a/n: This one is the House/Cuddy date (with slight Wilson thrown in). You will have to let me know how I did on this one. It feels odd for me since I've never written this pairing in great detail.

The full-length mirror exhibited dazzling proof that Chase knew exactly what he was talking about. She did look stunning in red. Forget distracting House, Cuddy was quite distracted by herself. She must have worn this red dress before for some type of seduction. The low cut neck line proudly displayed her better than average cleavage, the long flowing drape of the skirt stopped a few inches below the knee, and the split along the right side went all the way up her thigh allowing her to show off her shapely leg whenever she saw fit.

Shoes were never an issue with her. Imelda Marcos had nothing compared to her collection. For House, the black suede open toed heels would do the job nicely. The light floral scent of her selected perfume would be enough to tease, but not enough to say 'do me'. Earrings and a simple crystal pendant completed the package.

Despite the odd circumstances, Cuddy was feeling pretty good right now. She didn't have many occasions where she could get dressed up for the sole purpose of being a beautiful woman. She often looked her best, but that came with the role of being the dean of medicine. Tonight, she was allowed to be Lisa Cuddy, woman. She never had any issues in the confidence department in that regards and only hoped her efforts weren't being wasted on someone of her polar opposite. House usually went out of his way to look bad.

Cuddy had no doubt whatsoever that one look at her would win House over. Hell, she could come out wearing a burlap sack and he'd ogle. No, the pressure was on him to impress her. Any attempts at dressing up tonight were purely for her to feel better about herself and so far she was wildly succeeding. She anticipated House would fall way short in that area.

One more deep breath as the doorbell rang. Her only fear was that she'd drive House into cardiac arrest when he saw her. As she briskly swung open her front door, she wasn't disappointed. His hinged open jaw and bright glow of those stunned brilliant blue eyes was exactly the reaction she expected.

What she didn't imagine was her reaction upon seeing him.

Cuddy had always been attracted to House's mind, but his usual unkept appearance long squelched any physical attraction. All that changed tonight when her heart jumped out of her chest by just looking at him. His hair was actually properly trimmed along the sides and in perfect place at the top. His face was clean and he actually shaved! The winning item though was the suit, which was a very flattering charcoal grey with crisp white shirt. Draped over that shirt was a lovely blue tie that was the perfect compliment to his normally dreamy eyes, which now stood out even more with the clean-shaven face. His shoes were actually shiny and freshly polished black dress shoes and not Nikes.

"You look very lovely tonight." House tried to be sincere, but since compliments were hard for him they usually were unintentionally delivered with a slight hint of falsehood.

"Thank you. I might say the same about you. Did you actually go out of your way to make an impression? Who are you?" Cuddy gave him a flattered smile, but also felt a little awkward. Pretending to be civilized adults was far lost on them. Still, she supposed in this situation, protocol should be followed.

House was unfazed by her skepticism. "Ready to go?" He held out his left elbow, inviting her to take his arm. She nodded and obliged, thinking it was sweet that he was attempting to be a gentleman, but knowing inside it was likely killing him.

"You don't have to act like a decent person on my account."

"No, I want to try and do this right." It took every bit of strength he had not to roll his eyes let alone let out a smart-ass comment.

At the end of the walkway was a newly polished, bright and shiny 1965 red Corvette.

"I thought you gave this back?" Her tone moved quickly into her typical lecturing mode.

House's face neither showed guilt or innocence. "I did. I get to, uh, borrow it every once in a while."

Cuddy usually knew when House was lying, but she couldn't tell here. He would have to be given the benefit on the doubt.

House went as far to open the car door for her and help her in. The top was on given the chilly air, but that didn't detract from how sweet the vehicle was on the inside. The cozy two-seater complete with classic and well maintained interior red leather felt wonderful to sink right into. As a reward, she flashed him a profile of her right leg through the slit of the dress. He obviously noticed because he delayed closing the door for a few seconds because he was gasping for air. Cuddy coyly beamed because she never grew tired of such a reaction.

