And now, we go to the first part of the "conversation" between House and Cuddy with the aid of the ever cool, Nana Sela. What can I say? I love the character I made.

** Thank you so much for such inspiring comments on the reviews, Huddies about my previous chapter. I was on cloud 9 reading them all.

DISCLAIMER: Definitely still not mine though I desperately wish them to be. All belong to the madman, David Shore and company except House's Nana Sela which is ALL MINE.

CHAPTER 12 – INTO YOUR ARMS

House as if being woken up from a dream suddenly finds himself walking as fast as his limping leg will allow towards the front door. He opens it and then, his heart stopped beating.

Because, his mind this time around wasn't playing tricks with him. Standing a few feet away from him, with her shaking back towards him was the one woman he was longing to see all these months.

Without much conscious thoughts, he called her name in a low but sure voice, "Cuddy…"

Lisa Cuddy through her sobs heard her name being uttered from the lips of the man she was longing to see and touch. She turns around to see House staring directly at her. The last thing she remembered before her body succumbed to exhaustion and fatigue of the previous months was his name and that finally, she was in the arms of her beloved. "House…"

House seeing her eyes roll and her knees buckle finds himself at his woman's side in seconds to catch her petite frame before it falls to the ground.

Gregory House didn't know where he got the unexplained strength to carry the limp body of his woman in shaky feet and set her down at Jacque's empty bed. He tucked her in and then, went to grab the chair nearby so that he was now sitting in front of one passed out Lisa Cuddy.

He studied her beautiful face that was reflected by the moonlight coming through the windows. God, isn't she a goddess as always? Tracing her facial features with his deep intense stare, he saw that even though in her fragile state like this, she seems like she was carrying the burden of the world with her. There were some noticeable lines under her eyes. They're not that obvious but the traces are still there when one will just look closely. He can imagine her having some trouble sleeping just like him during all those months that they were "separated" and instead of feeling relieved that she too must have been thinking about them all this time, he felt like cursing himself more. It was really his fault why his woman is not at peace even if they are a million miles apart from each other.

Cuddy was right all along. People who get close to him get hurt. Even though, he doesn't want to, somehow, it seems like that was his ultimate curse as long as he lives. Maybe, John House was gloating from whatever place he is in right now. He's right. He will always be miserable and as long as he will not keep his distance from the people he cared the most, he will bring them pain and misery, too. Afterall, MISERY LOVES COMPANY.

And he couldn't bear to do that especially not to this amazing woman in front of him. He loves her so much that he couldn't bear the thought of dragging her down with him. He needs to make her hate him all the way more enough for her to run away as far as possible from him in no time. And Dr. Gregory House certainly knows the exact formula to do that.

He bowed to himself that he will definitely do that as soon as this sleeping angel will gain enough strength for their "battle" first thing in the morning. But, for now, knowing that this might be the last time that he can see her this up-close, he will indulge himself with her image and drown himself with her presence until he can feel it in his heart that he is now ready to gradually pull the invincible thread that seems to bind their souls after all these years.

Sitting there just watching the rise and fall of her steady breathing in the glow of the moonlight, the famous Diagnostician didn't notice time passes by so quickly. His eyes moved to the digital clock located on the far left side of the bed on top of the small table displaying that it's now past 12 midnight.

He took a deep breath, and tracing Lisa Cuddy's features in his mind for the last time and engraving every single detail of her face, he went down to lean on her and placed a soft gentle kiss at her forehead and then whispered in a soft but sure voice full of love and longing, "I missed you so much. I will forever miss you."

Slowly, standing up to his feet, he gave her one last eternal glance and turned on his back to go hide and wallow more in self pity in the sanctuary of his own room.

As soon as the door closes, Cuddy stirred from her lying position. In her dazed mind between the brick of consciousness and semi-morpheus state, she felt his presence. Even with her eyes closed, her heart recognizes that sense of unexplained security she always feels whenever he is in her close proximity. No matter what he does; no matter how furious he is with her; no matter how much he tried to make her hate him or be mad at him; she never felt unsafe in his presence in the entire 20 years of their so-called complicated "relationship."

