DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything related to Fox or the TV show House. I'm only borrowing some characters. The characters belong to David Shore and company.

A/N: Update! I hope you love it! Please tell me if you did.

To closet readers, please tell me what you think of the last 51 chapters. :D

Countdown to the last chapter starts now…

[ 8 ] More to go…


ANOTHER SHOT AT HAPPINESS


CHAPTER 52: I'M YOURS

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"Then why the hell were you kissing a woman at the bar the other night?! Why was your cell phone with her and why did she tell me you "sexed" her up?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO US?!" Cuddy sobbed in an anguished tone as her tears fell from her eyes and down her face when she uttered those words with so much pent-up emotion that tore House apart.

How did she know? She had it all wrong, House froze upon realizing what the problem really was: she saw.

She didn't realize that she told him what she was trying so hard not to until she saw him freeze in his spot. She ran into their bathroom and locked herself up, thinking that his silence told her that what she accused him of was true.

Cuddy leaned back on the door and slid down to sit on the cold tired floor. She had no strength to even sit on the toilet seat or the edge of their tub. She was too strained to even haul herself from where she was now sitting. She pulled her legs close to her chest and buried her tearstained face in the space between. She sobbed and cried not caring if he heard her. She didn't even care if what she was doing was somewhat pulled out of a chick flick. She needed to let it all out. She wanted to be enveloped in his arms so she could release everything. But she couldn't. He was the reason she was hurting.

She couldn't believe it. He froze. Everything was true. He cheated on her. He cheated on Mia. He cheated on them. She loves him. She loves him too much that it grinded her heart to bits to know that he cheated on her when all she did was love him with everything she had and more.

"Lisa, please open the door." House knocked gently. She was sure he knew that she was slumped behind the door because his knock was heard somewhere near the side of her head. She didn't answer as she continued to cry.

"Lisa, please, open the door," he begged. He had to explain himself. Why didn't he just tell her? He was too worried that she'll fuss over something unimportant but didn't think that she'll be more hurt to know by herself and from others—by others he meant that damned bitch who stole his phone and had the audacity to answer his calls.

"Just please, leave me alone," Cuddy begged of him. She didn't need to hear his explanation—that's what she thought. His features told her everything she needed to know.

"You have it all wrong," House told her, "Just, please, come out here and I'll tell you everything," House promised her. He wanted—needed—to tell her everything face to face, not like this, not with a door between them. Cuddy didn't answer him. She couldn't just look into those blue eyes. She'll be hypnotized. She already loves him too much that it hurt. Seeing those eyes lie to her would just kill her.

Before House started speaking again they heard crying from Mia's room. Cuddy's maternal instinct kicked in and she wiped her face dry with the closest towel she could reach and opened the door, not bothering to look at the man who just tore her heart out from her chest. Just because she was brokenhearted it didn't mean that she would forget that she has a daughter, unlike other people.

"Shh… Mommy's here now, baby. Don't cry, don't cry," Cuddy whispered while hugging a crying Mia in here arms. Mia only cried harder when she heard Cuddy's voice.

Forgetting their dispute at the moment, House kneeled in front of Mia's bed and lifted their daughter's chin, tenderly forcing those same ice blue eyes to look at him.

"What's wrong, Mia?"He asked her gently, wiping away some of her tears with the pad of his thumb.

Mia sniffled with her pout before she leaned closer to her mother but remained looking at her father since her chin was cupped by his hand. "Why… why you an'… and mommy fight?" she questioned in between sobs, her pout still in its place.

Cuddy met House's eyes for the first time since she went into the bathroom and saw that his were also filled with guilt and regret. They've been going at each other's neck too loudly that Mia heard them shouting at each other over reciprocation of mixed feelings because of a misunderstanding. It was the first time they did it, and the first time they did was too loud that their daughter heard them all too well.

Cuddy hugged Mia tighter and kissed the crown of her head. She was supposed to answer when House beat her to it.

"Mia…" House started. "I and mommy were not fighting. We were talking. Were we too loud? We're sorry princess." He improvised.

"You an' mommy wass shouting," Mia squeaked. She was only sniffling now. Damn his genes! And Cuddy's as well. The kid was smart like them.

"Everything's okay Mia," Cuddy said but thought, no everything's not okay. "Mommy and Daddy loves you," she said and kissed Mia again.

"Really?" Mia asked her father who nodded in return. "Okay. We a happy famwy, right?" she asked them.

Cuddy's heart broke upon hearing their daughter asking for reassurance. Yes, they were-- Before her father cheated on them.

"Of course!" House said cheerfully. We're a happy family, but I have to tell your mom everything first. Mia smiled but it was quickly followed by a yawn. They woke her up. And they felt bad about it.

