Author's note: This is just an excuse to practice writing, I tend to start and never finish because I never use an outline. I did this time and this story has a beginning, middle, and end. Obviously, it's very AU and a what if scenario, very fiction based. If you like it, leave a review.

Chapter 1

The man sat on the cool tile floor of the bathroom, his back resting against the marbled bathtub, his knee bent while the other lay flat outward, and in his left hand were two little white pills. He was trembling, his whole entire being was on the brink of collapsing into oblivion once more and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the abyss that called to him.

'There is no downside…There is no one coming to save me…not this time…so who will I hurt? But myself,' he thought, his hand trembling covered in dust and the white pills he slowly brought to his mouth. He perched it open to welcome the poison onto his tongue until a loud noise rang him from his trance, the phone in the living room was ringing and it sounded louder than it actually was.

Steadying his vision, his red rimmed tear filled eyes blinked a few times to gain clarity to his surroundings and his line of sight fell on the two pills in his hands. He groaned angrily, flinging his left hand outward to rid himself of the contents and gripped the side of the tub for balance while his legs shook. His body was trembling, his breathing rapid while he pulled himself onto his feet, he swayed a bit with his first steps uncoordinated and made his way to the living room where the phone echoed from. Gripping the walls of the hallway while he made his way through, one foot in front of the other, and his breathing echoed in his ears.

"Hello?" He answered slowly, bringing the phone to his right ear and gripping it as if it would crumble apart, his knuckles stained with dirt and ear stained with dried blood from the wound on his forehead.

"Is this Dr. Gregory House?" It was the voice of a man. House turned to the clock on the wall that read to him 3 am and wondered why someone would be calling him so early in the morning. He listened quietly, waiting for any noises in the background to give away the origins of this man he did not recognize or know before answering.

"Yes." He answered flatley.

"I'm sorry to contact you so early, but I have urgent news to discuss with you. Do you have time to talk?" The man began, his tone respective and concise, it reminded him of a particular person's speech when she handled clients and instantly he knew this was a lawyer or some sort of an attorney.

House listened to the man begin to explain to him a recent investigation into a fertility practice run by a fertility doctor named Dr. Han Patel who worked alongside several partners and engaged in IVF, Surrogacy, Sperm Donation, and Egg Donation. It seemed several samples had gone missing or were being misused, the practice had been shut down and was facing several lawsuits. The man on the phone was a lawyer representing the victims involved in misused samples, his name was Benjamin Walter and he just explained to Gregory that his sample had been misused which resulted in that of a child.

"I don't know how to explain this in a way that would not be upsetting given the time that has passed. Dr. House your sample was used to artificially inseminate an egg belonging to that of your wife Dr. Lisa Cuddy which was then implanted into another woman's uterus."

"I cannot disclose the woman's personal information, but she brought the baby to term and gave him up for adoption at birth when he was diagnosed with complete deafness. He's been living in a foster home for the past 4 years, he was with a woman specialized for deaf children, but she died last year and he's been temporarily placed in a not so great home." Benjamin explained the situation to House who had zoned out of the whole information he'd just received regarding the large fact that he had a: son. His grip on the phone had loosened, but his chest swelled with a pang of hurt and excitement at this sudden unbelievable news.

"Have you contacted Dr. Lisa Cuddy?" House asked, he had forgotten about the joke he pulled at the fertility practice Cuddy attended for her IVF, he'd donated his sperm and told the front desk receptionist that he was Cuddy's husband. He was surprised she'd never found out about that, but then she had given IVF up before he did that so she'd never gone back for a follow up and he had no clue she'd left eggs there. She froze them?

"No I have not. I assume as her husband, you will discuss this news with her discreetly, I hope. It is a lot to take in." Benjamin answered with sincerity, House inhaled knowing his next actions would cost him the absolute fall out of whatever relationship remained with him and Cuddy, but she had been selfish the past year and if she deserved happiness, then so did he. Even if she couldn't be his, at least a part of her could and she would never know. What one doesn't know, can't hurt them.

Over the phone, the lawyer explained the next steps that would be taken for House to get custody of his son. The legalities of the situation were quite simple since the boy had been in foster care all his life and no claims had been made on him for possible adoption. Seeing as the boy was biologically related to House, there would not be too much to process in terms of adoption, but House would need to go to court to have documents made out for guardianship such as a new Birth Certificate and the other would be redacted in the process. No information regarding the boy's birth, foster system record, or his parentage would ever see the light of day other than the personal documents that would be handed to Dr. Gregory House, his father.

