A/N-Hey everyone! I hope this works, I tried to post yesterday, but there have been some issues with the servers here. Thanks to all of you who have followed and favorited this ball of super-fluff. Thanks also to those who left a comment on this chapter: IHeartHouseCuddy, BabalooBlue, OldSFfan, linda12344, ikissedtheLaurie, the Guest reviewers, Little Greg, CaptainK8, jaybe61, HuddyAleja, Alex, bere, Abby, JLCH, lenasti16, Abby, HuddyGirl, freeasabird14, Boo's House, Jane Q. Doe, grouchysnarky, Maya, JM and LoveMyHouse.

I'm not sure if i'll be posting another chapter of this fic next or a one-shot sequel to 'Living Well' that several people requested, but likely it will be whichever one i'm most inspired to finish this week. Thanks!

-Last Minute-

House and Cuddy had fewer problems buying a home than most people had anticipated. If it was a test of their relationship, they succeeded. There was a single two-day long fight about the dangers of an in-ground pool for families with children and a pretty heated debate over the potential uses of a large rec room in one home, but other than that, most disagreements were short-lived.

Settlement on their new home was early in the day, and then each attended the settlements of their own homes, separately. When Cuddy was done selling her home, she went to their new place, waiting for House to join her and waiting for the movers to arrive. She was scrubbing the kitchen, smiling to herself as she realized the steps that she and House had taken together. Her cell phone rang, so she tossed her cleaning rag in the bucket, dried her hands and answered.

When she answered, the call was from the realtor who had worked on the purchase of their new home and the sale of House's apartment.

"Lisa, I'm still going to have to charge you for my time this morning,"

"I thought everything was based on commission. I didn't realize there were any other fees."

"For your new place, there's obviously no commission, but for the near-sale of Dr. House's property, I'm going to have to charge. I understand that sometimes people change their minds, but I put a lot of time into preparing that sale."

"He…changed his mind?"

"Yes. You haven't spoken to him about it?"

"Why are you calling me?"

"I tried to call him. He hasn't answered and I wanted to set up-"

"Look," she interrupted, "I'm not sure what happened, but you'll have to work it out with him directly."

Cuddy hung up after cutting the man short. She couldn't ignore the sense of disappointment. They'd seemed to cross into new territory as they both agreed to give up the safety net of having their own home. It seemed, in some way, to add another level to their commitment, some proof that they were both equally invested and confident that their relationship was lasting.

She knew House was invested in their relationship, but took it as a sign that he still wasn't confident they would last. It was hard to be enthusiastic about their new place with such doubt between them.

A few minutes later, she was scrubbing the floor when he came home. He dropped his helmet on the counter and, staring at her ass, said, "We should fire the cleaning lady and hire you."

She stood, dropped her cleaning supplies and resisted a bit when he pulled her against him. "I'm soaked," she warned.

"Perfect," he said with a wiggle of his brow, "we have a lot of rooms to break in here, so let's get started."

"Your realtor called."

"Oh. Before we ruin what could be a very hot and sweaty moment with you being angry at me, there was a good reason."

"I'm sure you have a reason. I'm also sure that, to you, it's a fantastic one. But these are the kinds of things you talk about with the person you're in a relationship with. The types of things you discuss before you make your final decision. How long were you going to wait to tell me?"

"Today. Probably right after the sex. I wasn't keeping it from you, I was just momentarily distracted."

"You're still expecting something will go wrong, that's what's so frustrating."

"I am. But much less than I used to."

"But you still have that safety net. You'll always have that place to go back to."

"Wilson needed a place. I had a place. It seemed like a good solution."

"Wilson has needed a place for a while, but you decided this morning, minutes before a sale, that you had to give it to him. Sounds more like cold feet than a good solution to a problem."

"I like my place. If I don't have it, at least I know it's in good hands. I can visit it on the weekends and take a hot bath for old times' sake."

"But you aren't selling it to Wilson."

"No. It's an investment. A rental property. All the kids are doing it."

"House," she said, standing right in front of him, "I wish you would have talked to me about this. You could have mentioned something. If you wanted an investment property, you wouldn't have hidden it and done it last minute. Maybe I would have kept mine too. I have one home, and you have two. What makes it worse is, you made that decision on your own."

