Thank you for your reviews. They make me smile – as I hope this next chapter will make you :D

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House looked up from his journal as Cuddy came back to the bedroom. She had stayed in the bathroom after their – unexpectedly long – shower together to dry her hair with Wilson's hairdryer (good thing he had left it behind, just in case). She had wrapped House's bathrobe around her, nearly drowning in it, and now she stood at the doorway a little uncertainly. She wasn't sure what the House-etiquette was for this situation, though she hoped that she would have a chance to learn it in time; she really hoped this would not be just a one-time event. House resolved the issue by sifting a little to the side and patting the space next to him.

"Come on Cuddles," he smiled.

"You're sure," Cuddy wasn't sure if House was just being nice. "Maybe I should get back to my own room."

"What?" House gave her an insulted stare. "Was this it? You got what you wanted and now it's wham-bam-thank-you-Sir? I really didn't think you were one of those women." He pouted.

"You know I'm not," Cuddy huffed. "It's just that ... I just thought you might want your space." But she did walk to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"And you didn't think I would say it out loud if that was what I wanted," House scorned humorously. "Me being such a sensitive, polite guy."

"Sorry," Cuddy gestured with her hands before settling down next to House on the bed. "I forgot for a moment who it was I was with."

"Ouch!" House laughed as he wrapped an arm round Cuddy and pulled her against his side. "It seems that I have to improve my performance to be a little less forgettable."

"Nothing wrong with your performance," Cuddy snuggled to a comfortable position. "That was what addled my brains."

"Good save," House appreciated. "So, do you want a T-shirt or something to sleep in? You seem to have arrived slightly unprepared for all eventualities."

"You want me to stay?" Cuddy was surprised.

"Why not," House shrugged. "It seems rather pointless to send you to your room only to then use the walkie-talkies to talk till we feel ready to sleep when we can do all that right here."

"I suppose you're right," Cuddy agreed. "I think I'd like a t-shirt."

"Coming up," House said reaching under his pillow where he had already stashed one ready.

"If you had this ready for me, why did you ask?" Cuddy wanted to know.

"Well, had to give you a chance to decide to go nude," House shrugged earning a look from Cuddy. "A guy can always dream!"

"Dream on," Cuddy huffed – and then she gave him a teasing smile. "One day that dream might actually come true."

"You certainly know how to keep a guy going," House acknowledged turning to sit on the edge of the bed so that he could get the covers from under him and turn off the light. Cuddy did likewise on the other side and slipped into the t-shirt at the same time. They returned to the cuddling position once they got under the covers.

"You know, Greer knows your voice," Cuddy changed the subject once they had settled.

"I'm sure she does," House accepted. "Just like she knows yours and Kasumii's."

"No, I meant that she really knows your voice," Cuddy insisted. "She knows our voices, too, true. She knows that we are the ones who cuddle her and feed her and make her comfortable. But yours she really knows. Not quite as clearly as Aiko did at one month – after all, at that time you were pretty much the only one who took care of her – but Greer is showing clear preference to you."

"Really?" House didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "I haven't noticed that. Mind you, I haven't had quite as much time with them as I'd like to with the kids staying at home and me going to work."

"You'll notice it soon enough once my maternity leave ends and you have to take them to work with you," Cuddy assured him. "And I think it's a good thing. Ben, after all, is showing clear preference for me. Priya, on the other hand, doesn't care who is looking after her as long as she gets what she wants. I think she sees us all as just her servants."

"You think she'll be a materialist once she grows up?" House wondered.

"No, I think she will take after you in being almost totally self-reliant," Cuddy smiled. "I'm sure all the kids will be independent and capable, but Priya will be the one who will make her own way and follow her own destiny, even if it means leaving people behind her. I just hope she'll not be as rude about it as you."

"I'm not sure I like that idea," House frowned. "It doesn't necessarily make for a happy life. It has suited me, but it's not one I'd like to envision for a kid of mine."

"You're not happy?" Cuddy was startled. She had thought the kids, especially Aiko, had changed things for House.

"I'm not sure I quite know what happy is," House mused. "But I'm definitely happiest now than I have ever been in my life. It may be that I just don't quite trust this feeling."

"You can trust the kids," Cuddy suggested cautiously.

"Can I?" House doubted. "They are so small and fragile. We nearly lost Aiko already!"

"But we didn't loose her," Cuddy insisted hugging House a little tighter. "You saved her; you were able to diagnose the Blastomycosis and treat her in time."

"Yeah, that time," House was determined to sink into pessimism.

"Most kids survive to adulthood," Cuddy was equally determined to stop him. "And they don't have a family practically swarming with doctors. Sure, you cannot give guarantees in life, but I think our kids are pretty well set."

"I'm not so sure," House mused, though not quite as pessimistically. "Having doctors in the family will help only so far. They need things not related to their health, too. And I don't know if I have it to give."

"What do you mean," Cuddy wanted to know. She hoped she could help him put his doubts to rest.

"I don't know if I can really help Greer and the others, but especially Greer, grow up to be happy, well-adjusted adults," House shrugged. "I mean, I'm not exactly a happy, well-adjusted adult myself! And if I focus on her, will I neglect the others? How will I make sure that Aiko doesn't suffer with this situation; either through neglect or overcompensation?"

