Okay, just a warning, this chapter's full of fluff. Huddy ship haters better walk the plank.

When they got home, Cuddy thanked Marina and paid her. The woman smiled, sending a piercing glance at the old doctor that had stolen her client's heart.

"You watch that man, Dr. Cuddy," Marina demanded, only half joking. "He looks meaner than an angry rattle snake."

Cuddy laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, he's just a big softie, Marina. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Marina smiled, and gave House a civil nod. "Yes. Good night, Dr. Cuddy."

When the nanny left, Cuddy stood in front of House and took hold of him by both arms, holding him out as if inspecting him. He looked down at her, bemusement on his face. "Yes?"

Suddenly, she pulled him into a hug. He froze for a moment, and then relaxed, taking it for what it was. "I'm just so proud of you, Greg," Cuddy sighed finally. "I know that was hard for you."

House grunted, shrugging, but secretly he was pleased by her praise. He hadn't had a whole lot of support growing up, and he longed, if subconsciously, for the pride his father had never felt him worthy enough to give him.

Rachel interrupted their moment together. "Hows?"

Cuddy grinned at Rachel's pronunciation of House's name. House let go of her, and sunk down in a chair, holding out his arm resignedly.

Rachel grinned and took the offered limb, climbing up on his left leg and placing both hands on his shoulders. Her eyes stared into his for a long moment, and he watched her carefully.

"You tired, Hows."

House gave her a soft smile, and Cuddy's heart melted a bit. Over the past few months, the two of them had been growing closer and closer.

House rumbled her hair in a gesture of affection, smiling wider when she giggled. "Yeah, kid, I'm tired. How about you? How was your day?"

Cuddy watched, amused, as Rachel launched into a garbled, articulate story about the adventures of her day with the nanny. House smiled, nodding in all the right places, but she could see him distancing himself from her words and really examining her.

Finally, Rachel slid down off his lap and grabbed hold of his left hand. "Pano, Hows."

He raised an eyebrow, tossing Cuddy a look. "This kid is definitely yours, Cuddy. She knows what she wants, just like her mama."

He stood without another word, not catching the look of joy that crossed Cuddy's face as he limped to her upright piano after her daughter.

He'd referred to her as a mother, without one snide comment on her ability as a parent.

She listened to him play various Disney themes for a while, smiling when she caught him singing softly and Rachel giggling in turn. For a moment, she just stayed in the kitchen, enjoying the sound of his voice. He really was a beautiful singer, and it made her sad to think she'd hardly heard him in action before a month or so ago.

For the first time, Cuddy thought about the future. She was afraid to bring it up with House, but they really needed to talk about it. She wanted him to be a part of her life, forever. The new side of him she'd been steadily uncovering during their months of dating convinced her more and more that she loved this man.

And she wanted… well, she was pretty sure she wanted to marry him.

Cuddy felt a shiver at her thoughts. She wasn't really sure House was open to that kind of commitment, and she didn't want to scare him off. However, she'd watched him connect with Rachel. She was pretty sure he loved the kid, though he seemed to hold back on any real parenting, leaving it to her mother.

Yes, Cuddy decided. She was going to have a talk with him tonight.

She strode into the living room, smiling at the sight of Rachel sitting next to House on the small piano bench. She tried, unsuccessfully, to mimic his movements on the higher keys, their soft tinkering adding an odd sound to 'the colors of the wind'. Cuddy smiled at the thought of House letting her bang on the piano.

Of course, it wasn't his piano, but still. It was a good sign.

"So I was thinking we'd order pizza," Cuddy suggested happily, sitting on the couch.

Rachel squealed and hopped off the piano bench, running to her mother. "Pizza!"

Well, that confirmed it. Cuddy ordered two pizzas, one split for her and Rachel and one for House. He didn't look up or comment throughout the order. Instead, he focused on the keys of her piano, lost in thought.

Throughout dinner, he was silent as well, and he didn't even look up when Rachel picked up his cane and began playing with it, trying to twirl it in her fingers as she'd seen him do multiple times.

Cuddy watched, slightly pensive, waiting for House to notice. His cane was one of the things he'd been most defensive about since the infarction, and she wanted to know how'd he react to Rachel playing with it.

After a few moments, the movements of her daughter caught his attention. She watched him with baited breath from the opposite side of the kitchen.

A soft smile made her heart flutter as he watched the toddler play with his flame cane. When she dropped it, the noise made her glance up at him fearfully, like a deer caught in headlights.

House simply raised an eyebrow. "Rachel, what are you doing?"

"I tried spinning your cane, Hows."

"I think your hands might be a bit to little for my cane, Rachel," he pointed out softly, not a hint of anger in his voice. "Why don't you try something smaller? Like a pencil?"

Rachel nodded, handing him his cane solemnly. He stood and jerked in surprise when she grabbed his hand.

She looked up at him with perfect love and trust in her eyes. "You teach me, Hows."

House blinked rapidly, almost like… like he was holding back tears. "Sure, kid. I'll teach yah. It'll drive your mom crazy."

He led her over to a kitchen drawer and handed her an unsharpened colored pencil, smiling when she tried to spin it in her little hands.

"It takes practice, Rachel. I'll show you tomorrow, okay? Right now it's about time for bed."

Rachel nodded solemnly. House had this… this way about her. He never spoke to her in a kiddy voice, and always answered her questions as plainly as he could. It was interesting to see him interact with someone so young, and the responses Rachel gave him thrilled Cuddy.

