The Affair: The Finale
“What?” House barked into the phone.
“House, where have you been?” Wilson said. “Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I called six times!”
“Oh, so that’s what that annoying vibrating was. I thought my leg had a new symptom.”
“Are you…drunk?”
“It is possible that I may have partaken in a scotch…or four.”
“I don’t get it. Why aren’t you at the hospital? I figured by now you’d have set off a fire alarm or released a stinkbomb-anything to get back in Cuddy’s room.”
“Funny thing that,” House said. “I can’t go to Cuddy’s room.”
“What? Last time we spoke you had a full head of steam. I believe your exact words were, ‘I’ll be there in 10 minutes.’ So what happened?”
“The very official and scary looking letter in my pocket from the State of New Jersey saying that I can’t go within 20 yards of Lisa Cuddy is what happened.”
“Letter? . . . A restraining order? Who would. . .?” Then he thought about it. “Oh God, she wouldn’t.”
“She would and she did.”
“I had no idea Julia was so devious.”
House snorted.
“She’s not. Julia may hate my guts but she doesn’t have nearly the nefarious imagination for something like this. This restraining order has Arlene Cuddy written all over it.”
“Is that even legal? I mean, Cuddy’s unconscious.”
“It’s called power of attorney. It transfers to the next of kin when someone is incapacitated.”
“So what would actually happen if you came to see her?”
“Three to five years in jail,” House said, taking a bitter swig of his drink. “You see, I’m a known offender. An ex con. Score one, Arlene.”
“House, I’m so sorry. That…sucks. No wonder you’re drunk.”
“Bottoms up,” House said, ironically. Then he sighed. “So how is she?”
“The doctors says all vitals are trending in the right direction. I was actually about to go visit.”
“Tell her that I. . .Tell her . . . Oh, forget it. It’s useless.”
“What’s useless?”
“I had a chance to redeem myself by being there for her and instead I’m sitting here in a fucking hotel bar.”
“That’s hardly your fault. You can’t help if Cuddy’s mother is a psychopath.”
“I failed her. Again. It’s what I do. Good bye, Wilson.”
And he hung up.
#####
Cuddy’s eyes fluttered open.
She looked around the room.
Blurred figures of two women slowly came into focus.
“Mom?” she said. “Julia?”
“Honey, we’re right here,” Arlene said, going to her.
“There was an accident,” Cuddy said, slowly piecing it together: the loud noises, the debris, the far-away-sounding voice of someone screaming for help.
“Yes sweetie. A bad one. But you’re going to be okay.”
“Hi sis,” Julia said, also getting up, squeezing Cuddy’s hand. “You gave us a scare there.”
“Where’s Rachel?” Cuddy said, feeling disoriented and panicky.
“She’s fine, Lis. She’s with the nanny and my kids back in Princeton. We’ll bring her by tomorrow.”
Cuddy rubbed her eyes.
“What day is today?” she said.
“It’s Monday. You were out for two and a half days.”
“And House?” Cuddy said.
Arlene frowned, glanced at Julia.
“He’s not here honey. He can’t hurt you ever again.”
“No. . .I…I was driving to see him.” She scrunched up her face, trying to remember. “We were supposed to spend the weekend together. He must be so worried. Does he know I’m here?”
It wasn’t that Cuddy was planning on telling Arlene and Julia this way. She was still in a sort of elemental state, only able to construct basic thoughts: The safety of her child. Concern for her lover.
“House knows about the accident,” Arlene said. “He’s been informed.”
“Then where is he?”
“Not here, obviously,” Arlene said, glancing at Julia again.
“Can someone tell him I’m awake and I want to see him?”
“I have no way of contacting him,” Arlene said. “He …hasn’t been by to see you.”
Julia shot her mother a surprised look, but said nothing.
“He hasn’t?” Cuddy said.
“No. Not once.”
Cuddy closed her eyes, upset and confused.
“But he loves me,” she said. “I don’t get it.”
“Bailing when things get tough is his specialty, if I recall,” Arlene said.
Cuddy felt like she was about to cry.
“I just. . .I thought things were different this time.”
“You should stop wasting your time on that man. He will always disappoint you.”
Cuddy tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry.
“I’m thirsty,” she said finally.
“Here sweetie,” Arlene said, taking the glass of water on the tray next to the bed and bringing it to Cuddy’s lips. “Try to sit up a little and take a sip.”
