authors notes: i'd like to thank the glass menagerie for the inspiration of the flower used in this story... and i'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers and friends for demanding more story.. you guys rule!

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A Bushel and a Peck

House went to work the next morning with a slight concern that Cuddy wouldn't be at least a tad more cheerful now. He was deeply in error. He entered his office non-chalantly only to find Cuddy sitting in his chair. He paused mid-step.

"Uh…" he took a quick glance around him. Cuddy sighed.

"What are you doing House?"

"Making sure I'm in the right office." She rolled her eyes and rose from the chair.

"Who is he?" House pretended not to know what she was talking about and peered around the office trying to spy an invisible intruder. Cuddy put her hands on her hips and waited for House to get bored with his little game. It took House about two minutes to get thoroughly bored.

"Ready to answer my question?" Cuddy inquired.

"No, I just ran out of places to look, unless this mystery man happens to be hiding in your voluminous cleavage." He stood on tip-toe and faked staring down her shirt, although, she wasn't quite certain he was faking. She glared and folded her arms over her chest. House pouted.

"Eventually you're going to tell me." He rolled his eyes at her.

"I told you yesterday. Then you slapped me remember?" She narrowed her eyes at him. She walked up right in front of him.

"I want to know who he is."

"Yeah? I want the pain in my leg to go away. I want a free trip to the playboy mansion. I want to be able to figure out any puzzle in the world. I want a million dollars. To quote the Rolling Stones, you can't always get what you want." His face was mere inches from hers and he was being brutally blunt. She slapped him again and walked out. House sang softly under his breath. "But if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." He scolded himself silently. He needed to figure out a way to just outright tell Cuddy it was him. House was too scared to just say it. It felt weird to be scared of Cuddy, but then, it also felt weird to be trying to tell her that he loved her. He thought of one more romantic gesture, one to top the previous two without verging into the territory of creepy and overly dramatic. He began to put his last plan into action.

Cuddy stormed into her house with only one desire, to beat House about the neck and head with his own shoe. She'd had that urge far too often in the last two days. She walked into her room and dropped onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling silently for a while before stretching her arms out underneath her pillows on the cool bedspread below. Her outstretched fingers brushed against a something. She pulled it out. It was a black necklace box. She opened it.

I love you. If you really want to know who I am, then meet me by the fountain in the jogger's park near the hospital.

Something suddenly caught her attention as she moved to leap from her bed. The vase next to her bed now held two exquisite blue roses. He loved her. Those words played over in her head. She had to know who he was.

She left for the park and as she arrived she spotted a tall man sitting by the fountain. He was mostly in shadow and the snow floated lightly around him, settling in small piles on his shoulders. Every so often he would shake his shoulders to dislodge the snow. She watched him for a few minutes before inhaling deeply and walking slowly towards him.

House heard the crunch of the snow and stood up. He turned to see Cuddy. She looked shocked.

Cuddy didn't know what to think. What was House doing here? What kind of sick joke was this? She asked the last question out loud. House winced.

"No. I'm the one who left the flowers." Saying this seemed to tax him greatly. She shook her head.

"You lying unimaginable bastard. I can't believe I fell for your sick little prank." She turned to leave and ignored the tears that were quickly freezing in their tracks down her face. She heard the snow crunch and felt House grab her arm and spin her around. His eyes gazed desperately at her. They searched her face for something.

"It's not a joke. I left the flowers. I'm the mystery admirer." She pulled away from him, not bothering to hide her anger or the tears. She strode away, wanting to be as far away as possible from him. House panicked. What could he say to convince her?

"The cards." She paused. He continued quickly. "You never mentioned the cards to me. The first one said how special you are and you are special. You're the only person who's ever put up with me and understood me at the same time. Nobody, not even Stacy or Wilson, can lay claim to that. The second one said that love comes in many forms and that you should keep an open mind. I wanted you to consider the possibility that I was the one leaving this stuff for you. In tonight's, I told you I loved you. I asked you to meet me here, because, I'm sick of being in love and not being able to show it. Please, believe me. I love you." She felt her breath catch. She turned around to look into House's desperate blue eyes. "I love you." He repeated softly. She stared at him. He looked so scared. That wasn't something she was used to seeing House as, and it wasn't something she liked seeing.

"I believe you." She moved towards him, pausing less than three inches away from him. He was apprehensive about getting slapped again for not telling her sooner. Instead she put her hands on his chest, gripping his coat, and pulled him down to kiss her. Their lips met and it was electric for both. Greg grinned like a mad bat when they parted. Lisa rested her forehead on his chest. His arms were around her. His cane lay forgotten in the snow. The snowflakes drifted lightly around them and Greg tilted Lisa's chin up, so that they were looking each other in the eye.

"So, do you want the necklace that came with the box?" He smiled and she returned it. He didn't wait for a response, but retrieved a gold necklace from the depths of his pocket. Lisa gasped and Greg grinned again as he fastened it around her neck. She felt the gold necklace and the gorgeous pendant on it. He kissed her gently. The snow swirled around the new lovers and in the midst of the kissing one last blue rose fell into the snow beside the cane.