Their final night on the road was spent at a casino resort hotel in Reno, Nevada, where after taking in a show Kelly dutifully followed House around as he placed bets, rolled dice, tried the slots, and with wins and losses and his drink tab factored in left him 10 dollars up from what he had come in with.

The next morning they crossed the border into California. As they passed the sign that welcomed them to the "Golden State", Kelly realized to her surprise that she was happy to be home.

House, on the other hand, grew more quiet and sullen as the day progressed.

They pulled in to her parent's driveway in Fort Bragg late afternoon. Kelly unbuckled her seat belt and was opening the door when she realized House hadn't moved. "Greg? Everything okay?"

"Are your parents going to see your credit card bill? Because we shared a room practically the whole time."

She had to laugh at the sudden expression of his insecurity. "Greg, relax."

"Easy for you to say. I'm already expecting a good ass-kicking without your dad thinking he has evidence I'm banging the bereaved."

"The card is in my name, Greg. I'm the only one that's going to see the bill. Now let's go."

Kelly was already in the arms of her mother when House extracted himself from the car. Colleen Campbell was much as House had expected her to be; a plump woman with pleasant features and a ready smile. She didn't wait for the official introduction before pulling him into a firm hug. "Dr. House, we're so glad to have you here."

"Mrs. Campbell; it's nice to meet you."

"Oh, call me Colleen, please. Just leave your things, and I'll ask Randy to have them brought in for you. Sarah-Beth and I are working on dinner; it should only be a few more minutes."

"Will there be enough, mom?"

"Of course, of course. We were expecting you."

After she had returned to the house, Kelly turned to him and smiled. "So far so good, huh?"

House felt a little sick to his stomach. "This is a bad idea."

"Don't be so ridiculous." She took his hand and tugged him along. "You'll be happy to know that my father is still away on his trip and won't be back until late tonight. So you'll only have to deal with meeting one parent at a time."

It actually was a bit of a relief. By the time he sat down at the table he was feeling a little more at ease. Three people joined them for the meal and were graciously introduced by Colleen in turn. Sarah-Beth had an infant in tow; it was explained that she had been a resident at the shelter (House remembered her from the pictures on Facebook) but was living with the Campbells while she awaited placement in a group home that helped new mothers care for their children. Randy was introduced as a friend of the family, but Kelly told him later that the boy's father had kicked him out of the house and he'd had no place to go. Eric, one of Philip's personal assistants who was there preparing for his return, was quiet but personable, obviously professional and looking the part with the Blackberry earpiece and golf shirt featuring the Campbell Foundation logo.

Later in private conversation, House would ask if it was a normal occurrence for employees and lost souls to join them at the dinner table. Her easy answer: "Of course. Where else would they eat?"

Kelly carried the conversation during the meal, chattering away with Sarah-Beth about the baby and with Randy about summer school. When Kelly, Colleen and House were left alone and brought their tea out to the porch overlooking the ocean, Colleen said, "Dr. House, I'm sure you'll think me rather rude not to be asking about Kelly's condition or about you or your trip. But my husband has made me promise that I'd hold off on the third degree until he's around to hear it all too."

That suited House just fine. "Please, call me Greg."

She never did. For the rest of his time there, no matter how often he insisted, he was called Dr. House by almost everyone.

Before small talk could commence, House received a call on his cell phone and checked the display. "I'm sorry; I'll need to take this. I may be awhile."

"Your roaming charges must be atrocious," Colleen said, handing him a cordless phone. "Call them back on this, dear."

"Um... Okay, thanks." And he left the room with obvious relief.

As soon as he was out of earshot, it began. "My, he's very attractive, isn't he?"

"Mom..." Kelly began warningly.

"In a rugged, damaged sort of way. I think the cane gives him an air of distinction. What happened to his leg? War injury?"

"An infarction in his thigh. But -"

"Rather shy, hmm?"

"He just isn't that good with people he doesn't know." Or that he does know. "He'll -"

"Quite a bit older than you, though I suppose at your age that doesn't matter so much."

"Mother!"

"And a DOCTOR! He must be very smart. And you said he's a musician?"

Kelly gave up at that point and let her talk. In her mother's estimation, a single man and a single woman couldn't simply be friends, and there was no point trying to convince her otherwise... whether it was true or not.

When Colleen left to take her shift as a phone counselor at the local crisis pregnancy center, Kelly set off to find Randy and figure out what room House would be in.

"Miss Colleen told me to put him in the other room downstairs," Randy told her. He was hunched over his homework in the library. "I wasn't sure which bags belonged to who, so I just brought them to the hall."

"That's fine, honey. Thanks." She looked over his shoulder. "You'd better check this one again," she said, pointing. "I think you forgot to divide."

Kelly was surprised that her mother would have chosen that room for House. House was surprised, too.

The Campbell home was spacious and well equipped to handle many guests at once. House and Kelly would be sharing the basement apartment. "Your parents are alright with this?" he asked as she showed him his room; his phone conversation had ended awhile ago, but he'd laid low until Colleen had left.

"I guess. My mother was the one that told Randy to put you down here. I think she assumed you'd appreciate the privacy; this is really the only part of the house that's separated from everything else. The rest of the guest rooms are all together on the third floor. This is kind of my apartment while I'm looking for my own place."

"If I were you I'd never leave here." The accommodations surpassed any of the expensive suites they'd enjoyed on their trip. They were sharing two bedrooms with king-sized beds, a large bathroom with whirlpool tub and a double sink, a living area with comfortable furniture and a big screen TV, and a full kitchen.

"Don't suppose they have any alcohol in this house," he commented, rooting through the well-stocked fridge.

"Not on your life. Nor had you better be bringing any in." She accepted the bottle of water he offered and led him into the living room. "So who was on the phone? Foreman?"

"Cuddy, actually," he admitted, flopping down into the leather love seat and opening the Coke he'd brought with him, taking a sip before setting it on the coffee table.

"You in trouble?"

"Nope." He looked around. "Remote?"

"So then why did she call?" It must have taken him a split second too long to formulate a lie because a smile spread across her face. "You like her, don't you?"

"Oh, gag me."

She approached him, remote in hand. "No, you do! You have a thing for her!"

Instead of taking the remote, he grabbed her by the belt and pulled her down beside him. "Currently I have a thing for YOU," he said in matter-of-factly, leaning in to kiss her just to cause a distraction.

She put a hand on his chest to stop him. "Don't change the subject; I want to hear about this!"

"There's nothing to hear about." He took the remote, and after a quick glance he figured out how to turn on the TV.

"So what --- is it a love-hate thing?" she pressed, warming up to the topic.

"Yeah. She hates to love me, and I love to hate her."

"Did you date?"

"Shut up, woman," he growled. "I'm trying to watch TV."

She was quiet for a moment, but all it served was to help her think of more questions. "You WILL tell me," she said finally.

"Maybe." He wouldn't look at her, instead staring straight ahead at the television.

She knew he would. Kelly left him to unpack her things and then his, gathering up a few loads of dirty clothes and heading to the laundry room, using the time to think.

House and Cuddy. She wouldn't have put that together on her own, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Did she have a right to feel jealous? She could promise him nothing and had asked for nothing. And for as much as she liked to pretend she could read him so well, she really wasn't sure just how he felt and where he wanted this to go.

Too soon. Too soon.

Too soon?

She wasn't sure anymore.