Warning: This is a story about domestic violence. There's nothing graphic as it's more about getting out of that kind of relationship but if my mind heads that way I'll give a warning.

A/N: I wanted to write more for Reunion but I'm not entirely happy with it at the moment so I need some time to go through it and maybe re-write some things. So instead I give you this. I started writing this before I wrote Premonition and have added to it as time went on so I have a few chapters already done. At times it may be a bit OOC but no more than my other fics I guess. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own House...unfortunately....

Cuddy reached forward and grabbed the back of the small boy's jacket before he could run to the elevators of PPTH. "Hold it mister. How many times do I have to tell you not to run off?" She asked him sternly before taking his hand and leading him through the clinic to her office.

"Sorry mommy," he said warily with a smile, that matched her own, and sparkling blue eyes. She took off his jacket, ran her fingers through his curly brown hair and let him run to the couch in the corner of his office where he took his medical toys and action figures from his doctor's bag and began inspecting Spiderman for any heart defects. She smiled as she took her own jacket off putting it with his on the coat stand and taking a seat behind her desk. She rubbed her eyes gearing herself up to talk yet another patient's family out of a law suit. This was the third time this week that she had had to come in to work to smooth things over but this time Michael was having problems dealing with it.

"You can't keep dropping everything for him," he hissed at her. She had just come off the phone and was standing in the kitchen running her hands over her face.

"You knew what my job was like before you married me, Michael. House causes a lot of problems and I'm the only one who can sort it out. They're threatening to sue," she sighed hoping he would understand.

"This was supposed to be our night. Just the three of us." Michael poked his head round the door and watched the little boy as Spiderman yet again saved Scooby doo and his friends from their dangerous position on the edge of the coffee table.

"I know but if they sue we'll lose benefactors and in turn money. We're this close," Cuddy emphasised holding the thumb and forefinger of her hand a centimetre apart, "from getting ten more nurses and a brand new physiotherapy suite. I can't let House ruin that," she said trying to get past him standing in the doorway. When he didn't move she sighed and took a deep breath. "The sooner I can go and speak to the patient's family, the sooner I can get back. I'll bring pizza."

"You can bring all the pizza you want back. I understand you putting Alex before me but House?" he was raising his voice slightly, fire blazing in his vivid green eyes She flinched slightly as he stepped towards her. "You can look after your son this time." With that he left the kitchen, grabbed his coat from the stand and left the house, slamming the door behind him.

She watched Alex play contentedly in the corner and thought over her marriage. After only two years of marriage the strain was already starting to show between them. She was the all powerful Dean of Medicine and Chief Administrator of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and Michael was working his ass off for the partnership at 'Takyato Advertising'. He never resented her and, when they were dating, understood when she had to break off their dates for Alex or the hospital. They were both her babies after all, what he really resented was her relationship with one Doctor Gregory House. She tried as long as possible to avoid the subject of House but on their third date, House took it upon himself to turn up at the restaurant where she had no choice but to introduce him as her pain in the ass diagnostician and Alex's father. Michael got over the shock soon enough but the confusion as to why Lisa chose House to be a sperm donor was still there, but he ignored it. He had already started to fall for Lisa Cuddy and if he had to put up with Greg House then he would.

Cuddy sighed again wondering what ever happened to that mentality he had and was taken from her thoughts when she could see House heading through the first set of doors to her office. She quickly threw on her administrative face, stood from her seat and walked to lean on the front of her desk.

"Daddy's coming isn't he?" Alex asked looking up at his mother's stern expression.

"Yes he is. But stay there," she told him, her tone softening a little before returning to the matter in hand.

House flung the door open wide smirking. This was his favourite part. He didn't argue with patients and their families just because they deserved it but sometimes – and it didn't happen often – he enjoyed watching Cuddy get angry at him. And he really did love that scrunched up face she made. He froze. She should've started screaming by now, which meant...

"Alex."

The five-year old looked up regarding his father and smiled slightly. "Hey daddy," he said. Then his expression changed to one House had seen a million times before on someone else. "You're in biiig trouble," he added. And with that he went back to talking another "patient's" family into a dangerous treatment. House stared at his son slack jawed while Cuddy watched House with a smirk.

"You turned my own spawn against me?" he said in amazement turning to face her. "He gets that look from you y'know. Yup that's the one." He pointed at her. "Stop teaching my son bad habits."

She snorted. "Bad habits?" she asked in a whisper. "He's sitting there now trying to tell Spiderman, Fred and Shaggy why he should be able to perform brain surgery on Batman. He steals food from people's plates and questions every little thing. You need to stop teaching my son your bad habits." She turned from him sitting at her desk as he sat down, grinning, in the empty chair.

