Title: "Nothing to Fear"

Title: "Nothing To Fear”

Author: Jackie W.

Rating: PG-13

Season: Season 2

Spoilers: Maternity

Summary: Fear can immobilize you. It can also be a catalyst for amazing change.

Author's Notes: I've been writing Fan fiction for a while but this is my first attempt at House and crew. I'd love to know what you think.

Author's Notes 2: Also, you may note a reference to Allison's step-mom in this part. I recently re-watched Love Hurts and when House complimented her earings Allison commented that they were her mom's. That led to my assumtion that perhaps her mother is no longer living, so I made a little leap.

Fear can do amazing things to people. In the midst of a crisis, fear can produce a surge of adrenaline that allows the ordinary human body to perform superhuman feats of strength and daring. Fear can also cause a person to freeze, unable to move either forward or backward.

In Dr. Gregory House's case, fear of loss and betrayal had caused him to close himself off from anyone who might threaten to breach his carefully built walls. Fear made sure that his rules of self-preservation were fervently applied to one Dr. Allison Cameron. Six months ago, the pretty doctor had made a concerted effort to bring down the defenses of one Gregory House. She'd never stood a chance. House had shut her down totally and completely.

It hadn't helped that Stacy Monroe had appeared on the scene with her ill husband, and Dr. Cameron had seen the emotions that House was faced with when around his ex. Allison had thrown in the gauntlet in defeat.

Over the next six months things had settled into a more normal routine. Allison threw herself into her career, and tried to move on from any feelings she might still have for Greg House. She dated a bit, always far from the eyes of her friends and colleagues at Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. The last thing she wanted or needed was for House to make some snide comment about her love life. By the end of the six months even those who knew her well would be hard pressed to see that she was still in love with the man. She'd become quite an accomplished actress where her feelings were concerned.

House, had been a bit put out at first that she seemed to have moved past her crush on him so easily, even though he was the one that had slammed the door on any possible romance. Still he had other things to deal with, not the least of which was seeing Stacy on a fairly regular basis now that she worked at the hospital. Eventually though that got easier, and House found himself occasionally wondering if he'd done the right thing with Allison. He had to admit that he was attracted to her on several levels. He usually shrugged those thoughts off easily enough. It was too late now and it really was for the best. The relationship could only have been complicated and certainly would have been short lived.

Then fate decided to shake things up a bit once again in his life and since fate had a wicked sense of humor it decided to use fear to fight fear.

When she first discovered the tiny lump, Allison was only slightly panicked. She knew that her mother had had two benign cysts removed over the past ten years, and genetically it was most likely that this was the same type of thing. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to the keep the procedure to remove the small mass quiet in the small town atmosphere of the hospital. Before she knew it she had four worried males hovering around her, including Dr. Wilson who had insisted on doing the procedure and the testing himself.

She actually was quite touched by the concern shown by Wilson, Chase and Foreman. Men, she had discovered over the years, didn't handle illness in those close to them well. And any illness deemed a female problem really tended to throw them for a loop. These three however managed to keep their feet out of their mouths for the most part, and simply offered optimism and support.

House had her worried, however. Over the course of the two day mini-crisis he had become increasingly quiet. No snide remarks, or sexual double entendres. And when Wilson gave them the good news that as suspected it had just been a harmless cyst, while Chase and Foreman grinned and hugged her, House simply disappeared. Allison made a move to go after him, but Wilson caught up with her out in the corridor and stopped her.

"Give him a few minutes, Allison, You really scared the crap out of him," he counseled.

Allison's eyes grew wide at the implication.

"Yeah," James confirmed with a grin. "I believe that the good doctor is beginning to realize just how true his rule that 'Everyone lies' really is. He's been lying to himself for over six months, and he's just been slapped in the face by the truth."

And as that piece of news sunk in, Allison smiled, and it suddenly dawned on James that it had been a long time since he'd seen that. He could only hope that his friend wouldn't screw it up again. He'd grown to like Allison and really felt she would be good for Greg if he'd just give her a chance.

Meanwhile, Greg House had found an empty room to sit and contemplate exactly what had happened to him. Two days ago he had been perfectly content in his isolation, safe from being hurt or let down by anyone. Or so he'd thought. Then Allison had blown his little delusion to hell. The instant the possibility of her having cancer had entered his brain he'd realized that he'd been fooling himself. At some point he was going to lose her. Whether it was to another job, or to another man, or to something horribly random and out of his control, he was going to lose her. And it was going to be painful even if he'd never really had her to begin with.

And that just sucked.

An hour after he'd disappeared House walked into his office to find all three of his protégées working on charts from their clinic duties which was curious because Dr. Cameron had been let out of her clinic hours for the past two days. Then he realized that she was finishing up his charts and he couldn't resist making a crack.

"Cameron, if you are trying to become the teacher's pet I have all of last month's charts hidden in my bottom desk drawer," he told her.

Allison simply raised her head and glared at him.

"Oh, fine! How about we all ditch the paperwork and go out to celebrate Cameron's little scam to get out of clinic duty," House suggested.

Luckily, the target of the barb realized just in time that this was House's way of saying he was glad she was all right,

"Sounds good to me. I've been too nervous over the last couple of days to eat. Now I'm starving!" she simply replied.

House wondered if anyone but him picked up on the silent message that she had been scared. Probably not as it was a classic House type move, admitting a weakness without making a true confession.

As it turned out Wilson and Cuddy joined the team and the six of them had a nice evening even by House's standards. In the group setting he could relax a bit and watch Cameron without being obvious. Or so he thought. Wilson was definitely on to him, but then he'd been watching closely for any signs that his friend was about to crack and admit he had feelings for Allison. And boy was he seeing cracks. House could barely keep his eyes off the woman and when he did look away he would have a slightly dazed look in his eyes as if he was trying to figure out what hit him.

Allison wasn’t oblivious either. The only question in her mind was how to keep House from retreating back into his well fortified shell. And so as the evening went on she made sure that she was always sitting directly next to him or across from him so that he was forced to either occasionally brush up against her or be looking right at her. She was so terribly glad she had picked out the white blouse that hugged her curves and had just a slightly deeper plunging neckline than most of her tops did. She’d unconsciously needed the boost to her morale that morning when she put it on. Who knew that a scant ten hours later she’d be using it to remind the very stubborn man she worked for what he was missing out on.

Whether it was his newfound realizations that afternoon or Allison's closeness that evening, something kept House from letting his self defense mechanisms kick in that evening. As they were all piling into their cars in the parking lot he put out a hand to restrain Allison.

He looked around a bit nervously and then commented, "We should do this again."

"What? Celebrate my narrow escape from a horrible disease?" Allison teased.

House rolled his eyes but secretly applauded her quick comeback. "Are you planning on coming down with the symptoms of something else soon? No, I was thinking more along the lines of just enjoying dinner out."

"Ah! Well, it was a fun evening. I'm sure we could talk everyone into doing it again," Allison agreed, knowing perfectly well that he'd been suggesting something else.

"I'm sure they would, but let's forget to invite them next time," House insisted.

"You mean just you and I, together, out for dinner? Like on a date?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. "Because if my memory serves me correctly we do much better on non-dates than on the real thing."

"Fine, let's go out on a non-date then. Friday night? I'll pick you up at 7:00," Greg told her. "Nothing fancy, Someplace casual. After all it's not a real date."

"All right, "Allison agreed.

At this point she'd be happy for an evening at McDonald's as long as House was willing to make that first step.

Allison must have reminded herself a dozen times in the next month to take it slow. Greg was obviously moving cautiously and she wasn't about to do anything to spook him. They 'non-dated' several times before they were both willing to admit even to themselves that they were dating. And even then they kept things casual. No big romantic gestures were given or expected. Just a couple of dinners and twice to the movies. Afterwards they would stop for drinks and dissect what they had just seen. They discovered a mutual love for music, although they argued good-naturedly over genres and favorite artists.

They kept the relationship totally quiet except for Wilson who received regular updates from House. Somehow they both new at this fragile starting point the relationship couldn't stand up to too much scrutiny. Over the next month they saw each other a couple of times a week, always parting at Allison's door with a kiss. Granted the kisses became more and more heated, but Allison was getting frustrated and sensed it was up to her to make the move that would take them beyond just dating. So one night when House came to pick her up she seduced him. She met him at the door in just her robe, and when he made a snarky remark regarding the fact that she wasn't ready yet he was suddenly pinned against her front door and shown in no uncertain terms exactly how ready she was.

House decided he really liked this new side of Allison. So much so that he actually smiled twice the next day while on clinic duty, which of course sent up red flags all over the hospital immediately. It didn't take long for Wilson to catch wind of the fact that his friend was in a good mood, and knowing there was only one explanation, he immediately sought him out and dragged him off to lunch.

"So, things are going well with you and Allison?" he teased.

"What makes you ask that?" House grumbled trying to keep the twinkle from his eye as he remembered just how good things had gone between them the night before and again that morning.

"You are positively scary today. There is almost a bounce in your step," James told him.

"Oh, that! I put my plot for world domination into effect this morning and I'm still on a maniacal high," House told him.

"Well that explains it, because it was either that or you had fantastic sex last night," James grinned. "You know you two are going to have to tell people now, because if you come in one more day looking like this again with no explanation Cuddy will have you committed."

And so after a brief discussion that night with Allison (followed up by more fantastic sex) they let the rest of their co-workers in on their relationship. Chase and Foreman couldn't resist giving Allison grief, and Cuddy warned them both that she would put up with no hanky-panky while on duty. Actually she'd said no inappropriate behavior, but since that was too broad a category for House to even imagine, he changed it to no hanky-panky in his mind.

Of course the romance became a five day wonder, finally usurped as the top gossip item when the head of the nursing staff was found in a storage room with one of the new surgical interns half her age. There was both hanky and panky going on according the account House heard.

After that, things settled into a more normal pattern again, the main difference being that everyone agreed that Allison was a very good influence on House. Oh, he was still gruff and impatient and rude, but where before there had almost been a cruel edge to his remarks, now he seemed more aware of when he was pushing too hard and actually backed off. And after some initial awkwardness, the team began to work more and more as a well-oiled machine when it came to diagnosing tough cases.

On the home front, change was gradual for Allison and Greg. Allison made sure of it, still not wanting Greg to give fright and bolt. A few weeks after going public they spent a whole weekend together, and when they both made it to Monday morning in one piece House began to relax a bit. Whereas previously they had spent most of their time together either out or at Allison's, he now invited her more and more to his townhouse. And while at first she was careful not to leave her things all over the place, eventually a few favorite books and articles of clothing along with some personal items became permanent fixtures there. To her surprise, Greg never once complained.

Still as summer came, she went alone to her niece's high school graduation, and when Greg's mother stopped by for a day on her way from her winter home in Florida to spend the summer with her daughter in Connecticut, Allison made herself scarce. And although she was a bit depressed as she rattled around her quiet apartment that evening, she knew it was for the best. If House was ever ready to do the 'meet the parents' thing he'd let her know. Until then no good would come of pushing him into anything.

Baby steps.

They'd been together for eight months (which made Wilson a bundle as he was the only one that had bet on more than six months in the pool) when the next set of events that would turn their worlds upside down began to unfold. It would eventually cause both House and Allison to face some of their deepest darkest fears.

It didn't start out as anything unusual. As a matter of fact the scene had been repeated many times in the past two years. House was at the white board having just completed summarizing the patient's symptoms. Now they were throwing out ideas trying to make a diagnosis.

"Influenza," Chase declared. "It's the simplest solution."

"Except the patient has been treated for the flu with antibiotics for two weeks with no improvement. Her breathing has actually worsened. What else?" House asked even as he wrote the word 'FLU' on the board as a possibility.

In the end they had a list of six candidates, none of which fit all of the symptoms. House ordered up a series of tests and his three proteges scurried off to take blood and make slides while House pulled out his Gameboy with a sigh. Occasionally his eyes wandered to the board to scan the list, but nothing jumped out at him. He scanned the patient's history twice as random ideas occurred to him. Nothing fit. After a couple of hours he headed off to see if what the ducklings were up to in the lab. He couldn't help but admire the view of Allison as she bent over the samples she was studying. Then she looked up and he realized that she looked exhausted.

"Do we have anything yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. We are still waiting on some of the labs," Foreman said.

"Let's call it a day kids. Hopefully all of the results and the answer will be waiting for us in the morning," he suggested.

Chase and Foreman didn't need to be told twice. It was late and they had both been thinking the same thing. Even Cameron was too tired to argue. Since they had driven in that morning together Allison wasn't surprised to find that Greg took her back to the townhouse without question. More and more lately her apartment was just a place for her mail to be delivered. As she looked around that evening she was surprised to see just how many of her things had migrated over. They were in effect living together. She wondered if she should suggest to Greg that she give-up the apartment. Maybe she would mention it when it came time to renew her lease in two months.

She ended up going to bed early that night, but even in sleep something was nagging her. Something about the case that she should remember from past experience.

If she could just put her finger on it.

The next morning Allison felt like she'd barely slept and on top of that she was a bit nauseous. Hopefully what ever Mrs. Colson had wasn't about to spread through the hospital. As she sat drinking tea to settle her stomach she studied the white board. And suddenly all of the pieces fell into place. As if drawn by a magnet she walked up to it and circled four of the eight symptoms listed: 'Fatigue, Nausea, Vomiting, Tenderness of the Breasts'.

House immediately sat up straight in his chair. "Someone please tell me we aren't chasing a case of 'Knocked-up Syndrome'," he growled looking at Foreman who was already flipping through the chart.

"No way," Foreman replied shaking his head. "Onset of symptoms was four weeks ago. Last period was two weeks ago," he stated.

"Except it's not unusual for a woman to still menstruate during the first month of pregnancy," Cameron pointed out.

Chase groaned and then stood. "I'll go do a pregnancy test."

Cameron chimed in. "I suggest we put Mrs. Colson on a breathing regiment. I suspect she has acute bronchitis that is being very stubborn due to the early stages of pregnancy. A woman's body can have a hard time fighting off infections during the first trimester when everything is in such flux," she reminded them.

"She's been off all medication for over twenty-four hours, right?" House confirmed.

"Yeah, we wanted to see if one of them was causing the nausea," Foreman confirmed.

"Good. Once we confirm the pregnancy we can put Mrs. Colson on a general antibiotic that will be safe for the baby in case the bronchitis is bacterial instead of viral. Between that and the breathing regiment she should show signs of improvement quickly. Keep an IV in for hydration. It will help with the morning sickness," House ordered.

Two hours later Mr. and Mrs. Colson were recovering from the news that they were going to be parents, and Mrs. Colson was already breathing easier after her first treatment on the machine. Allison waited until Chase and Foreman went to lunch and then she cornered House in his office.

"Nice work," he commented. 'I'm glad someone around here still thinks to look for the simple answer once in awhile."

Allison took a deep breath. "Thanks. It didn't hurt that I suddenly realized I'd been suffering from the same four symptoms for days even though I just had my period."

The room fell deathly silent. Finally House found his voice. "Allison are you…?"

"Knocked up?" she grimaced at his earlier choice of words. "Most likely. I ran upstairs a bit ago and drew some blood. I'm running the test now. The results should be ready after lunch."

House just nodded so she added, "I'll get back to you as soon as I know for sure," and she turned and left him to absorb the shocking news.

Wilson found him there an hour later and was instantly concerned. Greg wasn't watching the soaps or playing with his Gameboy or even listening to music. He was simply staring off into space.

"I thought you cracked the mysterious case of pregnancy," James teased trying to gauge just what this mood stemmed from.

"We did, or rather Allison did," House confirmed woodenly.

"So what great world problem are you contemplating now?" James asked seating himself across from his friend.

"Fatherhood," House sighed finally meeting Wilson's eyes. "Allison thinks she might be pregnant."

Wilson pursed his lips into a whistle and let that little bombshell sink in for a minute. Then, because he'd known the man sitting across from him for a long time he asked the obvious question to determine how much damage House had already done. "What did you say when she told you?"

House frowned for a minute trying to remember. "I don't believe I said a word. I was pretty stunned."

Wilson breathed a sigh of relief. 'Nothing' wasn't the best response but it was a lot better than some things he could imagine House blurting out without thinking.

"And now? How do you feel now?" Wilson asked.

"Scared to death," House admitted. "Damn it James! Can you see me playing happy family?"

Wilson couldn't hold back the snort of laughter at the thought of his friend changing diapers.

"Exactly," House grumped. "This has disaster written all over it."

Wilson regarded his friend for a moment and then spoke his mind. "Perhaps. But maybe it's not so bad. After all Allison is the mother. And if you are going to play happy family you sure picked the right person to do it with."

House just scowled at his friend even as he silently agreed with him.

Wilson eventually left House to brood, after promising not to say a word about this to anyone. As he walked away he realized that it was past lunchtime. Since the original purpose of his trip to House's office had been to ask Greg to lunch he started to turn back but changed his mind. Better to let him think this through in peace and quiet. Besides, he needed some time to get used to the idea of his best friend's impending fatherhood. Once again the thought caused him to laugh out loud. He really needed to get that reaction under control.

As it turned out he was glad he was alone at lunch. He was just finishing his sandwich when he noticed Beth Ruter heading towards his table. Beth was nurse on the maternity floor and they had gone out a few times the last time he and Julie were separated. His first instinct was to look for an escape route.

"Relax James. This isn't anything personal," Beth grinned reading his nervousness correctly. Then she turned serious. "I just thought you could pass along a message to your friend Dr. House. One of his young associates has been sitting up in maternity for the last hour and she's not looking too good."

James was instantly concerned. "Thanks Beth," he replied as he hastily picked up his tray and cleared the table.

Five minutes later her rounded the corner in the maternity ward to find a lone figure huddled on the couch that sat against the wall across from the window used to view the newborns. With a sigh he walked over and gently sat down next to Allison.

"Greg told you?" she whispered.

"Yeah. I found him practically comatose in his office," James told her. "I've often wondered what it would take to render him speechless. Now I know," he offered trying to lighten the mood.

"What am I going to do James?" Allison asked looking up at him with huge lost eyes.

"Well, first you are not going to panic before you know anything for sure," he counseled.

At that she held out a piece of paper with the results of the test she had run. "No doubt about it," she sniffled.

"I guess you need to decide what you want, without factoring Greg into the equation" he told her.

"If you mean do I want to have this baby, then the answer is yes," she told him with a bit more confidence.

"Then you give him time to figure it all out," James told her. "He loves you and he would never abandon you or the baby," he assured her.

"No, but that doesn't mean he won't harbor a bit of resentment at being forced into this," Allison pointed out.

"He is the king of harboring," James acknowledged. "But I have a feeling once the shock wears off, you may be surprised. He might not be able to picture himself as a father right now, but I think he'll grow into the role very nicely."

By now Allison was calming down a bit. "So take it one day at a time?"

"Yeah, can you do that?" James asked.

"James, I've spent the last eight months practicing that one," she said with a teary grin.

Baby steps.

Allison was relieved to find House alone in his office. Without saying a word she smoothed out the piece of paper with the results on it and put it on his desk. Then just as silently she left. Avoiding him for the rest of the day was easy, she just stayed in the clinic. Buried in the routine if runny noses, sprains and general hypochondria she was able to push her problems to the back of her mind for the remainder of the day. Soon enough however it was time to go find her ride home.

She gathered her things and once again headed to House's office. She paused in the doorway to study him for a moment as he sat quietly staring out the window. She couldn't help but wonder if he had moved at all in the fours hours since she had left him there.

Without looking at her he suddenly reached for his cane and inquired, "Ready to go home?"

Her heart lightened a bit at the word 'home', but her only response was a node and a quiet "Yes."

