Authors' Note:

Before starting this new chapter up I would like to thank everybody who's reading my story and adding it to their favourites.

Thanks for all the reviews I received until know, I appreciate them a lot.

Even critics and suggestions are appreciated.

And now let's go on…………

Chapter Four: The Farewell Party

A month quickly passed by.

A month during which House and Cuddy had done their best to ignore each other.

Both of them where intractable, impossible to work with.

House Team quickly realized his orders. Being busy with case stuff was an easy way to not face House that, more than ever, was ready to start a quarrel and annoy people.

If he needs some authorizations from Cuddy he sent someone of the team. Cuddy, by her side, sent her assistant back with the reply.

Any other discussions were left in short messages they both made slipped under their office doors.

The rare case they faced each other this was what happened:

"Nurse Brenda, please, say Doctor House that …………"

"Wilson, inform Doctor Cuddy that …………"

He even made more clinic duty in this month than in his entire work experience just to not have any sort of occasion to face Cuddy and argue about any sort of point.

Wilson: "You know what? I have the feeling I just came back to our school time. Elementary, or better Primary School." He once said to House but didn't receive a single reply back from him. Not even an insult, a sign, at least, that House was still alive. Nothing. That was too bad.

After all Wilson was the second person capable to really come near House in this period. The first one allowed to this pleasure was Rachel.

The little brat was really smart. When her mother left her alone in her office for a meeting she escaped after few minutes making a foul of her assistant, always too much busy chatting with his girlfriend than bothering the little girl.

Once escaped she straight went to Houses' office. If the team was there she just took one of the spare chair, sits down, and listened. If she and House were alone she sat down on his good leg and they had good time together watching cartoon on TV, telling jokes or simply taking a nap.

Cuddy found Rachel there just a couple of times but she knew that her daughter was always there, as soon as she could run away of her hands. She knew when she embraced her smelling of candies and chips, not the usually healthy stuff she used to give her.

The sooner she will be away from House will be better.

And that day finally came.

Cuddy organized a Farewell Party to say goodbye. Everybody was there. Except House. Of course. She knew that he will never show up but this was hurting her anyhow. After all, they worked together for more than………… forget it.

C: "Damn myself for feeling this way. I don't want to see him again in my entire life." She thinks.

House is sitting in his office facing the wall.

Wilson enters in.

W: "So is this how you are letting things doing"

H: "What do you want?"

W: "You are letting her go away without telling her what you fell for her?"

H: "I told you a month ago, stop this nonsense."

W: "This nonsense is a fact. This fact is a reality. Real as you and me, and better stronger."

H: "Very poetic, I admit it. Now go."

W: "If both of you wouldn't be so proud………………"

H: "Boohoo, there we are, both. So why don't you go bother Cuddy conscience?"

W: "Because she is right. She tried for years to reach for you and you always run away. Now is your turn to do something for her."

House grins.

Rachel arrives. She has a very sad expression in her face.

R: "House………… May………… I …………… come …………… in?"

She never asks permission to enter in. A way to behave she took from House.

Her voice is very low and unhappy.

H: "Sure. Hi kiddo!" He never saw her like this before, neither when she was ill.

R: "I have got a Farewell Present for you." She gives him a sheet of paper with a draw on it.

House is missing words.

H: "T………… t …………… thanks." He murmured. He lifts up the sheet of paper and has a look at the draw. Is a picture of three characters holding hands. House reads it like Cuddy, Rachel and……… himself.

He clears his throat.

H: "Beautiful."

R: "House?"

H: "Yes, Rachel?"

R: "Why don't you take mums' hand like in the draw and say her you are sorry?"

H: "What are you saying?"

R: "When I do it with her she always forgive me. So we could be happy like we were."

Wilson mouth is open. How all this could come up from such a little person?

House is trembling. There is just an other person capable to let him fell like that, especially when he sees her trying to catch tears in her throat. Rachel is looking at him with expecting eyes.

He doesn't know what to reply.

H: "Rachel ……………… things with mum and I are not that simple."

R: "Why?"

H: "Adults are always getting their lives complicated."

Wilson can't believe how Rachel is capable to take out all this sincerity from House heart.

House caress Rachel's' head gently and said:

H: "Now go back to your mum before she gets worried."

Rachel slowly walks to the door looking at the floor at her feet. She is almost at the entrance when she turns back and run in direction of House. She's hugging Houses' legs with both her arms with all the strength she could have. Her head buried between his legs, she is not hiding tears any more.

H: "Rachel……………… Kid …………… Honey……………… Please…………… Calm down. Darling, I'm sorry……………… please……………………… my leg is hurting me."

R: "I don't want to go away! I don't want to stay in Los Angeles! I want to be here with you." She said sobbing. She left his legs and looks at him, a prayer in her blue eyes.

H: "Rachel, please………………"

He takes her hand, sits down on his chair and let the girl sits on his good leg.

Rachel rests her head on his chest.

