Chapter 6: Parents

Sunday morning

Wearing some old jeans and a favorite sweatshirt that went down to her knees; Cuddy sat at the kitchen table with House, satisfied with her first cup of coffee that had been made, gratefully, during her shower.

She sighed, pleased as the hot coffee ran down her throat. One thing she had to grant her husband for was that he could make a hell of a coffee... House on the other hand glared at his loving wife, also known as the Snow Queen and killer of his taste buds, over his own portion of gruel, which Cuddy had given him as 'breakfast'. With a rather dark expression he stirred the alien-slime-like creation, but in Cuddy's words it was totally healthy slobber, which the breakfast-terrorist's had declared as the most fundamental meal of the day all too generously.

"Most fundamental meal of the day..." House grumbled quietly. "Pha... Presumably because it could always be the last meal too..."

Cuddy forced herself not to smirk, as she noticed House's glare. "Did you say something, sweetie?" She fluttered her eyelashes.

"Your flummeries won't be enough to sweeten this glop..." He glared at her again, before he grabbed the sugar bowl and nearly emptied it over his dish.

Hurriedly Cuddy grabbed over the table to take away the bowl. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make this slime barely eatable..." He mixed in the sugar and tasted a spoon full. "Now I'm only missing some marshmallows and then, if I shut my eyes tightly and truly believe, it might taste like Lucky-Charms..."

Shaking her head, Cuddy placed the sugar bowl out of House's reach back on the table. "Ever heard of 'healthy, balanced diet'?"

"Of course... But the word 'diet' implies that it really is eatable... And this crap is as eatable as Michael Jackson is human..." He shoved another spoon into his mouth and glanced at the sugar bowl.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "So we're going to have dinner with your parents today and pretend to be the perfect couple?" she changed the subject not so subtly.

"Yes." House fixated the sugar bowl with his eyes, just like he could force it to come back to him by his looks only...

Just in case Cuddy laid one hand on the sugar bowl, while she used her free hand to feed herself with another spoon full of gruel. "I thought you couldn't lie to your mom...?"

"That's the good thing bout being married." He lost his interest in the sugar bowl and gazed at Cuddy's necklace instead, deciding he didn't like her favorite sweatshirt at all... Lacked of cleavage... "You're sharing the weights!- Which means in our case that we go have dinner with my parents and YOU are going to lie to my mom for me."

Cuddy snorted. "I lie to your mom for you?"

"That plan is ingenious." Presumably her breasts would be able to sweeten this stuff Cuddy had called 'food' so generously just like the sugar, he guessed. By the thought of licking the gruel from her breasts, he nearly got hungry for the tasteless muck... "You could cuddle me the whole evening and look with those puppy eyes of yours at me as much as you want..." He tore his gaze off her décolleté. "Me doing this would be implausible. My mother knows that I'm not really the emotional kind of guy..."

"Pfft, and who lost his temper, just because that one big car crashed into that other big car?" Cuddy arched a brow and sipped on her orange-juice.

"Truck, Cuddy. That weren't any cars but trucks. Monster trucks.- That's something totally different!"

"Monster trucks, whatever..." Untouched Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. "Why did you even take me there?"

"Because Wilson had been on a date..." he explained impatient. "And because in contrary to Wilson I have no chance to get some..."

"Totally right!"

"...Monster trucks had been the best alternative. And because you were free and my sex-misery is all your fault, bringing you there seemed fair."

"For all I care.... but still; you freaked out."

"I did not... I was only slightly excited because that stupid scumbag Zeus lost... although his 'Flash of dead' had been much stronger and faster than that 'Arm of Anger'..."

"I can't decide about what I should laugh first..." she chuckled. "About the fact that seriously someone calls his car-"

"Truck!"

"Truck." Cuddy rolled his eyes, but grinned some more. "'Flash of dead' and himself 'Zeus' or that YOU bet money on a maniac like that, or about the fact that you're still angry but the five dollars you lost..." She giggled.

"Therefore you've got a purple bathroom!" House defended himself.

"What?"

"That's a fact, Cuddy... There's no way to blandish it."

"You do know that this change of subject was total absurd?"

"Why? I just want to point out that a person who is crazy enough to hire an obviously drugged, color blind interior designer to garble her bathroom and even pays him for it afterwards, isn't really the best person to judge other people's behavior..."

Before Cuddy was able to answer him how his stupid remark deserved it, the door bell chimed. Much to her surprise House stood up and limped to the door, as well to open it as to get away from the awful tasting breakfast... He would've need to order some pizza today... And to pay for it with one of Cuddy's credit-cards... Well, a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do. He grinned, looking through the peephole. And froze.

