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Season 4
At the beginning of season 4 we find House alone. His old team either quit or got fired and he wants to prove to Cuddy that he can do this by himself. But he needs people to bounce ideas of off. At first, Cuddy resists, saying she is done enabling him. But she relents when House shows up at the patient’s surgery. Even though House saves the patient’s life, Cuddy still forces him to hire a team. So, he does. House hires 40 fellowship applicants and starts an elimination process, not unlike Survivor.
When House takes on the case of a fighter pilot who wishes to remain anonymous, Cuddy admonishes him about running everything past her, showing him again who’s boss. But when the patient agrees to a breast enhancement surgery to cover up another surgery, House keeps Cuddy out of the loop. But Cuddy won’t allow the surgery, so House tells her that his explanation for the boob job won’t make sense to the Board or a judge, but it will make sense to her, so she will give him permission, meaning she would also be responsible. Cuddy decides to put her faith in him again and lets him continue.
House’s elimination rounds continue as a patient is brought in to the clinic with severe burns. As House is with him, the patient sticks a knife in a light socket and is electrocuted. After his electrocution, the patient tells House he got in a car crash and he died for 97 seconds. The reason he put the knife in the light socket is because he wanted to relive that moment again. House’s need-to-know attitude and self-destructive streak get the better of him and he electrocutes himself. House survives, but because he was not there for his teams, the patient dies. This infuriates Cuddy and she holds House responsible, showing no sympathy for his actions.
Foreman is back at PPTH and Cuddy puts Foreman on House’s team again, to be her eyes and ears, much to House’s dismay. The patient House is treating suffers from Giovannini Mirror Syndrome, where one innocently picks up the attributes and senses inner thoughts of others to cope with memory loss. Wilson informs House that Giovannini patients mimic whomever they think is in charge. At Foreman’s request House and Cuddy present themselves to the patient to see who is more dominant. The patient observes and mimics House and Cuddy and at first it’s unclear who is the alpha, but in the end House is the more dominant, because the patient exclaims “You have great yabos!” resulting in a happy dance from House.
A bored House announces a contest for the fellows. House declares that the contest objective is to retrieve a pair of Cuddy's underwear and bring it to the group. When one of the fellows brings House a pair of panties, House wants to make sure they are Cuddy’s. In the hallway, House drops his Vicodin bottle so that Cuddy will bend down. He is amazed when he sees no panty line. ‘Oh. My. God!!’ he says. Cuddy can’t help but blush.
When there are only a few fellows left to pick from, House has to make a final decision on who to keep and who to fire. But he is torn about it and asks Cuddy for her opinion. At first she is taken aback a bit, shocked that he wants her advice, but when he explains that she knows this stuff, she tells him her choices.
At Princeton Plainsboro Hospital, Cuddy is busy with a hospital inspector discussing the day's accreditation review. Cuddy briefs the staff about the onsite inspection. She asks the former fellows to be on “House watch” afraid he might mess things up. House brings in a patient from his favourite daytime soap opera against the patients will. Cuddy summons House, asking him to cure the patient without committing any more felonies. He agrees but he wants the flat screen TV from the doctor's lounge in return. They bicker, but Cuddy doesn’t budge. Cuddy walks in the morgue to meet the inspector there and finds House. He pressures her for the flat screen TV to avoid any trouble. He tells her to use a safe word when she wants out, the word being ‘sweet sauce’. As the inspector enters the morgue, House starts talking to him, but before long, Cuddy blurts out the safe word. Once again, House got his way and the TV is installed in his office. But the patient is getting worse and Cuddy’s job is on the line. When Cuddy tells House this, he seems stunned. So, he tells her to wait a few minutes and then call security, so he will be the one locked up, not her. When House finally diagnoses the patient, he calls Cuddy in the middle of the night. He tells her she should have been fired and they banter again, resulting in House asking her what’s she’s wearing, before they both wish each other a good night. A perfect example of their relationship.
The season ends with a bus crash, that leaves House with a severe concussion, a cracked skull and a gap in his memory. Under medical hypnoses, House tries to access his memory. He should rest, but is sure he saw a symptom in somebody and he needs to find that person that save its life. During on of his ‘memories’, Cuddy shows up, indicating that this might not be a memory, but a fantasy, to which House replies, “If this were a fantasy, you’d be wearing this.” And Cuddy is in a naughty schoolgirl outfit, starting to strip for him. But the fantasy is cut short, because apparently, House’s subconscious would rather be diagnosing than watching her. House collapses when he comes out of it and Cuddy sends him home with a nurse and a hospital security guard to look after him, because he needs to rest. But House escapes and goes to see the patient, after which Cuddy goes home with House and sleep on his couch to make sure ‘he doesn’t make a limp for the border.’ House convinces Cuddy he is okay and he gets back on a bus to see if his memory will finally tell him who he’s looking for. But to speed up his brain, he takes Alzheimer drugs, which eventually stop his heart. Cuddy gives him mouth-to-mouth and brings him back to life. She puts his head in her lap as House tells Wilson it was Amber with him on the bus.
