NEW CHAPTER! … because we couldn't possibly leave Cuddy all alone by herself, could we? :-)

** CHAPTER 62 **

As soon as House had stepped out of the elevator's car, he'd limped his way through the unfamiliar hospital lobby toward the exit with a determined pace, almost a stride, resolute to leave the building as fast as he could to find a nice bar where he would ponder his anger alone, seated in front of a glass of dry Jim Beam. But as soon as his hand grabbed the front door's handle, he found himself incapable of pushing the door open and stayed rooted to his spot, looking outside through the glass door, his breath heavy, the fury that had pervaded him somewhat still flowing in his veins, but slowly subsiding, nonetheless.

He couldn't reasonably walk away like that and leave her alone, because she would need him to ride her back home, wouldn't she? Nah, she can perfectly call a cab! She's a big girl and she doesn't need you, he thought. House truly hated that: Being in conflict with himself because of some stupid, irrational, emotional reasons, especially when she was the cause of it.

He promptly spun round and with a pace as determined as the one that had almost led him outside, he walked back into the hall toward the desk counter, where he called out the nurse without waiting to get her full attention.

"Do you have a cafeteria somewhere in this building?" he asked, with a tone that sounded more like a bark.

The nurse raised her face to him and stared at him with a 'duh' face as if he'd asked if Boston was still on the East coast.

"I guess it means that you have," House said, his voice toning down a little and his face softening as well. "Well, can you tell me where it is? Please."

The nurse vaguely gestured toward her left.

"That way," she mumbled, obviously not willing to give the weird, cranky man more detailed directions to make it easy for him to find the place.

House smirked sarcastically, acknowledging he somewhat deserved the payback.

"Thanks," he said before heading in the direction she had pointed.

A few minutes later, after finding the right hallway right away out of sheer luck, he ended up in the cafeteria, a rather large hall painted in pastel colors. He ordered a double espresso and found a table in an empty corner where he sat to brood in peace. He drank a few sips of the scalding black nectar out of his Styrofoam cup, thinking that it would most certainly taste better if he had some whiskey to pour in it.

When he'd drunk half of his cup, it became really hard for him to keep pretending that he could just focus on his beverage and forget about everything else.

His mind started to be flowed by overwhelming images of her, standing in the middle of that 8th floor hallway, looking lost and confused, yet so adorable in her coat and stoned-washed jeans. It was the kind of clothes she didn't wear very often but which gave her the touching appearance of a teenager. He pictured her face, her lips, slightly pouting in bafflement, her cheeks, still flushed by the bracing effect of the ride, and her light grey eyes, widened in shock, staring awestruck at his silhouette as he'd vanished inside the elevator. And then it dawned on him.

Is it actually possible to be worse than the total ass you've just been with her up there?

What the hell is wrong with you? When's the last time you've allowed your ever-rational mind to be driven by groundless, emotional impulses?

Groundless? Maybe, yes - Well, no, SURELY: How could you doubt her? But, at the same time, that son of a bitch-

Well, he had to admit it: He really didn't like that Bill guy. At all. From the moment Dana had first mentioned him and Lisa having dinner together, House had felt his gut wrench, the sensation growing bigger with each new appearance or mention of the bastard. First, he'd taken her to dinner, then he'd tried to kiss her… In truth, House was ready to forget about that, unable to blame the guy for having at least taken a chance, because ultimately, it proved he had good tastes.

Except, just the mere thought of Bill being in the same room as her, sitting by her side, talking to her, laughing with her, from morning to evening, probably sharing his meals with her at that conference in Seattle, during several days… Was it then that they'd gotten close? Was it the reason why she'd flown to Boston? Was it why she'd asked him to handle her case?

Groundless impulses? Ha, I think not!... Because, fuck, it hurts!

House wasn't prepared for the feeling to hit him that hard. Not that way. Not that strong. He was taken aback by the wrenching sensation that left him knock out and breathless, as if he'd been punched in the liver.

Jealousy. What a useless, stupid, mind-numbing emotion!

And suddenly, he pictured himself, seated in an unfamiliar corner of an unfamiliar cafeteria, grumbling miserably like a poor jerk, while the only thing that mattered was a woman, alone in a room, and facing a threatening, distressing situation without his support.

A woman he loved.

Struck by that evidence, more important than any other, it took him less than a second to realize that he was not where he needed to be, and that was: With her. No matter what he thought about Bill, no matter how he felt, he needed to be with her.

