Cuddy walked out of exam room three in the Clinic just having done a consult and headed towards her office when she heard a repetitive thumping sound coming from the lobby. She turned her head to see what it was and she saw people walking past, employees and patients, hunched and with their arms up protecting their heads from an all too familiar over-sized tennis ball bouncing around the walls and caught from a hand that she could only see part of from where she stood, from the second story.

She stormed over and walked into the lobby and caught the tennis ball in both hands that bounced on the floor and from there, went straight into her direction. She glared up at House who hung half his body over the railing with a smirk. "What is this all about?" she asked him, still holding his tennis ball.

"My office is too small. It's getting harder to think in there. This works much better, so, if you could just-" he lifted his left arm, ready to catch his ball, expecting her to throw it back to him.

She smiled at him and turned around to go back through the Clinic to get to her office, hearing his cane hit the floor before the doors closed all the way.

Cuddy sat back at her desk and opened the second draw and stuck his ball in there and closed it. She noticed she had a new email waiting for her. She clicked on the icon to open it and saw that it was an email from Scott. She remembered the session she gave him all her information and he said he would only use it if something came up and he had to cancel a session for whatever reason. She sighed and took a deep breath before she started reading it.

Her office door swung open when she got as far as "Lisa, For this weeks session-"

"Where's my ball?" House demanded standing in her doorway.

She leaned back in her chair folding her arms over her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He lifted his cane and used the end to point at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," he limped over to her desk and made his way around it over to her side. She inhaled trying to calm herself with him being so close to her. He was leaning down, poking his head around her in all different areas looking for it, getting a little too close to her. He saw her body language change in the corner of his eye and stood up straight and looked at her. "Why are you so on edge? You act like I've never got in your personal space before, which, I've done a lot more then invade, if you remember," he kept his eye on her.

She remembered. All those nights they spent together but never slept because they were too busy having sex, both going to work the next day feeling exhausted, constantly needing coffee to keep them going. He held her gaze leaving her feeling like he was reading every thought that was going through her mind. "And anyway," he started, "you're the one who had kissed me on the cheek and the mouth recently." He went back to looking for what he came for and a shiver went down her back thinking of when she kissed him on the mouth, remembering the feel of his tongue when she lightly caressed it with her own, made her want to kiss him again but she tried to push the feeling away. She couldn't succumb to it now, not at the hospital, not where anyone can walk in, or walk by and see.

He opened the drawer, "ah ha!" he lifted it up and kissed it, "hello bally. I'll never let you get taken from me again."

Cuddy watched him reunite with his favorite toy and pushed away the stupid feeling of being jealous over the way he talked to it. He started heading towards the door to leave her office and she called out his name. She watched him swivel his body around to face her and she squeezed her eyes shut, knowing it was too late to not say what her gut feeling was telling her.

"What is it Cuddy?" she heard him ask, seeing her demeanor.

"You want to come over for dinner tonight?" she asked quickly, opening one eye at a time to see his reaction and answer.

His raised his left eyebrow at her and straightened his stance from leaning on his cane, with his ball still clutched in his left hand. "Your place? You really want me to know where you live?"

She shrugged her left shoulder, "you have to know eventually, right? If we're serious about us."

He inhaled and let it out slowly, "I can't tonight."

"Of course, you probably have a date or a- hooker coming over. I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"I can't because I have a session with Nolan tonight," he corrected her.

"Oh," her body relaxed, feeling relieved that her reasoning as to why he couldn't come over was wrong.

"How about Friday night? I can come over then, and today is Tuesday, so it gives you plenty of time to decide you don't want me over if you change your mind."

She smiled at his suggestion, "okay then, Friday."

She watched as he hesitantly opened the door with his right hand which triggered his cane to bang around on her door due to using the hand that held it and watched him limp away until she couldn't see him anymore.

She thought over what she just did. It terrified her, but also excited her to know that House will soon know where she lives again. She truly believed that him knowing will be a giant step forward for them.

She glanced away from the door and over to the email from Scott that was still open and read that he had to reschedule her solo session with him that was supposed to be this Thursday to next Tuesday.

She hit the reply button and told him that it was fine and hit send, watching the composed email disappear. She had other things to think about...