House sat at the piano, waiting. He'd been waiting for hours. After their very public reunion in the hospital, both House and Kate had to return to work. But she promised to come to his place after she was done. So he had come home anxiously anticipating her arrival. However, now it was after eleven and she still wasn't there.

He wasn't really surprised. He hadn't expected her to show up that day as she did and so he had reacted for the first time in his life without thinking. Telling her he loved her right there in front of his team! He still couldn't believe he'd done that. Then, on top of that, kissing her in front of them! And Wilson! He was embarrassed even now when he thought about it. Especially now, since he realized that Kate must have had second thoughts about the whole thing. She had probably been caught up in the emotions of the moment. But after thinking about it, she must have known it was a mistake.

So why was he still sitting at the piano, waiting for someone who was not going to come. He should just get up and go to bed. But he couldn't seem to make himself rise. So he continued to play softly, a sad song to match his mood. The same mood he'd been in for the past few months.

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Kate swore out loud. If one more thing kept her in the precinct office, she was going to do some serious damage to someone really quick. She'd been trying to get out of there for hours, but something always stopped her.

It had taken a lot of courage to go to Princeton-Plainsboro that day. Hell, facing an armed assailant was easier than facing Dr. Gregory House after all they'd been through. But after the visit, she felt happier than she had in months. He loved her! It wouldn't be easy, but maybe from there they could build something. Not having much experience with relationships, she wasn't quite sure what, but she was willing to try.

When she'd returned to work, she'd picked up a homicide. It had seemed pretty routine, but it involved a lot of phone calls and a lot of paperwork. And when the phone calls didn't pan out on the first call, the paperwork got delayed. And her lieutenant wanted the report on his desk before the end of the day.

At nine o'clock, she had tried calling House, but got his answering machine with its sarcastic message. Even though she knew he never answered the phone, she was embarrassed to leave a message. If he'd changed his mind or thought better of what had happened that day, he might be trying to avoid her and she didn't want to make a fool of herself.

So now it was eleven and she was just about done. But as she completed the last of the paperwork, she worried about what she should do. Should she go to his place? If he was trying to avoid her, he might pretend to not be home, but he would still know she'd been there and she'd be really embarrassed. If he did open the door, there might be that awkward silence, while he didn't quite look at her and she would be even more embarrassed.

Stop it, she told herself. He'd said he loved her. A man like Greg House didn't say that unless he meant it. He would want her to be there. She finished her work, picked up her stuff and left.

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House was trying to find one more good reason not to just go to bed and forget about the whole thing, when he heard something. He stopped playing and listened. Then he heard the tentative knock on his door. He wanted to run, he wanted to stay where he was. With heart thumping, he rose and picked up his cane.

When he opened the door and saw her there, his heart stopped for a moment, then started again. She was here, it would be okay.

"Sorry, I'm so late," Kate said. "I got held up at work."

"If you mean that literally, I hope you arrested him." House quipped, trying to hide his nerves with a joke.

She smiled. "Is it too late?"

"No," he said. "It could never be too late."

He stepped aside and she entered the room. She looked around briefly and saw the same clutter she remembered from her first visit there. "I see nothing's changed here."

"I got rid of the hospital bed. Of course, I did take several rides on it first. But it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be."

They both stopped talking and looked at the floor. Both were unsure what to do next. Why had it been easier to admit their feelings in front of a room full of people than now when they were alone? Maybe because now it meant more.

Finally, Kate looked at him, at this man that she loved more than she had ever loved any man in her life. He stood there in front of her wearing a black t-shirt bearing the logo of some band she didn't even know, faded jeans and sneakers, leaning heavily on his cane. His head was down and she could see the mussed hair and the scruffy face. And even with his face down, she could see the bright blue eyes. They glowed in her heart. And she knew he was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

She moved closer and put her hand on his arm. He shifted his gaze to look at where she had touched him. Then he raised his eyes to hers. They moved closer and within moments their arms were around each other. The first kiss was soft, gentle, but before long, it became deep and passionate.

"Oh, God, Greg," Kate said when they came up for air, "I've missed you."

"I missed you too." House said quietly, too emotional to even think of a quip.

"We have some lost time to make up for."

"We do. So let's not waste it standing here." He led her into the bedroom.

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Kate was snuggled against House's chest and he tightened his arms around her as they lay happy and sated. Quietly, they began to talk. At first, it was about inconsequential things: how had her physical therapy gone, had he had any interesting cases, etc. Then they stopped talking for a bit. Finally, House said, "I thought you weren't coming."

She looked at his face. "I told you I was."

"Yeah, but I thought you changed your mind. I wouldn't have blamed you."

"I was afraid you'd changed your mind. I was afraid to come." She admitted.

"Why would I …Kate, I'm definitely getting the better end of this deal."

"Right, being with someone as screwed up as me is a good deal."

"I'm a cranky, old, drug-addicted cripple."

"You're not old."

He smiled. "Okay, I guess we're both a little screwed up. Maybe we can make this work."

"I'm willing to try. But I really think we should take our time, not rush into anything. I don't have any real experience in relationships."

"My experience isn't very good, so I agree. We'll take it slow, okay?"

"Okay." She said and snuggled closer.

Three weeks later, Kate moved into his apartment.