Author's Note: PLEASE, if you're going to email me demanding me to work on this, LOGIN or LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL so that I can explain why things haven't been updated. A lot of shit has been going on with me lately, henceforth, I have LITTLE TO NO TIME to work on anything. I apologize for my lack of updates and greatly appreciate those of you who have dealt with me being a lunatic lately. I AM NOT giving up on this story, I just don't have a lot of time.

Disclaimer: I only own Jenny and Co. If it's on the show, it belongs to Fox and/or David Shore.

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House buried his nose in Cuddy's hair, holding her close to him. He could feel his pulse slowing and his body relaxing with ever breath she took; her chest rising and falling rhythmically against his.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long," he whispered. He pulled back after a beat, searching her face with his eyes. "Are you alright?" Cuddy looked up at him, nodding slightly before snuggling into his chest again.

"I'll be okay," she told him softly. House kissed the top of her head, rocking her back and forth gently.

"I have to go talk to Jenny. Is that okay?" House inquired. Cuddy nodded, untangling herself from him and laying back against the mattress.

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Jenny walked back out into the hallway, rubbing at the back of her neck. She was exhausted, but she doubted her level of tiredness was anything near that of her brash friend. He was still in the bedroom hugging Cuddy as if she was the only thing connecting him to the world. She could only fathom what he had felt when he had been forced to go into work. Not due to an obligation per say, but in order to save face for both himself and Cuddy. The blonde leaned against the wall, her hair falling down around her face.

"Is she alright?" House asked, startling her. Jenny jumped, grabbing at her chest while glaring at him.

"Don't startle me like that Greg!" the blonde growled, rubbing at her eyes. "Lisa's still really hesitant when it comes to talking about what happened, but she seems to be able to hold a conversation quite well if it doesn't have anything to do with what happened with that Josh fellow. I'd like to have another session with her. Not today – she's been through enough for one day – but maybe the first of the week. She told me that she doesn't want to be scared of everything, so I'd like it if you could bring her to my office. I know it's a big step considering what she's been through, but it's important."

"Right… Monday… sure. Am I going to be in there with her?" the Diagnostician inquired. Jenny sighed, pushing her long bangs back and out of her face.

"I think she needs to do this alone. She's starting to open up to me and, as hard as this may be, she has to know that she won't always have you to hide behind during issues like this. The quicker I can get her to be open about what's happened with only me in the room, the quicker she'll start do deal with what happened, and the less likely that she'll let the flashbacks take over her life," Jenny replied. House nodded for what seemed like the hundredth time. He wasn't used to being at such a loss for words but at the same time, he didn't really know what to say. He cared deeply for Cuddy, he had to admit, so he wanted nothing more than for her to get better. So that things could go back to normal for them. So that he wasn't scared of saying something that would cause her to be thrown into psychosis. "Greg? You okay?" House blinked furiously, looking his friend in the face.

"Yeah, sure, great," he replied, not exactly sure what he was actually responding to. He ran a hand over his face, leaning his back against the wall. His leg ached, but not enough to cause him more than mild discomfort, which was strange.

"Are you going to be in La-La Land all day? Cos, you know, I have kids that will be ransacking the kitchen sooner or later if I don't inform them on the status of their dinner. If you want me to stick around I can always tell Milana to order a pizza," Jenny said. House shook his head, groaning softly as he pushed off the wall.

"Nah, it's alright Jen. You go feed your demon children, I'll be fine here… I'll call you if anything goes haywire," House told her, limping off towards the kitchen in order to make himself and Cuddy something to eat. Jenny trailed after him after a moment, having had to stop and say goodbye to Cuddy first.

"Make sure you're not stressing yourself out too much Greg; you always have symptoms when you stress this much," Jenny commented, leaning against the counter next to the fridge. House glanced up at her from his quest to locate food, glaring.

"I know my own disease quite well thanks Jen," he retorted. Jenny shrugged, pushing off and going towards the front door again.

"Just be careful. I think you should tell Lisa about your condition. It might make her feel better to know that PTSD isn't the end of things. You cope quite well, she can too. Just… for God's sake Greg, open up to her." And with that, she was gone, the front door clicking shut with a gust of cold air. House muttered to himself as he pulled out the soup and a few other things that Wilson had brought over the day before. He sighed. He knew Jenny was right, he should tell Cuddy about his condition… he just didn't know how.

