Disclaimer: Property of FOX, Bad hatr Harry and David Shore.

A/N: Not betad at all. All mistakes belong to me. Also rated for a reason, though there's nothing graphic.

Relief

Greg House woke up to the most unusual sight in the world on that fateful morning. He thought it was nothing, just a little excitement on his part, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in the shower… or in bed actually…

Oh how wrong he was. That was exactly twenty eight hours ago. Now here he was for the second day in a row, with the same damn problem and no solution in sight for him. He couldn't exactly go to work in this state, Cuddy would kill him, not to mention how embarrassed he would be if someone had asked him about it. Oh no; this was not leaving the confines of his apartment, but first he'd have to call Wilson and inform him that he would not be coming in today or tomorrow for that matter.

The sound of his ringing cell phone disturbed Wilson from his conversation with his sixth patient for the day. He lifted the phone from his desk and looked at the caller ID flashing on the screen. He was about to cut the call when it stopped ringing in his hands, saving him the effort, but he knew it would be short lived, and soon enough the hospital phone started ringing. He looked up at his patient, defeated, and mumbled a short apology and a hasty good bye before answering the offending ringing phone.

"House I can't talk right now, I'm busy with a patient," he said by way of greeting. "I can meet you in the cafeteria in about ten minutes if it's really important," he continued as he glanced at his wrist watch, and not giving his friend a chance to speak.

"Can't, not coming in to work today, Jimmy Boy," House replied, knowing that this information alone would get his friend all hot and bothered in a few minutes.

"But you have a patient, it's already past one o clock and you're not coming in? This is a new record, even for you House," Wilson said dramatically and House could imagine the disbelieving look in Wilson's face.

"I've already got Foreman checking out the patient's home while Taub and Kutner run the blood samples again and Thirteen is covering my clinic hours for me," House informed the oncologist as though it was nothing to be surprised about.

"And tomorrow is Saturday, I don't work on weekends, remember?" he asked his friend. Wilson however, didn't remember anything in House's contract saying he was not to work on weekends, but House being House had obviously took it upon himself to make that little decision.

This caused the wonder boy oncologist's forehead to frown with confusion. The diagnostician had not come in the day before and despite getting a new and interesting case, he had failed to show up at work this morning as well. This was definitely something to be concerned about, not that House had not come in, but he had not come in despite the fact that he had a patient. Usually that was all it took to get him to the hospital without a second thought on his part.

"Does Cuddy know you're not here?"

"No, she's too busy chatting up the new potential donor for the paediatric wing to notice. But I can assure you I have it all under control, she won't even notice I'm not there," House assured Wilson.

Wilson was about to ask another question when the voice of the woman they were talking about filtered through the door.

"Dr Wilson, could I see you for a minute please?"

"I'll be out in a second Dr Cuddy," Wilson replied alerting his friend that their boss was standing outside his door and that he had to go.

She started with the interrogation as soon as the door opened and he could step out into the hallway. Cuddy stuck her head into the room, making sure that the diagnostician was not in there before giving Wilson the look she reserved for House.

"Where is he?" There was no humour in her voice and she looked tired.

"He called, said he wasn't feeling too well, but he'd sleep it off and be all ready for work tomorrow," Wilson lied, "He said something about a stomach bug from the seafood he had yesterday," Wilson hoped that sounded more convincing than it was.

Cuddy's expression changed from one of anger to one of concern in an instant and Wilson knew what was going to come next. She was going to check up on House so before she could suggest it, he said he would stop by House's apartment on the way home and if it was anything serious he could give her a call immediately. She thought for a minute, debating on whether to accept his offer or not, and in the end decided she would in fact let Wilson go and see House. Besides her house was in the opposite direction to House's so why make a double trip and the trusted Wilson, he wouldn't lie to her.

At around eight that evening, House heard the knocking on his door.

"I'm not interested in buying anything you have to sell," he shouted to the person standing on the other side of the door.

