He sat down heavily and looked around the room, eyeing up who had turned up for this awful Fourth of July bash. Almost immediately, Wilson sat down next to him and they eyed each other up suspiciously.
"So you came too, huh?" Wilson said, smiling dryly.
House smiled caustically back at him.
Wilson handed him a beer and he took it gratefully.
"God, I hate these things," House said after swallowing half the bottle in one go.
"Then why come?" Wilson asked.
"Because you have to be on parade for all the bigwigs," House replied sarcastically. "Besides, Cuddy threatened to make me work more hours in the clinic if I didn't," he added with a wry grin.
Wilson nodded empathetically with his buddy. "I notice all your team are here enjoying themselves."
House looked at the dance floor and saw Foreman and Chase dancing with that new Assistant who he had tried so hard to ignore since she started. He was sick of her trying to organise him, bullying him into attending meetings, doing his filing and taking his messages, not to mention harassing him to see his patients. Plus she was a Brit, a totally different breed altogether in his books.
He idly watched her for a while, his mind drifting back to when she first started at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Cuddy had totally sprung it on him that a new Assistant was in town. Well, that wasn't strictly true if he was totally honest with himself, he just hadn't bothered to read the memo.
He had been summoned to her office where he was formally introduced to Nicky and he'd disliked her from the start. It was bad enough that he had an Australian on his books, now he had a Brit. Man, it getting more like United Nations around here every day.
He gave her the cold shoulder when she'd offered her hand for him to shake, instead he'd given Cuddy a mouthful. There was no way he wanted an Assistant meddling in his life. He was just fine as he was, thank you very much.
As he watched her, he had to admit that she could move. He took another swig of his beer and glanced at Wilson who was also watching her.
"You fancy her, don't you?" House said.
"Who?"
"That Brit."
"No," Wilson shrugged the idea off with a grimace.
"But?" House pushed.
"You've got to admit, she's good at her job," Wilson said evenly.
"She's a pain in the ass," House replied sulking.
"Why? Just because she gave as good as she got, you couldn't handle it," Wilson replied cockily. "She's good at her job and you know it."
House growled indicating that the conversation was over.
They both watched as she left the dance floor with Chase and Foreman to get a well-earned drink. As she passed, she nodded curtly at them and carried on.
She'd had enough of House and his caustic ways. They'd had yet another run in earlier. She was sick of the way he'd made her feel small, he'd deliberately berated her today by ordering her to fetch his damn prescription just as she'd sat down to take notes on his meeting with his team. By the time she'd got back, the meeting was over and the doctors were running through the door. How was she supposed to keep on top his workload or back him up to Cuddy if he wouldn't allow her to do her job?
He couldn't see that she was there to back him up, not Cuddy. Well, he'd have to learn it the hard way that was all.
Although Chase and Foreman had welcomed Nicky with open arms, Cameron was still very aloof around her and she was yet to work out why. Chase and Nicky had empathy for each other, they were both foreigners after all. Foreman had worked out early on that she was their back up when Cuddy put a stop on tests because of expense or if she was in a bad mood with House. Nicky had pleaded their case, professionally and quickly, and the tests had been authorised without any fuss. He could see she was an ally and wasted no time in letting the others know. They had talked at length about how things worked in their department and Nicky realised early on that House's team wouldn't ask for anything unless they really needed it.
"Well I'm not sitting here all night, listening to you bitching about your assistant," Wilson said, getting up, "I'm going to ask her to dance."
Before House could protest, Wilson strode over to Nicky and was soon on the dance floor giving House a knowing look.
When the music slowed, Nicky walked over to House and offered her hand. "Dance with me?" she asked.
"You're joking, right?" House replied his voice heavy with sarcasm.
"On the contrary, it's a slow dance," Nicky countered. "You only need to move a little to get the desired effect."
He looked at Wilson who was trying to suppress a grin. Unable to turn down a challenge he awkwardly got up and hobbled to the dance floor.
Nicky was right, the music was slow enough for him to actually keep his balance with his stick and put his other arm around her, however alien it felt.
They moved slowly, one arm lightly around her waist, the other holding onto his stick. Nicky had put one arm around his shoulders and the other was around his waist, so that should he stumble, she could right him immediately. He had to admit, he felt safe yet also vulnerable. Her fingers were lightly working their magic on his neck, easing his tension, and making him relax, while the other was slowly caressing his spine. He couldn't stand how good it was making him feel any longer, he was supposed to detest this woman, yet she was making him relaxed and calm in a way he hadn't felt in years. Overwhelmed by the way she made him feel, he pushed her away roughly and strode out of the room as fast as his limp would allow.
Nicky stood for a moment watching him then dropped her head, disappointed that she'd wound him up yet again.
Wilson walked over and took over House's vacant position. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly in her ear.
"I can't seem to do anything right in his eyes," Nicky replied.
They danced until the end of the song and left the dance floor to get some more drinks.
"I've got to go," Nicky said suddenly. "I'll see you in the morning."
Before Wilson could protest, she was on her way through the door.
She had a pretty good idea where House lived and was grateful to see a lamplight softly glowing from his living room window. Good, he's in, she thought.
She tapped his door gently and after a moment or two heard the cane hitting the floor rhythmically as he limped over to the door. He couldn't hide the look of surprise on his face as he opened it to her.
"We didn't finish the dance," Nicky said quietly as she walked in, closing the door softly behind her. She smiled as she noticed that the same song was playing on his stereo. "Shall we?"
House was stunned, he nodded and took her in his available arm once more and started moving the best that he could. Since there was nobody around but them, they seemed a little more relaxed as they danced closer. Nicky's hand once more gently caressed his spine, her lips touching his neck gently so that he could feel her warm breath tickle his ear. His senses were going into overdrive, his head was telling him no, no, no but his heart was saying go, go, go.
He pulled away slightly so he could look into her eyes, willing her to see the question he was asking. She took him up on his offer and brushed her lips against his and he thought he was going to drown in the sensory overload now rushing through his brain. He closed his eyes as she kissed him once more and he let his mouth explore hers, their tongues making their acquaintances. She felt his arm tighten around her and his stick touching the back of her leg as he pulled her closer.
As soon as the track finished, Nicky pulled away gently and looked deep into his eyes. "Thank you," she said. She turned and headed for the door, turning back to smile at him before closing the door softly behind her.
Confusion wracked House's brain, what the hell was all that about? He popped a couple of Vicodin then sat down at the piano and played the basic melody of the song he'd just danced to, his thoughts drifting back to those blue pools that had bored into his soul.
