A/N: TGIF. I meant to get this chapter and the two following out today but it didn't happen. There's a Thanksgiving chapter coming and I just couldn't get it written and published in time for our Thanksgiving. Oh well :) There just wasn't enough time to write and when there was, my mind wasn't cooperating. There's some good stuff coming up here. Important stuff. Read on and enjoy. Please don't forget to review, those of us who write these things sure do appreciate feedback.
Thanks to Cherokee Jedi for her wit and wisdom. I throw ideas at her and she tells me if they suck or not. :)
Thanks too to everyone currently writing. As an author of fanfic, I know how hard it is to do this and as a reader, I sure as hell appreciate what you do!
Oh and while we're at it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEROKEE JEDI and MAYA295, two nice gals and great Huddy fic writers whose birthdays have come and gone by the time I publish this!
"Since I'm going to see you Wednesday night, I'd like to have Rachel stay with me for a few days. You know she'll be fine."
"Really?" She was completely shocked at his request.
"If you don't want to, that's okay. I mean-"
"No, that's not it. House...I don't know."
He frowned. He was worried this would happen. He sat up on the bed. "I thought you trusted me with her."
"I do trust you...it's just that you've never had her for more than a few hours."
"I can handle it besides we have Aunt Wilson there to help. It'll be fine." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.
"She's a big responsibility. I mean...why would you want to do this?"
He hung his head and looked at the floor. "Today in the mall when she was missing, it felt like a piece of me was missing too, I mean, it just hurt. I knew then...how attached I am to her. I really care about her, Cuddy. When we first got together a few years ago I was apprehensive but I did it mostly for you. But she grew on me and I missed her after we broke up and...everything that happened. Now..." He looked up at her trying to convey his thoughts without saying them.
Cuddy stopped her massage and stepped off the bed and between his legs. With one hand she lifted his chin up so he would look at her. "I know," she said. She knew he loved her little girl. It was still hard for him sometimes to express his emotions and she knew that. She was just happy she could read him and understand him so well.
They held each other a moment when she looked down and cupped his face and said, "Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I bet Rachel would love to spend a few days with you."
He pulled her close and buried his face in her stomach and slid his hands underneath her shirt so he could feel her smooth warm skin. She wrapped her arms around around him and felt him relax into her.
"You're going to be okay House," she said. She wasn't prepared for what she heard next.
"It feels good to be loved."
She swallowed hard and tried not to cry as she ran her fingers through his hair, She loved him so much at that moment that she felt her heart would burst. She held him tighter.
"You will always be loved."
House, Cuddy and Rachel arrived in Princeton on Sunday afternoon. Their plans to travel to Philly to see Nolan had fallen through when Nolan told House he would be out-of-town attending the funeral of a retired colleague.
When the taxi pulled up at House's apartment on Baker Street, House noticed Cuddy seemed anxious but he didn't say anything to her about it. He assumed her first visit to his apartment in two years might be a little difficult at first. When they got out of the car, he paid the driver extra to take their luggage and his father's trunk into the apartment. He followed the girls in, turned on the lights and locked the door behind them. Cuddy led Rachel to the bathroom and House went into the kitchen to make them something warm to drink and listen to his phone messages. A few minutes later he heard the patter of little feet fleeting about his apartment, then he listened as Cuddy talked to her about the books, the anatomical displays and the various musical instruments that lay about.
He smiled as he remembered the last time Rachel had been at the apartment. It'd been a few weeks before the breakup and Cuddy had picked up Rachel from preschool and took her straight over to House's apartment to surprise him with a home-cooked dinner. He recalled fond memories of a warm fire, wine, and Cuddy reading to Rachel until she fell asleep. Then she'd placed a sleeping Rachel carefully into her playpen and let House lead her into the bedroom where they made love until they fell asleep exhausted.
"House?"
"Hey, I called you but you were a million miles away."
House turned to her. "Oh, sorry."
"What were you thinking about?"
"The last time Rachel was here."
