Fic: No Children, 12/16, PG13

[damelola]

Title: No Children (part 12 of 16)
Author: Lola Lauriestein
Rating: PG13-R for language, occasional sex references!
Pairing: Cuddy/OMC, House/Cuddy, House, Cuddy, Wilson friendship.
Spoilers: Everything up to Wilson's Heart, takes place not long after.
Disclaimer: not-not-mine, House et al belong to David Shore, Fox etc. The song "No Children" is by The Mountain Goats, they are awesome and you should check them out.

Summary: Cuddy has a new boyfriend, House has a problem and Wilson is grieving. As matters go from bad to worse, will they be able to help each other as they once did? Friendships under strain and tough decisions ahoy.

With thanks to my awesome beta, lucyvanflick! Trust me guys, this would be a mess without her.

Your feedback so far has been excellent, constructive and very much appreciated. Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy these last few chapters.

I’ve been a little naughty and switched the song lyrics around for Chapters 11 and 12, it fits the content of each chapter much better that way. Hope you’ll forgive me, Mountain Goats fans!

“I hope you blink before I do

I hope I never get sober”

Hoping she didn’t look as flustered as she felt, Cuddy greeted Zach with a swift kiss before throwing herself gratefully into the empty chair opposite him. Her bustling approach drew glares from the other diners in the library-quiet restaurant. Apparently, stony silence was part of an atmosphere that usually required a three-month wait for a reservation. Zach had raved about this restaurant and had taken great delight in bragging about his buddy who had gotten them in with just two weeks’ notice. Now, she noticed, he looked as though he’d rather be somewhere else.

“You’re late,” he snapped.

“I’m sorry. By the time I realized how late I was, I just ran straight over here. We had a psych patient on the roof and, well, we got him down eventually. I don’t even want to think about the paperwork that’ll be waiting for me in the morning.” She knew she was rambling but was determined to get things back on the right track.

He simply glared at the adrenalin-influenced volume of her reply. Chastised, she lowered her tone to the funeral-home whisper that seemed to be the norm.

“Sorry, this place looks gorgeous. Shall we get the menu? I wouldn’t say no to a Manhattan either.” Cuddy deployed what she hoped was her most adorable smile; she hated to think her date was ruined before it even began.

“I ordered some food already. Didn’t want to look like I’d been stood up.”

Cuddy bristled at his sulky demeanor. Thirty minutes late wasn’t polite but it was hardly high treason. She flagged down the waiter who confirmed all her worst suspicions about the place when he addressed her in a tone that implied he was used to waiting on royalty and superstars. He sighed at her drink order as though she had just asked him to cut off his right hand for her. This feeling of every man in the restaurant being pissed at her for no apparent reason was probably why she almost felt relieved when she heard the commotion at the door.

Of course, she recognized the dulcet tones of House in full complaining mode right away. It took Zach a little longer to place the voice echoing around the plush room, but his initial scowl was replaced by something resembling panic. As Cuddy opened her mouth to question him, House broke free of the maître d' and limped straight across to their table.

“God, Cuddy, how fast did you run here? It makes it so much harder to follow you. It’s not natural that you can move that fast in those ridiculous shoes.”

He sat down with a loud sigh, earning the pointed glares of everyone else in the establishment, or at least those who had resisted the urge to stare when he first came barging in.

“House,” Cuddy had lowered her tone to a pointed hiss, but there was no mistaking the urgency in it.

“What the hell are you doing here? We’ve had this discussion. You have no right to intrude like this!”

“Zeke invited me, said it would be good for us all to get to know each other. Since I’m your bestest, closest friend after all.”

House had his usual sarcastic grin plastered across his face, but the undertone in his words concerned her. Though he addressed his reply to Cuddy, his eyes were boring lasers into Zach. His stupid wrong-name ploy was irritating beyond belief, but Zach made no move to correct him. Something was definitely off here.

The tension was broken momentarily by the arrival of her drink, closely followed by a second waiter with the appetizers. Her heart sank as she saw the plate of marinated olives in front of her, typical fare for a Mediterranean restaurant. Since Zach had ordered the same for himself, there was no getting around it. She could have some of the bread, and force down one or two olives for appearances’ sake.

Before she could relax though, she knew she had to get rid of her intrusive diagnostician. As she opened her mouth to dismiss him, he interrupted her by clicking imperiously at the departing waiters. One turned around and addressed him through gritted teeth.