Lisa Cuddy also felt a tender touch on her forehead accompanied with a whisper that is unmistakenly his and his alone. Her mind didn't exactly register what was spoken to her but her heart felt that it was a form of goodbye. A firm and definite goodbye. As to how and why, the answers to those questions haven't reached her soul before she once again felt herself succumbed to the gods and goddesses of sleep.

Someone's cooing voice from a not so distant corner reached the ears of one sleeping Lisa Cuddy. Turning over as she tried to escape that nuisance but soothing voice so that she can go back to sleep, she heard another noise.

What she heard next made her instantly opened her eyes. It reminded her of the one painful reality she haven't heard yet coming from her own son. A baby cooing sound was now audible on the room that she was in.

She turned her back towards the direction of the voices she can hear. In a still sleepy vision, she saw Nana Sela holding the tiny creature on her arms and obviously very engrossed on the noises coming from the baby.

She felt a genuine smile instantly come across to her face as she can now see clearly the lovely scene in front of her. Babies always make her day brighter. She went to slowly sit down on the bed when she heard Nana Sela's voice, "Good morning, dear. I hope, you had a good night's rest in here." The older woman was now looking at her with a smile painted on her face, too.

Cuddy looked at her and also greeted her back, "Good morning. Yes, I did. Thank you. Though, I don't necessarily remember what happened."

Confusion was evident on the Dean's face because she doesn't recall as to how she found her way towards this room where he saw House was in last night staring at this baby that continuously make baby sounds in Nana Sela's arms.

The older woman being as intuitive as she is just stared back at Cuddy too and then, explained to her with a knowing look, "You passed out due to exhaustion at our front door when you tried to escape from whatever it is you came on all the way up here."

Cuddy looked down to avoid the older woman's gaze and tried to change the subject by saying, "He's cute. What's his name?"

Nana Sela rolled her eyes first before answering her, "Nice try but no. You can't just avoid the issue at hand here, honey. Lisa, you came here to see Gregory. So, go talk to him." The older saw that the younger woman was about to object to her when she continued, "Come on. Let's get you something to eat for breakfast. You sure do need food to fill in that little body of yours and for the conversation you are to have with Gregory. God knows you need all the energy you can have to penetrate to that hard wall he built around himself these fast months."

Cuddy saw Nana Sela placed the baby back in the crib as the tiny creature now seem to be sleepy again. Then, she turned back towards the attractive but fragile woman in the bed to address her once more, "I'll give you five minutes to prepare yourself before I'll come in here again to force you on your way out. And trust me, you wouldn't like it, dear." With one quick appraising look at Cuddy, she turned on her heels and closed the door to give the younger woman enough time to prepare herself.

Taking a deep breath once outside the closed door, the older woman muttered to herself out loud, "No wonder, those two are destined to be with each other. Both are too proud and stubborn."

Gregory House was brought out of his slumber when he heard the incessant chirping of the birds outside his windows. He didn't sleep well last night after leaving Jacque's room at 12:30am to finally leave Cuddy on her own peaceful slumber. Of course, how can he expect himself to sleep knowing that the woman he was constantly dreaming and thinking of for the last 5 months is just a few feet away from him on the other room yet too far away for him to reach? He then found himself just staring at his ceiling in the silence of his dark room trying to escape Cuddy's memories until he felt his eyes surrender to the call of sleep almost at the crack of dawn.

Turning his head to check the time, he saw the figure displaying 9 o'clock in the morning. Taking a sigh out, and rubbing his eyes to make himself more awake, he slowly sat on his bed and then reached for the bottle of Vicodin on the small table besides his bed. He shook the bottle before opening the lid and dry swallowed 2 pills. Then, he stood up and got ready for a "confrontation" that awaits him and his woman. He felt that this is going to be a long day after all.

Slowly making his way to the dining room, he heard his Nana Sela's ever-enthusiastic voice in an attempt to engage Cuddy into a casual conversation. House hasn't heard Cuddy's reply though which he assumed was not saying much during the duration of their meal. He was contemplating as to whether or not to join them for breakfast when the hawk-eye of Nana Sela caught his figure near the entry way of the dining room.

The man was left with no choice but to enter the room then when Nana Sela's firm voice rung to their ears, "Gregory, hijo. Come, join me and Lisa." The older woman smiled at House and then, turned her eyes towards the younger woman whom she purposely asked to sit at Jacque's place obviously for the purpose of having to be sat across House when the man will finally decide to join them for breakfast. She was internally cheering herself because the first part of her OPERATION TO BRING THESE TWO TOGETHER PLAN is now ready and all set.

