A/N: Now I'll give you three stories. The second one has actually been in my head for a long time. I've always wanted to write this sequence but never found the opportunity and it never really belonged with the stuff I was writing. I finally decided to write it and put it here, although it's kind of a moment that would never have happened, but I just love the imagery and I haven never been able to get that image out of my head, so here you go!
Huge thanks to everyone that reads, favorites and alerts this story. Just the thought that someone is actually reading my stuff excites me. Although the biggest thanks goes to the people who take the time to leave a review.
I might not always have the time to write a reply back, but I appreciate every single one. Thank you all!
VI
Observation
Jacob Kennedy had been working for Lisa Cuddy for three weeks. When he had been hired he had been told three things about the notorious Dean. Don't piss her off, don't suck up, and don't let Dr. House into her office. It didn't take him a long time to get introduced to the malicious doctor. Malicious was putting it mildly. That man was an asshole.
Jacob hated unprofessionalism, and Dr. House was the quintessential rebel in all his glory. He didn't show up at work on time, and when he did he spent five minutes doing actual doctors stuff, and the rest of his time he spent with his feet propped up watching TV or playing video games. He didn't visit patients and he spent mostly an hour in clinic duty a week. He had carefully observed that pattern of his, because in truth, he was a bit curious about that infamous doctor.
He couldn't help but question why someone as serious and professional like Dr. Cuddy hadn't fired him years ago. It didn't take him long to realize that the Dean had a soft spot for the doctor, and Dr. House's frequent visits proved that he in turn had a soft spot for her.
He wasn't used to pry in his boss's personal life, but being Dr. Cuddy's assistant provided him with a view into her world, and her relationship with Dr. House was a big part of her everyday life.
It was precisely eight o'clock on that Monday morning when Jacob arrived at work. He placed his newly purchased briefcase on his desk, and started the computer. He took a sip of his coffee, and removed his coat. He glanced at Dr. Cuddy's office and noticed that the lights were off. He glanced at his watch and frowned, she wasn't used to be late. In fact she had never been late in the three weeks he had worked at PPTH. He shrugged off his concern; she was probably just running a bit late this morning. He opened the inbox of the e-mail, and started to sort through the various different mails. Dr. Cuddy received a lot of mails daily, and the first thing he did every single morning was to sort them out. He had figured out a system to make his, and her work easier. The red were labeled very important, yellow mildly, and green were mostly trash. It was a tidy work but it worked, and as long as Dr. Cuddy was pleased then he was pleased.
He was halfway through his work when the door opened and in walked Dr. Cuddy.
"Good morning." She greeted like she did every morning. Jacob looked up and gave her his greeting. She walked into her office and she took off her coat.
Dr. Cuddy was always the image of professionalism and impeccable taste. Every day she stepped into the office in exquisite, lavish outfits that were clearly not the cheapest items on the rack.
"Did you have a nice week-end, Dr. Cuddy?" He asked her pleasantly.
Dr. Cuddy's cheeks reddened slightly, and she nodded her head.
"It was fine, thank you for asking. How was yours?"
Jacob couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was off. He wasn't quite sure what it was. Dr. Cuddy looked as poised as ever, but something…
He almost gasped when he realized what was wrong.
Lisa Cuddy was wearing the same outfit she wore the day before. Now that fact might not appear too alarming to most people, but Lisa Cuddy was not most people. She never ever wore the same clothes two days in a row.
Now, Jacob didn't want to pry, but he could only detect two reasons for this. One, she had been in some kind of an emergency and didn't have the time to change her clothes, or…or Lisa Cuddy just got laid last night.
Jacob barely managed to hide his smirk when he noted the faint blush of her cheeks, and the curve of her lips that was slightly pulled in a small smile.
"It was great." He smiled amiably, and tried not to give away his knowledge.
Dr. Cuddy nodded her head, and returned to her office.
Jacob wondered who the lucky guy was. It didn't seem like the dean had much time for herself. Suddenly he heard a loud, dreadful, and all too familiar thump of a cane. He barely glanced up, and said evenly.
"Dr. Cuddy's busy."
Dr. House barely gave him a second glance and burst through the doors. Dr. Cuddy glanced up, and the flush grew on her cheeks like roses in full bloom. She smiled coyly and stood up from her chair.
Jacob didn't hide his surprise when she stopped, a little too close, and talked to the doctor. He nodded his head, but Jacob could see that he wasn't quite listening. He had a dorky smile on his face, and leaned slightly forwards, but Dr. Cuddy's hand touched his arm. She shook her head but smiled slightly.
