The Gauntlet

Chapter 53

Remy fished her keys out of her messenger bag as she rode the elevator up to the door of her apartment. It had been a while since she'd been back so the key ring was buried deep at the bottom under her senseless file notes and dictations. She didn't know why she brought them home because she never actually got to do any work. House would usually talk her into having a beer and watching TV on the couch and that was so much more enticing than dry medical charting. Tonight, she wasn't going to get to them either, since she'd been to Teddy's for dinner. They sat and bitched for while about that vapid whore and a half who ruined her evening before Remy decided it was time to go home. She wasn't really in the mood to fall asleep on Teddy's couch and spend the night.

Finally, she found the elusive keys as the elevator doors opened to her floor. Remy was tired and cranky. And she was actually glad that idiot, Kutner, fried her phone because she probably would have done something stupid like drunk-text House to cut off his dick and douse it in alcohol to kill the Cuddy-cooties before he came back to her expecting sex anytime soon. Just the thought of that slut touching him made Remy want to claw the woman's eyes out with a dull plastic soupspoon.

Ok, so maybe she was being a little immature, but she was pissed. She was so looking forward to spending the evening naked with him. She had just come off her period and while all of the cuddling was nice, she was jonesing for a good, sweaty fuck. And that stupid, conniving whore had to go and fuck up her whole mojo.

Remy stopped short as she rounded the corner and saw two sneakered feet connected to some faded jeans sticking out past the edge of the wall. Great. He was here… camped out at her door like he was waiting for the midnight train at Grand Central Station. Closing her eyes, she breathed in a sigh and edged closer. Briefly, she wondered how long he'd been waiting. It was after 10pm and his eyes were closed like he might be sleeping.

"What are you doing?" she asked putting her hand on her hip as she came to a stop in front of him.

House opened his eyes and raised his brows a fraction of an inch as he looked up at her. Frowning, he pushed out an aggravated huff. "Back so soon?"

Remy cringed a little at his tone. It had a caustic edge. He wasn't happy. Good, that made two of them. But she did feel a little bad, however, that he had to wait outside and sit on the floor. He had apparently been waiting a while and his leg was probably going to pay him back in spades for that.

Holding her hand out to him to help him up, he ignored her and made no effort to move from his spot. Instead, he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow in irritation. "Where have you been for the past three hours?"

"I went to see Teddy," she answered dropping her outstretched hand to her side. Why she felt like that was a betrayal was beyond her but yet, somehow it did. "She was off tonight. We had dinner."

"Great. How come I don't have a key to your place?" he ground out sharply.

"Because we're never here," she answered him simply, giving him an indifferent shrug. It was the truth. There was no real reason other than that. "You just never needed one."

"I should still have a key," he stated. "For times, like this…"

"Really?" she snorted stepping over his legs to unlock the door. "We plan on having other evenings like this?"

With a grunt, he heaved himself off the floor and stood up beside her as she pushed the door open. His limp was heavy and pronounced as he followed her into the musty stale air of the apartment. Yeah, his leg was getting him back for sitting on the chilly floor. Idiot, he should know better. Turning on the overhead light in the dining room, Remy took off her coat and tossed it to the back of the chair by the sofa. He didn't say anything; he just sort of stalked back and forth in the open space leading up to the kitchen.

"So, how was dinner?" she asked pointedly. Her tone was cheerful but she knew it came out with a bitchy edge. They were skirting around a fight and she knew that it was going to be solely her fault when it happened.

"I didn't go to dinner," he told her stopping in front of her. "I blew them off, so that I could spend time with you."

Really? That was a surprise. However, she didn't like his attitude at all. His words came out like a scathing accusation. "You say that like you wanted to go," she replied. "Like it was my fault you didn't? As if I told you not to?"

He shook his head. "No. I didn't want to go and you knew it, but you made that stupid excuse of going to run the test you know you had no reason to run because the team was already doing it. You could have gone with me and…"

Remy's mouth dropped open in unrestrained shock. Was he serious? "Did you really think I was going to go after she so obviously excluded me from her little dinner party," she retorted angrily. "It was clear she wanted nothing to do with me. She was soooo fishing for a reaction from you."

"I know exactly what she was doing," he shot back. "But she came up empty handed…"

"No, she got exactly what she wanted," Remy hollered incredulously. "She got us to not spend the night together."

He screwed his face up into a disgruntled frown. "Right because you had a hissy fit and walked out leaving me holding the bag. So, instead of going, I spent the last three hours sitting outside your apartment waiting for you to come home."

"I never asked you to do that," she replied as she watched him stalk away from her. "That was your choice. So, I don't understand why you're mad at me?"

House wheeled around on her like she was crazy. "If you had just waited two seconds before leaving in a pissy huff, I was going to tell her to fuck off and that I was going home to fuck my girlfriend instead."

Remy crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. Right, like he was actually going to out their affair to their boss… She wasn't sure she believed him. "You were really going to tell her?" Oh god, she sounded like a little girl…

"Yes! I'm tired of this hiding shit," he complained.

Remy tossed a challenging glare at him. "Why haven't you told her before?"

