A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I'd like to thank Cherokee Jedi for always letting me bounce ideas off of her. Now if we can all get together and encourage her to continue her amazing fic "Safety" LOL! Sorry for the delay but I've been so damn busy! Work, writing and oh yes...not one but two Hugh Laurie & The Copper Bottom Band adventures! That man inspires me to write!

In this chapter, it's Saturday, we're still at Blythe's house in Lexington, Virginia.

"Even with everything we've been through, I can't imagine my life without you," she said sincerely.

"Cuddy, I'm so sorry I put you through that. I was a selfish bastard. I'm here now." He lifted her chin from his chest."Hey, look at me. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled through her tears. "I know."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

Cuddy's heart skipped a beat. House rarely professed his love but only because he didn't feel it was something that needed to be done every waking moment. When he did, it was a rare gift to be cherished.

"I love you too," she whispered.

"You okay?" He asked, tilting her chin up to look into her eyes. She nodded, the beautiful smile he loved so much returned to her face.

"That's my girl," he said. He held her face in his hands and his thumbs caressed her delicate features as he leaned forward and his lips softly caressed hers. It was not a kiss full of lust or passion, rather it was one of gentle reassurance, his attempt to convey through actions that he was there for her and with her and that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Come on," he said, as they broke apart. "Let's get some sleep.

They stood from the bed and went to their respective sides, pulled down the covers and climbed in. House turned off the lamp on the nightstand and rolled onto his left side as Cuddy scooted back and nestled against him. He moved her hair and kissed her bare shoulder, then wrapped his arm around her, sliding it underneath her tank top, caressing the soft, warm skin underneath. Cuddy smiled and placed her right hand over his as he soothed her. They lay that way for a long time and House continued his motions until her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.

House woke unusually early for a Saturday morning and when he rolled over he found he was alone. He scratched his three-day growth, looked around then plopped back down on the pillow. The house was eerily quiet and he was still tired from the events of the previous day, so he pulled the covers over his head and tried to go back to sleep. Moments later, he heard the sound of a little girl giggling. He peeled the covers off and slowly eased himself out of bed and limped over to the french doors that overlooked the backyard. He peeked out the lace curtain and saw Rachel, with an oversized straw hat on her head, traipsing through his mother's garden with Blythe close behind. He looked around for Cuddy and found her sitting cross-legged on her yoga mat on the back porch, meditating quietly. Though he yearned to go back to bed, the sight of his family starting their day amused him and made him want to join them.

His family.

House pondered those words as he continued to peek out the window watching the goings-on outside. He hadn't been particularly close to his mother in his adult years but after his last visit with her, he felt the need to see her more often and get to know her all over again. And as far as Cuddy and Rachel, well, he'd never thought of them as family but he supposed they were the closest thing to family he had besides his mom and Wilson. As he watched Rachel kneeling in the garden with his mother, he thought about how nice it was to be a part of a family again. It made him feel less alone and though others might find it surprising, he really didn't want to be alone anymore. Allowing a slight grin to pass over his features, he had an idea. He grabbed his cane from its place on the headboard and made his way down the hall into the rest of the house.

Cuddy finished her yoga and shivered a bit as she threw on the light sweater on the mat next to her. The weather was cool but not cold and the air was crisp and clean. It had been awhile since she'd done yoga outdoors and found it a nice change. She closed her eyes to inhale the country air when she heard Rachel squeal in delight. Her eyes flew open and she caught sight of her daughter chasing a rabbit. She got up quickly and walked out into the garden and stood with Blythe as they watched the chase until Rachel gave up when the rabbit crawled under the wooden fence and into the neighbor's yard.

"Mommy, did you see the bunny?" Rachel asked, running over to her, out of breath.

"I did honey."

"Can I have one?" She asked, innocently, batting her eyes.

Cuddy laughed. "I don't think so."

"But bunnies are cute."

"Yes they are, but not cute enough to have as a pet." She watched her daughter put on her perfected pouty face. "Not working...come on let's go in the house and feed you," she said as Rachel sighed and trudged into the house.

Blythe couldn't help but laugh watching the interaction. "Greg did that to me when he was little," she said as she followed them into the house.

"The pout?"

