Well guys things keep getting crazier for me and now that Christmas is only a few days away, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I hope you enjoy this one. Also I want to thank all of you again for the great reviews. It has been a wonderful experience for me to repost this fic on here and I am happy that those of you who have read it perviously on the fox site like the changes I've made.

Chapter 21

Bill Martin's Residence…..

Sitting in the comfortable large recliner in his living room, Bill glanced up at the clock resting on the mantel on top of the fireplace before him.

It was nearly midnight and yet he couldn't sleep. His mind filled with so many thoughts it refused to let him be, his heart aching from the feelings stirring inside of it that it kept him anchored in the plush chair he had eased himself into a few hours ago.

Running his thumb and index finger across the coarse white hair of the mustache above his lip, Bill thought about the way Ruth and Lisa had acted towards each other tonight, the tone in Ruth's voice causing him great concern, the look in Lisa's eyes only adding to the additional worry he had for both woman.

He could tell they were both hurting, the shared heartache between mother and daughter, something he felt compelled to alleviate.

Leaning back in his chair, Bill closed his eyes even though he was not the least bit tired, allowing his mind to conjure up the memory of Ruth's face, needing to linger in her beauty if only for a little while in an effort to ease some of the strain of his weary mind.

As the seconds ticked by on the clock resting atop the mantle, he recalled the way the fine lines tucked on the outside corners of Ruth's golden chestnut eyes had deepened when she let down her guard for a moment, giving him a genuine smile, a smile that told him somewhere beyond the suspicious woman who held onto control for dear life lie something more...…something lovely that needed a gentle touch in order to help break it free from the rocky past that kept it from reaching out towards the light of day.

Suddenly Bill sat straight up in his chair. A rogue thought interrupting his silent worship of the woman who had already stolen his heart.

"Fan." He said aloud, reaching over to the end table beside him to pick up the cordless phone resting there.

Bill had promised Wilson he would call the cop and talk to him about Tritter and Jeff to see if the man would be open to hearing their story, but because of all that had happened earlier, he had forgotten to make the call.

Pausing for a moment, Bill looked up at the clock again, not sure calling at such a late house was a good idea until it dawned on him that Fan probably worked the night shift, seeing as how he was in the jail with Wilson after midnight the other day.

Placing the phone up to his ear after dialing the number he had filed away in his memory, Bill listened to it ring four times before the cop answered.

"Fan." The cop stated walking out to his car after his shift had ended.

"Officer Fan, this is Bill Martin."

Fan stopped in his tracks, fishing his car keys out from inside his right pants pocket.

"Did one of your friends get arrested again?" The cop asked.

Bill let out a soft chuckle. "No, it's nothing like that. I just wondered if maybe I could ask you for some help in another matter."

Fan started to walk towards his car again. "Listen Bill, if you think I'm the guy to call in order to get you out of some parking tickets, you're sadly mistaken." He told him flatly.

"Actually I'm hoping you'd be the type of guy who would listen to an old man with a very strange story to tell." Bill responded, knowing that any good cop on the beat was a sucker for the promise of an intriguing tale.

"Go on." Fan replied with interest, pushing the small black button on his key chain to unlock his car doors.

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Just before midnight, Lisa was sleeping in her hospital bed, lying on her back as her brow furrowed, the throws of another nightmare coming to greet her in the depth of her slumber., finding herself standing in the middle of a dark forest. Wearing the pink nightgown she had changed into earlier. Shivering in the cold night air as a pale moon looked down upon her.

Lisa watched the air in front of her become clouded with the breath escaping her lungs as she rubbed her arms as she tried to warm them, glancing down at her bare feet and noticing there was no cast on her right leg.

Where am I? She wondered, looking around the thick forest that seemed to stretch on for miles, searching for a light in the distance that would guide her home.

A snap of a tree branch beside her caused Lisa to turn to her left where she spotted the tall figure of a man looming in the darkness just a few feet away from her..

Run! Run! Run! Her mind screamed as Jeff stepped out into the moonlight revealing himself to her.

Her legs bolted into action, taking her down a muddy path thick with the roots of trees that tried to grab onto her feet.

She could hear Jeff behind her as his shoes slapped against the slick puddles in the trail. His breath ragged and shallow, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Lisa pushed her legs harder, feeling them start to burn at her urgent request, her body turning quickly onto the fork in the path that appeared on her right, spotting a clearing just ahead of her.

Off in the distance was the light she was seeking..... the light that would take her away from here….away from him.

