~*~*~
A very faint light began to gleam through the tiny windows at the topo, início of the trailer walls, and Hugh wrinkled his nose, trying to turn away from it. But something was holding his arm down, and he frowned, hesitating before opening his eyes to see what was going on.
And there was Lisa, still deeply asleep in his arms. The smile that suddenly lit up his face took him completely aback, but faded when he craned his neck to see what time it was. It was still well before the time everyone would be arriving, but he needed to get moving. Even if nothing had happened… who would believe it?
Gingerly he extricated his arm, stopping short when Lisa began to mover restlessly. When it became clear that she was still asleep…
At this rate, she could probably sleep through an earthquake, he thought wryly to himself…
Finally he managed to get himself up and off the sofá without rousing her. As she turned her back to him, rolling toward the back of the couch, Hugh smiled and reached over, pulling the thin blanket back over her shoulders.
“Hugh…” she murmured softly into the pillow. Her co-star raised his eyebrows in surprise, immediately standing up and taking two giant steps backward, trying to ignore the stirring feeling that was beginning below his stomach. Lisa’s hand was resting on the travesseiro and began to grasp at the fabric, and the small moan that emerged sent Hugh sprinting for the door. Only just barely remembering to check through the window to make sure no one was around, he let himself out and hightailed it to his own trailer to chuveiro and change for the day’s shooting.
A few minutos later, Lisa’s own eyes fluttered open, and she realized that she was staring at the back side of her couch—not her bed, therefore not her home, therefore…
Suddenly sitting straight up, she looked around but Hugh had already left. Frowning slightly, she shook her head, trying to get her bearings. It was morning; it was… she checked the clock. It was still early. mais than time enough to jump in the chuveiro and then make her way onto the set, and she’d still probably beat everyone who was called.
Strange that she’d only had a bare few hours of sleep after the dia they’d been through yesterday, and yet she felt wide awake. Pulling on some comfy clothes just until she could get to wardrobe, she headed out into the hazy early morning sunshine and made her way toward House’s office set, where she knew they’d be starting first thing.
It was no surprise at all that Hugh was already there, lying on the sofá and leitura his script. He had only turned on the bare minimum of lights for illumination, and as she came closer she realized that although he was holding the script up over his head, his eyes were closed. Tilting her head and narrowing her eyes at him, Lisa tried to tell if he was asleep.
“How long are you going to stand there staring at me?” Hugh asked, not moving or opening his eyes. Lisa laughed shortly and continued in his direction, pulling the coffee mesa, tabela away from the sofá and settling herself on the floor, stretching out her legs. Two birds with one stone. She could talk and do at least some yoga at the same time while they were waiting. “God, would you stop that? You’re making me feel old.”
“Maybe you should try this,” she teased, looking up at him. “Feel ten times better, gets you limber…” Lisa gave him an absolutely evil smile from upside down on the carpet.
“So limber you can be your own stunt double?” Hugh said, leaning up on his elbow to see her better. “How are you doing that?”
“Practice,” she gasped out, changing positions. “Are we doing the living room scene first today? And then the final scene? And then we actually get to leave and they’ll do the hospital scenes with the team?”
“That’s the plan as far as I know,” Hugh said, going back to his script. “Huh.”
“What?”
“No, I just realized. Anne’s not called today.”
Lisa quirked an eyebrow at him. “And?”
Hugh stared at her for a moment before shrugging and turning a page. “And nothing. Just feels like a really long time since we’ve had any scenes… just House and Cuddy. She’s been hanging over House’s shoulder for so long, it’s just—”
Lisa rolled herself into a sitting position, crossing her legs and leaning against the sofá and rolling her head to the side to look at him. “All the stuff that’s been going on, House and Cuddy have had almost no scenes just the two of them. You miss them too?”
A faint smile, and Hugh put the script down on his stomach and reached out his right hand to rest it on the topo, início of Lisa’s head, rubbing her scalp absentmindedly with his thumb. “It’s just been a while, is all. I like atuação with you.”
