FYI: I am going on a much needed vacation starting tomorrow, so this story will be on hiatus until I return. I had hoped to finish it before I left, but as usual, House and Cuddy are being difficult and weren't ready to stop their little dance of denial.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Cuddy didn't have to go. House had just walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" He shot an accusatory glance at Cuddy. Then he remembered what a talker his patient was and glared at her.

"I was having a very enlightening chat with your patient." Cuddy smiled at the young girl and gave her hand a small, conspiratorial squeeze.

Carly felt the woman was about to leave, and realized she didn't have much time to act. "She likes you," Carly blurted before releasing Cuddy's hand. "She likes you and she wants to have your babies." Carly grinned. She was cute and dying, there was no way they'd get mad at her.

"I don't want to have your baby," Cuddy said instinctually.

"But you do like me?" House looked at her curiously.

"No." That wasn't right. "Well not like…I…" This was a losing battle. "Yes, I like you House. What are you going to do about it?" She got in his face, challenging him, ready for a fight.

House's team had ambled in behind him and remained lingering in the doorway. Each of them had a different look on their faces. Kutner was confused. He hadn't spent much time reading into the strange push and pull relationship of his boss and his bosses boss. When they started at it, he zoned out. Taub was riveted. It was nice to see a couple other than him and his wife with problems and he kept hoping for something he could use against House at some point. Hadley just looked annoyed.

House didn't like being challenged. Not in this way, not in front of an audience. "I'll come back when I can get some work done."

"Don't you dare!" Both Cuddy and Carly spoke at once and the effect sent a chill down his spine. This is what life would be like if he married this woman and had a child with her. It would always be them against him. He would not be free to make a move without one or both of them on his back.

House paused in the doorway. For only a moment he thought of turning and confronting Cuddy once and for all. He remained still as the moment passed. Then he pushed past Taub and Hadley and stormed to his office.

He did not storm alone. Cuddy was close on his heels after commanding that the others stay and tend to the patient. The trio of young doctors remained where they were for a moment, speculating incorrectly about what was going on then wend and did as they were told, still speculating.

House could hear her shoes clicking against the hard linoleum floor behind him but he did not look back, or quicken his pace. He simply tried to pretend she wasn't there. He hesitated at Wilson's door. She wouldn't follow him into Wilson's office surely, but the room was empty and she would, so he kept going to his office. There wasn't anywhere in the hospital for him to hide. The walls were closing in on him.

He walked into his office and started to shut the blinds. He heard her enter but didn't look to see what she was doing. When he finally turned to face her, she was sitting at his desk, in his chair. She was touching his ball, tossing it in one hand.

He reached over and grabbed the ball.

Cuddy stared at him for a moment, trying to decide on the best approach. "You like me House." She teased.

"You're going to take the word of some teenager on drugs." House was strategizing about how to get her out of his chair.

"She's not on drugs, and that wasn't a denial." She was looking up at him, a pleased smile on her face. She knew he was trying to get her out of the chair and refusing to budge.

House walked half way around her, looking for a weak spot in which to infiltrate. He thought about lifting one side of the chair and dropping her off but to do that he would have to put down his cane and she would probably suspect something and prepare a counter attack. "She's on morphine and I didn't think I had to deny it."

"The morphine wouldn't have delusional effects in the amount you prescribed. And you do have to deny it." She inched her feet across the rug, turning the chair so that he couldn't get behind her.

"How do you know how much morphine I prescribed? You wouldn't believe me anyway." He was eying her carefully. From his towering position he could see right down her blouse.

"I know everything you do in my hospital House. And I wouldn't believe you because you'd be lying." She felt quite confident at the moment. She'd caught him.

House jumped at the chance to divert her. "If you knew everything that went on here you wouldn't..." He made a face, pretending she'd tricked him.

"I'm not falling for it." She smiled sweetly. "You're just trying to avoid talking about your feelings for me."

House leaned against the chair, putting his hands on the arms so she couldn't turn away. "Why don't we talk about your feelings for me instead?"

Cuddy's eyes grew large as she stared at him.

"That's what I thought." House pulled himself to his full height. He grabbed the ball off his desk and began bouncing it off the edge of the desk.

There was a long silence between them, marred only by the thud, thud, thud of the ball hitting the top of the desk.

"Stop that!" Cuddy grabbed the ball with more force than she meant to. The impact made her hand sting. She shook it quickly to try and ward off the throbbing.

"That hurt, didn't it?" House chuckled.

Cuddy wanted to smack him, but that playful twinkle in his eye disarmed her. "Why do you like to see me in pain House?"

House was startled by the question. "I don't."

"Don't you?" She was fishing for anything she could get out of him.

"If you expect some sort of 'you hurt the ones you love' revelation, hold your breath. When you pass out I can finally make my escape."

"You're free to go at any time." She pointed to the door.

"This is my office." He was standing his ground.

"My hospital. My office," she declared in a sing songy voice, smiling sweetly and tilting her head. She tossed the ball into the air and watched House snatch it out of the air.

"My ball!" House pouted.

"Well at least you still have one." Cuddy smirked.

House scowled. "I have plenty of balls."

"You don't have the balls to tell me how you really feel." She practically dared him to say it.

"You want to know how I really feel?" He felt like throwing that ball at her head.

Did she? She gulped nervously. "I want you to tell me the truth House."

"What if I don't know what that is?" He leaned his bottom against the desk for support, his cane no longer sufficient for the job.

"We could figure it out together." Her hand went out to him but she quickly pulled it back, fearful of his ridicule. Her voice held a questionable tone of uncertainty. She had jumped off the cliff and there was no going back.

"What if we're wrong?" He knew she had to be thinking it as well. She was far more cautious than he was.

"You're right. Let's forget the whole thing because it might not work out and that could get messy."

"I love messy. You're the one who doesn't like messy. You're the one I'm…" he caught himself a moment too late.

"You're what?" She tried to read his face. "Are you worried about hurting me?"

He couldn't bring himself to answer her.

"Do you think I'll fire you if you break my heart?" She couldn't bring herself to think he was feeling anything deeper.

"Would you?" He was looking for anything, any excuse to run away.

"No."

"Things would change."

"Not all change is bad."

"Not all change is good."

"So you're argument is just contradicting what I say?" Cuddy was starting to get the feeling this was going nowhere.

"No," House contradicted.

Cuddy took a deep breath to build courage. "Look, I'm going to make this easy for you. I like you House, and I want to go out with you. Now the ball is in your court. If you ask me out, I will take that to mean you are interested in taking the next step. If you don't ask me out, I will take the hint and accept that you are not interested in a relationship with me." She got to her feet. She was going to leave but he stopped her.

"How do you feel about the Jets?"

"What?" She couldn't believe he was changing the subject now.

"I've got tickets, for Sunday. I was going to take Wilson, but, since you're giving me an ultimatum…" He lingered on the last word, giving her a chance to do the right thing and tell him to go with Wilson.

"I'd love to go to the game with you." She smiled brightly. He had made the right choice.