So this is a sequel to “Stacy’s Return.” If you haven’t read “Stacy’s Return” I highly suggest it because you may be a little lost, but you should still be able to follow this if you haven’t. Stacy’s Return was written in between the airings of Braveheart and Known Unknowns so everything taking place after Braveheart does not exist in this alternate House world (lol).
I also want to clear up a numerical error I made in the last chapter of Stacy’s Return: October/October. It says 15 months later but it should have said 17 months. Rachel should be 2 years and 10 months older than Amber. This story is taking place 10 years and 2 months later meaning that in this story Amber has just turned 10 and Rachel is 2 months from turning 13. Because Rachel’s birthday is in December, she was held out a year from school so she’s only in 7th grade. Amber was not held out the extra year, so she is in 5th grade.
P.S. This is a HUDDY fanfic but Rachel and Amber are technically the main characters. Also, you all know I love to write stuff as much in character as possible but parts of this may be a little OOC because of the time gap and the fact that I have no idea how House and Cuddy would be as parents. I’m gonna try my best though!

    “Catch Dad!” House looked up just in time to see a softball hurling at him from across the room. He put his hands out just in time and barely caught it. He sighed and shot Rachel a look. “Geez woman!”
    Rachel dumped her backpack on the floor and collapsed into a chair in front of House’s desk. “Whatcha doing?”
    House turned his computer monitor off quickly. “Nothing. Just…checking emails.”
    “Righttt” Rachel smirked. She picked up House’s red ball from his desk and twirled it around in her hands.
    “Can I help you?” House asked. “What are you doing here anyway?”
    “Ummm…its 5 o clock. Duh! Aunt Amy picked us up from school and brought us here after practice.”
    House frowned and looked down at his watch. “Oh. I didn’t realize it was so late.”
    Rachel continued to sit there and twirl the ball around in her hands.
    House sighed and folded his hands behind his neck, leaning back in his chair. “Why are you still in here? What do you want?”
    Rachel didn’t look up at House but stared at the ball. “I heard you and Mom fighting again last night.” She glanced up at House quickly before looking down again.
    House said nothing and stared at Rachel instead. “We…yeah.”
    Rachel looked up at House. “Are you gonna split up?”
    “No!” House said rather angrily. Rachel looked taken aback by the anger.
    “I mean…look. Couples fight all the time. You don’t need to worry about it okay?”
    Rachel sighed. “Alright. Would you guys tell me if anything was wrong?”
    “Do I lie to you?” House asked.
    Rachel gave a little smile. “No. Never.”
    House gave a little smile back and turned back to his computer screen. “Now if you don’t mind…I have some…work to get back to.”
    “Actually…I was wondering if you could help me with my math homework.” Rachel grimaced and pulled out her test. A big red D was written across the top.
    “Has your mother seen this?” House asked, grimacing back.
    Rachel shook her head. “Can you please just sign it and not tell her? She’s going to kill me!”
    House gave her a look. “Alright. Fine, just this once. JUST because you have a big game on Saturday.”
    “Thanks Dad,” Rachel sighed with relief.
“Why don’t you get Amber to help you?”
Rachel plopped the ball down, loudly, in its place. “No thanks.”
House looked up at her. “Why not?”
“Because. She’s a snot! She just tells me I’m stupid anyway.” Rachel grabbed the signed test out of House’s hands and got up while shoving it in her backpack.
House rolled his eyes and got up from his desk. “Am I sensing some issues with your sister?”
“No.” Rachel zipped up her backpack loudly and swung it onto her back.
“Rachel. Stop deflecting.” House grabbed her backpack and stopped her from walking out the door.
Rachel wrenched herself from House’s grip. “Leave me alone.”
“Fine. Whatever.” House turned away from her and walked back over to his desk, sitting down. He picked up a file and began picking through it. He waited about a minute and looked back up, and Rachel was still standing there. House, frowning, put his folder down on the desk when he noticed Rachel was trying not to cry.
“What’s REALLY going on?” House asked.
Rachel burst into tears. House sighed, got back up from his desk and limped over to Rachel, sitting her down on the ottoman. He sat down on his chair and leaned forward on his arms, waiting.
