Okay, so I didn't think that I would get this chapter done so quickly but it was snowing and in the typical British way, we panicked. I was meant to go back to uni after a weekend at home but all the transport had stopped and so I had nothing to do all day but write. This chapter's a bit longer than the others and a little warning: even I hated Michael while writing this chapter.
Alex stirred as the sun shone through the window. "Mommy?" he asked rubbing his eyes. Cuddy opened her eyes at the sound of Alex' voice.
"Hmm?" she asked. She needed caffeine and she needed it fast.
"Where's daddy?" he asked.
"He's on the couch. We'll wake him in a bit," she told him, reaching out to take him. He wriggled closer to her and she wrapped her arms around him. Before last night she had tricked herself into thinking she had had the perfect life. Okay, so it had taken her a while to settle down but at least she had all she needed to raise a family. Finding the perfect man had been difficult and the urge to bring a child into the world was too strong to ignore, so she had opted for a sperm donor. When House had found out she had been embarrassed but used the situation to her advantage, using his knowledge on genetics to look over her potential donors until he she find someone she trusted. Someone she liked. Not only did she trust House, she liked him too but having a child with Gregory House was absurd. She held onto Alex closer, the thought not so ludicrous now. Then she had started looking at the donors in a more personal way. Square dancer? No. Accountant? No. Likes Mozart? Definitely not. She found that after each one she rejected she was thinking about an ex-lacrosse player. Plays the piano in his spare time. Enjoys puzzles.
"I need to talk to you." House was with a patient when she walked into the exam room. "When you're done, my office." She smiled at the patient and left heading for her office to wait. It felt like the longest five minutes of her life. Wondering whether or not to go through with asking him. Just as she was about to come up with a good reason as to why she called him to her office, the doors were flung wide announcing that the diagnostician had entered.
"And how can I service you today?" He asked bobbing his eyebrows.
"I wanted to ask you something," she said, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"Not another lame donor," he sighed taking up the seat in front of her.
"Depends on your point of view," she replied with a small smile. "He uses a cane…" She slapped herself mentally at the way she did it. She should have asked him directly. His jaw had dropped, eyes open wide. Cuddy nodded her head at his unasked question.
"Why me?" he finally choked out.
"I trust you. And, for my sins, I like you…" She watched as his features changed from shock to confusion.
"Right…and what's wrong with the donors?"
"You were right. If I chose one of them, my child would be a punch bag. I have the opportunity to pick for smart reasons. You were athletic, you're intelligent and – "
"Devilishly handsome?" he asked.
She smiled. "- can show that you care," she finished. "I'm not asking for an answer straight away or that you're an active part of the child's life, just that you think about it," she told him her eyes glistening at the thought of him saying yes.
"I'll think about it," he nodded, getting up. He met her gaze to tell if she was serious and, satisfied, left the room.
Cuddy looked down as Alex began to squirm. He liked being in his mom's arms but his dad was in the next room and Alex couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up to both his parents under the same roof. Smiling, Cuddy let him go and followed him as he raced out of the room. House wasn't on the couch when they got there or in the kitchen. Looking out of the window they saw his car and motorcycle still outside. Cuddy spied the vicodin pills on the floor next to a spilt bottle of scotch and frowned.
"He's probably in the bathroom," Cuddy told him. "I'll get you some breakfast then maybe he'll be out by then. Sit and watch some cartoons." She cleared the coffee table of food cartons and bottles, got a towel to cover the spilt alcohol and left him flicking through the channels while she fixed him a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk that she set down in front of him. "Don't spill any," she warned and headed to the bathroom to check House was ok. "House?" she knocked gently so as not to startle him. When there was no answer she knocked again and this time received a groan. She opened the door and gasped at what she saw. House was sat leaning against the bath, head lolling about, blood on his white t-shirt and rubbing his thigh. His pills and half a bottle of whisky lay next to him. She closed and locked the door behind her and rushed forward, holding his head up. "Oh God, Greg. Why did you do it?" She took the cloth out of his hand, stood and rinsed it at the sink before returning, holding his head again. Gently she rubbed at his face as he just sat staring at her. "You're a mess," she told him on a whisper. House showed no sign of paying attention but she continued anyway. "You shouldn't have gone to see him. I told you I was going to get a lawyer and get the bastard out of our lives for good. You might've made things ten times worse."
