Celeste

I wrote this while sleep deprived, hungry and on a train. I warn you.

Chapter 19

"I already know. I have known for a while." Celeste continued, walking closer to the living room table and sitting on a chair.

"How?"

"I'm not dumb. I observed and put two and two together. Really, it wasn't hard to miss." She said, munching on a slice of whole grain bread still on the table. "Plus I have his eyes."

"That you do." Cuddy whispered, staring at her daughter, who was clearly taking this not as hard as she thought she would.

"And the way you look at us when we're talking or doing something together, you seemed to be worried about something and for a while I thought you wanted me to, in a way, accept your boyfriend, but it was obvious I liked the man... so you must have been worrying about something else." After chugging down a glass of water in a very unladylike manner, she continued. "He's a smart ass, just like me, which leads me to think it must be somehow genetic." She chuckled. "And he looks at me in almost the same way he looks at you: he looks at you with love and lust; he looks at me with love and understanding. It didn't take me long to figure it out."

Alexandra, Robert, and Lisa sat still, looking at the seventeen year old girl in front of them. She was far more mature than kids half her age and carried a burden adults would most likely die under. She was a clever, bright girl and after hitting rock bottom, she was finally finding her strength again.

Cuddy stood there completely speechless. She saw so much of herself in that girl and was so proud of her for putting up with everything. Cuddy herself had taken time to reconnect with her maternal side after her estranged daughter had come back into her life. Add her newly found relationship with House and she had needed some time to get used to it all. Celeste seemed to be able to accept things, take on their consequences and move forward with her life.

"So I was thinking..." Celeste prompted, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "Christmas is in more or less two weeks... Could you and House stay over for the Hols?"

Cuddy stiffened a little.

"I didn't book a return ticket but I was thinking of returning home next week. I need to check on the hospital..."

"You mean, check that House hasn't burnt the place down?"

"Or make sure that he and Wilson have stopped playing laser tag in the hall and clinic..."

The Cuddys laughed at House's antics, while poor Robert and Alex stood there confused.

"One day I'll tell you about that." Celeste told her grandparents, trying to stifle laughter. "You should fly back here for Christmas with House and stay till after New Year's Eve. Gramps and grams always do this thing on New Year's Eve on the Thames. Last time I spent the Hols with them, they took me there and it was so boring and these two might be separated but they're sickeningly sweet."

"Separated?"

"It's a long story."

"They're stupid."

"Celeste!" Both grandparents replied.

"What? You guys love each other to bits, but because you feel the need to have more space for yourselves, you live in two different houses. That's ridiculously barmy."

"Celeste..."

"I'm just stating my opinion." She shrugged.

"Anyway, Lisa. You can stay as long as you please and House can stay in the backhouse with you. And Celeste is right, we always go to this cruise on the Thames that would bore her to death. You can consider it a vacation. You have a career and I'm sure you haven't taken a holiday in years."

Cuddy sighed thoughtfully.

"Oh come on, Lisa. The hospital is not going to fall apart if you're not there. I'm sure Wilson could handle it."

"It's Christmas, Celeste. Wilson has a-"

"A diabetic cat and three ex-wives. That's not family." Celeste shut her up. "But you do have one."

Cuddy stood there, taking in her daughter's last words. Yes, she had a family now. An unconventional, half British family to spend the Holiday season with.

"Okay, I'm going to call House and ask him what he wants to do."

Celeste beamed and Cuddy knew that girl had everyone wrapped around her fingers.

Later that night, after Alex and Matthew said their good nights, Celeste and Cuddy sat on the couch in the living room with a steaming cup of tea.

"This tea is really good." Cuddy said, breaking the silence.

"It's Australian or something. Grandpa brought it home from his latest trip to Australia." The girl explained, taking a sip from her own cup.

"Does he travel a lot?"

"He is this super brainy English professor, who's always traveling around the world to teach cultureless idiots about the Great British Empire's Literature." She paused. "Wait..."

Celeste darted up, throwing the afghan to the floor and running towards the kitchen. A couple of minutes later, she was back, holding three boxes of biscuits.

"This are Tim Tams. They're the most sinful Aussie biscuits I have ever tasted. There are so many different flavours and they are all so bloody good."

"I can see the British in you." Cuddy commented, plucking a biscuit from Celeste's outstretched hand.

"Grandma is used to my American slang and accent; she had lived in America for years, but my grandfather is a bit of a freak and I usually revert to a British accent when I'm talking to him. Otherwise he'd tickle me to death." She explained, munching on a biscuit.

"These are good!" Cuddy mumbled, taking another biscuit and biting into it.

"Wait till you get to the dark chocolate mint ones. They are to die for! It's a shame they only sell them in Australia, but I thank the Internet Gods for online shopping and worldwide shipping."

They sat on the couch in companionable silence. After finishing her tea, Cuddy laid her head on an arm of the couch with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath and snuggled deeper into her cocoon of blankets, trying to relax and fight the effects of the jet lag.

"You should go to bed, Lisa."

"I'm not tired... well, my body isn't, my mind says otherwise."

"I know how you feel; I've been traveling between these two continents almost constantly. You never really get used to it, but you learn some tricks."

"Care to share?" Cuddy asked through a smile. She heard Celeste shift in her seat, the rustle of the cloth and wool and suddenly a warm weight was snuggled against Cuddy's side. She opened her eyes surprised to find the girl lying next to her, an arm around the woman's waist. She smiled and made herself comfortable on the too small for two couch.

After a moment of silence, Celeste spoke up.

"After every transatlantic flight, mom and dad would take me to their bedroom and we would all lie on the bed. I was always so wired up from the flight and the jet lag that the only way to make me fall asleep when it was time was to snuggle and cuddle with them." She let out a watery chuckle. "It seems silly now, but it does help."

"It already is, honey." Cuddy said, holding her daughter tight and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.