Sorry it took me so long. Still planning on finishing this. Thx for all the nice comments.

Chapter 44

It's Sunday afternoon. Cuddy stands in House's hallway, Rachel's hand in one hand and a cake carrier in the other. She kicks against the door with her left sneaker.

House opens up, squinting at her quizzically.

"Surprise." She presses her lips together, uncertain about their welcome. "We brought cake."

"Happy House day," Rachel beams at him.

"I told her it's a special House day," Cuddy elaborates. "Since you're not a particular fan of the b-word."

House turns his head to the side and scratches his chin. "I've got company."

"Oh. Wilson said he's taking you out for dinner. He didn't mention any other—" she stops herself, not sure if maybe he hired a hooker, "entertainment."

House shrugs, opens the door wider and steps back. "Coffee?"

"I want chocolate milk!" Rachels scampers in after him.

Cuddy follows them inside, glancing around the living room. Her eyes eventually spot Alina in the kitchen, who is placing dishes into the dish washer.

Alina looks up and smiles at the visitors. "Oh, hey there." Eyeing the cake, she addresses House. "You didn't mention it was your—"

"It isn't," House cuts her off. He limps toward the kitchen. "She's not so great with numbers," he says playfully with a bob of the head toward Cuddy. "Always has them mixed up. It's odd she ended up in administration." He busies himself operating the coffee machine.

Alina smirks. "So, no fond memories to that day, huh?"

Cuddy crosses the living room and sets the cake down on the kitchen counter.

House shrugs. "Let's just say the days with less attention on me tended to be the better days."

"Time to change that. This is turning into a real party." She smiles at Rachel and Cuddy.

House halts for a moment to introduce them. "Cuddy, Rachel, Alina," he says dryly.

Cuddy shakes off her irritation and approaches Alina with an outstretched right arm and a reticent smile. "Hi. Lisa works just as well."

"I'm already a fan. I love cake. I'm a hopeless sweet tooth."

"I helped," Rachel chimes in.

"You did?" Alina shifts her attention to Rachel. "Then we gotta cut into it straight away, whaddaya think?"

Rachel nods with emphasis.

"Chocolate milk coming right up," House announces.

After the awkward start, the rest of the afternoon runs relatively smoothly. Cuddy's attempts at maintaining a dislike for Alina are futile—she is easy-going and fun. It also helps that Cuddy detects no signs of romantic interest in House whatsoever—there are no lingering stares, intimate glances, or inside jokes between them—and Cuddy finds herself relaxing more and more. Alina takes a liking for Rachel and plays with her on the floor of the living room. House and Cuddy are seated on opposite sides of the couch. Cuddy sits sideways with her legs out in front of her, because she is in the stage of her pregnancy where her feet start to swell.

At some point, House pulls her closer by the ankles such that she is in a more reclined position and her feet rest in his lap.

She doesn't even notice dozing off and eventually wakes up from what feels like a restful nap. When she blinks her eyes open, something obscures half her vision. She reaches her hand up to her forehead and pulls a post-it from it. She looks around the room, which is completely deserted.

She blinks some more before she is able to focus her eyes on the note.

Sleeping Beauty —

Went into the woods

in search for food.

(What happened to the promise

of keeping house for us?)

Dopey, Sneezy & Grumpy.

She sits up, yawning, and stretches her arms above her head. It's already dark out. She grabs for her phone.

"Hey," he answers after the second ring. "Done calling hogs?" He speaks loudly. She hears chatter and clattering of silverware.

"I do not snore."

"You do when pregnant. It's why we left, actually. Couldn't hear our own voices over all that noise."

"But Rachel's Sneezy?" Cuddy is astounded House took Rachel along. In the past, he was often reluctant to be solely responsible for her.

"Yup. Kids are germ sprinklers with their runny noses and all."

"I not a sprinkler," Rachel objects.

Cuddy wonders whether House is Grumpy and Alina is Dopey, but doesn't dare ask. "Is she doing okay still? It's almost her bedtime."

"She's fine. Here," his voice thins out, "say hi to Mommy."

"Mommy?"

"Hey sweetheart." She briefly focuses on the voices in the background, trying to make out Alina's. "Are you having fun?"

"Yes. House let me order lemonade. And now he's trying to steal it with a straw."

House's voice returns. "Wanna come join?"

Cuddy rubs her forehead. "No. I'm gonna head home. I want to get some things done in the nursery."

"Okay. I took your car."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for that," she says with some sarcasm.

"Needed the car seat. I'll drop her off with you later. My keys are —"

"On the sideboard," she finishes for him, then looks behind her to check.

The line goes dead. He hung up.

LLLLLLLLLLLLL

Later that night, Cuddy just finished painting one wall of the nursery and is in the midst of changing into her pajamas, she hears House's cane banging against the door.