His statement was met with another persistent knock, louder than the previous one House doesn't need to guess anymore about whom was standing outside his apartment door.

"Wilson you have a key for a reason – so that I don't have to get up from the couch to come and open the door for you," House shouted again and this time he heard Wilson feed the key into the keyhole and turn it until the bolt clicked open.

He saw House seated on the couch with his legs resting on the coffee table in front of him, while a glass of bourbon sat on the armrest of the sofa on House's right side. A blanket was covering him, despite the heat that was coming from heater that was tuned on in the building though Wilson assumed House had been feeling worse with the cold weather.

"Thought you might be hungry," Wilson placed a few containers of Chinese food on the table where House's feet were still propped up.

House mumbled something undecipherable before looking up at the oncologist exasperatedly as if the oncologist was supposed to read his thoughts and do whatever House wanted him to do without having him ask for it. House grabbed a container and a pair of chop sticks and dug into his meal, without waiting for his dinner companion to sit down and eat with him. Wilson returned from the kitchen with two bottles of beer in his hand and made himself comfortable on the single seater couch and started eating as well.

Dinner was a silent affair, with Wilson wondering what was bothering his friend, since House was never this quiet and House wondering how and if he should actually let Wilson know about his dilemma. In the end both men decided it was better that the question and answer session was abandoned, and Wilson watched two episodes of The L Word with House before leaving. He, however, made House promise that if there was anything he needed he was to call the oncologist no matter what the time, and House had reluctantly agreed, so it would get the man out of his apartment.

The Next Morning

It was a little after six when the light from outside spilled into his bedroom window, waking House up. He lifted his head quickly to see if his problem had vanished, but to his dismay, it was still there standing tall and proud, creating a little tent with the sheets where his groin was standing at attention. He sighed tiredly and wondered how the hell he was going to explain this when he went to the hospital later that day. He decided he had to go and see the patient for himself since the search of her home and office and yielded no results and all the blood tests were negative for whatever they had tested.

Wilson was standing in House's kitchen at eight thirty the next morning waiting as the coffee brewed in the machine. House had yet to wake up and Wilson was sure with the cocktail of bourbon and Vicodin he had taken the night before it would still be a while before the diagnostician would arise.

He was proved wrong when the lanky owner of the apartment walked into the kitchen five minutes later, sans T-shirt and sporting one hell of an erection. It was hard to miss and without a T-shirt to cover it up, Wilson's eyes were automatically drawn to it.

"Oh my… House, what the hell…" but Wilson was cut short when House answered his partially asked question.

"It's called an erection Jimmy boy. I'm sure you've heard of them, you might have even experienced them in your life as well, though I could be mistaken." House was in no mood to discuss that certain part of his anatomy or the reason for it, or rather the lack of reason for it.

"Well do something about it, before you poke someone's eye out," Wilson teased.

I tried, nothing worked," House replied drolly, fully expecting Wilson to know that he would tried anything to get rid of that part of his anatomy that was standing at full attention.

"Is that the reason you haven't been at work since yesterday?" Wilson was still finding it really hard to digest that House had a problem… of sorts.

House wasn't impressed and made up his mind that Wilson needed no further encouragement on the subject so he refused to say anything that would prompt more jokes from the oncologist.

Lisa Cuddy made her grand entrance into House's apartment at precisely nine fifteen that morning. Since Wilson had not called her the night before about House, she had made it her mission to check up on him that morning. She knew where he hid his spare key and proceeded to unlock his door and enter his apartment walking directly to the kitchen where she heard House's voice coming from. What she did not expect was to find Wilson there so early on a Saturday morning and she definitely did not expect to find a bare chested House with an erection that looked like it would put Arthur's sword Excalibur to shame.

"House," she stated incredulously as though it was something he could actually control.

"Oh that was there before I got here this morning," Wilson said as he saw Cuddy's amused expression and where her gaze was focused.

