Here it is, #3 in the "Mia-verse". So far, it's at 44,000+ words and it's not finished yet. I originally started working on this in late summer, intending to submit it for the Big Bang Challenge, but just couldn't get it finished in time. Now I don't feel rushed, so I'll take my time with the ending.

Hope you enjoy. :)

Chapter 1

The small crowd sang a hearty rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Mia when a loud voice rang out from the back of the room, "You smell like a monkey!" Mia shot a glance at her obnoxious uncle, trying hard to conceal her smile. "And you look like one too!"

Cuddy sighed deeply and smacked House on the arm as she passed him, carrying a stack of plates to the table. Mia blew out the 14 candles on the cake and stood back as her mom sliced into it. Cuddy gave Mia two large slices, both from the outside edge, as Mia's favorite part was the icing, and Mia headed towards the back of the room.

"A monkey? Couldn't you have come up with something a little more original? I'm not a little girl anymore," she said as she sat next to him on the couch.

"Buffoon?"

Mia rolled her eyes as she handed him the cake. "So, did ya get me anything?"

House bit into his cake and cocked an eyebrow, "Nah."

"Liar."

"Everybody lies."

"I don't."

"You just did."

Mia reached over and gave House a quick peck on the cheek, to which he scrunched his face up in mock disgust and used the back of his hand to wipe away her kiss. Mia smiled at him before she joined the rest of the party, eagerly digging into her own piece of cake.

_______

Wilson collected House's half uneaten cake and tossed it into a trash bag before he sat next to him. Wilson looked at his friend, nodded briefly, and turned his attention towards Mia as she began to open her gifts. As they watched her tear into the various bags and packages, he couldn't help but take a look around the room, content with what he saw. Mia was healthy and happy. Cuddy and House were not officially a couple as they once had been, but the sting of animosity was absent. Shelby sat on the far recliner as Chris, Wilson and Shelby's seven-year-old adopted son, sat on the arm rest.

Several of Mia's school friends sat on the floor near her, all of them girls; Cuddy had banned a certain young man she felt her fourteen-year-old daughter was too young to date from attending the party. Cuddy's sister, brother-in-law and their two daughters stood against the far wall and seated nearest Mia was Red, Mia's aging copper-colored poodle. Red had been a gift from House when Mia turned six years old, purposely given for the sole reason of annoying Cuddy. She had been stashed in a large box, and before Cuddy could protest, Mia had opened the box and squealed in delight at finding the wiggly puppy inside. Cuddy could not break her daughter's heart, so Red stayed. House paid for it with a lecture to a batch of new students at the hospital.

Wilson felt a surge of gratitude as he looked at the crowd, particularly at Shelby and his son. They adopted Chris about a year and a half after she moved in with him. They weren't married though, as Wilson had decided that thrice he'd tried marriage and thrice he'd failed. Instead, he and Shelby had a lifetime commitment to one another going nine years strong. Never in a million years did Wilson think such happiness could be his, particularly not after losing Amber all those years ago. And now, Wilson was a dad; he hadn't thought that possible either. Shelby was physically unable to have a child, so he'd put the idea out of his mind. A year after they'd moved in together, Wilson took on a particularly tough case; the woman was in her mid-thirties, and six months into the pregnancy, learned she had cancer. Her name was Addie, and she flat out refused to consider termination. Chris was delivered by C-section in her eighth month and Addie succumbed to cancer before he was even a month old.

A month before Addie had given birth, she'd asked Wilson if he knew what would become of her baby if she died giving birth, fearing what would become of Chris should he be placed into the bottomless pit known as foster care. He'd explained that a social worker would take charge of her baby's case, and that her child would become a ward of the state unless she had any family. Unfortunately for Addie, she didn't.

Wilson mentioned Addie's case to Shelby when Addie first came in; he didn't mention names or give details, but he did talk about how depressing some cancer cases could be. He returned home in a somber mood on the night Addie had asked what would happen to her baby. Shelby asked him, encouraged him to talk about it and when she learned what Addie feared, they sat quietly together, Shelby in tears and Wilson on the verge. Very quietly, he'd suggested that they would make good parents. Shelby reminded him that he knew the likelihood of her own cancer returning and he simply told her that they both needed to live life, regardless of how much time they had left. Two days later, Wilson introduced Shelby to Addie and three days after that, legal papers were drawn. Addie passed away knowing her son would grow up with two loving parents.

As Wilson sat at Mia's birthday party, he looked at his friend, completely gray now with age, and marveled at how well behaved House had been at the party, well with the exception of the annoying birthday song. Cuddy perched atop the edge of the couch, resting her hand on House's shoulder and Wilson again felt nearly overwhelmed by how fulfilled life was at that moment.

"You're pathetic," House said gruffly.

"Am not," Wilson insisted.

Cuddy passed House a box of tissues and House passed one to Wilson saying, "Have some dignity; you're sniveling worse than Cuddy."

Wilson smirked as he accepted the tissue. "And what do you call acting almost civil to everyone here?"