The drive was silent as was much of the evening. They worked side-by-side effortlessly to make dinner, and then afterward settled in front of the television. Allison dozed off within minutes, finally succumbing to exhaustion. House used the opportunity to study her closely. Even in sleep she looked tired and unhappy. In all the confusion of his own thoughts he had neglected to even wonder how she felt about this. After all, no matter how hands-on a dad he turned out to be, the main burden of child rearing was bound to fall on her. He hadn't once considered that she might not want a baby at all. He'd been too wrapped up in his own little panic party.

He really was a selfish bastard he decided. After all he'd once suspected that she'd lost a baby. If that was the case she was probably scared to death at the thought of carrying another, even if it was something she wanted. And if it wasn't something she wanted… suddenly his thoughts were once again in overdrive. What if she wanted to terminate the pregnancy? Was that what he wanted? Yesterday if asked hypothetically he probably would have glibly stated yes. But now that the reality was staring him in the face he found the idea was appalling.

Eventually he realized that none of these concerns was going to get resolved that night, and after swearing softly he woke Allison up and sent her to bed to get some proper sleep.

Tomorrow, much as he hated the idea, they would have to talk.

The next morning House was surprised to find Allison up, showered and the coffee started when he got up. After a shower to try to shake away the cobwebs left by a less than sound night's sleep, and getting dressed he went to pour himself a cup of coffee and found the pot full. Allison was sipping a cup of tea, and nibbling on toast as she read the paper. Seeing him raise an eyebrow at the choice of beverage she put aside the newspaper and sighed.

"I had the coffee almost made when I realized I had better cut down," she admitted.

"Ah," he acknowledged awkwardly, then realized it was a good sign. "I guess that answers one of my questions," he added.

"Which question is that?" she inquired with a small frown.

"Whether you wanted to keep the baby or not," he told her.

"Oh!" she replied, her eyes widening in surprise. "It was never even a question in my mind," she confessed. Then she stared at him as if trying to choose her next words carefully.

He saved her from having to ask. "Good."

Now Allison's eyes really opened wide. Had he actually been worried about that? Should she take that as a hopeful sign?

Before she could think too much about it, Greg finished his breakfast and announced he was heading into work. Normally Allison would be going in too as the one of the concessions they had made at work to being a couple was to coordinate their Saturday shifts. However Allison had traded this month with Foreman so he could go to a wedding with his new girlfriend, and so she was looking forward to a day to herself.

"You need to drop me by the repair shop to pick up my car," she reminded him.

"Well let's move it. You know how Cuddy gets when I'm late," he sighed. "I can already see her gleefully waiting at the door just trying to decide how many hours of clinic duty she will give me for each minute I'm tardy."

Allison spent most of the morning at the salon, getting her hair trimmed and a manicure and pedicure. She was feeling a lot more human afterwards and decided to treat herself to lunch at a favorite restaurant. She was enjoying a wonderfully sinful burger and extra thick chocolate shake when two woman sat down across from her with a small baby totally disturbing her peaceful lunch. The child wasn't fussing, far from it. The little angel was fast asleep in his carrier, one small fist up against his cheek and his perfect little pink lips sucking even in sleep.

A part of Allison found the sight beautiful and her heart swelled with longing. One hand drifted to caress the child she now carried. But a large part of her heart was remembering another baby dressed in a blue cap and mittens to try to keep his body temperature up. That baby's lips had never been pink, always tending to have a bluish tint to them. And he had been so incredibly small and fragile.

Quickly she paid the bill and left. At first when she got in her car she had no idea where she was headed, but when she found herself in front of her old apartment she wasn't surprised. She only had another month on the lease and then she would need to be out. Most everything had been cleaned out, but she knew there was one particular box in her bedroom closet that she had been procrastinating moving. Now was definitely the time. Her only dilemma was whether to open the box here where she could grieve in private or to take it back to the townhouse where she would have a shoulder to cry on.

Eventually it was the quiet of the apartment that drove her to leave. She wanted to do this in the comfort of her own home, and she could no longer think of this empty place as home. Whether she liked it or not, home was where House was. She let out a soft chuckle at the corny thought.

'I really should embroider that on a pillow,' she mused as she put the box in her car.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, House had spent his free time (when he was hiding out instead of actually treating anybody) slowly coming to the realization that sometime in the last twenty-four hours he had started to have very strong protective feelings towards his unborn child. It was very unlike him, and he tried to deny it for most of the day. However he eventually had to accept the fact that that the thought that Allison might want to abort the baby had kick-started his paternal feelings.

He was still totally freaked out by the thought of being responsible for raising a child, but a quick trip up to maternity during his afternoon 'break' convinced him that he could handle it. He chuckled at the memory. He wasn't sure who had been more surprised when he was caught staring through the window at the lineup of new life displayed there. He'd been startled at being caught, but it was nothing compared to the look of shock on the face of the nurse who had discovered him staring at the babies with a goofy grin on his face.

On his way to his car in the lot that evening House decided to call Allison to see if she wanted to go out to eat. Depending on where she was maybe they could meet up. When she wasn't at home he tried her cell and was surprised to hear an older woman's voice on the other end.

"Dr. Cameron's phone," she politely answered.

"And just who the heck is this, because you certainly aren't Allison," House questioned in clipped tones.

"No, this is her neighbor, Mrs. Paulson," she replied. "Is this Allison's Doctor friend?"

"Yes it is. Just where is Allison?" House asked barely keeping himself from shouting at the old broad.

"I would imagine she'd still at the hospital. The accident only happened half an hour ago. Such a terrible thing," the woman began to babble.

"What hospital?" House demanded.

"Princeton-Plainsboro. She insisted," Mrs. Paulson informed him.

But House had already hung up. He was on his way back into the building he'd left only moments before, heart pounding. It took him ten minutes to get to the ER. Ten of the longest minutes of his life as possible scenarios ran through his mind, each more terrible than the last. Finally spotting a nurse he recognized he taped his cane loudly to get her attention and demanded, "Dr. Cameron?"

"Exam two, Doctor," April Lange responded efficiently, and House pivoted and was off once again.

The sight that met his eyes when he entered the exam room was momentarily confusing. His eyes went immediately to the table where a young boy lay. Then they flew up to find Allison standing next to the table, her clothes full of blood and one hand holding onto the young patient's.

Understanding came in a rush. With the realization that she wasn't the one hurt came a wave of dizzy relief. He quickly left the room, found a chair and swiftly sat down before his legs could give out on him. He had calmed down a bit by the time Allison exited the exam room. Still, on seeing the amount of blood on her shirt he felt a tremor of fear run through him.

"What happened?" he asked pulling her down onto a chair next to him and wrapping an arm around her to pull her in close.

"I was putting something in my car when out of nowhere this SUV came whipping around the corner. Three of the neighbor boys were out on their bikes and this guy sent all three of them flying, then just drove off. Two were only bruised up thanks to their bike helmets, but little Michael in there took the brunt of the impact. He broke an arm, a leg and two ribs, along with his nose. That's where all of the blood came from. I had the devil of a time keeping his airway clear until the ambulance arrived.

"Prognosis?" House asked slipping into doctor mode.

"Pretty good considering. But I shudder to think what could have happened if he and the other boys hadn't been wearing those helmets," she sighed. "I need to go talk to Michael's mom."

House put an arm up to stop her as she rose from the chair. "Hang on. You are going to totally freak her out looking like that," he warned.

Allison looked down with a grimace. "I don't have a spare here at the moment," she lamented.

House looked around until he saw a supply closet then he got up and led her over to it. He opened the door and pulled her inside. Once there he started to unbutton her blouse.

"Greg, what are you doing," she asked in confusion.

"Take that off, you can have mine," he told her then paused. "What did you think I was doing?"

"Nothing," she lied, blushing.

"Why Dr. Cameron. I'm shocked," he teased as he handed her his shirt. "I'll go get my spare shirt and meet you back here."

"Right here?" she quipped, smiling in amusement.

Greg was relieved to see the smile and couldn't help returning it. "Right here would be great, but I think out in the hallway would be more practical. However as long as we are here now," he suggested as he pulled her in close.

The kiss was slightly frantic on his part, fueled by the fear of losing her that hadn't quite evaporated.

Finally Allison pulled back with a sigh. "I'm fine," she assured him.

Involuntarily his eyes lowered to her abdomen, and she realized he had been afraid for more than just her safety. Quietly she raised his chin up with one had so she could look into his eyes.

The love she saw there caused her to give him one of her full-blown smiles.

"We are all fine," she insisted.

And for the first time in days she knew it was true.

Allison insisted that they stop by her apartment on the way home. She needed to pick up her purse and cell phone from her neighbor, and she wanted to get her car, and the box that she had just put in the back seat when the whole hit-and-run drama had begun. Once she was behind the wheel she yelled at House that she would meet him back home. Suddenly lunch seemed to have been a long time ago and she remembered she had left the meal unfinished. That explained the fact that she still had a craving for fast food.

She was pleased to see Greg waiting in the driveway for her when she got home. "Oh, great. My hands are full," she grinned holding up the fries and shake that were already half gone. "Could you get the box out of the backseat for me? It's not very big."

Greg shook his head and frowned at her choice of food. "That stuff can't be good for you or the baby," he warned.

Allison shrugged. "This child already takes after you. I wouldn't be surprised to find cold ruben sandwiches on the list of cravings soon. Don't worry though. I am still starving. You can make me a wonderfully healthy dinner," she promised. "But first I need a shower."

Greg was just putting down the box when she made that declaration. "Alone?" he asked hopefully.

She thought back to that kiss in the supply room. She had no doubt that Greg still felt the need for some physical contact to reassure him that she was fine. And if that kiss was any indication he might be in the mood for something a bit wild. Her toes curled at the thought. Sometimes you had to love those raging hormones.

"No, not alone. I was hoping you could give me a thorough examination Dr. House," she offered with a sexy grin.

Much later, shower and dinner over with, Allison sank into her favorite chair feeling satisfied on oh so many levels. Still there was something she had promised herself she would do earlier in the day and there was no more putting it off.

"Greg would you hand me the box you carried in earlier?" she asked with a sigh.

He was all ready with a snide remark about her being pregnant not crippled when she met his eyes with a serious look. He automatically picked up the box, now more curious than anything. Even more so when she nervously ran her fingers over the top instead of instantly opening it. He was just about to comment when she spoke.

"Do you remember the epidemic in the maternity ward?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded, taking a seat on the couch near to her.

"You asked afterward if I'd lost a baby," shed reminded him.

"And you told me I could be a real bastard. Way to state the obvious by the way," he acknowledged.

Allison nodded and gave a small smile in agreement. Then she sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn't choose today to regress back. Today, more than ever she needed him to be the supportive, caring person that only she and a few others ever got a glimpse of.

"His name was Jacob. When my husband Kevin found out he had cancer we were already engaged. We moved up the wedding and took just a three-day honeymoon so we would be back in time for him to start chemotherapy. Jacob was conceived on that honeymoon weekend. I had a lot of problems during the pregnancy. Spotting, and high blood pressure. Mostly as a result of the stress I suppose. I went into premature labor at seven months, and Jacob was born with a faulty aortic valve in his heart. He died four days later.," she told him. "I've always thought that was the exact moment that Kevin gave up fighting because he only lasted another two months after that."

She paused for a moment and House let her gather her thoughts, simply reaching out and putting one of his hands over hers on top of the box. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was in there now.

"I put everything in this box the day after Jacob's funeral and I haven't looked at it since then. I haven't held a baby, attended a baby shower, or even gone into a toy store either," she explained.

"You treated those sick babies," Greg corrected.

"I didn't hold them. I took blood, and I gave medication. And just that much had me in the ladies room shaking like a leaf for a half hour," she confessed.

They sat in silence for a few moments. House was remembering how hard he had been on her for her seeming lack of ability to give the parents of those sick babies general updates without giving them any real information. Now he realized that it wasn't that she didn't know the slick platitudes to use, it was that she knew them too well, and knew better than any of them how useless they really were to a parent who was facing the death of their newborn.

Finally he broke the silence by tapping on the box and challenging, "So are you going to open this now or not?"

It was a small box, as it only held a few items. On the top were two envelopes. Allison opened them and laid them side by side on the coffee table in front of her. One was a certificate of birth, the other a death certificate. The dates so close together you had to look carefully to see the difference. Next came a small blue blanket, hand crocheted in an intricate pattern. If House had asked he would have been surprised to learn that Allison had made it herself during the long hours she'd spent at her husband's bedside. Under the blanket was a teddy bear. Unlike the much-loved companions kept by most mothers, this toy looked new enough that House wouldn't have been surprised to see the price tag still attached.

On the bottom of the box was a book containing the few precious pictures she had of her son. Allison fingered it for a moment before she got up and moved over to the couch next Greg. He didn't say a word, just wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned into her to get a better look at the pictures. He hoped it was enough to signify that he was there for her because he was honestly afraid to open his mouth and say anything. Since Allison had been preparing herself for his sarcasm, she was pleasantly surprised by his reticence and buoyed by his close proximity. Taking a deep breath she opened the book.

House was mesmerized by the very first picture. Allison looked so young and yet so bowed by grief. In her arms, attached to a multitude of wires and tubes, was an unbelievably small bundle. Even though Jacob appeared to be asleep he had one hand out of the tiny blue mittens and was grasping the material of Allison's scrubs as if he was hanging on for dear life. And even in sleep his lips were turned into a perfect little smile.

Dr. Gregory House, skeptic, cynic, and grouch, was suddenly bombarded by feelings he had never thought possible. He could feel the grief rolling off the woman in his arms in waves and he wanted more than anything to help ease that pain. At the same time, looking at the baby in the picture he was suddenly filled with awe at the thought that a similar miracle was in process even now. His baby and Allison's, growing inside her.

House had a sudden need to break the silence and the tension. He said the first thing that came to his mind to try to cheer Allison up. "I thought babies didn't smile."

There was a definite sniffle from Allison, but it was followed by a chuckle. "Doctors lie."

"Good to know," House replied with a twinkle in his eye.

It only took a couple of minutes to flip through the rest of the pictures. Allison pointed out her husband, looking pale and fragile, and her parents and brother. Then the book was closed.

"So what now," Greg finally asked.

Allison put the book aside and curled into him for support. "Now I can put the box away again, and hopefully move on. But if I start to get freaked out during this pregnancy you'll understand why."

"That's helpful. But I was more thinking about whether we tell people you're pregnant right away or wait," he replied. Then he groaned. "We are going to have to do the whole meeting each other's families thing aren't we?"

"I don't think there is a big hurry. Other than James, we can keep this quiet until I start to show. As for our families, we should probably at least let them know we are dating so we can work up to the whole pregnancy thing. Unless you are planning on hiding the baby and I in the basement the next time your mom stops by," Allison told him.

"We don't have a basement," he reminded her.

"Still, there's no hurry," she told him. "We just take it one step at a time," she counseled.

Over the course of the next two weeks Greg started to relax as there were no huge changes in their lifestyle. Although Allison's food craving started to border on the bizarre, and she slept a lot more, life continued on as it had before he'd found out he was going to be a father. Allison did tell her family about Greg the next time she talked to them. Besides letting them know they were seriously dating she'd gone ahead and told them they were living together, giving her step-mom the new address and phone number. Greg had only heard her side of the conversation, but it hadn’t sounded like they much approved of her living in sin. Allison didn’t mention the 'M' word though and he certainly wasn't about to bring it up.

Besides, soon they were way too busy to even worry about anything much outside of work. As Allison entered her ninth week of pregnancy House's group was bombarded with four new cases within a week. Luckily two of them had been diagnosed quickly and one had been released already. Mrs Jenkins was due to go home the next day. Mr. Marcum had ended up having a rare form of epilepsy that they had finally been able to confirm the day before. He would be under observation for a few days to get his meds balanced. With any luck he should show marked improvement over the week-end.

That left ten-year-old Beth Landry. Brought in two days ago with a variety of symptoms from muscle aches to an erratic heartbeat, she was still a mystery to be solved. Her mom and dad had been at her bedside for two solid days when a trip home for fresh clothes and a decent night's sleep had become a necessity. Chase and Foreman had checked on her several times during the night and now were both sacked out themselves along with House. One of the three was snoring. Allison knew it wasn't Greg as she was accustomed to all of his nightly noises. Whomever it was she doubted she would get any sleep, especially since her stomach was churning slightly. She slipped quietly out of the room they had commandeered down the hall from Beth's, made herself some tea, and wandered down to check on the young girl. Beth was wide awake and looking slightly lost.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Allison asked.

"Can’t sleep. I think I'm all slept out," Beth sighed.

"Well if that's the case you should think about becoming a doctor. Not needing to sleep would be a great trait to have," Allison teased even as she mentally added insomnia to Beth's symptoms.

Beth frowned. "Am I going to live long enough to even think about that?" she asked fearfully.

Allison looked the girl in the eyes and told her the truth. "There are no guarantees in life, and we don't know what's wrong with you yet, but you definitely came to the right place. Dr. House is the very best when it comes to solving a medical mystery," she said.

"I haven’t met Dr. House," Beth informed her.

"No, but he's been busy trying to figure out what makes you tick," Allison assured her.

Just then a voice from the doorway spoke up startling then both. "Strangely enough it's her heart that makes her tick."

Allison had to smile. He could be so damn quiet when he wanted to be. He'd probably been hovering outside just waiting to hear what the two were talking about. "Beth, this is Dr. House," she introduced the man to the girl.

"And someone forgot to invite me to the pajama party," he commented. "Aren't you both supposed to be asleep?"

"I’m all slept out," Beth informed him.

"And your excuse Dr. Cameron?" House asked, tapping his cane.

"Dr. Foreman was snoring," she informed him with wide innocent eyes.

"I don't suppose either of you have eaten, either," he responded with a sigh.

Beth and Allison shared a guilty look. "No sir," Beth finally answered. "But I'm not very hungry."

"Well I am. Cameron, make yourself useful and go get me some breakfast. And bring back something for you two anorexics too," House ordered.

After Allison slipped out the door, House sat down with a sigh in the chair she had just vacated. Unfortunately for him Beth had caught him staring and smiling at Allison's backside as she left.

"You like her," Beth accused with a giggle.

Since it wasn't any big secret House just raised an eyebrow at his young patient. "So?" he asked. "And before you suggest that I'm too old for her, let me remind you that I have a huge say in how big the needles are that they use on you."

Beth's eyes widened for a moment but then she smiled. "I would never dream of bringing up your age. Have you met my parents?"

"Dad has a few gray hairs?" House inquired.

"No, Mom does. She's ten years older than my dad. So I know age has nothing to do with who you love," she told him.

"Exactly when did we go from like to love?" House complained.

"When you were more concerned about defending your age then denying that you like Dr. Cameron, " Beth stated wisely. "Do you want me to drop a hint in her direction?" she offered.

"What are we ten?" House objected.

Beth just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah." House smirked. Although a small part of him would have loved to have seen Allison's reaction to Beth's matchmaking he declined. "Well believe it or not, I am perfectly capable of talking to her myself. Now it's getting close to 7:00am and I'm betting that your parents will be making an appearance soon. Tell Dr. Cameron to bring my breakfast to my office so I can escape before they show up. I don't do parents unless absolutely forced to."

"Probably a good idea," Beth agreed cheekily.

As it was House narrowly escaped bumping into Beth's parents, who questioned their daughter as to the identity of the strange man they had seen leaving.

"Who was that?" her mom asked in concern.

"Dr. House," Beth told them.

"The Dr. House?" her dad exclaimed. "What did he have to say?"

Beth chuckled. "Well for one thing it's my heart that makes me tick. I feel much better knowing that, don't you?"

House was waiting for Allison when she arrived back at his office and led her into the conference room where Chase and Foreman were sitting trying to wake up. Allison had brought plenty of food so they all grabbed something and then attacked the white board.

"Add insomnia," House instructed needlessly. Allison already had the marker to the board adding it to the list.

Meanwhile House was going through Beth's file. "And her mother was over thirty-five when she was born… and bingo! Beth was the first born," he confirmed.

