A/N: Hi everyone. Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter, they made me smile! This picks up right where the last chapter left off. It is Friday afternoon...

House and Wilson spent two hours working out in the gym and in the pool. They challenged each other in laps and in the end Wilson won, but House got a good workout. They played foosball a bit to cool down and then went back to the suite, where House got in the Jacuzzi to give his leg some relief. The workout had been hard on him as had the swimming. His physical therapist had warned him that once he started regular workouts, he couldn't just stop because his muscle would atrophy. The regular exercise routine, which he hated initially, had helped with his pain, not just in his leg but in his neck and shoulder too. The muscle he had strengthened in his right leg helped to compensate for the missing thigh muscle and the muscles strengthened in his neck, back and shoulders did wonders for his posture and his ability to walk easier with and without his cane.

As he soaked in the Jacuzzi, he was thinking about the impending dinner with Cuddy and Wilson and wondering how it would go with the three of them. They hadn't had dinner together since Cuddy's birthday when her mother visited. He laughed to himself and thought; now that was some dinner. For him, the dinner wasn't as memorable as what happened later, much later.

As he recalled, it was around ten o'clock that evening, Rachel was in bed and Arlene was back at her hotel, the woman insistent upon not intruding on her daughter. Cuddy hadn't argued the point with her either. House showered while Cuddy lay on the bed reading hospital budget reports.

"Seriously? It's your birthday night and you're working?" House said with disappointment as he exited the bathroom in a towel, steam from the hot water still coming off his body.

"The Board meets in a few days, I'm just trying to stay a step ahead," she replied. She looked over at him in the towel and wolf-whistled.

"Like what you see?" House took a few steps, did a half turn, looked over his shoulder and then ripped the towel off and flung it on the floor. He shook his ass then turned around and smiled at her."

Cuddy laughed and patted his side of the bed. "Get over here you ass."

House jumped on the bed, not caring about the slight pain in his leg. He proceeded to inch his way over to her and as he did so, Cuddy placed the reports inside her nightstand, turned out the light and giggled as he made his way towards her. He groped her and she laughed some more.

House grabbed Cuddy and rolled her under him, leaving gentle kisses on her face, neck, and collarbone. He couldn't get enough of her, she smelled divine. Needing to see and feel all of her, he helped her pull her snug fitting tank top over her head and tossed it on the floor. He took a long look at her perfect breasts, taking each in his hand and caressing it gently. His tongue circled each nipple and sucked on them while Cuddy moaned beneath him. He took her lips in his and kissed her passionately, full of want and need. He kissed his way back down to her flat stomach and laid his cheek against her soft smooth skin. As he moved lower with his kisses he hit a ticklish spot just below her belly button. She giggled out loud and he stopped suddenly. He loved to hear her laughter and at that moment he looked up at her, taking in the loveliness before him. The room was dark except for the moonlight streaming through the windows, hitting her in just the right places. Her curls were spread out over her pillow and her face was slightly flushed. He took it all in thinking she was just absolutely stunning in that state. Not knowing how long he would be fortunate enough to be with her like this, he savored the moment and traced every detail of her to keep in his mind for the nights he was sure would eventually come, when he was all alone again in his cold, cruel, world.

"House, what is it?" She asked, sitting up and looking at him curiously.

He worked his way back up her body with light kisses and touches and when they were eye to eye, the only thing he could think of was how he could never get enough of her. What they had was more than a physical connection, it was so much deeper and while he tried to keep her at arm's length for years, even now, to avoid exposing too much of himself and becoming too vulnerable, his walls were slowly crumbling and he was finally admitting he was completely and totally in love with her. If they never had sex again, he'd still want to spend every waking moment with her for the rest of his life.

House gazed into Cuddy's eyes, which were dark with lust and longing and said quietly, in almost a whisper, "Cuddy, I know I don't tell you how I feel very often; it's just the way I am. I…I just want you to know that I think you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said, in that rich husky sexy voice he used only for her in moments like this when they were alone.

"Oh, House," she said as she closed her eyes.

