A/N: Thank you to Cherokee Jedi for taking a peek and for giving me an idea that I ran with. I'm so glad I did! This chapter is a bit longer than the last few but it's worth it, at least I think so. I hope you will too.

Sorry it took two weeks to post this chapter. That was not my intention. I'd hoped to post this chapter last week but I really wanted to tweak it. Also, there's that thing called a muse. One can't write if one's muse is busy doing other things! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own House, M.D. If I did, the incredibly untalented Olivia Wilde never would've made it past season 4.

On Friday morning House woke to an empty bed. He lifted his head and looked around the room as he rubbed the five-day stubble that graced his face.

"Howse! Howse!" Rachel bounded into the room and tried to climb up on the bed.

"Inside voices, kid," he said. Mindful that he was naked beneath the sheets he stopped her before she got too far. "Hey, why don't you go ask mom to make us some breakfast and I'll be there in a minute."

"'Mmkay!" She yelled and ran out the way she came.

He sat up and spent several minutes massaging his thigh. It hurt more than usual but not as bad as it could get and for that he was thankful. He got up slowly and looked for his duffel bag but when he didn't find it, he realized Cuddy had unpacked it and put his things away. He shook his head. It was just like her to want to put everything in its place. Sure enough, he looked in the drawers she'd cleared for him the last time he was there, and there he found his clothes, neatly folded. He grabbed a pair of boxers, pajama pants and a tee shirt, put them on, found his cane and ambled down the hallway. As he entered the living room he smelled breakfast cooking. In the kitchen, he snuck up behind Cuddy and when Rachel began to giggle he put his finger over his lips to shush her.

"House!" Cuddy jumped when House grabbed her ass from behind. "You scared me to death you ass," she said as she set the plate of pancakes on the table.

"I'm telling! You said ass in front of Rachel," he teased.

"Mommy what's an ass?" Rachel asked curiously.

Cuddy frowned at House. He raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't teach her that word."

"God I can see it now, the next time I'm at my mother's house, it'll be the first word out of her mouth and I'll never hear the end of it," she groaned.

"Blame me, I'm sure nothing I do anymore will shock her. Now, can I get a kiss?"

"Mommy, what's an ass?" Rachel asked yet again.

"Something House is twenty-three hours of the day," she snarked back as she glared at House.

House leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Oh sure, the entire hour you spend screaming my name in ecstasy, I'm a nice guy eh?"

Cuddy rolled her eyes.

"Can I get a kiss now?"

"Mommy, you're not gonna kiss him?" Rachel watched them intently.

"See, even the rugrat wants you to kiss me."

"I not a rugrat," Rachel said defiantly.

House backed Cuddy up against the counter. "Oh come on give daddy a kiss." His bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

Cuddy raised an eyebrow and looked at him shocked. "Did you just say..."

"Quit analyzing and just kiss me." When their lips touched, they both let out a soft nearly inaudible moan.

"Mmm," he said as they broke apart. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about."

"Good morning to you too," she smiled.

"It was until I woke up to an empty bed," he said as he pulled away and grabbed the mug of coffee she'd poured for herself, and sat at the breakfast nook with Rachel.

Cuddy scrambled around the kitchen cleaning up and then took a seat at the kitchen island. "I've got to get Rachel ready for school and we've got to get to the hospital. Your lecture is at ten o'clock."

"But mooom, it's only seven," he whined.

"I know how long it takes you to get ready in the morning."

"You're not expecting me to wear a suit right? Because uh..I didn't bring one."

"Nope, your stuff's ready." She pointed to the utility room off the kitchen and hanging on the door there was a pair of khakis and pink shirt he'd brought with him. They were freshly pressed.

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know," she said softly.

"Thanks," he said with complete sincerity.

Cuddy acted surprised. "Did you just thank me?"

"Oh shut up!"

"Now that's more like it." She smirked at him. "So...are you ready for today?"

"What's to be ready for? It's just a lecture."

"What do you plan to talk about?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh geez," she said.

"Wait, are you afraid I'll embarass you?"

She stopped buttering her toast and looked over at him. "I know you and that means I really have no idea what you'll do."

"Old habits die hard," he said, with a wink. "And speaking of hard..."

