Cuddy had expected repercussions; surely there must have been some adverse reaction to the act which they had committed so mindlessly. Unconsciously they had both expected for there to be uneasiness between them, no such space of time existed though. They had simply returned to the ins and outs of their normal interaction, although interaction was probably more minimal now.

No one noticed a change in their reaction to one another because there was none, no visible change that is. Cuddy now had the foresight to avoid being alone with him for prolonged amounts of time, of course this was usual for them both so perhaps her reaction would prove ineffectual but she had to make her answer somewhere.

The revelation that nothing had changed was completely symmetrical between them and weeks passed with the knowledge sunk deep into the crevices of their brains. She found out that she was noticing more things now, carefully observant about how utterly devoted to an illusion Cameron was. She scrutinized as the girl watched carefully over her unconcerned superior, she noted every time she fussed over him. She liked to revise these moments when she was screaming at him, she could accept the Yin to another's Yang.

There was a period where she tried to match the edges of Cameron and House together so that they would fit like jig-saw pieces, she only found herself successful when she pounded her fists down on them, forcibly enmeshing their two personalities. And then that time was over.

Was it unbelievably sad that she was watching his relationships? She had always been unobtrusively observant, she liked watching the ways things might play out, of course life quickly became too busy for such frivolities but lately she had been making time for this harmless vice.

Stacy was a conundrum; Cuddy had always felt a mutual indifference towards her which at times could have easily swung to affection. She never hated her, although neither House nor Wilson knew it, they both suspected that Cuddy had a secret loathing hidden away from them.

But now Cuddy found the situation puzzling, surely Stacy wanted no more to do with House? Wasn't she happily married? Things just seem to have this habit of getting ridiculously over complicated when really they should just be simple. If only ethics were stronger then the desire to disobey them.

She didn't want to dwell, things were working out so much better then they had before, somehow this interlude with House had helped her grasp a better control of her situation, mainly for the effect of not stooping to that level again. She found she had generated a lot of self loathing which was ineffectual in meaning; she moved on, became stronger. This is of course is the censored version which she drip-fed her self to the point of addiction.

The truth has this exasperating habit of lodging itself under the skin, sneaking into places easily forgotten only to gnaw away at you from the inside out. Cuddy had though of this and carefully discarded it, if she doesn't think about it so much then maybe it didn't happen.

Even after all is said and done she dwells.

Little memories sneak past her defenses, the scrape of his face against her skin, she manages to chastise herself for these slip ups but they happen all the same. She has this nagging feeling that she is reveling in the smutty taboo ness of hard cheap sex. She's not the kind of girl who should appreciate 'no-stings-attached'- or so she keeps telling herself.

With these ideas scattered in her mind Cuddy took wing to the dating scene again, her visit was brief and unsuccessful but still the move has been made, she is being social now. After the dates, which admittedly had been few she had returned to the hospital, even just to the car park to sit for a while. The hospital was the constant in her life and she needed it to be stable.

Cuddy waited for a time when she felt comfortable mulling over her sexual encounter and curled up on her bed. Why had she done it? The answer was simple enough to come by, she did it because she could and she knew that he would. She had slept with him because she was certain that there was nothing more than lust attached to their actions, unresolved sexual tension if you will. The only thing that tripped her up was that it hadn't been the first time they had conveniently fallen into bed with one another, the bed being metaphorical in this particular case.

She has slept with him twice this year, it's not a personal record but she still manages to feel a slight guilt. They sleep together when he is drunk, when she is depressed and sometimes when he is on a medication induced high, though she tries to avoid positive reinforcement of his destructive behavior if she can, she'd like to put it down to convenience but instead only manages a half hearted stab at their emotional attachment. Contrary to both of their thoughts they have grown attached to one another, a relationship that has discretely taken over what might have been their friendship, they don't quite know though it's not something that they have tried to notice.

After thinking about it for a while, she gave in and made herself a cup of earl grey.

