I almost feel sorry I don't have a Cuddy icon. If I squint at canon and forget all of Cuddy's nonsense behavior in S 6-7, this is incredibly consistent with the strong, incredibly honest woman I knew and respected, the one who would have been a fit companion to House if the writers hadn't gone out of the way to fuck both of them (and Wilson) up.
I also believe Arlene is evil :) and like Cuddy's more mature evaluation of House. Wonderful. And she misses him, of course, just as he misses her. Good that she has learned her lesson, and I think Rachel has excellent prospects.
Thank you for such a balanced fic. It was a pleasure to read even in the many points were it was sad.
Thanks for your comment, damigella. I've been rewatching the early seasons (still on hiatus here, unfortunately) and while I agree that Cuddy appears more flaky later on, I think there is more evidence than we might remember of her see-saw attitude to House, alternately indulgent and punitive.
This is her story, so I presented it through her own eyes; seeing her behaviour as perfectly reasonable. Of course, nothing could excuse what House did but then I feel she was terribly unfair to him to end the relationship as she did, at least for the reason she gave.
i like this a lot, very realistic and sympathetic character study. I like the little touches, Rachel wearing a pirate hat, Cuddy putting her in a 'less competitive' preschool, House's opinion of clinic duty echoing in her head, calling Foreman 'Eric'.
I like to think that Cuddy has moved on, and is happy, or as happy as her nature allows :). I like Foreman keeping her in touch with whats happening with House (because it's better for her to know than to not know). i hadn't thought about the implications of the ankle monitor removal for Cuddy, she must always wonder if he'll just turn up suddenly one day.
And most of all I like her assessment of House to Rachel, not a bad man but someone who did a very bad thing, and her realisation that he *chose* to pay for what he did, I hope that thought gives her some comfort.
Yes, she has 'moved on' professionally and is getting satisfaction in displaying her real skills and abilities. I think the physical distance she has put between herself and PPTH was very necessary to her, not for fear of House but because of her knowledge of her own weakness where he's concerned. I believe she would hate the thought of him constrained by the ankle monitor. She's been infatuated with his personality, his genius, beyond sexual love for him, for many years. He's got feet of clay, she realised at long last but he's still a bit of an idol, I suspect.
I admire the way you were able to make Cuddy both sympathetic, and thoughtful. She seems capable of getting past her history with House with just the right blend of regret and resolve. Good for her.
Thank you, stenveny.I like Cuddy and despite my reservations, to say the least, about the way in which she called things off with House , I was interested in thinking what she might do next.
You did a nice job with this. This is a great rendering of Cuddy, the strong woman with no-nonsense nature, who was willing to go against her better judgement and just try to make it work with House, only for it to backfire spectacularly.
“Oh,” said Rachel. “I thought he was a pirate.”
What a great line to show to show how deeply buried in her psyche House is. I also liked the bit about the pirate hat being discarded now, no doubt Arlene's words causing that. I think even if we don't recall people from our earliest years specifically, they have an affect on us all our lives.
I'm glad that line worked! Though Rachel was so young, I can't believe a larger-than-life personality like House would be completely wiped clean from her memory, especially after the way we see them interacting. It's possible the pirate hat was just a passing fancy for Rachel and it was Arlene banging on about the 'bad man' which reminded her of him. who knows?
"Backfire spectacularly" is on the nose! Many thanks for your comment.
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I also believe Arlene is evil :) and like Cuddy's more mature evaluation of House. Wonderful. And she misses him, of course, just as he misses her. Good that she has learned her lesson, and I think Rachel has excellent prospects.
Thank you for such a balanced fic. It was a pleasure to read even in the many points were it was sad.
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This is her story, so I presented it through her own eyes; seeing her behaviour as perfectly reasonable. Of course, nothing could excuse what House did but then I feel she was terribly unfair to him to end the relationship as she did, at least for the reason she gave.
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I like to think that Cuddy has moved on, and is happy, or as happy as her nature allows :). I like Foreman keeping her in touch with whats happening with House (because it's better for her to know than to not know). i hadn't thought about the implications of the ankle monitor removal for Cuddy, she must always wonder if he'll just turn up suddenly one day.
And most of all I like her assessment of House to Rachel, not a bad man but someone who did a very bad thing, and her realisation that he *chose* to pay for what he did, I hope that thought gives her some comfort.
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Thank you for your nice comments.
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Thanks for posting this.
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“Oh,” said Rachel. “I thought he was a pirate.”
What a great line to show to show how deeply buried in her psyche House is. I also liked the bit about the pirate hat being discarded now, no doubt Arlene's words causing that. I think even if we don't recall people from our earliest years specifically, they have an affect on us all our lives.
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It's possible the pirate hat was just a passing fancy for Rachel and it was Arlene banging on about the 'bad man' which reminded her of him. who knows?
"Backfire spectacularly" is on the nose!
Many thanks for your comment.
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