My AO3 account is officially up and running in case anyone else is on the site and want to find me. :)

Maybe I had a little bought of writers' block with this chapter, but I got it done more quickly than I thought I would. I had fun writing Arlene and Blythe, as always. XD Arlene is always entertaining to work with.

Disclaimer: I don't own House or any of its characters. The title of this story comes from the novel of the same name by E.B. White.

Good Tidings

Life felt oddly calm as the two of them sat on her couch later that evening, Cuddy's head resting gently on his lap as she toyed with the ring on her hand. His fingers carded softly through her hair, without a conscious thought from him as he flipped through the channels on the TV with the sound muted. She didn't know what she had expected; was the world supposed to cease turning or the universe supposed to implode because of what had happened? She wasn't sure, but she did know this just felt too...ordinary. Maybe it just hadn't hit her yet.

It was late, and both of them knew they should go to bed, but they couldn't bring themselves to feel tired.

"House," Cuddy said softly, almost in a whisper. He looked down at her with a soft hum of acknowledgement. "What I said before...about you not being there for me...I didn't...I was angry, I didn't-"

Where this apology was coming from, she didn't know.

"It's fine."

"No it's not." She sat up, looking straight at him, fingers intertwining in her lap. "I shouldn't have said that. I was wrong." She softly rested her forehead on his shoulder, guilt finally beginning to set in for real as she spoke. "You've been there for me more than I ever could have imagined. When I was dealing with Mendel, after that car accident, even when my mother showed up...I couldn't have ever asked for more, House. You've been amazing and I'm sorry I couldn't see that."

"Cuddy, I told you, it's fine-"

"Please just accept the apology," she interrupted, almost sounding like she was begging him. She didn't want to sound like that, but she needed to hear it from him none the less. He regarded her silently for a few moments, finally reaching for the remote and turning off the TV. There was nothing worth watching on anyway.

"Fine," he said. "Apology accepted. " She smiled.

"Thank you." They slipped into silence again, and Cuddy once more rested her head in his lap, feeling his hand come down to cover her shoulder, his thumb stroking her skin through the material of her T-shirt. Again, she played with the ring on her finger, experimenting with the way it reflected light until she could make it shimmer in the glow from the lamp by the couch.

"Your mom's going to be over the moon when you tell her," she said off-handedly, finding herself with a smile on her face.

"She'll just be happy that ring's not collecting dust on some shelf," he replied.

"Well I know I am." He chuckled a bit; Cuddy felt his body quiver beneath her with the sound. "I still can't believe you asked me this...I still think I'm going to wake up and it's all going to be a dream or something." He looked down at her, then, and she up at him. He reached down an pinched her on the arm. "Ow!"

"Not dreaming," he said with a shrug. She hit him on the chest. "You know, speaking of parents, you're going to have to tell your mom at some point too." There was apprehension in his own voice as he spoke, and Cuddy felt it seep into the pit of her stomach.

"I know..." she said.

"How much do you wanna bet she's going to insist on coming back here as soon as she hears?"

"I don't care if she does," Cuddy said, turning so that she was on her back and looking up at House. "I don't care how much she might complain about it. She's not the one getting married, and she's not getting a say in the matter."

"Well that's good, because if it were up to your mom, we'd probably have better luck eloping. I didn't exactly ask for permission."

"I didn't expect you to." She ran her hand along the length of his arm, up and down. "You might be surprised though...knowing my mother, she'll probably just be happy there's a ring on my finger. Though...I doubt she'll be able to resist saying 'I told you so'." He glanced down at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Well you did make quite the point out of saying you'd never marry me," she said.

"What, I'm not allowed to change my mind?" he asked.

"Of course you are. And believe me, I couldn't be happier that you did. But it's just...you seemed pretty adamant about all this before..."

"Exactly. Before." He emphasized the word. "Things change."

"But people don't," Cuddy countered. "Not really." She sat up again. House missed the weight and warmth of her head on his legs immediately, but he didn't let it show. "I know you were telling the truth, House. I know you meant it when you told my mom you didn't want to marry me." She paused, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. Absentmindedly, she looked down at her ring again.

