A/N I'm sorry is has taken so long to get this chapter posted. The real job and the horrible weather got in the way of writing. I hope it was worth the wait.
Cuddy checked her reflection in the mirror as she pulled her hair back into a low pony-tail. She quickly touched up her lipstick and then checked her watch. She only had several minutes to execute her plan. The excited administrator fairly ran from her private bath to her desk. Her computer was already shut down and all of her pending files were tidied into neat stacks. She tossed her purse into her bottom desk drawer and locked it. She grabbed a leather jacket from her desk chair and shrugged into it as she stuffed her keys and a credit card into her blue jeans. She picked up a final item and flew out the office door. Fortunately, no one stopped her with last minute demands and Cuddy sprinted though the sliding doors with a few minutes to spare.
House tapped his cane on the floor and watched the numbers change as the elevator descended to the lobby. It had been a long, stressful week and he was looking forward to kicking back at home. The middle-aged doctor limped his way through the throngs of other employees bent on escaping into the warm Friday evening. He slowed and looked to Cuddy's office. House was surprised to see that the room was dark. Apparently, she hadn't been able to resist the lure of an early evening either. He redirected his steps and headed to the exit.
House made it to the sidewalk and then abruptly stopped. He leaned on his cane and stared in shock at the vision in front of him. Dr. Lisa Cuddy-House, his wife of twelve days, was reclining seductively on the leather seat of his motorcycle. She was wearing tight jeans that hugged her curves and black low-heeled boots. A low cut, red shirt was topped by a black leather jacket. She had a black helmet balanced on one thigh.
"Hey, Handsome. Give a girl a ride to dinner?" she asked with a predatory gleam in her eyes.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. He figured he should be a gentleman and give her a chance to change her mind.
"Positive. Let's go for Italian. I'm buying." Cuddy smiled at her husband. She experienced the familiar thrill of excitement that shot through her every time she thought of that title in connection to House.
House limped to stand beside the motorcycle. "What about Junior?"
Cuddy giggled. "Uncle Jimmy's babysitting. He owed me one."
"Now, that's just sad." House raised an eyebrow and smirked. "It's Friday night. I'm taking my sexy wife to dinner. And, Wilson, the bachelor, is babysitting for me. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I guess it beat sitting home with his geriatric cat."
Cuddy laughed and swatted his shoulder. "Have a little sympathy. He's in a slump. Besides, his dating issues mean we get to have dinner in a restaurant that doesn't give out toys with our meals."
House couldn't resist a quick kiss before he awkwardly slung his right leg over the bike and clipped his cane on the side. Cuddy put on her new helmet and adjusted the chin strap. She had already figured out where to put her feet. House put on his own helmet and started the powerful engine. Cuddy sat forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She experienced a slight twinge of fear when he raised the kick stand. It had been a long time since she had done anything quite so daring. She had to choke back a squeal when he put the engine in gear and shot out of the parking space. She tightened her hold on his waist, leaned into his muscular back, and said a quick, very fervent prayer.
Several miles into the ride, Cuddy was able to relax her tense muscles and look at the passing scenery. She had seen House ride, and she quickly realized he was deliberately taking it slow for her benefit. For this maiden voyage through rush hour traffic, the more sedate pace was perfectly fine with her. Maybe someday soon, she would arrange for them to take a longer ride on open roads where he could be a bit more daring.
The ride was over quickly when House turned into the parking lot of their favorite Italian restaurant. He pulled to a stop in a parking space near the front door and killed the engine. Bruno's was little more than a hole-in-the-wall that most people would assume was a dive. Cuddy knew those people would be wrong. What the establishment lacked in atmosphere was more than made up for by the absolutely sinful entrées and the friendly staff. House put down the kick-stand and waited for Cuddy to climb off before he joined her.
"So, how'd you like the ride," he asked after he removed his helmet.
Cuddy didn't even pretend to think about her answer. "I loved it," she told him with a wide grin. "Now, if you would just teach me to drive it…"
House rolled his eyes and guided her to the door. "Not gonna happen. I've already lived through one wreck. I don't intend to tempt fate."
As soon as the door was opened, Cuddy's olfactory system was bombarded by the Heavenly smell of spices and freshly baked bread. She blushed when her stomach growled loudly. She had skipped lunch and realized she was starving. House smirked at the unlady-like sound that came from his wife.
The hostess, the owner's elderly mother, greeted them warmly. "Dr. House, Dr. Cuddy, is so good to see you. You haven't been to visit us in a while."