######
“You want to talk about it?” the bartender said to House, pouring him his fifth scotch.
“Do I look like I want to talk about it?” House grumbled.
“Sorry, man. You just seem a little depressed.”
“Thank you, Sigmund.”
“Anyway, I thought you might need this to absorb some of that scotch.” He slid a burger and fries in House’s direction. “On the house.”
House looked at him. “Thanks,” he said, taking a glum bite of the sandwich. Then he sighed.
“Have you ever come close to getting everything you wanted and then the rug was pulled out from under you?” he said. “And suddenly you realize, Of course it didn’t work out. Because you’re meant to miserable. It’s who you are.”
The bartender gave a half smile.
“Was that a rhetorical question?”
House laughed a bit, despite himself.
“I know,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m pathetic.”
“I’ve seen worse,” the bartender said. “But not much.”
“The night is young,” House said.
“In my experience, good things happen to good people.”
House looked at him.
“Either you’re lying, you’ve had no experience, or you’re really really dumb.”
Then he added, charitably. “Let’s just assume you’ve had no experience. Besides, who said I’m a good person?”
“I have an instinct about that sort of thing,” the bartender said.
####
“Hey,” Wilson said, pulling a chair up beside Cuddy’s bed. Arlene and Julia had gone down to the cafeteria to get something to eat so the two of them were alone. “You look good. How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” Cuddy said. “My head hurts.”
“Yeah. Concussions tend to have that effect. Any blurred vision? Mental fuzziness?”
“So far, so good,” Cuddy said.
“Good. But with that broken leg, you’ll be walking like House for the next few months.”
At the invocation of his name a heavy silence fell over the room.
“So I guess you found out about us?” Cuddy said.
“Yeah, he told me. But only after the accident. As ever, he was the soul of discretion.”
“I just don’t get it,” Cuddy said, shaking her head.
“Get what?”
“Why he wouldn’t come see me.”
Wilson squinted at her.
“What?”
“I mean, unless he thought I wouldn’t want him here…but still. After my cancer scare, I assumed he would-”
“Cuddy, House was here every day,” Wilson said. “He even hired some guy to distract your mother so he could spend more time with you.”
“He did?”
“Of course. He was sick with worry about you.”
“I knew it,” Cuddy said, almost to herself. “My mother is such a liar. I knew he wouldn’t stay away again.”
Then she frowned.
“So where is he now?”
“Possibly still bellied up to the bar at the Hoboken Hilton. He can’t come see you anymore. Your mother put out a restraining order.”
“She what?” Cuddy said, bolting up so quickly in bed, she clutched her ribs in pain. She lay back down. “What?” she repeated.
“Don’t ask me. Ask your mother. She thought he was stalking you or something. House told her you guys were back together and she didn’t believe him. To be honest, it took a while to convince me too. It’s not like he hasn’t hallucinated a relationship with you before.”
Cuddy put her hand to her face.
“Oh my God, poor House.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty broken up about it. Hence the heavy drinking.”
“This is my fault,” Cuddy said, shaking her head. “I kept him tucked away, like some sort of shameful secret. And he’s not a secret. He’s the man I love.”
“I think House really needs to hear that,” Wilson said.
“I need you to do a few things for me, Wilson: Get me a lawyer. A good one. A shark. I’m going to make that restraining order go away. And tell my mother to get her wrinkly ass in here. She has some explaining to do.”
#####
A day later, thanks to Wilson’s good lawyer, the restraining order was revoked and House was able to come visit Cuddy.
When he went to her room, Arlene and Julia were both there.
He stopped in the doorway, looked down at his feet.
“I guess I’ll, uh, come back later,” he said.
“No!” Cuddy said. “You stay. They’re leaving.”
Then she turned to her mother. “But before they go, isn’t there something you want to say to House?”
“I’m sorry about the …misunderstanding,” Arlene mumbled, barely audibly.
“Misunderstanding. That’s one way of putting it,” House said.
“Mom,” Cuddy said.
“Okay! I’m sorry I put out a restraining order on you and lied to my daughter about it! Are you satisfied? I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say…”
“No, that was perfect. Very moving,” House said. “I’m sure they’ll put it on a Hallmark card one day.”
Cuddy was still glaring at Arlene, so she continued:
“I admit, the restraining order might have been a touch extreme. I was just trying to protect my daughter.”
