The third of three epilogues.

Turn Around

House accepted the pencil, laid the paper flat on his good knee, and considered the options presented to him for a minute. He crossed a line on his choice, wrote something next to it, folded the paper up and returned it to his uncle.

"Am I going to regret it?" House asked.

Uncle George smiled. "I know you, son. You'll do better."

House smiled back, and settled himself back down on his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle George."

"Merry Christmas, brat."

--

House limped away from Cuddy's office, wondering how the hell the woman had talked him into it.

One would think that, since he had been brought back to this point in time, House would have avoided this unpleasantness from happening, but he was always a sucker for pain…

--

Just as Dr. Robert Chase was heading for the parking lot…

"Chase."

Chase whirled around and found himself face-to-face with his boss, who was holding a thick envelope in his hand.

"Read this, get your pretty head working out the details into Aussie, and call your sister's idi—uh—doctor back in Vickyland," House said gruffly. "Tell your wicked stepmother Rapunzel has to transfer to another tower with better facilities in another part of Wombatland."

"Victoria?" Chase parroted lamely. "How'd you know--?"

"Just do it, Curly," House butted in. He turned around, leaving the younger man dumbfounded in the middle of the parking lot. "By the way—this conversation? Never happened."

Chase simply looked at the file in his hand, not looking up when a motorcycle roared to life and sped out of the lot.

--

House approached the apartment door, where the beat of some crazy pop song was pounding against the walls of the room. He faced the door, planted his feet and cane firmly on the floor, took a deep breath—and knocked sharply on the door.

A sexily disheveled Alison Cameron opened the door. She paused when she beheld her visitor, but then she recovered and smiled dreamily up at her boss.

House smiled his best ladykiller smile at the minx before letting her grab the lapels of his jacket and reel him in.

Fin.

Happy Holidays, folks!