The Gauntlet
Chapter 52
A/N: Hello, everyone! Can I just say how much I REALLY enjoyed Instant Karma… Fantastic House/Thirteen interaction. A couple of threads on Fox had to of course blast off on the minute possibility that there could actually be some true sexual tension between these two as if that were the union to bring the end of days… I say pooh! We all know how perfect they would be together! So even if it's a delusion in my own mind, I loved all 120 seconds of it!
Special thanks goes out to my faithful beta Kwaish… thanks for catching all of my boo-boos. And thanks to Vanamo for letting me bounce some ideas off her brilliant little head! And to my dear friend SpotandPunk… thanks for FINALLY hoping on board!
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"Nerve conduction test shows ascending demyelination in all of the extremities," Thirteen's voice broadcasted as she pushed through the door coming into House's office. "Worst of it is in his feet."
Minimizing his window, House twisted quickly in his chair away from his computer screen to look at her. His lips pursed into a frown. Ascending demyelination could be one of two things, neither of them really good. "Axonal loss?"
"Not yet," she said coming over to rest her hip on the edge of his desk. "Foreman thinks it's CIDP."
House nodded. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropothy. It was the better of the two options that came to mind; the other was ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. At least with CIDP, there was a chance of regaining motor control if the myelin sheath regenerated over time. ALS's prognosis ended in death. "Do a spinal tap and take a serum test for anti-ganglioside antibodies and start him on prednisone, plasmapheresis and IVIg."
"The boys are already on it," she said with a pleased little smile placing her hands in her pants pockets as she casually crossed her feet at the ankles. She was a little cocky. He wasn't sure he appreciated it or not.
House quirked a disgruntled eyebrow at her. "What? You guys don't check with me anymore before you start treatment?"
"Oh, come on," she pouted her full lips at him. "We were right. You just confirmed everything we talked about. You should be happy we actually figured it out on our own."
"Last time I checked, I was still the boss," he reminded her.
"Yes, and you are still the resident genius," she appeased, stroking his ego with her velvety voice. "And we most certainly do defer to your wealth of knowledge but this was a relatively easy one."
"CIDP is a very rare disease," he stated, "I'd hardly call it easy to diagnose."
"Yes, but not life threatening," she reminded him. "Gotta let the kids drive the car at some point."
House laced his fingers over his stomach leaning back purposefully in his chair. "Yeah, but you don't give the idiots the keys to the corvette without letting them drive the hatchback first."
Rolling her eyes, she chuckled at him. "This was the hatchback, House. No cardiac arrests, no spontaneous bleeding… he didn't even stop breathing. Now that would have been the corvette."
"Whatever," he grumbled. She had a point but he wasn't going to admit it.
"You're just upset that we figured it out without you, while you were up here looking at porn," she quipped with a saucy smile, tapping his foot with the tip of her boot.
"New stuff posted on YouPorn this afternoon," he said leaning forward. One little smile and she had effortlessly disarmed him. She was right; he was going soft. He placed his palm along the edge of her knee and then began to run his hand up the inside of her leg. "I have my priorities."
"Obviously," she agreed and then tilted her head curiously, eyeing him as he slid his hand up further in between her thighs. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he lied with a devilish smile. He had been thinking about her all day since this morning when he realized that she was jealous about Cuddy. It turned him on to know that she had a little bit of a jealous streak and that she was a little possessive. He wanted her. He always wanted her but it was like a moral imperative now that he knew she had silently staked her claim in that heated battle of wills. It was hot and he liked it.
"Are you going to cave?" she quipped, subtly opening her legs to give him a bit more access to the juncture between her inner thighs.
House narrowed his eyes at her in consideration for a moment. It sounded like a challenge. Who was he kidding? It was a challenge. "Not unless you cave first…" Keenly, he watched her cheeks and neck flush. The delicate line of her throat moved on a swallow as he trailed his middle finger up the curve of her center over the thin material of her pants. His eyes never left hers and he could see her irises deepen to that familiar shade of slate as she became aroused by his touch. House loved eye contact with her. It was so incredibly sexy they way she stared deeply into his eyes uninhibited and without fear.
"I'm sure they're done with the lumbar puncture," she said, "and the Plasmapheresis won't be given until tomorrow…"
"You're probably right," he agreed, tickling her again. He watched her breath catch in her throat and he smiled, pleased with his effect on her.
"It's almost dinner time," she announced breathlessly.