House’s face grew serious.
“I know you were,” he said. “I don’t blame you.” And he and Arlene quietly nodded at each other.
“Mom, I know it’s hard to understand,” Cuddy said. “And I know that I made a mess of things by lying to you. But you have to accept that House is back in my life.” She turned to her sister. “Both of you do. Because I love him-and he’s not going anywhere.”
House gave a tiny, proud smile.
“It’s true,” House said. “I’m not.”
Julia and Arlene both rolled their eyes.
“Now leave, so I can spend some time along with my man!”
After they were gone, House sat down beside Cuddy, took her hand.
“If the plan was to scare the shit out me,” he said. “Mission accomplished.”
“I scared myself,” she said. “And then when I woke up and you weren’t here. . .”
“You didn’t really believe that I could stay away, did you?”
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Cuddy said.
“Look at me,” he said, lifting her chin. “I will never let you down again. Ever. Do you understand that?”
“I think I finally do,” she said nodding.
“And along those lines,” he said, with a tiny smile. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to let you get back behind the wheel of a car again. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way it has to be.”
She chuckled. “Believe me, I’m in no rush,” she said. “And besides, with my bad leg, I have no choice in the matter.”
“I love the idea that I’m suddenly the able-bodied one in this relationship.”
“Gimpy and Gimpier: A Love Story,” Cuddy said.
He laughed. “So, besides the leg . . .and the head…and the ribs…and the fact that Arlene Cuddy is your mother…how do you feel?” he said.
“Happier now,” she said, looking at him.
He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Me too,” he said.
“I missed you,” she said.
“I missed you too.”
“I’m sorry about all of this. It was all my fault.”
“Shhh,” he said. “That’s crazy talk. You can’t help it if your mother is like Chuck Norris in sensible shoes.”
“But if I hadn’t lied about us…”
“Forget it. We’re out of the closet-well, hotel room-for good now,” he said. “That’s what counts.”
“You’re right, it does.” Then she gave a little ironic smile. “I got all your voicemail messages, by the way.”
“Oh . . . those.”
“I’m pretty sure you called me a bitch,” she teased.
“I was …agitated.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “But I’m so saving those messages to use against you in the future.”
“You’re evil.”
“And you love it.”
“Yes,” he said, adoringly. “I do.”
####
House left the room to let her get some sleep and bumped right smack into Arlene and Julia.
“Hey, it’s my arch nemesises,” he said, furrowing his brow like he wasn’t sure how to pronounce the word. “Nemesi?”
“Hello House,” Julia said. “How’s she doing?”
“Better now that I’m here,” House said.
“Regrettably, that seems to be true,” Arlene said. “I may not like you, House. I may not approve of you. I may think you’re a poor excuse for a man and an even worse excuse for a life partner, but my daughter seems to love you. So I officially accept your presence in her life, God help me.”
“Thank you Arlene. That’ll make a wonderful toast at our wedding.”
“Don’t push it, House.”
EPILOGUE
Ten months later, House and Cuddy entered the Hoboken Hilton for the first time since the accident.
“Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner!” the concierge said. “It’s been too long.”
“Actually, it’s Dr. and Mrs. House now,” House said. “Well, Dr. and Dr.- but that sounds more like a medical practice than the wedded bliss it is.”
“Congratulations!” the concierge said. “We find around here that these sorts of, um, hotel-based relationships don’t usually have such happy endings.”
“We’re freaks like that,” House said.
“It’s part of our charm,” Cuddy agreed.
“Well, in honor of your recent nuptials, I’m going to upgrade you to the Honeymoon Suite.”
“No!” House and Cuddy said, in unison.
“We want the same room we always had. 1207,” Cuddy explained.
“Where it all began,” House said, wrapping his arm around her.
“Very good, “ the concierge said, typing something into his computer. “I assume a complimentary bottle of champagne is not against the rules?”
“You assume correctly, good sir,” House said.
“And is there still a DVD player in the room?” Cuddy said. She smiled sneakily, “I brought The Way We Were.”
“Oh, there will be no movie watching of any kind,” House said, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. “We’ll be way too busy!”
She gave a playful scream and squirmed out from under him.
“I also brought Beaches!” she said, darting to the elevator. “And Hope Floats!”
“Welcome to married life,” the concierge said, with a laugh.
