GEEZ!! What was up with these past few days? LOL! Anyway here's another chapter for everyone where you finally get to read about what happens between Ruth and Jeff! Hope it was worth the wait:)

Chapter 36

Ruth took a step back from the man standing before her in the long black trench coat and three piece suit, "Stay away from me and stay the hell away from my daughter Mr. Hansom." She said in a strong voice, while inside she was unnerved by the way he just had boldly approached her inside the shop, wondering how on earth he knew her name.

"Please Mrs. Cuddy, I didn't mean to frighten you, but your daughter is in danger and I'm desperate at this point to help Lisa before she ends up getting hurt." Jeff said with an urgent tone to his voice while his eyes roamed the elegant and timeless beauty in her face that mirrored Lisa's.

"You're the one who's trying to hurt my daughter!" Ruth hissed as she felt her heart begin to race inside her chest.

"If I did end up unintentionally hurting your daughter in anyway, it was only because I was trying to get her to see the truth about House. You have to believe me Ruth. I was trying to get Lisa away from House before he ended up hurting her…….and you." Jeff whispered, softening his tone even more.

"House would not hurt Lisa." Ruth stated adamantly, placing the irises held in her hands back into the green plastic container behind her. Never taking her eyes off of Jeff for a second, "now leave me alone unless you want to get slapped across the face by a woman who's not as dumb as you make think," she added getting ready to walk past him.

"Did Lisa tell you that her and House went to see your sister Rachel last weekend?" Jeff asked in a low whisper, halting Ruth in her tracks, watching the surprise light up in brown eyes.

"Rachel and Lisa would have both told me if they made contact with one another." Ruth replied as her voice took on a sharp edge, "you're playing a very sick and dangerous game Mister Hansom …..one that you are going to loose and….. if I ever hear of you trying to approach Rachel or Lisa….I assure you, it will be the last thing you do," she added clenching her fists as she looked up at the man that outweighed her by at least a hundred and fifty pounds, something deep inside of her coursing through her veins now while old memories warned her to lash out at the enemy before he had a chance to strike first.

Inside, Jeff held back the smile trying to from on his face. Knowing he now had Ruth exactly where he wanted her, "Are you sure about that Ruth? Are you sure House hasn't taken so much control over you daughter that she can't even think for herself anymore?" He asked coolly before reaching inside the long black coat he was wearing and offering her a series of five folded up, eight by ten black and white photos.

Ruth looked down at the pictures in his hand, their images concealed from her as they were folded inward, "I've told you to leave me alone Mr. Hansom - "

"Look at the photos Ruth and see who's playing games here. Look at them, and if you still want me to leave you alone I will. I'll turn right around and you and Lisa will never hear from me again." Jeff whispered, keeping his eyes locked onto hers.

Holding their gaze, Ruth snatched the photos from his hands, catching her breath as she unfolded them and was greeted by the image of Lisa on her crutches standing in the doorway of her sister's home with House, Sam and Rachel surrounding her. "You…..you've been following Lisa," she whispered even though she had known about the men Jeff had hired to spy on her daughter, flipping through the photos as the knowledge that both her daughter and sister had kept their meeting as secret from her, pierced deep inside her heart.

"I was desperate Ruth and didn't know what else to do. House …well he's changed your daughter. Not in a way that's noticeable at first, but rest assured he's doing his best to alienate her from the people who care about her. He did it to me… and now….he's doing it to you." Jeff warned as her eyes rose up from the photos to meet his.

"You're lying." Ruth responded in a voice that was slightly unsure of the words it had just spoken.

Jeff took a step closer to her, watching as Ruth backed up into the shelf behind them. His prey now strategically pinned." I wish I was lying Ruth…but photos don't lie… and if you don't listen to what I need to tell you I'm afraid House is going to win the game he's playing with you and your daughter, pushing you out of Lisa's life by having you locked up inside a mental hospital again."

"No!" Ruth protested as the fear inside her shot up just as quickly as the wave of dizziness taking hold of her.

