"Blue eyes, blue eyes…How come you tell so many lies?
Come up and see me, make me smile, or do what you want, just running wild."
Her face fell as soon as she realised who was at the other side of the door.
"I don't believe this." she said, trying to shut the door in his face. "No...I can't do this." House pre-empted her move and swiftly stuck his cane through the door preventing her from closing it fully. "Greg don't. I don't know how you tracked me down or what you want but leave me alone. Please." House retracted his cane slightly at the tone of her voice. She sounded defeated, worn down. Very un-Stacy like.
"I just drove 5 hours to be here Stace, what do you suggest I do now?"
"Just….just get back on your motorcycle and go home Greg. I'm sorry you came all this way but I don't want to see you, I don't want to see anyone. Just go, please." Her voice cracked on the last word and he knew from experience that she was close to losing it.
"Fine. But I'm not leaving." he said, finally taking his cane out of the doorway.
"Do whatever you want." she said, shutting the door. He turned away, unsurprised at her reaction but feeling concerned about her, even more than he had done before he left. He'd only heard that tone in her voice a few times, none of them good. Surveying the scenery around him, he considered his options. Leaving was not an option, he knew that much. Not just due to Stacy but he knew his leg wouldn't handle the journey back. Peering around the side of the house he spied the double cushioned porch swing, still swinging slightly and in good condition. Taking his knapsack from his back he set it down on the grass by the swing. It was mid afternoon, but warm and settling down on the elongated seat he closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun cocoon him. Stacy hadn't let him in, yet. He was sure she would though. It wasn't exactly the first time Stacy has refused to let him inside.
"Let me in Stace." he wheedled.
"No" came the sharp answer from inside. "Not my fault you left your keys at a bar. And you missed my dinner"
"I didn't leave them there, they got confiscated. And I genuinely forgot about the dinner."
He heard a hollow laugh from Stacy.
"Why do you think that's better? That just sounds like you got too drunk, forgot my dinner and had your keys taken off you."
"It's not...I didn't mean it like that. Look, I was just trying to be there for Wilson."
"Well, I'm so glad you care more about his feelings than mine. I hope he feels the same way because you'll be sleeping on his sofa for the next few night's."
It wasn't just the keys she was mad about. Stacy's firm had won a huge case that she was paramount in, and had arranged a celebratory dinner and drinks on Friday night. House hadn't met the other lawyers at Stacy's firm yet, being as she was the only one who worked directly in the hospital and knew it was a quasi excuse just so they could finally meet him. He'd been looking for an excuse to get out of it over the last two days, and luckily a difficult patient had provided him with one. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to phone Stacy earlier to tell her that he would be delayed. Then, when Wilson turned up at his office, upset and annoyed about another setback with his wife he had unwittingly given House the perfect excuse to ditch the meal. He figured that Stacy wouldn't be too upset, it was after all a meal out to celebrate their law firm, and as he didn't know anyone else there it wasn't as if anyone else would miss him.
"I need to go for a drink." Wilson had said, looking slightly disheveled. "Are you nearly done?" he asked, gesturing at the patient files on his desk.
"Yes." he said, closing the file. He'd solved the case around half an hour ago and the rest of the paperwork could wait. He resolved to phone Stacy from the bar and explain the situation, tell her that he wasn't coming.
After a few drinks at the bar however, he genuinely forgot about the phone call to inform her about his whereabouts.
"See, she thinks I don't listen to her." Wilson was saying. "and that I ignore her and the way she feels about things. Which, by the way I don't do." he signed before snorting at House. "Not that you'd understand this, not yet anyway."
"What do you mean by that?" House questioned.
"You and Stacy are still in that honeymoon period. I bet you haven't even had a proper row yet."
"Shit!" he cursed, slamming his half empty glass down on the bar.
"What?" Wilson asked, stunned.
"I was supposed to be at this meal tonight, I completely forgot to call her to tell her I wasn't coming."
Wilson winced.
