Summary: A bookstore was where it all began, from there, it lead to much more. He was her friend, confidante and love of her life. Gregory House was her everything, and she was his. It started out playful and unexpected, but there's one thing that can change everything. The island.

Just a heads up that I'm going to be offline from Thursday to Sunday, so there probably won't be any more updates this week unless I get time to write.

Chapter Twenty-Five

House laughed quietly as the movie ended, and he prodded Cuddy gently in the ribs, his other arm around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead lightly, shifting slightly to stand and go to the TV to turn it off.

"Bed time?" Cuddy asked, glancing at the draw curtains, "Isn't it early?"

"Well, yes," House sat besides her on the couch again, "And it isn't bed time unless you'd like to go to sleep now."

"Speaking of which," Anthony Cuddy poked his head in the living room, "Where exactly are you planning on sleeping while you're here?"

"Where ever you and Kristen feel comfortable having me sleep." House shrugged slightly from his place besides Cuddy on the couch.

"Can Greg stay with me?" Cuddy looked up at her father, smirking slightly as his expression morphed into one of shock.

"You aren't serious, are you Lisa?" Kristen asked, entering the room, looking between House and Cuddy. "Oh, God, don't tell me that you two are sleeping together." She slapped a palm to her forehead, "Lisa, what are you thinking?"

"What?" Cuddy looked up at her parents, "Greg and I are both mature enough to think straight."

"Lisa, you're nineteen, you ought to know better about this." Kristen began, ignoring her husband's arm around her shoulders.

"Kristen, it's fine," Anthony began quietly, "Lisa's old enough to know what she and Greg are doing, and the consequences for anything."

"That's not my point," Kristen reached for Cuddy's hand, pulling her upwards, "You and I need to talk, now." She pulled her older daughter into the kitchen, leaving House and Anthony in the living room.

"Sorry about Kristen," Anthony began, "She's a little too overprotective of Lisa, being her oldest daughter and all. Sometimes she takes things a little too far."

"No, really, it's fine," House stood, "To be honest with you, Lisa and I did sleep together once. But we didn't really discuss our sleeping arrangements when we were staying here."

"You two comfortable with that?" Anthony asked, "As opposed to sleeping with her for anything else?"

"Like just for sex?" House began, "No, I wouldn't push Lisa for anything she didn't want, nor would I force her to do anything she didn't want to do."

"I don't think that's true," Kristen returned, having left Cuddy in the kitchen, "Besides, even if it was, this is our place, and I don't want Lisa sleeping with Greg here."

"Then we'll go somewhere else," Cuddy followed her mother, her eyes slightly red, as if she had been crying.

"That's ridiculous," Anthony put in, "Lisa's responsible enough to know what we're comfortable with. Besides Kristen, Greg has been treating Lisa a hell of a lot better than Luke had."

"Meaning?" Kristen glanced at her husband, her gaze directed mostly on her daughter and House.

"That, if anything, you should trust Greg more than you ever did Luke." Anthony began, before he looked at Cuddy and House, "You two get ready for bed, I'll bring up some extra blankets if you need them."

"Are you serious?" Kristen hissed the moment Cuddy and House had left the room, "Lisa is nineteen and you're letting her sleep in her own room with him?"

"Yes, actually, I am." Anthony snapped, "I met Greg nearly a month before you did, you haven't even known him a day yet you're determined that he's going to hurt Lisa somehow. Have you even bothered to see how happy Lisa is now that Greg's with her?"

"I know she doesn't need anyone to be happy," Kristen shot back, "She did fine before she left for college."

"And for three of those four years, she had Luke with her," Anthony replied, "She didn't care when Luke broke up with her because he didn't treat her well. I can't even begin to imagine what she'd be like if Greg broke up with her."

"Same way she was with Luke," Kristen sighed, "Don't you clearly remember her saying that she loved him?"

"And she tells you the same thing even though you don't give a damn about her boyfriend." Anthony snapped, "Lisa's happy with Greg – I thought that might mean something to you." He retreated into the study and shut the door, thumbing through a magazine.

- - -

"You okay?" House asked, sitting besides Cuddy on the bed, "I'm here in case you want to talk."

"I know," Cuddy replied, leaning into House's side, lacing her fingers with his. "I love you," she looked at him, catching his lips in a short kiss.

"I love you too," House responded, kissing her back and pushing her back on the bed, laying besides her. He pulled her into his arms, wrapping an arm around her waist and he kissed her forehead.

"Why does my mom have to be so paranoid about us being alone together?" Cuddy asked, snuggling into House's side, "We're old enough to be alone together."

"Lise, she's just concerned that we're getting involved too fast, every parent has a right to do that." House began, resting his hand over hers, "Even though I'm never going to leave you, she doesn't want us to be so serious about each other and for me to suddenly leave you."

"But I know you're not going to do that, so why should she think that?" Cuddy asked, looking up at House.

"Because she's your mother, even though she's concerned about our relationship, she wants you to be happy." House kissed Cuddy's forehead and sat up, "You go get changed and then maybe you can study a bit with me."

"Endocrinology?" Cuddy winked at him, grabbing a pair of flannel pajamas and heading into the bathroom off the hallway.

"Very funny," House called after her as he shut the door as well, changing into loose-fitting pants and a t-shirt. He headed downstairs, slipping into the living room and getting both his and Cuddy's school bags, bringing them back up to her bedroom and he sat on the bed, waiting for her.

"Want anything to eat?" Cuddy asked, slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Yes," House smiled as Cuddy sat besides him on the bed, "You."

"Funny," Cuddy laughed, "I don't think we have any sort of snacks called 'Cuddy' in here. Though we do have some food that was made by a Cuddy, want that?"

"No," House pulled Cuddy into his arms, "I want you, only you; now until forever Lisa Cuddy."

"Cute," Cuddy snuggled against him, "But really, do you want anything to eat?"

"We just finished a whole bowl of popcorn, you having eaten most of it, and you want to know if I'm hungry?" House laughed, "I'm fine, just hoping to get some work done, okay?"

"Fine," Cuddy pouted, settling herself against the pillows on her bed, pulling House's hand. "Snuggle next to me, and you can help me study."

"Of course," House grabbed a notebook of his own before sitting besides her, "I'm going to do some of my own work too, got it?"

"So I'm not allowed to distract you?" Cuddy laughed, cracking open her book and looking up at him.

"Sometimes," House put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, "Just let me read too."

"Oh, okay," Cuddy snuggled into House's side, flipping though her book, sighing quietly.

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, Cuddy skimming her book and sticking sticky-notes on the pages. House sat besides her, his arm around her shoulders, massaging her arm as he read over her shoulder. He kissed her cheek lightly, surprising Cuddy slightly as he pulled her into his lap and lifted the book from her hands.

"I though you said no distractions," Cuddy grinned in between House's light kisses on her neck, shifting to look at him.

"I was wrong." House kissed Cuddy's lips lightly, "Now I'm hungry, I'm going to find something downstairs."

"Way to kill the mood," Cuddy slapped House's chest playfully, but she let him get up anyways.

"I'll be right back," House kissed her forehead, "If I'm not back in ten minutes it's because your lovely mother has decided to kill me. Then come find me."

"Okay," Cuddy laughed, leaning back against the pillows as House headed out of the room in search of food.

AN: Comments? (And sorry, killing Kristen isn't an option.)

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