House placed a gentle kiss on each eyelid and then the tip of her nose. He moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "I love you. I don't know where we'll be a week, a month, or a year from now but no matter what, please don't ever doubt that I have always loved you."

House looked at Cuddy and with his thumb, he wiped the tear that escaped her eye. She kissed him with everything she had and when they paused to take a breath of air, she said, "I love you too House, I have always loved you."

Before he made love to her for the first of many times that night, he whispered in her ear, "Happy Birthday, Cuddy."

House opened his eyes with a smile on his face recalling the memory of that night. While he constantly waited for the moment things would fall apart, he never imagined it would end the way it did. He'd tried blaming it on Cuddy's cancer scare and then the Vicodin that followed but he knew it was never really that, it was fear. They were doomed to failure from the start. There was no doubt they loved each other but fear of commitment, of what lay ahead, the unknown was difficult for two individuals who were consumed with control. Neither was willing to give up it up and just allow things to take their natural course. House knew if this second chance was going to work, they would have each be willing to work on that.

A few hours later, Wilson returned from a short informal lunch meeting with a few of his colleagues and entered the suite. The television was loud and House was asleep on the couch with the remote in his hand. Wilson chuckled to himself. He can sleep anywhere, he thought. For the first time in awhile, Wilson was relieved for House. He'd been worried about his friend so long because while House had done much to get his life in order, he knew something was missing, something that couldn't be replaced. Wilson had tried to introduce House to a few women he knew, but House never seemed interested. He also noticed that when House got out of prison he didn't indulge in hookers anymore. It seemed his friend wasn't interested in trying to form a relationship with another woman nor was he interested in casual sex. He tried approaching the subject with House a few times but House quickly changed the course of the conversation making it all about Wilson, of course.

A little while later Wilson was showered and dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt and House was awake and dressed in his regular attire of jeans and a button up, minus the tee shirt which was unusual for him. As House attempted to finger comb his hair, Wilson laughed at him.

"Only now after all these years you're attempting to comb that mess?"

"What? The ladies dig the gray streaks. Makes me look distinguished."

"Cuddy doesn't give a shit about your hair."

"I know that. I…just want to show her I'm making an attempt."

"She knows House, just be you, that's all. Trust me on this. She wants you to just be yourself, that's all she ever wanted."

"I've tried that, it didn't work."

"Oh no, don't you pull that crap with me. What you were doing was deflecting. You were afraid to just let yourself be, so you put up that damn wall of yours to keep her out." Wilson was waving his hands wildly while attempting to get his point across. "Listen, be you, be sarcastic, be annoying, be a pain in the ass if you want to. Just don't hide your feelings, don't shut her out."

"For a man who was married three times and almost a fourth, how the hell do you manage to still give halfway decent advice about women?"

"Years of practice my friend. You could say I'm living vicariously through you. If you get this right, that means there's hope for me."

House laughed as he poured himself a scotch. "You're living vicariously through me? Jimmy boy, all you have to do is bat your baby browns and the women fall at your feet."

"Yeah but none of them are like Cuddy."

House looked up at him surprised at his remark. "You wouldn't by chance have a secret thing for the former Dean would you?"

Wilson shook his head and replied, "To be honest, I never really thought of Cuddy that way, she's more like a sister, I know it sounds weird but there's just never been any spark between us."

"Thanks, 'cause I thought I'd have to fight you for her."

"You couldn't possibly think...," Wilson said, slightly flustered.

"No…I was just trying to get you all worked up and it worked."

"Cuddy has everything, beauty, brains, a sense of humor, and she's tough, she can take care of herself. I like that."

"She's also got a kickass bod."

"House, be serious."

"Okay I'm totally serious that she's got a kickass bod."

Wilson rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. "Come on Romeo let's go."

Cuddy was running around her kitchen putting the last minute touches on the dinner she'd prepared. She'd spent the better part of the day indulging in housekeeping, errands, and some playtime with Rachel. Now, the table was set, Rachel was bathed and dressed in one of her favorite outfits, it was completely mismatched but she had insisted on picking it out herself. Cuddy was dressed casually in dark blue Capri jeans and aqua blue v-neck shirt. She hadn't had time to put on her shoes yet when the doorbell rang.

