CHAPTER ONE
"Daddy." House felt a small hand tugging at his blanket. "Daddy, wake up." Lizzie climbed up onto the bed. House could feel her weight as she moved along the soft mattress. She moved quietly, making him suspicious. He could tell she was close to him now. She leaned in. She took a deep breath.
"DADDY!!!!" She unleashed that breath with a loud roar.
House nearly fell off the bed. He could hear Cuddy's soft laughter from the doorway.
"You're supposed to punish her for stuff like that, not laugh." House grumbled, pulling the covers up over his naked torso.
"Lizzie, that wasn't very nice," Cuddy said through a grin.
"I know," Lizzie replied matter of factly. She'd been on this earth for eight years now, and she had already learned that even good people could do some not very nice things, so she wasn't too worried about it. "But he wouldn't get up." She tugged at the sheets. House tugged back.
Cuddy came over and sat beside him. She took Lizzie's hands off the sheets. "Let's go finish breakfast. If Daddy isn't in the living room by then, we'll just open presents without him." Cuddy shot him a look that told him there was no way in hell he was not going to be up and ready. He understood his orders and waited for the two women to leave the room before getting out of bed.
He rubbed his leg absentmindedly as he limped into the bathroom. After relieving himself and finding some suitable clothes laying around on the floor, he went into the living room.
The tree was large and beautifully decorated. As was their tradition, Uncle Jimmy came over on Christmas Eve to help Lizzie and Cuddy decorate while House sat in his beloved armchair and grumbled about stupid holiday traditions.
He heard Lizzie singing Christmas carols with her mother in the kitchen. For just a brief, make that infinitesimal fraction of a second, he wanted to go and join them, but thankfully it passed. He sat and stared at the Christmas lights and tried not to reminisce about his own childhood Christmases filled with yelling, anger and pain.
"I made you breakfast Daddy." Lizzie came bounding into the room with a tray held precariously in her small hands. Cuddy watched nervously as Lizzie struggled to bring it to him. "It's pancakes; with chocolate chips." She smiled proudly as she placed the tray a little too forcefully in his lap. He bit his tongue to squelch the pain then smiled at his daughter.
"Are they eatable?" He poked one with his fork. Lizzie giggled.
"Of course they are, Daddy." She looked back at Cuddy. "Mommy helped me." She looked at him nervously. She so wanted his approval.
"Great." House sounded less assured than before.
"Mommy's a good cook." Lizzie frowned at him. She still missed the subtle hint of sarcasm now and then.
"Yes, I'm sure she is." House took a bit of the pancake and made appreciative noises.
"They're good, aren't they." Lizzie said confidently.
"Surprisingly, yes." House scarfed down the rest of his pancakes. Last night had left him very hungry. "What some?" He asked holding the nearly empty plate up toward Cuddy. She must be hungry too. She'd done most of the active work last night.
"I already ate, thanks." She sat down on the edge of his chair and put a hand on his shoulder. He loved when she did that, though he'd never told her as much. "You can finish up while Lizzie starts opening presents." Cuddy nodded to their daughter, who was bouncing up and down anxiously.
"Yay!" Lizzie ran to the tree and started poking through the packages. In the past few years she'd developed a system. First she'd open the gifts from Gramma and Grampa House. Then she'd open the presents from Uncle Barnabas and Uncle Simon. Then on to Mommy and Daddy's gifts, starting with the smallest and working her way up.
As usually Gramma House had knitted her a sweater, and Grampa House had added more money to her college fund. Yippee. Lizzie tried to be grateful, but they weren't the most exciting gifts. She'd faired a bit better with Uncles Barnabas and Simon. They always sent her some lovely fresh jams from uncle Barnabas's estate, and usually some books. This year they sent her a first edition of Alice in Wonderland, one of her favorite books.
She gave the book a big hug and ran to show her parents. "Look, it's so beautiful." She held it out so they could see the engraved cover and gold edged pages. She adored old books. She flipped though to see the hand drawn artwork inside. "Oh, I love it." She would call her uncles later to thank them. She wished they had come this year. Sometimes they did. Those were the best Christmases.