"You remember?" She ran her finger lightly up and down his arm.
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah," she said blushing. "I do."
"As I recall you were rather vocal that night," he said as he waggled his eyebrows.
"I thought for sure we'd wake Rachel up," she whispered.
"The kid slept like a log back then."
"Thank goodness." They smiled at one another and House took her left hand in his right and drew circles in her palm. "We can recreate that, you know."
"Not now we can't!"
"Buzzkill."
Cuddy rolled her eyes and sauntered away from him, giving a shake of her hips for his benefit as she moved into the living room to find Rachel, who was sitting at the piano.
"You want to play something honey?" He heard her ask.
"Uh huh but I want to hear Howse play too." House smiled.
"I think he'd like that."
House had just placed the kettle on the stove when his phone rang. Grumbling, he picked it up and answered.
"This better be good," he growled.
"Hey where are you? Are you back yet?" Wilson asked.
"I'm at the apartment.
"Wanna do dinner later?"
"Sure. How about here? Me, you, Cuddy and Rachel."
"Cuddy and Rachel are here?"
"Yep."
"Wow."
"They've been here before you know."
"Want me to bring anything?"
"Order pizza and you can pay, how's that?"
Wilson chuckled. "See you around seven?"
"Six. Cuddy's leaving early in the morning. Gotta get some lovin' in."
"You're disgusting."
"And you're jealous. See ya." He laughed and tossed his phone on the counter and went into the living room where he found Cuddy and Rachel sitting at the piano plucking out Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. He leaned against the wall watching them. He never liked anyone touching his piano but they were the exception.
Cuddy sensed they were being watched and looked up at him and their eyes locked for a moment, a slight smile shared between them. Suddenly the kettle started whistling. Cuddy, knowing House could not carry their drinks and his cane, whispered something to Rachel then eased herself from behind the piano and walked past him into the kitchen, placing a reassuring hand on his bicep.
"She wants you to play for her," she whispered as she passed. House turned and went back into the living room and sat on the piano bench with Rachel.
"Can you play something?" Rachel asked.
"What would you like to hear?"
"Can you play me and mommy's song? The one you named after us?"
He hadn't played Cuddy's Serenade since he first played it for them. He smiled and his fingers graced the keys and he began to play. It flowed slow and methodically and filled the apartment, the music making its way into the kitchen where Cuddy heard it and stopped mixing the cocoa in the mugs. The music sent shivers up her spine as she remembered the first time not long ago when he played it for her. It made her happy to think he wrote it just for her and at the same time sad because she remembered so vividly the night he wrote it and how much she wished he'd been with her for one of the most important moments of her life. She hummed as she stirred and when she finished she loaded the mugs onto a tray and carried them into the living room. What she saw warmed her heart. There was House playing the piano, his eyes closed as his fingers drifted effortlessly over the keys. Rachel sat next to him, mimicking him exactly. Though she was not his biological child and had not around him for most of her young life, at times she seemed so much like him. Whether he realized it or not, he was a strong and powerful influence on the little girl. She sat on the couch sipping hot cocoa watching the two of them. When House finished, they both opened their eyes and at nearly the same time they laid their hands in their laps.
"How was that kid?" He asked.
"It was pretty." She looked over at her mother. "Mommy did you like it?"
"Yes baby, I did. Very much."
"Play something else Howse!"
House proceeded to play for Rachel's amusement, though Cuddy could tell by the blissful look on his face that it was as much for himself as it was her. Though House claimed to despise most Disney movies, he played a few of the songs from movies he knew Rachel loved and she sang along as best she could and danced around the living room. House and Cuddy lost themselves in the music and joy of watching Rachel that they didn't even hear the knock at the door. When House finished the second rendition of "Be Our Guest" Cuddy clapped and Rachel bowed. It was silent for a moment and that's when they heard the banging on the front door.
"Shit," House said, as he bowed his head.
"Shit," Rachel repeated.
