Disclaimer: I do not own House MD or any of the characters

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, they really keep me going!

Enjoy!

So Cuddy was back. House wasn't quite sure what to feel about that. With Cuddy back at work, he'd have to remain the same insensitive ass he'd always been, he couldn't let her know that anything had changed, because as soon as he did, that'd be that, she'd have one, and Greg house was not one to take losing lightly. But how on earth was he supposed to work with her everyday and listen to her constant yelling when all he wanted to do was kiss her, touch her, and just be with her.

"House?" came Wilson's voice from the doorway

"Hm?"

"You do know Cuddy's coming back today, right?" he asked walking in and closing the door.

"Yes, Dr. Wilson, I am well aware that the boss woman will be back today" he replied taking his feet off the desk and leaning back in his chair.

"Are you really going to keep this up?" his friend asked taking a seat across the desk from him.

"Keep what up?" asked House in his most innocent voice

"House" Wilson spoke looking over his shoulder to ensure that no one was around "you like her"

"I am well aware" said house throwing the ball against the wall to emphasise his point

"Yes, but, why don't you say anything? Why…"

"Why doesn't she say anything? Why does it have to be me? She's the one hiding …" but he broke off unable to actually state what she was hiding from him.

"House, she thinks you'd just reject her and the baby, she's scared!" said Wilson, now thoroughly pissed off at his friend's stubbornness "You want in on this, you want to be a part of it. She wants you to be a part of it, hell I want you to be a part of it … stop being so damn stubborn!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door which, much like a bell in a boxing match, saved house from having to answer.

"Dr. Wilson?" it was the oncologist's secretary "Uh, there's a phone call for you, it sounds urgent"

Nodding, Wilson stood to follow the young woman, turning back to House and shaking his head; the man would never learn.

"Welcome back, Dr. Cuddy!" said a happy Cameron as she saw her boss walk in the front doors of the hospital.

"Thank you, Cameron"

"Are you feeling better?" asked the younger woman

"Actually, I feel absolutely stuffed, haven't eaten so much in a long time" she explained placing a hand on her stomach.

"Uh, may I?" asked Cameron placing a hand next to hers and feeling what she didn't know was House's child kick.

From the elevator, Greg House watched the scene. Cuddy's smile as she felt the baby kick, he wanted to be a part of that, he really wanted to be the one feeling the little kick, but he couldn't he just wasn't that man. So, mentally shaking himself, he walked past them without a glance or word.

Seeing Cuddy's face as she looked at the diagnostician, Cameron straightened and looked at him too. Even his posture was miserable as he stood at the nurses' desk, flipping through files looking for something minimally more interesting than his Gameboy.

"Do you think he'll ever be happy?" asked the young doctor whose heart had always held a special place for House.

Cuddy sighed "he's too proud to let anyone else make him happy. In his world, it's all about Greg …" with that and a sigh, Cuddy nodded to Cameron and walked through the clinic doors to her office.

The next few weeks were much the same as they'd always been. House went to work, insulted patients, saved the day, had a couple complaints filed against him each day, went home, drank scotch and fell asleep on the couch.

Well, the next few weeks appeared to be the same as always. But as Cuddy entered her 6th month of pregnancy, Greg House's inner self was as different from the 'norm' as it'd ever been, and it was driving him insane. He kept telling himself, everyday, that he didn't want it, he didn't want to be with Cuddy, he didn't want the kid, he was better off being himself. But he was intelligent enough to know that, no matter how much he lied to himself and Wilson, the truth was he was burning to walk into her office and just tell her everything, how he felt, what he wanted and what she meant to him.

Lisa Cuddy was in no better situation. Sure, on the outside, aside from the obviously growing abdomen, she was as normal as ever. She ran her hospital with a firm hand, dealt with the head of Diagnostics with an even firmer one and appeared to everyone who saw her, to be a happy and successful woman. But the ache inside her that told her she needed him was threatening to speak louder than all her self confidence and professionalism. The need to have him by her side, the tears she shed at every ultrasound, not because of the fact that she was going to be a mother but because he wasn't there with her, the tug on her heart as she saw him dry-swallow two Vicodin before begrudgingly following a patient into an exam room, all of it was starting to break her defences, and she knew it.

Wilson, ever the perceptive sidekick, had no idea what to do. He couldn't betray House's confidence by telling Cuddy what the diagnostician knew and wanted and he couldn't betray Cuddy's confidence by telling House that what she wanted was essentially the same thing that he wanted. But then again, it was becoming increasingly difficult to merely sit back and watch as the two stared at each other, permanently missing the other's stare by milliseconds. So, the only conclusion Wilson could reach was that he had to do something.