"You're thinking birth defect," Foreman offered, leaning forward to study the board.

"It's possible," House mused.

"A chromosome disorder could definitely cause the heart problem, but it should have made itself known by the time she was two," Cameron thought aloud.

"The insomnia doesn't fit," Chase pointed out.

"It could be just what she said, too much sleep," Cameron conjectured.

"But maybe not," House frowned. "Which is why we are going to keep looking while we run a complete DNA analysis."

And they were all off and running.

It was another two days before they had a definitive diagnosis. Marfan Syndrome, a genetic abnormality that causes a lack of the protein fibrillin. Without the protein the structural support of connective tissues is weakened. It can cause ruptures in major arteries, blindness and severe skeletal deformities. Luckily, Beth's case was mild. She would never be a professional athlete, and she would probably need beta blockers to help with the heart condition, but for now she was in no danger, and could lead a fairly normal life. Only time would tell how much of her body would be affected and to what degree.

Normally the disorder was inherited, but after testing both mom and dad (and ensuring that they were indeed Beth's biological parents) they determined that Beth was one of the unlucky small percentage of sufferers that had been afflicted by a simple mutation when she was but a cluster of cells. Which gave both Allison and Greg another thing to worry about for their unborn child. Sometimes it really sucked being a doctor and knowing everything that could go wrong.

Luckily they didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it. Another small crisis was looming and it all started with a groggy Allison answering the phone two days later.

It was the Saturday after they had diagnosed Beth Landry, and all of House's staff had the day off due to the incredible workload they 'd endured the week before. House planned to stop in and check on their two remaining patients later in the day, but sleeping in was definitely a top priority. Even so, he woke before Allison, and decided to let her sleep and make his quick run to the hospital and pick up breakfast on the way back. He left a note and headed out a little after 9:30am

Therefore when the phone rang an hour later, Allison was out of it enough to answer it without thinking. Her groggy hello was greeted by a moment of silence, followed by a slightly confused female voice.

"I was trying to reach Dr. Gregory House," the caller informed her.

Allison awoke fairly quickly at that. "One moment please." She managed to say politely before putting down the phone and dashing out to find Greg. It only took a minute to spot the note propped up on the kitchen counter and dash back to the phone.

"He went out to run a few errands. Can I take a message?" Allison asked, praying it was a sales person.

"This is his sister Olivia. Could you ask him to call me as soon as possible?" she inquired.

CRAP.

"Of course. He should be back soon. I'll give him the message," Allison assured her.

Thank you, miss…?" Olivia was obviously hunting for information now.

"It's Allison. Allison Cameron," she replied, now feeling distinctly queasy. "I'll have Greg call as soon as he gets in."

"Thank you Allison," Olivia replied, and Allison could practically hear her planning to interrogate her brother.

But there was no time to worry about that at the moment. Allison made a mad dash to the bathroom and that is where House found her hunched over the toilet ten minutes later.

"This is a new look for you," he commented on finding her there.

Her only reply was a moan as she heaved the remaining contents of her stomach. To her surprise House was immediately at her side and even as one hand swept her hair back off her neck, the other was pressing a cool washcloth to bared skin. She instantly felt better and improved even further when he moved away to get her a glass of water to sip.

After a few minutes House helped her to her feet. "So that looked like fun. Same time tomorrow?" he quipped.

Allison gave a small smile despite herself. "I'd say it was a safe bet," she commented, and then paled slightly as she remembered the message she needed to pass along.

Seeing her lose what little color she had concerned House and he guided her over to sit on the bed.

"You might let me cope on my own tomorrow once I tell you what I did just before I lost it all," she confessed.

Instinct caused him to look around. Nothing seemed to be broken.

"I answered your phone," she said in a rush.

There was no reply.

"It was your sister. She wants you to call right away," she told him watching for a reaction.

"I'll bet she did," House commented with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He really wasn't mad at her. After all it was just as likely nowadays that the call could have been for her. Besides, she looked pathetic.

"Well, I was going to tell them eventually, so there is no harm done," he admitted. "I'd better call her right away."

Allison let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She was relieved and a bit thrilled by his reaction. If he didn't mind her meeting his family it meant they were progressing. She knew better than to make a big deal out of it though.

Although she couldn't resist one quip as she left him in peace to make his call. "Does this mean we don't have to move to a house with a basement for me to hide in?"

As it turned out, Olivia had called because she was concerned about their mother. Madeline House had been diagnosed years ago with a heart murmur that had never been much of a problem. But Olivia thought that the sixty-eight year old seemed more tired than usual, and wanted Greg's opinion. After going over her meds and symptoms he finally suggested that they come down from Connecticut for a few days so Madeline could get checked out at PPTH. It wasn't until the very end of the conversation that Olivia brought up the fact that a woman had answered the phone.

"So this Allison. Will we be meeting her?" she asked.

"Allison! That's her name! I've been wracking my brains trying to remember it, thanks Livie," Greg replied.

Then he spotted Allison looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a bit of a hurt expression so he sighed and stopped fooling around. "Yes. You will definitely be meeting her," he agreed.

The original plan had been for the two women to drive to Greg's that afternoon and spend the evening before going to the hospital the next day. However during the four-hour drive from her home Olivia became concerned when her mother seemed a bit disoriented so instead she took her directly to PPH. An alert nurse contacted Dr. Cuddy who was still in her office and Madeline was settled into a private room on the cardiac floor with little fuss. Cuddy then paged House and the head of cardiology, Dr. Gordon.

Twenty minutes later Greg and Allison arrived at the hospital. Not wanting to get in the way, Allison left to go check on their patients. She told House to go see to his mom, and to page her if she was up to visitors. "Otherwise come find me in your office. I'll try to make a dent on the stack of charts you have hidden in your bottom drawer."

House was thankful she was being so understanding. His top priority at the moment was to find out what was going on with his mom, and only after he was satisfied she was ok would he be ready to introduce Allison to her. He gave her a quick kiss and then left her to head to the cardiac unit. When he arrived Dr. Gordon was already inside and Olivia was sitting outside with Wilson and Cuddy.

"Don't believe a word they say," House warned as he stepped forward to give his sister a hug as she rose to greet him.

"They were telling me that Allison is way too good for you," Olivia teased.

"Oh, well that's true," he shrugged then cocked his head towards the closed door. "Any word yet?"

"Dr. Gordon has only been in there for five minutes," Wilson informed him.

Despite his respect for Jack Gordon, House was about to make a snide remark when the man exited Madeline's room and faced four sets of concerned eyes. He knew Greg House well enough to get right to the point.

"Well, the murmur is more pronounced than on the tests sent from Madeline's doctor in Florida. However I don't think it is anything life threatening at this point. She most likely just needs an adjustment to her meds. I would like to keep her overnight to get a good reading of the murmur, then in the morning we can discuss what medications to try," he told them.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the two House siblings simultaneously asked "Can we see her?"

"Sure, but no more than you two tonight," Dr. Gordon stated firmly.

Greg nodded and offered a brief "Thanks Jack," before he hobbled into his mother's room. Followed by Olivia who took a moment to turn and thanks James and Lisa.

"No thanks needed, Olivia. Tell House we will catch up with him in the morning," James said.

House was glad to see that his mom was alert when they entered. They spent a few minutes making sure she understood what Dr. Gordon had told her and then Madeline took over.

"I want to meet Allison in the morning Gregory, no excuses," she demanded firmly having dealt with his brand of procrastination all his life.

"I have no idea what you are taking about, Mother," he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

They chatted for a few minutes but it soon became obvious that Madeline could barely keep her eyes open so the two left her to get her sleep.

As they headed out into the corridor Olivia noticed a pretty young brunette heading towards them, and was surprised when her brother paused to wait for the woman.

"Hey, I thought you were heading to my office," he greeted.

"They moved Beth Landry up here a couple of hours ago to do some more extensive tests to determine any heart damage. I just finished checking on her," the woman explained. She turned to Olivia. "You must be Olivia. I'm Allison," she said offering her hand.

Greg, who knew exactly how his sister's mind worked prepared himself for the taunting he knew would come later. For now though he simply herded the two women to the parking garage. Once there, Olivia quickly maneuvered Allison into her car to give her directions and Greg was left to drive alone in the convertible.

'Like a rat from a sinking ship,' Allison thought with a huff, even as Olivia started her inquisition.

"So, I will be in deep trouble with my mother if I don't get all the basics. We might as well get this over with," she suggested with a grin.

Allison smiled despite herself. "Dr. Allison Cameron, immunologist, age 30, good health," she provided.

"Marital status?" Olivia asked.

"Widowed," Allison replied turning her head as she pretended to look to see where they were. "You need to make a left at the next light."

Of all of the possible answers, Olivia hadn't been prepared for that one, so after a shocked moment of silence she continued.

"Any children?" she asked.

"No children," Allison told her, deciding it wasn't really a lie as Olivia obviously meant children from her marriage. Still, the answer was painful in many ways and she kept her head turned to watch the scenery pass by outside of the passenger window.

Suddenly Olivia felt uncomfortable. She could sense that Allison was in some distress and she quickly tried to think of something to break the solemn mood.

"So I guess there really is only one other question. What the heck do you see in that grumpy old man?" Olivia teased.

Allison who quickly regained control turned towards her with a wicked grin. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Olivia's eyes widened. "Only if it's nothing kinky," she declared.

"Let's just say he has the hands of a surgeon and a pianist and let it go at that," Allison grinned.

House could only wonder what the hell the joke was when the two women pulled up in the driveway, got of the car, took one look at him, and both started laughing.

He certainly knew better than to ask.

After a light dinner during which Olivia regaled Allison with stories of their childhood the three set up a game plan for the next day. Allison planned to go to House's office for an hour or so, and catch up on the mail and charts while Olivia and Greg checked in with Dr. Gordon and Madeline. Then Allison would come down to meet her.

Eventually Allison headed for bed, leaving Olivia to talk privately to her brother.

"I know what you're thinking. She's not that young you know. I'm just old," he sighed.

"I didn't say a word. I don't know her well enough to even comment, but so far I like her," Olivia protested. "You could have warned me about the dead husband though, I felt bad about asking. How long ago was it?"

"About five years ago I guess," House shrugged.

"How long have you two been together?" Olivia asked.

"Nine months," House admitted and waited for the reaction.

He wasn't disappointed. "Gregory Thomas House! Mom was here two months ago and you didn't say a word! What were you waiting for?" Olivia chastised.

"Hell to freeze over? Don't throw a hissy fit. You're meeting her now so what does it matter?" he asked. "It's not like I've met her family either."

"You'd think you two were ashamed of each other or something," Olivia said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Not likely. I could see it maybe from her point of view, but why would I be ashamed of having a young, sexy, smart, successful girlfriend?" House asked.

"No reason that I can think of. And I doubt that Allison is ashamed of you either. More likely she is following your lead. Now that you've introduced us to her, don't be surprised if her family shows up to meet you," Olivia warned.

"And on that happy note, I thinks it's time for us to get some sleep," House suggested.

The next morning Olivia was up early and was surprised to find both her brother and Allison already showered, dressed and making coffee. Little did she know that the day had started for them almost an hour earlier when Allison had made a mad dash to the bathroom. Even half asleep House had realized that she was about to give a repeat performance of yesterday's morning sickness and he reacted quickly. Despite the pain that always accompanied getting out of bed, House managed in one fluid movement to grab the vicodin and pop it in his mouth even as his other hand found his cane and levered his body up. A minute later he was once again perched on the edge of the tub, holding Allison's hair back and dampening a washcloth to cool her neck.

When she was finished and had rinsed her mouth out she thanked him. "You didn't have to get up though," she assured him. "This is going to go one for a while and it's going to get very old very fast."

"More for you than for me I suspect," Greg agreed. "We'll get some crackers to put by the bed. Sometimes it helps to nibble on a few before you try to get up," he suggested helpfully.

Allison felt tears well up and quickly buried her head in his shoulder as she wrapped him in a hug. His calm support was so unexpected, and not just because it was House.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" he asked, feeling her tremble.

"It's stupid," she admitted, straightening up, "but last time I was pregnant I pretty much had to go it alone. Kevin was either in the hospital or too week and sick himself to be much help. I didn't realize how much I was dreading doing it again."

"It will only be a few weeks," House assured her.

"I know, and I'm not saying I'm happy to be bowing before the toilet every morning, but I can't believe how much easier it is this time. Having someone to lean on makes a world of difference," she confessed.

"Well I can't say I'm looking forward the next month either, but it's not such a huge deal," House replied shrugging off her gratitude. "I am a doctor. If I can't handle a little vomit I'd better start looking for another job."

She smiled at that. "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anybody that you actually hold my hair back for me. I would never ruin your reputation that way."

"Nobody would believe you anyway," Greg pointed out. "So it will just be our little secret."

That was why despite morning sickness and jangling nerves at the prospect of meeting Greg's mother, Allison was in a very good mood when Olivia appeared for breakfast. Two hours later as she made her way to Madeline's room was a different story though. As she approached the doorway she forced herself to take a large breath to steady herself. The movement was enough for House to spot her and to turn to his mother.

"Mom, this is Allison. Allison this is my mother. Let the games begin," he said by way of introductions.

Olivia and Madeline both frowned at his antics, but Allison simply rolled her eyes and stepped forward to take Madeline's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. House," she said.

"Please call me Madeline," Mrs. House insisted. "Greg, Olivia, why don't you go get some coffee and let the two of us get acquainted."

After they had left, Madeline turned her attention to the young woman seated next to her. "Olivia was right. You are beautiful," she commented causing Allison to blush. "She gave me the basics earlier, so I just have a couple of questions for you. The first is obvious. My son is quite a bit older than you, and he isn't the easiest person to get along with. Just what do you see in him?"

Allison thought about how she could explain it. "He makes dinner for me," she finally told Madeline.

Madeline blinked in surprise. "I'm not sure that I understand."

Allison smiled. "I didn't get it either for a while, but you know the phrase 'Actions speak louder than words'? Well your son is the poster child. You have to ignore most of what he says and pay attention to what he does. He makes me dinner when I'm tired, and he makes sure my car gets serviced on time, and he challenges me to be a better doctor."

Madeline nodded her head in understanding. "I'm not surprised. It's how his father showed his love too," she confessed. Still there were a few things that worried her. "Do you want to get married, because I'm not sure that my son does," she pointed out.

"Maybe, someday," Allison shrugged. "In my experience marriage doesn't guarantee happily every after, so I don't obsess about it," she explained.

"What about kids? You are young do you want children?"

"Yes," Allison stated with certainty.

"And you think my son will want to be the father?"

"I think he has reservations," Allison acknowledged.

Madeline had the good grace not to laugh out loud at that. "So one final question. Where exactly do see this relationship going?"

"Mrs. House, Madeline, I want to be honest with you. If I've learned anything in my life it's not to plan ahead too far. Fate has a way of taking any plans you have and turning them upside down. All I know is that right now, at this point in time, I'm happy. And I think Greg is too. And I think for the two of us that is a huge step forward all on it's own. My only plan is to try to keep us both happy for as long as I possibly can," Allison stated.

"Well I certainly can't argue with that," Madeline said with a smile. "And for what it's worth, I'm rooting for you."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me," Allison told her.

Greg and Olivia returned at that point and Madeline turned to her son. "Your taste in women has improved greatly. Try not to screw this up."

The final decision on Madeline's care was that she would need stay at the hospital under observation for several days while she started on the new medication. Then she could leave, but Dr. Gordon wanted her to stay nearby and come back for check-ups for an additional two weeks. Olivia decided to stay until her mom was released and then give over the guest room to her and head back home until Madeline was ready to return. All of this led Allison to bring up a sticky subject with House later that night as they got ready for bed.

"I think we should tell your mom about the baby," she offered.

"Whatever for?" House asked.

"Because if she is staying with us for two weeks she is eventually going to find out," Allison said. "Or she is going to wonder if I am bulimic with all of my trips to the bathroom to throw up."

House knew she had a good point, but still he resisted. "The bulimic thing works for me," he commented.

Allison didn't say a word. She just pulled back the comforter and got into bed. House joined her and for once Allison didn't move directly into his arms. Instead she lay flat on her back. Finally House sighed.

"Ok, we will tell her," he agreed.

"And Olivia before she leaves," Allison added.

"Maybe we should call your dad and step-mom while we are at it," House complained.

"Only if you want my dad to show up with a shotgun," Allison warned as she turned and curled into his side.

"How do I get myself into these messes?" House griped, even as he wrapped an arm around Allison and pulled her into his embrace.

Allison proceeded to remind him.

The next day was Monday and since their epilepsy patient Mr. Marcum had been discharged, and Beth Landry was now on the cardiac floor, they were once again without any patients. The day would be spent catching up on paperwork and fulfilling clinic hours, which left time to visit Madeline, and give Olivia a bit of a tour. The new medication seemed to be helping Madeline's heart murmur, and with any luck she would be discharged the next day.

That was why as Olivia finished packing up all but the last minute items she would need and joined them for dinner Allison looked expectantly at Greg. Finally after a lot of non-verbal procrastination he cleared his throat.

"Livy, there is some news Allison and I are going to tell Mom in the next few days and we wanted you to know too before you leave," House started.

"You're getting married!" Olivia guessed. "Oh I'm so happy for you!"

"Umm, no. Not getting married," House denied with a nervous look at Allison.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to jump the gun," Olivia apologized. "What's your news?"

There was a moment of silence. "Allison is pregnant," House finally declared.

"Allison is pregnant," Olivia repeated as if saying the words would make them more comprehensible.

"Expecting, knocked up, bun in the oven, going to have a baby," House confirmed.

"Your baby?" Olivia asked still having a hard time taking in the information.

"No, we're pretty sure it's another immaculate conception," House replied. "Of course mine."

"Because you're not acting freaked out enough for it to be yours," Olivia commented.

"What do you want me to say? The thought of me raising a child does seem to be against some law of nature," House agreed, "but that's got to be weighed against the thought of Allison raising a child which helps even things out a bit. Besides it’s not as if I didn't thoroughly endorse the act of conceiving said child."

Olivia looked at Allison. "Are you sure you are prepared to have two whiney children?" she teased.

"Not really. Maybe I'd better rethink this," Allison responded with a grin, which Olivia returned.

She walked over and wrapped Allison in a hug. "Congratulations on the baby, condolences on the rest." Then she looked at her brother. "Mom is going to have a coronary, she'll be so excited."

"Yeah, I think she'd all but given up on having grandkids," House acknowledged.

"So when is the blessed event?" Olivia asked.

"I'm about nine weeks along, so somewhere around March 1st," Allison told her.

They chatted a bit more. Allison answered Olivia's questions as to how she was feeling, and when she would have an ultrasound. House found himself tuning out. He was brought back into the conversation with a jolt though when he heard Olivia ask if Allison's family knew about the baby yet.

"Gosh no," Allison told he with wide eyes. "Greg would be a dead man. My dad tends to see things in black and white. Older man takes advantage of younger impressionable associate. Knocks her up and doesn't put a ring on her finger? No matter how much I explain that's all he'll see," Allison said with a shrug.

"What about your mom?" Olivia asked.

"She died two years ago in a car accident. My dad remarried almost immediately. I get along ok with my stepmother but we aren't close," Allison explained. "The only family I can't wait to tell are my brother and his wife. Steven and I have always been very close and Susan is a real sweetheart. I know they will be thrilled for me as long as I'm happy."

Eventually they all headed to bed, and the next morning Olivia took off bright and early to beat the rush hour traffic. She left Greg with a piece of advice.

"Treat her well, Gregory. I'm looking forward to spoiling my niece or nephew to pieces and I can only do that if you manage to keep her happy so she doesn't leave you," she told him.