"It wasn't the first time." House told her, his voice low.
"What?" She was paying more attention to the marks on his face than what he was saying.
"It wasn't the first time he hit you." He said again. "How long has it been going on?"
Cuddy tensed. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Tough." He pulled away groaning slightly at the pain the simple action caused. "How many times?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Cuddy repeated. She dropped the cloth in his lap and turned to lean heavily on the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the puffiness around her eye. It was a deep purple and her eye was slightly blood shot. She pressed it slightly, wincing. Behind her she could hear House struggling to get to his feet. She sighed and left.
"Yeah, that's right. Ignore the poor cripple that fought for your honour last night," he puffed. Not only was his thigh throbbing and his head pounding from the beating it had taken, he was suffering with a hangover and his stomach lurched with every movement. He removed his clothes and pulled himself into the shower letting the steaming hot water wash the dry blood from his face and run over his thigh. He braced his hand against the tiles and dropped his head letting the boiling water run over his back. He warned Cuddy more times than he could remember about that bastard and each time she shot him down.
"Where's Alex?"
House rolled his eyes as Cuddy opened the door to him.
"He fell asleep in front of the movie – "
"You left him alone?" Cuddy asked incredulously, grabbing her coat off the stand trying to get past him.
"I'm not completely irresponsible. Wilson's with him."
She breathed a sigh of relief and moved back slightly, not allowing him entrance. "Why are you here House? It's two in the morning and I'm getting married in less than twelve hours."
"How well do you actually know him?"
"Not again, House." House jammed the door with his cane as Cuddy dismissed him trying to close the door on him.
"I'm not going away until I know you know what you're getting into. This concerns my son too…"
Cuddy sighed and turned from him, leaving the door open and heading into the kitchen. "Coffee?" She asked as she set the machine.
"Anything stronger?" He asked standing in the doorway watching her fatigued movements.
"Beer's in the fridge."
House nodded, instead walking over to one of the cupboards and pulling out a bottle of scotch and a glass. She frowned at him as he helped himself to the liquor and drank it in one before pouring himself another one.
"Why do you always take a keen interest in my love life?" Cuddy asked watching him closely as he gulped down the second glass of the amber liquid.
He shrugged eyeing her closely. "Let's just say…I'm keeping an eye on my investment. Taking note of all the men he's introduced to…"
"If there's something you want to say, House, say it and leave." She raised her eyebrow and turned at the sound of the machine announcing it was ready. She grabbed two mugs and poured the brown liquid, making one to his liking. He was sat at the table when she turned around so she placed the coffee in front of him, removed the scotch and took up the seat opposite, glaring at him over her own cup.
They sat in silence for a bit before House finally got up the courage to speak.
"I don't trust him," he said simply.
If Cuddy was surprised by this, she didn't show it. Instead, she remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"You don't really know him," he continued weakly, studying the coffee intently.
"I know him enough to know that I love him, Alex likes him enough to grow to love him some day and that he loves us both," she told him calmly.
"How do you know he loves you?"
"He says it every – "
"Anyone can tell another person that they love them but how does he show it?" He lifted his head, meeting her gaze and Cuddy saw hint of something that she'd only seen a few times before, then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. "I just don't think you should rush into anything, especially not when we have Alex to think about…"
"Dammit House," Cuddy hissed, standing and slamming her mug on the table causing some of the contents to spill over the edge. "Why can you never just tell me what you're thinking? I hate playing these games with you." She picked up the cup and placed it in the sink, turning her back on him to look out of the window. "For once I just wish that you could be straight with me," she whispered. He got up and stood behind her, smiling as she shivered slightly. She turned to him, his face mere inches from her own.
"I just want to be sure you know what this guy's agenda is. That he's going to be there for the long haul." She could smell the mix of alcohol and coffee on his breath as he spoke and she closed her eyes briefly.