"There will be a woman to meet you at the airport, her name is Greta Jenkins. She's a child welfare attorney, she will be handling your case. As I say again, I am truly sorry about this situation and if there is any compensation, I will contact you directly." Benjamin apologized sincerely over the phone, he was truly empathetic about the entire situation and could only imagine how the parent felt to know they had a son this whole entire time while struggling to get pregnant.

"I don't need any compensation. Thank you, Benjamin, for calling me about this. It means more than anything, to just get him and bring him home." House replied softly, his tone of voice was still raspy from dehydration and exhaustion from the last night near 8 hours of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He hung up the phone on the receiver and stood standing beside it, staring down at it and wondering if that phone call was real. He limped his way back into the bathroom and searched the floor for the white pills before his eyes landed on them. Signaling to him that the phone call indeed was real, the information was real, and the fact he had a son waiting for him was real.

He cleaned up the bathroom, taking the shards out of the tub and dropping them into a large white trash bag, he'd filled the tub with water to rinse the smaller shards before he leaned down on his knees to pick up the two orange prescription bottle of opiate medication and he held them in his palm. Staring at the writing, the label with his name written on it and the prescribing physicians, one had been written by Dr. Lisa Cuddy and the other by Dr. James Wilson. He tossed them into the trash along with the rogue two pills on the floor, tying the bag, he limped his way out of his apartment and tossed the trash bag into a dumpster, riding himself of the past.

'A child between me and Cuddy…' He thought, removing his clothing, slowly pulling off his dust covered shirt, wincing as he lifted it off to be greeted by his stitches that had reopened and were bleeding. He clicked his belt off, pulling it out from his pants waistband, dropping it to the floor along with his pants and underwear. He stepped from the pile and turned the shower on, setting it to cold and he knew it would hurt his leg, but he didn't care. Under the cold shower stream, he washed the dirt and dust from his skin, cleaning the dirt from under his fingernails, and running soap in his filling hair from when it had been shaved nearly a year ago when he was admitted.

'A child,' House thought, images of himself as a boy flitted through his memory and he saw his mother young, sitting on the porch of a 50s style American home with a book. He was playing in the yard, running around and he recalled being an active child, growing up to play in sports and feeling the wind in his hair as his legs took him far. Then a dark image entered his thoughts of his father, angry in expression, and he was in uniform scolding House for letting his hair grow out like a little girl, but his mother had defended him saying the barber had been injured in a motor vehicle accident.

House shut the water off, got out of the tub, pat himself dry and limped over to the bathroom sink where he gripped the sides and leaned forward. There was no mirror to look in, only a hole he had carved out in a drugged attempt to hide his addiction.

He entered his room, fully nude, ignoring the pain in his scarred leg, he undid the blankets and climbed inside to surrender to its heavy weight, letting the warmth carry him to sleep.

In the morning, he packed his blue backpack with the essentials he would need on the flight and then grabbed his messenger bag which included important documents Greta would need upon arrival. He'd contacted first thing in the morning to let her know he'd be on his way, letting her know his flight's arrival and thankfully he had caught a flight with no layovers considering the recent weather. It was Saturday and he knew considering what happened last night, the hospital would have their hands full with the surviving victims of the Trenton Crane Collapse. No one would be bothering him or checking up on him after what had happened last night with Hanna, he grimaced at the thought of her and gathered his belongings. He chose to drive himself to the airport in his Cadillac, not wanting to bring attention to his apartment in case anyone did drop by which he hoped they wouldn't. Only Wilson had a key, since he'd changed the locks last time Cameron decided to barge in and wake him up, she'd left Chase, but he didn't need a repeat of that. Not with the arrival of the boy.

He parked his car in the airport parking lot, letting the attendant know he'd be returning in a few hours to pick it back up and the attendant informed him the duration cars could remain parked before being towed. It was more than enough time and House caught the airport shuttle bus which took him to his terminal, he boarded his plane heading to San Luis Obispo, California and pulled out his headphones to listen to his IPOD.