"Actually, we're both Drs. House now," House told the woman and smiled when her mouth fell open in shock. Cuddy grinned and held out her left hand. Mamma Bruno took one look at Cuddy's rings, screamed something in Italian and wrapped Cuddy in a bear-hug. The other patrons and the wait staff were all staring at the trio as the older woman continued to enthuse in rapid fire Italian.
When she finally released her hold on Cuddy, Mamma Bruno turned to House. She peered up at the tall doctor she for whom she had great affection. "It is good. You finally get off the pot and make an honest woman out of her."
House laughed. "She's the one who proposed. She made an honest man out of me."
The older woman laughed and guided them to a table. "Come, come! Tonight is celebration! I tell Marco tonight is special time for special couple."
They were seated when Mamma Bruno disappeared into the kitchen in a whirlwind. Cuddy looked at House and smiled at the sparkle she saw in his sky-blue eyes. It stuck her suddenly that he looked years younger than he had just two weeks ago.
"You really enjoy springing that on people, don't you?" she teased as she opened her menu.
House smiled. "You have to admit, it does have a certain shock value."
Cuddy smiled as she perused the selections. Her stomach growled again as the owner personally delivered a basket of sliced bread and a dish of creamed butter.
"Mamma told me the good news." Marco bent and placed kisses on both of Cuddy's cheeks. "Congratulations, to both of you. I'll be right back with champagne."
Cuddy didn't look at House as she stopped the restaurant owner before he could escape to the kitchen. "Thank you, Marco, but no alcohol for us."
"No alcohol? Since when do the two of you not drink?" The middle aged man looked at them in puzzlement for a few seconds before his eyes widened in surprise. "Of course! Congratulations! When is the blessed event?"
"What?" Cuddy frowned and looked at House who was trying not to laugh.
"No blessed event, Marco," House told him with a grin. "She's not pregnant. We've just decided to quit drinking."
The restaurateur gave House a couple of consoling pats to his shoulder. "You keep trying. I'll have Mamma say a Novena for the two of you."
House waited until they were once again alone before he risked a peek at Cuddy. Sapphire eyes met electric blue and held for a few heartbeats before they both started laughing. Cuddy had to use her napkin to wipe her eyes. House managed to swallow a drink of water without choking.
"How many kids does Marco have?" Cuddy finally composed herself enough to ask.
"Eight I think." House reached for a slice of bread. "Those must be some prayers."
Cuddy giggled. "And, now she's going to be saying them for the atheist and the Jew."
House snorted and passed her the bread he had buttered. "Eat something. You're getting loopy from hunger."
Cuddy took a bite of the bread and watched him butter another slice. She had promised herself she would give him at least one compliment each day. It was part of her plan to change her own, often pessimistic and negative attitude.
"I'm glad you've let your hair grow. It looks good longer." she told him with a small smile.
House looked startled by her unexpected words. "Thank you," he responded hesitantly. "Why the sudden interest in my hair?"
"No reason in particular. I just thought I would tell you I think it looks good." Cuddy smiled again. "Can't a wife tell her husband she likes the way he looks?"
As he munched on the bread, House was still confused by this new, nicer version of his wife. This wasn't the first time this week she had intentionally paid him a compliment. He was intelligent enough to know it was directly related to their conversation from Monday night. He wasn't ready to address her radical change of personality just yet. It was a bit unnerving, but he was surprised to realize he actually liked receiving the positive attention for a change.
They lingered over their dinner and desert. They talked about the new house and the move. House had arranged for the piano and the castle bed to be moved by professionals. Cuddy had made arrangements with a cleaning service to clean the new house before the move and then her home and House's apartment after they were empty. They discussed school options for Rachel. Cuddy wanted to get their daughter enrolled for the fall and House definitely didn't want his little girl to attend the "snooty" private schools Cuddy had checked out earlier. The conversation was pleasant and relaxed. House didn't even tease her when Cuddy cleaned her plate and then finished off his salad. He made a mental note to make sure she quit skipping lunch.
They were sharing Crème Brule when Cuddy decided to broach a topic she had wanted to discuss for several days. She swallowed a bite of the sweet desert and then told House, "I talked to my lawyer this morning."
"Which patient is suing me this time?" House forked another bite of the desert.
"Not the hospital's lawyer. Sandy is my personal lawyer." Cuddy fiddled with her fork. "She said she can file the adoption papers with the court on Monday."
House put down his fork and stared at her. "You had her draw up the papers?"
