Once again a huge thank you to everybody who's read, reviewed etc. You're all amazing!

To all the people who are concerned about Rachel, never fear, the littlest lady Cuddy is all part of the master plan too. You just pre-empted me! :)

Some 'adult content' at the end of this chapter, folks!

House, Cuddy and Rachel don't belong to me. The rest do.

"She's beautiful. Not just cute or pretty, but beautiful," House said determinedly, directing his comments at the therapist in front of him. "Cuddy walks into a room and everybody takes notice… She's super smart too though. I spent years putting her down about not being a proper doctor, but the fact is she does a job that few people are capable of doing, and yet she makes it look easy… Hundreds of people rely on her not screwing up every day, and she never buckles under the pressure, or gives up until something's done because she cares about every single person who walks through the doors at her hospital. Staff and patients."

Turning to look at the woman he was referring to, House felt his pulse quicken. Aside from the two minutes he'd taken to drop Jacob off after their trip, and to explain that he thought they shouldn't see each other until their next therapy session, he hadn't seen her in nearly a full week and it felt like much, much longer. He'd tried to distract himself by working on his thesis, playing the piano and watching TV, but most of the time he ended up staring into space or looking at the clock and imagining what she and the kids would be up to. One evening he found himself putting his jacket on and heading out of the apartment to go and see them, when he stopped and reminded himself they needed this time apart for a reason.

"Cuddy's a great Mom too," he carried on. "She says no when she has to, but she'd do anything for the kids and I pity the asshole who ever tried to hurt them… After everything that's happened to her, the crap she took from her Mom, the miscarriages, me,- she's still the strongest woman I've ever met." He paused a second and watched her breath catch as she processed what he was saying. By the look on her face he knew it meant something to her and he inwardly scolded himself for never having told her some of this before. "If we'd never met I probably wouldn't be sat here now. She's saved me so many times."

"Why do you think Lisa did that, Greg? What qualities do you think she likes about you?" Wendy asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and leaning back in her chair.

"Mostly she wants me for my body," House quipped back quickly, smirking as he saw Cuddy roll her eyes and the corner of her mouth twitch upwards. "I make her laugh, even if she doesn't want to, which God knows she needs after spending most of her day around people who are in serious need of a sense of humour transplant… I think she likes that I challenge her too. Because of who she is other people will kiss her ass all day long if they think it'll get them somewhere. Cuddy knows if I think she's wrong I'll tell her, and she respects that. Eventually…. My massive IQ gives her a lady boner too. I explained String Theory to her a few weeks ago and she practically wet herself with excitement…"

"I fell asleep," Cuddy piped in, shaking her head in amusement.

"That was what I said. She was so blown away, she fell unconscious."

Tapping her pen on her notepad, Wendy regarded House with a penetrating gaze that made him slightly uncomfortable.

"What do you think Lisa sees when she looks at you?"

Running his hand through his hair, he sighed and glanced at Cuddy, before dropping his eyes to the floor.

"I know what everybody else sees: an acerbic jackass with a limp… I think Cuddy looks at me and sees herself… Minus the stubble and the cane."

"Would you care to expand on that?" Wendy inquired interestedly.

For a few seconds he fumbled to find the right words, but then they came to him as if a fog cleared in his head.

"I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on her, she was different… Sure, on the surface, Cuddy's confident and assertive, but underneath there's this sadness there. I've always seen it because I recognise it… I think when she looks at me she's relieved there's someone else who knows what it's like to grow up feeling like you're not good enough. To feel the need to have to prove yourself to everybody…"

Before he even looked up he could sense her eyes on him, her mouth slightly parted as if she was in some kind of shock. He was absolutely right. She'd always been drawn to him because she saw something of herself in him; that same insecurity and a corresponding will to be the best in their fields.

"Is that true, Lisa?" Wendy asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Before she had chance to open her mouth and respond, House butted in.

