A/N: Thank you to ItsNevrLupus and x sinister for your reviews, and to the countless others that have added me to their story alerts and favourites, etc. I just hope that after this second chapter you might review as well! :P
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! Oh, and Merry Cricklemas everyone!
P.S. I may be awhile after this chapter as we are sorting out internet connection problems, but when I am up and running again there will be chapter bombing! Lol. So please be patient, for me? Thank you for your support guys!
Recap from previous chapter:
"House." Cuddy looked over at him as he entered her office. "What do you want? You're meant to be in the clinic."
House sat down in the visitor's chair. "It's Wilson."
A look of concern immediately came across Cuddy's face. "What's up?"
"Are you two having sex? I need to know."
"House." Cuddy gritted her teeth. "Do your job. Go to the clinic."
House got up. "He's not right for you. I just want you to know that."
"I know that House, trust me."
House left the room and limped down the corridor towards the clinic. Someone was lying. Someone had to be lying. Well, someone was always lying. The guess was Cuddy. She had been acting so weirdly. That performance this morning was a definite tip off. She had to know by now that he was on to her. He would never admit as such to anyone, not even Wilson, but he wasn't going to let anyone near Cuddy. She was his.
Chapter Two: I Love Her.
The restaurant seemed quaint and small. Perfect for the discussions Wilson kept bringing up during dinner. This was the second night in a row this week where Wilson had taken Cuddy out. Cuddy didn't really enjoy it anymore, now that everything seemed to revolve around Wilson and House. Yes, everything had revolved around Wilson and House before now, but not like this.
"Hungry?" Wilson asked Cuddy, who had just taken her seat.
"Not so much tonight, Wilson." Cuddy replied. "Listen, I can't do this every night of the week. I've got paperwork, schedules, I'm still sorting out a number of House's old blunders alone. Could we make tonight the last night? For this week at least, Wilson. Please."
Wilson looked slightly taken aback. "I know Lisa, but this is all I have. You're the only one I can talk to about this. I can't talk to House."
Cuddy reached her hand over and squeezed Wilson's.
"You should, Wilson. You really should. If you really love House as much as you tell me, it's your duty to tell him."
Wilson squeezed her hand back.
"I can't tell him. He'll freak out. It'll ruin everything we have."
Cuddy sighed with mixed feelings of frustration and empathy.
"If that's how you really think everything will turn out then the best thing you can do is forget about it. Forget House."
Wilson looked up at Cuddy, the heartache he was suffering echoing through his features. It made her want to hit him for some reason. This whole thing was completely insane.
"Well," Wilson pulled his hand away and wiped his brow. "How about that food?"
House lowered himself down from the window. Cuddy had been holding Wilson's hand. And he hadn't moved away. In fact, he looked pretty happy with the contact. So she had been lying to him. There was something going on. He felt his bitterness pulsing through him. But he couldn't direct it at just one of them. Wilson and Cuddy were both in on this. He had to stop it.
* * *
"I'm sorry but drastic renovations are being made in the waiting room today to counter a suspected water leak, but we have made a temporary waiting area in Dr. Lisa Cuddy's office down the hall. If you are unsure of the where abouts of Dr. Cuddy's office then follow me."
Dr. House ambled off towards Cuddy's office with a small, mischievous smile creeping across his features. In small groups of three or four patients began to follow House until they reached Cuddy's office.
"Here we go." House said, opening the door.
"Isn't it just a bit small for all of us to be in?" One woman asked. "I mean some of us may have something infectious. The hospital wouldn't want us all to become exposed would it?"
"I wouldn't know what the hospital is planning. I'm just the messenger." House replied, looking at his watch, his expression changing to surprise as he suddenly turned and limped out of the office as fast as he could. "They'll get to you soon!" He called back as he rounded the corner. He peeked behind him briefly to see patients filing into the office.
Back in Cuddy's office, one small child with a nasty cough asked his mother, "Why would they renovate because of a water leak? Wouldn't they just get a plumber in?" The woman looked down at her child, a mask of confusion splayed across her face. "I think you're ri-"
"What the hell?!" Cuddy's voice came pulsing through the crowd from the doorway.
"A doctor brought us in here." An older gentleman told her. "He had a limp."
"Oh, great." Cuddy sighed. "You must've all come from the waiting area."
"Yes." The man replied to her. "When are the doctors coming to collect us?"
"You're all going back to the waiting room." Cuddy responded. "There are no renovations, one of the resident patients from the mental health unit must've gotten loose again."
Disgruntled patients began to leave the office muttering things such as "useless hospital" and "the doctors are frauds." Cuddy's frustration resounded through her. House again. Either he was annoying her over something that was bothering him or it was his sadistic form of flirting at work again. Or both. It was usually both.
Cuddy had a sudden realisation. If House was messing with her over something personal, then he must know. She had to talk to Wilson, now.
Cuddy placed her coat over her chair and left the office. House looked at her as she passed him in her hurry to see Wilson, never noting House's presence. House knew where she was going. It was obvious. He paused himself for a minute or so before following. He was going to make an entrance when they settled in their "private" conversation, and confront the both of them. Secrets never survived in this hospital, not when he needed to know what they were.
* * *
"House knows."
"Oh God, how?" Wilson put his head in his hands; then he looked up at Cuddy, his face seemingly bleached in a matter of seconds. "How'd he take it?"
"He sent every patient in the waiting room into my office before I got in this morning." Cuddy replied and smoothed out her skirt. House, who was peaking through a crack in the door, watched this body language intently. Cuddy was nervous and uncomfortable, and Wilson was clearly unnerved. What was going on?
"This is really bad." Wilson looked up at Cuddy. "He's gonna torture both of us for days, then confront me about it in the worst possible manner and deal with it just as well. Then he'll push me away, or you, until he finds a way to "fix it" and then manipulate one of us until everything is back to normal."
"Except nothing goes "back to normal" this time, James. House can't just change who you-"
"Well!" House opened the door to Wilson's office. "Staff meeting without me? And I thought you loved the cookies I brought last time." House let himself drop onto Wilson's couch. "Yes, I do know. It's not like you guys kept it that secret."
Wilson looked at House's expression. He didn't seem too disgusted. But with House you really couldn't tell.
"House, I-"
"Wait a second." Cuddy motioned to Wilson and then turned back to House. "Just what is it that you think you know?"
House gushed. "What do you mean think I know? You guys are sleeping together, and that's what I know I know."
"Yes." Wilson said, smiling with relief and pulling on his watchband. "Yes. Okay, House? I love her."
Cuddy looked sharply over at Wilson, mouthing the word "no". House watched all of this curiously, trying to make something out of this. He hadn't expected Wilson to just blurt out the truth like that. Or for Cuddy to be so defensive of their situation.
"You really like her?" House questioned, in doubt for the first time since he had "discovered" their affair yesterday. Something seemed genuinely wrong. Wilson was far too relieved, and Cuddy wasn't saying anything.
"Yes, I do." Wilson kept eye contact with House to try and convince him of the truth.
"Okay." House replied and got up. He left the room and headed for his office. He was completely confused. Wilson had been lying the whole time. Never looking at Cuddy as he professed his love to her, only looking at him. Cuddy seemed like she just wanted Wilson to shut up.
"Well," House told himself as he pushed his way into his own office to begin the day's real work. "If Wilson really loves Cuddy, then I'll upset him to prove it."