Chapter 10: Fait Accompli

Tuesday, early at the morning

For a few minutes she stirred absently in the gruel that was already cold, staring at the wall and thinking about House... She acted ridiculous, she knew it but couldn't help herself. Fine, she loved House. But that wasn't the end of the world, was it?

Cuddy snorted self ironically.

Hell, of course it was the end of the world! All her illusions about her own perfect future life were suddenly shaken upside down and her once peaceful, security-giving fantasy of a marriage with a kind, nice, solid husband seemed now insipid and boring. Even the idea of living together with a man, who didn't make her want to straggle him from time to time cause his ridiculous manner annoyed the hell out of her, was now absurd.

If she pictured her future life now, she saw House and her within an argue, or how she challenged his mind with some bullshit she just made up cause she had been bored. She imagined herself and House sitting at her kitchen table talking about the hospital, about new cases... About reasons why Lucky Charms are at least a thousand times better than the grey slime from hell, like House liked to call it gruel... She imagined House and herself arguing in the clinic about a patient or about the new plasma-TV he wanted, while they both couldn't keep their hands of the other... She imagined- She remembered the last weeks with him.

Cuddy fought back her tears. She wouldn't cry. She would. Not. Cry. Not again... Last night had been enough.

Tears wouldn't change anything anyway. Tears never changed anything. So she suppressed them and bravely choked down a spoon of gruel while she glared at the sugar pot all the time as if that poor thing was to blame for House's absence... As she said, she acted ridiculous... Had acted ridiculous as she told him, she loved him... What the hell had she been thinking?

She snorted again.

She had not been thinking, that was what brought her all the trouble. She had been still angry with Ian... and at the same time House's nearness, his scent, his mouth, his kisses had distracted her. So she had rambled without further thinking...

Angry about herself, she shook her head.

She should've never told him that she loved him... Instead of she should've shut herself up by kissing him. Just like she had done on Tuesday. She should've stuck to her own advice and kiss him more often-

Suddenly Cuddy frowned.

Kissing House more often... That thought sparked something... Memories were tickled. And therewith she didn't mean the time last tuesday when she gave House the tie. No, these memories were much older...

Two month ago, Saturday night

Sweating and breathing heavy he laid upon her, pressing her into the soft mattress of the hotel bed with his weight while tracing her face with tiny kisses. House kissed her chin, her nose, her eyelids... God, he felt so good. Cuddy hid her face in his neck, her arms still wrapped tight around his body, trying to pull him even closer and inhaled his scent deeply. He smelled like heaven! She pressed an open kiss on his throat which made him moan huskily. Slightly he tilted his head, searched her mouth with his own. Tenderly she kissed him.

"I love you." House mumbled quietly, nearly audible against her lips.

"What?" Confused she opened her eyes and stared at the deep blue of his own.

"You kissed me!" he defended himself and tried to part from her but she just held on to him even tighter. No way she would let go of him now. No way.

"And that's why you love me?" she dug and smiled, drunk from the champagne. And from happiness.

"That's why I said it..." he growled. She kissed him again before he continued. "And because we are married..." She smiled against his mouth and nibbled at his bottom lip. "...because we were drunk..." he added. "And because you kissed me..."

Self satisfied Cuddy took his face between both her hands and looked at him grinning.

"What?" Slightly suspicious he frowned.

"I think I should kiss you more often." she replied and put that new awareness into action immediately.

Tuesday morning

Damn.

Bolting upright Cuddy sat in her chair.

That bastard!

Tuesday evening

Crankily House entered his apartment and dropped his keys at the commode before he closed the door behind him with a loud bang. Jaded and exhausted he limped towards his living room in which he had placed a bottle of whiskey and a water glass on his living room table. He intended anyway to drink the whole bottle so why delay the inevitable by using a tinier glass? At least he could count on his best friend, his NEW best friend, Johnnie Walker... House entered his living room. Johnnie would never let him down or annoy him with silly questions. No, not Johnnie. Johnnie would never do such things... Where the hell was Johnnie? Frowning House stared at the empty table in disbelief. Johnnie and the water glass were nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for something special?" a familiar female voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.

"Cuddy." Automatically his body tensed. Just under much pressure, he forced himself to face her. She stood in the kitchen doorway, a water glass filled with a transparent fluid, possibly his whisky, in her hand. Great, Johnnie let him down too. Just perfect...

Damn, she looked pretty. Without any make up, wearing some old jeans and that ugly old shirt she loved the most, she stood in front of him and just looked at him. Best he would have loved to turn around and drive back to the hospital. Or to a bar, where he could've drink as much whiskey till he would've forgotten how she looked... Best he'd grabbed her and kissed her till they both couldn't breath any longer...

His left hand clenched around his cane. "What do you want here, Cuddy?" he forced himself to ask.

Relaxed she arched a brow. "What are you doing here?" she shot back.

"I live here?" he replied with obvious sarcasm and limped towards her.

"Your shift will first be over in two hours." Attentively she watched him.

House snorted, shook his head slightly, took her glass out of her hand and emptied it with one gulp. Johnnie... He had known it. She didn't even flinch as he touched her. Damn, he had hoped to intimidate her with his nearness, to bring her to step off so he could save his face... But instead she stayed calm and collected, looking at him while his hand started shaking. Damn, why was she so relaxed? And why couldn't he be so calm also? "Why are you here, Cuddy?" His voice left no doubt that he didn't want her to be here. It was nearly filled with resentment.

