Ch 37: Missing the Mark

House went about his day as per the norm, stopping periodically to see how his newest 'adoptee' was getting along, Taub shooting him speculative glances all the time. He talked to Wilson over lunch about his upcoming nuptials, which Cuddy had been meticulous in planning, and about the bachelor party which he would be the subject of for a change. "I'm so damned good at planning the damned things that it's weird to be on the receiving end…"

"You're just nervous because you didn't think you'd be experiencing one in your lifetime," Wilson said with a smirk, though both he and House knew it to be the truth.

"Do you really blame me?" he asked his friend. "I didn't exactly have lots of candidates running for the office of Mrs. House."

Wilson sighed. "Some of us are just lucky I suppose," he preened. House tossed a bun at his head, leaving a trail of butter from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. "That was mature," Wilson said sarcastically as House chuckled. He wiped the oily substance away with a napkin as House settled back in his seat.

"So are you and the 'baby mama' ever gonna tie the knot?" he asked.

"I haven't really thought much about it, honestly," Wilson replied.

"You not thinking about marriage? That's like the Kennedy's not thinking about money or Janet Jackson not thinking about whose junk will be stuck in her trunk next weekend."

"Really…we're just taking things as they come."

House sighed. "The whole damned world is going to hell; you're happily single with a baby on the way and I'm saying 'I do' in front of a crowd of Cuddy's friends and family."

"Things aren't that different, are they?" Wilson asked. "Sure people are in relationships that are perhaps not what is expected, but we're still the same. We've still got the same values and flaws."

"Habit is a part of that system," House countered. "And we are NOT conforming to our old habits."

It was Wilson's turn to laugh now. "Yes, well by your definition of our habits, Cuddy is going to die alone surrounded by weird baby books filled with pictures of kids she doesn't know, I'm going to move to Saudi Arabia and set up my own harem, and you're going to find the secret to life and tell the world to go to hell when they come knocking for the answers."

"That sounds about right."

"Well you might be onto something with the harem…"

House laughed. "I don't know…I just didn't expect things to turn out this way."

"And are you ok with it? Or would you like to mess up our respective relationships so that things can go according to your plan? Can you handle being less than miserable?" Wilson asked his best friend.

"I have no idea," House replied simply, taking another bite of his half of Wilson's sandwich.

Cuddy was waiting for House at his car, beaming when he limped out to the parking lot at five in the afternoon. "You look happy," he commented, unlocking the door for her and then for himself on the other side.

"Well my fiancé is taking me out to dinner tonight," she pointed out with a grin.

"And what are you going to give the man in return for shelling out his hard earned cash for your eating?" House asked as he settled in behind the steering wheel.

Cuddy smirked. "Oh, I think he'll be satisfied with his reimbursement."

House chuckled. "Where would you like to go?" he asked.

"I'll let you decide."

"The Canopy has a reservation for two," he said, waggling his eyebrows impressively.

"Seriously?" Cuddy was more than a bit shocked that House had actually made dinner reservations at a fairly classy restaurant.

"Serious as a heart attack," he told her.

"The fiancé is really going to be getting his money's worth," he said suggestively and he had to grip the wheel to keep from veering off the road in anticipation of the night to come.

They were seated promptly and House ordered the waiter to bring them the finest wine in the place. He pointed out that he really needed to celebrate their union a bit better than to dry hump each other until they acquired saddle sores. Though the imagery was less than pleasant, Cuddy was pleased to hear the sentiment and toasted her wonderful husband to be as soon as she was poured a glass of wine.

After placing their orders she looked House over and cleared her throat. He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Did you want to talk about the business now or after we're done?" she asked him.

"Now's fine if you want to get it out of the way so the fun can start…" he said with a mischievous smirk.

"Ok," she replied. "Let's have it."

"I want to fire Taub," House said, wasting no time beating around the bush.

She was a bit taken aback, but pulled herself together quickly. "Ok…why, might I ask?"

"He's a complete ass now that he knows you'll protect him. I hired another fellow and he made it seem like he would try to point out her physical attributes to you in order to 'get me in trouble.'"

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. Not why I hired her…she's good at her job. Has a double specialty and has been working in the hospital for a while, waiting for an interview with me."

"Oh. Ok…what's the problem then? Why does Taub think I should be informed about how great her ass is?"

"I tried to fire him before and he's trying to get back at me. I know you don't think he should be punished, but I want him gone."

After a moment Cuddy nodded. "Alright. But you're going to have to replace him. I can't let you have a pregnant doctor and a new hire doing all the work for the head of a department," she told him.

"I called Foreman and he agreed to come in and talk to me."

"What?!?" Cuddy was completely flabbergasted. "He…he's willing to come back?"

"Under the condition that Wilson is removed from any of my cases."

"You want me to fire your best friend?" she asked, even more shocked.

"No…I just won't have Wilson sit in on differentials. He'll come directly to me instead of one of my lackies."

Cuddy took a deep breath. "You've really thought this through, House."

"I do what's best for my department and my team," House replied.

"Ok. Do what you think is best."

The rest of the evening was permeated with good food and great sex and House was a very happy man at the end of the night as Cuddy snuggled down deeper into his arms.