Two's Company - Three's a Crowd
-Chapter 4-

House arrived at the hospital early, only so he could avoid all contact with Cuddy. He headed straight to the clinic to do his hours. Wilson had seen him and caught up to him.
“Avoiding the boss?” he asked.
House continued and picked up a folder on the way past the nurses station.
“Avoiding me?” he tried again.
“No Jimmy – I just want to sit in an exam room with a folder and do nothing,”
“You’re actually working?”
“Is it a crime?”
“No, but –“
“’But’ means forget everything I 说 before that,”
“No it doesn’t,”
“It does now,” House said, opening the door to exam room three. Wilson turned away muttering ‘whatever, House.’
In the exam room, a young woman sat with her five 年 old son. House read the file aloud. “Thomas Weir, five years old, experiencing a sore throat and stomach aches; running a temperature of 38°C (101°F)” House looked up as the mother held Thomas’ hand. “Have 你 been vomiting 或者 have had sore ears?”
Thomas shook his head.
House moved till he was in front of the boy’s face. “Breath on me,”
“But, mister, why?”
“Because I need to check something,”
Thomas’ mother threw House a glare. The boy opened his mouth and breathed on House’s face. House scrunched up his face, making Thomas giggle. The mother sat, slowly becoming impatient.
“So?” she asked.
“Open your mouth and say ‘Ah’,” House ordered as he pulled out a little light and a tongue depressor.
“Ahhh,”
“Tonsillitis,”
“Mister, what’s that?”
“Tonsillitis is a bacterial infection of the throat which causes inflamed and puss covered tonsils,” House explained.
“What’s puss?” Thomas asked.
“Yucky white stuff,” House told him, pulling a face.
“What do I need to get him to make him better?” the mother asked impatiently.
“A ten 日 dose of penicillin and 由 then, he should’ve cleared up,” House said, handing over a prescription.
“Thank you, Mister,” Thomas said. The mother smiled and mouthed ‘thank you.’
House leaned back against the bench in the exam room, absentmindedly rubbing his thigh.
“Geeze,” he muttered to himself. “Only another 小时 and a quarter to go,”
House made his way out to the nurses station and handed over Thomas’ file. Brenda scanned through and a look of shock marred her features. House looked at her, confused.
“You actually did one. What a change,” she told him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he 说 picking up another folder off the pile.
“You’re avoiding Cuddy. What did 你 do this time?”
“It doesn’t concern you,”
“It does when you’re actually working,”
“First people complain when I don’t do my hours and then they 问题 my motives when I do, do them,” he said, slightly frustrated. “People just need to make their minds up around here,”
“Ooh, sorry Doctor House,” she 说 sarcastically. He glared at her; called his 下一个 patient and retreated into an exam room.
***
“What happened to 你 two?” Wilson asked as he barged through her office doors.
Cuddy jumped and nearly messed up her signature which was going onto a file. “What Wilson?” she huffed, putting down her pen and clasping her hands in front of her on the desk.
“House is actually working; what happened between 你 guys?”
“It doesn’t concern you, Wilson,” she 说 lazily, not wanting to enter into the conversation any further. “At least House is doing something productive for a change,”
“Yeah, but he’s mopier than ever,”
“I don’t care,” she said. “Now if 你 don’t mind, I have work to do,”
Wilson turned and left the office in a huff.
***
Cuddy walked in the doo at about 7pm and was greeted 由 the smell of a vegetarian 意大利面 bolognaise. She smiled as she was grateful to be home.
“Kirstin!” Cuddy yelled.
“Yeah?!” came the reply.
“Did 你 make dinner?”
“Umm…Yeah,” she 说 racing down the stairs. “You should go change,”
“Why are 你 not in the kitchen?”
“Its, uh, simmering and I needed to shut my curtains,” she tried covering up.
“Okay, just let me set the table,”
“Mom, I’ve got it,”
Cuddy pulled Kirstin into a hug and Kirstin had trouble controlling the tremors that rocked her body. When the parted from the embrace, Kirstin clapped her hands together and then ushered Cuddy away so she could continue with her devious plan.
***
Cuddy came down five 分钟 later to see the 表 laid for two; steaming dishes and a single glass of red wine marking the place settings. Cuddy noticed the red rose laid in front of what, she guessed, was her spot. Under the rose was a small card with neat 写作 over the top.
