Disclaimer: Same old, same old – I do this for fun and nothing else; if you sue me I'm too poor to pay and all you get is a rust bucket car and a load of animal with attitudes that make House look like a cute lickle teddy:O)

WARNING: POSSIBLE BAD LANGUAGE, SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please; and I will try to update regularly.

'—' signifies thoughts.

"—" signifies speech.

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Always Yours

Chapter Ten – Promise

About 3am she woke up; she was a bit surprised to find a heavy arm pinning her to the bed, but then she remembered - House.

She smiled as she recalled the preceding few hours. He had kept his promise and they'd done nothing more than kiss and sleep. This felt right, like she'd come home somehow…..she smirked 'God, how lame did that sound?'

She wanted to go and check on Molly, but wasn't sure she could slide out without waking him up. Then she remembered him when she'd stayed over before….especially that night; the night that had changed it all.

She had held his hand and hugged him as he had cried, really cried; and she'd tearfully promised him she would never leave – no matter what. Despite Mac phoning and for the first and only time losing his temper, she had still stayed all night with him. Comforting him and telling him it'd be alright, she'd always be there.

Of course she'd lied, she hadn't been – when Stacy came back she'd bolted and left him to get on with it. She sighed, he was right – everybody lied, whether to themselves or others, they did.

She'd lied about the fact that she loved him, and she did. She loved him so much it hurt – and it had hurt, frequently. If she'd been truthful she would have never gone to Ethiopia, she'd have stayed and told him that she loved him with all her heart and soul.

She'd have fought; not only for him, but his diagnosis. She'd have made the tougher choice too – at the end of the day he couldn't have treated her any worse than he had.

She hadn't been fair to Mac….she didn't feel she was anyway; in a way she'd lied there too. Oh she'd loved him, and loved him dearly – if she hadn't she knew she'd never have slashed her wrists – but she knew that she didn't love him as much as she did House; either then, or even more now.

She pulled his arm up and kissed his hand. She could be as sappy as she wanted when he was asleep; but she would never be like that when he was awake…..she could see it being used against her.

She managed to wriggle loose and went to check on Molly, her daughter had kicked the blanket off that House had covered her with when she first went to sleep.

She kissed her forehead….she smiled as she felt that she'd been as manipulated by this little scrap as much as the man in the other room.

0-0-0-0-0

House woke and found himself alone; he looked around to find there was no sign of Jess. He couldn't believe she'd upped and left in the middle of the night; almost fell out of bed, cursing his stupid ass leg and his cane, as he went to find her.

He opened the door and went into the living room. She was bent over Molly and was whispering to her "I promise Molly, I promise we'll never leave him again. I lied for so long – he's right, we all lie. It's just sometimes we forget, and believe it like it's the truth."

She sighed; he knew he should let her know he was there, but he couldn't. You didn't see Jess with her guard down often……..

At first he thought Molly was awake, but then realised she was sound asleep; Jess was just thinking out loud to her daughter.

"I let him down in as bad a way as Stacy – I told him I would never, ever leave him and I did. One dark night a long time ago Molly I gave him my solemn word I'd never go." House started as he realised she was talking about that night.

"But I did, I did leave him Molly and you had every right to be mad – he….he should have been mad too. He should have hated me as much as I hate Stacy. I didn't even get that right – why didn't I know he was sick? Why didn't I come back sooner? Maybe it would have all been different if I had…..I should have listened to Jaynie, I should…….." she trailed off.

House's heart was in his throat and he found he didn't know what to do. He was never very good at showing his feelings, and this was….well, more than he'd expected. She'd never said she loved him, no more than he had to her. But she may as well have from what he'd overheard.

His voice still a bit thick with sleep he went over and touched her shoulder "Jess? Come back to bed, she's fine there until the morning all right." He hesitated, and then plunged on "we need to talk….tomorrow…for now, sleep."

She looked up and he saw she'd been crying "Oh Jess….don't. I'm not worth it, trust me. Just a bitter and twisted old goat; a complete bastard and emotionally frigid freak remember? One of your more insightful insults I think." He smirked.

She got up and hugged him tightly "I don't care – you're stuck with me until we're old and grey." She looked at him then and he thought she might say it…….. "Well, until I'm old and grey and you're older and greyer." She smirked in return.

