Saving Grace:

Epilogue

A/N: It looks like everyone wants a sequel! I have no idea when it's going to get posted, but when I decide to post it, I'll start by adding a teaser chapter to the end of this story, so if you have this on alert, you'll know when the sequel is coming.

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Unnecessary disclaimer: None of the characters appearing in the TV show "House, M. D." belong to me.

Abstract: When Cameron's marriage with Chase falls apart, she decides that she cannot wait for another man to come around to be a mom. About a year post season 5 finale. HC friendship turning to HC romance.

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Dr. House walked up to the doors of the Diagnostics conference room, admiring the shiny silver lettering on the door.

Department of Diagnostics

G. House, M.D.

A. House, M.D.

The female Dr. House smiled, fingering the lettering. She had fought to have her name on this door, a part of this department. They had never announced a relationship, just showed up married one day, a few months after she had returned from maternity leave. The hospital rumor mill had gone insane.

She hadn't really expected House to want to marry in a hurry, or at all. She wasn't even sure herself if she wanted to marry again. She had nearly said no. But when House finally told her his reasoning, she couldn't turn him down. He wanted to officially be a family—he wanted Eleanor to call him Dad. They had gone down to the courthouse and had a simple ceremony with only Wilson and baby Eleanor in attendance.

It hadn't been difficult to convince Dr. Cuddy that they worked best as a team, but the board of directors had been a different story.

Not that everything else had been a walk in the park.

Those first few months of adjusting to motherhood were the most challenging in Cameron's life. And attempting to work on a relationship at the same time… well, that was near impossible. But it was on the nights that Eleanor cried and cried and Cameron cried with her in worry and exhaustion that something beautiful happened.

A gruff voice from behind her would tell her to go to sleep, and two strong arms would take the child from her. She never went to sleep then, of course. She listened from the bedroom as he sang to the girl, in a voice so tender that she was sure it couldn't possibly come out of House. That was when she knew that she would always fight for them, for their relationship. This was something she wasn't going to lose.

Dr. House's focus shifted from the lettering on the door to what was on the other side of it. She smiled at her husband and daughter coloring pictures together at the conference room table.

She pushed open the door to hear the tail end of a conversation. "… And that's how you diagnose Lupus," Greg House said.

"Mommy!" cried the little girl, who ran to her mother with light brown curls bouncing.

"Hey baby," she said, affectionately hugging the young Eleanor House. She directed attention to her husband. "Greg, have you been teaching our child about Lupus?"

"She knows all the symptoms," House said proudly.

Allison rolled her eyes, and House got up to greet her. "How's my wife?" he asked. "And my mini-me," he directed at her seven-month pregnant belly.

She sighed. "He is definitely your son… he's been driving me crazy! He won't be still for a second," she said with a wry smile.

"You stop abusing your mother," he said sternly to her stomach, shaking a finger at it.

She laughed. "You ready to go?"

House turned to his daughter. "Ells, do you want to give Mommy your picture before we go?"

The girl ran to the table to grab her work of art. "It's a picture of us, Mommy!"

Allison examined the picture. It was indeed a picture of the three of them, sketched out roughly in a rainbow of pinks, blues, and greens. "It's beautiful, Eleanor! I'm going to hang it in my office," she said. "Now it's time to go."

They had one more stop before leaving the hospital.

"Uncle James!" Eleanor shouted, running up to her father's best friend.

"It's my favorite four-year-old!" he said with a grin, lifting her up onto his knee.

"Now, Ellie, you're going to stay with Uncle James until bedtime, and then we're going to pick you up, okay?" her mother said, doing her best to lean down to her level.

"Okay, Mommy," she said.

"Thank you for this," Allison directed to Wilson.

"No problem! You two deserve a night out, especially on your anniversary. Have fun! I know I will," Wilson said, grinning at the energetic little girl in his lap.

"See you at bedtime," Allison said to her daughter, giving her a hug and a kiss. "Love you, baby."

"Love you too, Mommy," she said, and the parents exited the room, heading down the hall towards the elevators.

"Daddy!" they heard from the end of the hall as they were leaving. They saw their little girl running to catch up.

They both turned around, and House was nearly bowled over by the small child attacking his legs with a hug.

House picked up his daughter with his left arm in one swift motion and sat her on his hip. "Needed to say goodbye?" he asked with a smile.

Eleanor wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I love you, Daddy," she breathed into his ear.

"I love you too, baby."

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A/N: Thank you all so much for going on this journey with me! Your feedback has been just priceless and amazing to me. I do have one small request to make—I would like to ask my silent readers to just drop a line so that I can get an idea of how many different people have been reading. You don't have to say much, but I would really appreciate it! I adore you all! Thank you so much for reading! :)