A/N: Thanks to everyone reading this story. Normally I update on Friday or Saturday but I wanted to surprise you with this additional update. You have all been so great, this one's for you!

Oh yeah: Thanks to my pals allthingsdecent & mystryGAB for the once-over!

Disclaimer: I don't own House but if I did, he would have driven his car through David Shore's house then gotten out and kicked his ass all the way back to Canada, after which he would have driven over to Cuddy's house, picked her up and taken her to Mont St. Michel for a nice long vacation, courtesy of Wilson's credit card.

Enjoy!

Cuddy's full bladder woke her in the middle of the night. After finishing her business, she headed to Rachel's room to check on her, noting she was sleeping peacefully. She decided to check the doors one more time and as she passed through the dining room she heard a faint beeping sound coming from her purse on the table. It was the familiar sound of the missed call notification on her cell phone. She almost didn't answer it but thought it might be the hospital. She grabbed her cell phone from her purse and checked the caller ID. It was Wilson and he'd called half a dozen times with the last call about an hour ago. Nervously she dialed Wilson's number, skipping her voice mail knowing that if Wilson called that many times it must have been important. Wilson picked up on the first ring.

"Cuddy? Thank God! Where have you been?"

"Wilson I'm so sorry, my phone was in my purse, I didn't hear-"she was cut off by Wilson.

"Cuddy!"

"What? Wilson what's going on?" She asked nervously.

"It's House."

"House? What…what happened?" A million scenarios went through her mind.

"He…he fell asleep in his office this evening. He had a headache and had been working a tough case."

"Okay, so what's going on?"

Wilson didn't reply.

"Wilson? What's going on? What aren't you telling me?" Cuddy asked in a scared voice.

"We couldn't wake him Cuddy. He's...he's gone."

"What?" She screamed into the phone.

"They think it was a brain aneurysm and he went in his sleep. He didn't suffer," Wilson said between sobs.

"No!" She screamed. The room started spinning and everything went black.

Cuddy awoke suddenly drenched in sweat, her heart racing. She looked at the clock, it was just after midnight. "Oh my God, please tell me this was a dream," she cried out loud. It took her a moment to get her bearings and be sure it was just a dream. She jumped out of bed and ran into the dining room and grabbed her cell phone from her purse. Oh thank God, no calls she thought as she checked the screen. Then she began to cry. The dream seemed so real that she still couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of sadness she felt thinking House was dead.

Taking her phone with her, Cuddy walked back to her bedroom, stopping in her bathroom first to splash cold water on her face. Her hands were still shaking from the nightmare. Looking in the mirror, she saw noticed her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She dried her face and got back into bed, placing her cell phone on the nightstand with the ringer on. She tried to relax but the feelings of dread remained. She cried again thinking about what it would be like if House were really dead. She'd prepared herself for a lot of things but never that. As much as they had been through, as angry as he'd made her over the years, she would never want him dead. He'd always been a part of her life. She recalled her words to him a few years earlier, "For better or worse House, you are a part of my life."

Cuddy lay there pondering the meaning of her dream. Was it a sign? Was something wrong with House? What was her subconscious trying to tell her? She looked over at the cell phone on her nightstand. No, it's crazy, she thought. She struggled with the whirlwind of thoughts going through her head. Finally she made her decision. She picked up the phone, scrolled through the numbers, pressed the send button and held her breath.

It was after midnight and House was having a hard time getting to sleep. He'd arrived home an hour earlier after spending twelve hours at the hospital trying to diagnose a difficult case. He drifted off to sleep for a few minutes then woke with a sudden epiphany. He grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed.

"Hello," answered a very groggy Chase.

"Chase get your ass up, it's melanoma," said House.

"What? House? How do you know?" Chase asked, slightly more awake.

"He's African American, the symptoms aren't the same. Check his small intestine. Melanoma is the most common tumor to metastasize to the GI tract. It's a small percentage but it's possible. Check the small intestine, if it's there start the treatment," House said before hanging up, not giving Chase a chance to respond.

Feeling confident in his diagnosis, House felt he would be able to finally get some sleep. He turned out the bedside lamp, fluffed the pillows and closed his eyes. He was finally relaxed and drifting off to sleep again when his phone rang. "Goddammit!" he yelled out loud before reaching over to pick up the phone.