Rachel continued to cry for a couple minutes before wiping her tears. “You wouldn’t understand Dad.”
“Try me.”
“Well there’s this boy…Adam. He’s in 6th grade. I really like him and he’s really smart. But I’m not pretty. He doesn’t even notice me. And today I saw him talking to Amber by her locker. She’s only 10 years old!” Rachel sniffled.
“Ok Rachel look. First of all, your mother is not going to let Amber date this kid. She’s too young. Second of all, where do you get off thinking your ugly?” House looked at her in confusion.
Rachel wiped her sleeve across her eyes. “I’m stupid too. I didn’t get the ‘smart genes’.” Rachel finished the last part of her sentence bitterly.
“Oh please!” House threw his hands into the air. “Last time I checked you had a 98 in English class! And you can sing! The rest of us sound like dying pigs!”
Rachel couldn’t help giggling a little but she sobered right back up. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh I see so now you’re feeling sorry for yourself.”
“Hey look who’s talking!” Rachel shot back.
House opened his mouth and then shut it again. “Good point. But you don’t have the excuse I do. Now stop moping and go tap that.”
“Dad!” Rachel slapped his arm. She suddenly threw her arms around him, tightly. “Thanks Dad.”
House couldn’t help smiling a bit. “For what?”
“For not being mushy. Or being an asshole.”
“Hey, you better not say that in front of your mom. She’ll kill you.” House said.
Rachel smiled. “That’s why I don’t say anything in front of her!”

MD
    Amber threw Cuddy’s doors open and waltzed in slamming the door behind her. Cuddy jumped and threw her pen down on her desk. “Sheesh does anyone in this family know how to knock?”
    Amber grinned and tossed her backpack on the couch. “How was your day, Mom?”
    “Good,” Cuddy said casually. “Where’s your sister?”
    Amber shrugged. “I think she’s with Dad. Aunt Amy brought us from practice.”
    “How did practice go?” Cuddy folded her hands and looked up at her daughter.
    Amber shrugged. “It was alright. We almost dropped Brittany. She’s getting heavy; I think we need a new flyer.”
    Cuddy raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean she’s “getting heavy?”
    “She’s getting heavy,” Amber reiterated. “She’s gained some weight in the past couple of months.”
    “Well….just remember to be nice. I’m sure she’s trying her best.”
    “Yeah yeah,” Amber shrugged it off and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. “Umm…Mom?”
    “Yes sweetie.”
    “Rachel and I…we ummm….we heard you and Dad fighting again last night.”
    Cuddy looked up, but Amber had suddenly grown really interested in her pink nail polish. Cuddy sighed and put her head in her hands. “I’m sorry Am. We shouldn’t have been so loud. And we...we shouldn’t have been fighting.” Cuddy looked up at Amber, like she was about to cry.
    “Oh Mom don’t start crying!” Amber got up and walked over to her mom’s desk, sitting on her lap and giving her a big hug. “We were just worried.”
    Cuddy smiled and took a deep breath. “I appreciate it. But…everything’s going to be okay.”
    Amber kissed her mother on the cheek and got up. “I’ll let you get back to work.” She walked over to her backpack and got her homework out. “Mrs. Roberts thinks that I need to jump up a math class again in math.”
    “But Am you’re already on a 7th grade level!”
    Amber shrugged. “It’s easy.”
    Cuddy grinned. “Maybe you should take the extra time to get that English grade up.”
    “It’s only an 83!”
    Cuddy gave her a look. “Maybe you should get Rachel to help you.”
    Amber rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. She’s just going to tell me I’m dumb. It’s not worth my time.”
    Cuddy shrugged and went back to her paperwork. Mother and daughter continued in this way for a few minutes before Amber sighed and put her pencil down. “Mom. There’s this boy…”
    Cuddy looked up, amused, at her younger daughter. “Who is he?”
    “Well…his name is Adam. He’s in 6th grade. He is really sweet AND he’s a football player! I really like him.”
    “Sweetie, you’re only in fifth grade. You should wait a couple more years before you start thinking about dating!”
    Amber pouted. “But he’s so cute! By the time a couple more years passes he’ll have a girlfriend!”
