Confusion

This chapter is going to be a bridge between the last one and this one. There will be a lot of dialogue and angst between the characters. Unfortunately, for the next couple weeks the homework level will be piling up so my chapters may become more infrequent until Thanksgiving.

House felt something touching his cheek. He blinked quickly and swatted it away. It began touching his face again and he opened his eyes, annoyed. Rachel was leaning over him, merely inches from his face, patting his cheek. She was smiling. House groaned and looked at his watch. Seven o clock. Seriously? He closed his eyes and then they popped back open. Wait why was Cuddy's daughter…???? "Oh yeah." House muttered. He sat up and saw Cuddy passed out on the floor under his coat, dead asleep.

"Momma! Momma!" Rachel pointed to her mom. Cuddy stirred slightly but remained asleep.

"Uhhh…maybe we shouldn't wake your mother. She'd probably turn into a demon or something," House held Rachel and stood up. "Let's go in the other room."

"Cookie! Cookie!" Rachel had one arm around House's neck and the other was pointing to her Cheerios.

"Ssshhhh!" House shushed her and walked into the adjoining office. "I don't have food for you right now you have to wait!"

"Cookie! Cookie!" Rachel persisted and whimpered. "Cookie." She pouted at House.

"Oh no. I'm not falling for that trick," House shook his head. "There is no WAY I am walking down to the cafeteria with you. People are going to think I've gone nuts or something.

Rachel frowned. "No! Cookie!"

"I am not arguing with a baby!" House responded.

"Coooooooookie!" Rachel wailed into House's ear.

"For the love of…fine! Fine! Just shut up please!" Rachel immediately stopped crying. She buried her head in House's neck and giggled.

House rolled his eyes, but already felt a soft spot opening in his heart for Rachel. She was really intelligent and he could relate to that. "You are a manipulative little witch you know that?" House said as he walked down to the cafeteria. "I'm never going to live this down." Sure enough, he got strange stares from the doctors and nurses. Some pointed, some laughed, and some just stared as if they were seeing an alien invasion. House quickly ordered milk and fruit and sat down in the booth. He couldn't believe he was doing this.

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Cuddy awoke to the acute feeling of pain…everywhere. Her back especially. She opened her eyes, sunlight was pouring into the room. She squinted up at the ceiling. This was House's office….she sat up, bolt right, and looked over at House's chair. It was vacant. Her heart began beating fast. Where were they? What if Rachel had gotten lost in the middle of the night? What if House went to find her but he couldn't? She got up and looked into the outer office. No one. On the verge of freaking out, Cuddy exited the office to see House walking up the hallway with Rachel. She was holding a little cup of milk.

Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry! She was hungry! She was wailing like a banshee I had to do something!" House protested.

"You could have woken me up!" Cuddy led them back into House's office. "I would have gotten her something to eat. Oh my gosh look at this mess!" Cuddy put her hands to her head when she saw the Cheerios.

"Chill out! It's just a couple of cheerios sheesh you'd think we tore the room apart or something."

Cuddy picked up House's coat and hung it up. "I…uhh…I'm sorry for leaving her with you last night. I should have just taken us home but I was so tired and she looked so comfortable…" Cuddy trailed off and looked at her daughter lovingly.

"Ehhh. She's not so bad," House shrugged. "But I think she needs a changing," House suddenly held her out, making a face.

Cuddy laughed and took her daughter. Rachel pointed to House's ball on the chair. House handed it to her and she held it while her mom changed her.

"I'm going to need to get her home," Cuddy picked her daughter back up. "Say bye to House, Rach," Cuddy smiled.

Rachel looked at her mom and then House and began to whimper. "What's the matter sweetheart?" Cuddy looked at her daughter. "We need to go bye-bye now. Say bye to House!"

Rachel whimpered again and turned, holding her arms out to House. Cuddy looked at her daughter strangely, but held her out to House who carefully took her, also confused. Rachel gripped onto House.

"She…really likes you" Cuddy looked up at House with a weird look on her face. "Why I don't know…"

House glared at her, somewhat mockingly. "Okay you need to go back to Cuddy now. Bye."

