Thank you for your reviews; I don't know for sure yet how many chapters I need for this, but not many, probably four, but I'm going away from my computer on Tuesday, so by then this will be finished. But even though this will be short, I hope you still enjoy :)

----------------------------

Ben drove to the house and they carried their bags into the flat (the combination on the lock was same as Ben remembered). They explored the flat and found a note on House's bed saying if you plan to do the nasty, use the other bedroom. Melosa had to pretty much wrestle it from Ben who didn't want her to see it for fear of her being offended. She wasn't; having met Ben's father – albeit very briefly – she could just picture the gleeful expression on his face when he wrote that note and she couldn't get angry. She loved the son too much to get angry at the father.

Once they had settled in, Ben took his girl to the main house to meet Aiko and Priya. They found the sisters in the kitchen, as Ben had predicted.

"The kitchen is like Rome," Aiko explained as she greeted Melosa. "All roads lead here."

"And not just in this house," Priya observed dryly. "It seems that people come from all over the world just to have a mug of coffee in this kitchen."

"Was that a dig at me?" Aiko smiled at her sister.

"No, without you there would be no kitchen to come to for anyone," Priya gave an affectionate push to her sister. "No, that wasn't what I meant. It just seems that sometimes the nations from the four corners of the world converge here. We have Aunty Sandy from India, there is Uncle Robert from Australia, Uncle David and Perri are from Europe – and no matter where we all go, like Ben here, who travels round the world twice a year these days, we all come back right here."

"So we do and here you go Mel, your coffee just as you like it," Ben gave Melosa a mug and sat down beside her at the kitchen table with his own drink.

"You met the parents already?" Priya asked next.

"Yes, I did," Melosa responded neutrally. She didn't quite know how to say anything else.

"We walked in in mid-fight," Ben explained. "Dad had insulted one of the patients again and MamaLisa was trying to get him to apologize."

"And how did Dad get out of that?" Aiko asked, taking it for granted that House had not apologized.

"He has a patient," Ben responded and Aiko and Priya nodded like that explained everything – as it did.

"I know," Aiko had noticed the mystified look on Melosa's face. "We tend to speak in code and this whole House-hold can be a little confusing, but you'll get us in time. And until then, don's worry, Ben will interpret for you, or one of us will, if he isn't around. Just ask anything. Heaven knows you don't need to be tactful, not with Dad around."

"Well, I think I'd like to know why you sometimes talk about family and sometimes about a household?" Melosa decided to do as told.

"You would go for the difficult one, straight away," Priya laughed.

"Yeah, it's a little difficult to explain," Ben agreed. "Because both concepts are a little flexible."

"Let's try anyway," Aiko insisted. "Firstly the family is obviously us kids and Dad and MamaLisa. There are also Grandma Blythe, who is Dad's mother and then Grandpa Higa who is my grandfather but he is also married to Grandma, so he is step-grandfather to the Trips as well. Ben must have told you some of this already?"

"Yes, that much I knew," Melosa nodded. "It's mostly the aunts and uncles that confuse me."

"I admit, that can get confusing," Priya wasn't surprised. "But most of the aunts and uncles you meet are not really related to us. We do have some aunts and uncles and cousins from MamaLisa's side of the family – and they are family, too, obviously, - but they have never been part of the House-hold. We do meet them, we visit and things like that, but when we were little they lived rather far away and Grandpa and Grandma Cuddy were rather busy helping with their other grandchildren by the time we came along. The Cuddy's are ok and we love them, but they are not that much part of our lives and memories as the House-hold is."

"At one point, family was anyone who lived in this house with us," Aiko went on. "And that included our Nanny and her husband and his cousin. These days we have family who is not living in, like Grandma and Grandpa who are in their nineties and live in a Home close to the hospital. They will come over this Sunday so you will meet them then."