"Can I just say something else?" Looking to Cuddy for her ascent, Wendy saw her nod her head and gestured for him to go on with her hand. On getting confirmation, he twisted his body around to face the woman to his left and took a deep breath. "Look we can go on forever playing 'She likes, He likes', but the truth is I love you. Nothing's going to change that… I wish I could go back and change what I did, but I can't. The only thing I can do is never allow anything like that to happen again, and spend the rest of my life making it up to you… If you give us another chance I am determined to make it work this time. No more acting like a five year old and refusing to pull my weight, but you and me on an equal footing."

Pausing to observe her once again, he saw her bite her lip and look down at one of the cuticles on her nails.

"You need to know that I won't flip out if it's not what you want," he went on cautiously. "I'm not going to punish you for not wanting to be with me like I did last time… I know what it's like being around someone you're scared of, and I can't expect you to live your life like that… I'm done with the Vicodin, the hookers and all the other erratic behaviour for good, whether we get back together or not…. I'm sick of my entire life being like a game of Russian roulette, me spinning the barrel and then putting the gun to my head. One day I'm not going to be as lucky as I have been so far, and that's not what I want. I want to live long enough to see my son grow up." Averting his gaze to the therapist for a second, her warm smile urged him on. "Wendy was right, though. We can't keep on torturing ourselves like this. If we can't work this out, we need to keep our distance… I'll get a lawyer to draw something official up about days and times I can see Jacob, so you know I'm not going to mess you around." Briefly glancing out of the window, he hesitated for a little while and continued. "It'd be cool if I could take Rachel now and again too. You'd get a break, and she wouldn't always feel left out if I took her brother anywhere special. I don't know if…."

"Are you going to shut up, and give me a chance to speak any time soon?" Cuddy interrupted angrily.

Thrown by her sudden outburst, House gulped sharply.

"Sorry," he mumbled uncertainly, dreading what she was about to say.

"You know, I spent those few days you were away with Jacob convincing myself that the quietness, the emptiness in the house was just down to him not being there, and part of it was…. But then you brought him back and it still felt like something was missing. The kids sensed it too… I could see them looking around, as if they were expecting something, someone." Running her fingertips along the arm of her chair, Cuddy looked up and made direct eye contact with him. "It was you… So many times I nearly picked up the phone and rang you just so I could hear your voice, and it made me think if I can't last a week without having you around now, how am I supposed to deal with that on a permanent basis?"

Closing his eyes, House rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead in desperation. She was telling him what he wanted to hear, but he had no idea if she'd thought this through properly.

"This can't work if you're constantly looking over your shoulder, waiting for me to do something."

"I'm not scared of you!" Cuddy exclaimed in response. "What you did is never going to be ok, but you've been punished enough for it…. I don't think you're stupid enough to jeopardise what we have this time. It's too special and it means too much to both of us for either of us to screw it up again."

For what seemed like a long time House sat in silence just staring at her, to the point she was scared he was getting cold feet.

"So this means…?" he finally asked quietly.

"This means I love you and I want you back."

Hearing her voice crack and seeing her eyes beginning to glisten, House turned to the therapist who'd been watching them intently throughout the exchange.

"What do we do now?"

Raising her eyebrows and sitting forward again, Wendy beamed widely at the pair of them.

"Well you could try asking her out on a date…"

Tucking the elastic on the surgical mask behind his ears, House reached out with his cane, banged on the front door and waited until Cuddy answered it in her dressing gown. Rolling her eyes she took the mask off his face and stepped aside to let him in.

"I told you we're not contagious."

"Yeah you say that, but...," House cracked back, observing her drawn features. She looked completely washed out.

"I rang around. Everybody who ate the prawns feels like this. It is food poisoning."

"Who has prawns at kid's party?"

In response Cuddy shrugged her shoulders and walked to the staircase so she could drop onto the second step.

"I'm sorry about tonight," she managed weakly, her head resting heavily in her hand as she looked at him apologetically.

