Hi everyone! Well, I had a little trouble with this last chapter so hopefully it will be worth the wait. Also I think I'm coming near the end of this story as I am finding myself less and less interested in House overall and excited to see Lisa E in her new role on The Good Wife. I hope you guys enjoyed what you've read so far and will stick with me till the end. Thanks!

Chapter 35

The moon was now suspended high in the night sky when Lisa and Kevin finally reached their destination.

"You know, I think I've been here before." Kevin said, a small smile separating his lips as Lisa pulled into the entrance of Edgewood park.

It was of course the same park he had taken her to on their first date.

"Is that so?" Cuddy replied back with smirk, playing along while shutting off the engine to the car.

Taking off his seatbelt, Kevin turned to face her. "So... exactly how are we going to sneak into the park at this time of night without getting kicked out by the cops?" He asked her with interest, knowing that since there was no music festival going on in the park tonight it had officially closed at seven pm, exactly two hours before their arrival here tonight.

Cuddy gave him a dazzling smile. "Don't worry. I'm friends with the mayor, who has assured me the park is ours for the rest of the night."

Kevin gave her an impressed look.

"A woman with connections. No wonder I can't keep my hands off you." He whispered over to her before leaning closer to her and stealing another sweet kiss from her lips.

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After leaving the car, Kevin and Lisa had walked on the familiar path that led them to the rolling hills of the park. the bright and full moon in the night sky above them, helping to light the way.

As they stood at the end of the pathway, Kevin's eyes were instantly drawn to the group of small, glimmer lights near the bottom of the hill.

"Babe…what did you do?" He whispered over to Lisa with surprise as he reached for her hand.

The flickering lights were coming from nearly two dozen candles housed in red glass globes and set upon the grass. Those same candles bordering a large burgundy and gold quilt, the size of it easily enough to cover a king sized bed.

On top of the quilt, a table setting of fine white china with gold trim had been carefully placed and complemented by two long stemmed wine glasses and gold flatware. A large wicker basket was set in the corner of the quilt, no doubt containing their dinner and drink for the night.

"Actually I didn't do anything. I just called up a cater and asked her if she'd mind setting this up for me." Cuddy replied back to him casually as they started to walk hand in hand towards the quilt.

"This is really great. Remind me to thank you properly later." He whispered over to her with a broad smile, wrapping his arm around her waist as they made their way down the hill.

"So does this mean I'm gonna get lucky tonight?" Cuddy teased back to him as she moved her slender hand down to his ass, giving it a firm squeeze.

Kevin chuckled, pulling her body against his own as they reached the quilt.

"Keep grabbing my ass and we won't even make it thru the first course." He warned her, his eyes tracing ever inch of her beautiful face as her full bodied laughter echoed through the hills of the empty park.

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An hour later, after a bottle of wine had been consumed along with the delicious meal accompanied by some engaging conversation, Kevin and Lisa had started to kiss, their actions, slow and teasing as first before their passion started to build in intensity and heat.

However, just as Kevin begin to lower her onto the quilt beneath them, Cuddy moved her lips away from his, her palms pressing into his chest to prevent him from going any further.

She watched with regret as he gave her a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Kevin, there's something we need to talk about." She told him softly, knowing she could not longer put off telling him what had happened between her and House earlier today.

"Ok." Kevin agreed with a nod, coming into a seated position once more.

"Ok." Cuddy echoed, taking in a breath before continuing.

"Kevin…..I…..I want you to know that what we have together is something very special to me." She went on to say.

God that sounded so cliché and she wrinkled her face in embarrassment as soon as the words had left her lips.

"Oh god…Kevin I'm sorry that sounded so cheesy." Cuddy quickly added as she rubbed her forehead in frustration.

Kevin's brow wrinkled as he reached up and took her hand in his own. "It's ok Lisa, just talk to me." He coaxed to her gently, not knowing what had suddenly caused her to become this nervous around him and feeling a bit unnerved as to what the cause may be.

Cuddy drew in her bottom lip, nodding again. She wanted to be honest with him, needed to be honest with Kevin because he was the best thing that had ever happened in her life besides having adopted Rachel.

"Before I tell you what I need to tell you tell ….I want you to know how much you mean to me." She tried to explain again.

He gave her a soft smile. "I know, babe." Kevin assured her as his hand kept hold of her own.

"And I don't want anything to change between us." Cuddy started to say, taking another few steps towards the real issue at hand.

"Lisa, nothing you could ever tell me is ever gonna change the way I feel about you." He assured once more, however, now growing more concerned over what was currently on her mind that was causing her so worry when it came to his feelings for her.

Cuddy looked at him for a moment before speaking again.