Picking up the pace in search of the light, Lisa let out a gasp as the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Gravity pulling her down into the dark and hollow black pit that appeared out of nowhere.

Her body hit the dirt bottom with a loud THUD and she felt the impact of the fall vibrating up her spine.

"Uhhhh." She groaned as a gust of air escaped her lungs.

Lying on her back, Lisa stared wide eyed up at the pale moon above her. The sounds of footsteps drawing closer to her sending another wave of panic throughout her system as seconds later Jeff's fell down into the pit, landing next to her.

Get up! Get up! Get up! Her mind screamed, telling her not to look over at Jeff who was stirring beside her, telling her she needed to act quickly.

Lisa turned on her side, forcing her aching body to move, to escape the man trying to hunt her down before he could catch her.

Peering through the shadows of the pit she could see it was lined on all sides by the same type of thick and gnarly roots that had tried to grab at her feet on the muddy pathway, but fearing them less than the monster trapped in the darkness with her, Lisa reached out to them without hesitation.

Twenty feet is not that far, her mind told her after it had calculated the distance to the surface as she made her way towards the pale moonlight above her before her mouth let out a cry of surprise when the fingers of her left hand lost their grip on the water soaked root she had been holding onto to.

Feeling her body slip back a few inches towards the monster in the dark Lisa began to tremble with fear.

Don't give up! Her mind pleaded, refusing to think of what may happen to her if she surrendered to the utter darkness below.

Lisa grunted, reaching out once more for the root in front of her, the muscles in her arm and legs strained from the grueling task they were performing, feeling as if they would snap in the center like a rubber band stretched to its limits.

The wet and slimy clay from the wall she was climbing began to coat her skin, mixing in with her own sweat. Perspiration and dark terracotta dirt combining and changing into a color that made it look as if she was literally covered in blood instead of soil.

Within her next heartbeat a primal instinct of survival took hold of her body, a desperate rhythm formed as arms reached up, allowing her hands to grasp the roots above her while her legs pushed her forward as her toes dug into the thick clay underneath them, the harrowing motions repeated over and over again as she scaled the wall growing ever closer to the surface.

She was almost there…only a few more inches and she would reach the top of the pit, her mind assuring she would indeed make it until she felt a strong hand wrap around her foot.

Lisa cried out to the moonlight looming over her and held onto the thick twisted root cutting into the palm of her hand with all of her might, sinking her nails into pulp of it as she looked down into the pit, seeing Jeff crawling up behind her as he held fast to her ankle.

No! No! No! Her mind screamed while her eyes stayed locked on the demon beneath her.

With black eyes that seemed to have Satan hidden among them, Jeff smiled up at her, his teeth having been replaced by tiny shards of broken glass which glistened in the moonlight as his saliva coated them.

"Get away from me!" Lisa yelled, kicking him in the face and causing him to relinquish his grip on her as he fell back into the darkness as she held fast to the roots of the trees.

A loud thud echoed up the round tunnel as Jeff plummeted to the bottom of the pit, her mind now barking out hoarse commands to her body. Commanding tissue, muscle and joints in a generals tone to haul her ass up out of the chasm where danger was only a breath away from her.

Focusing her eyes on the surface once more, Lisa took in a deep breath, determined to get out of the darkness.

Reaching out to the next root above her, Lisa froze as the outline of another dark figure appeared and peered into the darkness from above her.

"Mom! Help me!" Lisa screamed with every ounce of strength she had left in her, thrusting her hand towards Ruth who stared down at her without emotion.

"I can't help you Lisa……you lied to me…you took it all away from me." Her mother whispered back to her in a sorrowful tone before turning and walking away.

"Noooo! Come back! Please come back!" Lisa cried out with her hand still outstretched into the open air, feeling her throat tighten and her heart begin to race just as Jeff grabbed hold of her ankle again.

"Stay with me." He whispered to her through shards of broken glass, giving her leg another sharp tug with his strong hand.... causing her to fall back into the darkness with him.

"Nooo!" Lisa gasped, sitting straight up in the hospital bed, shaking the phantom hand of her nightmare away from the cast around her ankle.

Thankfully the pillow elevating the cast cushioned her movements, sending only a dulled aftershock of pain into her recently re-aligned joint.

"Doctor Cuddy…. are you ok?" The security guard asked as he stepped into her room and headed towards her bed.

"I'm fine …….I just had a bad dream." Lisa answered feeling slightly embarrassed that an employee of hers had found her this way.