"There'll be other nights." Closing the gap between them he leant down and pecked her on the cheek and instinctively felt her forehead for a temperature with the back of his hand. "Even if I am gutted I'm not tucking into a big, juicy steak right now at Barney's."

Straight away Cuddy paled and took a deep breath.

"Can we please not talk about food?"

"Still being sick?" he inquired with genuine concern. She was rarely ill and he knew for her to phone him and him to come round she must really be suffering.

"Every time I think we've all stopped it happens again."

Taking his jacket off, House hung it up and pulled a package out from the inside pocket.

"Go up," he urged, holding up the packet he'd brought from the pharmacy. "I'll bring the supplies in a minute."

Nodding, Cuddy got to her feet and slowly walked up to the stairs as he headed into the kitchen.

Stopping in the doorway to her bedroom House took in the scene before him, and smirked to himself. With only the TV as a light source Cuddy was sat on the bed, her back against the headboard with Jacob sprawled out on her lap, one hand clutched tightly to the leg of her pyjama shorts, whilst Rachel sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, fully absorbed in the cartoons that were on the screen. Noticing him at the door the little girl smiled.

"Hey little lady," he exclaimed, covering the distance between them and offering his fist for her to bump, which she duly did, if a little more pathetically than usual. Perching on the side of the bed next to Jacob and his Mother he worriedly observed the little boy and pushed a lock of his dark, damp hair from his forehead. "Hey buddy." Not having the energy to respond Jacob just smiled back weakly, prompting House to pull the beaker from his pocket and hand and offer it to his son.

"Not thirsty," he protested, pushing it away with his fingertips.

"It'll make you feel better," House countered reassuringly. "You need to replace all the fluids you've lost, or you'll shrivel up like a raisin." As if it was against his better judgement the three year old frowned and took the cup, sipping the contents as Cuddy ran a comforting finger along the side of his cheek. "Rach, you need to drink some of this too," he said softly, twisting his body in her direction and retrieving a second beaker from his other pocket.

"It's in a baby beaker. I'm not a baby," Rachel retorted adamantly, her nose turning up at the lidded cup he was holding out for her to take. As sickly as she looked, she'd evidently lost none of her wilfulness and her determination to be treated like a grown up.

"I know," House shrugged. "It was just the easiest way for me to get it up the stairs."

Glancing ruefully at his bad leg, the seven year old took the drink.

"Thank you," she murmured back with a mixture of genuine gratitude and weariness, her mouth tentatively locking around the holes as she took a gulp of the mixture.

Turning back to Cuddy, he grinned and proceeded to pull a spoon and a small sachet out of his shirt pocket.

"And you, Mom, get to see the chef at work."

Soliciting a chuckle from her, he opened the packet and poured the powdered contents into the glass of water she kept on the nightstand, swirling the solution with the spoon and handing it to her when it had dissolved.

"Cheers!" Cuddy said sarcastically and took a drink, grimacing slightly at the manufactured flavour of the electrolytes in the water, before placing the glass back down next to her.

"Mom!" a little voice suddenly piped up, causing her to look past House at her daughter.

"What's up sweetie?"

Even in the limited light of the room it was plain to see that the colour had drained from Rachel's face as she swung round to face them and looked as if she was about to cry.

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

Catching Cuddy's eye, House saw her mouth a "please" and he sighed, grabbing the little girl as fast as he could and hobbling with her into the bathroom. He'd almost made it to the toilet when she put her hand over mouth and started throwing up over his shoulder, prompting him to set her down on the tiled floor and move her hair out of the way as she continued to be sick over the bowl. A minute or two passed and Rachel seemed to calm down enough for him to get a damp cloth and wipe her face and then dab at the small area of his shirt that was soiled.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said pitiably, her reddened eyes looking up at where he was wiping as she sank onto the cold floor beneath her.