—-

Greta had greeted him in Arrivals, she'd held up a sign and waved to him, taking notice of his cane almost immediately and she smiled at him empathetically asking where his wife was. House had dismissed it by saying she had relinquished her rights, the woman very much believed him and did not question whether the statement were true or not. He informed her that they had gotten a divorce about a year ago, she had since become engaged recently to another man and given birth to a daughter, he'd left the part about Rachel being adopted, but Greta seemed to very much believe in his integrity and he was thankful for once to have the cane…and the limp.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's upsetting when parents abandon their children due to disabilities, but I assure you he is a very kind young boy despite his limitations." Greta informed House, upset by the news that Dr. Lisa Cuddy chose to not have any part in raising or acknowledging her son due to his disability which House knew, him being deaf would not bother Lisa whatsoever. She'd accept any child. Like she accepted

Rachel as her own daughter and let another man into their lives to create a family.

"Tell me about it. I see it all the time as a doctor. It's very upsetting, that I have a hard time restraining myself from berating the parents about their neglect of said children." House expressed, his words articulated and free of sarcasm or wittiness, he limped with every step as Greta led him to her car and they drove.

Greta drove to a family court where she would process House's documents in transferring the child into custody of the father where a judge would seal it and he would receive new records for the child. Greta explained to him the proceedings, it would go by very quickly since House was his biological father and that since Dr. Lisa Cuddy had not arrived nor acknowledged said child, her rights would be revoked. Which means in the case she ever did seek out the child, to gain custody, she would not be allowed to until the child turns fourteen and could make a legal decision in choosing which parent to live with. For now sole custody belonged to Dr. Gregory House and it would be granted immediately in the State of California before being finalized and transferred to the State of New Jersey where House resides.

"When do I get to see him?" House asked, sitting at the desk in her office as she signed off on the last bit of documents before highlighting a few signatures she needed from House who picked up a pen and signed.

In all this travel and legal talk, no one had mentioned what his name was or how old he was, but judging from Benjamin's explanation, this lawsuit had stemmed from 2006 and it was currently 2010.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you're eager to meet him. We'll have a family session before we meet with the judge to finalize the proceedings. Come." Greta rose up from her desk, closing the vanilla folder, she straightened her dress suit and clicked her boots towards the carpeted floor, holding the door for House as she waited outside in the hallway of the cream colored building. House rose up, limping his way out and followed behind Greta who was a tall, middle-aged black woman with a few grays in her hair, but a beautiful kind aged face who loved her job and found joy in joining families. They walked a bit down the hallway where she opened a door to reveal a large room with child furniture, dolls, stuffed animals, and children's toys. There on the floor, his back leaned against a child-sized red couch, holding a book in his lap with pictures inside and a few sentences written in the corner was a young boy dressed in brown corduroy overalls, a green undershirt with a black peace symbol and black sneakers.

"He hasn't been fitted with Cochlear implants so he can't hear at all, but he can sign very well and lip read to a certain degree." Greta explained to House, they both stood in the doorway and House took a few steps inside, with Greta following closely behind watching the interaction unfold. She knew House had been a victim to that fertility practice lawsuit and could only imagine how he felt, missing the last 4 years of his son's life, and not even knowing he had one.

"Don't worry, I know sign language. Comes in handy as a doctor. No pun intended." House replied before realizing the joke in his statement, Greta huffed with a smile at the comment and watched him make his way deeper into the room.

The boy had dark wavy hair that went behind his ears, it was parted to the side and a strand clung to his forehead in a curl, his skin was white with a pink tinge on his ears, cheeks, chin, and the skin around his eyes. House couldn't make out his face since his attention was on that of the orange book in his lap with the colored images inside and House made his way closer to the boy until he was standing right beside him. Hovering over him while the boy hadn't heard him until House reached out to lay a warm hand on his shoulder, then did the boy immediately look up to make contact with the person.

House was shook to his core when this boy's face came into view, his eyes were a brilliant blue, he had long dark eyelashes and dark eyebrows. He was a spitting image of House, the same face except the hair, the hair color and shape was that of Lisa. The boy just stared at him, blinking softly before moving his hands upward and signing towards House.

"What?"

House gulped. Nervous now from the sight in front of him, the boy stared at him and it was like staring in a mirror, but at the same time the boy's disposition was similar to that of Cuddy's when he'd first met her in college. She was quiet and shy, but curious and unafraid. Her brow was alway set and this boy mirrored her expressions.

"I'm Dr. Gregory House, what's your name?" House said and signed with his hands, leaning his cane against the couch where the boy still sat leaned against which was a habit House had. He could never stay seated in a chair for too long before laying on the ground and staring up at the sky to process his ideas.