Cuddy took a deep breath and before she could get to the door, Rachel beat her to it. Cuddy reminded her anxious daughter, "Rachel honey, remember, you never open the door until you know who it is."

"But mommy I can't see out the peep-thingy," Rachel said jumping up and down trying to reach the peephole that was way too high for her.

Cuddy looked at her and smirked. Her little girl looked so adorable. "Come here munchkin," she said picking Rachel up so she could see out the peephole. "Who's that?"

"Unca Jimmy and Howse!" she yelled and scrambled to get down from her mother's arms so she could open the door. "Mommy can I let them in?"

"Sure you can," she said just barely getting the words out before Rachel reached up and opened the door smiling wide at the two men before her.

"Unca Jimmy!" she said as she ran into Wilson's arms.

"Hey kiddo!"

"Did you bring me a prize?"

House chuckled as he watched Wilson reach into his pocket and pull out a yo-yo.

"Oh boy a yo-yo," she said excitedly.

House chimed in. "Yeah and it glows in the dark too, so you can play with it in your room when you're supposed to be sleeping."

Cuddy looked down at Rachel and said, "I don't think so," as she ushered the guys into the house.

She followed them in and as Rachel led Wilson into her room to see her latest toys, House turned to Cuddy and took in an eyeful. She could feel his eyes roaming over her as he moved them up and down taking in her outfit.

"Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?" She asked.

"Well if you are referring to the fact that you're wearing too much, then yeah. Otherwise, the ladies are certainly looking fabulous this evening. I'm sure they're excited to see Wilson no doubt."

She smiled coyly and the moved closer to him looking up into his deep blue eyes. "Yes, they are very excited to see Wilson," and she walked past him into the kitchen, leaving House speechless.

This is going to be a long night, House thought to himself as he followed her, watching the way her ass swayed side to side. He thought to himself, that is the finest ass I've ever seen.

"Hey House," Wilson yelled from Rachel's room. "You've got to see this."

Cuddy laughed as she turned around and watched House go into Rachel's room. Rachel loved science and had a lot of science toys. Cuddy was sure she wanted to share them with the guys. She smiled to herself and thought, knowing them; they'll do more playing with them than she will.

A few minutes later, Wilson entered the kitchen where Cuddy was putting the finishing touches on dinner. He hugged her and said, "It's so good to see you," he said. "You look good."

"Thanks Wilson, so do you. Where are House and Rachel?" She asked as she hugged him back.

"Rachel is currently explaining the theory of gravity to him, well as best as a child can. When did she become so interested in science?"

"She finds it fascinating. She loves to ask questions, has to know why things are work the way they do."

"I think House definitely rubbed off on her."

"I think so too."

"So, are things okay with you?" He asked.

"You mean are things okay with House?"

"Well...yeah."

"Oh Wilson," she said putting her hand on his arm. "Some things never change, do they?" She asked him as she turned back to her cutting board.

"I just wanted to make sure...," he left off figuring she knew what he meant.

"I know and I appreciate your concern. House and I have been talking and we're trying to move past the things we've done to each other and work on figuring out where to go from here."

"I know it isn't easy. He hurt you a lot."

"I hurt him too."

"I know."

"Listen, I know you mean well," she said as she chopped the last of the tomatoes, "and I appreciate your concern for me, for both of us. We started with forgiving each other, the rest...well we're working on that. It'll take time but it actually feels good to be where we are right now."

Wilson shook his head in agreement. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay with him being here, I mean it really hasn't been that long since you started talking to one another again."

"In all honesty, most of the anger is gone. He and I even talked about it, in fact...he pushed me to lash out against him. He needed me to scream and yell at him for what he did that day. It needed to come out and when it did, it felt good. I think he felt relieved too. Afterwards, it was like this weight lifted. You know," she shook her head and laughed, "he's always known how to get to me, he's always known exactly what I need. I don't know how he does it. I guess, to answer your question Wilson, yeah I'm glad he's here and I don't give a goddamn what anyone thinks about it."

