Title: Mentor
A/N- Danielle, you're completely right. I didn't take the time to introduce Allison's family to the readers of Mentor. That is mostly because her family doesn't play a large role in this story. As for the lack of chaos of Allison's family catching her in bed with House, well; firstly, that is waaaaay over done in most stories, (not necessarily House fanfics, but others) and is commonly used for a cheap form of drama. Secondly, Allison's a grown woman, and, yeah, sure it's an uncomfortable situation, but not one that everyone needs to fly off of the handles with. It's not like she's a highschool student. That's my reasoning at least. Personally, I've never been caught in bed by my parents, so I wouldn't know :O-Andi
Chapter Twenty-Six: Thinking Bad Things
Dragging himself into work, House flopped behind his desk and quickly let his head drop to the surface of the table.
"How was Colorado?" Wilson's voice came from behind him. House would have jumped, but he'd been expecting his friend to appear the moment he came in.
"Good, we cut it short though. Blizzards were coming in, and we had to get back to the midwest so she wouldn't be late coming back from break."
Sitting in the chair across from House, Wilson leaned back, "So where did you stay when you got back to Chicago?"
"Her house."
"Nice."
"I met her family." He finally looked up.
"Oh," Wilson was quiet a moment, "how did they react?"
"Fine. Surprisingly, considering they found us in bed when they got there." House couldn't help the smirk, "I'm not going to lie, I thought I was passed the age where I worried about getting caught in bed by my girlfriend's parents."
Wilson laughed, "Well, you appear to be fully intact."
"Her father and brother made me wonder if I was about to be castrated, but it worked out."
"Good." Wilson nodded. "So, if everything went all right, why are you so... Solemn?"
"Solemn?" House's eyebrows rose, "Have you ever known me to be solemn?"
Wilson shook his head, "Not since Stacey left you."
"She didn't leave me; I kicked her out."
"She was sleeping with another guy, House. She left you."
"Technicalities." He rolled his eyes.
"You're getting too good at evading answering questions." Wilson frowned.
"And you're getting too good at giving me the perfect conversation benders." House pointed out.
"Solemn. You. Why?" Wilson narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not solemn."
"You're brooding."
"I'm not brooding!"
"You're brooding!"
"Why's House brooding?" Lisa came into the office, "How was Colorado?"
"Lisa, I'm trying to figure out why House is brooding." Wilson growled when Cuddy appeared.
"Yes, and you seem to be getting to the middle of that rather quickly." Lisa replied sarcastically.
House laughed. "It's nothing."
"Is it just the separation that's dragging you down?" Lisa asked, concerned for her friend. "I know it must be tough, House, but she'll be out here soon."
"Yeah, and if she gets into Johns Hopkins, you'll be able to see her more often." Wilson pointed out.
"Then what?" House's eyes darkened slightly.
"What do you mean?" Wilson frowned.
"What happens after that? Do we spend the rest of our lives hiding? Do I make her live a secret life?" House stood up and leaned against the wall, rubbing his leg.
"What's wrong with your leg?" Lisa's brow furrowed.
"Nothing, my foot fell asleep." House snapped.
"We've already discussed this." Wilson grunted, "After she graduates medical school-"
"And if she wants to be a specialist?" House crossed his arms over his chest. "Another three years? We've still got to get through four years of medical school as it is. Three years residency, and then another three or more years if she chooses to be a specialist? I am NOT making her wait 10 years to actually be with me, James!" His hand flew out in a fist and crashed into the bookshelf. Many volumes jumped and a large medical dictionary fell to the floor.
"I thought we agreed that you guys only had to wait until the Medical Director retired." Wilson looked confused and just as alarmed as Cuddy by House's abrupt display of destruction.
"Yeah, and then Allison gets accused and torn apart in medical school by every other student on campus. You know for a fact that everyone would accuse her of sleeping her way into Johns Hopkins." House cradled his hand in his uninjured one.
Both Lisa and Wilson were silent.
"She'll deal." Wilson said firmly.
"She loves you, House. She'll be all right as long as she has you." Lisa encouraged.