Instantly House felt sorry for her. He'd spent enough time as an adult slouched over a toilet bowl to know that it wasn't a pleasant experience, let alone for a child. Sitting on the edge of the bath he looked down at her and smiled.

"It's just a shirt," he shrugged. "You feel like you're going to be sick again?"

"I don't think so… Am I gonna die?"

"No kiddo, you're not going to die…" He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, and decided to assure her a little more. "You'll go to sleep tonight and you'll feel way better in the morning."

"Really?" Rachel probed, not seeming entirely convinced.

"Trust me, I used to be a doctor."

"Why aren't you a doctor anymore?"

To say it was an awkward question for half past eight on a Sunday evening was an understatement. Pausing for second to consider his answer, House settled on broad brush strokes.

"Oh lots of reasons!"

"Didn't you like being a doctor anymore?" she persisted, making him wonder if she was a budding journalist in the making.

"I liked it a lot… Maybe too much." Rachel frowned at his answer, so he tried to elaborate in a way she'd understand. "You know how you really like ice cream, but Mom tells you, you can't have too much or you'll be sick?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well I used to like figuring out what was wrong with people so much that I forgot to look after myself properly." Of course it was an oversimplification of the personal implications of his medical career, but in general terms it was accurate enough to be an honest response.

"Mom works at the hospital all the time too," the little girl countered worriedly.

"Yeah but your Mom's got you to look after her when she comes home."

Shifting her gaze lower to his thigh, Rachel stared thoughtfully at it and then regained eye contact with him.

"I could look after you too," she said sincerely.

For a moment House was taken aback. Even though Cuddy wasn't her biological mother her daughter exhibited a number of her character traits, and compassion was one of them. She and her brother had fights like any siblings, but if Jacob had bumped his head or scraped his knee, nine times out of ten Rachel would drop what she was doing and go to console him to the point where he'd throw an even bigger tantrum the times she wasn't at home. Often his son seemed to need his sister when he was ill or injured in the same way he'd needed Cuddy when he was hurt, and it seemed odd being privy to a mirror image of an element of their complicated relationship on a smaller scale. Now the little girl was offering him the same kind of consideration and he was genuinely touched by it.

"How about we look out for each other, eh?"

Nodding weakly as her eyelids began to droop shut and her head tilt forward, House decided to get up and pick her up, placing her head on the shoulder that was still clean, and carrying her back into the bedroom.

"C'mon sleepyhead," he said softly as he threw back the covers on the bed and laid Rachel down next to her brother, who was already fast asleep at the side of Cuddy. Pulling the bedding back over them both, he then brushed the hair out of their faces and smirked at them. Even a miserable bastard like him had to admit they were cute.

"Night," House practically whispered, not expecting a response as he began to step away.

"Night, Daddy," came a tiny voice that made eyes his snap down to Rachel in shock. She'd never called him it before, and he certainly hadn't encouraged her to no matter how fond he was of her. Entirely unaware of the look of bafflement on the face of the man who was stood above her, the seven year old shifted onto her front and proceeded to fall into a deep sleep.

"She's exhausted and she hears Jacob calling you it all the time," Cuddy explained, sensing how awkward he felt. "If she does it again I'll have a word with her."

Somewhat appeased House felt the need to address another matter.

"Have you got anything I can wear? Rachel spewed on me."

"I think I've got one of your t-shirts in the top drawer," she replied, gesturing towards the chest of drawers.

Opening it and finding it amongst her nightwear, House closed it again and turned towards his girlfriend, his eyes narrowing as he held out the grey garment in question.

"I've been looking for this for months."

"You left it here when Jacob spilled some milk on you."

"Have you been wearing it to bed?" The light from the television illuminated his face, as he raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Maybe," Cuddy responded, a coy grin lifting the corners of her mouth.

