Cuddy was woken by someone throwing back the curtains and letting the morning sun shine on to her face. The smell of coffee came from somewhere working its way around the room. She gave a groan, squeezing her eyelids shut tight against the harsh light, too tired from yesterday to get up.

"If you think you're going to say in bed all morning, think again."

Her eyes snapped open and she practically threw herself out of bed. "Mom?! What…? When…? What..?" She looked around the room, taking in the plain magnolia walls. She wasn't in her apartment, nor was she in the 'family' home. This wasn't her childhood home in Chicago either.

"You need to get ready and go and see Greg. You need to talk."

"Wait. Why am I here?" She would have asked where she was if she didn't think it would make her sound crazy.

"How should I know?" Her mother's voice was shrill and she drew back slightly. "You turn up here gone ten, mutter something and come straight in here. I don't know what's happened but you do NOT leave your children so I repeat, get ready and go HOME."

Cuddy flinched as her mom slammed the door shut behind her.

What the hell is going on?

Her mind raced through all the possible reasons why she would spend the night at her parents' house. Trying to figure out why she was there, she left the room in search of the bathroom. She assumed it was the one her brother was leaving with a towel on his hips and another one slung around his neck.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" Her brother smiled at her mischievously.

"Suze kicked me out. She found out about Tina…" Cuddy raised her eyebrows at him, remembering what her brother had told her about his…antics. "How's Yvette by the way? Is she still with that tool?"

"Don't even think about it," she warned him, a grin spreading across his face. "Are you done in there?"

Sam rolled his eyes at her. "I wouldn't be leaving otherwise," he told her, his voice loaded with sarcasm. She slapped him and he cried out. "Moooom!" The pair grinned as the angry grumblings of Ruth Cuddy could be heard from the downstairs. Cuddy gave Sam a shove and heard him mumble something about abusive older sisters, and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Looking in the mirror, she quickly wiped the smile from her face. She was in her parents' New Jersey home and she had no idea why.

After jumping out the shower and heading back to the guest room, it hit her. The meeting with Adam. Everything she did in the 'real world' was manipulated to fit into this one and vice-versa which meant House had turned up, she would probably have given her excuses, they would have gone through the case notes, then he would have left and she followed. The conversation in the car would have been completely different. Maybe an explanation and then telling him the rest is up to 

him. Quite obviously, Wilson would have turned up. He was mad enough on Monday and if he'd found out about Adam he would have been incensed. She searched through the closet frantically, finding some of her old clothes in the back and threw them on. She flew out of the room and down the stairs heading for the kitchen.

"Where are my things?" She asked. She needed to get 'home' and fast.

Ruth sighed, throwing her a frown. "Just like when she was at school. You threw them at the bottom of the stairs, and as always, I put them in the away in the closet." Cuddy rushed off to retrieve them and her mother shouted after her. "I don't know what you've done this time but you had better sort it out Lisa Elizabeth House. I will not have my grandchildren growing up in a hostile environment." Cuddy rolled her eyes as she headed back to the kitchen.

This time?

"Leave the girl alone, Ruth. She and Greg are grown ups. They can sort it out themselves." Her father sighed and Cuddy gave him a small smile.

"Oh, I know they will. And once you've sorted it out," she started turning back to Cuddy to wave a wooden spoon at her, "you will all be over this weekend."

"Stay." Her father instructed. "Have a coffee. We haven't seen you for a while." Cuddy nodded, the pair ignoring her mother's sigh.

"Why doesn't Sam get all this grief?" Cuddy asked, grabbing another mug of coffee.

"Because Samuel is not married – "

"And mom doesn't even like Susan," Sam said as he entered the room, throwing himself in a chair opposite his father.

"That's not the point." Ruth told them. "There are no children involved when it comes to Samuel."

"But Samuel doesn't know how to treat a woman." Amos threw a disapproving look at his son over the newspaper he was reading. Cuddy gave him a grin as she leant on the counter behind where her dad was sat and Sam, childishly, stuck his tongue out at her. The disapproving look he was getting from the older man sat in front of him, then turned to a full icy glare.

Ruth nodded her head in agreement. "I know. You weren't brought up that way – "

"Woah, woah, woah." Sam interrupted. "Can we please stop focusing on my vices and concentrate on Lisa's?. I didn't run out on a husband and three kids…" It was Cuddy's turn to glare at him and in return she received a proud smile.

"Yes," her mother agreed and Cuddy let out a sigh, "you need to go and work things out. Greg can't deal with the children himself. There's only so may times that lovely James Wilson will help out…"

"Okay, I'm going." Cuddy put the mug down on the counter, placing a kiss on her mother's cheek, another one on the top of her dad's head and ruffling Sam's hair ignoring his disgruntled sounds. She left the kitchen and made her way to the front door.

"And don't forget, I want to see you all this weekend!"

Cuddy closed the door behind her, sighing heavily. She loved being with her family, but her mother was just so…

She shook her head and started towards her car. Right now, she needed to get to House and hope the conversation yesterday went slightly better than she thought it might have.


As Cuddy entered the house, Thomas came running to her, wrapping his arms around her. She dropped her briefcase on the floor to return the hug.