Jacob's eyes almost popped out of his head when Dr. House leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She blushed and swatted him playfully on the arm, although she didn't seem angry at all. Her eyes sparkled, and he smiled wickedly.
"See you later, Dr. Cuddy!" He yelled vigorously, and opened the door with his cane.
He looked at Dr. Cuddy who stared after the doctor in haze, then at Dr. House who took a chart from the nurse by the station.
He was doing clinic duty?
His eyes returned to Cuddy who stared off into space with a dreamy look on her face until she realized what she was doing and continued to shuffle through her papers.
Could it be? But that was absurd…yet it was so obvious…
Jacob shook his head in bewilderment; some things were better left alone.
VII
The Kiss
Their voices could be heard through the hallways of the hospital. Loud and bellowing their voices bounced off the walls. They stood nose to nose, toe to toe, in a heated argument. For the staff of the hospital this sight was not a rare one to behold. He would stand, tall and sure, and she, small yet confident would yell at him with unquestionable authority. He would mock her, and provoke her like a ten year old pulling her pigtails. His sky blue eyes would gleam from the thrill, and her cheeks and neck would flush with the unresolved tension. Unconsciously their bodies would lean towards one another, their foreheads inches apart.
It was like watching sex; the tension was so tangible and thrilling.
Usually it would end with either of them storming off, both frustrated and angry, and painfully unsatisfied.
It was no wonder that everyone thought they had sex. Why would she keep in in the hospital if they weren't? At least the gamblers of the hospital were enjoying bets that mostly involved those two. About seventy percent had their money that after each fight they escaped to the next restroom and did it right then and there. Someone had sworn that he had seen scratch marks on Dr. Cuddy's desk, but that was just a rumor.
Few nurses stood by the counter and watched the current screaming match. Her hands were waving wildly in anger, and his fists were clenched around his cane. He slammed the cane on the floor in frustration, and pointed a finger to exhibit his point. Her jaw clenched while he bellowed angrily, pointing his cane into the direction of a patient's room. Then it was her turn to yell back, her face scrunching in a painful expression of despair and frustration.
It was like watching cat and mouse, seeking and chasing.
Many bystanders stopped to see what was going on, but they didn't seem to notice their audience and kept going like they were the only people in the world.
"Should we do something?" A worried bystander asked them worriedly. One of the nurses shook her head, and continued to watch the scene with keen interest.
The tension was overwhelming until suddenly the bantering stopped. Dr. Cuddy stood dumbstruck and watched the hunched limp of Dr. House retreat. Her face was set in an obvious surprise that he had retreated so quickly. She bit her lip and ran a hand through her hair.
She froze when he stopped and turned around. He walked towards her with swift moves. She didn't have time to react. He was up against her, his eyes dark and lustful. He swept her in his arms with unbelievably quick moves. He grasped her frame, and placed one hand on her lower back and the other between her shoulder blades, then he lowered her body backwards and he brought his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Cuddy froze against him, but soon she melted against him and lost herself in that one kiss. Their lips explored each other for what felt like eternity. Their tongues fought a silent battle, their frustration and anger exploding in that one kiss. They felt like they were the only people in the world, and everything disappeared. They didn't stop until they needed air. They looked into each other's eyes, his dark and lustful her wide and wondrous. He let go of her, and just as abruptly as he had arrived he turned around and left.
Cuddy stood there in awe, her lips moist and red from the kiss, her cheeks flushed. She looked around at the gaping onlookers, and strode away as quickly as her tight skirt allowed her to.
The onlookers stared at the empty spot, their mouths agape, and like a wave the bustling murmurs erupted through the halls. Within the next ten minutes everyone in the hospital knew about the passionate kiss between the doctors. For years to come this would be known as The Kiss.
VIII
Glitter and Tutus
House sat on the floor in Cuddy's living room. His feet stretched on the soft carpet. He looked at the tiny girl in front of him with dismay.
"Nuh uh. You're not putting that goo on my face."
"Yes." She nodded her head enthusiastically and placed a glitter-covered brush towards his face.
He shook his head in exasperation but it was no use. He watched a tiny hand approach his face with horror, and squeezed his eyes just before the brush landed on his face. He scrunched his face as the tingly sensation of the brush against his skin.
"Are you done?" He mumbled between strokes.
"Almost."