Tutting, House rested the t-shirt on the side and began to unbutton his soiled shirt, slipping it off his arms, rolling it in a ball and throwing it in the bathroom so it was out of the way. On the way back he felt a pair of eyes unashamedly raking over the naked top half of his body.

"Pervert!" he jibed, pulling the t-shirt over his head and around his torso.

"There's no harm in looking."

Sighing in frustration that he couldn't kiss her the way he wanted to, his mind leapt back to a couple of days earlier and the embrace they'd shared in her car straight after their therapy session. A long, lingering kiss that had silently expressed a whole gamut of emotions including relief, happiness and love, both of them oblivious to the rest of the world for lengthy minutes as they reacquainted themselves with one another. Sitting next to her on the bed, he settled for holding her hand.

"Well, I've had better first dates," House said cheekily. "Although it's not the first time someone's thrown up on me."

Rolling her eyes at him, she laced her fingers through her boyfriend's. Knowing his track record he was probably telling the truth.

"We'll do something soon, I promise. Julia asked if she can take the kids next weekend so we'd have the place to ourselves…" Nervously she paused for a second. "It'll also give us a chance to come up with a plan of action for telling the kids about us… And my sister."

Groaning slightly, House rubbed his hand over his face. He was dreading this as much for Cuddy as for himself.

"I guess that gives me time to invest in a bullet proof vest, and for you to come up with a good enough reason why you shouldn't be sectioned."

"It'll be ok," she responded, squeezing his hand.

"It won't, but we'll deal with it." Not wishing to dwell on it right now, he gave her a cheeky grin. "In the meantime we get to make out like a pair of teenagers when we think no-one's looking." Leaning in he kissed her on the lips, and reluctantly pulled away. "I should leave and let you guys get some rest."

"Stay!" Cuddy protested.

Gesturing with his head towards the two sound asleep children next to her, he looked at her sceptically.

"And how's that going to work?"

"I don't know," the Dean of Medicine admitted, too tired to think of anything.

Seeing how shattered she appeared to be House knew he'd feel guilty if he left her to deal with the two kids, who could easily be sick again during the night.

"I could sleep on the floor."

"What about your leg?"

"I'll live," he retorted, already up and reaching for the spare blanket and pillow that was on top of the wardrobe, before throwing them down on the floor next to the bed and kicking his sneakers off. Allowing him to get settled on the floor before she turned the TV off, Cuddy slipped under the bed covers and flipped onto her side so she could see the vague outline of him below her.

"You ok?"

"Uh-huh," he confirmed. "Except for being slightly worried you'll get up during the night, forget I'm here and accidently stand on my balls." Letting out a snort that was loud enough to make Jacob shift around in the bed, Cuddy waited and then bent down to playfully tap House on his arm in reprimand, only for her hand to be intercepted and a chaste kiss to be planted on the back. For some time they lay in a comfortable silence until House felt the need to say something. "You're taking the day off tomorrow."

"I can't!"

"Yes you can," he said insistently, despite his soft tone. "They can cope without you for one day… Rachel should stay off school too. I'll get up with them and you can have a lie in."

"Aren't you teaching tomorrow?" Cuddy asked, afraid he'd be shirking his responsibilities at the University.

"Not until the afternoon and just for an hour," House clarified. "I can be there and back here within a couple of hours."

Smiling to herself that he intended to come back straight afterwards and see that they were alright, she felt relieved and a tiny bit giddy that he was planning to spend the majority of the day with all of them without being prompted. Years ago she'd have never even imagined him being so eager to take care of her and her children.

"If it was more appropriate and I had more energy, I'd climb down there and do unspeakable things to you right now."

Stretching out lazily and putting one hand behind his head, the man on the floor stared at the ceiling and beamed. It never failed to amaze him that she really was just as attracted to him as he was to her.

"Oh it'll keep," he said evenly, sensing her grin was just as wide as his in the darkness. "Now get to sleep woman!"

For a few seconds she didn't say anything, making him suspect she'd already nodded off.