"House!" She warned. "Little ears."

At that moment they both looked over at Rachel who sat there giggling at them.

At nine forty-five Cuddy and Sharon arrived for the lecture and grabbed coffee and danish from a table in the back of the room before finding their seats. The lecture hall had filled quickly and it seemed that despite his reputation as a jerk, House could still attract a crowd. Cuddy looked around and noticed the audience consisted mostly of med students with faculty scattered throughout.

House walked in promptly at ten o'clock and Cuddy was surprised he had arrived on time. She watched him as he was approached by a few of her colleagues who shook hands with him as he entered. He seemed to be respectful towards them. Cuddy tilted her head noting his change of behavior. Normally he would've rolled his eyes and made some smartass remark by now, causing them to scurry away in the other direction. She wondered what was up with him. As she watched, she took in how he looked. He was handsome in his pink shirt and khakis and she had to chuckle at the sight of his brightly colored Nike Shox. Some things never change, she thought. She noticed he'd trimmed his beard back and combed his hair. Yes, she thought, he's fucking hot. Cuddy felt her lady parts stir and wondered what he'd say if he knew that. Her thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Baker took to the podium and after a brief introduction to the students and faculty, which included a background on the lecture series and a short bio on House, she introduced him. After initial applause, House took a seat on the small table next to the podium. Twirling his cane confidently, he began to speak.

"Seven years ago in Washington, DC, a 23-year old Congressional intern visited a primary care physician complaining of a high fever, extreme exhaustion, vomiting, and diarrhea..."

The lecture ran thirty minutes longer than expected and when House concluded, he received a hearty applause from the audience. His first lecture had been a success and he couldn't help but feel good about it. His professional demeanor was a far cry from the old days when he'd rip into med students and insult his fellow doctors. He had already decided at breakfast that morning that he didn't want to do anything during the lecture to embarass Cuddy in front of her peers. During the lecture it thrilled him to see Cuddy watching him with pride. Oddly enough, he didn't want to disappoint the woman who hired him either. Dr. Baker had been kind to him, despite his reputation and offered him an excellent opportunity to do something different and he was thankful for that. For once, he actually cared about how he presented himself. Though a few med students had tested his patience with what he thought were ridiculous questions, he held his tongue. Thinking about his change in behavior suddenly made House feel very anxious and he needed some space. He tried to make his way to the nearest exit but was continuously approached by faculty and students.

House looked over at Cuddy, hoping she could save him but it was no use for she was busy talking with colleagues. Looking around he saw no opportunity for escape, so he relented and answered questions.

Meanwhile, Dr. Baker approached Cuddy and Sharon who had just finished talking with a few colleagues. "Dr. House was amazing," she said. "But then we knew he would be. The students have a lot to learn from him and I think even our faculty enjoyed him too."

"It seems that way," Cuddy said. "He never ceases to amaze me." She looked back over at House who was engaged in what appeared deep conversation with a group of med students. Cuddy knew how much he hated lectures and the question and answer sessions afterwards but he appeared to be handling things well. She wondered what was up with his change in behavior.

"Lisa, can I be honest about something?" Baker asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Sure."

"Dr. House has a reputation for being such an ass. There are a lot of people who can't stand him and yet...when he gets up there and talks about medicine, it's like he's a different person. I've never understood it."

"He's different alright," she said still watching House, a slight smile gracing her face.

Dr. Baker watched the way Cuddy looked at House and laid a reassuring hand on her arm. "I'll never understand him but...you do and that's all that matters. Maybe that's all he needs," she whispered. "I've got a meeting, I'll talk to you later."

"Sure," Cuddy replied, surprised yet comforted by her colleague's words. Just as Dr. Baker left, House finally made his way over to Cuddy and Sharon.

"I see you were finally able to break free from your adoring fans."

"What can I say? They all want a piece of this," he said motioning up and down his body with one hand.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Of course they do. Listen...I'm so proud of you," Cuddy said as she squeezed his bicep. "You were amazing up there."

House looked down at her hand on his arm. "Is this all I get for behaving myself?"

"Geez, is that all you think about?" Sharon asked, jokingly.

"Don't blame me, blame my gender."

