My first House fanfic, so hello!
I've written these characters elsewhere, but only in RPG, so it's my first time writing them here! Set around season 3.


"Sorry, doctor, but I think I know more about my body than you do-"

"You don't have pneumonia, you have a cold."

Clinic hours were the absolute worst, and he hated them with a passion. Four fifty five, and Greg was still here- not by choice of course. Cuddy had strongarmed him into it, and every time he'd tried to make a sprint for the exit, she pushed him back into the exam room.

And hit him on the arm when he asked if she was getting off on ordering him around.

"I want a chest x-ray-"

"I want a mute supermodel with a fetish for limping doctors."

Five, finally. He could leave. Moving to get up, carefully making his way over to the door, and using his cane to push it shut after him. A boring evening lay ahead for him: Wilson was working overtime, and his usual 'distractions' weren't answering their phones, but staying at home was miles more entertaining than doing more clinic hours.

Scribbling his name on the sign out sheet, making it deliberately messy to annoy Cuddy.

"You're leaving?"

"I don't have a leash."

Shrugging on his jacket as Cuddy reached for the sign in sheet. Busy, stressed, but she'd already got her own coat. Interesting. Why was she leaving before midnight?

"Got a hot date?"

"No. Just dinner with a friend."

That piqued his curiosity. What friend? Who could tug Cuddy away from her beloved hospital?

"Who and where?"

"Italian place in town. And mind your own business."

Mind his own business. Easier said than done. If he had plans of his own this evening, he probably would leave her alone, and not bug her, but it sounded like a wonderful source of gossip. Who hung out with Cuddy, other than Wilson? He had no idea.

"I'm going to be late, you can file these for me."

She dumped the papers in his hands, only for him to toss them in the recycling bin once her back was turned. Dinner so early in the evening? Couldn't be a date. What was he going to do? Find out more information.


Returning to Princeton hadn't been on Stacy's agenda at all. Ever since Greg told her to choose Mark, and broke her heart by doing so, she'd tried to move on. She had returned to Short Hills with her husband, found a relatively poor paying job to replace her old one. It wasn't going great and her marriage had become more fractured than ever over the course of the past couple of months.

Certain events had transpired, and in order to try and heal their differences, Stacy and Mark had decided to separate for a while. Time apart would surely help them, and divorce felt too final an option. Did Mark make her happy like he used to? Absolutely not. There was a lot of guilt that she was harboring, but telling him about her brief affair with Greg had seemed pointless, too.

She hadn't been too sure where she'd go during this separation, and had been trying to keep it to herself, until one of her fairly regular phone calls to Lisa. They were friends, always had been, so Stacy had eventually spilled the details on everything that had happened between her and Mark.

"Why don't you come back to Princeton for a few months?"

"I don't know about that, Lisa.""You wouldn't have to see Greg. It's cheaper to live here than it is in Short Hills, and you have your friends."

Stacy had debated it for a while, but after yet another argument with Mark, she'd decided to just go ahead with it. Rented a house in the Princeton area, perhaps a little too big for just one person, but she hadn't come alone.

Spent the previous day packing up her car, with her clothes, a few books, an of children's things. The owner of those toys was sleeping peacefully in her car seat, little hands clasped into fists. Her sleeping daughter was more than content, seemingly unbothered by her mother's arguments with Mark. Leaning to check she was okay, before getting in the front seat, and beginning the drive over to Princeton.


It hadn't taken long, but by the time she got there, it was rather late. Stacy had agreed to meet Lisa the next day, and after a somewhat sleepless night with her daughter, and a long day of unpacking, it was time to go. Stacy had told her friend she wasn't coming alone, and Lisa had seemed more excited than inquisitive.

Stacy was very grateful for that, at least.

"Come on, peanut, we're going to be late."

A fussy whine from her daughter, as Stacy carefully put her in her basket. Six months old, but rather noisy: she didn't like her basket, and always did her best to remind her mother of that fact.

Thankfully, her memory of Princeton was accurate enough to stop her from getting lost. Ten minutes late, but she managed to find the restaurant they'd agreed on with little problems. Rather quiet, semi casual, it would be perfect. Wrapping her coat around herself to protect from the cold winds, and locking the car, before heading inside.

"Stacy?"

"Hello. Long time."

"Very- and who's this little lady?"

Lie Stacy had expected, Lisa gravitated straight towards the baby in Stacy's arms. The lawyer wasn't surprised: her friend had always been a great lover of small children.

"This is Chloe."

"Oh, hello, Chloe. You're a little angel, aren't you?"

Stacy handed her baby over, moving to sit at the table her friend had selected. The small girl was quite nervous around strangers usually, but she seemed happy enough to be held by Lisa. Gazing curiously at the doctor, cooing gently as she was set in Lisa's arms.

"She's beautiful. How old is she?"

"About three months."

"I haven't seen you in nine. Did you and Mark really make her during his time here?"

"Of course."

Opening up a menu, gaze fixed firmly on the lettering. Her baby seemed happy enough: settled in Lisa's arms, small hands idly batting at the woman's hair, Not tugging, but quite happily playing with it.

"Does Mark enjoy being a Dad?"

"Not really. Not being able to sleep puts him in a bad mood."

"Bad mood, with this sweetheart? Impossible."

Stacy shook her head, but her smile lingered. Seeing her friends always cheered her up: even if she knew they were within ten miles of Greg bloody House.

The lawyer would be more than happy if she never saw him again- or so she told herself.

Ordering herself pasta salad, and requesting hot water so she could make a bottle for her small daughter.

"You really should stay for a while."

"Because you've missed me, or because you want to melt over my baby?"

"Both."

That made Stacy laugh, feeling her mood lift a little more. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. She could avoid Greg, see her friend, and hope that time away from Mark would help their marriage heal a little.

And at least if he was over two hours away, he couldn't blab some of her secrets.

Especially not the biggest one.


Bit of a short chapter, but serving as an intro more than anything else. :) should I continue, what do you all think? I was always more of a Hacy fan than anything else.

Please review!