"Oh God, yes."

"Did you give in to it?"

"Every chance I got." Cuddy turned around and stared at her in surprise. Blythe put her hand on her shoulder. "He was my only child. He'll never admit it, but I spoiled him just a little."

"I never would've guessed."

"He was a good boy, he deserved it. Did you know he used to love helping me in the kitchen?"

"He did?"

She nodded emphatically with dreamy eyes. "Always fascinated at the idea of creating something out of nothing. It was much like a puzzle to him. He loved to experiment."

"Even back then," Cuddy mused.

Blythe took her arm and linked it with her own, then patted her hand. "Come on, let's have some breakfast. Maybe we can get him to do the dishes too."

"Fat chance!" Both women laughed as they entered the house and were surprised by the feast laid out for them. The dining room table was set for four complete with dishes, glasses and silverware and plates of food were on the counter. House had taken over the kitchen completely and it smelled heavenly.

"Gregory, this smells wonderful," Blythe said. She walked up to her son and kissed him on the cheek.

"And that surprises you?" He pointed to the platters of food on the kitchen counter. "Go eat." He turned back towards the stove and flipped an omelet. His mother laughed and took the platters into the dining room.

Cuddy smiled broadly and walked up to him, putting her arms around him from behind and nestling her face into his back. "I can't believe you did this."

House looked over to see Blythe and Rachel in the adjacent dining room, their backs to the kitchen, then put down his spatula and turned to wrap his arms around Cuddy. "You know I take everything to an eleven," he said as kissed her on her bare neck. He reached down and squeezed her ass gently. "By the way I think you need to lay off the breakfast, your ass is getting humongous," he said, patting her ass and looking at her with an adorable smirk.

"House, your mom..."

He rolled his eyes. "Mom's seen me with girls, remember?"

"I didn't think you wanted to be so public with your affection."

"She can't see us." He kissed her to silence her. They got lost in it, momentarily forgetting where they were until they heard a clearing of a throat behind them. They broke apart, breathless and saw that Blythe was watching them, as was Rachel who was standing in a chair so she could see over the counter.

"Uh..." House began, his face and neck flushed.

"What's the matter Gregory, cat got your tongue?"

"Well...now that you mention it..."

"Shut up House," Cuddy said smacking him lightly on the chest.

"They do that all the time," Rachel said, matter-of-factly and shaking her head.

"Do they now?" Blythe asked with an arched

"Uh huh."

"Oy," Cuddy said burying her head in House's chest.

"Come on Rach, let's just turn around and pretend we didn't see a thing."

"You do understand you are encouraging fornication, right?"

"House!"

Two hours later, after a big breakfast and House enduring his mother's stories about his childhood escapades, Cuddy and House were in the shower in House's bathroom. The sound of the water drowned out the moans and whispers from the couple seated on the wide bench inside of it.

"I missed you so much." Cuddy whispered as she raised herself up and took his hard length inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her feet touching the back of the bench.

"You have no idea." He tried to move inside her but she stopped him.

"Just for a little while I want to feel you inside me, like this," she said, caressed his scruffy cheeks as he combed his fingers through her long wet hair. "Is your leg okay?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, it's fine. In the meantime this is just wrong...you're teasing me here."

She kissed his nose. "Am I? Is it so wrong that the woman who loves you wants to feel your long, hard, wet cock inside her for as long as possible?"

He loved it when she talked like that. "Well...when you put it that way," he said. "You know, I think I'm spoiling you."

"I think that goes both ways." She pushed herself down on him more and smiled devilishly when he groaned.

"God woman." He sucked on her neck while his hands squeezed her ass and massaged her cheeks.

It seemed to them forever that they they exchanged kisses and touches while he was fully sheathed inside of her. They tried not to move, they just wanted to savor the connection but it was too much and Cuddy raised herself up slowly and slammed down on him and laughed teasingly at him. House watched the sparkle in her eye, listened to her deep throaty laugh and his heart swelled. He absolutely could not get enough of this woman. He pulled her even tighter to him and moved his hips and when she moaned in ecstasy, that was it. Their slow and sensual tryst took on a life of its own. Cuddy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and using his shoulders for leverage, raised and lowered herself on top of him as he guided her hips with his hands. They traded touches, kisses and moans, trying to be as quiet as possible yet enjoying the feeling so much that they were unable to silence themselves completely. House lowered his hand between them and massaged her swollen clit as she grinded herself frantically against him. Sensing his impending orgasm and feeling close to the edge herself, Cuddy moved faster on top of him. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. House leaned down and ran his tongue from the base of her exposed throat to her chin and that was her end.

