Author's Note: Still don't own anything related to House. Thanks again for all the reviews - keep 'em coming! It's a nice boost on these gray and cold days we've been having here of late.
House woke up on Monday with a pleasant feeling of anticipation. In spite of a nervous start, he'd enjoyed his evening out with Sarah the night before. She was taking him to work this morning; his car would be ready this afternoon and he planned to get one of his fellows to take him over to the shop. He had invited Sarah to come over for another piano lesson and he was looking forward to it.
Sarah knocked on his door promptly at 7am. House was surprised to find that she didn't have the iv pole or the bag of supplies with her.
"I put the things you're returning into the car already," she told him in response to his puzzled look. He nodded and followed her outside. There was a layer of frost on all the vehicles. Sarah had scraped her windows already and the car was running. A blast of warm air from the heater hit House as he settled into the front seat. He thought about tomorrow, when he'd have to defrost his own car. Sarah got into the car and he looked over at her.
"I'm going to miss this," he said.
"Getting into a warm car is nice," Sarah said.
"Yeah." House smiled, thinking it's not just the temperature of the car. As Sarah drove, he thought back to the previous evening.
The gyro place had been quiet, in spite of its proximity to the campus. They'd sat in a booth in the back and House had been glad for the dim lighting. If he was going to blush, at least she wouldn't be able to see it. They placed their order and then sat in silence. Sarah slowly shredded her straw wrapper while he twisted his napkin tighter and tighter.
A noisy group of college students burst in and their conversation drifted to the booth. They were discussing a band they'd just "discovered" and after a moment House and Sarah chuckled.
"Everything 80's is back," Sarah said, shaking her head.
"Including Duran Duran." House smiled.
They'd relaxed after that and started talking. He asked her about her books. He hadn't read fiction much since childhood but he remembered reading Conan Doyle as a boy. They talked about Sherlock Holmes and that led in to a discussion of mystery novels. Sarah told him that she used to attend mystery conventions, where she'd had opportunities to meet authors in person. It was obviously a subject she was very interested in and House wondered why she no longer attended the conventions. Their food arrived, sidetracking their conversation. Sarah promptly stole one of his onion rings. He glared at her.
"Self-defense," she'd told him.
When they reached the hospital, Sarah pulled up to the front door and put the car in park. She got out to help get the supplies out of the back-seat.
"So you get your car back today," she said.
"Yeah. I'll see you this evening though."
"Ok." They both hesitated, looking at each other. Sarah's cheeks, which were already pink from the cold, grew pinker and House felt his own face get warm. She gave him an awkward wave and went back around to get into her car. House watched her drive away.
Standing on the sidewalk turned out to be a mistake. When House wheeled the iv pole into the lobby, Cuddy was waiting for him.
"You cannot simply 'borrow' hospital supplies whenever it suits you, House," Cuddy said. She had followed House up from the lobby. The fellows were in the conference room and all looked up as he entered on his way to his office, Cuddy on his heels. "What were you doing with them?" she continued. House continued into his office and Cuddy followed him. Thirteen got to her feet and started toward the office.
"What are you doing?" Chase demanded but she ignored him.
"I was helping a friend," House said.
"You don't have friends," Cuddy was retorting. House caught Thirteen's eye and gave an almost imperceptible head-shake. She stepped away from the door. Why wasn't House revealing that she was the one who'd taken the supplies?
"I want you in the clinic," Cuddy was telling House. "Now." She turned on her heel and stomped out of House's office via the door to the hallway. Thirteen went on into House's office.
"I'm due in the clinic," he told her, heading for the door.
"Thanks," Thirteen murmured to his retreating back.
Sarah was glad it was a slow day at the office. She was distracted, thinking about the previous evening with Greg and their planned piano lesson this evening. She'd had fun last night and she was looking forward to this evening. She had never seen Greg as relaxed as he'd been when they were at the piano.
Only one thing made Sarah nervous. They were still ignoring their kiss. She had to wonder how long they could continue to do that. Don't give up so easily Greg had said to her. Had he been talking about more than just the piano?
By lunch-time House was in a foul mood. The clinic had been crammed with more sniffling children and their obnoxious parents. One mother that he'd seen the previous week had returned, insisting that he had falsified her child's test results. The child in question was no longer sick, but she still insisted on filing a complaint with Cuddy.
When House stalked out of the clinic on his way to lunch, he found Thirteen waiting for him, holding his coat.
"Your mechanic called," she told him. "Your car's ready." House grabbed the coat and handed her his cane.
"Let's go." He pulled on his coat and then snatched the cane back.
"I brought my car up," she told him, leading the way across the lobby. House came to a stop on the sidewalk and stared at the vehicle.
"This," he said scornfully, "is not a car."
"It's a Smart Car," Thirteen said.
"Where's the rest of it?"
"Just get in." Thirteen rolled her eyes at him but he saw her lips twitch.
Sarah was walking across the quad. She'd delivered some papers to the dean's office and was returning to the department. Her day had continued to be quiet, giving her lots of time to think about this evening. She had butterflies in her stomach each time she thought about sitting with Greg on his piano bench.
Sarah looked out over the quad, admiring the light dusting of snow that coated the lawns. With each change of the seasons, the campus continued to surprise her with its beauty. Her eyes fell on a group of students, walking and laughing together and she smiled. Her gaze moved on to the next person coming down the sidewalk and her steps faltered. Her heart pounded and she came to a stop. The man looked up and a broad smile spread across his face. Sarah took one more look at him before turning on her heel and running away.
