DISCLAIMER: I do not own House, MD. Nor do I make any money off of any of this.
SPOILERS: 4x16/Thirteen's news from the very end of the episode.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part one of a three part series.
The Morning After
By Coco
Remy Hadley, better known now as 13, was nothing like Allison Cameron.
They each had 206 bones, which were covered in muscle and tendons and both had veins and arteries that pumped blood from their organs and all through their bodies. Cameron's blood type was O positive and Thirteen's was B negative. Cameron was a natural brunette who died her hair blonde and Thirteen was a natural blonde who died her hair brown.
Another thing that set Thirteen apart from Cameron was the obsessive infatuation with House that Thirteen did not share. In fact, Thirteen barely had any respect for the man; it was really just short of contempt. She admired his ability and perseverance to get a diagnosis. But she also acknowledged that he was lazy as hell and he basically had to be horse whipped into tearing himself away from General Hospital long enough to piss let alone do his damn job.
It was the woman behind the horse whip that really got Thirteen's attention. The masterful brunette with the legs of a track star and an ass so perfect that monuments ought to be built so worshippers could gather.
Lisa Cuddy, dean of medicine.
Since Thirteen had found out that her days were numbered, and after a few days of spiraling depression, she pulled herself up and decided that she was going to use it as an opportunity. An opportunity that most people never get.
She knew when she was going to die.
Not an exact date and time, of course, but within a few years, and she figured she could probably narrow it down to a couple of months, in time. But for now she knew that she didn't have very long and she was going to do the things she'd wanted to do. Fuck the consequences.
The first thing she thought about was quitting her job. No, she loved her job, there was no denying that she loved being a doctor and it was all she'd ever wanted to do. There was raising horses, but the horses would outlive her so it was kind of a fool's errand. She thought about punching House, but decided to save that for one of her final acts. Sky diving? No, that didn't interest her.
So she bought a camera.
She wanted to take up the arts but she couldn't paint or draw and she sure as hell couldn't sculpt. She'd taken a couple of photography classes in college so she decided to take it back up.
She also bought a fish. A brightly colored male betta fish that ate pellets and swam to the side of the glass whenever she walked by.
However, she decided that she had one big aspiration. She wasn't going to go down in history, people she was close to would remember her as Remy and Thirteen would fade back to being just a number wedged between 12 and 14.
She was going to bed Lisa Cuddy. She wanted to run her hands over the soft creamy skin, she wanted to trace every feature of her lovely face with her fingertips, she wanted to kiss every inch of that goddess's body. She wanted to hear her gasp her name and arch her back, she wanted her to scream and writhe underneath her, she wanted to feel her trembling as all the tension flooded out of her body.
Yes, she was going to bed Lisa Cuddy if it was the last thing she ever did.
"No."
"Come on Julie, you have to help me."
"Forget it." Julie Whitner turned her wheelchair towards her desk. Thirteen caught the handles and pulled her back. "Wha- Remy! That's not fair…"
"Julie, please…"
"I can't."
"Us women who like women gotta stick together, right?" Remy pleaded.
"Rem, I helped you get into House's circus of a team selection, I'd gladly pick up the tab at lunch, I'd give you a place to stay if you ever needed it. I'd help you out in a jam, but I am not helping you get into our boss's pants."
"You've spent some time with her, just give me a few pointers."
"No."
"It's not like I need to worry about job security at this point…"
"Remy, no!"
"Fine, I'll do it without your help. Shouldn't be super hard. Straight women just think you're being friendly when you hit on them. I'll be fine." Thirteen turned on her heel and left the room.
"Remy! About that…" She called after her, "oh whatever, she's getting herself into this and she's going to have to deal with it."
Thirteen knocked on Cuddy's office door, seeing the older brunette working diligently on her paperwork.
Cuddy looked up and motioned for her to come in. "Are you here to file a sexual harassment complaint against House?" She pulled a piece of paper out of her top drawer.
"Um… no."
Cuddy looked surprised, "oh." She put the paper away and closed the drawer. "What can I help you with then?"
