A/N: The idea for this fic came out of the horrible Bombshells episode and a spoiler that said Candace Bergen was going to be returning for an episode later this season.

The way I've written this is sure to alienate both the readers who like my Huddy fics and the readers who like my House O/C fic. Sorry to everyone, but, I just had to get this out of my system.

Cuddy hadn't been back to work since her surgery. She was trying to recuperate and also trying to come to terms with what had happened to her relationship with House. She still loved him and she always would. It just wasn't going to work out between them. House simply couldn't be in a relationship.

She had spent a lot of the previous week crying over her loss. Wilson had tried to contact her once or twice, but Cuddy had Marina run interference.

It was Saturday morning.

"Thanks so much for taking her this weekend, Luce," Cuddy told her sister as she took Rachel toward the door. "I'm doing some work from home, and it's okay during the week when Marina's here, but . . . "

"Running after a preschooler when you're not one hundred per cent is exhausting," Lucinda added. "I remember. No problem."

"I'll see you around six tomorrow night, then?"

"Yeah. Listen, Lisa, I have to tell you something. Mom stopped by last night and I told her about your surgery."

"Oh, Luce!"

"I know, but I had no choice. She wanted to get together with us this weekend, and she would have wondered why I was watching Rachel. And she was bound to find out sooner or later"

"It's okay. "

"And, well, I wound up telling her about you and House."

"What?"

"I couldn't help it, Lise. She asked how he was handling it, and it just hit a nerve. I told her all about how he screwed this up, and how he had basically screwed everything up since you were together."

"How did she take it?"

"Well, she looker angrier and angrier the more things I told her. I honestly think she'll be supportive of your decision this time, Lise."

"Well, I hope so . . . "

"You should find out soon enough."

"What?"

"She said she'd be coming to your house later today to talk to you."

"Oh, great."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"If you say so."

Cuddy kissed Rachel good-bye and waved from the front window as Lucinda's car pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street.

Cuddy wasn't looking forward to a visit from her mother, but there wasn't much she could do about it at this point. She pulled out some paperwork to distract herself.

The doorbell rang at eleven o'clock. Cuddy put her paperwork back in the folder and put in on the desk in the living room on her way towards the front door.

She looked out and there, of course, was Arlene. She didn't look particularly happy, but, then, Cuddy's mother never looked particularly happy. Cuddy opened the door.

"Hi, Mom," Cuddy said, trying to sound like she wasn't dreading the whole encounter.

"Hello, Lisa," Arlene said as she stepped through the door. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, Mom," Cuddy responded. "I still get tired easily, though."

"Well, it was quite the scare, I'm sure."

"I don't what Lucinda told you, but it looked like kidney cancer that had metastasized. I thought I was going to die."

"And yet, you didn't think to call me."

Here it comes, Cuddy thought. I'm going to get it now.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I just didn't want to worry you."

"Oh, please. You've been lying to me since you were twelve years old. This is just more of the same."

"Mom . . . "

"It doesn't matter, Lisa. As long as you're alright, that's what matters."

"Thanks, Mom."

There was a pause in the conversation. Cuddy was relieved, but apprehensive, as her mother had made no move to leave.

"Now that we have that out of the way, let's get down to why I'm here."

"You mean that wasn't it?"

"Well, no, Lisa. Since I wasn't around during the crisis, I can't really say much about it now."

"True. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Greg."

"Mom. This is very painful. I don't know if I can."

"Oh, don't play the sympathy card with me. You have to face some hard realities here. You're forty-five years old, and you just broke up with one of the few men on the planet who could probably tolerate you. And didn't you tell me when you broke up with that loser, what was his name?"

"Lucas."

"Yeah, Lucas. Didn't you tell me after you broke up with him that you did it because you were in love with Greg?"

"Yes."

"And you fell out of love in nine months?"

"No. I still love him."

"Does he still love you?"

"Yes – "

"So, let me get this straight. You love him, he loves you, and you're not getting any younger. So, why isn't he over here right now, doing it with you?"

"God, mom. I don't want to discuss my sex life with you."

"Or lack thereof. Fine, why isn't he over here watching TV?"

"It just wasn't working out, Mom."

"Please. I talked to your sister. It was working just fine until you decided to end it."

"If you talked to Lucinda, then you know it wasn't working!"

"Come on, Lisa! This is me you're talking to, not some counselor you can b.s. If the relationship didn't work it was because of you, and you know it!"

"Because of me? Don't you mean because of House?"

"Lisa, I think it's time you had a little reality check. You're the one that screwed this up."

"What? He took drugs!"

"He's an addict, Lisa. There are bound to be relapses. Send him back to re-hab. Problem solved."

"That's not a simple thing, Mom and you know it. Besides, it wasn't just that he took the drugs. It's that he took them so he could stand being with me."

"I can relate. Although I prefer wine.

"Mom – "

"In any case, wasn't this when you thought you were dying?"

"Yes."

"Lisa, you've been a doctor for how long? Twenty years? And you've never seen a bad reaction on the part of a family member to the news that a loved one may be dying?"

"Well, yes, I have, but he's a doctor. "

"Who knew even better than most what your tests most likely showed."

"Still – "

"Nothing. Besides, doctors are not objective when it comes to family members. That's why I wanted him off my case."

"He cured you."

"So? It was still a bad idea, he just pulled it out of his ass, lucky for you."

