A/N: We'd like to thank everyone for their awesome comments and reviews to this story. We know it's short but we feel we've done all we we can with this pairing. So no, there won't be a sequel to this story. There might be more Chance fics coming though, and Hughville and I are working on a new House fic so stay tuned. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays etc to everyone!

Epilogue

May 21, 2018

Allison sat in her office and read the email from Eldon. A year had passed since they first met at the conference in San Francisco. She shook her head as she remembered how she thought he was House and he thought she was Jaclyn. Now they both realized what they thought they wanted from those two was what they found with each other. She read the email again and sighed. Eldon was bringing his daughter next month to meet her. It was a huge step in their relationship. Since he showed up last winter, she'd been to see him twice and he'd come to see her once. They talked on the phone each morning and each night. They sent emails to each other throughout the day and texted each other. This relationship was like no other for both of them. Allison loved Eldon more deeply and intensely than she'd loved any other man. She knew he felt the same way about her. Still, she was nervous about meeting Nicole. His daughter was so important to him. What if Nicole didn't like her? She'd expressed this concern to Eldon but he assured her that Nicole already liked her. Eldon told her Nicole already dubbed her 'clean'. Allison had to Google the word and was pleased to see it meant nice, excellent, worthy of envy. Eldon and Nicole would spend two weeks with her in June as part of Nicole's graduation present. Allison knew his ex-wife wasn't exactly pleased about it but she reluctantly agreed.

Neither of them talked about living together or even marriage until Allison read his email.

Once Nicole graduates, I thought I might transfer my practice to Chicago. She applied to Northwestern and was accepted. We'll tour the campus and I thought I'd look for a house or maybe talk to you about alternative living arrangements.

Allison wanted to be with him but after all her other failed relationships she was scared. He always told her to talk to him about anything so she picked up the phone and dialed his number. He answered on the third ring.

"Hi, Allison."

"I just got your email," she told him.

He laughed softly sending a frisson of desire through her. She loved his laugh. "You read my email and the alternate living arrangements is giving you pause," he said. "What about that is causing you concern?"

Allison sat back in her chair. "I've never been in a relationship that lasted." She paused. "I love you but…"

"You're scared," he finished for her.

"Yes. What if I'm mixing up what I felt for House with what I feel for you?" she asked quietly. "What if you're mixing up what you felt for Jaclyn with what you feel for me?"

He was silent for a moment. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that what I feel for you is like nothing I've ever felt for any other woman and that includes my ex-wife." He paused and she could hear him shuffling papers. "I found an old conference flyer from 2004. You and the other members of House's team were on a panel about infectious diseases. House wasn't there and you had dark hair but I went to that panel out of curiosity. I realize now that you didn't remind me of Jaclyn, she reminded me of you. I found a video of the panel on YouTube. You looked at me several times."

Allison tried to remember the panel he was talking about but back then they went to so many, most of them in New Jersey.

"Where was it?" she asked.

"Princeton Plainsboro, January, 2004. It was held in the auditorium."

She thought for a moment and then it all came flooding back. She'd been working for House for about three months. Doctor Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine at that time, ordered them to present at the panel. She vaguely remembered seeing a man who looked a lot like House sitting in the front row.

"I remember. Well, sort of remember. I was terrified and you kept nodding at me and smiling. I thought at the time you were House."

"I'm not Greg House; never was, never will be. And you aren't Jaclyn; never was, never will be. I'm okay with that. Are you?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yes."

"So we can talk about where we want to go with this relationship when you're ready," he told her. "I already know what I want but I am willing to abide by whatever you choose. I just want you to be happy."

Allison's breath caught in her chest. No one ever told her that before. Her first husband didn't, Robert didn't, and House certainly never did.

"I am happy," she replied. "I'm very happy with you. I want you to be happy, too."

"Oh, I am," he assured her.

"So our propensity for obsession, as you put it…"

"It turned out to be the best thing for both of us," he told her.

The End