"I just...I want to make sure you really do want this...I don't want you to rush into it if you're...scared, or-" He moved swiftly, taking her wrists in his hands and holding her fast. The gemstones on her engagement ring glinted in the light.

"I never said I didn't want it," he said. "I said we didn't need it. We don't need some superficial ceremony or a piece of paper to prove that our relationship means something. But I don't exactly have any plans to leave you, and..." He sighed. "Like I said, it's a completely selfish decision."

"So you're going to make it as hard for me to leave you as possible?" Cuddy asked with the slightest hint of a smirk.

"And I get bragging rights," he added. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Bragging rights to what?" House scoffed.

"Bragging rights to you. What man wouldn't love the chance to tell people he's married to you?"

"That's...sweet."

"Really? I was going for shallow and selfish."

"That too. But you already admitted to all that. You'd never admit to sweet."

"Hey, that ring on your finger didn't get there on its own."

"Well...I don't know if I'd exactly call it sweet," she said. She leaned up against him reassuringly, seeing the momentary expression of uncertainty on his face. "But I'm happy about it none the less."

Though he didn't say anything in reply, the look in his eyes said that he was too.

"So..." he said after a moment's pause. "Whose parents are we telling first?" Cuddy let out a fantastic sigh.

"Your mother will be ecstatic," she said. "My mom...well I...I don't know. She'll be happy, sure, but...I just know she'll try to insert herself into the wedding plans. She'll have a fit if we don't plan outright to have a traditional Jewish ceremony."

"Little early to be planning, don't you think?" House asked.

"I'm not trying to plan. Believe me, I think we need to let the dust settle a bit first before we start deciding on flower arrangements. I'm just warning you what might be in store."

"I know what might be in store," House said. "I know how to handle your mom. And trust me, she's not going to chase me away." He stared at her intently – so intently that it surprised her – and after a moment, she smiled at him.

"I certainly hope it would take more than her to scare you away," she quipped.

"Seriously, though," House said after a moment. "Who are we going to tell first?" Cuddy considered this for a moment, sighing introspectively.

"I'll call my mom tomorrow, I guess," she relented, stifling a yawn. Her eyelids drooped.

"You should go to bed," House said.

"I guess...will you stay?"

"'Course I will. I gave you a ring tonight, do you really think I'm going to skip out now?" She chuckled softly.

"Guess not," she said, hoisting herself up off of the couch. She smirked at him. "Don't wait too long, okay?"

"Oh, believe me, I won't."

As it turned out, it was another hour or so before House felt inclined to go back to the bedroom. His mind was racing. He turned television back on and flipped through the channels with the sound all the way down until his eyes began to feel tired.

He glanced at the clock; it was nearly one in the morning. Cuddy was likely asleep already. Just to be sure, he shuffled down the hall and peeked into her bedroom. The room was dark, Cuddy's sleeping form just barely visible under the covers in the bed. But still, he didn't go to her. Instead, he went to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

It rang six times before she picked up. Honestly, he'd expected the voice mail, but instead she answered herself, tiredly questioning his identity. He must have woken her, he realized, and he felt a pang of guilt deep in his chest.

"Mom...it's Greg."

"Greg? It's late...Is something wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing, Mom, nothing," he assured her, sensing her uneasiness. Well, at least she was wide awake now. "I'm sorry for calling so late. I just...I really needed to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"Cuddy," he said. He paused, thinking over his words. "I gave her the ring. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes."

"Oh, Greg!" Blythe gasped. "Greg, that's wonderful...Wonderful!"

"Yeah...anyway, I'm sorry. I guess I just really wanted you to know."

"Of course, Greg. I'll admit, when I gave you that ring, I did...hope for this. I didn't want to pressure you, I mean, and I would have been perfectly okay with it if you hadn't ended up deciding to take this step, but...Greg, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Mom," he said, beginning to feel somewhat uncomfortable with all of her praise. What did that say about him, that he could be made to feel so uneasy from mere compliments?

