A/N: Thanks for the love guys :D And as I promised here's the next chapter. I know it's not great that DS has said that the Huddy is because of a decline in ratings but as long as the writing is good I don't really care. So, when we left the last chapter Cooper had ordered the shooters to hit the man holding the gun but we had no idea whether it was Lucas or House. Behold Lucas's last chapter. Oh and a final note I want to give you a guideline to what I imagine Rory looks like; if you search 'Valerie Cruz' who was in the Dresden files as Murphy. Also I may have mentioned in a previous chapter in a speech of Wilsons that he'd met House's parents but I've had a change of heart so forget everything I said, well not everything but I have decided for a plotline after this chapter and it has to do with House's mother. I liked the way House talked to his mother, like the only person he treats with respect so I played on that. It's dramatic and awesome in my opinion so forgive me for the delay and changes :D Sorry it's short I have a legit reason!

Chapter 10: Knockin' on Heaven's door

"When a man is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Take the shot."

His words echoed throughout the base camp. The shooter's hands shook so badly that he couldn't focus enough on the man holding the gun, "Sir, I can't do it."

Cooper grabbed the gun from the shooter and took it up himself. Cuddy couldn't look, Rory was intently watching for any clues as to which man was her brother and everyone else was deadly silent. Cooper aimed and prepared to shoot.

Every step he could feel the blood running down his leg but he was forced to walk through the pain. Lucas had tied them both together but it appeared that House was the man holding the gun. Lucas had taped the gun to his hand but unluckily for him it wasn't loaded and it made him look like he was Lucas.

Sweat was running down Coopers face. This was a defining moment. He couldn't wait, one of the men was holding a gun, and his position was justified. Lucas Douglas was far more dangerous than the people around him were aware of. Either way protocol was to shoot the man holding the gun. The detective held the gun and lined up the shot. A countdown started in his head as the pair were coming closer to the crowd. 5…4…3…2…

"COOPER ITS HOUSE! DON'T SHOOT!"

Rory cried out but it was too late. Coopers finger had already released his grip on the trigger firing the bullet at speeds Rory or Cuddy had a chance to out run, but they knew if it were possible they would have tried. Everything seemed to stop from the moment the offending bullet was fired. Silence gripped the crowd until one of the men fell and the other tore him away from the restraints holding his hands up to the police officers. A uncontrollable rage powered Cuddy to move and push her way through the barricades until she was face to face with the unhurt man, Cuddy knew was Lucas.

"Take the mask off Lucas."

He did as he was told be revealed a gun from underneath his shirt, and clapped, "Well done! House would be proud. If he weren't suffering from two bullet wounds that is."

Cuddy felt physically sick at the sight of her ex-lovers sadistic smile, "Shoot me then, get it over with."

"You know you still love me, Lisa. Look at him I've shown you what a useless cripple he is. I have saved you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

Cuddy, even though her internal instinct was to slap him, moved over to Lucas and hugged him. Lucas hugged her back and smiled, "I knew you'd understand."

She pulled back and smiled, "Oh, I understand alright."

A shot fired and Lucas leaned heavily on her, and then crumpled to the floor revealing Cuddy holding a gun. Lucas grabbed her leg, "You…shot m-m-me."

She dropped the gun and walked away from him. House, who was still wearing the mask, was crawling over to where Cuddy was walking. He stopped as the pain to move was too much, "Cuddy."

The Dean rushed to his aid talking off her jacket and kneeling down to where House was lying placing his head on her knees. The jacket was used to try and absorb the waves of blood which House was loosing but to no avail. Cuddy took off his mask to reveal a face covered with blood, bruises and sweat.

"So, what's the verdict C-Cuddles, will I be winning any beauty pageants?"

Cuddy smiled but the sadness and futility was conveyed also in her graceful features, "If there was an idiot category then you'd surely ace it."

"Well…I-I-If I do…die then I got a good l-l-last view of the t-t-twins."

House looked up from just underneath Cuddy's breasts with a small smirk but it didn't last long as a coughing fit combined with the shear amount of pain he was in took it's toll. Cuddy turned a little so House could see her face more clearly; she had no idea what to say to him. The sense of panic was returning to Cuddy, this could be the last conversation they have, should they continue the playful but pointless banter?

"House…thank you."

He tried to reply but only groaned in pain. Cuddy began to let her emotions that she had tried so hard to hold on to flow out, "Gregory House if you die…I'll never forgive you."

House laughed weakly, meanwhile Rory was charging towards them with paramedics, he grabbed her hand tightly and said, "You h-h-have to promise me s-s-something."

