Aww thanks for the reviews, everyone! I'm so glad you liked last chapter.

Oh, and sorry about the patient being dropped so quickly, there...I didn't really know what else to write for it, and I wanted House to be free for Cuddy ;) Just think of it as one of House's cases that isn't a huge mystery and doesn't make it into the show.

Unfortunately, this chapter will mark the end. But this is my favorite one, so enjoy!

They stood outside in the restaurant parking lot, feeling a bit awkward now that they've left the comfortable middle ground of food. "D'you still want to go back to the hospital?" he asked.

She checked her watch. It was two p.m. Wow, she hadn't realized that she'd stayed that long in the restaurant. "Well, you should, in any case."

"So we'll go together?" he raised his eyebrows. He was no doubt thinking, like her, how it would look for the Dean of Medicine, who was supposed to be on vacation, to walk in together with her skiving Head of Diagnostics.

"I suppose—oh, wait," she realized. "I left all my paperwork at home. If I'm going to the hospital, I might as well bring them."

"I'll take you home, then," he said, pulling out his motorcycle from the parking space.

--

They reached Cuddy's house. She dismounted, while House stayed where he was on the motorcycle.

"I'll, uh, take my car to work," she said, a bit unnecessarily.

"Yeah," he said abruptly.

She hesitated, mourning the end of her vacation, the end of his attention. She gently pulled off his helmet. He seemed surprised, but didn't stop her.

"Thank you, House," she said with all her heart, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She began to pull back, but his hands shot out to stop her. Startled, she looked into his eyes, which were full of some inscrutinable emotion. Slowly, his hands made their way around her waist, pulling her closer. She closed their eyes as their lips met.

At first, their kiss was butterfly light, experimental almost. Then, as if something ignited, it deepened and they sought each other's mouths hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him even closer. They were lost in the sensation, unaware of anything else in the world.

A loud rap on a neighboring house's window brought them back to reality. They broke apart reluctantly. Cuddy looked at the offending window; it was the snoopy ninety-year old from across the street.

"Who's the old bitch?" House growled, breathing unevenly. His arms still hadn't left her waist.

"Mrs. Hoffman," she replied. "She spends like 90% of her day parked in front of her living room window."

He chuckled. They let go of each other unwillingly. "Screw the hospital. Let's go into your house and have crazy wild sex for the rest of the afternoon," he suggested.

She smiled. "Tempting, but you've skipped enough hours already. Go, I'll see you in a bit."

"I love it when you play the boss," he said, pulling her in for another kiss, before letting her go and taking up his helmet again. "So ten o' clock tonight then, Dr. Cuddy?" he said loudly, for Mrs. Hoffman's benefit. "I'll bring the whip cream!" He revved his engine with extra gusto, and roared down the street.

Cuddy smiled widely before giving the window across the street a cheery wave, and went inside.

--

Half an hour later, she was through the hospital doors.

"Dr. Cuddy!" Her assistant jumped up. "I didn't expect you back so soon!"

Cuddy shot a dry look at the girl's magazine and iPod that she had hastily discarded. "Yes, I can see that. Any memos?"

As the girl scrambled around for notes, Cuddy looked towards the clinic. House was at the nurse's station flipping through folders, a red lollipop hanging out of the side of his mouth like a cigarette. He grabbed a folder, looked up, and caught her eye. He winked before disappearing into the exam room.

Cuddy couldn't help the warmth that spread through her, nor the faint blush that rose to her cheeks.

When she went back into her office, she noticed that somebody had left a flu vaccine, no doubt stolen out of the clinic, on the top of her papers. It had a piece of paper attached to it. She took it up; it was a page torn out of House's prescription pad.

Exchange for unlimited supply of sex, Vicodin and free pass out of clinic to the prescribing doctor whenever he demands.

"You wish, House," she murmured, grinning, and slipped the note inside a drawer of her desk.

--

"Doctor," began the clinic patient as he stood up.

House held up a finger. "Shh. Your doctor will be with you shortly. I'm just hiding out here." He counted to twenty. "Bye."

House snuck his head out of the door. Yes! All clear. He waltzed by the nurse's station, depositing his file back where it came from. He carefully walked by Cuddy's office, noting that she was reading his note and smiling.

Free! His plot successfully executed, House headed back to his office for a little nap. Unfortunately, he met someone long the way.

"Where were you all day?" Wilson demanded House, frustrated. "And why are you grinning like an idiot?"

"You," House declared triumphantly, pointing his cane at his friend, "are finally out of my head."

"W-what?" Wilson spluttered confusedly.

"You heard me." House walked past him. "The Wilson-voice is forever silenced! My mind is once more my own domain!"

Wilson hurried after him. "Does that mean you actually listened to me?"

"Depends what you mean by listening."

"Did you ask Cuddy out?"

"Depends what you mean by asking out."

"You know, if you do decide on a relationship with her—"

"Uh-uh," House said, turning to face him, holding up a finger. "There it is again. Go away, Wilson-voice, I do not want you."

"But—" Wilson tried again.

"La-la-la," House sang loudly and walked away.

Oh, well, Wilson thought. He was optimistic.

--

On Monday, Cuddy met with Dr. Richardson.

"Dr. Cuddy. Welcome back. I hope you had a restful vacation."

"I did, Dr. Richardson," Cuddy said, smiling. "Thank you so much for taking over. Everything went well, I trust?"

"Yes, very well indeed," Richardson said reassuringly. "Just a minor thing, though—"

"What?" Cuddy said fearfully. Oh my god, what had gone wrong?

"Dr. House seemed to have completed none of his clinic hours last week, and I was informed that he had cut work on several occasions. I thought that you should know."

"Oh," Cuddy said in relief. Then she hastily put a disapproving expression on her face. "Thank you for telling me, Dr. Richardson. I shall deal with him immediately."

With a smirk on her face, she sat at her desk, and dialed House's extension number.

"Yes, mistress?" House's voice drawled at the other end.

"You owe me a week of clinic hours. Get to it, now."

"What?" House yelped. "I was holding your hand while you were delirious! Doesn't that count for something?"

"Yes it does, House," She said sweetly. "Which is why I'm not adding on an extra week of clinic for cutting work. I expect you down here immediately." She hung up.

She had had a very nice vacation.

The end.