"Rachel!" Cuddy exclaimed. "That's a bad word."
"Oops," Rachel said putting her hands over her mouth and giggling.
Cuddy looked over at House who got up from the piano. He shrugged. "What? I didn't mean it." He looked over at Rachel. "Kid, don't ever repeat that word, got it?"
"Got it," she said nodding her emphatically.
House turned to Cuddy. "See? She's fine." He limped over to the door and looked out the peephole. Adams's clearly annoyed face stared back at him. He slumped against the door and then turned around to face Cuddy.
"I don't have to take this. I can pretend it never happened. Just say the word."
"No, it's okay House. You still have a job to do. We're fine."
He opened the door a few inches. "WHAT?" He yelled. He saw Adams flinch and that made him smile.
"We have a case."
"No, you have a case. I'm on vacation." He slammed the door in her face, then turned around to look at Cuddy and Rachel, both of whom sat on the couch, watching him with the same humored expression.
"But I'm on vacation," he stressed in a whining voice.
"But Howse, we have a case," Rachel said and Cuddy burst out laughing.
"I guess that settles it," she said.
House sighed. He opened the door and without even turning to look at her, he motioned for Adams to enter the apartment, which she did and he closed the door behind her.
Adams cleared her throat and handed House the patient's file. Meanwhile, Adams, slightly nervous about intruding upon what appeared to be an intimate family gathering, walked over to the couch and put her hand out and introduced herself to Cuddy.
"Dr. Cuddy...I'm Dr. Jessica Adams. It's an honor to meet you."
"Dr. Adams."
"People still talk about you at the hospital," she said then cringing at how that might've sounded so she corrected herself. "I mean...nobody ever ran that place like you did."
"I know what you meant and I appreciate the sentiment."
House watched the interaction between the two with a smirk, then went back to his file. He leaned against his desk and read quietly.
"Okay," he said, finally. "Twelve year old female has muscle weakness, respiratory infection, and fatigue."
"Flu."
"No. She's got a history of this on and off going back years. Higher than average number of childhood colds including pneumonia at age seven. There's also fatigue and muscle weakness."
"Cystic Fibrosis?"
"Negative. Her doctors told her mother this is just one of those childhood things."
"She's always complained about feeling like she was sick or on the verge of getting sick. Colds, coughing, chills, that sort of thing."
"Which is not normal."
"Obviously."
House handed the file to Cuddy, then he went over to the fireplace and looked down into the glowing embers as he twirled his cane.
"House, she's small. Five feet tall and only fifty-eight pounds. Underdeveloped, slightly malnourished, weakness and tired. She's also very inactive, according to her mother."
"Could be autoimmune."
"Her last lung function was 70%."
"When?"
"Two months ago."
He looked at Adams. "Check her heart and lung function first. Put her on a treadmill. Get back to me."
Cuddy handed the file to Adams who smiled weakly and said, "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," Cuddy replied.
Adams was about to leave when she turned to House. "Are you coming in?"
House looked over at Cuddy and Rachel, sitting on the couch. Rachel was swinging her feet back and forth looking through the pictures in House's Fishing Today magazine.
"No, As I said, I'm on vacation." He saw Cuddy's grin.
Adams acknowledged him with a nod. "Okay, I'll call you as soon as we get the results."
After she left, House threw some more logs on the fire then he sat on the couch between Cuddy and Rachel. "C'mere," he said to Cuddy. She moved closer and he put his arm around her.
"I hate when your patients are kids," she said.
"Me too."
"So that's Adams."
"Yep."
"I pictured her...I don't know...different?"
"Blonde?"
"No."
"Dumb?"
"No. Just...different. I knew she'd be pretty though, you always hire the pretty ones."
"No, I hire the smart ones."
"Is she smart?"
"She is but she's never going to be a great doctor. Too much guilt."
"You used to say that to me."
"I did." He smirked.
Their banter was interrupted by a knock at the door. "House, it's me," called the voice from the other side.
