A/N: You still with me? Good. I bet you didn't expect another chapter so soon? I think I'm on a roll now. I've got the next few chapters nearly complete.

Also...to "Guest" who found Chapters 79 and 80 boring "filler stuff" I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. You should know that all of my chapters have a purpose and they aren't merely "filler". If you find yourself bored by my story, there are over 3,700 more great Huddy stories for you to choose from.

On Monday morning, House was in his bed sleeping soundly when his phone woke him up. Without even opening his eyes, he fumbled around on his nightstand till he found it.

"House," he grumbled, half-asleep.

"It's not Niemann-Pick."

"Where are you?"

"Conference room."

"Put me on speaker," he growled.

"Don't need to."

"Why not?"

"It's Gaucher's."

House rubbed his bearded face and propped himself up against the headboard of his bed. "How do you know?"

"Process of elimination. Infection isn't likely to cause both major symptoms. Besides the patient's visceral involvement was chronic and uncharacteristic of infection. Her bone scan was cold. Hot bone scans are typically associated with infection."

"What about cancer?" House asked.

"Some childhood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and neuroblastoma can explain enlarged organs and bone pain but they present acute, rapidly developing symptoms. Our patient's symptoms have been progressing slowly over a period of years. She has had some fever and chills and she's lost four pounds in four months but but that can be attributed to a few things. First, she's a teenage girl they're always wanting to lose weight. Second, her mother told me she'd gone vegetarian in the last six months and in a teenager that's pretty significant."

House was impressed. He continued to challenge Chase's diagnosis. "Histiocytic disorders?"

"She's too young. Besides, no rapid clinical deterioration, wasting away, skin rash, irritability, and central nervous system problems."

House smiled to himself at Chase's ability to put the pieces together so quickly. He had certainly trained him well.

Chase chimed in again. "Listen, she had bone pain in two separate incidents a year apart accompanied by fever, leukocytosis, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and cold bone scans. The cold scan also osteonecrosis rather than osteomyelitis, which would have a hot scan. It's unique in its association with both of these symptoms. We tested for the wrong enzymes."

"So you tested for deficient glucosylceramidase enzyme activity," House concluded.

"Yep, and then a bilateral bone marrow biopsy confirmed it."

"So where's the rest of the team?"

"I sent them off to find another case."

House smirked. "Chase?" He said.

"Yeah, House?"

"Good job."

"Thanks." Before he could say anything else, House hung up. Chase wasn't surprised. After all, House was never one for unnecessary words and his "thanks" were few and far between which meant when he gave it, it was sincere. Chase shook his head and yelled to the empty room, "Yes!" Then he exited to find the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, House decided he needed to get up, after all he had important things to do today...well at least one important thing. He hoisted his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his aching thigh. There were times he wished for a Vicodin to dull the ache and not just in his leg either. But he knew what would happen if he took one. He might take another and another and soon, he'd be right back where he started. For once, things were looking up. He felt he had regained control of his life and was making it better, not worse. He didn't want to screw that up. Trying to ignore thoughts of Vicodin, he limped into the bathroom and stripped down, throwing his clothes in the hamper. He opened the faucets in the tub and as it filled with hot water, he poured Epsom salt into it, using his hand to help it dissipate.

He sat on the toilet with the lid closed and waited for the water to rise. Once it was half full, he carefully lowered himself into the it and leaned his head against the tile wall and let out a loud sigh of relief. Most people would never know how something as simple as a hot bath could help relieve some of his worst pain. The heat of the water gave him great relief that sometimes brought him to tears, though he would never tell anyone that. Though he'd slept all night, he closed his eyes and lost himself in the soothing feeling of his body immersed in the hot water.

House lay there for nearly an hour before he realized the water had cooled. Roused out of his relaxed state, he carefully eased himself out of the tub, drained it, and toweled off. After wrapping the towel securely around his waist, he limped over to the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror. God you've aged in three days, he thought. He turned his head right to left, running his hand over his gray whiskers. Picking up the electric razor, he turned it on and began trimming down to just less than his normal stubble. When he finished, he rinsed, cleaned up the sink and took note of how much younger he looked when he shaved. He dressed in a pair of dark jeans and his pink button up shirt which was clean and pressed and hanging in his closet thanks to his cleaning lady. When he was finished, he limped into the living room feeling more awake and alive than he had in the last few days. He grabbed his backpack and pulled out the papers he'd printed at his office. When he found the one he needed, he glanced at it, then folded it and stuck it into the pocket of his jacket. Grabbing his keys and helmet he headed for the door. It looked as if it might rain but he decided to chance it, opting to take his motorcycle.

Just over three hours away, in Boston, Lisa Cuddy took a break between lectures. It was an overcast day with a nice breeze and she just wanted to get outside for a few minutes. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The voice on the other end greeted her enthusiastically.

"Lisa! It's so good to hear from you."

"Hi Jules."

"How the heck are you?"

"I'm good, I'm at work right now and don't have much time to talk. I just wanted to call you."

"I'm glad you did. Listen, mom told me she called you the other night. She said you spent some time in Princeton."

"Yeah."

"So...I take it things are progressing with House?"

"Listen, I can explain-"

Julia cut her off. "I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're thinking."

"Yeah but you should be."

Julia sighed heavily over the phone. "He's caused you so much heartache over the years. You're an intelligent woman, you could have any man you want and yet..."

"Jules, I wish I could explain but I don't think I ever could. It's not something I can put into words. It's something I feel."

