Ok, I know I know it's been quite a while... couldn't decide where I was going with it, didn't want to force it... meh. Anyway, on with the show!
~*~*~
Total avoidance. Yes. That was the way to go. To-tal. Toooooooooooooooooooootal… avoidance.
She could say it twelve other ways too, if anyone cared to ask. It had become her mantra over the past week or so. Totally tubular avoidance. That wasn’t one of her better ones. That’s right, Lisa. You just march your little self right past his trailer. Is he in there?
Do we care?
No we do not! Girl power! And all that jazz.
Lisa blew into her trailer on a make believe high and slammed the door behind her.
“What have you got for me today, boss?” She asked the script that had been left for her. “Let’s see… oh boy! A day of meaningful, lingering stares! Just what the doctor ordered!” Then she hit the last page. “Oh—Matthew Lewis,” she growled, reading over Cuddy and House’s last conversation. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
An hour or so later, Lisa made her way onto the set—quietly. Just for a change, she told herself. Just for the hell of it. It was the first day on set since her dream, and she wanted to see what would happen if she just stayed as far away from Hugh as she possibly could. Where was he, anyway?
“Good morning, sunshine!”
Oh. Right behind her. Of course.
Lisa turned around and fixed him with her very best Cuddy!Stare. “No. You go stand over there. Way over there.”
“Excuse me?” Hugh was looking at her with a completely bemused expression on his face. “Ok, what did I do now?”
“You didn’t do anything. Now go stand in the corner.”
“Ok, teacher, if you say so. Shall I get a dunce cap while I’m at it?”
He started to walk away, and Lisa couldn’t stand it. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back toward her. “Hugh.” She said, and he looked down at her. “I’m sorry. I had a—sort of had a dream about you, and—it’s sort of freaking me out. So if it’s ok with you, could you get lost?”
“Was it a sex dream?” Hugh asked innocently. Lisa punched his arm.
“No, it was not a sex dream. It was a weird dream. And I think it would be best if we just sort of… I’m sorry. I’m overreacting. You don’t have to go anywhere. Look, you’ve been standing here a good twenty seconds and I haven’t—” Jumped you? No— “Um—done anything untoward… have I?”
“No more so than usual,” he joked, and Lisa paled. “Whoa. Lisa, it was a joke.” Hugh looked at her a little closer. “You—geez, you look like you’re going to pass out.”
“I’m fine.” She whispered, backing away. “I just—was right. I need to not be here right now…”
“Guys, we’re ready to start!”
“Ok.” Lisa walked over to Cuddy’s office set, looking around. “Well someone at set dressing had a good time today…”
“Don’t worry, Lis, as a result of this you’re getting a whole new office set in a few weeks.” Greg called from the side. Lisa spun around.
“Seriously? That’s awesome!”
“Don’t often hear Cuddy saying ‘Seriously?’” Hugh said in a mysteriously accurate imitation of her voice. “That’s one to remember. Didn’t we have any cameras rolling?”
“Sorry, Hugh!”
“Rats.” He looked back at her. “Would’ve been a good one for a blooper reel. I will never understand the fascination with those.”
“Oh, who knows,” she said, heading for the door.
“Guys? Could we?”
Hugh looked over at Lisa and she nodded back at him. “Ok, let’s go ahead.”
Lisa walked into her office set and looked around at the destruction, then felt Hugh’s presence coming up behind her, reaching for his cane.
“Test confirmed melioidosis,” he said as she started slowly towards her desk, circling it until the windows were at her back.
“Is that all you care about? A moron storms the clinic, bullies his way into life without parole, you enabling him at every step.”
Hugh looked at her and took a few steps closer. “If he hadn’t done what he did… he’d be dead. Good thing you enabled my every medical move.”
Lisa took a breath, met his eyes. “You think I handled this differently because you were in here?”
“I don’t know. Let’s try it again without me.”
Lisa almost choked on her next line—her eyes were tortured when Hugh really looked at them. “This is why you and I can’t be a… thing.”
“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…”
Hugh and Lisa stared at each other for a second. All of a sudden Hugh realized why his friend had been acting funny, why she was upset about a dream she’d had, why she had said—and here she was trying to do the right thing…
“You want a relationship?”
Do I? “God, no. Just—trying to follow your logic.”
After one last second of heartrending stare, Hugh turned and walked out. Behind him, Lisa sat down at her desk and pulled at her desk drawer—then yanked, feeling the resistance of the drawer having been put in the wrong way. It finally gave, spilling its contents all over the floor as Hugh continued his satisfied walk out.
“Cut!” The director started towards Hugh with his notes, and Lisa leaned forward until her forehead hit the desk, refusing to look up until the prop people had to ask her to move, so they could gather up the desk contents and put the drawer back together. She got up, and she couldn’t help it. She looked over to where Hugh was standing, and right at that moment he looked in her direction.
