This was written as the Family theme in my 160 Themes of House thread for the PPTH Conference Room forum, and then integrated into House and the PPTH Employee's Daycare. This was long before season 7 and many of us were still dreaming of an "as happy as possible ever after" for House and Cuddy.

I need to give a bit of background. In the story, House has taken in a 4 year old because the little boy's dad needs assistance and mom isn't in the picture. In the show, House is at his best with kids and I believe that if there was a child in his life, House would do his best to make the child feel everything that he didn't as a child. House may be out of character when it comes to adults, but I believe that for a child in need he would do his best to step up.

Family

Lisa was scheduled to use the Cuddy family cabin one week out of every summer. Normally, she loved it. A week of solitude perfectly complimented Lisa's busy lifestyle. Unless there was an emergency, she kept her cell phone off and only checked for messages twice a day - once just after breakfast, and again just before dinner. In between times, she wrote in her journal, read or walked. She had come to cherish this time to be alone each year and on her most difficult days, clung to the promise of her week to come.

This year was different. Rachel had come into her life. Although she loved her baby dearly and would adopt her when the time came, Rachel's presence seemed to broadcast a spotlight on some things that Lisa had never realized before. Family was one of those things. Lisa truly believed that she and Rachel made up a family. It was just the two of them, but Lisa loved the child fiercely and would willingly give her life to protect her. Mother plus child equaled family. The end.

If that was true then, why did Lisa yearn for something else? Why did she feel that something was missing? Her soul searching took her quickly to her answer. She was not alone anymore, but the trade off for her heart's desire had resulted in loneliness. There was no one in the world that cared about Lisa's baby like she did. There was no one to share Rachel's "firsts." No one that would ever be as excited as she would. "Alone" she could handle; it was her choice and often her preference, but "lonely", that was a different story. She hated the feeling and although she had inadvertently brought it on herself, she certainly didn't willingly choose it.

She thought to herself, "That's why it takes two people to make a baby - then there are two people who are equally invested and two people to share the burdens and the joys, alike - a team that is called "a family." Lisa felt mildly embarrassed about the day that she went to House to celebrate her bonding with Rachael. She knew that he hadn't quite understood the excitement but at the time she didn't care. House was the only one that she wanted to share the moment with. She remembered Rachel's naming ceremony with shame because she had actually asked House not to come. For some reason she thought that he would come anyway. Of course, she was disappointed when he didn't show up, yet she knew that he wouldn't go where he wasn't wanted. No wonder their relationship never got very far; she continually sent him mixed messages.

Lisa determined at that moment that she would fix the problem and opened her phone…

"House, Greg…..This is Cu-Lisa. Would you consider going to the cabin with me for a week?"

"…..Of course, Henry is included, too."

"Um….there's two bedrooms; One with a twin bed and the other with a king. I was thinking that we would use the king and Henry…."

"Uh, I'm not sure I can take the time."

"I think your boss will let you take a week off …."

"I guess if…."

"Good! Well, bye!"

Lisa sat down and heaved a sigh of relief. She had taken the first step and maybe she would begin to move toward the family that she had always dreamed of.

House sat in stunned silence after Lisa's phone call. He had just said yes to spending a week at her family's cabin and agreed to sleeping arrangements that were not typical of their current relationship. Because of Rachel and Henry, they had chosen a loving, yet chaste lifestyle. The decisions had been Greg's more so than Lisa's. House didn't want Rachel to bond with him if this relationship he had with her mother wasn't going to be permanent. He refused to screw with a child's head that way. Kids had enough pain in their lives without having crazy, indecisive parents. House thought of his own family and he thought of Henry's. He hoped that Henry would turn out less damaged than he had. He couldn't turn out worse.

Of all the women that Greg had been with, Lisa Cuddy was the most likely candidate for a spouse. She loved him and didn't try to change him. She knew that he had issues from his past, yet she never pressed. She never made excuses for him either. Lisa seemed to love him because of himself and despite himself. He had never felt that kind of love before, not even from his parents, and he liked it! It made him want to be better, not rebellious.

This love made him look for reasons to be with her, to stay with her. He wanted to be Lisa's family. He wanted to help raise Rachel. Greg wanted that baby to be his little girl and maybe he wanted more besides. He wanted a baby that he and Lisa had made together as a result of their love for one another.

So far though, Lisa couldn't commit. She had changed her mind about him so often that his head spun just to think about it! She jerked him around about the baby naming ceremony, but when she finally bonded with Rachel, she ran straight to him! What was that about? He thought a few minutes and sorted it out.