H: "Sssssssssshhhhhhhhhh. Just relax now. Everything is gonna be alright." He embraces her tenderly.

R: "How?" She sniffs.

H: "Dunno." He really means it.

R: "House?"

H: "Yes Honey?"

R: "Why can't I stay with my father?"

H: "Sorry?" He looks at her with interrogative eyes. Hoping he didn't understand.

R: "Children stay with mother or father right?"

H: "Rachel……………… I'm not your father."

R: "For me you are. Why can't I stay with you?"

H: "Because……………… my little Chip and Dale……………… I'm not your father."

R: "Couldn't you just become?"

H: "Yeah…………… but …………………"

R: "How?"

H: "Your mother and I are not married."

R: "Couldn't you get married?"

H: "No!"

R: "Why?"

H: "Things are much more complicated."

R: "Why?"

H: "I don't know."

R: "House?"

H: "Yeah?"

R: "Do you love me?"

H: "Yes Rachel."

R: "I love you too daddy." And with that she places a kiss on Houses' left cheek. "House?"

H: "Tell me, sunshine."

R: "Do you love mum?"

House stares at her and thinks.

H: "This girl is like my mother. She knows how to read into my soul. But…………… maybe…………………… she has reason. Oh my God! What I was doing?"

Just in an instance he clears his mind.

Cuddy enters in House office. A concerned look in her eyes.

C: "Oooooh. There you are. I was looking for you almost everywhere in the hospital. Now go. Say goodbye to your pal we have got a plane to catch." Saying that she makes Rachel stands up from House leg. She grabs her hand in a rude way and makes her walk to the door.

Rachel is trying to get free from her grab.

R: "No. Mum, please, I don't want to go."

C: "I told you, we are going to be late."

R: "Fine. That's what I want."

C: "What did you say"

H: Cuddy if you just speaks to her quietly…………………"

She cuts his words.

C: "This is not any of your business House! I perfectly know how to deal with my daughter."

H: "I can see it. Good job mum!"

C: "Shut up. Rachel stop to annoy me. We are going to catch that plane and that's final!"

Rachel finally gets free from Cuddies' grab and run till the end of the room.

R: "I don't want to go away with you. You are bad! You are ugly! I hate you!" The little girl screams all this as laud as she can.

C: "What? You ……………" She covers her mouth with a hand than turns in direction of House. "I have got to thank you for all this, right? You put her on your side?"

H: "I haven't done anything."

C: "Yeah, of course, you are right. You never do anything."

H: "Cuddy………………………"

C: "What?" She looks furious.

H: "We need to talk."

C: "There's anything we need to talk about."

H: "I think you are wrong. There are plenty of things……………"

C: "I told you I don't want to listen to you."

H: "Ok……………… Wilson! Close that damn door."

Wilson glances at House and maybe for once in years he immediately realized what House is really asking him to do.

He closed the door, takes the keys and throw them to House.

House takes the keys, and them throw them out of the windows.

Cuddy can't believe what just happened.

C: "Are you both completely nuts? Wilson I could have expected this from House but definitely not from you." She reaches for the phone to call security service.

House get the phone from her hand and throw it away too.

She takes her new I-Phone from her purse than pause.

H: "If I will be you, I will put that phone back in your purse………………… It seems quite expensive you know. Not that this is any of my business, but you know, will be a pity."

Cuddy puts the phone back in the purse and take a seat in front of House.

C: "Well……………… what is this supposed to mean?"

H: "May I talk now?"

C: "I listen to you."

H: "Fine." Damn, like he would like to be more like Wilson in this moment. He was never good in romance speech. He'll do the best he could. "Cuddy…………… I don't want you to live."

C: "Why?" She looks very serious and professional now.

H: "Well………… the PPTH will be never the same without you." Damn, bad beginning.

C: "I assure you Dr. Smith will be good enough."

H: "Without your sense of humour."

C: "You can survive."

H: "Everybody will be missing you." How can he tells her?

C: "I know. Everybody gave me proof of that today. Oh well, everybody except………………"

H: "Me." He makes a pause than continues. "Do you really believe I will be not missing you?"

C: "Surely you will be much relieved. I believe."

H: "What do you mean?"

C: "You will have no more to deal with me anymore."

H: "You can't be serious…………………… Cuddy, I don't know how to tell you in the right terms……………… Accept it like the truth……………… Maybe is the best gift I could left you before is too late………………… I would like you to know that I can't live without you."

C: "What are you trying to say?"

H: "Cuddy you are the only one that matters for me in earth and………………"

They heard a strange sound. Like of something falling down the floor. They both looked on the direction of the origin of the sound, Rachel was actually picking something up from the floor.

She approaches House and says:

R: "I'm sorry. I was looking for a lollipop in your coat pocket and this felt down." She puts a dark blue velvet box on the table. "I hope anything got broken."

House gives her a smile.