"House," he growled into the phone. There was nothing but silence on the other end. He gave it a few more seconds before he said, "Whoever you are, I'm hanging up now, goodnight." but before his finger reached the end call button he heard her voice...

"House, wait!"

House paused a moment, he couldn't believe his ears. Am I dreaming? He turned on the bedside lamp quickly and everything around him seemed real.

"Cuddy?" he asked into the phone.

There was silence for a few seconds and then Cuddy finally responded, "House, I'm...so sorry for waking you." She let out the breath she'd been holding.

House was stunned to hear her voice. "It's okay. Is something wrong? Is it Rachel? Did something happen?" He asked with a sense of urgency to his voice.

"No, I mean...everything's fine it's just that I wanted to check and make sure you were okay."

"It's after midnight, why wouldn't I be?" He asked. It may have been two years but he still knew her voice and he knew something was wrong.

"I had a dream," she told him.

"Okay..."

"Uh...it was a nightmare actually. Wilson called me and..."

"Oh hey, if Wilson called me in the middle of the night it'd be a nightmare too," House said trying to make light of the situation.

"It's not funny House. He called me to tell me you were dead!"

"Oh." He was not expecting that. "So, what was my preferred method this time? Vicodin overdose? Motorcycle accident? Liver failure? Shot by an angry patient or-"

"Shut up House!" She interjected. "You went to sleep in your office and never woke up," she said. She started to cry again.

House was silent for a moment. He thought about all the stupid shit he'd done in his life and thought it would be ironic if he actually went in the most peaceful serene way a person could go, in his sleep. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard her crying.

"Cuddy, listen, I'm fine. No need to get all weepy."

"I know House, I couldn't help it. Dammit, it seemed so real," she said sniffling.

"Listen, I'm okay, everything's fine," he said. After a moment he continued, "You know, this wasn't exactly how I pictured our first conversation in two years."

"Yeah, I know."

"It's good to hear your voice," he said softly.

"You too," she said, smiling on her end.

There was an awkward silence, both were unsure what to say next.

"House?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really okay?"

"As far as I know."

"Okay," she replied.

"Sorry to ruin the death wish you seem to have for me." He immediately regretted that remark. After all, she called him because she was really worried about him and he was making a joke of it.

"House, that's not what I meant. Look, maybe this was a bad idea," she said sadly.

House panicked for a moment. He had waited so long to talk to her, he knew he had to say something quickly before she hung up.

"Wait! Cuddy. I'm...I'm sorry," he said.

Cuddy could tell by the tone of his voice he really meant it. She took a deep breath and then replied, "Apology accepted."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Cuddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"House, you just apologized."

"Not about that. I mean...about...well...you know. I'm sorry." House swallowed hard, not sure if this was the right time.

After what appeared to House to be a long silence but was really only a few seconds, Cuddy replied. "I know, House." She knew he had been completely sincere.

House let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"House?"

"Yeah, Cuddy."

"I'm sorry too."

"I know," he said.

Neither House nor Cuddy said a word for a few minutes. Both lay in their respective beds not sure of the next move. Both wanted to say something but were holding back. Finally, Cuddy broke the silence.

"Well, I should go, I have to get up early."

"I know, five o'clock yoga, right?"

"You remembered."

"Yeah," he said. "Well, take care of yourself Cuddy."

"You too, House."

Though they had both intended to hang up, neither did. They lingered for a moment and this time House broke the silence.

"Cuddy?"

"Yeah?" She asked with a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"Thanks for the letters," he said.

"Your welcome," she replied. She seemed disappointed as if she expected him to say something else.

"Cuddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if...well...if I called sometime, just to make sure you're okay?" He asked. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Sure, House. You have my number now."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Well, goodnight House."

"Nite, Cuddy."

House and Cuddy are two dysfunctional and screwed up people. They are so much alike they don't even realize it...or maybe they do. You can't just throw these two idiots (for lack of a better word) back into a relationship overnight and expect everything to be hunky dory. Oh no, they have a lot to work through but they've made big strides already through baby steps.

Don't worry, more drama, angst, humor, and romance to come. Remember, I am writing this story for ALL of us!

After you leave a review, please go check out the great H/C fics here. You will not be disappointed at the amazing creativity!