A/N: Glad you all liked the last chapter. I really enjoy writing House and Cuddy going through their angst and drama. I think it serves to help them grow and become stronger together.

"How long were you planning to stay?" He asked out of the blue.

She hadn't expected that question. "Well...I figured we'd probably leave Tuesday morning. Why?"

"I thought you might want to go to therapy with me on Tuesday and then...Philadelphia."

Cuddy felt an overwhelming sense of relief and wanted to jump for joy but tried not to make a big deal out of it.

"Okay," she said.

"Good," he replied.

It was as simple as that. She thought he'd fight her on it but he actually wanted her there. Her thoughts drifted to all the things Nolan might want to talk about during the session.

As if House could read her mind, he stopped chopping and glanced over at her and said, "Stop thinking so much. It'll be fine."

The weekend passed quickly. House, Cuddy and Rachel spent some time alone at the apartment and went over to Wilson's for dinner. The four of them went to a park at the outskirts of Princeton to watch the sailboat races and Rachel made Cuddy promise she would buy her a motorized sailboat to play with when they got back to Boston. And even though House was on sick leave he'd been called in because they had a case. Cuddy went with him late Sunday night, after they dropped Rachel off with Wilson. She sat in on the differentials, offering her input. It was the first time she'd seen his new team in action and it was interesting, they didn't seem to have the same dynamic as his old teams. The two young female doctors kept looking at her oddly but she just ignored them. The group sat there in the diagnostics conference room late at night, going through medical books and jotting down symptoms on the whiteboard until the early morning hours when they finally figured out the diagnosis. House's leg was still in a lot of pain and he'd spent too much time on it over the weekend so they decided to stay inside at his apartment all day relaxing.

On Tuesday morning, House and Cuddy woke early so they could get an early start. House didn't want to get up too early but Cuddy knew that he would need extra time because of his leg. Neither had spoken about the upcoming appointment with Nolan since Friday night. After dropping a sleeping Rachel off with Wilson, who had agreed to take the day off to spend with her, they headed for the physical therapy clinic at the hospital. When they arrived, it was early enough where most of the regular shift staff had not arrived yet. As they entered the double doors of the clinic, House saw immediately that his therapist Vince was working with a patient. Vince acknowledged them and told them he'd be with them shortly and instructed House to begin his stretching routine. The fact that House was limping worse than usual did not go unnoticed by the young physical therapist.

House limped over to a locker and placed his backpack and Cuddy's purse in it, then took two mats from a shelf nearby. He took off his jacket and hung it on the wall. He was clad in his tee-shirt and sweatpants.

"You want me to stretch with you?" Cuddy asked, nodding to the two mats in his hand.

"Well you can sit there and ogle my hot bod or yeah, you can stretch with me." House placed his mat on the floor and placed his cane on a bench near them.

Cuddy rolled her eyes at him. "Fine." She grabbed a mat from him and laid it on the floor in front of her.

"There are fifteen stretches I have to do starting with the chest."

Cuddy watched House begin his stretches and then she followed his movements. She could tell he was in a lot of pain because he began sweating not long after he began his stretches. She was in awe over his ability to compose himself in that much pain. She watched him swing his arms behind his back and clasp his hands and stretch his upper back, upper arms, back and torso. He seemed a bit off balance and when she reached out to help, he gave her a look that signaled he didn't want it. Finally he finished the upper body stretches and prepared to stretch his hamstrings and his thighs.

"Need your help with this," he said. It took him longer to get himself settled on the floor and when he did he let out a loud groan. He knew she heard it and he looked up at her.

"Goddamn I hate this," he said, referring to the pain.

"I know you do. What can I do to help you?"

"See the chart up on the wall? There are illustrations you can use to help me."

"Okay," she said. Cuddy walked over to the chart on the wall and took in the illustrations on it then turned back to House and kneeled in front of him.

"Ready?"

"Yep."

Vince had completed his work with his patient when he turned to watch Cuddy helping House with his lower body exercises. House was instructing Cuddy on how to help support his right leg as he stretched and Vince watched quietly. He noticed immediately how they seemed to move in sync like a well-oiled machine. When they finished and she helped him up, House went to the bathroom and Vince took the opportunity to introduce himself to Cuddy.

He stretched out his hand to Cuddy. "Hi, I'm Vince Green and you...are Dr. Lisa Cuddy."

"How did you know?"

"I've seen your picture," he said, grinning. He leaned towards her as if telling her a secret. "But you're even more beautiful than that old worn pic he carries around in his wallet. Besides, who else would you be?"

Cuddy smiled at the thought of House carrying a picture of her in his wallet. "Thank you and please call me Lisa." She didn't recognize him as one of the staff she'd hired. "Are you new here?"