Big. Big big big. Trouble.
~*~*~
Total avoidance. Yes. That was the way to go. To-tal. Toooooooooooooooooooootal… avoidance.
She could say it twelve other ways too, if anyone cared to ask. It had become her mantra over the past week or so. Totally tubular avoidance. That wasn’t one of her better ones. That’s right, Lisa. You just march your little self right past his trailer. Is he in there?
Do we care?
No we do not! Girl power! And all that jazz.
Lisa blew into her trailer on a make believe high and slammed the door behind her.
“What have you got for me today, boss?” She asked the script that had been left for her. “Let’s see… oh boy! A day of meaningful, lingering stares! Just what the doctor ordered!” Then she hit the last page. “Oh—Matthew Lewis,” she growled, reading over Cuddy and House’s last conversation. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
An hour or so later, Lisa made her way onto the set—quietly. Just for a change, she told herself. Just for the hell of it. It was the first day on set since her dream, and she wanted to see what would happen if she just stayed as far away from Hugh as she possibly could. Where was he, anyway?
“Good morning, sunshine!”
Oh. Right behind her. Of course.
Lisa turned around and fixed him with her very best Cuddy!Stare. “No. You go stand over there. Way over there.”
“Excuse me?” Hugh was looking at her with a completely bemused expression on his face. “Ok, what did I do now?”
“You didn’t do anything. Now go stand in the corner.”
“Ok, teacher, if you say so. Shall I get a dunce cap while I’m at it?”
He started to walk away, and Lisa couldn’t stand it. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back toward her. “Hugh.” She said, and he looked down at her. “I’m sorry. I had a—sort of had a dream about you, and—it’s sort of freaking me out. So if it’s ok with you, could you get lost?”
“Was it a sex dream?” Hugh asked innocently. Lisa punched his arm.
“No, it was not a sex dream. It was a weird dream. And I think it would be best if we just sort of… I’m sorry. I’m overreacting. You don’t have to go anywhere. Look, you’ve been standing here a good twenty seconds and I haven’t—” Jumped you? No— “Um—done anything untoward… have I?”
“No more so than usual,” he joked, and Lisa paled. “Whoa. Lisa, it was a joke.” Hugh looked at her a little closer. “You—geez, you look like you’re going to pass out.”
“I’m fine.” She whispered, backing away. “I just—was right. I need to not be here right now…”
“Guys, we’re ready to start!”
“Ok.” Lisa walked over to Cuddy’s office set, looking around. “Well someone at set dressing had a good time today…”
“Don’t worry, Lis, as a result of this you’re getting a whole new office set in a few weeks.” Greg called from the side. Lisa spun around.
“Seriously? That’s awesome!”
“Don’t often hear Cuddy saying ‘Seriously?’” Hugh said in a mysteriously accurate imitation of her voice. “That’s one to remember. Didn’t we have any cameras rolling?”
“Sorry, Hugh!”
“Rats.” He looked back at her. “Would’ve been a good one for a blooper reel. I will never understand the fascination with those.”
“Oh, who knows,” she said, heading for the door.
“Guys? Could we?”
Hugh looked over at Lisa and she nodded back at him. “Ok, let’s go ahead.”
Lisa walked into her office set and looked around at the destruction, then felt Hugh’s presence coming up behind her, reaching for his cane.
“Test confirmed melioidosis,” he said as she started slowly towards her desk, circling it until the windows were at her back.
“Is that all you care about? A moron storms the clinic, bullies his way into life without parole, you enabling him at every step.”
Hugh looked at her and took a few steps closer. “If he hadn’t done what he did… he’d be dead. Good thing you enabled my every medical move.”
Lisa took a breath, met his eyes. “You think I handled this differently because you were in here?”
“I don’t know. Let’s try it again without me.”
Lisa almost choked on her next line—her eyes were tortured when Hugh really looked at them. “This is why you and I can’t be a… thing.”
“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…”
Hugh and Lisa stared at each other for a second. All of a sudden Hugh realized why his friend had been acting funny, why she was upset about a dream she’d had, why she had said—and here she was trying to do the right thing…
“You want a relationship?”
Do I? “God, no. Just—trying to follow your logic.”
After one last second of heartrending stare, Hugh turned and walked out. Behind him, Lisa sat down at her desk and pulled at her desk drawer—then yanked, feeling the resistance of the drawer having been put in the wrong way. It finally gave, spilling its contents all over the floor as Hugh continued his satisfied walk out.
“Cut!” The director started towards Hugh with his notes, and Lisa leaned forward until her forehead hit the desk, refusing to look up until the prop people had to ask her to move, so they could gather up the desk contents and put the drawer back together. She got up, and she couldn’t help it. She looked over to where Hugh was standing, and right at that moment he looked in her direction.
Big. Big big big. Trouble.