Another Chance

Well hello you awesome people! I'm back with a new update and soon a new story will be added. I'm also working on a new chapter for "Come On Life", though it's taking me a while because I have no idea what to write. I'd like to thank my babe, Sheis1963, for beta-ing this chapter and for helping me :)

Chapter 4

"I see you're not a rabbit food freak like your mother." he joked as he saw a shadow on the table. Too busy trying to catch a shrimp with his chopsticks he didn't look up.
"House." a voice said.

When he looked up he froze. Cuddy was standing in front of him, sunglasses on and arms crossed.

"Mom?" Rachel asked running towards the table. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Rachel Joy Cuddy!" Cuddy shouted at her daughter. "You ran away from home and left me in the blue of your plans! What were you thinking!"

"Mom, chill out! Stop yelling!" Rachel shouted back, shaking her head. "I told you not come here! I told you I needed to do this alone!"

"Rachel! You left home all of a sudden after we had a fight! I have been worried sick ever since!"

"You knew where I was! You knew I was at grandma's and yet here you are!"

"Rachel..." Cuddy pleaded.

"Mom, leave me alone! I'm not a kid anymore!" the girl yelled. Cuddy sighed and shook her head.

"We're going back home now." she said firmly.

"No." a third voice said.

"What?" Cuddy asked turning to face House.

"She came here on her own choice. Rachel wants to stay here and she will. You came here even though she had asked you not to, so..." he trailed off. Cuddy was fuming now. She shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't even believe it. I don't what to believe what I've just witnessed. Of course you'd go against me every chance you get, House! You just love to see me this worked up an angry! It gets you off, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Mom!"

"I've hurt you endless times but I haven't done anything against you right now. I'm simply stating my opinion and Rachel's." he replied calmly. "I want Rachel to be happy as much as you want to." he concluded.

Cuddy shook her head one more time and faced her daughter once again.

"Come on, we're going back to grandma's place and we are leaving tomorrow morning." she informed the girl and walked towards the parking lot.

"Moooom!" Rachel called for her. "I'm not leaving with you." she said firmly. Cuddy turned to her once again and took a deep breath. She walked back to the car, opened the truck and got a bag out of it.

"This is all the stuff you had at your grandma's place. You can do whatever you want now." she said handing her the bag. " But don't expect to come back to her place for the rest of your stay." she concluded returning to the car.

Rachel kept staring at her mother. She was completely shocked by her mother's behavior. She looked on the verge of tears and she had never seen her so angry.

When her car disappeared completely, Rachel turned towards House.

"She hates me." she whispered.

"She doesn't. She's just mad... she'll get over it." House replied.

"No, she won't. I've never seen her like this. She's not going to forgive me." she said, sitting next to him.

"Come on." he said, gathering all the take-out boxes from the table. "You can stay at my apartment for the time being." he said, earning a weak smile from the girl.

"Thank you" she mumbled. "Look. All this food to waste."

"To waste? You're kidding, right? Re-heated take-away is the best thing after Wilson's pancakes!" he said with a smile. Rachel chuckled as she helped put the boxes in the bags.

Too focused on the task at hand, they didn't notice Cuddy staring at them from her car. She wiped away her tears and drove away.

"Oh. This place is a mess!" Rachel commented as they entered House's apartment.

"Well, thank you." he snorted. "You'll have time to tidy everything up, milady."

"The place surely needs a feminine touch and a squad of dustmen." she commented placing her bag down in a corner.

"The couch is big enough for you to sleep on and I can assure you it's extremely comfortable." he informed her.

"Oh! You have a piano!" she almost shouted in excitement. "I didn't know you played!" she exclaimed, pressing some of the keys.

"That I do." he said while removing some rubbish from the floor.

Rachel sat down on the bench and swiftly moved her fingers on the keys. "I haven't played in months..." she said.

House turned to look at her. The way she flexed her fingers on the keys, her hair swinging as she moved her neck from side to side. She reminded him so much of her mother even though Rachel had been adopted and he knew it.

When Rachel finished, she chuckled to herself. "I've never thought I could remember this one. I had a hard time memorizing all the notes and stuff. I have never liked it till now. How weird is that!" she said looking at the man. He couldn't hide the smile.

"What was it?" he asked.

"Allevi, it's an Italian musician. A true genius, if you ask me." she commented pressing the keys to play "twinkle twinkle little star". She laughed again. "Come on, play something while I go re-heat the food." she said. "I saw where the kitchen is and I'm sure I can deal with all the stuff." she assured him, after he had shot her a confused look.

"Kid..." he started.

"Oh come on, House! I just want to hear you play!" she almost begged, pouting. He rolled his eyes and sat on the bench.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

And so he started playing. He started playing something that he had thought he had forgotten, but yet his fingers moved without him able to control them. He kept playing the melody till he felt Rachel's hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked up at her.

"It's ready." she informed him. She sat on one end of the couch and started eating from a box.

"It was beautiful." she said finally.

"What?" he asked.

"Whatever you were playing." she said with a soft smile. "Who wrote it?"

"I did."

"Really? Wow. I've tried to write my own stuff but I'm really not that talented." she said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you could write something if you were only in the right mood or your muse is in the right place at the right time." he said.

"And where was your muse when you wrote this?" she asked truly interested. When House didn't reply, Rachel put the take-out box back on the table. "She was with me, wasn't she?" she asked.

House looked up at her. No words were needed. Rachel understood immediately.

"She does still love you. She's never stopped loving you."

The end was so fluffy and cute and adorable and kind of IC, but right now I don't give a damn. I'm happy with it. Feedback is very much appreciated *^^*