend of mine. If it were up to me…" He held out his hands in an expansive gesture.
Maria's heart stopped for a moment. Was Wilson saying what she thought he was saying?
Before she could ask, Wilson continued. "This is something you two have to work out for yourselves. I…" He shrugged, then picked up his lunch. "I'll see you later."
He closed the door behind him, and Maria let out a hard sigh. She reached out and picked up the picture of Luis. "Why do you all have to be so difficult? It would have been much easier if you had been able to stay here."
The picture had nothing to say on the matter, and Maria shoved her thoughts aside to get back to her working lunch. This, she decided, was much easier to deal with than the men that had inserted themselves into her life.
# # #
House cursed himself all the way back to his office. He'd been that close to asking Maria out, just to see what she would say. And he would have managed to spit it out, too, if that damned Wilson hadn't shown up.
He huffed irritably and pushed through the conference room door for a cup of coffee. A million thoughts ran through his head as he stirred in sugar and took a brief sip.
The more he thought about it, the more he had to concede that Wilson was probably the better man for Maria right now. He could provide the kindness and support that House had never been able to provide. Obviously Maria thought that House wasn't capable all those years ago. House couldn't imagine he would be any better now.
He limped back into his office and sat heavily behind his desk, picking a chart out of the ever-growing pile and flipping it open. It was mindless work, and normally he would have preferred to shove it off on one of his minions. Too bad none of them were around at the moment.
The sound of his office door opening caught House's attention, and Maria entered, a Styrofoam takeout container in her hand and a slight smile on her face.
House sat back in his chair and took off his glasses. "What's in the box?"
"A peace offering." Maria answered, handing him the container. "In the form of a dry Reuben. No pickles."
House narrowed his eyes. "Wilson set you up."
"I assure you that he had nothing to do with this." Maria told him firmly.
"In that case…thanks." House opened the container and dug into the sandwich, but he couldn't help but feel someone's eyes on him. He glanced up to see Maria still standing there, a neutral expression on her face. "What?"
"You wanted to tell me something earlier."
House shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget it."
Maria folded her arms over her chest. "You are lying again. Just as you lied about bringing that…boy as your date."
"Hey, Chase is all grown up now." House responded, crumpling his napkin and throwing it basketball-style into his wastebasket. "Got his M.D. and everything."
Maria laughed softly and shook her head. "Are you sure?"
"About what?"
"Greg." Maria let out a slightly exasperated sound. "Do not…" She waved a hand around as if she were trying to find a word. "…what is it, when you want to avoid talking about something?"
"I'm not avoiding anything." House replied with a calm he didn't feel. "I just didn't have anything important to say."
Maria unfolded her arms and pressed her hands on to House's desk, her chocolate brown eyes boring into him. "I find that very hard to believe."
House's heart started thumping in his chest. It had been so long since he'd tried to ask a woman out that he wasn't sure he knew how anymore. He damn sure didn't want to screw things up with Maria again. Twenty five years of misunderstandings was enough.
He looked away, collecting his thoughts. Finally he took a deep breath and rose from his desk chair, rounding the desk to lean against it, bracing his hands against the surface, finally daring to look her in the eyes.
"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you and Wilson?" House asked, even as he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"I am sure." Maria affirmed, turning to lean against the desk, arms folded over her chest. "But that is not what you started to say earlier."
House blew out a long sigh, suddenly finding an incredibly fascinating spot on the carpet. "How the hell do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You can spot a lie at ten paces." House grumbled. "You're worse than my mother."
Maria laughed, breaking the tension in the room. "It is, as they say, a gift."
House couldn't help but chuckle at Maria's confident tone. He was still reticent about asking her out, but not nearly as much as he had been before she walked in.
He shifted slightly and offered Maria his hand, and she slowly took it, her hand small and soft in his slightly rough one. "I…kind of have a peace offering of my own. Dinner…my place…sometime tonight. You pick the time, I'll cook."
Maria's eyebrows shot up. "You cook now?"
"Yeah." House shrugged casually. "Took some lessons back in the fall when I was staying with Wilson. Saved his balls once."
She gave him a baffled expression, and he shook his head. "Never mind. Long story. So, what do you say?"
"I say…" Maria looked thoughtful before turning her head and tilting her chin to look up at House. "Seven o'clock. And I shall bring dessert."
House quickly reached behind him for pen and paper, scribbling down his address and phone number. Maria took the paper and tucked it in her skirt pocket with a smile before pushing herself up on tiptoe to plant a kiss on House's scruffy cheek. "Hasta luego, Greg."
"Yeah, see you later." House murmured in response, rubbing the spot as he watched her leave his office.
After a long moment, he snapped himself out of his daze, allowing a slow smile to creep across his face. He'd finally managed to find his cojones, and it had paid off. House just hoped he could manage not to screw things up this time around.
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I turn it over to you, dear readers. Read and review.
