As always, thanks for the great reviews for the past chapter and continuing to stick around! You all are so wonderful ^^

I know some of you are disappointed about Cuddy not being pregnant, but for what I have planned for a sequel, she can't be pregnant :) However, it is definitely a possibility of a Huddy baby in the sequel. I was a little upset while writing this chapter and you'll see why, but at the end, I make up nicely for it ^^

Enjoy :)

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Cuddy wanted to go home, or what was left of it, if anything at all. She didn't even want to be anywhere near the hospital at the moment. Lord knows what her nephew was doing to her baby. From what Wilson and Cameron told her, it wasn't good. Plus, somehow she got the feeling that he would know she was home, even though she didn't go back to the hospital right away. The second they stepped off the plane and made it through the terminal, flashbulbs went off in their faces and microphones were being thrust to their mouths. Everyone wanted to hear this story. They called it a miracle, except for a certain few…

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"I don't believe it! Did you see the news?" Eric Feeney asked, storming in on his son as he sat at Cuddy's desk, writing up a budget report.

"No…What about it? I'm busy here."

Eric motioned for him to come with him to the lobby. The nurses from all floors gathered here to watch this as well. Neither of them knew House and Cuddy were alive until now. An uproar of cheers and hugs came from Cuddy's employees. Not only were they relieved to see her alive and well, but they were relieved she would be coming back to work. No one was too fond of Feeney.

"She can't do this," Feeney murmured, standing by his office doors, scowl on his face. "I'm the Dean of Medicine now. It's MY name on the door!"

"Calm down, son. She can't do anything about it now. It's too late. The courts already have the papers. Everything's finalized."

Suddenly, Zachary felt braver and stood up straight and proud. "Yes, it had been, and anyone here that plans to throw her a welcome back party, you're fired!" he shouted out into the clinic, as well as the lobby, and disappeared back into his office in a rant.

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By the time Cuddy got to her home, she was a celebrity. Everyone in the world knew about her ill-fated trip to Japan in that short amount of time. If they didn't already know about her and House when the plane went down two months ago, they damn well knew about them now. It disgusted Cuddy how people could be made famous because of a tragic story. Half those people don't even realize the hell she went through on that island and to make a gossip story about it didn't help. House, on the other hand, was loving it for some reason, starting with Wilson making them turn up the radio in the car when he heard his name being mentioned.

"I think your hot neighbor is checking me out," he said, getting out of the car as they brought Cuddy home first.

"She's a lesbian, House," Cuddy informed.

His eyes widened. "Even better."

She tossed him a look while reaching inside the car to grab a sweatshirt that was purchased for her in Hawaii. She thanked Wilson and Cameron for everything. Each of them got out of the car so she could hug them. She couldn't thank them enough, but would that gratitude change? So far, everything looked normal on the outside of her home, but what would happen once she got inside? What would she face? Her family was here. She noticed an unfamiliar car in her driveway. It had to belong to one of them.

"So what are you going to do?" House asked, placing a hand over her shoulder once Wilson and Cameron were back in the car. "Are you going to be okay?"

This was the first time they've left one another's side in months. Even a bastard like House was affected by the change, for better or worse.

Cuddy was unsure of what to think. Ever since she heard the news she wasn't pregnant, everything started to slide down for her. And it wasn't just that. She also felt what it would be like to be away from House. He drove her insane, but she knew that the second she walked into her home, she'll be wishing she was by his side again.

Her eyes met his, unsure of how to answer him. They both felt already what it would be like to be separated after all this time. Cuddy would sleep alone tonight for the first time in months.

She nodded slowly, trying not to let any tears build up in her eyes. "I just…there's so much to do that it's overwhelming. I'm…scared, especially at what I could be walking to in my own home."

House two months ago would laugh at her and tell her to get over it. House today, he felt her pain, at least to the best of his ability. He brushed the backs of his fingers gently across her cheek. He had never seen her this worried, not even when their plane went down into the ocean. And with good reason. Technically, Cuddy was unemployed and her family took over whatever else she had. She would have to go through board after board, lawyer after lawyer, just to get even a smidgen of hope in getting her job back. Cuddy was legally declared dead, so her spot had every right to go to Zachary Feeney. She may as well have been laid off with the slim chance she had at getting her job back.

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked this so easily and freely, as if they were really a couple, or at the very least she meant something to him. He was serious. There was no sarcasm or humor in his tone.

It melted Cuddy's heart. Looking into his eyes, she could see the man she was with on the island. She saw the one who held her close by the fire, told her secrets, made love to, and held her tightly before they went to bed and woke up the same way the next morning. This was the House she was looking for ever since they were rescued.

"Please. I don't think I can do this alone." If she didn't ask him vocally, her eyes would do all the talking.

He nodded and then turned around to reach back into the car to pull out a small bag of items, as well as Harry, and told Wilson he was going to stay. Wilson okayed it and left with Cameron.

