AN: Well here's the next chapter! This one was inspired by the episode Who's Your Daddy? in season 2. We get to see a 20 year old House (who's even more snarkier) and his buddy Dylan Crandall. Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers and readers, I fully appreciate all the encouragement!

Gregory House: The Early Years

Chapter 10: 1979

"G-Man!"

Twenty year old Greg House looked up in annoyance as his friend and roommate Dylan Crandall ran in with a level of enthusiasm that Greg despised. And especially because he was fully aware that there was only one reason Crandall would be so excitable. He was in love—again.

"Who is it this time?" Greg snapped.

"Her name is Fay, and she's the most amazing woman."

Greg rolled his eyes. "So was Maggie, Emily, Tawny and Claire."

"She's different," Crandall protested.

"Sure," Greg replied, with no little bit of irritation.

Crandall seemed uncomfortable, so he deflected. "What are you listening to?"

Greg rolled his eyes and turned up the stereo. A jazzy tune was playing, by an obviously skillful pianist. "It's Jesse Baker, I'd give my right hand to have his left."

"Really?" Crandall asked surprised.

"No, I was lying, Greg replied giving his friend a long suffering look and opened a textbook. But then before Crandall could utter a response, the doorbell rang.

"She's here!" Crandall exclaimed gleefully as he ran to open the door.

"Oh joy," Greg muttered.

Within the first ten seconds Greg could already tell that this girl was no different than most of the ones Crandall had a tendency to fall for. She was blonde, blue eyed with clear skin and she did have curves that Greg could appreciate. Just from the way that Fay held herself, he knew that she was holding Crandall at arm's length and was probably a great actress. Too bad Crandall wasn't about to realize it anytime soon.

Crandall had a fatal flaw and that was that he was far too trusting in everybody. He always thought the best of everyone even when that person made it quite clear that they wanted nothing 

to do with him. Greg was quite sure that Crandall also got conned out of his lunch money more than once in grade school.

"Hello darling," Fay said, kissing Crandall.

Crandall gave her a toothy smile and then turned to Greg. "This is my roommate Greg House, Greg this is Fay Walters."

"So you're his newest squeeze," Greg replied sarcastically. "Good luck…you're going to need it."

"G-Man," Crandall whined.

"Kidding," Greg replied. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Fay replied, winking at him.

"I want to marry her."

Greg opened his eyes, and glared. Figures Crandall would wake him up after he'd spent the previous night drinking and had a migraine the size of the Grand Canyon. He sat up and dry swallowed some ibuprofen, before turning to look at Crandall again.

"Are you insane?" he asked.

"I love her G-Man," Crandall explained. "She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Save it," Greg muttered. "She's not right for you. I've told you a million times."

"But you don't know her like I do," Crandall protested.

"I know that she's not going to stay with you no matter how many nights you'll dream that you're her knight in shining armor," Greg explained.

"She loves me, I know it," Crandall said. "But I don't know if she wants to get married. And I don't want to push her and ruin everything."

"Because it's not like you don't have experience in relationships like that or anything," Greg muttered.

"Huh?" Crandall asked curiously.

"So you want someone to do some recon you mean," Greg answered quickly

"Recon?" Crandall asked totally oblivious.

"Someone to find it out for you," Greg replied.

"Would you?" Crandall pleaded pathetically.

"Fine," Greg answered, hoping he wouldn't regret it.

Greg knocked on the door to Fay's apartment hoping she was home. He didn't hear anything from within, but after a couple of minutes the door opened a crack. Two blue eyes peered at him from the darkness beyond. "What do you want?" she asked.

"To talk," Greg answered.

She smirked and opened the door and Greg walked past her inside and sat down on the couch.

"Is it about Crandall?" Fay asked as she followed him over to the couch.

"Yeah," Greg replied. "He kinda wants to marry you."

Fay gave him an incredulous look and then she started laughing hysterically. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

"Crandall is always pathetically serious," Greg replied.

"He's nothing to me," Fay replied. And then in the next moment Greg felt her arms on his shoulder. "You are so tense."

"I am studying to be a doctor," Greg muttered.

Fay stood up and grabbed Greg's hand and pulled him with her outside onto a balcony. Then before he could figure out what she was trying to do it, she was kissing him. It was all Greg could do to remind himself that the woman he was kissing was Crandall's newest fling. Once they finally broke apart, she looked at him with a strange look of total devotion that startled Greg.

She turned to look up at the sky. "Are they beautiful?" she asked.

Greg followed her glance. "What are?"

"The stars of course," Fay replied in a whimsical sort of voice. "They're God's daisy chains."

"Except of course that we're in the middle of Baltimore and you can't see stars for miles around," Greg remarked.

For a split second he was sure that Fay was going to burst out in big milky tears, but in the next moment her lips were on his again. This woman may be insane, Greg thought. But she sure knows how to kiss. Sorry Crandall…Don't say I didn't warn you.

AN: FYI the reference to stars being "God's daisy chain" is actually from the Jeeves novels by the British author P.G. Wodehouse. For those who don't know Hugh Laurie played Bertie Wooster in the Jeeves and Wooster tv series, where he had to deal with the girl who said the aforementioned phrase. I thought it would be fun to fit it in this story.