Disclaimer: I do not own House
A/N: I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to my last minute, temporary Beta Rei for editing this even though she was very busy. Thanks everyone who reviewed. This story might sound a little angst but it's not. And don't worry Cuddy's attitude is going to change sooner or later. What The Heart Wants will be updated momentarily I already sent it off to get beta-ed. I am almost done with Reunion Catastrophe then I will immediately start on Missing Link. I hope you all like this! Please review and sorry for OOC.
Cuddy looked at the woman with wide eyes and as her mouth hung open gaping. She attempted to suppress a laugh at how ridiculous the accusation was. Walters suddenly chuckled a bit and came up with her, own conclusion.
"That would explain how you two are able to stand each other and bicker at the same time." Walters stated objectively. "That would also explain why I saw you look so hurt and jealous when I first came to talk to Dr. House this morning."
Cuddy's mouth dropped lower to the floor at the woman's rationalization. She saw House turn and smirk at Cuddy with a cocked brow. Cuddy snapped out of her state of shock and suddenly held the same confident look she had held while dueling with House that very morning. She straightened her posture, set her jaw and held her head high.
"I was not staring at Dr. House." Cuddy stated firmly, mostly to House. "I was not jealous nor was I hurt." She went on. "Dr. House and I have never had any kind of relationship. The closest we ever got was over thirty years ago and obviously it will never happen again. Dr. House is too immature to even have any intimate connections with anyone and I for one am just not interested."
Walters looked at Cuddy in confusion. "Dr. House is too immature to be intimate?" She restated in a question. "That sounds funny considering he has gone out with a number of women who work here ever since he started." Walters told Cuddy obliviously. "And right now he is currently dating one of the new doctors from Cardiology."
Cuddy's eyes dilated in shock and hurt, but she held herself, knowing that House would attack at the first sign of weakness. She once more put her emotions into a tiny imaginary box and wore her best poker face, which has been perfected over the years. She kept her confident posture and looked House in the eyes as all emotions became void. She took an inaudible deep breath trying to calm her voice before she spoke.
"I stand corrected, Dr. House," She stated simply as it became more difficult to keep her face straight. "I guess you aren't immature and are very able to create deep, meaningful relationships with other people." She had to hurry knowing that she was about to give away her cover. "I'm sorry." She stated quickly with sarcasm as she quickly turned on her heel and walked down the hall to the cafeteria trying to keep her composure until he was completely out of sight.
House stared down after her. He could hear the shakiness in her voice and thought she was getting good at concealing her emotions; he could still see the hurt that had scarred her eyes. No matter how well Cuddy could hide her emotions from anyone else, House always knew how to read her mind and her body language. He was angry at Walters for unveiling the information so freely but was angrier with himself for not stopping her, knowing what was going to come out of her mouth.
After he saw that Cuddy had disappeared through the cafeteria's double doors, he turned around and made his way towards his office. He sat in his chair and dialed a very familiar number. After waiting several seconds someone finally answered and House let a sarcastic smile fall upon his lips.
"Wilson," He exclaimed with false joy. "How have you been?" He asked uninterestedly. Instead of waiting for him to answer, House went on. "Why didn't you warn me the she-devil with a zesty bod was coming to wreak havoc here?"
Wilson leaned sat up straight in his chair and wore a serious face. "Cuddy went there?" He asked rhetorically as he wiped his face with his hand. "We've been trying to find her since she quit a few months ago." House stayed silent waiting for Wilson to give him a few details.
"There was a new chairman of the board about a year after you left. Every move Cuddy made he some how criticized. He told her she dressed inappriopraitely and when she began to dress in power suits he said she was giving the wrong vibe to all the donors and patients. He also told her that she let her emotions get in the way too much and that was one of the reasons they lost their biggest asset. He hated almost everything she did, even if he told her to do it, but never had the board vote to have her terminated. She had put up with his crap for almost two years before she finally had enough of it all." Wilson paused for a moment. "During one of the meetings about four months ago she stood up angrily and told him off then said she quit and rather live in a gutter than follow his damn orders for any longer."
"What about right after I left?" House asked remember the information Rachel had unintentionally told him before her mother came to take her away. He noticed that Wilson had taken a long pause before he considered answering House's question. House heard a loud sigh coming from the other end and quickly realized that that story was going to be a little more complicated.
--
After forcing his fellows to finish all his clinic duty and disappear for over half the day, House finally allowed all his applicants go home. He noticed Cuddy's obvious attempt to disconnect herself from him as she walked out the backdoor and exited the hospital the long way. On his way to his bike he noticed Cuddy's pale, weak skin as she placed her items in her car. How had he not notice this the second he saw her? She turned around and faced him causing them to make eye contact but she quickly turned away from him and got into her car, driving away as quickly as possible. House stood in his spot watching the car disappear as he hopped onto his bike and rode off.
Cuddy had arrived home and was immediately greeted by her daughter jumping into her arms, excited to start baking. She saw her mother walk up and sent her a cold hard glare as she gave her the silent treatment. Cuddy languidly followed her daughter into the kitchen and began to help bake the cookies that they had promised. Rachel set out all the ingredients and began to pour them into the bowl as Cuddy washed her hands.
After half an hour, Cuddy began to mix the cookie dough violently and continued to give her mother the cold shoulder. Lauren finally put down her the cookie sheet she had been putting butter on and looked at her daughter exhaustedly.
"Lisa, you are being immature." Lauren stated causing Cuddy to look at her and lower her glare to a simple furrow of her brows. She noticed her daughter bring her gaze back down at the cookie dough with a sigh. "What's wrong dear?"