"And you."

"So, since I've demonstrated your reason for leaving him is bogus, it's time for you to get back together."

"Mom, that wasn't the only thing."

"Was it that other crap Lucinda told me?"

"What other crap?"

"That he used your toothbrush and made a mess in the bathroom? God, that's the lamest - "

"You have to admit it's unsanitary."

"Oh, for God's sake, Lisa! You probably exchanged enough bodily fluids with the man on a daily basis to drown a half-dozen toothbrushes. Get over it!"

"Well, he never took out the garbage."

"No man ever takes out the garbage."

"Dad used to!"

"That's what you remember."

"What?"

"He didn't take it out once for the first twelve years we were married."

"He didn't? Well, why did he start?"

"You were old enough to do it and I threatened to make you. He couldn't have one of his little princesses get her hands dirty, now could he?"

Cuddy couldn't help but smile.

"Now that that gigantic ego of yours has had that much not-needed boost, let's get back to the topic at hand. You were upset that he didn't show up at your awards ceremony."

"Yes."

"Oh, for God's sake! How old are you? How long are you going to need your ego fluffed? Why don't you come to terms with your age and stop pretending you're still a prom queen?"

"I'm a strong, successful woman. I'm not a prom queen."

"Then stop acting like one. What else?"

"He lied to me."

"About something at work, if what Lucinda told me is correct."

"So?"

"So, if my memory isn't completely shot, it seems to me he's lied to you at work about five thousand times since you hired him, hasn't he?"

"At least."

"So, why was this particular lie a problem?"

"Well, it was after we were in a relationship."

"Lisa, you plan everything. Do you mean to tell me it didn't dawn on you that you needed to keep your work and private lives separate?"

"Well, I did say that to him at one point, I think."

"C'mon, you don't think, you know."

"What s the point of all this, anyway?"

"I'm trying to demonstrate to you that you were too hard on this guy. Like you've been on every other guy you ever dated. That's why you'll wind up alone."

"There may be someone out there."

"Nope. This was it. If you don't fix this you're out of luck."

"Why do I have to fix it? Why couldn't he just, just . . . "

"Be better? Be more of what you wanted?"

Cuddy didn't want to admit that what her mother was saying could be true. "I told him I didn't want him to change!"

"Except that you did. That's all you wanted was for him to 'improve' and meet your standards. God, you're so much like your father it's sickening."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember when I was in the hospital and I told you and your sister about the affair I was having?"

"The one with the married man? Yes."

"Well, I lied."

"Thank God. I knew you wouldn't do that."

"Not about the affair. About how long we've been in the relationship. It's been five years."

Cuddy paused, doing the math. "But, Dad's only been gone for three years. Oh my God, you cheated on him!"

"Yes, I did."

There was another pause as Cuddy processed what she had just been told. "Listen, Mom, I'm trying not to be judgmental here. I know it must have been tough watching Dad die. I'm guessing you needed some comfort."

"True. But your father was only sick the last year of his life."

"So, you're telling me you started the affair before he got sick! How could you?"

"Lisa, I'm sure this is tough to hear, but our marriage had been over for a while. In fact, we were in the process of getting a legal separation when he found out he was dying. I only went back to take care of him."

"But, I thought you were happy together. I thought you loved each other!"

"We started out that way, but as the years passed, we – "

"Started to drift apart?"

"God, stop spouting clichés. No, I just, I got tired."

"Of what?"

"Of never being able to please him. The house wasn't clean enough. So, I worked harder at keeping it clean. Then it was too clean - it was like living in a museum. I wasn't taking care of you girls well enough. So, I focused all of my attention on you. Then I was too close, and I was making you too dependent. It was too much of a burden for him to support the family by himself, so I should go back to work. I got a job and really tried to do well and succeed, so I could bring home some decent money. Then, I was too focused on my work and I was neglecting my husband and children. I could go on and on from the smallest detail to the most important, but you get the idea. Nothing I ever did pleased him. He was a perfectionist and a control freak, and no matter what I did, it was never good enough. Sound familiar?"

"I'm not like that."

"Oh, yes you are. And, it makes you great at your job. Trouble is, it makes having a relationship with you damn near impossible. What you put that poor man through the last few months is proof of that."

"House is no 'poor man.' He's difficult and stubborn and – "

"From what you told Lucinda, he did try."

"He kept saying he'd try to do better. And he did try. It just wasn't . . . "

"Good enough?"

"Oh my God."

"Well, I can see there's at least some activity in that brain of yours. I think my work here is done."

"Wait, Mom. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, this is a first, you asking me for advice."

"Don't gloat, just tell me."

"My initial intent was to get you to apologize to him and get him to take you back, but I don't know now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you can't make some changes, like you were always demanding of him, I don't think you have a future with him. Or anyone else for that matter."

"So, what should I do?"

"You can at least apologize to him. And then seriously, seriously think about how much he means to you, and whether you have it in you to change. If you do, and he's willing to take you back, it might work. Otherwise, just make sure the man gets into rehab and doesn't destroy himself. You owe him that much."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Lisa Cuddy, youngest Dean of Medicine in the country, slayer of giant insurance companies? You can do whatever you want to. No excuses."

"Okay, Mom."

"I'm going to go now."

Cuddy walked her mother to the door.

"How's the new hip?"

"Quit stalling and go apologize. I love you, Lisa."

"I love you too, Mom."