A/N: Wow, thank you guys so much for reading! I was genuinely pleasantly surprised to receive that much feedback. So thanks IHeartHouseCuddy, Abby, berenice, Alex, momsboys, HuddyGirl, lin12344, EvilEmi and all the silent readers!

Here's the next chapter. Still no beta, still not my first language, and so on.

Enjoy.

Disclaimers in the previous chapters.


And It's Hard at the End of the Day

We tend to think that with time, everything will get better, that time can heal all wounds. But when the end of the day comes, nothing seems that obvious anymore. Each step you take forward can turn into two steps back. And someday or another, you just have to learn how to take leaps forward.

It was getting late and she wasn't back from the hospital yet. He knew she had an import meeting that she couldn't postpone so he just waited, as patiently as he could.

She had gotten back to work and seemed to be doing better. She was getting her color back and she didn't seem exhausted all the time anymore. She was getting back on healthy eating habits, she went back to laughing at his inappropriate jokes and she didn't seem to be walking around with a huge burden on her back anymore.

They had taken their time to reach that particular stage but it was a thorny, risky and terrifying road that they had been forced to take. Each time they had to overcome an obstacle he took the time to hold her hand, to pull her forward, never forcing it. Nothing was ever going to be simple or easy in their life anyway but he was ready to put up with anything. If only just for her.

When he heard the key in the lock, he stood up to open the door for her. To be welcomed home with open arms could only do her good.

She was wearing a navy-blue skirt suit and was only covering her neck with a sky-blue silk scarf that their daughter had gotten her for Mother's Day. It wasn't cold enough to be wearing a coat or jacket or even to keep one's throat warm yet so he was slightly surprised to see her like that. When leaving home this morning, she definitely didn't have the accessory with her. But he didn't need to ask her why. He knew.

Every memory was good to take, good to keep, to preserve and to be taken everywhere with them. Every single memory. Had it been short or seemingly meaningless. Everything was important. Everything was precious.

After a smile had made its way to his face, he took her in his arms and let his hands trail down her back. She shivered before burying her face in the hollow of his neck. He smelt like cigars but she couldn't care less. His short beard was tickling her nose, making her smile and in a very subtle movement, she humidified her lips before pressing them, as tenderly as possible, against his skin.

He had changed. Despite his very strong beliefs, he had changed indeed. She knew he would probably never admit it but she could testify. Of course, he remained as straightforward as always, biting, frank and obscure during work hours. His relation with the patients had remained the same, with his team, with his best friend. But as soon as he would get home, it seemed like he would take off his armor to let it rest beside the entry door. He was more tactile, more receptive, but also more giving. It was as though he knew he had to leave all of his suffering out of their house, otherwise it would overwhelm them. And there was no way he was going to let that happen. They couldn't relapse. That was completely out of the question.

But that didn't mean they didn't fight or annoy each other anymore. He would make snarky comments on her appearance, her outfits, and she would answer back with as much wit as she was used to. Except that now, they would always put an end to their arguments with the help of a kiss, a hug, or in bed. The latter being always their favorite choice.

They had both been afraid that they would lose each other after the tragedy they had had to go through. In the end, it only brought them closer. They had understood that together they could only be stronger, as cliché as it may have seemed.

"You wanna take a shower and go change before leaving?" he asked, his husky voice echoing against her ear and bringing her out of her reverie. His warm respiration was caressing her neck.

"No, it's getting late already. We should probably leave now."

He knew that was not the real reason but he decided on not commenting on it. He simply took her bag out of her hands, unwillingly removing one of his arms from around her waist, to drop it on the piece of furniture beside the door.

He saw her eyes following his movements and staring at the piece of wood. It was where she had left the keys on that day. Before she could venture to go on these sinuous roads, he lifted her chin with two fingers and dropped his lips on her mouth. It was not an earth-shattering, spirited and ardent kiss, but the emotion and the affection it released was enough to warm their hearts and minds.

"I'll go get Teddy. You can take the flower to the car and get it started," and with that he dropped a light kiss to her forehead before turning around and slowly making his way up the hall.

She saw a vase on the living room's table as well as a white string to keep the white poppies surrounded by gypsophilas of the same color together, forming a bouquet. Peace, innocence, purity.

A few minutes later, he joined her in the car and they took the road. That road they had took way too often during that last year, that road they would have wanted to never have to take.

The trip went by pretty fast and in a deep silence. His hand rested on her thigh while she drove. At each red light, she would glance at him, and couldn't help a light smile from dancing on her lips. House holding a teddy bear wasn't a sight you would see every day. But that was a sight she enjoyed, a sight she cherished. It was good to have that sight in mind, close to her, that was so special, while all the other images that would haunt her thoughts were responsible for so many nightmares.

But suddenly, another image came to her mind. He had probably not noticed it, but he was holding the teddy bear against his belly, his hand resting on its back. Just like she had so often found him when getting home after work, with their daughter, still a baby, in that exact same posture. He would often fall asleep in front of the TV, with her against him. The little body and the hand resting on its back would raise at each one of his inhalations to then go down at each exhalation.

And that was each one of those precious images that reassured her. She had no regrets.

Tightened her grip around the wheel, she pulled over in the totally empty parking lot of the cemetery. She was the first one out of the car to take the flowers and Teddy from House's hands. The latter opened his car door and spun his cane between his fingers before resting it on the floor to help him up.

It was hard at the end of the day...

When they started walking, she slipped her free hand in his and squeezed lightly, twice. He inhaled deeply before repeating her gesture. It was so much more than a step that they had to take.

Reaching the marble, he let his head drop back, staring at the sky, which was getting darker and darker. She put Teddy in a corner, then arranged the flowers in his little arms. She let go of her lover's hand, sat down quietly, taking good care not to let her skirt ride up her thighs, and pulled on his pants. When he immediately tilted his head down to look at her, she knew that she had not been the first one to seek for his attention that way. He looked surprise and she could detect a snatch of melancholy taking over his face.

"Come on," she said in a whisper, patting the spot at her side in the grass.

He had some difficulty in doing so, not being able to properly bend his leg but he managed to sit at her side. After dropping his cane on the ground, he passed his arm around her shoulders. A weak, cold breeze was shyly floating around.

She broke the silence after a few minutes with a discreet laugh, while resting her head on his shoulder and grasping her partner's shirt on his stomach.

"Remember the first time you tried to feed her ice cream?" she laughed again.

He sneered at her mentioning of the memory.

"She had ice cream all over her face and you, all over your clothes," her lips morphed into a gigantic smile before their laughs started echoing in the air.

And that's how they remained in each other's arms, remembering all those little moments, those little details that had marked their life with their little prints.

That's how they took their first leap forward.


Thanks for reading, and as always, all opinions are appreciated so... please, review? Xx