Chapter 10

House Gets Cooking

House spent the rest of the day on a case Forman had brought in only moments after Cuddy had left. House had looked at the file, made two or three possible deductions as to the ailment but decided not to let on just yet. If any one of his current hypotheses were correct the patient was in no real immediate danger. Well House had a few hours to jerk around his team anyway before giving in and doing the "right thing".

By lunch House's team had started to run a battery of test, two of which would either prove or disprove House's theories. Therefore House went on his way to have lunch with Wilson as par usual. As House and Wilson were standing in the line waiting for Wilson to pay, House filled Wilson in on a few but not all of the details of what had occurred with Cuddy last night and this morning.

Wilson in kind tried to tell House what Cuddy had said in his office but House cut him off telling him that he heard her through the wall and that she had come in and talked to him as well. Just when Wilson was about to take a bight of his burger House mentioned nonchalantly, "I'm cooking for her and Rachel tonight" Wilson stopped, and put his burger down. "You're cooking?"

"You say that as though you didn't know I could cook, really now Jimmy, you of all people…"

"Noo… what I meant, was that she is LETTING you cook for her."

"Yeah, she says she's giving me a chance"

"Wait, what about Lucas? This is really weird"

"Look, I'm just going over as a friend, I'll let her make any first or last moves, as far as I'm concerned tonight is just one friend cooking for another… and if I happen to get lucky then so be it" he said with a self-satisfied grin and took a big bight of his hamburger.

"What if Lucas stops by, or calls?"

"Then I'll just sick Cuddy on him and if that doesn't work I'll beat the little rat with my cane"

"Humm…"

"Yeah I guess your right Jimmy, rat isn't quite rite, hum… what about a slug?"

Wilson just grinned and shook his head.

After lunch there still weren't any new developments on House's case so he decided to go up to the COW to catch a game of chess with Kyle or maybe peek in on Lily. After yesterday House was a bit unsure about hanging around Lily too much, not until Wilson got back the test results anyway and considering that he hadn't even run them yet meant that that could be a while. Wilson had said that he would be running a scan on Monday and then they could take their next step.

When House got there he found Kyle sitting at their usual table looking between the chess board and a book on his lap.

"Ready to play, Kyle?"

"Oh hey, Dr. House, sure, I think I have some new moves to show you"

House gestured toward the book, "Out of that I presume?"

"Yeah, I had told my dad that I was playing chess with one of the Doctors and he got this for me"

"Can I see that?"

Kyle handed him the volume, House was pleasantly amused as he flipped through it. It was a simple enough book for a kid Kyle's age but it did have some pretty good moves in it and was written in language that Kyle could understand easily. "Well, let's see if it helps your game any" he said handing the book back to him.

They spent the next hour playing chess until House's beeper went off, his patient had developed a rash of some kind, this was a new development so House excused himself and left for the conference room.

When he got there no one was in the conference room except for Lucas. "What are you doing House?"

"I thought I was meeting my team for…"

"With Cuddy"

"Right now, I'm trying to get back on my feet so maybe I can have a shot with her, I thought that's what you told me to do, not thinking about backing out on your little promise are you?"

Lucas gave House a look that could have turned him to stone. "You're too selfish to change House, and she needs someone to really care for and look after her and Rachel"

"And who said I wasn't willing to do that?"

"This is you we are talking about house, I know she's made plans with you tonight, I don't know what exactly but I do know that she canceled her plans with me for you."

"I'm just making her and Rachel dinner, that's all, I took some cooking classes, discovered I had yet another talent and decided to offer her a demonstration, she's already experienced my other talents, she might as well have the set"

"I'm not going to let you win so easily, House, she's going to choose the man that's best for her and I can guarantee that it's not you!" and with that Lucas left the building.

About two hours latter House's team had broken their case, it was way too easy, and House decided to give Cuddy a call.

"Just wanted to make sure we are still on for tonight"

"Of course we are House, why? What's up?"

"Ohh nothing I'll fill you in over dinner, by the way, what did you want me to make, I was thinking Italian, are you ok with seafood?"

"That sounds great House, so I'll see you around…?"

"Well I just wrapped up a case, so I should be out early, probably stop at the grocery, ehh how about 6:00?"

