The Alcove By: Sami

Prologue:

It is my belief that apologies and gratitude are very deep and complex emotions. To me it's all in the meaning behind them. Take apologies for instance they are in a way an admission of wrong doing; which for most people is rather difficult. An apology is also an admission of guilt because obviously you regret something and feel the need to make amends.

By the same token the emotion of gratitude is just as complex because it forces you to basically admit that you did in fact need someone, despite what your pride and independence tell. Gratitude is further complicated by the fact that you are forced to show your appreciation for another human being, even if this person is a complete stranger. However, the funny thing is that it's always easier to thank a stranger than it is someone close to you.

At the same time however the words thank-you and I'm sorry are the complete opposite. The words alone with no emotion to back them up are stupid and frivolous. People say these words to you all the damn time without meaning them. I admit it I was probably guilty of it at some time but I'd like to think that I'm not that way anymore.

So when did I change you might wonder? Well the answer my friends is simple, I changed one week after I turned 38 years old. That's the day my 17 year marriage to one, Devlin Billups ended. That's the day I re-became Wren Adams and whisked my then three year old daughter Willow off so we could heal our wounds.

Over the next 15 months I hibernated with my daughter and learned exactly what I was sorry for. I learned exactly what I regretted. First off I, simply, regretted my marriage to Devlin. More importantly though I still regret giving a man the power to completely change me. I allowed a man to take complete control over my life. I allowed him to groom me into the perfect socialite. The sad part of my tale is that it's so typical. A young pretty girl, meets older richer man, abandons her dreams, and finds out what an ugly person the man really is. What makes it even sadder is that I allowed it to last for so long. Sadder still is the fact that I brought a child into the midst of it and it took her getting hurt in for me to realize that this wasn't working.

After over a year of hibernation Uncle Jasper finally convinced me that in order to truly heal I needed to come home and return to music. For that I am truly thankful he was indeed right as always. Music has always been my true love. My mom played for me all the time was little, so it was always a part of my life. I can still remember her teaching me to play starting at age three. She continued to teach me until I was eight; however sadly she and my dad were killed by a drunk driver. Once I was released from the hospital Uncle Jasper and Aunt Jess whisked me off to New Jersey. Most of my childhood was spent around a place called The Alcove my uncle's bar. And I have to admit it's been excellent the past three months.

Willow and I have been living in the two bedroom apartment that I for the most grew up in, for about three months now. It's wonderful and convenient since I perform downstairs at the bar every other night. It's even more convenient on that one weekend a moth I play both Friday and Saturday nights. When I'm not performing I help out Uncle Jasper if he needs it or I spend time with my lovely daughter. I know every parent says it but she truly is the best thing that ever happened to me. She was indeed my reality check and because of that I vow to make the rest of her life better than the first three years she had. A man will never hurt me and thus will never hurt her.

Speaking of Willow the change I've seen in her since Uncle Jasper's been in life these past three months is remarkable. She's still timid around most men and I'm not sure that will ever change. However my Aunt and Uncle have filled a role that she's always yearned for and that's for loving grandparents. She hadn't gotten that from my ex's parents because they had never liked me and they were just as disappointed about her being a girl as Devlin himself was. The three of them had wanted a boy that they could mold into carrying on the Billups legacy in Manhattan.

I'm not looking for love. Been there, done that and it wasn't all that great. However I sometimes still wish for my daughter to have a father figure in her life at some point. Like I said though I'm not really looking for a relationship so if that void is filled by Jasper just like he filled that void for me then that's just fine. That's enough about me for now. Aunt Jess will be here any minute to pick up Willow. She's spending the night there tonight; just like she has every Friday night for the last three months. It won't be long after she's gone till it's time for me to head downstairs.

Chapter 1: Exhaustion, Escape, and Intrigue

Dr. Gregory House world renowned diagnostician and even more renowned cranky btard was exhausted. It had been another grueling day on the job. He'd been harassed into clinic duty by his boss Cuddy. He'd endured several different differentials with his three ducklings; that even got on his nerves when there wasn't a case. There was Cameron the lovesick immunologist who just wouldn't accept that there was no chance in hell for them when it came to romance between the two of them. Next there was Chase the young Australian intensevist; who was surprisingly coming into his own as a doctor but was too busy being manipulated by Cameron to really be all that he could be. Finally there was Foreman the neurologist who from the beginning he'd seen potential; unfortunately though he'd hit a snag that had really shook him. Now he was running scared and that's why he was on his way out the door.

