Faith Rebekah Cuddy, six pounds three ounces, eighteen inches long, was hers. Well, not really. She was a foster mother, and in all probability would be able to adopt before Joy's first birthday. The baby had wisps of dark hair, and if she looked anything like her biological mother then she would also resemble Lisa. The girl was also intelligent, so was the father, and all in all, Lisa was very lucky.

When she had known that Faith would be hers, when she had taken up her vigil beside the tiny bassinet, she hadn't expected House to show up. She had prepared herself for the possibility of him confronting her for a scolding after her rescue mission, and at the very least she thought that he would send Wilson in to call her out on her stupidity. Yet, there was nothing. No rants about how her bleeding heart was one day going to get her hurt or killed. So his visit to the NICU had been a surprise, to say the least.

His coolness about her sudden motherhood hadn't been unexpected, though. She knew that, in her heart of hearts she knew the choice he had made, and still his ability to turn his back on her and her child made her heart ache. She wanted to yell at him, do something to make him realize that he was turning away from a fairytale ending. He was turning away from what could've been a picture-perfect family. He had begrudgingly wished her Merry Christmas and left, probably to waste the holiday with vicodin and vodka.

It was with a sigh that she shook her head and focused on the present, where her Faith was currently tightening and loosening her grip on her finger. Her precious little baby would be able to go home tomorrow, after one final medical examination and a last visit with the social worker that would be monitoring them until the adoption process was over. Until that meeting, her place was beside her baby.

XXXXX

Twelve weeks. Eighty-four days. That was her scheduled maternity leave, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make the most out of it. At the moment she was just sitting in her living room, listening to a Mozart tape and just holding her baby. Faith was smiling, her tiny features calm, mirroring the contentedness that must've been on her face. She was just about ready to put the baby down for the night when a knock sounded on the door.

It was late, she was tired, and she wasn't going to play his games. She opened the door a crack very carefully, balancing Faith to one side, shielding her from House's gazes.

"I wanted to see how you and your baby were doing," he said gruffly. "I also brought Chinese and presents for you both." He gestured towards her living room with the bags she noticed in his hands. "Can I come in?"

She eyed him warily before moving to let him in, knowing that he would follow her as she made her way to the kitchen, where a baby rocker was set up on the breakfast nook there. Unwillingly, she wrapped Faith in a blanket and settled her into the rocker and pulled a chair up next to it, wanting to stay as close as possible to her little miracle. With a slight frown she stood once more to help him set up the food, getting out plates and unwrapping her set of chopsticks before easily stealing a spring roll he had put on his plate.

"Thank you for this," she said quietly, focusing on her food and Joy and doing anything to not meet his gaze.

"With the baby coming home today I figured that you would be too happy to remember to eat. And I wanted to see you," he admitted.

"I didn't forget to eat," she huffed, deftly taking a bite of lo mein to punctuate her sentence.

"Oh really? When and where did you last eat then?"

"I had…a bran muffin in the hospital before the meeting with Faith's social worker," she admitted guiltily.

"My point exactly. Lise, you're beautiful enough as it is that you don't need to be starving yourself to stay that way. When was the last time you fed Faith?" he asked, nodding at the infant happily watching the interaction between the two adults.

"Barely an hour before you got here," she replied hotly.

"See? You're a mommy now, you need to be caring for yourself more then ever. Don't mess with yourself because you have a child. You're still Elisa—"

"Don't call me that," she interrupted quickly. "She doesn't exist. I'm Doctor Lisa Cuddy."

"You're still…Lisa," he finished quietly. "Don't lose that."

She nodded and they finished eating in relative silence, broken only by the small coos Faith made as Lisa absentmindedly played with her. She was so engrossed in eating and entertaining that she didn't catch the almost wistful look that House wore on his face until they were finished. She was clearing off the table and making a pot of coffee when he stood suddenly, pausing for a moment before speaking.

"I can, you know, watch her if you'd like to go shower or get anything else done," he offered quietly, his gaze firmly planted on the floor.

She froze, her eyes scanning him over, seeking an ulterior motive to his actions. Despite the intense gaze she had felt when he had visited Faith's room at the hospital he had walked away. Come to think of it, he had a nasty little habit of walking away. First in college as he left to explore the world outside of his parents' reach…then almost during his infarction hospital stay…then the night she had lost Joy. The last time, when he had entertained the hooker in his office, made her heart ache the most. Yet, somehow, she still managed to feel something other then loathing for the man currently awaiting her response.

"Uhh…actually, that would be great," she said, smiling softly at him. "I stink and I really need to get the laundry done."

He smiled back for a moment, a genuine smile for just a moment, before gently swooping down and picking Faith up. Lisa looked startled for a moment, and House took the opportunity to gently take hold of one of the baby's little fists and waved it.

"Tell Mommy to stop being such a worry wart, little munchkin. All that stress isn't good for that hot body," he snarked in a mock infant voice. She knew his compassion wouldn't show for long.

He turned to walk with the infant to her living room, and she turned towards her bedroom for a shower. Two hours, one long hot shower, and two loads of laundry sorted and put away, Lisa returned to her living room to a wonderful sight. House had taken up residence on her couch, Faith snuggled up on his chest, both snoring and sleeping soundly. There was nothing she could do except settle down on the couch next to them, and pretend until morning that this was the family she had finally received.

Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!! In the holiday spirit, let's try and see if we can reach 40, ok? As always, not mine, read, review, etc. Happy Holidays!