"You know this new bossy vibe you've got going on is kind of sexy," Cuddy teased.

Expending the air from his lungs in a long frustrated exhale, the object of her taunt turned away from her and tried to get comfortable, thankful that the floor was carpeted at least.

"Goodnight," he breathed, plumping his pillow and closing his eyes.

"Night House" she whispered back. "I'm glad you're here."

Absently she ran her hand down his back and closed her own eyes, almost instantly falling into a restful sleep.

Watching her deliberately sway her hips exaggeratedly for his benefit, House eyed Cuddy up and down as she walked a few steps in front of him down the hotel corridor. None of this was planned. They'd gone out for dinner, enjoyed the food and each other's company and then when he'd asked her if she wanted dessert she'd given him a look that he knew meant one thing. The next thing he knew he'd paid for the meal and they were booking themselves into a room at the hotel next door to the restaurant; her credit card sliding across the counter at the reception desk, as she whispered into his ear how much she wanted him.

Stopping when she found their room, Cuddy turned to see where he was and swept the keycard down the lock, pushing the handle down and opening the door slightly, waiting until his hand covered hers against the wood. Pushing the door fully open they stepped inside and took in the opulence of the room, House's arm circling around her waist possessively as his chin rested on her bare shoulder. Sure it was expensive, but she wanted their first night together as a proper couple to be special and this place really was. The elegant décor, the beautifully crafted furniture and the breath-taking view over the Bay through the floor to ceiling windows were perfect. Besides she rarely did things this extravagant, and this was more than a good enough excuse to spend some of her hard earned cash.

"We could have been back at yours in twenty minutes," House mumbled feeling self-conscious that she'd just blown that much money on them.

Unlocking his grip from around her she turned to him and encircled her arms around his back, smiling as once again she realised how much of an effort he'd made before he picked her up. Dress pants, cologne and he'd even ironed a shirt. Cuddy wasn't even aware he owned an iron, let alone that he knew how to use one.

"I wanted tonight to be special," she replied sincerely and it was the truth. The last time they'd gotten together had been so chaotic that she wanted something different. Something that didn't involve the death of a patient, a near relapse and the dumping of a fiancée. "Besides, I realised that we've never had sex in a hotel room and I wanted to change that."

House raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Should I be making a list of all the places we've never had sex, so we can tick them off as we go along?" Seeing her amusedly roll her eyes, he placed his hands either side of her waist and frowned. He wanted them to have sex; how could he not? He'd had to stop his mouth from gaping open the moment she'd opened the front door and held out her hand for him to escort her to the car. She always looked beautiful, but Cuddy in a red dress and heels had never failed to do funny things to him. Right now he couldn't be sure if things were moving too fast though. "Is this too soon? I mean we could wait for a bit."

"For two people who've known each other for twenty five years, and already have a kid? I'm gonna say no," she responded wryly, moving his hands from her waist and onto her ass. "I'm sick of waiting House. I'm getting laid tonight."

Internally he was jumping up and down for joy, but outwardly he kept his demeanour cool and collected for the time being. They both loved playing this game.

"Anyone I know?" he asked with mock curiosity.

She nodded and pushed his jacket off his shoulders and onto the floor, her hands starting to undo the buttons on his shirt in quick succession.

"It's just some guy I've known for ages."

"And what's so good about this guy?" House questioned, watching with interest as she untucked his shirt from his pants.

His girlfriend shrugged and stopped what she was doing as she maintained her poker face.

"He's really smart. I don't know anybody more intelligent. He makes me laugh too… He's also got a really huge…" And just like that she stopped, leaving the remaining word a mystery.

"A really huge what?" he pressed. Already she was killing him.

Bringing his head down to her mouth, she whispered slowly into his ear, her breath making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"A really, really huge ego."

Pulling away she saw the expression on his face, and finally allowed herself to smirk at him. He was wearing his 'game on' expression and she knew she was going to enjoy this.

