The muse is in full gear and I had a little bit of time to write, so here you go…..
Chapter 26
On Thanksgiving Day, House was stretched out on a couch inside Cuddy's basement, rubbing his stomach with his right hand and feeling stuffed beyond belief from the huge Thanksgiving spread Cuddy's parents had prepared as they celebrated the holiday.
"Julia's watching a movie upstairs with my parents, so we've got the basement all to ourselves." Cuddy announced, descending the stairs and finding House already sprawled out on one of the couches that connected to the large sectional sofa her parents had purchased after they had finished off the basement a few weeks ago, turning the empty space into a fully equipped entertainment room, complete with a large screen TV, poker table, bar and pool table.
House smiled over at Cuddy as she made her way over to him.
"I think I want to be adopted by your parents." He told her, having just admired the room before he pulled her down on top of him and kissed her.
"Lisa." He mother called from the top of the stairs.
"I swear she has some kind of sex radar." House whispered with frustration.
"Yes, Mom?" Cuddy answered while giving him a sympathetic smile.
"Would you please come here?" Arlene requested.
As she got up to leave, House squeezed Cuddy's ass, causing her to let out a gasp of surprise.
"Stop it!" She mouthed to him as he looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear.
Reaching the bottom of the steps Cuddy regained her composure as she looked up at her mother.
"What is it Mom?" She asked.
"Up here." Arlene said, pointing to where she was standing.
Cuddy made her way to the top of the steps, coming face to face with her mother.
"Lisa, I know you haven't seen House in a long time, and the two of you have probably been having sex every chance you get….." Arlene started to say, watching as her daughter's jaw dropped.
Meanwhile at the bottom of the stairs, however out of sight from both women, House held back his laugher as he eavesdropped on them.
"Oh Lisa please, I was young once too you know." Arlene said as her daughter stood before her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
"I know Mom, it's just…..."
"Listen honey, let me just get to the point before you turn an even brighter shade of red." Arlene interrupted, placing her hand on her hip, "And by the way House, I know you're probably lurking in the shadows down there so you better listen up as well." She added, glancing down the steps before she focused back in on her eldest daughter.
"Now Lisa, even though you're almost eighteen, your sister Julia is not, and even though I know how much you miss House, I'm asking both of you to make sure while you're in Julia's presence, you are acting appropriately in front of her, because you know how much your younger sister looks up to you." Arlene stated.
Cuddy nodded. "I understand, mom." She said, as both of her parents had been more than understanding about her relationship with House, and all that it entailed.
"Me too, Mrs. Cuddy!" House yelled from his hiding spot.
Arlene held back her smile after hearing House's words. "Good, now go down and watch your movie, but make sure you're both rested up for the all night poker game this evening because I plan on cleaning House out of every last dime he has on him."
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"I can't believe you're going against my mom's wishes even though you just agreed to them." Cuddy whispered to House as he pulled her down on the sofa with him again.
"I know it's hard for you to think about anything else but boning me, however I merely wanted you to lay with me while we watch the movie." House told her with a veined attempt of shaming her.
Cuddy shook her head, but found a spot in front him on the couch just the same and stretched out next to him.
"Remember…. no touching, or kissing, or grabbing of any of my lady parts." She warned him as he moved one arm under the curve of her neck while resting his hand on her hip.
"Just you remember not to touch my manly parts, especially when one of them is grinding against your ass." He whispered into her ear, smiling as giggled in response to his statement.
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"Lisa. Lisa…. get up."
Cuddy opened her eyes to find her mother looking down at her.
"Mom, we didn't do anything….I promise. "She said in a half panicked whispered, feeling the warmth of House's body pressed firmly against her back.
"I know honey. I woke you up because Jason's at the door and he's insisting that he speaks to you." Arlene whispered down to her daughter.
House stirred, instantly coming awake and opening his eyes at hearing the conversation between mother and daughter.
Cuddy sat up on the sofa as House rolled onto his side, studying Arlene carefully.
Cuddy's mom looked worried, and that worried him.