House offers deep brain stimulation, in case there is still something they missed. At first Wilson declines, but he wants House to do it anyway. So, House risks his life to save Amber’s. During the procedure, he suffers a seizure, which widened his skull fracture and caused a brain bleed and slips into a coma. Cuddy is by his bedside all this time and she is there when he comes out of the coma, relief covering her face. But even after he is awake, she stays by his bedside, sleeping in a chair and holding his hand.
Season 4 shows us a very well established relationship between House and Cuddy. They bicker, they banter, he does something unethical and she scolds him for it, but when it comes down to it, they care about it each other.
01. Because she couldn't resist being an enabler. (4.01)
02. Because he wanted to test her. (4.05)
03. Because she played a prank on him. (4.05) 04. Because she called him 'Sweetsauce'. (4.14)
05. Because she was willing to risk her job. (4.14)
06. Because "What are you wearing?" "Goodnight, House." (4.14)
07. Because he wanted her to tuck him in. (4.15)
08. Because she brought him to life. (4.15)
09. Because she stayed over. (4.15)
10. Because he puked on her shoes. (4.15)
11. Because she's always there. (4.16)
12. Because she was crying by his bedside. (4.16)
13. Because "I'm here." (4.16)
14. Because she held his hand. (4.16)
15. Because she slept in the chair next to his hospital bed. (4.16)
House: I did it all by myself, mommy.
Cuddy: How'd you know it was me?
House: There's a scent given off by wounded, feral cats. (4.01)
Cuddy: Why are you here?
House: My offices are being used by my teams.
House reaches over and fiddles with the paperclip bowl on Cuddy's desk.
Cuddy: Teams?
House: Which means this is the only place you can yell at me.
Cuddy: You have team-s?
House: Two of them. I wanted to deal with the yelling today because I noticed what you were wearing and I wouldn't have to listen all that closely. (4.03)
Cuddy: You could maim him.
House: I could cure him.
Cuddy: I'm not letting you do it.
House: You going to fire me?
Cuddy: No. (4.05)
House: I know how to kill a man with my thumb.
Cuddy: Who doesn't? (4.06)
Cuddy: You think I like the cameras? You think I want the whole world watching you check out my ass and question my wardrobe?
House: Would it be better if I checked out your wardrobe and questioned your ass?
Cuddy: A little part of me...
House: (interrupting her) There is no little part of you. (4.07)
House: [Eyes boggle.] Oh. My. God. You're not wearing underwear.
Cuddy: Of course I'm...
House: Skirt that tight, you've got no secrets. Skirt that tight, I can tell if you've got an IUD. You seen Dr. Cole?
Cuddy: No.
House: You're blushing.(4.08)
Cuddy: You owe me 50 bucks.
House: Then you owe me half a lap dance. (4.10)
House: You act like employees should fear and respect you, but your eyes tell us- actually your eyes tell us nothing because we're looking at your boobs. Which tells us that you're desperate to have someone jump on you and tell you that they love you one, grunted syllable at a time. What you want you run away from; what you need you haven't a clue; what you've accomplished makes you proud. But you're still miserable. Please sign. (4.13)
House: The other nurse always used to tuck me in.
Cuddy: I’ll be on the couch. With a shotgun in my lap.
House: Worrying about me?
Cuddy: Making sure you don’t try and make a limp for the border. Get some sleep. (4.15)
Season 5
After Amber’s death, Wilson leaves House and the hospital, and Cuddy is the one meddling to try to make them talk to each other again, and trying to make House admit that he does feel guilty about what happened to her and apologize to Wilson – unsuccessfully, of course, as he would rather slam the door at her than admit his mistakes at this point. Because Wilson was away, House needed a way to find out what he was doing, sort of spy on him. For that purpose, he hires private investigator Lucas Douglas, and while he’s there, House tries to use him to get information of Cuddy, providing information about his own past. A game she quickly picks up on, though, which therefore leads nowhere.
“You wanted her to see you in a different light. Not only didn’t she see it, she didn’t even believe it was possible.”
As we had seen in previous seasons, House and Cuddy had always been a part of each other’s lives, in everything, even the most personal matters, they know each other and they get each other like no one else can do. Which explains the stunned – hurt – look on House’s face once he finds out about a huge step Cuddy is taking in her life – she’s going to adopt a baby. She’s going to become a mother. This shouldn’t come as a total surprise to him, he knew she wanted to be a mother, HE was the one helping her with the IVF process years ago, and he was the only one who knew about it, the one she trusted with it. That was a part of her life she had only let him know about it, and now suddenly she had decided to do it all on her own, without his help or advice whatsoever. He doesn’t say anything, but the look on his face says it all. He’s not taking the news well.