"And you never felt it with Lucas?"

"No, and not with anyone else either."

"It's hard to forgive what he did."

"I'm not asking you to."

"But at the same time I know you love him."

"I do."

"Does he love you?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Lisa." Cuddy thought her sister sounded almost regretful.

"When I was there for Michael's funeral, you asked me how you are supposed to let go of someone when you've loved them for so long?"

"I remember," Julia replied.

"That's what this is like." She heard Julia breathing on the other end but her sisters said nothing. "Jules, you also said you wanted me to be happy and do whatever it takes no matter what anyone else thinks. Do you still feel that way?"

"Yes, but," she inhaled deeply. "I don't know how to feel about this, even though I knew it was a possibility."

"I don't know what to say."

"Leese, you don't have to say anything. You don't have to defend your choices, even if I don't understand them."

"I suppose mom told you she wants me to bring him to your house for Thanksgiving."

"Yes. What did you decide?"

"I asked him and he agreed. He knew a day would come when he had to make things right, or at least try. Can you handle him being in your house."

"I don't know what's going to happen, sis. I just know I have some things I want to say to him."

"I know that. He does too."

"So...how is he coping with his addiction? How do you handle him popping pills again?"

"He's not popping pills."

"So he says," she scoffed.

"He's been working so hard to manage his pain without narcotics. He wears a patch with a time released drug called fentanyl and it's slowly released into his system over a long period of time and it helps. When he has breakthrough pain, that's the real bad pain, he has something for that but he only takes it if he needs it."

"For now. Leese, what are you going to do when he relapses?"

"He hasn't relapsed...not yet. He's going to physical therapy weekly, he's doing his exercises, and he's back with his psychiatrist."

"Once an addict, always an addict."

Cuddy was becoming annoyed at her sister's cynicism, though she understood completely. "If he relapses then we'll deal with it. I'm not going to dump him and run away like I did last time."

"You did what you felt was best for you and Rachel."

"But was it really Jules? Was it really the best thing? Look how miserable we were, the three of us. And Rachel? She pined away for him for weeks, even months after that."

"Kids are young, they get through it."

"Could you say that about your kids if you had left Michael?"

"It's different. He was their father."

"House was as unconventional a male role model as there ever was but when he got to know her, he was good with her. He would never hurt her. They had fun together, she learned things from him...good things. He cared a great deal about her and she for him. It hurt her when he wasn't there anymore."

"But if you decide you can't handle things with him again and you walk away, there's no telling what he might do this time," Julia warned.

"Jules, I know you're concerned but if he relapses, instead of running, I'm going to do what you do when you love someone. I'm going to be there for him, support him and help him get through it. I told him when we were together before that I accepted him for who he was but really I didn't. I spent so much time looking at his faults and weaknesses and waiting for a reason to break up with him that I lost sight of how I felt just being with him."

"Which was?"

"It's hard to describe but I know that I was a better person with him than without him. Even on the worst days, I felt more loved than I ever had in my life."

"You're insane."

"That wouldn't be the first time I've heard that. Look, he's really trying. I went with him to see his psychiatrist the other day."

"You did?"

"Yeah, it was really productive."

"How on earth did you get him to agree to that?"

"Actually he asked me. He wanted me to see for himself how he's progressing."

"And is he really progressing?"

"Very much so."

"Lisa, I don't know House like you do. It would be nice to think someone who has been what he's been through and done what he's done can change but I'm just not so sure."

"I understand that Jules, I do."

"You have to do what you feel is right, remember? No matter what anyone says. Listen, I'll always love you, so will mom. Period. And I'm not mad at you. If Michael were here he probably wouldn't be mad either, he'd call you an idiot. And dad probably would too."

"I know," she said, smirking to herself. "Trust me, I know."

Two hours after he'd left his apartment, House found himself maneuvering through the winding streets of an upscale neighborhood in Middletown, New Jersey in the pouring rain. He pulled up to a large colonial style home at 1241 West Farm Road. He turned the key in the ignition to the off position but held his hand there as if reconsidering his decision. Finally, he removed his hand from the ignition and took off his helmet. He carefully swung his leg over the bike, grabbed his cane and limped slowly up to the had stood in front of the closed door for at least five minutes before he rang the bell. When the door opened, a tall, pretty brunette with kind eyes and a very large pregnant belly greeted him.

"May I help you?"

"Hi. I'm uh...looking for Gerald Rosner. Does he live here?"

"He does...we do. I'm his wife, Cheryl."

"I'd like to talk to him."

"Do you know my husband?"

"We met once. We have...had...mutual friends. My name is Greg."

"He's in the office. Please, come in, you must be freezing out there." She opened the door and motioned for him to enter. "Please, take off your shoes, let me get you a towel."

"Thank you," he said politely.

The woman returned moments later with a large towel. "It's really a mess outside. Supposed to be bad all weekend."

"Yeah I guess I picked the wrong day to ride my bike." She laughed at him.

"When are you due?" He asked.

"Any day now. I can't wait. He's getting restless."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said. Once he'd dried off sufficiently, she led him through the expansive living room toward a set of French doors that opened to a large home office.

"Hon, there's someone here to see you," she said to the man who sat in a chair with his back to the door. The man waved his hand to let her know he was on the phone.

"Go on in, Greg," she chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be off in a sec."

"Thank you."

The man finished his phone conversation and turned in his chair. The smile dropped from his face when he saw House.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

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