I just want to thank everyone who has been reading this story. We have a long way to go.

Thank you to all the Huddy fans out there who keep Huddy alive and thriving.

This chapter was difficult for me to write just because I had to get into Wilson's and Cuddy's heads the right way. I hope it paid off. Hence why I'm posting at almost 3 A.M.

Enjoy!

Chapter 72:

Once she had closed the front door to the apartment after stepping outside in the sunny but brisk February air, Cuddy turned to face Wilson, who had walked down the steps and faced her, observing her carefully from his place on the sidewalk.

The street was relatively empty except for a few people walking their dogs. Cuddy looked down the street for a few seconds before facing the oncologist.

"What do you want, Wilson?" she asked, tiredly, as she slipped her jacket on.

"Whoa," he exclaimed, "No 'Hi,' just 'what do you want, Wilson?'… well, I can see you're not taking this well..."

Still standing on the top most stair ledge in front of the door, Cuddy eyed him warily and chose not to comment.

"How'd you know I was here?" she asked instead.

"Process of elimination," Wilson replied, shrugging a shoulder, his hands in his coat pockets.

"Huh." She cocked a single eyebrow, intrigued.

"And how many places were eliminated before coming to my sister's?" she continued after a beat of silence.

"A few," Wilson replied, lightly.

"And you came here to what? Ream me for what I did to him?"

"No," Wilson replied slowly, "I came here to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah? Well, I'm fine," Cuddy told him, impatiently.

"Clearly."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, angrily.

"Lisa, you walked out on him at 2 a.m. last night!" he exclaimed.

"Clearly, that was no big deal," he added, sarcastically.

Cuddy didn't answer him right away, staying silent for a minute as she collected her thoughts. Wilson could see her wheels turning and her frustration level getting higher by the second, but he stayed quiet, watching her.

"How much do you know?" she finally asked, although she was afraid to know the answer.

"Most of it…well, his side anyway."

"When did he call you?"

"Do you actually care or…"

Cuddy shrugged, and tsked, but said nothing.

"…he called me around seven this morning…I went over to your place. And Lisa, he didn't have to punch the guy."

"But he did!" Cuddy exploded, not able to hold her composure any longer. "Okay?! He had no reason to hit Brad. He didn't have to resort to physical violence -"

"From the sound of it, this guy drove him over the edge," Wilson interrupted her.

Cuddy sat down on the top step, annoyed.

"But to hit Brad?! Look where that landed him," she exclaimed. "His leg is probably worse off now than it has been in a while because Brad's stupid move to grab his cane! Which by the way, wouldn't have happened if Greg didn't punch him in the gut. He told me it was because he was provoked. I'm sorry, but just because he was provoked, doesn't mean he had to hit the guy. And what Brad did probably set back the progress he has started making in therapy."

"Ah, so you do still care about him even though you're angry at what he did," Wilson pointed out.

Cuddy chuckled softly. "Of course I'm concerned about him. That doesn't mean I can't still be angry with him at the same time," she replied, as she placed her hand on the side of her belly, as she felt her son stir within her womb.

"So, are you pissed at this 'Brad' guy or at House?"

"Both. Does it really matter who I am pissed at, Wilson?"

"Well, yes. And this whole 'explosion' was just about what he did tonight, not about, say…what's coming on Thursday?"

Cuddy gave him a look and then chuckled softly to herself, but didn't reply, continuing to gently rub her stomach.

"Lisa, he's worried about you," Wilson continued softly, when he knew she wasn't going to say anything.

"I'm worried about you. Talking about what happened last year is not going to be easy for either of you to do, I'm sure. Your stress level is I'm assuming, through the roof, with this trial, with work, with your pregnancy…And the argument last night finally pushed you over the brink, I'm guessing, and you just blew up…and it's not your fault."

He paused. "…you know he is sorry, right?"

"Yeah," Cuddy mumbled. She groaned, frustrated.

"How fucked up is that?" she continued. "I know he's sorry, but yet, I'm still angry at him! For what? For punching Brad? For being over-protective? For what? I just – I don't even know why I'm upset anymore!"

She gripped her head in her hands, aggravated at herself. "God dammit," she said, softly.

"Lisa, stop beating yourself up…you two have a, how shall I put this, a…different relationship than most couples. And I think you know that already. There's a long and complicated history between two complicated people here. You guys can love each other so much, but be frustrated and pissed off, and want to kill each other at the same time, both in a working relationship and a personal one. It's what makes you two fit, what makes you work so well together, and it's what makes this relationship between you thrive. You're probably the only person who knows how to handle him."

He paused and waited for her to say something. When she didn't, he continued.

"Lisa, you two do this dance around each other, and have for so long, and it's so… so unusual, in a good way…throughout all the shit you have both gone through from day one, you still manage to make it work…God knows, you two have loved each other for so long. Your dynamic with each other is incredible, both at work and in your personal lives. Don't let this screw you up. You're stronger than to let that happen."

Cuddy smiled through her tears. "So you're saying that given our long complicated history of being in a fucked up relationship is a good thing?"

"Yes, surprisingly, that's exactly what I'm saying. Lisa, he loves you and you know that. He knows that you have a lot to deal with right now."

"Maybe we need a few days' apart," Cuddy mumbled, looking down at her feet as she wiped her face with her hand.

"Maybe," Wilson agreed, as he sat down beside her on the step. "But you shouldn't be telling me this. You and House need to talk."

"Is he okay?"

"He's okay. Concerned, but okay. He knows he screwed up. But you two need to talk to each other about this."