“Isn’t it the best?” House said.
THE END
“House, where have you been?” Wilson said. “Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I called six times!”
“Oh, so that’s what that annoying vibrating was. I thought my leg had a new symptom.”
“Are you…drunk?”
“It is possible that I may have partaken in a scotch…or four.”
“I don’t get it. Why aren’t you at the hospital? I figured by now you’d have set off a fire alarm or released a stinkbomb-anything to get back in Cuddy’s room.”
“Funny thing that,” House said. “I can’t go to Cuddy’s room.”
“What? Last time we spoke you had a full head of steam. I believe your exact words were, ‘I’ll be there in 10 minutes.’ So what happened?”
“The very official and scary looking letter in my pocket from the State of New Jersey saying that I can’t go within 20 yards of Lisa Cuddy is what happened.”
“Letter? . . . A restraining order? Who would. . .?” Then he thought about it. “Oh God, she wouldn’t.”
“She would and she did.”
“I had no idea Julia was so devious.”
House snorted.
“She’s not. Julia may hate my guts but she doesn’t have nearly the nefarious imagination for something like this. This restraining order has Arlene Cuddy written all over it.”
“Is that even legal? I mean, Cuddy’s unconscious.”
“It’s called power of attorney. It transfers to the next of kin when someone is incapacitated.”
“So what would actually happen if you came to see her?”
“Three to five years in jail,” House said, taking a bitter swig of his drink. “You see, I’m a known offender. An ex con. Score one, Arlene.”
“House, I’m so sorry. That…sucks. No wonder you’re drunk.”
“Bottoms up,” House said, ironically. Then he sighed. “So how is she?”
“The doctors says all vitals are trending in the right direction. I was actually about to go visit.”
“Tell her that I. . .Tell her . . . Oh, forget it. It’s useless.”
“What’s useless?”
“I had a chance to redeem myself by being there for her and instead I’m sitting here in a fucking hotel bar.”
“That’s hardly your fault. You can’t help if Cuddy’s mother is a psychopath.”
“I failed her. Again. It’s what I do. Good bye, Wilson.”
And he hung up.
#####
Cuddy’s eyes fluttered open.
She looked around the room.
Blurred figures of two women slowly came into focus.
“Mom?” she said. “Julia?”
“Honey, we’re right here,” Arlene said, going to her.
“There was an accident,” Cuddy said, slowly piecing it together: the loud noises, the debris, the far-away-sounding voice of someone screaming for help.
“Yes sweetie. A bad one. But you’re going to be okay.”
“Hi sis,” Julia said, also getting up, squeezing Cuddy’s hand. “You gave us a scare there.”
“Where’s Rachel?” Cuddy said, feeling disoriented and panicky.
“She’s fine, Lis. She’s with the nanny and my kids back in Princeton. We’ll bring her by tomorrow.”
Cuddy rubbed her eyes.
“What day is today?” she said.
“It’s Monday. You were out for two and a half days.”
“And House?” Cuddy said.
Arlene frowned, glanced at Julia.
“He’s not here honey. He can’t hurt you ever again.”
“No. . .I…I was driving to see him.” She scrunched up her face, trying to remember. “We were supposed to spend the weekend together. He must be so worried. Does he know I’m here?”
It wasn’t that Cuddy was planning on telling Arlene and Julia this way. She was still in a sort of elemental state, only able to construct basic thoughts: The safety of her child. Concern for her lover.
“House knows about the accident,” Arlene said. “He’s been informed.”
“Then where is he?”
“Not here, obviously,” Arlene said, glancing at Julia again.
“Can someone tell him I’m awake and I want to see him?”
“I have no way of contacting him,” Arlene said. “He …hasn’t been by to see you.”
Julia shot her mother a surprised look, but said nothing.
“He hasn’t?” Cuddy said.
“No. Not once.”
Cuddy closed her eyes, upset and confused.
“But he loves me,” she said. “I don’t get it.”
“Bailing when things get tough is his specialty, if I recall,” Arlene said.
Cuddy felt like she was about to cry.
“I just. . .I thought things were different this time.”
“You should stop wasting your time on that man. He will always disappoint you.”
Cuddy tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry.
“I’m thirsty,” she said finally.
“Here sweetie,” Arlene said, taking the glass of water on the tray next to the bed and bringing it to Cuddy’s lips. “Try to sit up a little and take a sip.”