Stalking down the hallways in a whisper of skirt and stockings Cuddy has started planning out exactly what she is going to say to House, reprimanding him for the latest complaint- sexual harassment none the less. Obviously he had no idea how serious this could be.

Wilson notices the familiar sound of a woman's righteous anger and turns to see Cuddy calmly picking her way towards House. Her back is painfully straight and her words terse and precise, in short he can tell that she is furious. He manages to catch the corner of a few words that sound a lot like "My office… ten minutes…" She is gone soon after with her over zealous back posture and a faint aroma of vanilla. He approaches House and betraying his interest in the matter leans over and asks

"What was that was all about?"

House throws back a comment about a patient and sexual harassment also claiming that the accusation is completely off base, Wilson is still gaping from the words 'Sexual Harassment' and they hadn't been in the corridor he would have repeated said phrase in a loud unbelieving voice.

"House, I'm going to give you some advice here because frankly you are my friend but you are also a moron. Under no circumstances should you blow off Cuddy's summons to her office, trust me on this"

"I guess you would know three wives and all…"

"Yes"

Wilson doesn't deny it because it's engraved on his hand in a semi-permanent band of pale flesh that signifies the absence of a wedding ring, a wedding ring that he is currently thumbing over in his palm. His third marriage, just as much of a train wreck as the other two but it was still animate, he has to remind himself of that sometimes. He slides the ring back over his knuckle, raising his head in time to see House mooching towards the elevator.

Cuddy has managed to stop hyperventilating by the time House walks into her office, she doesn't maintain the surprise that he actually turned up instead she starts pacing.

"Please tell that their grounds for sexual harassment are unfounded!"

Mixed into the cocktail of emotions that seem to be spinning around Cuddy he notes a hazy panic.

"I don't see why you are making such a big deal about this, she is a rich woman with too much time on her hands, anyway she's sure to drop it when I 'fix' her husband… unless she'd poisoning him and this all but an elaborate ruse to get rid of him and take all his money"

Cuddy blinks twice in rapid succession

"On second thoughts that scenario is way too overused… and I would have noticed"

She looks at him as if he is expanding at an exponential rate and might suddenly take over the universe. House gleefully watches her wide eyes and it's her personal feeling that this can't end well.

"You're going to have to discuss this with Stacy so she can tell us what to expect"

That, Cuddy believes, is the magical word, 'Stacy'. His whole demeanor slowly begins to unwind into a new tenser version.

Clearly these words disturb layers that he hadn't bothered to hide yet. She is fine with this though, Cuddy knows she isn't the only woman in his life, she hasn't staked her claim and she isn't going to.

She feels sorry for the downtrodden expression on his face, and then he gazes up at her with puppy-dog eyes his face an incarnation of woe.

"I'm not impressed, now go"

His figure limps out with a scowl on its face, he had been certain that the mournful needing expression would have won her over, than again he reminds himself that she is not Cameron and neither is he for that matter.

He is right and the law suit is dropped.

It drives her slowly insane that he can get away with anything he wants to if he tries hard enough. She returns to her habit of sliding off her shoes and pressing her feet against the cool metals legs of her desk, cocking her ear to hear an imaginary hiss of flesh against steel. Craning her neck gently to the left she smoothes her thumb across an eyebrow, letting her palm rest against her face, a quick and tired gesture that Wilson notes as he opens her office door.

"Lisa"

He is notifying her of his presence, he doesn't want to startle her or provoke any anger, he is sure that she has been slowly simmering away in her own time. She looks up, seeming annoyed at being distracted from whatever it was she had been doing before.

"What can I do for you Wilson?"

She is stuck in doctor Cuddy mode referring to him only by his last name.

"He hasn't done anything wrong, I know he can be a bastard but he wouldn't do something like… that"

She smiles at his devotion and nods at him

"I'm quite aware of that Wilson, is that all?"

Maybe he looks shocked, she isn't paying attention anymore because the god or paper work owns her at the moment, and Wilson turns to smile at her as the door to her office swings closed