Thanks again for reading everyone. The internet was down in halls for a bit because of the crappy weather and I was also writing parts of this chapter by hand in seminars lol. This chapter addresses the whole idea of Cuddy being a strong, independent woman and yet not being treated as such. I hope I did a good job and that everyone is still in character...sorry it's shorter than the others too but I felt it needed to finfish when it did.

The ride back to House's apartment and been an uncharacteristic silent one. Wilson was annoyed that his friend had gone in fists first without so much of a thought about how this would affect Lisa's legal battle while House was annoyed that Wilson hadn't let him go back and beat the crap out of Michael. Again.

Wilson pulled up to the curb and House didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before unbuckling his seatbelt and flinging the door open. He left Wilson to deal with the bags in the trunk while he went straight to the front door, letting himself into the building and then the apartment.

"House." Cuddy looked up from her seat on the sofa as the door to the apartment opened. Alex was asleep with his head on her lap and she could only watch as House removed his leather jacket, throw it on to the chair at his desk and move straight to the bedroom. She gave a frown and gently tried to untangle herself from the boy on her lap, standing up just as Wilson came through the door with her and Alex's bags.

"What - ?"

Wilson dropped the cases and held up a hand, not looking at her. "Just give me a minute." He replied and headed for the kitchen to get a drink.

Cuddy stood in the middle of the room looking from the kitchen to the bedroom, wondering where to go first. She had no idea what had happened but she needed to find out as well as mediate whatever was going on between the two friends. She decided to talk to Wilson and followed him into the kitchen to see him leaning on the table, breathing heavily a beer bottle at his left hand.

"James…what happened?"

He turned around to face her and his previous bad mood melted away as he saw the bruise around her eye. "Michael turned up," he began with a sigh, "just as we were leaving, nothing happened." He told her quickly as she visibly tensed. "He tried to get a rise out of us – and God did he try hard. It took everything I had not to finish what was started last night, but we left. It took a bit of persuasion to get House in the car." He thought about telling her about what Michael had said about bringing charges up on House if she went to the police but decided he'd leave that for House to tell. He took a step forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Why didn't you say anything, Lisa?" He asked her.

It was her turn to turn away now and she looked towards the sleeping form of Alex. "It's late, James, I need to get Alex into bed." She turned back to face him and caught the tail end of his sigh. "Thank you. For everything." She stood on her toes and planted a kiss to his cheek before turning back to the living room and scooping Alex off the couch and into the bedroom.

"Lisa…" Wilson exhaled slowly as she disappeared and took another swig of his beer.

House was sitting on the edge of the bed with his face in his hands as Cuddy walked in with Alex. He looked up briefly then returned his face to his hands. He knew Wilson was right but it was the principle of the thing. How was he supposed to let something like that go? He looked up again when Cuddy tapped him on the shoulder and gestured for him to leave the room. He gave a nod of understanding and left the room, ignoring Wilson sat on the sofa and moved straight to the kitchen to grab some kind of alcoholic drink. He needed to get rid of his anger and the only way that was going to happen was to drink until he couldn't remember what he was angry at.

"Alex is in the other room. Do you really want to get drunk while he's around?" Wilson piped up from the couch and House rolled his eyes as he opened the fridge. "I took the last beer anyway. If you want more they're in the car." He ignored the glare and raised the bottle to his lips, draining the last of the liquid before standing.

House made his way to the couch and practically threw himself down onto it. "Bring the pizza in while you're at it."

Wilson smiled. That was House's way of apologising and with House you had to take what you could get. "Nope, I'm going home." He looked up to see Cuddy coming from the bedroom. "Speak to her," he whispered and walked to the door. "Call me if you need anything, Lisa."

Cuddy smiled and gave a nod as Wilson left the apartment and closed the door behind him. She stood for a minute wondering whether or not to tackle House's behaviour when he tilted his head back against the sofa and spoke up.

"What's for dinner? Wilson took the pizza."

House and Cuddy sat in silence staring at the TV. House was itching to get Cuddy to speak but he knew how pushing her usually ended up and he needed her to trust him. After a few more minutes, Cuddy reached forward for the remote, switching off the TV and turned to face him, one leg beneath her and the other hanging over the edge of the couch.

"What do you want to know?" She asked as House turned his head to look at her head on.

"Everything." He said his gaze boring into her. "When it started, how many times, if Alex was ever there. Everything."

She nodded and lowered her eyes to her fingers, currently resting in her lap before speaking. "It wasn't all physical though. The odd snide comment, an occasional order, sometimes he'd even tell me what to wear…"

"How long, Cuddy?"

"Just over two years."

