Disclaimer: I don't own House.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait! This was edited by our very lovely HouseAddiction!
Thursday March 10th.
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Three days passed since Greg and Lisa had their argument and so far, it looked like neither of them were going to let up and talk to the other about what had happened.
Greg was safe in his office, going of possible diagnoses while his team was busy running more tests. Lisa, on the other hand, was dealing with a very stubborn donor. He wanted a date with her and of course, she wanted to keep it strictly business but he wouldn't let up about it. Not wanting to lose his very generous donation, she politely tried to argue with him on the point.
"Look, Mr. Burns, you're a very nice man. Really, I mean that in every possible sense, but I'm just not interested," she said as calmly and patiently as she could.
Mr. Burns, with his handsome smile, leaned forward. "How about I make you interested tonight?"
Lisa sighed and leaned back in her chair. "No. I'm sorry but I'm already taken." It was a flat out lie but she had to say something to get him off her back…almost literally.
Mr. Burns looked her to left hand and shook his head. "I don't see a ring. Which means you only have a boyfriend, which means we can still have a fun night together."
Lisa's mouth dropped open. "No. I'd prefer not to cheat on my boyfriend. I love him very much."
Before Mr. Burns could make a retort about making her love him instead, Greg barged in. He barely had time to take in the handsome features of the donor before Lisa spoke.
"Hi honey, was there something you needed?" Lisa smiled at him but Greg did a double take at the endearment. He had come for a consult but the endearment piqued his interest. He frowned slightly at her but then took in the pleading look in her eyes to play along and then he knew what was going on.
Anger boiled in Greg's veins. How dare this pretty boy try and date his Lisa? Just because they were in an argument did not mean his feelings for her went on a vacation.
He walked around her desk and leaned down, claiming her lips with his and made the kiss painstakingly slow. It sparked desire within them and upon feeling it, they pulled away, lust obvious in each others gaze.
Mr. Burns cleared his throat. "Hi. I'm still here."
Lisa turned to him and introduced them. "Dr. House, this is Mr. Burns, a new donor. He just gave a very big sum to Princeton Plainsboro. Mr. Burns, this is Dr. House, our head of diagnostics and…my boyfriend."
House put a hand on her shoulder and grinned down at her. "You never introduce me as 'your boyfriend'. Why is this time so special?"
"Mr. Burns here was trying to get a date with me tonight." A sharp gaze was sent to Mr. Burns. The man grinned nervously.
"Well, I see that you two are obviously…close. So, I'll take my leave. You'll hear from me soon." He got up and left quickly.
Lisa sighed and relaxed in her chair. "Thank you so much for playing along."
House frowned. "I wasn't playing around."
Lisa frowned and looked up at him. "Care to go on a date with me tonight? We still have to discuss certain…things."
Lisa was silent for a few moments before nodding her head. "All right. I'll need someone to watch Thomas for me."
House grinned. "Did you know that Wilson happens to be excellent with kids?"
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James Wilson blinked at House who was standing in front of him impatiently. House had just randomly barged into his office stating that he, James Wilson, boy wonder oncologist would be babysitting Cuddy's kid.
"I have to babysit Cuddy's…kid…who isn't really her kid?" Upon Greg's nod, he sighed. "No, no, no, I'm not getting involved with this. This child is already involved with the two of you and Lord knows how he's faired thus far. No, I can't get involved with this child's life."
Greg frowned. "Why not? He'd love you. With your push over personality, terrible spotted ties and 'charming' ways, I can't see why he wouldn't like you. I also don't see why you wouldn't want to meet your soon-to-be-nephew."
Wilson frowned. "You're not his father, and we aren't brothers."
House put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. "Jimmy, you're breaking my heart. I thought…I thought we had a special brotherly bond. Was this all an act?" House gasped. "You only wanted me for sex!"
James closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yes…because Amber isn't my girlfriend, one I've grown very fond of, and I've been madly in love with you for years."
"I knew it!"
"Seriously House, this child doesn't want to meet me." House gave him a calculating look.
