The digital clock snapped from 4:59 a.m. to 5 a.m. - setting off Lisa Cuddy's morning alarm. She fumbled to find it as she slowly struggled to wake up, and she turned it off, stretching sleepily in her bed. She turned to her side and immediately felt the warmth of Gregory House lying next to her. He too had heard the alarm, and had covered his head with a pillow in disgust.

"Tell me again why you have to wake up so damn early," he growled. "Aren't you the boss?" His growl turned into a moan as she kissed his bare chest.

"Because, I need my yoga to stay strong and centered enough to be able to kick your ss when try to get out of clinic duty," she answered, slowly getting up and heading towards the bathroom.

"Like you could," he yelled after her.

Cuddy was moving from her mountain pose to the warrior yoga position when Rachel started screaming uncontrollably. She was about to head to Rachel's room, but her daughter settled down almost immediately and Cuddy was able to maintain her concentration and finish her workout. Drenched in sweat, Cuddy headed to the shower, noticing Rachel was now in her bed next to House, who had managed to doze off for a little longer.

Wondering to herself how she and House had reached this moment, Cuddy took off her clothes and entered her steamy, hot shower. She was shocked by House's sudden entrance into the bathroom a couple of minutes later, and the way he deposited Rachel on the shower floor.

"Kid's got a low-grade fever, looks like upper respiratory infection - steam will do her good - already gave her Tylenol." He limped out of the bathroom, fumbling with his phone.

A few minutes later Cuddy emerged from the bathroom with Rachel. "Do you think I should take her to the pediatrician? I mean, I have that audit today, but-"

"Cuddy," House said, exasperated by the way she worried unnecessarily about Rachel, "we are both doctors. She has a cold."

She looked at Rachel tenderly, "I guess," she said, frowning as she put her down on the bed and headed back towards the bathroom to dry her hair. As Cuddy continued to get ready, House opened the door for the nanny and handed Rachel over to her, coming back to Cuddy in the bathroom.

"You know," he said, "we have a few minutes before you have to go-"

Cuddy's hair was done and she was now applying make-up, looking into her

vanity's mirror. She snuck a look at House in the mirror. "You mean before we have to go, the last time I checked you were still employed at the hospital."

House dove into Cuddy's neck as she tried to work on her make-up. "Come on, Cuddy, you know you need it."

Cuddy took a deep breath, frustrated with the knowledge that she seemed unable to say no to House. They had been together nearly six months now, and they had been the most amazing, most passion-filled, most exasperating and most painful days of her life. Within moments House had her up on the bathroom counter. He pulled off her thong like a pro, and was working her up faster than she ever thought possible. Cuddy groaned and House worked even harder to drive her over the edge. He was ridiculously turned on by the fact that the nanny and Rachel were just a few feet away, and here was Cuddy, totally succumbing to him. She gasped as he entered her and she soon dug her teeth into his shoulder as the powerful orgasm washed over her, and with a couple of additional thrusts he followed her into ecstasy. "Jesus, Cuddy," was all House was able to say as he held her firmly, waiting for his breathing to settle. Cuddy held on to him, trying to regain her strength, afraid she would fall over if he tried to stand just yet. After a few moments, House gently lifter her back to the cold marble floor.

As she finished getting ready, House limped towards the kitchen. He came back with a mug of coffee and a cup of tea. He set her cup for her on her dresser and tossed himself back in bed, exhausted by their morning rendezvous. He rubbed his leg absent-mindedly as she came out to the dresser and took a sip of tea before grabbing her watch and slipping it on. She knew she was running late, but didn't check the time. She turned to House, "Thanks for the tea."

"Is that what you're calling it these days?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, clearly proud of his morning conquest.

Cuddy smiled shyly. Then she turned to business, using the Dean of Medicine voice that usually made House call her mommy. "The audit is today. Please remember I'll be busy with it all morning. You can't storm into my office looking for permission to give a patient malaria."

"Fine," he said, faking extreme disappointment. "But how do you plan to keep Wilson from giving half of his liver away?"

"The same way I am stopping you," she responded. "I'm headed over to his place now," she added, winking seductively.

"Nice."

She looked back into the mirror and adjusted her blazer. "You can do this," she said to herself, her morning mantra as she prepared to do battle in a man's world.

"Is there any doubt?" House said, getting up from the bed and wrapping his arms around her again, his chest on her back.

"More doubts than I'll ever admit to," she said, his touch allowing her to reveal more than she intended.

"You are good at your job," he said softly, almost losing himself in her again.

