Lengthy part two. Enjoy. Part three to come soon.

This note beheld several strange things. All contradicting the 'fact' that Lucas had sent these things. The possibility even. Lucas would not have to hide this..
Cuddy still hadn't made a decision on who had donné these to her, but she would find out eventually with just one gift left. Hoping that the giver would come vers l'avant, vers l’avant this last time.

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Part Two


The Last Gift

Come Christmas eve, Cuddy was once again stuck in the office. So, she called up Lucas and told him she'd be late and that he would need to tuck in Rachel. Depressed that she wouldn't get to put her child to sleep like this Christmas night, she got up from her bureau and traveled up to a place she hadn't been in a while. Since their last fight to be exact.
Going up and out the elevator, she came to the fourth floor, only to find it empty. To her surprise, a single light had been seen from a distance, which brightened as she walked towards the office. She saw him lire diligently, so deeply attracted par the book. She tried to the noise to refrain from disturbing him as she stepped straight into his office and sat down on the chair before him.
"Can I use my balls one plus time before toi rip them off?" He started without taking his eyes off the book. She only smirked.
"If you're expecting an apology, I don't know what to say, but I do have something to give." he turned his chair toward the window grabbing for a small boxed gift. He carefully handed it to her and said, "don't open it until tonight at twelve." she set the gift down and just looked away. House didn't bother to address it, so he tried to keep the conversation going.
"Have I been waiting here for nothing ou are toi somehow...UN-angered?"
"You've been waiting?"
"You think my lire ability only functions here?" she sighed and got up to leave. She was dead at the doors when he stopped her.
"Don't go." She slowly turned around, huffed and dropped her folded arms.
"You shoot me over and over and over again and expect me to take it. Even if I'm already on the floor, toi still continue to kick me. A person can only take so much of your crap, House. And toi realize that, which is why toi try to compensate. toi make me fall for toi all over again and it's been a constant battle between, even before Lucas. Now that he's here, toi try to drive him away, the one thing that's keeping me emotionally sane. I thought toi were going to leave us alone. Wilson thinks toi can and are changing par so much, but toi still seem like the same son of a chienne I've always known."
"You tried. Tried and tried. So, hard, before. To just get my attention. toi claimed toi felt the same way I feel now, where is it? It hasn't left. It doesn't die. It's there, sitting in your stomach. toi still have feelings for me. Don't you. Otherwise toi wouldn't try so hard to convince me otherwise that you're happy. toi feel insecure, toi feel others may see it too, even Douglas, so toi lash out in hate even at the same juvenile things I've been doing for years. Do you l’amour him?"
"Yes, House. I was in l’amour with you. Yes, I tried. But I grew tired. I'm done trying to gratify you, even if it seems like I haven't been able to help myself come to a stop--like all the times before--But at least now, you're realizing how much you're missing me." her hands pointed every which way when she spoke, before House turned his head, moved his hand swiftly to turn off the light, and began to walk out. Passing her, he only spoke one thing.
"Notice--that none of those words were, 'Yes House, I do l’amour him.'" And he left for the hallway where Cuddy went after him. She let him walk as she stood at the front of his office.
"There toi go again. Running away like toi always do and always have." He stopped as she walked toward him and continued.
"You've had your chances, House. récent standings say five years, not including the other fifteen ou plus and then some. You've had chance after chance, but toi never did anything. If anyone's at fault here it's your own." Her voice faded as she walked up behind him.
"You should stop being so scared," she spoke softly and earnestly. He turned away again and intentionally collided into her sending her steps back.
"Who a dit I was scared," he asked in a low tone.
"You are. That's why we're standing like this--every day."
"My fears are in no relevance to my obligations here tonight." she walked into him, dominant and prominent with only one thing to say.
"I dare you, to look me in the eye, right here and now telling me toi don't l’amour me." he swallowed--slightly--as he quickly came back with a counteract.
"I dare toi to get as close to my face as possible without feeling the need to Kiss me." they just stared at each other in darkness as the moonlight slowly made its way around the hall.
"Let's see how important those obligations are...Do toi l’amour me House?" he counteracted par inching his face towards hers. She could feel his breathing on her skin; from her lips, chin, and down her neck. She closed her eyes avoiding his.
"'This bended and broken body has bended and broken enough--its wounds must heal and mend--'"
"'to regain the blood shed firsthand, and bring back the souls pieces lost--what bring life to our living.'" House finished. Suddenly House met her pair of lips for a beautiful fraction of a seconde before she pulled back in instant shame. She bowed her head and whispered to him.
"I...hate...waking up in the middle of the night, just to curse your name."
"Not even a seconde in paradise--" he broke off and started walking back straight to his office.
"Earnest ou angered, you'll still run away won't you?" She soon followed after him rather quickly. As he walked in with her three feet behind him, he took the small box and tossed it over his shoulder at Cuddy.
"Rachel--she would've walked it to toi as soon as toi woke up." he spoke smoothly. Cuddy caught it barely and just held it in her hand as House took a seat. He kicked his feet up onto the desk, propping his head onto his hand held up par the armrest.
She opened the gift, and saw the velvet box before her.
"What the hell is this?"
"Open it." as she did so, House closed his eyes as if hiding the pain.
"Why are toi giving me this?"
"It's--"
"No--don't even start with excuses. What gives toi the right to ask me to marry you--"
"I'm not," he started. He got up from his chair and walked up to her. So close, one slight movement--he would push his lips into hers.
"I am asking toi to marry Lucas."
"What? No,"
"Of course. React. It's not like this answer should be thought out thoroughly."
"I a dit no."
"I know. But I was hoping you'd say yes, so then I could sway toi to say no."
"We've only--"
"Yeah. I get your reasoning. I'm gonna go."
"Where?"
"The nearest bar."
"Why did you ask me?"
"Because...It's like asking you, without actually asking you. Satisfaction of the mind. Aaanyway. I'll be going--"
"--No--" He had begun to walk vers l'avant, vers l’avant but she pushed him back to stop.
"Yes? You're shortening my potential 'wasted Christmas' hours."
"I'm not ready for this. Does he think he needs to?"
"If I say yes to all your questions can I go?"
"If toi go, I'll follow you."
"Fine, Wilson'll deal with you."

---

"WILSON! MOMMY'S HOME, GO HIDE THE LIQUOR!" he proclaimed as they both made it through the door. Wilson walked out of the cuisine wiping his hands on a hand towel with a confused look.
"She followed me."
"That's a first."
"He proposed." they all had spoken after the other, from House to Wilson to Cuddy. After it was mostly a Wilson-Cuddy conversation--just like House wanted.
"This one did, ou Lucas because toi followed this one home--?"
"He proposed for Lucas."
"You--" Wilson was about to address House.
"--eating!" he a dit after.
"Is he jerking around?" Cuddy asked as they sat on the couch.
"That's the sad part. He isn't."
"How would toi know."
"I was there when Lucas talked to him, but he wasn't supposed to actually ask you." House then jumped in with a aléatoire sandwich, "sandwich" in his mouth,
"He asked, to come up with a way to ask you, and that's what I did."
"You a dit something about Rachel. So. This was your way of pissing me off? par ruining my marriage proposal?" her voice raised. He replied,
"You never a dit yes."
"I'm aware. But toi still ruined it."
"What's the value if toi decline?"
"I declined you."
"'He who rejects proposal, rejects House, and he who rejects House, rejects the one who sent House.' Wait...that's not right." Wilson scoffed,
"Now that's just bad. Manipulating citations from the bible?"
"You caught that?"
"You two have a happily wasted Christmas." Cuddy a dit walking out the door. They hadn't noticed her prepping to leave again and only caught her face halfway out the door.
"Ah. That went well." Wilson broke the silence.
"If there was a better choice toi know I took it."

---

"Why am I not surprised," Lucas spoke with a smirk. They were both sitting down on Cuddy's canapé when she told Lucas about House. He was sprawled back while she sat on her feet, head propped up on her hand.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be."
"I--enabled him. He just..gave it to me at first and told me to open it later tonight..but I enabled him to ask me."
"It's fine."
"How can toi be so okay with someone else asking me to marry you?" her voice slightly raised.
"Because it didn't mean anything. Other than I want to marry you."
"Then why did I feel the need to say no?"
"He asked you. It wasn't me. See, let's try this again," he slipped off onto the floor and onto his knee and he held onto her hand.
"although I don't know what you've done with the ring..." she laughed as she set her feet onto the ground and inched closer towards the edge of the couch.
"Lisa..."
House turned off his bike and kinda just sat there for a moment. He watched through the window and ripped off his helmet. The words Lucas spoke were obviously inaudible, but he could read them. They ended with Cuddy falling on haut, retour au début of him in a tight hug.
"'Not even a seconde to spare in paradise--because the treasures did not belong to him, an old loss to be won elsewhere.'" finishing the quote, he pulled off into the night regretting coming, with a tight grasp of the ring in his pants pocket.



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