House took his place in the driver's seat. She could see the glint in his eye as he started the car. There was something about the hum from an engine of a 1965 Corvette that brought out the little boy in him. The look was far more rewarding than watching the relief he got from popping a vicodin. She expressed her pleasure over the choice of transportation with another big smile.

The purr of the engine compensated for the awkward silence between the two as they moved along the road. There wasn't really anything to say that wouldn't result in antagonistic comments and both were trying hard to be on their best behavior. After a while though, Cuddy couldn't help but comment. "You have taken impeccable care of this vehicle."

"Thanks," he replied with a smile, but let it sag when he realized she just tripped him up. "If it were mine."

She continued to stare at him, trying desperately to figure out what he was up to. "Come on, I'll let you make at least one comment about how my boobs and ass look in this dress."

"Who me? I didn't notice."

Cuddy chuckled, noticing the slight grit in his teeth and playful smile when he said that. She'll break him by the end of the evening.

House arrived at their destination, pulling the vehicle into a parking spot on the street. He got out and moved to the passenger side to let his date out.

"House, this is your apartment building."

"Yep," he simply said in acknowledgement. He carried a tricky grin as he led her inside the building and opened the door marked '221B'.

Cuddy couldn't believe what she saw on the other side of the door. The room was dimly light, mostly illuminated by candles. On the other side of the room was an already set table for two draped in a white tablecloth glowing with two bright dinner candles. Someone dressed in a white uniform and apron emerged from the kitchen.

"Good evening sir, ma'am. May I take your coat?" He helped Cuddy take her coat off and pushed it quickly away into the closet. He came back and led them over to the table, pulling out the chair for her. She and House both sat down, while Cuddy wore a curious glare over what he was up to. He stayed straight faced as if nothing weird was going on.

The server disappeared into the kitchen and returned promptly with a bottle of red wine. He opened it, poured a slight amount in the bottom of a glass and placed it in front of Cuddy. "I hope it meets with your approval. Dr. House personally selected it."

She nodded graciously and took a drink. Her face scrunched over the very pleasing taste. "Yes, this is outstanding." She again looked at House, who was still very low key and humble while the server poured them both a full glass. Once he left, she felt it was time to ask questions.

"You selected this? Funny, you don't look like Wilson." She took a seductive sip, waiting curiously for an answer.

House smiled and took his own drink. "I took the time to ask him. Doesn't that count for something?"

She put the wine glass down and hunched over while looking squarely at him. "So, why your place?"

"I wanted something private and nowhere has better ambience."

Cuddy laughed. "Ambience? Since when was ambience to you something other than pizza and beer followed by an OC marathon?"

"Gee, thanks for bringing that up," he said rolling his eyes. He was still torn up over its cancellation. "Care to pour some more salt into that wound?"

Cuddy exhaled in relief, thankful to see a sign of the wise cracking House she knew. Right about that time the server came out with the first course. "Butternut squash bisque. Care for some fresh ground pepper?"

Cuddy nodded as he put some into her bowl. House kept waving him on until there was a nice crust of pepper covering his soup.

She grimaced in pleasure over the wonderful taste of the dish. "Remind me to ask Wilson for suggestions next time I host a dinner party."

"The bisque was my idea. He suggested potato leek. How gross is that?" His bright smile over his joke left Cuddy's heart a flutter. How could it be he was winning her over so quickly into the evening?

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The courses kept coming, all while House kept a leash on his behavior. A mixed-greens salad with Roquefort crumbles was served next, followed by a mild fruit sorbet to clear the palate. The server then came with another selection of wine and poured two new glasses. "An Australian chardonnay. The flavors will really come out when you drink this with the duck."

"Duck?" She asked in amazement.

He came out a minute later with two plates loaded with the main entrée. "Marinated duck ala orange with snow peas and basil and garlic whipped potatoes."

Cuddy tried desperately to read any sign of sarcasm or derision from House over this ritual while she tore into her entrée. His demeanor stayed calm and serious. "This meal is far better than anything I've had at a five star restaurant. How did you get a private chef to do this last minute? Unless you had planned to trick me into dating you today far in advance."