"Oh God," she cried. "House! I'm...coming!" She repeated over and over. She needed to feel his mouth on hers and his lips found hers and as they kissed, wave after wave came crashing over her. House responded by tightening his grip on her, their chests pressed tightly together, his thighs pushed up on her ass to get him even deeper, as if that were even possible. Suddenly, he was unable to hold it in and shot his load deep inside her. He felt like he would come forever and if he died at that moment, it was alright with him. They held each other tightly as they came down from their highs and the water began to cool.

"Wow," she panted into his chest. Her body was riddled with aftershocks.

"Yeah." House's heart beat wildly and he could feel Cuddy tremble against him.

Feeling the water turn cold on her back, Cuddy moved quickly and helped him up so they could rinse. She turned off the water and grabbed the large bath towel and walked over to House, who stood with a hand against the shower wall to balance himself. She wrapped them both in the towel and dried them. House stood there watching her in awe as she patted his skin gently with the towel. She kneeled down to dry his legs and ran the towel ever so gently over his scar taking care not to irritate the area. House flinched momentarily but relaxed into her touch. When they were both dry, she hung the towel over the shower door and reached for his hand, which he took and she led him out of the bath and into the bedroom where he sat on the bed while Cuddy found their clothes.

Cuddy sensed she was being watched. "What are you looking at?" She asked, not turning around.

"Your ass has expanded exponentially since the shower."

"Has it?"

"Mmm hmm." He grinned as she handed him his clothes.

"Come on, we should do something constructive today."

"I thought that's what we were doing," he said. He slipped on his jeans and watched her in the mirror, her back to him, as she slipped on her panties and bra. Immediately he moved behind her taking the clasps from her fingers and connecting them himself. They looked into the mirror together as he ran his fingers down her arms and then over her stomach. He pulled her back to him and moved her damp hair aside with one hand and bent close to her ear.

"You are so incredibly hot."

"Stop," she said bashfully.

"You get hotter and more beautiful the older you get."

She smiled sheepishly. "Thank you."

"You know what I wish?" He whispered in her ear.

Her skin prickled with excitement. "What?"

"I wish we hadn't wasted the last twenty years," he said as he stared at her in the mirror.

Cuddy turned in his arms and kissed his naked chest. "Think of it as foreplay," she said with a wink before walking away, adding a swing to her hips that was just for his benefit.

A little later as Blythe, Cuddy and Rachel traveled into town to pick up some things from the store. House roamed around his mother's house surveying things that had been a part of his parents lives over the years. He eyed his favorite piece of furniture in the corner of the room and approached it hesitantly. Memories flooded him as he ran his fingers over the 1940 Steinway Baby Grand that had been given to his parents by his grandparents when they got married. He ran his fingers along the edge of the beautiful mahogany piece, remembering the many hours he'd spent playing it when he was younger. He sat on the bench and allowed his fingers to roam the keys a bit. He noted it needed tuning but it wasn't too bad. He closed his eyes and played whatever came to mind. Suddenly, as if he'd had an epiphany, he smiled and at that moment began to play something he hadn't played in years. Suddenly, his mother's house was alive with the sounds of the old English folk song his grandmother had taught him when he was seven years old.

"Grams, I don't know if I can play this."

"Of course you can Gregory. Greensleeves is a beautiful song and when you learn to play it you will want to do it over and over again. Just remember to play each line with your right hand until you can memorize it, then do the same with your left. When you do that, try it with both hands." Greg watched as grams played the song from beginning to end, showing him how effortlessly it could be done.

Determined to learn the song and impress his grandmother, Gregory played over and over for hours until he had the entire song memorized, all the while his grams assisted him with gentle reminders to help him. e had to relax his arms and shoulders and keep it smooth and flowing.

"Relax your arms and shoulders and keep it smooth and flowing," she said.