Damn.

Oh. Damn..

His parents.

As fast and as silent as he could manage, House limped back into the kitchen, where Cuddy was still eating her gruel.

"Back again? Didn't hear you open the door..." Astonished she looked at him, something was wrong, she could see that in his eyes. God, presumably he would wear sunglasses all the time if he would know how much his eyes revealed about him...

"Maybe because I never opened the door in first place..." House replied darkly.

"Who was in front of the door?- Jehovah's Witnesses?"

"Worse."

"Scientology?"

"My parents..."

"What?" Shocked Cuddy sunk her spoon. "House please tell me, that you left your parents at the outside the closed front door."

His expression got somehow recalcitrant. "You always preach that you shouldn't lie."

Startled Cuddy shook her head. "You can't let your parents stand outside closed doors! What do you want to do? Just wait till they go?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not... I just didn't want to open the door myself. You do that. Then they will also know that I didn't just make you up..."

"You. Can't be. Serious." Unbelievingly she stared at him. The door chime demanded attention loudly.

He shrugged his shoulders nearly untouched but the tautness of his body, his stiff attitude of his shoulders and the strong grab with whom he held on to his cane gave him away. "Great. Let them stay outside then... They are to early anyway..."

Suspicious Cuddy watched him, tried to evaluate if this was just another of his power-games or if there was some deeper intent, something more serious behind his actions... But that she could find out just so easily. Arrogantly she arched a brow, tested him. "This'll cost you something..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Quid pro quo, my dear." Relaxed and smirking she leaned back against her chair.

"Of course..." He raised a brow. "Two weeks ago we had a date with your parents and I behaved PERFECTLY well."

"Pfft, Why should I care bout your favors of yesterday." She smirked harder. "The power lies in the future."

"Great, now she justifies her unfair behavior with stupid platitudes." he mumbled, like to himself. "And someone like that calls herself an executive..." The repeated ringing of the door bell echoed dull in his ears. Seemed like his parents were getting impatient...

"I can hear you, House."

"That wasn't me, that was your conscience."

"My conscience?"

"Yes..." Now he was the one grinning. "Doesn't it scare you that your moral compass sounds like mine?"

Cuddy suppressed a grin. Don't show weakness now. Arrogantly she arched a brow. "A fundraiser, House. Next week; You, me and a suit."

"And you go there naked?- Or will you wear the suit and I go naked?"

Smiling softly she ignored his comment. "Either way you go with me to that fundraiser and play the perfect husband or you can open the door yourself, while I wash my hair again..."

His eyes went small. "You wouldn't dare..."

"Don't be too sure..." Cuddy played with her curls. "I think I forgot to use my conditioner... Hm, I should better catch that up, don't you think?

Again the door bell chimed, this time audible longer than before. House sighed. "Alright..." Resigned he nodded his head lightly. "But no tie... And no opening the door, blackmailer."

Satisfied she stood up. "Perfect." She grinned and stated loosening up her jeans relaxed. "Take off your shirt..."

"What?" Startled but fascinated also he watched her undress.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Take off your shirt, House..."

The door bell again.

He frowned but obeyed and started to loosen up his shirt. "As much as I enjoy this little interlude, Cuddles... we don't have time for a quickie. We should hold of on being naked for the fundraiser..." His shirt dropped on the floor while Cuddy got out her jeans.

"I hate to destroy your illusions..." Bare feet and still wearing her sweater she strode towards the door. "But I'm not stripping down for your benefit, but for your parents..."

"What?" Confusion mirrored itself in his face as he followed her.

"Well, somehow we need to explain..." The door bell once more. "...why we made them wait so long, right?" She reached for the door knob.

Awareness shot through him. "Cuddy, you cunning minx!" Commendatory he smirked.

"Right." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "That's why I'm the boss and you're my subordinate..." with those words she opened the door and cut of his upcoming reply.

Friendly and convincingly surprised she greeted his parents: "Mr. and Mr. House!" She even succeeded in blushing slightly. "We didn't expect you this early..."

"I thought you wanted you join us first this afternoon..." House grumbled, who stood now next to Cuddy and bent down to hug his mother.

"Yes, my darling... Our flight arrived earlier than planed, so we took a taxi to you..." Smiling, Blythe embraced her son. He looked good, she thought. The marriage seemed to suit him...

"Are we interrupting something?" Smirking his father gazed from him to Cuddy.

