A/N: Hi everyone. Here's yet another installment. Thanks to Cherokee Jedi for all her help here! When I'm not sure about a scene, she reminds me to ask myself, "does it move the story forward?" and my hope is that I'm doing that. These baby steps are huge for House and Cuddy and it's not easy to write!

Thanks to everyone reading this!

A few hours later, House, Cuddy and Rachel were sitting in the backyard. House had offered to barbecue and he'd even gone to the store and picked up a ten ounce Fort Worth Ribeye for himself, a chicken breast for Rachel and giant Portobello mushroom for Cuddy as well as all the necessary ingredients for side dishes. Cuddy knew House's cooking skills were second-to-none so she did not deter him from his mission.

Cuddy reclined lazily in her lounge chair listening to the sounds of Bernie and his musician friends playing next door. Between losing herself in the music of the cello and watching the interaction between Rachel and House, she felt completely relaxed and at peace. She closed her eyes and turned her face up toward the sun. She was content, perhaps even happy. Hidden by her sunglasses, her eyes misted over thinking about how she never thought she'd be happy again. So much had happened in her life over the past few years that she never thought she'd feel normal again. She chuckled softly thinking that of all the men in the world, it was House who made her feel normal. Normal for her was them-the three of them-like this, together.

I never thought we'd get this chance, she thought to herself. Cuddy recalled how, after their breakup, she secretly hoped somehow they'd get another chance but one thing after another happened, driving a wedge further between them. Between the vicodin, the hookers, the whore he'd married, and the leg surgery, she had been beaten down completely. She was exhausted and near ready to give up when he'd told her in the hospital room that day that he wanted things to back to the way they were before they began dating. At that moment, she'd felt something resembling hope, that maybe, just maybe things would be okay. Then at lunch the next day, the lunch where she'd begged him to talk to her, he'd suddenly pushed her up against the wall and nearly knocked the wind out of her. In that moment, she'd seen something in his eyes, something so pleading and desperate, something she couldn't describe. She wanted to reach out to him then and tell him she still loved him but the only words that came were "I'm sorry" and all he could do was tell her it wasn't her fault and walk away. Once again, he blamed himself. He always blamed himself. She hated that because it wasn't always his fault. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a little girl's laughter. She turned her head to the side casually and watched through her dark shades grinning as House instructed Rachel on the finer points of grilling. She smiled. Yes, she thought. I am happy.

House stood next to the grill after having lectured a very curious Rachel on how to grill the perfect steak. As Rachel carefully rolled the baked potatoes and corn cobs in tin foil, House looked over at the brick patio where Cuddy lay in the lounge chair, sunning herself. She wasn't actually getting any sun as she was dressed casually in a light gray knit jacket over a white tank top and fitted black knit pants. A set of large black shades adorned her face. He smiled as he remembered how he used to tease her about the ugly large-framed sunglasses she couldn't live without. He enjoyed her casualness these days for back in Princeton, she always looked immaculate and perfect in her suits, dresses and heels, finished off with perfect makeup and manicured nails. Back then she was always stressed and barely relaxed, even when she was home. He realized after his first visit to Boston that she seemed more relaxed than he'd ever seen her since college. He frowned a moment to think that the only way she'd been able to relax was leaving Princeton. But he had to admit the change had been kind to her. She wore less makeup now and looked younger. She seemed more energetic and happier and she smiled more. He shook his head refusing to believe he had anything to do with it. Maybe it's the sex, he thought. Cuddy always glows after sex. But as he looked at her again, he realized it wasn't just sex. She smiled all the time around him. The last time he remembered her looking like this was back in college, only now she was even more beautiful and vibrant than she'd ever been back then.

House took a good look at his surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. The blue sky with not a single cloud, the chill in the air, the smell of barbecue, the sound of music in the background, and a beautiful woman who lay with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. What could be more perfect? He thought about his leg and how that always seemed to ruin things. For the moment, it hurt, but it was manageable. He knew he'd have to get some swimming and therapy in soon. He looked over at Rachel who was busy trying to figure out how to use the child-sized set of horseshoes he'd picked up at the store on the way home earlier. He felt content, maybe even a little happy.

He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel this way every day.

"I sure love whatever they're playing next door," she said, when she noticed House deep in concentrated thought.

"Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto." he said without missing a beat.

"Huh?"

You wanted to know what your buddy over there is playing. It's Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto.

"How do you even know that?"

"I'm brilliant." He answered facetiously.

"Howse?" Rachel interrupted him.

"Yeah?"

"Can we play horsie shoes now?" She asked, a little impatiently.

House laughed at her pronunciation. "It's horse-shoes. And yeah, do you know how to play?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

"Come on, I'll show you."

"Where are the directions?" Cuddy asked, as she approached them.

"Who the heck needs directions? It's horseshoes."

"You know how to play?" Cuddy asked.

"Well duh. What red-blooded American doesn't know how to play horseshoes?"

"Not everyone is as brilliant as you," she snapped back humorously.

"Seriously? That is so lame," he said shaking his head in mock disgust.

"But I bet I could kick your ass," she said.

"Hey child here!" He mocked his offense.

She moved closer to him. "She can't hear me. Come on, you too chicken to take a bet?" She taunted teasingly.

He eyed her suspiciously. "What's the bet?"

"We decide when the game's over."

"Oh no...that's not how it works woman!"

"You afraid?" She asked taunting him even more.

He looked at her as she clicked her tongue mischievously. Her hands were on her hips and she was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Oh evil temptress you are so on." He could never resist a challenge especially one that involved her. House grabbed the stakes and pounded them into the ground explaining to Cuddy and Rachel along the way, the basic rules. When he was done, they began the game.

"Cuddy, you throw like a girl!" He yelled.

"That's because, contrary to popular belief at the hospital, I am a girl."

"Yeah but you don't have to throw like one."

"Howse, is this right?" Rachel asked, taking her turn tossing the horseshoe. It spun ridiculously and landed with a thud at least three feet too far to the right.

He did a facepalm. "Uh a little less torque next time."

"Huh?"

"Torque. You don't know what that is?"

"No." She had her hands on her hips and House thought she looked just like her mother.

"Torque my littlest Cuddy is something that produces or tends to produce torsion or rotation," he answered smugly.

"I don't get it," she replied, confused.

"Well there's this thing your mother does that I like-"

"House!" Cuddy yelled, giving him the evil eye.

"Whaaat? I'm teaching her about mechanics here."

"You are not going to discuss our sex life in front of Rachel!" She yelled, but nearly whispering the word sex.

"God you're such a prude," he whined.

"If you want prude, I can guarantee you prude later."

"Fine mooom."

"Mommy, what's a prude?" Rachel now looked up at her mother with those large curious eyes Cuddy could never resist.

"Oh honey you don't need to know-"

House interrupted. "Let me handle it." He turned to Rachel. "Well Rachel, you see the word originates in Latin meaning to be good and evolved into French indicating a wise woman of propriety, and of course in English it means unusual modesty associated with a negative view of sexuality."

Cuddy gave him the death glare.

Rachel looked thoughtful for a moment then beamed. "So it means mommy is good?"

"Something like that."

"What's pro...pity?" Rachel struggled with the word propriety and House just grinned from ear to ear.

"It's pro-pri-e-ty," he corrected.

"What does it mean?"

"Ask your mother, she's the queen of it."

"House!"

"What? It's true!"

Cuddy had no choice but to answer for if she didn't Rachel would obsess over it. With a sigh, she explained. "Honey, propriety means to conform to established standard of good behavior." When Rachel looked at her confused, she continued. "You know how when you're in the classroom you are quiet and respectful of your teacher and other classmates?"

Rachel shook her head.

"And you know how you always say please and thank you?"

She shook her head again.

"That's propriety. You're observing the rules of good behavior."

"I'm very good in class," Rachel said smiling.

"Yes, you are," Cuddy said, patting her daughter on the head.

"Oh God," House groaned.

"Shut up, you started it." She smacked him in the arm.

"No, you did, talking about being a prude."

"Mommy are you going to show me how to throw?" Rachel interrupted.

"Yes, honey," Cuddy said. She stuck her tongue out at House then walked over to Rachel and helped guide her hand and toss the horseshoe, this time it made it closer to its mark.

"Hey! You can't throw for her. That's cheating."

"Seriously? She's four House, she needs help."

He shook his head and threw his hands up in the air. "I'm outnumbered, it's not fair."

