A/N: Only one more chapter after this one. We hope you've enjoyed the ride :) Thanks for the reviews. I haven't had a chance to respond to them as I usually do but they are much appreciated :)

Chapter Ten

Wilson stood outside House's bedroom door until he felt a light touch on his arm. He looked down at Greg.

"Where's Mommy?" he asked.

"She's talking to House."

"House is also a noun," Greg informed him. "I learned that at school. My teacher said it can be a noun or a name."

"Yes it can. Are you hungry?"

Greg nodded so Wilson took him to the kitchen and made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Do you want the crust on or off?" Wilson asked him.

"On. Are you going to eat with me?"

"Sure."

Wilson made a sandwich for himself and poured a glass of milk for Greg.

"Does your mother let you eat potato chips?"

Greg tilted his head. "Sometimes. I usually have some carrots or celery and an apple or orange. Stuff like that. But I like chips. I also like Coke."

Wilson smiled.

"Well, how about a Coke and some Doritos to eat with your sandwich?"

Greg nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

Wilson sent him to the dining room and then brought in their lunch. Once they were seated, Greg carefully picked up his glass and took a long drink.

"I love Coke but Mommy doesn't let me drink it too often. My daddy loved Coke, too. But he liked the kind that looked like sugar."

Wilson paused with his sandwich half-way to his mouth.

Greg munched on a Dorito and swallowed. "I wasn't allowed to have that Coke. That was for him and his friends. His friends paid him for the special Coke. Now he's in jail and I get to live with Mommy all the time. I love living with Mommy. Even if I wake up during the night, she's there. Before when that happened, Daddy wasn't always there and I was alone. Is that why you live with House? So you won't be alone?"

Wilson put his sandwich back on his plate. He looked at Cameron's son and nodded.

"Do you have the special Coke, too?" Greg asked.

"No," Wilson told him. "No special coke here."

"Good. Daddy and Cheryl always acted funny when they sniffed up the special Coke."

"Umm, and who is Cheryl?"

"She was Daddy's special friend. She sniffed the special Coke all the time. She is my friend Atlas' mommy. He lives with his daddy."

He said it so casually that Wilson simply stared at him. What judge would award custody to a man who sold and used drugs in front of his child? How had Cameron not known that? Wilson closed his eyes. It suddenly made sense now. She found out, had her ex-husband arrested and came to the one place she felt safe and happy.

"Aren't you hungry, Wilson?"

Wilson nodded and took a large bite of his sandwich, making a growling sound which made Greg laugh.

Cameron continued to cry quietly while House watched her. He glanced at his watch.

"Aren't you tired of crying yet? It's been fifteen minutes." She sniffled a few more times and blew her nose. "Are you going to stay?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Do you want me to stay?"

"I never wanted you to leave."

"You have to believe that I wanted to stay. I won't leave again."

"How can I be sure of that?"

"I've always come back, haven't I? Every time I left, I always came back to you."

He nodded. "You did. Until next time..."

Cameron didn't know how to react. This was so unlike him and she was responsible for it. He seemed so lost and in so much pain.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"Can you learn to trust me?"

Again, he shrugged.

"May I lie down next to you?"

He nodded so she stretched out next to him. She folded her hands on her stomach and looked up at the ceiling. The afternoon sun lit the room and highlighted all the grey in his hair and beard.

"Tell me what I have to do so you can trust me again," she said quietly.

He was silent for a long time. Cameron simply laid beside him listening to him breathe. Then she heard Greg and Wilson on the porch outside.

"Wilson's playing with mini-Greg," House commented. "He looks like you. Mini Greg not Wilson."

"That's what people tell me and I think he does. He doesn't look anything like his father."

"How'd you get custody of the kid?"

"His father was selling drugs. I hired a PI to get anything on him that I could use in court."

"Hubby number three in jail?"

"Yes."

Silence descended again. Cameron could no longer hear Wilson and Greg. She wasn't worried because she knew Wilson would never let anything happen to her son.

"You didn't tell me what I need to do so you can trust me again," she said finally. "Do you need time to think about it?"

"No."

She shifted so she lay on her side facing him. Cautiously she reached out and put her hand on his chest. He didn't move.

"Are you going to stay?" he asked without looking at her. "I have to know you won't leave again."

"Yes. I'm not leaving again. I'm here to stay."

He turned his head slightly and looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I can't live without you. The only reason I got up each day was because Greg needed me."

He continued to look at her. "I need time. You can stay, but I need time."

She bit her lip. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You can sleep in here. I'll sleep on the couch. It reclines pretty good."

She nodded. "Will you consider sleeping in here at some point?"

He nodded and slowly sat up. "I should go shower." He looked at her over his shoulder. "Are you going to stay in here?"

"I could go fix you lunch while you shower."

He nodded and went into his bathroom, closing the door quietly.

As each day passed and it seemed that Cameron was truly there to stay as promised, House began to relax and act more like himself. He taught Greg how to burp the alphabet much to Cameron's secret delight but outward disapproval. He walked Greg to and from his bus stop once school started and then helped him with his homework. He played video games with Wilson and soon began annoying his best friend with pranks. The online clinic kept him busy while everyone was gone though he often called Cameron, who was working at the local hospital, to do DDXs with him.

It had been a year since she returned with Greg, and as usual, Cameron came home from work tired and annoyed. She thought she had a good grasp of French at this point but she apparently didn't. She wrote down the wrong medication for a patient who went into anaphylactic shock. Having to switch back and forth from French to English was hard and usually her mistakes were minor. She loved working in the Immunology department and got along with all her co-workers.

When she got home, she tossed her bag on the floor next to the front door and went straight to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of wine and filled a large wine glass nearly full.

"Somebody had a bad day," House commented from the doorway.

"Fucking French language," she growled. "I wrote down the wrong meds and nearly killed a patient. I need this," she said as she raised her glass, "and a hot bath."

"I can get the bath ready while you proceed to get drunk," House offered with a slight smirk.

Cameron leaned back against the counter and took a long drink of wine.

"HEY!" House shouted from the bathroom. "Where do you keep that those balls you throw in the water?"

Cameron poured some more wine in her glass and pushed away from the counter. She nearly collided with House in the doorway.

"Where are they?" he asked again. "And no peeking until I'm done. You can go put your feet up in the den."

"My bath bombs are in a basket on top of the dresser."

"Got it," he said and limped down the hallway.

"Use your cane!" she shouted after him.

Cameron went into the den, put her wine glass on a side table and kicked her shoes off. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Wilson.

"Hello, Allison," he answered. "Greg and I are fine."

"I know. How does he like Nova Scotia?"

"He loves it. We're just about to go out for a walk. Do you want to talk to him?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

There was some commotion then Greg came on the line. "Hi, Mom! Wilson is going to teach me how to fish! And we might go see some puffins. There kinda like penguins but more colorful. We had maple bacon for breakfast but I don't like it very much. Oh! Tell House there are lighthouses here but I don't think they're haunted. Me and Wilson are gonna check, though. Do you miss me?"

Cameron laughed. "I do. I'm glad you and Wilson are having so much fun. I love you."

"Love you, too! Au revoir!"

The call disconnected and Cameron put her phone on the coffee table. She put her feet up beside her phone. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. She was on the verge of sleep when House sat down beside her. Blinking, she raised her head and smiled at him.

"Bath's ready," he said as he rotated his cane between his palms.

"Oh thank God. You are a lifesaver," she said as she stopped in front of him and placed both hands on his face, giving him a soft peck on his mouth. Just before House could respond, she trotted off her bath.