He jumped out of his chair, leaving his half empty cup of coffee on the table, and limped out of the cafeteria as fast as he could, heading back to the lobby, and striding toward the main elevators. Once he arrived on the 8th floor, he took a short pause to catch his breath and think. He didn't even know where she was, so he stopped a young woman – the first person he spotted wearing a coat – and asked her where Bill Russell's office was. The woman patiently told him the way to the office, and he barely thanked her before hastily walking away, leaving her a bit dumbfounded.

After what felt to him like an endless walk into a succession of endless hallways, he finally arrived in front of Bill's office door. There was no mistaking it for someone else's office as it had his name written on a nameplate hang on the wall beside the door in shiny, golden letters.

Bill Russell, MD
Endocrinologist
Department of Research in Molecular Biology

House stared at the plaque, a little bit unnerved. Department of Research? He wasn't expecting that little detail, either. He set his lips and swallowed back his annoyance, spurring himself on focusing on the only priority that mattered: Being with her. He sucked in a sharp breath and put his hand on the knob.

And then, he did the only thing that his guilt-ridden and self-conscious mind suggested him to do in that instant: He stormed inside the office without even bothering to knock first.

He ended up facing a desk behind which a man, who he assumed was Bill Russell, was seated. He didn't waste his time studying him – although, the quick glance that he shot him suggested that most females would probably consider him handsome. It annoyed him, of course, but he tried not to let it upset him too much. It wasn't the purpose, anyway. Because as soon as he'd stepped in the room, his gaze had irrepressibly been drawn to her.

Cuddy was seated facing Bill, her legs crossed, her hands resting on her lap, her fingers nervously intertwined, and her shoulders undoubtedly tense. He noticed every one of those little details in the split second that preceded the moment when she turned around to face the intruder, only to realize it was him. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him dazed. Still, he could have sworn he'd seen a relieved smile flicker on the corner of her lips.

He took a few steps inside the room and stood at her side, his eyes locking with hers.

"Oh great, I see you're not topless yet!" he exclaimed in his best smartass fashion. "So, I guess it means I haven't missed the good part."

She gaped, but no sound came out of her mouth. Bill cautiously walked round his desk and stepped in, making sure House would not approach Cuddy any closer.

"Lisa?" he interrogated, clearly in need of an explanation.

His voice seems to jolt Cuddy out of her stunned awe, and she put a reassuring hand on Bill's forearm.

"That's ok, Bill. I know him," she said, her gaze still riveted to House.

"Of course, you know me!" House exclaimed extravagantly. "Otherwise, it'd be creepy, right? Maybe you should introduce me to the doctor, here. I think I may have scared him a little-"

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at House, and took a deep breath, obviously trying to stay as calm as the situation allowed her to be. House was waiting in front of her, openly challenging her, so she raised her chin up to him and cleared her throat.

"Well Bill, this is… Dr. Gregory House… he's erm-"

"Oh, come on, babe!" House puffed. "You don't have to specify that I'm a doctor, too. It's weird: You make it sound like I'm here to double-check your doctor's medical conclusions."

He turned to face Bill and shot him a perfectly hypocritical smile.

"She's so shy! She doesn't dare to say I'm here as her lover-boy," he said, waggling his eyebrows playfully. "Oh, and sorry, Gregory House! Very nice to meet you, Bart," he added, putting out his hand.

"It's Bill," the man corrected, sounding like he already knew that his clarification was totally pointless.

"Don't mind me," House said, taking a seat beside Cuddy. "I won't disturb you, I promise. I just came here to eye up the twins. Crazy, I know, coz I had them both inside my hands this morning. Well, actually one in my hand, and one in my-"

"House!"

"What? I'm just warning Dr. Bob here about the possible hickeys. I don't want it to mislead him into making the wrong diagnosis-"

Cuddy swiftly got up and she seized House by the arm, forcing him to stand up, and compellingly yanking him toward the exit.

"Will you excuse us for a minute, Bill?" she said, under stressing the name of the physician while shooting House a fuming glare. "Greg and I need to-"

She didn't have to end her sentence as they'd already reached the door and House opened it, docilely preceding her into the hallway and saving her the painful embarrassment of having to explain what had just happened without it sounding completely crazy. Cuddy stepped outside and closed the door behind her, slamming it a little more violently than she'd have wished.

"What the fuck was that?" she hissed through clenched teeth as soon as the door was closed.

She looked around her to find a quiet corner to hide their upcoming argument decently. She spotted the door to the staircase right in front of them and yanked House in that direction. He resisted and stayed rooted to his spot, forcing her to a halt. She turned around and stared at him, her eyes alight with boiling anger.

"I'm an ass," House said sheepishly, looking down at his feet.