Sharon rolled her eyes at his comment and laughed. "Lisa, I'm outta here. You two...how about we do dinner before House leaves?"

"Sure," she said before her friend exited the room. She turned to House. "You really were great."

"Thank you. You think they'll want me back?"

"I'm sure they will."

"So...how about we grab lunch then head up to your office and break in the new desk."

"No and uh...no."

House gave her the pathetic look.

"Nice try. Seriously, I can't. I've got things I need to take care of. Why don't you take a tour around the city or something?"

"You want me to go sightseeing?"

"Why not? Boston has some great things to see. Lots of history."

An idea popped into his head. "Okay," he said.

"Wait. Okay? Just like that?" She eyed him curiously.

"What the hell? Do you want me to go or not?"

She handed him her keys. "Fine. Just pick me up on time okay?"

"Yes, Mistress," he turned towards the door and then back to her. "Before I go, can you do me a favor?"

House pulled up at the Cape Cod style administration building of the Shady Hill School in Cambridge. C He got out of the car and glanced over the private school campus. The school was constructed of grayish blue clapboard with large windows, beautiful trees and an expansive lawn that, though it was brown from the winter, was obviously well-maintained. A slight breeze was blowing and gave him a shiver as he stood there listening for a moment as it whispered through the leaves of the trees. Yeah, he thought. This place isn't bad at all. He limped into the administration building. As he approached the front desk, the middle-aged receptionist greeted him.

"May I help you sir?"

"I'm here to pick up Rachel Cuddy."

"Your name?"

"Gregory House."

The receptionist typed something into her computer and then looked at him suspiciously, over her bifocals. "May I see some identification please?"

House handed her his driver license and she scanned it and handed it back to him along with a clipboard. "Mr. House, please print your name, address and phone number and sign next to it."

House completed the form and the receptionist told him to have a seat. Cuddy hadn't batted an eye when he told her he wanted to take the little girl out for lunch. He'd rolled his eyes and pretended to ignore her when she'd insisted it not be fast food. Anyway, he had bigger plans for Rachel than just lunch. As he waited he gazed out the large picture window in the comfortable waiting area. He watched the small children at recess on the playground. They looked happy and carefree and he silently cursed adulthood and all the things that lay waiting for them when they grew out of their innocent stage. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the patter of sneaker-clad feet.

"Howse!" Rachel yelled as she ran towards him.

"Rachel, there's no running in the building," chided the receptionist.

"Yes ma'am," she said as she approached her tall friend.

"She's a buzzkill isn't she?" House asked her with a wink. He glanced up and saw the receptionist frownat him. Rachel shook her head in agreement.

"Where we going?"

"We're taking the rest of the day off."

"We are?"

"Yep." He held out his hand and led her to the car.

"Well where we goin?"

"It's a surprise."

Her eyes got wide. "Really?"

"Yep." House buckled her into the backseat, got into the front, closed the door and drove off. Fifteen minutes later they pulled up in front of a large stone gray building with ten columns topped by a large dome.

"We're heeeere," he sang.

"Wow," Rachel said, her voice reflected her awe. "What's that?"

"This...is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum."

"This is a museum?"

"Sure is."

"Wow, it's huge," she said as House unbuckled her and helped her out of the car.

"They've got all kinds of cool stuff, wait till you see it."

"Oh boy, I can't wait."

House led Rachel through the front doors of the massive structure and paid the admission fees. After warning Rachel not to stray away from him, they began walking through the marbled hallways looking at the number of exhibits. Rachel practically ran to the Science and Technology collection where House had wanted to take her. She was in absolute awe over the robots flanking the doors as they entered the area.

For the next three hours, they perused all kinds of exhibits from slide rules to stroboscopes, thermometers to telephones and cathode ray tubes to computers. Rachel asked a million questions and though it was generally against his nature, House never got tired of answering her. He couldn't help be but enthralled by her interest and fascination in science. House smirked. It reminded him so much of the younger Cuddy he'd met in med school. Once again he had to remind himself that Rachel was not Cuddy's biological daughter as she was so much like her mother, it was easy to forget.

His stomach rumbled and brought him out of his thoughts. "Hey squirt," he said. "Let's grab some lunch."