"Because it's none of her fucking business," he supplied. "People have affairs all over the hospital all of the time and she could care less so long as the job gets done. Why should my personal life be any different?"

"Because she wants you for herself," she retorted stabbing her finger at his chest.

"That's irrelevant," he objected looking down at her finger and then slicing his eyes back up to hers.

"Irrelevant?" Even she cringed at the screeching quality of her voice. She shook her head in self-deprecation, censoring her next comment.

He narrowed his eyes curiously at her. "Why are you so jealous of her?"

Remy rolled her eyes and then cast her gaze down to the floor as she realized how childish she was behaving. "I don't know."

He stepped closer to her and dipped his head to see into her eyes. Turning her head, she looked away and he sighed in frustration. "You do know," he insisted, this time more gently.

Pausing for a second, she stared out into the darkness of the kitchen before bringing her eyes back to look intently at him. "Because it just pisses me off that she flits around you with her tits hanging out and her ass squeezed in those tight skirts. She does it solely to get your attention."

"So?" he stared at her.

"So, it irks the shit out of me," she reiterated. "I don't want her anywhere near you."

"This whole thing is ridiculous. She is the boss, you know. And unfortunately she has to be in my general vicinity," he said.

"I know," she shouted. Raking her hands into her hair she let out a frustrated growl and then started to chuckle. God, this was so stupid. He took a step backward uncertain about her sudden change of direction. "I know, I know, I know!" Remy repeated. "I fucking hate it, but she makes me crazy."

"Welcome to my world," he grumbled with an eye roll.

Suddenly, the total insanity of the situation came over her and Remy felt a deep laugh come up from her belly through her chest. He was right as usual; it was all so ridiculous. Laughing she stepped closer to him and brought her hands around his neck, mock-choking him before she let go and embraced him in a hug. He brought his palms to her sides and then encircled her waist in his hands. He chuckled into her neck and then let out a sigh before pressing his lips to her pulse point behind her ear.

"Why didn't you tell me that Kluztner electrocuted your phone so I had no way of getting in touch with you?"

Remy sighed wearily and buried her nose against the scruff on his neck inhaling the heady scent of his skin. "Thank god he's brilliant because I'd really have to kill him," she said touching a kiss to the spot where her lips met his pulse. "I'm so sorry. I forgot until I was already on my way over to Teddy's. Plus, I assumed you were already occupied so I didn't think that you were sitting outside of my door."

His hands worked their way up her back and held her tightly to him. "You know there are going to be times when we're not going to spend the night together."

"I know, why are you telling me?" she inquired with a laugh. He had said it like he was trying to remind himself. "You're the one who was camped out in the hallway. You could have been home sleeping on your couch."

She felt his shoulders shrug under her face. "I know. I'm just saying…"

Remy smiled inwardly. He was a big softy underneath the gruff exterior he showed everyone else. The truth was he needed to be with her every night. It made him happy. Aside from the brief week of their break up, since they first started sleeping together, they had only spent three nights apart. One was by choice because they both needed some space after a young patient died; and the other two were because she'd been at the hospital running tests all night for other patients. Ononly one of those nights did he actually stay at the hospital; and that was tosleep in his chair, because it was snowing out and too dangerous to drive home. But, Remy knew it was really because he didn't want to be alone.

It was a simple fact. House wanted to be with her all of the time. Spending so much time together wasn't something Remy was used to. Usually, the men she dated would see her once or twice a week and then on weekends. But, he wanted her there every single night snuggled up next to him on the couch and then again later in bed. Teddy said he was clingy, but Remy knew it was because he needed to feel something other than pain. He needed to feel connected to something. And she was oddly okay with that. It was nice. Then again, she was in love with him and that was a first for her too, so she supposed that love meant being okay with the odd quirks of your partner.

"I'm sorry I walked out," she said pulling back to look into his face. "I'm an idiot for being jealous."

"Yeah, you are," he said with a chuckle. She smacked at his arms and then laughed. No matter how annoying he was, she couldn't be mad at him for very long.

Remy trailed her fingers along the front of his coat and slipped her hands into his lapels to push it off of his shoulders. "Did you actually get to eat?"

"Yeah, I went for pizza after I realized you weren't home yet and then came back about an hour ago," he said letting her slip his coat off his arms, replacing his hands on her back and then up under the hem of her sweater. His fingers were warm against her skin, smooth yet masculine, electrifying the spot where they rested.

"Good," she whispered running her tongue along the edge of his lip. "Then we can finally pick up where we left off."

He plunged his hands high up into her sweater, cupping her shoulder blades and pulling her into him. Letting out a feral growl, he dragged his lips up the column of her neck to the corner of her jaw. "I've been waiting all night for that."

Giggling, Remy let him take her off sweater…

This was exactly what Cuddy had tried to stop. But in the end, Remy had won. House was here with her and they were picking up exactly where they had left off.

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A/N: I have to send out special love to Digital Buddha for that glorious review you gave me a few chapters ago. I am remiss for not mentioning it last note, so I'm including it here albeit a bit late. Your praise makes me so proud and I am glad to keep you entertained. But seriously…. Get a login so we can PM each other already!

Cheers!