Several days later a very similar scene was repeated with Greg's mother. Olivia had been correct. She was ecstatic at the news. She insisted that she and Allison go shopping over the weekend. Since Allison didn't see a graceful way out she simply agreed, and then when they were shopping did her best to limit the items purchased. She did give in on a lovely receiving blanket in several pastel shades and a book of bedtime stories. Mostly the two just had fun browsing through all of the baby paraphernalia.

Madeline also decided that although Allison had told her she wasn't too concerned about whether they got married or not, that she was going to tackle the subject privately with her son before she left. She waited until her final check-up and brought up the subject while she and Greg were waiting for Dr. Gordon.

"So when are you going to put a ring on Allison's finger? As the mother of your child don't you think she deserves that level of commitment?" she asked.

"If Allison wants to tie herself to a grouch like me for the rest of her life then she's the one that should be committed," House remarked.

"That decision should be up to her," Madeline commented.

"Allison is a big girl. If she wants to get married she'll let me know," Greg replied.

Luckily for House the conversation was cut short by the arrival of the doctor, and Madeline didn't bring up the subject again. If she knew her son, the thought would sit and simmer for a bit and once enough time had passed he would convince himself that marrying Allison was his idea and he'd do something about it.

Unfortunately, in three short weeks everyone would know about the baby and be giving Greg the same advice. And the more they told him to marry the girl, the more his stubborn pride would keep him from asking.

Up to that point, the weight Allison had put on had been fairly evenly distributed. Except for a pair of jeans that had been too tight to begin with and a couple of pairs of slacks that had no give at all, all of her clothes still fit. Then in her twelfth week her body changed overnight.

All day Friday her breasts had been tender and when they had made love that night she had been surprised at how sensitive they were. Greg had quickly used it to his advantage, making her moan and beg for him not to stop as he alternately gently caressed them and sucked on the nipples. When they woke up the next morning he'd pulled her into his arms to kiss her and stopped in surprise.

Allison blinked several times still blurry eyed from sleep to see Greg sitting up looking at her naked body in appreciation. Finally he spoke.

"Ally, did you get implants in your sleep?" he chuckled, helping her to sit up and handing her the crackers that were now always next to the bed.

"What?" she asked as she grabbed a cracker. As she started to nibble she followed Greg's now slightly lustful gaze and was speechless.

"Wow, I have boobs," she whispered in awe.

"And then some," House agreed, earning him a swat. Still he couldn't resist. "Finally a side effect of pregnancy that the man gets to enjoy!"

"You are such a pig," Allison complained getting up to go look in a mirror.

House walked up behind her and reached around to cup her new additions. "I'm just saying, it almost makes up for the mood swings and cravings," he commented, pulling her naked body back against his letting her know just how aroused he was.

"Well enjoy it while you can. This is just a sign that before you know it I'll be as big as a whale. See if you get turned on then," she sighed turning in his arms and giving him a kiss.

As he led her back to bed he made a mental bet that he would be turned on. He was a man after all. Naked Allison would always be more than his libido could handle.

She ended up having to replace all of her bras and half of her blouses that weekend. When she showed up for work on Monday she quickly put on her lab coat hoping it would hide the fact that she was suddenly over-endowed. No such luck. Both Chase and Foreman could barely keep their eyes off of her as they went about their morning routines. And when they all moved down to the clinic because they had no patient at the moment, she was propositioned twice before lunch. Once by another doctor who obviously had a death wish. Finally she cornered House in one of the exam rooms.

"Dr. Cameron, I had no idea you were into quickies," he teased when she walked into the room and locked the door after the patient he had just seen left.

"We need to tell them," Allison declared.

"Tell them what? That you are auditioning to play Pamela Anderson in a made-for-TV movie of her life?" House proposed.

Allison simply raised an eyebrow. "I know we said we'd wait as long as possible. I think this is it," she finally told him.

House hesitated. Once it was out they would not get a moment of peace. But looking at her he knew she was right. Although you wouldn't immediately guess she was pregnant it was obvious something was going on. They might as well fess up now. Who knew what body part would sprout tonight?

"Alright," he sighed. "But give me a head start. I'm going to grab some lunch and hide out in my office."

She was surprised it was that easy. She knew that Greg was dreading this part. She would just have to make it as painless as possible.

"It's a deal," she told him reaching up and giving him a kiss. "I'll lookout for Cuddy while you make a break for it."

They moved to the door and Allison looked out to see if it was all clear. Then she signaled him to go. He paused only a moment to tell her." Next bank heist I pull you are so in."

Allison decided to tackle to subject over lunch. When both Chase and Foreman had joined her she waited for them to get settled, then scolded them.

"My face is up here gentleman. You would think you had never seen breasts before. It's not like they are hanging out or anything," she said.

Both had the grace to blush. "It's just a new look for you," Foreman finally ventured.

"Well get used to it. My body is probably going to be changing daily for the next six months," she informed them. "I'm pregnant."

Unfortunately she caught Chase just as he was about to swallow and they spent the next three minutes stopping him from choking. When he was recovered enough to speak he looked at her in horror.

"I'm sorry but I could have sworn you said you were pregnant," he told her.

"I did. I am, three months along," she confirmed.

"You're having House's baby?" Foreman demanded loudly.

Half the heads in cafeteria turned. "Well that will certainly take care of spreading the news. Thank you Eric," she grimaced.

"Sorry, but what are you thinking? Can you imagine House as a dad?" he lamented.

"Actually, I can," she replied.

"Maybe in Allison land, but here in the real world? It's a bit hard to conceive, pardon the pun," Chase finally chimed in.

"Are you getting married?" Forman asked.

"No," Allison told them firmly.

"He hasn't even had the decency to ask you, has he?" Chase demanded.

"No, but it doesn't matter. I'm not sure I want to get married," she told them.

"Well at least there is still some sense in that head of yours," Forman replied.

Allison pushed the last of food away with a sigh. "Listen, I'm happy. The least you can do is be happy for me," she chastised. "I'm going back to the clinic."

Which she quickly did, hoping to be able to hide out there peacefully for the rest of the day. Of course she was just dreaming. It only took twenty minutes for Cuddy to track her down.

"Please tell me this all some horrible practical joke," Cuddy begged as she entered the exam room where Allison was just getting started with a patient.

"Ok, it's all a joke," Allison complied.

Cuddy sighed. House could corrupt a nun, she decided. "Come see me in my office as soon as you are done with this patient," she ordered, and retreated.

Allison turned to her elderly patient and tried to gauge his sense of humor. There was a twinkle in his eye so she decided to take a risk. "I don’t suppose you would let me run a whole series of totally unnecessary tests on you, would you?"

"Young lady, it would be my pleasure," he grinned.

As it was she was done with Mr. Stevens within 15 minutes. He'd just had a flair-up of his arthritis and simply needed a refill of his prescription. With a sigh she knocked on Cuddy's door and entered when beckoned.

Seeing Allison standing there in front of her it was glaringly obvious something was different. Besides the woman was positively glowing. "My god, look at you. How did I not see it before now," Cuddy wondered. "More importantly how long has House known?"

"I told him as soon as I found out two months ago," Allison told her confused by the question.

"He's known for two months?" Cuddy asked in amazement. "We are talking about the same Gregory House, right? And it is his baby?"

"Yes, and yes. Why are you so surprised?" Allison asked.

Cuddy paused. Maybe it really wasn't her place to say anything, but she'd already aroused Allison's curiosity. "He just has always been pretty outspoken about not having children," she finally admitted.

"Yeah, well you could say this was bit of a shock to both of us," Allison admitted.

"I'll bet. And the timing really sucks Allison. I was going to recommend you for the assistant head of Immunology when your fellowship is up in a month," Cuddy confided.

"And now you won't?" Allison asked.

"No I still will, I just think your chances might be hurt by the fact that you will be taking maternity leave within your first six months on the job. Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"Well, I know House is offering all three of us an additional one year fellowship. I'm seriously thinking about taking it as the timing would be good for me to then move on in a year. Besides if Greg has to deal with three newbies and a baby at the same time you might just get your meltdown," Allison told her.

Cuddy shuddered at the thought. She knew House was making the offer, and that Foreman and Chase were likely to turn it down for other opportunities. She couldn't help but selfishly hope that Allison did decide to stick it out another year in Diagnostics.

"Well, let me know what you decide. If you stay with House I need to find another candidate for Immunology," Cuddy told her. "And if I forgot to say it, congratulations on the baby. Tell House I will stop by to give him grief as soon as I get a chance," she said with a smile.

Allison left feeling relieved. That had gone better than she thought. Unfortunately her good mood was doomed to be short-lived as the first person she ran into on her return to the clinic was Stacy Warner.

Meanwhile, up in House's office, James Wilson was about to breach the lion's den. He entered without knocking and instantly started in on his friend. "You could have at least warned me when you two were ready to drop that little bomb. I haven't been able to get anything done in the last hour," he complained.

"How bad is it?" House cringed.

"You know, it's really strange. The question everyone keeps asking me is how you are taking the news, as if you just found out today too. When I tell people you've known for months they look confused. It would make for a very interesting study to do a survey of how they thought you would react," James mused. "So what made you decide to come out today?"

"Have you seen Allison?" House asked.

"No, is she showing?" James asked. It had only been two days since they'd had dinner on Friday. He found it hard to believe she could be that much bigger already.

"Not exactly. Let's just say Mother Nature decided to get her ready for breast feeding over the weekend," he told his friend cupping his hands out to mimic Allison's new size.

"So that explains the comments," James said, finally understanding.

"What comments would those be?" House frowned. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

"I overheard two of the lab techs this morning comparing Allison to a Barbie doll. Now it makes sense," James chuckled.

"Which lab techs?" House growled.

"Get used to it my friend. Allison has always been gorgeous. Allison with a few curves in going to be knocking them dead. It's a good thing that she's letting people know she's pregnant. It will be a huge hand's off sign," James told him. "Of course a wedding ring would be good too," he pointed out.

"Et tu, Brute?" House sighed. "Besides, since when did a wedding ring stop you?"

"Touché," James said dropping the subject. "So are you hiding in here for the rest of the day?"

"That's the plan," House confirmed.

"Well maybe I'll go check on your significant other and see how she is holding up alone out there in the war zone," James said. As he closed the door behind him he smiled. He gave House ten minutes and he would be down in the clinic ready to back up Allison and glare at any man that dared to look twice.

Allison almost turned on her heel to go hide out with House when she saw who was laying in wait for her. Stacy looked like she was positively spitting fire. Allison knew that Stacy had made a couple of plays to get House back, once even after she knew he was see Allison. This confrontation could get ugly fast. Something made her move forward though. Maybe just a desire to get it out and over with.

"Stacy, it's been a long time since we've seen you down here. Can I help you with something?" she greeted the woman politely.

"A little birdie passed along a rumor that I just had to verify for myself. Are you and Greg really having a baby?" Stacy demanded.

"Yes we are," Allison confirmed.

"Well I have to admit you are one gutsy broad. Even I was never brave enough to try that tactic. Did it work? Are you two getting married?" Stacy inquired.

Several of the doctors and nurses in the area had paused now to listen in. Most of them liked Allison and they were all dismayed at what Stacy was accusing her of.

"If you are implying that I got pregnant on purpose, nothing could be further from the truth," Allison replied calmly, although she seemed a bit paler that she had a moment ago.

"Oh maybe not consciously," Stacy continued. "But you can't tell me that a smart doctor like you messed up her birth control accidentally. Maybe subconsciously you wanted a baby."

Wilson, who had been watching from the sidelines was debating whether to step in or not when he saw House suddenly appear.

"That's an interesting theory, Stacy. But since I'm the smart doctor that messed up the birth control, I guess I must be the one that subconsciously wanted a baby," House admitted. Then he turned to Allison. "That sure gives us a topic for dinner conversation tonight, doesn't it?"

"You messed up the birth control?" Stacy asked in confusion.

Allison looked at House in amazement. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. They had never talked about it after discovering she was pregnant, but they both knew exactly what night conception had occurred. She had gone on a standard dose of antibiotics after treating what turned out to be a case of Bacterial meningitis in the clinic. She'd warned House that unless he wanted to go ten days with no sex he'd better pick up some condoms. A warning he had promptly ignored until later that night when things had gotten heated. Unwilling to admit defeat he'd reached into his nightstand and lucked onto a foil packet. It wasn't until the morning that Allison had noticed the wrapper on the floor and realized that that brand hadn't been sold in five years. House had gotten a real earful, and had dutifully gone out to purchase a new supply. Unfortunately the damage had been done.

Or fortunately depending on how you looked at it.

Now she tuned back in to see just what he was admitting to. "Well you know how it goes. I am a male, and like most males a total pig where sex is involved. I wasn't about to let a little thing like forgetting to buy condoms stand in my way. Especially when there were a few stashed in the nightstand. And if you ask me those things shouldn't go bad. They're sealed for heaven's sake."

Wilson, who had stepped forward to listen despite himself during the explanation couldn't help but roll his eyes and offer Allison some support. "And you are going to let him reproduce?"

This had the rest of staff chuckling and broke the tension that been building since Stacy first opened her mouth. Allison threw him a grateful smile.

"Maybe more than once if he's really good," Allison confided, causing House's eyes to widen.

Allison patted him sympathetically on the shoulder. "Now there's a topic for conversation for after dinner tonight."

Despite their earlier teasing, dinner that night was a quiet affair. Eventually Allison decided to break the silence.

"You know I was just kidding about having a second baby, don't you? I'm not sure how well I'm going to cope with one," she told Greg. "You should have seen your face, though. It was priceless," she teased.

"Glad to know I entertain you," House gripped.

Allison could tell there was still something bothering him. "You're not going to make me play twenty questions are you? What's wrong?"

"You know I don't want to get married, right? This baby hasn't changed my mind," he assured her.

Allison sighed. She wished people would learn to stay out of her business. "I know. And I told you I wasn't looking for a wedding ring. I'd be lying if I told you that the baby didn't make me feel a bit more insecure, but I'm certainly not looking to jump into marriage."

"Insecure how?" he questioned quickly picking up on the part of her statement that he thought proved his point.

"Well, for example, say tomorrow you were to go to the store and some maniac runs a red light, and god forbid kills you because we both know that car of yours would offer no protection. Who would get this townhouse?" Allison asked.

"The bank," House frowned, not liking where this was going.

"Right, and they would probably give me a month or two to get out. Who would get whatever equity you have? Your life insurance, and your retirement fund? I'm assuming they would go to your mother or sister, right?" she pointed out.

House was silent. How could he tell her it was even worse than she imagined.

"Unless you have a will," Allison said with narrowed eyes. "Do you?"

House nodded unable to meet her eyes.

"Who’s in your will?" she asked her suspicion growing. When he didn't say anything she had her answer. Stacy.

He watched as the emotions flew across her features. He waited for the anger to sink-in. What happened instead made him feel like a real bastard. Allison paled, sank down onto the couch and literally withdrew into herself. Finally she took a deep unsteady breath.

"I guess I had a reason to feel insecure after all," she whispered. Then as if shaking herself from a trance she rose and turned towards the bedroom. "I'm going to call it an early night."

House watched her enter the bedroom and close the door. He wasn't at all surprised when he heard the lock engage.

The next morning there was a note on the bedroom door telling him she was calling in sick. Since he had spent an uncomfortable night on the couch barely closing his eyes he had to wonder how she had gotten it there without him seeing or hearing her. A part of him wanted to knock the door down and beg forgiveness. A larger part knew that he needed to take the time to fix the problem and let her have some space.

Later that day after everyone he'd ever met had stopped in to see if Allison was all right after hearing she'd not been feeling well, he knocked on Cuddy's door to tell her he was leaving for an appointment.

"I was just about to call Allison to see how she was feeling," Cuddy commented.

"I just talked to her," House lied. "She was about to head back to bed for a nap. But the good news is she hasn't thrown up since I left this morning. Hopefully this bout of morning sickness won't linger," he said.

After dissuading Cuddy from calling home (It was the least he could do for Allison) he headed off to the lawyers. He'd known he was going to be a father for two months. It was about time he grew up and accepted the fact, especially since it was his fault in the first place.

He had no clue what to expect when he got home, he was just relieved to see that Allison hadn't packed up and moved out. There was note on the counter requesting that he wake her up when he arrived. With a sigh he entered the bedroom and got ready to grovel if necessary. He allowed himself a moment to just study her as she peacefully slept. Pregnancy really did agree with her. Even the morning sickness, which they had conveniently blamed for her day off today, had been mild overall. And she had filled out just enough that she no longer appeared like a good strong wind would blow her away. She was curvy and sexy as hell.

Finally he gently woke her. When her eyes opened she blinked several times to focus before speaking.

"Chinese," she stated softly.

"What?" he asked in amusement thinking she was still in the midst of a dream.

"I want Chinese for dinner," she told him.

"I'll go order," he said shaking his head at her odd way of waking up.

As he closed the door behind him a now alert Allison added loudly, "Don't forget the Barbequed Pork Fried Rice!"

He was just getting off the phone when she emerged. Hair tumbling down, with no makeup on she looked about sixteen, and made him feel old and lecherous. To cover the desire that was rising quickly he blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"I wasn't sure you would still be here," he confessed.

"Neither was I," she admitted with a sigh.

"Why are you?" he asked in confusion. He couldn't really believe she was letting what happened yesterday go.

"Three reasons really," she explained. "The first is that running away wouldn't have resolved anything."

"And the other two?" he encouraged her.

"Well, I know it's entirely possible that I might have over-reacted a bit. It's not as if you cheated on me. I blame the hormones," she acknowledged.

"Actually once I thought about it I came to the conclusion that you were very restrained. It is totally unforgivable that I would put you in a position like that with no financial support. I spent the afternoon at my lawyer's rectifying the situation," he told her. "He mentioned that after the baby is born you should come in too. We will need to stipulate guardians for junior in case you are with me when the maniac blows through the red light.

Allison nodded. "Good point. And thank you."

"So are we ok?" House asked.

"We will be. There was another reason why I stayed, and it's something we need to work on together. After I thought about it for a while I couldn't really blame you for not thinking about our child's future when I haven't really been either. I think I was afraid of freaking you out if I started in on long-term plans, and that is just not acceptable," she concluded.

"No it's not. I'm not going to freak out," he promised. "I did when you first told me, but I got over it. That's not to say that I'm ready to be dragged through aisle after aisle of baby things," he warned.

The visual made Allison hide a grin just like he knew it would.

"However sitting in the lawyer's office today a thought did occur to me," House continued. "We should start looking for a new place to live. Maybe a nice three or four bedroom ranch with a back yard," he suggested.

Allison's eyes grew wide. "You want to buy a house?" she asked in surprise.

"Well this place is barely big enough for the two of us," he pointed out. "And the nearest decent park is almost a mile away."

"You want to buy a house," she repeated again in wonder. Before she could stop herself she'd burst into tears.

House looked at her in total confusion. What had he done wrong now? He thought she would like the idea. Then it finally dawned on him.

"Hormones?" he asked handing her a Kleenex.

She nodded and took a deep breath trying to control her outburst.

"Good tears?" he verified.

She nodded again and reached for more tissue as she gave a final sniffle. Just then the doorbell rang, and for the next several minutes Greg was occupied with paying for their dinner. By the time he had shut the door Allison had carried the food into the kitchen and was busy getting out plates, already nibbling on an egg roll. Other that a bit of red lingering you would never know that she'd been in tears moments before.

House couldn't help but think that although he'd come to accept the fact that they were having a baby without freaking out, it was really the pregnancy and one pregnant woman in particular that he should be afraid of.

Very afraid.

The next month passed in a happy blur. Allison had her first ultrasound and while she proudly posted a copy of the picture on their fridge door, she was bowled over when she found a copy stuck up on one of Greg's cabinet's in his office at the hospital for all to see. They had a steady string of patients, and a run of good luck in diagnosing each and every one of them before it was too late, a real miracle considering the shape two of them had been in by the time they were admitted to House and company's care.