"You suck at math."

"I'm going to finish the kitchen before the movers get here," she said, turning back to her work before he grabbed her hips and pulled her back to him.

He leaned over her shoulder, "You don't even want to know why you suck at math?"

All efforts were being made by Cuddy to ignore the feeling of his hand low on her abdomen or the sensation of him kissing her neck. "The movers will be here very soon."

"You're pissed over nothing."

"Don't dismiss my feelings," she started angrily.

"I mean I've thought of everything. If I have two places and you have two places, that would balance the scales." He held out papers that had been drawn up preliminarily. "I didn't discuss it with you," he whispered into her ear, "but I have a peace offering. If we both own my apartment, then we're even. Also Wilson will have a place to stay, and I don't have to give it up completely. I've had moments there. I've had you there."

She pulled away, trying to look at the papers he'd provided without the distraction of him tempting her. Waiting while she seemed to put a lot of thought into it, he grew impatient, "Do you have any sort of response?"

The movers showed up and Cuddy transformed into a move-coordinator immediately. He realized that she was wearing one of his sweatshirts, and noted that she'd become so comfortable with him that she'd just take his clothes without saying anything. He liked that change in their relationship, enjoying the fact that she was starting to ignore those little formalities between them. She already looked at home there.

He wasn't exactly sure how much trouble he was in after his decision to keep his apartment. She'd smiled at him a few times while she ran around, but they really didn't speak much. He was decently certain she wasn't kicking him out because he listened while she gave extensive and specific orders to the piano movers. She paused momentarily to ask House, "Is there anything else you want to tell them before they bring it in?"

"I think you covered everything with the thirty minute course on piano moving and follow-up quiz that you gave them."

She shrugged, almost disappointedly, and walked away. He watched while she stood behind the movers, supervising everything they did as they delivered his piano. He also saw a tuner arrive shortly thereafter that she must have scheduled, because he didn't. After the movers were gone, the home was filled with boxes and was strangely silent. Rachel was with Arlene until the morning so they could get some things unpacked.

He was unpacking books and some of his things in the large room they'd set aside just for him. Cuddy had agreed to find a home with a room for him if she could have an office and if he promised to never refer to his room as a "man cave." It was like a miniature version of his apartment, and part of her felt it would give him a place where he could go to get away from her and Rachel and have some solitude. After all, he was used to being alone.

He saw her walk past the room a few times, carrying boxes to different locations. When she walked past for the fourth time, he pulled her into his room. "Welcome to my Den of Testosterone."

"Too much like man cave."

"You didn't say that I couldn't use other words to say the same thing."

She smiled softly, patted his chest and said, "I have a lot to do."

"I have a lot to do too. Where have you been so I can get started?"

There was a mischievous glint in her eye, something he usually loved to see, and she led him to his recliner. Before he sat, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her breasts against his chest and waiting for his hands to journey almost inevitably to her ass. "You're not mad?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she didn't say anything, instead reaching for his jeans and unbuckling and unzipping them while she watched his facial expression. Cuddy knew just how to look at him, and one single look could set his mind racing. She reached into his jeans, finding that he was already beginning to get turned on and shaking her head for a second, "You're so easy."

"I'm not easy, you're just hot. And you have a reputation here."

"We just moved here. I haven't had a chance to establish a reputation."

"By 'here,' I meant 'in my jeans.'" His gaze was softer while he looked her over, "You sure you're not mad?"

"Do you want me to be?"

She put her hand on his shoulder, persuading him to take a seat before she got down on the floor between his legs. Her hands moved up his thighs as she came closer, pulling him free from his boxers while her hand started to stroke him. "Seriously?" he asked, his expression relaxed and a little anticipatory while he seemed to be considering himself a little too lucky.

He patiently let the scene unfold, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair and leaning his jaw on his fist. With his other hand, he reached out and stroked the side of her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. Those were the little gestures that always gave her pause and made her feel like she wasn't like every other woman to him.

