Hey guys! This is it, the final chapter of the story. Hope it's a good one for everyone. Thanks to those of you who stuck around to see it finished! Big hugs to all of you who made this story a success :)

Enjoy :)

Cuddy awoke with House by her side. She couldn't help but smile. He faced her, snoring mildly, still in a deep slumber. She had everything she wanted now. It was like a fairy tale ending.

She deserves it, too. She's over forty, it's about time she gets her happy ending. And it doesn't get any happier with House at her side and the child she's always wanted in the next room over across the hall.

She reached out to touch House's stubble. He never looked good completely shaven. Some said it made him look younger, but Cuddy always thought it made him look older. With too much facial hair, he looked older as well. This way, not shaven, but trimmed, he looked perfect.

His eyes fluttered open after that and he drew in his first deep breath of the morning through his nose. He immediately looked up to see Cuddy looking back at him, head still on the pillow, but hand close to him.

"Morning," she said.

House squinted. "No kidding. Haven't you ever heard of curtains?"

Cuddy laughed quietly. She was about to say something smart when all humor completely erased itself from her face when she heard House flinch and grunt in pain. She knew it was his leg, but had no idea it would be this serious.

He threw the blankets back and exposed the cast, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't rub his leg, or expose it to any physical relief at all.

"I knew this would happen," he said, face contorting in pain, but tried to fight it off. Cuddy looked at his hands, which were nearly pure white from him balling his fists so tightly. The veins in his neck were clearly exposed.

It pained Cuddy dearly to see him go through this. It probably hurt her more than it did him.

"What did you take, House?" she asked, aware that something similar to this would happen this morning. She just hoped it wouldn't take such a huge toll on him.

When tears came to his eyes, she knew it was serious.

"F…Fentanyl," he choked out.

"Oh House," she whispered and then jumped out of bed to run to the bathroom. It made sense. Fentanyl was strong enough to get him up and moving, but once it faded, he would be right back to being in serious pain if he wasn't hooked up to an IV. He felt the pain of his break in full swing with nothing to dull it.

Cuddy reemerged with a syringe full of morphine. What she was doing with it in the first place and why it was in the bathroom was a mystery. House didn't care right now. The shot in his spine without prep was nothing compared to the hurting in his leg.

Cuddy gave him a dosage that would take immediate action and give him relief from the pain just long enough to get him back to the hospital and back on proper painkillers through an IV.

His wincing stopped. He laid still on his side to catch his breath. Cuddy saw his fists unball themselves. The pain had temporarily vanished. Perhaps now wasn't the proper time to grill him, but Fentanyl? What was he thinking?

"House, you could've hurt yourself," she said, resting her hand on his quivering shoulder. The pain must've hit him like a million bricks.

"I didn't care. I didn't trust Lucas."

"I know, House. Thank you. It means a lot, what you did, but never do that again. Or if you do, tell me about it. You should've told me last night so I could be ready for this. You're lucky I had that syringe."

"Why did you have morphine in your bathroom?" House couldn't help but ask. He was well enough now to turn to face her again and prop himself up on his arm.

"Emergency," she said, smiling small.

Beads of sweat grazed his forehead. Cuddy took care of that with a few pieces of tissue she snatched up from the box. House sighed and closed his eyes while she did it. Apparently, he lost a lot of energy clenching his body up to fate the pain and it weakened him temporarily.

"How did you get your hands on Fentanyl anyway? Or should I not ask that?"

"Wilson. He owed me one. Or rather just wanted to see me finally approach you. Guess he was getting sick of waiting for me to make a move. And he didn't trust Lucas either…and…well, you know the rest of the story. I come over, eavesdrop on the jackass, fight with him, he goes to jail, thanks to my sneakiness, and here we are now with me in your bed instead of him."

"He wouldn't have been in my bed, House. We were done. He just never got the hint."

"Loser." House sat up and moved his leg with the cast on it over the bed. "Where are my crutches?"

Cuddy fetched them from her side of the bed and walked around to give them to him. "Need help?" she asked as he put one hand on one of them and tried to stand.

"Yeah," he said after a brief pause.

Cuddy smiled. They both knew that was a huge step for him, accepting help from someone, especially when it came to his leg. She hugged him from the front and they both moved upwards simultaneously to get him to his feet. He was a bit wobbly, but Cuddy kept her strength and successfully managed to get him to stand and then gave him his crutches.

"You know I only accepted your help so I could look down your shirt, right?" he quipped.

"Like what you saw?" she asked, just now becoming aware that the shirt she was wearing was a low dip V and would expose everything if she knelt over far enough.

House wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh yes. Best look I've got at the twins in years."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to look at them when you get better. You're going back to the hospital before that morphine wears off and I'm grilling Wilson for being an idiot for giving you Fentanyl in the first place in your condition."

"My condition is why he gave it to me. How else was I supposed to drive, walk, AND stay overnight with just one dose of morphine?"

"You weren't, House. Maybe I'm the idiot for letting it happen."

"Come on, Cuddy, you knew I must've been on something stronger than Vicodin and morphine in order to sustain strength and not be in pain. Why are you just acting like you realized this?"