“If you’re happy, I’m…”
But House won’t accept being left out. He doesn’t really need people to ask for his advice anyway, right? So even though Cuddy’s decided to do this all by herself, he won’t let that happen, not at least before showing her how wrong this decision is and how unfit and unprepared she is to be a mother. Even though Cuddy acts annoyed at his mostly childish behavior regarding this, she still trusts his medical opinion, which is why she goes to him once the mother of the baby she intends to adopt has to decide whether to deliver the baby at that moment, which would risk the baby’s life, or later which could risk her own life. Eventually, the baby is fine, but the mother decides not to give her up anymore, which crushes Cuddy in the most painful way. House was there ever since she started trying to have a baby. This time even though she didn’t ask him to, even when she didn’t want him to, he was there, again, constantly. And even when it didn’t work out, there he was again. At her door. Not to gloat, not to say he told her so. But to actually encourage her not to give up, to reassure her that there would be plenty of other chances. And to let her know that she would indeed make a great mother. Unexpectedly, Cuddy is really mad at this last comment. It’s the complete opposite of what he’d been telling her all day, and what he had told her years ago. Why does he do this? Why does he say what he doesn’t mean?
“Why do you need to negate everything??”
“I don’t know.”
And no words are needed anymore. No words can fit the moment that comes after this exchange. Nothing they could say could express everything that was in the kiss they shared, in the way his hand on her back pulled her as close to him as possible, the way she ran her hands over his face, they way they breathed each other in and lingered, taking the moment in before it was over. But then it was, and when reality kicked in again, so did denial, the reluctance of admitting to each other, and even to themselves what that really meant. So they spent the whole day after coming up with as much excuses as possible for why it didn’t mean anything, why taking it any further would never work, “I was emotional”, “Mature people who work together shouldn’t date”, “We’d start off exciting (…) then his inability to open up is just frustrating”, “Everyone will be happy if House and I aren’t dating”, “I’m better off alone”. But for the most part they just didn’t know what to say or do around each other anymore, how much of their feelings they could reveal, how much they could open up without risking being hurt. In Wilson’s words:
“You’re afraid she actually is right for you. You’re afraid to take a chance because it’s too big a chance. If it doesn’t work with her, then maybe there’s no one out there.”
For a moment, House really is willing to take the chance, and it’s clear how much he wants it when he leaves his house in a hurry at the end of the day, even leaving his cane behind, to go to her. He doesn’t think of the pain, he doesn’t think it will be harder and more painful to go like that, he just wants to get to her as fast as he can, he just wants to go and see her. He can’t do it, though. When he sees her, he can’t do it. He keeps staring at her, as if she’s in her own world there and he feels like doesn’t belong in it. And it hurts, as does his leg on his way back. It hurts both of them at different moments. It hurts him when he still can only stare at her from a distance still not knowing what to do to get to her, it hurts her when he acts his old jerk self when she opens up to him, it hurts her when she sees him with someone else and assumes the worst. And it hurts him, when she finally gets what she’s wanted for so long – a baby, Rachel. The moment Cuddy gets Rachel is probably the most significant turning point in their relationship this season, because, in a way, that’s when House really feels like he’s losing Cuddy for the first time, like he’s really an outsider in her life now. Yet, he steps away, letting her bask in the happiness of just becoming a mother. It’s really beautiful that, while he’s hurting and feeling lonelier than ever, he still respects how much that moment means to her enough not to attempt to ruin it.
Not for long, though. Soon enough he starts nagging her again, about how she isn’t doing her job right, how she in reality doesn’t want Rachel and should give her back. And what’s amazing is that, even though he says things in a harsh way, it still is exactly what she needs to hear to be sure of her decision of keeping Rachel. In fact, even though he felt like he was being left out, he really wasn’t. She still valued his opinion just as much, so much that she went to him right after deciding to keep Rachel to let him know it, a picture perfect family moment for the show standards. And she even tries to get him involved a little bit more….or not…..it’s hard to tell at this point whether she wants him there or not and whether he wants to be there or not, cause they keep playing the most convoluted mind games, saying one thing, meaning another, taking it back afterwards, it’s hard even for the audience to understand sometimes. And it gets very sad at times, too, when it’s clear what they both want, but it’s also clear that none of them want to give in, it’s like a battle that neither of them wants to lose, and it’s heartbreaking to watch how they hurt each other for being so stubborn. After spending days inviting/not inviting House to Rachel’s baby naming ceremony, Cuddy finally decides that she does want him to be there. However, when she tries to tell him that, he just tells her to have fun and leaves, leaving us with the image of each of them going a different way, which clearly shows how they were still in different places right now, still not ready to go in the same direction together. And what comes afterwards is one of the most beautiful and bittersweet moments of their journey, which is House at his place, alone, drinking, and playing a song (which we know is named after her) on his piano, while Cuddy is at her place, surrounded by guests, yet missing the one guest that she wanted to be there the most.