"Ok, that sounds good, it will give me some time to get changed and spend time with Rachel before you get there. "

"Oh and Cuddy…"

"Yeah"

"Forget it, I'll see you tonight. "

House arrived at Cuddy's a little earlier than he had previously intended, He had decided on making pasta with muscles in a fresh tomato and basil sauce, and he was worried about the sauce having enough time to simmer properly. Cuddy answered the door, looking a bit frazzled, "Is everything ok?"

"Ohh its fine, I just got off the phone with Lucas, he's a little upset with me for canceling on him without a better explanation, he says he "knows why" I canceled"

"And what did you say?"

"I told him that if he knows then he should also know that I'm just having dinner with a friend and that he has nothing to worry about."

House was a little steamed at this comment, "nothing to worry about" she had said.

Then she added as an afterthought as she took House's jacket and helped take the two bags of groceries into the kitchen, "at least not yet anyway", that made House grin he liked the sound of that.

"So speaking of Lucas…" House started as he started setting out the makings of their dinner. "he stopped by my office today…"

"Why would he do that?"

"He wanted me to know, that he knew, that I was the friend you made new plans with"

"Of all the nerve!"

"Ehh, he's just trying to mark his territory, be careful, he might try to pee on you next."

Cuddy scowled and then burst out into a laugh, "I'll keep that in mind, so really what did he say?"

"I told you, he sees me as a threat, and wanted me to know he's got his eye on me. The little creeper"

"I don't know, it's almost kind of sweet"

"Sweet? You didn't see him…"

"Ok so what did you tell him?"

"Nothing to get me in trouble, or at least I don't think so. I told him that I was cooking for a friend and her daughter and if anything came after that well…"

"Ahhh, I see, so you just had to pee right back huhh?

House grinned, "Something like that"

As House continued cooking they continued chatting, Cuddy sat with Rachel at the island in her kitchen and House went back and forth between the island and the stove. They talked about Lucas a little more, but not much, and about work, Wilson, and then Cuddy brought up the subject of House's family heirloom. "Ohh Cuddy, don't go and ruin a perfectly good night"

"I… ok, if you're not ready to talk then its…"

House let out a dramatic sigh "What do you want to know, there isn't much to tell, it's just a ring that used to belong to my grandmother and now it's mine"

"Wilson said you wanted to give it to me"

Another puff of air "Wilson's a moron"

"So you don't want to give it to me?"

"I didn't say that, you did"

"So you do?"

"Cuddy, eat your food…" he said gruffly setting her plate down.

They eight in relative silence Rachel squealed in her highchair as she smooched around her noodles and sauce until she tossed one of them on House's head. Cuddy started to laugh. House just glared at Rachel, and then at Cuddy, then took his napkin and got the bit of food out of his hair. Cuddy got up to get a damp cloth to get the sauce out of his hair. "Here let me clean that out"

"Kid's got an arm on her"

"Yeah she does, sorry about that House, I know…"

"Forget it Cuddy, she's just a kid…" He looked up at her from his seated position, she leaned down, he could feel the heat growing between them and then the doorbell rang.

"Hum… I wonder who that could be…"

Cuddy went to the door, "YOU CALL THAT, JUST DINNER WITH A FRIEND?" Lucas roared as he stormed into Cuddy's House.

"Lucas? What the HE!L are you doing here?"

"That did not look like just dinner with a friend; that looked more like a family enjoying themselves just before mommy and daddy got it on!"

"That's it Lucas, I want you out, I don't want to see you ever again! You come in here, throwing around accusations, and apparently you've also been spying on us, no Lucas, I need someone I can trust and who's not going to go behind my back when I least expect it"

"OHH! Like he won't! That's a laugh!!!"

"No, he will, but that's just it, I expect that from him"

"So it's ok for him but not for me?"

"If there is good reason for it, yes, you on the other hand, knew I was having dinner with a friend, went to threaten said friend and then proceeded to spy on me during our quiet dinner!"

"That was not just dinner… that was…"

"Me, cleaning pasta out of his hair because my daughter had thrown it at him… I think I want you to leave now, it's over Lucas, goodbye" she ushered him towards the door, and locked it behind him.