Oh well the case was solved, the patient was being treated so Gregory House was out the door. Right now he just wanted to be left the hell alone. So why wasn't he going home? Well mainly because people knew where he lived and would expect him to go there. Therefore they would harass him. That's way instead he decided to make the nearly two hour drive to a place only he knew about. There and only there could he escape his life for awhile. There and only there could he drink scotch in a dimly lit atmosphere and indulge in the same music he was too exhausted to play.

His leg which left him in constant agony was just an excuse to cover up why he was so miserable according to most people. How could it be an excuse though if it was the truth? Sure he'd experienced his share of heartache. He'd pushed the only woman he'd ever really loved away. That and the resentment he still harbored against his dad made him twice as miserable but old habits die hard. He didn't know how to change therefore he used vicodin and booze to mask those internal hurts and to block out the pain.

House had no idea who would be playing tonight at The Alcove. He hadn't been there since he'd gotten Tritter off his back. What he did know is that the name for the bar was quite appropriate. The bar was nestled in between a plethora of trees and the nearest building was another five miles or more away. House wasn't that worried though about who might be playing because he'd been impressed with the talent every time he'd come in. That meant a lot coming from him because he was quite a skilled musician himself. Mostly piano but from time to time he dabbled with a guitar. Music had always been the confidant that never let him down. Between that and his father's adamant disapproval it had seemed almost logical when he was growing up to delve full force into all that music had to offer.

Smiling to himself as he took off his helmet he thought, "I'm finally here." Then he slid gingerly off his bike, grabbed his cane to steady himself. Once he was on his feet he paused only long enough to shut his phone off for the night before heading inside.

Meanwhile inside already Wren Adams was sitting at a secluded table in the corner of the bar. It was close enough to the stage and it gave her a perfect look at all the people in the bar. She was performing tonight and as always she was a bit nervous; however, most of the nerves were due to the fact that she made her play list up spontaneously. She always created them at last the last minute because she liked to observe the atmosphere of the bar. It had varied some from night to night over the past three months. However the secluded bar always had an air of intimacy because it was so dimly lit.

Wren quickly concluded that everyone in the bar tonight was moody because they all wanted an escape. They all wanted an escape from their lives both the past and the present. Wren knew all too well that both could hurt just as equally but in different ways. All the present did was cover up the past; however because it was stubborn the past didn't always stay buried. Like a predator it always sneaks up on its prey; the prey being your heart and each time it creeps off it breaks off another piece of your already fragile heart.

After a couple more minutes of observing she concluded that her play list tonight would have to be as moody as the audience. Moody enough to cover all the emotions that her audience was feeling; whether it be happiness, joy, excitement, or more like sadness, grief or exhaustion. With that in mind she quickly began forming a play list in her head. Songs like Coldplay's "Fix You" and others came to mind. However as always she'd be ending the night with her trademark original song "Tears in His Eyes."

Finally taking a deep breath she ran her hand through her chin length dark hair, stood up, and placed her coat and purse down on the table before walking on stage. Once she was settled in front of the piano her watch struck 8pm. It was show time and as someone once said time for the show to begin.

As House limped over to the bar he saw the bartender, an older man around 65, nod at him in greeting. By the time he reached the bar the man who'd told House to call him Jasp or Jasper had a glass of scotch waiting for him.

"Thanks," House said as he took a drink of the amber liquid. "Aww. It was perfect." He thought.

"No problem you looked like you could use it." Jasper replied before asking, "Haven't seen you in about four months how the hell are you?"

"Not bad," House as he glanced towards the stage. Immediately he noticed that the musician tonight was someone he hadn't seen before. He also noticed that she was down right beautiful. Not your typical girl next door beauty she was a true diamond in the rough. She was a real woman with curves unlike most stick thin women out there today. Her hair not that long at all fell in dark, almost sable waves a couple of inches below her chin. Curious he asked, "Who's that? I don't think I've seen her in here before."

"That's my niece she moved back home three months ago and I offered the job. She plays here every other night." Jasper replied with a smile. He was truly happy to have his Wren back home where she belonged. Furthermore he was happy to see her playing music again. That ex-husband of hers had made her choose and as a result she'd abandoned her love of music and her talent a long time ago. It made him feel good to know he was the one that had convinced her to play again.

House just nodded in response before heading over to the corner table near the stage he always sat. Someone's stuff was already there but he figured it belonged to the woman on stage so nonetheless he sat down.