"You don't want to meet him." he said in a low voice. "You're afraid to meet him."
An annoyed look passed over his face, telling House that he was right.
"You can't run from things you're afraid of forever, Wilson."
James gave him a disbelieving look. "Like you're one to talk."
"I am. I'm facing my fears tonight…and hopefully the rest of my life."
Wilson blinked. "You…you love her!" He chuckled. "Oh the irony."
"Shut up, Spot. Now are you going to baby sit Thomas tonight or not?"
Wilson sighed. He really didn't want to. He was afraid that he'd like the child too much and want to see him more often. He was afraid of seeing Thomas as a son because he didn't have one. But if he didn't at least try to do this, Greg would never let him live it down.
"All right, fine," he grumbled and House smiled at him.
"Thanks, Jimbo." He left to go and tell Lisa the good news.
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Around five thirty, Lisa had finally been able to pick up Thomas from the daycare center and bring him home. Lisa had explained to him that she was going out for dinner with Greg to talk about adult things and that a very close friend of theirs would be coming over to watch cartoons with him. When the got in, they both went into the kitchen.
"You hungry?" asked Lisa running a hand through his dark waves. When he nodded, she went to the freezer above the fridge and peered inside. "Hmm…how about I order you pizza?"
Thomas smiled and nodded. "Lisa?"
"Yes, hon?"
"Is your friend nice?"
Lisa nodded as she picked up the phone and dialed the pizzeria. "He's really nice. You'll like him a lot." Once she ordered a cheese pizza, she went into her room with Thomas close behind her.
"Why can't I come with you?"
"Because we'll be talking about adult things. If you want, I'll see if Greg wants to sleepover tonight." Upon Thomas' smile, she took that as a positive and nodded. "All right, Greg is picking me up at six. We should be back around seven." Lisa went over to her dressers to pick out something more comfortable to wear.
"What's your friend's name?"
"James Wilson. He's really nice, Thomas. You'll like him a lot. He's not at all like your dad if that's what you're worried about." When Thomas remained silent, Lisa turned and gave him a sad look. "That's it isn't it?" She took Thomas into a warm embrace. "Honey, no one is ever going to harm you ever again. You trust me right?" When he nodded she smiled. "Then trust me when I say that I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
He was silent for a moment but then nodded. "Okay."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Now, I have a very important question for you." when Thomas remained silent, listening to what she wanted to say, Lisa took a deep breath. "Do you love me?"
Thomas grinned. "Yeah! Do you love me?"
Lisa held back tears. "Yes. I love you very much."
"Yay!" He twirled around in circles until he got too dizzy and had to stop and collapsed on the floor. Lisa giggled at him before continuing what she wanted to tell him. "You know, March 16th is the day we have to go to court and see your father again." When fear came into his eyes, she walked over to him and sat next to him. "I'm not going to give you back, Thomas. I'm telling you this because he's going to jail and then you won't have a father to look after you. How do you feel about staying with me? About me being your new mom?"
Thomas smiled up at her. "Really? You want to be my mommy?" When Lisa nodded he hugged her but didn't let go. "I want you to be my mommy too. Can Greg be my daddy?"
Lisa paused for a moment. "Well…that's what I wanted to ask him tonight. But if he says no, that he just wants to remain as your friend, you can't be upset okay?"
Thomas sighed. "Okay, Mommy." He said it sincerely, making Lisa smile and tears of happiness pricked at her eyes.
After they sat there for another ten minutes, there was a knock at the door, grabbing their attention.
Lisa took Thomas' hand and led him to the door. When she opened it, James Wilson smiled at her and then smiled at Thomas.
"Hi. I hope I'm not too early."
"No, you're just in time actually." She and Thomas stepped back to let him through. He took off his coat and shoes and turned to Thomas, who was eyeing him warily.
"Hi, I'm James." He held out a hand for Thomas to take. The boy looked from his hand to his eyes and slowly took his hand. They shook gently and James smiled at him. "What shows do you like?"
"Batman" was his only answer.
