Very important A/N- this was actually an idea for a multi-chapter fic that was put on hold but I decided to rewrite it to fit this collection. HOWEVER, if after reading this, you would like to see more of Huddy, Rachel and Faith together, please let me know in the comments and I might start it as a separate fic! I have a friend who is helping me with these who just recently joined the House and is keen to get writing so she would help if this idea became a bigger project!

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Getting close to a patient is the one mistake Cuddy and House made today. House's patient, Faith, was a homeless teenager with cancer. Wilson had taken over the treatment but both House and Cuddy couldn't stay away. Cuddy was holed up in the girl's room, with her laptop, typing furiously as she answered emails and the occasional phone call. Faith watched Cuddy through hooded eyes. Marina was bringing Rachel to the hospital and Cuddy was hoping that Rachel would get on with Faith as Cuddy was planning on letting Faith stay with them for a while. They had enough space and they couldn't leave Faith on the street all alone, especially with the side effects of the chemo.

Faith had no living family and she desperately wanted to turn her life around. Her parents had been murdered three years and she has lived on the streets ever since. They were a pretty poor family so she didn't have any money but she did have some possessions in her camp that she wanted. House and Chase had gone to the camp in search of her things. Rachel burst into the hospital room and Cuddy quickly told her to be quiet. Rachel winced and climbed onto her mother's lap, whispering a 'sorry' into her ear. Cuddy pressed a kiss to her head and said "It's okay baby, you weren't to know that Faith was sleeping."

Marina placed Rachel's bag and some toys in the corner of the room before leaving. Cuddy finished typing an email while giving Rachel a snack. Wilson stopped by to check Faith's vital and hang another bag of the chemo treatment. He pulled a face at Rachel causing the toddler to giggle. Eventually, Wilson retreated from the room and Rachel climbed off her mother's lap to investigate what toys Marina had brought along. Rachel picked the shape blocks that House had given her. She sat on the floor and started sorting the blocks out by shape rather than colour. Cuddy watched her daughter for a few seconds before speaking, "Rachel, we're going to have someone stay with us for a while."

"Are they nice?" Rachel asked innocently, looking up at her mother with a pout.

"Yes, she's very nice but she's sick," Cuddy replied softly.

"Can she still play with me?" Rachel continued sorting out the blocks while talking to her mother. Usually, Cuddy would tell Rachel that if the conversation was important then she should stop what she was

"Of course but you'd have to ask her if she feels up to playing."

"Did dad treat her?" Rachel asked sweetly. Cuddy bit her lip and maintained her composure. Rachel calling House 'Dad' still caught her off-guard. At times, Rachel would simply call him 'House' and then other times it was 'Dad' or 'Papa.' The 'Papa' she had picked up from Wilson who always referred to House as 'Papa Bear' when House was in trouble with 'Mama Bear' who, of course, was Cuddy.

"Yes with Wilson's help," Cuddy responded and Rachel nodded approvingly.

Cuddy decided to end the conversation there but it was clear on her daughter's face that she had more questions. Faith was still asleep as the treatment was flooding her veins. Cuddy closed the lid of her laptop and shoved it into her bag. There was still a stack of files that needed her attention but those could wait as she clocked House out of the corner of her eye with a box. Chase had a backpack in his hands and they were making their way towards the room. Cuddy rose from her seat and opened the door for them. Chase handed the bag to House before rushing off somewhere. House and Cuddy shared a look as House entered the room and quietly placed Faith's belongings on the floor. Rachel didn't seem faced and continued to play with her blocks.

House and Cuddy stepped outside the room, pulling the door closed and began talking in hushed tones.

"Are we sure about this?" Cuddy asked, looking up at House who was watching Faith's chest rise and fall through the glass.

"Very sure." House snapped and Cuddy stepped forward, taking his hand in hers. House quickly apologised for snapping but Cuddy knew that his anger wasn't directed towards her. It was directed towards the system that had let her down.

"When my mother finds out, she's going to think that I'm insane and have me committed." The words flew out of Cuddy's mouth before her brain caught up and she winced. House turned his head to look at her and chuckled, like an actual chuckle, not some fake laugh and Cuddy was shocked.

"Don't act so shocked. I can be a real human at times. It was a terrible remark but it's ironically fitting." House replied and Cuddy rolled her eyes.

They made their way back into the room and House grabbed the spare chair so he could sit with Rachel who was colouring. She had taken Cuddy's seat and the table so Cuddy couldn't work, not that she minded. Instead of Cuddy grabbing another chair, she rested on the arm of the chair with House taking most of her weight. They were all engrossed in this colouring book that none of them noticed Faith waking up and watching them after her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room.

"Who is this adorable little girl?" Faith croaked and Cuddy quickly poured Faith some water into a plastic cup. Cuddy handed the cup to Faith who took it and drank greedily.

"I'm Rachel." The young girl said enthusiastically, waving at Faith who happily waved back.

"She's my daughter but we wanted to talk to you about something," Cuddy said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Myself and House were wondering if you wanted to stay with us while you recover," Cuddy asked softly. House and Rachel joined Cuddy by Faith's bedside. Faith started crying and House lifted Rachel up onto the bed so she could cuddle Faith who didn't hesitate to hug the toddler back.

"I'd love to stay with you as long as I'm not putting you out of your way." Faith said quietly.

