Title: Lead You Into The Night
Author: cryptictac
Pairing: House/Cuddy
Rating: PG
Length: 34 800 words
Spoilers: None
Summary: What's the differential for a woman who says she hates her baby?
Excerpt:

Cuddy shrugged. "I'm doing okay."

"Just 'okay'?"

She faced the crib, where the baby was wrapped up tight in a blanket and fast asleep. Maybe she was just fatigued, but she didn't seem herself. He frowned.

"Can't believe I'm heading home tomorrow," she finally said. "It's going to be weird having a baby in the house."

"You've had plenty of time to get used to the idea."

"Preparing for a baby, House, and having one..."

"Thought you'd be jumping for joy."

"I thought so, too."

cryptictac's Lead Me Into The Night is a devastatingly beautiful story about getting what you think you need, only to discover it's not exactly what you want. The story starts on a note familiar to fanfiction. House, after helping Cuddy conceive, distances himself from her and the baby as much as possible. But as it becomes apparent that Cuddy isn't coping with motherhood as well as she, or anyone else, expected, it's up tot House to step in and be what she needs. In Lead Me Into The Night, cryptictac delivers it all - heart-wrenching angst, spot-on banter between House and Wilson, excellent characterization across the board, and a style of prose that is both simplistic and beautiful.


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