I'm glad so many of you are pleased with the direction the story has taken. I was a bit nervous about making such a dramatic switch midstream, but I feel it will be worth it.

Hands HuddySmutMonkey a cookie laced with vodka in the hopes it will help you through the angst

Clark-G, I gave up on the 'official' timeline, since TIIC seem to have given up on it as well. I'm sure there are discrepancies in this story, but basically House gets hired, he and Stacy start dating (kind of at the same time) a few years later he gets the infarction, couple years later Stacy leaves him. I know it goes against canon, I just don't care. lol

iamawallflower Cuddy does seem conflicted between the two boys. I think it's mainly because Damien reminds her of what House could have been, if the infarction hadn't happened. He's like a happier version of House in her mind. But she loves House. She will always love House. She just likes to flirt with Damien, and I can't say I blame her.

-7-

Cuddy was in the hallway talking to doctor Olivieras when Damien came strolling in. "Lisa," he held out his arms in greeting, realized it was inappropriate given her stunned reaction, and went and hugged her anyway, because she really looked like she needed one.

"Damien, what are you doing here?" She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. Her nose was stuffy, making her sound like a frightened child.

"Dr. Olivieras called, said you might need my help." Damien felt as though he was intruding on something private, but he had access to a private jet that could get them to Princeton in a matter of hours, without dealing with airports and flight schedules.

She smiled weakly. "Then you know…"

"That he needs surgery? Yes." Damien spoke far softer than usual out of respect for the situation.

"He needs a new liver." She knew it would happen eventually, the way he drank and popped back the pills, but did it really have to happen on their honeymoon? Somehow that just didn't seem fair.

"And he'll get one." Damien would buy one off the black market if he had to. He was not going to let this beautiful, vibrant woman become a widow so soon after her wedding.

"Thank you." It was good to have a friend there to lean on. If this had happened at home she'd have all the support she needed in Lo and Wilson, but, nice as Quintessa had been, she and Adrianna were not friends or family so right now, Damien was the closest thing she had.

The past twenty four hours had been hell. As soon as she found out that House needed a transplant she was on the phone, making calls and working her usual magic. It was painful to hear her many contacts gushing about the wedding and wishing her well. They didn't know the liver was for her husband, and she didn't want to tell them. Denial wouldn't make it all go away, but it did make it easier to function.

"It'll all be alright." Damien was one of those obnoxious people who always believed that everything would work out. He had never understood the mentality of preparing for the worst. Was he prepared for bad events? Of course, but he never thought of it as preparing for the worst. He thought of it more as assuring the best possible outcome for any situation.

On the flight down to Jamaica he had made all the necessary arrangements to get the House's back to Princeton. Quintessa was already packing up their things to ship back; the hospital had been called and notified of their arrival, under an assumed name so as not to attract gawkers wanting to mourn over one of their own. Cuddy wasn't going to have to lift a finger.

He kissed her head gently. "Let's get you home." He filled her in on the evacuation plans and instructed Dr. Olivieras to begin prepping House for the move.

Cuddy slept soundly through most of the flight, with the aid of a little something Damien slipped into her water. When she finally did wake, she was painfully reminded that it hadn't all been some horrible nightmare. She got up and went to sit beside Damien who was pouring over some documents of some kind. "I'm not interrupting am I?"

"It is the best possible kind of interruption my dear." He pushed the papers aside. "My brother wants me to invest in yet another of his hair brained schemes."

"Will you?" She wanted to talk about anything besides House's condition right now.

"Why not?" He shrugged. To him life was pointless without risk.

"Indeed." Cuddy sighed. She'd taken risks in her life, but they had always been calculated, well thought out risks. The biggest risk she'd ever taken without thinking was falling in love with House.

Lo had told her not to, to distance herself from the selfish bastard; that he would only end up hurting her, but young Lisa was in love. She had taken a risk on him and he had broken her heart. And here she was again, taking a risk on the same man, a man who hadn't changed much since then, not for the better at least, and she was getting her heart broken again.

She started crying and Damien went and sat next to her.

"You want to talk about it?" Damien asked as gently as he could.

"No." Cuddy shook her head.

Honoring her wishes, Damien simply let her cry against his shoulder offering a tissue every time she needed one. But Cuddy found she couldn't stop thinking about the things House had said to her, and since she was going to dwell on it in her mind, she might as well talk about it.

"He told me he didn't love me." She sniffled, adding another used tissue to the waste basket beside the couch. It wasn't exactly what he'd said, but her emotions and her nagging fears had morphed his words into their worst possible connotation.