"My name's Ulysses Grant." Ulysses signed and House had to bite back a laugh at the creativity in her whoever assigned his first and last name. He turned to Greta who gave him a knowing look at the comedic pairing of his name before he turned back to look at Ulysses.

"Ulysses. I'm here to take you home with me." House said and signed, waiting for Ulysses to process the information, he looked at House with a curious expression processing his words in his small mind before rising up from the floor.

"You're my dad?" Ulysses signed, his hands slow before drawing the conclusion and dropped his hands to his sides waiting for House to respond, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yes. Yes I am. There was a mix-up and I didn't know where you were, but I'm here now to take you home with me." House explained and signed, Ulysses raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to Greta, signing if this was true and she responded it indeed was. Ulysses smiled widely, revealing a missing front tooth and he bounced a bit in excitement, a happy noise escaping his throat and House smiled softly in return.

"This is awesome." Ulysses signed excitedly before throwing himself to hug House, who winced a bit at the contact due to his leg, but he ignored it because the embrace from his own child felt like it could heal any pain. He patted the young boy's back softly and Greta explained in an hour or so they would go ahead with proceedings in front of the judge.

"You're a doctor?" Ulysses signed and House nodded.

"You help sick people? Make them better?" Ulysses signed, his lips mouthing the words here and there, but mostly he kept his lips shut but House could tell the boy was very excited to be signing with another person again. Greta had informed him his recent placement was not equipped in handling him and refused to sign with him, so he had to struggle to read lips and often missed meals because he couldn't hear. There were obvious signs of emotional and physical neglect towards his needs, but Greta had said it was a struggle to build a case against the placement. House was just grateful Ulysses seemed to be fine and wasn't withdrawn, but still a very happy child.

"Yes. I do help sick people and make them better. Even better, I specialized in curing the impossible. When no one can figure out what they have." House explained and signed, Ulysses' eyes brightened in amazement.

"Like a superhero?" He signed.

"No, I solve medical mysteries and I save people at the same time in the process." House replied and signed.

"Like Sherlock Holmes?" Ulysses signed and House smiled widely at his wide knowledge of literature.

"Yes, like Sherlock Holmes. You can read those books at your age?" House asked quizzically, impressed.

"No, I watch the show with subtitles. Ms. Annie liked to watch television and would put subtitles on for me." Ulysses signed, explaining his first foster placement that had raised him alongside other deaf or hard of hearing children.

"It's a good show, too. Books are better, but I'm sure you can read far better than most kids if given the chance." House signed and Ulysses nodded enthusiastically, he'd gotten tired of the picture books from his last placement who assumed since he couldn't hear somehow that translated into him being unable to read.

"Books are better. I love books!" Ulysses signed with a wide smile and House signed to him that he had a ton of books at home, a bit advanced, but Ulysses was more than welcome to read them if he wanted to. They talked some more about where House lived in New Jersey, the hospital he worked at in Princeton, and if he had any friends.

"Yes, I do have a few friends, but I spend most of my time at home. My best friend is Dr. James Wilson. We spend a lot of time together." House explained, signing with his hands while Ulysses signed that he had lost contact with his friends from his last placement when he was moved from Los Angeles County to San Luis Obispo and that he was unable to have any friends since he wasn't placed in school.

"You're old enough to be enrolled in school now. A special school for kids like you, too young for kindergarten, but I'm sure they have something for your age group." House explained, signing with his hands while thinking about how many schools for Deaf and Blind were near his apartment and the hospital.

"A special school?" Ulysses grimaced at the word, House noticed the change in his expression and he quickly realized that he was thinking of special education for mentally stunted children.

"A school for the Deaf and Blind. Other kids are like you, they can't hear and they can do sign language." House signed and explained watching the quirk in Ulysses expression as he drank in the information carefully before beaming brightly once more.

"Yes, I know this place. Ms. Annie taught at one and the other kids would go there during the day." Ulysses signed excitedly, he signed that he was excited to get to go to a place like that now. House reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately, it waved and curled in between his palm and he wondered what Cuddy looked like as a girl.

"It's time, Dr. House." Greta returned into the room holding a thick document in her hands, House turned his attention towards her by the door and arose from the floor where he'd been seated talking with Ulysses. Ulysses watched House struggle to get up, he held out a hand for House to take and House leaned on his cane to help him up before seeing the child's small hand out in front of him. He paused, staring at it before taking it into his grasp and slowly rose up with the boy's help, ruffling his hair in thanks.

