Rediscovery

By Ellie

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.

A/N 1: This is the last part of the previous chapter from House's pov. I know it's short, but the next chapter should be longer.

Chapter 3

House half-listened to Cuddy as he put his medical bag away. He smiled to himself as he heard her call the hospital before the police. "Mommy's gotta see how Baby's doing with the sitters."

House sighed as he contemplated the situation before him. He was a man who enjoyed his solitude, and having it disturbed like this was irksome. But she was here and there was nothing he could do about it. He had to admit that if he had to be stuck with someone during a blizzard, Cuddy wasn't a bad choice. He would have preferred Wilson, of course, but at least Cuddy was rarely boring and easy on the eyes.

"It could be worse," he said to himself. "It could be Foreman, Chase or Cameron stuck here with me." House had a deep, if unspoken, affection for his staff, but the idea of being trapped with one of them in close quarters for several days set his teeth on edge. Foreman would do nothing but argue with him. Chase would just sit there like a lump out of fear of incurring House's wrath, and Cameron would spend the entire time trying to get him to open up about his feelings. House shuddered at the thought as he again focused his attention on Cuddy.

She was talking to Wilson. He could hear the relief in her voice when she heard that everything was all right at the hospital. House listened to see if she told Wilson that she was stranded at his place and grinned when she neglected to mention it. "So you don't want people to know that we're shacking up, Dr. Cuddy. I'll be sure to store that little nugget of information away for future use."

Cuddy hung up with the hospital and began to dial again. House glanced out his kitchen window and saw the snow continue to fall steadily. He knew that Cuddy would try to arrange a ride to the hospital, but he also knew that unless there was a severe shortage of doctors somewhere in the city, she would probably be unsuccessful.

He peered through the doorway to watch her as she talked on the phone. She asked the officer if there was any way to get her to the hospital. Her face scrunched up in annoyance at his reply. House grinned. "Buddy, you don't know how lucky you are to be on the other side of town. I've seen her make grown men cry."

"Yes, I'm staying with a … colleague," he heard her tell the police officer.

Most people wouldn't have noticed the brief pause before she said 'colleague', but House wasn't most people. He had the advantages of being hyper-observant and of knowing Cuddy pretty well. She had been about to say something else, and her expression made him doubt that she was going to tell the officer that she was staying with the local jackass. There had been a momentary flash of sadness across her face that she quickly controlled. Before he could analyze her expression further, she turned around and saw him standing there.

"I'm sorry. I was hoping that they could send someone out here to get me and take me to the hospital, but apparently, I'm not critical," she said a bit ruefully. House couldn't help but smile at her disgruntled expression.

"Obviously they don't realize that the hospital would cease to exist if you weren't there to micromanage every single detail. How many rolls of toilet paper are there in the third floor women's bathroom?" he teased. She rolled her eyes at him, but he could tell that she was amused.

"I'm going to go change," she told him and walked stiffly to get her bag. His eyes narrowed a little in concern as he noticed her soreness from the accident growing, but he knew that any comment he made would not be appreciated, and he didn't feel like provoking her at this exact moment.

"Bathroom's that way," he pointed. She nodded and headed towards the door.

"Cuddy …" he heard himself call to her. She turned around and his mind went blank. A part of him wanted to reach across the past few years of hostility and ask her how she was really doing. He wanted to know if she missed hanging out together. Having lunch. Talking. But the rest of him was content with the status quo of his life. Why rock the boat with the answers to those questions?

He wasn't angry with her anymore. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't been for quite a while now. He would never completely get over the shock of betrayal he had felt when he discovered what she and Stacy had done to him, but he understood why they did it.

House's dilemma was that even though deep down he missed Cuddy's friendship, he wasn't sure if there was room in his life for it. Friendship required something from you. Friends made you do stuff that you wouldn't normally do. She already had some 'control' over him by virtue of being his boss. He wasn't sure if he wanted to offer her any more.

"House?"

Cuddy drew him out of his inner thoughts and he realized that he wasn't ready to talk to her about this. He wasn't sure if he ever would be. He broke eye contact and shook his head.

"Let me know if you need anything," he told her. She nodded and entered the bathroom. Perhaps having Chase there would have been better. At least he wouldn't have caused this emotional upheaval.

A/N 2: I want to thank everyone who's reviewed the story. I'm glad that you're enjoying it.