As soon as she'd had her ultrasound and was reassured that the baby was normal and had a strong heartbeat Allison had called her brother. As predicted he had been thrilled, and insisted that he and Susan come meet Greg as soon as possible. They finally agreed on Thanksgiving, and Allison planned on calling Olivia and inviting her also. Maybe even Madeline if she wanted to try to fly up for the holiday.

Only a few things marred an otherwise perfect September. Allison still hadn't had the nerve to call her father, and they'd had no luck at all finding a new house. In addition, while she had opted to stay in Diagnostics for another year, both Chase and Foreman had taken other positions. Happily both would be remaining at PPH. Still the mood as the end of their contracts approached was a bit solemn. Despite the petty infighting that they often indulged in they had become quite close in the past two years.

House was just starting the interview process, which he was dreading when tragedy struck.

Over the last ten months, House's use of vicodin had decreased significantly, other than an occasional flare up when he'd overdone something. (Usually sex – the last time they'd gotten carried away in the shower had been a killer) For the last two days however he'd been popping pills like the old days and he couldn't pinpoint anything he'd done to cause the pain. An hour ago he'd gotten up out of bed and made himself as comfortable as possible in the chair in the living room. He wasn't surprised when Allison came out to find him and hour later. He rarely got anything by her anymore.

"You are seeing Dr. Shepard tomorrow first thing," she insisted.

He was in too much pain to do anything other than nod in agreement, which scared her slightly. Neither of them got any more sleep that night and they headed to the hospital bright and early the next day. By 9:00am Greg had seen Dr. Shepard and they were awaiting test results. By 11:00 they had the bad news. Another mass of muscle was dying and Greg was faced with his worst nightmare all over again, the prospect of losing his leg to save his life.

Meanwhile Allison had sat quietly by his side through the exam and consultation trying to take deep steadying breaths and remain calm. Even so as the day progressed she could feel the panic raising. This couldn't possibly be happening to her again. By evening Olivia and Madeline had arrived, called by Allison to Greg's dismay. He figured she'd brought them in as backup to convince him to amputate the leg and be done with it. However nothing was said, and as the hours passed he realized that unlike Stacy the last time he had been in this position, Allison didn't need to appear to be a pillar of solitude and strength. The more people she had to lean on the better.

And as evening approached he was glad to have them there. While everyone else was concentrating on him, his mother was keeping half-an-eye on Allison and her grandbaby. Therefore it was Madeline who realized that Allison wasn't doing well. She brought up her concern to her son during a lull in the almost constant activity in his room.

"Greg, what is Allison's doctor's name?" she asked.

"Dr. Sheila Lundstrom, why?" he asked with a frown.

"I don't like her color and I think someone should give her a quick check-up," Madeline told him.

"Have Dr. Cuddy page her, and keep me in the loop," House demanded.

And hour later they had Allison in maternity, hooked up to monitors and sedated. Her blood pressure had gone through the roof and if it hadn't been for Madeline's concern she could have easily miscarried. Greg took the news poorly, blaming himself for not guessing that she was in trouble. She'd been way too quiet. Olivia not so gently reminded him that he was on enough painkillers to bring down an elephant.

"Still, I know this has to be like she's trapped in her worst nightmare all over again," House sighed, and told his sister the story of how Allison had lost her son and husband. "You need to promise me you will help her through this," he asked.

"That sounds like you've already given up," Olivia scolded.

"I'm just being realistic. The odds aren't that good," House sighed.

"They get a lot better if you just let them take the damn leg," a voice said from the doorway.

"James, thank goodness, maybe you can talk some sense into him," Olivia commented. "I'm going to go check on Allison."

James was smart enough not to harp on the subject of his opening comment. Instead he brought some other news. "Shepard recommended a guy from John Hopkins and Cuddy went back through your files. Luckily you treated a patient they referred several months ago, he ended up having epilepsy? Anyway, Cuddy is calling the favor and seeing if she can get this guy here tomorrow. A Dr. George Lindon," he informed his friend.

"Marcum," House commented.

"No Lindon, I'm pretty sure," James replied.

"Marcum was the guy we treated. Allison fought the merits even though we were kind of swamped at the time," House clarified.

"Well, it looks like it might have paid off. This Lindon is supposedly the best and might just be able to save your leg," James told him.

"I like him already," House quipped causing Wilson to chuckle.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I hear he has a bedside manner to rival your own. It should be a very interesting face off," James said with a grin.

"Not a fair match. I'm all doped up," House complained.

"That's never stopped you before," James said with reassuring pat on his shoulder.

The next morning Lisa Cuddy led Dr. George Lindon through the halls of PPH trying to ignore the fact that his eyes were trained on her rear-end. She had to wonder if all the truly brilliant ones were jerks. When they arrived at House's room she was surprised to see Allison dozing in a chair by his side. James Wilson was over in the chair by the window.

"What is she doing up?" Cuddy asked in concern.

"She woke up around 5:00am and made a fuss. Her blood pressure is stable for now so Lundstrom thought she would be better off seeing him for a bit," James assured her. James rose to greet the newcomer and both Allison's and Greg's eyes shot opened at the same time, his a bit more slowly than hers.

Cuddy made the introductions and Dr. Lindon promptly cleared the room. Cuddy immediately led Allison back to maternity and told her to try to get some rest.

"No way," Allison said with a grimace. "These sedatives give me nasty dreams."

"Well, I'll send someone down to stay with you as soon as Dr. Lindon gives us an update," Cuddy told her.

"See if Foreman or Chase is free," Allison requested.

"I'll make them free," Lisa assured her. "One of them will be here in five minutes tops."

"Thanks," Allison said with a relieved sigh. The last thing she wanted was to be alone waiting for bad news.

Her dreams the night before had been very real. In them House had of course refused to let them take his leg and Wilson had come to give her the news that Greg had died. As soon as he had left Stacy had appeared to rub it in, reminding her that House didn’t love her or the baby enough to stick around. When she'd awoken she'd immediately buzzed the nurse and had her page James, sure that Greg was gone. Eventually, after consulting with her doctor, he had taken her down to House's room to reassure her that the man was still alive.

Now though she was back to waiting, and she had to do it hooked-up to monitors. At least she was only mildly sedated at the moment and with this new doctor coming in there was some hope.

Dr. Shepard sighed. Dr. Lindon it seemed spent as little time with the patients as possible, ironically not unlike his current patient. So it was now up to him to carry out the task of getting Greg House to sign the releases while Lindon went to set up for surgery. It was not a task he was looking forward to. At least he had reinforcements out in the hallway where House's family and James Wilson were waiting.

"Ok Greg, you know the routine. This first form is permitting Dr. Lindon to perform the surgery to remove the dead tissue," he told him, and watched as House dutifully signed. Then he held out a second form. "This second one is permission to amputate if Dr. Lindon finds that there is too much damage."

Then he stood back and waited for the argument he was sure would ensue.

Both Foreman and Chase had shown up in Allison's room when paged. They had spent the last hour trying to get her mind off of things by filling her in on their new departments and cases they were working on. However they were just about out of anecdotes when James Wilson showed up.

"They just took him to surgery," he announced.

Allison nodded and Chase left the room. "He going to observe and send updates on Eric's pager," she explained. "Did they say how long it would take?"

"Lindon said it would take about an hour to determine if there is too much damage or not. If he can continue with the surgery it will take another two to three hours. If not they will start the amputation immediately. So we should know one way or another in an hour," he informed them. On seeing their surprise he continued with a smile. "I always knew that you were good for him Allison. I didn't know you could work miracles. He agreed to the amputation as a last resort without protest. I asked why now and not five years ago and he said you two had talked this morning while I was napping in the chair. Whatever you said worked."

Allison looked confused. "We didn't exactly talk. I thought he was asleep. I just rambled. I told him I loved him, and that I had felt the baby move for the first time. I didn't say anything about the surgery really."

Now James was confused too. He definitely was looking forward to talking to his friend afterward to see just what had swayed him.

But first they had to wait until he made it through surgery.

It wasn't the first time he'd woken up since surgery, but it was the first time he wasn't confused or anxious. The anesthesia was well out of his system and he'd gotten a good eight hours of sleep aided only by mild painkillers. Still, House did a double check to see that all was still right with his world. First he checked to his right, and saw Allison asleep, facing him, in her own hospital bed. Then he gently moved his hand down the side of his leg past the bandages until it reached his knee. Yep, still there.

Only then did he decide to look around the room to see what else was going on. His mother was sitting quietly reading in a chair by the window. Sunlight filtered in through the blinds behind her so he knew that it was daytime, probably early morning if he was judging the angle of the sun correctly. He tried to say something to get Madeline's attention but found that his throat was too dry. Finally he gave a weak little cough.

A moment later his mother was at his side with a huge smile offering him a cup of water that he sipped greedily through the straw. As if by magic, a nurse was there checking his vital signs, and generally making a nuisance of herself. House finally growled at her and she scuttled off.

"Well it's clear to see that you are back to normal," James commented from the doorway after almost being barreled over by the departing nurse.

"How much back to normal, exactly?" House inquired.

"Shepard will give you finer points, but in summary, possibly better off than before the surgery. This time the problem was caused by scar tissue cutting of the supply of blood to the area. Lindon shrunk that tissues and removed a small bit of additional muscle. But in shrinking the scar tissue he was able to take some pressure off of a nerve bundle too. You may find yourself in less pain," Wilson told him. "Lindon really was brilliant."

"I'll have Allison send him a thank-you note," House said. "Speaking of which, how is Sleeping Beauty?"

"She's fine, the baby is fine, and Cuddy says you owe her for allowing Allison to be moved down here," Wilson chuckled.

"She was going crazy up there," House explained.

"Sure, she was the one going crazy. If memory serves me right, you're the one that woke up every half hour to send a nurse to check on her until Cuddy finally gave in," Wilson teased.

"Mother, are you going to stand there and let him pick on me like that?" Greg complained.

"Yes, dear. You were quite annoying," Madeline agreed.

At that moment Allison decide to make her presence know with a snort if laughter. "Greg? Annoying? Never!" she protested.

"Oh look who's talking missy. You were almost as bad," James pointed out.

Allison had the grace to look guilty. "I'll apologize to the nurses later," she promised. After all she still had to give birth up there, and she'd hate for the maternity nurses to be annoyed with her then.

"So when can we get out of here?" House asked.

Madeline rolled her eyes. "I think it will be a few days for you son," she told him firmly. "Allison on the other hand can probably get out today once her doctor checks her over."

"Sure, she's just your favorite because she's carrying your grandchild," House griped.

Madeline didn't even bother answering that. Soon enough breakfast arrived, another source of complaint for House who only got clear liquids compared to Allison's feast of pancakes.

"Don't make me regret putting you two together," Cuddy chided as she stopped in to check on them.

"I suppose I owe you a year's worth of clinic duty. Whatever I agreed to at the time remember I was on drugs and have pity," House begged.

The highlight of the rest of the day was Allison's check up, as Dr. Lundstrom rolled in a portable ultrasound and they had a crowd that got to see baby House on the screen. Madeline and Olivia were thrilled, and even the doctors, Cuddy, Wilson, Foreman, and Chase were smiling when they left.

Greg and Allison both declined once again to know the sex of the baby, which had surprised their friends. But they had discussed the issue before her first ultra-sound and both agreed they didn't want to spoil the moment at delivery when they could see first hand that they had a boy or girl.

The next few days were a whirl of activity. With House down for the count Diagnostics was as good as closed, so Allison had the luxury of taking a few days off. Olivia and Madeline stayed with her until House was released, and then once he was home they took off, Madeline for Florida, and Olivia back home to Connecticut. Finally Allison and Greg had some time alone, and there was one question Allison had been waiting to ask.

"Why?" she inquired curling up on the couch next to him.

"Why? That's a pretty opened ended question," Greg replied.

"You know what I mean. Why did you sign the permission for amputation," she questioned placing her head against his shoulder.

Wilson had asked him the same question while he was still in the hospital but they'd been interrupted and he'd never answered his friend. He didn't think there would be any reprieve this time though.

"I wasn't asleep when you made your little trip to my room in the wee hours of the morning," he confessed.

"I gathered that. But I don't remember saying anything profound," she told him.

"You said you loved me, that was pretty profound," House teased.

"I've told you that before though," she pointed out.

"You said you'd felt the baby move, which put things into a bit of perspective," he told her.

"That's it?" she pressed.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said. Seeing that she was still confused he sighed. "Ok, why do people generally commit suicide?"

When Allison shook her head indicating she had no clue where he was going with this, he continued. "They see no future, or one only filled with pain and loneliness. I guess the first time around that was the position I was in, imagining a future without my leg. I think I knew Stacy and I wouldn't last and basically didn't care to stick around for that life. This time? In two sentences you gave me a future."

It was the last thing she had expected him to admit. "You wanted to stick around to have a future with me?"

"You could put it that way,” he said skirting admitting anything definitive.

"And you know that that future includes sleepless nights and dirty diapers, right?" she inquired.

"Well I didn't say it was a perfect future, but yeah. I also know it's going to include great sex, and watching you breastfeed, so there is an upside," he smirked.

At this point Allison didn't know whether she should slap him upside the head or fling herself into his arms. Conscious of the fact that he still had stitches she chose to simply to wrap her arms around him and draw him into a kiss. One that got out of hand all too quickly.

When they drew apart for breath House murmured, "Is it time for the great sex part?"

Allison pointed to his bandaged leg and commented, "Maybe we should hold off on that."

"Oh I'm sure we can come up with something creative," House assured her before gathering her in for a kiss.

And of course they did.

Afterward as lie in the darkness on the verge of consciousness Allison spoke once more.

“Greg?” she whispered in case he was already asleep.

“Mm hmm?” he responded.

“Thank you,” she said placing a kiss on his shoulder.

“Well, I know it was good, but it was hardly a performance worthy of gratitude,” he replied earning a small nip of her teeth on the same shoulder. “Ouch!”

“Don’t ruin it,” she scolded. “You know what I mean. Thank you for wanting to spend the rest of your life with me.”

House started to correct her. He’d never actually said any such thing even though it was what he’d meant. But she was right, why spoil the moment? He didn’t give her very many. So instead he just pointed out the obvious.

“I think that is supposed to be my line.”

Allison was in hell. A very carefully constructed hell only House could have managed to trap her in. You really had to admire that mind of his.

At first she'd been excited when he suggested that she participate in the interviews. After all he pointed out, she would be working with the chosen two for the next year. Besides, Cuddy insisted that someone sit in to avoid any lawsuits being filed by the candidates House so rudely turned down. It hadn't occurred to her until after the second interview that she was House's lightning rod, deflecting all attention so that he could observe the candidate. And not just any distraction, she was the bright and pretty object that dazzled the young doctors.

She tried to dress down the second day, but House had vetoed that. "I need you looking your usual stunning best," he'd claimed. "How else am I going to get a true reaction?"

"What are you talking about?" she'd quizzed him.

"Well, if the men stare or the women are intimidated by your good looks, then they are automatically disqualified," he'd explained.

"That's not a very professional way to determine the best qualified," she'd chastised.

"Well, it’s the best I've got. They all are qualified, or they wouldn't have made it past Cuddy," House pointed out. "Now it's up to me to determine who will make the best addition to the team. If they can't cope with working with a gorgeous woman, I don't want them," he told her.

She'd just rolled her eyes at the 'gorgeous' comment. She knew it was ninety percent bullshit, but he did have a point. They did have to work with the two people he picked and personality was as important as the other qualifications. And the first two candidates, both male, had been a bit overly interested in her 'assets'. Besides, it wasn't like she had a lot of choices in her wardrobe now anyways.

In the two weeks since House's surgery her waist had finally begun to expand. Down to two skirts and one pair of slacks that fit, she was planning a major shopping trip over the weekend. A friend of hers from college lived in N.Y. City and they were planning a girl's day to get Allison some trendy maternity clothes. House on hearing had instantly made plans for the day with James Wilson.

Allison sighed, took a sip of her tea and read through the resumes of today's two candidates. Both were specializing in cardiology, a discipline that would be an excellent fit for their team. Both looked impressive on paper. She could only hope that one of them passed the House 'personality' criteria, whatever it might be.

She knew the instant Dr. Maureen Steffens walked in that she would never do. Dressed as if to appear as unfeminine as possible she took one look at Allison and disapproval was written all over her face. House barely let her get five sentences out before he was thanking her and ushering her out the door.

He gave a shudder as she walked out of sight. "Why would anyone want to hide themselves in such a horrible get-up?" he asked.

"Maybe Cuddy warned her about you," Allison teased.

"Oh, please. Cuddy loves every barb I throw at her. She uses them to sharpen her talons," House insisted.

"Not all women can handle your particular brand of sarcasm," she pointed out.

"Exactly, and we don't want any of those working for me. Best we get it all sorted out in the interview process," House said. "Now who is next?"

"Kevin Cooper," Allison told him handing over the file. "Extremely well qualified."

"Yeah, I've actually been looking forward to this one," House admitted. "I'm setting myself to be disappointed.

But he wasn't. Dr. Cooper turned out to be a fairly quiet guy, average in every way with a few exceptions. He was extremely intelligent, but far from condescending, his smile gave away a fun-loving nature, and he demonstrated a quick dry wit when responding to House. He was polite to Allison, not ignoring her or paying her more attention than necessary. House was surprised to find himself liking the guy at the end of the interview.

Allison had already conveyed her approval silently to him, so it was with a sigh of relief that he offered Cooper a two-year fellowship. One down one to go.

Allison offered to show their new team-member back to Cuddy's office, and the two left. After clearing his desk, House was just about to phone James to see if he wanted to go to lunch when he noticed a man hovering outside of the office. After a moment the man knocked on the open door and took a step into the office.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I'm looking for Dr. Allison Cameron, and I was told she would be in Diagnostics," the man explained.

"You just missed her. She had to run downstairs but she should be back in about ten minutes, Mr?" House pried.

"Fred Green, I'm Allie's dad," the man replied.

House was momentarily confused until he remembered that 'Cameron' would be her married name. "I'm Dr. House," he said by way of introductions, purposefully neglecting any mention of being Allison's boss or superior. Best not to emphasis that so when the man found out just what his relationship was with his daughter he didn't have that fresh in his mind.

"Forgive me for not getting up, but I'm recuperating from surgery," he explained pointing to the crutches he still had to use for another week.

"That's quite all right. Is there someplace I can wait for Allie?" Fred asked politely.

"The conference room is right next door," House pointed through the glass. "There should be coffee if you'd like some."

"Thank you," Fred said a turned to leave then he paused. "Do you know this guy she's seeing? She said he was a doctor here," he inquired.

"Yes, I know him," House replied, praying Allison would show up soon.

"What's your opinion of him?" Fred asked.

"He's not good enough for her. But then no one really is," House told him honestly. "But he obviously cares for her, and she seems genuinely happy," he added.

Fred Green nodded taking that all in. "Thanks," he said after a minute. "I'll wait for Allie next door."

House breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. Allison breezed in two minutes later. Before she could say or do anything embarrassing he pointed to the conference room. "You have a guest," he pointed out.

"Dad?" Allison asked in shock on seeing who was there. "What are you doing in New Jersey?"

"I was at a trade-show in Philadelphia. I decided to stay an extra day so I could come see you. Surprise?" he asked as if he was unsure of his welcome.

Allison however was glad to see him. Despite what she'd told Greg, she really wanted to tell her father what was going on in her life. So she stepped forward and wrapped her dad in a hug. "I'm glad you did! I just wish you would have called so I could have cleared the afternoon and spent more time with you," she told him and was rewarded by a relieved smile.

House, who had risen and hobbled over as they greeted each other, quickly spoke up. "Consider yourself officially off duty," he told her.

Normally she would have argued but since their interviews for the day were done she decided to take advantage of the offer. "Thanks. Do you want to join us for lunch?"