Fighting with everything she had inside her to keep vertical, Ruth pushed past Jeff before staggering out of the shop and onto the street.

"Mrs. Cuddy…wait!" Jeff yelled as he followed her out the door.

"Leave me alone!" Ruth warned as she backed away from him, coming dangerous close to tripping over the curb behind her.

"Watch it!" Jeff cautioned as he reached for her arm, pulling her close enough to smell the scent of her perfume, looking into the face that reminded him so much of Lisa that it made him ache inside. "Please Ruth I didn't mean to upset you, but I had to tell you the truth. I know you're going to doubt me that you'll think I'm some sort of sick bastard for digging up the things in your past….but I love your daughter too much to just stand by while House's uses her up both mentally and sexually until there's nothing left of her."

"You're….you're lying again….. House and my daughter are just friends." Ruth argued, pushing herself free from the strong hold Jeff had on her.

"Lisa didn't tell you that she's been dating House for the past three months?" Jeff questioned, not believing at first the dumb luck that had shown up on his doorstep, taking hold of it before it could escape, "Surely Wilson must have told you or at least Bill since they've know about the relationship for quite some time," he added, seeing the confusion and fear in Ruth eyes, knowing he had just pushed her far enough to bring out whatever emotions still lingered from her nervous breakdown.

"Lisa and House are just friends," Ruth repeated, trying to hold onto the part of her that told her the man before her was like the monster she had faced long ago..…not willing to even think about the fact that her daughter as well as House, Wilson and Bill had been lying to her all along….…the surrogate family she needed to help her through her own misery now in jeopardy of collapsing around her.

Reaching back inside his coat, Jeff watched Ruth flinch, her reaction pleasing him to no end, "Ruth, I need you to promise me that after you find out the truth, you'll contact me so that we can talk. House is a dangerous man who is very good at manipulating people, but maybe together you and I may be able to help Lisa before it's too late." He said, pulling out his business card and offering it to her.

Ruth looked down at the card and then back up into Jeff's eyes before taking the card out of his hand with trembling fingers, feeling a wave of nausea begin to overtake her as she turned and left him on alone the sidewalk, crossing the street and walking quickly over to her car that was parked on the other side of it.

Watching her go, a smile began to creep up on the corners of Jeff's mouth. The whole conversation between them going better than he could ever have anticipated. Knowing by the look on Ruth's face just now he had succeeding in pulling her back down into the place she had feared the most. Down to the place where her sanity was questioned, where the shame of being labeled with a mental illness took any pride or self-worth away from her, leaving her with nothing. "That's right Ruth, you go find out the truth until it drives you insane. Find out how they all lied to you because they didn't want to deal with the crazy, mentally unstable person you are. Then if they don't end up locking you back up, your only option will be to come running back to me, begging for my help. Either way you'll be out of your daughter's life for good." Jeff whispered as the broad smile formed on his lips before he turned and walked down the street.

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~ Lisa Cuddy Residence……

"Hurry up and get ready! I told you I wanted to get over to Bill's place early so I could help my mom with dinner!" Cuddy yelled out into the hallway as she stood in the kitchen, having changed into a pair of black yoga pants made out of a material that could be pulled easily over her cast along with a simple white v-neck t-shirt.

"Hold on! You know I want to look my best tonight when you break the news to your mom that you're sleeping with a bastard!" House yelled in return as he limped out into the kitchen, wearing a pair of black jeans matched with a red sex pistols t-shirt.

"Impressive. You're sure to win her over with that ensemble." Cuddy remarked with a sarcastic bite to her tone as he walked up to her.

"The girls are looking very perky in that shirt," House replied moving his hands up to her breasts.

"House …no." Cuddy responded, knowing exactly what was on his mind as his fingers began to gently massage her breasts.

House smiled down at her before, lowering his face to the side of her neck and kissing the delicate skin there, "You do realize that after tonight …we will no longer be secret lovers?" He whispered as his right hand moved down to her ass while his lips made their way up to her face.

