Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, but this chapter was really difficult for me because of the way the last one ended. I had planned the story with a totally different direction than the one that last chapter had taken, but alas, I am here bearing a new chapter just for you guys. I really do hope you guys like it. So without further ado, I present Chapter 12 (I think). Also this has not been beta-ed so all mistakes belong to me. And now… (drum roll please) Enjoy.
Chapter 12
It was almost seven in the evening and Cuddy was still seated at her desk, sorting out the documents that needed to be signed and sent off to the respective people. She was told it was a five minute job that could not wait until the next week, and Cuddy being the workaholic she was, decided to have a look at it, and before she knew it she was studying the documents intently, already planning what she was going to ask for when they finally got back to her. She was exhausted, but it seemed the work never came to an end, and she was determined to have it done by the time she left the hospital that night – everything else could wait.
Her ringing phone brought her out of her thoughts, and Cuddy automatically glanced on the clock on her desktop. It was almost eight and she wondered who was calling her at this time of the night. She was surprised when she heard Rachel's sitter on the other end of the line, Cuddy had completely forgotten the young woman had asked if she could leave early and Cuddy immediately gathered up all the papers that were scattered across her desk, shoved them into her briefcase, along with her laptop and made a mad dash to her car and her house.
Rachel had already had her dinner and completed her nightly routine of having a bath and brushing her teeth before going to bed, but she was watching cartoons while waiting for her mother to return from work, as usual. Cuddy kissed the little girl on her forehead as a sign of greeting and proceeded to put her bag and files on the coffee table, getting ready to start working on the proposals once again, but Rachel clearly had other ideas…
"Mom," she called softly, getting her mother's attention, "why doesn't Uncle House come and visit us anymore?" she asked innocently, her brown gaze fixed on her mother's face.
"I don't know, Sweetie," Cuddy replied, wondering why her daughter had decided to bring up the topic of House after four weeks of not actually spending time with the man.
"Uncle Seth doesn't come over so much either," Rachel observed innocently and a guilty feeling suddenly rose in Cuddy's chest. Rachel's innocent statement hit Cuddy square in the chest and she pondered on the fact that Seth had cut down on his visits to her home, and even when he did come over he usually left before eight, which was Rachel's bed time. Did he think she was cheating on him with House? Well he wouldn't have been wrong, seeing as House was always the one she had imagined she was kissing or feeling her up, even when in reality it had been Seth, though he never tried anything after their return from the disastrous weekend away all those weeks ago. She was brought out of her thoughts when her daughter raised the next question.
"Do you think if I ask Uncle House to come to my birthday party, will he come?" Rachel asked and Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. She really did not know; House for the most part hated having to go to social events, and she was sure he would not be interested in a kiddies party, and she was about to tell her daughter that he probably would not attend, but the picture of Rachel clinging to him as if her life depended on it, and House reassuring her that nothing would happen while he was around made Cuddy change her mind.
"You should ask him yourself and see what he says," and Rachel nodded her head. Cuddy saw the spark in Rachel's eyes and she couldn't help thinking that Rachel had been spending more time with House than Cuddy was aware of, seeing as her every reaction reminded her of the misanthropic, grumpy, blue eyed diagnostician.
"Mom, do you like Uncle House?" the words tumbled out of the little girl's mouth and she looked up at her mother, her attention fully focused on her mother.
"Uncle House and mommy are very old friends Rachel," Cuddy tried to explain, but Rachel didn't allow her to complete her sentence.
"It's an easy question mom, just yes or no," clearly Rachel did not want any long stories, all she wanted was a clear answer, one Cuddy was not able to give her. How exactly was she supposed to explain to her daughter that she was actually in love with one man, but seeing another because the man she was in love with was clearly in love with another woman, despite the few kisses and one sensual morning she had shared with him. It was one step forward and three steps back with House, and she hated it.
Another few minutes passed in silence and Rachel piped up again, "Mom, do you think he doesn't come anymore because of his new friend Maya?" and once again Cuddy was caught off guard. The fact that Rachel had mentioned House and Maya twice had Cuddy's stress levels increasing.