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House carried the bowls of soup back to Cuddy's bedroom, sighing when he found her asleep. Again. He doubted that the woman had ever slept that much in her life.

"Lise, d'you want something to eat?" he whispered. She didn't answer, her breathing even and calm. House put the soup down on the dresser, downing his own bowl in a few gulps before lying down on the bed again. He couldn't help himself, gathering the dark haired Dean of Medicine into his arms. He hated how much he loved the feel of her there. Yet, at the same time, part of him wanted that until he died, and damn, did that scare him. He felt her snuggle against him after a moment, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. House glanced out the window, the early winter sun having set a little while before, casting New Jersey into a realm of shadows. He could feel himself falling asleep, despite having not felt tired. Emotional stuff was too exhausting.

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House woke up when he felt heat against his face. His eyes shot open, instantly being bombarded with the sight of fire next to him. He tried to get up, feeling the bindings on his wrists and ankles. He struggled wildly, trying to break the ropes, only stopping when a loud, female scream broke through the silence. House turned his head, following the noise. His stomach dropped at the sight.

The Shaman from his childhood was a few meters away, Cuddy pinned underneath him. Her wrists were tied to some poles, her legs forced apart as he violently raped her.

"Stop! Get off her! STOP IT!" House screamed. He tried to wrench his legs apart and stand up but his infarction made it impossible. He felt bile rise in his throat. If he was still young…if he still had the complete use of his leg… he could have ripped them. He knew he could.

The Shaman shook his head, the straw mane on his mask flying about, his cackling laughter echoing into the dark. As he pulled himself out of Cuddy's body he grabbed his machete, slicing it through the flesh of her leg. She screeched, head thrown back in agony.

"LISA!" House yelled.

"House!" she hollered. "Greg! Oh God, GREG!"

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House's eyes shot open, only to find Cuddy straddling his stomach, her hands gripping his shoulders with astonishing force for such a small woman.

"Greg! Can you hear me?!" she demanded. House struggled to focus on her face, trying to push the flames that were licking at her skin from his mind, his breathing coming in short, sharp gasps. He reached up to cup her face, desperately searching her eyes.

"Lisa…are you… did he?" he rushed, hand dropping from her face down to her leg, trying to feel for wounds beneath the thin, cotton fabric of her pyjamas.

"Greg, I'm fine, see? Nothing's wrong, okay?" Cuddy answered, guiding his hands over the expanse of her thighs so that he would believe her. She'd woken up a few minutes before to find him struggling against invisible bonds beneath the covers, soaked in sweat and muttering unintelligible words. The only thing that she'd managed to make out was her name. She'd jumped on him then, trying to wake him up. By the look in his eyes, he'd been having a PTSD related nightmare.

"You're okay?" he queried, voice quiet.

"Yep," Cuddy replied, smiling at him. She instantly felt herself being pulled forward, landing with a soft thump on House's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"I thought he got you. I thought…I thought he took your legs and there wasn't any way for me to stop him," House rushed, his mouth next to her ear.

"Who did you think got me?" Cuddy asked. She knew House would be cross if she let on that Jenny had told her something so personal about his past.

"The Shaman… Lise… I need to tell you a few things," House began. Cuddy just lay there, listening to him recount the story about how he and Jenny had almost met their untimely end at the hands of an African tribe. He told her about how the infarction had affected him, how he'd developed PTSD due to surfacing memories and fears connected to amputations. He told her why Jenny was the only one who had known and how he had conned her into not putting it into his medical records. Cuddy didn't even know how to respond, having never seen him this open about himself before. Instead of saying anything she just pressed herself closer to him, kissing him on the temple.

By the end of his tale Cuddy could feel House shaking beneath her, a few tears having managed to escape from his eyes and onto the skin of her neck and shoulder.

"I'm so sorry…I…I didn't know," Cuddy finally said.

"Not your fault… my dream just…they always feel so real and to… to see him not only brutalizing you but then trying to cut your legs off… I just felt so helpless because I couldn't get to you… couldn't save you," House explained. Cuddy closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep her own eyes from watering.

"But that's just it Greg… you did save me."

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A/N: There. Done another chapter. Sorry about the delay. Very busy, lots of crap going on here. Not very pleasant crap at that.

PLEASE review. I really need something to keep my mind busy so I don't end up in a mental hospital. I mean, I LOVE House, but I don't want to BE him, if you get my drift.