######
“You want to talk about it?” the bartender said to House, pouring him his fifth scotch.
“Do I look like I want to talk about it?” House grumbled.
“Sorry, man. You just seem a little depressed.”
“Thank you, Sigmund.”
“Anyway, I thought you might need this to absorb some of that scotch.” He slid a burger and fries in House’s direction. “On the house.”
House looked at him. “Thanks,” he said, taking a glum bite of the sandwich. Then he sighed.
“Have you ever come close to getting everything you wanted and then the rug was pulled out from under you?” he said. “And suddenly you realize, Of course it didn’t work out. Because you’re meant to miserable. It’s who you are.”
The bartender gave a half smile.
“Was that a rhetorical question?”
House laughed a bit, despite himself.
“I know,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m pathetic.”
“I’ve seen worse,” the bartender said. “But not much.”
“The night is young,” House said.
“In my experience, good things happen to good people.”
House looked at him.
“Either you’re lying, you’ve had no experience, or you’re really really dumb.”
Then he added, charitably. “Let’s just assume you’ve had no experience. Besides, who said I’m a good person?”
“I have an instinct about that sort of thing,” the bartender said.
####
“Hey,” Wilson said, pulling a chair up beside Cuddy’s bed. Arlene and Julia had gone down to the cafeteria to get something to eat so the two of them were alone. “You look good. How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” Cuddy said. “My head hurts.”
“Yeah. Concussions tend to have that effect. Any blurred vision? Mental fuzziness?”
“So far, so good,” Cuddy said.
“Good. But with that broken leg, you’ll be walking like House for the next few months.”
At the invocation of his name a heavy silence fell over the room.
“So I guess you found out about us?” Cuddy said.
“Yeah, he told me. But only after the accident. As ever, he was the soul of discretion.”
“I just don’t get it,” Cuddy said, shaking her head.
“Get what?”
“Why he wouldn’t come see me.”
Wilson squinted at her.
“What?”
“I mean, unless he thought I wouldn’t want him here…but still. After my cancer scare, I assumed he would-”
“Cuddy, House was here every day,” Wilson said. “He even hired some guy to distract your mother so he could spend more time with you.”
“He did?”
“Of course. He was sick with worry about you.”
“I knew it,” Cuddy said, almost to herself. “My mother is such a liar. I knew he wouldn’t stay away again.”
Then she frowned.
“So where is he now?”
“Possibly still bellied up to the bar at the Hoboken Hilton. He can’t come see you anymore. Your mother put out a restraining order.”
“She what?” Cuddy said, bolting up so quickly in bed, she clutched her ribs in pain. She lay back down. “What?” she repeated.
“Don’t ask me. Ask your mother. She thought he was stalking you or something. House told her you guys were back together and she didn’t believe him. To be honest, it took a while to convince me too. It’s not like he hasn’t hallucinated a relationship with you before.”
Cuddy put her hand to her face.
“Oh my God, poor House.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty broken up about it. Hence the heavy drinking.”
“This is my fault,” Cuddy said, shaking her head. “I kept him tucked away, like some sort of shameful secret. And he’s not a secret. He’s the man I love.”
“I think House really needs to hear that,” Wilson said.
“I need you to do a few things for me, Wilson: Get me a lawyer. A good one. A shark. I’m going to make that restraining order go away. And tell my mother to get her wrinkly ass in here. She has some explaining to do.”
#####
A day later, thanks to Wilson’s good lawyer, the restraining order was revoked and House was able to come visit Cuddy.
When he went to her room, Arlene and Julia were both there.
He stopped in the doorway, looked down at his feet.
“I guess I’ll, uh, come back later,” he said.
“No!” Cuddy said. “You stay. They’re leaving.”
Then she turned to her mother. “But before they go, isn’t there something you want to say to House?”
“I’m sorry about the …misunderstanding,” Arlene mumbled, barely audibly.
“Misunderstanding. That’s one way of putting it,” House said.
“Mom,” Cuddy said.
“Okay! I’m sorry I put out a restraining order on you and lied to my daughter about it! Are you satisfied? I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say…”
“No, that was perfect. Very moving,” House said. “I’m sure they’ll put it on a Hallmark card one day.”
Cuddy was still glaring at Arlene, so she continued:
“I admit, the restraining order might have been a touch extreme. I was just trying to protect my daughter.”