"I didn't realise it was time for the check in" said Cuddy in a harsh tone as Wilson walked into her office.

Smiling, Wilson ignored it, after all, a woman with that many hormones coursing through her and a head of Diagnostics who was a bigger pain in the ass than labour would be, couldn't be expected be have a very sunny disposition.

Seeing his smile, Cuddy's face softened "Sorry, still haven't quite got the grip of this hormone thing" she explained.

"It's fine" he replied taking a seat on her couch as she took one opposite him "I just wanted to make sure you were ok" he said

"I'm fine, I'm just so tired!" she said rubbing a hand over her face "And, uh …" she hung her head "… could he just ease up on the jerkiness for, oh, I don't know, three months?" she asked

"House?" asked Wilson as she nodded "Honestly? I think he's worse now than he was before this whole, uh, before you got pregnant"

"So it isn't just me" she said with a sigh

Wilson shook his head "No, I think it's actually really getting to him" he said "I, uh …"

How was Wilson supposed to say this without betraying his best friend?

"… uh, I think he, uh, cares"

"Cares?" asked Cuddy not sure what the simple word meant, exactly.

"Well, I don't know, he's been more miserable than usual, as seen by the fact that he's making both of us more miserable than usual, your pregnancy is bothering him"

"Well, I'm sorry for the inconvenience" she said in a tone that dripped sarcasm and bitterness.

"Hey, I'm not the one with the problem, remember? I'm the one who's thrilled for you"

"I know, Wilson, just ignore the snappiness" she said with a smile.

"I always do" he replied with another smile before continuing "I really think he likes, uh, you, Cuddy" when she scoffed, he continued "No, I'm serious, I haven't seen him this miserable since Stacy left, and he loved her, so I can only assume that him having the same reaction to the pregnancy means that he …"

"What?" she cut him off "Loves me? He acts like a jerk 24/7, he makes it his priority to make my life miserable, he hasn't even once asked about me, how I'm doing or … trust me, Wilson he doesn't care. It was one stupid night and while I, obviously, don't regret it, I'm sure he does"

"Do you love him?" asked Wilson, figuring getting straight to the point was better than letting her squirm her way away from the subject.

"I … uh …" she felt trapped. Answering 'yes' meant that she was vulnerable that, if House ever found out, he'd know just how much he affected her. On the other hand, answering 'no' was a flat out lie, and Wilson was such a good friend she didn't want to lie to him.

"Cuddy?" he asked examining her face as emotions flashed on it.

"I uh, I think I, uh, might?" she sort of asked. There. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the dangerous truth either.

Inwardly, Wilson sighed of relief. Ok, so maybe he would be able to get something out of the situation for his friends.

"Might? You either do or you don't …" he said, he needed to be sure. House was his best friend and, as much of a jack ass as he was, Wilson still felt it was his duty to ensure that he didn't get hurt; for everyone's sake.

"I … it's not that east, Wilson, he's uh…"

"House" Wilson nodded "and as far as I know, he really likes you, Cuddy. You have to stop this … I know you want him to be a part of this" he spoke calmly as a single tear fell from Cuddy's clear blue eye.

"I do … but …"

"No 'buts', Cuddy. You know he'll never be the grownup; he'll never be the one to do what's necessary or act mature in any way. You want him to be a part of this …"

"But he won't want to be …" she began

"Cuddy …" Wilson spoke pointedly hoping that she'd understand that he knew more than he was telling her "… you need to be the one to take a step, he might retreat, or he might meet you half way … but you need to at least give it a try, damn it …" there, he was angry again.

"He won't meet me at half-way, Wilson, he'll run as far from me as he can get … I can't take that" she said, another tear rolling down her cheek

Sighing, Wilson got up to leave "Look, just, try. You might be surprised" he said

Turning around in her seat so that she was facing him as he placed his hand on the door knob, Cuddy asked "do you know more than you're telling me?" It was important to know. She knew that Wilson had probably talked to House, she knew that he probably knew more about what House felt than, uh, House himself did. And she also knew that, if James Wilson knew more than he was letting on, she needed to know what it was.

"Cuddy …" he spoke again pointedly, his tone alone telling her that he did, in fact, knew more than he was telling her "… just, give it a try, be the grown up, show him what you want"

With that, he was gone. Still looking out the door that Wilson had just walked through, Cuddy noticed the end of a cane disappearing into an exam room and sighed. Wilson made it sound so easy, so why did she feel it was the hardest thing she'd ever do?

TBC

Thank you for reading!

Please leave a review!

CJS-DEPPendent