She puffed loudly to stomach his completely unexpected confession. She had braced herself for a heated argument, and even though it was not what she wanted, she was determined to make him realize how awfully wrong and hurtful his childish reaction was. But him self-consciously admitting to being an ass right away, was not something she'd expected.

Now that it was just the two of them standing in front of each other, Cuddy unmistakably saw that House's guilt was genuine and that he was not playing anymore. His little act with Bill was just that: An act. And in that instant, it became painfully obvious that he wasn't proud of it at all and anxious to see how she would react. She was still feeling a little mad, but she couldn't pretend that she didn't see how ashamed he looked.

"Sure, you are," she said, not ready to let go just yet, even though she was undoubtedly already softening a little. "Like this is big news!"

"But I'm here now."

"You dumped me. Just when I needed you there with me the most!"

House slowly raised his head and a little sparkle of mischief lit in his eyes. He took a step toward her and seized her by the sleeve, tugging gently at the cloth to bring her closer.

"You need me there with you?" he asked, tentatively winding one arm around her waist.

She clenched her left fist into a ball and hit him hard onto his chest.

"Don't play dense with me!" she warned, but she didn't try to set herself free from his embrace. "What's that fuss all about anyway?"

"I don't like Bill the endocrinologist," he confessed bluntly, pouting like a child.

She puffed and her eyes widened in flabbergasted surprise.

"And what does it have to do with us being here?"

"Probably nothing but I thought you should know!" he said sulkily.

She narrowed her eyes at him, pondering whether she should allow herself to smile or make him suffer a little longer. But while her mind was still debating, her heart decided for her, and her lips curled up into an irresistibly fond smile.

"You're stupid!" she stated. "Bill was there when I first came here a week ago to find a doctor for a consult. I bumped into him completely by happenstance." She took a deep breath and averted her gaze for a split second, " I was- lost and he was… familiar-"

House sighed, feeling inwardly ridden of all his irrational doubts. However, being the complete jerk that he was, he couldn't help but push it a little further.

"Did you sleep with him?" he asked.

"What?!" Cuddy instantly stiffened in his arms. "You did not just ask me that for real, did you?" she said, outraged.

He tightened his embrace and maintained her close against him.

"Well, technically, I did, even though I didn't mean it for real... But what if I still needed to hear your answer, you know, just for the sake of it?"

His smile was self-confident and a bit provoking, but underneath his jerky attitude, she saw there was a part in him that was really asking, a part in him that still looked unsure and afraid of losing her. She felt a pang of sadness clutch her heart. Yes, they would both need time to heal their wounds. She relaxed in his arms and put her hands on his shoulders, tilting her face up to meet his gaze.

"Maybe for my own sake, I should have," she simpered. "Because then, I wouldn't be stuck with you-"

"You're stuck with me?" he asked, with a slight edge of pride in his voice.

"Well, you're an ass. But… thing is, I love you. Also, sex with you is… not that bad. So, yeah, I'm stuck with you!"

He enclosed her tighter in his arms and leaned down to her face, stopping mere inches away from her lips and flashing her a killer smile.

"Sex with me is amazing," he rectified roguishly, pressing on the small of her back to bring her closer to his hips.

The sound of his hoarse voice and the intensity of his piercing gaze on her sent a lustful shiver up her spine. She was dangerously losing her focus. She wriggled to set herself free from his embrace and took a step back.

"Anyway, that's not the point," she said, slightly short of breath. "Because if you remember, I was having an appointment before you barged into the room to make a scene. So, if you don't mind-"

She turned on her heel and headed back toward Bill's office. House caught her wrist before she was out of his reach and yanked her in his embrace again. She toppled forward, falling into his arms and opened her mouth to protest, but he cupped her face inside his hands and compellingly silenced her with a gaze suddenly devoid of all its teasing playfulness.

"Cuddy, I'm sorry," he whispered huskily.

She sucked in a sharp breath and stared back at him, speechless. How was he doing that? How could he be such an ass one minute and make it impossible for her to hate him the next? She tried to glare at him, but it was pointless. She just couldn't stay mad at him when he was looking at her like he was.

"I'm willing to be your sex slave to make it up to you if you want," he offered, grinning.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that," she said, rising on tiptoe to kiss him, gently nipping at his bottom lip.

She drew apart and started walking back to the endocrinologist's office.

"Come on, Bill must be waiting."

A/N

the Xmas holidays are here, and I'm on vacation!… I plan to rest, mostly but, most of all, I plan to write. So don't go anywhere because this story is NOT over… :-)

have a GREAT time and KEEP YOUR HUDDY FAITH!
~ maya

ps: I'll post the next chapter before the end of the week.