"Are your parents here?" he asked.

Cuddy saw a head appear and disappear as fast as it came through the curtains in the living room window. "Yeah," she said with a sigh.

"Well who cares what happens. It's your house; you should get it back, right?"
Cuddy didn't notice this before, but there was also a For Rent sign on her lawn. Her stomach turned. A small part of her suddenly wished she was still on the island, even if she would be by herself. It's better than coming home to this. Going to the hospital and fighting with her nephew and brother would be easier than what she was about to face.

She wasn't surprised to find the door locked after knocking several times and no one answering.

"Here," House said, producing one of her hidden keys. Luckily enough, her parents didn't have the sense to change the locks.

Cuddy opened the door and hesitated to make it past the threshold. So far, everything looked okay. Her hall table was still in the hall, the large picture remained above it, her wall paint was the same, and the carpet runner remained relaxed on the cherry oak floor. Did they plan to rent her home with her furniture still inside? They certainly would get more offers that way. It's just like her mother to suggest a thing like that.

Taking a deep breath, Cuddy pressed forward. She saw her mother peeking past the curtains, so where was she?

"No, she can't possibly—" Her father appeared at the other end of the hallway. His face displayed a sickening horror, sort of like the horror he was supposed to portray once learning his daughter could be dead, not finding out she was alive.

Cuddy didn't know what to say. She felt her limbs turn to jelly and had to slip her arm through House's to remain standing. "Hi, dad," was all she could get out. This was definitely not the normal greeting for your youngest daughter whom was declared dead. He could care less that she stood ten feet ahead of him, much alive, and the tension in the room told her that.

Her mother appeared beside him, only she wore a smile. It was definitely her "running for campaign" smile. Nothing about it was real. The further her smile grew from ear to ear, the more urgent Cuddy felt in being sick.

"Lisa! Baby, I'm so glad you're okay," she said, hurrying to Cuddy in her Jimmy Choos. Cuddy's eyes never left the shoes, even though her mother wrapped her arms around her so tightly she thought she was going to crack her in half. Cuddy had to wonder if that was her plan…

"Nice shoes," Cuddy couldn't help but say.

"Huh? Oh these! They were in the closet and I couldn't resist. I think they look good, don't you? We're getting ready to go to a party."

Before Cuddy could answer, Ellie looked to House and held out her hand, which was strikingly odd because she never shook anyone's hand unless she found herself forced to. "Hi, I'm Ellie Cuddy. You must be Greg House."

"I want my shoes back," Cuddy demanded to her mother before House could react in any way. "And my house."

Ellie looked positively shocked. Her focus was fully on her daughter now. "Excuse me? Don't you use that tone with me. This is our place now. It's in our name."

"Because you put it in your name with the fancy lawyers you hired with my money!" Cuddy cried, assuming that's what happened. "I never left you this house. I never left you people anything!"

"You people?" Ellie was insulted by that remark. She put her fists to her hips.

"Just who do you think you're talking to, young lady?" Walter asked, stepping forth with a vengeance.

"Since you've never treated me with respect, do you think you deserve any?" Cuddy snapped. "The first thing you guys did when you found out I was dead was flock to my home and sell off my expensive valuables! Followed by a trip to the bank to swipe my savings!"

"What is all the yelling going on out—" Cuddy's sister Karen appeared in the doorway and deadpanned, as if she had seen a ghost, not her oldest sister coming home from supposedly being dead. She looked almost identical to Cuddy only she was four years older and her hair was a thicker mass of curly with a red hue in the sunlight. Her eyes were a much colder, more grey than Cuddy's, mixed in with a little bit of brown towards the pupil. She was also a bit taller.

"What is she doing here?"

"Damned if I know," Ellie said, folding her arms with a scoff.

House thought he had seen it all. He knew his father was a jerk who did horrible things to him, but this was over the line. It's one thing to be cynical and rude, but to do so to your own daughter? They treated Cuddy as if she was the dirt at the bottom of their shoes. It was a wonder that she got where she was in life with no support from family. And the sad part is that they treated their daughter like shit in front of a total stranger.

"Oh, Lisa," her dad piped up from the spot by the door he never moved from. "When you get a chance, can you move your car out of the garage? We couldn't find your keys to get rid of it and you came back before we could call a locksmith."

Cuddy's face lit up with horror. When her mouth dropped to speak, House interrupted her. "Her car is staying right where it is. And so is she." He looked at each of her family members individually. "You all are trespassing."

"Actually, Dr. House, if you both don't leave this moment, we're going to call the police and have you escorted off our property," Ellie countered. "Lisa's dead. Or at least she was when her will was read off to us, stating we owned everything."

"My will is on record and you are nowhere on it! It certainly didn't give you permission to clean out my savings or sell my things either!"

"Lisa," Walter said, clearing his throat and moving forward. "We will let you rent the place from us if you need a place to stay."