"Would you have dinner with me later?" She asked, straight out.
"Um, oh, Dr. Hadley, I don't really…"
"I'm a huge admirer of yours, Dr. Cuddy, you are so… impressive. I mean you're already dean of medicine and you're, what? 35? And to be a woman in such a competitive field, it's… amazing. There's so much I could learn from you and I'd love to have you… over for dinner."
Cuddy watched her for a moment and then smiled. Thirteen bit back a smile, she knew that Cuddy was a few months shy of 40. She also knew that flattery would get her anywhere.
"Um…"
"I have a great recipe for pasta Romano." Thirteen smiled.
"Alright. What time would you like me to be there?"
"Is eight okay?"
"Perfect." She smiled, "I'll be there."
Thirteen smiled and turned to leave, "oh, do you need my address?"
"I have it on file." Cuddy tapped her computer.
"Cool." Thirteen laughed a little, "yeah, I'll see you at eight then."
Thirteen rolled her eyes at herself. Real fucking smooth, Remy…
Thirteen stopped off at the store to pick up the ingredients that she didn't have at her house already and took the opportunity to pick up a bottle of wine and a few other bottles of alcohol (namely some Smirnoff and a bottle of Captain Morgan's).
Dinner was ready just in time for the doorbell to ring. Thirteen fluffed her hair and went to the front door and opened it. "Thanks for coming."
"Thanks for inviting me. I brought a bottle of wine… I didn't want to show up empty handed." She held up a bottle.
"Oh wow, Bordeaux. That's amazing!" Thirteen was never a wine connoisseur but she knew that Bordeaux was impressive and imported – so, undoubtedly expensive. Though Thirteen knew that a woman who paraded her luscious breasts and breathtaking ass around in Prada and Chanel, and so on, would scarcely balk at the purchase of an imported French wine.
But still. Thirteen was duly impressed.
Thirteen ushered her into the quaint little house. It was all one floor, with a basement that was just barely big enough for her washer and dryer. The kitchen, living room and dining room were all one room with a half wall to divide them. The walls were a light blue and furnished in all cool colors. A hallway extended to the end of the house, opening on one side to the bedroom and on the other to the bathroom.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." Thirteen set the bottle of wine on the counter and uncorked it. "The pasta's just done."
"It smells wonderful." Cuddy hung up her light jacket on Thirteen's coat rack by the door. "Can I help you with anything?"
"No, I think I've got it. Hope you like steamed carrots."
"Love them." Cuddy smiled. "But you have to let me help with something, how about I pour the wine at least?"
"All right, I suppose I can let you do that." Thirteen smiled playfully and retrieved two wine flutes for Cuddy.
Cuddy drew the glasses closer to her and poured one glass, then the other. She picked up one of the flutes and held it out to Thirteen. "Try it."
Thirteen took the cup and sipped it. "The French certainly know their wine. What's the vintage?"
Cuddy looked at the bottle, "um, 1983."
"Is that a good year?" Thirteen brought the two plates of food over to the table and Cuddy followed with the wine glasses and the bottle.
"Damned if I know, I just know Bordeaux's a good wine."
Thirteen laughed, "I wouldn't know a vintage wine if it bit me in the ass. I was hoping to sound impressive, I guess."
"You don't have to know anything about wine to impress me. You're an amazing doctor, even if you have disobeyed direct orders a couple times…"
"I… well… House… I thought he was right."
"And he was... I'm not saying you were wrong."
"What… are you saying?"
"I'm saying don't make a habit of it, but don't compromise your beliefs." Cuddy took a bite of her pasta. "This is delicious!"
Over the course of the next two hours they talked a little shop, talked a little girl talk, shared college stories and whatever came into their minds to talk about.
"It's kind of late. Two minutes past ten, I hope I'm not overstaying my welcome."
"Not at all!" Thirteen assured her, vehemently. "I'm really glad you came over and if you're still interested in staying you're more than welcome to stay."
"Are you asking me to stay?" Cuddy asked in a low whisper.