House remained rather nonchalant over the whole thing. "Chef Pierre there owed Wilson a favor, something about in exchange for some free medical care. Anyway, he was supposed to cook for Wilson tonight."

"His name is Pearson if you took time to notice. I can't believe Wilson gave this up for you."

"No, he gave it up for you. I already had a spot at the table. I doubt though that we would have dined by romantic candlelight, but maybe Wilson was planning on surprising me. We'll never know I guess."

Cuddy laughed. "Wilson could have done this for me and kicked you out. I'll have to thank him personally later."

"Sure give him all the credit. He doesn't have a hot car like I do." House replied mockingly. Cuddy could have sworn she heard a hint of jealousy, but she dismissed it as speculation. She gave him another a teasing smile and took a drink of the wine. Wow, the flavor really did come out well with the duck.

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The server walked in with a bottle of some very fine aged brandy and two brandy glasses. They had just finished the final course, a very rich Chocolate Mousse. Cuddy felt like she was going to slip into a food coma now. He poured the finishing touch to very long and satisfying meal into each of the glasses.

"Thanks, I think we are done for the evening. You can leave the bottle." House said pulling out $200, which summarily dismissed the help for the night.

"Thank you," Cuddy told him. "It was all outstanding. Could you leave a business card behind?"

"Yes ma'am. Both of you enjoy the rest of your evening."

House stood up with his glass in his hand, "Now for the entertainment. Bring the drink." She followed his lead over to the couch.

While she got comfortable, House took his seat behind the piano. In that very instant, she could see him lost in the allure of the keys and it was as if he was now the only person in the room. He moved his fingers along the instrument passionately, starting with a nice lite jazz piece. It wasn't recognizable to her, but it was lovely nonetheless.

Cuddy tried to remember the last time she heard him play. It was at one of the staff parties a few years ago she was pretty sure. She remembered Wilson telling her that he rarely played for an audience anymore.

Her mind got lost in watching his face, so much so that she barely remembered the notes she heard. He looked so content, so peaceful, so happy. He was so completely absorbed into the music it was like the world around him didn't exist. He was one with the music, indicating it was likely the only true love of his life.

When he was done playing the song, he paused for a few seconds examining the black and white keys while the last notes still hung in the air. Once the reverberation stopped, he downed his drink in one gulp, poured another, and promptly went into something by Chopin.

The drink, the relaxing music, the comfortable couch, and the fact that she hadn't slept the night before all combined into the right punch where by the third song she was dead to the world on the sofa.

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The wonderful, sometimes swirling, sometimes melodic, sometimes commanding tones of the piano were there serving as a soundtrack to her dreams. The music only added to the vivid nature of the images flashing through her subconscious. Somehow though, amongst those flashes, eventually perception set in and she became aware that the music was actually playing in the background and not just in her mind. Her eyes fluttered open to see House still at the piano, going with an Elton John song this time.

She shook herself out of her haze and looked at her watch. 2 AM. "Have you been playing piano all this time?"

"Yep," he said stopping to take another drink. The bottle was mostly gone, so he must have been drinking for both of them while she slept.

"You can sit for 4 plus hours drinking and playing the piano? No wonder you are always sleeping at work."

"I'm afraid that I'm a little too drunk to take you home. You are welcome to my bed. I'll pass out on the couch when I'm ready. I hope you don't have to be at work early tomorrow."

"Saturday, day off, remember?"

"Good, you can sleep in then."

She stood up and rested her elbow on the edge of the piano, allowing the vibrations to tickle her senses. The sensation was more pleasing than jolting.

"About what time do you normally give up?"

"All depends on the drink of choice. This brandy is a little less powerful than the scotch I normally have, so my guess is I'll be going a few more hours."

Cuddy gave him a big smile and straightened herself, removing her body from the feelings provided by the keyboard. "Good night House. For what it's worth, I had a very lovely evening. You did impress me." She turned around, entered the bedroom and closed the door.