He wanted to decline but Allison's eyes were begging him to agree. Before he knew what he was doing he had accepted. Man, he was so whipped.

"Good," Fred chimed in. "You can tell me more about the man Allie is seeing. Dr. House says he's not good enough for you," he said, expecting an argument.

"Oh he did, did he?" Allison inquired obviously amused. "Well he should know. Dad you might as well call him Greg," she said then after pausing for a moment she clarified. "He's the man I'm seeing."

Fred Green was not happy. The man sitting across from him was far from his vision of a perfect person for Allison to be with. Besides being far too old for her, he didn't seem the type to want a long-term relationship. But he'd learned one or two lessons as a father and he kept his reservations to himself as long as his daughter was present. When she excused herself to use the restroom however all bets were off.

House decided to beat Fred to the punch. "So I imagine I'm a huge disappointment. Don't feel bad. I have no clue what she sees in me either," he proclaimed.

"I guess the real question is what do you see in her?" was the response.

House gave a derisive laugh. "You're kidding right? Have you spent any time at all with your daughter? Because if you had you'd know that she's an amazing person."

Fred sighed. "I regret to say that my daughter and I have never seen eye to eye on much. I opposed her first marriage and her decision to become a doctor, and if it hadn't been for her mother Allison might not have ever bothered to call after that. Once Katherine died, well things went from bad to worse. I was surprised she even bothered to tell me about you, but she said that she figured I would hear from Steven, her brother."

"Well, to answer your question, besides being extremely attractive, she's smart, and probably the nicest person I've ever met. Too nice for her own good most of the time," House explained. "And did I mention that she's extremely attractive?"

"I believe that was covered," Fred said with a scowl. "Just what are your intentions towards her, Dr. House?"

House was saved from answering immediately by Allison's return, but he knew the subject would come up again later. As soon as lunch was over, House made his excuses about getting back for a meeting, and left Allison to decide when she would tell her father about the baby.

"We'll see you for dinner, right?" Allison asked. "I'll cook."

"I'll be there, about 7:00," House assured her before he hobbled out.

House arrived home early. As the day had progressed his guilt over abandoning Allison to face her father alone had grown and so he'd left the hospital at 5:00pm sharp. When he arrived home he found Allison, just starting dinner.

"Where's your dad?" He asked.

"He left. I brought him here to see the place, and he blew a gasket about us living together. In retrospect I probably should have waited to tell him about the baby," she said with a shrug. Her attempt at pretending to be totally unaffected was ruined by the sniffle that escaped.

Now he felt like a total shit, and was surprised by the need to apologize. "I should have been here, I'm sorry," he told her moving forward to pull him into a hug.

Allison sighed and melted into him slightly. "As much as I would have liked the backup, I think it was better this way. If you'd been here you would have done something you regretted," she predicted. "At least this way there was no bloodshed."

"It was that bad?" he asked in dismay.

"Yeah. You could have taken notes on what not to do as a father," Allison said with a grimace.

House frowned over Allison's head, an expression she didn't see, and so she couldn't reassure him as his fears over being a good father resurfaced.

Hell, before he was done he would probably be able to write a book on what not to do as a father.

"She was totally flirting with you!" Allison declared in frustration. "You can't possibly be actually considering hiring her!"

"Why not? Because you're jealous? Not a very professional reason for passing on her, is it?" House sneered.

Allison drew a deep breath and counted to ten. It was their third fight in a week and it was now obvious that House was picking them deliberately. Well she wasn't going to get drawn in this time.

"You're right," she admitted. "If you like her, offer her the position."

That took the wind out of his sails. He had no intentions of hiring the young vascular surgeon who had come onto him in what had to be the most bizarre interview in his career. But for some perverse reason he'd wanted to piss off Allison. Just like he'd done when she'd come home from shopping last week-end and he'd seen the bill, and when she'd burnt dinner because she'd fallen asleep and he'd told her that his Uncle Larry was more domestic than she was.

He supposed that it didn't take a psychologist to figure out that he was pushing her away again. Ever since her father had left he'd become more and more anxious about the whole fatherhood gig, and seeing Allison actually in maternity clothes was just bringing the reality home to him on a daily basis. Some small part of him had decided she and the baby would be better off without him.

Problem was the rest of him knew that was rubbish, and that he definitely couldn't get along without her, so he was frustrated, which of course he took out on Allison who had done nothing at all to deserve it.

Luckily Allison was starting to catch on to what the problem was. Since House's mood had started somewhere in the period between her father's visit and her transition to maternity clothes it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. However how to handle the problem was another matter completely. She figured she could ignore it and go back to downplaying the whole pregnancy/baby thing until he relaxed, or deal with the problem head-on. Up until now the first method had been working well, but her instincts were telling her it was time to change tactics.

Later that evening as she sat reading and House watched TV the baby gave her a perfect opportunity. Up until now, the most she'd been able to feel were some strong flutters, but over the last two days there had been an occasional kick strong enough to stop and notice. Of course House was nowhere around during either of the occurrences. Now however he was within arm's reach and his son or daughter was seemingly doing the Macarena.

She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. "Greg, give me your hand," she requested.

Still absorbed in the game he was watching he did so without question, only looking over at her in confusion when she pressed it to her stomach. A moment later his eyes widened and a smile flickered over his features.

"Definitely going to be a Lacrosse player," he murmured in approval. Then he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm really going to be a father aren't I?"

"Unless you plan on running for the hills, I don't see how you are going to avoid it," Allison teased. But there was an undertone of seriousness in her statement that House did not miss.

"Contrary to my terrible behavior of the past week, I am not going anywhere," he assured her.

Allison nodded. She'd known that deep down. "I get scared too sometimes," she admitted.

"Who said anything about being scared?" he huffed.

"Ok, worried," she amended. "And besides the big looming worries that the baby will be healthy and I will be a good mother, there are all the 'little' concerns. Like where the heck is this kid going to sleep, and what day care are we going to use?"

"We need to start making some decisions, don't we?" House sighed.

"I'm afraid so," she replied. "Because this baby arrives in less than five months whether we are ready or not."

"Ok, we should tackle the two you mentioned first. PPTH has a day care center, so you check into that tomorrow. I'm going to get a real estate agent to help us find a place to live," he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "Now after all the fights you picked this last week I think you owe me an evening of pampering and great make-up sex," she pointed out.

"I believe you are correct," Greg said with a gleam in his eye as he leaned in to kiss her.

A week later James Wilson finally caught up with House to get an update on what had been going on in his life.

"Well, I finally found the third member of our team," House reported. "We only went through a total of seventeen candidates. I must be slipping. Last time it took me twenty six to put a team together."

"Last time you had to hire three," James pointed out.

"True, so I'm not far off my average," Greg said mentally trying to verify the math.

"So who is the new addition?" Wilson asked.

"Larry Shulman, Jewish Neurologist," House summarized.

"Interesting," Wilson commented.

"Yes he is," House agreed.

"So when do they start, Monday?" Wilson inquired.

"Yeah. Allison is looking for a case for us to take so we can hit the ground running," House nodded.

"Speaking of the lovely Allison, she is positively glowing. I'm assuming everything is going well with the pregnancy," Wilson observed.

"Yep. Her blood pressure has stayed down, she's eating for two, and the baby is kicking up a storm," House confirmed and couldn't hold back a grin.

"Damn it, House. You actually look happy too," Wilson teased.

"Crap. I'll need to work on that," House replied. "By the way, we bought a house," he told his friend timing the statement carefully.

James Wilson did a perfect spit take. "You what?"

"We bought a house, in Princeton, just north of here off Walnut," Greg clarified.

"Together? Isn't that a bit of a commitment?" Wilson asked with a pleased glint in eye.

"No more that having a baby together," House protested.

"Oh, you are such a hypocrite. Why don't you just put a ring on that girl's finger?" Wilson chuckled shaking his head.

House suddenly realized he had no answer for that question.

James Wilson sat down for lunch in the hospital cafeteria and smiled as he spotted the little melodrama playing itself out at a table across the room. Dr.'s Cameron, Forman and Chase were treating the two new members of House's staff to lunch, and if the looks of panic on the two rookie's faces were any clue they were getting an earful of the antics of one Dr. Gregory House.

One thing he was sure they were not hearing was any mention of the fact that the woman seated across from them encouraging and abetting the storytelling was carrying the mad doctor's baby. Everyone had been sworn to secrecy on spilling a word about their relationship as Allison and Greg had a rather hefty wager placed on which of the two young men would figure it out first. Allison had her money on Cooper, House had Shulman.

In reality there was no money involved in the bet as that would have been pretty pointless. They no longer even had separate checking accounts. Instead, the outcome of the bet would determine where they spent the long weekend they were planning to celebrate being together for a year. The anniversary date had actually already passed, but with their schedules they had decided on a weekend they could both easily get away. Allison had planned a quiet weekend in Vermont at a posh resort where they could enjoy the fall colors. House had made plans to spend the weekend in Atlantic City.

Wilson glanced behind him when he saw Dr. Shulman look that way nervously and saw the man in question approaching, tray in hand. He waved him on over and waited for him to get settled.

"You're wife is having way too much fun over there," he informed his friend.

House paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. "Now that's going to take some getting used to."

"Hey when I suggested putting a ring on her finger I didn't mean you had to do it within the next forty-eight hours!" Wilson teased.

"What was I supposed to do? I was suddenly confronted with a hormonal woman who had just realized that her baby was going to have a different last name than she was. I saw a problem, I fixed the problem," House explained.

In retrospect he probably should have realized she'd been abnormally subdued over the past two days. Ever since they had signed the paperwork for the new house. He didn't really notice her silence until they were driving home Friday night and then he looked over to see if she was all right only to find her staring at him with a pensive look on her face.

He waited until they got inside the townhouse then turned to her with a sigh. "Out with it," he demanded.

"What?" she replied looking a bit nervous.

"Whatever it is you want to tell me or ask me that has your shorts in a bunch," he replied.

She took a deep breath. "House, will you marry me?"

Several thoughts ran through his head. Was she psychic or had overheard his conversation with Wilson at lunch? Why was she asking him? Of all the thoughts the only one that mattered was what finally came out of his mouth when he replied.

"Sure."

Allison looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Did you say 'sure'?" she asked.

"Yes, ok, I do, sure." House confirmed. "Can I know what brought this on now though?"

"It's stupid really," she told him blushing.

"Not if it's made you decide you want to do something as serious as getting married to a grumpy old coot like me," he told her.

Allison looked at him in disbelief. Didn't he know? "I've always wanted to marry you, you idiot. It just wasn't something I needed to push. I figured when the time was right it would happen," she said shrug. Then she sighed. "But signing the contract for the new house made me realize something. When the baby is born, he or she will be a 'House' and I won't be. So I don't want to wait any longer. I want to be Allison House on that birth certificate."

"Ok," House told her again. "Just how big of a circus event are we talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't care if we go to Vegas," she told him, still a bit off balance at how well he was taking her request.

"Sounds good to me. Why don't you start dinner and I will make some phone calls," he told her.

"House! Wait!" Allison put out her hand to grab him. "You're sure?"

House pulled her into a hug so that the baby was positioned between them and could kick them both. "No, I want to buy a house together, raise a family together and spend the rest of my life with you, but I'm not sure I want to marry you," he teased.

"Just checking," Allison said with a grin.

"Well, Julie thought it was very romantic. The whole whirlwind trip to Vegas was a real boost to our marriage," Wilson reported with a satisfied grin.

"Slept in your own bed again last night did you?" House inquired without thinking as he was absorbed with watching the show across the room.

"Well sleeping wasn't the primary activity, but yeah," his friend confessed.

House looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "James you dog!"

"Look who's talking! You and your lovely bride were almost late for your own wedding because you were otherwise occupied," James reminded him.

"Gotta love those pregnancy hormones," House acknowledged. "Better be careful Jimmy, or before you know it you'll be happily married and putting together nursery furniture, too.

James just smiled. "Just like you?"

House realizing what he'd just admitted gave his friend a glare. "Got a problem with that?"

"Not at all my friend, not at all."

Although House and Cameron were discrete, the clues were everywhere if the new doctors cared to look for them. However the first day they were too busy trying to impress House (or at least not embarrass themselves). As it turned out, one of the tests House ordered threw up a huge red flag with Dr. Cooper and by the next day they had a diagnosis and treatment well under way. That meant that the young men could relax a bit and learn the routine of the office and the clinic.

They already had been witness to Chase and Foreman making a fuss over Cameron's ring. Besides shaking their heads in dismay that she had actually gotten married, her friends had both raised an eyebrow at the ring itself.

"Just how much does he make?" Chase inquired.

When Allison looked confused Foreman clarified. "That is some serious money on your finger Cam," he said.

Dr. Cooper was the first to notice the ultrasound printout on House's desk as he gave him the update on their patient.

"Is that Dr. Cameron's baby?" He asked.

"Yep," House replied giving nothing away.

And it was Cooper who noticed House was now sporting a wedding ring. He double-checked with Shulman, and neither could recall seeing it when they were interviewed.

"You don't think…" Cooper speculated.

"No way. I can't see anyone putting up with House, let alone Cameron," Shulman scoffed.

Still Cooper's curiosity was peaked and he quietly observed. They paired up for the clinic duty that afternoon and he was glad to be put with Dr. Cameron. From what he could see House had the bedside manner of a bull in a china shop. Dr. Cameron however was the polar opposite. She offered a quick smile and gentle manner and a keen eye for those cases that needed more that a quick fix. After they'd been at it for two hours they had admitted three patients and sent another six on their way home. When they exited the exam room they were met by House and Shulman at the nurse's station.

"Break time, boys and girls," he announced. "Fifteen minutes, and I want you off your feet for all of those Cameron," he ordered.

Cooper turned as he was leaving. "Can I get you anything from the cafeteria, Dr. Cameron?" he asked politely.

"A Diet Coke please. I haven't had my one dose of caffeine yet today," she requested with a smile.

After the two young doctors left House escorted Allison into one of the exam rooms and made her sit on the bed with her feet up.

"So I see you've made another fan," he teased.

"He's genuinely nice, House. I can't believe you hired him," she shot back with a grin. "How is Shulman holding up?"

"That one is going to drive me crazy. I swear if I say up he says down just to see what I'll do," House complained.

"We can switch for the rest of the day," she offered.

"I was hoping you would say that," he confessed.

As they had been talking he'd sat down on the bed and slid in a bit behind her a bit so that he could massage her shoulders. Soon Allison gave a little moan of delight as her tense muscles started to loosen up. Just then there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Come in," House said with a sigh.

Cooper nervously poked his head in. "Am I interrupting?"

"Of course not," Allison smiled.

"What exactly did you think was going on in here?" House asked with a chuckle.

At that Allison rolled her eyes. "Don't mind House. If he doesn't behave I'll let it out just how good his backrubs are and his reputation will be shot overnight," Cameron threatened. "Thanks for getting my drink."

With that Cooper left the room and Allison turned to give House a swat.

"That was mean," she told him. "But I think I'm about to win the bet."

"Great," House grimaced standing and turned to help her off the bed. "Let's go face the music."

Sure enough there was a small crowd waiting for them including Dr. Cuddy who stepped forward to speak for them all. "We hear congratulations are in order," she smiled. "Or condolences as the case may be, Allison."

Allison was now totally confused.

One of the nurses smiled at her and explained. "Dr. Wilson told us we could answer if one of House's new doctors asked if you two were involved. Except Dr. Cooper asked if you were married. So we told him no, that neither of you were married."

"I pointed out you were both sporting brand new wedding rings," Cooper said with a shy smile.

"Which I want to see immediately," Cuddy demanded. "House you constantly surprise me," she said shaking her head after seeing the beautiful diamond wedding band.

"It’s what I live for," House replied. "Now as you are so often reminding me, there are patients to see," he gripped.

Cuddy sighed. "Back to work everyone."

As Allison picked up a chart and signaled Dr. Shulman that he should follow her she turned on last time to House.

"Hey House, don't forget to cancel the Atlantic City reservations," she reminded him.

"Are you sure? Because I hear that the honeymoon suite has a heart shaped Jacuzzi," he commented.

Allison chuckled. "As tempting as that sounds I think I'll pass. The room I've booked has a Jacuzzi, fireplace, and a full kitchen. If we plan it right we'll never have to leave the room," she promised with a wink.

House stopped as he was about to enter the exam room where his next patient was waiting and turned to Cooper with a delighted grin.

"That woman is going to be the death of me," he predicted. "And I'm going to go with a huge smile on my face."

Allison had been right. They had taken up a few bags of groceries with them, and with proper planning they never would have had to leave the suite. However even House had to admit it would be a shame to miss out on using some of the hotel amenities and the fall colors were beckoning them, so they did actually get dressed and venture outside. On Friday they arrived before noon having left in the wee hours to avoid the New York traffic. Since they had been in the car for hours they quickly put together a picnic lunch and headed for the lake that was on the property. When they got back to their room they were ready for a nap, so they climbed into the incredible king size bed and dozed for a couple of hours.

They wouldn't emerge from their suite again until late the next morning when they decided to finally don clothing and check out the nearby town. This far from anyone they knew House felt comfortable letting his guard down and they wandered from shop to shop, occasionally holding hands. They were glad they had ventured out when they happened upon the small shop of a craftsman with a display of his hand carved furniture. They both fell in love with a rocking chair, and made the first official purchase for the nursery. After arranging to have it shipped they stopped for lunch and then with just a look silently decided to head back to their room.

They only debate after that was whether they should keep the reservation they had made at one of the resorts restaurants, or once again eat in front of their fireplace in their bathrobes. Since evenings out would be in short supply soon enough they opted for the restaurant, but brought back dessert to enjoy alone.

As they settled in to eat the array of sweets (Allison hadn't been able to decide on just one) Allison pulled a package out of her suitcase and handed it to House.

"I know we didn't say anything about presents, but I found these in New York when I was shopping and I bought them for you," Allison told him.

House ripped off the wrapping to find three CD's or rare jazz recordings. "Wow," he enthused. "These are incredible! Thank you," he told her lowering his lips to hers for a kiss. "I hope you're not going to be disappointed if I didn't get you something."

"Of course not," she replied.

"That's good to know, but just in case," he said as he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.

Inside she found a perfectly stunning pair of diamond stud earrings. She sucked in a shocked breath and let it out is a soft "Oh my god."

Dessert was totally forgotten.

On Tuesday when they got back to the hospital it was back to business as usual. Allison started her day going through a pile of mail, separating out the referral requests. By the time Shulman and Cooper were in pouring their first coffee of the day she was on her third cup of tea and had organized the mail into manageable sub-groups. She walked over to the table where the two were sitting and handed each a pile.

"I'm not going to be here forever to do this for you and lord knows House will never do it, so you might as well get used to the grunt part of the job now. Shulman, those are upcoming seminars and conferences. Flag any that one of us might be interested in. Cooper, you have the ones that look suspiciously like fan mail, and I don't mean of the flattering variety. Flag any that are actually threatening for legal to keep on file. House likes to read the ones that aren't done in crayon," she instructed.

"What do you have?" Cooper asked.

"The referral requests. This is the tricky bunch and it will take a while for you to get a feel for these. We'll review them together as much as possible after I've sorted through them until one of you feels up to taking them on," she told them.

And so fall turned to winter.

House and Cameron hosted Thanksgiving at the townhouse for Olivia, Madeline, and Allison's brother and sister-in-law. Slowly they packed in preparation for their planned move the first week of January.

They shopped for furniture, waiting to order what they wanted until they could have it shipped directly to the new house. To be precise, Allison shopped for furniture, only dragging House out to approve her final choice. When she'd lamented that she wished one of her good friends or her sister-in-law lived closer so they could go with her Wilson suggested that she call Julie.

"She drives me crazy with her constant shopping, but I have to admit she has excellent taste and really knows some great places to get bargains," he told her.