"Wilson could come in here any minute," Cuddy protested against his cheek, taking in a sharp breath when House rubbed his thumb across the pointed nipple of her left breast through the fabric of her shirt with cupping her ass with the other hand.

"I just talked to Wilson…..and it's going to be at least another fifteen minutes before he gets here." House whispered, brushing the dark hair on her neck aside so he could focus more intently on the spot behind her earlobe that drove her wild.

"Fifteen minutes huh?" Cuddy whispered with a smile, closing her eyes as her left hand made its way up his chest, feeling the shiver travel down her spine as House began to suck on the patch of skin behind the curve of her earlobe.

"Mmmmhmmm."" House whispered into her neck, feeling Cuddy move her hands around his neck as she pressed her body against him, her hard nipples rubbing into his chest through the thin t-shirt and bra she was wearing, the sensation making his erection spring to life in a matter of seconds.

"It has be quick, and not here where Wilson might walk in on us." Cuddy whispered with a soft moan trailing on the end of her words.

Looking down into her eyes, House raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He asked with anticipation.

Cuddy nodded, "Come on." She said before taking his hand and leading House back to the small bathroom that sat beside the laundry room while holding onto the wall for support with her other hand.

House tugged on her hand just outside the doorway, making her turn and face him, "You're nervous about telling you mom about us as well as what she may bring up about her own past so you plan on using me for sex instead of going to dinner all tensed up like you are now," he stated knowingly.

"Yes, I am." Cuddy replied with no apologies.

House gave her a nod, "Works for me," he said with a grin before open up the bathroom door for her.

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Once inside of the tiny bathroom Cuddy pushed House up against the sink and unzipped his pants, slipping her slender hand inside of his boxers before wrapping her fingers around his erection while kissing him passionately.

"Wow you must be REALLY tense." House teased once their lips parted before letting out a load groan as Cuddy started to expertly move her hand up and down on his pulsing shaft while nibbling on the side of his neck.

"Quit wasting time talking." Cuddy informed him, taking a step back from him and pulling down both his pants and boxers in one swift motion while giving him a passion filled sexy smile.

Thoroughly amused and turned on by her eagerness, House placed his hand on her hips, "My turn," he replied in a low voice, pulling down both the lace underwear and black pants Cuddy was wearing in much the same manner as she had done to him, laughing softly when a gasp of surprise escaped from her lips as he lifted her up onto the edge of the sink.

"Your leg!" Cuddy exclaimed with wide eyes as her hands gripped onto his shoulders.

"My leg feels fine, which means you are in for one hell of a quickie." House responded with a smile that oozed of testosterone, taking a step back from her and toeing off his pants before freeing her from the garments that had pooled around her ankles, parting her thighs with his strong hands and entering inside of her in one smooth stroke as he captured her lips with his own.

Cuddy gasped inside his mouth as he filled her completely, wrapping her arms around House's neck as she moved her thighs further apart, humming in approval into his mouth again as House slid his hands down her legs and hooked them underneath his arms.

"You better hold onto me if you plan on staying up on that sink."House then instructed her in a low husky voice, moving his lips to her neck as he began to thrust powerfully inside of her with an intense rhythm, feeling Cuddy tilt her pelvis up to allow him even deeper access into the silky heat enveloping his shaft.

Once the rhythm between them began, it wasn't long before they both felt the electricity surging to parts of them now locked together, with Cuddy feeling an amazing friction on her swollen clit from the angle House's pelvis was meeting her own.

"Oh god…..oh fuck!" Lisa cried out, feeling her thighs begin to quiver, squeezing House's waist with her thighs and thrusting her pelvis harder against him as the pulsing sensation came crashing into her core with the force of earthquake, creating tremors of pleasure that moved throughout her entire body.

"Lisa...." House groaned, feeling the overwhelming pull of his own orgasm, "I love how you fuck me back....……" he continued gasping out the words and panting with her as their bodies broke out in a shared sweat, riding high on the incredible orgasm he was experiencing that she had brought on by movement of her hips, his fingertips gripping onto her soft skin as he fell willingly body and soul into the pleasure she was offering to him.

