A/N: I've got the next several chapters mapped out. I know where I want it to go from here and how I want it to end. Prepare for more angst, drama and romance.

I'd like to thank those who have reviewed this story: dlmarch 21, chloe, huddyloverxox, Alex, Huddygirl, OldSFFan, Abby, IHeartHouseCuddy, LiaHuddy, TVIsForever, CacauHousemaniaca, sissicuddles, Laurieesc, freeasabird14, Hspirito, jkarr, Pdubou, LapizSilkwood, lin12344, GratefulInsomniac, lenasti16, truth, CherokeeJedi, Raquel9, bladesmum, Lusine, housebound, 6cbrilhante, Houseocdfan, Sarah C, TDCSI, Josam, suzmum, time, Anny Rodrigues, alchukina, Lau, jaybe61, Reader, huddyholic, hfspc, southpaw2, Laurie, newdayz, Roby, Mon Fogel, LoveMyHouse, suzieqlondon, XxRawrSmoresxX, precioussoulandsweetcheeksii n1, MsStevieCooper, dk239418, TheMollyBee, Alltheloveintheworld, Jane, anan, Amber SanGiovanni, melo03, berenice, chloe2007, Heather, Louisexoxo, Ashley, cantstopobsessing, imazebra, sam, clarebear14, alddi, Rhastahippy, LEfan77, Lana, PrincetonBlues, Huddycat, Jane Q. Doe, tomken, ChiGrlTp, iamawallflower, hughsoulingregsmind, tina, sindy, ruby, belali, SweetSauce, rossella, ifiloseitall, anon, Little Greg, BakerStreetBlues, JamHuddyFan, Dani, allthingsdecent, superboetti, Gaia, CGCath, Parijantaiyou, bigboss, Asia, Wow, ellen, fanHouse07, limptulip, Alice, yahnis, hpMarauder4Life, NewGirlJess, harpomarx, CroftEli77, Kermie, andreecampbell, maya295, Camila, dalilita, Liv, KatieF-House, Hughismagic, DehMD, IaneCasey, huddy-lover-gregandlisaforeva, frootloops, Lore Noble, Bobby and all of the guests.

In this chapter, it's still Monday but we're taking a trip to Boston to see how things are going with Cuddy as she resumes her life there. Things are going to be progressing at a pretty good pace from here on out.

After her last lecture of the day, Cuddy exited the lecture hall intending to head to Sharon's office to see if she wanted to grab a late lunch in the cafeteria. As luck would have it, Sharon was already waiting for her when she stepped out of the classroom.

"Hey," Cuddy said as she spotted her friend. "I was just on my way to see you."

"Hey, yourself." Sharon gave her a hug. "I had a feeling you'd want to talk."

"Sorry I haven't been in touch in a few days."

"No, don't apologize. I know you've been very busy." Sharon winked as she emphasized the word busy. "You hungry?" She asked.

"Starved."

"So, how are things?" Sharon asked as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"Things are good." Cuddy beamed.

"You're smiling."

"I'm tired, but I'm in a good mood."

Sharon stopped and turned to her. "Oh my god, you had sex with him!"

"Sharon!" Cuddy's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the people in front of them turned their heads hearing that part of the conversation.

Sharon chuckled and leaned close to Cuddy, linking their arms together. "Woman, in the two years I've known you, I've never seen you smile like this."

"It was amazing." Cuddy replied happily, her cheeks still flushed. "It was always amazing with him but now after all that time apart, it was just...really special. It wasn't just about sex. Of course it never was with us but this time it felt like a promise of something more."

Sharon was amazed by the change in her friend. "Wow, it must have been something. Look at you. When you talk about him you're practically glowing."

"I remember you telling me you would have advised anyone else to run." She put her hand on Sharon's arm and said, "Thank you for not encouraging me to do that."

Sharon laughed and grabbed a tray. "You're welcome. So, is he going to take the offer?"

"Definitely."

"How will it affect his job?"

"His job has to come first...but knowing House, he'll figure something out."

"So he's going to be with you and Rach more often."

"I hope, he's thinking once a week."

"Wow, that's pretty serious. So how did he and Rachel get along?" She asked as they paid for their food.

