Hi guys, I'm not new at , same goes being a fanfic writer but this is my first to contribute for . So hope you like it. :)

BTW, I do not own [H]ouse and it's characters so I hope no offense has been put out from this fic. Hope you'll enjoy this!

Pairing: House and Cuddy

Rated: M

Genre: General

DING.

"Finally," he muttered to himself the moment the elevator sounded and cracked open. Elevator rides wasn't that supposed to be that long, but tonight, riding one seemed to be eternity.

His leg was in big throbbing state but he cared less about it. As a doctor, he knew he wasn't in good shape to walk, not even to stand but nothing beats his wants. Ignoring the migraine that was setting in his brain, he continued to look around the ward where the elevator took him. He was sure this was the floor he needed to be, he just doesn't know which room he needed to be in.

"House!" a familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts of negativity that was playing in his battered mind. His eyes landed on Wilson the moment he turned his head to his right. His friend of all times, his friend of all trades was there, also hoping to be ready to whatever fate will be cast upon their friend.

As the great diagnostician stood in front of him, Wilson finally saw the bruises and cuts his friend got from the stupidity and barbaric events that took place earlier that night. "Oh god House, what the –" he asked with both hands extended in front of him to calm him down a bit but he suddenly felt his own muscles loosening up when his eyes traced the bloodline flowing from the open wounds of his friend to the shaking hands beside him.

"Where's Cuddy?" was all House could come up with, eyes not even making contact with Wilson's brown ones as it continues to probe every room his vision could reach.

"We'll take you to her but first ----"

"Where the hell is Cuddy?!" he repeated with two or three tone higher than the first one.

Just when Wilson was about to say something, Nurse Jeff caught House's eyes the moment he appeared from the western wing of the ward. He wanted to read the face of the newly employed nurse, but he couldn't. Every second he wanted to conclude a certain emotion was trying to surface on the nurse's face, another one would pop out and the cycle repeats itself until Wilson walked over to the guy while he was left standing where he was, dreading the worst.

He saw the man in scrub suit leaned towards his friend's ear but he failed to hear the words being whispered but there's no need to solve this gesture like his cases because he found the answer when Wilson gave out a sigh and look at him the same way the night he lost Amber.

*********

This wasn't the first time Cuddy wanted to be alone.

Technically, she was always one since she stepped out from med school. She was able to make it to her first job, beat men in her field and became dean of one of the finest hospitals in the country all alone until the person, owning the body before her, came to her life. Since day one, it has always been butterflies and rainbows between them; too bad there'll be none of that for today and forever there won't be.

The room was as dim as her grey eyes and as silent as her cries and the tiny slit of light when the sliding door opened was something the room, if it were human, would be thankful for.

"I'll be just keeping the tubes, I'll be out 10 minutes tops," Nurse Jeff said the moment his blue ones met House's. The doctor nodded before he turned his attention to the woman seated just a few steps away from the bed.

Cuts and bloods were finally cleaned away but he will never admit that his heart sank when he saw her that way. She didn't bother removing her eyes from the being in front of her to look at him, but from where he was standing, he could see her eyes were cleared from tears but were puffy, nose looked as if she has a cold and though her hair was still on her head, it wasn't the same combed and neatly shaped but rather a messy and disarranged one. Both shoulders were also occasionally lifted when she give out a sniff but would immediately fall back to its deepest point forming like a shrug as hands intertwined with each other in between her knees.

House took a deep breathe before walking to sit beside her. For each move, he expected to be kicked out, be slapped, be yelled but there was none. He joined her eyes and looked at the lifeless body before them and couldn't even come up with a simple reason why she would still be here. In normal cases, no one wanted to, no one needed to be but she was.

"No. Don't put the blanket on top of her. It'll make her look like dead," her voice was so soft that Jeff felt lucky enough to hear what his boss uttered. Confused by what Cuddy said, House looked at her before laying his eyes on the nurse who was about to pull up the blanket over the body's head.

"Dr. Cu ---" Jeff was about to explain but was held back when House politely ordered him to follow the woman's order. If this was any other ordinary day, if this was any ordinary patient and family, he would have put his best jokes and insult about the order that was requested but tonight, there'll be none of it.

"She isn't dead," Cuddy said in a throaty voice, when Jeff finally left the room, leaving House and her alone but her eyes, not leaving the corpse for a second.

"Cuddy..." he said, wanting her to know that he felt the same lost she's having but he sucks at this. This wasn't his field but he's willing to put his guards down to try and reach out. He gave out another sigh the moment he turned his head to look at her, she wasn't crying but tears were streaming down her cheeks. The usual glow was also no where to be seen in her eyes that are now filled with nothing but grief.

After a few minutes of brief pause, there's nothing more he could say but there's something he knows he'll do; he pulled her closer to him so that her right side touch his left. Nothing change though, her cheeks still streamed on by tears and her eyes still locked on the sight before them and the body on the bed was still dead.

****************

Two hours later, House finally went out from the room after getting a page from Wilson who he met up with near the Nurse's Station.

"Cameron and your team are looking for you," the oncologist said, a tone of annoyance sounded with his words.

"Unless they're going to play god and bring back the life that's dead in there, I don't need them," House said gesturing to the room behind him.

"For heavensake House, get your ass down there and have yourself checked out."

"I'm fine, I took enough Vicodin to poke me up for the next three hours," the gruff doctor said, "Cuddy on the other hand…"

"I know… You wanted to be here and play superman for her but you're no help in your condition like that." Just like in few occasion, House knew Wilson's right when he looked down at himself. Blood may be cleaned away while other dried on his shirt and some cuts may already be stitched but he needed to pull himself to a stop as well before going on to a next level he knew that was bound to happen in a day or so.

"She wanted to be in the room when they perform the autopsy," House informed his friend.

"Wha --- Seriously?" Wilson asked in obvious disagreement but shook his head than put it into words.

"What sucks is that people are willing to kiss her ass no matter how stupid her idea was. She's the dean, their choice is either to follow her wishes or turn into a sorry pumpkin and get fired. Being around the autopsy procedure will just land Cuddy to Mayfield."

"I know. Don't worry, take a rest yourself. I'll take it from here."

"And after?"

Wilson stopped and thought for awhile before saying, "Spend time with Cuddy while I note down all the things needed for Rachel's wake and funeral."

If one would dare to ask, House would never want to label it as Rachel's.

It wasn't her body Cuddy was crying over, House urge his thoughts but no matter what he does, reality finds him and there these words one by one sink in… Rachel Cuddy's dead.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to type in your review about this? BTW, should I continue??