"Ok then, I'll be right outside the door if you need me." The guard replied before turning and leaving the room.

After he had left, Lisa looked over at the clock on the nightstand beside her bed, the red numbers glaring back at her, letting her know it was now 12:45am, the cell phone resting beside it a temptation that begged her to reach for it.

"No,"Lisa whispered refusing to call House as her eyes searched the dark corners of the room for any part of the nightmare that may still linger there.

Besides what am I going to say to him? Oh by the way I had another nightmare about Jeff and this time my mother was in it as well? No….it was just a bad dream and nothing more; she tried to convince herself while a shiver traveled up her spine caused by the cold sweat that covered her body.

It was just a bad dream…..and nothing more, she repeated inside her mind, pulling the sheets tighter against her body.

Besides, tomorrow she would be released from the hospital… and once she was in her own bed… and in her own house ….the nightmares would stop she assured herself ……

They had to, Lisa reasoned before easing her body back down into the hospital bed once more, knowing that sleep for her tonight would be as illusive as the hand of her mother she had tried to reach out to during the nightmare.

********************************************************

The next morning at 8 am, Bill walked into the hospital cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and a doughnut before heading up to Lisa's room.

Starting in the back of the cafeteria line, he reached inside one of the plexiglass doors of the small cabinet in front of him, snagging one of the mouthwatering doughnuts coated in a glaze of sugar.

"Good morning Doctor Martin." A young and attractive medical student by the name of Kelly said from behind him.

"Good morning Kelly. Are you headed off to class or just planning on meeting up with Michael so you can sneak in a few kisses with him in the hallway when you think no one is looking?" Bill joked with a smile after turning around to face her.

"Oh Doctor Martin you're as bad as my father. He always teases me about my boyfriends." Kelly responded with a smile of her own.

"Well then it sounds like your father is a man after my own heart," Bill said with a grin, watching the young girl before him beaming because of the attention he was giving her, " by the way, it looks like Michael is waiting for you," he added nodding towards the entrance of the cafeteria.

Kelly looked out into the hallway and smiled at the young man with tussled blond hair who was waving at her with a huge grin.

"I guess I better go." She said, looking back at the older physician who had to be the sweetest man she had ever met.

"Have a good day Kelly and don't forget to let me know how you did on your anatomy exam." Bill told her, waving to Michael as the young man waved back to him with a grin.

"I will." Kelly promised before turning and leaving the cafeteria, giving an annoyed look at House while he nearly knocked her over.

"Jerk." She muttered under her breath quickly making her way over to her boyfriend.

"You do know it's very creepy for a man your age to be flirting with a girl who's young enough to be your great grand daughter." House commented to Bill as he limped up beside him.

"Jealous?" Bill asked with a raised brow.

House looked back at him with shock. "You old pervert." He said with a smirk.

Bill shook his head, moving his tray along the counter as he reached for an empty Styrofoam coffee cup.

"Kelly's a good kid who's been feeling homesick lately since she transferred here from Duke a few weeks ago, I try to keep an eye on her just to make sure she's doing ok." He clarified.

"How on earth do you know all of that stuff about her?" House questioned watching the old man place his cup under the spout of freshly brewed coffee in front of them.

"Because I actually take the time to talk to the people here." Bill answered with a wiry grin, placing a clear plastic lid ontop of his cup after filling it.

Approaching the register, Bill paid for his breakfast, thanking the cashier as she handed him his change.

"Bill you shouldn't have." House said as the man turned to leave, taking the coffee and doughnut from his tray.

Any other person would have of course given House an annoyed look for stealing their food, but Bill just smiled, "I'm happy Lisa's going home today too." He remarked to House in a soft whisper, heading back to the end of the line.

House, who had just taken a bite of the confiscated doughnut, looked over at the physician with displeasure.

"Don't worry House, your secret's safe with me, but you need to keep that smile of yours under wraps before someone else notices it." Bill cautioned, placing another doughnut on his tray.

"Don't worry as soon as I see my arch nemesis, Ruth 'wicked witch of the west' Cuddy. Her ugly mug will wipe the smile from my face. As well the make the little children on the Ped's ward start to cry." House snarked.

"She's not that bad House." Bill responded as they had made their way through the cafeteria line where he paid for his breakfast for the second time today. "You coming?" He then asked as he headed towards a small table in the back of the cafeteria.

"You've been blinded by Ruth's nice rack and rotundas posterior." House said, limping up to Bill as he studied the old man's face to see how he would react to the comment.

"Yes….I have." Bill answered back calmly.