"Great. She is so attached and there are times I swear she's a mini version of him." They found an empty table in a corner of the cafeteria and sat down. Cuddy groaned. Her feet were killing her after standing on them most of the day.

"What happens now?"

Cuddy sighed and stabbed at her salad. "We just keep doing what we're doing I guess."

"You want more."

"Sure, we both do. The distance is going to be an issue."

Sharon waved her fork at Cuddy. "It doesn't have to be."

Cuddy shrugged. "We have to talk about it eventually. We can't avoid the issue like we did with Rachel. When we first got together, Rachel was the elephant in the room. We didn't talk about our future because then we'd have to talk about her and I wasn't sure I wanted to know how he felt. I knew he didn't want to be a dad so we just..worked around it. Now, everything is different, we have to talk about everything or it won't work."

"Did you discuss the future?"

"Not directly but we hinted around. This isn't an experiment to see if we can work, it's the real deal, we're all in. The thing is, long distance sucks and one of us will have to move eventually. He can't give up his job and I can't give up mine."

"Can't or won't?"

"Who? Me?"

"Both of you."

"I don't want to move again, not for a while. I like it here and I'm close enough to my mom and sister and Rachel is in a great school, she's got friends and...it's good here for her...for us. Also, I can't imagine going back to Princeton and working at that hospital. Even if I were just a practicing physician there, it would be weird considering I was once the boss. I don't think either of us would want to make Princeton our permanent home anyway, we'd need a place that didn't remind us of our mistakes, our baggage."

"I have to agree with you. What about House moving here?"

"I don't know if he'd want to leave."

"Have you asked him?"

"No, I just don't want to push him. House is a creature of habit. His clothes, the apartment, his job, most everything in his life has been the same for so long, it's the way he likes it."

"Never assume. Look where it's gotten you two in the past."

"True," Cuddy nodded in agreement. "Let me ask you something. Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. The question is...do you think you're moving too fast? Does anything between you feel forced?"

"No, it actually feels right for once. It feels normal, at least normal for us. It's just sometimes...I wonder."

"It's okay to wonder and to have second thoughts, it's human nature. Just remember when the little voice starts nagging at you about what other people would do, you've got to remind yourself that you're not everyone else, you are Lisa Cuddy and what works for you is all that matters. I know it's a hard habit to break but you're getting better at it."

"I am."

Sharon put her hand on Cuddy's arm. "Listen, if I got the sense that you were hesitating or that you weren't ready, I might say slow down a bit but that's not the case. Things between you are progressing naturally, yes at a somewhat faster pace than one might have expected but this is you and House, you've known each other for so long and your relationship is so unique, what works for you guys might not work for anyone else and that's fine Lisa. You're happier than I've ever seen you and it seems you and House are positive forces in each other's lives now. You'll have bad days sure, but you'll have just as many good ones and don't forget that bad times help us appreciate the good times even more. As your friend, I say go with it Lisa, enjoy it. We so rarely get second...or even third chances."

Cuddy smiled faintly, understanding the emphasis on third chances. "I can honestly tell he's changed. He's really trying this time."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yes, but only if he wants to change and I believe he does. I know he really wants to be happy. I love House for who he is, I always have, but I always hated that he was so miserable and that he felt he didn't deserve happiness. He wouldn't allow himself to feel it. After the infarction and Stacy leaving him all he had was his work, the booze, vicodin and the goddamn hookers. His work was the only thing that meant anything to him, the rest was just filler. He was so sad and sometimes I felt sorry for him, other times I got angry at him for not even trying. It's like he was afraid to try. You don't know how many nights I'd lie awake wishing I could do something to ease his pain. When we were together finally, I felt his presence physically but there were times...I didn't feel the rest of him there with me. He just never could completely let himself go and then, unfortunately, neither did I. The more he held back, the more I did too. I am as much at fault as he is for ruining things, but if you could have been me and felt the immense sadness within him...it was...overwhelming. Like House, I wondered every day if it would be our last."

When she finished, Cuddy was in tears. It pained her greatly to think about how much sadness and pain House had suffered over the years, mostly due to his own fears.

Sharon put a hand on her friend's arm. "Oh, Lisa."

