"Babies! Oh my God, House, they're adorable!" Thirteen squealed and jumped up and down, admiring the little baby sleeping in her car seat. The rest of the ducklings and Cuddy slowed down and stood behind Thirteen.
House eyed her and turned to Foreman. "What did you put in her coffee this morning?"
"Nothing, just—" Foreman tried to speak before House interrupted him.
"Yeah okay, well, I was just on my way to the Newborn Unit so if you could all, you know...not."
Cuddy sighed and looked at House. She crossed her arms and glanced at the sleeping twins a very confused Wilson was holding and then came back to rest on House's face.
"Chase and Thirteen are on clinic duty, but I'll let them take the babies to the Maternity Ward. They'll be okay, but for the meantime I'd like to talk to you in my office, please."
House watched as Chase carefully picked up Levy from his travel-carrier. He touched the newborn's face softly and gazed at his face. He then lifted his eyes to look at Wilson and House.
"He's beautiful," Chase whispered. Wilson looked on nervously and fidgeted with his jacket. One look at his face betrayed his nervous state of mind. "It's okay, Wilson. I'll take care of him."
Wilson nodded and turned to House. "I'll see you in your office later on?"
"No, actually, I'm coming with you."
Cuddy put her hands on her hips, which was her way of saying that she had no time to argue. "No. You're coming with me. I have to talk to you. Wilson's a big boy, he can take care of himself."
"What do you know about Wilson?!"
"Plenty, thank you." Cuddy snapped and turned to Wilson, Chase and Thirteen.
"Off you go now. There will be a nurse waiting for you on the third floor wing building. The checkup should go smoothly, but if it happens to take some more time please page me. I'll be in my office," she continued. "With House."
They walked away, and Foreman and Park gingerly followed. House and Cuddy were left alone.
"What's got your panties in a bunch? Are you on your period?"
Cuddy paled and crossed her arms.
"Ahh, I was right."
She turned and they started walking towards the entrance of the hospital.
"Again...you monitor my periods?!"
"No, actually, I don't. But I asked you if you were on your period, and you answered me with 'you monitor my periods?' Which proves that you are indeed bleeding uncontrollably for the next few days or so...Also, you're kinda bitchy today. More than usual."
They walked in the door and took the elevator silently, arriving a few seconds later at Cuddy's office. House flopped down on the chair and Cuddy walked over to sit at her desk. They sat silently for a few minutes before she turned to House.
"Just because I'm bitchy doesn't mean I'm on my period."
House rolled his eyes. "You're still on that, aren't you? Your clothes betray you today, my good lady. You're wearing loose pants and a blouse...the first three buttons are undone, as well as your pant's top button."
Cuddy gasped and quickly snapped her pant button closed. House continued.
"Which means you pigged out on something earlier this morning, or last night...you've been having cravings. What is it this month? Cookies? Red velvet cake?" House chuckled. "Oh, aaand," he paused for effect. "You have a huge pimple on the tip of your nose."
Cuddy self consciously touched her nose and looked at House.
"You're an ass."
"So I've heard. We aren't here to talk about your monthly troubles, are we? But if we are, I am free on Mondays and Fridays—"
"I'm not comfortable with you and Wilson having children." Cuddy said suddenly, cutting House off.
"What?"
"I'm just not sure that's the best for the twins...having to grow up with two fathers instead of one, and missing out on motherly love and—"
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" House boomed, almost making Cuddy jump out of her chair.
"Me and Wilson are perfectly happy together and quite able to raise a baby—two, in this case— by ourselves! What gave you the idea that we couldn't?! I'm clean, I haven't used Vicodin since the reconstruction surgery and,"
He stopped short and stared at Cuddy in disbelief. "Is it—is it because we're gay?!"
Cuddy blushed and avoided House's eyes. "No, not because you have a preference for men instead of women...but,"
House held the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Cuddy, you still aren't over the fact that I don't like you anymore."
She said nothing for a while before speaking up. "I am over you, House. I can assure you I am."
"Then what the hell is the problem here?!"
"You know...you know about the whole Chase debacle," she said in a rushed whisper.
House thought for a while and slowly nodded.