"We'd love to have you. House collected everything from your tent and bought it here. We're more than happy to take it back to our home tonight as you have to stay overnight for observation. If you want to look through the stuff now, just say and we will leave it here." Cuddy said firmly, which made House raise an eyebrow but he kept his mouth shut.

"You guys can take it home with you. I'll sort through it another time if that's okay?" Faith asked hesitantly and Cuddy reassured her that it was okay before flagging down Chase so he could help Cuddy carry everything to her car.

Rachel didn't want to leave Faith but it was getting late and they hadn't had dinner yet. House stayed with Faith for a little while longer and promised that he would be home to read her bedtime story. House and Faith conversed about different things. The chemo was already kicking in and Faith hadn't touched her food. House ended up eating her dessert and she managed a few fries. They spoke about music and Faith revealed that she used to play at her local church. Faith opened up to House and spoke about her past.

When House returned home, he could hear that Rachel was brushing her teeth and that Cuddy was reminding her to brush her tongue. House snuck into Rachel's bedroom and got comfortable on the bed. Rachel came bounding into the room and immediately jumped onto the bed next to House. Rachel asked questions about Faith before letting House read the story.

Once Rachel was down, House quietly left the room and nearly bumped into Cuddy who was eavesdropping on their conversation. They headed to their bedroom and House flopped down on the bed while Cuddy got changed.

"How was Faith when you left?" Cuddy asked, pulling on her pyjama top.

"Tired, happy and a little anxious," House replied slowly, watching Cuddy change.

"Understandable," Cuddy replied, making her way over to the bed and pulling on the blankets. This prompted House to sit up and pull off his shoes which he threw across the room. Cuddy lightly smacked him on the arm, as if to say 'don't throw your shoes' and then climbed into bed. House smirked before getting off the bed and limping into the bathroom.

Cuddy listened to House as he completed his routine. He had that spring in his step and this peaked Cuddy's interest. She adjusted her position so her back was against the headboard. House reappeared in the bedroom and Cuddy's gaze made him stop at the bottom of the bed.

"I know you've either planned something or are planning something by that spring in your step. The spring indicates that whatever you have done will either piss me off or make me happy. I am leaning towards the piss me off option."

Before House could respond, there was a knock at the door. House refused to move from his spot so Cuddy got up with a huff and pulled on her robe. House stood and listened to the muffled conversation before Cuddy called his name. He set his face to a neutral expression and made his way through the house. When he reached the front door, Faith was hugging Wilson and Cuddy was watching on in shock and awe. House being the genius tactician he was, had convinced Wilson to discharge Faith early into their care so she didn't spend the night alone. House knew that taking on Faith was a huge responsibility, one that as a couple, they could manage. Rachel clearly liked Faith and Faith liked Rachel, so them not getting on was one less worry. House could technically work from home if his team got given a case. So far, according to Wilson, Faith hadn't experienced any serious side effects from the chemo. Cuddy was ushering her into the guest room while Wilson ran through a list of things to look out for and all the other medications that Faith would need to take.

Wilson left and House headed straight for the guest room. Faith was already changed and Cuddy was brushing her hair gently. Faith had her eyes closed and was humming along to the song that Cuddy was singing softly. House stopped in the doorway, leaning against it to ease the pressure off his leg and joined in. Cuddy met his eye in the mirror and they shared an emotional smile. Once Cuddy had finished doing Faith's hair, Faith climbed into the bed and curled up. Cuddy tucked her in like she did with Rachel and reminded her that they were just down the hall if she needed anything. There was a bowl resting on the nightstand with various items in case Faith woke up and wasn't feeling too great.

House checked on Rachel who was still fast asleep. Cuddy was already comfortable on her side of the bed when House eventually joined her. without exchanging a word, it was clear that both of them were worried about Faith. Cuddy curled into House's side, her hand resting on his heart as she let sleep overcome her. House eventually drifted off but he was still alert enough to hear even the slightest movement coming from the other side of the house.

When Cuddy woke at three am, House's side of the bed was cold and that instantly prompted Cuddy to get up. She slipped on her robe, went to the toilet and walked to Faith's room where she met with House holding Faith's long hair back while she retched into the plastic bowl that was now resting on Faith's legs. Cuddy retreated back to the bathroom and wet a washcloth. House eyed Cuddy who sat cross-legged on the floor and reached up to delicately wipe Faith's face now she had stopped retching and dry-heaving. Faith pulled away from Cuddy when she felt clean enough and she immediately attached herself to House who tensed at first. He was a little out of his comfort zone but an encouraging hand on his arm, let him know that it was okay. The position was a little awkward but House managed to wrap his arms around Faith's slim frame. Cuddy joined them, rubbing her hand soothingly up and down Faith's back and whispering reassuring things.

Faith had drifted off still in House's arm when Rachel started to stir at five-thirty. Cuddy had fallen asleep next to House and Faith. House had been awake the whole time and when Rachel crept her way into the room, she was confused but she kept quiet as she clambered onto the bed to wake her mother.

"I love you" was the first thing that Cuddy said to Rachel who pressed a sloppy kiss to her mother's cheek in return. Rachel turned to House who happily accepted the kiss on the cheek but what Rachel did next was unexpected but sweet. She couldn't reach Faith's cheek because of the position the older girl was in but Rachel compromised and pressed a kiss to her exposed shoulder.

Rachel only gave kisses to the people that she loved and Rachel kissing Faith was the only confirmation that House and Cuddy needed. They had made the right decision.