"I have loved him for so long and even when I hated him and wanted him out of my life, I still loved him. The thing is until now I could never really have him because his pain had too great a hold on him. Now…he's facing his pain head-on and dealing with it and he's letting me in. Sometimes it's overwhelming, just because I'm not used to it. We actually have a shot at making it. Sometimes it scares the shit out of me but I wouldn't trade him for anything." Cuddy wiped her eyes and continued, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so emotional."

Sharon reassured her friend. "Don't apologize. You're only human Lisa, you don't need to hide your feelings."

Just as Cuddy opened her mouth to reply, her phone rang. Her face lit up as she recognized the number.

"It's House." Nice timing, she thought.

"Go ahead. I've got to run to the bathroom anyway," Sharon winked as she left their booth.

"I was just thinking about you," she whispered seductively into the phone.

"Do you always answer your phone like that? Or were you expecting Wilson to call you?" House asked, grinning on the other end of the line.

"Shut up before you ruin the mood. Anyway, how are you?"

"Better now that I'm talking to you."

"Such a smooth operator."

"What's going on there?" He asked, before taking a large bite out of his Ruben.

"I'm having a late lunch with Sharon. What about you? I'm surprised to hear from you."

"What? A guy can't a guy call his girlfriend for no reason?"

Cuddy grinned at the word girlfriend. It had been a long time since he'd called her that. "I just figured you'd be busy you know...working."

"Got no case and the kids are in the clinic. It gave me a chance to delete all my email, watch some porn and make Wilson take me to lunch."

"Naturally," she rolled her eyes at his remark. It was nice to know some things never changed.

"Speaking of, we've got to get him a girlfriend."

"I'll get right on it," she replied sarcastically.

House decided to change course. "I got a call from Baker this morning."

Cuddy frowned thinking the worst. "They aren't having second thoughts, are they?"

"They changed the deal."

"What?" Her stomach did a flip-flop.

"Yeah. They don't want me lecturing a class; they want me to lecture to students and faculty. They prefer one lecture a month, but I can do more if I want. I get three thousand per lecture plus expenses."

Cuddy sighed in relief, glad that they still wanted him though her heart sank at the thought that she might not see him as often as she'd hoped. Focusing on his good news she continued. "So, what made them change their minds?"

"They thought weekly lectures would be a bit much for my schedule here and they decided they wanted a broader audience. I'm more popular than I thought. Who knew?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Well at least I don't need to hold office hours and that's fine with me."

"When do you start?"

"Anytime. I need to get my lectures together."

"You're actually going to plan them?"

"Well, duh. What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't plan?" He asked, his tone filled with sarcasm.

"I'm happy for you," she said sincerely, though a hint of sadness in her voice.

House noticed it immediately. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Cuddy was ready to lie and say nothing was wrong so as not to worry him, but she didn't want to repeat old patterns of hiding their true feelings.

"I thought I'd get to see you more often," she said softly.

"You will. I'm coming to visit you, remember?"

"Maybe it was wishful thinking? I mean your schedule is usually pretty hectic."

"Are you having second thoughts?" House asked nervously. On the other end of the phone, he sat, listening to the tone in her voice and gripping his cane tightly. "Cuddy, talk to me," he said.

"Of course I'm not having second thoughts. It's just…I miss you," she confessed.

"I was planning to come see you Friday anyway but I'm going to try to get in the first lecture while I'm there. Then, we'll have all weekend to ourselves. How's that?"

"Sounds good," she said quietly. She felt goosebumps up and down her arms thinking of the moment when she'd see him again.

"I miss you too you know," he said.

Cuddy smiled in relief. She'd known it but it meant a lot to her to hear him say it. "I know. Listen, we can Skype later if you want."

"Will you be naked?"

"Maybe...if Rachel's asleep," she teased. "But if I know her, she'll want to talk to you so make sure you're clothed."

"You're a tease, you know that right?"

"Yep."

"You know, I could skate out of here and be in Boston in a few hours."

Cuddy's heart skipped a beat. "You can't just pick up and leave anytime you want."

"Says who?"

"House, you have responsibilities."

"So? When has that ever stopped me?"

