Cuddy figured she could keep him in line when she hired him. She was the boss after all, and employees listen to their boss if they want that paycheck. That also applied to the notorious Gregory House. A little push here if he got out of line. A stern talking to there when a patient complained. Some advice from Wilson if the former two weren't enough. Then he'd go back to solving his puzzles, she'd go back to running the hospital, and everything would be just find and dandy. She had hired some of the best doctors from all over the world to work for her in Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Some of the best doctors she had ever worked with came with a little controversy and thought outside the box. She knew what she getting into when she set Dr. House loose in her hospital. Didn't she?

Turned out she didn't know jack shit about what she was getting into with Gregory House.

Then she had to go and fall madly in love with the smug bastard. Turned out she didn't know jack shit about what she was getting into with that, either. And she reveling in every second of it.

Wilson was busy with a patient that needed extra attention, so Cuddy had to pick up House by herself. Even after explaining where his best friend was and why he was at the hospital instead of carrying his suitcase to the car, House still grumbled about Wilson not taking half an hour of his precious time to come see him.

"His patient needs him more right now," Cuddy said. "He'd be here if he could and you know it."

House glared across the parking lot at her car, the wind weaving through his shaggy hair, and muttered, "Yeah, I know it. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No, you don't. But you don't have to bitch about for days on end, either." She took a step closer and noted his haggard features and sunken eyes. "You look like hell. Have you slept?"

"No," he replied curtly, and picked up his suitcase. "Let's get the hell out of here before they decide that they screwed up their paper work and have keep me here another month to get it all straightened out."

They walked side by side under a sky that was gathering more clouds by the hour. The forecast had promised rain later in the day and it looked like the weather was going to keep its promise. Cuddy wanted to take his hand, but both were occupied with his cane and suitcase. She had to settle for walking as closely as possible beside him. "What was keeping you awake?"

"I've been kind of riled up about something for the past few days."

"About what?"

"About wanting to get out of here and wanting to see you."

"You missed me, House?"

"Damn right I did."

Of course. Coming home and sharing the bed with her again dominated their conversations during her visits. She smiled and noted he was looking at her and almost smiling himself. "Yes, well…I've been wanting you to get out of here and have been wanting to see you, so I guess that makes us even."

"I suppose," he replied with a low chuckle. "Let's go before they change their minds and drag me back inside."

Cuddy and Wilson had taken turns looking after House's apartment; dusting and changing the linen and double-checking that the bills got paid. They had gone on a cleaning and shopping splurge the week before House was due to come back. Cuddy had washed his bedding and had a cleaning service come in and scrub down apartment until it was as sterile as the average operating room while Wilson had gone grocery shopping and stocked the kitchen with House's favorites. They planned to have a quiet dinner to celebrate House's homecoming.

If House noticed his apartment floor was clean enough to eat their upcoming dinner on, he didn't say a word. He just muttered "I need to sit down" before dropping his suitcase and plopping down on the sofa with an exaggerated sigh.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I can make some breakfast if you want."

House didn't answer, just shook his head.

"How about some coffee?"

Another shake of his head.

"Is something wrong?" Concerned, Cuddy came around the table and sat down. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired, that's all," he answered thickly, and Cuddy could picture him spend every night over the last week staring at the ceiling, looking past the ceiling, looking forward to the day he could finally say goodbye to the asylum and hello to home. Though she and Wilson had visited him every chance she got, it wasn't enough. The doctor had become the patient and House had despised every second of it. House despised the rules enforced on him, living by a schedule that wasn't made out by him, and sometimes took his resentment and frustration out on the wrong person. Though House never talked about it, she knew he had been in a few fights, and forced into restraints and sedated more than once. But that was over and done with. He was free. He was safely back in his home, his sanctuary. And he had been so psyched up about it that he was now a tad bit too exhausted to fully enjoy it.

He turned to Cuddy, his blue eyes dull and bloodshot, and said, "Do me a favor and spare the talk until tomorrow."

"No worries," she replied with a smile that seemed to put him at ease for the moment. "Let's get you settled in first and we'll take it from there."

"Okay." House sounded relieved.

Reaching up to stroke her thumb along the perpetual seven o'clock shadow that covered his sharp cheekbone, which seemed to relax him to the point where she thought he would settle back and take a nap right then and there, she said quickly, "Wilson will be over later tonight and we have a nice dinner planned for you."

"That's fine," he said absently; Cuddy reminded herself that his seeming disregard for the two people he cared about most in the world was the result of his lack of sleep and not a lack of interest in what they had planned for him. "What's for dessert?"

"Wilson baked a cake."

"Chocolate?"

"Of course."

"Good." He leaned into her palm; his stubble rubbing and scratching at her palm like sandpaper. "I feel so special."

"You are special," she said pointedly, making sure he heard every syllable.

"Thank you," he replied and meant it. "I need to lay down in my own bed for a while."

Cuddy knew that sooner rather than later he'd be out cold for a few hours and bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day and all of the night, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Nodding towards his bedroom, she told him, "Go on, then. Do you need me to bring you anything?"

"Yes." He clamped a hand around her wrist. "You."

"Me?" she puzzled.

"You heard me."

"What for?"

"Because I said so." He pulled himself up and tugged at her arm. "You're not about to deny the lover who spent many lonely weeks without you this one little request, are you now?"