“Well, you’re going to be atuação with an unconscious body if you keep that up,” she moaned, her eyes drifting shut. “You’re putting me to sleep.”
There were a few moments of silence as Hugh continued to stroke her hair, then finally pulled his hand away. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “I have learned in the last few hours that once you’re asleep an elefante could parade past you trumpeting at the topo, início of its lungs and you still wouldn’t rouse.”
Lisa glared at him. “What do you care? I like sleep.”
Hugh opened his mouth to respond when suddenly the lights came on full strength, and a few segundos later David and Katie walked in. They were halfway across the room before they realized that their stars were both hanging about casually in House’s living room.
“Um. Hi?” David said, stopping short. Katie frowned, and continued on toward the tables that the prop guys would soon be carregando up for the day. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Early start,” Hugh said suddenly, and Lisa looked up at him.
I thought you were going to— She asked silently, and his eyes quickly flicked back to her.
Tell them we both slept over. See how that goes.
Oh… Lisa gave a tiny nod and looked back at David, who was watching the two of them with a very suspicious look on his face.
“And you both just… happened to run into each other coming into the lot at the crack of dawn.”
“Lines,” Hugh said tersely. “And you guys are always early… maybe we can get things done earlier than you think. We did yesterday.”
David regarded him for a moment, then went to cadastrar-se Katie at the tables. Hugh and Lisa exchanged looks before getting up to go to wardrobe.
~*~*~
“My God, this is probably going to be the most comfortable scene ever,” Lisa said, happily gathering up a magazine, a cup of tea, and a blanket and pillow, and arranging herself on the chaise.
“I’m in a pretty good place myself,” Hugh said from the couch.
“That means you’re ready to start, doesn’t it?” David called from afar. Lisa and Hugh gave him identical grouchy faces. “Action!”
Lisa curled herself deeper into the chair and opened the magazine, noting bemusedly that it appeared to be a fishing magazine of all things. Hugh threw his arm over his eyes and took a few deep breaths before speaking.
“Can you stop? The breathing.”
“Air goes in. Air goes out.” Lisa licked her thumb and turned a page.
“Then use your nose.”
Lisa looked over the topo, início of the pages and gave him a half smile. “You’re supposed to feel like crap. You’re doing great.”
“And… after?” Hugh looked in her direction. Lisa hesitated just for a second.
“You come back to work.”
“And what if I can’t?” He didn’t look at her, casting his eyes downward. Lisa leaned progressivo, para a frente a little.
“Opiod dependency can make you think you have mais pain than you really have. You’re going to be ok.”
“You’re telling me what I want to hear, with no evidence,” Hugh muttered.
“I’m telling you what I believe to be the truth.”
“With no evidence!”
“You’re hardly the most unbiased observer,” Lisa chided him gently.
“Neither are you.” Hugh looked over his shoulder and saw Lisa’s mildly surprised look. “I’m your hospital’s biggest asset.”
Lisa put the magazine aside. “Is that why you think I’m here?”
“That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re lying to me about—”
“I haven’t lied to you in twenty years,” Lisa butted in, sitting progressivo, para a frente and resting her elbows on her knees.
“Sure you have.” Hugh narrowed his eyes at her and propped himself up on his elbow. “Which means that you just said that because you want to tell me what you lied about twenty years ago.”
Lisa glared at him, sitting up and straightening her shirt. “You’re an ass.”
“Am I wrong?”
Playing with the sleeve of her shirt, Lisa thought for a moment. “I wasn’t in your endocrinology class.”
“You sat seguinte to me! I cheated off you—”
“I audited your endocrinology class.”
“Why would you…”
“Because—” Lisa gave Hugh a real smile. “I thought you were an interesting lunatic, even then. I’m not here protecting hospital property.”
Hugh gazed at her for a few moments, then looked around. “We’re alone.”
“We’ve… been alone all night.” She tilted her head at him.
“No, I mean Amber. She’s gone.”