Cuddy held his hand tightly, "Anything."

He struggled to say it as House was loosing consciousness due to the amount of blood he'd lost, "Tell R-Rory…I d-d-did it to save her or h-h-he'd have k-k-killed her…"

House couldn't finish his sentence as the pain was taking over his body making him convulse in agony, "House, you need to try and stay still."

He shook his head, "I'm too b-badly…w-wounded, and Cuddles. I g-g-guess if this i-i-is the last chance I-I-I…get to s-s-ay it…Cuddy."

Her breath hitched and Cuddy's heart beat faster, if it were humanly possible, but at the back of her mind she knew this wasn't going to be the last time. Cuddy needed him to survive. To Cuddy there was no other option. That's why she couldn't fall apart; aside from the few tears Cuddy let go she had been strong.

"I know House, you can tell me later…" He looked at her strangely, "Because there will be a later."

House became stressed and tried to talk more but he couldn't. Every time he tried to talk it stressed his heart even more. By the time the paramedics ran over with Rory, the defibrillators were needed. The two paramedics rushed House away on a stretcher away from Cuddy and Rory.

"He's going to be ok isn't he?"

Rory asked Cuddy, "He asked me to tell you something." Cuddy evaded the original question asked, "House said he did it to save you. Or he'd have killed you."

The detective looked puzzled, "What did he mean by that?"

"I have no idea, but I have to follow the ambulance. You coming?"

Rory nodded and followed Cuddy. She seemed eerily calm, like those people that had been told something devastating but refused to believe it, Cuddy had a blank look on her face that told Rory that there was a battle going on underneath. They reached Cuddy's car and Rory got in with her. Once they'd settled down it hit Cuddy. House might not be alive when she got to the hospital.

"Lisa, you didn't answer my question earlier. He's going to be ok. You have to tell me that he is because I continue to live my life in the dark. House is the only one with the answers I need and plus…" Rory mustered up the courage to bare her soul a little to a woman that she didn't know very well but trusted completely, "I want to get to know him."

Cuddy let a silence pass between them as she placed her head on the steering wheel and her hands either side it. After a few minutes had passed, Cuddy rose and put the keys in the ignition, "I wish I could tell you he'd going to be ok but I can't. I can't promise you that because we both need the same thing."

"I didn't tell him about so many things. I've always been a private person; I thought we'd have time. I'd be able to introduce them."

Cuddy started the car and began to drive but tilted her head at 'them' that Rory was referring to, "Who are you talking about?"

The detective sighed, "I was married for five years; divorced now and it was a while ago plus he's dead now. Whilst I was married we had a kid. A boy, Theo, I didn't know him that well. So, I didn't tell him."

"There was a moment when he was going to tell me how he felt."

Rory turned to her in shock, "What did he say?"

Cuddy stared at the road in front of her in fear that if she even blinked tears would stream uncontrollably from her misty eyes, "I told him he could tell me later."

Rory leaned back and smirked but still concern and worry in the back of her mind, "Well if he'd anything like me, that means not even God could stop him."

Cuddy smiled, Rory was doing her best to reassure her but the fact was Cuddy was a doctor. The man had been shot, had TB and his past history read like a war novel. Realistically the odds that a doctor like House himself would tell her, weren't good.

"…He's crashing."

House could hear the voices around him but he was only loosely conscious. He could feel the vehicle he was in moving. He could feel the live draining from him but House tried to breath, taking one breath at a time. It was as much as House could manage even with the supply of oxygen that the mask was giving him.

"Were loosing him!"

House could see his vision fluttering and the lights from the ambulance all-merging together. He felt hands on his chest, as if it wasn't his chest at all, House felt numb and like he had after the electro-shock therapy. The feeling that he was no longer in his own body.

"I'm not letting you die, Dr. House!"

"He's gone!"

"No! Not yet, we have to try again!"

"Gregory… Wake up Gregory."

House smelt something familiar before he opened his eyes. It was the smell of freshly baked pancakes, the ones his mother Blythe House, used to make so well. When his father was away she'd make them for him, that was long before Rory was born, it was when they were stationed in some far off country where everywhere he went he was an outsider. Blythe used to make them so he felt more at home.

"Gregory, there's not a lot of time. You need to wake up."

He opened his eyes to see his old house around him. The bare walls aside from a few decorations but exactly how he remembered, House slowly got up and moved outside to where his mother's voice was coming from. The scene hit him, like when he was on the bus with Amber, it was beautiful; the South Carolina skies blue as a sapphire. The corn that grew in neighbouring fields swayed in the slight warm summer breeze. A woman, with hair of a golden brown, sat on the porch with her back to him.

