Title: Making His Own Life

Part: 1

Author: Mlizhobie

Fandom: House, M.D.

Pairing: Wilson/OFC(Lorelai) & House/?

Disclaimer: Don't own House or any of the other characters except for the OC characters.

AN: This is a sequel to the story 'It's My Life'. Be an awesome person, read and review. A very special thanks to my Beta reader, she helps me thru my dreaded bouts of writer's block.

AN2: This starts about a year and a half after Immy & Isaac were born.

It was about a year and a half after Lorelai had come back from her maternity leave with the twins. There had been rumors around the office that Lore would be getting a promotion to the director's position since he was retiring. The man had been with the organization for almost 20 years and had taken Lorelai under his wing, training her to eventually take his place.

He had been a mentor for Lorelai, explaining to her how to still show she cared about the families that came to their organization, but also keep herself detached so she wouldn't be destroyed every time a client passed away. When Lore first started at the organization and got her first client she immediately took the child into her heart and was completely devastated when the little girl's cancer finally took her life. Lorelai had almost left her job, but the director pulled her into his office and let her cry, scream, and whatever else she needed to do so she could move past the child's death.

Over the years other case workers had come and gone, but Lorelai was always the man's favorite. She had a way of inspiring hope in the families, but not making it false. Then when Lore had married James, her boss thought it was both funny and ironic that someone who worked at 'Make-A-Wish' would fall in love and marry an oncologist.

About a month before his last day, the director called Lore into his office. The serious, almost grim look on his face concerned Lore a great deal. She closed the door behind herself as she entered the room and sat down in front of her boss's desk saying, "Patrick, are you alright? You look like something serious has just happened." The man stared at his desk a bit longer and shuffled the file on his desk. It was a file from the main offices and it contained the news he had been scared to receive.

When he finally looked up Patrick said, "Lorelai, I don't know how to tell you this, so I just need to do it. You aren't getting this job. I gave you every vote of confidence and anytime this office was brought up I threw your name out there. The directing board of 'Make-A-Wish' just doesn't share my feelings about you and I am so sorry. They want to bring someone from Chicago, her name is Andrea Walker. She'll be here next week to shadow me until my last day." He was quiet for a few seconds studying Lore's face and after reading the obvious disappointment he said, "Lore, you have no idea how upset I am about this. I know you are ready to handle this and that you deserve it, but they are overriding me and there is nothing I can do."

Lorelai took a deep breath to control her raging emotions. She was angry, hurt, and most of all disappointed; but she didn't know how she could change anything. Looking up at her boss, Lore smiled slightly and said, "Thank you Patrick, for everything you have tried to do. But if they don't think I'm ready then that is fine. Do I at least get to stay or do they want me to leave?" Patrick quickly said, "Of course you still have a job Lorelai. They think you are fantastic at what you do."

That night Lore was in the shower and finally let her emotions take over. She had done her best holding everything in for the rest of the afternoon and all through the evening. But after she, James, & Greg had gotten all the kids to bed and she had some time to herself; Lorelai broke down. She stood perfectly still under the showerhead just letting the hot water cascade onto her while she cried.

James walked into the bedroom and heard the shower running in the joint bathroom, but when he went into the bathroom he heard something else. Rushing over to the shower, James pulled back the curtain and said, "Lore, kid, what happened? Are you hurt?" Lorelai shook her head as she reached down and turned off the water. Taking James's hand as she stepped out of the shower Lore finally said, "No, I'm fine." James didn't release Lore's arm even though she was safely out of the shower. He looked at her intently and said, "You aren't fine, talk to me Lorelai."

Lore pulled her arm from James's grip and grabbed the towel off the counter before saying, "Ok you're right. I'm not fine, but let me get dressed before we start with the interrogation alright?" James glared at her for the comment but agreed and went to sit on their bed. Lore dried and dressed in her pajamas slowly, trying to stall having to talk about what had happened that day at work. She didn't think she was ready to actually say that she had been passed over for the job she was being trained specifically for.

After almost 15 minutes James got up and went back to the bathroom door. He leaned against the frame and said, "I know you are stalling, because it doesn't take you this long to put your clothes on Lore." Lorelai looked up and met James's eyes in the mirror and quickly looked back away. She put the towel into the laundry basket and turned back to James, still not meeting his face. James reached up and took hold of her chin, forcing her to look at him before saying, "Lorelai, tell me what's going on."

She swallowed loudly and said, "I shouldn't let this get me so upset. It happens everyday to tons of people, why am I so disappointed about it?" James didn't know what she was talking about and furrowed his brow before asking, "What happened?" Lore smiled bitterly and said, "I'm being passed over for Patrick's job. They are bringing in someone from Chicago to be our new director. I guess I'm just too good at what I do to move jobs." James sighed sadly and said, "Oh baby, I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to this and Patrick wanted you to have it so badly. You have every right to be upset about this – it may happen to people everyday, but not you."

Lorelai shrugged and tried very hard to not cry, she had been looking forward to getting the promotion for so long and the rug was ripped out from underneath her. James could read all the emotions rolling through Lore's eyes and wished he had something to say that could offer his wife comfort. But he was already the head of his department, had been for years, so he didn't know what to say without sounding like an ass, other than, "Lore, you said it yourself. You're very good at your job and finding someone who does that job as well as you do would be more difficult that finding someone who just sits in the office and is in charge." Lore laid her head against James's chest as she said, "Thanks old man."

The next few days at work Lore didn't have to worry about seeing this woman who was taking her place. She wouldn't be arriving until Monday, so Lore made the best of the time she had left. On Friday she & Riley even took Patrick out for lunch, he laughed and said, "So you two are just doing this to suck up one last time?" Lorelai grinned and said, "Yeah never hurts to suck up til the last possible moment." Patrick winked at her and said, "Well I can live with that. Besides I did want to have time to say goodbye to my two favorite people in the office privately without my replacement following us around. That would be awkward!"