"I think its past your bedtime, Rachel. Come on, I'll tuck you in," Cuddy stood up from her chair and held out her hand in her daughter's direction, waiting for the child to take it. Once Rachel was settled in bed, she pulled out her fairy tale book from under her bed and handed it over to Cuddy, indicating she wanted her mother to read her a bed time story. Cuddy settled on reading Aladdin this time, and she hoped her daughter would not over analyse the story and ask too many questions tonight.
She was all for educating her child and answering all her questions, but when the questions were based on a certain, scruffy haired, blue eyed, brash diagnostician, Cuddy didn't really have any answers that would satisfy Rachel's enquiring mind. Much to Cuddy's relief Rachel fell asleep three quarter of the way through the story and Cuddy kissed her daughter good night before switching off the light and exiting her daughter's bedroom. Cuddy made her way back to the lounge and settled herself on the floor, laptop placed securely on her thighs and papers spread out on the coffee table before her.
Four minutes later though all thoughts of working left her mind as the images of House leaning over her body and trailing her green long stemmed, white rose passionately over all her body overrode all other thoughts and she could feel his fingers trailing over her flushed skin. Goosebumps erupted on her skin at just the thought of his fingers trailing her body and Cuddy knew she was not going to be able to concentrate on her work any longer and neither was she going to be able to sleep…
She was about to switch her television back on to divert her attention from straying in House territory when she heard a knock on her door. She answered the knock and much to her surprise Seth stood on the other side of the door, holding a large bouquet of yellow and lilac roses. Cuddy felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of his dimpled smile and she offered him a warm smile in return, as she stepped aside so he could enter her home.
"Hi," she greeted him softly, her warm smile reaching her eyes. "Sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting any company," she waved her hand indicating the mess in the living room where she had planned on working earlier that evening.
She accepted the flowers from him and found a vase to put them in and set them on her coffee table in the lounge.
"You haven't been around much lately," she looked up at him, her face showing her concern for him.
"Yeah, I got caught up with work, and I had to go to DC for a week," he replied to her unasked question. "Where's Rachel?" he enquired when he didn't see the little girl anywhere.
"She's asleep; it's already past her bedtime."
"Would you like a cup of coffee," she asked when she saw him shivering from the cold outside.
"That would actually be great thanks."
Five minutes later he joined Cuddy at her kitchen table, where she had set out a plate of sandwiches and two mugs of steaming coffee. Seth, being the gentleman he was; waited for her to sit before he seated himself and took a sip of the hot beverage. Cuddy definitely knew how to make a good cup of java, of that he was sure. The conversation was easy and it was mostly Cuddy who did the talking, telling him about the hectically busy month she had just survived with planning a fundraiser for the paediatric ward, Rachel's birthday party that was happening in three weeks time and other monotonous stuff that needed to be done.
Are you doing anything this Saturday evening?" she asked him, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"No, did you have something in mind" he answered her confusedly.
"The fundraiser is this Saturday evening and I was wondering if you would accompany me?"
Seth looked up at her and fiery blue met cool grey. How could he say no to her, he was still technically seeing her, and he was not even sure if Maya was around if he decided not to go? Spending the night in the company of people was better than spending it alone and wondering what if, so he accepted her invitation and said he'd pick her up at six 'o clock.
She watched him as his listened to her, his eyes twinkling with mirth and his dimples showing as he laughed at some of her funnier stories, and Cuddy wondered just what it would be like to run her hands through his hair. Before he even realised what she was doing, he felt her fingertips running down his temples until her hands cupped his cheeks and she was leaning in to kiss him, but images of Maya kept making its way into his mind and he gently released her hold of him and stopped whatever was about to happen.
"I should go, but I will see you on Saturday" he stood up, gathered his coat and left without an explanation, leaving Cuddy hurt and confused, and he hated that feeling but how was he supposed to tell her that he was attracted to and kissed the very woman she did not like or trust at the moment.