She wanted a family too! She needed someone to share her life with and rejoice when she rejoiced. Rachel had shown her that need and she had chosen House to fill the need. Now, she had come to terms with her desires and by asking House to join her at the cabin, she was declaring herself open to the possibility of a future together. House wasn't going to waste that chance.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Two weeks had passed since the "cabin conversation." Now they were in Lisa's car together 30 minutes into the trip. They had been mostly silent, thinking their own thought. House had offered to bring the music, and after a short time of listening to Raffi and Joe Scruggs, the children had dozed off. He switched the music to some soft, bluesy stuff that Lisa had never heard before. It was relaxing and Lisa realized that if she was going to stay awake she had better start talking.

"House, what makes a good family?"

House responded with such enthusiasm that it made Lisa jump!

"Wait! I know that one! It's someone who traps me in a car for a three hour drive and then asks ridiculous questions!"

"Oh yeah, my first choice is a person who can't have a conversation without deflecting or sniping!" Cuddy retorted, as though she were prepared for just such an answer.

"I don't snipe, I snark."

"Whatever. It isn't a ridiculous question. Asking about the perfect family, now that would be ridiculous! I learned a long time ago that there's no such thing as perfect."

"Don't go telling that to Foreman, I believe he thinks there's still a chance."

"Just answer my question House!

"Oh no, you go first! These kinds of discussions are filled with traps for men! It starts out as a simple discussion and then elevates into a cry fest when the man doesn't answer the question the way he was supposed to.

"Sounds like you've had some experience," Cuddy mumbled.

"Oh, Stacy looks reasonable and sounds reasonable, but once a month she turns into this shrieking harpy, and that's when she'd ask this sort of question. I gave up trying to make sense of the whole thing and just tried to keep out of her way!" As House spoke he began to wind down, remembering the children in the back. "But then, you're not Stacy, are you?"

"NO, I'm not. Thanks for remembering!"

"Shhh, the kids?"

"Oh, right!"

"I'll answer your question, but this stays in the car. If you don't like my answer, you can't hold it against me the whole time we're at the cabin."

"I can do that."

"No extra clinic hours upon our return, either!"

"Rats! You got me! I was going to add an extra day for everything you said that pissed me off!"

"That's the girl I know and love!"

"The girl you know and love?" asked Cuddy. "People say it all the time but I don't think they really mean it."

"Cuddy, you know I'm not effusive. I've never been like that. I'm not always good with actions, either. But, I don't associate with people I don't like. I try to avoid them as a matter of fact. If you want to know how I feel about you, take a look at the time I spend with you. Wilson is next door he's easy to find. But you, you I have to track down. I go looking for you, and trust me, with this bum leg, I've got to really want to be going where I'm headed!

"Okay, I know you love me, now stop deflecting and answer my original question. What makes a good family?"

"A good family trusts each other. They help each other. They enjoy each other's company. They find things that they can to do together and they know when and how to respect each other's space. They demonstrate their love for each other with their actions as well as with their words. And, speaking of words, they use their tongues as a source of support and love, not hatred and destruction. They have each other's backs. They protect each other before they embarrass themselves rather than laughing at them after a mistake has been made. They accept each member for who they are and they forgive their flaws. They celebrate each other's strengths and support them in their weakness. They improve each other with respect and if they can't help them, they love them just the way they are. They don't intentionally harm each other. They don't cause pain to prove a point. Parents have to be the 'bad guy' sometimes, but they can do it without humiliation and without public shame. They forgive and forgive and forgive and they accept and accept and accept."

Cuddy let House continue until he ran out of words. She didn't think that she had ever heard him say so much at once. They sat in silence for a long while after he stopped.

Finally Cuddy said, "Have you put much thought into your answer or was that just 'off the cuff'?"

House laughed heartily at her question but sobered immediately with his response. "In a family like mine there's lots of time to think about how things ought to be. I would go to the home of a happy family and the air immediately felt different. There was a freedom, more space, even in houses that were far smaller than the one I lived in. They smiled at each other, they joked around. If things went a little too far everything would calm with a gentle warning. There was no steely silence that knotted my stomach. No one was made to feel like crap. Cuddy, I would do anything it took to create a happy home for a child. I might even be willing to curb my acerbic wit for awhile…" He turned and smiled at her. This was a happy smile. House had unloaded a lot of baggage and it was obvious that he felt better. "…or at least leave it at the hospital."

House took Cuddy's hand. "Are you going to answer your question for me?"

"I don't need to," she replied "you said it all, and then some. Greg House, you are, to my soul, like a cold drink of water after a long hot walk. And I never want to feel that thirsty again."