Disclaimer: I don't own any part of House MD and in no way profit from the writing of this Fic. No copyright infringement intended.

Pairing: All Huddy!

Time period (for the beginning): This fic is set sometime post episode 2x23, "Who's Your Daddy?"

Cuddy stood in the doorway of her house. Her eyes locked with the intense blue eyes of the man before her.

She took in a quick breath that stung her lungs.

"House," Her voice shook slightly as she struggled not to weaken by his presence.

She was entirely oblivious to the ice-cold air that blew in from the now wide open door.

He took a step forward, farther into her house, and closer to her.

Her heart pounded furiously, and everything that wasn't part of his face suddenly became a blur.

His eyes didn't move from their hold on her's.

She looked down and felt herself tremble slightly as she filled her lungs with enough oxygen to speak.

"House," She spit out his name again, taking a small step back, cautious. "Why are you here?" Her voice wasn't as demanding as she hoped it would be. It was muted by the screaming voices in the back of her head, the voices that were screeching something very close to excitement. But they were thoughts that would stay in her head.

House looked down quickly. A flash of emotion flickered across his face.

Cuddy bit down on her lower lip as she struggled to interpret the expression he wore.

He looked back up at her. His eyes tracing over the features on her face and then the thick dark curls that framed it.

" I , " He began to speak but the words he had planed to say caught in his throat.

Cuddy starred back at him, waiting for his explanation. Uncomfortable. Why was he looking at her that way?

He took another step forward but this time Cuddy kept her feet planted in place. She found, to her surprise, that she didn't want to move. She could almost hear his heartbeat now as he stood in front of her. His breathing was heavy. His lips parted as he spoke further.

"I want..."

He stopped. His eyes flickered with what was clearly uncertainty for just a moment.

Then he spoke the words that the chorus of voices in the back of Cuddy's head had been willing him to say.

"I want to be the donor."

Cuddy's mouth dropped slightly. Her eyes wide. She blinked. Her heart lurched in her chest, a part of her wishing she had in fact heard him correctly, but it wasn't possible.

She must've stopped breathing and hallucinated. Quite possible.

She starred into his ice blue eyes, feeling her knees grow weak. Unable to gather her usual strength.

Cuddy felt the need to breathe in more oxygen but found that her lungs refused to budge. She felt her chest tighten until she finally was able to take a long shaking breath.

"You what?" She choked out the word that sounded like they came from a small child, far away.

House looked down at the floor and tapped his cane against the wood panels. The rhythm of thuds echoed in her head.

"Only if it would... if you need..." He paused, looked up at her again. Then decided to change his wording, "-want... only if you... want me to."

She hadn't heard any of that, too focused on what he had said before.

She shivered, now aware of the wind from outside.

The two doctors were now standing so close together, Cuddy could feel the warmth of his body in front of her. A small smile lit up her face, touching her eyes.

House noticed. He loved it when she smiled like that, he hadn't seen her look genuinely happy in a long time... and when she was happy it seemed that he almost always had the opposite affect on her moods no matter what he did.

However, this was one of those rare occasions when House saw Cuddy in a different light, away from their usual bantering at work. She wasn't angry or annoyed with him now. She seemed...

House felt his eyes close instantly as he felt the press of lips against his.

He pulled her closer to his chest as he wrapped his free hand behind the small of her back. Her hands tangled around his neck. He opened his eyes to look down at her now.

Almost as quickly as this spontaneous kiss began, it broke apart. Cuddy pulled her head from his and looked up into his eyes. She looked apologetic. Her lips formed as if she was about to speak, but she said nothing. She still clung to the back of his neck, but slowly brought her hands down, sliding the tips of her fingers over his t-shirt.

"House." She breathed. "It's late, and ... and you should go."

House gave a slight unwilling nod and turned around to face the door. Cuddy was surprised. She hadn't expected him to agree to leave so quickly, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to now. She suddenly felt very small as she watched the man before her turn and grab the handle of her front door. Her heart raced.

"Goodnight, Cuddy." He spoke without even turning to look at her. But his voice was deep and comforting. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't expect him to go without putting up a fight, and it came as a surprise to her. A surprise different than his declaration earlier, a surprise she was not excited for.

She heard the click of the door and was instantly trapped in a storm of emotions. She knew she should feel excited about what he had announced to her earlier, he wanted to donate. But something about the way he had left was so unexpected it left her confused and... lost. The way he didn't even turn around, or in the least make some perverse comment about her choice of pajamas, or the fact that she had spontaneously kissed him... the reason for that she wasn't quite sure of herself. She knew she should feel better than this, but something wasn't right, and she could tell by the way he had exited. What she was absolutely sure of, though, was one thing, she wanted him there with her, and she wanted more.

"Goodnight, House." It was merely a whisper to the closed door before her.

Please, click that little button and review this! It would be greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this!