Before going back to the hotel, they pick up some take away food. When they get to the bedroom, House looks for a pill in his jeans’ pocket and lies on the bed. ‘It hurts. I’m gonna have a bath.’ He goes to the bathroom and fills the bathtub whereas Cuddy talks to Wilson on the phone. Some time goes by and before going out of the bathroom he takes another pill. After that, they have their dinner. ‘I love Italian food.’
‘And Italians love you.’
‘Are you going to remind me this for ever?’
‘Of course! You doubted it?’
House looks at her angrily ‘I really really hate you, you know?’
Cuddy chuckles and starts signing. ‘♫I really really hate condoms ♪’
His expresion changes and looks at her surprised. ‘What was that?’ He laughs. ‘Do you?? Oh my God, doctor Cuddy, I thought you were a more sensible person!’
‘No, I don’t hate condoms... I had a curious past.’
‘Curious?? I would say: DARK past!’
Cuddy chuckles. ‘Like if you don’t... Besides, you should know that I don’t hate condoms...’
That shocks him. ‘I SHOULD know? Why should I know that?’
‘Nothing... I thought your prodigious memory worked even if you’re drunk.’ She stands up to take the papers and the bag and throw them away. House stops her.
‘What, what, what? Memory? Drunk? What are you talking about?’
‘It’s nothing, forget it!’
‘No, no, now you have to tell me!’
Cuddy sighs and sits next to him. ‘Do you remember the New Year’s Eve’s party in college in 1987, the year we met?
‘Ummm... I can only remember some things... when I was getting dressed, when I met people at college, when the party started and... the next thing I can remeber is me waking up next morning in my bedroom, and that someone had to drive me home 'cause I had a terrible hangover.’
‘Yeah, that someone was me.’
‘Aw...really?? Wow... I didn't know that.’
‘You were pretty drunk to remember that...’
House remains thinking. ‘But... it has nothing to do with condoms... right??
‘The part that you remember doesn’t.’
He stands up. ‘Oh my God!!’
‘Sorry, we never had sex. You didn’t have condoms... so I don’t hate them.’ House remains open-mouthed.
‘So... with "we didn't have sex because we didn't have condoms" you mean that we would have had sex if I had had one??!!’
Cuddy shakes. ‘I-I don't know...We will never know.’ They lie on the bed in silence, looking at the ceiling, thinking.
‘Well... a consolation for me is that, even if we would have had sex and I couldn't have remembered it because I was drunk.’
‘But do not say that even drunk you wouldn't have liked it.’
‘Well... I don't say it.’ He smirks. ‘Well, I think it's time to go to bed... I'm very tired...’
‘Yes, goodnight House.’
‘Goodnight, Cuddy.’

They try to fall asleep, but it’s complicated with all that new information spinning on his mind. After a long time, Cuddy realizes he’s not asleep. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I can’t concentrate on sleeping.’
‘Why? Pain?’ Cuddy knows perfectly the reason.
‘I-I don’t know...’
She sighs. ‘If you can’t sleep I can’t sleep.’
‘Why?? I’m quiet and away enough from you, I can’t be annoying you!’
‘It’s not that... I just... can’t.’ She breaths deeply. ‘Do I switch on the TV?’ House nods. There are only adult programmes and she turns it off again. ‘Oh God! These Italians are very perverts! It’s not so late!’
They laugh. ‘Maybe this is the way they teach kids the alphabet and stuff like that... Ah, these Italians...’
‘I had an Italian boyfriend once, and yes, he was 100% Italian...’
‘Woow... why did you split up? You couldn’t sleep at nights? You were very tired at work? I can guess...’
‘It's hard having to deal with an Italian at night and stand you at day. I had to choose... I had to choose between my job or my personal life, and my personal life has always sucked so... Besides we weren't very well…’
‘Hmm... what happened?’
‘Let’s say no more love, like you and Stacy.’
He becomes a bit abrupt when Cuddy appoints Stacy. ‘Did he steal you a muscle too??’
Cuddy looks away. ‘No, he didn't. It’s not the same case...’
‘Of course it’s not the same case.’
‘Did you slipt up with her because of your leg?’
House looks at her and speaks slowly. ‘I split up with her 'cause she betrayed my trust in her.’
‘She loved you, she just wanted the best for you.’
‘Without bearing in mind my wish of keeping my whole leg!!’
Cuddy looks at him and talks surprised. ‘We couldn't do anything else. You could have died.’
‘It was my choice.’
‘You couldn't had a rational decision...’
This time House raises his voice. ‘Of course it was a rational decision!!!’
‘It could have been worse.’
‘Yeah, you could have cut my body under my hip...’
‘I think you wouldn't have liked to lose BOTH legs.’
House yells. ‘Three, and actually I wanted to keep ALL my body.’ Cuddy looks away and looks at him.
‘Are you blaming me?’
‘Do you feel guilty??’
She stares at him. ‘A bit.’
‘Then, you can guess my answer to your question...’
They look at each other without talking, then Cuddy takes a pillow and throws it to him. ‘I was not my fault.’ House throws it back to her.
‘It was your half-fault.’
‘No, it was not! What did you want me to do??’
‘Accepting my choice!!’
Cuddy chuckles. ‘Letting you die? Yeah, you're right. Your beautiful leg would’ve been very useful in your grave.’ House remains quiet staring at her. ‘What?’
‘Nothing.’

