Sorry for taking such a long time to update, life's been pretty busy and I also made a vid, lol. It's called Sex On Fire on youtube, of course it's House/Cuddy if you want to check it out. ;)

So this chapter is sort of intriguing by the end, I guess and I promise you, you'll get the rest of this part of the story: probably tomorrow if you hit that review button a lot. ;) I hope you like it, it's again un-beta'ed, so I'm sorry for all the mistakes and/or typos. Still, enjoy!!

Chapter 10: Devotion.

“You can’t do that!” Jenny shouted as she ran after Nick.

She, Norris and Gale had been following him to House’s cell.

“Open the cell!” Nick yelled at the guard. The guard rushed himself and did as he had been ordered to.

House had overheard rapid steps coming his way but nothing would have made him move at that moment, nothing but the voice of someone’s voice he would probably never hear until her testimony and his hearing in front of a jury, and then not for a long time and very likely, never again.

“You’re a free man, House!” Nick expressed, trying to get House’s attention but as he was bulging with reasoning that went beyond achievable things, he didn’t even turn his head.

“Hey? You hear me!” Nick repeated, “You’re free, House! We’re getting you out and the charges should be dropped as soon as we get our hands on him.”

House still hadn’t moved, too lost in the thoughts that made him just not want to get out. Because, it simply wasn’t worth getting out as she would never want to see him again.

The guard stepped back as soon as he had unlocked the cell’s door, “House…” Jenny cut in, “Nick is only…I mean, she needs to know the truth!”

“What truth?” House finally spoke, anger rising in his tone as he got up, “What’s the point in being free when you can’t even talk to the woman that is your boss, that you’ve tried to kill and… wait, that makes your fucking life matters only now she has no desire to see the damn face of a killer!”

“Except you didn’t try to kill her House! He did and we have to get going NOW!” Nick cut in again, louder this time. The man was desperate in trying to explain himself.

“What?” House asked, moving closer to the bars of the cell, the door still wasn’t open, “How come… who…” he tried, concerned fierce in his stare. Jenny gulped once or twice, she couldn’t remember before Nick answered, “He did! Peter Cole! He and his friend implanted something at the back of your head, we still need the people at –why not, your hospital to do one of that thingy T confirm…”

“CT.”Norris cut in.

“Yeah! But it’s enough, Josh Harvey’s confession is enough but we have to get going now, House!” Nick kept pushing.

House just stared at him, completely frozen, the boiling anger inside of him clouding his thought process for the first time in too long for his liking.

“Why do we need him again, exactly?” Jenny asked, not sure why Nick was so eager to have House come with them for the arrest.

House’s adrenalines, at the words uttered before him made him close his fists.

“Because he wants to give House a chance to confront the man who put him through hell.” Norris sighed, understanding Nick’s desire.

The only thing House could think of –and his bloodshot eyes were the main indicator, was to kill Peter Cole with his bare hands, “He’s Dave…” he murmured to himself.

“It makes misery not easy at first but then it still makes it easier to deal with.” Gale cut in.

Jenny nodded and looked at the man she admired once again, “What’s your plan?”

Nick looked at her but had to keep talking to a very dangerous House now and so had to ignore her but not her question, “House, we need you to stay in control of your emotions, we need his confession because, trust me on this, it will make this whole affair easier to take care of and we’ll explain everything to Dr. Cuddy, your friends, your family but we need you right now, in complete control.” He paused, “Do I have your complete attention, House.”

House looked at him, his brows so furrowed and his teeth so gritted, even a gangster would have feared for his life, “Yes.” He practically groaned. Norris, Gale nodded at the same time, giving Nick the signal that he was being given complete control of the situation.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Nick said, finally opening the door, urging House and everybody else out.

Back at her house, Cuddy sat on the couch. She had been shivering all the way back, maybe it was from the fact that Peter had been quite tense, maybe it was because she couldn’t help but still think about House or maybe it was just the cold air outside. She probably just didn’t want to think about why she felt so weak.

“You mind if I smoke inside?” He didn’t really ask as he sat on the couch next to her, his knees trembling slightly.

Taken aback, Cuddy simply nodded but added, “But in fact I do mind a little since House started smoking as well and it’s just reminding me so much and I can’t…the smell is bothering me. So yeah I can deal with it but I don’t like it.” She tried, getting up from the couch.

