Two months. Yah, that's how long I stayed AWOL as far as fanfic writing's concerned. Oh well, here I am, making up to you.

This isn't actually my best shot but nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Take note, this chapter is UN-BETA and was just primary checked. I would take full credit for any errors b'c of that.

Well, I don't want to hold you for too long, Happy Reading!

It was only a few days ago that he left Plainsboro but for House something was different with the city as he and Wilson silently drove down the streets to the hospital. No, there weren't new buildings, no playground or park that suddenly sprouted from the ground and the sky he was looking up to was still blue, there was just this something - or someone - that he fear to admit to be the cause of the hammering of his heart.

"You're going to be fine," he heard Wilson say that caused him to turn his head to the direction of his friend.

He nodded, watching as the oncologist's hands turn the steering wheel to the left while feeling the car do the same. "Of course I'll be. No reason to feel the opposite," he said.

He heard a mocking chuckle in response. "Oh right, I forgot you're the one who insisted to leave the conference before it ends to see Cuddy yet you're also the one who's seated beside me right now, feeling as if the world will be coming to an end once I pulled the car five buildings from now; and yes, I know that even though you're not saying anything. Your eyes are tellers than I imagine they are."

"Quit being girly," House said, putting a scowl on his face as he looked out the window again.

"I'm not having cold feet on this," he silently added, "I just don't know if she's ready to see me again."

"Conrad said Cuddy's at the hospital. Now why would she be there if she doesn't want to run into you? As far as she knows you're there and not in some conference in Vegas," Wilson pointed out, "Relax, both of you will be just fine."

"Yah," House agreed though his mind was already filled with scenarios if things turn out differently.

Meanwhile in the hospital, the manly scent of Conrad's perfume had been invading Cuddy's nostrils for the last two hours as she was comfortably seated on the couch in the Dean of Medicine's office.

The last time she was here, this was hers. Nothing changed apart from the new sets of golf statuettes that were placed on top of drawers and in the shelves while mugs telling the world how great Conrad is as a dad were also claiming their throne in one side. Indeed, traces of femininity in this room were wiped out… but Lisa Cuddy knows it won't be for too long.

"I really appreciate your substitution, Carl," she sincerely said as her lovely grey eyes landed on the middle man's face.

"It is my pleasure to handle the hospital for you," the man said, nodding in courtesy as he does. "I know there'll be things that might surprise you as you re-handle this place but… some changes have to be done."

"Changes?" the woman asked, her mind, for some reason, automatically jumping on House's department. She knew how the diagnostician could set people off and Conrad, being an inexperience fellow as far as the six feet man is concerned, might have shrug off the diagnostic department as punishment.

"Yah, I ordered re-painting on ORs, delivery rooms and in the morgue. New linens had also been delivered two months ago and are now in use in NICU."

"I really like those changes," she commented while mentally kicking herself for forgetting the fact that Conrad told her that House's department wasn't affected by any departmental cancellations or mergings.

"Oh I hope you will but I'd rather wait until you see the rooms before sighing a relief," the male doctor said knowing how high the woman's standards are in terms of hospital services.

"Oh can I?"

"Give me five minutes and we'll be on our way," Conrad said.

"Thank you," Cuddy returned with a smile and a nod before watching the man eased himself up from the chair.

One hour later, Nursery's main door was pulled open and out came Conrad and Cuddy, both of them wearing smiles on their faces.

"I like the blue wall on the boys' ward and pink in the girls'," the woman commented as they started to walk the hallway.

"I thought you'll find it very ordinary," the male doc said.

"It is but they're lighter than usual so, both colors are very inviting. Whose idea was it to have sky blue and carnation pink anyway?"

"Oh it's my daughter," Conrad proudly said, "she came with me one morning and said light green and yellow are also usual nursery colors."

"Your… daughter?" Cuddy asked, expectedly feeling her heart sank just as the word 'daughter' escaped the tip of her tongue.

"Ohgod, I'm sorry…" the man immediately apologized upon hearing the sudden change in the woman's tone as both of them halt their steps, "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay…" she lied.

"How old is she?" she heard herself say after a gulp, of air… of courage to pull herself together again.

"She just turned eight last month. Quite smart for a kid her age," the psychologist shared, again, proudly.