"Uh-huh." Thirteen nodded, unable to resist looking at Cuddy's lips as she did.
Cuddy smiled at her and went to pour more wine into the glasses. "Out of wine…" Cuddy screwed her face up in thought.
"I have other alcohol."
"Vodka and orange juice?"
Thirteen grinned, "I totally pegged you for a screwdriver woman." She got up from the table. "Why don't you go into the living room and I'll bring the goods in. It's more comfortable in there."
Cuddy got up and went into the living room. She picked up a picture from the table and smiled at the image of a young Thirteen wrapped in the arms of a smiling mother. She knew of the fate that befell the elder Hadley and she'd also caught wind of Thirteen's prognosis from House. She set the frame down and sat down on the silver colored couch.
Thirteen returned to the room with a couple of glasses and the vodka and a bottle of orange juice, all balanced clumsily in her arms.
Thirteen stumbled a little, her head buzzing a bit from drinking half a bottle of wine. Cuddy jumped up with a giggle, "let me help you with that." She grabbed the glasses and the orange juice and set them on the coffee table.
Cuddy had been drinking for ten years longer than Thirteen and was much more capable of holding her liquor.
They settled themselves onto the couch and they mixed their drinks. "Can I ask you something? I think it would be good to just get this out in the open…"
"Uh-huh, sure." Thirteen nodded.
"What do you want me to call you?" She whispered.
"Um, Thirteen or Remy… um, Remy?"
"Remy." Cuddy whispered, testing it out, seeing how it tasted, how it rolled off her tongue.
A shiver ran down Thirteen's spine, hearing her name from whence the lips of perfection caused her to exhale shakily.
The next two hours saw the finishing off of the orange juice and the vodka dwindled until less than half of the tall bottle was left. Thirteen was starting to wilt a little, as she leaned against Cuddy for support.
"Cuddy?"
"Lisa."
"…no, I'm Remy."
"I'm Lisa." Cuddy whispered, "you can call me Lisa."
"Lisa…" Thirteen whispered back as she slipped her eyes shut and pressed her lips to Cuddy's. Cuddy's lips were parted and Thirteen took her bottom lip into her mouth and sucked on it softly.
Cuddy mmed softly, reaching up and slipping her fingers into Thirteen's silky brown tresses. Cuddy held Thirteen close and steadily as the kiss deepened.
Thirteen pulled back breathlessly. "I have a bedroom… would you go to bed with me?"
"Lead the way." Cuddy pulled back and Thirteen fell forward a bit before getting up on wobbly legs. She turned and smiled at Cuddy and reached out for her hand.
Cuddy grinned and took her hand. Thirteen lead her down the dark hallway and let Cuddy precede her into the bedroom. She shut the door behind her.
Taking advantage of a drunk woman… does it really count if they're both drunk? It was a moral dilemma that Thirteen was pondering, though only until she pulled Cuddy's shirt open and looked down at the pink lacy bra that sheathed the breasts that had been the subject of many of Thirteen's fantasies. She paused for only a moment, as the last remaining coherent thought drained from her mind.
No longer would she have to rely on sex-ridden fantasies and longing daydreams. No, now she had the voluptuous administrator half naked and ready…
The next thing she remembered was waking up in the early morning light. She could feel Cuddy's arms around her waist and her soft breath on her neck. Well... at least she didn't wake up and realize what a horrible drunken mistake she made yet… I can at least have a few minutes of basking in her warmth before she wakes up, leaves and fires me…
Thirteen opened her eyes but quickly shut them, letting out a soft groan as she felt her head throb. Fucking hangover and I don't even get to remember the sex. Not cool. She was making the assumption that they'd had sex because she was naked, and she could feel warm skin against her skin.
Despite the throbbing head, she was feeling amazing. The feeling of Cuddy's body pressed against hers was exactly the feeling she'd wanted to achieve.
She felt Cuddy, the Jewish Aphrodite, stir behind her. Cuddy's arms tightened around her in a gentle squeeze before she let go and stretched out more properly. She yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
Thirteen watched her for a moment, dreading the wrath. But after a few moments Cuddy had said nothing and Thirteen was starting to worry.