“Yes, sir?”

House swiped her bowl of olives, popping one nonchalantly into his mouth.

“The ‘lady’ here doesn’t have an appetizer. Could ya fetch her the calamari?”

“Certainly sir.” Cuddy caught the man rolling his eyes as he turned away.

“House, give me my food and get the hell out of here.” She knew confronting him would be messy, but the murderous glares from Zach meant a bit of noise was worth it to get House out of there pronto.

“Why are you fighting with me over food you don’t even like? You hate olives, especially the black ones. Oh my God, are you some kind of racist?” House was milking the scene for all it was worth, enjoying watching them squirm.

“You don’t like olives?” Zach interjected before Cuddy could respond. “Why didn’t you say so? We could have sent it back.”

The penny suddenly dropped for Cuddy: the thoughtful gesture of yesterday’s lunch that she had automatically credited to Zach couldn’t have been from him. Since she couldn’t keep an assistant for more than a couple of weeks, that left only one culprit, one who had just confessed that he knew about her hatred for the slimy little balls in front of her. She had a hundred glib remarks ready, competing with calming words for Zach, and yet she sat there smiling like an idiot.

House—the very definition of selfish, thoughtless and inattentive to the needs of others—had done something very sweet for her.

It made her feel funny. In a good way.

The really inconvenient, inappropriate, outright dangerous kind of good way.

Oh, crap.

It didn’t help that he was studying her like a particularly confusing CT scan, her smile having caught his attention like a magnet. He knew that she had worked it out, the smugness on his face practically screamed that he wanted credit for doing something nice. Just as she steeled herself to be called on it, he stood up suddenly and walked away from the table, thumping his cane obnoxiously against the polished wooden floors.

Zach exhaled heavily, his fingers rubbing hard at his temples. Giving herself a mental shake, Cuddy turned her attention to him. She drank in the details of him almost desperately, reminding herself how much she liked his thick brown hair, the perfect cut of his shirt, the muscles that were hidden under it.

Except these details didn’t make the breath catch in her throat as they had done before. She felt strangely cold, detached even, as she regarded him. There was no comparison for the electric heat still pulsating in her thoughts about House and how he had surprised her.

“That guy’s really an asshole. What did he think he was proving by showing up here?” Zach spoke with low menace, anger in his expression that Cuddy had never seen before.

“I’ll talk to him. He’ll get bored eventually.” Cuddy knew it was a lie even as the words escaped her lips.

“You shouldn’t see him outside of work. Call the police if he shows up at your place. Don’t even get me started on the fact that you should have fired him years ago. I’m surprised at you, Lisa.”

It was subtle, but at that moment Cuddy felt something inside her snap. She didn’t come to a stuffy restaurant after a long and exhausting day just to be lectured. After Vogler, Tritter and a thousand patient complaints, she certainly didn’t need her judgment questioned one more time. How dare he tell her how to run her life, never mind do her job?

“You know what? You were in a crappy mood before House ever showed up, and a free evening is too rare for me to waste. I’m sorry that I was late, but there’s no need for this amount of sulking. And don’t you ever tell me what I should or shouldn’t do in my hospital. Enjoy your damn olives.”

With that, Cuddy gathered her bag and swept out as haughtily as she could. When the crisp air hit her outside, adrenalin gave way to queasiness.

Was this really happening already? Why the hell couldn’t she stop picturing House’s cocky smile?

Part of her was hoping that he’d be lurking outside, or lingering around the corner on his death-trap bike. Seeing that neither was the case, she began the short walk back to the hospital to collect her car. Why is it that on the nights when she didn’t feel like going home there was never anyone good enough to go out with?

When she reached the parking lot, a thought struck her about a very private place with decent booze and no company. Perfect.

------------------------------------

Grumbling at his own stupidity, House ambled along the corridor to his office. Of all the things to forget, his house keys were by far the most inconvenient. It meant dragging his cold and angry self from his apartment door back to the hospital after 5pm, something he actively avoided unless a life was hanging in the balance. He wondered if the chickenshit cheater had admitted his sins to Cuddy yet. He almost wished he’d hung around to see her redecorate the place with smashed crockery. Still, the Greeks were used to that kind of thing; they probably wouldn’t press charges.

He was pleased to find his office unlocked since the cleaning staff had an unfortunate habit of locking it each evening, and his only key was on the same keychain that lurked somewhere in the glass-walled depths. He closed the door behind him, humming “The Times They Are A-Changin’” under his breath. He flipped on the light.