“We should have you guys come in early every day,” David said a few moments later. “That was great.”
“Does that mean we can have lunch now?” Lisa asked hopefully.
“Um… no.”
~*~*~
Because actors tend to get cranky when they’re not fed, David eventually allowed his stars to partake of some sustenance, and Hugh and Lisa quietly took their plates off to the side, unconsciously moving out of David and Katie’s earshot. Lisa pulled her script out and set it on the table, eating around it as she reviewed her lines.
“What are you doing?” Hugh said, his mouth full.
“We don’t all have photographic memory,” she reminded him icily. “Some of us have to review before the shot.”
“Oh please, give me that,” he said, snatching the pages from her. “It’s a grand total of three lines for you. I’m sure you’ll be able to get it.”
“So maybe I’m worried I’ll get distracted,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Hugh raised a spectacularly evil eyebrow at her. Looking around, he slid his hand into a pocket and retrieved something, reaching across the mesa, tabela and setting it down seguinte to Lisa’s plate.
Lisa looked at it, looked back at him, and felt herself beginning to flush, from her feet all the way slowly up to her face. Taking the little tube into her hands, she locked eyes with her co-star as she took off the lid and gently applied the Chapstick, pressing her lips together as she finished.
“Thought maybe you might need that,” Hugh said throatily, and stood up to throw out his garbage. Lisa stared at his back as he walked away, swallowing hard. She had managed not to think too much about the last beijar scene she and Hugh had done, and now…
“You guys ready?” David appeared at her side. Lisa nodded slowly and got up, following him to the set.
“Here goes nothing,” she said quietly, just barely loud enough for Hugh to hear her approach. He turned and looked at her as she pulled on Cuddy’s jacket, and leaned back against the door to House’s apartment, regarding her seriously.
“You all set?” He asked, and Lisa nodded, smiling faintly at him and opening the drawer on one of House’s end tables, dropping the Chapstick in for easy access between takes.
“All set.”
~*~*~
*pulls out trusty tomato-repelling umbrella...*
A very faint light began to gleam through the tiny windows at the topo, início of the trailer walls, and Hugh wrinkled his nose, trying to turn away from it. But something was holding his arm down, and he frowned, hesitating before opening his eyes to see what was going on.
And there was Lisa, still deeply asleep in his arms. The smile that suddenly lit up his face took him completely aback, but faded when he craned his neck to see what time it was. It was still well before the time everyone would be arriving, but he needed to get moving. Even if nothing had happened… who would believe it?
Gingerly he extricated his arm, stopping short when Lisa began to mover restlessly. When it became clear that she was still asleep…
At this rate, she could probably sleep through an earthquake, he thought wryly to himself…
Finally he managed to get himself up and off the sofá without rousing her. As she turned her back to him, rolling toward the back of the couch, Hugh smiled and reached over, pulling the thin blanket back over her shoulders.
“Hugh…” she murmured softly into the pillow. Her co-star raised his eyebrows in surprise, immediately standing up and taking two giant steps backward, trying to ignore the stirring feeling that was beginning below his stomach. Lisa’s hand was resting on the travesseiro and began to grasp at the fabric, and the small moan that emerged sent Hugh sprinting for the door. Only just barely remembering to check through the window to make sure no one was around, he let himself out and hightailed it to his own trailer to chuveiro and change for the day’s shooting.
A few minutos later, Lisa’s own eyes fluttered open, and she realized that she was staring at the back side of her couch—not her bed, therefore not her home, therefore…
Suddenly sitting straight up, she looked around but Hugh had already left. Frowning slightly, she shook her head, trying to get her bearings. It was morning; it was… she checked the clock. It was still early. mais than time enough to jump in the chuveiro and then make her way onto the set, and she’d still probably beat everyone who was called.
Strange that she’d only had a bare few hours of sleep after the dia they’d been through yesterday, and yet she felt wide awake. Pulling on some comfy clothes just until she could get to wardrobe, she headed out into the hazy early morning sunshine and made her way toward House’s office set, where she knew they’d be starting first thing.