Cuddy nodded as she tried and failed to gauge his reaction to the news. "She said we have to wait ninety days and the hearing is a formality. Since I'm the only parent, the judge will sign off after we answer a few basic questions."
House took a drink of water and studied the table top. "You're really going to let me adopt her?" he asked quietly.
Cuddy put her hand over his. "I've been thinking about this a lot since I was sick. You're already Rachel's father. This will make it legal. If anything were to happen to me, my family wouldn't be able to fight you for custody. Also, I thought about what you said and I agree. I want Rachel to have your last name, too."
House looked up and Cuddy was surprised to see the sheen of tears in his eyes. "Nothing's going to happen to you," he told her with absolute conviction.
"We're doctors, House. We both know you can't promise that. We see everyday how quickly families can be devastated and destroyed by the loss of a loved one. I want to know that Rachel will be safe with you if something were to happen." Cuddy gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand. "The question is do you still want to adopt Rachel?"
"Honestly, it scares me more than getting married, but, yeah, I want to adopt her." House turned his hand over and laced his fingers through hers. "Thank you for trusting me to be her father."
Cuddy knew that given his past, House didn't take that trust lightly. "You're a great father. Rachel thinks you're wonderful. So does her mother. You've experienced several life changing events in a relatively short space of time. You have to be miles outside of your usual comfort zone. Are you doing okay with all this?"
House took a deep breath and admitted. "I think Rachel and her mom are pretty great, too. And, yeah, I'm doing okay. Being married, living with you and Rachel, is a much better comfort zone than being alone and miserable ever was."
"I love you," Cuddy managed to whisper around the huge lump in her throat.
"I love you, too," House replied and Cuddy realized that each time he said the words, he seemed to display a little more of the emotion behind them.
Marco had insisted that dinner was his wedding present to the couple and they were finally allowed to leave after more hugs and handshakes and words of congratulations. House clipped his cane on the motorcycle and then waited for Cuddy to take her place on the seat.
"Are we going home now?" he asked as waited for Cuddy to get settled. It was still early and he had no idea what she had planned for the remainder of the evening.
"We could," Cuddy told him with a sultry smile. "Or, we could stop by your apartment first. You know…check the mail, feed the fish, water the plants…"
House bent and gave her a lingering kiss. He straightened and smiled down at her. "Think Wilson will buy those excuses?"
"Not likely," Cuddy told him as he maneuvered his right leg over the bike. She watched him with a frown. "You know it would probably be easier if you got on first."
She knew he was rolling his eyes when he responded, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Cuddy placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "I'm just trying to be helpful, Dear."
House twisted around so that he could look at her. His eyebrow was raised in shock. "Dear?"
"I just thought I would try it out." Cuddy smiled as she put her helmet on and fastened the chin strap.
"It sounded almost as weird as Greg," House told her with a mock frown. "Promise me, no cutesy nicknames. I haven't changed that much."
Cuddy patted his shoulder, "Of course not. I wouldn't dream of it, Sweetheart."
House put on his own helmet and smirked. "You know you're starting a war you will lose."
As she wrapped her arms around his waist, Cuddy grinned. "Whatever you say, Honeybuns."
Cuddy's smile widened as she realized his shoulders were shaking with laughter. It took two attempts before he was able to start the motorcycle. Cuddy continued to grin as she snuggled closer to his back. She certainly knew to expect payback at what would most assuredly be an embarrassing time. If her efforts helped to erase some of the pain from her other, hurtful words, it would be worth the price she would pay to her dignity.
[H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H] [H]
It was shortly before midnight as Cuddy opened the front door. They were both giggling like teenagers. Cuddy couldn't stop an inelegant snort as House patted her blue jean clad butt.
House closed the door and tried to shush her. He whispered, "Be quiet, woman. You'll wake Wilson and the kid."
They were both still laughing as they rounded the door to the living room. Wilson was standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. "Do you two know what time it is? I was about ready to start calling emergency rooms."
House tossed his cane and their helmets on the overstuffed chair. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Gee, Dad, I didn't know we had a curfew."
Wilson looked pointedly at Cuddy. "You said you'd be back by ten."
Cuddy tried not to blush, but she knew she failed miserably. "We decided to stop by and check on House's apartment."
Wilson eyed them critically and shook his head. He wasn't fooled one bit. Cuddy's disheveled appearance told him exactly what his friends had been doing. "You have a bed here. You could have come home for that."