The season is not filled only with angst, though. We come to find out (not that we didn’t already suspect it) that House can actually be very romantic in his own unconventional way. In his own way, he’s always letting her know how he feels about her – be it sending her an old med school desk from her college days, or complimenting her through a pathologically honest patient. And she makes her feelings clear in her own way too, be it giving him one case after another when she knows he needs to take his mind off the loss of one of his employees, or unintentionally acting jealous.
Everybody knows Cuddy never intended to change House, she knows who he is. And because she knows who he is, she also knows that he wasn’t always a miserable jerk, incapable of being happy. She knew him before that. And she’s (along with Wilson) the only person who’s been with him through all the pain, she knows his drug addiction, she knows how it all works. Which is why when he starts acting differently, happy for no reason, she knows something is wrong. And it’s true, there really is something wrong, and it’s that he’s using stronger drugs than the usual Vicodin, something that can kill him at any moment. At that point, he obviously didn’t want to accept any help, not even when she agrees to give him this new drug in a controlled schedule supervised by her. Because he’s afraid to live without pain, he’s afraid of being happy, he’s afraid of even taking a chance at that. “Why do you care if I’m happy?” Cuddy doesn’t answer, but we all know why he needs to know, and why she can’t say it. It’s the I’ll-say-it-if-you-say-it-first kind of situation, none of them want to say what they’re feeling and not hear it back and be heartbroken all over again. The truth is he does want her help; he does need her more than anyone else. But the emotional rollercoaster has been going on for so long that Cuddy has had enough. At the end of the season, after finally gathering the courage to go and ask her for help, he’s such a jerk to her once again that she tells him screw you and leaves. It’s the last straw for her; it’s what shows her that it’d never be possible for them to be together.
House, on the other hand, comes to the opposite realization in his head. In his mind, Cuddy takes him home and takes care of him exactly the way he needs him, the way no one else could, she stands by his side, takes his hand and is there for him the whole time. In his mind he’s capable of saying what he really wants to say (“I always wanna kiss you”) and she responds to it by kissing him in the sweetest way possible. They make love. Everything happens. He’s happy. Only to find out, along with the audience, that none of that actually happen – that she never was there, he never confessed his feelings, nothing happened between them, and his addiction was still there, stronger than ever, making him think that all that was actually real. Not only was it brilliant story telling, it was the saddest moment not only for them as a couple, but for House himself, still completely alone, when he thought he finally was with whom he wanted to be. He wasn’t really alone, though, she was still there with him, when he found out what was happening to him, when he admitted he was not ok. And she was still with him when he went away to finally get the help he needed, even though they weren’t together in the same place, they were still with each other, in their minds and hearts, as can be seen in one of the final shots, when they close their eyes at the time, still connected somehow.
01. Because she cared enough to shut off his cable. (5.01)
02. Because he didn’t want the PI guy to go for it. (5.03)
03. Because we all know who is gonna get there first. (5.03)
04. Because he wanted her to see him in a different light. (5.03)
05. Because she cared enough to drug him. (5.04)
06. Because he was surprised to hear that she was adopting (5.05)
07. Because "If you're happy, I'm..." (5.05)
08. Because HE went to HER. (5.06)
09. Because HE kissed HER. (5.06)
10. Because their kiss was the most amazing thing we've ever seen. (5.06)
11. Because "Goodnight".... "Goodnight." (5.06)
12. Because he isn't being rational. (5.07)
13. Because it's not Wilson's place he really wants to be walking into. (5.07)
14. Because there is no mosquito, it's all about Cuddy. (5.07)
15. Because she's a bit nuts, beautiful, smart and funny, and most important, she can stand him. (5.07)
16. Because maybe novelty and hostility and forbiddenness doesn't have to end bad. (5.07)
17. Because House is in love with a girl, the finest girl in the world. (5.07)
18. Because if it doesn't work with her, then maybe there's no one out there. (5.07)
19. Because she handled it differently because he was in there. (5.09)
20. Because "I hope your boyfriend knows what he's doing." (5.09)
21. Because she wanted to share an office with him. (5.10)
22. Because he was keeping her there. (5.10)
23. Because they're screwing with each other. (5.10)
24. Because he found her desk from Med School. (5.10)
25. Because she took his 'Ah-ha' moment. (5.11)
26. Because "Merry Christmas, Cuddy." (5.11)
27. Because he did a DDX in a nursery. (5.12)
28. Because he was stroking her desk. (5.12)
29. Because he wanted her to do her job. (5.12)
30. Because Cuddy is the only one House listens to. (5.13)
31. Because he held her daughter like his own. (5.13)
32. Because Cuddy was glowing when House was holding her daughter. (5.13 Big Baby)
33. Because she cleaned him up. (5.13)
34. Because his puke isn't AS cute. (5.13)
35. Because he knew she was afraid of having made a mistake and was completely honest to her about it. (5.13)
36. Because his opinion matters to her. (5.13)
37. Because he's not annoyed by Rachel's crying. (5.13)
38. Because he told her to put the phone down and pick up the baby. (5.13 Big Baby)
39. Because he bonded with Rachel. (5.13)
40. Because he was not trying to annoy her. (5.13)
41. Because he was explaining her. (5.13)
42. Because of the way he looks at her when she talks about her connection to Rachel. (5.13)
43. Because he played a serenade for her. (5.15)
44. Because she marked her territory. (5.21)
House: I've spent half my life negotiating with that woman. (5.03)
Cuddy: Sorry about your father.