Greg concentrated on his posture and his grandmother praised him. "Good dear, now string the lines together until you can play the whole piece. Keep it slow until you are comfortable and familiar with it. Then start playing it faster, working up to the appropriate tempo."

Gregory played the tune over and over, all the while his eyes remained closed as he focused on feeling the music. Finally, when he felt he'd mastered it, he opened his eyes and his grandmother applauded.

"Well done Greg, you've done it. I am so proud of you," she said, hugging him from her place next to him on the bench.

Suddenly, House's phone rang and interrupted his private moment.

"House."

"We've got a case." It was Chase.

"You can't handle it?" He asked, exasperated.

"I need your help."

"On vacation," he replied.

"It's a toddler and she's really sick and I don't know what to do." It wasn't often Chase admitted he needed help but when he did, House knew it was serious. He sighed and rubbed his face. Babies and young children were among the worst patients because they could not communicate their symptoms clearly. Often times, so many died for exactly that reason. Still, he couldn't back away from the puzzle...the need to cure the most difficult kind of patient, so he relented.

He let one hand roam gently over the keys of the Baby Grand as he talked to Chase. "Fine, whatcha got?"

Cuddy, Blythe and Rachel were making the rounds at Paulsen's Market gathering up the rest of the things they needed for dinner.

"Steaks, Portobello, potatoes, asparagus..." Blythe recited the list as they walked through the produce section.

"Mommy can we have cob corn?" Rachel asked.

"I don't see why not," Cuddy replied, as she massaged the hair on her daughter's head.

"I was thinking about making one of Greg's favorite desserts too. It's called Bienenstich," Blythe said.

"Bean..en...what is that?" Rachel looked at her, puzzled.

Blythe chuckled. "Actually it goes by another name...bee sting cake."

"Bee sting?" Rachel asked, a quizzical look on her little face.

"Yes, dear. It's a German dessert made of a sweet yeast dough with a baked-on topping of caramelized almonds and filled with vanilla custard or cream."

"Sounds delicious...and rich," Cuddy said.

"It's why I rarely make it, but Greg loves it."

"Why do they call it bee sting cake?" Rachel asked.

Blythe kneeled down to the little girl and looked her into the eyes. "Well, legend has it that because there was honey in the cake, a bee was attracted to it and stung the baker who made it."

"That's silly," she stated adamantly.

"Yes it is. Would you like to help me bake it?"

"I can?" Rachel was delighted.

"Of course you can. You're actually a great little helper, just like my Greg was when he was your age."

"Do you mind if I join you? I'd like to learn how to make it too," Cuddy chimed in.

"Of course, dear."

They picked up the ingredients and stood in line. As they waited, Blythe leaned closer to her. "Lisa, was Greg alright last night? When he went to bed? I worried about him going to the cemetery yesterday. It's the first time he's been back since the funeral and I'm still not sure...how he's taking it."

Cuddy didn't want to reveal too much but wanted to reassure Blythe. "It's hard but...he's opening up. It's just difficult at times as you can imagine."

"I know it is," she said, placing their items on the belt. "I just want him finally be able to move on from it for good. He's always had a problem forgiving. He holds grudges forever."

"Don't I know it?" Cuddy scoffed. "After I broke up with him, he was so hurt and angry, he closed himself off and refused to talk about it."

"James told me everything that happened after Greg went to...prison." Blythe shuddered visibly at the thought. "God it's still so hard to say that word," she said with a half-smile. "It just seems unbelievable at times."

"I know what you mean."

"Anyway, he's always been like that. I could tell when he wanted to talk but he was afraid. He'd approach a subject but back off and change his mind." Blythe handed the cashier her credit card to pay for their groceries.

Cuddy nodded. "We spent a lot of years doing that," she said as she pushed the basket out the store and headed for Blythe's car. Blythe held Rachel's hand as they crossed the parking lot.

"I blame myself. I could've done a better job encouraging him to be more open. I can't help but think that it would've made his life so much better."

Cuddy nodded in understanding. She knew everything she did now would impact Rachel greatly as she got older. "It's why I work so hard to do my best with Rach but it isn't easy. Being her mom is the hardest job I've ever had. Sometimes I don't think I'm all that great at it and I worry about how badly I'm going to screw it up."