"True," she replied. Secretly she wished that he would leave but she'd never tell him that. She looked up just as Sharon walked back to the table with two plates of chocolate cake in her hand, smiling at Cuddy.

"Cuddy, I like my job but I like you more."

"You're just saying that," she teased, but in the back of her mind she recalled his words to her her that drunken, rainy night. I'll always choose you, he'd said and he meant it. The thought made her giddy inside.

On the other end, House was going to say something witty when Chase walked into his office, folder in hand, and followed by the minions. He looked like he was in a hurry and he walked right up to House, tossed a folder on his desk and said, "We've got a case." The fellows stood there watching House curiously. He wanted to continue his conversation with Cuddy but not in front of them.

Cuddy heard Chase's voice in the background and then silence. "House?"

"Sorry, kids just brought me a case."

"Well, at least you won't be bored now. Call me later okay?"

"Definitely."

"Bye," she said. She heard him reply then the phone disconnected.

Sharon sat down and pushed a plate of cake over to Cuddy. "I figured you could use this," she said.

"How did you know?" Cuddy's eyes were wide looking at the huge pice of chocolate cake with chocolate icing on her plate. It wasn't often she broke her ban on sweets for something like this but she remembered...change was good.

"Trust me, you need chocolate."

Cuddy took a bite of the cake and moaned, "Oh my God this is delicious! What did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Well actually, if it wasn't for House, we never would've met."

"Hmm...that's true." Cuddy pondered how something so wonderful and good could come out of something so bad.

"So, how is he?"

"House? Oh he's fine. He told me something interesting on the phone. The hospital amended the offer they made to him. Apparently they don't want him teaching a class, they'd rather he lecture to students and faculty, at least once a month."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How does he feel about that?"

"I don't think he was all that keen on the idea of holding office hours and meeting with students so this is good."

"When does he start?"

"Surprisingly, this Friday. He was just supposed to come visit but he's going to give his first lecture too. He still thinks he can get up here every week though."

"So what's wrong?"

"I mentioned it might be too much and he immediately thought I had changed my mind about things."

"You reassured him right?"

"I was honest, I told him I knew how hectic his schedule was there, but that I missed him."

"Good."

Cuddy sighed. "After all we've been through over the years, what the hell are we waiting for?"

"For things to be perfect?" Sharon asked curiously.

"They'll never be perfect. I just want to be with him."

"Then be with him."

"How?"

"Just tell him what you've told me. Tell him how much you want to be with him, that you want to spend the rest of your life with him because face it...you and I know that's the truth. Don't assume you know what he does or doesn't want. Don't be afraid of what he might think, just tell him. Lisa..you and me...we're not getting any younger, we have to hold on to what we have. If you want to be with House, then do what it takes to make it happen."

Cuddy picked at her cake a bit, deep in thought.

"Lisa? What are you thinking?"

Cuddy put her fork down. "Right after we broke up, House went off the deep end and I buried myself in work trying to ignore his bullshit. Remember that mess I told you about...when we treated mom and House saved her life...in a rather unorthodox manner? Well, she pulled a stunt to get us together again. She threatened to sue us for how malpractice."

"Well, that certainly doesn't sound like Arlene," Sharon said rolling her eyes. She knew Arlene and it was exactly something she'd do.

"Yeah, she tried making herself our common enemy so we would work together as a team, against her. When I called her on it, she said that House and I were both idiots, that no one else would put up with either of us." Cuddy shook her head at the memory of that day.

"Well, she wasn't exactly wrong there," Sharon replied.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at that remark but continued. "When I told her we weren't getting back together, she told me I was an idiot with impossible standards."

That remark made Sharon laugh. "Yep, that doesn't sound like Arlene at all," she replied sarcastically. "That woman knows you too well."

Cuddy sighed. "Let's just let the fact that she was right be our little secret, shall we?"

"Oh, most definitely," Sharon replied with a chuckle, raising a forkful of cake at Cuddy, she made a toast. "To mothers...may they never find out that they were right and may they never, ever find out that we know it."

"Here, here!" Cuddy replied with a devilish grin as she raised her own forkful of chocolatey goodness in solidarity.

Thanks for reading, please leave your comments on the way out! We're moving right along here. More to come very soon.