Can't thank everyone enough who read and reviewed last week. I'm so happy you're sticking with it, and mildly amused that this originally started out its life as a two-shot. We are however rapidly approaching the business end of things now.

Major props to the 'Fic Pimp' for naming and determining the gender of the baby. No doubt she'll have an opinion on how much it should weigh too. ;)

Nope. Not mine.

For a good minute Cuddy panicked when she woke up and found the bed next to her empty. It wasn't something she could help. The last time that had happened she'd found him slumped in the nursery, trying to banish a seemingly very real hallucination in his weak physical and mental state. She wanted to have more faith that he was stronger than that, but the truth was addicts were most likely to relapse in the first forty-eight hours after they left a secure environment. Perhaps the temptation had been too much for him, and he'd gone in search of the very thing that had turned his life upside down, in spite of everything he'd said last night. In the cold, harsh light of day things often seemed different. Less rosy.

With her stomach doing somersaults she got up and walked to Rachel's room, finding the door ajar and seeing her daughter sound asleep in the cot. Next to her, either side of the rocking chair, she noticed an empty bottle and a used diaper and breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously he'd fed and changed her and never had she been happier that her boyfriend had a serious problem with cleaning up after himself. Within seconds, as she tiptoed in the kitchen and dealt with both items, she looked through the window and saw him out in the garden, sat on the ground and pulling handfuls of grass out of the overgrown lawn, before allowing each individual blade to fall in between his fingertips. Evidently he wanted time to himself, so she left him to it.

A little over an hour later she stepped outside and wandered over to the tree, where House was perched on one of the two swings that had recently been hung over one of the thicker branches, and was swaying backwards and forwards. Reaching him, she hung onto the ropes and sat down on the second wooden seat next to him.

"You wanted a swing and you got two. I couldn't bear the thought of you and Wilson fighting over it."

With a slight grin, he stilled himself and looked at her. Obviously she was thinking ahead to when the Rachel and the baby were older.

"Who did it?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"I got talking to one of our neighbours. Turns out her husband used to be a carpenter and he was at a loose end… He did a good job."

Tugging at the ropes as if to verify that, House eventually nodded in agreement.

"They're cool."

"I didn't think you'd get up before lunchtime."

"Rehab kind of messed with my body clock," House explained half seriously. "Hopefully normal services will be resumed shortly."

"You should have come in and said hi to Julia. She just took Rachel."

He knew she'd been there. He'd heard voices in the house and automatically assumed that was the case, but at the time he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do less.

"And deal with her asking if I'm ok, when really she's trying to figure out if I'm safe to be around her sister and her niece?" Seeing his girlfriend about to protest, he went on. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Realising she couldn't contradict him, Cuddy simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Since when did you care about what my sister thinks?"

For what seemed to be a long time he didn't answer, all of his attention appearing to be focused on unearthing a weed underfoot with the toe of his sneaker.

"I don't, but all of this is a big deal… You, me, a house, two kids. That's before you factor in us working together and the small matter of me being a recovering addict… I was with Stacy for five years and we didn't even buy a place together."

Instantly his girlfriend began to worry. Was this all too much for him? Was he backing away from her again?

"Is this not what you want?" she inquired cautiously. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if he said no, but the question needed to be asked.

"Of course it's what I want!... It's just huge. There's so many things that can go wrong."

Feeling the need to touch him, Cuddy reached out and placed her hand on top of his, the soothing contact placating her just as much as him.

"It scares me too… I have a long history of relationships that barely ever made it past the first few dates, but this feels right. Nothing did before. Not really… Being frightened that you're going to screw things up when something matters this much is normal."

"Your definition of screwing up and mine are like the difference between a kid throwing a water bomb and Hiroshima." He paused and bit his lip before going on. "I have a long, long history of living down to people's expectations."

"People adapt to situations. They grow, they…"

"What?" he interrupted, apparently amused. "Change?"

Ignoring his smugness, she continued to elaborate on her point.

"Maybe… Or maybe they just stop being the people they think they have to be, and allow themselves to become who they really are… Letting other people in isn't necessarily a sign of weakness."

Bemused, House raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

"Since when did my girlfriend turn into Dr. Phil?"

"When I hired you I always knew what you were capable of."

"You hired me because you knew I was great in bed."