"And you know..." Blythe continued, "for what it's worth, if he was here, your father would have been proud too." He let out a soft laugh, tinged with bitterness. "I mean it. And he was when he was alive too. Proud of you, I mean. Maybe he wasn't the best at showing it, but...Greg, I don't want you to doubt that."

"Alright, Mom." His voice had a harsh edge to it that he hadn't meant to add, and he regretted using that tone with his own mother as soon as the words left his mouth. She didn't, however, seem too fazed by it.

"Well...Greg, this is fantastic news," she said, changing the subject to avoid making him any more uncomfortable. "Do you know when you're going to have the ceremony?"

"Don't have a date yet," he told her, scratching his temple. "I mean, it's still pretty early. I just asked her tonight. And I'll be honest, it wasn't much of a proposal."

"I'm sure it was fine. And either way, she said yes in the end. That's what counts."

"I guess so, yeah." He mused over her words, wanting to believe that she was right. If he tried hard enough, he could just barely find the strength to agree.

"Well, Greg, you be sure and tell me when you know more, alright? And I'm letting you know now, I want a formal invitation in the mail. Not just an email or a voice message. Even if you have to make one just for me, you hear me, young man?"

He smiled to himself. "I hear you."

"Oh, and that reminds me, I'm going to have to give you my new address."

"New address?"

"I'm moving. At the end of the week, actually."

"Really?"

"Oh, it's not far. Just a few minutes away, a lovely little place. It was time for a change, Greg. I'll be honest, I can't stay in this house any longer. I'll be alright. It's just...it's time." He held the receiver away from his mouth and let out a sigh.

"Do you...need me to..."

"Now don't you dare worry yourself. Pamela across the street has two boys home from college who offered to help. I'll let you know when I'm settled in and you and your fiancee-" She emphasized the word, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "...can come for another visit. But for now, just focus on yourself. And Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Focus on her." He did straighten up at that. "You understand? You treat that woman like she's the most important thing in the world to you."

"I will, Mom," he said.

"You promise?"

He paused a moment, hearing the intensity in her voice. There was silence on her end as she waited for him to reply.

"I promise," he said.

"Good. That's what I expect from my only son. I'll let you go now, Greg. Get some sleep."

"Alright, Mom."

"Goodnight, Greg."

"'Night."

He hung up the phone and got up from the kitchen table, putting the telephone back in its cradle on the wall. He let out a breath, leaning his weight against the kitchen counter.

"Well that's one down?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice. She looked tired, like he'd woken her. But she did not seem angry with him.

"You really couldn't wait until morning?" House shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep," he said.

"I hope for her sake, you don't call your mother every time you have insomnia." She stepped toward him. The ring on her finger glinted in the light. It seemed she hadn't taken it off even to sleep. That fact, surprisingly enough, made pride swell in his chest. The feeling caught him off guard, to say the least.

"Usually just drink myself into a stupor," he said jokingly. He saw a spark of sadness flash across her eyes at his words. Cautiously, it seemed, she put a hand on his arm.

"Will you come to bed now?" she asked.

His mother's words echoed in the back of his mind as he looked down at her, and slowly, he ran the tips of his fingers up her arm to her shoulder, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, she smiled in surprise.

"What are you...thinking?"

"A lot of things," he said with a smirk.

"I thought so." She caught her lip between her teeth and took hold of his sleeve, pulling him down the hall.

Wilson found him in the clinic, which didn't surprise him in the least, and what surprised him even less was the fact that House was sprawled out on an exam bed in a dark room, snoring loud enough to wake the corpses in the morgue. Wilson closed the door behind him and walked over to his sleeping friend, roughly nudging his shoulder and waking him with a dissatisfied grunt.

"You know, if they gave out medical licenses for sleeping, you'd have five by now."

"Oh, come on, Wilson," House chastised. "I'd have at least seven." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching his back. "Didn't sleep much last night, if you know what I mean." He winked suggestively, and Wilson rolled his eyes with a grimace. But then he smiled.