"Looks like we'll both be in the doghouse tonight."
"I'll call her now." he said, pulling out his cell. "If I apologise enough now, I'm sure she won't be too mad."
Unfortunately for House, Stacy didn't answer his call, which led to Wilson convincing him that she was clearly having a good time being out, and if she was than why should he, which led to whiskey, more beer, and more whiskey to the point where the bartender confiscated House's car keys, which would have been fine if his house keys hadn't been on the same ring, a fact he didn't realise until he was in a taxi with Wilson.
"Shit." he mumbled. Wilson was half asleep with his head leaning on the window.
"What?" he said, peeling his face off of the window, irritated at being awoken.
"My apartment keys where on that keyring."
"So what, Stacy will let you in."
"It's one o clock in the morning. She's going to be beyond pissy, she's just going to be plain mad."
Wilson said nothing and leant his head back onto the window.
Once the taxi had pulled up in front his apartment every step he took to up the stairs to his – he still hadn't quite gotten round to thinking of it as there's sometimes – felt like a wobbly version of a climb up Mount Everest. It seemed to take 3 times as longer as it usually did, and when he finally reached the door he rested his forehead on it so that the world around him could stop spinning. Once it had, he steeled himself for the encounter with Stacy. Hopefully, he reasoned, she wouldn't be cross about the meal, just the hour at which he was waking her up.
He was wrong.
"Well he was wrong!" Stacy said angrily into the phone. "I don't want him here."
"He thinks he's doing the right thing." Wilson said sighing. "Whatever that is."
"The right thing for him to do would be to leave me alone, especially after what he did."
"Yeah well, leaving out of the blue and just leaving a note which didn't explain anything was also stupid."
"I know. It was a senseless thing to do. I wasn't thinking clearly...I'm still not, not at all. I just needed to get away from everyone and everything. I didn't think...I just didn't expect him to show up at my door."
"You left him a puzzle, he solved it."
"I left a note, it wasn't a puzzle."
"It may not have been intentional but that's how he perceived it. Have you spoken to Mark yet?"
Stacy let out a long breath. "Of course he solved it. But that doesn't mean I want him here. And no, to the latter, not properly anyway. Mark is one of the people I'm trying to avoid. I told him I needed some space and that I've gone away. He's never been here so I highly doubt he'll come rolling up the driveway."
Wilson laughed, despite the seriousness of the conversation.
"Look Stacy, maybe you should just listen to what he has to say. You used to believe in second chances."
"Aren't you glad you gave me a second chance?" he had asked, over their second shared bottle of wine. "You actually look like you're having a good time."
"I was enjoying myself at this point last night, and then look what happened" She gave House an eyebrow arch which meant she wasn't being completely serious. They were at a small local jazz club which was secluded and almost romantic, which had surprised Stacy.
"This is true." House mused. "However don't forget that if I screw up again, you have the upper hand. You lawyers love that." he said, giving her a playful smirk. Stacy leaned forward and said in a sultry voice.
"If this continues any further, you'll see that I always have the upper hand." A red flush slowly crept across his cheeks. "Wow" she continued. "I seem to be making the harsh and emotionless Dr House blush!"
"It's purely your power of persuasion as a lawyer, it's all an act." he said, but the blush that was now steadily making it's way up to his ears told Stacy otherwise. She knew she had him right where she wanted him, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she enjoyed it. The lawyer inside her loved power play, and to do it with Greg, who usually had all the power was even better.
"So." she continued. "This thing that you're going to show me in your apartment." she arched her eyebrow again. "I should tell you now that I don't sleep with guys on the first date." She took another sip of wine, the alcohol and the way she was exerting power over Greg making her confident.
"Well, that works for me, since this is our second date." Stacy shook her head.
"Counterpoint. This is our first date that's going well." Greg laughed, feeling more comfortable and at ease with Stacy then he though he would after their disastrous night. He could feel her barriers coming down, with her flirtatious banter and at the same time his were coming down too. He leaned over the table, taking her hand.