"Like you, you mean?" She managed to choke out.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly at her strangled words and the redness that was creeping over her cheeks and down into her robe. The close proximity was doing things to her. And he couldn't deny it; it was doing things to him as well. He spared a look at her lips then met her brilliant blue gaze again.
"I think you should – "
She was cut off as his lips came crashing down over her own, mouth open slightly allowing him entrance. He smirked when she showed no signs of pushing him away and instead let her fingers run up his neck, to weave into his hair. One of his own hands resting on her hip, whilst the other trapped her against the counter. Eventually, House pulled back, - lips still touching - allowing them both to breathe in the much needed oxygen.
"Like I said," he whispered. "How does he show it?" And with that he was gone.
Despite that, she still married him. He bore witness to it too, having to be there for Alex's sake and under the very watchful eye of Wilson. House shut off the water, wrapping a towel around his hips and headed to his bedroom to get dressed.
"Can I go first?"
House looked down at the over-excited boy and nodded feeling Cuddy's eyes burning into the back of his head the whole time. The whole drive to the mini-golf place had been tense with Alex completely oblivious to the heavy atmosphere between his parents and ecstatic that his mom and dad were both taking him out, together. House stood back to stand beside Cuddy, while Alex knocked the ball as hard as he could to get it over the small bump. Cuddy ignored House's close proximity and, instead, encouraged Alex to try again when the ball struggled to make it over the obstacle and rolled back towards him.
"You can't ignore me forever," House whispered to her.
She tensed. "Maybe not. But at least we can both say I tried."
"I need to know – "
She twisted her head to face him, keeping her voice low. "You don't need to know anything. You want to know. To you it's another piece of the puzzle that is Lisa Cuddy."
He held her fiery gaze and watched the emotion in them as he answered. "It's not just a puzzle to me. I'll admit, there is a part of me that wants to know how such a powerful, independent, manipulative, foxy," he gave her an exaggerated wink, "female such as yourself, allows a man to hit her – more than once – before she finally acts on it. The rest is looking out for my genes." He nodded to where Alex had finally beaten the obstacle and was now trying to get the bright orange ball into the hole. "My main concerns are that he wasn't exposed to any of this and that you don't plan on going back to that bastard anytime soon."
Looking into his eyes, Cuddy softened. He cared about her as well, not just about Alex and his actions last night showed that. "House, it's complicated." There was a small cough from behind them and they both turned to see an elderly couple behind them waiting to begin their own game. House glared at them, opening his mouth to speak only to be stopped by Cuddy. "We'll talk later." And she hurried off to help Alex sink the ball.
The atmosphere had completely disappeared by the time they had finished and were sitting in the diner across the road. House and Cuddy were back to making sarcastic comments to one another that made Alex giggle even if he didn't know what they meant and his questions about their faces had finally drawn to a close. House had also shown no intention of trying to get her to talk and Cuddy was internally relieved. The waitress brought over their food, looked both adults over as her mouth formed a thin line, shook her head, wished them a good meal and walked off.
"She thinks we did this to each other," Cuddy whispered.
"Well, I look a lot worse than you do so I guess they'll assume you did the beating," he smirked at her.
She bit back a small chuckle. "Well if they saw how you behaved at work, I'm sure they'd understand my motive." He gave a 'who, me?' look and held his hand to his chest as she rolled her eyes at him. The three of them ate in silence for a while until House finally brought up the courage to speak.
"I was thinking – "
"Did it hurt?" She laughed at his growl and the serious look on his face. "Sorry. Continue," she told him with a wave of her hand, still smiling.
"I was thinking that after this, I would drop the two of you off at my house and then go back to yours to see if he's gone…" He watched as her jaw tightened and her hand froze in mid air, holding her soda. "I'm not going to start anything if he's still there. I'll just grab some of your things and leave," he assured her. Her drink made it to her mouth and she drank through the straw slowly, thinking about what he had said.