A few months ago, when House and Wilson had been dating for over 2 years, Chase had confessed to House that he liked him and that he wanted to be in a relationship with him. When House had said nothing, he had tried other ways of 'persuading' House to break up with Wilson.
House had been in his office, throwing his red and gray ball against the glass walls. He had heard the sound of the door opening and closing.
"If you're looking for Park, she's off with Foreman and Thirteen testing samples," he said, not bothering to turn around.
"Um, hi."
House swirled his chair around and came face to face with the blonde Australian.
"Oh, I thought you were—nevermind. Lab results?"
"That's not what I came to talk about," the younger man said as he moved towards House. House looked at Chase with a confused look and went back to throwing the ball against the wall.
"Cameron problems?" he said as he threw the ball in the wastebasket.
Silence followed. Awkward silence. The kind that made you want to just disappear.
"No. 'You' problems."
"'Me' problems?"
"Yeah," Chase said as he moved to face House. He was unbearably close now, too close for House's comfort.
"Okay...what problems? If it's just about the purple hair dye I put in your shampoo—"
"What?!"
"Nevermind. So, tell me why you're here," he said as he removed his glasses.
Instead of talking, Chase moved and swiftly sat down on House's lap.
House dropped his glasses and almost chucked the younger man him on the floor.
"What the hell, Chase?" he tried to stand up, but damn, the blonde was heavier and stronger than he seemed to be.
"Shut up."
"Shut up?! Okay, somebody must have spiked your drink or some—"
"I said shut up!"
House looked at the man sitting on his lap. He was stunned and couldn't speak. Push him off! his brain yelled but his limps were paralyzed. Chase's eyes were fixed on House's face.
"Shut up..." came the soft whisper as Chase leaned in. He was barely a few inches apart from House's lips. "...Greg," the blonde sighed as he leaned in to seal the distance between them.
He smelled and tasted of cinnamon and coffee, and his lips were unfamiliar to House, who was used to Wilson's taste and smell. House wanted to fight, he wanted to scream obscenities and push the man off of him, but he didn't do anything. He didn't move, didn't kiss back.
Nothing.
But when he felt Chase trying to deepen the kiss...he pushed the man off and Chase landed with an oomph on the floor.
"What the fuck?!" he yelled, his voice booming in the office.
Chase sat on the floor, his cheeks still red and his lips swollen.
"Greg—"
"No, you do not call me Greg! I'm your boss...what the hell where you thinking, Chase?! Oh my God."
"Let me explain,"
"Damn right you're gonna explain yourself! You don't throw yourself on people like that! Dammit Chase, that's harassment! You're lucky I'm not gonna press charges!"
"Look, House. Let me...let me just explain myself, okay?"
House sat down on his chair and held his face in his hands. He saw Chase move and adjust himself on the floor.
"I—I like you. A lot. And I wanted to show you—"
"By harassing me?!"
Chase flinched at the words and shook his head.
"No, I just...I don't know. I was mad, seeing you and Wilson together and"
"Chase, we've been together for years! I don't want to cheat on him! It's almost our 2 year anniversary for Pete's sake, why didn't you say anything earlier?! You better hope Cuddy doesn't hear about it or—"
There was a cough, and the two men turned to see Cuddy standing at the door of the office. She looked at House, and then at Chase, and then said, "Chase, please come with me."
There was a stunned silence as Chase picked himself up.
The blonde looked at House and reluctantly stood up and followed Cuddy out, turning back once to look at the stunned man sitting at his desk.
Cuddy didn't fire Chase, but she did put a permanent mark on his file. Chase didn't try anything after that and became quite distant.
House never told Wilson.
Snapping out, House looked at Cuddy.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Okay. Well, you must know that he isn't over you. Neither is Cameron, but somehow...somehow she managed to forget about her infatuation with you for a while."
"Well, I can't help it if people keep on falling in love with me! First Cameron, then the wombat, then you...I must say, I'm a charming young cripple but—"
"I'm not in love with you anymore."
House considered that. "Then please tell me why I'm here and not with Wilson at the Newborn Unit...? And don't give me crap about me not being able to raise the twins."
"But that's why we're here...but you want to hear none of it."
"Correct."