"Are you hungry?"
"Very," she replied and they both knew he wasn't talking about consumable sustenance. "Maybe we could go home and…"
"Get some?"
Her eyebrows arched and the corner of her mouth twitched into a grin. The tip of her tongue came out to wet her lips as she breathed out a sigh. House was lost in the moment mesmerized by the action of her mouth. Her every movement was seductive and alluring and she drew him into her mystique like he was puppet on a string.
Rising from his chair, House moved to within inches of her as she stood up fully in front of him. If they were any closer, they'd have no clothes on and be working out the untamed sexual tension that was escalating to a feverish pitch between them. Ever so slowly, he curled his fingers behind her neck and touched his lips to that spot where her tongue had moistened her lips to a soft warmth. They kissed slowly, deeply, languidly enjoying the taste of each other. The mere eight hours that they'd been at the hospital felt like an eternity that separated them as if they had been apart for weeks. Finally sated by the taste of her, House ended the kiss and pulled back slightly placing a light kiss on the tip of her nose with a smile.
"Let's go home," he murmured and she trailed her hand down the front of his chest indicating her agreement.
Just then, the glass door to his office swung open and they were propelled apart like opposing magnets, the warmth and serenity of their intimacy shattered. Cuddy entered the room with a suspiciously cheerful grin on her face. She had definitely noticed his proximity to Thirteen and she arched an eyebrow at him. Staring pointedly, she failed to make the obvious comment and instead, approached the desk with a friendly smile on her face. Thirteen turned around cautiously and slid House a curious look.
"Wilson and I are heading out to dinner," Cuddy announced. "We were wondering if you'd like to join us?"
House blinked at her for a beat and then drew his eyebrows together in confusion. Wilson and Cuddy went out to dinner almost every week. And they never asked him to come. Ever. Mostly because they knew he'd never want to go. Why would tonight be any different? What the fuck was this all about? "You want me to go to dinner with you and Boy Wonder?" He actually couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
"Yeah, we haven't gotten together, the three of us, in ages," she replied, mistaking his mirth for appreciation. "Come on, it'd be fun."
House stared at her for a long moment trying to ascertain what had prompted this random invite. Cuddy had that expectant look of measured patience as she waited for his answer. Her eyes were telling him that he had better go or the rain of hellfire, or some other kind of annoyance, would come down on him if he didn't submit to burgers and fries with his so-called friends. Slicing his eyes to the side, he glanced at Thirteen. Her face was a blank, but her eyes were a subtle shade of steel and he knew she was miffed that Cuddy interrupted them by marching in and rudely inviting him out to dinner right in front of her. "Why do you want me to go?"
"What, do you have other plans?" she challenged with a haughty laugh.
"I might," he objected. As a matter of fact, he did. He was about to go home and have sex with his girlfriend, the woman standing right next to him whom she so conveniently ignored. But, as a matter of principle, he wasn't going to expose Thirteen to undue scrutiny. The pit viper already had her suspicions and she almost caught them kissing just thirty seconds before.
"Right, you never have anything to do." Cuddy laughed harder and Thirteen snorted quietly moving toward the door between the offices. "Put your coat on, you're coming with us."
"No. I'm not," he said flatly reaching behind him to grab his coat from his chair. He had no intention of going, especially not without Thirteen. "I'm going home." Putting his on his coat, he grabbed his cane and moved to leave.
Cuddy came over and threaded her arm though his as he rounded the corner of his desk taking him by surprise. "Yes. You owe me after that stink bomb incident this afternoon," she supplied with an edge. It was an order, not a negotiation. "Let's go. Wilson's waiting."
House stopped in his tracks at the odd display of affection… closeness… touch? He wasn't even sure what to call it. Cuddy hardly ever touched him, let alone stood within his personal space. It made him feel a little creeped out. Rolling his eyes, he sighed. Quietly, Thirteen had passed by them and was almost on her way out the door. Wait, she was leaving? He wasn't going to just submit to this torture without her.
"Thirteen, you're coming too." He stated eyeing her, praying that she received his rescue signal loud and clear. They could delay their evening a bit until after this ridiculous attempt at a friendly dinner. Then they could pick up where they left off at home.
"No thanks, it seems like a popular kids' party," Thirteen retorted. "I'd just be in the way."
Okay… not the signal he was sending at all… "Bah… who doesn't like the easy, pretty girl… just come…" he volleyed with an attempt at levity, hopeful that would cajole her into going.