"I help you." Ulysses signed and House nodded his head as they made their way out of the room to follow Greta who smiled sweetly at the two.

"You know, I hadn't said this before, but you two look exactly alike." Greta commented as they rounded a corner and stood in front of two large brown polished doors.

"Thanks." House replied and they made their way inside.

The court proceeding had gone by smoothly, the judge was very remorseful about the fertility practice incident and the fact that Ulysses's surrogate mother had given him up for adoption at birth. He was also remorseful to hear the news that Dr. Lisa Cuddy had chosen to not acknowledge the child and granted sole custody to Dr. Gregory House. The court congratulated the two on the transfer of custody, handing House the official documents signing Ulysses Grant as Ulysses House, son of Gregory House and mother unlisted. House smiled happily, they had their photo taken and Ulysses was given a backpack with toys inside, notebooks, and a teddy bear with a blue tie. He signed his thanks with a happy smile and House noticed that Ulysses had Cuddy's smile, which he was thankful for. Thankful that Ulysses wouldn't grow up to be like him, but instead innocent and headstrong like Cuddy. Knowing what he wants and not afraid to go after it no matter what. Brave and Unafraid.

"Let's go home." House signed with a soft smile and Ulysses held his hand happily as they made their way out of the courtroom where Greta proceeded to drive them to the airport.

"Once again, I hope the best for the two of you. If anything happens, here's my card." Greta bid her goodbyes, she handed House her card and he took it, placing it in his jacket pocket and hooked his bags over his uninjured shoulder. Ulysses had his backpack strapped to him, a small duffel bag that was provided by Greta after the placement family had thrown his belongings in a black trash bag.

"Thank you for everything." House thanked her with absolute sincerity and she shook his hand heartily before going back to her car. House turned to Ulysses who was holding his hand, he turned them towards the Departures where they waited in line and were processed through with the temporary ID the court had provided for Ulysses to leave the state. He would need to apply for a new ID for Ulysses in New Jersey, set up a Pediatrician appointment and add him onto his insurance. Not just that but a ton of other stuff to accommodate Ulysses needs such as a bedroom, furniture, toys, books, clothes, and school supplies as well as paying for him to attend a Deaf school.

"You ever been on a plane before?" He asked Ulysses, signing with his hands while Ulysses sat beside him in the boarding flights seating area. Their plane hadn't begun boarding yet, House checked his watch and it was nearing the end of the day if the sunset was any indication. The California weather had been a change to New Jersey's recent dreary weather, it had been windy and raining recently which could be attributed to why that crane collapsed. It was nearing the end of the year, but yet California always remained in the middle of summer, the strong ocean breeze and the warmth from the sun on ones skin could make anyone forget all their worries.

"No, never. What is it like?" Ulysses signed, his expression quizzical and House smirked at the funny expression. Speaking with deaf people was always interesting because they couldn't hear or speak, but made up for it through their expressions to indicate tone of voice which was fascinating.

"It's like a car, but it flies instead." House signed flatley

"Really? Like a car?" Ulysses wasn't amused by House's flat response, House made a shocked expression before signing that it was more like a bus than a car. It shook, was loud, and then remained a soft hum while in the air.

"A bus." Ulysses pinched his eyebrows together.

People had been watching them sign for a while, taking notice of House's cane resting in between his legs while he was reading a magazine with Ulysses. The magazine was one on recent medical studies with articles by doctors in different specialties and there were a few interesting photos of organs and open surgery, but to his surprise Ulysses wasn't squeamish. Ulysses signed several questions while pointing to different words and photos, House found himself trying to explain in a way Ulysses would understand, but refused to talk to him like a child.

They later arrived in Princeton, New Jersey around 12 am and Ulysses had slept on the plane ride over, the vibrations of the plane lulling him to sleep while House read through the rest of the medical magazine. He may slack at work, but he wasn't one to slack on recent medical discoveries or medical breakthroughs. Making his way off the plane, Ulysses in hand, they made their way to the shuttle bus while Ulysses rubbed his eyes tiredly, still slightly sleepy but awake.

"It's cold." Ulysses signed. House was suddenly aware of the change of weather, he looked inside Ulysses duffel bag and pulled out a sweatshirt. Ulysses put it on slowly and signed if it was always cold in New Jersey, House replying during the winter it is, but can get pretty hot during the summer.

"Does it snow?" Ulysses signed.