Wilson smiled. "That's great, it really is Cuddy."

"Yeah. It's good to see him. I really missed him. I guess it's because he's been part of my life for so long, I took for granted his presence in it and I think he did the same with me. Who would have thought after everything that happened, we'd be here, in my house, like this...talking, laughing. And yet here we are. We got another chance to try and make things right and I have to believe that there's a reason for it."

House and Rachel joined them in the kitchen as Cuddy finished her sentence.

"My ears are burning," House said as he stole a grape tomato from the salad.

"Let 'em keep burning House and get your fingers out of the salad, thank you," Cuddy said. Even with her back turned she knew what he was doing.

"Mommy, I showed Howse my new putty," she said looking up at her mother.

Wilson looked at House. "Her what?"

"Cuddy got her some of that glowing aura putty; it's a science toy for kids. You can bounce it, tear it, and stretch it and all kinds of cool stuff. It glows in the dark too. Pretty cool huh kid?" House said looking at Rachel.

"Yeah!"

House looked down at Rachel who was grinning from ear to ear. He smiled at her innocence and wished she'd never have to grow up and see the world for what it really was.

"Okay guys, dinner's ready," Cuddy said. She opened the oven and took out the enormous pan of lasagna she'd baked.

"Holy cow, woman what are you guys going to eat?" House's eyes got big looking at the delicious food in the pan.

"There's enough for all of us House, don't be a pig. C'mon guys let's go."

House and Wilson picked up the salad, wine and bread and took them into the dining room followed by Cuddy, Rachel and the lasagna. They all took their places at the table.

Cuddy told the guys to dig in as she served Rachel a small salad. Wilson and House jumped right into the lasagna.

"Oh wow, this is delicious," Wilson said.

"Hey there's meat in this. I thought you were a vegetarian," said House.

"Of course I am, those are meatless crumbles."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Meatless crumbles. Boca makes them from Soy."

"You're telling me this isn't meat?" He asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"That's right," Cuddy seemed proud that she had fooled him.

"Well, what the hell Cuddy? I require sustenance, not this soy shit."

"House! Don't curse around Rachel."

"Mommy, what is shit?" Rachel asked innocently.

"Oh God," Cuddy said giving House the look. Meanwhile, Wilson stuffed his mouth with another bite of lasagna trying not to laugh out loud.

House got the hint from Cuddy's evil eye, then looked at Rachel and said, "You shouldn't say that word, it's bad."

"But you said it," Rachel challenged.

House looked at Cuddy who had her head in her hands. "She is so your daughter," he said.

Cuddy looked up and glared at him. "Okay, House no more cursing. Rachel, don't say that word again." Looking at Wilson she said, "And Wilson, stop laughing."

Everyone went back to their meal as Wilson and Cuddy discussed things at their respective hospitals. House just listened as he ate, not participating too much in the conversation, every now and then looking over to Cuddy to see how she reacted to Wilson's questions. He felt slightly uncomfortable when they talked about Foreman as Interim Dean at Princeton-Plainsboro. After all, it was yet another reminder of the repercussions of House's actions and he didn't want to be reminded.

Wilson noticed House's unusual silence. "House, you okay?"

"Yep, just listening."

"You never listen."

"Wilson, why do you hurt me so?" House asked as he put his hand over his heart.

Wilson rolled his eyes and turned back to Cuddy and continued the discussion. Rachel leaned over to House and out of the blue she said, "I'm glad you're here."

He just looked at her with a surprised expression. "You are?"

"Uh huh. Mommy's happy now."

"Really." He said as he looked over at Cuddy who was talking to Wilson and illustrating her point wildly with her hands in the air. He always loved the way she'd use her hands when she told a story. He continued to watch her, amazed at how even though some things about her had changed, so much remained the same.

Cuddy caught him watching her and she gave him a quick smile before looking back to Wilson to finish telling her story.

Eventually the conversation turned to a subject House could sink his teeth into...Cuddy's mother.

"So, how's Julia holding up?" Wilson asked.