She opens up, and he walks in with Rachel slung over his left shoulder hanging there limply. Cuddy briefly glances past him to check whether Alina is with him and decided to wait outside, but she sees no figure walking from her car to his, which she parked out on the street.

"Jealous?" he asks. She wishes some things would occasionally go by him unnoticed as she closes the door behind them.

"You want me to take her?" she offers, ignoring his question.

He turns toward her, squinting at her. "You know you're pretentious when you're jealous?"

"I'm not jealous," she quips. "Alina seems very nice. I like her."

"Proving my point." He starts limping toward Rachel's room. "You could just ask, you know? I hear that's the grownup thing to do."

Cuddy follows him and helps him put Rachel to bed.

Once they're out in the hallway again, she asks, "You wanna see the nursery?"

He continues his way towards the front door. "Nope. I'm sure it's a wonderfully feint mint green."

She stops in her tracks. "How did you know?"

He turns around to her and reaches out. She is slightly taken aback when his hand cups her face in a gentle caress. Not until she feels his thumb scratching across her cheek does she realize his motive. He pulls back and holds his hand up for inspection, a small dried speck of paint stuck under his nail. "Looks great," he says, staring at her.

She smiles sheepishly.

House sets himself back into motion. "So, you gonna ask now or you wanna risk a sleepless night and pry your daughter for the info tomorrow?" He stops at the front door.

Cuddy approaches him cautiously. "I'm waiting for you to leave so I can ring up Wilson. Make up some excuse about a patient and casually inquire about tonight's events and members."

House smirks and lowers his eyes to her bump. "Hear that? This is how she gets when she tells you to go out and play but actually wants you for her lone sorry self. Better learn quick."

Cuddy drops her chin to also talk to their unborn child. "And here's your first lesson of 'Daddy's not always right'." Looking back up again, she states, "I'm not jealous."

House shrugs, fishes for her car keys in his pants pocket and hands them to her.

She takes them and places them in her purse from which she retrieves his. "Here," she puts on a nonchalant tone, and is about to turn away from him.

He accepts the keys but raises his eyebrows at her in a challenge. "What, no good-night hug? Kiss goodbye to the birthday boy?"

She rolls her eyes in annoyance but takes the bait. She walks toward him, rises onto her tiptoes and intends to blow him an innocent kiss on the cheek. In the last moment, though, he turns his head. His left arm sneaks around her waist and pulls her against him as he captures her lips with his.

She barely has time to react before he breaks the kiss again. He gazes at her with hooded lids but clear eyes and states, "You're the only one I wanna kiss tonight. Tonight and ever."

She feels herself going week in the knees, his statement catching her off guard. He has never been big on romantic declarations. She stares at him for a moment until her left hand sneaks up to the back of his neck and pulls his face down toward her so she can kiss him properly.

A growl emanates from the back of his throat, and he greedily nips at her lips.

She pushes his jacket off his shoulders and starts fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, her mouth not leaving his.

They stumble down the hall towards her bedroom, hands sneaking underneath clothes, and mouths finding exposed skin. Everything is happening in a fiery frenzy, neither of them wanting time to think and possibly break the spell.

Cuddy locks the bedroom door behind her, not wanting to take the chance of Rachel barging in on them. Her breath is heavy as she turns around and steps back into House's embrace, seeking out his lips.

That's when he hesitates and retreats a bit in order to look at her. At first, she is worried he might've changed his mind, but his hands move to the hem of her t-shirt, which he slowly lifts. He pauses once her belly is exposed and bends down to kiss it. He takes his time caressing her bump and running his thumb over her navel.

She wants his hands further up her body and fails to repress a whimper.

He smirks and moves his mouth to her neck to suckle on the soft skin there.

Growing impatient, she reaches for his belt, but his hands stop her. "My birthday," he mumbles, his lips tickling her earlobe. "I get to do the unwrapping."

He continues on like this, taking his time and finding moments in which he looks her deeply in the eye. It's as if he wants to make sure she's aware of the moment; as if he is challenging her to stop him and tell him she doesn't want this. But she does. So badly. He brings her close to insanity several times, and she is not above begging. "House, please," she breathes in an attempt to urge him on.

His looks are almost reverent; his hands and tongue are worshipping her body. When he finally touches her where she wants him most—he is still almost fully dressed while she is writhing naked underneath him—she explodes almost instantly.

Several hours and orgasms later, they snuggle under the covers together, wiped out and sated. "Were you planning on breaking a record?" she chuckles, pulling his arm under her neck, her favorite pillow, and pressing her back against his chest.

"Did I?" he inquires mischievously.

"Pregnancy hormones did play into your cards a little."

"Quit ruining my after-gloat," he pouts.

She falls asleep with a smile tugging on her lips.