The next two days passed in a haze, Cuddy was inundated with the last minute details for a fundraiser for the paediatric ward she had planned for the coming Saturday evening. She barely had a minute to breathe when something or the other caught her attention and she had to take care of it, before she had people breathing down her neck. It was late on Friday evening when she finally made time to go and see House in his office, hoping that he was still there at this late hour, since he was always leaving earlier than he should. The Dean was definitely surprised when she arrived it his office, and found his lights on, though the doors to his office and the adjoining conference rooms were closed.
She debated whether to enter or not and eventually decided she would go in, if he didn't want to discuss what had happened then she would leave, but she should at least have tried. Cuddy pushed the door open and strolled in, not expecting to actually see him in there, and she was surprised that he was seated at his desk, looking interestedly on the papers that were scattered across his the glass tabletop. She made her way to him as quietly as she could, though she knew by the slight tilt of his head that he was aware of her presence in his office.
"You're still here," she said after he placed the paper he was reading, focused his attention on her but did not say anything to her.
"Did you expect me to be anywhere else?" he asked in response.
"No, it's just surprising to see you here after hours, you usually run out before the clock strikes five" a soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Cuddy rounded his desk stopped a foot away from where he was seated, leaning against the glass top, her ankles crossed and her arms folded across her chest. They sat in relaxed silence for a few minutes, while Cuddy ran the conversation she was about to have with him in her mind, hoping his answers wouldn't be very different to the ones she had been expecting from him. She twisted her hands in each other nervously, though she had no idea what exactly she was nervous about. This was House, there was nothing to be skittish about; he knew her better than she knew herself.
0 o 0 o 0
It was the middle of a really slow week and House was laying on his Lazy Boy fast asleep in his office, when the glass door to his office was violently pushed open, causing him to bolt upright and offer loud curses due to the pain it had caused in his thigh. Five minutes of agonising pain, and three Vicodin pills later House was ready to take on the hurricane that entered his office a few minutes ago, but changed his mind when he saw the source of all the commotion smirking at him. It had been a month since he had last seen or spoken to her, and while he really did want to give it to her for waking him up the way she did, House found that he simply could not stay mad at Maya for longer than three minutes at a time.
"Nice to see you too, Stud," she said by way of greeting which earned her a scowl from House in the process.
There was something different about her, something that was not there the last time he had seen and spoken to her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet; he would have to spend some time with her to figure out just what it was.
"Well, since you're so damn happy to see me, you can take me out for dinner, there's not enough food in this place," he grumbled and Maya merely smiled at him. Something had changed with him while she was gone, and knowing House as well as she did, she knew he wanted her to ask him about it, he would not tell her on his own.
"You should stop stealing Wilson's food, so often, maybe then he'll actually leave some for you," she quipped and House mumbled something undecipherable in return. "Okay, you can stop being such a grouch, where would you like to go?" she asked him, knowing he would not want to go to a place that would be crowded and he could not be himself. She was met with silence, and she turned to face him, only to find his gaze glued to the exposed skin of her lower back. Maya felt his cool fingers circle the area he was examining and she gasped in pain when he lightly pressed his finger onto the bluish – purple bruise that graced the small of her back. She cursed silently, Greg was too damn observant for his own good.
"It's nothing, I've had worse" she said before he could even ask her about it, gathered his leather jacket and cane, handed it to him and walked out of his office without another word. Dinner was going to have to be at his place or hers, somewhere private if they were really going to talk about this. During the ten minute drive from the hospital to their apartment building Maya tried to engage him in talking to her about his month, but House was just not interested in any conversation unless it regarded the bruises he had seen on her on two different occasions. Then to finally put an end to all the interrogating questions the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"It's not what you think Greg, its work related, and believe me if I needed help with a domestic issue I would have told you." and she left it at that.
It seemed to settle House's curiosity for the moment, and he let it go for now, he knew what it was like when people kept pestering him to talk about things he really didn't want to talk about. There would be another opportunity to discuss it soon enough, if she didn't leave before then. They arrived at their apartment building, and Maya parked the car in her allotted parking space and killed the engine. She waited for House to say something but he continued with his silent treatment toward her, so she gave him the option of spending the night alone with no dinner or he could at least try having a conversation with her and be treated to a hot meal and company for the rest of his evening.
