A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter. It is a long one for me! Please let me know what you think of the dialogue between House and Cuddy!

Chapter 11: Anger and Truth

House never called.

Cuddy never looked for him.

Cuddy entered the lobby of PPTH at 8am and headed straight for her office. She was thankful when she opened her e-mail and found a ton of requests for Dr. House's expertise. She rummaged through the e-files quickly and found the most challenging looking case. She had one of the nurses prepare a folder as she printed out the documents and paged Dr. Foreman. She had no idea what time House was going to grace the hospital with his presence but she was pretty sure it wasn't going to be any time before 10am. She instructed Dr. Foreman to get started on the case and that he was to take point until Dr. House arrived. She wanted to avoid all possible interactions with him today.

Cuddy spent most of the night worried about House and wondering what the future held. She got very little sleep and her concern turned into anger about 4AM this morning when Wilson texted her that House was passed out on his couch with an empty bottle of bourbon next to him.

House stumbled into work around noon. He actually tried to be as loud and distracting as possible when he entered the lobby of the hospital. He could make out the top of Cuddy's head from behind the monitor in her office. Yes, he was being childish but he wanted her to know that he arrived much later than usual.

House had spent the evening wallow in self misery and pounding bourbon after bourbon. He was in pain, both physical pain and mental pain. Cuddy threw him out of her house so that she could spend an evening alone with Richard. That only meant one thing in House's mind and that was that Cuddy wasn't prepared to sever her ties with Richard. If she wanted Richard out of her life, then he didn't need to go anywhere. He felt like it was the Stacey/Mark situation all over again. Women always need to have something simmering on the back burner.

And House doesn't simmer. He was more of the ragging boil type.

The elevated noise caused Cuddy to glance up from her computer screen and she caught House's profile at the nurse's station. She quickly looked back at her computer monitor. She was hurt and angry at his behavior the night before and she wasn't prepared to deal with it just yet.

Later that day

Cuddy had a very long day and was completely exhausted. She had managed to avoid any interaction with House all day, and then she heard a soft knock on her office door.

"Come in"

Foreman walked in to her office awkwardly, he was holding a patient folder as he said "We tested all possible neurological diseases and the MRI of his brain was clean so we need to do a brain biopsy."

Cuddy grabbed the file and as she leafed through the symptoms and latest test results she asked "How come you're here asking for the biopsy instead of House?"

Foreman staggered a bit as if buying time to think of an answer. "Foreman, I am going to find out anyway so you might as well come out with it."

Foreman looked reluctant but eventually said "House went home. He said since you had already given the case to me and told me to run point saying he wasn't really needed. We did call him and discuss the case and he feels the brain biopsy is the best way to go."

Internally Cuddy was about to scream out in rage but years of being a hospital administrator had taught her to bottle those feelings and keep a look of professionalism, regardless of how much she wanted to rip someone's head off. "Brain biopsy are last resort since the biopsy itself can kill him. He is not in critical condition so the answer is no. You have not exhausted all possibilities and until that is done, I am not signing off on the brain biopsy and as far as House is concerned, he is official off the case. You're the neurologist Foreman, you can handle this one on your own."

Foreman left her office looking rather pleased that he was in charge once again. As soon as he cleared her doors Cuddy grabbed her coat and headed to Wilson's to give House a piece of her mind.

Wilson's Apartment – 4pm

Cuddy thought about knocking but she figured House wouldn't answer the door anyway so she found the spare key that Wilson had told her about. When she opened the door House was stretched out on the couch watching TV. He didn't move when she entered so she thought he might be sleeping. When she made her way over to the couch he had his eyes closed so she proceeded to drop her briefcase on his stomach.

"What the hell" screamed House at his abrupt wake-up call. After he took a second to take in his surroundings he was rather surprised to see a very pissed off Cuddy standing over him.

"Why the hell aren't you at work" Cuddy asked.

"because, I am not needed. Foreman has everything under control"

"Really, three hours of tests and a brain biopsy was the best thing he could come up with?" As Cuddy said it out loud the realization hit her. She was sure House suggested the brain biopsy so that Cuddy would discover that House wasn't at work. She recovered quickly adding "or was that just your way to piss me off. As if showing up at noon wasn't enough"

"It's not my fault you can't control your employees?"

"So, this is how it is going to be from now on. You get upset at me and then act like a three year old throwing a tantrum. I am amazed we made it 48 hours together. I should have known this was never going to work."

House finally sat up with this comment. This is the fight that he wanted to have and the work arguments were just his tool to get there. "Oh, like you ever intended for it to work. How many other men to you have in your claws, dangling from a cliff, waiting to take a turn on the Cuddy wheel."

Cuddy was getting pissed now and she wasn't holding back. "I am so glad you spent all that time in Mayfield. You are still completely delusional."

House stood up at the statement. It was something he would have said to someone in a heartbeat but coming from Cuddy, it was a low blow. He stormed into the kitchen to pour himself a drink. If she was in the mood for a WWE wrestling match, then he was game. She just needed to be prepared for the smack down.

Cuddy followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the fridge watched him pour a bourbon. "That's your solution to everything, isn't it. Why just be delusional when you can be drunk and delusional at the same time."

House held the glass in front of him and walked over to the fridge. He stood very close to Cuddy, invading the personal space in front of her. "I guess it was rather delusional of me to think an overworked, dried up, forty year old, who has never been able to sustain a relationship with her family, or any man in the last twenty years, would know that it is a bad move in a relationship to keep a little somethin'-somethin' on the side."

As usual, House had to take it to another level. All the years of pain and anguish he put her through was coming to a head. She grabbed his drink from his hands and threw it in his face and pushed him aside and started to head out of the room.