"You're not going to deny it?" House questioned giving him a sideways glance.

"Why should I? I'm not getting any younger. So why beat around the bush when it comes to my feelings for Ruth?" Bill answered with a smile sitting down in the chair to his left.

"You just met her." House argued, taking the other seat.

"I like her." Bill told him, with the smile never leaving his face.

"No….. your retired penis likes her. There's a big difference." House countered.

Bill shook his head. "It may have been awhile since I've made love to a woman, but ……that's not the only reason I'm attracted to Ruth." He answered softly.

"Quit talking like a chick, it's creeping me out." House said with a grimace.

Bill chuckled, "Fine ….it may have been awhile since I've gotten laid but that's not the only reason I'm attracted to Ruth." He rephrased.

"Ruth's would be a handful for any man, let alone an old fart lke you whose got the personality of Mister Rodgers….but….whatever, it's your funeral." House said dismissively before adding. "I just hope the sex is worth it, then again if Ruth's anything like her daughter in the sack, you'll be in for a very good time."

This time Bill grimaced. "I never was into that whole mother/daughter fantasy thing...it always creeped me out a little. I mean mothers and daughters fight enough without having to compete over whose better in the sack." He joked with a shrug.

House smirked, liking the old man's comeback,"Enough talk about the boobie twins. Did you get to talk to Fan last night?" He asked.

Bill nodded, "Fan didn't believe me when it came to Tritter's involvement with Jeff…..but, he did agree to check Jeff out anyway to see if he's had any past complaints from the other women he's dated before Lisa."

House leaned back in his chair. "I guess that's better than nothing," he said dryly.

Bill studied House's face. The man was tired and no doubt struggling with all that had been dumped onto his lap within the last few days.

"House....." He started to say, wanting to assure the man before him that he was not alone in this mess.

"I'm going upstairs to annoy the crap out of Ruth. You're welcome to join me if you want to." House muttered before getting up from the table, Bill's voice having too much of a fatherly overtone to it for his liking, the father he did have, leaving scars behind on him that provided a thick layer of bitterness whenever it came to any older man who may try to mentor him.

********************************************************

Entering into the Lisa's hospital room with House, Bill looked over at Ruth whose back was facing them as she stood beside the windowsill, gathering up some of the flowers and cards Lisa had received during her short stay at the hospital.

Ruth's dark hair that fell just below the nape of her neck, caught the rays of the morning sun that filtered through the window, her petite figure illuminated in the mint green sweater she was wearing and the black skirt that fell just below her knees, the black two inches high heels upon her feet, accentuating her toned smooth calves that boasted of a woman who time had been very kind to indeed.

"Sure it's not just your penis that likes her?" House questioned, whispering over to Bill after watching the older physician's eyes trace Ruth's enticing figure.

"Hey I didn't hear the two of you come in." Lisa said with a smile, looking up from the stack of paperwork piled upon the tray in front of her.

"Lisa Cuddy you should not be doing paperwork when you are supposed to be resting." Bill scolded, sounding more like her father than her friend.

"You!" Ruth exclaimed turning around quickly and walking past by Bill as she headed straight for House.

She stood toe to toe with tall diagnostician, pointing her finger in his face. "The next time you feel like writing something why don't you try signing your name on a resignation letter!" Ruth hissed with a fire in her eyes.

"If you're feeling a little left out, I can hoist you up on the bed and look up your skirt next." House commented back to her, not backing down at all.

"House!" Cuddy yelled, wanting to strangle him for starting in on her mom this morning after their discussion on the phone last night.

"Oh come on Cuddy your mom and I were just having some fun. Weren't we Ruth?" House asked the feisty woman standing before him who was ready to ring his neck.

"You may talk to my daughter like that House, but I'll be dammed if you'll talk to me like that." Ruth warned him, keeping her eyes fixated on his face.

House turned his head away from her and looked over at Lisa. "Should I be afraid of you mom Cuddy?" He asked, pulling out the first of his theories on why Ruth was so imbalanced when it came to showing her daughter affection.

"What? No…of course not." Lisa answered immediately with a confused expression.

Ruth glared up at House as he returned his gaze to her. "I have a pretty good idea why you keep showing up here. Why you talked my daughter into letting you stay at her house. You have some kind of sick twisted obsession with........"

"Should I be afraid of you Ruth?" House interrupted not letting her escape from the question.

Ruth took in a sharp breath through her teeth, feeling her heart starting to pound inside her chest, feeling the control within her start to slip away.