The following Monday at work the day started as every other week; with the staff meeting. Patrick was sitting in his normal spot, the counter just outside his office, but today there was a woman who looked about Lore's age standing off to Patrick's right side. Riley & Lorelai quietly speculated about the woman and giggled about the absurd things they came up with. Their giggling was quickly quieted when they heard Patrick say, "Morning everyone, hope you all had good weekends. As you should all know by now, my replacement has arrived and will be shadowing me for these last few weeks. So everyone please welcome Andrea Walker."

The crowd of workers broke out into a quiet applause as Andrea took a few steps toward everyone. She smiled politely and said, "Thank you everyone, and please bear with me until I get the hang of things around here. I do hope that I can have the same type of relationship with you that Patrick has told me about. I look forward to meeting each of you and getting to know you. Oh and please call me Andy, Andrea always sounded too formal for me." Lorelai did her best not to roll her eyes and scoff at the woman's comment, but Riley nudged her and said, "Yeah I feel the same way. You should have had that job Lore." Lore took a side-long glance back up at her new boss and sighed deeply before saying, "Yeah I know, but I don't and we can't change that now. So we have to play nice with Andy."

As the day wore on and the 'welcome party' died down Lore went back to her office and looked through some paperwork. No one was really expecting anything to get done today and spent the whole time socializing out in the common area. About 3:30 Lore was startled out of her work by Nina running across the room and jumping onto her lap. Looking up she saw James & Jay walking into her office. Jay was holding Immy's hand as she walked into the office and James was carrying the dozing Isaac. James sat on the couch against the wall and settled Isaac against his chest. He then looked up and said, "Hey kid, thought I'd take off early and bring the kids down to see you."

Lore smiled widely as she hugged Nina and said, "Thank you! I needed a surprise today." Nina returned her mother's hug and said, "Momma, I made you a pitcher today! It has trees and cwouds and even Attcus." Lorelai's eyes went wide as she said, "Really a picture of trees, clouds and Atticus all for me? Thank you baby girl." Each word that Nina had mispronounced Lore said especially slow and clear so Nina could hear how it sounded correctly. She & James were trying to work on her words, so Nina would eventually speak clearly. Even though Nina was now in preschool her language skills were still a bit behind. Nina nodded proudly and said, "Yup, it's out in the jeep in my bag. I show you yater."

Nina then started rummaging through her mother's desk drawers looking for the crayons & paper stored just for her. Lorelai smiled when she realized what Nina was doing and pulled open the bottom drawer on the right side where she kept the supplies for her children. Nina grinned, kissed her mother's face and jumped down. Grabbing a handful of paper and the box of crayons Nina rushed over to the counter on the far side of the room and started drawing. Jay was now lying in the middle of the floor playing with Immy.

James again shifted Isaac and looked up at Lore before saying, "So how do you like the new director?" Lore rolled her eyes and said, "She's alright. But she wants us to call her Andy, not Andrea. Riley thinks that she's a lesbian." James wasn't expecting that and laughed loudly, startling Isaac and waking him. As James got Isaac settled again he couldn't stop giggling, but then he said, "Why does her wanting to be called Andy suddenly make her a lesbian? You have to have another reason."

Seeing that James was too busy laughing at her comment than to get Isaac to stop crying, she went over and sat beside James and took the tired toddler from his arms. When Isaac saw that it was Momma holding him he instantly calmed and fell back asleep. She then half turned to James and said, "Yeah we do, she's a bit older than me and hasn't ever been married. Seems really masculine and outspoken…" Raising an eyebrow at the absurdity of what Lore's reasons were James stopped her and said, "Wait just because she is in her 40s and not married, kind of masculine all of this makes her a lesbian! Let me apply this to someone else; Greg is in his late 50s, oddly obsessed with his shoes and music, and never been married – so does this mean he is gay?"

Lore hadn't thought about that, but according to her reasons it could be seen that Greg could be gay. But knowing that the man was far from being gay, Lore laughed and said, "Well no, but he is an ass. I'm the only woman who will put up with his crap for any amount of time, even Stacy grew tired of him." Lore looked up and spotted Nina glaring at her. She started to say something, but Nina quickly said, "MOMMA! You said bad word and bein mean to Uncle Greg! Daddy wash Momma's mouth out wif soap." James grinned and looked back over at Lore before saying, "Finally she catches someone besides me! Thank you Nina, I think I will have to wash Momma's mouth for saying bad words and being mean to Uncle Greg like that."

On the floor Jay laughed and said, "Momma I'm so telling Uncle Greg that you called him that." Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "You don't have to, he already knows I think that." The family then sat in a comfortable silence. James & Lore both even started to fall asleep. Nina continued drawing her picture of the scene out Lore's office window. Jay & Immy were now sitting in one of the two chairs in front of Lore's desk and sleeping.

A while later Patrick knocked on Lore's door and opened it finding the Wilson family all now sleeping. He started to leave the room, but Lore woke and said, "Oh hey Patrick, sorry guess we all fell asleep. Did you need something?" Patrick shook his head and said, "No, I was just checking where you had gotten to. We aren't going to be doing anything else around here today, so why don't you all head home." Lore stood carefully so she wouldn't wake Isaac and said, "I think we might just do that. Looks like everybody is worn out, last night was a bad night for the twins and they kept everyone awake." Patrick smiled and said, "Well then I want you to head on home. I'll see you in the morning."

Next chapter: Greg still has feelings for his best friend's wife? How can he get past them?