House: I'm not. Are we done emoting now?
Cuddy: If there's anything I can do, just —
House: You know, you're right. I don't think I can sleep alone tonight. (5.04)
House: Where are you meeting her?
Cuddy: A little place called 'Follow Me And Your Urologist Will Be Buying Himself A New Yacht'. (5.06)
House: You're quitting? Just like you quit IVF?
Cuddy: Yeah, just like that.
House: There, you just did it again. That's too bad. You would have made a great mother.
Cuddy: You son of a bitch. When I was getting a baby you told me I'd suck as a mother. Now that I've lost it, you tell me I'd be great as a mother! Why do you need to negate everything?
House: I don't know. [They kiss] (5.06)
Cuddy: I know this is awkward, but we need to talk.
House: There's a reason that we've evolved a feeling of awkwardness. It tells us not to talk about things.
Cuddy: I was emotional because of the adoption falling through. And you actually let your human side show for a moment. That is why we kissed. I just want to say thank you for not… taking advantage.
House: You're welcome. Any time you want to stop kissing, I'm there for you. (5.07)
House: If you're suggesting that you screwed up because of a non-relationship with me, I don't know how I can help you. 'Cause the only change you can make from a non-relationship is…
Cuddy: You want a relationship?
House: God, no. Just trying to follow your logic. (5.09)
Cuddy: Hey. Yeah, I just had to explain to him that I had his balls and he's not getting them back. (5.10)
House: You're not stopping me for medical reasons. You're stopping me… because you have the hots for me.
Cuddy: You're still here because you have the hots for me. (5.10)
Cuddy: Everybody knows this is going somewhere. I think we're supposed to kiss now.
House: We already did that. [He puts his hand on her breast.] It seemed like the logical next step.
Cuddy: Really? I'm an idiot for being surprised. (5.10)
Cuddy: Take the garbage out on your way out.
House: If you want a man to take your crap, you have to marry him first.
Cuddy: Or employ him. (5.12)
Cuddy: When I was being a jerk, you suddenly act human. But when I act human, you turn back into a jerk.
House: Guess our cycles aren't matched up yet.
Cuddy: This is your way of saying you accept my apology, isn't it? (5.14)
Cuddy: What the hell is going on?
House: I think my penis stopped breathing. Do you know CPR? (5.16)
Cuddy: Yes. I'm offering you your job back. (She sits down).
House: I want a raise.
Cuddy: No.
House: And a bigger office... but in the same spot.
Cuddy: No. We both know this is where you belong. (5.16)
Cuddy: […] Are you okay? [She touches the bruise on House’s cheek.]
House: Fresh infusion of macho. You like?
Cuddy: What were you doing up there, anyway?
House: Antiquing. I found you a late Victorian corset. Come by later, I'll tie you up. (5.19)
House: Did you let me hire a pervert?
Cuddy: Well, it would be hypocritical of me not to. (5.20)
Cuddy: What’s going on with Cameron?
House: She doesn’t want back on my team and she doesn’t want to jump me.
Cuddy: Okay. [She starts to leave.]
House: Wha, wha, wha, what? You ask a question. I rule out two possibilities and you’re satisfied? That means you don’t want an answer. You just wanted to know there wasn’t a particular answer. Either you were worried that she wanted back on my team, or you were worried that she wanted back on me. (5.21)
Cuddy: You want to kiss me, don't you?
House: I always want to kiss you. (5.23)
Cuddy: I’m your boss. You’re an employee.
House: Well, I’m not normally into role-playing, but if you wanna…
Cuddy: People who get close to you get hurt. That’s a fact. You’re also a valued doctor in this hospital. That’s another fact. From now on, we’re gonna focus on the second fact. (5.24)
Season 6
Season 6 starts with House admitting that he wants to be happy. And seriously trying to change, trying to overcome his drug addiction, by finding things that could distract him from his pain (cooking, diagnosing) and most importantly, being…nicer. Of course he failed to do the latter many times, but he really tried, especially with Cuddy. It’s clear how he’s completely aware of his feelings for her now, and how he wants to act on those feelings, and let her know it, now in not so subtle ways as before.