"That's ma boy," he laughed placing his chin on his cane.

"You hit a patient," she hissed. Her anger had been beginning to subside until she spotted the time. She should be at home enjoying a film and a pizza with her son and husband and instead she was sorting out yet another of House's messes.

"He hit me first – "

"Well that's alright then," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"He did," House retorted pointing to his eye.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been making suggestive comments about his wife..."

House looked shocked and held his hand to his chest. "Now that doesn't sound like me." Cuddy raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay maybe it does. I was just commenting on her flexibility. I mean have you seen the positions she can pull? I've see the entire collection of Horny Housewives. She's had the plumber, electrician, gardener, maid and the au pair, together – one of my favourites – and – "

Cuddy held up her hand. "Stop."

"It's not my fault the husband didn't know. There should be no secrets in a relationship," he said and Cuddy could have sworn he was aiming that at her in some way.

"I'm going to need to meet with Mr Blake. Do you think you can look after Alex while I sort out your mess?" She asked him getting up and moving towards Alex.

"This is good. I have a fight with a patient and my punishment is to look after my own child. I think knocking up the boss was the best decision I've ever made. First things first, how to burp the alphabet," he grinned rubbing his palms together. Cuddy frowned at him and sat down next to Alex.

"Be good," she told him running her fingers through his hair. "You know how to get Uncle Jimmy if there's any trouble don't you?" she smiled as the little boy nodded without looking up and the grin grew wider when she saw House was now frowning.

"We don't need Wilson," he told her.

"I know, just in case. Oh and if you leave this office, I want to know. We're going home straight after so I don't want you going too far." And with that she turned and left them knowing that it was highly likely Alex would be burping the alphabet backwards by the time she got back.

***

House watched as Cuddy left the room, taking the time to admire her ass, and then looked over towards Alex. He hadn't seen him since the previous week and hadn't expected to see him for a while longer. The fact that he was at the hospital tonight meant that something was up at the Cuddy/Johnson household, and he wasn't going to give up until he knew what. He heaved himself up using his cane and sat down on the couch where Cuddy was previously seated saying goodbye.

"So," he started.

"Mommy said I can't talk about Michael with you," the child said simply. He was smart, House gave him that but then he was his child, despite Cuddy's genes.

"You get that suspicious nature from your mother," House told him and received a puzzled raised eyebrow in return. "Exactly," he said as Alex shuffled closer to him until he was sat on House's good leg. "Yeah your mother likes to do that too," he smirked as he pulled him in closer. "So if we can't talk about what's-his-name, what do you want to talk about?" He asked leaning back.

"Erm, we could talk about school. I'm on level 4 reading now and I'm the only that can speak a second language. Miss Watson said I was doing really well and we've only just started," Alex told him enthusiastically.

House smiled down at him. "You've got my brains, and don't let mommy tell you other wise."

"When are you going away?"

House's eyes widened. "What?"

"I heard Michael tell mommy that you won't always be here and that I should start calling him daddy." He placed his head in the crook of House's neck trying to shuffle closer than he already was.

"I'm always going to be here." House froze. If someone had told him years ago that he would have a son, with Cuddy, that he would do anything for, he would have laughed at them and admitted them to psychiatrics. But now, he wouldn't have it any other way. He felt needed and…it felt good. "I'm you dad so you don't need another one. Don't listen to Matthew – "

"Michael."

"Well Michael's an idiot who doesn't know his head from his ass." He smiled as Alex giggled at his language. "You'll never get rid of me." He said reassuringly and Alex wrapped his arms around his dad's neck. House was going to have words with Cuddy later on but for now he was concentrating on his son. "Now first things first, you need to know how to burp on demand."

***

Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief as Mr Blake agreed not to take things further if House would apologise. Those nurses and that physio suite were hers. Shaking his hand she told him that not only would there be a face to face apology but she would have House write an official letter apologising as well. Cuddy made her excuses and left. She hurried to the elevator cursing House for his poor bedside manner and praising her own abilities of talking people around to her way of thinking. If she hadn't have become a doctor then she would have made an excellent lawyer, she smiled to herself. Cuddy looked at her watch. 8:15. If she was quick, she could stop by the pizza place, feed Alex and have him in bed before it got too late. House never seemed to think about Alex when he did these things. She knew he didn't like Michael and it seemed that was all that mattered when he was starting trouble. Anything to annoy her husband was fine by him and the only way to do that was to have her called in to the hospital in the evening when they were spending time as a family. Alex was beginning to catch on and had started to ignore what Michael had to say. She was hoping the phrase "you're not my dad" wouldn't be used in her home for a few years yet, if at all, and she was sure House had taught him to say it. She just wished that all the men in her life got on.

