Thanks for the reviews again. If you're interested the theme song for the previous chapter (sad waltz in English) can be found in You Tube as Allegro Non Troppo – Valse Triste, warning though: that is one depressing animation.

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Eric had come to work every day since his brother's death three days before, but every time House had sent him to the house to be with his parents. Not that he spent all his time with them; it was hard to be with his mother and not be able to tell her what had happened. But he could be with his father quite a lot as Blythe looked after Alicia. Fortunately Alicia adored babies, so Aiko could keep her entertained for hours. But now, on the fourth day, his parents had left for home early that morning and Eric didn't know where else to be than work. Not that he thought even for a minute that he could do anything useful at work, but he didn't want to be home alone either. So here he was, sitting at the table in the diagnostics conference room like Banquo's ghost; he only wished he knew who was Macbeth. Chase thankfully ignored him and went on doing his crosswords but Cameron was sending him sympathetic looks that got really close to irritating him. Or they would have had he had the energy to be irritated. Petra was at the clinic and House, of course, was not yet there at all.

He thought back to the night he had gone back to the hospital with House. They hadn't been driving for long when he just had to ask.

"Did you help him commit suicide?" Eric had asked quietly.

House had been quiet for a moment, and then he had said simply: "No."

"I need to know," Eric had gone on.

"I know," House had nodded. "That is why you're coming with me now. But though I cannot say for sure yet what caused his death, I can tell you that I did not help him."

"What do you mean?" Eric remembered feeling confused. "You said they told you it was his medication."

"They were unable to give me any reason; the side effects story was my invention," House had told him. "I thought your father needed a plausible explanation for now, to help him start dealing with it. If it turns out to be some other more or less natural cause then I will simply tell him that the autopsy revealed that the initial assumption had been wrong. If it turns out to be suicide, then I will make the unexpected side effects the official cause of death."

"You would lie in an official document?" Eric had frowned though he hadn't been sure why.

"Yes," House had stated simply. "I have a feeling your father would find it difficult to accept suicide. If it was one there is no reason to burden your father with it."

"I... I suppose you're right," Eric hadn't been able to really decide what to do. "As long as we know for sure what killed him, there is no reason to be too specific with Dad."

"And it could still be the meds," House had reminded him. "I really don't know yet. Not before the autopsy."

After that the drive had been silent until they got to the hospital.

House had examined Marcus' body and room as soon as they got to the hospital. He had also scheduled the autopsy for the next day. There really was no hurry; Marcus wasn't going anywhere. Nothing in the room had turned up any evidence to support a suicide theory: no farewell notes, nor any unexplained medicine vials or anything else. All signs pointed towards natural causes. But they would not know for sure until after the autopsy.

Once they were leaving the hospital House had told Eric that they would stop at his lodgings but Blythe had given strict instruction to bring Eric back to the house; she was making a bed for Eric in Cuddy's study. Eric had protested at first but then House had pointed out to him that Blythe's word was a law and besides that Foreman senior needed one of his sons near him now. Eric complied. He didn't really have the energy to fight. He took a change of clothes from his apartment and went to the house with House.

The next day House had performed the autopsy. As he had promised Eric had been there for it, but House had – with uncharacteristic sensitivity – set up a screen that stopped Eric from seeing the procedure. As House pointed out, Eric didn't really need to see the body to fulfil his promise, both literally and in spirit. He was there; he could see his brother's face (at least until House got to the head) but he didn't need to see how he was dissected and examined in order to find out how he had died. He could still hear House dictate the report, but he could let the murmur of House's voice just wash over him without taking in the words.

The autopsy revealed that Marcus had had a subarachnoid haemorrhage due to an aneurysm that had been there possibly for quite some time but had ruptured only now. House could find no reason to connect the rupture either with any of the medication that Marcus had been on nor with any other direct cause. The aneurysm had simply ruptured and given its location, death had been almost instantaneous. It was unlikely that Marcus had had time to have any other symptoms than some nausea and possibly a headache.

Eric had explained the results to his father as well as he could and Foreman senior had been relieved to be able to know for sure that Marcus had not committed suicide. He was also glad that Marcus had had a chance to say goodbye to them all and had not ended up dying in prison. With Cuddy's help he had arranged for the body to be sent home for funereal and it was going to take place next Saturday. It was going to be a very simple, quiet ceremony and Eric was going to be there too. He wasn't at all sure how he felt about going home, especially as Alicia was not going to be told about any of it. But that was also all the more reason for him to be there for his father.

His musings were interrupted by the arrival of House. For some reason he had Aiko with him – and he wasn't giving any explanations. Not that anyone really wanted to know, they were just happy to have her. As soon as he had rolled in to the room House set Aiko on the floor and once she got her balance she run straight to Eric who caught her and lifted her up in the air making her laugh. House got out of his chair and parked it near the wall gathering his things from it.

"You know, Aiko," Eric told her. "You were supposed to have learned to walk, but I don't think I have seen you walk one single step since you started. You always run. Tell me, what's your hurry?"