Their first scene on season 6 already shows some change, when she knocks on his door to talk to him, clearly feeling somehow responsible for his breakdown. In other times, he could have blamed it on her, he could’ve used it to make her feel guilty, and he could’ve even mocked her for being narcissistic to think she was the reason for him not going back to work. But he didn’t do any of that. Instead he reassured her that she wasn’t the reason he was leaving.
He couldn’t be gone forever, of course, because he realized doing his job actually did him good. But to be back, he needed to get his license again, by completing some required round hours, which he obviously doesn’t want to do. Which is really fun, because that’s how we get to see that the old House is still there, while he’s trying to change how he deals with himself and the people around him, his personality is still the same. He doesn’t do things the way he’s supposed to, he disrupts the students’ rounds, he shows up one day and decides to quit the next, he does what he’s always done, skip work. Until she realizes going by the book with him is pointless since he wasn’t gonna learn anything, so she just certifies that his hours have been completed even if they really haven’t. House had really been enjoying having their usual banter back – the sexual tension, as he calls it, even though she says there isn’t any, only to be surprised by him getting up real close to her, just inches apart – “You do make me feel funny.” The look on her face after he leaves makes it quite evident that he does the same to her.
It was always the wish of all Huddy shippers to find out more about how these two had met. We know it had been in Michigan, but we never knew exactly how. No more wondering anymore after season 6! When House finds out that Cuddy is going to a medical conference, he arranges to go with her, and when Wilson tells him there’s an 80’s party she’ll be going to, he just has to be there. It’s the perfect opportunity to try and get close to her outside work. Which leads us to one of the most anticipated and celebrated Huddy moment – seeing them slow dance to a song that could fit them better, Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time:
If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time
House chooses this moment to reminisce the first time they danced together – med school, when they met. “No”, she says, to which he continues “I saw you, endocrinology, tracked you down”, and she stops him. It’s not that she doesn’t remember, it’s just that that wasn’t the first time they’d met. They met before that, at a bookstore. She handed her syllabus to the guy behind the counter, a guy who barely looks at her and can already tell she’s overly ambitious, has a chip on her shoulder, and knows how to party – reading her better than anyone else from the beginning. And so they go on, remembering how one thing led to another…and then didn’t. “I was gonna call you (…) figure out where things would go from there.” Cuddy is surprisingly taken aback by this confession, that he wanted to make it work with her even then, and leaves him on the dance floor not knowing what he did wrong.
It turns out that he really didn’t do anything wrong. Cuddy just can’t believe that he can be the kind of guy who’ll always be there for her. She’s a mother now, she wants stability – or so she thinks – and she thinks she’s already found that in someone else. Something that House doesn’t really take well, but tries to be ok with for the most part. He doesn’t hate Lucas, and he doesn’t resent Cuddy for moving on. But he also doesn’t give up on her; he continues to demonstrate how he feels about her and how he still wants to be with her no matter what. This is all very hard on Cuddy too. It’s hard for her to trust that he truly changed, that this isn’t just another game to him. Because at first that’s what he tries to turn it into, he does try to get in the way in the hopes that Cuddy and Lucas would break up. But when she’s smarter than him and plays with him too, he realizes that attitude isn’t working and won’t take them anywhere, because, in Cuddy’s words “It’s not fun anymore”. It hurts her not being able to believe his change, and we can see how much she wants to believe when Lucas says maybe House isn’t that bad, leaving her alone with her baby afterwards – “That would be nice wouldn’t it?” she asks Rachel.
Even though they’re still apart, Cuddy’s trust in House’s opinion when it comes to work and important decisions is still there. On a very difficult day, when she is almost losing her job, he is the one to encourage her, and to remind her why she does her job and why she won’t give up. Contrary to all of his jokes about her competence, he does admire and respect her, and is proud of her when she succeeds in the end, as can be told by how adoringly he looks and smiles at her announcing the good news to the staff. What goes on from this episode on is a series of much lighter and cuter interactions, where House shows that he can be nice to her without having a secret agenda, just doing things that he knows she will like – giving her a coffee machine, for example (cause he’s not for conventional gifts, as we know).
The hopes that this would be the season something would finally happen rose in the final episodes. To our surprise, Cuddy tries to ask House out, which he thinks she’s doing under Wilson’s influence. She looks a little bit sad that he’d think it, and says that no, that’s just her inviting him, which he still declines – “I just want us to be friends,” she says. “Funny, that’s the last thing I want us to be.” – he replies , and if she ever had any doubts of how he felt about her and whether he really meant it, there weren’t any after this moment. Despite this blunt declaration, which for House standards it’s the same as clearly stating “I want to be with you/I love you” Cuddy is still in a relationship with Lucas, and a pretty serious one, as it seems. And she’s planning on moving in together with him, which is crushing House, no matter how ok he wants to pretend he is with it. In one of his therapy sessions, his therapist, Dr. Nolan, after going around circles thinking he had a problem with Wilson’s new relationship, finally figures out that it’s all about Cuddy, that what’s been eating him is that he’s losing someone he LOVES. At the mention of the L word, House obviously doesn’t wanna hear it anymore, and accuses Nolan of being a faith healer, taking advantage of people who want to believe they can get better, because after a year of doing everything right, he’s still miserable while everyone else around him is happy.
