Is it sad when you don't even have very long fingernails and you break one?

Nice To Be With You

6:00am

House and Cuddy headed down to the dining hall to have breakfast. The waiter seated them and took their orders. House looked around at the people in the room.

"Why are so many people up at 6:00 in the morning?" House asked Cuddy.

"I know," Cuddy said. "It's like they have lives or something."

"Shut up," House said. The man at the table next to them looked at them. "Got to keep the woman in line," House said to him when he saw him looking their way. The man gave House a disgusted look and looked away.

"I see you found a new best friend," Cuddy said.

"They just don't get us," House said in a valley girl voice.

"We are just so misunderstood," Cuddy said laughing.

"Eww," House said looking at his hand. "I really hope this was syrup that I just put my hand in."

"Go wash it off," Cuddy said. "Did you get any on your suit?"

"I don't think so," House said. "Of course, if I did then I wouldn't have to wear this to the conference."

"I packed another jacket," Cuddy said.

"Crap," House said as he got up. "You and your weird need to plan ahead."

After House went to the bathroom, Cuddy called over the waiter and had him clean off the table. When the waiter finished and left, Cuddy looked up and smiled at the man sitting next to her, who was looking at her.

"I'm Paul Orrick," the man said to her.

"Lisa Cuddy," Cuddy said back to him.

"Are you in Kansas for business?" Paul asked her.

"Medical conference," Cuddy said.

"You're a doctor?" Paul asked her. "So am I. Are you going to the conference in Overland Park?"

"Yes," Cuddy said. "You work at Stanford, don't you?"

"Yes," Paul said. "You've heard of me?"

"I saw your name on the speaker list," Cuddy said. "You speak right before me."

Paul grabbed his speaker list from his notebook. "Wow," Paul said. "I am speaking right before a Dean of Medicine. You do not look like I thought you would. That is probably because the Dean of Medicine at Stanford is about 9,000 years old."

"I fought to get the job young," Cuddy said.

"So is the guy you are with your employee?" Paul asked.

"That's Gregory House," Cuddy said. "He is the head of diagnostics."

"I've heard of him," Paul said. "That explains why he was rude to you. I thought for a minute that he was your husband."

"Boyfriend," House said as he walked back up to the table and sat down. "We're lovers." Paul looked over at Cuddy.

"He brainwashed me," Cuddy said.

"With all the hot sex," House said. "Sorry dude, but you are too late to get some of that."

"You should treat her better," Paul said.

"I'm sorry," House said. "When did our personal business start to involve you? I didn't realize we were having a three way."

"Can we stop having this conversation?" Cuddy asked. "Dr. Orrick, I am a smart woman. I know House is a smartass, but he is my smartass. I can handle him."

"You should treat her better are you will lose her," Paul said as he got up to leave. "She is a smart and beautiful woman."

"And I am a smart beautiful man," House said.

"I will see you at the conference Dr. Cuddy," Paul said.

"What a dick," House said after he left.

"He thought he was trying to help," Cuddy said.

"You should have bitch-slapped him," House said.

"I think that would be kind of hard to explain at the conference," Cuddy said. "Oh, I bitch-slapped him because he was upset that my boyfriend told me to shut up."

"That seemed like an easy explanation to me," House said.

"That is because you have probably had that conversation before," Cuddy said.

"I have never bitch-slapped a man because he was mean to my boyfriend," House said. "Well, there was this one time that someone was mean to Wilson."

"Just don't start anything with him at the conference," Cuddy said.

"I won't," House said. "I will just pretend like I am him and order porn for his room here."

"It is your birthday," Cuddy said. "I thought that maybe we could do something else besides picking on a stranger."

"I can fit the sex time in with the bothering him time," House said.

"I thought maybe we could do something after the conference this morning," Cuddy said. "I saw in the lobby that they have trail rides on the Oregon Trail."

"That would be a big no," House said.

"How about an amusement park?" Cuddy asked.

"A little more interested," House said.

"I am sure that it has some fun rollercoasters," Cuddy said.

"You talked me into it," House said.

"I am glad," Cuddy said. "I was afraid I would have to twist your arm."

"I will do it for you," House said.

"Can we go on the trail ride sometime before me leave?" Cuddy asked.

"No," House said.

"You better win me something at the park," Cuddy said.

"I'll win your love," House said with a giant smile.

"Shut up," Cuddy said. House looked around the dining hall.

"I guess no one is going to defend me when you are mean to me," House said.

"You are a man," Cuddy said. "It is not mean when a woman is keeping her man in line."