"As I said before, you know how to suck the romance out of a moment with all the finesse of a feeding vampire." He rolled his eyes, but kissed her anyway. When he came up for air, they were both breathless "I'll keep my promise tonight Ms Hammond – from tomorrow though all bets are off. If you end up back here…….well, on your own head be it." He leered suggestively and she slapped his arm.

"Won't she be jealous?"

"Who?"

"You're girlfriend?"

"I don't have one – so celibate have I been recently that I wondered about taking the veil."

"That's a nun, Greg." He had to kiss her again; whenever she said his name like that, bits of him did things and his brain invented pictures that shouldn't be there right now.

"So - sexual equality right? I think I'd look good in a habit. Anyway what girlfriend?" Jess pursed her lips and made a blowing motion "I see – well, assuming you're not offering a blow job, I think I get the hint that you're referring to the blow up doll you're sadly obsessed with thinking I have; have to disappoint you there Jess" He kissed her; judging by the glint in her eye his saying her name did the same thing to her.

"So, bed?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she almost laughed out loud.

"Yeah, bed – and sleep."

"Spoilsport." He muttered as they limped together back to bed "just when I thought I could show you all my tricks…."

"I have better ones. Remember 'Two Weeks Notice'?"

"How can I forget the interminable 2 hours you stole from my life whilst you laughed like a drain? What about it?" he shut the door behind them.

"Unlike the female character – I can 'bend like a pretezel', well except for the knee" she sighed theatrically "shame I can't show you."

He groaned as she reached on tiptoe to kiss him "would it kill you to stoop a little?"

"Is it my problem you're a midget?" he looked down at her.

"You are a complete bastard!"

"Yeah, yeah – now tell me something I don't know…." He rolled his eyes, as he pulled her onto the bed beside him.

"I still love you….when thousands wouldn't!" she tweaked his nose, which made him smile.

"Why would I want thousands to? I mean for now, at least one would do; I could move onto world adoration in a while. Do you? Love me?"

"Haven't we already had this conversation? But, oh no, I am admitting to nothing that could be used against me in…….well, anything later on." She smiled as she teased his bottom lip with her teeth "you taught me well Maestro." She teased him some more, letting her tongue and lips nip at him until he groaned and kissed her deeply.

"Stop that! I mean it….stop it. I have only so much bloody self control and you keep that up we're screwed – no pun intended." He gasped when they came up for air once more "what are you trying to do? Kill me with me sexual frustration? Coz it's bloody working, wench!"

"Awww….Housey – is the nasty lady being naughty? Awwww, can't the big bad doctor handle her? After all, she's only frightened of spiders – so unless you're about to turn into a 6' 2" tarantula, she's not scared of you."

"Is there any conversation we've ever had that you haven't stored in that super computer brain of yours?"

"Nope…." She grinned evilly at him.

"I'm going to regret this aren't I?" he sighed.

"Every day…."

"but not every night." He letched.

"Not unless you don't like pretzels."

"I don't as a norm – but I could learn to like this particular one." He rolled her over, before this got out of hand – but he loved the turn their banter had taken; more sexual now. More risky – like they both knew the next step and were anticipating it.

They settled back together and he began to fall asleep, only slightly sorry they still hadn't said they loved each other. But they'd held their guards up for so long….you couldn't expect miracles. This was more than he'd ever dared hope for this soon.

He was just drifting off when he heard her whisper, as she pulled his arms tighter about her "mine."

'Hank Ditchfield would have his work cut out for him if he thought he was letting her go now' was his final thought as he fell asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Molly made House's stomach ache with suppressed laughter when she came in the following morning.

"Oh you've both got your clothes on." She actually sounded disappointed.

"Molly! What did you expect?" Jess was both scandalised and curious.

"I expected you to…….." Molly, though exceptionally bright and having a good idea of what went on wasn't sure of the exact details "do stuff, so I wouldn't have to leave House again." She glared "you kissed yeah? I mean you did at least do that?" She knew enough to know kissing was required before anything else could happen.

Jess sat mute as House struggled to keep a straight face both towards the straight talking Molly and her struck dumb mother. However his usual acerbic self could not stay quiet "Molly you have done something I never thought possible, short of cutting her tongue out – you've rendered your mother speechless."

Jess merely glared at him, but was still unable to come back with anything.

