A/N: Hey, kids, it's my first chapter with a flashback! I think it's okay, what do you think?


Disclaimer: Don't Own, Etc.

Cuddy woke to the sound of House's stomach rumbling. He was sitting up in bed, looking at the TV with the sound off.

"We should get one of these for our bedroom," House commented as he pointed to the plasma TV hanging on the wall.

"I've heard that a TV in the bedroom kills a couple's sex life," Cuddy responded.

"I had you once, and then I waited over twenty years to get you back in bed," House stated, "I don't think a mere TV is going to keep me from wanting to fuck your brains out every minute of every day for at least the next twenty years."

"Gee, thanks for reminding me what a romantic you are," Cuddy replied sarcastically. "I'd almost forgotten. What time is it?"

"It's about 10:30," House answered. "I know it's dark enough to have sex on the balcony now, but I really need to eat something first."

Cuddy was excited about the sex, but she had heard how hungry House was. It made her happy when he was hungry. She considered feeding him her top priority since, well . . .

House was just home from Mayfield. He wasn't back to work yet, and Cuddy and Wilson took turns stopping by to see him at the end of the day. It was Cuddy's turn that night. When she arrived, he didn't answer the door, so she used the key he had given her in case of emergencies. She found him in his bedroom. He had crashed on his bed, still in his sweats and t-shirt. It wasn't dark yet, and his bedroom blinds were open.

She was about ready to leave him asleep and call later. Then he shifted on the bed and his t-shirt pushed up. Cuddy was shocked. She could see every rib and his spine in high relief. She knew that he had lost weight at Mayfield, and even before, but she had no idea it was this much. In the clinic, she had seen severely malnourished kids and senior citizens, and people with eating disorders. House looked nearly as bad.

She closed the bedroom door and called her nanny. Rachael was asleep and the nanny said she could stay the night. Cuddy then called Wilson.

"What are his favorite takeout places?" she asked.

"Um, there's a Chinese place about six blocks away," Wilson said, trying to think of all the places that they had ordered from that delivered. "And a pizza place three blocks away. Also, he sometimes likes Thai, and they're about fifteen blocks away, but they'll deliver for another twenty. Do you need me to come over?"

"No," Cuddy replied. "We just need to get some food into him."

"I know," Wilson replied. "I've been trying."

"I'm not saying you haven't," Cuddy said. She really didn't need to deal with Wilson's guilt right now. "Maybe I won't be able to do anything, either, but I'm going to try, too."

She checked his refrigerator and found leftover Chinese and a couple of pieces of pizza. So, it was Thai, then.

She called and ordered a vegetable and tofu dish for herself. She ordered Pad Thai for House, to make sure he got carbs, as well as a couple of high fat appetizers and some soup.

House must have heard something. He stumbled out into the hall.

"How are you doing?" Cuddy inquired, as nonchalantly as she could.

"Okay." House responded warily. "Why are you here?"

"My turn," she said breezily, hoping House wouldn't see how worried she was. If he did, he didn't let on.

"I ordered Thai," Cuddy said.

"Don't you have to go home to your kid?" House asked.

"The nanny needs a little extra cash, so I told her she could stay the night," Cuddy said, hoping House wouldn't call her on her blatant lie. For whatever reason, he didn't.

"Do you want to eat in the kitchen or in front of the TV?" Cuddy asked.

"I bet there's no eating in front of your TV," House stated. "Hey, do you even have a TV?"

"It's in my bedroom," Cuddy replied. "And, you're right, I don't eat in there."

"I've heard that a TV in the bedroom isn't good for your sex life," House said.

"Yeah, as a middle-aged, single mom with an outrageously demanding career," Cuddy replied with sarcasm, "it's the TV that's killing my sex life."

There was a knock on the door. Cuddy jumped up and went to pay for the food. She put it down on the coffee table and went to get plates. By the time she returned, House had everything out of the bags and opened, and he was munching on the appetizers.

"Don't really need plates," he said through a mouthful of spring roll.

"Forgive me for wanting to at least pretend that I have not left civilization completely behind," she responded. At this point, she really didn't give a damn about the plates, since House appeared to be eating.

Cuddy put part of her order on a plate and used a fork. "This is really good."

"Just don't think about the fat content, and you'll enjoy it." House commented, knowing that Cuddy had ordered vegetables and tofu in the mistaken belief that it was healthier.

"Killjoy," Cuddy replied. She had already decided that getting House to eat was more important right now than worrying about strictly maintaining her weight. If she had to indulge in a little extra oil to eat with him and make sure he wasn't starving, it was worth the added time on the stationary bike or the jogging track.

House had finished one appetizer and some of the soup and was starting his main course. He loudly slurped the noodles in an effort to annoy Cuddy. It was hard for her to hide her smile as she reveled in the gusto he showed eating his food.

He sat back on the couch after finishing about half of his Pad Thai. "Can you put this away?" he asked Cuddy.

"Sure," she replied as she picked up the leftovers and went to the kitchen to put them in the refrigerator. She came back to the living room and picked up the plates and flatware. She went back to the kitchen, put her things in the dishwasher and returned House's unused items to their respective drawers and cupboards.

She went back to the living room, expecting that House would have the TV on. Instead, he was waiting for her. "Are you leaving now?" he asked, trying, but not really hiding, the need in his voice.

"I told you, the nanny needs the extra cash," she responded. She sat down next to him on the couch, not quite touching him. She carefully slid her arm around House's waist and put her head on his shoulder. She waited for him to push her away. To her near total shock, he didn't

"Anything you want to watch?" he asked. "Not that I'm saying I'll agree if it's some chick flick."

"Don't care," She murmured, gently pushing her face into him. She felt bones instead of muscle or flesh, but she would not have told him that on pain of torture.

"I'm going to bed," House announced. "Come with?"

"Yes," She said in her softest voice.

They cuddled that night but they didn't have sex. Still, it was one the best nights in Cuddy's life, because it made her realize that House wanted to be with her, and, even more importantly, that he wanted to get better.

"I said, do you want anything?" House repeated in frustration. Sometimes Cuddy would drift off somewhere. He hoped she was at least thinking of him occasionally when this happened.

"Um," Cuddy replied, "A salad is always good. If they have chef's salad that would be even better."

"And a chef's salad," House said, completing the order.

Cuddy got up from the bed and started picking up the pillows.

"I don't think the hotel staff is going to care that we threw the pillows on the floor, Cuddy," House said.

"I'm bringing them out to the balcony," she replied.

She went out on to the balcony and dropped them. She went to the railing and looked out over the ocean. House came out to join her after a while.

She felt him slipping his arms around her. She turned to him, put her arms around him and felt beautiful, warm muscle. And the tiniest amount of fat around his middle. She could not keep from smiling.

"I just wanted to tell you the food is here," House announced. He noticed Cuddy was particularly happy and affectionate tonight. He didn't know if it was the honeymoon or her hormones, but he didn't care. They loved each other and they were enjoying themselves. What else was there?