As Cuddy removed her jacket, House gave Wilson a wicked grin. "We didn't want to wait until after Rachel's bedtime."
Wilson threw his hands up in the air. He was pleased that his friends were doing so well together, not that he would admit that to House. "You two are impossible. I'm going home. By the way, Cuddy, do you know your shirt's on wrong side out?"
When House looked at her and laughed, Cuddy smacked him on the shoulder and told him to hush. "Did Rachel give you any problems?" Cuddy asked as Wilson found his suit jacket and his discarded tie.
"Not at all. She was a perfect little angel," Wilson told her.
House gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure you were babysitting our kid?"
"I was trying to be polite, House." Wilson grinned at his best friend. "She ran me ragged. I didn't know it was humanly possible to have that much energy."
Cuddy gave Wilson a quick hug. "Thanks for watching her."
Wilson returned the hug. "No problem. Just remember our deal."
When Cuddy returned from locking up behind Wilson, House had removed his leather jacket. He was flipping through the mail that had been tossed on the coffee table. Cuddy tried and failed to stifle a yawn.
"What deal do you have with Wilson?" House asked without looking up from the envelopes in his hands.
Cuddy wrapped her arms around his waist. "He wants to borrow you Tuesday night for Chinese food and bowling."
House looked down at his wife and grinned in approval at her level of deviousness. "You didn't have to barter babysitting services for that."
"No, I didn't." Cuddy returned the grin. "But, it got us a night out alone. Now, I'm going to bed. Your protégé will be up at the crack of dawn demanding attention."
House tossed the mail back on the coffee table. "I'll be there in a minute."
Cuddy rolled her eyes as she started down the hall. "If you wake her up, you're staying up with her," she warned him.
House shut off the living room lights and grabbed his cane. He made it as far as their bedroom door before he stopped. He hung his head and sighed. He knew he should just go to bed, but he couldn't do it. He hadn't seen her since the previous night. He turned and retraced his steps to Rachel's room. He tried to reason with himself that one, quick peek wouldn't hurt.
House opened the door a crack and looked in. Rachel was asleep on her back. Her arms were flung over her head and she had kicked off the covers. House opened the door wider and limped across the room. He bent and covered her with the sheet and light blanket and then brushed her hair out of her face. He had just started to rise when Rachel opened her eyes and blinked sleepily up at him.
"Daddy?" Rachel whispered.
"Yeah, it's me, Kid. Go back to sleep," House whispered back.
Rachel sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Is it morning?"
House sat on the edge of the bed. "No, it's still night time. I just wanted to check on you. Why don't you lay back down and go back to sleep?"
Rachel climbed onto his lap and snuggled into his chest. House wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against one of the turrets. Cuddy's warning ran through his mind and he rolled his eyes as he rubbed Rachel's back. He began to softly hum an old Eric Clapton song. He didn't quit until he looked down and saw that the little girl was once again asleep. He carefully lowered her back to the bed and covered her. As he sat and watched her sleep, House was struck by the awesome responsibility he had willingly taken on and by just how much he loved this tiny person. Instead of the panic he would have expected, he was filled with a sense of peace. He forced himself to rise and leave the room.
Cuddy was already in bed when he limped into the bedroom. She watched him dig through the dresser and pull out pajama pants and a clean t-shirt. "Did you wake her up?" she asked.
"Yeah," he admitted as he removed his watch and tossed it and his wallet on the dresser. "I got her back to sleep."
"Marshmallow," Cuddy mumbled as she snuggled into his pillow.
House smiled as he moved to the bathroom and shut the door. He quickly stripped and changed into his usual sleep attire. He was brushing his teeth when he took a good look at his reflection. As he studied himself, he realized just how different he looked. Oh, there was the same gray hair, the same stubble, the same blue eyes he had always secretly thought looked too big. But, gone were the sallow skin, the permanent frown, and the look of utter desolation he had once seen in his eyes. He had to admit he looked pretty damned good for a fifty-something, drug addict who had been one step away from suicide. He spit out the tooth paste and rinsed his mouth. He looked at himself again and grinned. Cuddy seemed to like what she saw and that was all that mattered.
He was thinking that maybe he should start working out as he returned to the bedroom. He stopped at the edge of the bed and sighed. His side of the bed was already occupied by one very adorable toddler and her stuffed rabbit. He moved around to Cuddy's side and slid in beside her. When she mumbled something unintelligible, House nudged her over to the center of the bed. He wrapped an arm around both of them and drifted off to sleep thinking he had to be the luckiest man alive.