They finished loading the groceries into the car, got Rachel secured in the back and when Cuddy buckled herself in, Blythe gently placed a hand on her arm. "Rachel is a bright, fascinating, funny and curious little girl. It looks like you're doing a fine job."

"Thanks," she said. "I just don't want my problems to become hers."

Blythe smiled at her reassuringly. "You just keep doing what you're doing Lisa. You have to remember some things are unavoidable. Children are perceptive. Greg did at her age, he was always like that. He was also so much more sensitive than the other kids but he hid it well. He always felt things more deeply than the other kids and he didn't know how to handle it."

"As long as I've known him he's thought showing his feelings was a sign of weakness."

"Yes, and his father felt the same." Blythe replied sadly. "There are times I could swear Gregory was John's biological child." She looked over at Cuddy curiously. "I am assuming you knew that John isn't his biological father?"

"I knew. Are you and he ever going to talk about it?"

"It's never been the right time but..." Blythe hesitated sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"His...biological father...is dead."

Cuddy sat stunned in silence, wondering if House knew. As if Blythe could read her mind she said, "No, he doesn't know."

"When?"

"Last month."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"I just didn't know how...or when. It's complicated. I've wanted to talk to Greg about him but I kept putting it off because I knew when I did, it would be one of the most difficult conversations we'd ever have."

"But he's known for years John wasn't his father."

"I know, but...actually talking about it...I was afraid of what that would do to him. I wanted to wait until a point in his life where he had been able to move on from the past and try to find some happiness. I thought that maybe then he would deal with it better."

"He's not going to handle this well," Cuddy sighed. This time she placed her hand on Blythe's arm for comfort. "When you love someone, there's never really that perfect time to tell them something that will hurt them. I'll never forget the night...not long after House got out of Mayfield when he confessed to me he had feelings for me since college. I don't know how much you know about our past but...well we have quite a history. Anyway, I'd started dating someone else, someone he knew and I hadn't had the guts to tell him. I could see how much he'd changed and...yet I was afraid to get involved." She looked up at Blythe who smiled at her. "I kept my dating Lucas a secret because I was afraid of how much it would hurt House to find out..."

"But he found out," Blythe said matter-of-factly, driving through the green light.

Cuddy placed both hands in her lap and looked down, ashamed at the memory of how she'd treated House. "Yes. And it broke his heart. He didn't say it but I could see it in his eyes. I hurt him by not being truthful with him, by not believing in him. But that was us, we were never on the same page, we never talked. What we have now is the best communication we've ever had. Old habits die hard but I can't lose him again, I can't lose his trust."

Blythe kept driving but was listening to Cuddy intently. She couldn't have been more proud of the woman beside her who was in love with her son. Lisa Cuddy was intelligent, caring, sympathetic, funny, beautiful and she was a good mother. She knew her son needed a strong woman who could give as good as she could take and from what she'd learned about her so far, Cuddy was everything she'd hoped she'd be and then some.

"I'll talk to him tonight," Blythe said. They pulled up in front of her house and Blythe turned off the ignition and looked straight ahead and sighed. "He'll be angry with me."

"He might," Cuddy said. "But whatever happens you'll be okay and so will he. He's gotten through so much worse than this."

"Greg has always been a survivor."

Cuddy nodded. "I know. There were times I didn't think he'd make it. And then...he did."

"Mommy are we gettin' outta the car now?" Rachel asked impatiently from the backseat. Her outburst caused both women to laugh.

"Sorry Rach," Cuddy said as she smirked at Blythe.

The two women unbuckled their seat belts and exited the car. Cuddy helped Rachel out and sent her towards the front door then walked towards the trunk to help Blythe unload the groceries. Before Blythe opened the trunk she looked up at Cuddy, worry clearly etched on her face.

Cuddy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Blythe, who welcomed her embrace. "It'll be okay," she told the older woman. After a moment, the two women separated and smiled at one another.

"My son is so damn lucky to have you," Blythe said happily, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Cuddy replied with a smile. "We're lucky to have each other."

Well, there you go. I'm hoping like hell to get #95 out this weekend. Wish me luck.