"He'll still be there," she told him after a few moments of silence. House looked at her, telling her to continue. "It's half his home too." House gave a small groan. "We agreed that it should be our home instead of just mine…"
"Fine. I'll get your things then." She frowned at him and he knew what it meant. "If it'll make you feel any better, I can take Wilson with me –he doesn't have to know why," he added as she saw her eyes widen at the thought of someone else finding out. She relaxed slightly before shaking her head.
"It's fine. Wilson should know. He's always been there for us so he deserves to know." House nodded, giving her a reassuring smile before attacking his food once more.
"He did what?" House looked over at Wilson whose hands had tightened on the steering wheel, face turning red with anger.
"That wasn't the first time either." House sighed and turned his head back to the passenger window, head pressed against the cool glass.
Wilson removed a hand from the wheel and ran it through his hair. When House had called him this evening asking him to go to Cuddy's with him he had rolled his eyes and told him to leave Cuddy and Michael alone. He sighed when House wouldn't let up and told him he'd be right over with beer and pizza. And here he was, driving to Cuddy's house with House in the passenger seat and the beer and pizza abandoned in the back, hearing about what that…bastard had done to Cuddy.
"How long has it been going on?"
"She wouldn't tell me…" House lifted his head as they turned into Cuddy's street. Even in the dark, House could make out Michael's pretentious sports car. "He's there." He told Wilson solemnly.
"Should I go in on my own?" Wilson asked as he pulled up to the house.
House shook his head. "No, I'm coming in. I don't wanna miss the chance to beat the crap out of him again."
Wilson pursed his lips as both men got out of the car. "As if you don't look bad enough already. If he's in there, we'll get Lisa and Alex their things and then leave."
"You telling me you don't want a piece of this guy?" House asked, pulling Cuddy's key from his pocket.
"Of course I do. But Cuddy doesn't need me making things any worse for her." Wilson waited for House to open the door and followed him into the seemingly deserted home, the only noise coming from the glass crunching from underfoot. "You sure he's here?"
House shrugged, squinting through the darkness, his whole body on alert in case the asshole ran out at them. He reached out for the light and flicked it on, listening out for any movement. He watched Wilson move to the living room and then made his way to the dining room.
"Wow, you really made a mess, huh?" Wilson said, slight amusement in his voice as he saw the coffee table still in bits from the night before.
House gave an amused snort and walked through to the kitchen, turning the light on then off again when he saw it was empty. He made his way back to the hallway. "Nothing here," he told Wilson who was just coming out of Alex's bedroom.
Wilson gave a nod. "No sign of him in the bathroom or in Alex's room." He looked over his shoulder towards the master bedroom and then back to House. "Shall we?"
"Why not?" House walked to the bedroom. "I always fantasised about this moment," he started, hand resting on the door handle, "but in my fantasy, Cuddy was waiting on the other side, sprawled naked on the bed."
"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Wilson replied, rolling his eyes at his friend's lecherous grin.
House took a deep breath and opened the door with Wilson close behind him flicking the light on. He stepped in, noticing the empty bed and waited for Wilson to check the en-suite.
"Nothing. Let's get their things and get out of here. I'll pack Lisa – "
"No, I'll get Cuddy's things. You go pack for Alex." Wilson gave a sigh at the gleeful expression on House's face and left the room.
House looked around the room like a child in a toy store and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell. He searched for Cuddy's number and hit dial, wandering over to the chest of drawers as he waited for her to pick up.
"He's not here," he said instantly as the phone clicked.
"Are you sure?" Cuddy didn't sound convinced and House rolled his eyes.
"Yes, the only thing you need to worry about is me packing your underwear…" He smiled as Cuddy groaned and slowly pulled open the drawer he know contained Cuddy's underwear. "Do you want red thongs or black ones?"
"Oh God." Cuddy breathed.
He laughed at her. "Well?"
"Do not look through that drawer, House. Just open it and pull out anything." She sighed.
"But you've got to match. Don't worry, I'll do you proud." He smirked. He bent down, painfully, and pulled out a suitcase from under the bed, heaving it up on to the bed, and opened it. "So you want me to pack you enough to last…?
