Something New, Something Old

Hi everyone! So I've officially got the biggest crush on Lucas. He's so adorable with Cuddy and I just had to make a story on them!

Enjoy :)

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Lisa Cuddy would tell anyone who asks that her life has been nothing but wonderful lately. For about three months now, she has been keeping in contact with Lucas Douglas by text message and sometimes email. He would text her if he was bored on an overnight stakeout or hiding inside ice cream vans with the lens on some cheating husband or wife. They had never seen one another after the day they met at the diner, ate pizza, and looked at cheerleading photos of House in college, cheering on the lacrosse team. Cuddy figured he forgot about her, but he didn't. He told House once that he liked her and he was pretty sure that he charmed her into liking him. That was as far as it got. Lucas had to leave after that, putting House, Cuddy, and hospital employment out of his mind. He got another job a few states over that had him working around the clock, spying on some millionaire that was thought to be embezzling from this high-tech company. Working for the FBI meant he had no time to maintain contact with Cuddy, so he put her on the back burner. Nine months later, he drops her an email out of the blue, and that's what started it all.

Lucas was back in Jersey now, doing little odd jobs or whatever he could to pay the bills. He wanted to remain in Princeton so he could see Cuddy on a regular basis. It wasn't every day he saw her, but just about. Right now, they were just friends, on the way to becoming something more. They reconnected when House was in Mayfield. House was now back at the hospital without his medical license, and without the knowledge that his boss was involved with Lucas. He didn't even cross House's mind. As far as he knew, Lucas was long gone.

Cuddy's been patient enough waiting for House to come around. She took the initiative a few times last year to try to tell him how she felt, but it always blows up in her face. She couldn't wait for him anymore. Life was too short. She loved House, and she was pretty sure that he loved her in some form, but enough was enough. At least Lucas was there for her when she needed him if she needed him for something. He was great about it, too. He never pressured her into making a decision about advancing their friendship. She admired him for that. Lucas was everything House wasn't. He made her laugh. She liked that. He also wasn't afraid to show her how valuable she was. Lucas knew how to treat a woman.

Speak of the devil. Cuddy's phone vibrated. She picked it up off her desk and smiled. It was from Lucas.

'Hello, my number one beauty. Feel like staking out with me under the stars tonight? We can get Chinese takeout and the car has a convertible roof. Actually, cancel that. Don't wanna get caught. Let me know :) L.'

Her smile widening, she composed a reply. 'Hello, handsome. I'm leaving work at five. I have a sitter looking out for Rachel, but I'll see if she can stay later. You better have me home before curfew :) '

She waited a few minutes and got a response. 'You drive a hard bargain, Cinderella. I don't know if I can let you go that early. You might have to kick and scream. Although I don't advise that. We're supposed to be undercover. Mmm. Sounds hot, does it? Maybe I should pick you up at the hospital so we can go together. *insert sly smile here* L.'

Cuddy laughed aloud when she saw that last part with the sly smile. Lucas hasn't been back at Princeton Plainsboro since last year. He would always pick her up at her place if they were going out. Picking her up at the hospital was a good idea, except she didn't want House to see him just yet, or know what they were up to. Cuddy text him back, telling him that. It would be easier if he picked her up at home. Plus, she had her car at the hospital. If it remained here after hours without her at the hospital, it might raise some suspicions. Keeping her friendship with Lucas in the dark was what she wanted right now.

'Ok babe, you got it. Pick you up at six?'

Cuddy waited to respond and called her sitter to see if she could stay a few more hours. When she said she could, Cuddy text Lucas back and gave him the green light. She felt so fortunate she met someone like him. He was so understanding.

As soon as she sent the message back, House walked into her office with a small scowl on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked as she set her phone down.

"No reason," she said, sitting back into her chair and crossing her legs. "What do you want?"

"Why are you glowing?"

"House, what do you want?" Her smile disappeared and her administrative tone came back.

"Who is he?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Who?"

"I don't know, whoever the idiot is that brought that ridiculous smile to your face and added redness to your cheeks."

House never lost his dry sense of humor. He was still the same sarcastic ass that he was before Mayfield, only now he's become a bit more persistent in finding out who Cuddy has behind the curtain. This wasn't the first time he caught her smiling randomly.

"I ended up closing a deal, if you must know. A benefactor agreed to give the hospital five million dollars to buy some new equipment."

House narrowed his eyes. "That would make you smile, not glow. And they wouldn't call you over the phone, or in this case, text you, to close the deal. They would come in here and sign paperwork."

"They just left," Cuddy said, knowing he was closing in around her.

"You've had smiles on your face for the past month I've been back here. Either your benefactors and donors are extremely generous, or you're hiding something from me. Since no one is that generous with throwing money away, then yeah, you definitely are hiding something from me."

Cuddy's face grew serious. "I am not. Is it so wrong for me to smile?"

"Yes."

"Things are going well for me, I have a reason to be smiling. You, on the other hand, better have a reason for standing in front of me. What do you want?"

"Uh uh, you're not evading the conversation that easily, Cuddy. Tell me who he is…or I start to snoop," he said, limping up to her desk.

