AN: Don't worry everyone, when there's drama in House-land, no one ever ends up happy! Remember that while reading this second chapter/epilogue.

As always, dedicated to HughLaurieLover and CassidyTVNut, and the latter especially, because she gave me the idea that made this a two-part story!

I know that we'll meet again

Fate has a place and time

So you can get on with your life

I've got to be cruel to be kind

-98 Degrees "The Hardest Thing"

She still hadn't told him, even though it had been a month since House had stormed out of her office. Nor, at the time, did she have any intentions of telling Lucas. Wilson knew, since House had spilled to him later that day, but after confronting Cuddy, he was sworn to secrecy. House rarely showed his face at the hospital anymore, he remained in front of his computer, doing differentials over web cam, along with conversations with the patients. Cuddy didn't like it, and nor did his team, but he refused to come into the hospital. He was, as usual, getting behind in clinic duty, but occasionally, he would receive a call or email from someone who had visited the hospital.

Though he was getting annoyed with it, Cuddy kept herself buried in her work, leaving at five-thirty in the morning and working until almost midnight, avoiding almost all contact with Lucas that she could. She had time during the day, when Lucas was most likely to call, when she could curl up on the couch in her office and nap for half an hour. Each day, he got more and more annoyed at her, but she ignored his protests, trying to push him further and further away.

It obviously hadn't worked, the more time she spent at the hospital, then the more time Lucas spent trying to arrange dinners at fancy restaurants, knowing that before she had begun her "workaholic" mode, she could almost never say no to their time together. When dinners, movies, plays – everything that they had planned to do – hadn't worked, he took the only option he had left. Marriage.

Lucas knew it was too early for them to began planning a wedding, hell, they had only been together for a few months. But, if they were married, then it would force her to spend more time with him. Or so he hoped. Even if she wasn't read, he hoped that she would stay with him until she was ready.

She didn't do either one of them, instead, she walked out of him apartment, and out of his life.

Now, Cuddy made her way across the hall, having spoken with House's landlord, to ensure that he was really living there, and not doing online differentials from some obscure place miles away. She stood outside his door, and without hesitation, unlocked it with the key the landlord had given her.

"Get out." House turned from the computer, his eyes frosty and narrowed, "You have no right to be here."

"I'm still your boss, unless you're planning on running your own diagnostics unit from your apartment." Cuddy shut the door behind her, "And, you were right." She sighed, and sank onto the couch, House's mouth hanging open when he realized what she meant.

"You ended it?"

"Of course, I told you House, it wasn't going to last." Cuddy leaned into the couch, "He wanted to propose, already; we haven't even been together a year. I refused point-blank. Lucas wouldn't take no for an answer, he said that I'd do it if it were you."

"If it were me what?" House joined her on the sofa, noticing how exhausted she looked.

"If you were proposing to me, he thought that I'd say yes in a heartbeat," Cuddy gave a short laugh, "I told him that he should have paid more attention to me and reminded him that I wasn't looking for a serious, long-term commitment."

"You ended it over that?" House was surprised, and, to both his and Cuddy's shock, he went on. "You could have been happy, something you've apparently failed at so far, and you turned down what could be your only shot at ever being happy."

"I couldn't be happy, not with him." Cuddy admitted, "Nor with anyone else," she stopped, "Anyone but you." House froze and she went on, "When I was with you, I was happy, I didn't regret cheating on Lucas. You listened to me, and understood me – Lucas didn't do that – and I couldn't live with that."

"Cuddy," House stopped her, "happy isn't really my thing. You've known me for over twenty years, you of all people should know that."

"Being happy and making someone happy is completely different. Just because you don't do happy, don't mean you can't make me the happiest person in the world." Cuddy let a smile grace her lips, "You really do, House – nothing is more important than us when I'm with you."

"Funny, I remember hearing someone else say that about us too." House kissed her cheek gently, "Listen, Cuddy, you know this isn't the storybook ending that you're probably expecting when you get with the person you want to be with. You know how we are at the hospital, and I don't think our relationship is going to change that at all. We're going to fight, and most definitely, I'm going make you miserable." He cupped her cheek in his hand, "Are you sure you want this?"

"House," Cuddy leaned forwards, pressing her lips against his, "I've loved you for as long as I can remember, you're just repeating everything I've asked myself in the past month. Besides," she snuggled into his arms, "I don't do storybook endings. I like different."

"I'm glad Lise," House kissed her neck lightly, "I'm glad you don't do storybook."

AN: Total crap? Or good bounceback?

KM Wilson