"I-"
"You can't protect her from getting hurt." Lisa sad softly, "Either she deals with mockery, which she can easily overcome by proving just how smart she is. Or you break her heart, which I guarantee you, Greg, will be much more life shattering for her than being accused for something that isn't even true." Cuddy had never been more passionate in her life, "I've seen the way that she looks at you, and there's no way that she could bare to be without you."
"She'll find someone else." He said firmly, unwavering.
"Someone better, you mean?" Lisa shouted.
"No one invited you into this conversation." House reminded his co-worker.
"Yeah, because you know I'm right!" She snarled back, "I'm so fucking sick of you pulling this shit! You're so damned narcissistic when it comes to being a doctor, but the minute someone gets to know you beyond your pathetic wall of snide comments and egotistical rants, you run away and hide!" Lisa screamed, "And you are NOT hurting my friend because you're too insecure to think that she could possibly want you for the long haul!" Lisa stomped out of the office, swiping away tears. She'd grown close to Allison over the summer, and she didn't want the young woman to be hurt.
"Please tell me you didn't already break up with her." Wilson said weakly, completely thrown by Lisa's outcry. He'd never seen Cuddy so upset.
House shook his head, "No."
"Do you love her?"
"What kind of question is that?" House barked at his friend.
"A good one."
"Yes."
"She obviously loves you, so what's the problem?" Wilson supplied, "So you keep your relationship under wraps for a couple years. I know it's tough, but no one would think less of her if they think that you two fell in love later than you actually did. You put on a show for the public, but few will know when it actually began. You go on a few clumsy "early dates", and then you can be yourselves. It's annoying, it's trivial, but it saves your reputations, and keeps you together." Wilson shook his head, "Why do you have to complicate everything? Relationships, diagnoses, your feelings? Why can't things be trivial? Why do they have to be complex and difficult?"
"Because I am complex and difficult."
"For her sake; why can't you be simple and coherent?"
"I'm neither of those things, and she wouldn't love me if I was."
"What do you care? You want to break up with her." Wilson glared. "Hm, well, I guess I could take a go at her if-"
House couldn't restrain himself from swinging his fist into his friend's face for implying such a thing. As his hand made contact enlightenment covered his face.
"See," Wilson held his jaw, "you're too selfish to give her up. If you can't handle a jibe about it; how the fuck are you going to react when it happens? You can't let her go, and you know it." Rubbing his jaw Wilson shook his head as he walked towards the balcony door, "You're the guy who burned the sheets and threw away his entire bed because the girlfriend you didn't even love was cheating on you, and you think you can let go of someone you do love? Yeah right." He left with that final statement.
Flopping onto his couch, holding his hand and rubbing his knuckles, House flung his head back to rest on the sofa. Who was he kidding? He loved her and they all knew it. He couldn't leave her, and he didn't have to. Wilson had already figured it out. After all, who could say that Allion had slept her way into anything if she got into Johns Hopkins? Everyone knew that he had no tie ins with that university. Who could make snide comments at her for falling in love with someone? People fall in love every day, why should theirs be forsaken due to some uncommon likelihood? And since when did House care what people thought?
The answer to the final question he wondered was simple. Ally.
She was the soul reason that he cared what anyone had to say. He worried about her future. He worried about her feelings. He worried about her reputation.
Picking up the phone, House called Allison's dorm. Julia picked up and soon, her roommate had Allison on the phone.
"Ally?" His voice was like gravel.
"Hey, Greg, what's up?"
"Do you remember when I told you that love is wanting the best for the person you love, and choosing them when a decision was torn?" He could hear the tremor in his own voice, and wondered if Allison knew what he was about to say.
"Greg," Her voice was soft, "I remember very well. That was when you broke up with Stacey. You also said that it was choosing between what you want and what that person wants. You're missing an important variable though, baby. You don't know what I want more. You don't know if I want you more than a clean reputation."
"Ally-"
"You have nothing resembling an immaculate reputation, honey. You've got the most tarnished records, but people still respect you and come to you for help. No offense, I have a much nicer personality than you, so I think I can survive one petty scandal." Her voice was dry and sarcastic, "So, in reality, there is nothing conflicting our wants."