"The House-hold, on the other hand, is just a collection of people who Dad just collected, I suppose," Ben tried to find some way to explain them. "There is Uncle Jimmy, or Dr James Wilson, who is Dad's best friend; there is his wife Dr Petra Gilmar, who was Dad's fellow when we were babies and she helped with us, as did Aunty Quanda, that is Dr Quanda Washington. Then we have Uncle Eric or Dr Eric Foreman, his wife Aunty Sandy a.k.a Dr Chandrakanta – again a fellow for Dad when we were babies. Then we have Aunty Allison better known as Dr Cameron, currently no husband, she just divorced for the third time. Then Aunty Anna, or Miss Hill, she is MamaLisa's assistant at the hospital; she swears she will not retire until Mother does. Then we have our old Nanny Kasumii and her husband David Grey, who is Dad's physical therapist. You will also meet David's cousin Perri because she is staying with us. Right now she is with the Grey's but she will be here when we get back from the university. Her husband, Uncle Robert or Dr Chase is in Australia for a year teaching, so you won't meet him this time. Did I remember every one?"

"I think you remembered quite enough," Priya smiled sympathetically at Melosa who was close to hyperventilating. "Sorry, Melosa, but Ben just doesn't know, not having studied medicine."

"Don't know what?" Ben frowned questioningly. "I know Uncle Jimmy is the go-to guy with cancer and I know all Dad's fellows have made names for themselves in their fields."

"But you have no idea how reverently their names are whispered in the halls of all Universities and hospitals that train doctors," Aiko pointed out. "You have to be there so get it. Even we, Priya and me, don't quite get it, but we have seen the effect those names have on fellow students and even our teachers. Trust me, we learned early on not to talk about Uncles Robert and Eric and the rest of them."

"But you really do not need to worry about them," Priya told Melosa. "They may be famous and everything, but like Ben here, they still put their pants on one leg at a time. But if we want to get Greer we need to get going. We will explain more about this House-hold and our lives once we get back with her."

------------------------

They got to the University before the last lecture was over so they snuck to the back of the lecture room to observe. Melosa sat there quietly trying to recover from the day so far. She was starting to develop a serious inferiority complex. Not only was the House-hold full of geniuses, all indications so far were that they were also very good-looking geniuses. Ben, like his father, wasn't handsome in quite the conventional sense. Sure they were both tall and athletic, but their faces were too mobile, too expressive to be called handsome. Arresting, especially when smiling was the word she would use. Aiko was Japanese, so Melosa hadn't been too surprised to see that in real life she was as pretty as her pictures. Short, dark hair, dark almond shaped eyes, golden skin and a figure to die for. Melosa promised herself that this time she would really quit chocolate. And Priya wasn't any less intimidating in that department. She was taller than her mother, but other than that her spitting image, though, she too, like Aiko, kept her dark hair short. And now there was Greer. She looked liked her mother, too, though again taller – from what Melosa could judge sitting at the back of the lecture hall. But her hair was same as Ben's, deep chestnut and it was long, to her waist. And she was the only one of the Trips who had got her father's amazing blue eyes. With sisters like that, and a family full of good-looking people, - Melosa had seen pictures of most of the people whose names Ben had rattled off in the kitchen, even though Ben himself had shown her pictures of his immediate family only – what could he possibly see in her! Sure she was pretty, but nothing out of the ordinary. Sure she was smart, but again, nothing outstanding. What could have made him even notice her in the first place? She sighed, and decided to try to listen to the lecture.

"But without the Fall we wouldn't be human!" The student defending his paper Greer was tearing to pieces was saying.

"True, we wouldn't be human," Greer responded almost sneeringly. "And since when has that been a good thing?"

"But, but..." the student was lost for words.

"If you want to defend your position, have better arguments," Greer told him. "I'm not telling you that it was a Fortunate Fall nor that it was an Unfortunate Fall. You have to make up your own mind about that. But when you do make up your mind about Milton's intentions, have reasons for it! And find them in the poem; that you have a feeling that this is what he meant is not good enough. Read the poem, read his tractates, find out what he thought was the alternative to being human and then come back and tell me why you think he wrote about a Fortunate Fall."

"But that's a lot of work," the student sighed.

"Oh my, so it is!" Greer acted surprised. "It would be so much easier to go with your gut. Your gut however will not help you pass this course. I expect some brain activity as well."

"Professor House," another student wanted to ask a question. "Which is the interpretation you favour?"