 His heart stopped for an instant.

He was acutely aware of the skipped beat as he took in the unexpected sight of his boss sprawled in his desk chair, headphones on and bottle of tequila dangling dangerously from her left hand. Her eyes opened lazily at the sudden burst of light, and he knew that she must be pretty far gone when she didn’t even blink at his appearance.

Even at this late hour, some of the insufferable kiss-asses who shared “his” floor would still be working. If nothing else, he didn’t want to be blamed for Cuddy’s embarrassment when she sobered up. Reaching for the cord on the blinds, he almost snapped the flimsy string in his haste to achieve a little privacy.

“Why Dr. Cuddy, you drunken lush!” He said saucily. He kept it light, allowing some of his amusement to fire the opening shot.

Whether she heard him or simply decided it was time to acknowledge the obvious presence in the room, Cuddy clumsily removed the headphones from her messy curls.

“Shut up, House. Why shouldn’t I have a little drink? God knows you rattle round this hospital like a bottle of Jack made human. Why should you have all the fun?”

House winced at the sharp notes that punctuated her words. Alcohol brought out the real Cuddy, the one who grew up in Jersey and didn’t smooth out her consonants to try and sound a little more Park Avenue than Newark.

“I’m not drunk right now. Doubt I could catch up on you. There can’t be a drop of alcohol left in Princeton.”

She waved the tequila bottle at him with a lazy smile, and he grumbled at the sight of the almost empty bottle.

“Still a few drops in here. I bet you’ve got plenty more stashed all over this hospital. Don’t start with me.”

He crossed the room to join her behind his desk. She regarded him with heavy-lidded eyes as he pressed eject on the stereo to see which of his CDs she had plundered. Predictably, she’d just pressed Play with whatever he’d left in there and so had been treated to some Janis Joplin. Well, if she’d been hoping for the best of Heart, she came to the wrong place. Which led to the question of why she was there at all and so he asked her.

“Wanted to go somewhere with alcohol and not be disturbed. Figured I was safe here ‘til about lunchtime.”

She was slurring slightly, punctuating her half-explanation with a hearty slug of tequila.

“Why? Fight with your boyfriend?”

Her face crumpled at his suggestion. There was no sign of tears but the mascara smudges under her eyes betrayed that some had already escaped tonight.

“Oh, like you don’t know. It’s what you were aiming for, turning up like… something that always turns up.”

House forgot to smirk at her drunken lack of eloquence, an unfamiliar sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was the part where he gets to witness just how much Cuddy had been hurt. Previously, he might have enjoyed the schadenfreude or the potential leverage. But now it felt like a car accident he couldn’t look away from.

“He told you then?”

Stop picking at the scab, he yelled internally. Just let her wallow, call a cab and get her home before she embarrasses herself and leave her lusting for your blood all week. He didn’t want to think about how many clinic hours a mortified Cuddy would punish him with.

“Yeah, he told me. Tried to tell me who I could spend time with; he even tried to tell me I should fire you. Trying to tell me how to do my job, too, as well as running my life. Bastard.”

House felt the dull roar of anger at the base of his skull. Had the loser boyfriend actually chickened out?

“So you fought with him for being bossy? That’s all?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

In her exasperation, Cuddy attempted to catapult herself into a standing position. Unfortunately for the Dean, her legs had other ideas and she would fallen face down on the floor if House hadn’t stepped in to catch her. She could have moved away instantly, her balance restored by hitting his solid form. Instead, she felt her hands gripping the soft leather that covered his arms, her face turning to rest against his chest. She could feel the coolness of the outdoors on his shirt, the warmth underneath searing through the layers as she nestled against him. It felt terribly wonderful to be pressed up against him, and if she hadn’t drowned her common sense in Jose Cuervo’s embrace, it would be screaming at her right now.

Cuddy could feel him tensing up with every second that she didn’t move. His breathing was quick and shallow, his heartbeat increasing. As long as they stood here like this, it didn’t matter that there was a Zach, or a morning, or a building filled with people. All that mattered was that she felt grounded, like her real self. She didn’t have to put on an act to be around him. She could be as bitchy or as light-hearted as she felt. House would push her buttons and sometimes she would play along; other times she’d shut him down. It was practically a routine, the one thing in the world she could count on.