"I've been here about a year," he said. "You know...people still talk about you."

"Oh." Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable.

He took a step forward and smiled in an effort to ease her mind. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. You did a lot of great things at this hospital and people still talk about that. As a matter of fact, this clinic was expanded and funded because of your work. You did some amazing things for Princeton-Plainsboro."

Cuddy nodded and blushed slightly at the compliment. "We had some generous donors whose money made it all possible."

"Indeed it did, but don't sell yourself short; a lot of people owe you a debt of gratitude. Let's just say that you are greatly missed." He gave her a genuine smile of appreciation.

Cuddy smiled back and then with a seriousness in her voice, she said, "Vince, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do people really talk? You know what I mean."

"I'll be nothing but honest with you because you deserve that. Most people here know what happened between you and Greg and I am guessing it might be a little uncomfortable for you to come back. I've gotten to know a lot of people here and I don't hear much about it anymore so I can only assume everyone has moved on. It's often been said that you and Greg always had a unique relationship that nobody else could figure out. They say you danced around each other and played games years before you got together."

She looked down at the floor. "We did," she said quietly.

"I've also heard that given your long history and your personalities, it's no surprise it blew up like it did but that it would be no surprise if you two eventually ended up together again."

Cuddy was taken by surprise. "They said that?"

"You two obviously had something special and maybe you still do. That's between the two of you and nobody else's business. I'll say this-Greg has talked a lot about you since he started coming here." He shook his head smirking. "People love to talk to their therapists; I have no idea why."

"Thank you Vince." She smiled genuinely, appreciating his honesty. "I can see why House likes you so much. You've been a great help to him and I can't tell you how much that means to him…and to me."

"Lisa, let me assure you I don't judge him or you; that's not my place. Helping him manage his pain and get healthy is my job and I take pride in it. Greg is one of the most unique individuals I've ever met. He came to this clinic desperate to find a way to manage his pain and have some kind of life. He told me he didn't want to get lost in that abyss again. I told him upfront that it would be hard work and at times he'd hate it and he'd hate me and he'd want to give up but he was determined and stuck with it. He never gave up. I fight for him because he fights for himself."

Cuddy was amazed hearing these words from Vince. For nearly twenty years she'd heard nothing but praise about House's diagnostic skills even with his unorthodox ways, but she hardly ever heard anything good about him as a person. It made her proud that House had worked so hard to turn his life around after everything they'd been through. Long before she received his first letter, she often wondered if he'd had the strength to pick up the pieces and create a new life for himself. After the anger subsided and she had forgiven him, she prayed he would find some peace but knowing House as she did, she wasn't so sure he would.

"Vince, you talking shit again?" House suddenly bellowed from behind as he limped up behind them. He had changed into a pair of cotton shorts and Cuddy noticed something unusual-the shorts didn't cover the entire scar. In the past, House had made it his mission to hide his scar from everyone, including her.

"Always, man," Vince retorted.

House noticed Cuddy eyeing him up and down. "What?" He asked.

"Oh...nothing," she said. Turning back to Vince, all business, she asked, "So, where did you work before?"

House watched Cuddy switch to her take-charge administrator mode, wanting to make sure he had only the best care.

Vince grinned expecting to be questioned by the former administrator. "I graduated from the physical therapy at the University of Delaware, about fifteen years ago. My wife and I lived in lived in Baltimore where she taught high school history and I worked in the PT clinic at the VA there. Her mother died and left her a pretty good chunk of change so we decided it was time for her to go back to school. She applied to Princeton's graduate program and was accepted. I applied here and got the job. We don't have any kids and we rented a place back in Baltimore so moving was easy for us."

Cuddy was impressed. "Wow. Delaware is one of the best PT programs in the country."

"You know your schools."

"I do. As Dean I recruited some of the best talent to this place." She smiled and winked at House. Then she added, "That's also great news about your wife going back to school."

"It is. We really like it here."

"I really appreciate you taking such good care of House."

Vince glanced over at House and chuckled. "Oh he's okay in my book. His leg is healthier now than it ever was despite the breakthrough pain. It'll come and go but we just have to keep working on it."

"That guy in the clinic kicked him pretty hard," Cuddy said.

"He did but he'll work past it, it's what he does. The combination of therapy, medication and workouts are doing him good. It's become part of his lifestyle now so there's no going back."

Cuddy nodded and looked over at House, who was tapping his cane on the floor somewhat impatiently while watching the conversation between her and Vince.

"Are you taking anything?" Vince asked looking at House.

House was brought out of his thoughts. "I'm taking Oxy in small doses when I need it and I'm still using the patch," pulling up his shorts leg to show the patch. "It hurts like a mother fucker but…it is what it is."