She picked up the first present from her parents and went through her usual routine. First she shook it, then she squeezed it a little, then she held it up to her face trying to see through the paper, then she guessed what it was. "I think it's a new iPod." She had gotten a lot of new CDs for Hanukkah and they weren't all going to fit on her old baby iPod her father had given her years ago.
"Open it and find out." Cuddy teased. She knew it was a blue iPod Nano because she'd picked it out. House had no clue what it was because he left all the gifting to his wife.
"It is!" Lizzie jumped up and down in a little circle. She nearly crashed into the tree. House was slightly disappointed that she didn't. It would have made Christmas at least a little worthwhile.
Lizzie handed the box over to House and started opening another present. It was a lab set she'd asked for. She also got several articles of clothing, many books, some DVDs to play on her new DVD player, and tickets for opening day at Shea Stadium. They weren't a surprise because she got the same tickets every year. It was a family tradition. Both her parents loved baseball, and both were Mets fans. They had taken some issue when she started watching Yankees games on TV. House kept trying to stop her, but Cuddy said that Lizzie had to make her own choices, and if she wanted to be a Yankee's fan, they should support that. House huffed and stormed away. He still hadn't gotten over it, and no matter how much Lizzie begged, he wouldn't get opening day tickets for the Yankees. He just wouldn't do it. Not even when she gave him that pouty little girl face.
"I can't wait for the game." Lizzie handed the tickets to her mother for safe keeping. That was always her last present. Again, it was tradition. Now it was her turn to pass out her parents' presents. They usually got each other something, and then helped her pick out something for each of them.
"Ladies first." Lizzie smiled as she handed her present to her mother.
Cuddy performed Lizzie's gift opening ritual, first shaking then squeezing then...
"Would you just open the damned thing?" House exclaimed.
Cuddy glared at him for a moment while Lizzie giggled then she went on to opening her presents. From Lizzie she got a wonderful necklace. "It's beautiful sweetheart." She gave her daughter a big kiss.
"I picked it out myself. Daddy only paid for it." Lizzie shot a look at her father. She almost made him feel bad.
Cuddy's next present was from House. She was just about to open it when he grabbed it out of her hands. "You should open this later."
Lizzie blushed. She knew what that meant. It was the kind of present she wasn't allowed to see.
"Then why did you put it under the tree?" Cuddy placed the box beside her on the chair. Her curiosity had been piqued.
"I didn't." They both looked at Lizzie who looked up at them as innocently as possible.
"I thought all the gifts were supposed to be under the tree."
Cuddy smiled first, then House. That kid was just too damned cute.
"Can Daddy open your present?" Lizzie looked at her mother.
"Of course."
Lizzie handed House her present first. It was always hers first, then theirs.
House didn't bother shaking or squeezing or sniffing. He just tore at it like a starving man with a chicken leg. Inside the obviously wrapped by Lizzie package was a set of DVDs. House and Lizzie had taken to watching Heroes together, and the boxed set had just come out. She was thrilled when she saw it in the store and begged her mother to get it.
"I'm thinking marathon." House said happily. There was something about that girl in the cheerleading uniform. He grinned.
"Not today." Cuddy took the box from his hand. They had company coming, and she'd prepared a nice meal. There was no way House was going to get to sit and watch TV all day while she had to entertain their guests.
"Yes Mommy," House droned, looking at his daughter who giggled uncontrollably.
"Don't encourage her House."
Lizzie stopped giggling long enough to hand House the last gift. It was a long, straight box. It wasn't hard to guess what was inside it.
House pulled off the wrapping and opened the long box. Inside was a shiny mahogany cane with the coolest silver scull handle he'd ever seen. "It's righteous." House said approvingly as he pulled it out of the box and waved it around. He admired the way the smooth wood caught the light. The scull had two rubies for eyes. It was the best gift he'd ever gotten. Mostly because he knew Cuddy hated it.
