A/N: Once again, thank you to everyone reading this story. I appreciate your comments very much.

After you read and comment on my story, you should check out the other H/C fics not just on FF but LJ too. Did you know that there are 3,533 House-Cuddy stories written in English on this website? I checked!

Go to: fanfiction (dot) net/tv/House_M_D/10/0/1/1/0/2729/2730/0/0/1/

Enjoy!

Cuddy left work around three o'clock to pick Rachel up from her after school piano class. When she entered the classroom, Rachel ran to her and hugged her legs.

"Mommy, I did good today!" Rachel exclaimed.

"You did?" Cuddy asked as she reached down to hug her daughter.

The teacher approached Cuddy and smiled. She said, "Dr. Cuddy you should be proud of Rachel, she's picking this up very quickly, in fact, I see great potential in her as a musician."

"That's wonderful to hear. I was never musically inclined myself," said Cuddy.

"Must be in her genes," the teacher replied smiling.

Cuddy's smile turned to a frown for a moment. The piano teacher noticed and asked, "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's okay, it's just that Rachel is adopted."

The piano teacher nodded her head in understanding. Suddenly Rachel looked up at her teacher, smiled and said "I dopted and mommy says that makes me special."

"Yes, you are very special honey. Now come on, let's get you home," Cuddy said as she ruffled Rachel's hair and bid goodbye to the teacher.

On the drive home Cuddy thought about Rachel and what other talents she may have inherited from her biological parents. She smiled at the thought of her daughter being a musical prodigy and then felt a bit of sadness that Rachel didn't inherit it from her. When she stopped at a red light near home, Cuddy asked Rachel, "Rach do you really like the piano?"

"Yes, mommy."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Mommy, can you play the piano?" Rachel asked.

"No, I wish I did," she remembered the few times House had tried to teach her but her impatience got the best of her.

"I bet Hows could teach you how to play," Rachel chimed from the backseat.

Cuddy smiled. "I'm sure he could honey," and changing the subject she said, "We're having your favorite for dinner tonight."

Rachel's eyes grew wide. "Yay! Mac and cheese! Mommy, can we make Hows special mac and cheese?" asked Rachel from the backseat.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

"Okay then that's what we'll have," she said as she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Rachel's ear to ear grin. She thought how amazing it was that a child could be so happy about something so simple as macaroni and cheese.

When they arrived home, Cuddy instructed Rachel to take her backpack into her room and change while she prepared dinner for them. She thought it was funny that Rachel never liked macaroni and cheese until House came along. It was one of his favorite foods. He refused to eat the processed stuff; no he had to make it from scratch. She smiled recalling the time she first tasted his special dish.

It was Friday night and Cuddy stood in front of the kitchen window pouring a glass of white wine, debating what to prepare for dinner. She had her hair up in a ponytail and was dressed down in a Princeton-Plainsboro sweatshirt, leggings and socks. Earlier in the day she had hoped House would join her and Rachel that evening but then he announced Wilson wanted to go bowling and that dashed her hopes. As she let out a deep sigh, resigned to the fact she would spend her evening alone once Rachel went to bed, she suddenly heard the front door open and close, the sound of a backpack hitting the floor, and the familiar tap-tap of a wooden cane on the floor behind her. Cuddy smiled as she smelled his cologne and felt his arms wrap around her. He buried his nose in her hair, took a deep breath and whispered, "You are so sexy when you dress like that. I could do you right here."

Cuddy giggled like a schoolgirl then turned in House's arms and kissed him gently. Their tongues intertwined and they stayed like that, just kissing passionately for a few minutes until their need for oxygen became so overwhelming they had to break apart. When they did, they just stared into each other's eyes. House's eyes always gave Cuddy a sense of peace and comfort. Her smile let him know she was glad he chose her over Wilson.

"So, you're going to do me with my daughter in the next room?" She asked him while raising an eyebrow.

"I do it all the time," he said smugly as he held her close. He whispered in her ear, "Where is the the little rugrat?"

"Rachel in her room. By the way what are you doing here? Did you ditch Wilson?" she asked.

"As it turns out, Wilson has other plans."

"Doing what?"

"Make that a who," he replied.

"What?"

"I sort of set it up."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Have you seen him lately? He's lonely, he's miserable, he needed the companionship."

"Not a hooker! House!" She smacked him in the chest.

"Hello? Have you met me? Oh wait…I take that back. Seriously, you think I'd set his royal wholesomeness up with a hooker? Give me some credit."

"If you actually deserved it..."

"Cuddy, it's not a hooker. It's a physical therapist. Actually Chase went out with her once but she was divorced and all she did was talk about her divorce to the point he couldn't stand it. He told me about her and thought maybe Wilson might be interested. They hit it off. Besides, she's safe. The fact that she's divorced means she won't likely want to become Mrs. James Wilson the fourth anytime soon."

Cuddy smiled at House and kissed him. "Nice. So now that you're here, what's for dinner?"

"What? Why am I cooking? I'm a guest."