"Hey, no name calling. I'm getting too old to be the life of the party."

Wilson stood from the couch, "You coming over for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Will the brat be there?"

"Chris is always there and he's not a brat."

"Yeah, I guess, but don't expect me to eat meatloaf."

"Fine, you can watch us eat."

"As long as I don't have to sit next to the brat."

Wilson shook his head, "Fine, sit next to Shelby. You know how she likes to hug you every time you complain about her cooking."

House shut his mouth, thinking for a bit. "I'll sit next to the brat."

"Thought so." Wilson chuckled at the conversation. It was the exact same conversation they'd had every Saturday since House began meeting them for Sunday dinners more than a year earlier.

House had a string of extremely difficult cases which led to long hours, poor sleeping habits and even worse eating habits. Cuddy and Wilson had noticed a drop in weight as House had lost two consecutive patients; his snark became unbearable and House balked at taking Mia to her weekly piano lessons, something he never refused to do. Cuddy and Wilson both decided that they would each take him in for one meal a week, if for no other reason but to keep an eye on him, and ensure he ate something that didn't come stuffed into a paper wrapper or a Styrofoam box. House naturally refused.

The first Monday following the first missed Sunday dinner, Wilson brought in a cellophane-covered bowl filled with homemade chili, and a large chunk of fresh cornbread on the side. Under the guise that it was Wilson's lunch, Wilson had made a big show of complaining when House reached over to steal a few bites.

"Mmph, good choli," House said with a mouth full. "Since when did the cafeteria get someone who can cook?"

"Not from the cafeteria," Wilson said, taking a large bite out of the cornbread, "Shelby's a great cook."

House snatched the remaining cornbread from Wilson, shoved a large piece of it into his mouth and stared Wilson in the eye. After downing most of Wilson's Coke he said, "What's for dinner next week?"

He'd sat stock still the first time Shelby hugged him after he complained about her cooking. She knew, along with everyone else at the table, that he was enjoying every bite of the roasted pork, scalloped potatoes and even the asparagus she'd made and instead of allowing him to insult her in her home, Shelby decided to do something she knew he'd hate. She hugged him. And she repeatedly hugged him for every insult he made about her cooking, her dress, Chris' haircut, the new curtains in the living room, Wilson's acceptance as Associate Dean at PPTH, and any other complaint House made in her presence. House stopped complaining in front of Shelby.

_______

A few weeks later, Mia showed up at House's office, something she didn't do as often as she had when she was younger. In part, she wasn't the hyper little girl whose life revolved around her family; and in part, because her mother forbade her from bothering House during work hours. She was old enough now to call him or wait until work was over.

Mia was a good student, still attending Synergy. At the time, she was midway through her ninth grade year, in the midst of her first crush and fiercely independent; she didn't go running to her mother or to House for every little issue. Instead, she chose to work through her problems, usually fairly competently, too. If she needed help, she asked for it, probably as the result of a hardworking mother who was not always available when a problem presented itself. And when the problem concerned her mother, Mia turned to House, who was a crap shoot in the advice department; he either caved and cajoled her mother into allowing Mia to whatever it was she wanted, or he sided with her mother, leaving Mia feeling resentful towards both of them. He sided with Mia more often than not.

Regardless of his advice, Mia and House were still an unexplainable pair. She trusted him implicitly, and unlike the way he acted around Chris, House seemed to actually enjoy her company. She only took piano lessons because of her love for House, though he was unaware of it. She knew he enjoyed listening to her play, and she enjoyed the time they spent traveling to and from lessons, but she didn't really care about playing the piano. She didn't have the heart to tell House that. She could play, but she was far from a prodigy and Juilliard was most certainly not in her future. Mia had developed a love of animals, particularly upon receiving Red, and she had her mind set: she wanted to be a veterinarian. Her mother encouraged it and House, of course, brushed her off, insisting she'd change her mind when the wind changed. The wind hadn't changed for six years, however.

House looked up from his desk to find Mia waiting patiently for him to look at her.

"You have a problem?" House asked.

Mia shrugged, clearly upset. "I saw Chris at school this morning."

"So."

"He said you've been going to Uncle Jimmy's and Aunt Shelby's for dinner every Sunday for the past month."

"Wilson made me go."

Mia sat down opposite House and fumbled with her hands as she drummed up enough courage to ask her next question. "Do you love Chris more than me?"

House stared at her, somewhat surprised by her question. Trying to brush it off, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What is this? Second grade?"

"I know Mom invited you to dinner every Thursday night after my piano lesson, but you said no."

"It had nothing to do with you," he sighed.

Mia sat quietly for several minutes, not looking up at her beloved uncle, as House pretended to read his medical journal. He hated to disappoint her, but he was in no mood for the 'You love him more than me' bit. They both knew House was as close to a father as Mia would ever have. They were also both very much aware that House treated Chris as his nephew and nothing more.

And being so close to House had caused Mia to pick up some of his more colorful tendencies, including manipulation. She went in for the kill. "I quit piano."