Lisa moaned out louder as they continued to buck and roll their hips in unison, wrapping her arms tightly around House's neck as they climaxed within seconds of each other before pressing her forehead into the center of her chest as they both gasped for air.

"I can't wait until you get that damn cast off." House whispered into the side of her face after a few seconds as his hand caressed the pulse in her neck, watching Lisa lift her head and smile up at him while his lower back burned from where her cast had rubbed against it.

"You do know having sex sometimes comes with a very heavy price, especially when you're dealing with the kind of woman who likes to fuck you back." Cuddy teased with a smirk.

House gave her a smirk of his own, "I guess I just thought if I'd ever get road rash….. it would be from riding my bike instead of from riding my boss," he responded giving her a purposeful leering look.

Cuddy rolled her eyes at him, "Turn around and let me see how bad it is," she instructed.

"Fine." House commented with a huge sigh before turning around, "but next time …just ask if you want to check out my ass instead of making up lame excuses," he joked with a wide grin.

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Ruth gripped the steering wheel of her car tightly, hanging onto if for dear life as if it was the only thing that was currently keeping her afloat as the dark waves began to crash into her, pushing her down into the undertow…….trying with all their might to bring her back to where they lived.

She had pulled off of the road twice already, unable to focus on the street in front of her as her vision blurred from her tears she was crying as her head throbbed with the pounding ache of old memories.

Presently, she was taking deep slow breaths in an attempt to try and will away the panicked voice inside of her head that had been pushed to the forefront mistakenly. The voice that was forever changed the night she had been taken by Thomas Crane. The voice that rose up with a shrill of horrific fear, still trapped to this day in the horror it had witness when she was a child.

House is going to take it all away from you! You shouldn't have trusted him! The voice cried out with a sharp edge of terror to its tone.

"No he's not." Ruth whispered, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

Are you just going to stand by and watch him hurt Lisa? Watch him hurt her just like you watched Crane hurt Jessica? Because that's what will happen if you don't stop him!!

Are you ready to see the bruises on Lisa's face? Wipe the blood from her mouth? Tell her that it is all going to be ok when you know it is only going to get worst?

"House would not hurt Lisa!"Ruth argued with the voice.

HOUSE IS NOT HER FRIEND!! HE IS AN EVIL MAN!!

He calls Lisa a WHORE!!

He touches her body…..making her cry… …making her do things to him that she doesn't' want to do!!!

"No! No! No!" Ruth yelled inside the car that was picking up speed, hitting her hand on the steering wheel. "That's what CRANE DID TO ME, not what House is doing to Lisa!" She cried, gasping for air as the memories of her past filled her lungs, trying to suffocate her in their misery.

HOUSE IS GOING TO RAPE LISA AND THEN KILL HER!!!!! HE IS GOING TO WRAP HIS HANDS AROUND HIS NECK AND STRANGLE HER AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP HER!! YOU NEED TO STOP HIM!!! STOP HIM BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!! The voice bellowed from deep inside of her sending with it the guilt with the force of tidal wave behind it.

"NO HE'S NOT!!" Ruth screamed, hitting the steering wheel with her closed fist.

YES HE WILL AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP HIM!! JUST LIKE YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO STOP CRANE WHEN HE KILLED JESSICA!! YOU LET HER DIE AND NOW LISA IS GOING TO DIE!

As her entire body begin to tremble. Ruth reached for her chest with her right hand, feeling the sharp pain within her lungs as she began to hyperventilate. Hearing the loud ring of echoing of footsteps inside her head.

"No. Please god. No." Ruth whispered, finding herself alone in the dark as the demon of her past moved into the space with her.

"You're too old to fight me now Ruth…. can't you see that? You'll always be mine….forever…. and soon Lisa is going to mine too." The voice of Thomas Crane whispered.

"You're dead you son of bitch!" Ruth wheezed, gasping for air and gritting her teeth as the tears continued to stain her elegant face, forcing her shaking hands to guide her car over to the side of the suburban street which was only a few blocks away from Lisa's house.