"Maybe we should call Cameron to come and relieve him," Wilson put extra emphasis on the words come and relieve as he watched his friend's forehead crease up with a dissatisfied frown, but not really caring anyway.

"Yeah since she still has that school girl crush on House," Cuddy added with a sparky smile

"We should make sure he didn't swap his little white pills for little blue ones," That last comment from Wilson was enough to irritate House and he started looking for a way to throw the brown eyed man out of his apartment.

"It's kinda rude to talk about people when they're still in the same room and they can hear you," House said sulkily as he listened to his best friends making jokes at his expense.

They were interrupted when House's phone started ringing and Thirteen's voice filled the room over the speaker phone. She updated House on the patient and enquired as to if he was actually going to come in that day so they could stop thumb-sucking and actually get some diagnosis that sounded right.

"Dr Wilson will be there in ten minutes to help you guys out and I will be there as soon as I can," House said as he looked toward his friend. Wilson simply shook his head and moved toward the door.

"Lisa, are you coming?" She was about to follow him out but she felt House's fingers curl around her wrist and her heart skipped a beat. Thankfully they were standing behind the table and Wilson had no idea of House's actions or there would have been a lot of explaining to do.

"Yeah, in a minute, you go on ahead and I'll see you at the hospital," she said as she saw him walking out the door with a parting shot to House.

"Do whatever it takes to get rid of that," he pointed in the direction of House's groin "and be at the hospital in an hour."

They stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to say or what to do. It was Cuddy who broke stillness when she suggested that House shaved and had a shower while she cleaned up the mess he and Wilson had created in his kitchen during their little conversation. He acquiesced to her suggestion and made way to his bedroom to gather his towel and shaving kit. She expected to hear the spray of the shower ten minutes later, indicating that he was done shaving and was about to actually have a shower, but the dead silence in the apartment indicated otherwise.

She walked over to the bathroom and saw him through the open door. He was standing still, his face lathered with shaving cream and the sink full of water, but he couldn't bring himself to shave. It was clear he was still very upset about his apparent erection as his gaze was focused intently on his groin, as if he were just willing for it to disappear within seconds. Cuddy took a tentative step forward, waiting for him to kick her out, but there was no reaction from his side, and so she crossed the small distance between them and before she could analyse her thoughts she had taken the razor from his grasp and had him sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

She left the bathroom and House could hear her rummaging for something in his bedroom. She returned a short while later with a face cloth and an electrical shaving machine. She rinsed the cloth with warm water and wiped all the foam off his face until it was clear and then proceeded to plug in the machine and turn it on. She fitted the cartridge with the numeral one on it and placed it against his warm skin. After placing a towel on his chest and lap she positioned herself between his legs and began to move the shaver in an upward direction.

The sound of the shaver filled the silence of the apartment and for one Cuddy actually hoped House would say something brash or crude just so that this wouldn't seem as intimate as it was. Ten minutes later she was done his face looked perfect. He still had his five o clock shadow but he looked neater that when she had last seen him, and she was sure he felt better. She stood up to rinse the cartridge after removing it from the machine and that's when he made the first move.

There was no noise that indicated he had moved from his place on the bathtub and closed the two step distance between them. His hand curled around her waist and drew in a sharp breath. While she was aware of his attraction to her, and well her attraction to him, they had never acted on it… until now. She stood up to her full height, her back coming into full contact with his chest and still she noted that she was at least a head shorter than him. His grip around her waist tightened and her heart started thumping in her chest. She could feel him against her and she knew this was going to change everything between them. This, whatever it was, had progressed to more than just the employer, employee relationship they shared.

