cuddys_house | Saturday morning

At nine in the morning, Cuddy had already had gone for a short run, had breakfast, read the newspaper, started a load of wash, and she was almost finished making her grocery list. It was amazing how much more work she got done when House wasn't around to distract her. It wasn't the first time she'd noticed that truth but it was only now that it applied to her personal life and she was ambivalent about how she felt about that fact. On the one hand, she did need to tend to the admittedly boring necessities- groceries, laundry, paying bills--and those tasks were much easier and much faster to complete when she didn't have to fend off distractions from House. On the other hand, she really did prefer having him around.

She'd definitely missed having him around Friday night but at the same time it had been a good idea to take a breather. After two weeks of separate misery and then several days of a pretty intense reunion, a little break was probably exactly what was needed. And at least when she'd fallen asleep alone last night, it hadn't been that horrible lonely kind of alone. She even kind of enjoyed it...well, not the sleeping alone so much as having privacy in the bathroom. She'd kind of missed that.

She looked up from her grocery list, surprised, when she heard a knock at the door. It was too early for House to be out and about, but it was also impossible to be sure about anything when it came to what he'd do. When she went to answer the door, though, the man on the other side was someone she truly hadn't expected to see.

"Truce?" Wilson said when she opened the door. He held out a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. "Or we could just call it unconditional surrender. Whatever works."

"You think you can appease me with flowers?"

"I've got a box of chocolates in the car if that works better?"

Cuddy stared impassively at him for a moment, then relented with a sigh. She never could stay completely angry at Wilson for long. She took the bouquet and stepped back, opening the door for Wilson to enter.

"So you did talk to House last night?"

"Just like you knew I would," Wilson said as he followed her into the kitchen. "You played me."

"Only after you played me," she retorted.

"That's not what I was doing," Wilson said, watching as she pulled a vase from an upper cabinet and filled it with water. "I was just trying to...."

"Protect House?"

"Yeah. I guess." It was far more complicated than that. Looking out for House's well being was only part of it, but Wilson supposed it was as good an explanation as any.

"And you don't think I'd protect him?" Cuddy asked, glancing at him over her shoulder as she slipped the flowers into the vase.

"You always have," Wilson said in an appeasing tone. "But circumstances have changed. House sometimes makes bad decisions. If you had to choose between protecting him or your job, you'd choose him. But if it comes to choosing between him and your baby...?"

Cuddy carried the vase into the dining room and set it on the table. She was offended that Wilson's suggestion that she wouldn't do her best for House. Yet at the same time a small voice in the back of her mind said Wilson might be right. There could come a time when House's best interests might conflict with their child's, and she thought she knew which way she'd choose.

"I'd never deliberately hurt him."

"I know," Wilson said. "But you might not have a choice, and believe me--that's not intended as a criticism." He stepped up to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder until she turned to face him. "I know you love him. And he loves you. But it's House and that always makes things extra complicated."

Cuddy nodded an acknowledgment of that fact. "So how nasty did he get with you?"

"I've been through worse," he said wryly. "Actually, we ended up having a pretty good talk."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Wilson knew Cuddy understood that a 'good' talk with House meant small bits of information divulged with extreme reluctance. But Wilson genuinely felt good about their talk. At least House had admitted to his difficulty in dealing with some of his problems, including the aftermath of the shooting, and it was also obvious that House truly wanted to make this relationship with Cuddy work.

"He did tell me I'd have to get your permission whenever I want him to come out and play," he added.

"Right," Cuddy scoffed. "Like House has ever asked permission to do anything."

"Still, in an effort to cover my own ass...."

"Just bring him back in one piece."

"So...we're okay?" Wilson asked.

"We're good." Cuddy was still a little angry at him for what he'd done, the way he'd used her, but he'd only done what she would've done under the same circumstances. She couldn't hold a grudge against him for that.

"Okay, well, I need to go check on a few patients so I'd better get going."

"Yeah, I need to get to the grocery store. But thanks for coming by. "

Cuddy walked to the door to show him out. She waved as his car pulled out of the driveway. Yes, she was still a little ticked at him but his apology, however sincere it might be, made her feel better. It just one small part of the whole complicated situation, but every little bit helped. Being angry at Wilson would simply take energy she'd rather use to make her relationship with House work.