A/N: Okay, the timeline is screwed and it won't make sense at first, but pretend this chapter is right after Stacy left. Pretend she and House never slept together and that nothing romantic happened between them, but there was still some tension. Make sense? If not and this chapter blows, I'll rewrite it.

Wow, guys. Last chapter. It's been a LOT of fun. If it hadn't been for your fantastic reviews, this never would have gone on so long.

Much love to y'all,

Charlie

(P.S. I LOVE this chapter. It is far and away my favourite one.)

-

How the hell could she have actually thought it would last?

Lights dim. Soft, tortured jazz music crooning from the radio. A bottle of bourbon in her hand. Flames hissing, licking, sparking at her from the warm, cozy fireplace. Cashmere rubbing against her skin, the blanket draped over her feet as she curled up on the sofa; exhausted, sad, angry.

She should have seen it coming. Stacy and House were a disaster waiting to happen. Oh, he assured her nothing was left of them- after teasing her about being jealous, but she had fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. She believed him. Still did.

Until the lawyer had left.

House brooded, sulked, and brooded some more, until she had yelled at him, he had yelled right back, and she had stormed out of his place to cool off, catching a cab home.

Which brought her right here, doing the same thing as he was.

Brooding.

But the pure gentleness of the aura of the room eventually lulled her to a fitful sleep, only to let her be harshly awakened by the sound of the telephone.

She grabbed for it, swiped at her eyes with her free hand, and mumbled a "hello."

-

Better salary. Better hours. Better city. Free moving expenses. On the surface, there wasn't a decent reason not to take the job.

But Oregon didn't have House.

Cuddy sat absently staring at nothing in particular, tapping her foot in a mindless rhythm against the wheels of her desk chair. "This is pathetic."

He needed an answer by tomorrow.

"I realize I've given you virtually no notice, Dr. Cuddy, but we're short on staff, and you were highly recommended."

She gave a bitter laugh. He had laid it on thick. Sincere, yeah, but…

Her mind drifted to the future. A nice house. Warm weather. The Cascade Mountains. All the benefits that had been described to her in detail.

I'll get over House. It never would have worked out.

She picked up the phone.

-

She hadn't spoken to him for three days. Miraculously, they had not crossed paths at all since their fight.

Maybe it's fate.

She snorted derisively. "Right."

"Flight 727, now boarding. Flight 727, now boarding." The oddly-sounding female voice echoed through various speakers around her. She stood up and headed toward the flight attendant standing near the gate for her flight. Slinging her carry-on bag over her shoulder, she approached the first person in line to stand behind him.

"Taking a trip?" The blonde flight attendant asked perkily.

Cuddy shook her head. "Moving. New job."

The flight attendant scrutinized the computer screen, then smiled. "Well, I hope you enjoy Oregon."

"She won't."

Cuddy's eyes slid shut. When she finally dared open them again, the flight attendant was staring at something behind her.

"I didn't want to follow you across the country again, so I figured, what the hell, why not just catch her at the airport? Do you know how much money I gave some ugly fat dude to find out where the hell you were? Lots. You owe me at least seven meals out, honey. He just wouldn't talk. Even when I told him how much I loved you and would do pretty much anything to get you back."

She turned and saw the half-grin on his face and started to cry.

"Even clinic duty."

He shrugged the slightest bit, leaned his cane against the a nearby chair, and opened his arms two inches. That was all it took for her to fly into his arms and have them encircle her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, and he dropped a kiss on her forehead, causing her to look up.

"Me too." He waited only two seconds before asking, "does this mean you're staying?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Yeah, I guess so." She stepped back and watched him smile at her. "What?"

He smirked. "Well, thank goodness. I thought for a minute that I was going to have to do this-" he reached into his pocket, pulled out a little black velvet box, and held it in his palm, flipping it open with one finger.

Cuddy's eyes widened. She choked back a sob.

"Hey Lisa… marry me? 'Cause, you know, I love you so much."

She cried. He drew her into his embrace again. When her tears stopped coming, she looked up at him with shining eyes. "Yeah. 'Cause, you know, I love you too."

A small crowd had gathered near the line-up, and every single person was clapping, including the flight attendant. "I guess this means you're not going to Oregon," she said, beaming.

"I'm not going to have a job." The thought suddenly came to her.

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "I'm sure I can find something to occupy your time," he whispered in her ear, mindful of their observers, and she blushed. He caught the ring on his thumb and flicked the box away, slipping the gold band decorated with diamonds and one sapphire on her ring finger. Then he slowly turned so the crowd could see them, ducked his head to steal a kiss, and grinned.

"Guess what? She's mine."

A/N: Oh, man. I had entirely too much fun writing that chapter. Now I'm really sad that it's ending. Maybe I'll write another House/Cuddy fic. I sort of have another one in mind… You interested? Ask me about it.