"Mom?"

"Sit down, Gregory."

House obeyed his mother and sat down in the space next to her. For a moment, he'd forgotten how beautiful she'd been, the last time he'd seen her she wasn't in the greatest of states.

"It's not the time to think about that, Gregory."

"About what?"

Blythe turned to him, "About what I did…how I left you. You're dying, somewhere in reality a man is desperately trying to bring you back."

House turned away and looked at the grass, "He should stop I don't deserve it. I never did."

Blythe took his shoulders and turned him to her, "You never say that, Gregory House, you are worth more than you'll ever know. If I had your strength and your courage, I would be with you in life but I didn't. You don't get to choose your life, son. There are people that need you, things you need yet to do and people you have to save."

House shook his head, "All I get is pain, and if I survive this I'll be living with even more pain. I can't…"

Blythe shook him again, "No. You are going to listen to me, Gregory. You are going to fight this. Yes, you're going to be in pain but you will have something…someone to help. Think about Rory, think about the people you save but mostly think about Cuddy and the little girl you saved. You can give up on yourself, Gregory, but don't you dare give up on them."

House absently smiled at her. Taking in her words as well as noticing she didn't look a day older than thirty. He felt angry with her, when he needed his mother most she couldn't be there.

"Why did you do it, Mom? Why did you let him win?"

Blythe smiled and stroked her sons cheek fondly before pulling him into a tight hug closing her eyes and letting tears escape, "I could watch him hurt you, son. I'd already watched my daughter leave me; I couldn't watch him take you. I look back and I know I did the wrong thing, I was a coward but please don't hate me. I always loved you, Gregory."

"I love you too, mom."

She released her hold on him and House felt a shock and heard voices in his head.

"Come on House, please! It's me Cuddy, you've got to fight this!"

"Cuddy's there."

Blythe nodded, "She loves you as much as I do. Fight for her…" His mothers voice began to get more distant and the scenery around him faded to white light. House felt his eyes closing but a rhythm in his head. The sound of his slow heart beat.

"Well done everyone, " The A&E doctor said, "We pulled him back. Get him into surgery right away pull out those bullets and stop the bleeding. Go!"

People carried House away but Cuddy, Rory and now Wilson had stayed behind. It had been so close. House had flat lined three times and in the ambulance was dead for three minutes. It had been Rory who was the most effected; every time she saw him shocked it brought back something in her memory which had been buried away. All the recalled memories involved him getting hurt but it was still foggy, like she wanted to forget.

"Dr. Cuddy, Wilson and you are?"

Before anyone could answer for her, Rory stated dryly, "Detective Rory Bourne, House's sister, so can we move it along now and tell me how he's going to be?"

The Doctor nodded and moved on hastily, " House is critical but the fact that he pulled through after all he's been through is a very good sign. He's going to have a cast on his leg but due to that we decided it would be best to try Ketamine seen, as he's not on narcotics anymore. The other bullet is the problem. I won't know much about it until surgery."

The doctor was about to walk away when he double stepped back, "Dr. Cuddy I was wondering, would you like to know the condition of the other gun shot victim?"

Cuddy answered too quickly for Rory or Wilson's liking, "Yes."

"He died."

The doctor said and exited the room. Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief, "He's dead. Lucas is dead and I killed him."

Wilson rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, "You had no choice."

"Nothing will come of it, Lisa. Lucas is dead; it's the best outcome for all of us cops. They won't make a big deal about it."

Rory said, "So, is it all a waiting game now?"

Wilson nodded, "But I think he's going to be ok. Everything is going to get better."

Rory and Cuddy both looked at each other with an eyebrow raised. Wilson laughed, "If I didn't know better I'd think House was in the room right now."

A/N: I know it's short but what I didn't tell you is that whilst playing Rugby I hurt the muscle in my shoulder and I have a sling so it's taking me extra time. So for the European readers I think I missed my promised deadline but please forgive me :D So, I think I'm onto about 30,000 words about so come on all those closet readers. Any who I hope your happy with this chapter, I've thought about it a lot and I think Cuddy staying relatively strong and the dialogue with his mother is the right way to go to introduce my brand shiny new storyline. LUCAS IS DEAD. No more Lucas! Hooray! I think next chapter will have some good old Huddy lovin' (though not the kind my dirty mind comes up with) mainly dialogue maybe with a kiss? Who knows if you review enough it will happen? ^.^ Please review I know you guys are out there!

Gabe xx