"I know you've wanted it for a long time."
House lifted himself up to kiss her. Lizzie turned away and blushed as her parents shared a passionate, but not too passionate, there were children present, kiss.
"Are you done yet?" Lizzie asked, peeking around her shoulder through the hands she had held up to her eyes.
"Nope." House kissed his wife again, just to embarrass his little girl a bit more.
"Daddy!" Lizzie protested. "Stop it."
"Never." House gave Cuddy a series of little kisses. Cuddy tried to protest, but her heart wasn't in it. Suddenly she slid off the arm of the chair and into his lap. The doorbell rang and Lizzie darted off to open it.
"Uncle Jimmy!" She jumped up into his arms. "I'm glad you're here."
"Are they making out again?" Wilson asked jokingly.
"Yeah. It's all they do." Lizzie wrinkled her nose at her uncle, then looked over his shoulder. She glared at the young woman standing beside her uncle.
"Hi Lizzie." Devin Greer, Wilson's current girlfriend, and Lizzie's least favorite smiled condescendingly at the child.
"Devin," Lizzie answered curtly, tightening her hold on Uncle Jimmy.
"Santa left some presents for you at your uncle's house. How about that?" Devin was unfazed. She was actually oblivious to anything that wasn't a sunshiney happy thought.
"There is no Santa." Lizzie felt her mother's eyes burning into the back of her head. "But thanks for the presents." She hopped out of Wilson's arms and took the boxes from Devin.
"You're welcome." Devin smiled vacantly. Lizzie looked at her for a moment, trying to see what Uncle Wilson saw in her. Of course Lizzie was too young to understand the attraction of silicone.
Cuddy quickly got out of House's lap and stood to give hugs. House didn't bother getting up and certainly didn't give hugs, though he did shake Wilson's hand when the man thrust it in front of him.
"Merry Christmas House."
"Yeah, whatever." House refused to be Merry and he didn't see any reason to celebrate Christ's birth.
"Merry Christmas Greg." Devin called everyone by their first names. She didn't notice House cringe every time she did so, nor did she notice everyone trying to shut House up when he started to tell her to stuff it up her...
"Yeah." House replied none committally. He was determined to get through another Christmas without uttering those empty words.
"Nice cane." Devin saw it leaning against House's chair.
"Santa brought it." House said mockingly. He wasn't Devin's biggest fan. He has always been more of an ass man anyway.
"Oh." Devin went and sat on the couch beside Wilson. "Lizzie, do you want to open your gifts now?" Lizzie looked at Devin for a moment. Annoyance flashed across her small face. She imagined Christmas without this airhead, and it was a much nicer holiday than it was now. Her little mind raced with ideas.
"Yes." Lizzie spoke politely. Everyone but Devin could hear the contempt in her voice.
"Mommy look!" She held up a small box. "It's a Nintendo DS." She rushed into Uncle Jimmy's arms. She loved her uncle Jimmy. He was just a big kid in a suit. Cuddy shot Wilson a dangerous look. She'd warned him not to get it.
Wilson shrugged and mouthed, "House told me to get it for her." Cuddy transferred the look to House who only grinned.
"I hope it comes with games." Lizzie tore into another present and found several games for her new toy. "Yay!" She pulled out one of them. "Ooh, this is that one where you raise your own puppy." She was practically bursting. "Can I play it Mommy, please?" She knew better than to ask her father. He would say yes, which would just annoy her mother and make her more likely to say no.
Cuddy really wanted to say no, but she looked into Lizzie's bright, hopeful eyes and nodded her head. "Sure, but you'll have to put it away when the rest of our guests arrive." She ignored House's look of horror. He hadn't known about the 'rest of their guests'.
The rest of the guests turned out to be House's staff. He groaned when Cameron and Chase walked in. He really was in hell now. Then, when Foreman introduced them all to his date, Cordelia Waters, he just grunted and rolled his eyes. Foreman went through almost as many women as Wilson these days. At least Foreman's date looked like she knew how to have a good time, vertically.