"Wilson!" Rachel yelled. She looked at Cuddy. "Mommy, it's Wilson."
"Yes honey, I know," she said as she let her daughter lead her from the couch. When they opened it, a smiling Wilson awaited them.
"Cuddy, it's great to see you." He hugged her when he entered.
"What about me?" Shouted Rachel, impatiently waiting her turn.
He handed the pizzas over to Cuddy then picked Rachel up and swung her around. "Hey munchkin how are you?"
"I missed you Wilson!"
"I missed you too kiddo." He mussed her hair and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Aww can I have a kissy kiss too?" House asked, earning an eye roll from Wilson and Cuddy.
When the pizzas and sodas were laid out, Cuddy announced. "Dig in everybody."
For the next two hours, the friends ate, laughed, and talked, catching up on everything. House and Cuddy told Wilson about the events of the last few days, at least most of it, opting not to share some of the more private details. Rachel interjected too and told him the story about her getting lost in the mall.
Cuddy decided it was time to ask Rachel if she wanted to stay with House for the next few days.
"Rachel, honey I have something to ask you."
"Okay mommy."
"Would you like to stay with House the next two days? He and Wilson will bring you home on Wednesday."
"I can stay? Here? With Howse?"
House looked at her. "Yep, but only if you want to."
"I want to! I want to!" She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. But then she stopped and had a sad look on her face.
"What's wrong Rach?"
"Will you be lonely without me?"
"I will but I'll talk to you every day, as often as you want."
Rachel looked thoughtful and Cuddy thought it was adorable. Finally after a moment, she said, "Okay, I'll stay with Howse and Wilson."
Wilson looked surprised. "Wow," he said. "How are you going to handle her for three days?"
"It's really two and a half and besides I've got you."
"Yeah but I have to work."
"So do I."
"You're bringing her to work?"
"Why not?"
Cuddy jumped in. "Wilson, I'm sure it'll be fine. Normally I wouldn't want Rachel to miss school but it's only a few days and I know she's in good hands."
"Yeah, Wilson, what she says."
"So...no sleeping in, drinking, staying at the hospital late..."
"What part of 'she's in good hands' did you not hear?" House asked, annoyed.
Wilson put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay."
"I trust him Wilson. "
"I know, I do too. I just wasn't sure...just pretend I didn't say a word, okay?" Cuddy and House both laughed at him.
After a while Cuddy got up to stretch her legs and roamed around the apartment taking in all the things she'd missed over the last two years. She heard House and Wilson talking about the latest hospital gossip and she heard Wilson's clearly audible gasp at the news of the net worth of the coin collection John House had left behind. She perused his book collection when she came across a framed photo on one of the shelves.
"I wondered what happened to this," she said, walking over to House and showing him the photo.
He swallowed hard. "I stole it from you."
"What is it?" Wilson asked.
"The picture you took of Cuddy and me on my motorcycle." House handed Wilson the framed picture. It was of the two of them on House's motorcycle, in front of Cuddy's house. They'd posed without helmets and Cuddy had her arms wrapped tightly around House's midsection and both of them were smiling. It was a rare moment when House smiled and so it was one of Cuddy's favorite photos.
"I remember when I took that. You had me over for dinner just after Sam left," Wilson said.
"We looked good there," Cuddy noted,. Her smile could not be contained.
"Mommy, can I see?"
Cuddy handed her the photo.
"That's our house!"
"Our old house."
"I liked it there."
"Me too baby." She looked up at House suddenly and saw that his expression had turned serious. She quickly placed the photo back on the shelf, then cleaned up the empty boxes from the coffee table and took them into the kitchen.
When she was gone, House pulled Wilson aside. "Hey, need you to do me a favor."
"Sure."
"Can you watch Rachel for a bit?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I wanna take Cuddy for a bike ride."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. Don't ask why, just do this for me."
"Okay."
At that moment Cuddy entered the room. "Hey you wanna go for a ride?" He asked.
"Now?" She looked at he watch. It was eight-thirty.