House picked her up and settled her on his left hip, carrying her to Cuddy. He looked at her with mingled surprise and shock when he saw she had tears in her eyes.

"Momma sad?" Rachel questioned, holding tighter to House.

"No, Baby. These are happy tears."

House's eyes widened in astonishment as she smiled and took Rachel. "I'll get her ready for bed, House. Can you wait on the couch for me; I want to talk to you."

House nodded, too stunned to make a lewd comment.

When she returned to the living room, Rachel safely asleep, House was waiting pensively on the couch. She laughed at the troubled expression on his face.

"Relax," she assured him softly, sitting down next to him on the sofa and cuddling next to him. "You aren't in trouble."

He did visibly relax, sinking into her with a sigh. "Good. Because I'm too tired for your punishments tonight, mistress."

Cuddy smiled at his joking tone, but she soon turned the conversation serious.

"I do want to talk to you, though."

House sighed, sitting back. "I figured. I want to talk to you too."

Cuddy raised her eyebrows. House wanted to talk? This, she had to hear. "Okay. You first."

House looked up at her, blue eyes deep with emotion. "First off… I'm glad you went to the CP center with me today."

Cuddy could hear the other things, left unsaid, in his thank you. He was really thanking her for supporting him and not accusing him of drug seeking. For letting him answer the doctor's questions without her jumping down her throat. For just… being his rock.

She smiled. "I wouldn't have missed it, Greg."

"Just wait till Wilson hears…" he murmured, his face conflicting between amusement and fear.

Cuddy swore to herself that she'd talk to Wilson before he did, to stop any negative reaction he might have. "He'll be mother-henning for a week," she supplied gently, not voicing the alternative; that Wilson would accuse House of faking pain for drugs.

House nodded. "Yep. I guess I'll only tell him if he asks."

House's eyes found hers again. "The second thing, Lisa…"

He trailed off, swallowing. Cuddy thought he looked like he was trying to sit on a cactus. "What is it, House?"

He hesitated. "Well… I've been thinking."

"When are you not thinking?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood. It earned her a small flicker of a smile from her boyfriend.

"Anyway. I… I know you want me to… be a part of Rachel's life."

Cuddy's stomach flipped. Why did he sound so… sad? He wasn't… oh, God, please, don't let him be breaking up right now, she thought frantically.

House continued on, oblivious to her panic. "I'm just…"

He took a deep breath, looking at the wall. "I'm not sure I can be the father she deserves."

Cuddy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, turning it into a relieved laugh. "House. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You're perfect around her."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head and hesitating. Cuddy stopped laughing abruptly. She reached over and turned his face towards hers, staring at him.

"Hey. Greg. Look at me," she commanded.

He opened his eyes a smidge. She could see a startling amount of pain and sadness in them, more than she thought the situation warranted. "You're wonderful to Rachel. She loves you."

House shook his head. "I know. But every kid loves their parental figures, no matter what they're like, at least for a while."

He sounded… like he was talking from experience.

"House?" she prompted gently, taking his hand. "Why are you so worried about this?"

He bit his bottom lip. "Cuddy, how much do you… know about my family?"

Cuddy went over the facts in her brain. House seemed to love his mother, though he sometimes avoided her like the plague. Before his father had died, he'd constantly been at odds with the man, and had seemed to hate him.

She summed it up the best she knew how. "You love your mom, hated your dad, and you were an only child."

House twisted his lips. "Ever wonder why I hated my dad so much?"

Cuddy blinked, eyes wide. House's eyes were filled with… pain. They looked almost haunted.

She caught her breath, watching closely for his reaction. "Oh, my God. Greg. He abused you?"

His slight flinch spoke volumes. She'd hit right on the money.

She took his hand in hers. "How bad?"

"Verbally, it was like fighting with a sociopath. He knew just where to hit you where it hurt the most."

He swallowed. "Physically… I guess it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He only broke a few bones."

Cuddy couldn't help the tear that slid down her face. House caught it with his thumb and wiped it off gently, his eyes worried and soft. "Lisa?"

She buried her face in his shirt, fighting tears. He hugged her hesitantly.

Her voice, choked out and muffled by his chest, shocked him. "Gregory House, you are not your father."

He swallowed, fighting a burning feeling in the back of his throat.

She looked up at him, unshed tears making her gray-blue eyes shiny. "You would never hurt Rachel. There's no doubt in my mind. There's no one I trust with her more."

He blinked back his own tears. "Cuddy, I…"

"No. I don't want to hear anything like that out of your mouth, ever. Never have I once seen you be cruel to Rachel in that way, and I know I never will. You'd… you'd make a great father for her, Greg."

His eyes, filled with wonder and hope, locked onto hers. Half a moment later, and they were passionately kissing on the couch, hands tangled in each other's clothes and hair. They continued on, tongues impassionedly battling in each other's mouths, until they had to come up for air.

They broke apart, staring into one another's glowing eyes and gasping.

House took her head in his hands, touching foreheads with her. In that moment, he knew that there was nothing else he wanted more than to be with this woman, forever.

"Lisa Cuddy, will you marry me?"

She took one look at his deep blue, sincere, love filled eyes, and hugged him, bouncing up and down like a teenager. "Yes! Yes I will!"

Talk about his pain, both emotional and physical, could wait.

Just then, they had an engagement to consummate.

Ah! Had to get that out. That's what I wanted to have happen in the show. Instead, I got a painful breakup and a wrecked house with a car through the front window. *sigh*