"He hates taking the Oxy," Cuddy said.

"Hang in there man, the worst pain will eventually subside and get back to where you can manage without the pills. You're doing great Greg, you really are."

House shook his head, a little embarrassed at the compliments and in attempt to deflect the attention he said, "Okay ladies, can we get down to business here before you two start getting all emotional on me?"

Vince threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, let's go." He led the couple to an empty therapy room.

Three hours after first arriving at the therapy clinic, House and Cuddy were on the road headed to Philadelphia. Therapy had taken about an hour longer than usual because House needed more time because of the pain and Vince had taken his time instructing Cuddy on House's therapy techniques and massage. In the past she'd massaged his leg for him but she never really knew how to do it properly. Vince showed her the proper way to do a deep tissue massage not only on his leg but on his shoulders and back, which at times were in pain due to his use of the cane. As House expected, Cuddy paid close attention and asked a lot of questions. She took the time to practice on him with Vince watching and occasionally correcting her. While House enjoyed the feel of her hands on him and made a point to comment about it often, he also appreciated that she wanted to learn how to help him. Afterwards while House was in the shower, Vince had taken Cuddy on a tour of the facility and introduced the former Dean to some of the patients. He also gave her his card in case she had any questions about House's therapy. When they parted he told her he hoped to see her again.

"I like Vince," Cuddy said looking over at House in the passenger seat as he snacked on a bag of pretzels. She noticed he seemed more relaxed than when he woke up this morning.

"He's a good guy. His dad was an Army doctor. When they were stationed in Hawaii, Vince got into some kind of trouble and had to do community service. His dad arranged for him to work at Tripler Army Hospital helping get the vets to and from their appointments. Seeing all those injured guys affected him and eventually he figured out what he wanted to do with his life."

"Wow."

"Yeah, that guy has seen a lot of people in pain and not just physical either."

"I'm glad he showed me those techniques." She looked over at House in the passenger seat.

"You're actually pretty good for a beginner. We'll have to practice you know...a lot," he said raising his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that won't be a problem." She put her right hand on his left knee and squeezed it gently. "Thanks...for letting me in House."

"You're welcome." He looked at her, and the softness in his eyes conveyed to her that he was just as grateful to her as she was to him.

They talked...about things, like Wilson's latest conquests, Cuddy's family, rating the Real Housewives by sluttiness, and a multitude of other things until they were all talked out. They drove in silence for the next twenty minutes or so before House broke the silence.

"What do you think about Foreman?" He asked out of the blue.

"Eric Foreman?"

"Uh no...George. Of course Eric."

"If you're asking about his doctoring skills, I think he's very good."

"How about Dean?"

"I don't know. It's been awhile since I've worked with him. I always thought he had the potential to go higher but I think he would have been better off being a department head first, hone his administrative skills. Why? Is he thinking about more than interim?"

"I heard rumors."

"What kind of rumors?"

"Parker, Weiss and Cochran want to keep him; they think that in time he'd be great. Wells and Reed think he needs more experience as an Associate Dean first before stepping up to take over a hospital, and Jenkins and Lanier don't want him at all in that position. Apparently Lanier has a brother-in-law who is the Associate Dean at UCLA who is looking for a promotion and a move to the East Coast."

"I never liked Lanier. What about Harper?"

"She's the swing vote."

"Well, that's no surprise," she said sarcastically. "I always hated having to deal with her, she's such a bitch."

"Well you can rest easy knowing nothing's changed in that regard."

"Does Foreman want the job?"

"I don't know."

"You should talk to him."

"Why?"

"You've been his mentor for years, he'll listen to you."

"Foreman does what Foreman wants to do. Besides, do you think he's going to listen to an addict and ex-con?"

"I think he'll listen to his extremely intelligent, older and very experienced mentor. Despite all the shit you've done, Foreman still respects you. Does he know what's going on?"

"I don't know."

"You should tell him. You've always been straight up with him."

House nodded. He wanted to give Foreman advice but he wasn't sure he'd even listen to him.

"What about the rest of your team?" Cuddy asked.

"What about 'em?"

"How are they doing? Adams and Park, I mean."

"Adams isn't a bad doctor, but she's doing it for the wrong reasons. It's like she's trying to right some wrong in the world and make up for the fact she grew up privileged. As for Park, she's Asian so she has something to prove to her parents. She'll make a good doctor...eventually...but she comes from a family that has high expectations and she constantly tries to prove herself to them by doing things completely opposite of what they want her to do. She's another one who's not a doctor because she wants to be one."

"Do you think they'll work out long-term?"