It was no surprise at all that Hugh was already there, lying on the sofá and leitura his script. He had only turned on the bare minimum of lights for illumination, and as she came closer she realized that although he was holding the script up over his head, his eyes were closed. Tilting her head and narrowing her eyes at him, Lisa tried to tell if he was asleep.
“How long are you going to stand there staring at me?” Hugh asked, not moving or opening his eyes. Lisa laughed shortly and continued in his direction, pulling the coffee mesa, tabela away from the sofá and settling herself on the floor, stretching out her legs. Two birds with one stone. She could talk and do at least some yoga at the same time while they were waiting. “God, would you stop that? You’re making me feel old.”
“Maybe you should try this,” she teased, looking up at him. “Feel ten times better, gets you limber…” Lisa gave him an absolutely evil smile from upside down on the carpet.
“So limber you can be your own stunt double?” Hugh said, leaning up on his elbow to see her better. “How are you doing that?”
“Practice,” she gasped out, changing positions. “Are we doing the living room scene first today? And then the final scene? And then we actually get to leave and they’ll do the hospital scenes with the team?”
“That’s the plan as far as I know,” Hugh said, going back to his script. “Huh.”
“What?”
“No, I just realized. Anne’s not called today.”
Lisa quirked an eyebrow at him. “And?”
Hugh stared at her for a moment before shrugging and turning a page. “And nothing. Just feels like a really long time since we’ve had any scenes… just House and Cuddy. She’s been hanging over House’s shoulder for so long, it’s just—”
Lisa rolled herself into a sitting position, crossing her legs and leaning against the sofá and rolling her head to the side to look at him. “All the stuff that’s been going on, House and Cuddy have had almost no scenes just the two of them. You miss them too?”
A faint smile, and Hugh put the script down on his stomach and reached out his right hand to rest it on the topo, início of Lisa’s head, rubbing her scalp absentmindedly with his thumb. “It’s just been a while, is all. I like atuação with you.”
“Well, you’re going to be atuação with an unconscious body if you keep that up,” she moaned, her eyes drifting shut. “You’re putting me to sleep.”
There were a few moments of silence as Hugh continued to stroke her hair, then finally pulled his hand away. “Sorry,” he said quietly. “I have learned in the last few hours that once you’re asleep an elefante could parade past you trumpeting at the topo, início of its lungs and you still wouldn’t rouse.”
Lisa glared at him. “What do you care? I like sleep.”
Hugh opened his mouth to respond when suddenly the lights came on full strength, and a few segundos later David and Katie walked in. They were halfway across the room before they realized that their stars were both hanging about casually in House’s living room.
“Um. Hi?” David said, stopping short. Katie frowned, and continued on toward the tables that the prop guys would soon be carregando up for the day. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Early start,” Hugh said suddenly, and Lisa looked up at him.
I thought you were going to— She asked silently, and his eyes quickly flicked back to her.
Tell them we both slept over. See how that goes.
Oh… Lisa gave a tiny nod and looked back at David, who was watching the two of them with a very suspicious look on his face.
“And you both just… happened to run into each other coming into the lot at the crack of dawn.”
“Lines,” Hugh said tersely. “And you guys are always early… maybe we can get things done earlier than you think. We did yesterday.”
David regarded him for a moment, then went to cadastrar-se Katie at the tables. Hugh and Lisa exchanged looks before getting up to go to wardrobe.
~*~*~
“My God, this is probably going to be the most comfortable scene ever,” Lisa said, happily gathering up a magazine, a cup of tea, and a blanket and pillow, and arranging herself on the chaise.
“I’m in a pretty good place myself,” Hugh said from the couch.
“That means you’re ready to start, doesn’t it?” David called from afar. Lisa and Hugh gave him identical grouchy faces. “Action!”
Lisa curled herself deeper into the chair and opened the magazine, noting bemusedly that it appeared to be a fishing magazine of all things. Hugh threw his arm over his eyes and took a few deep breaths before speaking.
