A/N: I'm trying to work out a W/C series here...this will definitely be part of it...I just haven't mapped out the details yet. In the meantime, hope you enjoy! Feedback is love:)
"I'm home!" Wilson announced as he walked through the front door. Dropping his keys on the nearby table, Wilson made his way through the foyer and into the kitchen. "Julie?"
Looking around, Wilson's eyes landed on a note sitting on the table. He picked it up and read it quickly. 'Jimmy, Out with Gloria, be back late.'
Wilson sighed. Just once he'd like to come home to something other than an empty house. 'Not much I can do about it though,' he mused. That was just the way Julie was, she liked doing what she wanted, when she wanted. And after two previous divorces, Wilson was reluctant to jeopardize this marriage by denying Julie anything.
House called it being spineless.
Wilson called it being in love.
After switching on the radio to alleviate the silence, Wilson decided to figure out what to do about dinner. He opened the freezer and, after considering his options, grabbed two possibilities from the middle shelf.
He was in the process of deciding between them when the phone rang.
Dropping his dinner choices on the counter, Wilson turned the radio down and grabbed the nearby phone.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Wilson?" a familiar voice replied.
"Cuddy," Wilson said, smiling into the phone as he recognized her voice.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all, I was just about to decide on dinner…turkey and dressing or beef enchiladas."
Cuddy laughed. "Wow, that's quite difference."
"Frozen dinners," Wilson explained.
"I see."
"So, did you need something?"
"Oh, never mind, I don't want to interrupt your dinner."
Wilson glanced back at the boxed meals sitting on the kitchen counter. "Believe me when I say that you aren't interrupting much!" Wilson said with a smile. "What do you need?"
"Well, the annual board meeting is coming up in a couple weeks..." Cuddy trailed off.
"And...you'd like some help going over the numbers?" Wilson guessed.
"But it's no big deal, really. I can ask Dr. Simpson to..."
"No, it's okay," Wilson cut in.
"But I'm sure Julie wouldn't like it if you..."
"Oh, she...she's out for the evening," Wilson replied. "And I'd be happy to help, Lisa."
"Thanks," Cuddy said, sounding relieved. "I'll order the pizza."
Wilson smiled, "Sounds great. See you in a little while."
"Bye."
Wilson smiled as he hung the phone up and strode quickly out of the kitchen, the frozen dinners long forgotten.
Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all.
"The cavalry has arrived," Wilson said as he walked through the conference room door.
"And not a moment too soon," Cuddy replied, gesturing towards the various stacks of papers piled on the long rectangular desk.
"Do you mind if we eat first?" Wilson asked, spying the pizza box on the table.
"Of course not," Cuddy said. "I ordered half-bacon, half-sausage."
Cuddy watched the disappointment wash across Wilson's face. "Oh. I...um...should've reminded you..."
"Oh, I'm just kidding, Jimmy." Cuddy said with a smile. "In fact, I told them not to let any form of pork come within a 2-foot radius of the pizza."
Wilson raised his eyebrows in disbelief as he opened the box and inspected the pizza. "You did?"
"Yeah, had to tip them good for it too..." Cuddy trailed off as she noticed his bewildered expression. "You okay?"
"Oh, yeah." Wilson said, giving his head a quick shake. "I was just a little surprised. Most people tend to forget that I don't eat pork."
Cuddy smiled, "How long have we known each other now? Besides, I did kind of drag you away from your house. The least I could do was get food that you can eat."
"Yeah, just be glad this isn't the Sabbath," Wilson said with a wink. "You'd be stuck here by yourself."
"Perish the thought." Cuddy said with a shudder as she looked at the sea of papers piled on the table. "Well, let's hurry up and eat so we can get all this paperwork over with."
Cuddy massaged her throbbing temples as she stared down at the list of numbers spread out before her. She sighed loudly, the numbers just weren't adding up.
"Any luck?" Wilson asked, as he glanced at her over the paper he held in his hand.
"No, not yet," Cuddy replied, fighting the urge to scream or kick something. "It has to be some simple mistake, I just can't figure out what."
Wilson looked down at his watch. "Well, we've been going over this stuff for several hours now. Maybe we should call it a night; give it a fresh look tomorrow."
Cuddy looked back down at the balance sheet in front of her. The numbers still weren't making sense. She finally nodded, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
"Need help cleaning up?" Wilson offered.
"Not necessary. I'll just lock the door and keep the room off-limits."
"What if someone needs the room?"
Cuddy smiled. "Well, I guess they'll have to come see me first."
"Right." Wilson nodded as he grabbed Cuddy's jacket for her.
"Thanks," Cuddy said, as he helped her slip it on. "I really do appreciate all your help, Jimmy."
Wilson smiled as he opened the door for her, "In a way you did me a favor...you saved me from another night of frozen dinners and reruns."
Cuddy returned his smile, "Well, in that case, you're welcome."
"Shall I walk you out?" he said, offering her his arm.
Cuddy couldn't help the sly grin that crossed her features as she took hold of his elbow. "Okay...but only because I know that you're afraid of the dark," she quipped.
"Funny, Lisa. Very funny."
Opening the door softly, Wilson stepped inside the front door. The house was dark and quiet, not surprising for as late as it was.
He noiselessly climbed the stairs towards the master bedroom, and was surprised to find the light was still on.
Pushing the door open, he found his wife lying in bed reading one of her novels. "Oh, you're home," she said flatly, not bothering to look up from her book.
"Yeah, Cuddy asked me to..." Wilson trailed off and shook his head. "You didn't have to wait up for me."
"Oh, I wasn't. I just couldn't get to sleep, so I thought reading would help."
"Oh," Wilson said with a nod, feeling something akin to disappointment. Part of him had liked the idea of her caring enough to wait up for him. "Uh, so, how was your day?"
"Good."
"Right..." Wilson nodded again. "Um, well...I've had a long day, so I'm going to get ready for bed."
"Fine." Julie said as she turned a page.
Wilson stifled a sigh as he made his way to the connecting bathroom. 'When did talking to her become so difficult?' he wondered as he mechanically he went through his nightly routine. True, his job kept him away from home quite often, but why did she have to make everything so hard when he was here? Why did it always seem like the only woman he couldn't get along with was the one he was married to?
Forcing the negative thoughts from his mind, Wilson emerged from the bathroom…only to find that Julie had turned the light off and turned on her side to sleep.
Darkness made the room harder to navigate as he made his way over to his side of their large bed. Sliding under the covers, Wilson looked over towards Julie's back.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
"Mmm."
"I love you."
There was no reply.
The End