Once House accepts that there’ll be no way but to accept Cuddy and Lucas are indeed moving in together, he decides that the mature thing to do would be giving them a housewarming gift. A book, written by her great grandfather, that he’s had for a long time and was to give it to her on a special occasion. Cuddy doesn’t really know how to respond to that, and leaves House confused, wondering if there’s any trouble going on. There isn’t…except that they’re not just moving in together, they’re actually getting engaged. While he’s been trying to pretend he is ok with the relationship, and being supportive of it somehow, the engagement he just can’t take. Which leads to a big and much needed fight. The patient is facing a situation very similar to what House’s been through in the past – to amputate a leg or not. Cuddy is in favour of amputating, while House doesn’t want to. Just like he didn’t want to amputate his own. He held on to that as if his life depended on having that leg, even if it would kill him with pain forever. And he’s doing the same to the patient, encouraging her not to amputate, this time as if this is the only thing that can be the way he wants, like at least this will be his decision, unlike everything else that’s been going on in his life. Cuddy won’t let him do this, though. As hurtful as it is, she tells him exactly what he’d needed to hear – he saved his leg, but what else does he have in his life now that everyone’s moving on?
And what follows is not only a heartbreaking confession from House, but also what finally shows Cuddy how much he has indeed changed. In front of Cuddy, he tells Hannah what happened to him, how he insisted on saving his leg and now he wishes he hadn’t – “I’m in pain, every day. It changed me. Made me a harder person…a worse person. And now…now I’m alone. You don’t wanna be like me. You have a husband who loves you, you have friends, you can start a family. You have a life. And this...is just a leg.” There aren’t even words to describe how much this moment means, not only to Huddy, but to the character of House, to the course of the show. He’s finally come to a point where he’s taking responsibility for what his life has become. If he’s in pain, it’s nobody’s fault, it’s his own, and he chose it. And not only does he see that now, he sees what it’s done to him in every way, how much he has lost. Cuddy only watches it, with a single tear streaming down her face, without a word. She sees it now; she sees what she needed to see for so long, the most vulnerable side of him, the man who isn’t afraid to expose his deepest scars, who doesn’t hide behind snarky comments anymore. She sees his true self, the man she truly loves and wants to be with.
House doesn’t know this yet, though. After losing Hannah on the way to the hospital, once again failing after doing everything right, he doesn’t see the point in not drugging himself. He’s lost everything anyway. Except that NO he has NOT lost everything! Just as he’s about to take the Vicodin and throwing all his efforts to come clean, someone shows up. “You’re gonna leap across the room and grab them out of my hand?” Cuddy says no, she won’t. She’s not there to make this decision for him – “It’s your choice if you wanna go back on drugs”. He explains he can’t see much reason not to, and wonders why else would she be there, if not to yell at him. And the reason is that she’s tired of running from him and how she feels. She finally ended it with Lucas, because she’s tired of trying to move on when all she can think about is him.
“I just need to know, if you and I can work.”
“You think I can fix myself?”
“I don’t know.”
“Cause I’m the most screwed up person in the world.”
“I know. I love you. I wish I didn’t. But I can’t help it.”
And that’s what he needs to hear, what he can’t even believe he’s hearing, and he just has to show her he feels the same way, he has to get up (for which he asks for her help, even if silently, another new thing) and be with her and kiss her with all the love he has in him – it’s the sweetest, most gentle kiss they ever shared, like he just wants to softly caress her lips with his, taking it as slow as possible, for as long as this moment can last.
“How do I know I’m not hallucinating?” he asks, voicing the fear of all of us fans.
“Did you take the Vicodin?”
“No.”
“Then I think we’re ok.”
“Yeah.”
And they’re glowing. They’re smiling, they’re happy, they’re relieved, they’re together. They’re where they’ve always wanted to be, in each other’s arms, clasped hands, and the promise of finally, for once, taking a chance at happiness. And this time for real.