“I don’t give a fuck about what House started doing, whether it was cigarettes or you!” He suddenly yelled, grabbing her arm to put her back on the couch, “You see, I’m going through a lot of things as well here, I’m trying to get you better, I’m trying to help you through this and you can’t seem to be able to stop thinking about him!”

He let go of her hand as he saw that he might have just gone a little too far here, “I’m sorry.” He said, “You don’t need that.”

“No, you’re right.” She said, grabbing her own fist to massage it, his hold on her had been quite fierce, “You’re being good to me and I’m just… I don’t know.”

“I think we should go on a little trip for a while, just the two of us.”He expressed, taking a puff, “What about somewhere warm, were we’ll get to stop thinking about what happened.” He grabbed her hand in his, caressing the back of hers with his thumb.

“I’ve been thinking about it, actually. I’m already taking time off work, obviously.” She tried, “But I think I should go alone.”

“What?”He let out just a little too loud again.

“I don’t think I’m ready for us to be together, to be us again.”She said.

“I won’t ask you for anything until you’re ready.” He said with a smile, “But I think I should go with you, I don’t want you to be alone. I care about you too much and if anything happened to you again, I don’t know what I… I would never forgive myself.” He paused, “I’ll just stay in another room, I won’t bother you, and I’ll just keep an eye on you.”

She sighed and nodded, “Okay.”

“What about we leave tomorrow… hell, why not even tonight? I hear the Barbados is nice this time of the year… or isn’t it all year long?” He raised an eyebrow, smiling.

“Are you serious?” She asked, “Why the rush? I mean, I have to pack my things and…”

“The sooner we go, the sooner you’ll get better and the sooner we’ll get better.” He let out.

“But with the investigation going on, aren’t we supposed to stay in the state for the next few weeks?” She asked, positive they shouldn’t leave this soon.

“I’ll call the police and ask them.” He assured her.

“Okay.” She said.

And behind that fake smile of his, behind his lie and never mind the fact that he wouldn’t call the police anyway, he never felt bad about anything because everything had its reason: his devotion to the woman he couldn’t wait to bed again. If this isn’t love, he didn’t know what it was.

On the way to Lisa Cuddy’s house, the van was about to park in front of it while police cars waited at the corner of the road for the signal that would tell them to move.

“You know you’re a genius, right?” Jenny said to Nick who, were respectively in the passenger and driver’s seat.

He turned to her and kissed her softly on the lips. She uttered a small cry as he had touched her neck in the process, “Sorry.” He apologized.

“It’s fine, it’s just a little sore.” She smiled at him, “You’re still a genius though and… a great kisser.”

“I just hope she’s going to be able to forgive him like you were able to forgive me.”

“It will probably take her more time but…” She sighed, “It wasn’t him.”

“It was him, she will never be able to look pass that fact again.” He closed his eyes.

“It will be a different him but she’s in love with him and if she’s willing to give him another chance, she can come to terms with the fact that he only wanted what was best for her even under the influence of something that only mathematics should have been able to break.” Jenny explained.

“Human emotions are way more exciting than computers anyway.” He winked at her.

“You’re thinking about your plan again, don’t you have a heart?” Jenny rolled her eyes at him.

“It was my way of saying that yes my plan is awesome but also that this story doesn’t have to end badly, it will just take time.” He explained, smiling at her.

“Not that I don’t think you two lovebirds aren’t sweet with your love theories but we have to arrest a psycho and House is getting very impatient at the back.” Gale expressed.

“You’ve heard everything?” Jenny asked Gale, “Did dad…?” She tried.

“No, I’m the only one who heard this.” Gale nodded, “You’ve played with fire here, kid.” He told Nick, the latter realizing the old man had figured the chokehold test part.

“I’ll tell Norris after we’re done here.” Nick paused, “And then when I’ll be dying, will you tell Jenny she’s the woman of my life?”

Jenny went to hug Nick tightly, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t go too hard on you.” Gale rolled his eyes and went back to the back of the van, “Now, let’s get going.”

Nick picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “All units, this is Johnson, Operation Payback starts now, Swat Teams undercover are you ready?”

“Ready.”