"You're right," she conceded sarcastically, throwing her hands up in the air in jovial exasperation. He was deflecting, which was hardly new for him, but she hoped some of what she was saying was sinking in. "My original plan was to pimp you out to prospective donors, but when you started saving lives I changed my mind."

Laughing he grabbed hold of her hand again and they sat in a comfortable silence, both basking in the early morning sun and surveying the garden; simultaneously thinking it was currently a mess, but that it had potential.

"We had a garden like this when my Dad was based in Egypt," he finally ventured quietly, letting the sentence hang in the air for a second or two. Surprised that he was mentioning his Father and his past in general, Cuddy opted not to say anything and let him divulge as much as he wanted at his own pace. "My Mom had a vegetable patch near the veranda, and there was a tree like this one… I used to climb it all the time, because the view at the top was awesome. I'd look down on everything and everyone and I felt like Superman."

"How old were you?"

"Ten, maybe eleven… I fell one day. Slipped on the last couple of branches before the bottom. No serious damage, just a few cuts and bruises. I went in to get some TLC from my Mom, but my Dad had come back on leave. Instead of sympathy I got backhanded for being stupid, and told that if I climbed it again he'd beat the crap out of me."

Without needing to ask where this was going, she did anyway, even if the very thought made her feel nauseous.

"What happened?"

"I was determined he wasn't going to stop me, so I climbed it again the next day… He watched me from the window for hours. Just waiting there, cracking his knuckles once every so often as a warning… I stayed up there for hours until I got tired and started to get frightened I'd fall out. When I went back in he rolled up his sleeves and laced into me. Split my lip, bruised a couple of ribs and gave me a black eye."

"And your Mom did nothing?" Cuddy asked in disbelief, her anger making her body quake.

He shrugged and looked away towards the fence.

"Things were different back then. He was supporting us both."

"And that makes it ok?"

That he didn't seem to see how despicable the violence and neglect he'd suffered made her even more pissed. Now so many things fell into place: his lifelong habit of pushing people away, his pessimistic view of relationships, and of course him losing his temper with Blythe the night they'd told their parents that she was pregnant.

"Every time he did it Mom told me it wouldn't happen again… We both knew it wasn't true. People don't change. They are who they are."

"Your Dad was a dinosaur, who covered up being a conceited bully by pretending he had principles. He didn't. He was just a coward…. You are not your Dad!" He turned back around to face her, his expression inscrutable. "You might have the most irritating habit of telling people things they don't want to hear, but being honest, even if you know it's not going to make you popular, is brave… Going through what you've just been through is brave… He may have been a Marine with tons of medals, but you are ten times the man he ever was."

House's reaction to her words was subtle, just a slight fluttering of his eyelashes and a quiet release of air from his lungs, but it was still obvious what she'd said meant something to him. Even if his response was restrained, Cuddy could practically feel the relief radiating off him.

Eventually he smiled.

"I have no idea why we're paying Nolan so much when I've got my own personal shrink at home for free."

"Who says I'm free?"

"Sexual favours again, huh?"

"Later maybe," she retorted coyly, her hand dropping to her stomach and instinctively rubbing it in circles. "First me and the bump need some breakfast."

Wandering down the hall and into the living room in just his pyjama bottoms, House blinked against the remainder of the evening sunshine filtering through the blind and absently scratched his head. Turning towards the kitchen he saw Cuddy leant over the counter reading something, and craned his neck to the side to get a better look at her bare legs, the pink shirt of his that she'd borrowed only just skimming the tops of her thighs and affording him an extremely pleasant view. Silently sneaking up behind her he snaked his hands under the fabric, and ran his fingertips over the silky skin he found underneath.

"You're awake then?" she asked, leaning back into him. "My ears were bleeding from all the snoring so I fled to safety."

Kissing her shoulder he settled his arms tightly around her torso.

"I'm an old man. I need my beauty sleep… What are you reading?"

"Julia left a book of baby names this morning. I called her from work to tell her about us having a girl after the scan yesterday, and her and my Mom spent last night underlining suitable ones… How about Miriam? My Mom's underlined that one and put two stars next to it."

"We want this kid to like us, right?"

Cuddy snorted and continued to flick through the pages.

"Sarah?... Apparently it means princess."