House lowered his head until his mouth was sucking on the soft skin of her neck leaving a wet trail from her neck to her shoulder. She lifted her hand and placed it on the back of his head, and allowing him to continue with his actions. He retraced the trail he made and this time his mouth gently assaulted the back of her neck, kissing each ridge of her spine until he couldn't go any lower because of her camisole. His hands had moved from her waist to her sides and were fast rising with every kiss. They slipped under her zip up jacket and the camisole and she the felt the zing run up her spine from feeling his cool fingers on her flushed skin.

He allowed his hands to savour the feeling of her soft, sensual skin on his fingertips and he allowed his brain to store this moment in his memories, just in case he never got another chance to do so. His fingers automatically came to a halt on her lower abdomen and he caressed it gently. She pulled in a deep breath, though she said nothing. She knew what was running through his mind as he did so, he hadn't said anything earlier about the foetus she had miscarried because of him, and he was now apologizing for it in his own way.

He began moving his hands upwards again and this time he was slower than before. It was the most pleasant torture she had ever experienced and she was more than ready to take it to the next level… hospital rules and everyone else be damned. Cuddy turned her face toward his, nipping his chin delicately, feeling his stubble burn her cheek in the most delightful way. She was beginning to think he was being a tease and was about to pull away from him, when he suddenly levelled a double attack.

His hands found her breasts at the same time he fused their mouths together, swallowing her approving moan and sucking gently on her bottom lip as he did so. He smiled against her mouth when he realised she was not wearing a bra, but the back of his hands felt the soft, thin padding on her T-shirt and he had to admit he was impressed that she had thought of wearing a camisole with hidden support. He squeezed her breast lightly, yet ardently causing her to moan in pleasure and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her open mouth. She was more sensitive than usual, and her breasts somehow felt heavier to him. Then it hit him… she was ovulating.

Tongues met and teeth clashed as they exchanged breaths and made love with their mouths until her lungs could take it no more and she had to disengage her mouth from his so she could take in a deep breath and get oxygen flowing to her brain once more. House turned her around to face him and then backed her up against the tiled bathroom wall, invading her personal space and sealing her mouth with his. One hand was now placed strategically at the nape of her neck and the other on her lower back, ensuring that she could not escape him. Her hands were roaming his hair and back before coming to a stop on his biceps. Her tongue duelled with his in a battle for superiority and as usual he never gave up without a fight, though he knew who the winner was for this round. Cuddy was all boss in the workplace, but when it came to the bedroom, she preferred the alpha male and he knew it.

He felt her grinding her pelvis into his and for a minute he couldn't breathe with the waves of pleasure it sent up his spine to his brain. He withdrew his mouth from hers, only to receive a disappointed sigh in response but there was no way he was going to screw this woman while she was pressed up against the bathroom wall. She was not one of the call girls he lied to her about calling to satisfy his 'manly needs' she was more than that, and he would not allow himself to do that to her.

Cuddy looked at him questioningly but he merely grabbed his cane in his right hand and entwined the fingers of his left hand with hers before leading her to his bedroom. She wondered if he even realised what he had done when he held her hands in his. House was not a man who connected with a lot of people and even with those he did, it was to a minimum. She couldn't remember the last time he had held someone's hand, other than Stacey's, which was a long time ago.

The room was different to the last time she saw it, while the dresser and wall paint had remained the same, the earth tone bedspread and blankets had been replaced with new sky blue ones which she noted accented his sapphires. He plopped himself onto the edge of the bed and waited for her to toe of her sneakers before he brought her closer to him, enclosing her legs between his thighs. The sound of her jacket zipper being unzipped caught his attention and his immediately pulled her hands away from the garment and shook his head. He was going to do the undressing.

House held her hands in his and turned them over so her wrists were facing him and he rubbed them gently with him thumbs. He watched her face for her reaction and saw her eyes darken and her chest rise and fall faster than normal. He lifted one of her hands to his mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist softly while his other hand snaked around her waist and brought her closer to him. He lifted the bottom of her jacket, exposing the pale skin of her hip and he placed butterfly kisses across her lower abdomen, sucking harder where he felt her hips bones protruding.

