House pulled up in front of the café and shut off the bike, swinging one leg over and unclipping his cane before heading inside. The bell over the door got Marge's attention, and she greeted him with that familiar smile as he took a seat at the counter.

"Mornin', Greg." Marge was already setting down a cup and filling it. "You want somethin' to eat to go with that coffee?"

House shook his head. "Coffee's fine."

"Got them first day jitters, huh?" Marge teased him. "Caroline's got 'em, too. Never seen that girl fuss so much."

House had been so wrapped up in preparing to start his seminar at Vanderbilt that he had forgotten that Caroline was starting classes at the community college. "I'm sure she'll do just fine."

"'Course she will." Marge answered. "And you will, too."

House couldn't help being amused. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a little edgy at the idea of teaching again, and Marge's reassurance actually helped a little.

And now that his license had finally come through, he had the practice to think about. It wasn't going to be as simple as hanging up a sign and opening the door, and the more he thought about it, the more daunting a prospect it seemed.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now he had a seminar to teach.

He drained the remains of his coffee and left some cash on the counter, giving Marge a brief wave before leaving. As he pushed open the door, he nearly ran into the real estate agent that had rented him the office.

"Doctor House, it's good to see ya." Ralph greeted him. "How's that place treatin' ya?"

"So far, so good." House answered carefully. "Looking at getting the doctor's office open eventually."

"S'pose that means you'll be wantin' to extend that lease, then." Ralph replied.

House groaned internally. One more damn thing to deal with. "I suppose so."

"Well, you stop on by the office when you get a chance." Ralph told him. "We'll fix ya right up."

"I'll do that." House replied with a nod before a thought occurred to him. "You know, I could use some…legal guidance."

Ralph nodded. "I know some folks. I'll put ya in touch with 'em."

House managed to escape getting further mired in small talk, arranging to meet with Ralph later in the day, and he climbed on the bike for the ride to Vanderbilt.

It was a pleasant morning, and it made for an enjoyable ride to Vanderbilt. Soon he pulled into the lot and made his way up to his classroom, scribbling some notes on the whiteboard as he waited for the students to come in.

The room was soon filled with young faces, regarding him expectantly. House took in a deep breath and nodded in greeting, pacing at the front of the room.

"I assume most of you know who I am." He told them. "You wouldn't be in this seminar otherwise."

That drew a few quiet laughs, and House continued. "For those that don't, I'm Doctor Gregory House. I used to run a diagnostics fellowship program at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. As to why I ended up here, that's none of your business. By the time you're done with this seminar, you'll be able to think your way critically through a patient's case, and you'll be able to recognize that sometimes, those hoofprints really do belong to zebras."

He turned toward the whiteboard and started to talk through the first case he had chosen. The students were remarkably astute, more than House had initially given them credit for, and he admired the way a few of them were willing to be wrong. "There's nothing wrong with being wrong…at first. You have to start somewhere."

That seemed to encourage more students to speak up, and soon they were talking and arguing among themselves. House eased himself on to the edge of the desk, letting them have at it. This was the part he loved best, listening as his fellows discussed and debated until they came to a conclusion.

All too soon, the session was over. "That wasn't a bad start. The patient's still alive, so she'll live until I see you next time."

The students gathered up their things and made their way out, and it was only then that House noticed Foster leaning against the wall at the back of the room. He smiled broadly at House as he made his way to the front of the room.

"Hope you don't mind that I sat in." Foster told him.

"Didn't even know you were there." House answered as he took down the notes on the whiteboard before wiping it clean.

Foster let out a soft chuckle at that. "You really seem to have a knack for this. I think we could make some room for you if you wanted to join the faculty full-time."

House shook his head. "I am a real doctor, you know."

Foster didn't appear the least bit offended. "Most of us were too, once upon a time. But I hear you. Just wanted to let you know that the door's open. And you might want to think about designing a seminar for next semester."

"We'll see." House didn't know how to take Foster. He wasn't used to hearing such encouraging words, but then again, like everyone else down here, he didn't really know House well enough to know who he was really dealing with.

The two men went their separate ways outside the classroom, and House made his way back out to the bike. He paused for a moment after he mounted the bike, looking back at the building he had just exited.