Cuddy appreciated what House was doing. They were lying—and that was bad—but they didn't want Mia to have this. They wanted her to have a normal life like other kids. They learned their lesson. They knew what they did was wrong. But they were too carried away by emotions that they forgot everyone else around them—sadly, including their daughter. But from that day on, they won't. That was a good plan. But they had to fix things with each other first.

Cuddy and House tucked Mia in again and headed to the bedroom for a much needed talk—on House's part.

Cuddy went to the bed and leaned on the headboard, pulling her legs in front of her chest and just stared somewhere else other than him. She waited for his explanation. The slow trickling of tears on her face told him that she was thinking of Mia at the moment. She buried her face in the space between her legs and her chest when she felt the dip in the mattress. He was positioning himself near her.

He positioned himself like she did but he was only leaning back on the headboard with his legs stretched out. He gently pulled her towards him so she was settled in between his legs and she curled up in his chest silently crying now, not wanting Mia to hear them again.

She couldn't understand why she was letting him do this. She was letting him in after pushing her out by cheating on her. She loved him and Mia more than life itself. He rubbed her back soothingly while whispering words in her ear. Instead of calming down her body shook with silent sobs and his chest was now wet with tears—hers.

"I didn't cheat on you," House whispered. Cuddy was going to move out of his arms but he held her there. "The woman just kissed me out of the blue. Ask Wilson, he knows." He told her sincerely. She couldn't deny the fact that his voice sounded calm and so sincere that she wanted to believe him with her next heartbeat. But she couldn't. Not just yet.

"The woman. Your cell, she answered. You had sex." Cuddy whispered. She was frozen in her spot, his warmth attracting him even if she wanted to resist this intimacy at a time of misunderstanding. But he was explaining now, wasn't he? Isn't that all that mattered?

House sighed and then kissed her temple. "She stole my phone. It was on silent so I wasn't able to answer your calls and texts. I found out the bitch took it when I was supposed to check it for calls or texts in the cab on the way home."

"So you didn't?" she asked, wanting reassurance that he didn't cheat on her, that he really loved her, and that he really loved them. She could feel his heartbeat and it was slowly lulling her to sleep. But she wanted that reassurance.

House chuckled playfully, "Your ass keeps me more than satisfied, Lisa."

Cuddy smacked him in the chest weakly. "Prove it to me. Prove that you didn't just get kissed. Please, Greg. I need to be sure. I trust you but a part of me is killing me without any assurance beyond yours."

House understood. She was too scarred that it was hard to know what to trust and whatnot. He took the wireless phone from the holder on the side of the bed and dialed Wilson's number, knowing that he was most probably awake at that time.

"Hello?" Hazel answered.

"It's Greg." House greeted. "Is Wilson there? I need him to talk to Lisa about something."

"Hold on a sec," Hazel said and handed the phone to Wilson mouthing "House".

"Everything okay?" Wilson asked. "By the way, did you notice how stressed Cuddy's been recently?"

House rolled his eyes. "Idiot, that's why I made a call, you have to tell her what happened at the bar with that tramp."

"Oh. Okay, hand her the phone." Wilson said. He wished talking to her and reassuring her that House did not, under any circumstances, cheat on her would finally give her peace. She desperately needed it.

"Wilson," Cuddy greeted weakly, not looking at House but still resting on his chest and in his arms.

"Are you okay?" Wilson asked firstly. "I'm fine Wilson. Could you please tell me everything? I just need to know it from somebody else and not just Greg." Cuddy pleaded. Wilson complied and told her everything. She was more than relieved to know that she didn't see everything.

Greg didn't cheat on me! She thought happily when Wilson hung up after telling her everything and answering her questions.

"Happy now?" House asked, caressing and wiping her tearstained cheeks, and still placing kisses on the crown of her head.

Cuddy smiled. Indeed she was. More than he'll ever know. She nodded in his chest and was starting to doze off when he spoke again.

"You have to buy me a new phone though." He told her.

Cuddy chuckled, and then looked up at him. "Why me?"

"You earn more." House smirked. God she missed that. She missed him.

"I love you," Cuddy said and kissed him for the first time in what seemed to be years but in truth was just a few days.

"I never stopped," House answered as he kissed her back, savoring the feeling of their lips fused together again.

"You're mine." Cuddy said when they pulled back and she laid her head on his chest.

"I'm yours." House confirmed by kissing her temple for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I'm glad you know," Cuddy replied.

"I own your ass though." House said playfully. Cuddy chuckled.

A few minutes later she fell into a fitful sleep for the first time since she thought the man she loved cheated on her; He didn't. He loved her and their child. His heartbeat was her lullaby, his warmth her blanket, his arms her security. His heart was hers and hers his.


A/N: See? When did I not fix things? :D

This is the fun part…

What do you think will happen next?