"I'm getting married." House had been in the middle of explaining to her the merits of performing a brain biopsy on a patient with no neurological symptoms, when she dropped the bomb shell. In fact a bombshell didn't really do her news justice. More like dropping a weapon of mass destruction.

"You're what?" He stopped mid rant, arms still out wide as he tried to grasp the situation he had just been thrown into.

"I'm getting married. Michael proposed last night and I said yes." She held her breath as she saw House's jaw tighten. He didn't really need to know but she could only keep her left hand under the table for so long before he finally talked her into the biopsy and he saw the ring for himself as she signed off on the procedure.

"Right," he managed through gritted teeth. "And what does Alex think of this?"

"He likes Michael, even if you don't."

House dropped his hands to his side and sat down in the chair opposite Cuddy. "Right," he said again. "Are you sure about this? I mean it's only been 4 months – "

"It's been just less than a year and yes I am sure," she interrupted him. This seemed to be easier than she thought it would be.

House nodded, standing from his seat. "Right." He turned and walked to the door, leaving the patient file on her desk.

"House," Cuddy began. "House. Greg…"

He stopped, hand on the door handle, and turned slightly. "Good for you, Lisa." And before Cuddy could stop him he was out of the door and already through the clinic.

The next day, Wilson had come to her office and told her that he had found House passed out on the sofa surrounded by empty beer bottles and a near empty bottle of scotch, along with a few too many vicodin missing from his pill bottle. Cuddy sighed, something that she did a lot when it came to House, as she entered her office. There she saw House and Alex, lying together on the couch asleep. Smiling she moved over to them and sat on the edge of the armchair next to the pair and watched them. It was times like this that reminded her of why she was glad that House took her up on the offer of being a dad to their child despite his own relationship with his father. She reached over and ran her fingers through Alex' hair and then House's just as the door opened behind her.

"What's going on?"

She froze as the familiar voice reached her ears unsure of what to say. Slowly she pulled her hand from House's hair and stood, turning on the spot to meet the furious gaze of Michael Johnson. He'd been drinking, she could smell it on him and she was pretty sure that he had driven here too.

"Michael – "

"Playing happy families are we?" he hissed at her. "Well don't let me stop you."

"Excuse me?" she could feel the anger rising up within her. She took a step towards him. It was time this came to an end. "You know House is his father and he always will be. After 2 years you should have accepted that by now." She wasn't raising her voice yet because she definitely did not want House or Alex to witness this. "I told you I had to straighten things out with a patient's family so obviously I was going to ask House to keep an eye on his own son."

"I knew something was going on between you two. I knew the moment he turned up at the restaurant that time. The way you looked at each other, the way you spoke to him. It was like I was never even there. I knew it!"

Cuddy tensed as she heard stirring on the couch behind her. "What's with the shouting," House whispered, untangling himself from the still sleeping Alex and sitting up. "Oh it's you," he spat, standing up and walking to stand by Cuddy's shoulder.

"Stay. Away. From. My. Family." Michael told him, clenching his fists.

House stepped round Cuddy. "Your family?" He pointed to the couch behind him. "That's my son so whatever ideas you have of taking him away from me, get rid of them now."

"House. Take Alex with you tonight. I think Michael and I need to talk," Cuddy placed a hand on his forearm in an attempt to calm him down. The last thing she needed was the two men to come to blows with Alex sleeping on the couch. House looked down at her hand and nodded as he stepped round her and scooped Alex off the couch. Cuddy picked up the boy's toy bag and headed past Michael to get Alex's coat.

"Here, can you manage alright?" She asked ignoring as Michael tensed at her concern.

"Yeah." House told her between gritted teeth. Although his leg hurt like hell, he'd never admit to it. "I'll drop by tomorrow evening and drop him off, if that's okay? I haven't seen him for a bit…"

"That's fine."

"No way."

Cuddy and Michael spoke in unison in answer to his question.

"Thanks," House ignored Michael completely and waited for Cuddy to say bye to Alex.

"He hasn't eaten yet but if he doesn't wake up don't worry about it. What about your things?"

"I'll call Wilson. He can bring them when he brings the take-out." House glanced at Michael, gave out an amused snort, and left the room. He turned slightly, once in the clinic and looked back into the office, seeking Cuddy's eye contact. He gave her a nod and left the hospital, leaning heavily on his left hand side.