"Did Jason say why he needed to talk to me?" Cuddy asked.
Arlene shook her head. "No, but he seems very upset. I tried to get him to talk to me, but he wouldn't."
"Okay." Cuddy replied, getting off of the couch and glancing back at House.
"I'll be right back." She told him.
He reached for her hand as her mother turned her back on them and started towards the stairs.
"Should I be worried?" He found himself asking of her.
"No." Cuddy told him before she removed her hand from his and followed her mother up the stairs.
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House was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his hands intertwined, his eyes focused on the carpet below his feet as he waited for Cuddy to return to him.
What the hell could Jason possibly want with her on Thanksgiving Day?
His mind was racing towards some unknown dread that he felt would be hurled his way at any second, now even though he trusted Cuddy, more than any other person in his life, but Jason coming here and insisting to see her had revealed something to him that he hadn't thought of before.
Jason trusted Cuddy too, more than any of his other friends, and more certainly more than Becca, who he supposedly was head over heels in love with.
The thought bothered House on a level he had never felt before, the knowledge of another guy being so invested in his girlfriend, and seeking an emotional connection with her…. not sitting well with him at all, to say the very least.
When he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stair, he tried to push those feelings away, however seeing Cuddy, followed by Jason as she entered into room, sent all of those feelings of jealously and anger, no matter how unfounded, straight to his heart.
He locked eyes with the quarterback, the guy standing in front of him, having put on even more sculpted muscle since than the last time he had seen him.
"House, it's good to see you again." Jason said.
"Wish I could say the same." House replied back coldly, getting to his feet and thereby reminding the football player he still had a good two inches on him no matter how ripped the guy was.
"House, I need to talk to Jason alone." Cuddy said, standing between both of them.
House looked down at her, feeling hurt, however not knowing exactly why the emotion had come to him so strongly in that moment.
Maybe it was because Cuddy and Jason would be sharing a conversation that was of an obvious intimate nature and did not include him, House thought as he moved away from her and started towards the stairs.
"House, it's okay." Cuddy said to him, taking him by the hand as she walked the rest of the way with him.
He looked down at her and wondered just how close Cuddy had become with the quarterback, and not on a physical level or course as he wasn't afraid of that, but rather on a emotional level, because even though Jason was no match for him intellectually, the guy obviously had some kind of pull on Cuddy that kept her interested in him.
Looking up at him, Cuddy felt her heart breaking, just a little. House was so worried, so concerned over what her and Jason would be discussing it nearly caused her to ask Jason if House could stay with them, but she knew Jason would not spill any secrets under the watchful eye of a guy who was very intimating when it came to picking peoples minds.
"House, I love you, and this isn't about us…. or me and Jason." She added, trying to reassure him before giving him a small kiss.
House nodded, however not saying a single word in response to her as he made his way up the stairs before heading towards the kitchen and out the door.
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"Excuse me, but I believe we have a poker match together?" Arlene Cuddy said, stepping out onto the front porch just a House made his way over to his station wagon.
"Change of plans." House replied, hating the fact that his throat had suddenly become tight, his feelings of betrayal, however unfounded, getting the best of him.
Arlene made her way over to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"In case you haven't realized it yet, you aren't going anywhere until Jason moves his car." She told him, nodding back at the black BMW parked behind him.
House rolled his eyes at the car. "Does that guy even deserve a car like that? "He found himself asking Cuddy's mother of all people.
"Probably not." Arlene agreed with him, looking over at the car as well.
"Now come inside before we both catch pneumonia." She added.
House turned to face her. "No thanks, I want to give your daughter time alone with that jackass, seeing as how she rushed to be by his side." He grumbled.
Arlene laughed at first; before she saw the effect it had on him and she softened her features.
"You know House, I never thought of you as the jealous type." She commented over to him with calm voice.
"I'm not, it's just…"
"Good, then stop acting like ass and come inside so you and Lisa can talk about all this once Jason leaves." Arlene insisted.