"I know the feeling," Cuddy silently muttered not knowing that the voice she let out she thought was enough for her to hear alone was able to reach Conrad's ears. The man's hand landed on her back before it went up and down to soothe her from her unspoken pain.

"It's been a year," she heard him say, his voice dropping to a personal level.

"Yah," was all she could say in return as the need to move was calling her, "but the pain is still there."

"Guess that will never leave… but hey, you're doing great," Conrad cheered.

"Thanks," Cuddy replied as she looked up to the man's hazel browns before letting her feet lead her to the elevator.

"You know if you want to take a leave off before getting back to work, you could," the man said, following close after the woman.

With a smile, Cuddy faced him just as her index finger hit the 'down' button.

"I had enough rest for a year Carl… I'll stick with my plan. I'll come back to work this afternoon."

It was past lunch when House finally entered his outer office where two of his team were waiting for him. For the last three hours, he decided to lock himself inside Wilson's office in spite the urge of his best friend to go out and do his job. For him, it was better to flip through the pages of Oncology Today than to risk meeting his former lover down the hall whom he knew was on the way out after her rumored visit.

"Danna's HcG rose up to five percent," Taub announced as soon as House's left feet landed the carpeted office.

"This is why you page me? To diagnose pregnancy?" the diagnostician annoyingly complained.

"She's not…"

"How come women are suddenly ashame of carrying the new generation of the world?" House asked, limping to the mini kitchen counter where he took a can of soda to drink. "Did you show her the result while her husband is in the room?"

"What? Why?" 'Tiny' asked.

"Well, it's either she knows she's not really pregnant OR the baby's not hubby's," the six feet man theorized.

"Or she knows pregnancy is not really the diagnosis," Foreman, who was standing behind Taub, said.

With a headshake and a muffled chuckle, House commented the neurologist's words.

"Come on, you know as well as I do, rise on HcG level could also mean a tumor. We just don't know where it is because we don't have an MRI scan because she's been refusing any test since she got in here," the man reminded his boss.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go and force her to get that damn pregnancy test so that if that comes back negative, you could get her in the MRI and get me a scan," House ordered before taking a swig on his soda.

"I guess you missed out the part when Foreman said 'She's been refusing any test'," Taub reminded.

"We need someone who could talk her to it," the black guy said.

"Oh for god sake, get the husband to do it, if she still doesn't want it, have him consent the scan," their boss snarked before limping towards his inner office.

"House," Foreman called out, stopping his boss on his tracks and was successful on getting his attention.

"We need more than a husband for this. I'm afraid we need Conrad this time," the neurologist added.

With a grunt and a disapproving look, House walked out the outer office and made his way to the elevator.

Back in the room, Taub looked at the much larger guy with him and said, "You think it's a good idea?"

"That we used the Dean of Medicine to force a woman to do some tests?" Foreman asked, "We do it all the time."

"Guess I should have told him that it's not Conrad House will be meeting downstairs, Cuddy took over the office again twenty minutes ago."

With a scowl on his face, House limped in the Clinic. God, he hates his current patient, very demanding. As his eyes stayed glue on the double doors of the Dean of Medicine's office, he even thought of tricking his patient just to get her to do a test. If it didn't work, then he'll do what he knows he's best at, he'll browbeat them until she and her husband have no choice but to agree on him.

"Dr. Ha…" he knew he heard his name as it escaped the lips of the dean's assistant. New or not, he didn't care. He didn't bother to mock back, he didn't even bother to take a quick glance to the creature he knew was about to stop him on his tracks.

He wanted his test and he will get it by using… Cuddy?

His was stopped on his tracks. For a minute he thought he was dreaming until the voice he'd been dreading to hear for last twelve months finally landed his hearing.

"Dr. House it would be better if you knocked," Cuddy said in her best administrative tone after taking a quick look at the sudden intruder before diving her eyes on her paperwork again.

He heard her but unlike her words which were loud and clear, his world seemed to moved in slow motion.

In his ocean blues, nothing else exists other than the woman owning those soft curls, those familiar left hand gripping a pen and those lovely grey eyes that makes every man gibberish… and is obviously the same pair that were now staring back at him.

First, thank you that you consider reading this chapter to the end. =)

I don't know when will be the next update and for that I hope you'll patiently wait.

I really wanted to know what you think of this chapter, reviews are well loved so drop some.

As always, thank you for reading!