Diclaimer: I wish they were mine!
A/N: So this is a little sOmething that came tO me one night… I've never written a one-shOt before sO let's see hOw this one gOes. HOpe yOu like it, if nOt, well that's just toO bad!
Betas: Thx to Lexie (LJ), FaithChaos (LJ) and a HUGE thank you to Nicole xD; Sorry for making you read this a thousand times…
xOx
There had been a snowstorm the day before, and now all the roads in Princeton were covered with a thick layer of white snow. The traffic was slow, and the icy roads were unsafe to drive on.
House cast a quick glance in his rear-view mirror, and something made him smile. He looked at Cameron who was sitting next to him, looking straight ahead, lost in her thoughts.
"Looks like Julia had a long day," he said softly, gesturing to the baby sleeping in the backseat.
Allison turned her head, so she could see her two and a half year-old daughter asleep in her car seat, her head swaying slightly, and drool falling out of her mouth onto a brown teddy bear. The only answer Greg received from her was a nod and a faint smile, before she leaned back against the headrest. He looked at her briefly before staring back at the road, putting a hand on her knee.
"Looks like mommy had a tough day too. Does that mean daddy won't have his special play time tonight?" He asked in a childish voice.
She couldn't restrain a grin, and smacked him on the arm. Chuckling, House turned the radio on, and Rob Thomas' voiced filled the car as he sang 'Little Wonders'. Closing her eyes, Allison let the melody lull her into a light slumber.
Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you, let it shine, until you feel it all around you, and I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to we'll get by, it's the heart that really matters in the end…
"Forty-five minutes! Almost an hour!" muttered House as he stopped the car. 'Stupid snow!' he thought. As he unbuckled himself, he realized that Cameron had fallen asleep. He sat there, staring at her for a while, motionless, just mesmerized by the sight of her sleeping.
Her head was resting on the window; while her breath formed mist on the glass. House's heart melted at the scene; she looked so peaceful. The past few days had been hard, and she hadn't had any time to relax. Julia had caught a cold early on in the week, and she hadn't slept well for two days, leaving her parents (especially Allison) exhausted.
The case they've been working on was one hell of a puzzle. The little boy's condition was deteriorating fast and they were afraid he wouldn't make it out of the hospital alive. As if that weren't enough, House's parents were coming over on Saturday.
Coming out of his reverie, he gently shook her shoulder, whispering her name.
"Allie, Allie sweetie wake up, we're home."
Her head jerked up rapidly, and she looked around in confusion.
"We're home," he repeated.
He leaned toward her, kissing her gently, murmuring 'I love you' against her lips. As they parted, Cameron halfheartedly mumbled:
"You take Jules, and I'll take the bags."
"Fair enough," was House's answer, and he opened the door, letting a cold breeze into the car.
Opening the backdoor, he unfastened the straps that were keeping his little girl safe, and took her in his arms, her small head resting on his shoulder. By the time he made it inside, Cameron already had her coat off, and had dumped the bags onto the living room floor. She was unzipping her boots when she felt his cane poking her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Greg mouthing 'Is she still asleep?' and he turned a little on his right, allowing her to see Julia's face.
"Yeah, just put her down on our bed," she said quietly.
xOx
They wouldn't let Julia sleep for too long, or else it would be impossible to get her to sleep later on in the evening. Both Cameron and House would tidy up the house a bit, then they would decide what to make for dinner, and then one of them would wake Jules up and bathe her, while the other one cooked. It was like that every night unless one of them had to work late, and they liked it that way, it was their little routine.
xOx
Carefully, House laid Julia on his bed, untying her hat and unzipping her little pink coat gently. His thigh was aching from the long drive and the winter cold, and carrying his daughter into the house hadn't helped. He limped to his dresser, and slid open the first drawer, where he now kept his Vicodin. Since Julia's birth, his Vicodin use had been cut back considerably; now only three times a day. He would take one in the morning, one when he came back from work and one before going to sleep.
Going back to where his daughter was sleeping, he kissed her forehead, and left the bedroom allowing her to sleep.
xOx
House found Allison sitting at the kitchen table, rubbing her temples, with her eyes closed. Once he was right behind her, he rested his cane against the table, and wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"You look tired. Are you sure you're alright?" He asked visibly concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a long day."
"Why don't you and Julia go take a bath whilst I make dinner? Mac & Cheese?" he offered.
She smiled.
"Mac & Cheese is just fine. I'm not really that hungry anyway."
House raised an eyebrow in wonder, but said nothing.
"I'll go wake Jules up," she told him as she was getting to her feet. House nodded and kept staring at her until she disappeared into the hallway. 'How can she not be hungry? She barely ate today… She looked pale; maybe she's coming down with a cold or something…'
xOx
Allison walked into the bedroom and lied down in bed next to her daughter, stroking Julia's cheek with the tip of her fingers.
"Jules, it's time to wake up honey. Daddy's making dinner," she said softly.
The little girl began to stir in her sleep, and a few second later, she cracked an eye open.
"Hey sleepy head," Cameron said smiling.
"Hi mommy," giggled the little girl. She had brown curly hair, just like her mother, and she had Cameron's small frame too, but other than that, she was a perfect combination of both her parents. If someone even doubted for a second who her parents were, all suspicions were lost when they saw her gorgeous eyes. One was ocean blue, and the other, sea green.