“Can you stop? The breathing.”
“Air goes in. Air goes out.” Lisa licked her thumb and turned a page.
“Then use your nose.”
Lisa looked over the topo, início of the pages and gave him a half smile. “You’re supposed to feel like crap. You’re doing great.”
“And… after?” Hugh looked in her direction. Lisa hesitated just for a second.
“You come back to work.”
“And what if I can’t?” He didn’t look at her, casting his eyes downward. Lisa leaned progressivo, para a frente a little.
“Opiod dependency can make you think you have mais pain than you really have. You’re going to be ok.”
“You’re telling me what I want to hear, with no evidence,” Hugh muttered.
“I’m telling you what I believe to be the truth.”
“With no evidence!”
“You’re hardly the most unbiased observer,” Lisa chided him gently.
“Neither are you.” Hugh looked over his shoulder and saw Lisa’s mildly surprised look. “I’m your hospital’s biggest asset.”
Lisa put the magazine aside. “Is that why you think I’m here?”
“That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re lying to me about—”
“I haven’t lied to you in twenty years,” Lisa butted in, sitting progressivo, para a frente and resting her elbows on her knees.
“Sure you have.” Hugh narrowed his eyes at her and propped himself up on his elbow. “Which means that you just said that because you want to tell me what you lied about twenty years ago.”
Lisa glared at him, sitting up and straightening her shirt. “You’re an ass.”
“Am I wrong?”
Playing with the sleeve of her shirt, Lisa thought for a moment. “I wasn’t in your endocrinology class.”
“You sat seguinte to me! I cheated off you—”
“I audited your endocrinology class.”
“Why would you…”
“Because—” Lisa gave Hugh a real smile. “I thought you were an interesting lunatic, even then. I’m not here protecting hospital property.”
Hugh gazed at her for a few moments, then looked around. “We’re alone.”
“We’ve… been alone all night.” She tilted her head at him.
“No, I mean Amber. She’s gone.”
“We should have you guys come in early every day,” David said a few moments later. “That was great.”
“Does that mean we can have lunch now?” Lisa asked hopefully.
“Um… no.”
~*~*~
Because actors tend to get cranky when they’re not fed, David eventually allowed his stars to partake of some sustenance, and Hugh and Lisa quietly took their plates off to the side, unconsciously moving out of David and Katie’s earshot. Lisa pulled her script out and set it on the table, eating around it as she reviewed her lines.
“What are you doing?” Hugh said, his mouth full.
“We don’t all have photographic memory,” she reminded him icily. “Some of us have to review before the shot.”
“Oh please, give me that,” he said, snatching the pages from her. “It’s a grand total of three lines for you. I’m sure you’ll be able to get it.”
“So maybe I’m worried I’ll get distracted,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Hugh raised a spectacularly evil eyebrow at her. Looking around, he slid his hand into a pocket and retrieved something, reaching across the mesa, tabela and setting it down seguinte to Lisa’s plate.
Lisa looked at it, looked back at him, and felt herself beginning to flush, from her feet all the way slowly up to her face. Taking the little tube into her hands, she locked eyes with her co-star as she took off the lid and gently applied the Chapstick, pressing her lips together as she finished.
“Thought maybe you might need that,” Hugh said throatily, and stood up to throw out his garbage. Lisa stared at his back as he walked away, swallowing hard. She had managed not to think too much about the last beijar scene she and Hugh had done, and now…
“You guys ready?” David appeared at her side. Lisa nodded slowly and got up, following him to the set.
“Here goes nothing,” she said quietly, just barely loud enough for Hugh to hear her approach. He turned and looked at her as she pulled on Cuddy’s jacket, and leaned back against the door to House’s apartment, regarding her seriously.
“You all set?” He asked, and Lisa nodded, smiling faintly at him and opening the drawer on one of House’s end tables, dropping the Chapstick in for easy access between takes.
“All set.”
~*~*~
*pulls out trusty tomato-repelling umbrella...*