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It was nearly an hour later when Cuddy finally came back upstairs with Jason, the two of them whispering to each other out in the foyer while House sat on the couch in the living room next to Julia as Cuddy's parents where in the kitchen, making some snacks for the late night poker game.
"I think you should punch him the face." Julia whispered over to House, the two of them looking over a Cuddy and Jason from their vantage point in the living room.
"I don't want to get blood on your mother's floor." House whispered back at Cuddy's little sister, keeping his gaze focused on his girlfriend and the jock standing in front of her as they stood beside the front door.
A few more words were spoken between Cuddy and Jason before the football player hugged her tightly.
"Oh my god! If you don't slug him I will." Julia whispered again, watching as her sister gave the football player a pat on his back before the two of them separated.
"How much do you charge for knee to the balls?" House muttered over Julia, just before Cuddy opened the front door and Jason stepped out onto the front porch.
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Cuddy was still in shock over what Jason had confessed to her when she asked House to come back downstairs with her, the fact that House had followed her without saying a word, only adding to the anxiety she was feeling.
"So what did that jackass want?" House asked once they were alone again.
"Becca's pregnant." Cuddy blurted out.
House let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god." He exclaimed.
Cuddy frowned at him. "This is not a good thing." She said turning away from him as she started to pace the floor inside of the room.
He watched her, intently, those feelings of jealously returning to him.
"Maybe not for them, but who cares." He remarked.
She looked up at him as if he had just insulted her. "How can you be so heartless?" She questioned.
"How can you be so involved with the very people you can't wait to get away from once you graduate?" He shot back at her.
"I never said that!" She protested, not understanding why he was being such a jerk to her right now.
"Maybe not, but from the moment I first met you, all you've talked about was getting away from this place and going to college." He replied.
Cuddy rubbed her forehead with one hand, placing the other on her hip, she didn't want to be fighting with House, she loved him and she wanted to spend the next few days showing him how much she did love him instead of arguing with him.
"House, I care about Jason and Becca, and even though you obviously don't, I can't help but feel bad for them and what this baby means for both of their futures. So can you at least try and understand the way I feel, even if you don't agree with it, instead of getting angry with me over the fact that I do care about them?" She asked.
House took in a breath; she was right of course, he didn't give two fucks about the two idoits who had been playing with fire for quite some time now by using the "pull out" method instead of a condom or the pill, but …Cuddy obviously did care, and he even though he couldn't understand why…. it was better for her to care about her clueless classmates than for her come down here to him and tell him she had a fling with Jason, or worse, that she was in love with the good- looking quarterback who had every other girl he came in contact with falling at his feet.
And so he set his jaw, and let the anger building inside of him dissipate into the air around them.
"Okay fine, I understand that you care about Jason and Becca, but remember Cuddy, you can't live their live for them, or prevent them from making any more stupid decisions, just like you couldn't prevent Jason from knocking up his girlfriend in the first place. "He told her honestly.
Cuddy nodded in agreement to his statement, moving closer to him and taking hold of his hand.
"I know, but the one thing I can do is try and help Jason get into a good college in the hopes that he will have some sort of future for his family that doesn't involve working in a factory for the rest of his life."
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It was close to one am by the time House had finally left Cuddy's place and drove home to his loft. The evening of playing poker with Cuddy's parents had been fun, especially when he had cleaned out everyone at the table, including Arlene, who set her jaw and glared at him when he bluffed his way through the last winning hand, however ever since Cuddy's conversation with Jason early in the day, the nagging feeling of jealously would not let him be and it was still with him as he ascended the stairs.
As he reached for the doorknob, he saw the folded up note taped in the center of it.
"Great." He grumbled, snagging the note and unfolding it so he could read what was inside.
Come to the house when you get back.
There was no signature from the author, but he'd know the handwriting anywhere.
"You rang?" House said, walking inside the living room, the glow of his old man's cigarette piercing through the dimly lit room as he sat in the lazy boy chair.
John House said nothing at first, taking a sip from the glass of whiskey held in his hand first before he cleared his throat.