"Well, what a coincidence. I happen to like Batman too. That's why I brought over my Batman movies." He held out three Batman movies, all animated. Lisa raised an eyebrow at him. Obviously he had asked House what the child liked and went out of his way to buy the Batman movies.
There was another knock on the door and this time James answered it. The pizza man stood in the doorway. James turned to Lisa and grinned. "Pizza? Just as you're about to go out?" He took the box and just as Lisa went in her purse to retrieve the money, James reached into his own pocket. "Don't worry about it, I'll get it." He gave the man his money and closed the door.
"The pizza isn't meant for me. It's for you and Thomas. Thank you, by the way. For coming and for paying for the pizza."
James grinned. "No problem." He set down the box and got a plate for himself and Thomas. "Do you want one or two pieces?" he asked to Thomas. Thomas looked at the pizza and pointed to the one he wanted. James got it for him then got two slices for himself.
Lisa had gone to go change into a pair of black jeans and white blouse. She fixed her make up and left her hair down. When she came out, she found Greg already there, talking away with Thomas and James. Thomas laughed at what James had said that made House make a funny face. When Greg looked up and saw her, he grinned at her.
"You're looking ravishing this fine evening." The innuendo wasn't missed by Lisa or James.
"Your cane's looking pretty good as well." Her retort made House smile and Wilson blush.
"All right you two, get out of here so Thomas and I can bond and have big kid time."
After they got their coats on, the two headed out. James went back over to the couch and grinned at Thomas. "I hear you're quite the Poker player. Shall we have a game later?"
Thomas nodded and smiled at him. "Can we watch Batman now?"
"Of course."
Yup, this kid was already working his way into his heart. By the time Lisa and Greg came back, he'd want to see Thomas a lot more. James sighed as he pressed the play button. At least he didn't think of Thomas as a son like he thought he would. If the offer still stood, he would love to become 'Uncle James' to Thomas.
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They had gone to La Pointe, where the walls were a plum red and the lights were dimmed to form a romantic atmosphere.
"Wow, I've never been here before," stated Lisa as she looked around the restaurant. Greg grinned at Lisa's approval of the place he'd chosen.
When they were seated and ordered their drinks, House took the opportunity to speak. "Are you ready for the trial?"
Lisa nodded and glanced at him. He was staring at her and managed to hold her gaze for moment. "Yeah," she finally said and smiled to cover her embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm ready. I talked to Thomas about the trial today. He's not quite ready to see his father but if we're there, he should be fine."
House blinked. "We?"
She paused. "Yeah, he's taken a huge liking to you. I think he'd be crushed if you weren't there. Besides, you're the one that set this up. You'd better be there."
"I was going to come whether you liked it or not but…"
"But?"
"It was just strange hearing you say 'we'."
Lisa grinned at him but stayed silent for a moment. She chose what she wanted and put her menu down. "Greg?"
"Hm?" He hadn't looked up from his menu but new he was listening so she continued.
"I've been thinking about what you said a few days ago." When he looked up at her, she looked down at her menu. "And I've come to the conclusion that my home isn't complete without a family. It never has been. You and Thomas have made me realize that you both are special to me and if I lost either of you, a part of me would go with you." She chanced a glance at him and found him looking at her with a soft expression but didn't open his mouth to interrupt. "I'm not asking for marriage but please, stay with us. Thomas loves you…I…love you."
House's eyes widened at her confession. He came here to ask her about staying with her. He was expecting an argument, insults even but Lisa had totally thrown him off guard.
His chest tightened as he processed her last three words. I love you. Three small words had such a large impact on him. He had never been loved for who he was by a woman. Not even Stacy. But Lisa was different; she was special. She saw him for what he was but loved him anyway.
When he remained silent, staring at her, she flushed deeply and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She moved to get up but House grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her seat.
"It's all right. It's not exactly ideal date conversation but since you poured your heart out before I got the chance, it's my turn." He held her gaze with his piercing blue one and refused to let her hand go. "I asked you out on this date to ask you if it would be all right if I lived with you and Thomas. My apartment is…lonely without you and Thomas. He's made a big impact on both of us and now that you've asked me to live with you, I can forget my practiced argument lines and move on in."