"Sure. We won't be gone long."
"I don't think he'll take no for an answer," Wilson chimed in.
Knowing that House wouldn't ask her to go with him unless he had a good reason she acquiesced. "Okay."
Ten minutes later they were driving through the tree-lined streets of Princeton, both helmet-clad and dressed warm. Cuddy held on tight with her arms wrapped snugly around House's waist. They made the turn off Hillcrest and Cuddy realized where they were. On their right was the all-too familiar house, number nine twenty five with the pretty green lawn and large oak tree and the stone steps and long concrete walkway leading to the front door. They pulled up the driveway at the side of the house and quietly crept through the gate until they were safely nestled in the backyard. When they stopped, they sat there for a moment, neither making the move to get off the bike. Finally, they took off their helmets and sat on the bike looking at the house. All in all from the outside, the house looked exactly the same as when she'd lived there.
"House?" She asked, confused.
"Come on," he said softly, patting her thigh. "You have to go first so I can get off."
Cuddy got off the bike, followed by House.
"It's for sale," she said.
"Yeah."
"How'd you know?"
He looked away from her. "Sometimes at night on my way home I drive by here."
"But it's not on your way home."
"I know. Sometimes I just need to come by here."
She felt a lump in her throat. "But why are we here?"
He looked down at her noting the confusion and slight sadness in her eyes. This had been something he'd never thought he'd be brave enough to do but now was the time...for both of them.
"Closure."
She let out a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.
"Cuddy, if it's too much for you, we can go home. The last thing I want to do is upset you."
She looked around at the backyard, the garden, the stone patio, the trees. The cool breeze sent shivers down to her bone. Her breath hitched a moment as her emotions threatened to overtake her. She'd missed that house so much, but not so much the house as the memories created in it. It was the first house she'd ever bought and it was just after she received the promotion to VP of Administration. So many memories took place in that house. She spent many lonely nights sitting on her couch, drinking tea and working long hours. She had brought men home to this house, most who never spent the night and she never saw again. House banged on her door at all hours of the night for years in that house. She had miscarried her first child in that house, painted a nursery for another and wept over losing her too. She'd kissed House for the first time in years, adopted Rachel and celebrated her birthdays here with her. She entertained family and friends, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. This was the house where Lucas had nearly moved in with her and eventually proposed by candlelight and it was the house where she broke up with him the very next day in a tearful confession of her love for another man. Looking over at that man, the one she shared her bed with, in this very house, for almost a year, she realized most of her memories in this house involved House. Then she looked over at him and noticed his hands fidgeting, his facial expression somewhat apprehensive as he was unsure of what she was thinking.
"I had a lot of memories here," she said softly.
He took her hand gently. "I know. I was hoping we could leave this house with a better memory than the last time."
She tilted her head.
"I owe you that," he said."Are you okay?"
She shivered from the chilly air. "I...I think so."
He held out his hand. "Come," he said. He was relieved when she took his hand. With his other hand he pulled a flashlight out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
"Hold this," he said as he pried open an unlocked window.
"Oh my God we're going to get busted." She said.
"Oh ye of little faith."
"Have you done this before?" She asked him.
He looked at her with that are you serious look. "Do you even know me?"
"I can't believe we're doing this," she said as he hoisted the screen off and pushed open the window. He helped her in, making sure to get an eyeful of her ample ass in tight jeans as she slid through the window. She got in and unlocked the back door for him.
"Are you sure we're not going to get caught?"
"No."
"House!"
"Just kidding. Nobody can see my bike, nobody lives here, nobody's coming out here this time of night. It's just us."
He walked around making sure the blinds were down and Cuddy stood there looking around, still in awe that she was standing in that house again. She walked around and caught her breath when she entered the hallway that divided the kitchen from the dining room. She stood there frozen, looking at the dining room window. She wasn't sure how long she stood there until she felt his warm hand in hers.
"We can leave at any time Cuddy. Just say the word."