For Cuddy, those words meant everything. She couldn't believe she had been so afraid of a relationship with House. Sure, he was a handful, and he challenged her every step of the way on everything, and he held in his hands the power to crush her at any moment, but he still had a way of knowing what she needed, and giving it to her.

She turned into his hold and returned his loving embrace. She broke it off quickly and was headed towards the door and to Rachel when she heard him say, "Maybe we should get married."

Cuddy froze. She was at the door, headed out of the bedroom when he said it. She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, if he meant it, or if it would turn out to be some cruel Houseian joke, but she froze nonetheless, and refused to turn around and give herself away.

"I mean," he said nervously, "things have been going well, at least I think they have."

She was silent. He continued, stumbling through the words, "Six months and we haven't killed each other."

Cuddy stood still, her back to House, her eyes filled with tears.

"I know you can hear me," he said, louder now, "because you stopped when I spoke," House said, frustrated at her lack of reaction. This was hard enough as it was - he couldn't believe he had said it - but he had. And now, and now he wished he could take it back.

She turned around and locked eyes with him, still keeping herself a safe distance away. Her eyes revealed tenderness and sincerity, and he was able to breathe again.

"You don't believe in marriage, House," she said. "I don't need you to do this, I don't-"

House shrugged his shoulders. "You're right. I don't. My parents, most of my patients, Wilson and his wives - I don't believe in marriage," he admitted.

"Then, why would you suggest it?" Cuddy said, truly curious. "I haven't made you think that it's something I needed, have I?"

House walked over to her, not breaking contact with her beautiful, confused, blue-grey eyes. "I don't believe in it, in marriage, I shouldn't," he said, mumbling, each word carefully chosen, each word requiring great effort, "but you make everything possible."

Cuddy sighed. Was this really happening? Had Gregory House just proposed?

"I don't want this thing we have - I don't want us, to go away," he confessed.

Cuddy shivered and melted into his tall frame. He continued, "And when I look at the kid, I think that while I'll never be the best father, maybe she deserves, you know, a family," he finally finished.

"House, I can't believe this, you've grown to love her," Cuddy said, surprised and touched, the tears that had been forming in her eyes threatening to come down.

Deflecting, House responded, "I don't think a big wedding is the way to go, I mean, with our age, and really, who would you be fooling with a white dress."

Cuddy shoved his chest softly and then wrapped her arms around him again. She couldn't believe they were here, at this moment, talking about marriage, when just a few months ago they were hurting each other and pushing each other away, as they had done for the twenty-three years they had known each other before that.

She pulled back from the embrace, held his chin with her long, slender fingers and said, "You know, maybe I can leave the office a little early today, after I have finished with the auditors, and if you can get away-"

House looked at her excitedly and said, "Are you going to suggest another quickie? Cuz I'll definitely be ready by-"

"We can stop by the courthouse on the way home."

House hugged her possessively. He couldn't believe he was holding Lisa Cuddy, the object of his desire - the woman he has loved for years. He couldn't believe they fit so perfectly together. Most of all, he couldn't believe he hadn't screwed it up. At least not yet.

"You have a date," he said, letting her go, walking down the hall with her towards the kitchen.

Before they reached the kitchen, the Dean of Medicine at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital turned to him and warned, "Don't you think for one moment I am changing my name."

"Don't worry," House snarked, "even if you did you could hide it easily under your ever-expanding ass."

They reached the kitchen and Cuddy leaned down to kiss Rachel in her high chair, wanting so much to share this amazing moment with her daughter, but knowing she would not be able to understand it yet. As Cuddy gave the nanny the instructions regarding Rachel's cold, House picked up the little plastic train Rachel had just heaved to the floor. Cuddy gave Rachel one last feel of the forehead, and Rachel swiped the train back to the floor.

House looked at the toddler with his best "no you didn't" look - the one he usually reserved for Wilson.

Cuddy smiled warmly at their interaction, then headed confidently out the door. House called out after her, "Just to be sure nobody suspects anything, I'll arrive about an hour late."

Laughing out loud, Cuddy turned back to him from the front door, "That's funny - because if you are late today, when the auditors will be there checking every I is dotted and every T is crossed - you will be relegated to servicing crotch rot and bronchitis in the clinic for the rest of your life while Foreman runs your department."

"Oooouch," House responded, giving the kid a tap on the head, then grabbing his helmet and looking for his keys.

Cuddy headed out towards her car with her briefcase, and House headed towards his bike with his cane and helmet. Both left for work with the knowledge that they had just shared a perfect morning.