Dr. Gregory House watched as, just like clockwork, the young woman behind the desk glanced at her watch, shut down her computer, gathered her belongings, left the office, and walked down the hall toward the elevator with her coat under her arm and her purse slung over one shoulder. He smiled in satisfaction. Cuddy's assistant was gone for the night, but she hadn't turned off any lights or locked up the outer office, meaning that Doctor Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine and his boss, was still in her office. Not that it was much of a surprise, as she tended to 'burn the midnight oil' so to speak, and stay at the hospital long past normal working hours. He enjoyed this game now, of watching and waiting for the perfect moment to make a grand entrance and bug his boss. It was much easier to sneak around the hospital unnoticed since the ketamine treatments three months ago had healed his leg. He still walked with a slight limp that the physiotherapy had been unable to fix, but he was assured that with enough exercise it would fade in time. He listened outside of Cuddy's door for a minute, wanting to make sure she was alone before he entered. Satisfied that he heard no voices, he pushed the door open and stepped inside the office. The room was not at all what he had expected, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. The only light came from the open curtains, perfectly framing Cuddy's silhouette against the window. He had come in prepared to give her a hard time; make some snide remark about whatever came to mind, most likely her low-cut top. He paused, unsure of what to do, but he realized that she was unaware of his presence and he didn't want to startle her.

He slid the door open again and closed it with a more audible thud, exclaiming, "Why doctor Cuddy, I see you've already set the mood. If I had known you were all ready for me I would have come earlier." She barely turned. It was enough to acknowledge his presence, but it certainly wasn't the response he'd been expecting. He thought the better of another smart comment and walked toward her petite form, leaning against the window a comfortable distance from her. With the natural light shining on her now, he could see the tears on her cheeks – a detail he had missed during her brief initial look at him.

"Hey hey, now…Cuddy…Lisa…" he said, unsure of how to continue.

He wracked his brain for some explanation for her tears. Damn. It had been just over three weeks now, how could he have forgotten? He moved a bit closer and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It failed. You're not pregnant," he said softly. It was a statement, not a question, but she nodded anyway. She wondered where his kind gestures were coming from, but she decided not to question them. She looked into his eyes. Damn those eyes, she couldn't stop herself from falling into the old familiar trap. God how she loved that man. She felt her disappointment wash over her anew…causing a fresh wave of tears to fall silently down her cheeks. He reached out and took her other shoulder as well, pulling her body into his. He was glad, and a little surprised, when she didn't resist, and he wrapped his strong arms tightly around her body and held her close.

Lisa was shocked by his embrace, and more than willing to indulge in his warmth and comfort. She buried her face in his neck, and with her hands pressed tightly to his chest, she let loose the flood of tears that had been trying to spill since she read the results of the test. He held her close and rubbed her back as her tears fell in salty torrents down her cheeks and onto his collar, smearing her mascara as they went. He was completely silent, offering her as much comfort as he could with just his presence and his arms. Being this close to her brought feelings in him that were more than inappropriate. He joked around about sex more than anyone should, but in reality, if he could have Lisa he would want her for much more than that. Everything about her cried out for him to love her, and everything in him responded full force. He knew there was no way she could feel the same, so he never brought it up other than in jokes. He had a sneaking suspicion that even if he did, she wouldn't take him seriously.

If House thought that Cuddy wouldn't believe any professions of love that came from him, he was quite right. She loved him, of course, which was the only reason she constantly put up with him, but she was sure that her feelings would never be reciprocated. The thoughts that were swimming through her head right now were what kept her crying; the fact that she had yet again failed to get pregnant, and the fact that no matter how close she got to the man that she loved, she could never have him.

House tightened his hold on her as he felt her shoulders shake in a violent sob. With one hand he held her tight, and with the other he gently stroked her hair. He kissed the top of her head softly; so sure that she couldn't feel it.

Lisa loved the feeling of being in his arms. She wondered if he noticed how perfectly she fit there, and she wanted to make it last as long as possible. She wanted to melt as she felt him stroking her hair, and she thought she felt him lightly kiss her head, but she couldn't be sure. She calmed a bit at the thought and settled against his chest, making it obvious that she had no intentions of leaving his arms just yet.

House loosened his grip on her and led her gently to the sofa, keeping his arms around her as they sat. She leaned against him slightly, enjoying the chance to be so close.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, not knowing what else to say.

"So am I," she responded after a moment. "This is getting so frustrating. That was my third time, and still nothing. I'm about ready to give up."

House sighed. He hated seeing her broken like this; he loved her saucy spirit and quick wit, the only one in the hospital that could do battle with his own.

"Lisa," he started, not used to being so emotional, "what is the one thing in this world that you want most?"

That quieted her for a moment. She, too, had not expected to see this side of the harsh, sarcastic diagnostician. She thought about it. She knew she couldn't say him.

"A baby, I guess."

"Then never give up. Nothing that you care about that much is worth giving up on. It might be the hardest thing that you ever do, but you have to see it through. And maybe you won't be able to get pregnant by the donation. That happens. Then you'll have to re-examine what you want, and what you're willing to give up to have that," he said. Ha. The thing he wanted most was her, but he had given up on ever being with her. Take your own advice, House, he thought.

Cuddy leaned back against the back of the sofa and took in his words. He meant this job, obviously. Adoption agencies were, for the most part, unwilling to place a baby in the home of a single parent who was as busy as she was. If she couldn't have her own baby, that would be her only option. They both knew what he had meant, so she didn't bother to answer him. They sat in silence for a minute, bodies still touching. Both were quite aware of the others physical presence. Finally, Cuddy looked up into his face. His eyes locked on hers. His were such a startling shade of blue, she felt as though she could get lost in them forever. And that didn't sound like such a bad idea, given the circumstances. She stared into his eyes, and for once, neither looked away.

House looked back into Cuddy's deep blue eyes, seeing them clouded with confusion and disappointment. He was quite aware of how close they were, and he could smell the lingering scents of her perfume, and her shampoo. He searched her face, looking for some sign of what she was thinking, and finding none.

He decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a chance before he lost his nerve. He instantly closed the gap between them, and pressed his lips lightly to hers. To his surprise, she didn't pull away, but rather deepened the kiss.

For a split second, Cuddy was shocked that House's lips were pressed to hers. She didn't act on her shock, though, and she naturally deepened the kiss. She snaked her hands around his neck, and tangled her fingers in his wiry hair. He responded to her touch with a soft moan into her mouth, and he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her as close to him as she could go. For a brief moment, both were blissfully unaware of anything but that kiss. Finally, both needed air, and they separated.

Cuddy didn't know what that kiss meant, but she was pretty sure it was caused solely by his desire to take her mind of the failed pregnancy. She didn't want anything to happen that would make working with him more difficult. The thought even crossed her mind that he was taking advantage of her emotional state to get some, but she quickly dismissed it. This time, he really cared.

"Greg…" she said softly, "Thank you…for everything. But I should go."

House searched her face for a moment, before his gaze dropped to the floor. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted. I guess one kiss with her is better than none, he thought, and he nodded and stood.

"If there's anything you need, you know where I live," he said, answered only by a curt nod. He stood up and walked out of the office with as much dignity as he could muster, trying to hide his disappointment.