"Yes, you are and quit whining," she said smugly as she turned back to Rachel. For the next half hour, Cuddy "helped" Rachel throw the horseshoes. In the end, Rach won the game.

House shook his head in disgust when the game was over. "I can't believe this. I lost to a...novice...no...two novices...two amateurs!" He looked up and saw Cuddy grinning from ear to ear.

"Wait..." he said limping over and pointing his finger at her accusingly. "You're no amateur, are you?"

"Never said I was."

"You lied."

"I never said I didn't know how to play. You assumed I didn't know how to play. And you know what they say when you assume, don't you?" She shot back.

"Oh you are one cunning, evil, woman," he said with a smirk. Then he raised his eyebrows seductively at her and winked. "I like it."

"I learned from the master."

"That's me the master manipulator. I knew you couldn't be around me all these years and not let some of my better qualities rub off on you." He nodded over at Rachel, who was picking up the horseshoes. "Wait...was she in on it with you?"

"What? No. This was all me," she said proudly. "You wanna play again?"

He sighed. "My leg hurts."

"Does it really or are you just afraid to lose to a girl?" She asked smugly.

"Really hurts," he admitted. "Been on it too long."

"Sit down over here and take it easy." She sat down on the big chaise and patted the spot next to her.

"So," he said, taking a seat. "What is it you want me to do?"

"I'll think about it and let you know," she said as she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. As she turned to get up he grabbed her by the arm.

"Oh no, daddy needs more than a peck," he said. "After all you lied to me and I need to be consoled." He gave her a pitiful look hoping she'd give in. When she didn't he pulled her close touched her lips lightly with his. Smiling against them he said, "I definitely need more than a peck."

"Oh really," she asked, putting her arms around his neck.

"Oh yeah," he said. House tilted his head and captured her lips in a passionate kiss that sent vibrations throughout his body. He had never kissed anyone with as much passion and fervor as he did her. With Cuddy it wasn't just a kiss, it was a whole-body experience. He would be happy dying if in his last breath he was kissing her.

"House," she whispered. They parted and leaned against one another, foreheads touching. "Rachel-"

"What? We're not having sex."

"I know but-"

He turned away. "Hey Rach?" He called to the little girl who was too busy laying on her stomach looking at something in the grass to pay much attention.

"Yeah," she responded without even looking up.

"You mind if I kiss your mom?"

"Nuh uh," she replied.

"See, she doesn't mind. C'mere," he said.

They'd stayed outside long after dinner to roast marshmallows and look at fireflies. Rachel was absolutely mesmerized and House showed her how she could run her hand lightly over the bushes to make them fly out. Finally they'd gotten around to cleaning up the mess outside and Cuddy told Rachel it was time for a bath. She went into Rachel's bathroom and turned on he water in the tub. As Rachel stripped down, Cuddy walked out, running into House in the hallway.

"You're too hard on her."

"No, I'm not, she's filthy."

"Oh come on, it's what kids do. It's in their DNA."

"Really? DNA? So it has nothing to do with the fact that you two engaged in a mini big dig in my backyard."

"Yeah only ours was a lot less expensive," he mused. "Weren't you ever curious when you were a kid?"

"Sure, but-"

"You forgot what it was like to be a kid, to have fun."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have," she insisted.

"Mommy, I'm ready!"

"Let's continue this conversation later,"she said.

"Fine," he yelled after her. "Deflect."

Cuddy laughed over her shoulder and walked into the bathroom and Rachel was sitting in the half-filled tub of suds patiently waiting for her mother.

Cuddy pulled the stool out from under the sink and began washing her little girl. "So did you have fun today?" She asked.

"Uh huh."

House was on his way to the bedroom when he heard Cuddy and Rachel talking. He stopped at the door of her bathroom and leaned against the door jamb listening.

"What was your favorite part?"

"I liked it when Howse and me dug the hole."

"Of course you did." Cuddy shook her head and chuckled. It couldn't be the fireflies, it had to be the dirty stuff she enjoyed.

"We saw all sorts of stuff with my mangifing glass."

Cuddy and House both smirked at her mispronunciation.

"What did you see?"

"We saw ants and worms and mold crickets."

"Mold crickets?"

"Uh huh."

