A/N: Fear not! The Halloween masquerade ball is coming soon! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I appreciate all the reviews I have been receiving, it definitely is a motivator to write. I love to hear you comments on this chapter as well.

Chapter 8: Hearts in the Sand

Cuddy woke about an hour latter to the sound of Rachel crying. She untangled her body from House's, threw on her robe, and made her way to the nursery. She picked up Rachel and quickly made her a bottle. As she sat in the rocking chair with Rachel she couldn't keep herself from smiling.

She had just had the most amazing night. After the years of sexual tension or as House would describe it "tension that made him feel funny" they had finally acted on those feelings. It wasn't just sex, they had made love last night and it was amazing. What happens now, Cuddy wondered as she looked into her daughters eyes. Would the sparks still fly when they were together? Was it love or was it lust?

After feeding and dressing Rachel, Cuddy put her down in her pack-n-play with some toys and headed to her bathroom to take a shower. She had just turned on the hot water when a noise caused Cuddy to turn around. House had his boxers on and was standing in the doorway of her bathroom. House just stared at her with a look that said 'I know what you did last night'. The pressure and the intensity of his gaze caused Cuddy to blush slightly and turn away. The corner of House's mouth when up in a smirk at the sight of her sudden shyness.

House had no plans of relinquishing his viewing angle, he wanted to watch her strip her robe off in front on him. He may have finally experienced the real thing last night but he didn't think he would ever get enough of seeing her naked.

As she finished adjusting the water House reached for her toothbrush. "What are you doing? That's mine!" Cuddy scolded. "Seriously Cuddy, we just swapped bodily fluids and your worried about a little mouth bacteria?"

In response Cuddy grabbed her toothbrush from his hands, took off her robe, and brought her toothbrush in the shower with her for safe keeping. "Cuddy, there is no need for bath toys, I can provide the real thing ya know" House yelled to be heard over the noise of the shower. Cuddy smiled to herself and was glad that the banter was still there.

House got no response from Cuddy over his comment but he could almost hear her eyes roll. House needed to clean up as well but he wasn't ready to try showering together just yet. His leg was still in a lot of pain from sleeping on the porch. Since his infarction he had a hard enough time maneuvering in the bathroom when all he was interested in was cleaning himself, with a naked Cuddy in there with him, he would probably have delusions of grandeur and end up falling and breaking his back. So, he settled for brushing his teeth with his finger and peeing.

"Oh my god, House, are you peeing while I am in the shower?" Cuddy yelled.

"I am a cripple ya know" House responded "I am not walking to the other end of your place to pee." Cuddy peaked her head out the shower curtain and said "You could have waited until I was done, now it smells like pee in here!"

"Really" House responded "and you had to peak around the curtain to tell me that or were you just looking for another opportunity to marvel at Greg Jr?"

Cuddy responded with actions and not words and plunked House in the head with her wet soapy loofah. House grabbed the loofah and held it hostage but then he decided he needed revenge. He turned on the sink, washed his hands, and filled her drinking cup with ice cold water. Next he opened and closed the door so that Cuddy would think he left. He waited quietly for the shower to turn off and then he quickly dumped the glass of cold water over the shower curtain.

Cuddy screamed when the cold water made contact and she ripped open the shower curtain and quickly grabbed for her towel. She didn't say anything to him and but instead gave him a glare and she wrapped the towel around her. "Fine, you win" she said as she exited the shower and handed him her tooth brush.

Cuddy headed to her bedroom in a pretend huff. She loved these little interactions with him but she would never admit it to him. House brushed his teeth, for real this time, and then headed to the bedroom to get changed. Cuddy was now in a black lacy bra and panties and House couldn't help himself…he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Cuddy turned when House entered the bedroom and she could feel his gaze penetrating her skin. He was looking at her like a feral cat staring down a mouse. Cuddy got the rush that she always got from House's stares. She needed to dress quickly or they were never going to make it out of the bedroom.

She threw on a pair of black pants and a light sweater and then looked back at House. He was still standing in his boxers and hadn't moved from the spot he was standing it. Cuddy walked up to him and stood very close, invading his personal space like he had done to her on many an occasion. Then she said "If you want another show you need to make me dinner, I want to experience some of your new found cooking skills."

Cuddy turned around and was heading out the door when House countered "Oh, trust me, you will definitely be experience some of my skills this evening."