"So she changed her mind, then?" he asked. "She said yes? After everything that happened?" He let out a surprised breath. "What did you say to her?"

"Told her the truth," said House, grabbing his cane and twirling it between his palms.

"You?" Wilson asked, eyebrows raised.

"Why does that sort of thing always surprise people?"

"House, look...It's great. It's amazing." He smiled. "You set a date yet?"

"We didn't exactly come home and start planning the wedding right then and there, Wilson. I know you're on the edge of your seat with anticipation, but you're gonna have to hold out a little longer."

Wilson sat down on the bed next to him, and House rolled his eyes extravagantly.

"Oh god, you've got your 'emotional heart-to-heart' face on," he sighed.

"I was right," Wilson said.

"Gold star for you."

"I told you she would say yes."

"Oh please, you could hardly believe me when I told you she'd agreed."

"After what happened at that benefit? Of course I was! Anyone would have been. I mean, she stormed out on you when you asked her."

"I know. I was there."

"Just saying, you can't expect it not to be a little surprising when you say she changed her mind after that. I mean, come on, House. She's almost as stubborn as you are."

"Hey, that's my future wife you're talking about."

"Oh please, it's one of the reasons you two work so well together. You're the jackass to her ice queen. Two forces that cancel each other out. Or at least make them semi-stable. But whatever...I'm happy for you."

"You're just jealous because it's not your wedding this time." Wilson allowed himself a small chuckle.

"So you're really doing this?" he asked. "You're really getting married. You?"

"You trying to talk me out of it?"

"No. God no. House I told you, I'm happy for you. I just...forgive me for being surprised that you of all people would want this."

"I want you to be my best man."

That threw Wilson for a loop. His eyebrows arched even higher.

"Seriously?" he asked. "You haven't even started planning yet, and you're already thinking about this?"

"Oh please, who else is gonna do it?" House scoffed. "Who did you think I was gonna ask, Chase? Cause last time I checked, to be a best man, you had to be...you know, a man."

"I'm honored, House." House shrugged.

"All you have to do is stand there and look good in a tux. And that last point is debatable, anyway."

"Really, House. That's...thank you." Seeing the look of sincere gratitude in his friend's eyes, House rolled his.

"You're not gonna try and kiss me, are you? Because I'm taken." Wilson stood up wordlessly.

"Close the door on your way out," House called as Wilson headed out of the clinic room with a smile on his face. Wilson waved back at him. "And you better get me a kick-ass wedding gift!"

As Cuddy tapped her manicured fingernails against the phone in her office she began to think that she understood what House must have been feeling the previous night when he'd called his mother in the wee hours of the morning to tell her about their engagement. The news bubbled up inside her; she was itching to let it out, but at the same time, she was held back by anxiety. After all, Arlene Cuddy and Blythe House were two complete different people, and she doubted very much that her conversation with her own mother would be as smooth as House's conversation with his seemed to have been, based on what she had heard.

But it had to be done. She had to tell her mother. She couldn't exactly get married without letting her own mom what was going on. And despite the fact that Cuddy knew Arlene would find something to lecture her on, the sooner she did it the better. The longer she waited to tell her mother the news, the more unpleasant the conversation was bound to be.

With a loud sigh, she picked up the phone and dialed. It rang only once before she heard a click and a familiar voice on the other end.

"You're calling from work," she observed. "You never call from work."

"Well...not never," Cuddy offered.

"I'm assuming you didn't just call to chat."

"No, actually...I, uh...I have to tell you something. About me and House."

"Are you pregnant, Lisa?" Cuddy balked.

"What? No!"

"Alright then, what is it?"

"It's...well, it's something that happened last night, actually. House...he..."

She surprised herself by smiling. And Arlene surprised her by staying silent on the other end.

"He asked me to marry him."

The long pause that followed might have been unsettling if Cuddy had let it. But it was only to be expected, so Cuddy forced herself to remain unfazed.

"And you said yes?" Arlene finally asked.

"I did," Cuddy replied after a moment's silence.

"Well...mazel tov. And here I thought that man had all but made the very mention of marriage a taboo."

"Things change," Cuddy said lamely.

"I'm sure they do. And I'm assuming you're planning on having a traditional Jewish ceremony?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes. She had known this would probably come up. After all, she couldn't begin to imagine the fit her mother would have if she even thought about having anything other than a traditional Jewish wedding. Still, it wasn't something that was at the forefront of her mind at the moment, so she chose to sidestep the question instead.

"We haven't gotten that far yet, Mom. He just asked me last night."

"Doesn't every woman start planning her wedding from the day she turns thirteen?"

"Maybe some do, but right now I'm still getting used to the feeling of this ring on my finger."

Arlene paused again.

"So you really are getting married, Lisa..." she mused, sounding as if she couldn't quite believe it herself. But under that was a sense of pride, and Cuddy could hear it even over the phone. It was not something she was used to hearing coming from her mother, if she was perfectly honest with herself.

"I am, Mom."

"And you're sure you're not pregnant?"

"I'm not pregnant," she said, though she hid the sadness that tinged her voice well so that her mother could not hear it. It wasn't that she desperately wanted to be pregnant, but this conversation was dredging up recent memories that she honestly would have preferred stay buried. And the last thing she wanted was for her mother to pick up on the pained undertones in her voice and end up finding out about what had happened.

"Well, alright..." Arlene relented. "I'll let you know when I can come-"

"What?" Cuddy asked, unable to cover up the tiny edge of terror that leaked through in her tone. "Mom, you don't have to come here."

"Well I don't mean tomorrow, Lisa. But you're going to need help planning the wedding, and the sooner you start the better. And I'm assuming you're not hoping for too long of an engagement."

"I told you already, I haven't given it much thought. Mom, really, I promise I'll tell you when I know more, when I know about when the wedding will be and all that, but now I don't have anything more to tell you. If I need help making plans, I'll call you."

But she knew that was a lie. Arlene Cuddy was the last person she would go to for advice about planning her wedding.

"Well what did you expect, Lisa?" Arlene asked with a sigh. "Did you think I would just let myself sit by and not offer my help?"

"I thought you'd be...I don't know, happy for me?"

"I am happy for you. I just want to make sure you're...well that you're certain-"

"I am."

"-that you're certain this he's the right man for this...Lisa, it didn't seem to me that he was the marrying type. He made that perfectly clear."

"Did you already forget already that you were the one who was pressing the issue when you visited over Thanksgiving?"

"When I asked that, I wanted to know what his intentions were. And believe me, I'm happy that they turned out to be good ones. Marriage is a big step, Lisa. I'm happy for you, I swear, and I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I just want to make sure that you really feel this is right for you."

After a pause, her mother continued: "I would be asking this question if you were engaged to anyone else, you know."

Cuddy was sure of that. After all, her mother would never be completely satisfied with anything she did, she thought. She could have gotten engaged to royalty, and Arlene would still be asking her if their children were going to be raised Jewish.

Although...under all that bitterness that Cuddy habitually felt whenever she had any sort of conversation with her mother, she could sense that Arlene was being...sincere. After all, despite the sarcasm and the overbearing tendencies, the woman was her mother. There was love there, even if it was an odd, somewhat twisted sort of love. She couldn't pretend there wasn't.

"I know..." Cuddy said. "Listen, I've got to go. I'll call again soon."

"Lisa-"

Cuddy felt an annoyed outburst threatening to rise up out of her, and she suppressed it, instead just pausing and silently waiting for her mother to continue.

Arlene's voice was surprisingly warm, and if Cuddy didn't know better, she could have sworn she heard the woman smile when she said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you..." Cuddy said softly. Arlene hummed appreciatively and hung up the phone.

With a sigh, Cuddy put down the phone and sat in silence for several moments, letting the conversation sink in. Whether it had gone better or worse than she had expected, she couldn't say, because honestly, she wasn't sure what she had expected in the first place. But either way, the conversation was over, and for now, she could at least be sure that her mother would give her some space to process.

Finally, even if it was just for a short time, she knew, she could let herself relax.