2.

"Hi" said Cuddy, rather timidly.

House answered in an unusually soft voice:

"Hi."

"How are you? Cuddy asked, trying hard to hide how much she was concerned, but failing.

"Better, thank you." There was a pause as House knew Wilson had shared with her what he learned from his doctor and he didn't feel like going through more details.

"How are you? How's Rachel?"

Cuddy was rather startled at the genuine concern in his voice and the general softness of it. Not to mention he had called her daughter by her name. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't been expecting to talk about herself.

Truth is, she didn't have a clue how she was doing. Work was work. The hospital was quieter without House, there was no denying it. But it was also so much more boring. She missed him. She had –as House had guessed– been kept up to date on House's state via Wilson and she had worried a lot. She could only imagine how he must have felt walking into the mental institution, and that alone kept her awake many nights. House had asked her not to come with him and Wilson, yet she felt like she should have.

She herself had done lots of thinking, without ever coming to a conclusion. She admitted she felt something special for House. As to what it was and what she was going to do about it, she had no clue. Mostly, as always, it would depend on what he wanted. The only thing she could be sure of right now was the love she felt for her daughter. It was a good beginning. And so that's what she said:

"Good. We're doing good."

"I'm glad" said House.

Then, slowly, hesitatingly:

" Listen... I wanted to apologise. I know it's very cliché and all... but really. I'm sorry for all the shit I put you through, mostly what I said, about you and Rachel... you know." His voice trailed off.

"I know. Apologies accepted." She paused, searching for the right words. "And you know, you don't have to be sorry. About jerking me around I mean. You're being yourself. And I happen to miss it."

"You do?"House asked, genuinely surprised and puzzled.

"Of course!"Cuddy said while her heart went to House. She could tell he had reached a point where he didn't think much of himself, and she was anxious to reassure him but had no idea how to. After all, this was House.

"Even after what I called your daughter?"

"Well, OK, lately you might have crossed the line. But we both know that wasn't really you talking. And I also know that sarcasm and meanness are your ways of addressing issues that you feel strongly about. So, in a twisted way, I know that you giving me a hard time is just you caring about me. That's who you are."

She could tell House was really listening to her. Taking in her words and not just trying to bounce off them with a witty deflecting remark. She could tell he was really trying to understand more about himself, needing to know how other people saw him, needing to understand who he was and why.

"Yeah, I know. I wonder why though. I always was like that. Less before the leg, but still. I'm looking into this very original theory that it might have to do with my up-bringing", he added in his sarcastic voice.

Cuddy emitted a quiet laugh. There he was! She just had to dig a bit and there was the House she knew.

"Well, yeah, she took up. Of course parents fuck us up a little bit, they're bound to." House sniggered. "Becoming a mom has taught me that you can't be perfect: there are always some things that you're not going to handle very well, or have the adequate reaction at the right moment. But that's just being human. So of course Rachel will have issues of some sort, just like I do. But we all have some. It's what we do about them that make us who we are."

House didn't say anything as he pondered her words. Parenthood had done her good, he could tell.

Cuddy on the other hand was rather surprised. She wasn't used to talking like that. In fact she didn't know she felt like that about becoming a mom. House really had a way of being intellectually challenging. And she loved that in him.

Something caught House's attention, though:

"You said you had issues. Honestly? I mean, you're successful and smart and... you're not bad to look at" he finished abruptly, before saying something that might expose him. On the other end of the line Cuddy smirked, she knew how much he liked her body. House knew he had wanted to add a million other things to that list but he had chickened out. Again! he thought. One thing he had realised lately was that he loved Cuddy. Of course he didn't put it that way. But the fact that one side of his brain had took shelter in a romance with her when the other side was so intent on self-destruction was really telling. He could no longer deny the evidence. But he was, uncharacteristically, unsure and ashamed of himself. The way things had turned out, he was really wondering whether his mind was not ill, whether his whole way of being wasn't wrong. Why did he always feel the need to negate everything? Why was he such an ass? He had promised himself he'd quit being one to Cuddy. He had thought maybe, just maybe, if he ever felt like she might feel for him what he felt for her, he might venture into trying to tell her. He was honestly astonished at how scared this made him feel. This wasn't like him. It had to mean it really meant something to him. Right now he honestly couldn't see what issues Cuddy might have. To him, she was perfection.

"What kind of issues?" he asked softly, in earnest curiosity.

"Well how about being a workaholic unable to get love other than by taking in a crack baby? She paused. Don't get me wrong, of course I love Rachel...it's just... it would have been nice giving birth to the children of the man I love. "There! It was out. She didn't know if House would take the hint, but she had said it. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited to hear what he would say next.

House had heard the hint. Or thought so. Maybe it wasn't a hint. Maybe she wasn't talking about him at all. Maybe she'd met someone. House was at a loss what to think, and so, for the first time in a very long time, he chose honesty over sarcasm, irony or verbal abuse. And after a silence which sounded very long to Cuddy and her pounding heart, he said:

"You see, this is the kind of situation where I need help. I just don't know what to say. Either you're just opening up to me and being general about wanting to actually give birth and all that... "

He paused. Expressing one's thoughts without deflecting was decidedly very difficult. He took a deep breath."Or you're hitting on me." He finished off, deciding that it was an eloquent enough way to put it. "But in either case I don't know what to do."

Cuddy smiled, relishing his honesty, the softness of his voice. That was new and very much appreciated. And still the way he had said "hitting on me" was so very deliciously him.

"Well to be honest this was a difficult one." House could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm still trying to work out what I meant."

She loved him, but had she really wanted to have kids with him? Would that have been possible at all?

She continued:"And so, I have no idea what I was expecting you to say. Or how I would have reacted. You see...sometimes you're like my white board: if I'm not sure about myself, about something I must do, must tell you or not, or how... I sort of tell you about it, or bring you to a situation where it will come up...and see how you react. And usually it helps me take a decision. Because in the end, as much as I don't like to encourage you and your ego... you're always right. So I guess I was trusting you to take the right cue on this one."

"Gregory House, love Doctor" House erupted.

The way he came up with that, so stoically and out of the blue, and yet knowing just how witty he was being, cracked Cuddy up. She laughed out loud, the first earnest laugh she had had in a long time. House grinned. "Still got it!" was what a little voice in his mind was telling him. Mostly though he was just enjoying hearing her, imagining he could see the tiny wrinkles that came up at the corner of her eyes whenever she smiled, revelling in the throaty sound of her laugh. He laughed too, albeit technically not for the same reason: she made him happy.