Thanks for all your kind reviews on the first chapter. Hope you like this one as much!

I still don't own House, sadly.

As soon as they were out of his room, Cuddy picked Rachel up and almost ran over to the elevator. Ever since they'd broken up, she'd constantly told herself that she was doing the right thing and that she'd made the right choice. But as soon as her eyes had met his stunning blue orbs, regret flooded her body and she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again. She loved him more than she thought it was possible to love someone and even though he was an absolute idiot when it came to their relationship, she felt empty without him.

She'd spent so long trying to convince herself that it was the right decision and that she was protecting Rachel, but she could see that Rachel loved House too and it was wrong to rip him out of her life like that. Cuddy had always wanted some stability in Rachel's life and that was why she ended up with Lucas; he was reliable and dependable – everything House wasn't. But it wasn't House who had chosen to leave them; Cuddy forced him away and introduced the instability into Rachel's life. She wanted to go back in to his room and beg him to have her back but she was too stubborn to admit that she was wrong.

She reached the elevator and put Rachel down beside her, holding on to her non-sword filled hand. She pressed the elevator call button with a heavy heart; desperately she longed to run back into House's room to tell him she loved him, missed him and wanted him back. Glancing over her shoulder, she stole a look back to House's room, longing to be back in there with him. Rachel tugged at her Mom's hand and Cuddy turned to face her to see the lift doors had opened to reveal Wilson with his head buried in a file.

"Wilson!" shouted Rachel excitedly as she let go of Cuddy's hand and ran over to him for a cuddle.

"Hey Rach! Or should I say Pirate Rachel? Hey Cuddy, how was he?"

"He's… different. He apologized and this time I really think that he meant it."

"What? What did you say to him?" Wilson quizzed Cuddy, shocked at the revelation.

"I couldn't say anything. I just had to leave. Wilson I can't deal with this; I was sure that breaking up with him was the right thing to do but when I'm with him, I want to be with him. I love him Wilson, so ridiculously, infuriatingly much." Tears began to well in Cuddy's eyes and this didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.

"Momma sad? Momma don't cry." Rachel reached her arms out to Cuddy and Cuddy bent down to pull her daughter into her arms.

"I'm okay sweetie" Cuddy said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Cuddy, tell him. You know you two are meant to be together; no one else could put up to him and you know you compare every other man you've ever been with to him. Bite the bullet Cuddy, you need each other."

Cuddy knew Wilson was right and hated to admit it. She nuzzled into Rachel's hair, wishing that this would all go away.

"I don't know Wilson. I can't do this now. Please just go and make sure he's okay." Cuddy walked past Wilson and stepped into the elevator, staring out of the doors to House's room.

House punched his mattress, hating himself for what he'd said to Cuddy. He'd opened himself up to her again and all she did was run away. He couldn't believe it but he really missed Rachel too. Against all the odds, she'd melted his icy exterior and he actually enjoyed being around her. He loved the way she was a tiny version of her Mom; smart, funny and determined. Staring at the ceiling, he felt hopeless and empty. He heard his door open but didn't care who it was; he knew that it wouldn't be the one person he so desperately wanted it to be.

"Hey, you okay? How was Cuddy?" asked Wilson as he wandered over to the seat beside House's bed, pretending that he didn't already know .

"She was fine." Replied House, not moving his eyes from the ceiling.

"House c'mon, you know you need to change, you've admitted that yourself, and hiding what you're feeling isn't a good way to go about that. What did she say to you?"

House knew that he couldn't carry on pretending that he was okay when really he was shattered inside. But he didn't want, no he didn't know how, to talk about his feelings to someone else. It was something that until Mayfield, he'd never done and even then he'd never felt comfortable discussing his emotions. He knew he had to get over this and thought this to be a better time than ever. He could change and maybe if he did, life wouldn't be so bad.

"She barely said anything. Rachel did the talking; apparently Cuddy misses me. I sure as hell miss her. I told her that I was sorry and that I missed her and she ran out of here like a bat out of hell."

"Oh House." Wilson said in his best I-honestly-didn't-know-this-already tone.

"What the hell do I do Wilson? I tell her I'm sorry and she runs off! I'm rubbish with stuff like this; I don't do emotions and feelings. I need her back and I have no idea what to do about it." House looked at Wilson who saw the pain and longing in his eyes. He'd only ever seen House like this once; when Wilson was getting ready to donate part of his liver to Tucker.

"Just give her time House. You know you're supposed to be together; it'll happen." Wilson felt a sense of déjà vu as he spoke. "She still loves you, she just needs to work out a way of dealing with all of this. You've hardly helped the situation, what with getting married and all."

"I know, I know, quit with the judgemental talk." House resigned himself to the realisation that he would have to wait for Cuddy, no matter how badly he wanted her back this second. He'd been a jerk and he couldn't expect to be forgiven instantly. He wanted her back and he knew he couldn't carry on along his usual self-destructive path. It was time for Gregory House to grow up and become the man Cuddy needed him to be.