Disclaimer: I own nothing. Unfortunately.

A/N: Post S7 (2011) in House where Lisa resigns. However, I'm completely ignoring the fact that House faked his own death and that Wilson probably died of cancer. Also, the story picks up right after the series finale of Rizzoli and Isles (2016). So for the sake of establishing a time frame, the current year is 2016, which ages Lisa to 48 and Rachel is 8. Maura just turned 40. I think I covered everything (?). If not, I hope someone will point it out, maybe?

The idea of this pair has been haunting me. I hope I do both characters justice and if I don't, can I get a gold star that says, "You tried?" Constructive criticism is welcomed. English is hard. Enjoy...?

There are 6,210 hospitals in the United States and of course, she would end up at Johns Hopkins. Lisa Cuddy wondered if she did this to herself or if the universe was punishing her. Deep down, she knew that she could've gone anywhere else. She knew that Baltimore was far enough from Princeton, yet close enough that she could still see her mother and sister for the holidays and make it back home the same day.

"Johns fucking Hopkins."

She looked up from the most recent student paper she'd been grading and glanced around the small office. The walls were as bare as her desk. No paintings or pictures. No flowers. Just a few red pens and a stack of students' papers. It gave her a sense of comfort. Lisa has been teaching Medical Endocrinology & Reproductive Biology along with two other courses for the last five years. It was the most stable she's ever been–the most stable she's ever felt.

After she resigned from Princeton-Plainsboro, she put her house on the market and began looking for a fresh start. She called every contact and connection she made while she was Dean of Medicine, which resulted in more options and opportunities than she anticipated. When the offer to teach and consult at Johns Hopkins was presented to her, she jumped at the opportunity. Without hesitation, she accepted the position and began the process of moving to Baltimore.

It took three months to finalize the move, which was just in time for her first semester of teaching. With Rachel enrolled in a private school and the doctor's flexible teaching schedule, Lisa was able to be a more present mother. They had similar schedules where the doctor was able to pick Rachel up from school and their holiday breaks aligned almost perfectly. Initially, Lisa thought it was the best decision she'd made in a long time, until it wasn't.

She missed her old job. She missed her old life. She missed the comfort and familiarity of her surroundings. However, she knew that she couldn't go back. Everything was tainted. Nothing would be the same. She needed to keep Rachel and herself as safe as possible–as sane as possible. She couldn't go back. Maybe if she were childless and more of a masochist, she'd play with insanity and move back. But Lisa knew better. She played with fire before and unsurprisingly, she ended up with fourth degree burns. But for once in her life, it wasn't just about herself– she had Rachel to think about too.

As the years passed by, the hurt and longing for her old life and him started to become bearable. Her heart wasn't as heavy. She could breathe easier. She stood a little taller. And on some days, the smile even reached her eyes. She actually had people that she could depend on and some may even say that she had friends. Lisa's life was completely unrecognizable.

Realizing the time and the lack of grading progress she made, she rushed out the door. It was 3:17 P.M.

"Shit."

She half jogged to her car and sped her way across town to pick up an eight-year-old Rachel. She smiled to herself, remembering a time when she didn't have the luxury to see Rachel while it was still sunny outside. Making it to the pickup line in record time, Lisa saw her daughter sitting on a black metal bench with a few other kids. The moment she made eye contact, both of their faces lit up. Rachel came barreling into the car and tossed her backpack in the backseat.

"Mommy, can we get ice cream please?"

Lisa chuckled, not surprised by the request. It was their third trip this week and it was only Wednesday.

"Of course, we can, silly girl."

After ice cream, homework, and dinner, the day flew by and bedtime rolled around. Going through their nightly routine of teeth brushing, hair combing, and "jam-jam" time as Rachel called it, Lisa tucked Rachel into bed. As she also makes herself comfortable, she grabbed the loosely bound and slightly worn book on Rachel's nightstand and began to read:

"'Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to great places!
You're off and away!'"

Before she could turn the page, Rachel puts her hand on Lisa's.

"Mommy, I want to go to Toulouse."

Closing the book gently, Lisa did not hesitate, "What's in Toulouse?"

"Cats!"

"Cats," Lisa asked questioningly. What the hell?

"Yes, mommy. Like in Aristocats! Ava said that even though he lives in Parish, he's from Toulouse, so I want to go to Toulouse."

Unable to help herself, Lisa corrected her, "It's Paris, baby. And when would you like to go to Toulouse, hmm?"

"During winter holiday?"

Contemplating the request and mapping out rough dates in her head, Lisa paused. She thought about the logistics and whether or not Rachel would be able to handle a potential thirteen-hour flight. The furthest Rachel has ever flown was to California to see "the smaller Disney because it deserved love too"–which was a rather easy and painless six-hour flight. She was blessed to have a child who needed little entertainment throughout the flight and could actually fall asleep on planes. Between all the thoughts and mental calculations, she could hear her daughter's patience running thin.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy! Can we go pleeease?"