Rachel stood there, hands on her hips, bottom lip jutting out. House couldn't help but laugh. "We're coming baaaack," he said. Rachel's pout turned into a smile as she ran over to him.

While House and Rachel were out having a fun at the museum, Cuddy was in the middle of her rounds. As she approached the nurse's station, someone called to her from behind.

"Lisa!"

She smiled at the familiar voice and turned to greet the tall, handsome man who approached her. It was Phil Resnick, one of the hospital's more prominent doctors. Though his specialty was internal medicine, he'd recently obtained a second specialization in endocrinology. A few weeks earlier, Cuddy had been asked to supervise him during his probation period since his original supervisor was on maternity leave. She liked Phil, he was a nice guy, very intelligent and funny, and an excellent doctor.

"Hi Phil," she said, smirking and looking down at her watch.

Phil put his hands up. "I know, I know. I'm late but had a snafu with a patient and it all went downhill from there."

"That's okay," she said with a smile. "We've got plenty of time."

They pulled some charts from the nurse's station and walked down the hall together chatting eagerly.

A few hours House sat in Cuddy's office, in the executive chair behind her desk, waiting for her to return. He and Rachel had finished the museum and decided to surprise Cuddy a little early hoping he could convince her to start the weekend sooner rather than later. He had looked forward to spending some serious quality time with them. He sighed with impatience and tapped his fingers on her desk as he watched Rachel reading a children's magazine Cuddy had on her table.

After a few more minutes, Rachel tired of reading. She looked up at House. "Howse, when's mommy coming back?" She whined.

"I don't know kid, I'm sure she'll be here soon." House played a game of hearts on his cell phone until he had the urge for something to drink. Remembering the vending machine in an alcove near Cuddy's office he got up and grabbed his cane.

"Rachel," he said, looking down at her sternly. "I am going just down the hall to get us something to drink. Do not leave this room for any reason okay?"

"Okay," she said looking up at him innocently.

House limped out the door and made sure he closed it securely behind him. He made his way down the short hallway and took a right towards the alcove where the vending machine was when he heard voices and a familiar laughter. Instinctively, he stepped back into the shadows until the source of the laughter came into view.

"Lisa, that's hysterical, did she really say that?" He heard the man say.

"Yes! I know, right?" Cuddy replied, laughing loudly.

House listened to their continued banter and then peeked around the corner and watched the interaction between Cuddy and her colleague. They were at the nurse's station and her colleague stood close to her. Too close. And he was smiling and his eyes never left Cuddy. House watched their interaction intently. His eyes got wide when she bit her bottom lip and ran her fingers through her hair smiling at her colleague as they talked. Wait, he said to himself. Is she flirting? His heart felt like it dropped into his stomach and he felt the familiar pangs of jealousy, much like he'd felt anytime he'd ever seen her interacting with other men.

"Hey how about we grab a late lunch?"

Cuddy looked at her watch. "Well...I am hungry."

"Good. Let's go."

What? House was pissed. She was too busy to have lunch with me but she can have lunch with him? House watched angrily as Cuddy strolled down the hallway with her colleague, walking just a little too close for his liking. He thought about her body language a few moments ago. The way she bit her lip, tilted her head and ran her hand through her hair-suddenly he felt nauseous but remembering Rachel was waiting on him, he made his way back to her office and opened the door.

"Hey Rach, mom's uh...got things to do. I'm going to take you home." He gathered her backpack and adjusted the magazines so nothing would look out of place.

"What about mommy?"

"She'll meet us there later."

"Okay." Rachel got up from the couch and took House's hand and followed him out to the parking garage. As he buckled her in he kneeled in front of her.

"Look, don't say anything to mom about us going to her office today okay?"

"But why?"

"Because I don't want her to feel bad that we waited so long for her. She'll be sad that she didn't get to see us. It's gotta be our secret."

"Okay, I won't tell."

"Good."