Cuddy's grip tightened on his arm and suddenly he felt a little like a tender little wolf pup stuck in the clutches of a jagged bear trap.
"I have to test the spinal serum for the AGA markers," Thirteen begged off, with a pointed edge. "Your underlings' work is never done."
House stared at her. What the hell was she doing? They both knew this diagnosis wasn't life threatening. It wasn't imperative that she do that now. Besides, she had just said that the rest of the team was in Pathology doing the test already. They didn't need her there.
Thirteen smiled flatly at him. She was upset. He knew it. He was too but he was kind of stuck. Cuddy wasn't relenting and she had already almost castrated him for having to close the clinic for three hours earlier this afternoon because of his stink bomb stunt. He didn't really care that he owed her, but he really didn't see a way out of it without throwing Thirteen under the bus and announcing their relationship. Here they were again, stuck in a quandary as to what to do. Admit to having a relationship and possibly jeopardize their jobs or sacrifice time together to keep their personal business private.
"She obviously has work to do," Cuddy interjected tightly, drawing his attention back to her still holding onto his arm.
House looked at her again on his arm and grimaced in irritation. Now he was just annoyed. Shaking out of her clutches, he stepped aside. He was going to tell Cuddy that she could forget the whole thing and that he was going home with his girlfriend, but Thirteen was already gone. Sighing in frustration, he dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes for a second. Women gave him such a headache. It was no longer fun that they were jealous of each other. It was annoying and it was beginning to mess with his whole work-life balance. Not like it was really all that balanced, more like a teeter-totter with a fat kid at the bottom, but it worked for him, even if it was dysfunctional. And now it just wasn't.
"Shall we?" Cuddy prompted with a coquettish smile that grated on him like nails on a chalkboard.
"Yeah, you go ahead, I'll meet you there," he told her. She gave him the name of the place and then trotted out. There was a spring in her spiked heals as she click-clacked her way back to the elevator. Somehow, she felt like she had won and that pissed him off.
House had no intention of actually showing up, however. He had lied to get her out of there. He just wasn't interested in having dinner with her and Wilson. He ate plenty with Wilson and now his girlfriend was pissed because he once again couldn't own up to having a real committed relationship with her. It wasn't really his fault; Cuddy put him in a spot. But ultimately it was. And now he had to go find her and apologize for something he didn't even really do.
Except he couldn't find her. When he showed up at Pathology she wasn't there. "Where's Thirteen?"
Taub looked up from the microscope. "We haven't seen her since the results of the NCT."
"She wasn't here. She was with you," Kutner said from his microscope.
"Obviously not anymore," he barked and then ran his hand over his face.
"Text her," Foreman suggested. "Oh wait you can't because doofus, here, electrocuted her phone during the NCT."
House stared at the neurologist and then looked at Kutner like he was the dumbest klutz in the world. He leaned heavily on his cane becoming weary. "You electrocuted her phone? How exactly does one do that?"
Kutner grinned sheepishly trying to suppress his laugh. At least he was amused by his complete ineptitude if no one else. "Electro probes arc when you hold them within four inches of each other. It's pretty cool."
Taub tilted his head to the side boredly. "Yes, and they arc to electronic objects within a foot of them. Did you know here ringtone for you was Sexyback? It played over and over and over until she finally had to take the battery out."
Rolling his eyes, he let out a grunt. "Yes, Justin Timberlake wrote that with me in mind," he groused. "Any idea where she might be?"
Foreman frowned apologetically. "Sorry, no. We thought you two would be going home."
Yeah, that was the plan... "Ok…" House dragged in an irritated breath to regroup. "Tomorrow, you're buying her a new phone," he declared pointing at Kutner. The young doctor nodded in agreement, a little smile tipping at the corners of his mouth. House shook his head. Idiot. "You," he pointed at Foreman, "Text me if anything changes and don't let Asshole touch anything electric for thirty days. He's grounded. Literally and figuratively." House turned to Taub. "And you, prepare for our commitment ceremony, we're getting married if Cuddy asks."
Taub narrowed his eyes at him in utter confusion. "What?"
"Just roll with it," he said and trekked out the door. This was turning into a shitty night even without to Cuddy's interference. House had to go find his girlfriend. With any luck, he'd be able to salvage what was left of it.
Sexyback, huh? That was kind of cool.