"Where were you mommy?" he asked.

Cuddy ran her fingers through his hair as he pulled back slightly to look up at her. "I stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's last night." She told him honestly.

"Did you do something bad?" he asked innocently. She smiled at him. She could see why he would think that as a punishment. Just as she was about to answer, House came limping from the kitchen, his t-shirt covered in oatmeal.

"She did but now she's had her punishment, we'll forget all about it," he gave her small honest smile and Cuddy returned it. Thomas nodded his head in understanding and ran off back the way he had come. Cuddy tentatively walked towards House, unsure of how to behave, when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply. Cuddy reciprocated, getting her 'apology' across while he told her just how much she was forgiven.

They broke apart, smiling at the giggles coming form behind them, their foreheads resting together, neither one wanting to speak.

House cleared his throat, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Cuddy drew back, completely shocked. "For what? It was me – "

"For driving you to contemplate it. Sometimes I don't behave like I should."

Before she could get over her shock and argue that it was her fault, he broke away limping after the three children who were now running, screaming, back into the kitchen.

House had nothing to apologise for. Well not this one anyway. He was the perfect man. Since she'd been here, she had no reason to think otherwise. She had cried herself to sleep over the fact that the real House didn't show this side of him.

She shook herself out of her reverie and followed the noises to the kitchen where Molly was currently throwing fistfuls of her oatmeal at House, while he attempted to stop the boys from throwing theirs at each other. She laughed at the situation and House gave her a frown.

"Well don't just stand there. Do that thing you do and get her to eat and give these TWO," he growled as a particularly big handful of the thick gloop made contact with the back of his head, "that icy glare that you wish would work on me."

She gave a final chuckle before letting her maternal instincts kick in.


Cuddy entered Wilson's office with more confidence than she felt. House had gone to pick up Molly and now was the perfect time to speak to Wilson. She needed to know how she got House to let go of his insecurities and asking House would result in raised eyebrows and innuendo. At least with Wilson she could get something sensible out of him although judging by the look on his face, it might be a bit harder than she thought. She ignored his questioning glare and took up the seat in front of him.

"Did you speak to House?" She asked him, not letting his look get the better of her.

"Yes."

It was rare to see House and Wilson reverse roles but they were both doing a pretty good job so far. She didn't let his lack of conversation affect her. "Nothing happened."

"Lisa, it's not the fact that something may, or may not have happened, it's the fact that you were thinking about it. I asked you not to hurt him. If it wasn't for those kids, he would've had a break down."

"James, I really don't know what came over me, but I can promise you, it will never happen again." She met his scrutinizing gaze and after a few moments, he relaxed.

"Okay." He nodded, and for the first time since she arrived, he gave her a warm smile. "Was there anything else?"

She nodded. "I wanted to know…what changed House's mind?"

"About yesterday…?"

"No, no. I mean…what made him finally give into his feelings for me?"

His eyebrows rose in confusion but he quickly recovered, clearing his throat before answering. "After seven years, you're now curious?"

She gave a shrug, leaning back in her chair. "I guess, I was just happy he'd come to terms with how he felt…" It seemed like the most obvious answer and Wilson seemed to accept it as a viable as he took a deep breath before he replied.

"According to House, you begged." Cuddy rolled her eyes and Wilson nodded. "But after translating it," they smiled at each other, "I figured you just told him how you felt."

Cuddy gave a nod. "Yeah…" That's exactly what she had been doing the past week.

"We spoke about it but I didn't find out he had actually made a move until a few months later, when you found out you were pregnant."

"Right." She figured it was best to act like she knew what had happened as opposed to acting surprised at the series of events.

After a short silence, Wilson spoke again. "The proposal was his idea. He told me that after spending so long dancing around the situation, he needed to do what's right. I thought he'd been replaced or swapped brains with someone more…human."Cuddy could feel the tears threatening to fall, biting her lower lip to stop it from trembling.

"He didn't tell you?" He asked, brows, once again, furrowed.

She panicked briefly before coming up with a likely House comment. "No, he said something about not wanting to leave me on the shelf…"

"That would be just like him," he chuckled. Just then he looked up at the door to the balcony, and shook his head. Cuddy followed his gaze and laughed at the sight of House and Molly, standing by the glass pulling faces.

She turned back to Wilson. "Could we maybe keep this between ourselves?" She asked.

"Sure." They both turned back to the door as House pulled it open and Molly ran in jumping up at Cuddy.

"How about we leave daddy to talk with Uncle James before his clinic hours start in ten minutes," Cuddy was speaking to Molly, but the grin she had on her face was directed at House. He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes taking the seat she had just vacated.

"Can you believe this, Wilson? I give her three children and she still wants to torture me with clinic hours."

Cuddy smiled at him, leaving the room, Molly's hand within her own. "And it will continue until you retire." She closed the door and headed to the elevator. It was true, she was hardly going to let him go now.


That night, Cuddy chose to wait for House to fall asleep, listening to his heavy rhythmic breathing with a warm smile on her face. She shifted closer to him and sub-consciously, his grip on her tightened. If Wilson's version of things was to actually happen, she was close to making this all a reality.