    Cuddy sighed. “I’ll talk you your father about it, Am, okay? I think you’re too young but maybe a harmless little date between children would be alright.”
    Amber smiled. “You’re the best.”
    “I try,” Cuddy grinned.
    Suddenly, Cuddy’s doors banged open loudly and she and Amber jumped. House waltzed in followed by Rachel. Cuddy rolled her eyes. “You know…one day you guys are going to walk in on something you shouldn’t.”
    House raised his eyebrows a couple of times at Cuddy suggestively and she smiled a little.

MD
    Rachel stabbed at her peas and sighed, resting her head on her hand.
    Cuddy cleared her throat loudly. “So...Rach. How was your day at school?”
    “Fine.” Rachel shrugged and stabbed at her peas again.
    Cuddy pursed her lips and nodded before turning back to her plate.
    “She got a D on her math test,” Amber added.
    Rachel glared at her sister and punched her in the arm, hard.
    “OW!” Amber yelled.
    “Rachel?” Cuddy asked her daughter. “Is this true?”
    Rachel turned back to her plate and stabbed even harder at her peas and didn’t answer.
    “Rachel Joy Cuddy. What is going on?”
    Rachel slammed her fork down on the table. “I studied. As hard as I could. And I still got a D. I’m sorry.” She picked her fork back up and went back to stabbing at her peas.
    Cuddy groaned and put her head in her hands. “Rachel…we studied for hours…”
    House touched Cuddy’s arm. “She’s…she’s going to have Amber help her next time.” House shot Rachel a look. Rachel looked at her sister and glared viciously again but Amber had her arms folded and was looking at a spot on the wall in the distance.
    Cuddy picked her head from out of her hands. “That’s a good idea. And Rachel you can help Amber with her English.” Cuddy went back to her food and missed the anger between her daughters that passed. But House didn’t.

MD
    “Why did you tell them?!” Rachel yelled at her sister. “Why?! That was the brattiest little sister thing to do ever!!!!”
    “Mom needed to know!” Amber reiterated.
    “No! She didn’t! She doesn’t need to think any less of me than she already does!”
    “Oh come on! She’s your mother, she loves you,” Amber said.
    “Yeah but she loves you more, you’re her own child!”
    “Well Dad loves you more!” Amber argued back.
    Rachel sighed angrily. “You know what? I don’t even care. I’m going to my room. I’ve got a big day tomorrow, get lost.”
    “What do you mean you have a big day tomorrow?” Amber smirked. “What? Your big softball game?”
    “No.” Rachel said matter-o-factly and crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe of her room.
    “What? A boy then?” Amber crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe as well.
    “Maybe, maybe not.” Rachel added.
    “Well…maybe I have a big day tomorrow too then,” Amber added.
    Rachel’s smile dropped from her face. “Who?”
    Amber smiled. “Just…a guy.”
    “You’re ten years old!” Rachel exclaimed.
    “You’re barely thirteen!” Amber yelled back.
    “That’s much older than ten!” Rachel shouted.
    “Why are you so defensive anyway? Afraid that we like the same guy?” Amber mocked.
    Rachel looked at her sister dead in the face. “Are. You. Kidding. Me?!”
    Amber looked back at her sister. “No. You can’t….Adam?”
    Rachel banged her hand angrily on the doorframe. “How did I know this was going to happen?! You’re much too young to be dating.”
    “Excuse me?! Mom said that maybe it would be ok!!!”
    “Mom said?! Dad said it was fine with him!!!” Rachel screamed.
    “WHOA!” Cuddy came tearing up the steps. “WHAT is going on?!”
    “Is this true Mom? Did you tell Amber that it would be ok if she dated Adam?!” Rachel cried.
    “Well…I…maybe…she…what?” Cuddy spluttered.
    “Mom, Rachel likes Adam too!” Amber yelled.
    “Tell her I’m older and he’s mine!” Rachel shouted.
    “Shut up you stupid butthead!” Amber screamed.
    “GIRLS!!!!!” Cuddy yelled. “We need to talk this out. Now I DID talk to Amber this afternoon but…”
    “I KNEW IT!” Rachel burst into tears. “You’ve always loved Amber more because she’s your own kid. I hate you both!” She went into the room and slammed the door so hard that it shook the frame.
