A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I am glad you like it so far. Please let me know what you think of Chapter two. The reviews encourage me to keep writing more!

Chapter 2 – Distorted Images

Crap! thought Cuddy. The last thing she wanted to do was spend an afternoon in a darkened fun house with the dark and sometimes funny House. She was nervous on so many levels. She was hiding something from him and she knew if she spent too much time around him he would figure it out pretty quickly. He could always read her in that way. Plus, she really wanted House to heal and for that to happen, she felt confident that she needed to not complicate his life any further with the obvious sexual tension that existed between them.

She needed back-up. She called Wilson.

"Hey Wilson, it's Cuddy, I was wondering if you had some free time this afternoon."

"Sorry, Cuddy. I am really overbooked and patients today. Is everything okay?"

Cuddy thought about sharing House's thoughts with Wilson but she remembered him asking her to keep it quiet. She may be hiding things from House but he still was her good friend and she couldn't betray his confidence like that. "oh, nothing to worry about, everything's fine. I was just looking for a little extra help in the clinic that's all. Don't worry, I will find someone else". She decided to use the clinic as a cover. In reality, she really could use an extra hand in the clinic while she went on her little adventure with House.

Cuddy grabbed her purse and checked in at the nurse's station in the clinic. She told them she would be taking care of some hospital business but would be available on her cell and asked the nurse to make a few phone calls and see if any of the doctors scheduled for clinic tomorrow would be willing to put in some hours this afternoon. She looked around and realized she couldn't delay any longer so she headed to her car.

They had been on the road for a good 10 minutes in almost complete silence. House offered to drive since he knew where they were headed. Outside of his comments about her short legs when he adjusted the seat, they rest of the ride was filled with awkward silence. Both of their thoughts were running wild in their heads.

She obviously is trying to ignore me but why? She must think I'm a mental case, afraid I am going to freak out on her again and start screaming about sleeping with her. Still, I think she would want to help me even more then. She has asked me nothing about Mayfield, nothing about living with Wilson, she hasn't even mentioned my leg pain. She isn't even talking to me now. What the hell?

At the moment House looked over at Cuddy and was immediately distracted by her legs. She had her left leg crossed over her right while wearing one of her typical pencil skirts and the action made her skirt ride up so that from House's vantage point, he had a clear shot of her milky white thigh. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sight and before he could control the words out of his mouth he said "if you show me any more of your thigh I might have to show you the real reason why they call it a 'fun' house."

Cuddy looked up at him and briefly made eye contact as she gave him one of her characteristic half smirks. Deep down she loved the sexual innuendos that House used to always throw at her. She didn't realize how much she missed that. At that moment Cuddy thought about coming clean with House about her little secret but she didn't want to do it when she was trapped in a car with him and there was no way for either of them to make a quick escape.

The remaining few minutes of the trip passed in silence but some of the tension was gone after House's outburst. They pulled into the deserted lot of the Mercer County October Festival and parked just in front of the fun house. It was a Tuesday morning and the festival was only opened on the weekends in October so they had the place to themselves. House had called ahead so security was waiting for them to open the fun house. House convinced the guard that they needed the fun house to be completely operation so they would have a better idea as to what there patient had been exposed to. Before Cuddy realized what was happened House grabbed her hand and lead her to the two seated ride that took them into the darkened fun house.

House had his arm on the back of the seat behind Cuddy and she was sitting like a rigid statue. She had started to loosen up in the car but it seemed the chilled October air had put her back in the "I am ignoring House mode". It made him laugh slightly to himself because the one thing most people knew about House was, he was VERY hard to ignore. Since the sexual innuendos worked too loosen her up before, he decided to try it again. "Just so you know, Cuddy, if I get really scared I am going to bury my head in your chest until I feel safe again."

There it was, finally, a reaction. "Don't you dare, House!" Cuddy screeched in her administrator voice, "No funny stuff, I mean it, I am only here as a favor." She turned around to face him just as they entered the darken tunnel of the fun House and the music began to blare. It was so dark and loud that they could barely see or hear one another. They both stared intently at one another as if they were trying to communicate through their eyes. House asking her why she was acting so differently towards him and Cuddy asking him to please, just leave it alone. Cuddy opened her mouth slightly to start to speak when a ghastly looking skeleton burst forth from above House's head and made the loudest piercing screeching sound you have ever heard. Before Cuddy was even aware of her surroundings she screamed, covered her eyes, and slightly buried her head in House stomach.

House gentle laid his hand on her back saying "that's the spirit! I think you better keep your head there because I hear this ride is really scary." Cuddy poked him hard in the stomach as she leaned up blushing. They continued on the two minute ride mocking all the ridiculous fun house stunts and actually laughing and enjoying themselves. When the ride stopped Cuddy had forgotten her plan to ignore House and they started to pick up their familiar banter as they made their way through the fun house swabbing various surfaces for potential toxins.

Cuddy was running the swab along the fun house mirror and was a little distracted by the distorted image in front of her. She took a moment to step back and smile at herself, then House jumped up behind her and frightened the living daylights out of her. She screamed as she turned towards him and covered her heart with her small, delicate hand. "House, you are going to give me a heart attack!"

House couldn't' resist the opportunity to have some physical contact with her, without actually committing to physical contact, so he placed his hand on her neck and pretended to check her pulse. "Wow, your heart is racing Cuddy. You never struck me as a scared-y-cat. Maybe it has something to do with being in the dark, alone, with yours truly"

Cuddy grabbed his hand from her neck in mock annoyance. House knew she wasn't really annoyed because she didn't actually remove her hand from his as she said "Don't flatter yourself House, I AM that easily frightened."

They stood there staring at each other in the eye while still holding hands. They were both thinking of the double meaning of Cuddy's words. They were both easily frightened, especially when it came to being alone together. They were both battled their own demons.

Come on House, don't blow it. Here is your chance. Just lean in and kiss her. You know she wants this, you can see it in her eyes. If this is what she wants, though, then why has she been ignoring me until now. I need to know why before I make a move.

House decided the best move was to let her decide. Instead of moving in to kiss her, he used him thumb to stroke the hand he was holding. It was a subtle sign of affection but he was too afraid to commit to anything else. As he did he slowly started to see the look of confusion wash over her.

Oh God, thought Cuddy, I need to stop this. I can't kiss him now. He needs to know that before he tries. I didn't want to have this conversation yet. I have no choice now.

Cuddy swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked up into his eyes. He was still rubbing her hand. She didn't want to pull away, it felt so good. She had to look away or she would never get through this. "House…when you were gone…well, see, I think you should know that…I didn't mean for it to happen but…I sort have started a relationship with someone."

House thumb froze when she finally got the words out. He didn't immediately free her hand but he did eventually drop it. When he did, Cuddy finally had the courage to look up at him and meet his eyes. The glimmer was gone, they were cold and distant. Cuddy was trying to figure out what he was feeling but the black veil of deflection had washed over him and Cuddy shivered at his blank, cold, stare. Finally he spoke, but the words were like daggers to Cuddy's heart. "if you are done with the mirror, we better get out of here. I don't want to be up till midnight processing this crap."

Cuddy nodded and slowly followed House to her car. She thought things were uncomfortable in the car before, she was really dreading the ride back to PPTH.