Thank you for your reviews, once again. And as a token of my gratitude here's the next chapter ;)

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House helped with the morning routines of the kids. He paid special attention to Greer's reactions and he had to admit that she seemed to become a little more animated when she heard his voice than when the others were speaking. Ben obviously liked Cuddy but Priya's reactions seemed to differ depending on her need. If she was hungry, she didn't care who brought her the bottle as long as she recognised a here comes the food voice – granted they all had a slightly different way of saying it, but with them all it differed from their time to cuddle and time to change the diaper voices and Priya knew them all. Cuddy was probably right, for Priya a servant was a servant was a servant. They would need to pay special attention to her emotional development, especially her ability to feel empathy and sympathy. Social interaction was possibly something that she would need extra training on too. Though it was possible that he was being overly pessimistic; the kids were barely five weeks old!

Aiko was happy to have her Daddy home for the day. She didn't even mind sharing him with her siblings but was quite happy to hold the clean diapers whilst Daddy disposed of the dirty one and got each of the trips ready for the new one. After all, Daddy always told her that she was doing such a good job helping with the care of the babies. She was such a big girl, and clever, too. Daddy said so. She did think that there was something silly going on with MamaLisa and Daddy because they were different with each other than normally. They could be talking to each other just like every day and MamaLisa even yelled at Daddy at one point when he said something about Ben that Aiko couldn't hear but MamaLisa didn't like, but then, suddenly they could stop and just smile at each other. Or sometimes when they weren't paying attention they bumped into each other and they sort of jumped and MamaLisa turned red and Daddy got a funny smile on his face. Fortunately it lasted only the morning and they settled down to being normal by the time Uncle Grey got back from work after noon.

Grey worked only the mornings on most Mondays, so when he got back from work the ladies in the house decided to go shopping and leave the men to mind the kids. There were three of them after all, so they ought to be able to look after four little babies especially as Aiko was the only one of them who could walk. Well, the guys were fine with that. They kissed the ladies goodbye – literally, even House – and took over the house.

When the ladies came back, four hours later, they found House and Grey on the living room floor with the triplets. There was soft jazz music (John Henry Giles, actually) coming from the stereo, the electric fireplace had been turned on and House and Grey were lying near it, both were bare-chested and had diaper-clad babies sleeping on them, skin against skin. House was holding Ben and Greer and Grey had Priya. What surprised the ladies most was that on a recliner near them Dr Higa was also sitting, bare-chested and holding Aiko in his arms. Aiko too was wearing only her diaper and she was sleeping as soundly as her siblings.

As Higa saw the arrivals he lifted a finger to his lips asking for silence: "They just fell asleep," he whispered.

"What are you doing?" Blythe asked quietly.

"Skin baths. Skin to skin contact is very beneficial for the babies," Higa explained. "It helps to calm them down, it promotes both physical and emotional health and is very good method of bonding for child and parent."

"And they like music, too," Kasumii supported the statement. "House has been doing this with Aiko quite often before."

"Yes, he has," Higa nodded. "Now, however, there are four babies all in all, so he couldn't do it alone. Fortunately Grey likes jazz too."

"We better leave you to it then," Cuddy smiled. She thought House looked totally adorable. She supposed that Blythe and Kasumii thought the same about their men – at least their expressions seemed to say so – but she was only interested in House. "Let's go into the kitchen and get some coffee."

"And we need to put the shopping away, too," Kasumii said. "The babies should sleep for about half an hour still at this time, if they keep to their normal schedule, so we still have a moment to ourselves before they need us."

"We can handle them," House stated quietly. "Take your time."

"I know you can," Cuddy smiled at him. "But I only have three weeks or so with them anymore. Then I have to go back to work and can't see them any time I want."

"You'll still see them often enough," House told her. "After all, you spend half of your day in my office yelling at me, so you get to see the kids quite a lot."

"Just so you know," Cuddy gave him a warning glare. "The presence of the kids will not stop me from yelling at you if I think you deserve it."

"Never even crossed my mind," House insisted with an innocent stare as he shifted Greer into a better position in his arm.

Once the ladies had disposed of their shopping and converged in the kitchen they made coffee and sat around the kitchen table.

"You know Blythe," Cuddy mused. "Though David is definitely in best shape of them all, being the youngest and given his job, I think our guys weren't too shabby either."

"No, not shabby at all," Blythe smiled in agreement.

"Of course it was David who made me melt, but I thought your guys looked pretty yummy too, for old men," Kasumii agreed with a twinkle.

"A little less emphasis on that old," Blythe huffed good-humouredly.

"Hey, you're the ones who are too old to do anything but cuddle," Kasumii teased.

"Let me tell you, young lady," Blythe responded with mock haughtiness. "There is cuddling, and then there is cuddling."

"Hear, hear," Cuddy supported Blythe.

"If you say so," Kasumii accepted. "But I have to say this was a very nice homecoming."

"Sometimes life can be really good," Cuddy nodded and the ladies toasted each other with the coffee.

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Once the kids woke up from their nap the men put on their shirts, though they were told that it wasn't necessary at all, and then dressed the children. After that the ladies took over so that the men could have their coffee. The rest of the day was leisurely. At five weeks the triplets were too young to do more than eat and sleep (and poop), so cuddling was pretty much the only play they could be involved in. That was ok, though, since there were plenty of people who wanted to cuddle them. Just like there were plenty of volunteers to really play with Aiko, too.