"Rache...Toulouse is a very long way from home. We have to go on an airplane for a long time, and we even need to take two different airplanes to get there. It's a lot of traveling and…"

Rachel, who is just as persistent as her mother, is convinced that she needs to see these Toulousain cats.

"Mommy, I'll be the best airplane rider ever! I can do it! Please, mommy? Think about the cats."

Lisa cracks. She can't resist the heartstring tugs and at least it's something she'll enjoy as well. She could never deny her daughter anything, especially with those big brown eyes staring at her. With a bone crushing hug, Lisa nods her head in the affirmative.

"Alrighty, airplane rider. You and mommy will journey to see these famous cats, yeah? We'll leave right after school ends for Mommy and we'll stay for a few weeks. How does that sound?"

Letting out the most high pitch squeal, Rachel got up and began jumping up and down on the bed, ultimately toppling on top of Lisa. Catching her quickly, Lisa brought her in for another hug and ran her fingers up and down her back, soothing her back to bedtime mode. The excitement eventually died down and Rachel's fingers loosened their grip on Lisa's Rolling Stones t-shirt. Carefully and gently tucking her back into bed, Lisa left and headed to her home office to begin planning their Toulousain adventure.

Five cups of coffee and two ten-minute power naps later, the Cuddy women's Toulousain trip was booked. Glancing at the "it's 5'oclock somewhere clock", she groaned. Only thirty-two minutes until her 5:45 A.M. alarm. Between getting Rachel to school and being on time for her 8:30 A.M. class, Lisa knew she had a long day ahead of her.

Rushing through her morning routine, Lisa still managed to get Rachel fed, dressed, and into the car on time. She's come a long way from the woman who thought she couldn't bond with her newborn baby and be a working mother simultaneously.

"Rache, guess what?"

"Chicken butt?"

With a loving eye roll and joking side glare, Lisa responds, "No, silly. Just for that I'm not…"

"Mommy! Tell meeeee! Please, please, please, please, please!"

"We're going to see the Toulousain cats this holiday break! We leave on the 13th of December and we'll be there for most of the winter holiday. We'll spend Hanukkah and the New Year in France. Does that give you enough time to find your cat friends?"

Completely overwhelmed with excitement, Rachel's face turned bright red and streams of tears flowed down her face. Once that first tear broke free, the dam collapsed. She couldn't contain the bursting overjoyed feeling of being able to spend the holidays with her mommy while also being in the same place as her best cartoon cat friend. Her mind was in overdrive and she couldn't verbalize her happiness. Rachel remembered the previous holidays where her mother would give her everything she could, emotionally, materialistically, and physically but there was always something heavy weighing her down. She saw the smile Lisa showed, but just as quickly as it came, it went. But over the last few years, with this year being at a constant high, she began to notice the spring return to her mother's step.

Pulling over, Lisa shucked her seatbelt off and reached over to gently pull Rachel's red, wet face closer to hers.

"Baby, what's wrong? We don't have to go anymore if you don't…"

"NO! I still w-anna go."

"Okay, okay. Sweetheart, you have to calm down. Breathe, baby, breathe."

Rachel calmed and mimicked her mother's deep breaths in and out. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When her normal breathing pattern returned, Rachel hugged Lisa's arm and gave her a toothless grin.

"Can I go to school now?"

Lisa gave Rachel a kiss on the top of her head and put the car into drive. Not ten minutes later, they make it to the drop-off zone with three minutes left to spare. Breaking the sacred drop-off rules, Lisa quickly rushed out of the car to give Rachel the hug she desperately wanted to give her earlier. She wasn't sure what prompted the waterworks, but Rachel seemed happier. She wasn't going to push her.

"Have a good day, Rache. Call me if you need me, okay?"

With a gentle nod, Rachel ran up the stone steps and disappeared into the building.

Speeding to Hopkins proved to be a journey. Weaving in and out of traffic, she made it to her first class of the day. Only two minutes later than expected, she gave herself a pat on the back. Not too shabby considering the morning she had. Opening the old, creaky wooden university door, she threw her coat and laptop bag on top of the first vacant desk. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her fingers out. The chatter and noise slowly died down as she leaned against the lone table situated at the bottom of the lecture hall. Dr. Cuddy addressed her class:

"Please turn to page 274. Work in groups of four to five people and answer the first thirteen questions. One scribe per group, which means one answer sheet per group. Put all of your names at the top for credit and attendance. Once completed, hand it in and you're free to go."

As she watched her students scramble to form groups, she grabbed her laptop bag and began grading the papers she failed to finish the day before.

Note: Maura may not be introduced until the third of fourth chapter, depending on how the story progresses. I have a plan, but a very winged plan. But hey, at least it's a plan? How many plans did I say? Is plan still a real word? PLAN! Also, Lisa is reading Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. Go read it. It's good for you no matter how old you are. And lastly, the title comes form Nina Simone's "Baltimore". Posting this was nerve-wracking. Drag me if you must.