"Fine. You're a good doctor House, looking past your twisted views and ideas and behavior...you're really a good doctor and I don't want to be doing this hospital a disfavor by firing you. You and Wilson can still work here, of course. No public display of affection as always, you know some patients are uncomfortable with that, never mind the nurses and doctors, they're used to you. That rule goes for every doctor."
House nodded. "Whatever. I guess we're done here."
He stood up to leave, but Cuddy grabbed his sleeve.
"House...congratulations. I'm happy for you, believe it or not. If you have any questions, or you need references for nannies, you can call me. I'll be happy to help."
She smiled softly and stood up.
House nodded again, and walked out of Cuddy's office.
"There you are, House!" Wilson said as he saw House approach. "Where have you been?!"
"Cuddy wanted to talk to me."
Wilson cocked his head. "Okay, how did it go?"
"Good," House answered in one word. "How are the kids?"
Wilson smiled and they walked together in the room where they held the newborns.
"Here, put this on," he gave House a gown and a face mask.
They walked to the corner of the room, trying to ignore the sounds of fussy babies, and then House recognized two little babies.
Their twins could stand out in a room; he thought they were the cutest out of all the babies in here.
"Levy's alright," Wilson picked up the squirming baby. "His lungs and nasal passages are clear. His organs developed perfectly and he's breathing fine. Guess what?! He opened his eyes when you were gone! They're blue!"
House gazed at Levy.
"Blue? Like, blue-blue or blue-grey?"
"Kinda like yours...they're amazing."
"That's odd, you don't have blue eyes in your family." House thought.
Wilson put down the baby and picked up Emily. "Yeah, but see, maybe in Hayley's family there was someone with blue eyes. I mean, I know she has green eyes and all but maybe the blue was recessive and showed up in Levy. Emily has brown eyes though. Like me."
"Like you." House smiled.
They looked at the babies, and a sense of pride and happiness engulfed them both.
"I'm happy, House."
"I'm happy too, Wilson." He brought Wilson closer to him and kissed the top of Wilson's unruly brown hair.
"So, can we go home?"
"Yes, let's go home."
It took House and Wilson 3 full hours before they arrived at their house; the nurses and doctors at the hospital had all cooed at the babies, and it took everything to pry Thirteen off of the twins.
But finally, they were home. They sat down in the middle of the living room on the couch, Emily on Wilson's lap and Levy on House's. They were quiet and content with watching the twins sleep.
"What do we do now?" House asked, caressing Levy's tiny fingers.
"Well, we should put them in the nursery, and I'll clean the place up a little. You can warm the milk up and I'll cook dinner in a while."
House nodded and stood up, cradling the baby in his arms. "Sure. I'll just put Emily—no, Levy— Oh my God."
"Hmm?"
"Wilson which one's which?!"
Wilson looked at the baby House was cradling. It took everything to not burst into laughter.
"Oh my God. Okay. Where are the hospital bracelets?"
"I took them off in the car."
"Okay, we don't need to panic. They're both wearing yellow...so we can't tell. And they have the same color hair...okay. Okay. Just look under their diapers, House!"
Wilson chuckled at House's face and moved to the kitchen. He watched House walk to the nursery and then he turned to the fridge, removing some things to use to cook them some dinner.
"It's Levy!" he heard House call.
"Put him in blue or something!" he shouted back, grabbing a pan.
"M'kay!" came House's answer.
Soon, Wilson heard House's feet and cane down the hall. House started removing the books and glasses on the living room table and tuned to Wilson.
"It's a good thing they aren't both boys,"
Wilson chuckled. "It is, isn't it? We should just dress Em in pink and Levy in blue. It'll be okay when Emily's hair grows in, so we could put little bows or something. But now, they both have the same hair. We'll deal with it."
"Kay, princess. What're making me?"
"I'm not even gonna start on the 'princess' thing again. I'm making pasta and mashed potatoes and vegetables. And Laura dropped off the milk." Wilson glanced at the clock. "It's only 5:30. We'll eat, then take a shower, then we can set up the rest of the nursery with the diapers and clothes and supplies and whatnot."
"I'll go start on the room. I'll be in the nursery." House turned around and walked out of the kitchen. "And I don't eat vegetables, Wilson! They're icky."
I AM FANGIRLING OVER MY OWN STORY
OH
MY
GOD