A/N: Sorry this took me so long to get up. I knew what I wanted to do in this chapter, but then it wrote itself in a weird direction, and then I had to keep writing to get it back where I wanted it...let's just say it took longer to write then I first thought it would.

So...I don't own any of this...although I wish I owned Hugh Laurie.

Black Tie

A few weeks later, at 3:30 in the morning, House's cell phone rang. "'Ello?" He mumbled.

"House?"

"Cuddy? What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Something's different."
House pulled himself out of bed and pulled on jeans and a jacket, popping a viocodin. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Yes please." Came the quiet reply.

He stayed on his cell on the drive over. "Do you think it's Braxton Hicks?"

"I don't know. That's my first guess, but I want to be sure."

When he opened her front door, he found Cuddy sitting on the couch with her purse, looking very small. Without a word, he took her hand and led her out to the car. She held his hand tightly the whole drive, grimacing occasionally.

As they walked into PPTH, Cuddy still holding his hand, they found Wilson flirting with a nurse. He turned to the couple, "What's going on?"

House scowled, "Somebody's having Braxton Hicks contractions and got scared."

Cuddy glared at House. "There is nothing wrong with making sure that's what it actually is."
House rolled his eyes. "Painless contractions of the..."

She cut him off. "Painless? Let's squeeze your uterus for 45 minutes and see how you feel Mr. Vicodin Addict."

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The two doctors sat in the exam room on opposite end of the table, with their arms crossed.

The young doctor who walked in was grinning broadly, despite the fact that it was 4 a.m. "Dr. Cuddy? Hi, I'm Dr. Stevens." He took a step back as House turned to him. "And Dr. House? I don't think we've had a chance to meet, but I heard about that case with..." he trailed off as two "death glares" were shot his way. "So...Braxton Hicks Contractions! They can be pretty unsettling if you've never felt them before. I'll just give you a quick exam, if you could lie down."

Cuddy glared at House, who hopped off the table while muttering something about obstetricians.

"You're about 30 weeks along, right?"
Cuddy nodded.

"Excited to be nearing the end?"
She sighed, "It's moments like this that make me look forward to it all being over."
Stevens finished and pulled his gloves off. "Well, everything seems to be normal. I did notice on you chart that your blood pressure was a little high. Have you been stressed lately?"

She nodded. "We're having that fund-raiser at the end of the week and things have been kind of rushed to get ready."

Stevens smiled, "Well, try to take it a little easier. Get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, make somebody bring you ice cream in bed." He cocked his head at House who was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. He opened them to glare at the young doctor again. Stevens hastily said good-bye and fled the room, grateful to be away from the intense blue eyes.

As Cuddy got re-dressed she finally broke the silence. "You are coming with me, aren't you?"

"Where? Home? Well, I did give you a ride here. I'm not going to make you walk back."
She chuckled as she fumbled with her bra clasp. "No, to the fund-raiser."
His warm fingers on her bare back, doing up the clasp, surprised her. "Why? I thought I wasn't allowed to go to the fancy parties."

Cuddy turned to face the older man, wearing only her pants and bra. "I want you to go. You'll keep me from completely stressing out." She finally pulled her shirt on, settling it comfortably on her stomach.

"If you want me there, I'll go. Do I have to wear a tux?"

"Of course."

He groaned. "Can't I just wear an ironed shirt?"
She laughed as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the room, House following her, still moaning about dressing up.

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On the night of the fund-raiser, Cuddy was getting increasingly nervous. She checked her appearance in the mirror again, making sure her hair hadn't frizzed, her dress was still smooth, and her make-up was still perfect.

House had agreed to pick her up at 6, but when 6:05 rolled around, she was beginning to wonder if he'd forgotten. She'd reminded him as she left the hospital, but he'd just waved a hand at her.

Just as she was about to call him, a light tap on her door sounded. Cuddy swung open the door to reveal a shaved and combed House looking resplendent in a tux. At first she could only stare. She'd never seen him looking so...so...handsome. Adding to the image was that rare "House smile," which he seemed to save only for her. Finally, she shook herself out of her shocked state and they left.

After they arrived at the hotel's ballroom, they went in different directions. Cuddy was standing in a group of women all talking about pregnancy. House, on the other hand, was with Wilson and a group of male doctors at the bar who were all telling uproarious stories about patients. Throughout the night, wherever she was, Cuddy would glance over at House, while he drank his beer. More than a few times she caught him watching her.

Truth be told, House couldn't keep his eyes off her. She looked utterly luminescent in her light blue dress. Her hair was curled and half of it was pulled up. As he took a swig of his beer he thought, pregnant or not, Cuddy is, by far, the most beautiful woman in any room.

As the evening was coming to an end, Cuddy began making her way across the room towards him. House broke away, right in the middle of a "Weirdest thing found inside someone" contest, and met her in the middle of the room.

"Having fun?"

She shrugged. "A lot of money was donated."
"Ready to go home then?"
"Yeah, my feet are tired."
"You probably shouldn't have worn heels."
"I didn't"
House raised an eyebrow at her and she lifted the hem of her dress to reveal simple flats. "Well, that's different." He commented.

She just shrugged again.

Finally, after saying good-bye and thank you to what felt like a hundred people, they left. As they walked out the door, Cuddy felt his hand wrap over hers tightly.

When they got to Cuddy's, House walked her to the door. They stood there trying to find something to say. Cuddy was surprised to find that she felt like she had just gotten home from a first date. Mentally she cursed herself for being silly. House wouldn't think about... When she looked into his eyes, she realized he was, and he'd been thinking about it all evening.

As his mouth closed over hers, she lost herself in the kiss and stepped into him. All the past months of pent-up emotions, frustrations; all their hate, anger, denial, want, betrayal, and desire poured into each other. Cuddy drank in his grief, while he took in her fears and guilt. Suddenly...House took a step back, pulling away abruptly. He looked down at her stomach. "I will never get used to that."

She smiled weakly and the tension returned. He cleared his throat, "I should probably go."

As he turned away, she said urgently, "House."

He turned back. Cuddy hesitated, knowing what she wanted, but not knowing how to ask. "Do you want to come in?"

A/N: Mwahahah.