"That is my business," Greer told her. "You will not get any extra points for trying to cater to what you think are my opinions. I can tell when you have done your own thinking and when you are just copying somebody else. Besides, I will accept either interpretation if the argument is well grounded. The poem has definitely been interpreted both ways over the years and by much better scholars than any of you will ever make."

"But that means Milton wrote it that way, ambiguously," the girl wondered.

"So he did," Greer agreed. "Your job is to try and unravel some of that ambiguity."

"But if he wrote it ambiguously when he had specifically said at the beginning that he was going to explain the ways of God to man," the girl was still puzzled. "Wasn't he lying?"

"Possibly," Greer didn't seem too distressed. "But then, it is a truth universally acknowledged that everybody lies." Just then the bell rang. "Right, that's it for today. You have your assignments and just to surprise me, do better than you did the last time!"

The students filed out of the lecture hall with speed that suggested they were relieved to go (and not just because it was a Friday). Ben and Melosa, followed by Aiko and Priya, made their way down to the podium.

"So you are taking Dad's advice and torturing them mercilessly," Ben said to his sister as he hugged her.

"But of course," Greer responded with a stunning smile. "Otherwise they might think that my blindness is an invitation to take advantage of me."

"I hear you dispelled that assumption right speedily from the beginning," Priya said as she touched Greer's shoulder to let her know that she was there, too.

"Yes, I heard you lay down the law from the get go," Aiko laughed, as she too, made contact with her sister.

"Start as you mean to go on, I always say," Greer agreed. "Besides, I have heard Dad take over his team too often for it not to rub off on me, too. But you have someone else with you as well?"

"Yes, this is Melosa, I believe I have mentioned her to you once or twice," Ben said drawing Melosa closer.

"I think you may have mentioned her one or two hundred times," Greer agreed as she extended her hand to Melosa. When Melosa took it, Greer pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad to meet you at last. Ben was starting to repeat himself and I want to know you for myself already. May I?" Having finished the hug Greer lifted her hand close to Melosa's face but not touching yet.

"Yes, you may," Melosa nodded and Greer run her fingers lightly all over her face.

"Nice," She approved. "But Ben has always had a good taste – except that one time, but he was only nineteen, then and she was like four – five years older. And more experienced."

"Don't bring her up," Ben warned. "MamaLisa already did."

"Did Dad try to feel Melosa up?" Aiko was surprised.

"No, no. He didn't do anything, mother just wasn't feeling very trusting right then," Ben defended House.

"They were arguing about clinic duty again?" Priya ventured.

"That too, but MamaLisa was trying to make him apologize to a patient," Ben explained.

"Ah, then she was right to feel suspicious," Greer agreed. "He can sometimes get quite outrageous when he wants to get Mother to forget what she was actually trying to make him do."

"He did feel her up on his way to the diagnostics," Ben laughed.

"Like he needed an excuse to do that!" Greer laughed. Just then her assistant made a tiny coughing sound to attract her attention. "You have gathered up my things then, Lia?"

"Yes, professor," she confirmed.

"Thank you, could you take them to my rooms and lock up for the weekend?" Greer requested.

"Of course, professor," Lia accepted the task and left.

"Thanks and have a nice week-end," Greer called after her.

"At least you treat your underlings better than Dad does," Priya observed.

"I have enough fun with torturing my students, I don't need to torture anyone else," Greer pointed out. "Ok, let's get out of here. Only, Melosa, how are you with dogs?"

"Fine, I suppose," Melosa shrugged. "I've never had one, but I get along with the dogs that my friends have."

"Good," Greer said and snapped her fingers. A huge German Shepherd emerged from behind the desk and came to stand next to Greer. "Hector, sit." Hector did as told. Greer crouched down next to it. "Come down Melosa and extend your fist to him slowly so he can smell you. See Hector, this is Melosa. She is Ben's friend and we like her. She is nice and we will be nice to her in turn. Ok?" Hector sniffed Melosa's fist carefully and then he licked it. "Ok, he accepts you, you can scratch his ears." Melosa was happy to pet the beautiful animal and make friends with him – especially the latter thing, since beautiful though he was he also looked like someone who would defend his lady against all comers.

"Right, now that the formalities are over, let's get the heck out of here," Ben announced and they did just that.