"You practically live here. Besides you hate my cooking and now that you're here you're going do it while I spend some quality time with my daughter." Cuddy looked at House with that pouty face he couldn't resist.

"Okay fine but you can't complain about what I make and you have to eat all of it."

Cuddy thought about it. "Okay fine. What are you making?"

"It's a surprise. Go inside with the rug rat and I'll bring it in when I'm ready," he kissed her and patted her ass and sent her in the direction of the living room. Cuddy walked away making sure to swing her hips just a little for his benefit all the while mumbling something about him not blowing up her kitchen. As she sat on the floor in the living room playing Legos with Rachel, she could hear pots and pans rattling. She had no idea what he was doing but given he was a perfectionist when it came to cooking; there was no doubt it would be delicious.

Forty minutes later he limped into the living room with a tray and three bowls on it. He set them on the coffee table in front of Cuddy and Rachel. Cuddy looked at the bowls then up at him and asked, "What is this?"

"Macaroni and cheese," he said.

"House, that's not a real dinner. Rachel needs vegetables," she said.

"Are you kidding? This is its own food group!"

"But Rachel doesn't like macaroni and cheese," said Cuddy.

"Trust me, she'll like this," he said as he offered Rachel her special "Hello Kitty" bowl. Cuddy shook her head and laughed when Rachel grabbed the bowl and looked into it tentatively as if she was afraid to eat it. She looked at House and he just nodded at her to try it.

Rachel took a small bite and smiled. "Hows, this is yummy!" She exclaimed. House just smiled at her then looked over at Cuddy and stuck his tongue out at her, "I told you so," he said with a cocky smile on his face.

Cuddy rolled her eyes, picked up her own bowl and took a bite. Her eyes closed and she made a sound that was like pure heaven to House's ears. "House this is delicious! How did you make this?"

"A great chef never tells his secrets but...for a special reward I'll do it this one time," he said with a smile.

The three sat side by side on the couch, watching a wildlife program on the National Geographic Channel and eating in silence for a few minutes when Cuddy asked, "Where did you learn to make this?"

House appeared to be deep in thought a moment before he replied. "My mom used to make it for me when I was a kid. Whenever I was sad or had a bad day she'd make her own special recipe just for me. Eventually she let me help her and I memorized it," he said. A slight smile appeared on his face at the memory.

"Well, it really is delicious," she told him. Cuddy was genuinely happy to see House smile. House rarely mentioned his family but when he did it usually centered on time he'd spent with his mother.

Cuddy looked over at Rachel who had already devoured her dinner. Rachel giggled at House who had cheese on his chin then she said, "Hows this is my most favorite food ever."

"I'm never going to get her to eat anything else am I?" Cuddy asked.

"Nope," he smiled and stuffed another forkful of cheesy goodness in his mouth.

Cuddy smiled remembering the moment. She took the ingredients out of the cabinets and placed them on the counter. House had taught her how to make it and once she perfected the recipe, she'd made it for him on nights he came home tired from a particularly tough case or when he was feeling down. Somehow it always made him feel a little bit better. It was a simple thing she liked to do for him because she knew it reminded him of good times. Knowing he didn't have a lot of those growing up, it was an important for her to remind him of them.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Rachel?" she called.

She received no answer so she tried again. "Rachel?" she called a bit louder.

Rachel ran into the kitchen and Cuddy let out a chuckle when she saw her daughter's attire. She was wearing the "I'm with stupid" tee-shirt House had given her, one that initially Cuddy hated, but had gotten used to because Rachel loved it. Cuddy had given Rachel one condition for wearing it and that was it would only be worn at home.

"What mommy?" Rachel asked.

"Would you like to learn how to make mac and cheese?"

"You mean Hows mac and cheese?"

"Yep!"

"Okay!"

Cuddy put a stool next to the counter so Rachel could stand on it and help her. The two Cuddy women spent the next half hour in the kitchen making macaroni and cheese from scratch, getting flour and other ingredients all over them and the counter but the fun they had was well worth it.

Later that evening Cuddy nestled next to Rachel and read her a bedtime story. Afterwards, Rachel asked, "Mommy will we ever see Hows again?"

Cuddy was taken by surprise and did not know how to answer. She continued stroking Rachel's hair and said "I don't know Rach."

"I miss him mommy. He used to play with me," she said, looking up at her mother.

"I know Rachel, I'm sorry."

"Mommy why did we leave him? What if he's all alone?"

Cuddy raised herself up on her left elbow and looked down at her innocent daughter and said, "Rach, I've told you before, House was sick and needed help. I couldn't help him. Plus he's not alone; Uncle Wilson is there to help him."

"I miss Uncle Wilson too."

"I know you do."

"But why did we leave?"

Cuddy thought for a moment before answering. "Rach, we left because House was sick and his sickness made him do things that he normally would not have done. Honey he was very ill and he could have hurt himself or someone else. I wasn't sure if he would get better and so I thought it would be best for us to move."