"My Mom had a friend called Sarah... She smelt of urine, wore dungarees and drank gin all the time."

"Any great ideas then, smartass?"

"Plenty," he responded, once again slipping his hands under the shirt she was wearing and gently cupping her breasts. "But they don't involve picking out possible baby names."

Sensing something hard nudging into her, Cuddy turned to look at him and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Again?"

"In case you were getting nervous I can confirm that the penis-shaped thing digging into your back is not a gun." Pushing her hair out of the way, he nuzzled into her and relished the fresh scent of her shower gel on her warm skin, thinking if it were possible he'd happily live in the juncture between her neck and her shoulder blade. "Besides when the stimulus is this good who can blame me?"

Without warning Cuddy pulled his hands away from her and span around to face him, the frown etched on her features instantly making him worry.

"What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't, it's just… You really find me attractive like this?"

Anxiously she grazed her lip and regarded him hesitantly.

"I think the last two times we had sex today should probably answer that question for you."

Clearly not entirely convinced by his attempt to appease her, she looked down at her baby bump and pouted.

"I'm starting to feel like a beached whale."

"You're pregnant not fat!"

"I have stretch marks."

House grunted in frustration. As annoying as her perfectionism was when she forced it onto other people, it irritated the hell out of him when she internalised her own impossibly high standards and beat herself up for absolutely no reason.

"And I have a huge hole in my leg. Has that ever stopped you from being attracted to me?"

"No," she answered honestly. What happened to his leg after the infarction had always made her protective of him, but long before they'd gotten together it never hindered the physical attraction. Even when he was at his most obnoxious, her libido as far as he was concerned seemed to work independently of her common sense.

"Well then... Generally pregnant women gross me out, but you carrying my baby is hot." Unashamedly he looked her up and down until his eyes finally met hers. "Right now you are seriously hot."

Almost shyly she gave him a lopsided grin.

"I guess it's good to know I'm not going to have to kick you out of the maternity ward when you come back to work."

"No," he said brazenly, taking closer to her and flattening his palms either side of her on the counter, effectively trapping her in front of him. "But you are going to have to consider locking your office door more often, because I'm going to have a real problem keeping my hands off you."

"Sexually harassing your boss is a bad idea."

"Really?"

"Really."

Seeing the blush begin to redden her cheeks as he leant forward and paused a couple of inches from her face, he knew he had her just where he wanted her. The way she was licking her lips and alternating her gaze between his eyes and his mouth was proof that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, which never failed to amaze and surprise him.

"I'll take my chances."

Picking his girlfriend up, he sat her on the wooden surface and stepped in between her legs, fumbling with the buttons on the shirt as he kissed her and felt her nails raking down his back. Breaking away briefly he slipped the material down her shoulders and removed it entirely, balling it up impatiently and throwing it behind him, before refocusing his attention on lavishing delicate kisses on her sensitive breasts and smoothing his hand up the inside of her thigh.

"We should go back to bed," Cuddy breathed in his ear, not entirely sure if her sentence had come out coherently.

"What's wrong with here?" he retorted, moving her panties to one side and grinning to himself when he felt how wet she was. Hearing her moan when he slipped a finger inside her, he looked up and his heart almost stopped beating. As if she was concentrating on the sensation his girlfriend had thrown her head back and closed her eyes in an unaffected display pleasure. With anybody else he'd probably have lost all self-control and dragged them onto the floor, but he wanted her to enjoy this. Slotting another finger inside her and dancing his thumb over her clit, he watched her instant reaction in awe.

"House," she whimpered, clutching onto the counter and bucking her hips towards him. "I need you."

Resting his forehead against hers, he ran his other hand supportively along her side, feeling the tension in her body and realising just how close she was.

"In a second." Seeing her this worked up, he found his own breath catching in the back of his throat. He was so turned on now it was practically painful, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. "Come for me."

Watching her arch backwards as her whole body began to shake, he heard her swear and waited for her to come back down. Gently moving his hand away from her, he pulled her forward to rest on his shoulder.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," Cuddy managed, her breathing gradually returning to normal. "Better than ok."

"Good, because I am ridiculously horny right now."

Taking her by surprise, he crossed her legs behind him and grabbed her off the counter, cautiously turning around with her and making his way towards the sofa, doing his best to ignore the protestations from his thigh.