House stands up and goes to the balcony. Cuddy takes her jacket and follows him. They stay there for a while. The crickets sound and they look at the views. It’s beautiful.
‘Can't you sleep because of your leg?’
‘Because of a mixture of things... I think...’
‘What else?’ House stands up and gets back into the bedroom, Cuddy goes after him. ‘You haven’t answered.’
‘Goodnight.’ He gets into the bed and don’t look at her.
‘What's wrong with you? You’re ignoring me.’
‘Is that bad?? I thought you were accustomed to it.’
‘You normally don't do that so... it's something abnormal that disturbs you. And... you don't wanna tell me, but...’ House pretends to be snoring exaggeratedly. ‘...I don't know why, and it's not only about your leg pain.’ He snores harder. ‘And of course now you'll still ignore me or you'll pretend that you're asleep or something like that and... having a conversation with myself is not fun so... you win, goodnight.’
He stops snoring and she gets into bed next to him. Now he starts signing. ‘God, shut up! It’s late and we need to sleep.’ House keeps signing and she puts the pillow over his face until he stops, then she takes off the pillow and puts her hand over his mouth. He is humming. ‘It’s late.’ He rises his thumb and stops. Then she puts her hand away, rolls her eyes and looks at him. ‘Good! Lucky me! The next step I would have done to shut you up would have been giving you a kiss.’
House answers ironically. ‘Oh no, thank God I stopped singing!!’ They lie down again and House sighs. Cuddy sighs back, House sighs again, to which she answers sighing louder.
‘What’s this? A sighing contest?’ She sighs again. ‘Goodnight.’

Some time passes and Cuddy can't remove her thoughts out of her head, she whispers. ‘Greg?’
Greg? Why did she say Greg instead of House? ‘Huh uhmm?’
‘Remember when I told you before about the party and that was me who was with you and all those things. Well, I... I lied...’
He whispers. ‘What did you lie about??’
She breathes deeply. ‘Sex part.’
Suddenly House opens his eyes very widely and turns on the lights. ‘What happened??’
Cuddy yawns and turns off the lights again. ‘Suddenly I feel very very tired.’
‘No, no, no. You have to tell me... What did you lie about??’
‘We...did it.’
House sits up shocked. ‘What??!!!’
‘God House! If I told you before that we didn't have sex and now I'm telling you that that was lie...Use your mighty powers of deduction.’
He remains quiet and shocked lookint at her, then he smiles. ‘No... you're trying to keep me awake by saying this!! Hahaha... Good trick but, it doesn't work...’ He lies down again a bit worried.
‘I'm not kidding.’
A lot of things are crowded into House’s mind. ‘Did we really...? You and I...? I can’t remember anything!!’
Cuddy gets even more nervous. ‘I knew it, I shouldn’t have told you... That was many years ago... it was stupid... W-we... I-I... Goodnight.’ She lies again and doesn’t look at him.

