A Lunch Date and Speculations

I had some unexpected extra time today so here is your 4th chapter! I am shocked at how popular this story is but happy to hear your loving it! This one will be entirely from House's perspective and mostly Hacy.

House and Stacy sat in a little diner on the corner around the hospital. Stacy was sipping tea and watching House continue to glance every minute or so at the door.

"Greg." Stacy placed her hand on House's arm. He faced her. "You don't need to worry about Lisa, she'll be alright she's just having a tough day."

"I'm not worried," House said casually before taking a sip of coffee.

Stacy smiled. "She's your friend and something is bothering her it's okay to feel worried."

House ignored her comment and went back to digging through his soup. Stacy frowned and leaned on her hands, watching her ex-boyfriend. "House. Do you want to talk about something? Anything?"

House looked up at Stacy, a little scared. "I'm not really sure I am comfortable with the whole 'divulging your feelings' thing yet."

Stacy nodded. "I understand. But you can tell me anything you know that right? I want to help you get better." Stacy took House's hands and watched for a reaction.

What House really wanted to know was what was wrong with Cuddy. He knew it had something to do with Stacy but she had acted so angrily…and Cuddy and Stacy had been friends. He didn't want to admit that she had hurt him; she had only ever yelled at him like that once, when he announced that they'd slept together off of the hospital balcony. He hated it when she got that upset. HATED it. But something else was eating at House…

"Are you just going to disappear again in the next couple weeks?" House blurted out.

Stacy blinked, a little confused. "What?"

House withdrew his hands. "I don't think I'm ready to be opening up to you if you are just going to leave again."

Stacy looked at House, a little hurt. "You were the one that wanted me to go. I was ready to leave Mark and be with you."

House looked down. "I knew that being with me would be a mistake."

"Then why did you lead me on like that?!" House looked up, guiltily, but Stacy wasn't mad. Just…hurt. That made House hurt.

"I don't share well," he shrugged and picked up his coffee to take a drink.

"I wasn't yours to begin with Greg!" Stacy's voice rose a little. "We had broken up long before I met Mark. I had moved on! Then you came along and just…" Stacy stopped and put her head in her hands. "I don't want to fight with you," her voice grew soft. "That was so long ago…"

"I'm sorry." House cut her off. She looked up, shocked, to see regret and caring etched all over his face. Stacy's eyes filled with tears.

"I was wrong and I'm a bastard," House finished. He started digging around in his soup again, watching Stacy from the corner of his eye.

Stacy smiled through her tears. "Greg I…." She stopped and sniffed quickly before laughing. "Look at me crying like this." She sniffed again. "I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I just…want us to be friends again. To start over and pretend all this never happened."

"I don't think I can do that," House said point blank.

Stacy frowned. "What?"

House continued digging through his soup. "I…." He stopped. Stacy looked absolutely dejected. House suddenly felt himself going through a flashback.

"Greg!" Stacy stood in front of their apartment door, tears streaming down her face.

"I said get out of my way!" House winced as his leg let out another painful throb.

"You are being ridiculous! You are overreacting!"

"Would you like to live the rest of your life like me? Huh? HUH!" He screamed in her face and she winced. "I can't sleep at night, I can't take a walk in the park, I can barely stand up any longer because of what you've done to me!"

"I saved your life is what I did!" Stacy yelled and pointed at him accusingly. "You were willing to throw it all away; your relationship with me, your life…"

"Don't you even start with this "me" stuff!" House yelled. "I'm the one in pain here…."

"And you're getting on my case about me being a narcissist?! How dare you!" Stacy spat in his face. "I have sacrificed everything, EVERYTHING to help you and all you care about is yourself! Don't you think your pain is hurting me too?!"

"Stacy, get out of the way, I'm leaving. I want out."

"You are not being reasonable!" Stacy began pleading. "The pain…it's affecting your judgment."

"I said 'move'" House's voice had dropped menacingly and Stacy glared. "Fine. You want out of this relationship then you can get your sorry ass out of here."

Stacy moved out of the doorway and crossed her arms across her chest.

House turned back to her on the way out. "I hate you."

Stacy's glare disappeared and was replaced by a crestfallen face that haunted House to this day. "You're a son of a bitch," her voice was filled with loathing but her eyes were wounded. House turned on his heel to march away…

"Greg? Greg! Are you okay?" Stacy leaned in and cupped his cheek gently with her hand. House blinked and refocused on Stacy. Except…he was staring at Cuddy. She looked so worried…her eyes were misty as she searched his face trying to find an answer. He knew that she cared about him…even after the humiliation he put her through screaming they slept together from the balcony. But did she REALLY feel the same way about him that he felt about her? He had hallucinated everything…

"Greg!" Stacy shook him and once again he was staring at the face of his worried ex-girlfriend. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"

"Yeah I just…" House shook his head. "I was having a flashback."