"Actually she's doing well. It's taking her awhile to adjust but she finally got the house and cars switched over to her name and the insurance stuff settled which was a huge relief. Mom's been staying with her and it's really helped."

"Your mother? Helpful?" House laughed, nearly choking on his lasagna.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm surprised Julia isn't an alcoholic by now with your mother living in the same house."

"Hey, mom has changed...some since you last...since her hip surgery. Once her health improved, she actually got a little nicer."

"Yeah, dear old mom."

"Mom has her quirks but she really does care. She even liked you."

"After I saved her life, sure she liked me, they all do," he said with a hint of arrogance.

Suddenly Rachel chimed in, "I like gramma."

House chuckled, looked at Cuddy, and nodded in Rachel's direction. "Give her a few years, she'll change her tune."

"Come on, I'm serious. Of course she's still a pain in the a-you know what," she caught herself before she cursed in front of Rachel. "But she's really been there for Julia."

"Your mom is a piece of work Cuddy." Wilson said.

"Well, I'll give you that. I remember how she used to drive my dad crazy at times; she likes to be in control and it's her way or no way."

"Sounds like someone we all know."

Cuddy looked at House with a raised eyebrow. "Just what are you saying?"

Wilson watched the interaction between the two, wondering how far he would let it go before he intervened.

"Hey, I'm just making an observation."

"Just because I like things a certain way...there's nothing wrong with that." She said defensively.

House laughed.

"Hey, you're not being fair."

"Listen Cuddy, you don't just like things a certain way, they have to be perfect. You have to plan everything far in advance and then you stay up all night anticipating every conceivable outcome, every possible problem. You have to be the decision maker and if things don't go just as planned, it makes you crazy."

Wilson nodded his head in agreement but neither of them noticed.

"I do not. I just believe...I just have a certain way I like to do things...the right way."

House laughed again then took a sip of his wine.

Cuddy was flustered. "Why are we talking about me here? I was talking about my mom and then you started on this whole control freak thing." Her cheeks were flushed from the wine and she was flailing her hands wildly.

"Listen sweet cheeks, when it comes to you and your mother, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And that one there," he pointed at a smiling Rachel stuffing her face with lasagna, "is going to be just like her mother."

Cuddy rolled her eyes and then looked at Wilson. "A little help here?"

Wilson just threw his hands in the air and said, "I'm staying out of this."

"Seriously?" House and Cuddy asked at the same time, both looking at Wilson when they said it, and then they looked at one another and burst out laughing.

Wilson picked up his glass of wine and emptied it, then proceeded to pour himself another. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

After dinner, Wilson and Cuddy cleaned up while House took Rachel into the living room to await dessert. Rachel kept looking at House with those big eyes and unsure what she wanted to do, he turned on the television and tried to find something to watch.

"Howse where ya been?" Rachel asked suddenly, looking up at him with that innocent face.

House worried this moment would come and had hoped when it did, Cuddy would be there to help him. Now that he had to deal with it all alone he got nervous, not wanting to say the wrong thing but also wanting to be as truthful as he could in a way that a young child would understand.

He looked down at her then at his hands holding the remote in his lap. "Kid, it's a long story but a couple of years ago when you were younger, I got sick and it made me…I did some bad things I'm not proud of."

"What did you do?"

He thought about how to answer that. He never believed in sugar coating anything but with Rachel it was different, he didn't want her to know the exact truth because he didn't want to scare her.

"I hurt some people I care about a great deal."

Rachel looked at him thoughtfully. "Did you hurt mommy?"

"What makes you say that?" God, he thought, this kid is too smart for her own good.

"When you left mommy cried a lot," she said sadly.

House didn't know how to react to that. He also wasn't sure how far to go with the conversation.

"I…uh…did some things that were not so nice and it made your mommy very sad and I'm really sorry for that."

"But where did you go?"

He thought about how to answer that. He couldn't go into detail but he always tried to be honest with her. "Well…when you do something wrong, what does your mom do to you?"

"I get punished."

"Right, but how does she punish you?"