H: "Thanks. Take it easy. Here, your prize." He gives her a bright red lollipop he picked up from one of his desk drawer. Rachel comes back to her safe corner.

House and Cuddy are looking at the box.

H: "Funny. You know Cuddy, the night of the Benefit………… That terrible evening…………… Well, I was actually asking you to merry me."

C: "What?" A mix of shock, happiness, terror and shame in her eyes.

H: "Yeah, because no matter how I could be a jerk or not I could never love anything but you."

Cuddy is going to faint

H: "But maybe you were right Lisa, I just ruined everything. It doesn't matter anymore, now. I missed my train. And you are missing your plane instead. I will get my spare keys now."

C: "House, wait!" She turn him back so they could stare at each other.

She is catching tears in her throat. Sparkling eyes.

"Now, listen to me, the last month never happened. The commission never happened. We are still at the Evening of the Benefit and you need to talk to me. Haven't you anything to tell me?"

H: "Is completely useless. It can't work."

C: "Don't go away."

Cuddy goes at the end of the room where there are two wardrobes, one is locked in.

C: "Where do you keep the keys of this?"

H: "Throw them away."

C: "Are you laughing a new fashion?"

She opens the last drawer of the desk where she finds a hammer and uses it to open the padlock. When she finally breaks it, she opens the wardrobe where her wedding dress was hided. She grabs it and put it near her body. She reaches for House.

C: "Does it clarify your memory? Don't you remember? I was here. Waiting for you to find me."

H: "You were hiding from me."

C: "I'm telling you I was exepting you. Just say it." She is speaking and crying in the mean time.

H: "You were angry."

C: "I was happy."

H: "For us."

C: "I'm sorry."

H: "I was telling I'm sorry."

C: "I'm sorry now."

H: "You don't need to be anymore. You are going away from me."

C: "I don't want to stay away from you."

H: "Just once. Let me believe in this dream. Lisa Cuddy will you merry me?"

C: "Oh yes, with all my heart."

Their lips meets, first tenderly, than hungrily. When they took breath they smiled at each other.

House takes the velvet box and opens it. A wonderful solitaire stares there. He picks it up and makes it slips on the second finger of Cuddy's left hand. He takes her face in his hands, rubbing away her tears, and then says:

H: "I love you Lisa." And he seals his promise with a soft kiss and than deepened it.

C: "I love you Greg."

He embraces her and kisses her forehead.

H: "I need a favour from you."

C: "What favour?"

H: "I need a letter of recommendation from you."

C: "For what?"

H: "I'm asked for an interview at Los Angeles teaching hospital."

C: "What? Are you moving to LA?"

H: "Probably."

C: "Why? I mean………………… For me?"

H: "Isn't that clear my darling sunshine? Where you are, I belong."

C: "But you love this place."

H: "There someone I actually love more."

C: "Just kiss me."

They exchange an other deep kiss.

Cuddy thinks for a moment than speaks:

C: "I need to make a phone call. May I use my phone now."

H: "Yeap. May I listen?"

C: "Sure……………………… Mr. Bright? Morning, Doctor Cuddy speaking. …………………… Actually I was thinging about coming back to my steps……………………… Sure, of course Dr. Smith will be annoyed by the situation…………….. I …………… actually something has changed………………"

House kisses her on the back of her neck twice, she smiles continuing her conversation.

"……………… Oh ok if you want me to do it ………………" she pressed the speakerphone.

Mr Bright: "Are everybody hearing me?"

All: "Yeap."

Mr Bright: "Doctor Cuddy I'm offering your job back. Do you accept it?"

C: "Yes, I do."

Mr Bright: "Welcome back to PPTH."

C: "Thank you sir." House is hugging her softly.

Mr Bright: "Ah, Dr. Cuddy. Please, let Dr. House know that I thank him."

C: "How do you know?..........."

Mr Bright: "Good bye, Dr Cuddy."

C: "Good bye, Sir."

She shut down the conversation.

C: "Greg?"

H: "Yeap?"

C: "Lets go home."

H: "Fine. Rachel! Come! We are going home now."

R: "Mom, you mean we are not leaving anymore?"

C: "No darling. Are you happy?"

R: "Yes." She takes Cuddy hand. "I'm sorry mum."

C: "Don't think about it." She place a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you sweetheart."

R: "I love you too mum."

H: "Now, Cheep and Dale will get us the keys of the room."

C: "How does she know it?"

H: "We two pals have our little secrets."

Cuddy looks at her daughter opening the second drawer of the desk and taking a box of cigars. She opens it and puts out all the cigars. At the end of the box there is a pair of keys. She takes them and than goes to open the door.

C: "She will become a very good liar in your company, but you know what? Actually I don't care."

Wilson the witness of everything is staring at them.

W: "I wish you all the best. You really deserve it."

H: "Thank you my friend."

Cuddy, Rachel, and House is now walking long the corridor to the way out. They already looks like a family. They are holding hands. Like in children dreams.