"Can there be coffee?"
"Um… sure… how do you-?"
"Black with a tablespoon of sugar."
Thirteen didn't want to look at Cuddy just yet. She rolled out of bed and pulled on her underwear and shirt. She slipped quietly out of the door and went into the kitchen and sighed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Cuddy walked down the hall and peeked into the kitchen. She'd redressed. "Remy?"
Thirteen looked up at Cuddy and gave her a reluctant half-smile. Fully clothed. Bad sign.
"Are you… upset with me?"
"What do you mean?" Thirteen furrowed her brow.
"You wouldn't look at me when you got out of bed and now you're looking at me like you think I'm going to kick you."
"Well, how do you want me to look?"
"Are you upset about what we did last night?"
"So we did have sex?"
Cuddy nodded. "Yeah."
"Fuck…"
"Remy… Dr. Hadley, if you want me to go…"
"This is not even fair. I have sex with the most beautiful woman I've ever had the chance to get near and I don't even get to remember it and now you're just going to walk out of here and I'm probably never going to see you again."
"I think we're not understanding each other and let's just sit down for a moment. Okay?"
"Sure." Thirteen sat down at the table and Cuddy sat across from her.
"Did you intend dinner last night to be a date?"
Thirteen nodded once.
"So far so good. Do you regret that we had sex?"
"No!" Thirteen was quick to defend it, "no, not at all… do you?"
Cuddy sighed with relief. "Jesus, I thought I took advantage of you because, I mean, you were pretty far gone last night."
"So you had sex with me on purpose?"
Cuddy laughed, "You're not exactly a dog, Remy."
Thirteen grinned shyly, "are you flirting with me?"
Cuddy lifted her chin so Thirteen would look up at her. Thirteen searched her eyes for a moment, smiling at her. "Yup."
"So are you… bi?"
Cuddy nodded, "I kind of assumed Julie Whitner told you."
"No, she was totally unhelpful. I asked her to give me a few pointers but she… yeah… no, she didn't tell me."
"So you asked me out thinking I was straight? Wow that takes cajones."
"So we've established that we're both bi and that neither of us regrets having sex last night… what do we do from here?"
"Coffee. Coffee first." Cuddy stood up, "you look like you might also need aspirin."
Thirteen smiled. "First cupboard from the right."
"And how do you take your coffee?"
"Cream, no sugar."
Cuddy smiled and prepared the two coffees. She set the coffees down and handed Thirteen her aspirin, which she took gratefully.
Cuddy sipped her coffee. "I guess I'll start by saying that last night was wonderful and I'd like to see more of you."
"I had a good time with you last night too, and I'd like to see more of you."
Cuddy nodded, "seeing as I'm your boss and you're my employee we can't really be overt about anything."
Thirteen nodded, "that all makes sense."
Cuddy smiled and sipped her coffee. "I like your fish over there. Does he have a name?"
"Huntington."
"Wow, that's morbid."
"I'm sort of trying to acquaint myself with the word… make the word mean something else to me so that every time I think of it or hear of it I don't think of solely negative things. It's kind of stupid, I know."
"No, that makes a lot of sense actually. But let's talk about something more pleasant, shall we?"
Thirteen smiled, "yeah, definitely."
"I believe you were telling me about a party you went to while in med school last night." Cuddy grinned.
"Oh my god, I did not tell you that story!" Thirteen laughed, "oh god… I'm sorry, I'm a rambling drunk. I can't believe how smashed I got last night."
Cuddy grinned, "so you say that you don't remember the sex from last night? Not at all?"
"Well, I remember getting you onto the bed and opening your shirt… but that's about it."
"What do you say we rectify that?" Cuddy asked in a sultry whisper, standing up and leaning forward until her lips were centimeters away from Thirteen's. Thirteen lifted her chin so that their lips grazed softly.
"I think that's a great idea." Thirteen whispered back, closing the space between them and kissing Cuddy.
The trip to the bedroom was a lot easier for both of them sober.
The End