"I haven't a clue."

"Then why did you hire them?"

"I didn't hire Park, Foreman did. Adams...well I told you the story about her."

"Yeah, you got her fired."

"Umm…hello? We saved the patient."

"Well that made it okay," she mused.

"She was wasting her time there anyway."

"She was doing something good. Something she thought was important."

"In her own little world she was but it was a waste of time. Trust me, being a prison doctor sucks."

"As if you would know. You practiced without a license, if you can even call that practicing."

"Words hurt you know!" He said, putting his hand over his heart feigning hurt.

Cuddy ignored his sarcasm. "So how's Chase handling things?"

"Chase is the biggest mystery of all. When I hired him, I did it as a favor to his dad and to you. I had no idea he'd actually turn out to be a halfway decent doctor."

Cuddy smirked and looked over at him. "House, he's more than a competent doctor, don't you think?"

House looked out the window in thought. "He's actually doing a great job though I haven't spent much time there in these past few weeks."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Shit happens." He sighed and rubbed his thigh, mostly out of habit, then looked over to Cuddy and gave her a tight lipped smile to reassure her. "There was a time I thought I couldn't be away from that place"

"I remember being like that too."

"Things change."

"Yeah, they do."

Ten minutes later they pulled off the exit in Philadelphia. House gave her directions and not long after they arrived at Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.

"We're here," she said.

"Yep."

"Why don't you see him at his other office? Doesn't it bother you to come back here?"

"He's got a great recliner here and the window view is pretty nice."

Cuddy just looked at him, puzzled. "And on Tuesdays he's here."

"Well yeah, there is that. Anyway, I'm okay coming here. It's good in a way; it reminds me why I got clean, what I went through...why I don't want to go through it again." He took off his seat belt and looked at her, a serious look on his face.

"House, what is it?" Cuddy knew that look; it used to scare her because it was that look he gave her before he confessed something.

"There's something you need to know that I haven't told you. Remember when I walked out on Nolan about a few days before the crane collapse?"

Cuddy nodded. She'd been devastated that he stopped his therapy because she believed it was the one thing that kept him sober.

He continued. "Well, I figured that would be the last time I'd ever see him. But...after that career day mess, I realized things weren't going so well between us and I called him and told him I wanted to start back with him again, if he'd have me. He said he would and even suggested that I bring you too…but I refused."

Cuddy stared at him and swallowed hard. She had absolutely no idea that he had wanted to go back to therapy while they were together. He had never mentioned it. "Why?"

"Do you mean why did I want to go back or why did I refuse to get you involved?"

"Both."

"I had to go back. You and I were fighting…at the hospital…at home. I'd screw up; you'd yell at me, I'd screw up more figuring what the fuck did I have to lose because you were going to break up with me anyway. I needed to be prepared when it happened."

"Oh, House," she said sadly, reaching out for his hand. "But why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you want me to go with you?"

He looked down. "I thought if we saw him together, it'd really bring some things out and would make things worse."

"But House, it could've helped us."

"I just kept thinking that once he started talking about our relationship, you might start thinking and then realize you didn't want to be with me...that we'd rushed things...that it wasn't going to work."

"You never did see him, did you?" She already knew the answer.

"No. By the time I'd gotten around to doing it...it was too late." It was true, she'd broken up with him just days before he was to see Nolan again.

Cuddy let go of his hand and let out a long frustrated sigh as she sank back into her seat, her eyes looking out the driver's side window. "I wish you would have told me."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Me too." She turned her head to look at him, noting the sadness in his eyes. She had a feeling he'd been thinking about how things might have been different for them if he'd gone back to therapy.

"I guess we should go in now. He's probably watching us and taking meticulous notes," House said, smirking. They got out of the car and Cuddy immediately went over to his side to help him.

"I'm okay." He assured her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It still hurts like hell but it's not that burning, throbbing shit like last night. The massage really helped."

Cuddy looked at him, and in his eyes she could see he was being honest. Her heart felt lighter knowing the worst of his pain was subsiding, albeit slowly.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Yeah."

They walked side by side towards the building entrance and when they reached the steps, they stopped. Cuddy linked her left arm with House's right and grasped his bicep reassuringly. They looked at one another for a moment, words unspoken, but thoughts understood. Then they looked ahead and together, they slowly walked up the steps and into the building.

Thanks everyone for reading. Just a note about Tripler, it's a real hospital known as Tripler Army Medical Center. I had to go there once when I was stationed overseas. They do lots of good things for injured soldiers and sailors!

In the next chapter, House and Cuddy see Nolan. I couldn't have written that chapter without the help of a number of people who I shall mention when I publish it. Stay tuned for the drama and angst.