When Blythe was getting ready to make the dinner, everybody gathered into the kitchen – which was fortunately a very large room. And while they waited, the triplets got their dinner – or whatever meal it was for them at that time – from bottles: House fed Priya, Cuddy saw to Greer and Kasumii took care of Ben. Aiko was, again, sitting with her grandfather.

"You were right," House told Cuddy. "Ben and Greer seem to favour you and me."

"Did you doubt my word," Cuddy asked a little huffily.

"Not really," House placated her. "After all, you're the one who has been spending your days with them."

"Children often bond more with one parent," Kasumii said. "You just need to make sure the other parent doesn't end up excluded."

"That was what I was going to say," House agreed. "We must make sure that we don't divide the children too much. I don't mean that we shouldn't take their preference as a real thing, they may be small, but they do know what and who they like. Besides, given Greer's blindness I think we should do whatever she needs us to do to make her feel safe and comfortable, even more than with the other children. And I'm not talking only about when they are babies. But we must make sure they know they have two parents and that they can rely on both of us. Actually, they probably need to understand that relying on you is the better bet."

"You have been perfectly reliable with Aiko," Cuddy insisted. "I'm convinced you will be reliable with the Trips as well. Don't sell yourself short here. I know most adults cannot trust you, but now we are talking about our children and the fact that we are even having this conversation shows that you want to put their needs first and therefore you are reliable."

"Let's hope I can keep it up," House muttered. "But I think Priya is the one we really need to keep an eye on. She may need help in developing her social skills and possibly she has inherited my lack of empathy."

"You have empathy," Kasumii frowned puzzled.

"Only with people I like," House pointed out. "And that's not that many."

"It's true you don't show much empathy," Blythe inserted into the conversation which she – like the rest of the adults in the room had followed though not much participated in. "But you do feel it. It's just that in your work it can get in the way, so you contain it. Like all your emotions. It's not a question of you being unable to feel it, you just ration it."

"That may be a little too optimistic a view of me," House pondered. "But since you're my mother, I don't really dare contradict you. But whatever the case may be with me, Priya might need some help in that department. Though it really is rather early days to worry about that."

"I don't think it is ever too early to worry about your children," Higa smiled. "It is part of the job a parent takes on when he becomes a parent."

"Yes, they are never too young, and never too old for you to worry about them," Blythe agreed sending a teasing look to her son.

"I suppose I will drive them all up the wall," House sighed with resignation.

"Oh, don't worry House," Cuddy told her lightly. "You won't be doing it alone. In fact, I'm fairly sure I will drive them nuts before you can get them up the wall."

Everybody laughed.

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Later that evening House helped put the kids to bed. He sat with Aiko in his arms near the cribs where the triplets were sleepily blinking their eyes and sang to them the same Japanese children's song that was Aiko's favourite (though she liked pretty much anything Daddy sung for her, be it a lullaby or Rolling Stones).

"Ooki na kuri no ki no shita de / anata to watashi / naka yoku asobimashou / ooki na kuri no ki no shita de."

He hadn't sung it more than twice when all the kids were out for the count. Kasumii took Aiko and carried her to bed, too. House got up and limped out of the room with his cane, leaving his wheelchair inside, ready to be used when he next needed to carry the kids. Outside he met Cuddy, who was sort of hovering in the corridor a little uncertainly. House walked to her and gave her a one-armed hug.

"You look knackered," he told her gently. "Go to bed. Your own."

"Are you..." Cuddy didn't quite know how to express her thoughts. "I mean, have you..., I ..."

"Shut up Cuddy," House smiled at her. "I thought we were friends even if with benefits."

"That is what I said," Cuddy agreed though she wasn't sure what House meant.

"So don't go all teen-ager on me," House told her. "Don't behave like I was telling you that if you love me you'll have sex with me. First of all, we're too old for that. Second of all: I really am not as young as I used to be and for you to expect me to perform every night is not very friendly, you know. You told me not to tell you what I think you want to hear, unless I really mean it. In return I expect that you come to me only when you want to, not when you think that I expect it. If I think it's been too long and I want to break into the kids' college fund, I'll let you know and you can have first refusal."

"Promise?" Cuddy asked in a small voice.

"Cross my heart," House answered solemnly. "We're old friends, not new lovers. Let's not play games. Not with this. Because if we screw this up, it's the kids that will suffer."

"I know," Cuddy nodded. "It's just still rather new all this. I have never before really lived in the same house with the man I'm sleeping with. Can you imagine! At my age. I'm not quite sure how things are supposed to happen now that you won't wine and dine me first. When there are no dates that have a clear agenda. This is all new."

"I haven't been here before, either," House pointed out. "But as you said, if we are honest with each other, we'll muddle through, somehow. There will be times when you'd like to have sex and I'll refuse either because my leg hurts too much or for some other reason. And there may be times when you need company but no sex, and that will be ok, too. We'll figure this out. I don't know how long this will last, but somehow we'll make this work for as long as it does. But right now, you need sleep. Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"I suppose you're right," Cuddy accepted. "And anyway, right or wrong, here we are. Thanks for understanding and Goodnight."

"Goodnight Cuddy," House said. "And don't let the bedbugs bite your ass. That's my privilege."

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The words for the song are: Under the big chestnut tree / you and me / are playing happily / under the big chestnut tree