“Ready.” He heard both teams’ leader say.

“Boss, is House ready?”

“He is.” Norris answered and opened the back of the van.

Inside the house, most lights were off. Peter and Lisa were on their way out to the airport when Peter paused in front of the door, “Before we go, there is one thing I need you to tell me.”

“What is it?” She asked.

“Do you know why House started smoking?” He asked, positioning his hand on the front door’s knob.

“No.” She let out a sight, “Just like I don’t know why you’ve never told me you used to smoke before you started dating me.”

“Does it bother you?” He asked.

“I just don’t see how this is relevant now.” She asked.

He let go of the doorknob, and turned around to face her, “It’s relevant to me.” He uttered through gritted teeth, “I want to know why you didn’t seem to mind the fact that he had been smoking the other night but that you just plainly do hate it that I smoke myself. Is the taste in my mouth so awful you can’t even begin to think about adding the smell of cigarettes to it, huh?” He kept pushing, moving in her direction.

“Peter, I think you’re over-reacting to my comment on this from earlier.” She expressed, moving backwards.

“Will I ever be better than him?” He kept going.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She asked, hitting the wall behind her.

“Will you ever stop thinking of him as a sex God whose taste of everything, even cigarette doesn’t bother you?” He expressed, his eyes making her fear the worst.

“I understand you’re jealous…” She tried.

“I’m not jealous of him fucking you better than I ever could, I’m jealous of the fact that you don’t seem to mind that this man tried to kill you… because I have to go through this then, I do mind that he put his hands on you, I care about you and you just don’t give a fuck. So yeah, I’m jealous that I actually do feel something about it. You, you’re just numb.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m doing it all for you and you still look at me like I’m nothing.” He yelled at her.

“Stop it!” She tried to get away from him but he grabbed a good hold on her, backing her up against the wall.

“You’re just a filthy whore, you’re the kind that enjoys brutal stuff, you like it hard because it makes it even more worth it, you get off from men that don’t mind beating you up mentally and now physically.” He paused, his mouth inches from hers, “What do I have to do to make you understand you mean everything to me, no matter what you are or what you thrive on, huh?”

“Please, don’t…” She let out, too frightened to cry.

He shook his head and surprisingly chuckled harshly as if taken aback, “No, how can you believe I would rape you?” He put his thumb on her bottom lip and applied pressure on it, “Don’t you understand? I’ll do anything you want me to do; I’ll even let you beat the crap out of me or beat the crap out of you if that’s what you want because if that’s him you want, I’ll be him.”

“I don’t want you to be him.” She said, “I just need to figure out an escape route.”

“I want to be, I need to be your escape route.” He said while Cuddy was really trying to figure out an escape route that very moment, that guy was a nut job.

She couldn’t have believed her luck when a man broke the front window and came inside, she hoped it was the police, she wanted it to be so simple but she had no idea her savior would be the one man she thought was in jail, the one who had tried to kill her.

A few hours later, somewhere dark, a fragment of his imagination maybe, his surroundings were extremely familiar, it was his basement. A man was seated in front of him, he couldn’t see his face but his first words to him told him it was the end.

Peter Cole

Record 1, March 26th

Do you know where you are?

Should I?

Why did you shoot him in the chest, why not the head where you had decided to put an effective end to life as he knew it?

Because he is a danger to humanity and she tried to save him, that bitch.

She held onto your arm, trying to prevent you from killing him. You were already in trouble Mr. Cole, now you’re just going to end up where you wanted him to be.

I don’t care, now that he’s dead.

I will come back later; you have a lot of explaining to do. Although, it is clear you’re insane.

Is this why you brought me here? To make me endure what I’ve made him go through and help me make some sense out of my actions? Josh and I did an amazing work together and it started here, maybe it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to be but at least she’s going to be just as miserable as I’ll be and that, for the rest of her life. She should join my mother’s psych ward. You can’t make me suffer, whoever you are, I won this. I won it all, I destroyed what made me insane and now I’m happy. So again, if this is why you’ve brought me here, you’re fucked because to everybody else, I’m insane, no matter what.

Thank you for your confession, Mr. Cole. I’m sure Dr. House will be thrilled to know you’re going to stay the same insane man you’ve always been.

End of Record.