Hey, guys--teeny weeny warning time: there are a few bad words in this chapter. Necessary because of the type of scene they were doing, and I usually don't like to do that, but just so آپ all know--if that sort of thing bothers you, please be aware...

~*~*~
    “In which I have to hold this little creature…” Lisa was talking with Deran before shooting, and did not look happy. “And it’s going to be crying, and I’m going to be crying, and I have to yell at it? So basically, Cuddy is the worst mother ever.”
    “Pretty much,” Hugh said, coming up behind her. Lisa made a face at him. “Don’t worry, maybe she’ll give it back.”
    “She’s not giving the baby back, Hugh. We’ve been over this.”
    Lisa looked back at her co-star. “You have?”
    “Well—not really.” Hugh looked uncomfortable, and Deran took the opportunity to sneak off. “I just still don’t know how it’s going to work. I’ve never been a پرستار of babies on tv shows. But I guess we’ll just have to ride it out.”
    “Getting a little jealous?” She teased as they headed toward the set. “Think about all the potential jealous House scenes you’ll get to play. It could be fun.”
    “Yeah. Sure.”
    “Lisa! Jennifer! Cuddy’s office!”
    “Morning,” Jen said, catching up to Lisa. “Want to warm up with a little fun?”
    Lisa stared at Jen for a second, then caught on. “Oh my God, we’re the only ones in this scene aren’t we? Well what the hell, might as well give them something for the gag reel…”
    Awhile later, Lisa burst through the doors for the beginning of the scene.
    “Listen, bitch, like—how could you, like, totally approve total body irradiation for a patient with, like, only possible ITP?”
    “It was totally the right call—”
    “Um—there was, like, no medical justification for that kind of—”
    “Well, duh, not medically. No medical rationalization, I just, like, had to say yes because House wanted me to say no… and he’s like, totally hot.”
    “Yeah, and آپ thought he was, like, bluffing?” Lisa blinked at Jennifer and then let her eyes go all googly. “Oh my God, he is hot.”
    “I know, right? And I’m like, the new hot co-ed and he had to, like, see what I would do, so—”
    “Yeah, listen, don’t like, get all cute with me? Don’t like, engage, pretend to engage, یا get engaged to him, یا like, play his hot little games, ‘cause House is mine, bitch.”
    “Look—” Jennifer tried to keep a straight face, but it was too much—at Lisa’s last line, the entire cast and crew watching from off-set burst into spontaneous cheers and applause. Lisa spun around to face the, taking a dramatic bow. As she came back up, she saw Hugh leaning against a wall, arms folded, not clapping—and watching her with a very dangerous look in his eye.
    “Thank you, ladies, that was very educational,” a very dry voice came from behind the cameras. “But if آپ don’t mind…”
~*~*~
    Almost ten hours later, Lisa was wandering around the set, running lines in her head, when she came across House’s office and saw Hugh inside, sitting in House’s chair, his foot up on the ottoman. Lisa knocked briefly on the glass door to make sure he didn’t want to be alone, and smiled when he beckoned her in. He kicked the ottoman out from under his foot, and Lisa took a seat, resting her elbows on her knees.
    “Valley girls having a little fun today?” Hugh asked, grinning at her.
    “Um, totally.”
    “How come I never get to be in the valley girl scenes?” Lisa stared at him. She could only half tell if he was kidding.
    “Are آپ serious?”
    “Um, I could like, totally be a valley guy. All I’d have to do is like, walk around and call everyone hot—”
    “Please don’t—” Lisa was starting to laugh.
    “—and I could like, start wearing really hot shoes—”
    “—Hugh—”
    “—and like, totally stake out my territory and have sex with all the hot co-eds.”
    “Oh, no آپ don’t.” Lisa pointed at him. “You’re not having sex with anyone but me.” Hugh blinked at her and a سیکنڈ later Lisa realized what she’d said. “Um. My character. I meant.”
    “Naturally.” Blue met blue, until Lisa looked away, blushing. “Do آپ think about it?” That was enough to get her attention.
    “Think about… House and Cuddy sleeping together?”
    Hugh’s stare never wavered. “Let’s say yes.”
    “Well—sure, I’ve thought about it a lot, actually. Tried to figure out how it would happen, if it did… what would be the catalyst that finally made them take that final step… it would be so incredibly momentous, and such a mess…”
    “Right. Two people with so much in common, and at the same time, so little in common… completely different lives outside of work…”
    Lisa tilted her head, looking at him. “Hugh. Are we still talking about the show?”
    There was a pause. “Of course. Two people that are so… attracted to one another…” Lisa shook her head slightly. They both knew what he was talking about, and neither of them were about to put it into words. “It would be so climactic… if you’ll pardon the pun…”
    “I told آپ آپ love puns,” Lisa couldn’t help but tease.
    “And then again, it could be the end of everything.”
    And that was the end of the teasing.
    “Ok. Here’s how I see it.” Lisa leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Two people… who care very, very deeply for each other, but have no idea what to do about it. Two very intelligent people who are مزید than capable of drawing the conclusion that they have a good thing going as it stands, and who are… terrified of taking that step because if it goes wrong…”
    “They could lose it.”
    “If that chemistry went away…” Lisa muttered to herself, and Hugh leaned towards her, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees.
    “The chemistry is what makes us great.” Hugh said, and Lisa’s jaw dropped.
    “I—don’t know what I should be مزید shocked at,” she murmured. “That آپ think we’re great, یا that we’re actually going to acknowledge that—”
    “I کہا I think we’re great. Together. Either of us سے طرف کی ourselves is nowhere near as interesting as us—House and Cuddy, then—together, in whatever sense of the word. Bickering, flirting, going right up to that line, but not—actually crossing it.”
    “Series ender?”
    “Probably.”
    “Can it wait that long?” Lisa was whispering سے طرف کی now. “If—”
    “If House and Cuddy gave in to this…” Hugh’s tone matched her own. “It could let a lot of people down. And there’s still so much مزید to do.”
    “So we wait.” Lisa looked at her hands. “No. I’m sorry—I don’t know what I’m saying. There’s nothing to wait for—I mean, not that there’s nothing to wait for, it’s just—it’s not up to us.” Hugh’s eyes narrowed. “It’s up to the writers. We do what they say.”
    “And nothing else.”
    Lisa swallowed against a sudden lump in her throat. “And nothing else.”
    Slowly standing, she nudged his leg aside with her foot and walked past him, out the door and back to the gathering crew a few sets down. Hugh leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes, trying to figure out why his stomach had suddenly started to churn with anxiety.
    And then the call came for another scene to start.
    And Hugh stood up, and the cast gathered in House’s office.
    And Lisa, done with her scenes for the day, went ہوم and made a phone call.