She snatched her glass, placing her hand above his and looking him in the eye. "You love me, House." Although she nearly whispered her voice sounded strong and demanding.

The glass blasted into thousand pieces as House let go of it abruptly to hide from Cuddy's touch. "That's not the point." he grumbled similar quietly. His gaze avoided hers and concentrated on the tiny shards of glass on the floor.

"Yes it is-" She took a step towards him, seeking his nearness with which he had tried to scare her off and which now frightened him like hell. Her scent filled his nostrils and befogged his mind... Created unwanted pictures of himself and Cuddy and the way it could've been if they both just-

He bared himself to finish this thought. Wishful thinking never lead to anything useful. Only to pain. And pain he already had enough.

"It's not, Cuddy..." he replied and flinched again as she placed both her hands on his chest. Shocked he looked at her.

"You love me, House..." Her face was so soft and open and scared him even more than her touch.

"But-"

"You do, House." she interrupted him gently and smiled hesitantly. "And I love you-"

If it hadn't been so damn pathetic, he had covered his ears with his hands. "Don't say that." he begged silently. She killed him. Every time she said it, she killed him. Why did she do that? Why did she say it after all? He knew- They both knew that she didn't mean it... Not like she must mean it to stay married with him... But honestly: Who could mean it like that?

"I love you." she repeated stubbornly. Her hands wandered slowly, like naturally, to his neck.

"No you don't..." Shaking his head heavy he grabbed her wrists, shoved her hands away and stepped back.

"You asshole." she hissed angrily and freed her wrists with one single move just to hit his chest with her fists.

Motionless he stood there, concentrating on the hollow pain her strength less hands caused him. As he said. Wishful thinking only lead to pain. His gaze fixated the wall behind her.

Best she'd hit him again, hurt him like he hurt her and try to beat some sense into him, to force him to see that she meant it... A hopeless undertaking without any doubt. So she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, remembering that Saturday two months ago. She recalled the expression on his face as he had told her, he loved her. Remembered the two month of their marriage and assured herself that they both were serious about it. Even if he still was to stubborn to accept it.... But she would take care of that tiny problem.

"You damned self-righteous asshole!" Cursing she took his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. "I love you." she exclaimed with serious voice. "And if I can live with that fact, you stubborn pig head, then you get used to it too, understood?" Without letting him the chance to answer she kissed him. Pressed all her love for him in that kiss to convince him at least with her actions if her words failed him.

First his body went totally tense, next his cane hit the floor with a loud bang and his arms looped around her like vices, pulling her so close that not even a page of paper had fitted between them. Passionately he answered her kiss, took over the control till she snuggled against him like warm wax, weak from longing.

"Say it again." he demanded breathless as he eventually broke the kiss.

"You damned self-righteous asshole?" Smiling she kissed that little recess on the right side of his nose.

"No..." Impalpably he shook his head. "that you love me..." He pressed his lips against the left corner of her mouth.

"I thought" she kissed him slightly. "I shouldn't say that any more?" Tenderly she caressed the warm skin in his neck with her right hand.

"Changed my mind." he replied hoarse. He needed to hear it again. Needed to assure himself that she was serious. Besides... If she hadn't been serious she hadn't called him a damned self-righteous asshole for sure. His heart skipped a beat at the memory of her angry face, as he had tried to get rid of her. She would've never been this angry if she wouldn't love him. Thank god she was so damn stubborn... "Say it again."

"Ok" Cuddy giggled amused and traced happy tiny kisses all over his face, caressed every inch she could reach. "I love you." His right cheekbone. "I love you." His nostril. "I love you." The corner of his mouth. ""I love you." His mouth. His mouth again.

Satisfied his lips twitched in a smile. "Cuddy?" he asked after another deep kiss.

"Hm?" she mumbled against his throat, distracted by his hands who gently caressed her lower back.

"I love you too."

Cuddy smirked. "I know..." she mumbled and deeply inhaled his scent. "You already told me... On our wedding night..." she bit his left ear lope.

"Ouch!" House whined. "Why did you do-"

"Because you left on Saturday although you love me!" she bit him again. "Don't you dare to do something like that again." she whispered in his ear warningly. "You're mine."

House snorted amused. "I am yours?"

"Yeah." She nodded slightly and then soothingly kissed his aching ear lope. "Did you truly believe, that you were the only one of us who's possessive?"

*snif* this was the last real chapter of my story. Hope you liked it.

THANKS to Melissa and Rougebutterfly for their fantastic beta-servises!

THANKS to you all again for your great support, I LOVE those reviews you sent me.

Sorry, no BRIBE this time... I haven´t even started to translate the epilog. But I will give everyone who reviews a personal promise, that I hurry up with translating ^-^

PS: Uhm... I delated my stories 'The Sixth Sense', 'Three Scars' and 'Self-control' yesterday. Because my own crazy idea of writing a long completed story for my grandma to christmas (yeah, this one here ^-^), kept me to busy to work on them. Today I finally found time to take a look at them again and decided that all three need a make-over... Maybe I will rewrite them, when I find the time and post them again. - What is your opinion? Should I give them another try? Would love to read your thoughts on that in a PM?