House clenched his jaw as he continued to stare blankly at the medical journal in front of him. He denied the ache in his heart, and feigned disinterest. "It's your choice."

Heartbroken, Mia nodded. She stood and left House sitting at his desk, without saying another word.

_______

Cuddy stopped him on his way home that evening. "Mia's in a foul mood. Said she was done with piano."

"Yep," he admitted, though he limped on towards the exit as if it was no big deal.

Cuddy reached a hand out and stopped him by grabbing his arm. "You can't do this, House."

"All because I don't want you and Wilson trying to shove food in my face twice a week?"

"God forgive us for caring."

"God's got nothing to do with it."

"She's legally your daughter. You wanted her, remember?"

"In name only, remember?" he asked, mocking her tone of voice.

Cuddy looked him in the eye, "Don't ruin the one good thing in your life. It'll break her." She let go of his arm, turned on her heel and left House to ponder her words.

After several days of grumbling, coupled with a healthy dose of self-loathing, House showed up at Cuddy's on Thursday for dinner. Mia resumed her piano lessons the following week with House acting as her chauffeur and the scene had repeated itself every week for the past year.

_______

"House," Wilson said, giving him a nudge, "House, wake up. Mia only has two presents left."

He opened one eye and sighed, "And you woke me because?"

"One of the gifts is from you."

"I already know what I got her."

Wilson sighed, "Just pretend to open your eyes, would you?"

Mia opened a gift from one of her friends, smiling and thanking her friend for the bath accessories and make-up. She wasn't really into make-up, nor the bath salts and lotion, but she hid it well and acted graciously towards her friend. And then she opened the gift she'd saved for last. The most anticipated gift. House's gift.

Each year, House had given Mia a rather extraordinary gift for her birthday. He didn't really make an effort during the winter holidays, but he splurged on her birthday. At first, it annoyed Cuddy that he had out-gifted her, but it had been Wilson who had convinced her to think differently.

"A puppy. A puppy! He didn't even ask if it was okay!" she complained the day after Mia's sixth birthday.

Wilson sat in her office, quietly taking in her frustration and when he thought she was finished with her rant, he hesitantly gave his perspective on the matter.

"He's not doing it to one up you, Cuddy."

"Isn't he?"

"Maybe on the surface it seems that way, but I don't think so."

"Oh really?" she asked, doubtfully.

"He views her as his."

"But she's not," Cuddy insisted, though she knew it was a lie. House had legally adopted Mia, but that fact was a guarded secret, kept even from trusty old Wilson. And in that moment, it dawned on her that Wilson was right, despite not knowing that Mia was legally House's daughter.

"Does it matter? Those two have been attached at the hip since day one."

She nodded slowly, "True."

So Cuddy forgave whatever outrageous gift House had bestowed upon Mia each year, including Red, who turned out to be a very sweet and much loved member of the family. The following year he jokingly suggested he would get her a pony and Cuddy sighed in relief when Mia's present actually turned out to be the ballet lessons she had refused to pay for only the week prior.

_______

"Uncle House!" Mia shouted as she rushed to up to him, kissing him without caring what anyone else thought.

House tried to block her with his hands to no avail. Mia hugged him anyway, thanking him repeatedly.

"Does this mean what I think it does?"

"You can read, right?" he asked.

"Mom!"

Trying to see what was in the envelope that Mia held, Cuddy asked, "So, what is it?" She held her breath, almost afraid of what the gift might be.

"Tickets to see Sasha in concert…in New York!"

All the girls in the room burst into squeals upon hearing Sasha's name, a Russian rocker with a rather seedy reputation who spouted lyrics most parents cringed at. He was also drop-dead gorgeous.

Cuddy shot House an angry look, "I told her no."

He shrugged, "It's her birthday gift. You can't say no."

"It's in New York."

"That's why there are two tickets." He brushed her off as if it wasn't a big deal, "She won't be going alone. I'm taking her for the weekend and we've got hotel reservations for that night in the city. She'll be fine."

"It's a school night."

"She can play hooky for two days. Builds character."

Sarah, Mia's best friend, blurted out, "Your uncle is the coolest ever!" All of Mia's friends agreed, despite Cuddy's disapproval.

Mia looked at Sarah with happy eyes, "I know!"

As Mia returned to show off the prized concert tickets, Wilson shook his head and stood, not wanting to be dragged into the inevitable argument House and Cuddy were bound to have. As he reached to pick up his soda, Wilson winced, grasping his left arm. House furrowed his brow, having seen the mark of pain on his friend's face.

"That arm should have healed by now."

"It's fine, I pulled it again last night."

"You're no spring chicken; you should have it looked at."

"Oh that's rich," Wilson scowled, "This coming from the man who tries to self-diagnose before admitting he needs help." Wilson paused before smirking, "And I'm not the one with the AARP card."

"Yet."

"Arm's fine."

"Just don't come running to me when they need to amputate."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

The pair would have continued had it not been for Chris running over and hugging his dad. House pursed his lips, closed his eyes and rested his head against the couch. "Wake me up when it's time to go."