House’s face grew serious.
“I know you were,” he said. “I don’t blame you.” And he and Arlene quietly nodded at each other.
“Mom, I know it’s hard to understand,” Cuddy said. “And I know that I made a mess of things by lying to you. But you have to accept that House is back in my life.” She turned to her sister. “Both of you do. Because I love him-and he’s not going anywhere.”
House gave a tiny, proud smile.
“It’s true,” House said. “I’m not.”
Julia and Arlene both rolled their eyes.
“Now leave, so I can spend some time along with my man!”
After they were gone, House sat down beside Cuddy, took her hand.
“If the plan was to scare the shit out me,” he said. “Mission accomplished.”
“I scared myself,” she said. “And then when I woke up and you weren’t here. . .”
“You didn’t really believe that I could stay away, did you?”
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Cuddy said.
“Look at me,” he said, lifting her chin. “I will never let you down again. Ever. Do you understand that?”
“I think I finally do,” she said nodding.
“And along those lines,” he said, with a tiny smile. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to let you get back behind the wheel of a car again. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way it has to be.”
She chuckled. “Believe me, I’m in no rush,” she said. “And besides, with my bad leg, I have no choice in the matter.”
“I love the idea that I’m suddenly the able-bodied one in this relationship.”
“Gimpy and Gimpier: A Love Story,” Cuddy said.
He laughed. “So, besides the leg . . .and the head…and the ribs…and the fact that Arlene Cuddy is your mother…how do you feel?” he said.
“Happier now,” she said, looking at him.
He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Me too,” he said.
“I missed you,” she said.
“I missed you too.”
“I’m sorry about all of this. It was all my fault.”
“Shhh,” he said. “That’s crazy talk. You can’t help it if your mother is like Chuck Norris in sensible shoes.”
“But if I hadn’t lied about us…”
“Forget it. We’re out of the closet-well, hotel room-for good now,” he said. “That’s what counts.”
“You’re right, it does.” Then she gave a little ironic smile. “I got all your voicemail messages, by the way.”
“Oh . . . those.”
“I’m pretty sure you called me a bitch,” she teased.
“I was …agitated.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “But I’m so saving those messages to use against you in the future.”
“You’re evil.”
“And you love it.”
“Yes,” he said, adoringly. “I do.”
####
House left the room to let her get some sleep and bumped right smack into Arlene and Julia.
“Hey, it’s my arch nemesises,” he said, furrowing his brow like he wasn’t sure how to pronounce the word. “Nemesi?”
“Hello House,” Julia said. “How’s she doing?”
“Better now that I’m here,” House said.
“Regrettably, that seems to be true,” Arlene said. “I may not like you, House. I may not approve of you. I may think you’re a poor excuse for a man and an even worse excuse for a life partner, but my daughter seems to love you. So I officially accept your presence in her life, God help me.”
“Thank you Arlene. That’ll make a wonderful toast at our wedding.”
“Don’t push it, House.”
EPILOGUE
Ten months later, House and Cuddy entered the Hoboken Hilton for the first time since the accident.
“Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner!” the concierge said. “It’s been too long.”
“Actually, it’s Dr. and Mrs. House now,” House said. “Well, Dr. and Dr.- but that sounds more like a medical practice than the wedded bliss it is.”
“Congratulations!” the concierge said. “We find around here that these sorts of, um, hotel-based relationships don’t usually have such happy endings.”
“We’re freaks like that,” House said.
“It’s part of our charm,” Cuddy agreed.
“Well, in honor of your recent nuptials, I’m going to upgrade you to the Honeymoon Suite.”
“No!” House and Cuddy said, in unison.
“We want the same room we always had. 1207,” Cuddy explained.
“Where it all began,” House said, wrapping his arm around her.
“Very good, “ the concierge said, typing something into his computer. “I assume a complimentary bottle of champagne is not against the rules?”
“You assume correctly, good sir,” House said.
“And is there still a DVD player in the room?” Cuddy said. She smiled sneakily, “I brought The Way We Were.”
“Oh, there will be no movie watching of any kind,” House said, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. “We’ll be way too busy!”
She gave a playful scream and squirmed out from under him.
“I also brought Beaches!” she said, darting to the elevator. “And Hope Floats!”
“Welcome to married life,” the concierge said, with a laugh.
“Isn’t it the best?” House said.
THE END