Needless to say, House did not want to spend another night alone and hungry and mumbled something about hot chicken soup and bread which fortunately for him, Maya heard she smiled despite her annoyance at his behaviour. An hour later they were seated in the lounge, House seated on his sofa with a big bowl of steaming chicken soup and a plate of oven heated bread at his side, ready to be devoured with the soup. Maya was seated neatly on the floor, her bowl of vegetable broth and a small slice of toasted bread sat on a side plate next to her bowl of broth on his coffee table. They ate in relative silence, both of them thinking of just how they were going to tell the other of what had happened in the weeks they hadn't seen each other.
Maya was the first to break the easy silence, when asked him about Rachel and whether the little girl had experienced any more nightmares after the last time.
"I don't know, I haven't seen her since then," he answered and Maya saw the honesty and hurt that flashed through his eyes as he spoke.
"Well if she did have one, Cuddy would have called you, seeing as you did such a good job the last time," Maya replied and for some reason the thought Cuddy calling him if Rachel was having nightmares reassured him.
"How are you and Cuddy doing? You haven't made a late night visit to her home in the last four weeks," she stated and House looked at her in complete surprise.
"Do you have people spying on us?" he asked disbelievingly.
"No, I just assumed it, since you always brag about your encounters with 'The Devil Incarnate Herself' as soon as I walk into the room, and your lack of bragging makes me think something has happened and you're avoiding her," Maya mocked him and House had to smile at her brilliant impersonation of him describing Cuddy.
Maya cleared up the dinner dishes and cleaned the kitchen before returning to the lounge and House's side, and offered him a mug of strong, steaming coffee. He accepted the mug and watched her closely as she settled down next to him on the couch. She seemed tensed about something and he was debating on whether to ask her about it, knowing she wouldn't tell him about it anyway. He racked his brain trying to remember if she had told him anything about herself, but he drew a blank, he knew absolutely nothing about her, except for the fact that she was beautiful, single, and really good with kids and trying to help him win Cuddy over, though he was not quite sure about that just yet.
"You know just because you fed me, does not mean I'm going to let you get into my pants," he quipped as he felt her arm brush against his.
"Greg, if I wanted to get into your pants, I would have done so a long time ago; you would not have known what the hell hit you, and you would have been powerless to stop it from happening" she replied saucily and House somehow had the feeling she was right. She had this innate ability to get along with everyone and more especially the male species. That he had witnessed for himself the night they had joined his friends for dinner.
"You're assuming I don't have any self control when it comes to beautiful women?" he raised an eyebrow at her and Maya simply grinned at him.
House felt Maya's hand on his as she took the coffee mug from his hand and placed it on the side table, then proceeded to run her fingers up his arm all the way to his shoulder before coming to a rest on his cheek. Her other hand followed the same route and House found his face framed in her tiny, delicate grasp. His heart began to race in his chest when he saw her face moving toward his, tantalizingly slow, until he could feel her breath on his lips. She closed the small gap between them and House felt his eyes shut automatically, his breathing increase, and his blood pounding in his ears. He groaned low in the back of his throat when her mouth made contact with his ear lobe, and his hands unconsciously banded around her waist, pulling her closer into him.
Another groan later and Maya pulled away from him, leaving him hot, panting and confused. His eyes were glassy and his breathing was still erratic, as he tried to still his racing heart. He was brought out of his stupor when her phone began to ring, and from the tone of her voice he knew she had to go, even though he didn't want her to, not after what had just happened between them.
"Just proved you don't have any self control," she stated as she picked up her stuff and headed out of his apartment but not before giving him a kiss on the forehead.
The next two days passed in a haze with his thoughts shifting from the erotic morning he had spent with Cuddy and the almost kiss that her occurred in his apartment with a woman who he didn't really know but intrigued and excited him nonetheless. He knew he had to tell Maya what had happened with him and Cuddy the night she had taken Seth home but he wanted to keep it a secret for just a little longer. He wanted to be able to have something that only he and Cuddy had shared.