Rachel gripped harder. "Dadda!"

"I already told you I'm not your Dad. Your Dad was a freak. Now let go and go home. I'm tired I can't watch you anymore." House tried to pry her off of him.

Cuddy's jaw was hanging to the floor. "Dadda!" Rachel wailed again and buried her face in his neck.

"I don't believe this," House rolled his eyes. He pried Rachel off of his shoulder and looked directly at her. "You need to go home with Cuddy, do you understand? I'm not your Dad."

Rachel stopped crying and stared at House. She reached out and patted his face again. "Bye bye Dadda," she said, sadly. House handed her to Cuddy, who was avoiding eye contact with House and suppressing tears (which House noticed and pretended not to). "I'll be back with your case later." She walked out quickly, with Rachel waving back at House. Only after they left did House realize Rachel still had his big red ball.

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House was attempting to concentrate on his work, but was not succeeding. Why was that little girl so in love with him? He was a bastard. No one liked him. He looked at the file that Cuddy had given him. Borrrrrrrrrrringggggg. He sighed and sat back in his chair.

Stacy walked in. "Hey Greg! You didn't return my calls last night," she said somewhat casually, but worried.

"Oh. Well…I worked really late. I forgot to check my phone. What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you," Stacy said. She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "You've been really distant lately."

House shrugged. "No I haven't." Stacy sat down on his lap. "Come on. Try and relax a little bit." House smiled slightly at her. He leaned in and began kissing her. He heard an "ahem."

Cuddy was standing in the doorway, looking annoyed, and holding a file. "Stacy. Could you please let House have his space? He needs to work." She sounded a bit harsh and Stacy frowned, standing up. "Sure. Fine." She began to stalk out the room when Rob came in, nearly running into her.

"Oh, excuse me. I was looking for…" He stopped when he noticed Cuddy standing in the middle of the floor, looking like she would much rather be stranded in the middle of a desert than stranded in House's office.

"I need to talk to you Lisa," Rob looked nervous and a little upset and then his face turned red when he noticed House. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Well considering this is MY office I should ask the same of you," House replied rather nastily.

"I came back to tell Lisa I'm sorry." He turned back to a shocked Cuddy. "I was being a jerk the other night. I still really like you. I shouldn't let an ass like that stand in the way." He motioned to House.

"Excuse me?" Stacy piped up with her hands on her hips. "I know that you did not just talk like that about my boyfriend unjustly."

"He interrupted my date with Lisa the other night. On purpose to split us up!" He said angrily.

"Is this true Greg?" Stacy looked shocked. "Why do you care?"

"I'd be upset if he wasn't Stacy," Cuddy jumped in. "We have been friends for years."

"You two are friends? Gimme a break!" Rob cut in. "Lisa! You are way better than that."

"And that just made me feel better," Stacy said testily.

"You are too good for him too," Rob added and Stacy only opened and closed her mouth, with no response.

"Well maybe Cuddy is too good for you!" House interjected, looking at Rob angrily.

"House. Please stay out of this." Cuddy begged.

"Well apparently we've been friends for many years so I guess it's my business now," House mocked. Cuddy put her head in her hands.

"Greg. Leave it," Stacy warned.

House looked over at Stacy and then back at Cuddy and stormed out slamming the door. Stacy shot Cuddy a hurt and angry look before leaving.

"What do you think you are doing barging in like this and starting a fight?!" Cuddy looked at Rob, furious.

"Lisa you are a beautiful woman. I don't want to let you go, and I realized that last night. I'm willing to fight to the kill for you even if that means going head to head with that guy."

"He's not really that big of a jerk!" Cuddy defended.

"Are you kidding?! Lisa when have you ever known me to lose my temper?" Rob looked down at her.

"Well….never," Cuddy begrudgingly admitted. "But it's just…I don't know if I'm ready to get back in a relationship with you! If it fell apart so quickly…"

"I'm not willing to let that happen again," Rob looked at Cuddy kindly. "Please Lisa. Just give me another chance."

Cuddy sighed. "Alright. One more."

"Thank you," Rob grinned and pecked her on the cheek. "That means the world. Oh! And are you still doing the piano concert next week?"

