Lisa returned to the hospital. She was still wearing her summer dress from the baby shower, a low-cut V-neck shape that ended at her knees covered in orange and pink shades of flowers. Brenda looked up from the Nurse's Station to see her walking toward her office.

"You look especially nice today, Dr. Cuddy."

"Huh?" Lisa said, unaware of everything around her.

"Your dress, it's nice," said Brenda.

"Oh, thanks." She replied. Distracted. Keeping her emotions in check until the salvation of her office. She continued to walk past Brenda.

"House is hiding, by the way. Supposed to be here an hour ago and no one heard him check himself in." She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. Nothing illegal happened since you left. At least not that I know of…"

Lisa gave a hollow chuckle. "I'll be in my office."

She opened the door and closed it afterwards, re-locking it. The blinds were still drawn and she made no effort to open them. She flicked on the light, walking towards her desk. The anger in her would not subside. She couldn't keep face for long. Inside her was a forbidden desire to hurt herself, to make herself bleed. She saw the stack of papers on her desk, and immediately swapped them off, sending them to the floor. She screamed, soft and low pitched. Her arms flayed about as she began dumping everything from her desk.

She felt two large hands encircling her wrists, pulling her back towards his chest.



"Lisa." He whispered. His grip on her was tight. She was shocked by the sound of her first name on his lips.

"No! No! No!" She ripped her hands from House. And turned to face him, pounding fists into his chest. Hot tears streamed down her face. "Anyone but you!" She shouted, "Anyone but you!"

She felt her fists being grabbed. His cane thudded against the floor. "Stop." He whispered. He looked her in the eye. "You're upset. Tell me what happened."

She shook her head. She began to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"What happened at the baby shower?"

"How did you know… what…how…" She paused. Her eyes lit with sudden clarity. Her finger tapped his chest, "Are you spying on me, House? Is this all because you are merely 'interested' in me?"

"Dean of Medicine is too distracted to do her job. It involves me. I'm just looking out for myself here."

"Right." She said crossing him to stand behind her desk where he couldn't reach her. "Couldn't be that you happen to care about me?"

He frowned. "This isn't another- 'Do you like me, House?' conversation is it? Let me just dispel this myth right now. I care about myself--my track record in diagnostics. You can't make decisions about my patients if you are not in the right frame of mind."

She blinked in distaste. "So, you're saying that I'm incompetent?"



"I'm saying that your emotions are clouding your judgment." She frowned at him. "The display that you just put on for me in your office proves I am right."

"Since you know everything about what is best for me and lately you have been so generous dispensing your advice. What do you suggest I do, huh?" She sat in her swivel chair and put her legs up on her desk. She felt in control now. She asked, "How can I alleviate your concern for yourself?"

"First of all, you can tell me what happened today." He limped to the chair opposite her desk and placed himself in it. He lifted his bad leg onto her desk mimicking her earlier motions. He reached into his pocket and dry-swallowed two of his vicoden.

She leered at him and waved her hand, "Oh, so you can laugh at me? Leer at my breasts a little while longer. No. Thank. You. House. You can leave now." Her eyes widened as she shooed him out of her office.

He stayed where he was, she sighed aloud. "This is why you throw things around and beat up on furniture, Cuddy. You don't talk about how you are feeling."

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

She was flabbergasted, "I don't talk about how I am feeling." She chuckled and rolled her eyes, "You're projecting."

"Yeah. This conversation is completely about me and my inability to do my job."



"This conversation is fulfilling some need for you on some level." Her head pointed to the heavens in a plea for strength.

"Oh, come on." His tone shifted to playful, light. "We're here to talk about your needs. If we were satisfying mine right now, you'd be half-nude, school-girl outfit, straddling your desk." He smiled at her innocently. And she fought with all her might not to laugh, not to be flattered that he fantasized about her. Her face registered an emotion between shock and smirk. She leaned back further in her chair, relaxing.

"As stimulating as this has been for me… Gotta go. My team is waiting for me on a differential. Kid keeps bleeding out his ears. Not exactly something you can win a ribbon for in the school science fair; although, it would make a daring Halloween costume."

He stood rather clumsily, forgetting that his cane lay on the floor. She noticed and immediately got up from her chair. Both doctors were bending over on the ground, starring each other in the eye. "You can start IVF again." He said.

She closed her eyes and breathed. "House."

He straightened and began to limp to the door. "I only suggest this so I can have an all-access pass to your ass." He waggled his eyebrows.

He opened the door toward the office and screamed. "Dr. Cuddy if you make one more comment about how you own my ass I will be forced to make a complaint."

He slammed her door, and all Lisa could do was stand there in wonderment.