A few seconds later, when House processes information, looks at Cuddy. ‘And... was it... was it good? I mean, if I can't remember anything, at least it will calm my mind to know that I... had fun...’
She blushes. ‘You really had fun... Can’t remember anything at all?’
‘Unfortunatelly... nothing at all!’
‘Unfortunatelly? I'm sure you can imagine worse things than what happened that night.’
‘Imagination is not real life...’ He remains thinking. ‘This is awkward.’
‘There's no need to make such a fuss...’
‘But.. why did you choose this moment to tell me this??’
She sits up. ‘I-I don't..know... I guess I couldn't sleep for remorse of not telling you the truth before.’
‘So you fell better now?’
‘I’m not sure... If you are gonna make a joke, do it now, it's time to make me feel bad.’
‘Oh, come on!! I can't joke about something I can't remember!!!’
Cuddy looks around nervous. ‘It was you who started all!’
‘It's always me who starts all. I've got the power!!!’
‘The power of not remembering it.’
‘That's not a power, it's a pitty!!!’ He looks at the mattress while she looks at him surprised.
‘Why? You've slept with a thousand girls, that would have been one more, isn't?’
‘Well... you're not like other women...’
Cuddy frowns. ‘I'm your boss and you know me longer...that's the difference I have with other women for you.’
‘Yeah, but when we slept together you weren't my boss... I thought you were really hot.’
She chuckles and teases him. ‘Past tense? You don’t think so now?’ He teases her back.
‘Well... actually you ass looks less firm now, and your breasts... let's say that they have surrendered to gravity...’
‘Yeah, what a shame you don't remember my breasts and my ass when I was younger. You missed your chance--’
‘Damn it!!!! Don't make me feel even worse Lisa!!’
‘--or you didn’t...’
He stares at her surprised. ‘Didn’t I?’
‘It wasn't you who always started it all?’
‘People can change...’
‘Have you change your motto, too? Where is your "people never change"? Have you changed?’
He smirks. ‘I’m more handsome now.’ She chuckles and he remains staring at her, smiling.
‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Do I need a reason to smile?’
‘People normally smile for a reason’
‘Well I don’t have any.’ He stares at her and approaches a little bit. She stares at his lips but keeps the distance and tries to sound convincing. ‘Good.’
House can feel her very very nervous, but not less than he is right now. He approaches a little more and wait for a movement of her, while thinks: “Okay, Greg, this is the moment, kiss her or get ready for the slap of your life.” Their eyes meet. On his eyes there is vulnerability, perhaps more than he would have liked, and on hers, there is incredulity. She gets a little bit closer, and that’s what he was waiting for. Finally he gets closer and kisses her. It’s done. After more than twenty years their lips meet again, but the feeling is like if it was the first time. When they run out of breath comes what scares them most, look into each others eyes. They stare at each other in silence, a silence that she always breaks. ‘We... should... sleep...’
‘We should be sleeping since a few hours ago...’
‘Can you sleep now?’
‘I don’t think so... We have to try...’
‘Right.’ They lie again looking at the opposite sides and close their eyes, but both know that it won’t be so easy to fall asleep now. ‘Why did you kiss me?’
‘Do I need a rational reason for everything I do??’
‘I guess no...’ They stay in silence and lie on the other side, looking at each other but with their eyes closed. Cuddy opens a little her eyes to see him, thinking that she has just kissed him and now they're sleeping together, it's a odd situation. She feels confused. Suddenly he opens his eyes and sees her, but he doesn’t know what to say.
‘House... do you feel anything for me?’
‘Something like...?’
‘...more than friendship?’
‘Something like... an uncontrollable sexual attraction?? Oh my God, I'm guilty!!’
‘You have been controlling that sexual attraction for twenty years.’
‘Yeah, I should have a monument built, shouldn't I??’

There is another silence, which of course, Cuddy breaks. ‘B-by the way... I have something for you... I was gonna give it to you in the morning but... well’ She stands up and takes a bag with an anti-collapse shampoo from her suitcase and gives it to him. ‘I hope you enjoy it, you'll need it from now on... Happy Birthday’
‘Ha... thanks a lot. This is very touching!! You shouldn't have bothered.’
Cuddy laughs and takes out another bag, a bigger one. ‘I was kidding... here.’ She handles him the bag. He catches it doubful and takes out a beautiful leather jacket for the bike. ‘The heat is suffocating now but I thought you might like it...’
‘Wow... wow... This is too much!!! I'm not gonna say you shouldn't have bothered 'cause this is damn cool!! Thank you.’
She smiles glad he liked it. ‘When we go back to New Jersey you have to ride me on your motorbike with your new biker jacket. That’s the deal.’
‘Yeah... one ride, or two, or ten...’
They smile. ‘It’s late... actually it’s early, I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight, plus I’m not tired anymore.’
House nods. ‘We can leave soon and seize the day’






To be continued...



Irene3691 ~ SandraCH91 ~ diego27rg