"I hear this guy has got something else that's pretty impressive too," House eventually shot back, now removing his shirt himself and throwing it on the chair to the side of them.

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded, reaching behind her again and torturously slowly unzipping her dress, as his fingertips on his other hand traced a route down the newly exposed skin on her back and made her shiver.

"Then prove it," Cuddy challenged, her blue eyes meeting his in a way that never ceased to make his stomach flip over. In that moment he couldn't help but think how perfect she was. Not necessarily in a generic sense, but for him nobody could even come close. She was perfect for him and always would be.

"Oh trust me I will!"

Slipping the dress off her shoulders he kissed her mouth gently, a sweet embrace that was a prelude of what was to come, before pushing her clothing further down her body and watching as the material pooled on the carpet around her ankles, and they both kicked off their shoes. Taking in the sight in front of him of Cuddy in her bra and panties, he bit his lip to stop himself from audibly groaning and felt himself grow harder. The easy option would be to just push her on the bed, climb on top of her and for them to make love until they were both screaming out each other's names. He was sure she'd be up for that too, but he was determined to make this special for her, even if it did require a little bit of self-restraint on his part for the time being.

Inching them to the side of the bed as he nuzzled into her neck, House delicately positioned her in the centre of the king-sized bed and quickly joined her, his knees either side of her hips as he leant down and claimed her lips in a raw, passionate kiss that made both their heads swim. Finally pulling away he began to move his mouth lower, feathering light pecks down her neck, between her breasts and then her abdomen as she moaned appreciatively. Hooking his fingers into the sides of her panties, he shifted lower on the bed and slid them off her legs, prior to throwing them on the floor.

"I want you," Cuddy murmured, her thighs parting in invitation as she brazenly eyed the bulge in his pants and licked her lips.

"All good things…," he responded mischievously, resting her ankles on his shoulders and gently rubbing his stubble against the tops of her thighs as his fingers sought her aroused core.

Instantly she closed her eyes and arched her back, a tiny whimper escaping her when she felt his thumb circle her clit and two of his fingers curl up inside of her, insistently touching the spot that drove her crazy. She'd wanted his hands on her for so long, she'd even dreamt about it, but nothing felt like the real thing and she was beginning to wonder how and why she'd held out for so long.

"Oh fuck!" she breathed as she felt his tongue replace his thumb, her hands grasping tightly onto the cover beneath her.

Soon the muscles in her legs began to quake, a white hot heat shooting through the length of her body as she heard herself groan his name like she was listening to a third party. For some time she just laid there with her eyes closed, sensing House lie down next to her and enjoying the sensation of him rubbing his palm over her stomach soothingly, whilst her breathing returned to normal. Eventually blinking her eyes open she turned onto her side and was greeted with her boyfriend looking exceptionally pleased with himself.

"So you've decided to come back down to Earth?"

"For the time being," Cuddy retorted, pushing him onto his back without much resistance and undoing the clasp and the zip on his pants, shuffling them down his legs until she was able to throw them nonchalantly over her shoulder. "Somebody still has something to show me."

Running her hand up the length of him through his shorts, she smirked to herself when he audibly gasped, and stopped to free him from the constraints of his remaining garment. Now he was completely naked she couldn't help but stare at the prize.

"I told you it was impressive," House cracked.

Swinging one leg over him, Cuddy reached behind her back and unclasped her bra sending it the way of the rest of their clothes and then encircled his cock with her hand, not taking her eyes off his as she gave it a few cursory strokes from the hilt to the tip.

"Size isn't everything House," she rejoined, her expression dead-pan as she teased the tip of him against the wet lips between her legs and looked on in satisfaction as he gulped hard. "But then everybody lies."

Sinking down on top of him, the ache between her thighs was just the right side of pain as she adjusted to the size of him. Bending over so her breasts lightly grazed his chest, she tentatively kissed him and began a slow rhythm with her hips that House responded to by gripping onto her waist. Breaking the contact between their mouths, she sat up slightly and pressed her hands against his chest, starting to up the pace.

"You're mine now," she whispered, an assertion that sounded as if it was mid-way between a question and a statement of fact.

"I always was," House responded, his eyes searching hers for a similar sentiment which he duly got. "I always will be. You're stuck with me now."

Smiling back at him, she confided how much she loved him and how nobody ever made her feel like this until neither of them were able to form coherent sentences anymore; her nails ultimately digging into his chest as she found her release and then took him with her, their slick bodies still joined and entwined until their heartbeats stopped racing up until Cuddy eventually rolled off him.

For a long time neither of them said anything. They just laid side by side in a comfortable, practically elatory silence questioning the reality of the situation they found themselves in. Their incredulity wasn't about the sex, they'd always been more than capable of satisfying one another, but had more to do with the fact that this time things really did feel different. There was no longer any conflict of interest between their personal and private lives; no lingering worry on her part that he was on the verge of a relapse at any minute; and no real sense that this couldn't work. They'd fought hard for this relationship and the fact that there was a genuine reason to feel optimistic about their future was new to both of them.

Moving over onto her side, Cuddy placed her hand on House's chest and frowned. One thing had been bothering her ever since he'd mentioned it during their therapy session.

"That person you said you were scared of," she ventured cautiously. "It was your Dad wasn't it? Did he hurt you?"

Sighing deeply he ran his hand over his face. He'd expected her to pick up on that at some point, but not necessarily minutes after they'd just finished having sex.

"Can we not do this now?"

"I'd never think any less of you," she insisted, concerned he thought it would somehow change or diminish in her eyes.

Turning to face her, he caught hold of her hand and observed the worry in her features.

"It's not that. It's just I'd rather not bring all that crap into this room. Not after tonight has been so perfect."

"You can tell me about it whenever you want" Cuddy implored. Watching him nod his head sadly she took a tangential leap. "You're a great Dad, you know?"

"Really?"

"Really," she repeated. "Jacob loves you."

Smirking at her, he cast his mind back to the first day he'd met their son.

"I used to think he hated me."

"Shockingly he's slow to warm up to people, but when he does he can't leave them alone. I wonder who he gets that from, huh?"

"You obviously," House quipped back, causing her to lightly tap his arm in reprimand.

"Rachel's pretty fond of you too."

"I can't help being irresistible to the Cuddy women," he shrugged casually. "Especially your sister. All that pent up rage is actually unresolved sexual tension, but it's buried so deep down that not even she knows it."

"I should tell her that."

"Please don't," he begged half-seriously. "I like my balls still attached and I'm guessing you do too." Enjoying the sound of his girlfriend's sexy chuckle, he steered the conversation back to where it was before he started joking about Julia. "Rachel's a cool kid… I missed her too after we broke up."

"We can't treat her differently to Jacob though. I don't want her feeling like she was never as important when she grows up, because she's not biologically our child."

House couldn't deny this was an awkward situation. Rachel understandably still felt like Cuddy's daughter, and legally she was, but that didn't mean he had any intention of shunning her. All too well he knew what it was to be rejected because you didn't share half your genes with someone who was responsible for you, and he had no intention of inflicting that same emotional pain on someone he'd grown to care about.

"Then we won't," he said simply.

Out of relief Cuddy exhaled sharply. She'd expected this to be more difficult.

"You're amazing," she told him genuinely.

"I've been telling you that for years."

"And yet modesty has never been never been your strong suit." Sitting up, she tugged on his hand and pulled him with her to the edge of the bed. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" he asked, the lines on his forehead furrowing in confusion.

Getting to her feet, she stood in front of him as he perched on the side of the bed.

"The receptionist mentioned something about a marble bath."

"Really?" he inquired, happily following her as she led him to the bathroom. "I was too busy checking out your ass in that dress."