Sunday evening

"Thank you." Politely Cuddy smiled at the waitress who just had poured her another glass of wine before she turned around to House and his parents again. The day passed by without further problems... After his parents had arrived so surprisingly early, House and Cuddy had dressed hurriedly and then they had shown them the guest room... Good thing that House had already brought his stuff into Cuddy's bedroom yesterday... Of course he brought them while Cuddy was changing her clothes and had been standing in only her underwear in her room... Therefore House knew now that he didn't like her purple bathroom but he loved her purple underwear... although he allowed himself to add that he would've loved her underwear even more if it was lying on the floor of her bathroom, especially when he and Cuddy could enjoy this sight from in her shower, preferably in the nude.

"And how is my son doing as a husband, Lisa?" John House interrupted her thoughts and smiled at her. "It's not like he has much experience with relationships..."

Cuddy could feel how House flinched under that question. Soothingly she laid her hand on his arm, every muscle of him was tense with exertion. She let her hand wander to his own and closed hers around it gently before she answered his father quietly: "He's doing great, Mr. House." She folded her fingers with House's. "He's a good man..." Smiling she glanced at him. "He's a complicated man, but a good man though..."

House's expression didn't change at all but he turned around his hand under hers, so their palms touched while he caressed the back of her hand with his thump tenderly.

Satisfied Blythe registered this tender gesture of her son with a smile. Just like the longing look in Cuddy's eyes.

Sunday night

The bare illuminating of the night-lamps bathed Cuddy's bedroom into a soft yellow light. In a good mood House laid on Cuddle's bed and observed his wife on how she stood in front of her side of the bed wearing a short red kimono over her fitting and short nighties, putting her hands on her hips. Smirking he crossed his arms behind his back and spoke up. "Come to bed, Cuddles..."

Instead of answering him, Cuddy only shot him a death glare, slipped back under her covers and switched of her lamp. As soon as she laid next to him he turned to her and looped one arm around her warm body, which brought him another death glare from Cuddy, before she freed herself skilled and sat up. "Don't push it to far, House..."

"Don't be so prude..." House pouted and raised himself up to look at her. "Betty wouldn't be that shy..."

"Who's Betty?"

House smirked. "That's the plastic doll... We're rather close now... You kind of stick together when you share a bed in those lonely nights..." Grinning he spread his arms. "C´mere, I'll show you!"

"Did you know that I just had a retraining in 'How to torture your importunate husband'?" Cuddy asked sharply and fondled her arms in front of her chest.

"Really?" Interested he looked at her.

Warningly she arched a brow. "Pester me and I show you." Cuddy slid under her covers again and turned on her side, away from House facing her closet.

"Hrmpf..." House let himself fall back into his pillows again, mumbling something which sounded much like 'snow queen' as he switched of his lamp.

For a few minutes they laid next to each other in totally darkness...

"Were you serious?" House's quiet voice cut through the silence.

"What?" Confused Cuddy turned around again, tried to make out his face in the dark.

Uneasy House changed his position, laid his left arm over his chest, crossing his legs just to place his arm next to his body again. "If you were serious..." he uttered quietly, his eyes straight fixed on the deep black ceiling. "What you said during dinner... Bout me..."

"What I said to your dad?" she asked back, equally hushed.

"I know I'm not..." His voice faded before he finished the sentence.

She really wished she could see his eyes... Hesitantly she approached to him, laying her left hand on his chest carefully and felt his pounding heart under her palm just like the slight movement of his upper body as he turned towards her.

"House?" She placed her head on her right forearm and moved a bit closer. So close that his breath caressed her skin. Closer than she could ever be to him in the light of the day, not only physically...

"You're a good man." she added whispering.

His hand met hers in the darkness.

I apologize for being so slow posting it but my email-account messed up again, so I didn´t recieve the beta-ed version till today and only because my smart beta wondered why I hadn´t updated it and sent it to me again...

Now the usual stuff follows:

THANKS to Maja, who found out the names of House´s parents for me.

THANKS to Melissa for being such a damn good beta and for being so smart to guess that my stupid email messed this up the first time. You´re gorgeous. I know, I´m repeating myself, but I can´t help!

THANKS to Deborah for only being who she is. You´re gorgeous! (Yeah, repeating once more, what I told you like a thousand times... Once again, I´m helpless to find better words.)

THANKS to all of you who took the time to review. You´re just great!

BRIBE (Yeah, bribe again.. Repeating seems to get a habit of mine... just like the bribing ^-^)
Please leave me some feedback and tell me what you thought bout this chapter, if you do, I´ll send you the first scene of the seventh chapter as a little thank you.