I’m sorry.
“Kirstin, 你 coming?” Cuddy asked.
As she took her place at the table, none other than House had sat at the other end of the table. Cuddy’s eyes and mouth opened.
“What are 你 doing here?” she asked, anger burning low in her stomach.
House looked up sincerely. “I’m apologising,”
Cuddy looked down and away. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Guilt tore at her. “No,” she said, causing House to look at her 更多 intently. “I should apologise,”
“No, I was rude to you; I shouldn’t have,”
“And 你 wouldn’t have 说 anything if I hadn’t have thrown myself at you,”
Kirstin was hidden behind the corner, listening into the conversation. Her 心 thudded in her chest at how cute it was; how nice they could actually be to one another when truly in love. Cuddy and House ate their 晚餐 in relevant silence apart from the odd “Yum,” 或者 “This is good.” Kirstin came out twenty 分钟 later to clean up.
House leaned into Kirstin’s ear when she walked past. “Thanks, kid,”
Cuddy grabbed her glass of wine and made her way into the lounge, yet, something felt different as she sat down on the cream couch. She looked around; it was still the same; the wallpaper, the bookshelf, the rug. Her eyes rested on the man in the doorway. It was him.
He walked into the room and sat 下一个 to her; close. So close that he could get a whiff of her scent. He loved it. He could tell that she was comfortable as they sat like that. She had first shivered when his heat invaded her spot, 由 now she rolled in it like a poor man would in millions of dollars. As House went to put his hand on his knee, he felt the electricity pulse up his arm when it made slight contact with her own.
“Do 你 wanna watch a movie?” House suggested when the silence became to akward.
“What kind?”
“Well, I was thinking porn, but I’m pretty sure you’re not into that stuff,” he joked nervously. “I guess the 下一个 best thing would be a movie with lots of sex,”
“House!” she said, trying to mask her playful-ness.
Kirstin walked in. “How about something for all of us?” House and Cuddy just looked at Kirstin puzzled. “Titanic!” she suggested. “Dad, 你 get your nude Kate Winslet and minor sex scene, mom, 你 get your romance genre ‘cause I know how much 你 爱情 it, and I get my Leo fix!”
“It’s a school night; you’re not staying up till eleven,”
“Mom,” Kirstin whined and then looked to House for help.
“Yeah, mom,” House agreed.
Cuddy sighed and allowed Kirstin to get the D.V.D. and put it in the player whilst she got up and dragged her duvet into the lounge. House managed to get up and turn out the lights. Cuddy sat back down on the couch; House to her right and Kirstin, her left.
***
At the end of the movie, Kirstin had fallen asleep on the floor, slouched against the 长椅, 沙发 whilst Cuddy had spread herself along the 长椅, 沙发 and had rested her head on the 枕头 that House had on his lap. She felt complete. House was absentmindedly toying with her curls.
House leaned to her ear. “Boss lady has to go to sleep if she doesn’t want to look like an old hag in the morning,”
Cuddy glared at him and sat up, gently waking Kirstin as she went. Cuddy went upstairs, leaving House with the duvet and his thoughts. He had a plan.
House made his way upstairs and stopped just outside Cuddy’s room. Her door was slightly ajar and he peered at her. She was stripped down to her underwear and House made the split-second decision to enter the room.
“House!” she shrieked.
“I thought I should bring it up,” he 说 signalling to the duvet in his hands.
Cuddy snatched it from him and held it close to her body; protecting what modesty she had left. “Thanks,” she 说 sarcastically before her eyes widened when House picked up her tank. “Put. It. Down.” she 说 sternly.
House ignored her. “Arms up,”
“Wait - what - NO!” she protested but eventually gave in when he gave her a serious look. He gently slid the 服装 over her head and down her torso, allowing his fingers to graze the silk of her skin. When the clothing was on, he rested his hands on her hips and turned her to face him.
“Look at me,” he told her but she pulled away when the look became too awkward. He put his fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him. He knew he wanted this as the lust build up in his blood. He pupils dilated and her skin flushed. The moment House pressed his lips to hers seemed like an eternity.
“I’ve missed you, Lisa,” he told her when they parted.
“I’ve missed 你 too,” she admitted.

A/N: okay, i know its been forever since i updated and i apologise...im soooooooooooooo sorry...i'lltry get back with the programme. i promise!
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