What she didn’t count on was House pulling back from her embrace. She definitely didn’t expect him placing a gentle finger under her chin and pulling her into a soft kiss that made her last scraps of restraint explode like the most incredible internal fireworks display.

She was the one to deepen the kiss, taking it from tentative to passionate in a mere second. This time, she didn’t want to be interrupted, didn’t even want to think twice. For years, they’d been circling each other. That one torrid night that should have gotten it out of her system had simply turned the boiling heat down to a persistent simmer.

He broke their kiss far too soon. Before Cuddy could weigh the merits of desk versus armchair, House was speaking and putting the brakes on her decidedly more exciting plans.

“Cuddy, we can’t.” His words were a low moan. She could see the strain it was causing him to call a halt to this moment of madness.

“You’re drunk, you’re seeing someone. I’m not going to be an escape route for your pissiness.”

No, no, this would simply not do. Cuddy was fired up and ready to go. Why was this idiot stopping her from getting what she wanted?

“First of all, you kissed me. Second, don’t try to tell me you don’t want this. And second of all..”

“Cuddy, you can’t even count to three! Don’t do me any favors. I can get laid without getting the girl hammered first.”

His eyes were cold in an instant; Cuddy could see the defenses going up. Did he really think she was trying to do him a favor?

She knew then what she had to do. Stepping back slightly, she began to unbutton her shirt, the white cotton crumpled from the hands that had been roving over it feverishly moments before.

“Stop it.” His voice was more of a groan, and she could tell his resolve was waning.

Slowly, she eased her now open shirt down over her shoulders.

At that, he grabbed her and for a split second she thought she’d won him over.

“Put your clothes on. I’m going to call you a cab.”

Cuddy felt tears welling up at the harshness of his rejection. Desperate to save face, she heard herself taunting him.

“Oh sure, House, now you’re all talk. All those cracks you make about my body… Now, I’m offering myself to you on a plate and you don’t have the balls to go through with it? Or are you trying to tell me you don’t find me attractive?”

The last few words came out as a plea, a note of desperation in her voice that she could not control. He regarded her carefully, his eyes never straying below her face for the first time that she could remember. Cuddy struggled not to cry as she tugged hastily at her clothes.

“Oh you know I think you’re hot,” he began, his voice softer than she was used to. “But I don’t want it like this. I want it to be about you and me, not because you’ve had a shitty day or because you feel sorry for me. Besides, if you’re all emotional, you might not be doing your best work. I’d hate to settle for a fumble you’ll regret.”

She laughed at that, the tension finally beginning to ease.

“So, we should…” she began, but he cut her off with his usual rudeness.

“Get some sleep, come to work tomorrow like this never happened. If you want to sort out some things and come back to this, I’ll see if I can fit you in.”

Of course he wasn’t promising to wait for her to get her life in order. Obviously he wouldn’t admit that the idea of them together meant anything to him. This was House after all; she’d have more chances of getting the sun to revolve around the Earth. For all his boorish behavior, he had behaved like a gentleman, and even in the midst of her embarrassment and confusion, that meant a great deal to her.

Gathering her things, she retrieved her Blackberry and placed a call to her usual cab company. By the time she was done, he had retreated to the armchair, meaning she could leave without any obligation to touch him or say anything further. As she mustered her most confident stride, she detoured to press one last kiss on his willing lips.

“I’ll be coming back, House. Don’t go anywhere while you’re waiting.”

Three more strides and she was gone, hazily navigating the linoleum floors in search of the elevators and a safe route home.

In his office, House had forgotten all about his missing keys. He sat there in the dull glow of his office lights and replayed the last few minutes vividly, thanks to the photographic memory he had never been more grateful for.

Life had suddenly gotten very interesting.

A/N: Don’t worry, Zach doesn’t get to weasel out of it, I just didn’t think it was fair to crush Cuddy in the process. She’s going to take care of business in the next couple of chapters though!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Next Chapter, 13

Comments

[dreamsofspike.livejournal.com]

oh that was soooooo satisfying :) loooooove that kiss, so perfectly them, and house's reaction to it was spot on... this chapter was excellent, hon :) *Hugs*

[damelola.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was very satisfying to write, finally a little action!

[shikabane-mai.livejournal.com]

YOU UPDATED! Now I'm going to review while reading!

