Thank you so much for the kind reviews they inspired me to finish the next chpter long before I expected to! If there is enough intrest I have some ideas that could have this fic comtinue a while longer, thanks for reading cheers Clare

Chapter Twenty

Dom reached her foot out during the night to find House's side of the bed empty; she pulled herself over and buried her face in his pillow. House had spent so little time sleeping in their bed lately that she could barely smell his cologne. She looked over at the clock, it was after two, he must be asleep in the lounge, both he and Billy he been very quiet when they had come up from the restaurant in the early evening then House had helped feed and bath their babies then after dinner he had gone back down to help in the restaurant. She smiled as she recalled him leaving then unexpectedly returning to drop a tender kiss on her lips; she could almost feel the fuzz from his top lip.

Dom rolled out of bed pulled on her robe and walked out to the kitchen, this had become quite a ritual she would go and cover her husband with the down comforter that lived on the back of the couch. She knew that House would never grab it and cover himself because he liked to keep up the pretence that he had just fallen asleep in front of television. He would be stretched out with the chair in full recline his long legs sprawled over the footstool, Nikes discarded on the ground close by. She would cover him and often sit and watch him sleep, sometimes he would have a nightmare, calling out loudly in his sleep. When that happened they were both in hell!

As Dom reached the lounge she was surprised the TV was off and her husband was nowhere to be found, she went to the kitchen, there she found freshly made coffee and someone had polished off most of the banana cake that she had made the day before, the banana cake leaned toward Billy but the coffee was definitely House although why he would be drinking coffee at this hour of the morning was beyond her. She went back to the lounge to look for clues to his whereabouts, when she heard a sound coming from the foyer of their apartment.

There she found him sitting on the cold tiles he was leaning against the wall legs stretched out; the noise was being made by a small pink ball which he was throwing against the wall with one hand and catching and returning deftly with the other. He didn't see her standing there for some time; he was staring hard at the pale wall as though it had some answers. Dom opened the door a little wider to get his attention.

He looked up and her, he didn't seem surprised to see her; he shot her a small smile all the while never breaking the rhythm of the ball hitting tiles and the wall. She walked over and sat beside him, they sat for some time in companionable silence then suddenly as if he had come to a decision about something he stopped and looked at her. The he got stiffly to his feet, the hours sitting on the cold tiles taking their toll. Without saying a word he held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. He stooped and picked up the empty plate and cup and the headed back into the lounge.

"Are you tired?" he asked quietly

"Not really"

"Good! Sit" he said gesturing toward his chair then he headed to the kitchen with a "be right back" over his shoulder. Dom could hear him rattling around, then he returned with two cups of coffee, he placed one beside her then his on the coffee table, he then grabbed her hand crème and sat on the foot stool. Then he picked up her feet and started to massage them one at a time, he was concentrating on his task with great intensity, Dom watched him from under heavy eyelids, she was feeling blissfully relaxed, she was convinced that this man had magic hands.

"Not going to sleep on me, are you"

"Not a chance, do I get to return the favour?"

"Not now" his blue eyes looked into hers "If you could do one thing, magic no limits, but you've only got ten seconds to decide what it would be? Starting now!" he glanced at his watch his hands never stopping their magic. Dom was not surprised at the question, House and she often played silly games like this although it had been sometime since they had shared this kind of intimacy. It felt good! "Times nearly up" he interrupted her thinking.

"I would pick up this place and move it far away!"

"What the apartment?"

"The whole building and everyone in it" she leaned back and closed her eyes "I would invite Sam and Wilson to dinner so they would get hijacked and have to come with us."

"Where are we moving to?"

"I don't care, somewhere warmer maybe."

House was considering this very carefully he was deep in thought when Dom voice asked

"My turn now" House nodded in reply and handed her his watch

"If you could spend the day with anyone alive or dead, who would it be? Oh and you are not allowed to have sex with them" she glanced at the watch "five seconds!"

"Your dad" he said "I'd spend the day with your dad"

This moved Dom and her eyes filled with tears she had been expecting Einstein, a musician or some hot sex symbol. The fact that he wanted to meet her father really touched her.

"There might be a language barrier! Why would you choose him?"

"When you and Ania speak of him even after all this time there's a lot of love, I want to be that kind of husband and father, besides he's half of your DNA" he looked at her "why the tears"

"I don't know I get so emotional lately!"

"Are you ready for the next question?"

"OK "she handed him back his watch

"You have all the time in the world to answer this question" he looked deep in her eyes "Why would you move us away? What are you running from?"

"What makes you think I'm running away?"

"You didn't want to move somewhere; you wanted to move away from here!" he was still massaging although he had moved up to her calves now. "Please trust me tell me what's got you so scared, if the reason is valid, hell we'll move if that is what you need!"

Dom couldn't look him in the eye; she didn't want to talk about his nightmares he was always so touchy about things like that, she really didn't want to discuss it.

"I….." she got choked up she shook her head and couldn't continue.

"Monsters live in the dark. Dom I can't fix this if I don't know what's wrong. Trust me please!"

Her head lifted, she looked into his eyes the tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I know how you feel about Cuddy!" her voice was barely audible.

House was confused never in a million year would he have thought this was about Cuddy. Dom could see the shock and confusion on his face.

"I told you when Rachael was sick that I care about her…." House was lost for words

"Your nightmares, you've been screaming her name, saying you love her. This is not just once Greg you've done it regularly." Dom was really crying now.

House stood up he pulled Dom into his arms "Shit! No wonder…I'm so sorry that would have done my head in too!" He scooped her up into his arms.

"Be careful, don't hurt your leg"

He turned and sat down in the chair with her in his lap "What exactly did I say?"

Dom's hand reached up to stroke his check "A lot of it was garbled you were distraught but you never woke."

House had always had dreams but usually his leg would cramp up and he would wake in a great deal of pain, since the new meds House did not get the cramps that had plagued him for years. Dom had always been marvellous at helping him deal with the cramping problem, she was really the first person that he'd let see the pain he suffered. He didn't want to discuss his dreams but he owed it Dom. He thought back to his talk with Billy, the kid was right it was time for him to front.

"I've had this dream since you left hospital, I'm having a discussion with my dad we're right over there, I always see the photo of you and kids over his shoulder" House paused Dom could tell House was uncomfortable talking about this. His dad was one of the few things that were off limits to discuss. "He's in his uniform and he's quite young. He's much much bigger than me even though I'm a grown man and I am taller than he is, was" House took a deep breathe "I'm searching the house and you and the kids are gone, your stuff and theirs are all gone. I run through to Billy's room its empty too." Dom kissed his cheek she was crying now "then I see him he's right there. I'm screaming "where are they?" he says calm as you like "what did you expect? The trouble with you Greg is you never learn! Nobody could put up with you; your weak and unreliable she's left you just like Stacey and Cuddy" House stopped Dom could tell the toll it was taking on him.

"It's alright Greg! It will all be OK"

"I start screaming "She's not like Cuddy! I love her Dad I love her!" then he says in a cold voice "Too bad" I think it ends then, that's all I remember anyway,

"Have you had dreams like this before?"

"Yeah since I was a kid, I don't think I've talked in my sleep before though. I was worried right since you were diagnosed, my only two relationships before this one ended after a health crisis. I was pretty sure you'd come to your senses and want out" He rubbed his forehead "I'm so sorry I hurt you Dom, I'm screwed up to say the least."

She looked into his eyes and said "The very least!" then she grinned "but at least you're not boring!"

"Come on lets go to bed."

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