"No no," she took a deep breath. "
"I'm sorry."
She squeezed his hand. "I know. I used to have the same dream over and over again that I saw you through the window walking away and I ran out there to talk to you."
"I wish you had."
"Me too."
"We can wish all we want to but nothing changes does it?"
"No."
"We had some good times here in this room though, remember?"
He grinned. "Lots of dinners and...other things," he said with a grin. She knew what he was talking about. More than once they hadn't been able to make it to the bedroom. "Oh and your mom and Wilson were passed out right about...there." He said pointing over by the wall in the dining room.
"I remember that food fight you had with Rachel."
"She started it."
"She was three, House."
He grinned. He had started it and it was fun...until Cuddy got out of the shower and entered the kitchen and screamed at him for ten minutes about the mess.
"You kissed me in the hallway here." She moved closer to the hallway near the front door.
"I remember."
"I'll never forget that kiss. Ever."
"Me either."
"I can't believe you left that night."
"I knew if I didn't..."
"Do you think we would've?"
"I don't know but I was afraid of how things would change between us if we did."
They walked into the living room, the largest room in the house. They'd spent countless hours on the couch, curled up with one another watching television. Sometimes they sat on the carpet playing cards and sometimes Cuddy would let him watch her do her yoga there on the mornings after nights he spent with her. After the living room, they headed toward the nursery. The room had been painted a soft blue color, obviously a boy's room. House looked at the lace curtained window and let out a chuckle.
"What?" She asked, amused.
"Wilson climbed out that window once."
"He what?"
"I'll tell you later, let's just say that he had this affinity for climbing in and out of windows."
"Apparently. You know...this was where Rachel and you made that first real connection."
He nodded. "We were starting to connect but that night she surprised me."
"I'll never forget that moment when she crawled into your lap. You didn't know what to do."
"I didn't expect it."
"Did it scare you?"
"It scared the shit outta me," he confessed.
She looked around the bare room. "I worked so hard to bond with her in this room. And then it finally happened. I was so happy."
"I made your life a living hell back then," he said somberly.
"It was your way of trying to protect me...and show me how much you wanted to be a part of it."
"I was jealous. I thought when you had her you wouldn't need me anymore."
She placed her hand on his cheek. "I always needed you. You were my truth. You were the only person not afraid to tell me the truth, as much as it hurt."
"The truth wasn't always necessary."
"Yeah, it was House. It was. Don't backtrack just to make me feel better. The truth hurts but in the end, it's the right thing to do."
They continued their reminiscing into the master bedroom.
"This is it," he said.
"The last time we had sex in this house..."
"Yeah," he said, remembering the night before it all fell apart.
"That night was wonderful."
"We were in our own little world."
"If walls could talk," he said.
"It's a good thing they can't." She smiled at him and turned to kiss him. "Remember when you hid under the bed and grabbed my ankle?"
"You said I was acting like a child."
"Sometimes you did but it was cute. You kept things playful and fun. Life wasn't boring with you around." She took his hand. "Come on." She led him back into the empty dining room. She eased herself down on the floor against the wall and put her hand out to help him do the same. They sat side by side whispering and reminiscing for more than an hour. Cuddy eventually lay down and put her head in his lap as he ran his hands through her hair.
"Back then, even before we were together, you gave me strength I never realized I had. I felt like I could do anything with you on my side," she said.
"You had strength already Cuddy, you didn't need me."
"You built me up, made me feel confident. I knew no matter what happened, you'd always have my back. I never realized it back then. I know I told you that you couldn't be there for me but you were, in your own way. You always had my back."
"I just couldn't be there when it meant I might get hurt."
"That goes both ways. Neither of us was willing to take the risk."
"You were always there for me too. Every time I did something stupid, risking my job, my life, you saved my ass every time."
"And it wasn't always because you were a great doctor." She looked up at him for his response. He said nothing so she continued talking. "I did it for selfish reasons too. I needed you in my life. If you were gone, I didn't know what I would do. I was afraid to even try."