"Nonsense." Damien had a feeling she was blowing things out of proportion. She had to be. "That man adores you, almost as much as I do." He tried to cheer her up with some humor, and though she smiled at him, he knew she didn't mean it.

"He wants me to leave him." She felt each word burned into her mind like some horrid branding. "He thinks I should run away with you."

"I knew I liked that man." Damien attempted humor again and saw the pain in her face. He wasn't good at this. He didn't have deep, meaningful relationships. To his friends he was the party guy, good to go to for some fun, not the one you'd turn to with your problems. He didn't know how to deal with real, emotional problems. He'd never had any. "I'm sorry."

"You're only trying to help."

"And doing a shitty job of it."

"He's done this for as long as I've known him. He fights for what he wants, he's one of the most determined men I've ever known, but when he gets to close, he shuts down or pushes away."

"Too close to what?" Damien loved to study people, and he'd never met anyone as complex as Gregory House. If such things were possible, he would say he had a man crush on the great doctor. At least he could see what Cuddy saw in the man. Underneath all that bravado and assholery lurked a very troubled, brilliant man.

"Happiness? Success? He is pushing me away like he pushed Stacy away." She saw his confusion. "His only other long term girlfriend. After the Infarction that screwed up his leg he started to push her away until she finally couldn't take it anymore and left him. The thing is, as much as it hurt to lose her, I think he felt triumphant that he got her to leave." She still remembered when he'd told her Stacy left him. He boasted that he had been proven right. He told her, shortly after the surgery, that Stacy wouldn't stay with a crippled. It was part of the reason he was so angry, or so he said. So when he finally pushed her away, he had proven himself right. It was a sad victory.

"And then there was Hopkins. He was up for a prestigious internship there. He could have had everything, but he cheated. He could have aced the test, but he cheated, off a guy not even half as smart as he is. Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he doesn't want everything." Damien was taking a shot in the dark on this one. He couldn't claim to know a lot of Dr. Gregory House, but what he did know of the man had led him to believe that House would never have been happy as just a successful doctor, or as some noted professor. It wasn't fortune and prestige that fueled House.

"He could have had anything he wanted." Cuddy had a harder time understanding this. Her career had been built on success and recognition. Her motivations had been to be on top, to be in charge, to be number one. She was proud of all that she had achieved…but was she truly happy?

She did miss being in the trenches, working with patients, diagnosing and saving lives. She knew that what she was doing was important, and without her, those who worked for her wouldn't be able to save lives, but she did feel like she'd missed something somewhere along the line.

She always shook the feeling off. It was just House getting into her head again. House knocking her down for whatever perverse reason he had.

"Maybe he has what he wants." Damien was talking out of his ass now. He had no idea what Dr. House wanted. He had no idea what made the man tick. It wasn't the same thing that made Damien tick, that much he was sure of.

Damien lived as much as he could. House seemed to hide from life as much as he could. It was hard to understand that.

"He doesn't want this." Cuddy shook her head. House's life was a mess. He was miserable most of the time, he only had one friend, he had only had one real relationship before her. He hated his job. He hated his parents, or his father at least. He hated being in constant pain.

"How do you know that?" Damien appreciated where she was coming from, but really, how could she know what was going on in that man's head? How could anyone?

"I…" She didn't know. She certainly hoped that House wasn't actively seeking failure and misery. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone the man she loved.

"Yeah." Damien smiled weakly. "You can't change the man he is. Why do you women always think you can change a man?"

"We don't."

"Oh, you do." Damien was talking from vast experience. Part of the reason he'd never had a long term relationship was that the women he'd gone out with all eventually tried to tame his wild ways. That's when they were all given some token of his affection and shown the door. "It must be habitual. I'm not sure you even know you're doing it." He was drifting off course. "Look, he loves you, no matter what he says. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. He's pushing you away because he probably assumes you'll leave him eventually and he wants it to be on his terms.

"Remember what you said about Stacy? He's doing the same thing to you. Maybe it's a test. Maybe he wants to know that you'll stay with him, to really know that no matter what happens, you'll stick by him. Maybe he just wants a reason to be miserable. Either way, you have to decide what it is you want. Don't base your actions on what you think he wants, because House will never let you know what he truly wants. He's one of the most guarded people I've ever met. "

"You're right." She wiped her eyes one last time. "I know you're right." She looked over at her husband. She had married him for better or worse, and she'd meant it. So she took a deep breath and braced herself for the worst. "I will stick by him whether he likes it or not."

"Damn," Damien pretended to be upset. "You were supposed to say you were leaving him to come running off with me."