A lightbulb went off in Cuddy's head. "Oh you mean mole crickets."

Rachel nodded. "They're eat worms and grass and they move around at night."

"Do they?"

"Uh huh. They also chirp really loud."

"You're a really smart little girl, you know that?" She asked as she massaged shampoo into Rachel's hair.

"That's what Howse said."

"He did?"

"Yep."

House stood outside the door with a smirk. When he'd first met Rachel he thought she was as dumb as a box of rocks but as they became closer, just before the breakup, he'd noticed she was actually a very bright little girl. Now he could see her blossoming and it reminded him of him when he was little when he was always curious and asking questions. His mother had encouraged it, his father discouraged it. House wanted to be sure he did the right thing. He thought of how Rachel reminded him of the Cuddy knew in college, who was always curious and seeking answers to everything. It was one of the many things that had attracted him to her.

"Well, House is usually right."

He smiled again at that.

"He is?"

"Well, most of the time. He's a really smart man. Remember I told you he's helped a lot of people?"

"Uh huh, they were sick and he made them better."

"Yep."

"I have lots of fun with him."

"I know you do."

"I hate it when he goes," Rachel said sadly.

Cuddy dropped her wet hands in her lap and looked at her daughter. "I know honey, I do too."

"Mommy do you 'member Howse said he was in time out cause he was bad?"

"I do."

"He said he was sick. Is he better now?"

"I would say he's getting better every day."

"Mommy I don't want him to be sick again and go in time out and I don't want him to be in pain cause it makes him sad."

House heard that and swallowed hard. He didn't wait for Cuddy's reply, instead he limped into her bedroom and closed the door. He sat on the bed and laid back on it. He felt a bit anxious and wasn't sure why. While he was feeling a little anxious, he knew he hadn't felt this good physically and emotionally since they were together the first time. In fact, it was so much better this time around and he attributed it to the fact that they were communicating better and they were on the same page. THey'd both lost so much before, they knew they had to go all in to make it work for good. Of course they didn't see each other every day so those daily things they did to annoy one another were absent. What would happen if I was here all the time? He asked himself. Would it change things? House remained laying on the bed, listening to Cuddy and Rachel as they moved from the bathroom into Rachel's room. He decided to take a shower while Cuddy put Rachel to bed.

A half hour later, House limped into the living room barefoot in a pair of striped pajama pants and a tee-shirt. he thought Cuddy would be alone but she was there on the couch with Rachel.

"I thought she went to bed?"

"Actually she's wide awake and wanted to hang out with us. Since you're finished, can you watch her while I go shower?"

"Sure."

Cuddy gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the room.

House made himself comfortable on the couch next to Rachel. "Hey kid."

"Hi."

"Whatcha watchin'?"

"Tom and Jerry."

"You like them?"

"Yep. Mommy says she watched it when she was little."

House chuckled. "That was a long time ago, kid."

They sat in silence watching the cat and mouse on television. House was still thinking about what Rachel had asked Cuddy earlier.

"Hey Rach, I kinda overheard something you said to your mom earlier."

Rachel looked up at him curiously.

"You asked if I'm still sick."

"Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"No, I'm not mad. I just wanted to explain about why I'm sick." When he knew he had her full attention, he continued. "I figure you're old enough to know the truth. See, years ago when I was younger, I had blood clot in my leg. The doctors didn't diagnose it in time and by the time we figured out what it was, it was pretty bad."

"What's a blood clot?"

"Blood gets thick and won't pass through. All parts of our body need blood and oxygen. Without it they die. Well, my leg was sort of...dying."

"Your leg was dying?"

"Yeah, that's the extent of it. Anyway, it was pretty painful and they had to do something. Well, your mom was my doctor-"

"Mommy?"

"Yep."

Cuddy padded down the hallway into the living room when she heard House and Rachel talking in low voices. Tying her robe, she stopped at the end of the hallway and watched the two figures from behind.

"Your mom and the other doctors tried to convince me to have an operation that would make me better but I didn't want it."

"But why if it would make you better?"

Cuddy frowned. She wasn't sure this was a proper discussion for a child but she decided to give House the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, I was scared. See, they wanted to remove my leg."

Her eyes got wide.