House looked at her incredulously. "You didn't even make it to a year?!"

Cuddy gave a huff of air and shook her head. "No…I guess not."

"You guess not?" House continued to stare at her while she studied her fingernails. "Why?"

"'Why' what?" She asked finally looking up. "Why did he do it? Why did I stay? Why did it take so long…?"

"All of the above and more. Start with the 'why he did it' and we'll go from there."

"It was around Alex's third birthday – he wasn't around." Cuddy added seeing House opening his mouth to speak. "You were taking him for the weekend after his birthday and when you left, we argued, he hit me."

House watched as she turned her attention back to her lap, playing with the edge one of his t-shirts she had commandeered for herself. "What were you arguing about?"

"Does it matter?" She sighed knowing that, to him, it did. "You." She lifted her head to see House raise one eyebrow in confusion. "You said something to him he didn't like and I defended you. 'Ignore him. It's just House being House.'" She let out another sigh. "He didn't appreciate it and…well…" she pointed to her face and House nodded in understanding.

"You told me you tripped when you were out jogging." He said, jaw clenched.

"I lied. Everybody does it."

"Why did you stay?" House was perplexed as to why a strong woman like Cuddy would stick around after something like that.

Cuddy snorted. "I didn't. I packed my things and went to a hotel and stayed most of the weekend until just as I'm about to leave to pick up Alex, he turns up and apologises and…" She let out a sigh. "He cried, House. Like a baby, begging and pleading." She gave a sad smile at House's upturned face. "It's pathetic, I know but…I couldn't help it. I loved him."

"So you went back to him." House said, his voice full of disgust and she nodded in agreement. "Then what?"

"Last year. We were in Spain…"

House frowned. "You came back with a broken wrist."

Cuddy nodded solemnly. "Snapped like a twig. He wasn't a fan of the attention my clothes were attracting."

"You were on holiday. Did he want you in jumpers and pants?"

Cuddy shrugged and continued. "The next time was a few months ago, after the fundraiser he didn't like the fact that I had to spend most of the night making sure you didn't upset any of the benefactors. Said I spent too much time with you than with him…."

"…fingers in the car door…" House remembered that one well, he had walked in on her and Carey from cardiology in an exam room and questioned her about it then. "And I suppose he cried and begged and you went running back to him like some kind of Stepford wife." House felt sick, he wished he'd never asked but he needed to know. It was, after all, another piece of the puzzle.

"He didn't even need to beg." She smiled sadly. "I'd seen all kinds of women come into the clinic, claiming they'd fallen over. Their partners stood next to them as I put in stitches or booked an x-ray and I always wondered why they lied and protected them then went back to them. I always figured that if I was ever in that situation I'd leave it and never return but…" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Love makes us do uncharacteristic things."

House gave a wry snort and looked back to the TV. "You're just another smart woman that's dumb about men."

Cuddy let out a short laugh and watched him as he seemed to let everything sink in then turned her attention back to her lap. The silence washed over them and House finally spoke up.

"Are you going to go back to him?" He turned to look at her and she raised her head to look into his eyes. After a short moment she shook her head.

"You don't seem sure." He said, picking up on the hesitation before her answer.

"I don't want to go back to him." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going back to him." She said determinedly.

"So what made you leave now? After two years of mental and physical abuse, how come you're so determined to leave now?"

Cuddy was silent for a moment and House let her have her moment but continued to watch the thought process going on inside her head. After a few minutes of pulling at the cotton coming from the bottom of the t-shirt, Cuddy spoke up.

"Every time, I thought he wouldn't do it again. He told me he would never do it again and I guess I believed him," she said with a shrug. "But when he hit me the other night…that was it. I'd finally had enough."

"At least you figured it out before it was too late…" He looked at the TV, staring at his and Cuddy's reflections in the blackness of the screen. What would he have done if he didn't find out until it was too late? He probably wouldn't have left the bastard breathing.

Cuddy looked at his profile, wondering if he was thinking what she was. What if she had left it until it was too late. She looked behind her towards the bedroom and tears began to form in her eyes. She instinctively shuffled closer to House until their shoulders were touching and she wanted nothing more than for him to tell her that everything was going to be ok, she didn't expect it though and instead took comfort in the fact that he was there and helping her through this.

"I was thinking about going to the police tomorrow…" She frowned as he tensed and then took a deep breath in. "What's wrong?"

Letting the breath out, House nodded. "You should go to the police. Do you want me to go with you?" He was worried Michael would file charges against him if Cuddy went to the police but she needed to do it. He didn't want to go to jail, life without his cane, vicodin…Alex and Cuddy…

Cuddy continued to study House as his reaction confused her further. "What's wrong?"