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Gripping his steering wheel of his Cadillac tightly until he knuckles where white, Bill scanned the road surrounding him as he made his way over to Lisa's place, "Please be there Ruth," he whispered under his breath as he made the right turn. I should have never left her alone, he thought, switching his foot from the gas to the brake as he reached the stop sign in front of him.

Looking down at his cell phone that rested on the passenger seat of the car, he wrestled with the decision on whether or not to call Lisa. If I call her it will only make her worry and there could be a very good reason why Ruth isn't answering her cell phone, he reasoned, not ready to give into the panic just yet.

After going through two more stop signs however, Bill felt his heart sink into his chest when he turned left on the next street and spotted Ruth's car, still running on the side of the road with the driver's door open.

Stopping his car in the middle of the street, Bill ran up to Ruth's car. "Oh my god no." He whispered, looking into the empty vehicle and noticing immediately the small amount of blood smeared on the steering wheel before rushing back to his own vehicle to call Lisa. "Please be there Ruth." He whispered again as Lisa's phone started to ring on the other end.

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~Lisa Cuddy's Residence……

"How bad is the pain?" Lisa asked, watching House shake a vicodin tablet from the small orange bottle in his hand as they stood side by side, leaning on the edge of the island in the kitchen.

"Don't worry…….I will live to boink you another day." House replied, wincing with a half smile before nudging her with his shoulder as he dry swallowed the pill.

"Sorry for getting so rough with you….but I was REALLY tense." Cuddy whispered up to him with a wicked smile. "I guess we'll just have to take it easy for a couple of days until you recoup," she added.

House gave her an incredulous look, "Yeah right! I'll have you know it's going to take more than a little leg pain to put me out of commission for playtime with my sex kitten." He snarked, placing his hand on Cuddy's hip, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm so glad you're a team player when it comes to quickies." Cuddy teased looking up into his blue eyes before kissing him just as the phone in the kitchen began to ring and the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.

"Sounds like Wilson's here." House murmured against Cuddy's lips as they continued to kiss.

"You…..YOU LIED…"The hollow sounding voice of Ruth Cuddy said to both of them from the doorway.

"Mom?" Lisa questioned, removing her hands from House's chest as he backed away from her.

Ruth's face was a ghostly shade of pale, her eyes red and glassed over, with small pools of dried blood crusted across her right hand that was angry shade of red from the abuse it had taken earlier when she pounded it against the steering wheel.

"Mom, what happened to you?" Lisa asked in an alarmed voice, taking a step towards her who remained silent.

Reaching out for her, House pulled Cuddy behind him, not sure of exactly what they we facing right now with her mother, only knowing the vague and haunted expression on Ruth's face warned of a person capable of anything.

"Don't' hurt her!" Ruth cried out to him in a small shrill voice as she raised her hand up to strike him.

"I'm not hurting her Ruth." House responded slowly, wondering what in the hell had happened to her and where the hell Bill was at.

"House let me go! Can't you see that she's hurt?" Lisa demanded as he held tightly onto her hand and leaned his body back so that she was pinned between him and the counter.

"Stay put and be quiet." He whispered over his shoulder, giving her hand a squeeze while keeping his eyes locked on Ruth who was looking past him, trying to see Lisa with her hand still raised in the air against him, "Ruth….I told you I'm not hurting Lisa, now I need you to tell me what happened to you." He said with an authoritative tone designed to get her focus back on him.

Ruth's eyes darted up to his face again, but she remained silent while taking another step towards him.

"House, let go of me so I can help her!"Cuddy ordered as she twisted her body until she could see over his shoulder, finally able to lock eyes with her mother. "It's ok Mom…I'm ok…he's not hurting me." She whispered with words that were filled with anguish as well as honesty.

"Just give me a few minutes." House whispered back to her in a stern tone, hoping Cuddy would trust him.

Ruth's eyes moved back and forth from Lisa to House as her heart beat loudly in her chest. Lowering her hand only to form it into a fist along with her other one resting at her side.