When he arrived home, he gave Rachel a snack and put in a DVD for her. He walked out onto the back porch and stretched his legs, bending forward as far as he could to stretch his hamstrings before it became too painful. He wished he had a place to workout at the moment because he felt like he needed to work off the stress. He was angry and he wasn't sure why. He trusted Cuddy, she was a one-man woman and not the type of woman to cheat. But then again there was always this nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that he wasn't good enough for her, that there was always the possibility someone better could come along. He hadn't had those feelings as often as he once did when they were together previously, but now, feeling them again-he hated it. The more he thought about it, the more his leg hurt. He'd just put a new patch on his leg two days ago and he really didn't want to take the emergency medication.

Tired of thinking too much, he limped back inside the house and planted himself next to Rachel as they watched tractor pull races. About an hour later, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Cuddy. He debated answering it but decided to let it go to voice mail. After a few minutes, he picked it up and listened to her message.

Cuddy stood at the nurse's station on her phone waiting for House to pick up. That's odd, she thought. He always answers when he knows it's me. Finally, tired of calling him and getting no answer she left him a voice mail.

"House, it's me. Listen, I figured you guys would be here by now. Anyway, I'll take a cab home, maybe I'll meet you there. Call me when you can. Bye."

She disconnected and Phil walked over to her. "What's wrong Lisa?"

"Oh, nothing. I just...I need to call a cab."

"You going home?"

"Yeah."

"I can drive you."

She shook her head. "Oh Phil, that's nice of you but I can't ask you to do that."

"It's not really that far out of the way, I don't mind. You were nice enough to supervise my rounds, at least let me do this for you."

Cuddy hesitated but she was tired and Phil was being so nice to help her out. She smiled. "Okay."

Twenty minutes later, House was in the kitchen with Rachel preparing dinner when he heard the closing of a car door. He figured it was Cuddy's cab so he got up to take a look. When he did he frowned at what he saw. Parked in the driveway behind her sedan was a silver Audi sportscar. Cuddy was standing outside the car talking to that guy. House watched as the guy got out of the car and opened the door for her to get out, then walked her to the front door. Such a fucking gentleman, he thought. He turned quickly and headed back towards the kitchen. A moment later he heard the front door open and close.

"Hey, I'm home," Cuddy said when she walked in the door. She passed through the living room and noticed House's phone sitting on the end table. She heard voices in the kitchen and walked in that direction. When she entered, she found House at the sink and Rachel coloring at the breakfast nook. She walked over to Rachel and smiled.

"Hey honey," she said.

"Hi mommy!" Rachel gave her a kiss.

"Where were you guys today?" She asked.

House looked at Rachel and gave her a slight nod to remind her of the secret. "My leg was hurting so we came straight home. I was gonna call you."

"And yet you didn't."

"Guess I forgot," he said nonchalantly.

His answer and his attitude took her by surprise. "You forgot?" She knew that wasn't like him at all.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"House, are you okay?"

"Peachy." His back was still to her.

Cuddy wasn't satisfied with his answer. She ruffled Rachel's hair and then walked over to House and gently placed her hand on his arm. She noticed he flinched slightly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he insisted. "I told you, my leg hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for."

Knowing he wasn't being truthful but realizing she could not get more out of him at the moment, she asked, "You cooked dinner?"

"Nothing big, just a casserole."

"That was so nice. I'm not very hungry right now but maybe later."

"Really," he said flatly.

"I had a late lunch." When House seemed too preoccupied to engage her, she sighed. "You need help with anything?"

"Nope, I got it."

"Okay...well...guess I'll take a shower."

"Fine." He never looked up from his dishes and Cuddy didn't pry further.

Cuddy turned and exited the kitchen and as she made her way to her bedroom. She wondered what on earth had caused this sudden change in his behavior. He seemed cold and distant and not at all like he'd been earlier in the day. She couldn't help but think about times in the past when House had reverted to his non-communicative ways. When he put his walls up, he was protecting himself. Suddenly, thoughts of House's old ways sent a shiver up her spine. She knew all too well what could happen, what had happened in the past when he withdrew. Despite all the progress he'd made, she still worried there might come a time when he might turn to other means for help before he would turn to her. She stripped off her clothes and looked into the bathroom mirror, then hung her head and chided herself for being so ridiculous. Once again she was overthinking and overanalyzing. There was obviously something on his mind and he would talk to her when he was ready.

At least that's what she hoped.