And he'd been right. Julie had steered her away from the overpriced items that could be found in any baby's store and to several stores where she could find unique good quality pieces at a much better price. Wilson, although glad that the two women were got along well wondered if he had opened a huge can of worms.

"I hope your wife isn't giving my wife any ideas," he complained to House one day over lunch.

"Not interested in any little Jimmie's or Julie's running around?" House asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at the moment. Julie and I are getting along great, but it's a fine line finding time to spend with her and keep up with work and still have time to enjoy a drink with a buddy occasionally. Although in a few months I guess the buddy will be unavailable anyway," he mused.

"I think he'll still be able to get away once in a while," House assured him.

"You need to wake up to the facts, my friend. You only have three months left of your freedom. Then the next eighteen years are spoken for," Wilson informed him.

House contemplated this for a moment. "Then I guess we'd better make the most of the time I have left," he announced.

Allison hung up the phone with a frown. Greg had called once again to say he would be out with James and not to wait up for him. As if she could in her condition anyway. At seven months the pregnancy was beginning to take it's toll and sleep was becoming more necessary. She looked in the mirror and frowned. She'd think that maybe he was finding her less than attractive except for on the nights he did spend at home he was extremely attentive and loving. The sex was still great.

At least he calls, she told herself. She didn't sit at home and worry. She knew they would leave their cars at the hospital and take cabs home from wherever they ended up. Tomorrow they would take her car and leave early enough to pick up James. So she didn't have to worry about them getting too drunk to drive, or parking in a bad neighborhood.

She looked around with a sigh. All of the Christmas tasks were done. Tree up, packages mailed and cards sent out. At least her solitary evenings had been put to good use. But there were still a lot of little tasks left to finish before the move in three weeks and having taken Thanksgiving off they were both on duty through Christmas and New Years. With one more lonely sigh she pulled a box over, marked it bedroom and started packing some of her non-maternity clothes away.

House entered quietly, not wanting to wake his sleeping wife. He wasn't surprised that there was a light on in the living room. Allison usually left one on for him. However the sight that met his eyes as he rounded the corner caused him concern. Allison was slumped in the armchair, a book of baby names in her lap, her dinner still sitting out on the table next to her barely touched. The room was starting to chill and he could see goose bumps on her arms where the blanket she'd thrown around her shoulders had slipped.

For a moment he watched her sleep peacefully, then he woke her up abruptly.

"Allison, wake up go to bed for god sakes. It's freezing in here," he commanded as her eyes struggled to open.

Obedient in her semi-conscious state she rose, dropping the forgotten book to the floor and started to shuffle off to the bedroom.

"Wait! Have you eaten?" House demanded.

She shook her head no. Truth be told she'd made the pasta only to have the smell cause her stomach to flip-flop. She'd decided she might want to stay away from it and make something else but she'd fallen asleep before she could find the energy to do so.

She saw him roll his eyes. "You need to take better care of yourself," he stated critically. Then he spotted the two boxes freshly labeled sitting in the corner. "And don't even tell me you were packing boxes in your condition."

By now she was starting to wake up enough to take offense. "They needed to be done."

"Not tonight they didn't, they could have waited for me to help you," he insisted.

Allison got very still and turned to look him the eye. "And when will that be exactly?"

"Oh here it comes. I've been waiting to see how long it would take for the nagging to start," House smirked.

If looks could have killed he figured he'd have been reduced to a liquefied puddle on the floor during the next thirty seconds. Then just as suddenly he saw her shoulders slump and her body quiver as all of the energy sapped out of her. "I'm going to bed," she whispered, and without another word she disappeared into the other room and shut the door.

The next morning Allison was quiet, but pensive. Having been prepared for anger, this mood worried House greatly. He'd always figured that if Allison ever sat back and really thought about the two of them she'd wonder what the heck she saw in him.

They had no patient that day, so they kept busy with clinic duty and paperwork. At least Allison did. House was left to ponder as he hid out in various exam rooms and lounges. That evening over dinner his worries were only slightly diminished when Allison told him what she was planning.

"I've been thinking," she began. "You probably have the right idea, kicking up your heels a bit while you have the chance. I should probably use the next couple of weekends to take a break myself. Once Christmas arrives it's going to be a whirlwind of on-call, packing, and then moving. And once we are in the new house and settled again I will probably be too uncomfortable to do much. So I called my friend Karen, and I'm going to take the train up to New York and spend the weekend with her. Do some last minute shopping, maybe see a show. You and James should plan something too," she told him.

And House, after all of his late nights over the past three weeks didn't have a leg to stand on, even if he'd wanted to protest.

The taxi dropped Allison off on Sunday afternoon and she gave a sigh of relief. As nice as it had been to get away, and as much as she'd enjoyed seeing Karen and a couple of her other old friends, she'd missed House. As she picked up her bag and turned toward the front door she was surprised to see the man of her thoughts standing there waiting for her.

"Hi," she said pausing to kiss his cheek as she reached him.

Instead she was swept in to a passionate kiss that made her knees wobble. The bag dropped from fingers that suddenly had better things to do, and within moments they were locked in an embrace that was threatening to get out of control. Finally she pulled back out of breath.

"Greg, we are giving the neighbors a show," she chuckled. The only answer she got was to be swept into the house so quickly she barely managed to snag her suitcase. As soon as the door shut she found herself pressed up against it, once again being kissed senseless.

As clothes flew and they stumbled to the couch she managed to question, "So did you miss me?"

House paused long enough to look down at her lying half naked beneath him and answered with brutal honesty. "I'm considering locking you up so you can't ever leave again."

"Kinky," was her only reply.

Allison parked the car down the street a bit from the new house leaving plenty of room for the moving truck, which should be arriving shortly. They were lucky on the weather, which after a cold spell over New Years had warmed up into the forties with a bright blue sky. And since it hadn't rained or snowed in the past week mud would be at a minimum. Just about the best conditions you could hope for with a January move.

House was already there and met her on the front porch. "I hope you aren't expecting anything cliché, because I think the cripple trying to carry the pregnant woman over the doorstep is just asking for trouble."

Allison laughed. "How about we just hold hands," she suggested reaching out hers to take his.

"Hey, yours are cold. I think you just want to warm up," he complained.

"Shut up, and enjoy the moment," she said leaning in for a kiss. "Let's take a quick tour before the place gets trashed. I want to see how everything looks."

They had technically owned the house for a week, but had decided to let the painters and carpet people have that time to work with no furniture to deal with. Now the whole place had a fresh coat of a soft eggshell paint, except for the nursery, which was a pale green. All of the bedrooms had new carpet, and the wood floors in the remainder of the house had been stripped and stained. They had just finished admiring the work when their helpers started arriving.

James and Julie Wilson were first, Julie laden down with bags from the bakery and deli. She and Allison quickly laid out the breakfast items and put the deli items away for later. By the time the four slightly blurry-eyed doctors arrived they just had time for coffee and a donut before the movers arrived.

"I can't believe you got Chase, Foreman, Shulman and Cooper all to agree to help," Wilson said in dismay.

"Cooper and Shulman are trying to earn brownie points," House sarcastically pointed out.

"And the other two?" Wilson asked.

"Allison worked her charm on them," House had to admit. "I'm surprised you got Julie here."

"Are you kidding? Six male doctors and an entire moving crew to order around? This is her idea of fun," James warned.

And sure enough within minutes of the truck doors being opened, Julie had taken charge. She first ordered that a comfortable chair be unloaded and brought into the living room.

"We need to make sure Allison does nothing more than sit and point, gentleman," she commanded, and none of the men were going to disagree with that.

Even Allison had to admit that strategically placed she was probably more helpful directing traffic than getting in the way. With a minimum of fuss the truck was unloaded and to Greg and Allison surprise the bed was even set up in their room simply awaiting linens, which Julie dug out and put on.

"There, now when the house clears out and you two are ready to drop from exhaustion you can," she told them with a satisfied sigh. "Now where are the dishes? I'm going to unload some of those so you can eat off real plates tomorrow."

"Julie, thank you. And all of the rest of you, too. We couldn't have done this without your help," Allison insisted.

And finally they were alone. However just as Julie had suggested, the instant they had piece and quiet they both felt the exhaustion of the day wash over them. By silent agreement they got ready for bed and slipped beneath the covers. And while House pulled her close he barely had formed a "Love you," when they both gave into slumber.

Two days later they returned to work tired but with a feeling of accomplishment. There was still a lot to unpack, but they had made a real dent in the chaos. Plus all of the baby's furniture had been delivered and was waiting to be put together. With six weeks to go until Allison's due date they were starting to feel like they were actually prepared. There were only a few last things on the list that needed to be done. The first was to get a car seat, which was taken care of one day when they found Chase and Foreman waiting in the conference room with a huge box. Even House was moved to thank them for the top-of-the-line car seat that they'd gone together to purchase.

Allison gave them both beaming smiles and heartfelt hugs.

"You two didn't have to do this, but we really appreciate it! One more thing we can cross off the list," she told them.

"How goes the name battle?" Foreman asked, knowing that they had been arguing over names for a month.

"We officially have a girls name. If it's a boy we may have a problem," Allison grimaced.

"Well, just remember, Eric is always a good choice," Foreman teased.

House groaned. "I can see it now, Eric Chase Kevin Larry House. You know she's too nice to hurt anyone's feelings by leaving them out," he complained.

"Forget I mentioned it," Foreman chuckled. "Are you going to Lamaze classes?"

"Absolutely not," House forcefully stated. "I refuse to sit in a room full of pimple faced young people who need instruction on how to breath," he gripped.

"What about you Allison?" Foreman asked. "You could always get someone else to go with you if you don't want to go alone."

"I'm familiar with the techniques. I think I'll pass," Allison said, leaving out the fact that she'd taken the classes many years ago. She doubted anything had changed much.

"So you really are down to picking out the names," Chase said.

"Well there is another six weeks of looking like a beached whale, and then the whole labor and delivery part to get through," Allison said wrinkling her nose in distaste.

House snorted. "Allison, even pregnant you barely top 120 pounds. I hardly call that looking like a beached whale. More like a beach ball."

"Thanks dear, you really know how to charm a girl," she teased, but she was smiling so he knew that secretly she was pleased.

"Anytime. Now I know I have soaps to watch so that must mean that you all have work to do elsewhere," he said dismissing them.

On Friday they double dated with the Wilson's. Ever since Allison's weekend away she and House had compromised on their night's out. Friday was officially their free night to spend however they wanted. House and Wilson normally went out together, and sometimes Julie and Allison hooked up for a movie. Other Friday's Allison met up with Foreman, Chase or her new team for drinks (hers being non-alcoholic). Tonight however, James had suggested that the two couples go out to eat, and after ordering it became clear why.

"We noticed that you are missing something that will make your life a lot easier once the baby is born," James told them as he placed a wrapped box on the table.

House signaled to Allison to go ahead and open it as he looked at James with caution. "It's too small to be a nanny," he mused.

Meanwhile Allison had gotten a peak at what was inside and she smiled up at their friends. "This is perfect. What a great idea," she enthused.

"Well finish opening it so we can both enjoy," House gripped.

Allison rolled her eyes and finished ripping off the paper revealing a digital camera. "Your mom and sister won't have to nag us for pictures," she happily reported. "We can send them new ones via e-mail whenever we want."

"You can, you mean," House corrected. "But it is a great idea. Thanks," he said to the couple seated across from them.

"So how did your exam go today?" Julie asked.

"Good. Everything is progressing normally, but Dr. Lunardi wants me to cut back on the number of hours I'm on my feet. No more clinic duty," Allison reported.

"What did Cuddy say to that?" James wondered.

"She's making Greg make up some of my hours," Allison sighed casting a guilty look at her husband.

"Of course that assumes that we don't have our own patients," House smirked.

"Ah," James nodded. "I see a definite lowering of your standards for accepting cases in the very near future."

"James my friend, give me some credit. Cuddy would catch onto that way too quickly. No, I'm just going to have to make sure I get some quality referrals," Greg plotted.

The Wilsons both looked at him questioningly.

"He's paying $50 per referral, $250 for those we take on," Allison enlightened them.

House's scheme worked well for the next three weeks, and he managed to avoid too much time in the clinic. Eventually though they were all caught up and to Cuddy's surprise for two whole days he did his clinic duty without shirking or complaining. She finally decided to check with Wilson to see what was up.

"It’s pretty simple. Allison is ten days from her due date and he wants her to rest and not worry, and complaining would only make her feel guilty. He gives her a blow by blow of every case when they're at home and I'm sure embellishes the stories to death to make them amusing," he explained.

"Damn," Cuddy swore. "So as soon as she has this baby he'll go back to being the same old aggravating House, no doubt," she sighed.

"No doubt. Enjoy it while you can. At least you can go to tomorrow's budget meeting and know that he won't need a babysitter," Wilson pointed out.

"That right!" Cuddy said brightening a bit. "Those darn meetings are long enough without disrupting them constantly with staffing matters."

Poor Lisa wasn't to know just how disruptive the next day would be.

The day started out much the same as the past two. Allison and Greg arrived at the hospital before the other two team members and started the coffee and gathered the mail. The only difference was that there was a message from Cuddy reminding House to report ASAP to the clinic so she could leave for her budget meetings. House wanted to grumble but he looked over at his wife who was looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing day and decided he had nothing to complain about.

Still he couldn't help but beg as she sorted the mail and he prepared to head downstairs. "Please find us a patient in there."

But there was no distraction waiting in that day's mail, and so the morning progressed slowly and painfully. After House had been down in the clinic for several hours he stopped to get fresh coffee and noticed what appeared to be a mother and daughter waiting in the chairs.

"Have they been here all morning?" he questioned absently with a frown.

"Yes, Doctor. I was hoping to talk to you about them," one of the nurses who actually wasn't frightened of House responded. "Mrs. Holden brought in her daughter with a possible yeast or bladder infection, but her daughter, Meghan, refuses to see you or any of the male doctors. She wants a woman. Meghan is slightly retarded and very shy. Seems her normal doctor is female, but is on vacation and Mrs. Holden was hoping to get lucky and find someone here to examine her. But Dr. Cuddy is in meetings and I'm having a hard time getting anyone else."

"Let's get a urine sample and hopefully by the time the labs come back I can get someone down here to exam her," House suggested.

Meanwhile, upstairs Allison was feeling decidedly fidgety. She'd been through the mail, and made headway in the never-ending charting, but was finding it hard to sit still. The baby (and therefore Allison) seemed to be having trouble finding a comfortable position. As a result she was on her feet every five minutes walking around to try to take the pressure off her hips and back. Finally as lunchtime approached she decided to go see how the rest of her team was doing, and if they were ready to take a break.

On her feet and moving she instantly felt better and headed off to the elevator with as much of a spring in her step as an eight-and-a-half month pregnant woman could get.

She smiled when the elevator reached its destination and the doors opened to reveal her husband standing at the nurses' station with his back to her. He was concentrating on the forms in his hands so she quietly moved up behind him only to have him turn at the last second.

"You really didn't think you could be stealthy at this point, did you?" he smirked.

"No," Allison sighed. "It's like an elephant trying to tip-toe."

"So what brings you down here? You should be sitting with your feet up," he scolded.

"I can't sit. At all, feet up or down. Your offspring has a fit every time I try," she complained.

"Well as long as you are here, do you think you could do a quick pelvic exam? Then we can go to lunch," House asked.

"Sure," Allison said with a confused frown. "But why do you need me?"

House gave her a quick run down, including the labs, which definitely showed bacteria in the urine. "I just want to rule out any other type of infection before I start her on antibiotics for a bladder infection," he told her.

"No problem. As long as I don't have to sit," she acknowledged. Then she went out to call her patient in.

She was instantly taken by Meghan Holden. With her dark hair in pigtails and a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose she reminded Allison of herself at age fourteen. She quickly introduced herself and then left Meghan and her mother to get her changed into a gown. When she returned, the two were talking quietly.

"I was explaining to Meghan that you have a baby in your stomach," Mrs. Holden stated quietly, blushing slightly.

"Yes, I do. A baby that is not very comfortable today, so I'm going to ask you to help me out, ok Meghan?" Allison asked. "Normally I would sit at the foot of the bed and examine you, but the baby refuses to let me sit this morning. So I'm going to have you lay on an extra cushion so that you are up higher and I can stand, alright?"

Meghan nodded, uncertainly.

"You'll be just like the Princess and the Pea," Allison assured her. "Have you ever heard that story?"

When Meghan shook her head no, Allison proceeded to tell her a shortened version of the fairy tale as she got the cushion and settled her patient on top of it. By the time the story was complete the exam was too.

"So we are all done. You can get down now your highness," Allison told her with a smile then she turned to Mrs. Holden. "I didn't find any evidence of discharge so it looks like we are just dealing with a common bladder infection. Here is a prescription, and make sure she drinks plenty of fluids. And if you notice any other symptoms bring her back in here, or to her regular doctor," Allison instructed.

"Thank you doctor," Mrs. Holden said taking the script. As they made their way out the door she turned back. "Is this your first child?"

"Yes, it is," Allison replied.

"You are going to make a wonderful mother," the woman told her, and then she left.

House, who had been hovering out side waiting for her overheard the comment and couldn't help but smile. "See, I told you. No higher power in their right mind would give me a child without providing a perfect parent to balance the scales," he assured her.

Allison had frozen where she stood after the compliment and now she looked at House with wide eyes. "I sure hope you are right, because I don't have any more time to prepare."

"No you are pretty much out of time," he agreed. "So should we get some lunch?"

"No, Greg I am totally out of time," she told him. "My water just broke."

Lisa Cuddy was just starting to watch the clock hoping to call for a break soon, when her pager went off. With a sigh she looked at the message thinking at least they had made it almost four hours before bothering her. Her eyes widened at the words on the screen. "Baby House On Its Way'

"Gentleman, I need to take care of this. Let's break for lunch," she said already on her feet and heading towards the door. She came to her senses long enough to turn back and signal James Wilson. "You are definitely going to be needed," she announced.

Even as he followed her out of the room his own pager started blaring,

They headed straight for the maternity ward, and arrived to find a crowd. Dr. Foreman was the one to fill them in. "Allison's doctor just arrived. We are waiting for an update," he explained.

"Alright people. Once we have news I want everyone back to work except for Dr. Wilson. He'll stay here and give us updates," she ordered sternly.

Five minutes later Susan Lunardi came out and smiled at the worried group of doctors waiting for her. "It's going to be a while folks. Allison's water broke, so I'm keeping her here, but her contractions have just barely started. No sense in hanging around," she assured them.

Lisa Cuddy nodded. "Ok, everyone back to work. Susan, I'm leaving James Wilson here to hopefully keep House out of trouble. Let him know if I'm needed for anything. "

Susan smiled gratefully. She had no doubts that she would have her hands full keeping Greg House from hounding the nurses. James Wilson would be a welcome help over what was sure to be a long labor at the pace it had progressed so far.

Little did she know just how much impatience baby House had inherited from its father.

Four hours later House ducked his head out of the room and spotted James talking to one of the nurses.

"Jimmy! Make yourself useful! We need Lunardi, now!" he ordered, then returned to his wife's side.

Allison grabbed his hand like it was a lifeline and moaned. "Too fast. This is going too fast," she wailed.

"Breath, Allie, don't push until the doctor can check you," he warned.

"You're a damn doctor, check me! I need to push! NOW!" she screamed.

He was already attired in scrubs, so House quickly found the box of latex gloves and snapped a pair on and moved to the foot of the bed. He was shocked to find the baby's head crowning. Allison was right. She'd gone from five centimeters dilated to crowning in less than forty-five minutes. No wonder she'd been having trouble breathing through the contractions. They must have been doozies.

"Ok, as usual Dr. Cameron your diagnosis is dead on. Next contraction push," he told her.