"House if you drop me…"

"You'll land on your ass and be absolutely fine," he interrupted, laughing at the resulting smack to his arm and kissing her cheek affectionately as they sunk down onto the soft piece of furniture.

For a while they simply made out, his immediate sense of urgency calmed slightly by the exertion of transporting them both to the living room, but soon enough he was silently pleading with her and instinctively she knew.

Without a word Cuddy got up and slipped off her panties and then gestured for her boyfriend to lift his hips, before inching them down and off altogether, her gaze unabashedly dropping to his impressive erection before she straddled him again. Within seconds they were joined, neither willing to prolong the agony of needing each that much any longer, her movements and his complementing each other in an easy, well-rehearsed short-hand. Minutes later they were both hurtling towards the edge, lips and teeth meeting skin as she clung to his neck and he grabbed her ass possessively, his resolve finally breaking as she clamped down around him.

"I love you," she murmured, the tip of her nose rubbing against his as they both fought to compose themselves again.

Still in a bit of a daze, House didn't respond straight away, an unfamiliar feeling distracting and unnerving him in equal measure. He was happy. Not just content or comfortable, but really happy. Cupping his girlfriend's chin he tilted her head up so he could focus on her properly, the sudden attention causing her brow to furrow in confusion.

"What's up?"

"Nothing… It's just… I love you too much to lose you. I couldn't deal with it."

The sincerity and rawness of the confession stunned them both. Noticing the shock on her face, he panicked and turned away. Freaking her out had been the last thing he'd intended, but then he wasn't entirely sure what had been his intention. At Mayfield his psychiatrist had encouraged him to open up with those he cared about, and in that precise instant he wished Nolan had kept his advice to himself.

"You idiot!" Cuddy eventually chimed back, holding his jaw and forcing him to turn his face back and look at her again. "You think I don't need you too, don't you?"

House shrugged. With everything that had happened recently it felt like their relationship had been a one-way street, him being a constant drain on her resources.

"I don't know."

"When you walk into the same room, everything lights up... Even if you're trying your hardest to piss me off, things click into place for me whenever you're around…. Do you have any idea how much I needed to hear your voice every time you called from Mayfield?" Watching his forehead crease with emotion, it was obvious he'd felt the same way. Those six weeks of separation had been painful for both of them, and easily the longest period of time they hadn't seen each other since the day he'd walked into her office asking for a job. Romantically involved or not, they'd always gravitated towards one another. "Without you everything just feels like I'm going through the motions… Without you I sure as hell wouldn't be where I am now."

"Logistically that would be a problem," he cracked, glancing down where they were still joined and smirking at her cheekily.

Rolling her eyes she twisted herself around and settled down next to him, pulling the throw over them both as her head found his shoulder. Things still needed to be said without other distractions.

"I mean it… Before we started trying for the baby I'd given up and I was miserable. I'd convinced myself that work was all I needed, but you saw through that… Losing Joy broke my heart, but you were the only one who had the balls to tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself… Without you I wouldn't have Rachel, and I wouldn't have dared to try and get pregnant again."

"You don't know that."

"I really do," Cuddy shot back with certainty, her hand tugging his towards her bump under the covers. "I'm happier than I've ever been and that's because of you… I'd be insane to walk away from what we have now."

"People already think you're crazy for staying with me."

"I don't care… They don't know you like I do."

Delicately House kissed her forehead and lay his cheek on the top of her head, glancing around the room at the various touches Cuddy had added to the blank canvas after she'd moved in. Aside from his piano over in the corner, nothing had the same comforting familiarity of his apartment, and yet the place as a whole was growing on him by the second. Domesticity, being in a loving, committed and successful relationship and becoming a Father were all elements of his future that seemed to loom over him threateningly before. Now he felt ready to embrace them. Being with the right woman had done that for him, and as much it negated his natural repugnance for the type of sentimentality that sent most people gooey-eyed, in that moment he knew without question that Lisa Cuddy was 'the one' for him. In his wildest dreams he was never going to find another woman like her.

"What about Jessica?"

"For the baby?"

"No, as a nickname for Wilson," he joked, slinging his other arm around her casually as they sat in the now dusky light of the early evening. "If you don't like it we can think of something else."

"No I like it," she admitted as she snuggled further into him. "I like it a lot."