He was seated in his office at his desk looking over a few documents Thirteen had left behind for him to go over whenever he had a minute to spare and he figured now was the best time to do it. He was about halfway through the pile when he heard his glass door being pushed open and he didn't have to look up to know who had just entered his office, he could make out his boss's footsteps anywhere. He watched her as she made her way toward him, making her way around his desk and leaning against the glass top two feet away from where he was seated.
"You're still here," he heard her say after had placed the sheet he was reading on his desk and focused his entire attention on her, her tone showing her surprise.
"Did you expect me to be anywhere else?" he asked her, even though he knew it was a legitimate question.
"No, it's just surprising to see you here after hours, you usually run out before the clock strikes five," and he returned her smile, he knew she was right, he never stayed past half past four unless he had a patient who was dying.
They sat in silence for a while, and House noted her posture, her ankles crossed, her arms folded across her chest, indicating she was protecting herself from something and he waited when he saw her deep in thought. He knew she was thinking of how to start the conversation neither of them wanted to have, but they had to have so they could move on with their dysfunctional relationship.
X – X – X
"House," she started softly and when he didn't say anything she continued, "We need to talk about what happened the other morning." Her cheeks flushed with colour and she could feel the heat rising in her neck and ears.
"You mean what happened in the clinic with Brenda the Barbarian?" he asked, and even though she knew he was going to try and avoid the real issue she tried anyway. "Because I can assure you she was the one checking out your ass, I was bribed into doing so," he continued.
"House!" she sighed in resignation.
The lanky diagnostician stood up and mirrored her position of leaning on his table and it was only when she felt the handle of his cane hook around her waist and pull her toward him, that she knew exactly what was going on in his head. She found herself standing shoulder to shoulder with him, but House had changed their positions in a matter of seconds when he pulled her around to stand before him facing him. Cuddy's hands automatically made their way to his chest, keeping her from being pressed up against his warm body. She looked up at him, and found her cool grey gaze pinned onto his by his sparkling azure ones. His hands settled themselves on her hips and he pulled her lower body infinitely closer to his and she could feel just how affected he was by her presence.
Even with her three inched heels she was a head shorter than him, and he leaned in, burying his nose in her dark locks, breathing in the scent that was essentially Lisa Cuddy. She felt him kiss the side of her neck softly, suckling on her delicate skin, gentle enough not her hurt her but with enough pressure to leave his mark in her. She craned her neck in the opposite direction, giving him more access to her flesh, and soon enough he had her moaning in pleasure.
He pulled back long enough to get his breath back, and saw her usually cool grey orbs had turned a darker shade and that her pupils were dilated. He framed her face in his large hands, asking her with a simple look, if this was what she wanted and she answered by leaning into him and placing her lips squarely over his, sucking on his bottom lip lightly. Cuddy deepened the kiss and she felt his hands move from her face down her neck, shoulders and hands, finally coming to a rest on her hips once again. The feel of his cool fingers on her blazing skin was more that Cuddy could handle and she pushed herself up into him, his chest rubbing against his.
He was driving her insane as he drew circles on her hips and then trailed his fingers up her sides, feeling each rib until he felt the material of her bra. House ran his fingers on the elastic strap until he came to the front, and swiped his thumb over her breast, catching her unaware and causing her to gasp in pleasure. He repeated the his action and this time he felt just how aroused she was, so he continued stroking her lightly enough to keep her aroused until she was moaning with pleasure. One of her hands was banded around his neck keeping his mouth glued to hers, while the other was inching down his chest and abdomen. They were still kissing furiously, each of them fighting for control and Cuddy was about to undo his belt buckle when they were rapidly brought out of their own little world.
"I leave you for a few minutes and you can't wait to stick your tongue down another woman's throat," came her vexed voice from the doorway.