    Cuddy looked at Amber exasperated. “Go to your room. And stay there. We will deal with this once Rachel has cooled down.”

MD
    “I don’t know what else we can do!” Cuddy practically chucked her blouse into the hamper. “They hate each other! Why can’t they just get along?!”
    “They have opposite personalities. They’re going to fight. Why are you so upset about this?” House asked. He was lying on their bed in his boxers reading a magazine.
    “Because they were screaming at each other. Rachel nearly tore the door off its hinges.”
    “I know I heard,” House said nonchalantly.
    Cuddy looked at him with her hands on her hips. “You mean to tell me that you heard all of this and didn’t come to back me up?”
    “You had it handled,” House responded. “And like I can get up those steps that fast.”
    Cuddy rolled her eyes. “Please.” She walked into the bathroom. “Did you talk to Rachel this afternoon?”
    “Yup.”
    “What did she say?”
    “Well…she didn’t want you to find out about that math test.”
    “And you wouldn’t have told me?” Cuddy came out of the bathroom with white face cream all over her face that she was rubbing on.
    “Nope.” House flipped a page in his magazine.
    Cuddy rolled her eyes and sighed, walking back into the bathroom. “I would have found out eventually! And I deserved to know!”
    “You would have freaked out! Like you did at the dinner table.”
    “Oh please! I didn’t freak out!”
    “You used her full name!” House said irritably.
    Cuddy came out of the bathroom, now with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. “So?”
    House looked over at her. “Do you really HAVE to do all of that before bedtime?”
    Cuddy took the toothbrush out of her mouth. “Are you serious?” Cuddy snapped and went back inside the bathroom. She came back out a moment later. “Do you have to be so nasty?”
    “I wasn’t being nasty! Geez you always jump to conclusions!” House closed the magazine angrily and threw it on the ground. “I’m going to bed.”
    “Ummm…excuse me! We aren’t done here!” Cuddy exclaimed.
    House rolled over. “Ok. Fine. What else do you want to talk about?”
    “Rachel and Amber. And this boy. What do we do about it?”
    “Easy. Rachel gets him, she’s older. End of story. Good night.” House rolled back over on his side but Cuddy grabbed his arm. “That’s it? That’s just…it?”
    House barely glanced at her. “Yeah…that’s it.”
    “What about Amber?! And her feelings?” Cuddy cried.
    “She just turned ten years old! She’s barely old enough to know what sex is! She’s still in elementary school! The answer is no!” House nearly yelled.
    “This is just it!” Cuddy yelled. “You never even listen to me anymore!!! This is not what couples do! They talk to each other!”
    “I AM talking to you!” House yelled. “I told you my decision! And it’s final! Now go to bed!”
    “NO!” Cuddy yelled.
    House sat boltright up in bed. “What?! What do you want from me? Huh? To favor the daughter that YOU’VE favored for the past 10 years?!”
    “What?!” Cuddy leaped out of the bed. “How dare you!! I love Rachel just as much as Amber. That’s an awful thing to say!”
    “Well it’s the truth! I don’t lie!” House yelled back.
    “You know what?! You know what…you’re…you’re IMPOSSIBLE!”
    Amber stuck her head outside the door and saw Rachel standing at their parent’s bedroom. Amber walked up slowly and looked over at her sister. Tears were streaming down from Rachel’s face and Amber winced as she heard her mother’s piercing voice yelling above her father’s lower harsh one.
    Amber gently took her sisters arm and pulled her away from the door. “We have to do something.”
    “Go away I don’t want to talk to you!” Rachel whispered whispered fiercely.
    “Rach, please” Amber begged. “We have to do something!”
    Rachel sniffed and looked back at the door and then at her sister. “Alright. What do we do?”
    Amber watched the door as she talked to her sister. “Call Uncle Jamey and Aunt Amy. Now.”

So I know this is kind of depressing first chapter, but I’m starting from the bottom and moving up! Lol I need you all to let me know if you like this and whether I should keep going. Also if you have any ideas be sure to let me know!