The idea of teaching full-time was preposterous. Then again, uprooting his entire life to stay here had once been equally preposterous.

He shoved his helmet on his head, securing it before starting up the bike. There were other matters that needed his attention, others that had seemed ridiculous not that long ago. Now the time had finally come to start that process, too.

It wasn't long before he pulled up in front of Ralph's office, dismounting before heading inside. The receptionist met him with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"

"Here to see Ralph if he's around." House told her.

"Doctor House, didn't expect you so quick." Ralph's voice boomed out. "Come on back and we'll talk."

House nodded to the receptionist and followed Ralph back to his office. "Now, you've got some options. We can convert your current lease to a twelve-month lease, or you can go longer, up to five years. 'Course, there'll be a rent increase built in there every year, but with a long-term lease, you're guaranteed the space for a few years."

House had to admit he hadn't thought much beyond these few months. "Yeah, I think I'd like to get some legal guidance before I make any decisions."

"Sure thing, sure thing." Ralph nodded. "Like I told ya, I know a couple people. Let me make a couple quick calls."

Before House could respond, Ralph was on the phone, talking someone's ear off. "Yep, I've got him right here. Let me put him on."

Ralph handed the phone out to House. "Got my ol' friend Joe on the line. He'll fix ya right up."

House took the phone from Ralph. "Please tell me you're a real lawyer."

Joe laughed heartily on the other end of the phone. "Yes sir, I'm the real deal. Now, what do you need help with?"

House huffed irritably before giving Joe a quick rundown. He was met with another brief chuckle. "Well now, that's quite a task you've taken on. Sure, we can arrange a meetin'. Now, don't go signin' anythin' before I've had a chance to give it a good lookin' over, got it? Ol' Ralph'll have you signin' your life away before you know what hit you."

They arranged a time to meet, and House handed the phone back to Ralph. The two men talked on the phone for a bit longer before Ralph finally hung up. "Well, guess you won't be signin' nothin' today. That's alright, we've got some time. You two meet up and let me know what you want to do, all right?"

House merely nodded in response, shaking Ralph's hand before leaving the office and climbing on the bike for the short trip home.

Home. House supposed he really was home now, at least for the foreseeable future. Now all that was left was to build a life here. He was almost looking forward to it.

# # #

Rob let his mind wander while Celia drove. This day had been a long time coming, but it was finally here. He was finally getting that new leg.

"Are you all right over there?" Celia asked. "You're awfully quiet."

"Yeah." Rob answered absently.

Celia gave him a concerned look. "Figured you'd be a little more excited, I guess."

Rob shrugged. "Gonna have to learn to walk on it. Ain't no small thing."

"Suppose you're right." Celia replied with a slight frown. "Probably gonna be worth it."

"I don't wanna talk no more about it." Rob told her sharply.

Celia pressed her lips together, gripping the steering wheel more tightly and falling silent. Rob couldn't help feeling a little bad about upsetting her. She just didn't understand, that was all.

The whole process had been wearing, taking Rob right back to his early days of recovery after he'd come home from Germany. The lack of sleep the night before hadn't helped matters, either. Lord knows he had tried, but every time he started dropping off, the memories would jolt him right out of sleep.

Eventually he'd given up and taken to the couch, trying to distract himself with some movie he couldn't remember the plot of now. And of course, the sun had risen before he'd been able to catch more than a few minutes of sleep.

The pot of coffee was a piss-poor substitute for sleep, that was for damn sure.

Logically, Rob knew the new leg was going to improve his quality of life. He'd move a hell of a lot better, and it would fit him a hell of a lot better. But he knew there was going to be some work to do in order to adapt to it.

Rob glanced over at Celia. Her expression had relaxed somewhat, but he could still see the hurt in her eyes. He hadn't meant it, but that didn't mean much. He'd still hurt her.

Finally, he reached out, gently placing a hand on her thigh. She jumped slightly before fixing him with a slight smile.

"Didn't mean to bite your head off." Rob told her. "And I sure appreciate you comin' with me. Means a lot."

Celia placed a hand over his. "You're gonna be better off. Just gonna take some time to get used to it, that's all."

"Right, right." Rob answered. "Reminds me an awful lot of when I first got home, you know?"