Two minutes later he felt his back hit the mattress with a crash and felt her weight on top of him, mindful of not hurting his already injured leg. Her long, lithe, petite and perfect body melding into his felt like heaven and he never wanted this to end. House felt her mouth on his chin, grazing at his stubble and then trailing down his neck to the hollow in his throat before advancing to his chest. She fingered the sparse short hairs that adorned his chest with care as she closed her mouth around his nipple. He suppressed the low moan that started in the back of his throat, wanting her to go on with her little experiment. His other nipple suffered the same fate and he knew if he let her continue with her actions any longer it would all be over before it even started.

With surprising ease, he flipped them over so that she was now pinned underneath his body. He slid his mouth over hers and kissed her lightly, waiting for her to respond to his actions. Cuddy opened her mouth, her tongue rushing out to find his as though it were a matter of life and death. It started out slow and sweet, but soon it became passionate and frantic, and Cuddy hated the fact that he could make her feel like she was about to explode with just the feel of his tongue in her mouth.

The sounds of panting breaths filled the room as he released her mouth from his. His hands found the top of her zipper on her jacket and he opened it, pulled it off of her and threw it in some corner of his room. The sight of her nipples straining through her camisole made him smirk and he couldn't help the sentence that came out of his mouth.

"I take it the girls are happy to see me." It was a statement that caused her to blush beautifully and he smiled at her reaction.

He leaned down to kiss her again and one thing led to another and soon enough there were both unclothed and writhing together on his sky blue bed.

They woke up a few hours later arms draped protectively around each other as Cuddy murmured into his chest and he smiled against the top of her head. It took him a few seconds to realise his erection had disappeared altogether and he was feeling better than he had in two days.

The sound of Wilson's voice on House's answering machine broke the peaceful silence of the apartment and House grinned when he heard what the wonder boy Oncologist had to say.

"House, we diagnosed your patient, it was a cold and from all the Panados he took he got constipated and everything else was a result of the domino effect. Thanks for all the help you gave us though. We really appreciated it. Oh and did you get rid of your problem?" House could hear the smirk in Wilson's voice but he was too wrapped up in the woman next to him to care.

"I should leave," Cuddy said as she pulled the sheet up to her chest to cover herself.

House had never felt as content in his life as he did at that moment, and he didn't want her to leave, but the words just could not leave his mouth, and so he watched with disappointment as she gathered up her clothes and walked out of his home. The incident was not mentioned again, not at work and not even when they were alone.

o 0 o 0 o 0 o .

It was three months later and Cuddy was about to go to bed after greeting her date goodnight when her home phone began to ring.

"Dr Cuddy," she said automatically, even though she knew who it was yet still answering that way.

"Lisa, I have a bit of a problem," It could only be House calling at one in the morning to tell her about his problems.

"House, you cannot do the brain biopsy," she said in her most stern voice, hoping he was not going to drag this conversation on.

"Actually, it has nothing to do with my patient, it's kinda personal," she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"I need to be relieved and no one does it better than you do."

She didn't know if her heart or her head made the decision for her but the next thing she knew was in his apartment, his lips crashing into hers and his hands all over her body. Their clothes were discarded quickly and House stopped to look at her. There was something different about her. His eyes took her in hungrily and examining every inch of her perfectly sculpted body and that's when he saw it. Her nipples were darker, her breasts were heavier and there was a slight bump on her usually flat abdomen.

"You're pregnant," It was a statement.

"Yes,"

"How long,"

"Three months." His brain was already working out what that meant. The sprog was his, and for some reason this didn't scare his as much as he thought it would.

"Well I still have a problem that you need to take care of," he said as he pulled her to him and started kissing her gently.

Okay so Ihad to write this and get it out of my head before I could continue with my NCIS fic. I tried to keep them as in character as I could, but House is really difficult to write.

Hope you guys like it. Read and review... please??