House cracked a tiny grin after watching her disappear. "Too bad I'm so damn boring when I'm impressive." He went on to play some jazz improv based on a piece by Bill Evans.

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Wilson heard the apprehensive knock on his office door. He knew it couldn't be House for two reasons. First, it's Saturday. Second, there was knocking. He normally was left alone when working Saturdays, so his curiosity piqued by the visitor. "Come in."

"Are you busy?" Cuddy entered wearing casual clothes, ruling out the likelihood of a professional visit.

"Not at all. It's my guess you are here to tell me about your evening."

She slowly sauntered over to the chair in front of his desk. The pleasant look on her face gave him hints that all indeed went well. "I want to thank you for giving up your spot with the personal chef for me."

"He wasn't supposed to tell you that, but I knew he would."

"It was a really nice evening. House was actually very civil."

"That means he didn't talk much. That must have killed him. He probably played the piano all night."

"Yes, he did." She shouldn't have been surprised by the comment since Wilson knows him better than anyone, but she was nonetheless.

"That's the only thing that keeps his mouth shut. How late were you there?"

"I feel asleep on the couch at first, and then he let me have his bed when he was too drunk to drive me home. He was asleep on the couch when I called a cab at 7:30 this morning."

"More like passed out. He was probably up to 4 or 4:30. So you came in today just to tell me all about it?"

She lowered her head, ready to reveal her true reason. "No, I need a favor and I was hoping you would be working today. I need you to run a blood test on me."

He gave her his full attention now, knowing the importance of her request. "Checking for pregnancy?"

Cuddy nodded.

"Sure, I've got some time right now. You sure you don't want to wait a little longer?"

"No, I'd rather know now."

Wilson stood up, not willing to show delay. "Onto the lab then."

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They sat patiently in the lab waiting for the test to complete. Wilson did all he could to make her feel at ease, but she was too nervous. "You have some sort of prediction?" He asked.

"Yes but I don't want to jinx it."

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy; the mad daughter of a wise mother." Wilson wasn't sure why such a thought popped into his head, but it did.

Cuddy had actually heard that one before and appreciated the sentiment. "Voltaire, isn't it? I'm acting pretty kooky, aren't I?"

Wilson smiled, showing full understanding of her pressure. "You know, it's not my place to question why anyone would want to carry on a legacy, but why go through it? Sometimes these things aren't just meant to be."

"Logically I tell myself that everyday, but every fiber of my being tells me to keep trying because it will be oh so worth it in the end."

"Then you should keep trying. You don't need a better reason than that." Just as Wilson finished those words, the timer went off.

She gave him a tense look just before he checked the microscope. He glanced back stone faced, not indicating an answer either way. "I'm sorry Lisa, its negative."

Cuddy bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, that's what I was expecting. Nothing really felt different, but I had to be sure."

Wilson could tell what she really needed right now was a friend. "Come on, let's get some coffee. My treat."

"Thanks, I would love that." Wilson gestured his hand outward, guiding the way out. She gave him a sad smile of thanks and he followed behind.

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House heard a knock on the door. He knew it wasn't Wilson. First, it was too early in the evening on a Saturday. Second, there was knocking. He limped over without use of cane. "I'm coming."

Cuddy's deep and sincere blue eyes wore right through him as he didn't expect to see her on the other end. He knew that look. It was vulnerable, it was pleading, it was needy.

"I'm sorry, and I want to thank you." She said as soon as he was able to figure out her frame of mind.

"What for?"

"You did everything I wanted last night. It couldn't have been more perfect. You went out of your way to impress me, to show me a side of yourself no one ever sees, and you were on your best behavior. I thank you for that all, and I'm never asking you to do that again. While it was all very nice, it wasn't you."

"Thank God." He gave her a slightly satisfied smirk, feeling somewhat redeemed for his effort. "Would you like to come in for a drink?"

"I'd love to." She pleasingly walked through the space he cleared for her. He closed the door, leaving both to wonder what could possibly transpire in the course of an evening alone.

a/n: Back to Chase/Cameron, Pamela/Foreman fun and fluff next chapter. Thanks for reading!