Celia pulled into the parking lot at the VA hospital and shut off the SUV before turning to Rob, taking his hands in hers. "And you know this time's different. You've got a whole lot of folks in your corner. Ain't no one leavin' you this time, all right?"

That hit Rob a little harder than he'd expected, and he had to swallow the lump that had suddenly sprung up before responding. "All right."

Celia smiled a little more broadly at that, squeezing Rob's hands and leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "Now then, let's see about gettin' you that fancy new leg."

Rob couldn't help but notice the warmth that went through him, and he gave her a quick nod before they both climbed down and headed into the clinic.

It wasn't long after he checked in that he was called back. He and Celia followed the assistant to the physical therapy room, where Doctor Randolph was waiting for him. "Good to see you, Rob. Ready to try this thing on?"

"Yes, sir." Rob told him, sitting down on a nearby chair and pulling up the leg of his jeans before undoing the old leg and setting it aside.

Doctor Randolph unwrapped his stump and examined it closely before giving Rob an approving nod. "Everything looks good."

He explained the basic mechanics of the new leg to Rob. "Now, it's going to feel a little different. It's a lot lighter than the old one, and you'll have to adjust your walking style. But that's why we're in here, so you can have some support while you get used to it, and we can make adjustments if needed."

Rob nodded and fitted the leg over his stump, slowly standing to lock it into place. "Feels pretty weird."

"I'll bet it does." Doctor Randolph laughed. "Ready to work with it?"

"Sure thing."

It felt awkward at first, that was for sure. The new leg was so light in comparison to his old one that it almost felt like nothing. He managed to make his way up to the parallel bars, carefully putting one foot in front of the other.

He was going to have to completely change the way he walked with this thing. Good Lord.

Finally, Rob felt confident enough to take a few steps without having to rely on the bars, and he couldn't help but marvel at it all. He caught Celia's eye, and the way she was beaming at him lifted his own spirits considerably.

"How's it feel?" Doctor Randolph asked him.

"Pretty damn good." Rob told him. "Takin' some gettin' used to, but this is a hell of a lot better than the old one."

Doctor Randolph nodded. "Looks like you're adapting pretty quickly. But we'll set you up with some additional physical therapy to help retrain your body and your brain."

Rob paused briefly, leaning on the bars and shifting his weight to his good leg. "Sounds good to me."

Doctor Randolph made a couple of minor adjustments before setting him up with a set of crutches. "These are just for added support. Adjusting is going to take it out of you, and I don't want you to overdo it, okay? Take your time."

"I will."

Celia laughed at that. "No, you won't. Who are you tryin' to kid?"

"Girl…" Rob responded in a mock warning tone.

Doctor Randolph merely chuckled. "Make that PT appointment on your way out. You want to take this old leg with you?"

"Hell, no." Rob scoffed. "Throw it in the goddamn trash if you want."

"Kind of thought that would be your response." Doctor Randolph replied, extending a hand to Rob. "I'm really glad you came back. That new leg's going to serve you well. You deserve it."

Rob gripped Doctor Randolph's hand, nodding in response. "Really appreciate it.'

With that Rob and Celia left, carefully making their way back out to the SUV, physical therapy appointment made.

Once they were on the road, Celia took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Now that that's done…I've got somethin' to tell you."

Rob's stomach dropped. "What's that?"

A smile crept across her face. "I got the job in Murfreesboro."

Rob breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. "For real?"

"For real." Celia laughed slightly. "And I've already started makin' arrangements. Found me a place in town, and I've got movers all lined up. Already put in my notice at St. Jude's, too."

"Well damn girl, you move quick." Rob told her. "S'pose you won't need to stay at my place after all."

"I mean…I was still plannin' on comin' over every so often. If that's all right with you."

Rob leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Girl, you come on over any ol' time you want. And maybe I'll do the same."

Celia laughed softly. "You'd better. And it's only a year's lease. So maybe…"

"Let's not worry 'bout that right now." Rob quickly cut her off. "Goddamn, I can't believe it. You're really comin' here. For good."

Celia nodded. "For good."

Rob could hardly believe it. Things were really falling into place now, which was a sure sign that something was going to go wrong.

He shook off the thought, chiding himself for even thinking it. Things were going good, and they could only get better from here.

At least, Rob hoped so.