They tore apart mid-kiss but not quickly enough that she could not see just what exactly was going on between them. House turned his body slightly to look at her, and he saw Maya leaning against the glass doorjamb of his office, his hand still tucked under Cuddy's shirt and skimming over her erect nipple. Cuddy kept her face buried in his chest, hoping that Maya would not recognise her, the guilt of kissing House, who was seeing Maya, already making itself present in her gut. Her hopes were dashed though when she heard the next words to tumble out of the dark eyed; dark haired woman's mouth.
"You know the fact that your hand is still stuck up under Dr Lisa Cuddy's shirt, and the fact that she is trying to hide her face in your chest is not helping your case, Greg."
Cuddy's entire body stiffened at the mention of her name, and even though they had been caught by the one person she didn't want to get caught by, Cuddy could not find the strength to peel herself from his warm body. She had come here to talk about what had happened four weeks ago, and just where their relationship was headed, and she had landed up making out with him in his office, and being caught by his damn girlfriend. Things were just not getting any better for her.
"Dr Cuddy, as for you, I thought you were ready to walk away from the man you fell in love with twenty years ago. It was clearly a teenaged crush, was it not?" Maya asked and Cuddy felt the heat rising in her face. Yes she had said she was ready to leave House for good, but that didn't meant it had to be right now did it? He would not have allowed her to just walk away from him after twenty years of friendship, twenty years of being there for each other, with each other through every high and low they had celebrated and suffered, would he?
A tense silence filled the air and neither Cuddy nor House knew what to say to the woman still standing in the doorway. Cuddy knew Maya was right, she had no right to be making out with him, she was technically seeing another man, and House was not actually sure if Maya was joking around as usual or if she was serious and catching him and Cuddy in such a compromising position had somehow rubbed a raw nerve. Not for the first time, he could not read what was going on in her head and for some reason it scared him a lot.
"Well then, I think I should go," Maya's voice filled the air once again, "and I definitely will not be seeing you tonight," she looked directly at House, and with that she turned and made her way down the long corridor heading toward the elevators.
She made it about three quarters of the way before she allowed her lips to tug up into a smile. It really was fun to see just how far she could push their buttons before they pushed back or crumbled under the pressure. She thought House would say something to defend Cuddy or even his own actions, and the fact that he did not made Maya smile grow. They were finally getting somewhere, it was taking longer than she initially thought it would but hey he was taking one step at a time and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. As she took a step to round the corner, Wilson came crashing into her, his face etched with worry.
Maya held up her hands to prevent Wilson from sending them both crashing to the ground, and looked concernedly at him. He mumbled a quick apology to her and took two steps before his brain processed what had just happened and he turned around to look at her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"Looking for Greg, but clearly he's not here, his lackeys are all gone and his office is deserted, he must've left early," she replied, trying to keep herself from bursting into a grin.
"Where are you hurrying to, it's way past working hours. Isn't Amber waiting at home for you? If that's for Greg, give it to me and I'll make sure he gets it by tomorrow," she asked in return and Wilson pondered her suggestion for a moment. He had to give House a patient file, though it could wait until Monday, so he handed her the file and they both made their way back to the elevator, the parking lot and then to their respective homes, with Wilson being non the wiser on what his two friends were up to not even ten feet away from where he stood earlier.
Cuddy cautiously stepped out of House's office, her mind alert, listening for the sound of Wilson's voice in the corridor, but the passageway way quiet, except for the janitor who was mopping the vinyl flooring. She had reluctantly untangled herself from House's grasp a few minutes after Maya had so angrily walked out the door. House on the other hand seemed loth to let go of her, even though his mind was already spinning with thoughts on how Maya felt when she had so casually walked in on them making out.
"I'm going to head home, Rachel will be waiting for me," Cuddy straightened her rumpled clothes and ran her fingers through her mussed hair, trying to flatten it before she left his office.
House tiredly ran his hand over his face; he and Cuddy were back to square one. And what the hell was going on with Maya, it was not like they were seeing each other exclusively for her to get angry and annoyed at catching him and Cuddy making out in his office. She was the one who kept rejecting his advances and then disappearing for weeks at a time, too busy to have a relationship with him. She had no right to be moody with him.
