Hey everyone! So sorry for the wait, but as it says in my profile (for those of you who don't know) I'm on a House hiatus. I'm getting tired of the show. It's borderline sickening. However, I like this story too much to abandon it. Plus, I see everyone didn't like how the last chapter went, so I couldn't leave it like that! Sorry the chapter is so much shorter than my norm, but hey, at least it's something ^^
Enjoy :)
House and Cuddy went back to their stateroom, hand in hand, moments after Todd left.
"Do you seriously get a kick out of me seeing you with other men?" House asked, upon entering their room.
"What do you man? You said you were going to spend the day watching TV, so I had in it my plans to go up to the track, but ran into Todd in the hall and went with him. Despite popular opinion, House, I do like it when I have an exercising partner every now and then, and just because you and I are somewhat of a thing now, it doesn't have to be you all the time."
"I know, but why did it have to be HIM?"
"Hey, at least it wasn't Bryce."
"I'd rather it be no one," he said, grabbing the directory to the ship off the top of the fridge.
"Well, you can't always get what you want," she said smugly, snatching the directory out of his hand and flipping the page to see the activities listed for today.
"Nice."
"How did you know where we were anyway?" she asked, eyes scanning the page to find today's date.
"Before or after the sauna?"
Cuddy frowned up at him. "You knew where we were before the sauna?"
He shrugged. "I chanced it. I figured walking back to where the track was and looking around, I'd eventually find you. Although I have to admit that the Lara Croft moves you were pulling back there were rather enticing," he said, referring to the rock climbing.
"Great. Now you're even comparing me to someone who exists only in pixels in video games. And I suppose she has a better body than me?"
"Duh. Well, except in the movies. Angelina may have the most beautiful set of lips, but you have a much better body than her."
Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Great, thanks. Are you finished?"
"Have you figured out something to do?"
"Not yet."
"Then allow me to continue—"
"House," she interrupted, shutting him up. "Enough. If you really have a thing for Angelina, my condolences. If you have a thing for a character she plays, you need help with your priorities."
House stepped up and wrapped his arms around Cuddy. "You're the only one I have a thing for, my Cuddles."
"Yeah, sure," she said flatly. "The only time I seen you smile all day was when you mentioned…whatever her name is."
"Have you seen that body? Pixels or not, she's got a great set of twins."
Cuddy sighed. "Forget it. You're hopeless."
House snatched the booklet back and stepped away. Cuddy allowed this. It was better he pick something he wanted to do. At least he wouldn't be bored that way.
"You decide what you're going to do. I'm taking a shower. And no peeking. You lost your privilege after comparing me to Angelina. And for calling me Cuddles."
House whined. "Cuddyyyy!"
She held her hand up to silence him. "Nope. You should've thought about that before you said anything."
Instead of being stunned, the corner of his mouth raised as a smirk formed on his face. "Are you jealous?"
"Yeah, House, because you sneak away with her on a nightly basis."
"She has a thing for my breathtaking, wonderful, world renowned, hard…diagnostic skills."
Cuddy walked away without a word. House followed her. "I'm the one who's supposed to be jealous here! I just get done seeing you with another man and you're jealous of me liking an actress." He stood in the middle of the doorway and watched her fumble about in the room.
"It's nothing to do with that, House." Cuddy grabbed a fresh pair of clothes from the drawer once she was in her room. "You have the mentality of a child. You can't ever be serious!"
Now it was House's turn to be surprised. "Because I compared you to a video game character? You don't like it, so therefore, I'm childish. I've done a lot worse to you in five minutes and you never ranked on me before for it. I'm the one who's supposed to be pissed about you going out with some other guy!"
"Let's get one thing straight, House. I didn't go out with him. I ran track and climbed a wall with him. It's not like you were going to do those things with me!"
Cuddy didn't realize what she said until after she said it. House was pushing her and she didn't realize how far he pushed her until she let that come out of her mouth.
Just when his face started to soften, anger vanished from her body and she felt tears surface her eyes. "House, I'm so sorry."
He turned around and walked away from the room. She followed quickly behind him.
"House—"
"Take a shower, Cuddy."
She placed her hand on his shoulder from behind, but he immediately shook it off.
"Please know that I didn't mean it."
"Yes you did. You weren't drunk and you weren't impaired when you said it. I know I can't do those things. Why do you think I keep trying to push you away?"
He tried walking away from her, but she continue to fill in the gap that he tried putting in between them. "Those things don't matter to me. I've been alone practically my whole life, House. I…I love you. I don't…I don't care if you can't run with me. It doesn't matter!"
House said nothing.
"Just…pick something we can do together."
She slid her arms around his waist and joined her hands in the front. She rested her head against his back, glad he wasn't trying to shake her off this time.
She must've stayed that way for at least five minutes. House didn't move, nor did he speak.
House could feel her tears soak up his shirt and her head bob slightly while crying. He couldn't hear her cry, but knew she was.
"Okay," he said and then felt her head lift off his back. "I'm sorry."
He turned around and hugged her. Cuddy was so relieved that she made it known now that she was crying.
"House, you're prefect to me just the way you are. If I didn't think that, I wouldn't be here with you right now. If I did come with you, I wouldn't have taken it as far as I did. Please just trust my love for you. Stop putting me through these stupid tests to prove my loyalty."
"I won't. I promise."
Time would only tell just how far that promise went. Whenever House felt he wasn't enough to Cuddy, he would clam up inside his shell and say things he didn't mean. It was Cuddy's turn to slip and say something she didn't mean. It made him feel like shit. Now he understood how she felt when he said or did something of that sort. The shoe had to be on the other foot for it to click.
House would always wonder what Cuddy saw in him. Was it because they had a past together? It couldn't be because he was a carefree and doting man. He'll never understand what caused her to come to him, but he wouldn't question it anymore, at least not vocally. He'll always wonder though.
But Cuddy, god, did he surely get lucky. She was one in a million. One in a billion was more like it. It's definitely not every day someone who's as beautiful as she is was a successful administrator and a wonderful person to boot. He could search forever and never find someone like her. Now that he's got her, it took a while for him to realize that. It just seemed so unbelievable. Someone like him wouldn't get someone like her. Where would they go from here?
Just because he couldn't comprehend it, doesn't mean it's wrong.
There she was, standing right before him—so beautiful and so right. Those eyes alone were enough for any man to fall in love. And that voice…It was as if heaven send down its angels to play him a tune. House doesn't believe in god, unless he sees it, but all be damned if there wasn't an angel standing before him.
"I love you, Lisa," he murmured, cupping her cheek with one hand and using the other to gently run through her hair.
She said it back and the two erupted in not only just one passionate kiss, but a various amount of them.
Looks like the activities would have to wait until later. They had a few of their own they wanted to try out first.
Up next--House and Cuddy try their luck in the casino!
Thanks for reading ^^