She moved to the couch to grab her things and despite herself, the tears were pouring down her face. She was trying very hard to hide them and to just get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. House started limping towards her so she picked up the pace and practically ran to the door.

"Cuddy, Wait!" House yelled as he made a move to catch her. She had the door open and was walking through when she heard House say "Lisa…please"

She looked over her left shoulder while her right hand stayed on the open door to Wilson's apartment. House slowed down as he approached her. He leaned his cane against the wall and placed his hand over hers on the door and quietly closed it. He kept his hand on top of hers as they both faced the door, he brought his other hand to the door on the other side of her body, effectively trapping her against the door. He practically rested his head on her right shoulder and whispered in her ear "I'm sorry…I didn't mean that."

Cuddy didn't turn around nor did she say anything. After she caught her breath and was able to swallow her tears to be able to speak, she quietly responded "You did mean it House." When he didn't respond she turned around to face him. He was so close to her that she could feel his breathe. She looked him in the eyes and asked "You did mean it House. I can take the insults, but what I don't understand is why can't you trust me?"

House's eyes dropped to his feet as he could no longer look at her. She was able to cut through all his insults and childish behavior to get to the root of the problem. He was feeling like she had just removed the outer bubble that shielded him. He hadn't felt this vulnerable in a really long time. Not since Stacey.

He looked up into her eyes and with all the softness he could muster he said "Will you come in and sit so we can talk?"

Cuddy just nodded and followed him to the couch. She sat down first and House sat on the coffee table directly across from her.

She waited.

He was silent.

Finally he grabbed her hands and while focusing on her hands, he began. "I have only trusted the people I love, and I have only loved a handful of people in my life. First, was my mother. As I child I dealt with an abusive, arrogant, asshole for a father. As I got older, I discovered that he wasn't even my real father. I felt instantly betrayed by my mother. Now, as an adult, I still love her but I can never forgive her for lying to me and allowing that man to do what he did to her son."

Cuddy pursed her lips at his story. She expected as much from the pieces that she was able to put together over the years but to hear House actually speak the words, broke her heart. She knew there was nothing she could say to make things better so she said nothing.

House wasn't through but he made eye contact with her for the first time since he sat down to gauge her expression. He saw his pain reflected in her face but she wasn't the type to try and make it all better with words. That was one of the many things he loved and respected about her.

"Then came Stacey. I loved her. I trusted her. She was the first person I ever truly trusted as an adult. She knew my explicated wished about the events surrounding the infarction and she broke my trust in a way I will be effected by for the rest of my life. I found it almost impossible to trust anyone after that"

"Over the years, instead of healing from those wounds I sunk deeper and deeper into a world where everyone lies and therefore no one can be trusted. There were times when I would surface from the darkness and take small chances on people. Stacey returned, married, but she was back. I let the fact that I had once loved her and once trusted her delude myself into thinking that I still loved and trusted her."

He paused for a second as if the pain of the next part was still fresh in his mind.

"I thought we were going to get back together. I really did. Then I found out that she just wanted a roll in the sack with her old boyfriend and she had no intention of leaving Mark. It made me realized that I didn't still love her, I loved the memory of what we had but her second betrayal left yet another scar."

He fidgeted a little but Cuddy could tell he wasn't finished. She wasn't about the stop him now so she just gentle rubbed his hands that were covering her own. Encouraging him to keep going.

"Then came you." His eyes were looking anywhere but at her. She followed his eyes as if trying to catch them with her own. Finally, he settled his eyes on her. "Lisa, I love you and you have no idea how much that scares me. I am so afraid to trust you because I know the damage that you can do to me is far greater than anything that my mother or Stacey have already done."

Cuddy couldn't help the tears that started to fall. They weren't the tears that come from being sad or being hurt, they were tears of joy, shock, fear, and every other emotion that was running through her veins. House released his hand from hers and reached up to brush away her tears with his thumb.

Cuddy knew it was her turn now. House had bared his soul to her. She placed her hand over his and brought their hands back to her lap.

"Greg, I love you and I have loved you for a long time. Ever since I first met you at Michigan I felt this pull towards you. Then after our night together, you made me feel things I never knew I could feel. You talk about how I never had a successful relationship as an adult and it's true. Mostly because when I meet a man, I hope that even if I don't feel that same pull that I felt with you, then maybe after I few dates I would come close to rekindling those feelings. It never has. I don't think it ever will. I still compare ever man to you"

House didn't say a word. He was thinking about how she was exaggerating and he wanted to make some type of joke about him being a sexual god and no wonder he knocked her socks off but for once in his life, his brain told him to shut up. She had given him the chance to talk and he owed her the same opportunity.

"Then there are those days when I just want to kill you! You can say things that hurt me more than anyone else in the world and I think to myself that I can't possible love someone like that. Then there are the days when we playfully banter and I forget all the pain you can make me feel. I think I am addicted to you."

"Greg, I can't promise I won't hurt you and I know there are going to be times when you are going to hurt me. We would be lying to each other if we promised we wouldn't do these things. All that I can promise is that no matter what happens between us I will never stop loving you."

Cuddy stopped speaking and they both just stared at each other. It wasn't a lustful stare, it was a soft, loving stare. House got off the coffee table and moved to sit next to Cuddy. He cradled her face but he didn't kiss her. Instead he pulled her into his arms and just held her face against his chest. He didn't really know what to say, all that he could think is that they were idiots for not having this conversation years ago.

He lay back on the couch and Cuddy maneuvered herself so that she was lying in his good leg. They just sat their holding each other and before they knew it, they were both fast asleep.