Cuddy remembered the last time she had a date, which was a very long time ago, Don something. She couldn't even remember his last name because it's been so long. She's not sure she remembers what he looks like. Two and a half years she went without dating, and two and a half years before that was her last date with John Kelley at a hospital fundraiser. Five years wasted. Gone. She refused to let House ruin a possible chance of a successful relationship. Him knowing Lucas didn't help either.

"You can snoop all you want, you're not going to find anything."

"Yeah? We'll see about that."

He quickly reached across her desk and snatched up her phone quicker than she could take it away.

"House! Give it back!"

She stood up and rounded her desk just as he flipped it open and checked her text messages.

"You have no right to look into my messages!" She tried in vain to reach up and grab the phone as he held it high above his head.

"L? Who the hell is L?" he asked, reading one of her text messages. "And why is he asking you to sit under the stars with him?"

Cuddy remembered that she didn't save Lucas into her address book and that was a relief. Still, she tried to grab her phone back by tugging on his shirtsleeve. Anger washed over her as she suddenly felt invaded.

"None of your business! Now give me back my phone or you're fired!" she squeaked.

House ignored her and went onto the message before that. He stiffened up his arm tighter so Cuddy couldn't pull it down. Cuddy was tempted to jump up and snatch it from him.

"Stakeout? I'm sure he means the movie. You're not smart enough to date smart guys."

"House!" she cried, starting to become stressed out after all the failed attempts to get her phone back from him. Finally, she jumped up higher and knocked it out of his hand. When it fell to the floor, she recovered it quickly and shot him an evil glare. "Get out of my office."

"Who's L and why is he going on a stakeout?" he asked, not moving.

"You had no right to look into my phone, so I have every right to refuse to answer that question. Get the hell out."

House still didn't move.

"And if you come anywhere near me tonight, or if you follow me, I swear to god I'll fire you for good and you won't ever be back here, do you understand me? You're not going to ruin this for me," she said, shooting him a death glare.

House's face loosened and fell sad. She wasn't going to tell him who L was, so he knew he had to find out elsewhere. Someone at this hospital must know. This place was a gossip chamber after all.

He turned around and left without another word.

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"Who is Cuddy dating?" House asked immediately upon entering Wilson's office.

He had a patient in there, but House didn't care. He entered anyway, awaiting an answer.

"House, I'm with a patient," Wilson said matter-of-factly.

House glanced to Wilson's patient. "Are you dying in the next five minutes?"

"No—"

"Then you can wait. There are more pressing matters at hand."

Wilson sighed and excused House's behavior to his patient. House didn't seem to notice. He just wanted his answer.

"I have no idea who Cuddy's dating, okay? I didn't even know she was. If she is, good for her. She deserves some fun in her life. Now if you don't mind—"

"Who is Cuddy dating?" House repeated with a much firmer tone.

"I don't know. You've got a problem, House."

"You always know."

"No, I don't. Leave. We can discuss this at lunch."

That seemed to satisfy House. He left right after that. However, he didn't go far. He waited outside Wilson's office until the patient left. He was determined to get some answers and he knew Wilson knew something. Even though Cuddy wouldn't tell Wilson anything about her private life, because she knew he would tell House, House had a feeling he knew something anyway, whether he heard it on accident, or she told him.

Wilson's patient left ten minutes later. House entered immediately following the patient's exit. Wilson sighed heavily.

"You're quickly starting to get on my nerves."

"Deal with it." House sat in the chair the patient was recently occupying.

"Cuddy isn't dating anyone." Wilson never looked up from his charts as he scribbled some information down.

"Liar."

"Whatever, House." He tossed the chart aside and grabbed another one.

House lifted up his cane and slammed it over the chart without getting up.

"What the hell!" Wilson said, moving his hand quickly as it was almost a victim of being assaulted.

"Answer me. I'm not playing around."

"Yes, I can see that. Either am I. Right now, I wish I could tell you she's dating someone just so you'll get out of my office. If you want to bother someone about this, bother Cuddy."

"Already did that. I read her text messages. Someone named L is texting her about some hot stakeout tonight under the stars or whatever the hell."

"L, as in the name Elle?"

"No, L, as in the letter L, like the letter to a first or last name. It's driving me up a wall."

"Why? It's not like you're dating Cuddy. Did you really think she's going to wait around for you forever?"

"I don't want to be with her, but I don't want anyone else to be with her either."

"You want to be with her, you're just too chicken to ask her out."

"Chicken? Who says that above the age of fifteen?"

"Call it what you want. You're afraid and your hesitancy has cost you dearly."

"So Cuddy is dating someone?"

Wilson sighed. "I don't know. Can you remove your cane so I can get to work? Not all of us have lost their medical licenses."

House got up and left, gaining nothing.

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So what do you think? Should I go on? I'm not sure if this will turn into a Huddy or not, it depends on what you guys say. Right now, it's strictly Luddy under the stars. Lucas is just soooo cute. I feel like I'm fourteen again and having a crush on a boy at school. So yeah, Huddy or Luddy? Bring on the opinions! Review! :D