"Ally-"
"And so help me, if you break up with me over the phone, I will stalk your ass until you break down and take me back." She teased.
"I love you, Ally." House smiled.
"Love you too. You know you just need to call me if you need a reality check, remember?"
"I'll remember that from now on." He assured, "I'll talk to you later." And he hung up the phone.
She had a point. What was one measly scandal in comparison to his countless acts of unethical behavior? Plus, she had plenty of staff members backing her up now; including Diar's recommendation. There was nothing to worry about...
-----------------------
"Are you okay?" Julia asked nervously as Allison set down the phone.
"Yeah."
"Are you two okay?" Her voice was still nervous.
"Yeah."
"Okay."
-------------------------
"Lisa Cuddy." Lisa answered her phone as she flipped through charts.
"Hey, Lisa." Allison's voice carried over the phone, torment riddling her vocal cues.
"What's wrong?" The endocrinologist froze, hoping that House hadn't broken up with Allison.
"I think Greg wants to break up with me... And it sounds like for a stupid reason." She couldn't withhold her whimper of insecurity.
"No... House is just concerned for your future." Lisa assured her, "He doesn't want to see you get hurt."
"It hurts more thinking he doesn't want to be with me." She sniffled.
"Ally-"
"Can you pick me and Julia up at the airport the second Thursday of February?" Allison quickly changed the subject, "Johns Hopkins called me for an interview that Friday, and Jules managed to get hers set for that Saturday afternoon at the University of Maryland."
Lisa leaned into her chair, "Yeah, no problem."
"Thanks... I gotta go."
Lisa hung up the phone when Allison's line disconnected, "I'm going to kill House." She told herself firmly.
------------------
House threw a tenis ball towards the wall in front of him. The yellow sphere hit the wall at just the right angle to spin downward, smack the floor and land precisely back in House's awaiting hand.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Lisa slammed into House's office.
"Can't you see I'm busy?" House kept throwing the tenis ball.
Snatching the distracting object clean out of the air, Lisa threw it as hard as she could across the room, where it ricocheted off of the glass wall and smacked her in the side of the head.
House snorted, "Karma."
"SHUT UP!" Lisa screeched, "Do you know how hurt Ally's feelings are right now!?" She yelled.
"I didn't break up with her." He assured.
"It doesn't matter!" She threw her arms up in the air, "The point is that she thinks you want to!"
"But I don't." He responded weakly. "I just want-"
"Who gives a fuck what you want!?" Lisa slammed her fist onto his desk. "All you've managed to do is fuck up every single little thing that you possibly can! You act on every damn impulse you have and all it does is get you into trouble!"
"At least I have impulses." House growled at his friend and colleague. "You on the other hand, waste your life away, focusing on nothing but work. I've got news for you, Lisa, there's more to life than working."
"And there's more to life than spending it running away from what you want, and pretending that it's for the best." Her eyes narrowed. If he was going to play these games, then she was more than prepared for displaying brutal honesty. Two could play at picking out insecurities!
"I don't run away," he hissed at her.
"No, you don't run. You hide like a coward!"
"And you shove your heart aside at every opportunity! After Wilson got divorced, you finally got your chance, but instead you kept your mouth and your legs shut, and he got remarried-"
"FUCK YOU-"
"Getting thrown out of the game has a hell of a lot more honor than sitting on the bench while it plays without you!" He hollered back, making Lisa recoil with surprise, "At least I try to play the game; you may as well be a referee. You sure as hell don't want to play. You'd rather tell everyone else what they're doing wrong than make the same mistakes. So STOP telling me how to live my life when you won't even try it!"
Lisa was quiet, but soon her usual contempt wavered in her voice, "I just don't want her to be hurt."
"I won't hurt her. I already talked to Ally. She straightened me out. I don't want to let go of her Lisa." He assured. "I just... I don't know... Needed reassurance. And she gave it to me. That's all. We're fine."
"You love her."
"You've known that."
"Longer than you have."
"Doubtfully."
Lisa smiled.
TBC
A/N- 3 MORE WEEKS! YAY!!! Then you will have your Andi back on track with Chapters! Review s'il vous plait!-Andi