Cuddy who was busy concentrating on her food before feeling House's presence in the room slowly looked up at House but didn't say anything. She doesn't know how to greet him and so, after giving him a few seconds glance, she went on to look down at her plate again to eat. She didn't wait to see if House met her gaze which of course, the grumpy doctor didn't.

Nana Sela silently observed the two people's actions in front of her. It's as if she was watching a movie where the two main characters are purposely avoiding each other but in reality it was obvious that they both longed for the other's presence. She saw House not giving the younger woman a single glance before taking his seat. Ah ah. I will not allow this silence at my table. Time to notch up my plan a bit.

"Lisa, hija, would you mind passing Gregory his eggs?" As soon as both doctors heard what the older woman said, they shot her a shocked glare which she readily accepts and then added with a knowing smile, "You know, so he can start his breakfast." She was looking intensely at the Endocrinologist as if challenging her to say something.

The Dean of Medicine had to gulp down a deep breath first and was about to answer the older woman when the Diagnostician preceded her into answering, "I don't want some eggs, Nana." House's blue gaze was solely directed at his Nana Sela whom he knew was playing with fire here and he knows exactly what her motives here. The older woman can really be annoying and a pain in the ass sometimes. "I'm fine with some bread and bacon." He said it in a firm voice as if telling both women that there was no argument to be accepted for that. Then, he went on to fill his plate with the food he just said.

Nana Sela just met his gaze and then proceeded to continue eating her food. The 3 occupants at the dining table was left in silence then for a few minutes until the older woman decided to break it once again by addressing the woman sitting across House as if she was lost in her own world. "So, Lisa. How long do you plan to stay here?"

Cuddy who was more than glad to keep the silence that enveloped them slowly looked up at the older woman from the far end of the table and then answered her in a bit of a nervous voice. She didn't really plan anything yet but she booked for a 3-day stay here as what she told Wilson and her sister, Julia. "I'm not sure, Nana. But, I asked for a 3-day vacation from the hospital back home." She didn't dare to look at House's direction to see his reaction to what she said. She's just not ready to see any reaction from him yet. It's as if all her courage she had the previous hours before her plane landed on this foreign land suddenly vanished.

Then, they heard the older woman's reply, "Not enough time, then, ha?" She was answering Cuddy but her gaze was towards the man in the room. She was trying to gauge for his reaction but as stubborn as this man can be, he didn't even flinch a bit as to what the younger woman had said. Damn, the man knows how to hide his emotions. This means, I have to be more direct then with my goal. These two are now just being silly and immature.

Since she didn't get any answer from either of the two doctors in front of her, she went on now looking towards the direction of the female doctor, "So, I believe you will soon be telling Gregory here as to why you came all the way here looking for him? I'm pretty sure, you have something very important to tell him, right Lisa?"

To say that Lisa Cuddy was astounded by the actions of this older woman in front of her was a bit of an understatement. No wonder, House likes her. In fact, her most troublesome former employee might have gotten this side of his own brand of imprudence from this woman. Trying to calm down her nerves now to come up with a witty reply, she closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them and was about to say something when once again, she was preceded by the man himself. "Nana, please. Can we just eat in peace?" The Dean heard House say in a calm voice but obviously held a bit of an undertone that it was also not something to be objected upon. Then, she felt her heart aches hearing her name being uttered from his lips in the not usual tone he normally uses before. "Cuddy and I will talk on our own this afternoon." He said all of these still without taking a single glance at the one woman he was dying to see all these months. He wasn't ready to see her eyes because he knows a single reaction from those grey orbs of hers might be a trigger to change his set mind into finally letting her go once and for all.

Nana Sela still silently observing every little movement and reactions from these two stubborn individuals travelled her inquisitive gaze from one to the other, simply nodded first and then, acquiesced by saying, "Of course, Gregory."

With that, the dining room was once again left in silence as all occupants went to finish their meal each thinking of the dreadful afternoon ahead of them.

Hmmp, also not sure about this chapter. I hope it was a start though. I promise there will be a longer and "emotional" conversation between our favorite couple.

Share me your thoughts on the reviews? Thanks for reading.

Helen