House sighed and sat forward with his head in his hands. "Nothing." He muttered. "I'll come with you tomorrow. Call Wilson and ask him to look after Alex while we're at the station. I need some sleep. Do you mind…?"

"It's your bed, House." Cuddy watched as he left the room before pulling out her cell to call Wilson.

"Lisa? What's wrong?" Wilson's voice came from the other end of the phone and she gave a soft smile, feeling good that the two men in her life cared for her so much.

"Everything's fine, James. It's just…I was wondering if you could watch Alex tomorrow."

"Err…sure. What are you and House doing?" Wilson had fallen asleep on his couch in front of a Hitchcock film and was still trying to get his mind to catch up with what was going on.

"House is coming with me to the police stat-"

"He's what?" Wilson was sure he was hearing things. House wouldn't give himself up like that surely.

"What's going on, James? House tensed up at the mention of reporting everything to the police and now you…Did something happen tonight with Michael?" She frowned, staring into the distance as she tried to figure out what was happening.

Wilson cleared his throat before talking. "I…may have mentioned to Michael about you going to the police…" Cuddy's brow furrowed deeper as Wilson paused. "And his response was that if you did that, he would report the fight…Lisa, House may be willing to go to jail for you but...he wouldn't be able to cope, despite what he said, you can't go."

Cuddy was currently going through all the emotions. Anger, sorrow, pride, surprise…

"Lisa?"

Cuddy snapped herself out of it. "I'm still here. I still need to talk to House tomorrow…"

"I'll be there around 11."

"Thanks, James." Cuddy hung up, throwing the phone down next to her and made her way to the bedroom, turning the lights off as she went. House was on his back one arm around Alex who was curled up to his side. A sad smile appeared on her face as she watched them for a few moments before getting into the bed the other side of Alex and settled down to go to sleep.

Cuddy woke to the feeling of something wet making it's way across her face and stifled laughter. When she opened her eyes, she was faced with House looming over her, a marker in his hands and a smile on his face.

"Morning." He said, standing up straight, recapping the pen and taking a step back. Alex was on the bed next to her now on his stomach as he let his laughter ring out.

"House," Cuddy hissed at him, flinging the bed sheet back and swinging her legs round the side of the bed. She made her way to the bathroom, ignoring the laughter coming from behind her and looked in the mirror. There drawn on the right side of her face was half a cartoon moustache, a monocle, a horn along her temple and "she-devil" written on her forehead.

"HOUSE!"

House looked at Alex and pulled a face. "Scatter." He said with a smile, watching as Alex ran laughing to the living room. He smiled after him and walked out into the hallway, looking to his right and seeing Alex watching him from the couch with a huge grin on his face, then with a sigh, turned to his left and went in the direction of the frustrated mumblings. He huffed out a laugh when he saw Cuddy frantically scrubbing at her face.

"It's not funny, House. I'm going to have to take away all his pens now because he'll want to do that every morning. God, House, why do you not think before you do things?" Her shoulders dropped as her words registered with her. It was true in every sense; from dangerous tests and treatments at work, to what he does in front of Alex to how he behaved two nights ago. She dropped her hands to brace against the sink and hung her head in defeat.

House frowned at her words and change in body language and took a step towards her so he was standing right behind and staring at the top of her head in the mirror. "It's just a bit of pen, Cuddy. You were lucky; he almost took a permanent marker to your face." He grinned, ignoring the true meaning of her words, as she snorted in wry amusement and lifted her head up to meet his gaze in the mirror. He couldn't help but laugh then at the pen on her face and she offered him half a smile, biting the inside of her cheek to prevent it from becoming more. She raised the wash cloth back to her face again but was stopped by his hand reaching for the cloth. He took it from her and she turned to face him as he rested his cane against the sink and then took the cloth to her face. She avoided looking at him as he attempted to remove the ink, instead opting for a point over his shoulder until he lifted her chin up to remove the ink around her eye. She watched House unashamedly as he seemed more interested in removing the ink than anything else. Once all the pen had gone, his eyes met hers and he was about to speak when there was a knock at the door. Both adults turned their attention to the door.

"That'll be Wilson," Cuddy told him, her voice low.

House tensed as he remembered what he had agreed to do the night before. "The police station…"

Cuddy nodded, taking in the hard expression in his eyes. "Do you still think I should go?" She asked him as he dropped his hands to his sides.

"Without a word, House gave a half nod, his brows furrowed as though in deep thought as he left the room to let Wilson in leaving Cuddy standing alone wishing he would just talk to her.