"You do it by not trying to do it all alone," Cuddy informed him sternly. "I'm here; your mother is here, Kasumii, Akira even Grey and Wilson are here. We are all here. That is why this House-hold came together! Sure, we will have a different relationship with each kid, but just because we may feel closer to one of them, does not mean we love the others any less. You have a special bond with Aiko, and I truly believe you will have one with Greer, too. But that does not mean you love Ben or Priya any less. And Ben is already showing preference for me and in time Priya may even choose to bond best with her grandparents. But just because we have different relationships with them all, does not mean we won't be there for them just the same whenever they need us. Or that we will love them any differently. Trust me! We will get it right, with some mistakes on the way, but we will get it right as long as we do this together."

"You sound really sure about this," House observed.

"I am," Cuddy stated. "And so will you be once you have more time with them."

"Which reminds me," House suddenly remembered. "Once I start taking them to work with me, they will be a little too much for Kasumii to handle alone. Weren't we talking about hiring an assistant to her? What happened to that?"

"Oh, yes," Cuddy was suddenly a lot less assertive. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"Why do I have a feeling that I'm not gonna like what comes next?" House wondered.

"Rubbish, of course you will like it," Cuddy replied unconvincingly. "You see, once I go back to work my study will naturally move with me, which frees the blue bedroom. The kids don't need individual rooms for a few years yet, after all."

"Aiko has her own room," House inserted.

"She has for now," Cuddy informed him. "Once the Trips sleep through the night and she won't be disturbed by them anymore, we thought we'd put Greer in Aiko's room and Ben and Priya would share the yellow room. Anyway, the blue room will be free for a couple of years so ..."

"I know this house was originally meant to be a bed and breakfast place, but that does not mean you can turn it into a hotel," House started to grouse as he saw where the conversation was going.

"Now, just listen, ok?" Cuddy tried to pacify him. "Grey has a young cousin who wants to become a Nanny. She really wants to work with children and not as a paediatrician or a teacher but as a trained Nanny. She is now sixteen and wants to go to Norland as soon as she is old enough but her parents think she ought to go to the university and get a higher education. Apparently she does have the brains for it, but that is not what she wants. So Grey thought that if she came here, to help Kasumii, for a year or so she could find out for sure if this is what she wants to do and maybe she could convince her parents that she knows what she is doing."

"And if she can't convince them, then what?" House asked.

"Grey thinks that he could sponsor her, if he is sure she truly wants it," Cuddy said.

"Sixteen," House mused. "I don't know what the school system is in England, but even if she is old enough to leave school isn't she under age? Can she come here without parental permission?"

"We would obviously get the permission," Cuddy pointed out. "I'm sure her parents will agree that if she isn't sure about her vocation then taking care of triplets will most likely scare her off. It would definitely be worth their while to try it. And it's not like they are sending her to strangers. Grey would obviously stand in loco parentis to her."

"So how far are the arrangements by now?" House asked resignedly.

"I would never arrange anything like this without asking you first!" Cuddy exclaimed indignantly. "It's only a plan so far. But we can put the plan in action first thing tomorrow and if all goes well, she should be arriving in three weeks time. Fortunately her mother is American so she has dual citizenship."

"Half this household has dual citizenships!" House snorted, though it really had nothing to do with the subject on hand. He just needed to complain about something. "So why doesn't this cousin stay with her mother's relatives?"

"I believe none of the close relatives are alive anymore," Cuddy thought. "Besides, she's from California, so they would be too far away anyway."

"Ok, I'll talk with Grey tomorrow and if I'm satisfied with his answers you can start implementing your plan," House sighed feeling defeated already. "And I'm taking tomorrow off work, too. Unless somebody decides to get an interesting illness in which case they can call me in."

"Shouldn't you clear that with Sheridan?" Cuddy asked.

"We have an armed truce with Sheridan," House informed her. "I don't bother him if he doesn't bother me. I'll call Wilson in the morning; he is the Dean and needs the information more than Sheridan does. The ducklings will be there to take care of the clinic hours anyway, so Sheridan has no reason to complain."

"Ok then," Cuddy agreed sleepily snuggling down. "I think it will be nice to have you around for a day."

"That's what you say now when you want something from me," House claimed settling better under the covers and getting ready to sleep. "But we'll see how you'll really like it tomorrow."

"Yeah, we will," Cuddy smiled. "Goodnight House."

"Goodnight Lisa," House responded.

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Next morning in the kitchen Higa took House a little aside, away from the ladies making breakfast both for adults and the children.

"So am I to understand that you finally got down to some Cuddyling yourself, too?" Higa asked.

"Could be," House answered. "I just don't quite know what it is we're having, Lisa and me. If it's an affair or just an experiment on her part or what. I'm taking it one step at a time."

"Hmmm," Higa thought for a moment. "Your relationship has had me puzzled from the beginning, so you have to muddle through this yourself. Just as long as you respect her?"

"Yeah," House nodded. "I may not always show it very clearly, but I do respect her. Oh, and let Lisa tell Mom about this, ok?"

"If she hasn't realised it herself already," Higa agreed.

"There is that," House noted as he took his coffee and limped back into his flat to get dressed for the day.