He heard shifting of feet, and he opened his eyes to see her tap away. He sighed and leaned his head against the foot of the couch.
Cuddy had entrusted him to babysit Rachel while she had a late, emergency meeting with the hospital board. He wasn't all too keen on babysitting, but he had promised, and he was getting better, although his progress was slow. Mostly the reason was that he just wasn't genetically programmed for this. He didn't speak comforting words when someone got hurt, or…hug. He just didn't care for such things.
He braced himself when he heard her run into the living room. She jumped in front of him like a clumsy ballerina, and waved her arm in front of him. He looked at it alarmingly.
It was pink, it was fluffy, and it was clearly for him to wear.
"What is this?" He asked alarmed.
"Tutu." She said simply.
His eyes roamed from her expectant face to the pink tutu in her arms.
"First of all tutus are for girls. Do I look like a girl?"
Rachel shrugged, and shoved it in his arms.
"Secondly. This doesn't even fit me." He waved the skirt in front of her face.
She giggled like his notion was the silliest thing in the world. She grasped the tutu out of his hands and before he could react she had thrust it over his head and down his shoulders. He glared at her, and tried to move but his broad shoulders were stuck in the tulle fabric of the skirt.
Rachel stepped aside and clapped her hands happily.
"Pretty." She commented and passed him a pink mirror. He looked at his image in horror. He was quite literally a glitter bomb. His eyelids were painted a bright blue, and his sunken cheeks had been covered with bright pink dots. On his lips was a bright pink lipstick, and to put the icing on the cake he was covered with white glitter. He looked like a living, breathing disco ball.
Rachel smiled at him, her appearance just as, if not worse than his. She had tangled her hair so it looked like a birds nest decorated with bows and hair clips in vibrant colors. On top of the nest lay a silver covered plastic tiara with fake plastic gemstones. She danced in front of him in her own little pink tutu. She picked a pink lipstick and sprawled it over her lips and cheeks. She looked at House and smiled happily, her tiny pearl white teeth peaking over her lips.
"You look like a clown." He muttered under his breath.
Suddenly the front door opened, and closed. He heard the familiar clacking of heels.
"I'm home." Cuddy called out from the foyer.
House looked at the door in alarm. If she would see him like this he wouldn't hear the end of it. He scrambled up as quickly as he could, but his leg gave under him, and he almost fell on his ass. He managed to get a hold on the armrest of the couch, but his hands were trapped in the tutu. Rachel stared at him dubiously while he tried to untangle himself.
"House are you…"
He turned around and looked at Cuddy's dumbstruck expression. They stood in silence until Cuddy let out a squeaky choke before she burst out laughing.
House stared at her unhappily.
"You think this is funny?"
Cuddy was almost on the floor; she held her stomach, the tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Rachel, I'm sure your mommy wants you to do her makeup sometime." He told the little girl who gasped with happiness.
"Yes, yes, yes."
House smirked to himself. He managed to release himself from the tutu and dropped it on the floor.
Cuddy's laughter had ceased, and she dried her eyes with the back of her hand.
"You should see your face." She laughed.
"Ugh, my mascara is probably all over the place." She looked at House and snorted. "You're so pretty."
"Gee, thanks."
Cuddy smirked, and stood up off the floor. At first he didn't notice what she was doing until he saw her grasp her purse and rummage through the contents.
He sprang up in alarm, and headed towards her, but she was quicker. She raised her hands up, her black iPhone clasped in her hand.
"Noooo." He bellowed, and raised his hands in the air to stop her, but the loud click made him stop in his tracks. Cuddy lowered her phone, and smirked evilly.
"Give it to me Cuddy, and no one will get hurt."
"Oh please. This is priceless." She laughed and showed him the picture.
"Don't you dare show this to anyone." He snarled.
"Oh no, this is too good to be true. Now I can get you to do clinic duty, wash the dishes, and basically do anything I want." She said victoriously.
House groaned.
"You evil, evil woman."
She kissed his cheek and smiled wickedly.
"That's why you love me."
"Humph." He grumbled, and walked after her to her bedroom, with Rachel twirling close behind.
"Remind me never to babysit for you ever again." He yelled after her. He allowed a secret smile to spread on his lips, and enjoyed the throaty laugh that came from the bedroom.
As he tried to scrub away the glitter off his face he realized that there was literally nothing he wouldn't do for that woman. Even though it involved glitter, makeup, and even tutus.
Somehow it was worth it.