"Well, I have a doctor for a mummy, a doctor for a daddy, a doctor for the daddy that died (though I s'pose he doesn't count coz I didn't really know him as a doctor), and a doctor for an aunt (even though she's gone to live with the angels too) – PLUS Patrick wants to be a doctor; there was no way I was not going to find out there was more to all this than 'moving the furniture' as Uncle Mike likes to put it." She rolled her eyes "I bet Sarah and Chase didn't muck about like this – I bet they won't pretend for years and years they're only 'friends'."

She got down and went to leave "I'll put the coffee on – I hope I can do it better this time, that bloody mess before took ages to clear up!"

"HA! Now look who's not talking!" Jess crowed as House sat swallowing repeatedly "Hang on….why aren't you talking? I mean, granted she's being more than a bit precocious; but what's occurring? Normally you'd be rubbing my nose in the fact that she's actually trying to get us together."

"Who's her doctor daddy?" he stared icily at her, thoughts of Hank bouncing around in his brain.

"What?" Jess was genuinely confused.

"Whose her doctor daddy? She said she had a doctor for a daddy, and a doctor for the daddy that died. Well, the one that died is Mac –so who's the other?"

Realisation dawned "I can't answer that one, I promised; though I know the answer – you should ask her…." Jess got up and marched to the door. "You know, you really are the most suspicious son of a bitch I have ever met? When I have had time to find someone else other than you House?" she walked through the door "Molly? Come on, we're going."

He got off the bed and hobbled out the door, all the time cursing his sodding leg, his cane and most of all his big fat mouth "Molly, you said you had a doctor daddy – who is it?" he grabbed the little girl as she stood, somewhat confused at the turn of events in the door to his kitchen.

"You've screwed up again haven't you? God House, you must have a total gift for ticking off my mother." She sighed "you – I always thought of you as my daddy. Not out loud, in my head; well out loud a few times.

Whenever we were asked about our daddies at school, I always thought of you and told them about you. I love you House, very muchly, I want to be exactly like you when I grow up. I really want to be exactly like you now.

You are the best doctor in the world, after my mummy, and you are the best friend she could ever have. You saved her lots; even when she didn't want to live, you made her.

But I didn't want to make you mad; I know how you are about all the 'touchy feely' stuff, so I never told you. Mummy only found out by accident when my teacher asked to see her as I wrote an essay on my 'doctor daddy' and she knew my daddy was dead yet I wrote it as if he were still alive. When mummy read it she knew straight away I was talking about you, but I made her promise to never tell."

Jess sat on his couch looking at him as the little girl stood before him, earnestly trying to explain why she cared so much for his sorry behind; his face had paled alarmingly, and he was leaning heavily on his cane.

He nodded and went to his piano stool, which was right behind him, and sat down heavily. "You're mad now aren't you? Looks like I screwed up now." She muttered.

He shook his head and nodded to her to go to him. She walked over and he patted her shoulder; clear blue eyes locked with deep blue ones "I don't like kids Molly; but I love you." he said thickly, then stood and cleared his throat "I'll go make us some breakfast; burnt toast wasn't it last time, midget?"

She nodded; when he'd gone she turned to Jess "did I upset him? He seemed upset."

"No Molly….you didn't; just the opposite." Jess smiled "You watch tv and I'll go help him."

"We're not going now?" hopeful blues regarded her.

"No sweetie, I was only going to wait outside for a bit until we'd calmed down. I won't leave him again, I promise. Well, not like last time anyway."

Molly nodded, relieved – and turned on 'Kim Possible'.

Jess smiled as she heard her singing the theme tune as she went through the swing door; House was stood by the coffee machine, leaning on the counter. "You alright?" she asked lightly "I'd hate to have to do CPR – you haven't cleaned your teeth yet and knowing you, you'd try to slip me some tongue."

House only closed his eyes and smiled; then reached out a hand and pulled her against him "you two are going to be the death of me."

"Yeah, but what a way to go…." She grinned against his cheek.

He hugged her briefly before clearing his throat once more and stepping back "So, what's this about Chase and someone called Sarah?" he quirked an eyebrow "Can I look forward to some duckling baiting? Not as good as bitch baiting agreed, but still so much fun."

Jess rolled her eyes and put the coffee on; he was going to be bloody unbearable today…..