Hello everyone! It has been... A very long time. But I am back with a drabble! Sadly, this is all I have at the moment, but I'll be done with my exams next Thursday, and then I get three weeks off. Hopefully I will be able to write as much as possible!

I wrote this one a few weeks (months?) ago. It's set in season 7, and as I was never fully satisfied with it, I delayed publishing it, until I realised I'd never want to work on it again. So, here it is. I hope you'll still enjoy it!

22. I did the dishes.

Cuddy parked her car in her driveway, shut the door behind her, and locked it before she dragged herself to her front door.

The first thing she did as she walked into the hallway, was step out of her stilettos. She then slowly sank to the floor, leaning her back against the door. Although the kitchen was the only room casting its light into the dim hallway, she clenched her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands, trying to ease the headache pushing against her temples. When she managed to focus on something other than the buzzing sound in her head, she was aware of how quiet the house was, except for her boyfriend munching on cereals in the kitchen – at ten P.M.?

"Hi," he said, suddenly standing beside her. She didn't move her hands, heard his spoon scrape the inside of his yogurt cup.

"Hi."

"Do you want me to heat you up some leftovers?"

She shook her head. "I ate at the hospital."

House sat beside her, finished his yogurt. "Rachel is in bed. We had dinner. She brushed her teeth and everything." Cuddy acquiesced. "I did the dishes."

She grinned, pulled her hands back. "I'm so tired."

He motioned for her to curl up against him, which she did, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She hadn't been home in two days, the result of a crisis which had resulted in a tragic amount of paperwork.

She thought of the few times she'd spent countless hours at the hospital, before Rachel. She would take quick naps on her couch, and only go back home once the problem had been solved. She would walk out of the hospital exhausted, but also happy and proud; she was dedicated, determined, and good at her job. An accomplished woman, in short.

Her confidence would entirely dissolve when she walked into her empty house, with no children to run into her arms and no husband to greet her and tell her dinner was ready.

After she adopted Rachel, she made a point to come home every night before her child was asleep. There were days when she would leave the hospital wishing she had gotten a lot more done, dreading the amount of leftover work awaiting her the next morning. Although her baby was the love of her life, her top priority, sometimes she couldn't help but feel a little bit torn – and then, she would curse herself for feeling this way.

But now that House was here… She could do both.

She could stay a few extra hours at the hospital, knowing that her child was safe and in good hands. And when she was certain the hospital would be running smoothly without her for a few hours, she could come home to her family.

So no, it wasn't a white picket fence with the perfect husband, three kids and a Labrador thrown in. It wasn't the family she'd used to dream of. But she had everything she needed.

"I'm glad you're here," she said with a contented sigh.

"Wow. I think that's the first time I'm hearing this." She chuckled. He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm serious. You may not be the perfect boyfriend," she rambled sleepily, her eyes still closed. "but I'm glad you're here. I don't tell you that nearly enough."

"Can I have that on tape?" he cracked, grateful that she couldn't see him blush like a schoolgirl.