"Oops." She smiled and gave him a hug.

"No worries. I've still got my fantasies." He grinned lasciviously.

Cuddy cringed ever so slightly. "I don't even want to know."

"No, you don't."

The plane touched down a few hours later and a team of experts snapped into action. It was all a blur now, the paramedics that rushed House from the plane to the ambulance; the vehicle whizzing down the soggy Princeton streets; her most trusted staff helping to sneak House through the back door of her hospital. It was all just one fast moving tornado of action.

Cuddy sat by his bedside once the activity had subsided. His heart monitor beeped steadily in the quiet room. She had asked that his team, both old and new, not yet be informed of his condition. She needed some time alone with him before all the well wishers and the idle curious came flooding in. Wilson was the only one who knew he was there, but he was still in surgery.

The only other noise she heard was the rain pounding down on the windowsill. She was about to start crying again when she heard the door open.

"Oh my God! Is he alright?" Wilson came rushing in, still in his scrubs.

"You didn't leave in the middle of.."

"No no, the patient is fine. The tumor was successfully removed." Wilson was dismissive. He was far more interested in what was wrong going on with his best friend.

"He's stable."

"What happened?" Wilson looked at his friend in horror. Everyone had known this day would come, they just always hoped they'd end up being wrong.

Cuddy filled him in, leaving out the things House had said to her. She did consider Wilson a friend, she always had, but he was, first and foremost and almost completely, House's friend and she knew he would end up bringing it up with House when he was better. She didn't want it brought up. She wanted to forget it ever happened.

"You must have been so scared."

"Yes," she said, barely audible.

"What about a donor?" Wilson would give his liver if need be.

"On its way." One of the things that made Cuddy so incredibly good at her job was her ability to charm anyone into anything. She knew people. She understood motivations and desires and could almost always work that to her advantage. She'd even managed to do it to House once or twice.

"Good. What can I do to help?" Wilson wanted to do something. "Does his team know? How'd you get him in here? Want me to call Lo?" He wanted to do that last more for himself than for her, though it would be good for her to have a friend around.

"Slow down." Cuddy was overwhelmed by the questions. "Just, sit with him for a while. I'm going to go check a few things."

"Of course." Wilson was glad to have a moment with his friend. When the door shut behind Dr. Cuddy, he looked down at House was pity in his eyes. "What have you done now?" he said almost accusatorially.

Cuddy headed straight to her office. She ignored anyone who asked what she was doing there. No one dared ask twice.

"Do you think House is here?" Chase asked his girlfriend as they watched Cuddy hurry past.

"I haven't seen him." Cameron looked around the busy hallway. She half expected to see her former crush hurrying after his new wife. She buried the little glad feeling that he wasn't. "But I thought they were going away for two weeks." It had only been a week since the dean of medicine and head of diagnostics had left for their honeymoon. One week of Wilson's ineffectual leadership. Most of the hospital would be thrilled to see Cuddy return early. They would also be more thrilled if she'd left her ornery husband behind.

"That's what he said." Chase shrugged. "Haven't seen the Newbies either." It was Chase's nickname for the annoying replacement team House hired after losing his initial team.

Cameron headed toward Cuddy's office but was stopped by her boyfriend.

"Where are you going?" Chase held her arm.

"To talk to Cuddy."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Chase knew when Cuddy was in no mood to talk, and this was one of those times.

"We have a right to know what's going on." Cameron broke free and hurried toward the Dean's office. Chase, too curious to resist, hurried off after her.

"Dr Cuddy?" Cameron knocked on the door as she pushed it open.

"What?" Cuddy snapped, staring at the young woman she had begged House not to hire.

"You're back?" Cameron was undaunted. She knew Cuddy didn't respect her, hadn't respected her ever since she found out about Cameron's crush on House. It didn't faze her.

"Apparently," Cuddy snided, in no mood for the noisy young doctor.

"Is House with you?" Cameron furrowed her brow. She knew she was treading dangerous waters, but she had to know what was going on.

Cuddy sighed heavily and put down the papers she was reviewing. "Close the door," she nodded toward Chase. Once it was closed, she took a moment, composing her thoughts, then told them what happened.

"Oh my God. Is he going to be alright?" Cameron's eyes grew wide in shock.

"If all goes well with the transplant surgery, he should be fine." Cuddy was trying to sound as professional as possible. She didn't want to fall apart in front of subordinates. Especially not these ones. House had gone out of his way to shatter their respect for her, she didn't need to add to that.

"What can we do?" Chase asked, anxious to be useful.