"Yes. It hasn't yet, but it should soon." House explained, signing with his hands and Ulysses grinned happily, explaining he'd never seen snow before.

They were dropped off in front of his car, House opened the trunk and placed their bags inside where Ulysses assisted him before joining him in the front seat. House proceeded to tell him to climb to the backseat because he wasn't big enough to ride in the front yet due to safety concerns and Ulysses nodded, buckling himself in the center of the backseat. House turned on the car and proceeded to leave the airport; he was tired from the short trip and the experience of court and the legalities. His shoulder was hurting as well from the injury he sustained when the rubble had collapsed a bit on top of him. He glanced at the rearview mirror, Ulysses was staring out the window in amazement at his new surroundings. He turned his attention back on the road, not thinking about what was to come with what he had done by taking in Ulysses or that he kept it from Cuddy.

'I deserve to be happy,' House thought selfishly, if she could have the perfect daughter and the perfect husband then why couldn't he have the perfect son? Lucas could have Cuddy, but House would keep his son. The last thing he wanted was Lucas coming near his son or even raising him and he knew if he would have informed Cuddy about Ulysses she would have taken him without any remorse or guilt.

She'd changed and so did he.

'No one changes? No, Nolan. They do. I was wrong. People do change,' House thought with a smug smile as he pulled in front of his apartment building and parked the car. Ulysses had fallen asleep again in the backseat, House reached out to shake him gently and Ulysses' eyes fluttered open looking around as he stretched.

"Were home?" He signed.

"Yes. Let's go inside." House signed, Ulysses opened his side door and joined House at the trunk of the car to grab his duffel bag and backpack he'd been gifted by the court. They made their way into the apartment building where House opened the door, Ulysses slowly made his way inside taking in his was no sound, he turned to his right and saw a hallway that led to a few doors then ahead where he found the living area and the kitchen. There were bookcases filled with books, a grand piano, a couch and a television near the front windows. House had closed the door behind them, locking it and going towards his bedroom where he set down his backpack. He removed the documents from his messenger bag and placed them on the desk in the bedroom where he would file them properly in the morning.

Ulysses was looking around at everything, touching it softly here and there, and his attention was on the piano. He'd seen people play it on TV and could feel the vibrations from the sound on the TV, but he just could not hear it and Ms. Annie had said it sounded very nice. House joined him by the piano, having removed his coat, remaining in a shirt and jeans with white socks on.

"You like the piano?" House said, signing with his hands and Ulysses nodded, reaching out to touch the keys, pressing softly on one. He jumped at the sound.

"It's like a drum?" Ulysses signed, surprised by the vibrations that bounced off the key and House chuckled, resting his hands on his hips. It was a shame that Ulysses couldn't hear, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn to play if he tried even Beetoven had gone deaf yet still composed beautiful music, maybe there was a correlation somewhere.

House seated himself at the piano and began to play a beautiful melody watching the surprise in Ulysses face, a few grunts escaped his throat from his shock and a nervous smile graced his features.

He touched the side of the wood to feel the vibration closely before jumping back with a nervous smile and he signed happily.

"It's like a drum. Technically it's a percussion, so it is." House signed before ceasing his playing and wondered how Ulysses would react to him strumming on his electric guitar if it weren't for Wilson destroying it.

"It's cool!" Ulysses signed and House chuckled at his California lingo. Ulysses made his way over to the couch where House joined him, looking up at the clock that read 2 am and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I don't have a bed for you, but if you want you can sleep on my bed and I'll sleep here on the couch." House explained, signing with his hands and Ulysses nodded following House to the bedroom where he climbed into the large bed. He took in his surroundings quietly while House tucked him in, flicking the bedside table lamp on so that the room wouldn't be too dark.

"I'll be on the couch. I'm not going anywhere." House signed before retreating to the living room with a pillow and throw blanket. Ulysses nodded before signing good night and House returned the gesture with a warmness in his eyes. Even though he'd ruined his shoulder in the rubble and had to sign every word with Ulysses which sent a pang of pain with every movement, he was just glad his brain was focused on his shoulder instead of his leg.

House layed the pillow out on the couch, plomping himself down on the soft cushions and covering himself. He shut his eyes and dreamed.

Benjamin Walter had closed the case of Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Lisa Cuddy, deleting the digital copies and storing the physical file away. He was truly happy that he'd reunited the family with their son and that he was finally going to get the proper attention he deserved.