Wren watched him out of the corner of her eye as she played her first two songs. He stood out since there were only eight people in audience at the moment. Maybe it was his height, or maybe it was the fact that his clothes were wrinkled while most of everyone else in the bar looked slightly more polished in comparison. Right off the bat she'd noticed his limp but she found her self full of curiosity rather than pity. It was also obvious to Wren that he was a music lover. Why else would he be sitting at the table where she'd just been sitting at? The table that still housed her purse and coat. Yep he's definitely a piano player." She thought as she watched the way he watched her.

"She's good," House thought after an hour of listening to her play.Snapping him out his thoughts Jasper set a bottle of scotch down in front of him.

"I figured you'd probably want this so I'm going to leave it here," Jasper said then just as soon as he'd arrived he left and went back to his place behind the bar.

House had given him a nod before turning back to the woman at the piano. She hadn't faltered as her audience had grown and it was probably because she was totally immersed in the music she was playing. She kept on playing till midnight long after audience had dwindled down to just him and her uncle.

"She must be about done," Housethought as he watched her pause and let out a tired sigh.Then she launched into what was probably her best song of the night.

He walks in the door the door

says her name. No answer.

So he starts walking towards the

bedroom and that's when he found

the note.

So he picked it up. Unfolded it.

To see what she had wrote.

It said: I'm sorry.

Just couldn't take it anymore.

Felt so alone.

If only she could have seen the tears in his

eyes when he put it down…

House could tell that it was an original. Her voice which had been sultry, soft, and smooth the whole night just like the scotch he was drinking was different now. There was an extra layer of passion in it as she sang the lyrics. Another verse and chorus later the song was done ending yet another successful gig for Wren Adams. With that in mind she stood up and walked off the stage. House thoroughly impressed gave her a small round of applause from his seat.

"Thank you," She said to the man with a smile. Then she quickly picked up her coat and purse before going off to help her uncle finish closing up the bar. Good thing to because if she would have stayed even a second longer she would have gotten lost in his eyes. My lord they were absolutely breathtaking. Such a cool deep shade of blue. They could either cut through you with one sharp glance or if they let you in you could drown in them forever.

"Don't let him drive home," Jasper as he gave her a hug. The hug was his way of letting her know she'd been wonderful tonight. "He's had way too much booze and knowing him a few too many pills as well."

Wren nodded she hadn't planned on letting him anyways. She seen him pop a few pills and nurse them down with most of the bottle her Uncle had given him. Seeing that had made her even more curious because it was obvious that his leg caused him a lot of pain.

Kissing her uncle on the cheek she let him know that she was going to let him crash upstairs before asking, "Do you know what's wrong with his leg?"

"Nope," her uncle answered, "I get the feeling he doesn't like to talk about it. Now do you need any help getting him upstairs?"

"No I should be fine since he's not passed out yet," Wren answered besides she wasn't going to bother with the staircase in side the bar that led to the upstairs. She was going to take in out the back of the bar and bring him through the back door of the apartment.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow," Jasper said before heading towards the exit. On his way he waved at House and then he was gone.

Once her Uncle was gone she made her way back over to the guy who was trying to get up. However he was a little more unsteady than usual. She caught him just as he stumbled and between the two of them and the cane they were able to get him upright.

House nodded at the woman to thank her and just as she had been earlier with his eyes he was struck by hers. This close up her eyes were a gray timber that should be cold but for some reason there was a warmth to them.

"Come on you can crash upstairs," The woman said breaking up the silence.

"That doesn't mean we have to go up those stairs does it?" House quipped to her.

"Don't worry," She said as they began making there way slowly to the back of the bar. "We'll enter from the entrance out back so you don't have to worry about any stairs. My name's Wren by the way."

"Greg House," He answered returning the favor once they stepped outside.

Once they were in the apartment Wren helped Greg to her bedroom. She figured that it would the most comfortable for him and besides with Willow gone she could crash in her daughter's room.

"You don't have to give up your bed," She heard Greg say as they made there way down the hallway. "The couch will be fine."

"No bid deal besides I can crash in my daughter's room. Plus trust me you'll be a lot more comfortable in here than you will on the couch," Wren argued doing her best to stress that it really was no imposition.

Giving in House thought, "What the hell." As he they entered the room and he sat down on the bed. It looked and felt pretty comfortable and it wasn't all that feminine. Thanks God! In other words there weren't 50,000 pillows and the colors weren't bright and girly. With that he let himself relax and lay back on the bed.

"Good night. The bathroom's right across the hall and I'll be in the room next door if you needed any thing.

House just nodded and let him self fade into the blackness that was pulling at him.