House put the key in his front door. He was covered in sweat and panting, rubbing his right leg more out of habit than necessity. He paused before entering, deeply inhaling the fresh air of that early June morning. He had begun to appreciate getting up early in the morning for a run in the park. The control that he had gained on his body gave him a feeling of power. It had been six weeks since his leg surgery and he felt literally a new man. As it had temporarily happened years before with Ketamine... but this time it would be lasting.

By now since two weeks he didn't need his cane, but had continued to use it at work. He wanted to be sure of the result before making it public, he didn't want to have to endure other looks of pity if the results will have been different from his expectations. It was a week since he started to go running every morning and his leg muscles were more toned and strong. He was also regularly doing his gym exercises every day at lunchtime. For the first time in a long time he felt to be back the man he was in the past, physically and mentally...

An hour after, he entered the main entrance of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital ... without his cane.

He knew it would be a morning of questions and answers, of glances and gossip. That situation was not for him. But after all he was famous not only for his genius, but to be the grumpy genius diagnostician with a cane then. He knew that, now, attracting a lot of eyes on him would be inevitable.

He walked straight to the office in front of him. He had stayed away from that office as much as he could since his coming back to Plainsboro, but that morning he knew he couldn't avoid it anymore.

He knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer, in House-style.

Her scent pervaded the room and brought him back many memories, too many memories.

She looked up from her desk and looked at him with amazement while he approached and sit down on one of the chairs in front of her. Without his cane.

"Oh my God ... I can't believe it ..." her voice was just a whisper.

"I thought that, as my boss, you should know" he said staring at her "although I don't think it will take a long time before everyone knows" he said without a smile

"What's...?"

"A miracle... I visited Our Lady of Lourdes" he said in a serious tone looking at her with his penetrating stare.

The tension was palpable among them. They both felt the weight of unanswered and looming questions. He wanted her to know that his leg was fine, but he wasn't going to open up with her. She had dumped him and had been clear about not wanting to have to do with him anymore. Now she was just his boss. He was still in love with her, but he was no longer willing to put up a new refusal. Therefore he preferred to do what he had always managed to do better ... being a cold, impassive and emotionless bastard.

She stared back at him placing a hand under her chin answering to his provocation. She knew that he wouldn't tell her what had happened.

"Our Lady of Lourdes...?" she looked up weighing her words and nodding "You are an atheist, House"

"You are Jewish"

She stared at him again with a questioning look.

"Oh, sorry" he added with mock innocent air "I thought we were playing the game of the obvious!"

She sighed and waved her hand as if to say never mind, never mind.

She was accustomed to his jokes and his teasing, and there had always been tension in their squabbles ... sexual tension ... There had always been complicity between them since that first look in the library's her first University day, and she had always been able to handle it. But now ... she felt like if after two decades she didn't know how to sustain that tension anymore. The guilt was blocking her and she knew she had no right to interfere in his life...after all she had been the one dumping him that cursed night.

Neither of them spoke, then, before one of them opened the mouth to speak, Nurse Brenda knocked and appeared in the doorframe, bringing them back to reality from that surreal situation.

"I beg your pardon Dr. Cuddy, but the Board Meeting is in 5 minutes and you told me to warn you when Dr. Montgomery was here..."

"Oh ... sure" she said looking at her wristwatch to make sure not to be too late "Thanks Brenda. Please, tell them, I'll be there right now."

She stood up and House did the same.

"I'm sorry House, I really have to ... I really have to go"

"Sure!" he answered back heading for the door "See you!"