[coming soon]
[coming soon]
Hugh and Lisa Quotes:
Lisa Edelstein: "I think Cuddy really loves House, and I don't think she loves him in a way that limits how she has to love him, as a friend or as a lover or as a person who works for her. There's a great deal of appreciation there and respect. He's horrible to deal with, but he's worth it. He's worth every second." Hugh Laurie: "It's a twisty thing, and there was something about the sudden, the loneliness of these two characters, it's very poignant really to see people who, almost without realizing it themselves, need each other. In fact, they most definitely don't realize it themselves because that moment came upon them so suddenly that neither of, both very intelligent people, sensitive people in their different ways -- neither of them saw it coming. It took them by surprise. I found that very poignant." Lisa Edelstein: "They enjoy being sandpaper for each other."Hugh Laurie: "The two of them have known each other, liked each other for a long period of time, MORE than liked, let's be honest." Lisa Edelstein: Huddy is something "Stay with me. Give Huddy time." Hugh Laurie: "Right from the start they've had this *crackle* between them." Lisa Edelstein: "I think it's been more of a reveal [of feelings] than a change. I think [House and Cuddy] came together in that moment when they kissed... I loved that they found each other in pain. I pondered how these two people could come together... Through pain seemed absolutely perfect." Hugh Laurie: "I think there was always something flirtatious in their bickering. There’s certainly an affection, which maybe neither of them own up to. " Lisa Edelstein: "I don't think it's a passing thing. It's been going on for a long time, whether or not they've acted out on it. I don't necessarily think it'll ever be a satisfying relationship in terms of both of them kind of settling in and saying, 'This is what we're doing.' She has a complicated relationship with men, it seems. She likes the screwed-up ones." Hugh Laurie: "He adores Cuddy, although he wouldn't admit it in front of her (laughs), but it's something undeniable." Lisa Edelstein: "Of course they share more than an attraction: I think they share a deep love, but with an inability to let go. I'd like to see their relationship grow."
TPTB Quotes:
David Shore: "House and Cuddy, there seems to be a sexuality to them no matter what I write."Katie Jacobs: "There’s always been a tension there, and we have slightly more fun in dealing with that. ”
David Shore: "We can't turn back from that.
It's fairly clear what his subconsciousness wants."Katie Jacobs: "It's funny, because I think you're right to say 'unorthodox,' and at the same time I think it's probably more real than any other love relationship on TV, in that relationships are complicated."
David Shore: "She knows him and she enjoys him. And he enjoys her."David Shore: "I think she gets him. She’s not just an administrator who just says no to him. She does that, but she’s also able to recognize his value and understand the way he operates and gives as good as she gets. That’s sort of a litmus test for him." David Shore: "If House is capable of any relationship with anyone, it’s Cuddy."David Shore: "Huddy is something we've been nurturing and trying to explore from day one."
What other characters say about them:
Wilson: "Do you have a thing for her? The only people who can get to you-" (...) "Do me a favor. Take one of these, wait five minutes for it to kick in, and find Cuddy, and kiss her ass." [Occam's Razor] Foreman: "So how did you know about her key? You been doing a little handyman work for Cuddy yourself?" [Humpty Dumpty]
Chase: "You two are just too nasty to each other not to have been…nasty." [Humpty Dumpty] Stacy: "You know her." (...) "I’m just saying take it easy on her. You owe her that." [Humpty Dumpty] Cameron: "Maybe between your incredibly witty remarks about anal sex and Cuddy's breasts ,you could've tipped me off." [Sleeping Dogs Lie] Vogler: "Are you sleeping with House?" (...) "But you did, right? A long time ago?" (...) "If your judgment is compromised by prior or current relationship, that is my business." [Control]
Wilson: (to House) "Why are YOU so worried about Cuddy?" [Forever] Don: "I don't know whether it's House, your job, or you just thrive on conflict, but you should hear yourself when you're talking to him... Nothing else in the world is going on, you're focused, confident, compelling." [Insensitive] Wilson: "You're threatened by Foreman and feel the need to impress Cuddy." [Mirror, Mirror]Foreman: "What does you having sex with Cuddy have to do with-..." [Mirror Mirror] Mirror-Syndrome-Patient: "It's all about Cuddy. Gotta be the alpha-male." [Mirror Mirror]
Wilson: "No, you're not afraid of authority, you're afraid she actually is right for you. You're afraid to take a chance, because it's too big a chance. If it doesn't work with her, then maybe there's no one out there." [The Itch] Wilson: "Maybe novelty and hostility and forbiddenness doesn't have to end bad." [The Itch] Cameron: "You want him there tonight. You should tell him." [Unfaithful]
[1] house_cuddy community on Livejournal
[2] The Huddy Realm Fanfiction
[3] Huddy Online
[1] Huddy YouTube Group
[2] KISS - I was made for lovin' you
[3] Angie Aparo - Hush
[4] SheDaisy - I Will... But
[5] A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover
[6] Krezip - I apologize
[7] The Bloodhound Gang - The bad touch
[8] The Wallflowers- Closer 2 U
[9] Howie Day - Collide
[10] Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
[11] INXS - Afterglow
[12] Annie Lennox - Dark Road
[13] James Morrison - Nothing Ever Hurt Like You
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