A/N -

This is it. Thanks to all for sticking with me through this. Thank you so much for reading, and to those (you know who you are!) who review, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Hugs to all. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

~Imnotcrazy aka Amanda :-)

~ Chapter Ten ~

End of the Road

Planet Caravan – Black Sabbath

We sail through endless skies
Stars shine like eyes
The black night sighs
The moon in silver trees
Falls down in tears
Light of the night
The earth, a purple blaze
Of sapphire haze
In orbit always

While down below the trees
Bathed in cool breeze
Silver starlight breaks down the night

As we travel the universe

The clock on the wall read 3 am. He decided to ignore the soft knocking on his door, figuring that anyone that was knocking at 3 in the fucking morning needed to be ignored. Either it was Wilson, the cops, or his lonely, elderly neighbor upstairs, and he had no desire to talk to any of them. He was nursing his wounds, a glass of bourbon on the coffee table, and he knew he needed to deal with that. He'd taken a risk, and he failed. That hurt him, more than he'd ever admit.

The soft knocking continued, incessantly. He groaned, cursing to himself as he tossed the medical journal he'd been trying to read on the coffee table. Only Wilson was that persistent, he thought as he reluctantly stood up. "Goddamn it, Wilson! I don't want to talk about it!" He opened the door, angrily, but froze when he saw who was standing there.

"House, I..." Lisa Cuddy's voice drifted through the doorway. He made to slam the door, but she blocked it with her thin frame. "I'm...I'm sorry," her voice trailed off, and she stepped away from the door. She left the foyer of the building, leaving him with a stunned expression on his face, tears stinging her eyes.

He followed her into the cold, no cane and no coat. "Hey, stop!" he called out, limping towards her. "It's kinda hard for a cripple to walk with out his cane, and there's no way in hell I can catch up with you, unless you stop!"

She froze, the cold air stinging her lungs. Tiny white snowflakes fell from the sky, sprinkling her dark hair. She slowly turned around, closing her eyes, not wanting to face him, but she was drawn to him, nonetheless.

"What the hell is up with you always running away." He was breathing hard as he caught up with her, glaring at her. "And, Jesus Christ, Cuddy, why the hell do we have to always talk in the freezing cold. You're a coward, and a masochist." He paused, pursing his lips together thoughtfully. "Or, maybe you're a sadist, and you just like to see me suffer."

"This was a mistake," she breathed, taking the brunt of his tirade.

"Bullshit. It's three a.m., and you left Mowgli alone to come visit me. This was not a whim, now what do you want?" His eyes blazed fiercely.

"Her name is Rachael, and I didn't leave her alone," she muttered, wrapping her arms around her body, trying to keep warm.

"Wilson. That man should just get a sex change, and finish his life's work as a meddling spinster. Now, what do you want." His breath misted in the cold air, his mind working feverishly, trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm...I'm afraid.: She shivered as she mumbled the words, hanging her head, ashamed that she'd even admitted them.

It was his turn to freeze, stunned, but, he recovered quickly. He limped over to her, but he didn't say anything for a moment. So many things ran through his mind, but he knew she had to make the first move. This was her game, her move, her ball. "Of what?" he asked in a whisper, so close to her, but yet, too far away.

She was intimidated by his closeness, but she knew that this was her last chance. It was now, or never. "Of everything. Of losing Rachael, of losing my job." She forced herself to look up at him. "Of losing you." Her voice was a harsh whisper.

"You'll never lose me. I'm a boil on that luscious large ass of yours," he murmured, watching her chuckle at his rude comment. In a softer voice, he whispered, "I've just been waiting for you to see that." He lifted a hand, and he gently stroked her hair. "I...I just couldn't wait anymore."

"I could lose my job over this," she closed her eyes tightly, stepping in to his body, embracing him tightly.

"No, you won't," he snorted. "No way in hell the Board'll ever give you up. Nope, they'll just pull me out of your direct command...oh wait, I'm not a department head anymore. You put Foreman in charge, so, nope that won't be a problem. Makes me Foreman and HR's problem now. And you know how much they love me." Sarcasm drenched his voice.

She sniffed into his chest. "You sound like you have this all figured out."

"Do you even know me? I always have a plan." He nuzzled her hair, softly kissing the rich, fragrant waves. She tilted her head up to look at him, and he softly pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth, welcoming his tongue, but he didn't take advantage. Instead, he pressed his forehead to hers. "Give me a chance," he pleaded with her, softly. "If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But give me the opportunity to fail."

"What about Rachael?"

"What about her?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off. "She's apart of you, of your life. Not gonna lie, it's not the perfect situation, but she's yours. She makes you happy, and I can accept that. I can accept her."

Tears glistened in her eyes, and she held him tighter. The stood there for a long moment, just holding on to each other, then he led her back inside.

A few hours later, the sun broke through the dusty, frost covered windows, and he felt her press up against him. They'd made their way into his bedroom sometime in the short night. "I have to leave," she whispered, pressing her lips to his. "Board meeting." she explained. "Come by my place tonight."

He shook his head sleepily. "Lemme get dressed. I'll take you home. Now that I got you, I'm never gonna let you go." he murmured against her lips." She hesitated, then nodded, knowing home was where he and Rachael were.