That gesture almost made her rethink what she was about to do. She subtly licked her lips, leaning closer and watching him sink down into the chair with almost complete surrender. His mouth was open a little, his eyebrows looked raised simply because he wasn't scowling, and then she said, "You know what, I was going to, but I changed my mind last minute. Sorry I didn't talk to you about it beforehand so you'd be prepared for the disappointment."

He shook his head, leaning down to pick her up and drag her onto his lap. She was sitting on his good leg, her legs draped over the side of the chair and he said, amusedly, "You're really mean."

"So are you. And you haven't had a shower since yesterday. This place certainly smells like the Den of Testosterone. You really thought I was going to do that right now?"

Her tone was playful, but she had already made her point.

"So you are a little mad," he accused. "I feel the full force of your revenge."

"It wasn't revenge. I was trying to translate my feelings into a context that you could fully appreciate."

"The realtor's coming tomorrow. I called him. Sign the papers. Own it with me."

"OK," she answered calmly, "are you going to change your mind when he gets here."

"No. I don't mind sharing it with you, I just don't want to give it up completely."

"Hopefully your mini-apartment here will keep you from feeling trapped by a family."

"I like her. And I pursued you. I pursued you after you had her. There was full disclosure."

"You're good with her," Cuddy said, her fingers tracing his collarbone. "You treat her so well. I want you to know that I noticed."

"The movers," he said, a bit more loudly. "You took care of my piano. I noticed. And calling in a tuner within hours of settlement may make you the coolest woman in the history of women."

Her look was either affectionate or relieved, probably both, but her hand slid down his abdomen again and into his boxers.

"How many times are you going to play 'fooled you' before you stop messing with me?"

She opened her jeans, scooting them down her hips until she was sitting on his lap in her underwear and his sweatshirt. He went about the extremely enjoyable task of arousing her in return. He kicked up the footrest on the recliner before he unclasped her bra. They didn't even rush toward completing the act too quickly. They enjoyed half-clothed foreplay in the middle of the day in their new home without being rushed by work or family obligations, and then fucked on his recliner when they were too worked up to be content with each other's hands.

The next morning, Cuddy picked up Rachel. The toddler was able to run now, and she did the second she was inside her new home. House could hear the child running down the halls, her feet thudding as if she weighed four times her actual weight. When she paused, she asked, "Hey, why we here?"

He listened while Cuddy explained, for what seemed like the fiftieth time, that they were moving. She started to show Rachel the new place, and House joined them when they looked into the girl's new room. Her suspicions seemed to disappear when she saw it, obviously thrilled with what she saw.

A little later that morning, Cuddy went looking for Rachel. She knew House had the girl while she called to order lunch, but the two were suspiciously quiet. When they were finally discovered, they were in House's room. The one room in the place that was entirely his own, a place to get away from a little girl who seemed to constantly want his attention, and he chose to take her there. Cuddy stood in the doorway and House told Rachel, "Quick, do it."

House and Rachel started playing 'Happy Birthday.' It was the same song that he and Cuddy had, somewhat jokingly, played together on the organ when he still lived with Wilson. It was also the song that he'd played to get her attention at the conference in DC when he followed her there. She would never hear it again without thinking of him.

Rachel played the first two notes each time, biting her lip while she concentrated on hitting the key hard enough to make a strong sound, and House would finish with the rest of the notes. "Baby, that's amazing," Cuddy said, walking over and picking up her daughter.

The girl turned and smirked at House, like she had played the best and earned the praise of her mother. House scoffed, "But who taught you how to do that?"

Rachel pointed at him and then hid her face against Cuddy's shoulder in a brief flash of shyness as she said, "A-man."

Cuddy rolled her eyes at Rachel's continued use of her own name for House. Not long after Cuddy and House had started dating, Rachel overheard him proclaim, "That's right, because I'm a man," and the little girl seemed to take that as an indication of what he wanted to be called.

The day they moved in to their home together, he watched Rachel hiding her face after their impromptu concert and he said, "Fine, you played the hardest part. Are you happy?"

The girl lifted her face and smiled at him, "Fink so."

When the realtor came, they signed the papers to make Cuddy the co-owner of his apartment. House didn't seem at all upset at the prospect of sharing it with her. As he signed his name, he looked right at her so she could see the lack of uncertainty in his eyes.