They exchanged a quick smile and Cuddy headed out to the living room

Later that evening

Cuddy had spent the rest of the day with Rachel. They had walked to the park and Cuddy spent most of the time thinking about House. Well, House and Richard. She had come many times to this park with Richard and they had wonderful talks about children, work, and life. They were serious conversations, adult conversations. Cuddy wondered what the future held for her and House.

Will all the conversations with House be sexual innuendos and grade school teasing? The sex was amazing but could he make me happy outside the bedroom? How do I know if its lust or love? Could I ever feel the sexual passion for Richard that I feel for House? What happens when the passion wears off, will I regret letting go of Richard? What about Rachel? What's best for her?

Cuddy was giving herself a headache by racking her brain with all these questions. However, she didn't ask herself the one question that House kept asking her. Why didn't she sleep with Richard? As she sat in the sand box playing with Rachel, she knew the answer.

As she contemplated this fundamental question, she found herself drawing hearts in the sand, letting the cold sand run around her fingertips. House had her heart. He always had. She tried to pretend that she was taking things slow with Richard because he was a recent widow but Cuddy was lying to herself. She was taking things slow because she was hoping that House would heal and find his way back. Back to work, back to being House, and back to wanting her. Yes, he had her heart.

House had spent the afternoon going back to Wilson's to grab his clothes and a toothbrush in his suitcase. He was planning on staying with Cuddy for the foreseeable future. He probably should have mentioned that to Cuddy or at least Wilson but House didn't operate like that.

In addition to his clothes he also took some of Wilson's cooking ware. Wilson was on call at the hospital that day so it wasn't like he could ask him. Plus, he would've taken them anyway whether Wilson said yes or no, that's just how things worked in House's world.

He spent most of the afternoon trying to decide what to make for Cuddy. The only thing he ever saw her eat was salad. He thought she might be vegetarian so he decided he better play it safe. Of course, he would have to make all attempts in future meals to break her of that annoying habit. Who the hell doesn't eat meat?

But, he was on a first date sort of scenario tonight and he didn't want to get booted out during their first evening together. He finally settled on vegetable lasagna with pinot noir to drink. When he got back to Cuddy's she was out with Rachel so he started the fire place and got busy with dinner.

Cuddy got home around 7 and it was already dark. When she opened her door the warm light from the fireplace greeted her and the sound of jazz music coming from the kitchen. God, she could get used to this. About a half hour later the three of them sat down to dinner.

Dinner was relatively uneventful. House and Cuddy talked about the hospital mostly. At the start of dinner House had given Rachel some lasagna noodles to play with in her high chair and by the end of dinner there was lasagna noodle pieces in her hair, her clothes, and the floor but it did keep her pretty entertained. Cuddy was able to give her a fair amount of baby food without too much of a fuss and she was bathed and down for the night by 9:30.

Rachel was sleeping in her crib as Cuddy fought some nervousness before return to House in the living room. Where they just going to sit on the couch and make out like teenagers or would they talk about more serious things like where their relationship is going and what their expectations were. Cuddy felt she could steer the conversation in either direction but she didn't really know which option she wanted to pursue for the evening.

Finally Cuddy emerged from the nursery and found House lying in her couch with his eyes clothes listening to the beat of the jazz that was playing softly on the stereo. She could tell he wasn't sleeping because he was moving his head, ever so slightly, to the beat of the music. There was something about his passion for music that always attracted her.

She sat down on the arm of the couch and leaned over him to softly kiss him on the lips. He accepted her kiss and opened his eyes as she pulled away from him. He didn't say anything. He didn't have too. His eyes told her that he was in a special place in his head and she didn't want to interrupt with either serious discussions or teenage type fondling. Instead, she stood up and grabbed her wine from the kitchen and returned to the couch. As she moved closer to the couch House lifted up his feet and she sat down. He then laid his feet back on top and continued to feel the heartbeat of the music.

Cuddy sat on the couch in the glow of the fire, sipping her wine, and glancing down at House. She realized that she didn't want to be anywhere else in the world or with anyone else in the world. It may have been twenty years of teasing and lustful glances but there was so much more to it. She looked up at his closed eyes and watched his face as he let his passion for music wash over him. She realized that the emotion and passion he felt for music was the same emotion and passion she had in her heart for him. Yes, she was in love with Gregory House.