House barely heard Dr. Lunardi enter the room, but he felt her move behind him. However at that point he was little busy guiding the head of his child gently out as Allison gave a mighty push. When he heard her take a deep breath in the baby was out up to its shoulders.

"One more and you'll officially be a Mom," he assured her. "You want to take over Doc?"

"Seems you are doing just fine," Susan acknowledged. "I'll just assist."

Barely a minute later, the baby was out and Susan was gathering it into a soft white towel. She handed House a scalpel to cut the cord and once the baby was free she gently tickled the toes to get a response. The baby took in a quick breath and let out a soft cry on the exhale, pinking up nicely in the process.

"So much nicer that getting a spanking," Susan commented with a smile as she handed the baby to the nurse to get the initial readings and took over at the foot of the bed to deliver the afterbirth while House moved up to kiss his exhausted wife.

"It's a girl," he told her.

"Can I see her? Is she healthy?" Allison asked, reliving for a moment her previous delivery and the way they had whisked Jacob away before she could hold him.

Even as she asked the nurse brought over the small bundle and placed it on Allison chest gently. "She's perfect," she assured her.

And as Allison folded back the blanket so she could count fingers and toes House got his first really good look at his daughter and thought 'perfect' was an understatement.

Katherine Rose House weighed in at 7 lbs 3 oz. Within eighteen hours she had a legion of admirers. Named for Allison's mother and Greg's great aunt who had raised Madeline after her mother died and was therefore the 'grandmother' House remembered, she was an instant hit with both families before they'd even seen a picture of her. Even Allison's father had approved, and promised to visit.

But it was the interest she stirred in the hospital staff that amused Allison and annoyed House to no end. Because it wasn't Katherine that fascinated them so much as the rumored effect she had on one Dr. Gregory House. In the first day of her life there were tales of him changing diapers, bathing her, and humming her to sleep. And the nurses on the maternity ward swore that he had smiled more than once. James Wilson who had been witness to most of these events was happy to acknowledge them to all that asked, thus totally destroying House's reputation as an unrepentant grouch in one fell swoop.

Allison for her part was overjoyed. She'd worried more than a bit about how Greg would react once the baby was here and a real part of their lives. As much as she may have wished otherwise, her gut had told her that House might need an adjustment period before he would even be comfortable around their daughter. To see him totally under her spell alternately brought tears to her eyes and made her laugh in delight.

Who would have ever have guessed that a pair of eyes as blue as his own would be his total downfall. Not that he'd had very far left to go. Allison had already pretty much brought him to his knees, but at least he'd been able to maintain his edge around his peers. Now however he was totally done in, and his final tumble had been in full view of the entire hospital. Somehow, holding Katherine and seeing his own eyes reflected back at him, he didn't really care what anyone else thought. He was too busy trying to determine if this new light in his life seemed more like a Kathy or a Katie, or perhaps a Rosie and plotting all the ways he was going to spoil her rotten. He looked over at his sleeping wife and smiled. Allison was really going to have her hands full with the pair of them.

Allison and Katherine would both probably be cleared to go home the next day, and he was taking a week off. Plenty of time to plan different ways to strike fear in the hearts of the minions that he had to deal with on a daily basis. In the meantime it was getting late, and the nurse had already come in and given him one warning that it was past time to leave. He put Katherine in the portable bassinette, bent down to kiss Allison, and wheeled his daughter to the nursery. He might as well go get his last night of real sleep for the foreseeable future.

Bright and early the next morning he was back on the Maternity ward. He checked in at the nursery and saw that Katherine was already gone. He was about to head to Allison's room when one of the nurses flagged him down.

"I hate to bother you Dr. House, but I have a baby boy born last night that I think is having problems. I paged his pediatrician but there been no response yet and I think this one needs to be moved to neo-natal. Unfortunately all of the doctor's there are tied up at the moment," she explained.

Within five minutes Greg had confirmed the nurse's suspicions, picking up a heart murmur, and had whisked the small infant to neo-natal and gotten him hooked up on a heart monitor. At that point one of the neo-natal nurses took over and he was free to go back to Allison. He stopped back at the nursery however and let the nurse know that her good instincts had probably saved the newborn from further damaging his heart. It was a move he would have never considered before, but knowing that the woman had cared for his own daughter, he felt the need.

God he was definitely getting soft.

Their homecoming was a quiet affair. James and Julie had offered to help, but the new parents decided they wanted some time to themselves to get organized. House pulled into the garage and shut the door behind them to keep the cold away as much as possible and then helped Allison out of the car. She waited while he un-strapped Katherine from the car seat and then they all went into the house together. Katherine was unbundled and put into her bassinet, which was in their bedroom, still asleep from the car ride. Allison collapsed on the bed next to her, just barely removing her shoes before closing her eyes, worn out from the excitement of packing up and getting them home. After making several trips to the car to bring in the amazing amount of stuff that had managed to accumulate in Allison's room in less than forty-eight hours, House checked the fridge and decided a quick trip to the store was in order.

He made it back with just enough time to unload the two bags of groceries and start lunch before Katherine woke up and demanded her own lunch. Once changed and fed, she was content to sit in a bouncy chair on the kitchen table while her parents ate.

House began to wonder just what he'd been so worried about.

Five days later Olivia and Madeline arrived. They would be staying with Allison for the first week that House was back at work. They arrived to find the house in total chaos. Dishes piled in the sink, dirty clothes waiting to be washed, and baby stuff littered the living room. Greg and Allison looked like hadn't slept in months and Katherine was showing off just how good her lungs were as House tried to rock her and sooth her even as he greeted his family. Allison burst in to tears at the sight of them.

"Thank god!" she exclaimed. "I don't think we would have made it another day without you!"

Madeline smiled sympathetically and instantly took Katherine in her arms. She issued a few quick questions as to feeding and sleeping schedules and shipped the two walking dead off to bed. Assured that their daughter was in good hands they both fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, and it was a good four hours before either of them stirred.

Allison was the first to awaken. She hadn't gone more than three hours between feedings for a week, and it was extreme discomfort that forced her from the bed. She left House to sleep a bit longer as he needed to catch up if he was going to make it work in one piece. She already pitied everyone there having to work with a sleep deprived House.

She found Olivia in the kitchen just getting a bottle out of the fridge.

"Ah, perfect timing!" she declared. "Katherine is hungry again," she informed her sister-in-law.

"What a surprise," Allison replied with a small sigh. "Let me gather a few things and I'll settle into the recliner."

Five minutes later Katherine was at Allison's breast suckling as if she hadn't been fed in days, when in fact she'd had a bottle barely three hours earlier. Madeline shook her head in dismay.

"No wonder you are so tired," she sympathized. "She eats like there is no tomorrow!"

"She does. I can practically set the clock by her. Three hours is her max currently," Allison told her. "The real problem is getting her to sleep. Greg is wonderful at getting her to fall asleep, and during the day she'll take naps that last a couple of hours, but at night it seems she's up every hour."

"Does she sleep in with you?" Madeline asked.

"Yeah, in a bassinet," Allison told her. "But it's nice and quiet and dark, so I don't think she's being disturbed in anyway."

"Let's try putting her in the nursery tonight and leaving a night-light on with soft music. Some babies sleep better with a little stimulation," Madeline suggested.

"I'll try anything at this point," Allison agreed.

So over the course of the next week, with Madeline's help, they managed to get Katherine on a schedule. House went back to work two days after Olivia and Madeline arrived feeling somewhat more human than he had two days prior. He promptly scared an intern into submission, which made him feel immensely better. A few swipes at Cuddy and he was back in the groove. He ruled over his kingdom with sarcasm during the day, only shedding the persona when he was home with his girls who had him wrapped around their little fingers.

Even Madeline and Olivia were surprised by the transformation. Both understood that the sarcasm and grouchiness were a defense mechanism, but neither expected him to drop those defenses so completely. One evening after he had put Katherine to bed and Allison and Olivia had quickly followed suit, his mother used the quiet time to question him on it.

"You seem happy," she commented with smile. "I'm glad."

His first instinct was to deny it, but he couldn't lie to his mother. "Of course I'm happy," he proclaimed. "I'm not a fool."

"No, you certainly aren't, but you are stubborn. I had begun to believe that you were too stubborn to ever let yourself be happy again," Madeline told him.

"I was there for a while," he admitted.

"What happened?" Madeline inquired.

"Allison scared the crap out of me. She had a health crisis, and I was more scared of losing her than of getting hurt. Then once I let my guard down an inch it turned out she was even more stubborn then me," he confessed. "Don't let that wide-eyed innocent look fool you. I think she's a witch in disguise."

Madeline just chuckled. "Well she and Katherine certainly have you under their spell, so maybe that's true."

All too soon their helpers left, and the new parents struggled to fall into a routine. Eventually after another couple of weeks things started to go smoothly. House gave Katie a bottle in the morning so that Allison could sleep for another hour. That made all the difference in the world as she then had the energy to clean during Katie's morning nap. If the weather wasn't too bad they would often run an errand or two just before lunch, and afterwards Allison would nap along with Katie. When House came home it was usually to a home that was relatively tidy and dinner that was at least planned if not started. He would then settle into some quality time with his daughter while Allison got dinner ready.

One evening as House was changing Katie, Allison happened to walk by the nursery and heard him rambling through the day's events at the hospital. She could help but stop and listen and watch in wonder. Two years ago she couldn't have imagined this scene in her wildest dreams. Now it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. She would almost be jealous of the bond between father and daughter if she didn't have ties just as close with each. Greg routinely swept her into his arms for a kiss on arriving home as if he hadn't seen her for days. And while sex was still a few weeks away, they tried to spend a bit of time most evenings wrapped in each others arms snuggled under the covers.

She could only hope that they would manage to keep the closeness once she went back to work full-time.

House stood at the doorway to the lab and studied his wife quietly as she bent over the microscope. Life had been so hectic in the past month that he hadn't had much time to simply stop and admire just how beautiful she was, or to notice how tired she looked. Now he was glad he'd taken Wilson up on his offer. He moved into the room tapping his cane to ensure that she heard him. She looked up with a bit of a frown of concentration still on her face, but it evened out as she saw the look in his eye.

"I think I know what's wrong with Mr. Sanders," she told him, pointing to the scope.

He took a minute to see what she was looking at, and then turned to her again. "You were right. Vibrio sepsis. Good work, Sherlock. Let's get him started on IV hydration and tetracycline. Looks like we get to go home early tonight."

She smiled at the thought. "I won't argue with you there," she agreed.

"Speaking of which, I believe the two of us could use a night out. James and Julie have offered to baby-sit again, and I agreed this time. So what do you say? Nothing too fancy, just a couple of drinks and a nice quiet dinner and then wild monkey sex at a cheap hotel before we head home?" he asked hopefully.

It sounded really tempting, especially the sex part which had been lacking in the month they had both been back to work, but Allison had a better idea.

"Ok, but what do you say to picking up take out and spending a leisurely couple of hours at the cheap hotel," she suggested.

"I like the way your mind works, Mrs. House. You know I have a spare key to Wilson's place. If they are at our house minding Katie, we could spare ourselves the cost of the hotel," he mused as they headed back to his office to let the rest of the team in on their diagnosis.

"Don't they have a hot tub?" Allison asked.

"They do," Greg smiled knowing he had her hooked.

"It's sneaky, and I love it. It's a date," she declared.

House breathed a sigh of relief. He knew they had both been uncomfortable leaving the baby up until now, but Katie was four months old and they needed some time to be a couple instead of just parents. Now if he could just convince her that they should make it a monthly date, or even semi-monthly.

He entered his office happily scheming. He loved his daughter to pieces, but he missed making love to Allison with wild abandonment, something that was always hard to do with a baby in the next room. Besides, he wasn't getting any younger and he'd known almost from the moment that she was born that he didn't want Katie to be an only child.

He wondered just how shocked Allison would be when he told her he wanted one or two more children.

Epilogue – Four + years later

House looked at the clock for the fourth time in as many minutes. Still an hour left before he could sneak out of the clinic and head home. While on a normal day the time spent in the clinic was monotonous, today time was absolutely crawling. But then it was his 50th birthday, and he was anxious to get home to the celebration he knew Allison was planning. Not that it would be anything huge. It was a Tuesday and the big party was going to be on Saturday. Allison hadn't even tried to keep it a secret. No tonight it would just be him and his girls, which was fine with him.

He thought back on the last couple of milestone birthdays he had celebrated. At thirty he had been a carefree single ambitious doctor, who had worked hard, and played even harder. Forty had been spent in a haze of booze and Vicodin, his life having fallen apart a few months prior. Fifty was looking pretty good. At least it would be as soon as he could get out of this hellhole, he thought as he picked up the next chart.

A half hour later he was wondering if he should call Allison and warn her he might be late. The three-year-old girl he had treated in the clinic had soon become a patient in the diagnostics ward and House and his current staff were busy on the whiteboard. However another twenty minutes of work had given them a list of possibilities and a series of tests that they needed to run, and two of the newest ducklings were assigned to stay and monitor the girl and perform the tests.

Dr. Laura Weber was the one who had been delegated to go give an update to the parents and get blood and urine samples. When she walked in and introduced herself, she was immediately asked where Dr. House was. She explained that Dr. House had left for an appointment, but that they would be updating him later in the evening.

"Your daughter is in excellent hands, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. Dr. House is one of the best diagnosticians in the country. However you will probably be seeing more of his staff than of Dr. House himself. He usually leaves the bedside care to us," she explained.

"That's too bad," Connie Sinclair commented. "He was wonderful with Sara this afternoon and she really took a shine to him."

Laura looked at their young patient and smiled. Despite being ill, the girl was a positive angel, with blond curly hair, and bright blue eyes.

"Well I can see why he was so good with her. Except for the blond hair she could be his daughter," Laura agreed with a grin.

"Dr. House has a daughter?" Mrs. Sinclair asked.

"Dr. House has three daughters," Dr. Weber replied.

At about the same time House was hobbling through his front door to be greeted by a banner wishing him a 'Happy Brithday'. Katherine, at 4 was obviously the main contributor to the artwork, although the red handprints were definitely 2-year-old Emma's. But it was the tiny orange footprints that caused him to grin the widest. He wished he could have been a fly on the wall to see Allison getting Grace to sit still for that. He'd barely cleared the front door when a tiny whirlwind raced up to him and hugged his legs.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" Katie exclaimed.

On her mother's hip, Emma joined in the excitement, clapping her hands and issuing a loud "Happy Daddy".

In a well practiced move, House balanced his weight on his cane as he leaned down and swept Katie into his free arm, nuzzling her neck with his whiskers and making her giggle.

"Is it my Birthday already?" he asked with a smile.

Katie's face lit up. "Yes, and we have presents and cake!" she told him.

"Wow, I'm one lucky guy," he said, moving over to Allison and giving her a meaningful look before leaning down to kiss her briefly. He would have loved to have made it a more passionate kiss, but that would have to wait until later. For now he gave her a quick preview and then leaned back to add a kiss to Emma's cheek.

"And where is the monster child?" he asked causing Katie to giggle and Allison to frown at the nickname.

"Gracie is sleeping, believe it or not. It was a very exciting day and we actually wore her out," Allison admitted.

While Katie took after House with her desire for perfection and quick wit, and Emma was the calm, cheerful clone of Allison, Grace defied her name in every sense of the word. She'd been conceived when Emma was just six months old and Allison was faithfully taking her birth control, making Emma the only one of the three that they had actually planned. She was born a month early, perfectly healthy and been progressing at breakneck speed ever since. She was currently crawling and pulling herself up on everything, only the fact that her legs just weren't strong enough yet to hold her weight preventing her from walking. And while she slept well at night, naps were something she scorned as if she was afraid she would miss something.

Although Allison had returned to work when each of the other girls was three months old, Grace had been the straw that broke her back, and after her birth she had decided to take some time off. She planned on staying home another six months at which point Katie would start kindergarten, and Emma would start pre-school. Grace would then go to the PPTH nursery.

In the meantime, she was enjoying her time as a stay-at-home-mom, knowing that it was precious time that she probably wouldn't get again. House had willingly agreed to a vasectomy after Grace was born, figuring that they'd had enough surprises to last a lifetime. Beside even if he'd had some macho desire to try again for a boy, Allison had told him in no uncertain terms that she was done having babies and that if he ever wanted to have sex again, he knew what he needed to do. It was an easy decision, and one Allison had repaid him for many times over in the last few months.

House was aroused from his thoughts by a cry emanating from nursery. "And she wakes," he commented with a grin. Seriously, as much as Gracie tried their patience, the family already didn't seem complete whenever she was not around causing trouble. "I'll get her," he offered, lowering Kate to the floor.

"Katie, you and Emma go get washed up while I finish dinner," Allison told their eldest. "And try not to get water all over the bathroom!" she added as they scooted out of the room.

House chuckled as he headed for the nursery. Allison still hadn't forgiven him for teaching Katie to wash her hands as if she was scrubbing for surgery. His attention was drawn instantly to the crib on entering the room however as he spotted Gracie halfway into a maneuver obviously designed to get her over the top railing of the crib. He swooped in as fast as he could and lifted her up before she could figure out the next step.

"Gracie girl, you are going to be the death of me. Guess I'll be lowering the mattress one last time after dinner," he said with a sigh. Grace just smiled and patted his cheek staring back at him with eyes as blue as his own.

All three girls had his eyes. Allison said they'd be beating off the boys with sticks before they knew it, which made House rumble in displeasure. Seriously, what would be the harm in home schooling and keeping the girls locked up until they were twenty-one or so?

Dinner was a noisy affair, and after the cake, which was actually angel food with whip cream and strawberries to keep the sugar ingested by three active little girls to a minimum, it was time for presents. From the girls there was a t-shirt that was decorated with painted hand and foot prints. Obviously Allison had taken advantage of the mess from the banner painting to kill two birds with one stone. There was also a new set of pictures in a collage frame for his desk at work. But it was the present from Allison that really put a smile on his face.

Two tickets to the Monster Truck Rally, with a note that said she had babysitters all lined-up, and declaring 'This time it is definitely a date'. During the rest of the evening he was occasionally pulled back in time to that day long ago (had it really been almost seven years?) when he had first taken Allison out on what he insisted wasn't a date. Even in his repressed, determined not to allow himself to feel anything state he'd had fun. Too bad he had let fear rule him for almost another year.

Then again, he pondered as he helped give the girls their baths and got them into their PJ's, maybe he wouldn't have really appreciated Allison and her love if he hadn't been forced to realize how many ways he could have lost her. And he certainly couldn't complain about the ultimate outcome, although he knew there would be years that he would question his sanity. (Like when all three girls were teenagers, or the year he'd have three in college!)

When all three girls were finally in bed with the lights out he found Allison in the kitchen, bent over loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. He stopped to admire the view before walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her from behind as she straightened.

"So did you enjoy your special day," she asked, leaning back into him and giving her hips a wiggle.

"Yes, I did. Only one thing needed to make it perfect," he confessed, nuzzling her neck.

"And what would that be?" she said trying not to moan.

"Please tell me you saved some of that whipped cream for us adults to enjoy!" he teased.

Allison turned in his arms and assured him, "Never fear, my perverted husband. The only thing you need to worry about is whether you'll be able to keep up, and just how late you can be tomorrow without getting a lot of knowing looks."

The way he was feeling at the moment he certainly figured he could keep up. And as for the morning, well it really wasn't all that bad to be envied for having a sexy wife and great love life. He took Allison's hand and led her towards the bedroom.

"Oh, I'm not worried," he calmly told her, his eyes darkening with passion.

And it was true. If he had learned one thing over the past five years is was to let go of the fear of being hurt. Now he put his energy into insuring that his family was safe, happy, and healthy. If they were, then he knew he'd be just fine. As Allison locked the bedroom door and clothing starting to disappear he corrected himself.

He was lot more than just 'fine'. He was one happy, lucky man.

The End