Get Ready

House was so nervous that he thought that he might vomit. "Come here," Wilson said to House as he tried to get him ready for his date. "I brought you one of my blue ties to wear. It will help bring out your eyes."

"You are so gay," House said with a slight laugh. "Never repeat that statement again."

"Do you want me to help you get ready or not?" Wilson asked as he tied House's tie.

"Do you have to speak when you are doing it?" House asked. "You are making me uncomfortable."

"That's just your nerves getting the better of you," Wilson said as he tried to straighten out House's jacket before he let his friend put it on. "You need to take some deep breathes."

"If I open my mouth too wide, I'll have to change my shirt," House said breathing deeply out of his nose. "I think this date is going to kill me before I even make it to her doorstep." Wilson looked at him and pretended to wipe tears from his eyes.

"My little boy's growing up," Wilson said grabbing a tissue.

"Shut up," House said punching him in the arm. Wilson started to laugh and patted his friend on his back. He knew that House was not good at any kind of change.

"Please try to be a gentleman on this date," Wilson said. "If you really like her, you need to show her that you want more than just sex from her. Pretend like her parents are in the house waiting for her and give her a quick kiss goodnight, then leave." House didn't know if he should be listening to his friend, the man who had been divorced so many times. Wilson did seem to know how to make women fall for him, though.

"What if she invites me in?" House asked. He turned to Wilson really wanting to know what his answer was going to be.

"Let her take charge," Wilson said.

"But what if she is just using me for sex?" House asked, still not knowing why in the world Cuddy had said yes to him. "What if that is her plan?"

"Would that really be that bad?" Wilson asked House as Wilson made his way over to grab the flowers he had bought for House to give to Cuddy. He thought House would be thrilled to be used for sex. He sure wouldn't mind if Cuddy wanted to use him for sex.

"It would be bad in the way that if she wanted to use me for sex, she should have done so a long time ago so I would have had years of sex," House said.

"I guess that means that maybe she really likes you," Wilson said as he handed House the flowers. "Otherwise, she would have used you a long time ago. Are we forgetting anything?"

"My barf bag," House said. "I don't want to throw up all over her because it might ruin things." Wilson laughed. He had never seen House so nervous.

"You'll be fine once you get there," Wilson said as he walked House out the door.

"Get ready, cause here I come," House started to sing.

xx

Cuddy had been running around her house frantically when the door bell rang. "It's only 6:00," she said, shocked that House was going to be early the one time when she was not prepared.

"Open the door Lisa!" Natalie yelled from outside.

"Natalie, what are you doing here?" Cuddy asked as she swung open the door. She didn't have time to sit and chat. "I'm kind of busy." Natalie looked her friend up and down.

"Do you have a hot date tonight?" Natalie asked as she pushed her way into her friend's house. "Who is it?"

"House," Cuddy said quietly. Natalie's jaw dropped. She thought that Lisa didn't even like him.

"You bitch!" Natalie playfully screamed.

"I lied to you when I said that I didn't care if you asked House out," Cuddy said truthfully.

"You think?" Natalie asked hitting her palm on her forehead.

"I didn't think he was interested, so I thought he would say no to you so that you would move on," Cuddy said.

"For a guy with a snarky mouth, he seemed kind of boring to me anyway," Natalie said.

"He has built himself a little comfort zone and he has a hard time breaking out of it," Cuddy said. She hoped that she could break her way inside that zone. Natalie was a little jealous that House liked Cuddy, but she knew that he wasn't really interested in her, so her friend might as well give it a go. She was just happy that her friend seemed so happy.

"I bet he hopes he can break into you comfort zone, if you know what I mean," Natalie said with a grin. "You can give me all the details tomorrow."

"Do you think he really likes me?" Cuddy asked.

"He looks at you all the time, he meddles into your personal life, he follows you around, and you are one of the few people that he lets yell at him," Natalie said.

"I guess in House's own way, that is the way he shows he cares," Cuddy said. "It could also be that he is just messing with me to get some." She knew House pretty well, but he was still a mystery to her. Natalie could see the worry in Cuddy's face.

"He isn't messing with you because he knows he still has to work for you," Natalie said trying to build up her friend's confidence.

"So if he quits tomorrow, I know that he was just messing with me," Cuddy said. "It could also mean that I was so boring that he never wants to see me again."

"Try not to talk too much about work," Natalie said.

"But that is what we have in common," Cuddy said.

"Find other common interests because believe me when I say your work talk is boring as hell," Natalie said. "You don't want that to be the only thing you two have in common. Besides the sex of course."

"I know we both love music," Cuddy said.

"Try to get to know about his family, too," Natalie said.

"He may not want to talk about his family," Cuddy said. "I don't think he gets along with them very well."

"Talk about your family then," Natalie said. She knew Cuddy also didn't like talking about her family. "You need to talk about some personal things or it will be like two colleagues going out for a quick bite."

"I'll try to maneuver some personal things into the conversion," Cuddy said. "I need you to leave now, though, so you won't be here when he comes."

"You always say he is never on time, so he probably won't be here into 9:00," Natalie said as she opened the front door.

"I'm sure that Wilson will get him here before 9:00," Cuddy said, knowing that Wilson was probably helping House get ready. Natalie gave Cuddy a hug and walked out the door. Cuddy waved her friend goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow to get all the juicy gossip!" Natalie yelled as Cuddy was closing the door. "I want descriptions of everything!" Cuddy closed the door. She leaned against the door and took a deep breath.