"Oh gosh Rob I completely forgot about that! I don't think I'll be ready." She bit her lip.

"Nonsense! Just ask that talented employee of yours for help," he said kindly. "You will be fantastic."

"Okay…" Cuddy said uncertainly.

"Great!" Rob smiled and turned to walk out the door. He stopped at the door and turned to Cuddy. "Who exactly was that woman who was in here…?"

"Stacy Warner. She's House's girlfriend."

Rob looked at Cuddy quizzically. "Now what is a pretty woman like that doing with him?"

Cuddy raised an eyebrow. "They've been off and on for many years now…why does it matter to you?"

"Just curious." Rob left and Cuddy felt more drained than ever.

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Cuddy walked back to her office and wasn't surprised to see House, sitting on her couch waiting for her. As she strolled in he opened his mouth. "Just don't," Cuddy said before he could say a word.

"Well now thanks to your idiot boyfriend Stacy is pissed off at me because she wants to know why I interrupted your date!"

"Well whose fault is that? And why did you interrupt my date House?" She stopped behind her desk and looked up at him. "I would like to know."

House spluttered. "You know why! He's not good enough for you! He's a moron."

"Rightttt," Cuddy looked at him disbelievingly. "And you are afraid if you tell Stacy that she will misconstrue it into thinking that you want to sleep with me."

"Oh please! Stacy is your friend! Why don't you care more about how she feels?"

"Oh stop deflecting" Cuddy said, irritated. "You've wanted to jump me for years…"

House snorted. "You would have gladly leapt into my bed a year ago!"

"No I wouldn't…"

"Oh come on Cuddy! The situation is clear! You are dating Rob because you are upset that I got back together with Stacy. You are trying to prove that I want you, and are trying to be subtle about it, but it's not working."

"If you cared so much about Stacy then why did you interrupt my date? And why did you kiss me?" Cuddy had ended up in front of House again, with her hands on her hips. "You keep screwing with me. Over and over again. I'm sick of it. What if I decided to stop waiting for you and move on? What if I decided that you weren't worth it anymore?"

House could tell that Cuddy was bluffing. Her body posture was good, she looked angry. But her eyes…they gave it all away. They always had. "So you admit that you are in love with me," he said softly.

Cuddy set her jaw. "I never said that."

"But you were at some point. Why not anymore?" He asked. House suddenly felt everything hinging on this question. Why did he ask it???

Cuddy looked up at House, her hard mask beginning to tear away as she was tempted to open up to him and let him know how she really felt…. She turned her head from him. "I was never in love with you in the first place."

House took her jaw in his hand and turned her head to face his. "You're lying."

"No I'm not," Cuddy's face felt like it was on fire, his touch had sent sparks throughout her entire body.

"Yes. You are. Tell me the truth." He bore into her eyes.

"You tell me the truth," she retorted.

House didn't let her go and she knew this was going to end in a stalemate. Unless…

Cuddy took House's hand and pulled it away from her chin. "I'll make you a deal. Can you handle a deal?

House nodded, interested.

"If you promise that you will give me piano lessons and help me prepare for the concert I have next week I will tell you the truth."

"Deal." House immediately stuck out his hands.

"We're not finished," Cuddy crossed her arms. "I also want you to tell me the truth."

"And what do I get in return?" House put his hands to his chest.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "No clinic duty for a week."

"Oh no. Nice try. That's not good enough." House thought to himself. "You have to…promise not to go out with Rob this entire week."

"What?!" Cuddy uncrossed her arms. "I don't think so!"

"Do you want the truth or not?" House asked. "If I'm going to be teaching you piano then I get total control, no ifs ands or buts."

"This is ridiculous!" Cuddy fumed.

"Deal or no deal?" House looked at Cuddy. "That's my final offer. Going once? Going twice…."

"Sold." Cuddy responded and stuck out her hand. House shook it. "This is gonna be fun!" He grinned and limped out of her office.

This one ended up a bit more tense than I had originally hoped but am happy with the way that it turned out. Any more suggestions? Don't hesitate to give them! I'm excited for the next chapter and hope you all are too. I'm having a blast with this *smiles*