"We were both selfish. I ran off your dates because I didn't...I couldn't handle the thought of you being with anyone else."
"We were so fucked up," she said.
"Does that mean we're not anymore?"
"We are. But we're so much less fucked up now than back then. I think we're okay now."
He continued to play with her hair and she reached up pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it to the side. Then she began to unbutton her blouse. His eyes met hers and they never lost their gaze as she finished her task. When she was done, the shirt fell open revealing her white, satin pushup bra. She smiled when House waggled his eyebrows and licked his lips.
"You like?" He nodded and she ran her hand down from her neck to the waistband of her jeans and then back up again, stopping only to circle her nipples with her fingers.
House followed her lead and took his hand and massaged her bare skin, following the trail of her hand. Her skin ignited under his touch.
"You like?" He asked.
"I do."
They removed each others clothing slowly, without a single word. They stripped down to nothing and she laid down on the soft carpet of the dining room and he moved between her legs and kissed her. Their kisses were soft, tentative and slow as they explored one another relishing in the familiarity and warmth.
He rolled on his back and pulled her with him. She straddled him and leaned down to kiss him, her nipples grazing his chest. While in that position, she raised her hips and with one hand glided his cock inside of her, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of him filling her completely.
"This feels so amazing," she whispered as she raised and lowered herself on him, meeting his upward thrusts.
"Mmm hmm." He moaned. "You are so incredible."
"Only you make me feel this way." She caught her breath as he buried himself deeper into her. "Only you." With the little moonlight shining through the dining room windows, she could see the blue of his eyes and the look of pure bliss on his face. She would remember that look for the rest of her life.
The silence was perforated only by their soft sighs and moans as she moved over him, taking him as deep as she could. Their union was not rushed, it was meant to be savored. This would be the last time they would make love in this house and they wanted it to last. They were making up for lost time, getting closure, retiring old memories and building new ones. They moved together with a rhythm they had created long ago, during their first time together and had only perfected over the years even before they consummated their love once again.
Though they started slowly and deliberately, their passion consumed them, becoming more intense. Cuddy writhed above him, twisting and flexing and driving him crazy, Pain be damned, House bent his legs at the knees so Cuddy could rest her back against his thighs The new angle of penetration drove her wild as he thrust into her and she responded to his every move. He brought her forward so he could kiss her and their tongues dueled for dominance as their hands grasped what they could and held on tight. He ran his left hand through her hair while his right thumb massaged her sensitive clit, all the while whispering to her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. As she came, her body tensed and she cried her ecstasy into his mouth and at that moment he tumbled over the edge with her, gasping out her name and rolling his hips, pumping into her relentlessly. He poured every last drop of himself into her and eventually, they came down from their high, panting, sweating, and completely relaxed. When they opened their eyes and gazed lovingly at one another, they saw something neither had expected.
They were both crying.
"Cuddy..." He wanted to tell her how he felt but he didn't know how to put his feelings into words.
"I know." She felt the same way too.
A/N: Editing in...I wanted to address a comment by "Bounce" regarding this chapter:
"Good idea for the closure, but Cuddy moved into the house she would've lived in with Lucas even after breaking up with him... the house House kissed her in in Joy is not the same house they were in through their relationship. At the end of Help Me Cuddy says "... I'm in my new house, with my new fiance..." yeah... just wanted to mention"
Actually, if you watch the entire series, Cuddy lives at same house from beginning to end. Oh the door has been changed and the bedroom is different (1st floor in Humpty Dumpty, 2nd floor in Meaning and back to 1st floor for the rest of the series) but it is in fact the same house. Cuddy's line in Help Me makes you think she already was living in a new house already with Lucas but we know she was still living at her house based on the fact that well...that's what we saw post-Help Me. So...we can infer that Cuddy was going to move into a new house with Lucas but none of that really matters because the fact is she lived in the same house after Lucas that she lived in before Lucas.
Thank you for reading.