Lisa smiled, a big weight lifted off her chest and she relaxed.
"Does this mean we're…you know," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "a couple?"
If the question hadn't hit her so hard, she would have laughed at Greg but she found she could only think about it for a moment. "Well…that's up to you. I'm ready for a relationship but are you?"
Greg stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I can try. I won't promise that it'll be smooth sailing, but I assume you already knew that." When Lisa nodded, he continued. "Then for you and Thomas, I'll try."
Lisa smiled at him and leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." Greg stayed where he was, frozen to his spot until the waitress came and took their orders.
They talked about anything their minds could come up with. After a while, House did what he did best, and diagnosed the people that he saw with ridiculous illnesses that had Lisa chuckling. She joined in a few times until their food came and they ate in comfortable silence.
When they were almost done, Lisa suddenly remembered what Thomas wanted her to ask. "Oh, Greg. Thomas wanted to know if you could stay the night."
House grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Are you sure it's just Thomas that wants me over? Are you sure the twins don't have any influence in this?" Lisa smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I'll admit I want you to come over too but it was all Thomas' idea." House grinned and nodded.
"We'll stop by my place so I can get some stuff." he paused for a moment. "Did you want me to start moving in after the trial?"
Lisa shook her head. "No, I think it'd be better if you moved in before the trial. I know it's only in six days but with James' help I'm sure it'll go by quickly."
House scoffed. "Are you forgetting I'm crippled?"
"No, obviously moving guys will be there. I thought they were a given." When Greg rolled his eyes and mimicked her, she chuckled. "You're such a child."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not, infinity." When Lisa stayed silent with a large grin on her face, Greg rolled his eyes. "Right. Childish. Not good on date."
Lisa laughed at him and finished off her food.
The couple left the restaurant and headed for House's apartment so he could grab a change of clothes. The ride was pleasantly silent. When they got House's clothes, they headed back to Lisa's home.
It was now about eight thirty as they pulled up in the driveway. The pair walked up the steps and stepped inside once Lisa unlocked the door. They peered around the corner when they heard nothing but the TV. They sight before them made Lisa's heart melt and House roll his eyes but take out his phone and press the camera option.
The TV was on with Batman on and James lay sprawled out on the couch with Thomas laying on his stomach with his head on his chest. A desk of cards and pretzels lay on the floor. Thomas' side had more than James', indicating they were playing poker and Thomas managed to kick James' ass at it.
House took the picture and stored it into his camera to use as blackmail later on.
Lisa picked up the pretzels and cards and put them away while House picked up Thomas and as carefully as he could, limped into Lisa's room and gently set him in the middle of her bed after moving the blankets and mountain of pillows out of the way.
When he went back out, James' was sitting up with Lisa on the couch beside him.
"Thank you for watching him."
"Any time. He's an amazing child."
House grinned and came into the room. "My offer still stands. I wasn't joking about it."
"What offer?" asked Lisa, raising an eyebrow.
"Jimmy over here's going to be Thomas' Uncle Jimmy."
Lisa smiled and turned to James. "Really?"
James nodded. "I'd like that."
When James Wilson left, Lisa and Greg went into her room and changed into pajama's. Well Lisa did. Greg just stripped down to his boxers. They climbed into bed on either side of Thomas and watched him stir for a moment. His eyes opened and he blinked up at House.
"Greg?"
"Yeah?"
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Will you be my new daddy?" The question threw him off a bit but he smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I'll be your new dad."
Thomas smiled and snuggled into Lisa who kissed his head and kept an arm around him. The two adults stared at one another for a few moments before Lisa's eyes started to get heavier until her eyes finally closed.
Greg reached out and stroked her cheek. His chest fluttered at the contact and at the realization that he was so utterly in love with her. The sensation made him smile.
"I love you too," he whispered to her and rolled over onto his other side and closed his eyes, succumbing to sleep.
A small smile formed on Lisa's lips before sleep took over her body.
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Hope you liked the chapter! Trial is next chapter people, be prepared!