0 o 0 o 0
Saturday evening came all too quickly for Cuddy and she had just applied the final touch of make up when she heard the knock on her front door, signalling that Seth was here to pick her up. She took one final glance in the mirror, pushed in the hair pin that was sticking out and made her way to her lounge where Seth was seated. Rachel glanced up at her mother approvingly; she had helped her mother pick out the accessories that matched the light pink dress she had chosen to wear for the evening.
"I'll see you later honey, you be good for Alex and in bed by eight okay," Cuddy told her daughter.
"Why can't I come with you?" Rachel asked softly, her lower lip starting to tremble slightly.
"I have to go because it's work Rachel, and you know how late it gets, and there won't be any other kids there to play with, Sweetie," she tried to soothe the child, but she knew she was not doing a great job of it.
Seth saw the disappointed look on the little girl's face. Granted the kid was not one of his greatest fans, but the expression on her face made him want to pick her up and take her along with them just so she could spend time with her mother. He of all people knew just how precious her time with her mother was and it was functions like these that cut into the time Rachel could spend with the mother. A thought formed in his mind a quick decision later, he had it all figured out. Now if only he could pull it off, with some help of course.
"Are you ready to leave?" Seth heard Cuddy ask him and he nodded.
"I just wanted a glass of water before we leave, you can wait in the car, I wont be long" he said as he handed her the key and Cuddy looked suspiciously at him. This was out of character for him, he had always walked her to the car, opened and closed doors for her, but tonight he seemed a bit different; in fact he seemed different since the night House had stayed over, but he couldn't have known about that, he had left well before she had asked House to stay. Maybe she was just reading too much into things, so she made her way to the car, settled herself in the passenger seat and waited for him.
As soon as Cuddy was out of earshot he called Rachel and she looked up at him warily. He kneeled down on the floor coming down to her height, where she was standing and he smiled at her.
"I have an idea," he whispered so that Alex, her sitter, could not hear him and Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. Seth usually did not take the extra effort of talking to her when she didn't want to talk to him, but she listened to him nonetheless, "but you can't tell your mom or Alex it was my idea okay?" he asked and she nodded.
"I want you to go and pick out a dress and shoes to wear for the party and I will be back to fetch you okay?" he asked her softly and while Rachel still thought he was joking with her, she nodded. "Look at the clock, I will be back when the small hand is on the seven and the big hand is on the six, okay?" and the little girl nodded. A small smile graced her lips and Seth felt the tug on his heart strings, she was finally starting to like him. "Go on," he pointed to the passageway leading to her bedroom and Rachel made a dash for it, not looking back as Seth walked out and made his way to where Cuddy was waiting patiently for him.
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the venue and Cuddy saw that the decorators were still putting the last of the decorations. She exited the car and made her way into the large hall, taking in the rich colours the room had been decorated with and commended herself on a job well done. Well she had told Seth to come an hour early just so she could oversee everything that was being done. The caterers had also arrived and the food was being prepared, dinner was to be served eight so there was enough time for everything. The only people who had yet to arrive was the band she had hired to play, but she was not worried it was still an hour for the event to start. Cuddy made her way to the centre of the room and looked around, everything had been set according to her specifications and she smiled to herself, tonight was going to be a huge success.
Seth found his chance to escape and make his phone call when the head chef came up to talk to her about a specific vegetarian dish she had asked him to prepare for the few benefactors who were vegetarians. He stepped out into the cool air and dialled the number, hoping that the number she had given him was the correct one and that she would actually answer his call. His relief was visible when she answered and he told her all about his plan to pick up Rachel later, but he would need a bit of help from her, and she was all too willing to be of assistance.
0 o 0 o 0
Maya woke up to the sounds of extremely loud banging on her front door and she cussed at whoever it was waking her up before noon on a Saturday. She walked groggily to the door, hand still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when she opened the door and came face to face with a fully dressed and clearly irritated Gregory House. Judging by the look on her face, whatever it was he had come to discuss could wait until she was fully awake, dressed and had consumed her third or fourth cup of coffee for the morning, giving her enough kick to deal with whatever was on his mind.