"You can go see him if you'd like. He's in room 227. He's heavily sedated and in and out of consciousness, so I don't know that he'll be responsive, but…"

"Thank you." Cameron felt a wave of compassion for the woman before her. They had never gotten along in the past, both having very different ideas about how women should behave in the work place, but despite House's best efforts, she did respect Dr. Cuddy for her accomplishments, and she knew what it was like to have a husband in the hospital. "If you need anything…" She took a step forward, but Cuddy held her off.

"I'll be fine. Go see House. It might do him good to hear some familiar voices." She didn't know if it would do him any good or annoy him to no end, but she just wanted to get rid of them. They meant well, and she appreciated it, but she wanted to be alone.

The young doctors left, hurrying down the hall to House's room. Cuddy went back to sifting through the mountain of mail left on her desk. If she managed to get through it all she might take a look at her hundreds of new e-mails, but she didn't think she'd get to those today.

Chase and Cameron stopped short when they reached room 227. All the blinds were drawn, keeping the contents of the room secret, but it was a pretty good bet that if Cuddy wasn't in there with House, then Wilson certainly was.

"Maybe we should knock," Cameron said respectfully.

"Knock?" Chase looked at her, then pushed open the door.

Wilson didn't really pay attention to their entry until Cameron put a hand on his shoulder. "Have you had a chance to speak to him yet?"

"I've been speaking. I don't know if he's been listening." Wilson put his hand on hers and squeezed it appreciatively. "He's still out."

"Then we won't stay. I just wanted to…" Cameron backed off on her words.

"I know." Wilson knew exactly how she felt.

Chase waited respectfully as the two shared their moment of quite crying, but he really had other things to do. "Um, I'm gonna take off." He felt heartless when Cameron and Wilson looked at him, but he wasn't the type of person who showed his love by sitting vigil at someone's bedside. It allowed too much time for contemplation, and if he contemplated what House meant to him, he would become as teary eyed as those two were.

Shortly after Chase left House opened his eyes. "Is he gone?" He said weakly.

Both Cameron and Wilson laughed with relief.

"So, this is my fan club, huh?" House was feeling pretty good. Whatever Dr. Olivieras had given him for the flight was still floating around his blood stream making him feel quite light headed.

"I'll go get Dr. Cuddy." Cameron turned to leave.

"Don't," House commanded.

"What's going on?" Wilson looked at his friend. He could tell with one glance that something bad had happened, something beyond the medical.

House glanced at Cameron then said "nothing."

"I should get back to work." Cameron could take a hint. But before she left she leaned over and squeezed his arm. "I'm glad you're okay." She smiled then left the room.

"She thinks this is okay?" House looked down at himself; laying in a hospital bed when he should be laying under his…he stopped the thought before it started.

"She meant she's glad you're not dead."

"Yet."

"House, don't talk like that."

"What? It's the truth."

"Cuddy found you a liver."

"Great." House groaned. Why couldn't she just hate him like everyone else did?

"House, that is good news. You're going to have the surgery and you'll be fine."

"I won't be fine."

"Well, you'll still be you, obviously, but you'll be out of this bed."

"Like I said…great." His enthusiasm still dragged painfully across the floor.

"What the hell happened on your honeymoon?"

House stared at the ceiling.

"House, talk to me?"

"I'm tired."

"House, you're going to talk to me." Wilson grabbed the tube that was sending wonderful pain killers into House's body. He bent it, cutting off the flow.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Making you talk to me. It's a technique I picked up at the School of House."

"You're an ass."

"You're a bigger ass."

"We had a fight." House gave in. He was too weak to do otherwise.

"You have fights all the time."

"I told her to leave me."

"Why the hell would you do that?" It had taken them how many years to finally get married? Now House wants her to leave him?

"Look at me Wilson." House was having trouble holding back. It was probably the drugs. "She shouldn't have to be chained to this!"

"She's not chained to you House. She wants to be with you. Why is it so hard to imagine someone would choose to be with you?"

"People don't choose to be miserable."

Wilson made a face. "You do."

"Get out!" House pointed his IV implanted arm at the door. Wilson walked out shaking his head.

Wilson ran into Cuddy in the hallway. "You don't want to go in there right now."

"Is he awake?" Cuddy tried to push past him but Wilson took her by the arm and led her down the hall.

"Let's go get some coffee, and talk."

"I've done enough talking." She pulled away from him and headed back towards House's room. She paused at the door and looked back toward Wilson. He was shaking his head. House's words came back to her. She wasn't ready to hear them again so she headed off toward her office to bury herself in work.