"Would Hows hurt us mommy?"

"No honey, not on purpose. But sometimes people do things they don't mean when they are sick," Cuddy said hoping that would satisfy Rachel's curiosity.

"Did he get better?"

"He's trying Rach. He's getting better every day," Cuddy said and she was sincere in her answer. House was getting better; she could tell it from his letters and her conversations with Wilson. He had a long way to go but it seemed he was determined, perhaps even more so than when he left Mayfield.

"Does this mean we can go back to our old house and he can come over again?"

Cuddy sensed the sadness in Rachel's voice. She obviously missed House and her old home very much. It had been a tough adjustment for them in Boston and was hard to leave old friends behind.

"I don't know."

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby."

"Do you think Hows misses us?"

Cuddy's eyes were misty. She knew how much Rachel loved House and she knew House loved Rachel though he had never said it when they were together.

"Yes, I'm sure he does."

"Then I hope he gets better soon so he can be with us again," Rachel said and soon after she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Cuddy lay there with Rachel for a few minutes until she was sure she was asleep, and then she quietly got out of the bed, turned off the bedside lamp and left the room, closing the door halfway. She entered her own room without turning on the lights as the moon cast a soft glow throughout her bedroom. She took off her robe and stood at one window, looking out at the darkness. It was nine o'clock and she wondered what House was doing at that moment. It was far too early for him to go to bed. He could be catching up on his soaps on TiVo, at a bar having a few beers with Wilson, or working late at the hospital on a tough case. Perhaps he was doing none of those things and instead was sitting at his piano playing and drinking a glass of scotch.

Cuddy sighed and crawled into bed. There, in the dark, a whirlwind of emotions hit her all at once and tears streamed down her face. She thought about Rachel and her piano lessons and what the teacher said about her talent being in the genes. The teacher hadn't meant anything by it but it made Cuddy sad wondering what other things Rachel might inherit from her biological parents and not from her. She recalled how House had tried to make her realize that what Cuddy taught her was more important than anything genetically inherited from her biological parents. House had pleasantly surprised Cuddy in those tender moments when he tried to reassure her that she was a good mother and that Rachel was lucky to have her. She wished he could have been like that all the time but then she knew that wasn't the House she fell in love with.

Cuddy dried her eyes with a Kleenex. She had not planned to spend her evening crying over House. She chuckled out loud at the thought that once again it was about him. She moved away from Princeton, leaving everything and everyone she knew behind to start a new life and still he was there with her. There were very few people in her life who understood their connection and their inability to let go of one another so she never spoke about it with anyone except Wilson, Sharon and Julia. Of course it had taken Julia awhile to accept that House really wasn't a deranged lunatic and that he really was sick but that came only after Cuddy sat her sister down and had a long overdue talk with her about House's sordid past which included his father, Mayfield, Stacy and the intense physical pain he was in every single day. While Julia had said that did not excuse his behavior, she admitted that knowing about his past helped her better understand his demons. This had made it much easier for Cuddy to talk to Julia about her long and complicated relationship with House.

Cuddy fluffed her pillows and tried to sleep but it would not come. She just kept thinking about him. Out of the blue she remembered something she'd said to the police officer that dreadful night. The officer had asked her if she'd had any idea House would commit an act of violence. Every moment I spent with him. I was always waiting for something to happen. She cringed thinking about what she'd told the officer. Did I expect it every moment we were together? She felt bad thinking that the entire time they were together, instead of focusing on the things he was doing to be a part of her life, all she did was wait for that one moment when he would screw it up. She remembered the conversation they'd had when they'd accused one another of sabotaging their relationship.

"You won't let me sleep over. You basically haven't introduced me to your daughter."

"Do you want to spend time with her?"

"Honestly, before this I'd have said no. But, yeah. How are we ever going to be a couple if you keep hiding her from me?"

"House, I need to protect her. I let you into her life, and you go away…"

"Call it what it is. I'm not the only one who's holding back."

She lay there thinking about how stupid both of them had been to think they could make a relationship work without going all in. They were willing to go the distance with their careers but not with their relationship. Cuddy thought about how difficult it was for both of them to leave their comfort zones to be there for one another. Looking back she realized that she had required House to make sacrifices that she wasn't prepared to make herself. She had used her daughter, her job, and her hospital as a means of avoiding going all in, not even taking into consideration that House also had a great deal at risk...his sobriety, his sanity, his heart.

Cuddy wasn't one to believe in destiny but it seemed to her that every time she and House tried to move away from one another, they were eventually drawn together again. She lay on her left side facing the side of the bed where House normally slept. It had been a long time and still she could not forget what it felt like to be held in his arms at night. She placed her hand on the empty space on what used to be his side of the bed and then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Thanks for reading!

I thought we deserved to delve into the mind of Lisa Cuddy for a little while. She feels as much responsible for the breakup and the aftermath as House does. As they move towards each other, they're asking a lot of questions of themselves and doing a lot of soul searching. It's about time too don't you think?

Reviews are love!