Rachel looked toward the ceiling thoughtfully then replied, "She puts me in time out and takes away my toys."

"Well…in a way, that's what happened to me."

"Somebody put you in time out and take away your toys?" Rachel looked confused.

"Yeah I guess you could say that."

"Are you still sick?" She asked with a look of concern on her little face.

"No, I'm getting better every day."

"Do you hurt?" She asked in a sad tone as she gently patted his right thigh.

"Yes it still hurts, it will always hurt." He noticed the sad look on Rachel's face. "But it hurts a lot less now that I'm here," he said to reassure her. It worked because she smiled at him.

Rachel crawled onto House's lap and hugged him tightly. He wasn't sure what to do at first, but eventually he put his arms around her.

"What's that for kid?"

"When mommy takes me outta time out she hugs me and tells me she forgives me so now I hug and forgive you."

House didn't know what to say. His eyes misted over. If only life was that simple, he thought.

"Thanks kid."

"Okay now?" She asked looking at him smiling.

"Yeah, I think so."

From the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, Cuddy stood in shock just having heard the intimate conversation between House and Rachel. Neither one of them could see her but she had seen and heard everything. Slowly she backtracked into the kitchen where Wilson was getting another mug of coffee.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I forgot something," she said. She seemed unsure what to do next.

"Cuddy, something happened in there."

"It's just, all this is happening so fast. I mean…I'm glad he's here but this morning he asked me what this was…me and him."

"Is there something?"

"Wilson there's always been something. But now things are different, I mean he's here, and he's in there with Rachel and she loves him…"

"Do you love him?"

"I never stopped loving him. It's just not that easy."

"Cuddy, it is that easy. The two of you have this…this thing nobody else has ever figured out and you keep getting sucked back into each other's lives. Two years ago I'd tell you that you two were crazy to even think about talking again much less seeing each other in person like you are now. House insists people don't change but he's dead wrong. He has changed and so have you."

"What if we make the same mistakes again? What if we work through our past issues but other things come up again and we do the same stupid shit all over again?"

"You just face it together, you don't walk away." Wilson put down the mug of coffee and moved closer to her, putting his hands on her shoulders gently. "Cuddy, it's rare you find that one person that you feel complete with. I loved Amber and she was the most amazing woman I'd ever met. For me she was that person who made me feel complete and I lost her. I don't know if I will find anyone who can make me feel that way again but you better believe if I do, I'm never letting her go. You and House...you guys love each other and you care a great deal for one another. You've both made mistakes and you've hurt each other and you'll do that again, it's human nature. But something deep down, something none of us can explain, keeps pulling you together. Stop fighting it, just go with it. Don't give in to fear because you'll regret it the rest of your life. You know that."

"I know." She gave Wilson a hug. "I've missed this…you, me, House. It just feels so insanely normal."

"It is insane but it's our normal and I've missed it too. It's not the same back home without you." He pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Hang in there; everything's going to be okay."

Cuddy placed her hands on his arms and looked into his eyes. "Thanks. You always know what to say. Come on, House is going to think we're making out if we don't get out there soon."

Cuddy and Wilson walked into the living room with coffee and dessert and were shocked at the sight before them. House was on the couch, head resting on the back of it, his shoeless feet were propped up on the coffee table. Sitting on his good leg and snuggled up against him was Rachel. Both of them were passed out cold.

As a tear slipped from Cuddy's eye at the scene in front of her, Wilson pulled out his phone and said, "I've got to get a picture of this."

Well, there you go. I spent some time thinking about the dinner. I didn't want them going into too much about personal things with Rachel at the table, but I wanted a little of the old banter. Remember, House and Cuddy have a lot of things to work through, and it will take time, but they are making progress and that is important here. I'm striving for believability here and keeping them in character. I hope I do them justice. I'm a sucker for consistency so please if you happen to catch a glitch let me know. The longer a story gets, the more a writer has to work to be sure to keep things consistent.

Please leave a review on the way out. Also, if you don't have a FF account you can still review. Just type your name over the word "Guest" when you review so I know who you are! Jess