Aiko did tell him, but since he was not House he could not understand. Fortunately Aiko was used to it that nobody but Daddy understood her so she didn't mind, she just chattered away happily.

"So, Foreman," House said. "Do you think you will be able to do some work today or shall I assign you to baby sitting detail?"

"If you get a case, I'm perfectly capable of contributing to the diagnosis," Eric replied a little huffily earning a nod from House.

"Ok," House accepted. "But until a case presents itself you're still watching Aiko. You were right about her running and that means that you have to be alert all the time. She gets into things a lot faster now than she used to; though I have to say she was pretty fast even before."

"I need a word with you, though," Eric said before House went into his office.

"Fine, bring Aiko with you," House limped into his room leaving the door open and Eric followed carrying Aiko.

Once in his office house stowed his bag away and sat behind his desk indicating that Eric should take a seat as well. "So shoot," House invited.

"Marcus is being buried this Saturday," Eric started after he had sat down and settle Aiko on his lap. "Since I'm going to be there I'm taking my vacation starting tomorrow. And I'm not coming back. I'm giving my notice."

House didn't seem surprised but he asked: "And do you know what you're going to do after that?"

"A few days ago, in fact just the morning that... Just that morning, I got a call from Marty Hamilton," Eric explained. "He said that he had heard from John Henry Giles that I was thinking of leaving your employ. He offered me a partnership in his clinic."

"Marty Hamilton," House repeated musingly. "The LA twit. Yes, I remember him. I did check him out then and he is a good doctor. Not an outstanding doctor, but there are very few of those. But he is a good doctor. So what was the deal?"

"He offered me a deal that was even better than what he offered two years ago, but I haven't actually told him yet that I accept," Eric said. "I only decided this morning."

"And you wanted to tell me first," House mocked him very gently. "I'm touched. Don't sign for more than six months yet. Once you've been there that long and he has seen how much he needs you, you can get an even better deal."

"That's it?" Eric wasn't sure what he had expected House to say, but this ready acceptance hadn't been it.

"Yeah," House shrugged. "I told you to get yourself another job. I can hardly complain when you do so, can I?"

"Well, that would be unreasonable," Eric agreed. "But then..."

"Unreasonable is what you usually expect from me," House stated. "Yes, I can see how this reasonable approach might disconcert you. I must try it more often."

"But you're ok with me leaving right now," Eric still had to check.

"Yeah," House confirmed. "In a way I already have your replacement in the form of Gilmar and you probably would be rather gloomy company to have around anyway, right after the funereal."

"Ok, then," Eric accepted uncertainly and made ready to stand up.

"Just one thing," House stopped him before he carried Aiko back to the conference room. "As your boss it doesn't matter to me where you go once you leave here, but as Daddy House, I must insist that you keep in touch. The trips don't know you yet, but Aiko does. And she is a little too clever for me to just pass any passing black guy as her Uncle Eric, so make sure you come back often enough for her to keep remembering you."

After that reminder Eric was even more disconcerted but he looked at Aiko who was looking back at him with dark, intelligent eyes and he nodded. "I'll make sure I'll come back often enough. And I'll keep in touch otherwise, too."

"Good," House closed the discussion. "My mother will be pleased, too."

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That night at home House told Cuddy and that Eric had resigned that day.

"I made him promise to come and say goodbye to you too before he leaves," House said. "I'm just not sure if he will do it before or after the funereal."

"I was so hoping he would wait around for a position with us," Cuddy mourned. "The head of neurology will retire in a little over a year and I could have placed Foreman there as the assistant head until then. Now he's gone. Though given everything that has happened and given that he really hates you House, I'm not surprised he needs some distance."

"He doesn't hate me," House insisted. "He just doesn't like me. There is a difference. Besides, you may still get him. I told him to sign for six months only and if he is smart – and he is – he will do just that. Even if he doesn't want to return he can still renegotiate a better deal for himself once he knows what he really wants. Right now he just wants out of here and Marty's timing was right."

"You think he would want to come back?" Cuddy wasn't so sure. "Hamilton's practise is one of the most popular ones in LA. He gets a lot of celebrities and he is not an unknown sight at high profile parties either. He even features in the gossip columns every once in a while."

"You read gossip columns?" House was appalled.

"No need to take that tone with me," Cuddy glared at him. "I have caught you reading them at the clinic too often to believe your outrage."

"But I'm not a Dean of Medicine or the Head of a hospital," House pointed out. "Who cares what a lowly employee like me reads. You, on the other hand, you're a totally different story. What would the board of directors think if they knew?"

"They know," Cuddy stated dryly. "I find most of the donors through the gossip columns. Once a celebrity is found with his slash her pants down – either figuratively or literally – they need something to repair their image and nothing works like charity."

"And you need to keep informed so that when they have done something you can be the first to the carcass; you vulture you," House admired.

"Exactly," Cuddy accepted the admiration as her due.