"Ruth I'm not the enemy here. You need to talk to us. You need to tell us what's wrong." House said in an even tone, trying to get her to speak to him, using the word "us" to try and make her see Cuddy was not a victim, that the her fears rising up from the past had no place here.

Ruth opened her mouth as her eyes continued to move back and forth between Lisa and House in an eerie and hypnotic pace. All of the dark memories of what Crane had done to her and Jessica, combining and surging through her brain now without mercy as she clenched fists and stepped closer to the both of them, until she was toe to toe with House. "la…lettt…hhhherr…goooo…." she stuttered as the tears began to form in her eyes once more, the panicked girl she had once been taking over and reminding of her of how it felt to look into Jessica's lifeless face and trace the blueness of her lips with her fingertips as she cried in mourning for the murdered child.

Seeing the terror that had risen up on Ruth's face, House went with his instincts as he spoke to her, hoping they were right, "Thomas Crane isn't her Ruth…..he died a long time ago. You made sure he could never hurt anyone….ever again. He's not going to hurt you….and he's not going to hurt Lisa," he said in a gentle voice as if he was talking to a child.

Letting out a gasp of surprise at the mention of Crane's name, Ruth tried to speak once more, "He….he..said…he saidddd.."she repeated reaching out for House's right arm and holding it tightly as she tried in vain to communicate with him. The words needing to be spoken by her blocked by the emotional hurricane raging inside of her.

"Whatever Crane told you was lie Ruth, whatever he made you do was NOT your fault." House assured her, keeping his voice gentle and soothing, feeing her fingernails pressing sharply into his skin as she tried to pull herself away from her past she was drowning in.

"Don't let him hurt Lisa!" Ruth suddenly sobbed, moving quickly into the tiny space between them, wrapped her arms around House and holding onto him with the last bit of strength she had inside her.

House stood frozen as the woman weeping in his arms buried her head into his chest, the comfort Ruth was asking him to give her, something that her sanity may well depend on. "I won't let Jeff hurt Lisa," he responded, feeling awkwardly out of place as his hands remained at his sides before he felt Cuddy gently guiding them forward, to hold onto her mother as she slipped out from behind him.

"Keep talking to her." Lisa whispered up to him as she gently began to rub her mother's back, "It's ok mom…I'm safe….you're safe…just breath."

House was sure once Ruth had heard her daughter's voice she would release her hold on him and move to the comfort of Lisa's arms, but contrary to what he believed, Ruth stayed anchored to him, her body still trembling, her face still buried into the fabric of his shirt as he felt the moisture of her breath seeping through it and onto his skin.

"Ruth, you need to talk to me." House said softly, keeping his eyes focused on Lisa's face as Ruth's body trembled in his arms. Why me? Why are seeking comfort from me and not your daughter?" His mind questioned, unnerved by the sensation of Ruth's heart beating wildly against his chest like a scared rabbit, feeling the hair stand up on the back of his neck when he heard the loud shuddered breath escape her lungs. "Fight it Ruth. Come on fight it." he whispered, knowing by her symptoms she was teetering on edge of another panic attack.

Ruth felt the small flex of House's fingers against her back. The contact, brief and uncertain…. but succeeding anyway in letting her know she had been right to place her trust in him.

Struggling to breath, Ruth pulled herself away from his chest and looked up into the cool blue of House's eyes as the tremors overtook her body.

"Just breath Ruth, come on….you can get though this…come on Ruth." House urged, watching her physically falling to pieces even in front of him, the fragileness of it all turning his stomach.

Ruth opened her mouth as the tremors grew more intense, determined to speak, when suddenly a violent wave of dizziness slammed into her hard, causing her knees to buckle beneath her.

"Mom!" Lisa cried out, reaching her mother as House pulled Ruth close to his chest again to keep her from falling.

"Jefffff….heee… lieddddd to mamammeee.." Ruth whispered up to him gripping House's arms with force just before the next wave of dizziness washed over her and pulled her into the darkness waiting for her as her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went limp.