A/N: it's been far too long since I've updated. Sorry with holiday traveling and such I've been distracted. I hope you'll all keep reading, though! Here's chapter 10!!!

Consequences of Madness

Ch. 10- Difference Between Pissed and Mad

House was glad things seemed to be working out so well between himself and Cuddy. He had been exceptionally thrilled when they had started going out on social dates a few months ago. The evening had gone more perfectly than House could have imagined in his wildest dreams and he hadn't even minded when Wilson teased him about the night and how he was going to end up 'sitting in a tree' with Cuddy. He burst out laughing when Wilson sang the bit about a baby carriage.

The expectant couple were sitting in front of the television at Cuddy's official seven month anniversary of being pregnant when she suddenly turned to him and asked a question that unnerved him. "What do you want to name our son?" she questioned, searching his face.

"What?" He swallowed hard. "What would you like to name him?"

"I was thinking about Michael," she admitted, blushing a bit. "It's your middle name, right?"

"Yea, but I dunno why you'd want to put him into the category of people dedicated to another person by name," he told her. "That's the kind of narcissism that makes me hate the idea of people procreating."

Cuddy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I just think a person should be allowed to be a person. If they've got someone else's name tacked on to them, they'll inevitably be forced to live up to the expectations that come with being associated with that person."

"That's crazy, people don't name babies hoping that their name will make them more like someone they're named after."

"Oh no?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "How is it people hope naming their child 'Grace' will make them graceful? Mother wants a dancer so the baby gets a name reflecting that ideal."

"I just wanted something sort of traditional, House," Cuddy told him, trying unsuccessfully to hide the hurt in her eyes. "It's not like I'm naming him Greg Junior or anything like that."

"You might as well be. He'll be misanthropic and turn out hating me," he predicted, ignoring the pain she couldn't hide.

"How do you know he'll hate you?" she wanted to know.

"Because kids always do hate what they're expected to become."

"I was expected to become a nurse and I don't hate nurses," she told him.

"Well you're the Dean of Medicine at a hospital," he pointed out none too gently. "It would be stupid of you to hate nurses. You depend on them to do their job so your job is easier."

"What's your problem?"

"Stupid people are my problem!" he blurted out and Cuddy's heart dropped. She stood up and was halfway to the bedroom before he realized what he had said. He jumped up and hobbled toward her hoping that she would turn around at his pleadings, but it wasn't until she reached the bedroom door that she paused.

The tears on her face stunned House, but her words were even more powerful a scene. "You might think you're perfect, House, but it's not true. Quite frankly it's the opposite. Your brain might be full to bursting with intelligence, but the snark never changes. You're alone again, thanks to that great rationalization skill of yours!" With that she slammed the door in his face, topping the sundae of surprise for him.

"Please come back out!" he urged her. "I'm stupid, I know that. I'm sorry, Cuddy. I didn't mean to hurt you…you're not stupid…I really…it's, dammit! I was named after my idiot father and that didn't work out so well. I don't want our kid to experience the same thing…CUDDY???? Lisa?" Sank to the floor near her door, feeling the pain of rejection once again and knowing it was all his fault.

A few minutes later, as he was about to get up and collect his things, the door opened slowly. Cuddy's eyes were red and her face was blotchy, but House couldn't have been happier to see her when she whispered an apology to him. She pulled him to his feet and he kissed her tenderly, hoping to erase her pain with his lips.

After a while, however, their kissing turned into something much more passionate and sexually charged and she led him into her bedroom. The two of them hadn't been together physically since the baby's conception, but that night they made love and it was so powerful that House fully realized his feelings for Cuddy. Not only was he in love with her, he was devoted to her beyond expression. As he held her in his arms he promised himself that he would tell her about his feelings soon.