The Prodigal Daughter Returns
House is watching. Watching what Wilson could become if he just allowed himself to do chemotherapy. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there, just watching. Was this really what he wanted for Wilson? Could he really condemn Wilson to the same life that he led? A life full of pain and anger and misery?
House heard the doors open, but the doors always opened. Suddenly, he heard a familiar clicking noise. Yes, people walked in high heeled shoes all the time, but the pattern, the sound, was completely unique to this person alone. House glanced to the side and saw Thirteen. Yet, Thirteen was different. She was now blonde and seemed to be more…at peace with herself. More than she did when he last saw her, at least. House stared at her, eyes widening.
Thirteen smirked and opened her arms. "The prodigal daughter returns," she stated.
House remembered the promise that he made a long time ago; about killing Thirteen when she was tired of living through the pain. He knew that, at this time, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't lose another person. Still, he had to act like he usually did.
"You taking me on my offer to off you?" asked House sarcastically. "I think I still got some leftover Propofol."
Thirteen sat down, ignoring the sarcasm with practised ease and got to the point. "I spoke to Wilson."
House looked down. Of course, it couldn't just be a fun visit. "He's angry because I want him to live longer. Who wouldn't be?" The sarcasm was palpable.
Thirteen raised an eyebrow. "Friends respect each other's decisions even if they don't agree with them. It's called loyalty."
This is what House loved about Thirteen; she wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with House, even when he was her boss. Perhaps the other employees did so as well, but not quite like Thirteen. "Loyalty is a tool to get people to do things they don't want to do."
Thirteen touched her face with her fingers, looking straight at the chemotherapy suite for a few seconds. She then turned to face House. "But you do want to."
House stared at her in, hopefully, disguised shock. How did she know? They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments before Thirteen looked away, continuing.
"You may have rationalised it in a few hundred ways, but you fired me so that I'd be forced to the rest of my life exactly what I wanted to do," stated Thirteen.
House stared at the woman beside him. He was right, she had changed; perhaps for the better. She didn't seem so broken anymore.
Thirteen returned House's stare, smiling. "It was the most selfless thing anyone has ever done for me."
They had a silent conversation with their eyes for a few moments, before Thirteen looked away and leaned back into the wall. "And you don't even like me that much."
House continued to stare at Thirteen, who looked at the woman doing chemo. How could Thirteen move on when she had been so broken before? House knew that Thirteen was able to match up with him because they had been so similar, so alike. Yes, perhaps he thought a long time ago that Amber was the female version of himself, but Amber wasn't quite as broken as House was. Thirteen was brilliant, perhaps even more brilliant than all of his students combined. Yet, she was also broken and blinded by emotions, but that was what drew House to Thirteen in the first place. No, he wasn't in love with her – but maybe her breasts – and he didn't even have a crush on her either. It was admiration that House didn't have for anyone except for…Wilson. But the fact that Thirteen thought that he didn't like her was a misconception that he needed to fix. Who knows when she would return again? She was only back for a short while, House knew this. Just enough to kick his arse and disappear again.
House didn't know how long the quiet lasted until he was able to find his voice again.
"You're wrong," House finally managed to say.
Thirteen glanced at House. "Hmm?"
"I—" What was he doing? He could say this to Thirteen but not Wilson, his best friend? Then again, Thirteen was here now; Wilson could come in a few minutes. "I do like you."
Thirteen raised an eyebrow at House. "Are you sure you're not talking to my breasts?"
House shook his head. "Out of all of my students, you were my favourite."
Thirteen opened her mouth as if to say something sarcastic but closed it. She sighed but smiled.
"Thanks, House," said Thirteen. "You were a horrible boss but…you helped me more than anyone else did."
Thirteen patted her legs and stood up. She held a hand out to House. "Now, are you ready to go tell Wilson that?"
House let out a deep breath. He didn't want Wilson to die in five months but he was capable of being selfless, of being a good friend. The evidence was right in front of him. House grabbed Thirteen's hand and, with her help, stood up with his cane.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
A/N: I haven't watched any of the House episodes for a while, having quit after the eighth season started after a few episodes. I kept the series recording thing, though, and as I was about to delete the new episode, I saw Thirteen in the summary. My favourite character is Thirteen, so I was really happy. Of course, I was kind of depressed that she only showed up for two (two!) scenes, but she did become important. However, I think that there was something missing in the scene with House and Thirteen, namely House telling Thirteen that he didn't hate her (because, look at his expressions and the fact that he told her about Wilson right away).
Rated T because I'm paranoid. :)