*iPod acting special again.
Monday night following an uneventful day. Do I have a fun backstory? Nope. Do I ever? Rarely. Reviews are like friends: the more you have the easier it is to be recognized in a crowd.*

Peg Legs
Monday morning, alarm clock rings at six in the morning. The second day of the new year. He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Remember to have a good time, Em. I'll be here when you come back." His smile made her weak. Everyday with him was like heaven, she couldn't imagine the two of them being separated for a week.
"You know I'll miss you, Joseph." She kissed him back before rolling out of the bed and getting dressed.
Thirty minutes passed. Emma was curling her hair around the one-inch barrel. She had her hair divided in sections draping over her tee shirt. Jeans and the cream-colored Slytherin shirt would usually been a very dressed down outfit. But Emma pulled it off: adding her black boots, lace up fingerless lace gloves, and a large Victorian-era cameo completing the arrangement.
Seven o'clock hit them like a ton of bricks. A final peck on the lips from the front porch before his motorcycle pulled away. Now she supposed it truly was just her and her family.
"Now, my pets, get in the van." House started, climbing into the front seat of the blue minivan. The twins crawled into the very back so that Avery and Emma got the captain's chairs. However, Emma and her father were loading the bags into the trunk. Part of her hoped that he would bring up Joseph. The rest of her didn't.
"Thanks for taking me with you guys, daddy." She hoped that this would give him a reaction.
"Can't be a grandpa yet, Em." His witty answer. Emma didn't like this thought process.
"He seems like a nice guy, daddy, doesn't he?" Now she was baiting the hook, hoping to reel him into the real point.
"Nice, but not THAT nice." House spat back. Her smile fell as she shut the trunk.
"Can I drive?" She asked, strutting to the front seat. Of course, her mother beat her there, looking curious as to why little Emma would be trying to drive. "Guess not." Emma spat, then grinned at her mother.
"On the way home." Cuddy smiled back, unnaturally cheerful for her usual personality. Soon enough, the Houses had left their home.

DAY ONE. Emma boarded the boat at eleven in the morning. Bag at hand, her parents' suitcase in the other, she was the first to make it onto the ship's vast deck. It was a huge boat: a pool to your left, what appeared to be a bar to your right. And a large building-like place that was clearly the living quarters.
"Mr. House, Mrs. House. Little mister and misses Houses!" Esteban, as his name tag read, called out. "I am Esteban, hospitality manager of this fine establishment. You made your room arrangements with me, remember?" His accent was very Mexican. "Allow me to lead you to your room!"
Esteban lead them down to flights of stairs. "The elevator wires have been cut recently and we haven't had anyone fix them yet." He explained, House limping and Emma stumbling like a drunk pack mule. Three hallways away, on the second floor, fifth room on the right. "Your room." Esteban grinned.
"Esteban, I thought I got two rooms." Cuddy remarked.
"Oh no, we couldn't. Not on this floor at least. Here we value the family's togetherness." Esteban grinned. "Provides strength."
"I'd like our second room." She persuaded.
"Can't do, Mrs."
Cuddy stopped fussing as he opened the door. You saw a gray room with a large questionably safe window and two rickety floor mattresses. Before she could turn to question the furniture, Esteban was running down the hall.
"Well this is different." House finally muttered. "A cruise director who knows our names, provides poor service and runs when we question it." Emma and Avery giggled at their father's total lack of sarcasm in the statement.
"Looks like we have to EARN our keep." Emma said.

The ship, as they dared to add 'cruise' to, was nothing more than a converted navy ship that had a pool and the occasional limbo contests on. It was fully staffed by the most obscene people: Esteban the most ordinary of them all. Esteban, however, kept flirting with Emma. House no longer thought of Joseph as such a terrible guy.
"So, Emily..." Esteban looked at Emma with loving eyes.
"Emma." She corrected.
"Ah, yes. What is your home life like?"
"I'm a student at Harvard, a medical professional specializing in epidemiology."
"And how old are you?"
"I'm eighteen years old."
"Eighteen!" Esteban exclaimed, nearly jumping backwards. "Why, you don't look a day over fifteen!"
"That would make you acting like we're on a date kind of inappropriate." She remarked.
"Are we on a date?" He asked, leaning in on her.
"I have a boyfriend at home." Emma reminded him.
"I don't care. He's not here, not with you."
"He's not forty-something and a pool-boy on an unidentified ship!" Emma claimed and pushed him away. "I love Joseph, and I'm really not your biggest fan."
"Wow, Irma, I'm hurt." Esteban said, putting his hand to his heart.
"Emma. And goodbye, Esteban." She left.
"BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!" Emma's mom walked by. "Well HELLOOOOOO Mrs. House..."

The House family all sat at their last dinner on the ship. The table was long, considering there was only one family at it. The Caribbean was beautiful, they barely remembered it's splendor. If only they had been there longer, they would have had a blast. "I'm sorry, Greg." Cuddy expelled.
"What for?" He asked, Emma and the other children laughing and carrying on.
"This was supposed to be the vacation we always wanted. The Caribbean was supposed to be magical."
"The kids got to play pirates on the beach, Flynn and Merry did a reenactment from Pirates Of The Caribbean as Elizabeth Swan and Jack Sparrow. Avery got to meet a few new friends and learned a few new words. And Emma had a vacation fling. I remembered how much I loved you... And how much better Joseph is than other guys out there. And what should I be upset about?" He pulled her closer and pecked her cheek.
"The service." She chuckled. It was eight, they had been sitting at the table since six o'clock. "Call a do-over? Sometime?"
"The whole family's together, for the first time in almost six years. I don't think anything can compare to this, not since Christmas eight years ago." She smiled in agreement. It was the most amazing thing that you could ever wish for: the things they remembered in he world they never wanted to fade.
*GAHHH! This chapter took me... Erm... Four days to write! Cause it's red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and russet and mauve and silver and gold and cream and pink and purple and orange and blue. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. I'm Levi's wife. Yerp yerp. Well... Next chapter I need reviews to fuel!*