"You have to be okay with some sudden bursts of anger. He's trying to grapple with a new reality for his life. It takes time, but I can promise you that he'll come around. I've seen this I don't know how many times and every time they come around. It will get better." Mrs. Withers, sat wiping her eyes in front of Wilson's desk. It was only ten o'clock in the morning but he was already emotionally exhausted.

Just then the door flew open, House limping up to Addison and holding his hand out to her.

"Come on Addison. Let's go." Addison set down the mini television she was watching and took his hand.

"You guys solve it?" Wilson asked taking out another kleenex for Mrs. Withers.

"Sure did. One big happy family now." House pulled Addison from the room.

The hallway was crowded and House wended his way through the crowd, dragging Addison behind him, headed toward the elevator at the end of the hall. They passed Cuddy's office. House looking straight ahead, Cuddy seeing them through the window and rushing to the door.

"House? Where are you going?"

"For a walk.." Cuddy lingered at the door watching him at the elevator. Addison looked down the hallway just in time to see a therapy dog walking from room to room. She pulled on House's hand wanting to pet it. He remained strong, holding her next to him. "Not right now Addy." She stared up at him angrily and pulled again. His eyes snapped down to her. "No." His voice was anger filled again and so were his eyes. She stood still next to him and looked back to the elevator doors that finally opened. She felt something she had never felt when in the presence of this man before, fear.

The elevator ride was silent. Addison's eyes nervously darting around the space, trying to make sense of all that was going on that morning. She glanced up at House. His face was a stone, nothing passed across it. The doors opened and the silence continued as House pulled Addison into the lobby and out the front door.

The spring air hit her face and a smile spread. It never ceased to make her heart jump. The feeling of being outside and being free. It was intoxicating. Then they were walking across the parking lot, walking to House's car. A car she had never been in before.

He pulled open the passenger side door and pointed to the empty seat.

"Come on, get in." She stared vacantly at him, confused beyond thought. "Go on." She slowly sat in the seat and House reached over, grabbing her seatbelt and buckling it. The door slammed. Hard. She jumped slightly and watched House through the windshield move to his side of the car. Stomach beginning to cramp from nerves. What was going on?

House climbed into the drivers side, stowing his cane next to Addison's feet and turned over the engine.

"We're going to get out of here for a bit."

The car cruised down the road and after some silence House finally began to speak in one long fast blur. "You're twenty five years old. Cuddy's been treating you like a child this whole time. A child without a voice. Just because you can't speak, doesn't mean you don't have a say. Twenty five years old and you've never lived a single day of it. Cuddy's going to put you with some family that keeps you under lock and key the whole time while their bank account gets liberated. She says you deserve it. I say, you deserve better than that. She has final say, but not right now." The car shifted into gear and House sped up. Addison listened to every word coming out of his mouth, not understanding any of it, but understanding the tone. It was sharp and harsh. But this man had never hurt her. She had seen him make his voice sound like before with other people, but never hurt them. She was beginning to realize she could handle angry noises from him. Something about the whole situation, although odd, was becoming fun. She had never been in a car going this fast, it felt amazing. Then House's hand shot out and hit the button for the radio. Suddenly the whole front end of the car was filled with the rythmic sound of Muddy Waters, music he had seen Addison grow to love when he played it in his office while completing paperwork. Her foot instantly started finding the beat and she smiled. She looked up at House and found that the stoney reserve of his face had broken and there was a small smirk spreading across it.

"Bitchin', huh Addy?" She furrowed her brow at the new word.

"Bitchin'." She said back slowly making her mouth form the word. House couldn't help but laugh a little and sped up once again, headed toward the main city.

House parked the car, reached over and unbuckled Addison's seatbelt before getting out and coming around to open her door.

"Alright, here we go." He held out his hand. She took it. The other hand holding the mini TV still. "You're not going to need that." He took it from her and set it on the seat, slamming the door shut behind her. "Okay Addy, what'll it be?" He gestured out the chaos in front of them with a sweeping arm. Addison looked out into the city and in amongst all that was unfamiliar, the people coming and going, the traffic lights and the horns, she saw something she remembered. She waved a thin index figure down the street and pulled on House's hand, huge grin spreading across her face, feet leaving the ground with excitement.

"Really? It's a little early for that don't you think." House looked down at his watch and then shrugged his shoulders. "Although I do like the way you think Addy." She was pulling him now and he was following, her grin matching his.

They pushed open the door and the minute they walked in there was a loud,

"Wild Child!" House was shocked. Addison let go of his hand and flew over to the bartender who came around and gave her a hug. House instantly limped over, not even aware of the protective stance he was taking. "You couldn't stay away, huh?" She simply beamed up at the scruffy man covered in tattoos like he was a celebrity. The man turned and saw House, a little taken aback. "Who's this Wild Child? Your dad?"

There was a strange pull that came over House at that question. He cleared his throat to tamp it down. He had almost opened his mouth to say "yes", but battled every inner demon to keep it from happening. He chose not to answer.

"And you are?"

"Reggie. This is my place."

"Congratulations." House breathed sarcastically. Reggie eyed House for a moment and then turned back to Addison.

"You here for some drinks, kid?" Addison walked over to the bar and pointed to the shot glasses, remembering. Reggie laughed. "You got a crazy memory kid. Yup, here's yours right here." Reggie pulled the shot glass Addison had drank out of down from the shelf on the bar. House stood in awe feeling like a parent who hasn't met his kids "cool new friends" or has just found out they have a secret life outside the house. He didn't like the feeling, but was completely enthralled in watching Addions interact with the world without anyone trying to interpret it for her. "Were you drinking Jager that night?" Addison starred up Reggie, grin still planted on her face. He laughed at her non reaction. "Yup, pretty sure you were. You want that again?" There was a pause and Addison, not understanding the question pointed at the shot glasses again. Reggie laughed and nodded. "Okay, okay." He got out the bottle of Jager and poured it into the glass. Then he turned to House. "You want anything, buddy?"

"I'll have what she's having." House issued and began to take out his wallet.

"Nope, stow it. Any friend of Wild Child is a friend of mine. Money's no good." Reggie took down a second shot glass and filled it, sliding it across the bar to him.

"Thanks."

"You never told me how you know her?" Reggie was the one taking the protective stance now. House saw it and instantly liked Reggie a little more. But now that stance meant that he had to come up with something to tell him that would make him understand that she was safe.

"I AM her dad. Just found out about her. I saw her in the paper and came here. Mom was a psycho. Never told me about her. We're out celebrating." Instantly Reggie's stance relaxed.

"Awesome, man, awesome. Well, you got a great kid there. And one hell of a drinker, right Wild Child?" Reggie winked at Addison who smiled back. Was she flirting? House took her arm and angled her away from the bar.

They sat down at one of the many abandoned tables at eleven o'clock in the morning and Addison instantly downed her shot. House once again in shock. He followed suit and then called over his shoulder,

"Can we get a couple of beers over here?" Reggie delivered them, winking once again at Addy who blushed, taking her beer. House cleared his throat and moved his chair closer to her. Reggie turned back to the bar whistling.

"You like that guy, Addy? You came here the night you went missing, huh? You picked a really crappy place to hang out." House took a long drink of his beer and looked over to see Addison already polishing hers off. "What the hell?"

"I told you, Man." Reggie called out laughing.