"Ruth……why don't I help you take some of those flowers down to your car." Bill offered, gently touching her arm, knowing she needed to be separated from House before he ended up pushing her over the edge of the very narrow cliff she was currently standing upon.

Ruth gave Bill a sharp glare that told him silently to release her arm immediately, leaving him to wonder if she was angered by his interference or afraid of the contact he had made with her.

"I can take the flowers down by myself." Ruth told him in an even tone, giving House one last look before she turned towards the windowsill, picking up two the arrangements and walking briskly out of the room.

"Bill." Lisa whispered softly looking over at him.

"I'll go after her and make sure she's ok." Bill assured her.

Once Bill left the room, Lisa focused her gaze on House as he limped up to her bedside.

"I told you to leave my mother alone." She said to him, keeping her voice down while conveying her anger within her tone.

"You look tired." House said in return, ignoring her question.

Lisa let out a disgusted laugh. "Really?" She shot back sarcastically.

"You had another nightmare." House stated rather than questioned, looking down at her.

Lisa hated the position they were in, him towering above her more than usual thanks to her broken ankle. "I can't do this. I can't have you questioning me at every turn just because you found another puzzle you need to solve. This my family you're playing your head games with and I will not let you hurt my mother just because you need answers." She told him emphatically, keeping her eyes locked on his as he sat down in the chair next to her.

"You and your mother are the ones who need answers. You're just afraid to ask the questions." House replied back to her in a low tone, resting his cane on the side of her bed.

Lisa raised her eyes to the ceiling. "That maybe true House," She conceded letting out a breath, "but I can't deal with my mother, Jeff and Tritter at the same time….it's just too much."

"Then tell your mother to go home." He told her with brutal honesty.

"No." Lisa told him with disdain, shocked by his statement. He had no right to do this, to dig so deeply into her personal life while sharing none of his own with her up to this point in their relationship.

House leaned closer to her, "Either talk to your mom or tell her to go home. It's as simple as that."

"You know it's not that simple." Lisa replied.

"It can be, if you want to."

"Was it that simple for you? Did you shut your parents out of your life in one fail swoop or did you just push them away little by little?" Lisa challenged, watching his eyes dart to the floor.

"My parents…" He started to say.

"Have everything to do with what you're trying to get me to do to my mother." Lisa interrupted.

House looked up at her, his eyes wide with shock as she pulled him towards the truth whether he liked it or not. "You can't let her drag you down, not with all that's going on right now." He said in a hollow tone.

"I'm not going to turn my back on mother just because of what's happened to us in the past and I'm not going talk about my past with you until I'm ready. I thought you understood that last night." She answered, searching his face.

"Understanding and agreeing are two different things when it comes to me, you know that." House told her.

"I know that, but sometimes..... you do end up listening to me in the end, when you know it's the right thing to do." Lisa reminded him, holding onto their gaze.

House let out a sigh, "I'll try not to drive you mom insane while I'm staying with you….but .....I can't promise you that I'll be able to keep my word," he said flatly letting her know not to invest too much of her faith in him.

Lisa smiled back at him, seeing the intensity in his eyes that told her he was trying harder with her than he had with anyone in a very long time. "Ok." She agreed simply with a nod.

********************************************************

"Ruth." Bill called out as he watched her turn the corner just ahead of him.

Ruth paused, closing her eyes for a moment trrying to slow her breathing, listening to his footsteps drawing closer to her.

"Please let me help you with those." Bill requested once he had reached her.

"I told you before I can handle this on my own." Ruth answered back to him avoiding his gaze.

"Ruth." Bill said softly, gently reaching for the floral arrangement in her left hand. "I'm sorry but as honorary flower inspector of this hospital I cannot allow you to exit this building without my approval." He told her watching her brow furrow before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Did Lisa tell you to come out here after me?" She questioned still holding onto the arrangement he was now holding onto as well.

"Yes." He answered honestly.

"I don't need a babysitter, I'm a grown woman." Ruth muttered, relinquishing control of the flowers in her left hand to him as she started to walk towards the elevator in front of them.

"That's no the only reason I came after you." Bill told her softly as he matched her stride.

Ruth turned to face him just as they reached the elevator doors.

"Why else would come after me?" She asked looking up into his steel blue eyes.

"To tell you that you look beautiful today and to ask if you would like to have dinner with me sometime." Bill answered, watching her chestnut eyes grow wide with surprise.

"Oh…." Ruth said softly unable to look away from him as the elevator opened up behind them.