House cut Cuddy off with his hand, stopping her just as she was about to yell something back. She never asked for his help, or hinted for it in any way, but he couldn't stomach this anymore. He needed to jump in officially.

"I think I've seen enough here. Growing up, my father did some crazy shit to me and my mother had no idea. Not that I needed a shoulder to cry on, but she was there if I needed her. Want to know why? Because she loves me. I don't use that word a lot, but she does. Where the hell do you both get off treating Lisa like this? Tell me it's not because she became a doctor instead of marrying one." House remembered this conversation from when they were on the island.

"Young man, you have no idea what you're talking about, nor do you have an inkling of anything that goes on in our lives," Ellie said, angry that House was throwing in his two-sense instead of seeing the truth behind it.

"I didn't have to know anything about anything. Just walking through those doors today and hearing your attitudes towards your daughter gave me all the answers I needed. You're all pissed off she became a successful doctor and not whatever the hell else you wanted her to become."

"You're not exactly a gold figure yourself, Dr. House," Walter said in somewhat of a warning tone. "You should leave now while you still have one good leg to help you do so."

Now they were threatening him? Do they have any limits?

"Well then, from one bastard to the other Mr. Cuddy, get the fuck out of Lisa's home and don't ever come back if you wish to keep both of your legs in tact."

"Call the attorney," Ellie said, keeping a fiery glare on House. "I want these people out of my house this second."

Walter disappeared back into the house to do so without question. Karen leaned against the doorway with her arms folded and a smug look on her face. Cuddy glanced over just in time to see the light from the windows bounce off a precious ring that her sister was wearing on her index finger. She recognized it right away. It was her Le Vian 18k gold ruby and diamond ring that went for about four grand. She also had on the matching bracelet. It wasn't so much the value that made Cuddy feel the urge to fight her for them, it was the sentimental value. They were given to her by her dead grandmother years ago.

"What? Like my ring?" Karen asked. "It probably doesn't fit you anymore anyway."

"Karen, don't you think you've done enough?" Cuddy was severely pained. She knew they were going to take her jewelry and everything else, she just didn't think it would hurt this much. "At least give me back the ring grandma gave me before she died."

Karen stood there, unmoving. "Finder's keepers."

"It was originally meant for her anyway. Lord knows why Anna liked you more," Ellie said before disappearing into the house to find her husband.

"I don't believe this," House said. "I don't believe this at all. What the hell is wrong with you people?"

He had no idea Cuddy had a family like this. When she talked about them on the island, she really used an understatement. In all of his years of being a doctor and having to see families of patients, never did he run across something even remotely near this. Friends parents, friends of friends parents, nothing. Everyone had their edge, but this was way over.

"Come on, Cuddy, we'll go back to my place so we can sort this out."

While in Hawaii, House made a call to confirm to see if he still had a home to go back to. His mother, being the optimist as she is, bless her soul, kept his place. She wasn't staying in it, however. A week after the funeral, she had went home to Lexington with John. She couldn't bear to sell it. It would mean her having to accept her only son was dead. She wasn't ready to do that yet. And it was a good thing she didn't.

"I'm not leaving," she said, shocked he even mentioned it. "This is my house and I have a right to stay here."

She breezed by Karen and disappeared down the hall, as if hot on the trails of someone. Karen left in the direction their mother went to tell her what Cuddy did. House followed Cuddy, who slipped into her bedroom. She nearly collapsed at what she saw. Her clothes were strewn everywhere, probably thanks to Karen. Her closet doors were open and everything was either falling off the hangers or on the floor. Her shoes were also in disarray. The jewelry box was open and as she saw when she appeared over there, all her good jewelry was gone. She felt like she was robbed. She would much rather have been robbed to know that her own family was capable of doing such horrible things.

"Lisa…" House said in a whisper as she stared at her opened jewelry box as if it somehow had all the answers she needed to know.

A tear slipped down her cheek. "God, I'm so screwed."

"No you're not." He turned her to face him and grasped her upper arms. He forced her to look into his eyes. "Listen to me, this is your house. You have every right to come back here. The courts can petition to turn over the death ruling and after that, we will find your original documents that prove your parents have no affiliation with your things. Why am I being the optimistic one all of a sudden? You're stronger than this and you know it."

"Then why do I feel like I'm about to fall flat on my face? For the first time in my life, I have nothing. I have no home, no job, no—"

"You have me." House said this with all the sincerity in the world.

Their eyes sealed together. She never expected that to come out of his mouth.

He slipped an arm behind her back and held her to him. "And I'm not going anywhere."

He cupped her cheek with his free hand, brushing her tear away with his thumb. "Oh, House…" For this, she was grateful. She leaned into his comforting touch. This meant more to her than getting back everything she lost.

He lifted her chin with a crooked thumb and gently kissed her as two more tears evenly flowed down from her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered.