A/N The story only has one more chapter after today's chapter so I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think of it. I wanted to get the whole thing posted before House returns to PPTH in season 6. I am very excited for tonight's episode, hopefully we get some huddy!

Chapter 29 – The Morning After

Cuddy's Place - Saturday Morning, 2am

House was grateful that Cuddy couldn't see his face. She had actually said "I think I am in love with you". House looked up to the ceiling and then closed his eyes. He knew that whatever he said next would be some of the most important words he ever uttered. He had two options. First, he could be honest with her. Admit to her the affect she had on him. That he thought about her constantly, he wanted her body, he was challenged by her mind, her presence was intoxicating. If he was honest with himself he would have realized that he was in love with her too. The second option was to deflect, ignore, make fun of, and mock. He actually was afraid to say anything. He instinctively pulled her closer.

He was about to respond when a small snore escaped Cuddy's lips. Apparently the scotch had finely taken over and she was fast asleep on his chest. Would she remember this conversation in the morning? Did he want her to remember anything? Since she was in la-la land, House took advantage and wrapped his other arm around her and held her tight to his chest. With no one to hear him he whispered into her hair "I think I am in love with you too." He kissed her on the top of her head and let his own inebriation take over and drifted off into sleep.

Cuddy's Place, 7AM

Rachel was crying from her crib waking Cuddy up. When she opened her eyes she was wrapped in House's arms. She was instantly confused but didn't want to keep Rachel waiting so she quickly hopped off the couch. Mistake. Her head was pounding and she remembered the not-so-innocent bottle of scotch that lay on the coffee table. She sat down for a second on the couch but Rachel's cries were starting to hit an entirely new decibel so she slowly headed for the nursery.

Rachel calmed down as soon as she saw her mommy. Cuddy held her in her arms and carried her in the kitchen to make a bottle. Rachel waited patiently now that she had her mom's attention. With the bottle ready to go Cuddy brought Rachel back to the nursery and settled in the rocking chair. With Rachel suckling away, Cuddy took a moment to recap the night's events. She remembered texting House at 1 in the morning and him showing up being total pissed at her. Ranting about their relationship being over. Then, she wakes up in his arms. She needed to fill in the gaps before House woke up. One thing she knew, she was happy to be in his arms again.

After Rachel's bottle, she dressed Rachel and herself and made some coffee while feeding Rachel some peaches and cereal puffs. The rest of the morning passed by uneventfully as House continued to sleep through the morning. At noon when Cuddy put Rachel down for a nap she figured she had better wake him up.

She made another pot of coffee and brought him a cup. She sat on the edge of the couch and gentle shook his left arm. "House, its noon, you need to wake up"

He had actually been awake for about twenty minutes listening to Cuddy putter around in the kitchen. He was contemplating getting up because his bladder was full but he really wanted to know how Cuddy was going to deal with everything from last night before he said anything. He really didn't want to continue their conversation where they left off last night. House opened his eyes but didn't say anything. He kept quiet until Cuddy revealed where they stood.

"Come on, House, get up" She had needed to get this conversation over with and she wanted it to be while Rachel was napping.

"As much as I would like to jump at your beck and call, I don't think I can. I think I tweaked my leg last night catching your drunk ass from falling." It wasn't really true, his leg was killing him from walking around drunk most of the night but he thought he would test her with a little bit of a guilt trip. If she remembered the night, if she remembered their conversation, she would call him out on his accusation instead of feeling guilt.

True to form, she let the guilt sink in. "Really, it's that bad. Can you sit up?"

"Nay, I don't think so. I think you sleeping on it really didn't help." He was having entirely too much fun watching her try and scan through the events of last night.

"Sorry about that. I don't think I was thinking to clearly last night" Cuddy said. Not quite realizing how those words stung him.

House looked away. All of a sudden their conversation didn't seem so fun anymore. Cuddy could tell that somehow she hurt him emotionally but she really didn't know how. Finally she asked, "House, what happened last night?"

House really didn't want to retell the tale so he asked "What do you remember?"

Cuddy thought for a second, then began recited what she could "I texted you last night and then you showed up. You were drunk, I was drunk, and then we started fighting." She got really quiet for a moment and looked down at her hands before whispering "And then you told me we were through, that you and I were over." She looked up at him now, she wanted to gauge his reaction. He met her gaze but didn't say anything. She was remembering a lot more than he thought she would.

They were sitting in the same position as the night before and she was about to reach for his hand when she realized that she had done the exact same thing last night. She remembered House pulling her to his chest and her snuggling up to him. She remembered talking and then it hit her, oh my god had she really said that, did she think it or actually say it out loud. She began to blush and she snapped her head away from House gaze quickly.

It didn't take House's brilliant diagnostic skills to realize that Cuddy just remembered the words she uttered to him before falling asleep last night. She wasn't looking at him. House knew the ball was in his court and she wasn't going to say anything more until he did. He just needed to know if she meant it or if it was just the ramblings of a drunken Cuddy. He laid his hand on her thigh to get her attention. She didn't look at him but instead she looked at his hand placed on her thigh. Finally House spoke "Cuddy, look at me"

He was pretty sure if he got a chance to look into her eyes, he would know if there was any truth to her words. She was still staring at his hands and made no indication that she was going to turn around and look at him. After a few moments, House lifted his hand from her leg and gentle grabbed Cuddy's chin and turned her to face him. She was now facing him but her eyes wouldn't make contact with his. House repeated his plea "Cuddy, please look at me"

She finally made eye contact with him and it produced the usual affect it had on both of them. When she looked into his ocean blue eyes she felt totally helpless, like she no longer had control of herself. When he looked into her steel blue eyes he felt like she could see into his soul. They stared at each other for a few moments and it was like time stood still. House slid his hand from her chin to cup the side of her face. "Is it true?" he asked "do you think you love me?" He couldn't believe he said it but damn it, he needed to know.

She closed her eyes and sank her cheek into his hand while composing herself. Finally she spoke and when she did, she nearly tore his heart in two. "No, House" she began "It's not true"

House hand fell as if in reflex to her words but she didn't let it go too far. She grabbed his hand and wrapped it around hers and she dropped her eyes to stare at their clasped hands. Finally, she finished her thought "I don't think I am in love with you. I know I have been in love with you for a really long time. I don't want this to end. I don't want to give up on this."

House insides were making him crazy. The roller coaster of emotions he managed to ride in the span of ten or twenty seconds was insane. She started to pull away from him as if to run and hide and he pulled her, roughly, on top of him.

"House, your leg" she protested. It was her own version of deflection. She was worried about his leg but really she wanted to change the subject as quick as possible. She started to pull away and push herself off of him. She had managed to get herself back to a sitting position when House in one motion had sat up and placed both hand on each side of her face, framing her face with his large hands. He leaned in and kissed her softly, waiting for Cuddy to respond to his kiss. She pulled away, confused and unsure.

It had been days since he had felt her lips on his skin and he needed more. He wanted her now, all of her. He saw the confusion in her eyes and he realized she needed a response from him before this could go any further. He reached down deep to find it, and as he spoke he continued to hold her head in his.

"Cuddy, I don't know where this is going and I don't know if it will ever work between us but I do know that the last few days have been hell for me. There is this void in my chest and I tried everything to fill it. Last night, the void went away." House could feel the change in her body and knew he and said the right things to keep her happy but for the first time in his life, he wanted to do something more for her. He wanted to give her the truth. He swallowed his pride and said "Cuddy, I have loved you for twenty years. I'm not walking away that easily"