Cuddy held up her pointer. "Enough. Don't argue with me now, House. I'm going to get dressed and shower."

"What about the kid? I'd go get her for you, but as you can see, both my hands are in disposed."

"Do…you want to feed her for me?" Cuddy asked, being careful with her tone. She was a little afraid to ask him that.

House hesitated on his answer, but wasn't sarcastic or mean about his answer. "Okay…" he said, also a little afraid.

Cuddy was happy with that answer. "Go sit in the living room. I'll bring her to you."

House did so. Cuddy was in the living room five minutes later with Rachel in her arms and a bottle in her hand. Rachel looked as if she had been up for quite some time, for her eyes were fully open and didn't look at all tired. Her big brown eyes studied House's eyes, as if becoming familiar with him just by the tone of his stare.

Cuddy put her in his arms once he readied them. She properly set Rachel up and put the nipple of the bottle to her mouth. Once she started sucking on it, she let House take hold of it. As if this were something scary, House didn't move. He stayed perfectly still so he wouldn't disturb her.

"Will you be okay with her while I go take a shower?"

House nodded, unable to take his eyes off Rachel. She continued to look up at him while eating. It was her way of admiring the person giving her what she needs.

Cuddy was able to cut her morning in half, thanks to House feeding Rachel. She was able to get her bathroom business done in fifteen minutes or so without having to watch Rachel. It was nice having help. Lucas used to do what House was doing, but it meant more when it came from House. It made her feel wonderful inside knowing that House and Rachel were bonding. It meant so much to her. Since she and House agreed to start a relationship, it was important for him to get to know Rachel. So far, he was doing great. Rachel would usually fuss in other people's arms, never mind them trying to feed her. House managed to get through two steps in one sitting. That alone said something.

Cuddy reemerged in the living room moments later after getting out of the shower. The bottle was on the coffee table, almost empty, and House was rocking Rachel lightly in his arms.

"She fell asleep while eating," he said.

"That's okay," Cuddy said. "Do you want to help me change her?"

"Sure." He handed Rachel back off to Cuddy and used his crutches to get himself into a standing position. Like before, he faltered a bit, for he didn't have this down to an art yet. He was a cane kind of guy. Crutches were a drag.

"Are you in pain?" she asked, not wanting to rush his bonding with her daughter, but didn't want to take her time if he needed to go back to the hospital right away. The morphine wasn't yet supposed to wear off, but House was always known as a complex character, inside and out. Who knows what could happen.

"Not at all. Feels really good, actually."

Cuddy walked House's pace to Rachel's room with a smile on her face the whole time. If someone told her that one day, she would be at her home with House willingly and enjoying helping her with Rachel, she'd be checking both legs to see which one was being pulled. Either that or she'd wonder when she'd be waking up from the dream she was having.

But this was no dream, or anyone pulling her leg. This was real. House wanted to be a part of Rachel's life.

House ended up picking out a pair of pink corduroys and a white shirt with a little pink lamb on the front. Who knew he would have such an eye for matching. Cuddy teased him about that.

They were just like a real couple. It was a tad challenging putting on the pants, but House managed after a few tries. Rachel found it funny that she was kicking her legs, not allowing him to put the pants on so easily. Cuddy found it even funnier and had to control her laughter.

"You think that's funny, don't you, kid?" House asked, snapping the tiny button at the top of her pants and then tickled her tummy. "But look at that, I win!"

He easily slid the shirt over her and put her arms through the little holes.

"How's that? Now you look like something out of a children's fairy tale book. All you need is a little bow," he said, ruffling his fingers through her short hair.

"Da…" Rachel said, followed by a laugh.

House looked over at Cuddy, who was just as surprised as he was that she said something. Evidently, she has never spoken before.

"Rachel, can you say that again, sweetie?"

Rachel just looked at Cuddy and laughed her sweet little laugh and kicked her legs.

"Da…da…" she said with a smile and blew a raspberry before looking up at House. She pointed up at him shortly following that. "Da."

"House, she's pointing at you. She thinks you're her dad," Cuddy said, finding this to be one of the greatest moments of her child's life. Not only did Rachel just speak her first word, but she said it to House.

"Was Lucas teaching her how to say that to spite you or something?" House asked. "It's just like him to want her to say dada before mama."

"He never did. At least not that I know of."

Rachel raised both hands up in the air. That was usually a signal to her wanting to be picked up. Without hesitation, House picked her up.

"Why did you say 'da?'" he asked her.

"Da," she repeated and smiled over at Cuddy.

"Oh just face it, House, she thinks of you as a daddy."

Cuddy approached him and wrapped her arm around his back, hugging him, as well as Rachel with her other arm. House leaned in and kissed the side of Cuddy's head. Her hair was still a little damp. She wanted to see how Rachel was doing with House before blow drying it.

"Mmm. Smells good," he said. He always liked her scent. Right now, her hair smelt that of a scent one smells after a rainfall. Either that, or the ocean.

Cuddy thanked him and kissed him. Rachel giggled as they kissed. House and Cuddy smiled through their kiss, but didn't stop just yet.

Cuddy wasn't sure how this came about, but was glad it did. She had House, she had Rachel, and House had them both. She could honestly say now that she had it all.