"Did you have fun over at your girlfriend's house? John asked his son, keeping his eyes focused on the window before him instead of turning to face his son as he addressed him.
"As much fun as a pig in slop." House replied, knowing it would piss the old man off.
John snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray, before taking another sip of his whiskey.
"I've been married for nearly twenty years and this is the first time I've been alone on Thanksgiving Day." He told his son.
House felt a smile creep on his face, a laugh escaping his mouth, the kind that was anything but happy.
"You actually want me to feel sorry for you?" He asked his father with disbelief.
His father got up from the chair in a flash, intent on pinning his son against the wall as the anger and bitterness boiled over inside of him.
Before that could happen however, House grabbed him and pinned him up against the wall instead, a cry of surprise escaping his father's mouth and echoing through the empty hallway behind them.
"Get your damn hands off of me!" John ordered to he son.
House let him go of him, but stood his ground. "Sucks being on the receiving end, doesn't' it?" He questioned to his dad, feeling his heart racing, his eyes watching his old man for any sudden movement.
"I did what needed to be done to make you a man. This world we live in is a brutal place, and if you had ever served in a war you'd understand!" His father shot back at him.
"Except I wasn't the enemy dad, I was your son., but that didn't matter to you and now that I'm eighteen, your work is done, and you never have to worry about seeing me ever again… or your wife, who is sleeping in some else's bed tonight." House spat at him, the years of abuse he had taken from his father suddenly releasing some very ugly from inside of him
He was ready for the punch his father hurdled his way, blocking it with his forearm and nearly retaliating with a blow of his own to his father head, but he stopped, just before the connection could be made.
As House turned to leave, his Father grabbed hold of his shoulder.
"I was only doing what I thought was right." Said the man who had terrorized his son for years, his face looking so much older than he truly was.
"Well hopefully that will help you sleep at night because it sure as hell won't help me." House replied flatly before leaving the room.
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It was still night, the sky thick with an endless blackness as the cold fingers of an impending winter reached up into the sky, when House suddenly felt the warmth of a naked body moving next to him inside of his bed.
He didn't wake at first as he had drank a few shots of whiskey from a bottle he had stashed underneath his bed to numb the emotions that had raged on inside of him after his altercation with his father, and thought he was merely on the edge of dream when he felt the soft kisses being placed on his arm, his neck, his lips.
He willed his eyes open when he felt a hand moving into the waistband of his boxes, finding Cuddy lying beside him, her face illuminated by the moonlight, her smile reaching into his chest and touching his very soul.
"I didn't like how things went for us today, so I needed to see you again." She whispered over him, her hand now stroking him below the waist, her lips pressing down onto his own.
He removed her hand from inside of his boxers, pinning it onto the mattress beneath them as he rolled on top of her, her eyes wide as he gazed down upon her.
"I never meant to make you feel bad because you care about people, even if I can't seem to do that at times." He said to her, needing her to believe those words more than anything.
"I know." She replied back to him, concerned over the tortured expression on his face right now as he stared down at her intently.
"House, is everything okay?" She asked, using her free hand to caress the side of his face.
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them up to her once more.
"Everything's okay now that you're here with me." He answered before lowering his head and kissing her softly.
There was an underlining urgency in the way he made love to her that night and she picked up on it right away, his tenderness, mixed with such an aching need for her approval of him, of her desire to be with him, being reciprocated by her without hesitation, reassuring him that only he was the keeper of all of her secrets and the person she had let inside of her heart like no other, but also that no other person in her life could compare to what they had found together.
As dawn broke over the cold horizon and blessed the frost on the ground with its warmth, Cuddy remained in House's bed, cradled in his arms, her head resting on his chest, knowing that even though she may receive a lecture from her parents if she was caught sneaking back inside their home in the early morning night, she could not leave him just yet as the peaceful expression on his face as he slept beside her and with the sunlight softly kissing his cheek was something she could not bear to see come to an end, at least not until she was sure that whatever had him so terrified the night before would disappear back into the darkness where it came from as the new day outside of the window came to life.