"It's before noon, what do you want, Stud?" she asked as a greeting.
"Fundraiser. Tonight. Pick a dress," he shoved three dresses at her and she took a hold of them before they fell to the floor.
"You certainly know how to ask a girl out and just in case it has escaped your notice, I am not interested, it's the weekend – the two days I actually have to relax, and I don't need to raise funds, I have a job that pays me more than enough for my services" she replied not interested in what he had to say.
"I didn't say it was for you, it's for the paediatric wing at the hospital," he informed her and he watched as her eyes softened a little for just a second and then her guard was back up.
"You're not a fan of social events, why the sudden interest?"
"Free food and alcohol, what else?" he answered though she knew there was a hidden motive.
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Dr Lisa Cuddy will be there with Seth?" she saw his jaw clench in response.
"Look are you interested or not, because there's a long line of women who would like to have a piece of me, I'm offering you first preference."
"Fine, what time do I have to be there?" and for the first time that morning she smiled at him.
"The invitation says seven for half past seven but if I know Cuddy well enough she'll be there an hour earlier to micromanage everything."
"Six it is then," Maya smiled at him, and stepped up and kissed him lightly on his cheek as a good morning greeting.
At ten minutes past six Maya was seated on the couch in House's living room, waiting for the man to emerge from his bedroom. He was worse than a woman when he had to dress up for functions. She had never met a man who took as long as House did to choose a set of clothes and wear them. After another five minutes, she stood up and made her way to his bedroom, not caring if he was actually dressed or not, thankfully though he had enough sense to put on his boxer shorts and a T-shirt on. Wilson had stopped by earlier and spread House's crease free monkey suit out on his bed, and quite frankly Maya could not see what his problem was.
"I am not wearing that monkey suit," he informed her when he saw a disapproving face.
"Okay then, what did you have in mind?" she asked. If he was not going to wear the suit she should have at least taken out a set of back up clothes. He shrugged in response, so she merely shook her head at him and stepped up to see just what formal clothes he possessed. After looking through everything she finally settled on a formal dark grey pants, and jacket, a sky blue shirt which highlighted his eyes and a light grey tie to complement his shirt and a pair of comfortable black loafers. Ten minutes later when he emerged he was still only half dressed and Maya sighed tiredly; his shirt was untucked and his tie was still undone. A scathing look from her made him tuck in his shirt, but he still needed help with his tie; she stepped up to him, her face inches from his as he tied his tie and straightened his collar.
Maya pulled her Audi R8 to a stop in the parking lot of the hall the fundraiser was being held at twenty five minutes later and heaved in a deep breath; this was going to take a lot of effort on her part. House stiffened when he saw Seth's car already parked in the lot but said nothing and stepped out of the car and made his way to the large hall. House didn't leave her much time to do anything, the guests were already starting to arrive seeing as it was almost seven 'o clock. They stepped into the massive hall together, House's hand settled on the small of her back, but his gaze seeking out Cuddy.
Two minutes later Wilson and Amber walked in and Maya was glad for the distraction that Wilson provided for House, leaving her to go about her plan unhindered. She made her way across the wide expanse of the room and came to a stop next Cuddy and Seth, who were seated at the bar while they waited for the benefactors to arrive.
"A Sex On The Beach Please," she politely asked the bartender, who was only too happy to serve her. She paid for her drink, waited as Leo made up her cocktail and she watched as Cuddy turned to face her, the older woman's ears burning with embarrassment at her suggestion. She smiled politely at Cuddy, taking great pleasure in Cuddy's abashed appearance. Leo arrive three minutes later with her drink, and placed it sloppily on the counter, causing the glass to tilt and most of the liquid to spill onto Cuddy's dress. Maya heard the string of curses that passed Cuddy's lips, but she kept her smile and instead offered the older woman her hand and led her to one of the rooms on the opposite side of the vast hall. Okay there was a change in the plan, but Maya was okay with it because it was to her advantage…
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Have a great week ahead
Psych