"Nothing," Cuddy said stirring the cookie dough with much less energy. She put the bowl down and began to help her daughter pry open the chocolate chip bag. "You don't think a drop of arsenic could kill House on the spot do you?" Lauren gave her daughter an incredulous look of shock and Cuddy held up her hands in defense. "I was just kidding." She stated. "Kinda," She mumbled getting an annoyed glare from her mother.
"Lisa, why are you so upset with Greg, he seems so nice and Rachel loves him so much." Lauren stated unbiased. She actually really enjoyed Greg's company. She liked any man who was honest and didn't sprinkle everything with kindness. Plus, she knew her daughter's crush on him and it took her a while but she figured out why Lisa was so smitten for the older man.
"He's just so," Cuddy began to stir the cookie furiously once more. "He is just a jackass." She looked down to Rachel and saw that the young girl was oblivious to what her mother had just said. Cuddy sighed and gave a quiet thank goodness as she continued to the mix with the chocolate chips now in. "He's just a jerk and arrogant and bossy and…"
"Lisa, maybe he changed." Lauren cut into her long rant.
"Ha!" Cuddy gave a fake laugh. "The man who doesn't believe in change, let alone doesn't believe anyone human can change has changed himself." She rolled her eyes. "Sure mother, that sounds completely rational. Gregory House is a son of a…" She let herself trail off, refusing to cuss in front of her daughter much longer, "Who will never really change."
"Why don't you give him a chance, Lise?" Lauren negotiated, but she knew her attempts were futile. Her daughter was almost as stubborn as House, himself. "Take this opportunity and try to go after him. God knows you have had a crush on that man for the last, what, 30 years it now?" Her mother stated.
Cuddy looked at her mother in pure shock. "Mother, I do not have a crush on that man!" She attempted to hide her blush and look angry instead of embarrassed.
"Oh right, I'm sorry dear," Her mother stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes at her in denial daughter. "You're in love with them man. Please forgive my mistake." She crossed her arms and leaned against the island table.
Cuddy rolled her eyes and scoffed at her mother's accusation. "Mom, I think you've truly gone crazy now," She gave Rachel the mixer and plugged it in as she begged to try. "I had a crush on him in college. That was thirty years ago. It's never going to happen ever again."
Lauren stayed quiet knowing her daughter was about to ramble on and prove her point somewhere along the way. "I mean yeah he was smart and a genius and that's why I thought he was cool and that's why I might have had a small crush on him but I see him for what he really is now." Cuddy paused to ponder how to say the next part carefully. "He's…" She thought of words appropriate to say in front of her daughter. "Mean, narcissistic, egotistic, big headed, arrogant, annoying, and cold hearted…" She bit her lip and counted to ten as she felt a cuss about to pass through her lips. "Man."
Lauren opened her mouth to say but was immediately interrupted by her daughter's rambling speech. "I mean sure, he's a world renown diagnostician and yeah we used to have some chemistry and hey I'll admit I used to like him, but not anymore." She was starting to restate everything she had said before. "And even if I did like him…"
Lauren saw her daughter's face turn grim and heard the solemn tone pass out of Cuddy's mouth. Cuddy cleared her throat and shook her head. She looked at her mother dully and gave a weak smile. "It wouldn't matter. He has a girlfriend, like I said we used to have chemistry." She shrugged and let out a deep breath. "It wouldn't work anyway; I need a man I can rely on—"
"Now Lisa, don't you dare hide behind your daughter again," Lauren scolded. "He is a man you can rely on everyday, he proved that years ago. Now maybe if you gave him another chance he can prove again."
"Mother," Cuddy began her speech, but was immediately interrupted when cookie dough her on the cheek.
Lauren and Lisa turned to Rachel who looked shyly as she accidentally spilled the cookie dough everywhere. The two older women began to laugh, making Rachel smile, and tasted the cookie dough that had hit them. Cuddy took the mixer and shut it off before a bigger mess was made. Lauren took what little cookie dough was left and baked it before starting her famous double chocolate chip cookies to make up for the lost.
After Cuddy had cleaned her daughter of cookie dough and wiped whatever hit her she tucked her daughter in saying that mistakes happen and not to worry. She turned out the light before heading back to the kitchen after smelling her mother's cookies. She smiled as she took one of the cookies and greedily began to eat it.
"You know what," Lauren began causing her daughter to give her a questioning look. "Gregory was right; you are a cookie greedy daughter." She stated jokily making her daughter smile as she continued to eat the cookies. "What happened to your sugar diet?"
Cuddy swallowed before she spoke. "Hey I loved your cookies before he even found out about them so I automatically get first dibs. And second off, my sugar diet does not apply to these cookies because they were made with love not sugar." Cuddy stated as she took another one.
Lauren laughed at her daughter as she took out a fresh batch. She immediately put it in a plastic container to hide from her daughter and let it sit to the counter next to her to cool. She kept her eye on it making sure Cuddy wouldn't take one. She had to slap her daughter's hand away several times before she finally gave up and said she was going to bed after looking at something on her computer. Lauren covered the container and put it in the middle of the island table. If only her daughter would admit her feelings as fast as she gave up trying to steal the cookies. Maybe then everything would be easier.
A/N: Hehe, will Cuddy really deliever the cookies? Hahaha I'd love to try them!! Sorry to disappoint some of you about the marriage. Like I said my stories SHOULD be updated in that sequence. If it's not... hmmm something weird happened. LOL I've been on a writing spree almost all weekend and week. I hoped you all liked it and sorry again for any OOCness. :D Next chapter we should be learning a little bit about Vinson or Walters maybe House's girlfriend, but like Lucas, she is only temporary. Thanks for reading. Please review and if you have request or ideas please tell me.
-Jess
