Princeton Plainsboro was known as many things. One of the best Hospitals on the east coast, the hospital with daily free clinic, one of Americas best teaching Hospitals, and Americas fastest gossip mill.

The news that Stacy Warner was back had reached the top floor around 10, three hours after she actually stepped over the threshold. Around 11 Wilson had gathered all his willpower to search for House and asking what was going on since he could not reach Cuddy.

James had searched practically everywhere, even the chapel, House had vanished once again. As he walked past Cuddy's office he saw that all her blinds were drawn. He expected to hear thunder and be struck by lightning simply walking by the Deans office. None came and he made his way to his office fast. Just before he could enter his pager went off, getting it out of his pant pocket clumsily he looked at the message puzzled.

'Consult needed, Morgue, compartment 7'

Yeap, speak of the Devil.

'Don't you think its morbid to hide here?'

'I'm burying my friendship with Cuddy. Thought I'd say my last goodbyes.'

House sat slumped on a stool, head low, leaning on his cane.

'What happened now? What did you do to end it this time?'

'I never said it was over. She's just not my friend anymore. D'uh you really think I would give up the sex?'

The petulant five year old was back, only this time he masked anger and sadness as well as fear with the petulance.

'C'mon House either you spill or I'm gonna go back to my work.'

'I thought this was the place you're most often. Heard your department lucked out on live rates again this year.'

Wilson rolled his eyes and tried to bite back nasty remarks. No use with them. The guy would have to go home to Cuddy and that was going to be punishment enough. So he stuck with a :

'Very funny House.' .

This time he looked up, sensing that Wilson was about to leave.

'You heard right? She...she gave Stacy a job.'

The cane thumped down on the floor harder and faster, House's anger getting worse by the minute.

'So what? What are you afraid of? It's no monster hiding under your bed House. It's just a woman. You have Cuddy, you're almost unbearably happy around her, and I mean happy as in House 'happy'.'

'I yelled at Cuddy for accepting her back. She brought something up, from our past, that scares me. I...don't know if it could happen again. How could she do this? Get Stacy back?'

'Can you actually believe it, maybe she really trusts you, stupid eh House? I don't really get you. Wait, what do you mean with you're scared it could happen again?'

House's shoulders slumped more, he grabbed his cane harder, his knuckles turning white.

'Cheating comes natural to Stacy, and up until the day I met her I would've never done something like it. But, I felt lonely. My girlfriend had just started internship, 48 hour shifts, no time for me, nights spend at her apartment and the phone turned off. She wouldn't even answer the door. And then...I met Stacy. She was there when I was lonely. It kept going, Stacy was a nice change from the loneliness. I never thought about it being wrong until my girlfriend stood in my bedroom door, looking at me with a look...Wilson...never once had someone looked so disappointed at me.'

He took a deep breath. He'd revealed his biggest secret, made himself vulnerable.

'Would you do to Lisa what you did to your girlfriend?'

House snorted and looked up, keeping back the laughter that bubbled up in him at the idiocy of the situation.

'Oh Wilson, dear old Jimmy...I already did that to Cuddy. The intern, my girlfriend, It was Cuddy. Young and fresh from University. I was her tutor at hospital. We, erased our past when I came here because of the job offer, a silent agreement that it never happened.'

James was gaping now, then he snorted. It figures that they had longer history laced with madness and pain. It just fit the two so good.

'And now you think you'll jump back into Stacy's bed? Hurt Cuddy again?'

Another angry and hard cane thump.

'No...I don't want to. Not again. I ...like...what I have now. I know back then, it wouldn't have lasted anyways. We weren't ready. Now, now she can deal with me. Cuddy knows me better than anyone, better than Stacy, because she never ran from me, she always stuck around to be there. But I don't understand why she would get Stacy back. Didn't understand it the first time, nor now.'

Wilson slapped his shoulder and shrugged, not having an answer to that.

'You better ask her House. She's the only one who will have an answer. If you haven't royally fucked up yet by screaming at her for cheating on her.'

He was left alone once more. Pondering what he should do. Today it had finally hit home how many blows Cuddy had already taken from him without saying a word. Just taking whatever he dished out and still she kept him close, offered him a job, saved his ass a thousand times and then accepted him back in her bed. He doubted he was worth it. Maybe ol' Jimmy was right tho and showing her he tried would be enough for her.

It was past 9 when Cuddy finally made it home. She was exhausted, her back paining her, not starting with the way her feet felt in her Heels and her head was pounding. She dropped her purse next to the coat rack, hit her answering machines button, no new messages, kicked her heels of and almost jumped as they landed next to male sports shoes. Lisa was to tired to even get angry, she simply stopped caring. If he was here to yell more she'd just lock herself into her bedroom.

Walking into the kitchen she ignored him on her way, he was on her couch, staring at her wooden floor. She warmed up some Thai, put it on two plates and then put one in front of him on the couch table. She stayed in the kitchen then, eating there, checking her mail. He didn't enter her den until he had finished his food and brought back the plate. House stopped next to the table looking down at her.

'Can...we talk?'

'I believe you had your say House. I don't need to hear another tirade, I'm tired and pissed off so just leave me. Go home. Just...don't stay.'

She was rubbing her wrist, the one he had grabbed, again he took her arm, pulled her sleeve up and examined if he'd hurt her seriously before she could pull away and glare at him.

'I was angry at myself, at Stacy, mostly at you. Because all those years, you haven't said a damn word about what I did to you. You just accepted it and lived on. Now she's back and it feels like you, I don't know, like you don't care about what I did, what Stacy could want now that Mark is gone. You've never yelled at me for it, never hit me with your tiny fists or cried. You just went on and it made me feel like you don't care.'

Cuddy stood and put her plate away, then scrubbed the dishes and glasses while he still stood there watching, waiting.

'I had to let you go back then. It hurt like hell, finding you two, but what would fighting for you have helped? You would've only pulled back more. It still hurts me, when I see her, when I saw you last year, the pain she put on you again, how crazy you were for her. I do care House. But I also know not to push you. You'll do whatever you want to.'

He stepped closer to her, laid his hands on her small shoulders. They slumped, her tight muscles rigid under his hands. House took another tentative step, his front almost pressed against her back now. His hands were massaging her shoulders, hoping to ease the tension in them as well the tension between them. Lisa took the last step back, pressing them together, inhaling shakily, the contact always making shivers run through her.

'I can't live with another disappointment Greg. Not again, please. It would be too much. I could live with us parting because we're both bullheaded, but I can not live with you cheating another time.'

He hushed her before she could go on, pulling her hands out of the sink and drying them with the towel next to it before turning her and hugging her close. He stayed still, held himself back from promising. He would try, he promised himself as much. If she could try to forget then he could try to not disappoint her.

At first he wanted to stay on the Couch, give her space to think. So he put bedding down, and tried to squeeze his uge form on her tiny couch, dry swallowing two pills after his failed attempt, his left leg dangling of the couch. After half an hour she came down, wearing her nighty, hair open. Pulling the blanket of him she took his hand and led him to her room.

They simply slept that night. Her face pressed into the side of his neck, her breathing warm and light on him, hand splayed on his chest over his beating heart.