A/N: I know, I know. I promised that I would update more frequently, and I know it has taken me too long so I'm terribly sorry, but I will try to write faster. Also I'm trying to speed things up a little in the story, and I had to map out some of the ideas better, that's mostly why it has taken me so long to update.

And I don't think I have to add that I will of course continue with this even though the show has sung its last song. In my opinion it was surprisingly good, not as good as many other season finales of House, but it had good moments, and now I can say with good conscience that it makes sense that House would want a kid (at least his subconscious). At least it confirms what I thought from the beginning, that House at some point would have liked to have kids.

This will be a slightly different chapter, so bear with me.

Anyway let's get on with the story.

*Edit: Thanks to CaptainK8, and JLCH for the correction.

The morning was clear and warm, the air still as a millpond. The hospital was quiet, as patients still slept under the sound of beeping monitors, and dripping IV lines. Masters stood by the glass wall that overlooked the patient's room. The patient, Lucy, a four year old had come to the hospital four days ago after she had collapsed in her home. Now she was in a liver failure, her systems shutting down one by one, and there seemed to be nothing they could do. She closed her eyes and watched the tiny girl shift in her sleep.

Masters sighed and decided to see whether her teammates had had any breakthrough. She straightened her white laboratory coat and turned on her heal into the direction of the office. When she entered the room she was met with quite a sight.

Half eaten boxes of Chinese food, empty coffee cups, gum wrappers, and scattered papers covered the surface of the glass table. The drapes were shut to block the rising sun that climbed over the clouds, bathing them with warm sunlight. Her three team members sat by the table, all of them half asleep. Foreman sat in the chair by the end of the table, his heavy eyes scanning the file before him with attentive but tired gaze, his hand circling over the smooth glass of the table as he read. Across from him sat Chase, his upper body slammed against the table, one hand on his cheek, his fair haired head cast downward, clearly more asleep than awake. Taub sat beside him and scribbled lazily on the file in front of him, his eyes darted slightly upwards when she entered.

Masters observed her co-workers closely, her brown eyes scanning the tired group with an even gaze. She put a lock of hair behind her ear, and cleared her throat awkwardly. No one looked up, so she tried again. This time Foreman glanced up from the papers he was reading.

"What?" He asked irritatingly.

"I just came from the patient, she's worse." She sighed and dropped into the next chair.

"Have you called House?" She asked.

"No." Foreman muttered without looking up.

"Why? That girl is dying and you're not going to call him? She could die."

"Yeah and we're working on it, and you should do the same." Taub muttered and picked up a thick book off the table and handed it to her.

"Try this for a start."

Masters didn't move and inch and stared at him coldly.

"Even though you're afraid to call your boss because he's too lazy to go to work doesn't mean that I am." She said shortly and stood up from the chair. She picked up her cell and dialed House's number. She walked to the windows and peaked outside while she waited for him to answer. After the fourth ring she started to doubt whether he would answer, and she tried desperately to find some clever remark to tell her co-workers when they would snidely say that they were right and she was wrong. If there was something Masters hated, it was being proved wrong.

"This better be good." A gruff voice muttered into the phone.

"The patient's liver has failed, and her kidneys are starting to shut down. The patient will die within the next twenty four hours if we don't figure out what's wrong with her." She said abruptly, knowing fully well that if she wouldn't be quick he would be likely to hang up. There was a silence from his end, and she was starting to worry that he had hung up when she heard him whisper.

"I'll be there in ten."

Masters stared at the phone dumbfounded and looked at her peers wide eyed.

"What did he say?" Chase muttered, his eyes fixed on her.

"He said he would come."

"That's…great…" Taub frowned but returned to his work. Foreman and Chase shared a look but didn't say anything.

Masters sat back down and placed the thick book in front of her to see whether she could find anything, but her mind couldn't shake away the feeling that something was odd. Even though she hadn't worked for House for a long time, merely eight months to be exact, but she was quick to learn his patterns and ways of working, and she knew that House hadn't been acting like he usually did. She knew that her fellow team members knew that something wasn't quite all right with House. They had dismissed it for lovesick, but she could see the change in him since she had started to work there. Maybe she didn't know him like they did, but she could easily spot the difference, and she was determined to know why.

True to his word House arrived ten minutes later. She couldn't help but to feel a little confidence boost when he stepped through the doors. He looked like he had just climbed out of bed. His tousled hair stood on ends, and his shirt and pants were wrinkled, probably unwashed. He limped painfully towards them, his expression gruff and incredibly annoyed. By the dark circles under his eyes she could tell that he hadn't gotten much sleep, and she felt a little bit guilty for dragging him to the hospital, but that quickly disappeared when she thought of the sick little girl who's life depended on their skill.

"What've you got?" He muttered and popped a pill of ibuprofen into his mouth.

"Uh, our patient Lucy Haven, a four year old-"

"I know who the patient is. You told me there was an emergency, or did you just call me so you could appreciate my devilishly handsome looks."

"The patient's organs are shutting one by one. It's not autoimmune, MSA, which was a long shot either way. No sign of cancer…" Foreman said but she interrupted him.

"It could be Lupus." Masters added knowing fully well what their reaction would be, but to her surprise he didn't say anything.

"Test for Lupus." He said and limped out of the doors.

"Okay." She muttered. She stood up and headed to the doors but stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to observe her tired team members. She opened and closed her mouth, not really knowing whether she should approach the subject at all.

"Do you guys think that House has been acting odd lately?" She said quickly, her cheeks flushing as the words escaped her mouth. Three heads turned upwards. She smiled self-consciously.

"Or is it just me?" She asked awkwardly. "I mean…I was just being curious." She fumbled for words, but couldn't quite find the right thing to say, regretting instantly that she had opened her mouth.

"House is just being House, nothing he does makes sense." Chase muttered, and stretched his hands over his head, yawning.

"But don't you think he's been…I don't know…happier?"

"House doesn't do happy." Taub negated.

"I don't know about that, he seems plenty happy with Cuddy." Foreman said.

"Yeah, and how long will that last?"

"God, I hope for all of our sakes that it won't happen anytime soon." Chase sighed tiredly.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Foreman muttered and turned to Maters. "Just do as he said, and run the tests."

Masters sighed and pushed the glass doors open and stepped outside, her cheeks flushed. She shook her head frustratingly, her long hair flying around her face. Being the newest member of the team wasn't easy, especially when everyone questioned either your intelligence or shot down any suggestion. It was like a field of war, but except for weapons it was a fight of wits and intelligence. Working for House meant no social life, free time or decent working hours. Working for House meant sacrifices, but Martha Masters was not known for backing out of a challenge, and House was a challenge.

But what she hated the most was that she didn't feel like they respected her at all. To them she was still a med student, which she was, but she had been hired to do the job and that was what she was going to do.

She went into the lab to run the tests, and was about to return to the office when she heard hushed voices around the corner of the hall. She slowed down when she recognized to whom they belonged.

"House I'm fine, stop fuzzing." Dr. Cuddy's voice was firm.

"You almost fainted in front of a patient. Why wont you take the day off?"

Her eyes almost bulged out of her head when she heard the clear concern in her boss's voice. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong.

"I'm fine." Dr. Cuddy said dismissively.

"You're not fine." He mimicked her voice, his voice high pitched and whiny. "You're actually the opposite of fine."

Masters decided to take a peek. Their voices came from the half closed doors of an empty patients room. She could see her boss's tall frame through the crack of the door.

"House. Go see the patient. I'll do whatever I can to get her on top of the transplant list."

"What's bugging you?"

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"Something has been bugging you. You've been awfully jumpy at work lately."

She could hear Dr. Cuddy sigh audibly. A small clacking sound echoed as the heel of her shoe smacked against the floor.

"Look, I know you're worried. Dr. Rossetti said that I should try to slow down at work, but that doesn't mean that I can't do anything. I appreciate your concern but I'm fine."

Dr. Rossetti, that name sounded awfully familiar, Masters thought to herself,

then it dawned to her. She almost gasped out loud when she realized where she recognized that name. That only meant one thing…

Dr. Cuddy was pregnant.

She stepped a little closer to hear better what they were saying, her wide eyes observing the couple who had a slightly smaller space between them than other people did while talking together. Apparently that wasn't new, it seemed that they had acted the same when they hadn't been dating, which explained the insane rumors that were going around. It seemed that they were the rising stars of the betting pool, the latest being a prediction on the duration of their relationship.

"I'm not worried. I just know something's bothering you, and when that happens you get cranky and bitchy, which means that I have to tolerate it." House complained.

"It's nothing." She said dismissively.

"Yeah right.

"I'm pregnant not fatally ill, besides working makes me feel better."

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when something bad happens, and what is up with those heels? Aren't you supposed to wear something a little bit more safe?"

"I love you. Do you know that?" The declaration came out of nowhere, and it seemed to throw House a bit off guard, but that lasted about a second.

"Well, I am incredibly good looking, and amazing in bed, so what's not to love."

"Shut up." Came the playful reply.

Masters decided that she had seen enough and backed away, but she hadn't taken in consideration that the couple had suddenly stopped speaking, and within a matter of seconds she saw their heads turn into her direction. Her eyes widened, and for a moment she could see their shocked expressions before she turned on her heel and fled down the hall.

She was ashamed and embarrassed. She should have turned around when she had seen them. Her mother kept telling her that her curiosity would get her into trouble one day. It seemed that today was the day.

Few minutes later she slid into the empty office and slumped down in one of the seats and tried to appear as neutral as possible. It was possible that he hadn't seen her at all, but she knew that it wasn't the case at all.

She sighed and buried her face in the palm of her hands, and tried in vain to shake that awful feeling that was settling in the pit of her stomach.

He was going to kill her.

She shook her head and raised her head up high, and straightened up in her seat. She was a professional, and her boss's personal matters did not concern her, so she decided to act like nothing had occurred.

She decided to actually take a look into one of the books to see whether she could find something useful.

Every other minute she expected House to march in and lecture her, but the minutes ticked and he never showed up. After couple of hours she finally decided to stretch and get herself a cup of coffee. She wasn't sure whether she should look for the others who hadn't showed up the last couple of hours, but decided against it. Instead she marched down the hallway and pushed the down button on the elevator.

"Ms. Masters."

She almost jumped up when she heard the sound of her name accompanied by the sound of heels. She tensed up, the small hairs on the back of her neck rising. She turned slowly around and saw Dr. Cuddy walk towards her. She didn't appear angry, but her expression was firm and her posture was confident and sure. She had admired that woman the day she stepped into her office. She was one of the rare women who had the guts to stand in the hair of male authority and was actually pretty good at it. When she had been called in for an interview she half expected to see a stern woman in her late fifties, in a grey pantsuit without a drop of makeup, but when she stepped into the comfortable office she saw a classy, good looking woman who clearly did not shy away from nice clothes and shoes. She felt kind of silly next to her, in her grey pleated skirt, and green sweater. Meanwhile Dr. Cuddy was wearing a nice royal blue blouse accompanied with a matching skirt, and black heels that probably cost more than her monthly paycheck. Even though her peers denied it, Dr. Cuddy was intimidating, and right now she really didn't want to see how scary she could get.

"Dr. Cuddy." She muttered.

"Masters can I talk to you in private for a second?" She said kindly but firmly.

"O-okay." She mumbled and followed her away from the elevators. Dr. Cuddy opened the doors that led to the back staircase that was rarely used.

She closed the door behind them and knit her hands together.

"I know this sounds really unprofessional of me, but I just wanted to have a word with you about our...encounter earlier."

Masters held her breath; she gripped the railing behind her so tightly that her knuckles whitened.

"I don't know how much you heard, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone what you heard."

"Dr. Cuddy, I promise I won't tell a soul." She said surely; relieved that she wasn't going to fire her or something worse. Dr. Cuddy seemed to be just as relieved.

"Thank you."

"But why are you hiding your…" She stopped and looked down to see if anyone was walking up the staircase. "Uh condition." She finally settled.

"I just don't want everyone to know yet. I hope you will keep your word."

"Of course."

She could sense that she didn't want to talk about it further, and the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them wasn't making things less awkward.

"Uh, I need to go check on a blood test."

"Of course, and thank you for the understanding."

"You're welcome." She said and turned around but hesitated and took a one last glance at Dr. Cuddy.

"And um…Congratulations."

She didn't wait for Dr. Cuddy to answer and opened the door. She didn't know whether she had followed her, and hurried off down the hallway, her coffee long forgotten. She was so relieved that Dr. Cuddy wasn't mad at her that she didn't notice Dr. Saunders who marched towards her quickly. She smacked her shoulder against him as he half ran in her way, and stopped abruptly.

"Watch where you're going." He snapped at her and hurried off.

She watched after him dumbfounded. What an idiot, she thought and marched onwards. She had merely walked a few steps when she almost ran into someone else. Thankfully it was a much more agreeable person.

"Whoa, hey there." Chase said and stopped in his tracks.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Masters apologized.

"That's okay, actually I have been looking for you. Did you get the lab results back?"

"I was actually going to check on it now. Any news of the patient?"

"She's stable for now."

"Good."

"Did you hear that? "Chase asked. He furrowed his brow and glanced down the hallway towards the doors she had just walked out of.

"No. What did you hear?"

Chase didn't answer and walked slowly onwards. Curiously she followed him. Suddenly she heard someone scream, the noise was muffled but they were close enough to hear it. Chase sprinted towards the doors and tore them open. She followed close behind and ran to the railing. She froze in her tracks and stared wide eyed at the scene before her. Her heart stopped in her chest and she wanted to scream but no sound came. For a split second Chase froze in his tracks then his instincts kicked in and he ran down the steps towards the body on the ground. She gripped the railing, her hands shaking as she watched Chase hover over the body, which lay sprawled on the floor.

She watched the whole seen before her in a haze, her heart hammered in her chest, and she could feel the bile in the back of her throat. She felt completely hopeless.

She could feel someone swoosh past her, and watched Foreman run down the steps towards Chase who looked up when he approached. She couldn't hear what they were saying; her eyes were fixed on the ground, at the person she had been talking merely ten minutes before.

She couldn't see her face, which was turned in the opposite direction, but the dark locks of her hair sprawled on the white floor where she could see a growing pool of blood flow freely against the white tiles. Her body had landed in an odd angle, and her legs twisted in an opposite direction. One of her shoes had fallen off, and lay on its side a few feet away from her, the black leather shining from the light of the florescent lights.

She could feel her legs move on their own accord and slowly she approached them. Foreman's body shielded her upper body, but she could see more clearly the ugly gash on the back of her head, which was mostly covered by Chase's hand.

"We have to stop the bleeding." He muttered.

"We need help here!" Foreman cried out, his eyes turned to Masters who stared in shock.

"I…she…" She stammered.

"Masters go get House." Foreman ordered, but Masters stayed put.

"She's…she's pregnant." She finally managed to say.

"What?" Foreman said incredulously.

"She's pregnant." Masters repeated in panic. She breathed heavily and stared wide eyed at her unconscious body.

"Masters, get House now!"

She nodded her head and ran up the stairs, and past the growing crowd. She spotted a group of doctors running past her. She could feel the tears sting behind her eyes that blurred her vision, but she didn't stop until she had reached House's office.

He sat behind his desk, shuffling through some papers, his left hand rolled one of his red balls against the desk. He didn't look up when she entered, his expression was serious and pondering, but she could see his hand stop playing with the ball.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, her breathing was haggard and she felt like her whole body was shaking. She opened her mouth but no words came out, she wet her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and swallowed, but she couldn't say anything. How could she? She was only twenty five years old with minimum experience and suddenly she felt awfully young and stupid.

House looked up when she hadn't said anything, his expression inquiring, but it soon changed to concern.

"What happened?"

"Dr. Cuddy she...she's…injured." She managed to choke out, the tears she had been so desperately trying to hold in ran freely down her cheeks.

He paled up and stood up abruptly, his chair fell on the ground with a loud clattering sound.

"Where is she?"

"She's…in the back stairway."

She could see the fear flash in his eyes, a sheer expression of terror that was soon masked with a steel hard gaze; he limped past her and out of the doors.

She had never seen him move so fast as he did then, his cane clacked loudly against the floor as he marched ahead, half running towards the exit.

They were about to reach the crowd that had gathered by the scene when they spotted two police officers dart towards them. House barely noticed them, his pale face fixed on the doors that led to the back staircase.

"Dr. House?" The taller of the two said firmly.

House barely acknowledged them, his eyes fixed ahead.

"Dr. House." The other one, a smaller but stealthier one, repeated harshly. When he didn't respond he yanked his arm, and turned him around quickly. She winced when he slammed him into the next wall, and picked up a set of handcuffs.

"Dr. House. You're hereby taken into custody for sexual assault. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."