Aw man, Zach in the beginning of the fic is so mean. Geez, he's the one who cheated on her and accidentally let House find out about it, he shouldn't take it out on Cuddy. She was only 30 minutes late anyway! >:(

Hehe, loved the part when Zach's anger diminished and turned into panic when House came into the restaurant. I also love how Cuddy can immediately tell that something's going on that she doesn't know about after House talks.

You hate olives, especially the black ones. Oh my God, are you some kind of racist?”
Ha, LOVE that House knows that Cuddy doesn't like olives, especially the black ones, and immediately tells the waiter to get something else (without asking Cuddy either!). Also, the racist comment is HILARIOUS! xD And yay for Cuddy for realizing yesterday's lunch was not brought by Zach but by House!

Ha, stupid asshole Zach! I'm glad that Cuddy left him with his damn olives, stupid idiot. >:( I thought he was so sweet before, but now... UGH.

LOL, are you serious?! House's OFFICE?! Oh man, that's hilarious and totally unexpected, although it makes so much sense! I love that House immediately shut the blinds when he saw drunk!Cuddy--subtle, but it shows he cares.

You know what? This is officially my favourite chapter of this whole story. I loved the last part when House started the kiss and when she wanted to go further, he stopped her (because he didn't want to have sex with her when she was drunk). Also, the part where you said that House "regarded her carefully, his eyes never straying below her face for the first time that she could remember."--that was a beautiful line, because it shows how serious House actually is and shows how he DOES care about her. For once, it was House looking after Cuddy in her emotionaly unstable state, not the other way around.

I LOVE THIS STORY. SERIOUSLY. It just gets better and better and better!

[damelola.livejournal.com]

Ok, this is some awesome feedback - thank you so, so much!! I hate Zach quite a bit in this chapter, but it's totally based on how I act when I'm caught out - I blame everyone but myself!

I like them as a partnership - they can look after each other, not just one of them is weak and the other is strong all the time, I hope that came out in this chapter :)

I'm frantically typing away in Word, after a bit of writer's block I'm cracking on, so I should have more for you fairly soon. Thanks again for commenting, makes my day!

[amaliak.livejournal.com]

all i have to say is:

hee hee hee.

excellent.

cheers.
--Lex

[damelola.livejournal.com]

It's like you can tell I was smirking as I wrote it ;) Glad you liked, thanks for the feedback! xx

[scolastik.livejournal.com]

I understand what you mean. These lines are perfect with this chapter.
Zach is so annoying, I mean this behaviour is completly real. Trying to make the other feel guilty when you're the one who made mistakes. I don't why we do that. It's twisted but human.
Drunk Cuddy isn't easy to write about but you made it believable.
Another comment with only good points but I dont find anything bad I won't invent it ;)

[damelola.livejournal.com]

Well, I do like twisted people - I definitely am one! I love drunk Cuddy, but it is hard to keep her realistic. We know she can handle her booze, but sometimes she needs to act out a little.

I will try to avoid writing anything too terrible and then the comments can stay good hopefully!

[damn-insomniac.livejournal.com]

OMG This chapter is so ... Perfect !
Really, I loved everything, that was excellent (L)
Bravo !

[damelola.livejournal.com]

Yay! That's so nice of you to say, thank you so much :)

[egeria61.livejournal.com]

OMG! The return of the repressed OLIVES. OMG! the snark is perfect: "does that mean you're a racist?" OMG!!! *flails* rotflmao.

Just a little thing I loved: he had behaved like a gentleman, and even in the midst of her embarrassment and confusion, that meant a great deal to her. She's drunk, but she's still Cuddy. I'm really fascinated by how people act when they're drunk. Whenever I'm drunk, I get all speculative and think, WOW, I'm still ME. (In shock that in spite of what I learned in kindergarten, alcohol doesn't alienate me from myself.) I mean, I don't want to push that idea too far. I just like the idea that even though Cuddy's inhibitions are lowered, her body hasn't been taken over by aliens. okkkieee, onto the next chapter and the next message that I will SPAM you with. Bwahahahah! (Hey, I just finished watching the season premiere. Have you seen it? I won't say anything till I'm sure you have.) yay! This day is made of win. more lauriestein fic on the way. Hurray!

[damelola.livejournal.com]

You are far too nice to me, but I love it!

I agree that alcohol doesn't change people, just lets them do things they wouldn't sober.

Haven't seen the premiere yet, but I'll be home in about 4 hours and you'd best BELIEVE it's the first thing I'll be doing.