"Do you think we should have some time apart?"

"I think that…it wouldn't hurt, but Lisa, you have a lot to do this coming week, so just…be careful. If the two of you can work through this without any separation, well, that's even better…I would hate to see you alone before the trial in five days' on Thursday, which I'm guessing has not been an easy thing to have hanging over your head. You already have more of a support system than you might think, but you need him to support you with this…"

"And you look like hell," he added.

"Gee, thanks," she replied sarcastically.

"You're not taking this lightly."

"Of course I'm not, Wilson."

"He's not either. Hence why you two need to communicate with each other," he stressed firmly. "Lisa, you have a lot on your plate right now to deal with. I'd hate to see you break up over -"

"I'm not going to end it with him over this. And he's not either," she interrupted firmly. "And I think you know that."

He silently agreed.

"Just…take care of yourself. That's the most important part here," he said softly, squeezing her arm gently. "I'm here if you need me."

After Wilson had left, Cuddy told her sister she was going home for a little while.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Kate, I'll be fine," she stressed, "Really. I just need some time alone…to think."

"Call me if you need anything, okay? Lisa, I'm concerned about you."

"I'll be fine. And thank you. And thank Matt for me, will you?"

After they embraced, Cuddy left to go back to her house, not knowing what to expect when she arrived.

After letting herself into the house fifteen minutes later, she knew House wasn't there because his car was gone, but just to be sure, she called out his name.

No answer.

Nervous but slightly relieved, she proceeded to the bedroom, as the empty house engulfed her. After kicking off her shoes, she sat down on her bed, which was still unmade from the previous night.

Suddenly, she broke down and cried. Her body heaved with sobs as she lay down on the bed with her hands covering her face, unable to contain herself any longer.

After a few minutes, the sobs lessened and she took a few deep breaths to calm down. She wiped her face with her hand and closed her eyes, willing herself to stop the tears from falling.

"Stop this, Lisa," she told herself aloud, "You're being stupid. Stop this. Get a grip on yourself. You're the one who walked out on him, remember?"

After a few minutes, she dried her final tears and sat up. Deciding to be productive, at least a little, she made the bed and cleaned up the bedroom before heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

Twenty minutes later, with a towel wrapped around her waist, her baby bump exposed and hair dripping wet, Cuddy opened the bathroom door that led to the master bedroom, and immediately jumped, startled at who was laying on the bed, with his legs crossed in front of him.

Turning away from him without saying a word, she proceeded to her dresser, pulling out a pair of underwear and a bra before walking to her closet, keeping her back towards him.

House remained silent as well, watching her every move.

"What are you doing here?" she finally asked, without turning to face him. House could hear the bitter tone in her voice.

"That's certainly an odd question, seeing as I do live here."

Saying nothing, Cuddy continued to get dressed.

"Where'd you go?"

"None of your god dammed business," she spat out bitterly.

"I just talked to Wilson."

She turned to face him. "Then you obviously know where I was," she shot at him through gritted teeth after pulling a long sleeved v-neck over her head.

When she received no response, she turned back towards her closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and put them on. She heard him speak but didn't turn.

"This is what a relationship is. We have a fight, but that's what makes us stronger," he said from the bed "If I could take back what I did last night, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"How's your leg?" she asked, ignoring what he had just said.

"It's a little better than last night, but not by much."

"He didn't have to grab your cane, but you also -"

"I know, I know. I didn't have to punch him…so we are both at fault here, eh?"

Cuddy took a breath. Greg," she said softly, locking eyes with him. "I-I think…I need the rest of the weekend to myself…to think…alone."

House looked at her, shocked. "What are you – are you breaking up -"

"No," she interrupted, her voice quiet. "I'm not breaking up with you. Not at all, but I just – I need some time to myself. That's all…to think about all this…"

"But – why?" House picked himself up from the bed and slowly limped over to where she was standing, confused.

"I just – I need some time to myself," she whispered, staring up into his eyes.

He stared at her, dumbfounded, searching her face. "Lisa, what are you doing? If you need to talk -"

"Dammit, Greg!" she exclaimed angrily through her tears, "I just need some time alone. Is that too much to ask?!"

"No," he replied quietly, after two seconds. "It's not."

"God dammit. Our relationship is so…" Her voice trailed off as she couldn't think of a word.

"Fucked up?" he offered.

"I was going to say 'confusing', but that works as well."

"Lisa, why would I get mad at you for wanting your space? I get that you are mad at me. I get why you're mad at me. If by dealing with this, you need some time alone, then that's it. I don't like it, but if you feel that this is what you need to do…"

"I want to accept your apology, Greg. I really do, but right now, I just…I just need some time." She placed her palm on the center of his chest. "Please do this. For me."

"Okay," he whispered, "if this is what you think you need…"

"Thank you." She suddenly turned away, unable to look at him. "I'll see you on Monday."

She didn't watch him as he packed his duffel bag. It was too painful, even though she was the one who initiated it.

"How long -" he started to ask.

"I don't know," she told him quietly. "You'll know. Give me until Monday."

When he was done packing, he looked at her. "I'll still be here for you on Thursday, you know."

"I know," she whispered. "Hopefully this will be all be resolved by then."

She walked him out to the foyer. When he turned to face her, House noticed the tears silently trailing down her cheeks, and made every effort not to reach out his hand and wipe them away.

All he could bring himself to do was kiss her on the cheek and squeeze the hand that was resting on her belly before letting himself out the door, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

I thought House and Cuddy needed some conflict - which is what they both do so well.