"Dance with me." He murmured, stroking the inside of her palm gently. Stacy looked at him evenly, searching for signs that this was some sort of set up to a joke, or something to embarrass her, but surprisingly she found none. She nodded and let him lead her to the small dance floor in front of where the jazz band were playing. Taking her right hand in his, he tucked his left arm around her waist and lead her in a slow dance, befitting the music. Stacy found herself completely relaxing into his arms, into his movements as they danced. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as they swayed together. She couldn't believe how well her body automatically bonded so well to his. House felt a shift in her body language as she let him lead her.
"I can feel you smiling." he said, not missing a step. "I like it when you smile." he continued, his breath warm by her ear.
"You can't even see my face" she said, but he was right, she was.
"I don't have too."
They continued to dance until the song had finished and the band announced a 15 minute break.
"Tell me something" she said when they were sitting back in their seats. He'd ordered them another drink and she found herself coyly playing with the stem of her wine glass.
"Ask away."
"This is you isn't it. The real you, not..."
"Not that jerk that from yesterday, or the arrogant ass-hole from the hospital whose mean to everyone." he said, finishing her sentence. "Yes, but the arrogant ass-hole part at work is true. Partly. As is your tough bossy lawyer part." He paused, raising her glass in a mock toast. "So, you've nearly had the full Gregory House experience, what do you think now?"
"I like it. In fact, I like it a lot. However you did say 'nearly' so what's left of this experience? What were you going to show me?"
Aaah the ace up her sleeve. House had nearly forgotten about that.
"Oh yes, if this being myself plan hadn't worked...I was going to show you that I play the piano. Not brilliantly, but no one knows about it. I was going to play you something."
"You are full of surprises aren't you? Or was that just a plan to get me up to your apartment?"
House knew to choose her words wisely.
"If it was all a plan, would it have worked?" He took her hand again and started to stroke her palm, and when he started running his fingers up her wrist Stacy felt the air turn electric.
"Yes." she said, slightly breathless. "That plan would have worked."
"What's your plan here?" House shifted slightly at the sound of her voice.
"Well." he said without opening his eyes "I was enjoying a lovely nap, and my plan was to finish it, but now you've interrupted it."
"Feel free to finish it before you leave." she said snarkily, but he noticed that she had put down a glass of lemonade down in front of him. He moved from lying down to a sitting position and drank the drink, glad of the refreshment.
"Thank you."
"I only gave it to you so you wouldn't dehydrate on the way home."
"I'm not going home, not yet."
"So you're just going to stay here, on my porch."
"If I have too."
Stacy folded her arms.
"What do you want Greg? You want to go inside and wash dishes with me, maybe tell me some more lies?"
"I wasn't lying, I was just..."
"Manipulating me."
"I already apologised for that."
Stacy shook her head.
"That was hardly an apology. You completely betrayed me, what was that? Some twisted revenge for me betraying you? Everything you said in the attic was a lie."
House stood up, leaning on his cane.
"That part was true."
Stacy moved a step back, widening the gap between them that he had narrowed.
"I don't believe you, and I don't know why you bothered to come here."
"You've already done this once in your life, and that was after my surgery, after the…." he stumbled on his words.
"After the baby Greg, you can say it."
"Yeah" he breathed. "the baby." The baby that wasn't, she wanted to say. "And then after your mothers death. So I need to know Stacy, what are you running from now."
Running. He always run, loved going at it full pelt feeling the muscles in his legs contract, the rush of the wind, the beat of rock music in his ears. He always ran in the mornings, especially on weekends early while Stacy was asleep. He'd come back in and climb right next to her in bed without bothering to take off his sweaty clothes. She'd wake up then, wrinkling her nose in disgust before pushing him off the bed onto the floor, and then letting him follow her into the shower.
"You've done it all, you've broken every code, and pushed the rebel to the floor."
Lyrics by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
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