"Go get your pajamas honey; we'll take a bath while daddy's cooking dinner."
"With b-bubbles?" asked the little girl, eyes sparkling with hope.
"Of course, baby, with bubbles," confirmed her mother.
With that, Julia jumped off of the bed, and landed on two unsteady feet. Once she regained her footing, she ran out into the corridor, squealing excitedly:
"Daddy! Daddy! Bubble bath with mommy! "
"That's awesome Jules!" hollered House from the kitchen.
xOx
Both Allison and Jules undressed quickly, and got in the tub filled with warm water and bubbles. Allison rested her head against the back of the tub, watching her baby girl who was playing with her rubber ducky and the bubbles. She closed her eyes, and tried to relax. 'One more day until the weekend,' she thought.
"Mommy, play with me!" begged the little girl.
"Honey, mommy's head hurts. I don't really want to play right now. Why don't you play with your ducky?"
"Can I kiss your booboo better?"
Cameron laughed lightly. She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace causing Jules to giggle. At that moment, a certain face popped in the doorway.
"How are my girls?"
Julia looked at her dad and told him:
"Mommy's head has a booboo… Are we eating soon? I'm hungry." She stated the last part very seriously while pointing at her tummy.
First, House looked at Allison to ask if she was okay, but when she saw the concern in his eyes she shook her head as if to say she was fine. He wasn't really convinced but he didn't say anything; she was probably just tired. He then stared at his daughter with eyes wide open, and said her:
"So, Julie's tummy is hungry?"
"Yes!"
"Well, in that case, you should hurry, 'cause dinner's ready." With that said, he closed the door, and went back to the kitchen to set the table.
xOx
An hour later, the three of them had eaten; Cameron had left three quarters of her food untouched, and the family was now sitting in front of the TV, watching 'Dora the explorer'.
House was sitting at one end of the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table. Allison was stretched out, her head resting on Greg's shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. Julia was seated with her little back resting on her mommy's belly. She was singing along with Dora and her friends. The way they were all so close to each other reflected how much they loved one another. They were a family, something both House and Cameron thought they'd never have and here they were sitting down watching TV as one…
xOx
When the clock struck 8, it was bedtime for little Julia. By then, Allison was fighting to stay awake, and House offered to put their daughter to bed.
"Allie, why don't you go to bed? I'll take care of Julia," he said kissing the top of her head.
Grateful, Allison kissed Julia good night and went straight to bed. 'Maybe Greg's right, I might be coming down with something,' she thought to herself as she disappeared into the darkness of their bedroom.
xOx
Later that night, when Greg went to bed, he wasn't surprised to find Cameron already asleep. He slipped under the covers, and careful not to wake her, he snuggled close to her body. He fell asleep almost instantly, and dreamt that he was sailing on a boat with Allison and Julia, his two girls, his family.
On the other hand, Allison was having a nightmare; a man was trying to take Julia away and Greg wasn't there to stop him. House heard her whimpering in her sleep and woke up to see what was wrong. Suddenly, she jerked awake, panting and covered in sweat.
"Allie, are you alright?" he ask groggily.
She struggled with the sheets and made a run to the bathroom as a wave of nausea washed over her. She just made it in time to heave into the toilet. House, who didn't have time to react, heard her retching, and quickly went to the bathroom.
"I think Julia bugged you," he said with an amused tone. He grabbed a washcloth that was on the top of the washing machine and went to wet it. When he handed it to her, her face became two shades lighter, and she hunched over the toilet to empty the contents of her stomach once more. House kneeled down beside her, despite the protest of his leg, and held her hair back, wiping her neck with the cool cloth. Once she was done, she stayed on the floor, out of breath, tears forming behind her eyes. House flushed the toilet and asked:
"How about we take a bath?"
Cameron nodded appreciatively, and started to undress. She was feeling clammy, and wanted to get rid of the feeling. A hot bath was what they both needed. House's thigh was aching and the warm water would help ease the pain away. He was the first to get into the tub, and sat against the edge, like Cameron had done just hours before. Moving slowly, Allison eased her way into the water, resting her body against Greg's chest, taking slow deep breaths to help steady her stomach. They stayed in the tub, Allison tucked in his arms, until the water got cold.
Getting out of the tub, House wrapped her in his bathrobe, put his boxer back on, and lead her to their bedroom. They settled into the bed, falling asleep in each others arms.
xOx
Allison awoke the next morning, surprised to see the sunlight peaking through the curtains. House was already up since he wasn't lying next to her, and Julia was certainly sleeping because she couldn't hear anything. She cast a quick glance at her alarm clock. To her surprise it was 11; House had let her sleep in. She noticed Julia's brown teddy bear, Bean on her nightstand; it was holding a piece of paper. She took the note and read it.
Allie,
I don't want you to come in today; take the day off, you deserve it. Rest and take care of yourself.
Love you, Greg
Mommy,
Keep Bean with you, It will make you feel better.
Jul -xxx-
Cameron smiled as she read the note. Greg had written Julia's note for her, but she had made the kisses herself. Hugging Bean, she made her way to the living room where she rested on the couch all day. It was during moments or days like these that Cameron knew she'd been wrong years ago, when she had said that House couldn't love her. Because in this moment, love was the one and only thing she could feel.
The End
xOx
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