Stacy sighed with relief and sat back in her chair. She really cared about him too….

"I think maybe starting over would be a good idea" he responded while picking, once again, at his sandwich.

Stacy smiled, relieved. "That makes me very happy."

House looked back up at Stacy and couldn't help his feelings for her rushing back.

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD

House waltzed into Wilson's office and plopped on the couch.

"Do you ever knock?" Wilson asked without even looking up.

"Why would I? I never have before." He rested his head on his left hand and twirled his cane around with his right hand. "So…any new hot nurses this week?"

"Nope." Wilson continued to ignore House and scribbled something in one of his files.

"Stacy told me that she wanted to start over," House stated casually looking to see if Wilson was actually paying attention to him. Wilson was listening.

"As in….a relationship?" Wilson looked up at House, stunned.

House shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe?! You're either in love with her or you're not!" Wilson said exasperated. "You can NOT screw with her again House! You can't you…"

"I know," House said quietly.

Wilson sighed and sat back in his chair looking at House. "What about Cuddy?"

"What about her?" House suddenly found himself growing very nervous, he didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"What about her House?" Wilson repeated. He gave House a knowing look and House merely turned away and stared out the window. "It's not like we're dating."

"You kissed her! You screwed around with her feelings and you left her hanging! If you're going to date Stacy you need to set things right with Cuddy."

"I never said we were dating again okay? She just wants to start over. Sheesh you always overreact." House stood up and walked over to the door. "House…" Wilson warned, but House was already out the door.

House waltzed out of Wilson's office down to Cuddy's. He approached her office but stopped when he noticed the lights were off. Frowning, he went to turn the handle but it was locked. He looked at his watch. 4:30pm. what the hell was she doing leaving before dinner?

"Excuse me!" House turned around and addressed the nurses milling around in the lobby (loudly of course). "Where did Dr. Cuddy go?"

A couple people raised their eyebrows, one or two mumbled something, and everyone else ignored him. House glared and limped back over to the elevators and back to Wilson's office. He slammed the door open to a startled Wilson who jumped three feet in the air.

"House! Good Lord! What is your problem?"

"Where did Cuddy go? It's only…" House looked down at his watch. "4:33."

Wilson shrugged. "How should I know? Maybe she just went home early. She has a kid you know."

"Cuddy doesn't just 'go home early.'" House squinted his eyes until they were little slits and shut the door behind him. "You know."

Wilson put his hands up in self-defense. "Well, she didn't tell me this time."

House limped over to the desk and sat down in front of Wilson, leaned in, and continued to stare at him.

Wilson looked up. "You aren't bothering me."

House lifted up his cane and set it on top of Wilson's stack of files. He sighed and opened a drawer pulling out a new stack of files.

House went over and opened the door to the hallway. "Hey! Wilson's screwing the new nurse on the night shift! I think her names Betty!" He shouted into the hallway where some doctors were milling about. He shut the door again.

"You are still not bothering me," Wilson answered in a monotone voice.

"Therefore you know where she went," House answered. "You are such an awful liar."

"Do you think that she'd tell me with the knowledge that you would storm in here badgering me until I succumbed to your will?"

"Yes, you are the only person she trusts," House reasoned. "She and Cameron hate each other, Chase is a freaking baby, and Foreman is power deranged. You're all that's left."

"Oh that makes me feel so special," Wilson said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"She's pregnant!" House announced.

"No…" Wilson looked at House like he had three heads.

"Yes! It would explain her sudden mood change, the crying, the exhaustion…"

"She's not pregnant House!" Wilson said, unsure as to House got to that conclusion.

"Then you DO know! Aha!" House limped back over to Wilson's desk.

"Oh I give up!" Wilson threw his hands in the air. "She's been leaving early two days a week since you were institutionalized. I only know because sometimes she has me watch things for her."

"Why didn't I notice this?" House sounded genuinely upset.

"Well you've been less stalkerish lately that could be the reason. She said she has lessons. For what or by whom I don't know. Now leave me alone." Wilson, feeling guilty for spilling what he did know, looked back down at his desk turning a little red.

"Lessons for what?"

"House. I said I don't know." Wilson stood up and shooed House out of his office and shut the door.

House stood outside Wilson's office in d daze. Lessons for what? Why didn't he know? Was she really dating someone and covering it up? The thought made his chest constrict. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Sorry but I had to leave you hanging on this one So…what did you think? I would love the continued suggestions. The next chapter will be more Huddy centered.