"Erm…a week? At least. I need to contact my lawyer and find a way to get him out of the house…"
House nodded, holding back a sigh. A week on the couch wasn't going to work but as long as she wasn't planning on making her way back to that jerk, he'd put up with it. He slowly made his way to her closet, yanking the doors open and looking inside. "Do you own anything that doesn't look like it should be on a hooker?" Cuddy growled down phone at him. "Mmm. I love it when you get angry."
"House."
"Okay, okay." He started pulling some clothes off the hangers and threw them on to the bed. Once he felt there was enough, he stooped down picking up a pair of black heels and chucked them in the general direction of the bed.
"Make sure you fold them properly, House."
"I'm not Wilson."
"House." He sighed, put the phone down on the bed and began folding the clothes as best he could and placed them in the case. He snatched up the phone again and made his way back to the chest of drawers, a smile planted firmly on his face.
"Now this is what I'm talking about." He looked carefully through the drawer comparing one set to another before picking his favourite sets and throwing them in the case.
"If you're done with my underwear…I need my hair brush, shampoo, body lotion and perfume then you can get out of my room."
"Huh, that's all the thanks I get. Although I'm sure we can think of something to settle the debt," he said and Cuddy could hear the suggestion in his voice. He picked up the things she asked for and finally left the room. "Right we'll be back soon." He told her hanging up and placing the phone back in his pocket.
"You were looking through her underwear drawer weren't you?" Wilson admonished him once he had finished packing and made his way back into the hallway.
"I would've called you in but they were just way too good to share. You pack everything?"
Wilson nodded. "Yep, clothes, toys…enough to last about two…" He trailed off and looked to the door as it clicked before swinging open to reveal a tall, well built, battered looking man. "Let's go, House." He said as Michael made his way into the house, closing the door behind him and placing a grocery bag down on the floor.
"Aww, leaving so soon? I thought maybe we could sit down and…bond." He said with a smirk. "Discuss, Lisa's…habits in the bedroom. I mean, does she scream as loud for you guys as she does for me?" He laughed as House made to move forward but was held back by Wilson. "Woah, woah. I didn't mean to offend anybody," he smirked, reaching into the bag at his feet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. He unscrewed the lid and threw his head back, gulping down as much as he could before having to come back up for air. He pointed the bottle at Wilson and spoke again. "I mean, she's sleeping with you too, right?"
"We're leaving." Wilson answered through clenched teeth, hands tightening on both the suitcase in his hand and on House's arm. "Expect to hear from Lisa's lawyer…and the police." He let go of House who was breathing heavily, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides and grabbed Cuddy's suitcase, making his way to the door.
"Call the police, and I'll tell them exactly what Doctor House did to me last night. I'm pretty sure grievous bodily harm charges are there somewhere." He drank some more of the amber liquid and stared right into House's eyes, a smirk firmly plastered on his face.
"House, we're leaving." Wilson was trying to be the bigger man but was finding it more and more difficult the more this bastard spoke. "House," he said again, when he realised his friend wasn't behind him and was instead squaring up to the 'man' before them.
House remained where he was for a moment longer before following Wilson to the door. He watched as his friend took the cases to the car and turned back to Michael, taking a step closer so the pair were standing toe to toe.
"This isn't over," he whispered, with intent, "If you come anywhere near my son or Cuddy, I will kill you." He took a step back and frowned as Michael began laughing hysterically. This guy really was crazy.
Michael's laughter died down as House walked out the door and down to the car. Just before he got in Michael called out to him. "All my love to Lisa…"
House turned back to the doorway and could see the smugness on Michael's face. He turned on his heel to go back there when Wilson's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Haven't you made things bad enough already?" Wilson hissed. "Lisa won't be able to go to the police now unless she risks you going to jail for assault so I suggest you get your ass in the car so we can get out of here." He walked back to the car and opened up the passenger side, waiting for House to get in.
House remained looking up to the house before letting out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding and turning back towards his friend's car. He got in, only just getting his foot in before Wilson slammed the door shut behind him and made his way round to the driver's side.