"I know it sounds scary but it was the only way they knew how to save my life. The thing is, I wouldn't let them do it. "

"Why?"

"I was afraid of having just one leg."

"That's weird."

"Not really. Have you ever seen anyone with one leg?"

"Noooo!" She shouted and giggled at the same time.

"Would you like to see something cool?"

"Uh huh."

He grabbed Cuddy's laptop from the coffee table and begin searching the internet. "Aha! That's what I'm looking for," he said as he turned the laptop towards Rachel."See these people here. What are they doing?"

She pointed at the screen. "That guy is roller skating, that girl is riding a bike and that guy is running."

"Good job. Now, would you believe each of them only has one leg?"

"They do?"

"Yep." He clicked on a picture of an artificial leg. "See, there are people who are trained in making what we call prosthetics, or artificial arms and legs to help people who lost one when they were sick."

She pointed to the screen. "Hey! That girl is little like me." She'd pointed at a small child on the screen with an artificial leg from the knee down.

"That's right. Artificial limbs aren't just for adults. Sometimes kids your age get sick too."

"So why didn't you let mommy give you one of those? Then you wouldn't be sick, right?"

He smiled at how quickly she caught on. "Well...probably." He sighed and rubbed at his face. "Kid, I was scared back then. I was scared to lose my leg. I mean it's been a part of me my whole life. It's pretty scary to think about losing something you've always had, don't you think?"

She nodded.

"I didn't let your mom do it so she did the next best thing she could. She had them take out the part of my leg that was hurt but unfortunately it left me in pain, lots of pain."

"So mommy didn't fix you," she said sadly.

"No, but it's not her fault. She did the best she could. You need to understand that okay? Your mom wanted to save my life and she did and that's all that matters. If she hadn't done that operation, I wouldn't be here today."

"You'd be dead?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm glad mommy did the operation,"she said as she gently placed her hand on his bad leg.

"Me too. You remember when I told you I'd been in time out for not behaving?"

She nodded again.

"Well, for a long time, I did some not so nice things. I hurt people I care about because my leg hurt and I was in pain."

"You never hurt me and mommy."

"Well...actually, I hurt your mommy a lot. When I was in pain I said and did things to her that weren't so nice. I made her sad. Have you ever done that? Said or done things to someone that you didn't really mean?"

She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head vigorously.

"Then you know what I'm talking about. Did you feel bad afterwards?"

"Yeah."

"Me too but I was pretty stupid then. People wanted to be my friend but I wouldn't let them. I did things so they wouldn't like me anymore."

"That's stupid."

"Yeah, it kinda is but adults can do stupid things sometimes."

"Adults are silly too."

"Yeah we are that," he sighed.

At that moment, House heard Cuddy enter the room behind them. He wasn't sure how much she'd heard. He watched her as she settled on the couch next to Rachel. She pulled the little girl against her and ran her fingers through her hair.

"So...what's going on here you two?"

"Mommy, Howse told me all about his leg."

"He did?"

"Uh huh. He said he was sick and in pain and you saved him."

"He said that?"

"Uh huh."

"What brought this up?"

"I wanted to explain to her why I was sick. I figured she's a smart girl, she's old enough to hear it." Then as an afterthought he added, "I didn't mean to listen in, I was just passing-"

Cuddy interrupted him. "It's okay House, no need to apologize." She smiled at him.

Cuddy looked at Rachel who just beamed up at House. She loved the way he talked to her as a little adult instead of a child. She should've known he wouldn't tell her anything inappropriate.

"Mommy, House showed me pictures of people with one leg but they can do everything!"

"That's right, they can and you should never ever treat someone like that as if they can't do the things you can do."

"Okay. Mommy do you think they were scared too?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Howse told me he was scared."

"He did?" She looked over at House who suddenly looked at something more interesting across the room.

"Yeah."

"You know, people get scared when they're in pain."

"I know. Howse said he hurt you but that he was sorry," Rachel said. House scoffed as Rachel continued her train of thought. "But I said adults were stupid."

Cuddy smirked at her daughter's comment. Rachel was smart beyond her years.

"People do stupid things when they're in pain, Rach." She knew that only too well. Her stupidest mistake had been breaking up with House after her surgery. She looked at him and he returned her gaze, understanding the deeper meaning of her words.

You know what to do!