"Kevin, I never want to hide anything from you…" She prefaced, watching as the worry in his face grew. "Which is why I wanted to tell you about what happened at the hospital today between me and House." She finished, letting her words sink in for a moment.

"Did he hurt you?" Kevin asked her immediately, his mind already racing with possible scenarios.

"No…nothing like that." She assured him quickly, watching as his eyes remained fixed on her. "And actually quite the opposite. House asked me if we could try and be friends." She finally confessed to him while giving a gentle squeeze to his hand.

Kevin looked back at her and said nothing, turning his head away from her and looking out at the darkness surrounding them.

"Kevin?" Cuddy whispered, reaching out and taking hold of his arm after having waiting a few seconds for him to respond.

Her voice succeed in making him look back in her direction.

"Do you still love him, Lisa?" Kevin asked her with a glimmer of hurt now reflected in his eyes.

"No." Cuddy answered without delay.

"Then why on earth would you want to be friends with House after all that he's done to you? After what he tried to do to us?" He pointed out to her, a hint of anger now mixed in with the hurt he was feeling at the moment.

Cuddy paused before answering, the look on Kevin's face making her take great care with her next choice of words.

"I know you think House is a jerk. And I know most people in my position would have fired his ass a long time ago…..but the truth is House needs me in his life." She started to explain to him.

"I have not doubt House needs you." Kevin interrupted. "But what I need to know is why you need him in your life." He finished.

His blue eyes were now set squarely upon her as he waited for her response. The air surrounding them now feeling as heavy and looming as their conversation.

Cuddy felt her throat tightened. "I….I don't know." She found herself suddenly saying, not knowing where those words had come from.

"You do know." Kevin replied back to her in an urgent whisper.

"Kevin... you know I need House at my hospital." She tried to reason with him.

"I understand you need him at your hospital, but that's different from House wanting to be your friend and we both know that." He pointed out her to her once more, his words remaining calm even though inside of him there was now a raging battle over the topic of their conversation.

He knew they'd get to this point in their relationship eventually, knew that sooner House was going to try another angle with Lisa as the man was obviously still in love with her. What he didn't count on was stumbling upon the secret Lisa had kept hidden from him all this time. The one she was trying her damdest to hide as she looked over at him now, the one that was tearing him apart.

"I know I don't need House as a friend. But I have known him a long time and I want him to be happy. Please don't make me chose between the two of you." Cuddy said in her defense.

"That's not why you want to be his friend." Kevin argued back to her with his voice still remaining calm.

Cuddy furrowed her brow at him as he looked down at their hands. "I told you I'm not in love with House." She stressed, dipping her head down and thereby making him look her into her eyes once more.

"And yet you keep holding on to him, Lisa? Even after he's treated you worse than any true friend every would because you're afraid" He watched the shock begin to fill he face but continued anyway, unwilling to let the threat to both of them remain hidden in the shadows. "Whether you want to admit to me or not you're afraid if things don't work out between us you'll have nothing. Adn with House around... you'll at least have something. Even if he continues to hurt you over and over again, you won't let go because House needs you. And if you can't be loved by me...you'll settle for being needed by him. He'll beat you down with that need until you can't even remember what love is supposed to feel like and eventually he'll get you to welcome him back into your bed and believe that he's what you deserve." Kevin told her solemnly, finding every ounce of strength now gone inside of him.

"You're wrong." Cuddy said with a gasp, stunned once more as Kevin suddenly got up and left her.

Kevin felt his head start to pound as the invisible weight that Lisa refused to see was now bearing down on him with every step he took.

"Kevin wait!" Cuddy called out from behind him as the sound of her footsteps chased after him.

"Stop!" She added a second later, her hand reaching out for his bicep to prevent him from going any further.

"Why should I?" Kevin questioned, spinning around to face her.

She looked absolutely breathtaking just now. The moonlight highlighting every beautiful inch of her face as her wide gray eyes looked up at him.

"Because I love you!" Cuddy blurted out, her chest now heaving from the emotions running through it.

"Not enough to leave House behind! Not enough to finally tell that son of a bitch goodbye and give me all of your heart because your so afraid I might end up breaking it just like he did!"

Kevin felt his hands shaking, realizing only after he had spoken to her that he had been holding onto Lisa's arms, keeping here with him as he face the demon head on, the expression on her face now a mixture of hurt, shock and confusion as a tear ran down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as she remained silent, feeling his heart now breaking right along with hers..

"I should have never asked you out so soon after you ended things with House. I should have left your office and never thought twice about you instead of starting something you're clearly not ready for." Kevin finished, looking into her eyes one last time before he turned and left her alone under the glow of the moonlight.