[Author's Note: Now that NASCAR (a dubious sport, which seems like a colossal waste of gas, money, and airtime to me, though there are those who love it, I suppose, and House would probably be one of them) has forced the delayed airing of the much-anticipated "Love is Blind" episode, my alternative take on the identity of House's bio dad won't be made obsolete until March 19th, and I'm hoping to finalize this story by then and focus on other fics dealing with canon. For now, though, hope you enjoy the remainder of "The Sword and the Gun," which will continue for a few more chapters.]

On Friday morning, July 13th, Blythe boarded her flight with some trepidation. It wasn't fear of flying; she'd traveled often throughout her life, and actually loved the adventure of seeing new places. It also wasn't triskaidekaphobia, as she'd never been one to buy into superstitions such as fear of Friday the 13th. No, she was just anxious about finally seeing Andy after all this time. Their conversations had been easy and relaxing lately, and she felt an old familiarity with him, like they were definitely in tune with each other and could almost anticipate what the other person was about to say. For the first few times, she'd always been the one to call him, but then he started initiating contact, and she was both surprised and excited every time she'd answered the phone and unexpectedly heard his voice. She'd also spoken to Colleen a few times, when he'd been staying there, and she'd been cordial to Blythe, if a bit distant. Blythe surmised that she was probably wary of anyone who had lied to her father for so long and obviously hurt him badly. She fully understood that, and was therefore even more anxious about meeting Colleen.

Her flight arrived at Logan on time, and she picked up her rental car without much hassle. She hadn't checked a bag, since all she'd needed was a carry-on for this short trip, so she was on her way without delay and found her way to Newton with no major mistakes. She located his street, and then the address, made easier by Greg's description of the house and a few landmarks in the surrounding area. She parked in the driveway and walked up the slope to the front door, ringing the bell and then audibly exhaling, not even realizing she'd been holding her breath the last few moments. Breathe, she told herself.

He opened the door and stood there before her, not as tall as she'd remembered but with those same soft blue, kind eyes. "Hello, Blythe," he said. "It's wonderful to see you."

"Andy," she said, walking up to him and instinctively giving him a hug and light kiss on the cheek. "You're looking great. How are you feeling?"

"Way better than I used to. It's coming along well. Come on in."

They walked into the living room and he moved toward a chair by the fireplace. He held a cane in his right hand, but she noticed that he didn't lean on it heavily and had only a slight limp, as his gait looked confident. She moved to the couch and took a seat there. He stared at her for several long, silent moments.

"God, Blythe. You're still beautiful."

"That's nice of you to say, but I'm definitely showing my age."

"Not to me. I look at you and still see that gorgeous 22-year-old."

"Have you had your vision checked lately?" she teased.

"I mean it. You're still a beautiful woman," he said, smiling warmly.

She looked around the room and noticed the photos on the bookshelves.

"Your home is very welcoming, Andy. Everything seems so cozy and comfortable."

"Well, I've been here a long time, so it's certainly lived-in."

She got up and walked over to the bookshelves, picking up a recent photo of Colleen.

"Is this Colleen?" she asked.

"Yes, that's my girl," he said with pride.

"Wow - she really does have Greg's eyes, and the same dimples, too."

"Her whole family was so helpful to me when I stayed with them. Despite the circumstances, I enjoyed spending so much time with them."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her. And this must be Ellie," Blythe said, looking at another photo.

"Yes."

"You said you met her when you were in law school, but I've never asked exactly how you met."

"Well, my parents had been friendly with her parents for years - our grandparents actually knew each other from Scotland - but they lived up here in Massachusetts and we were down in Jersey, so we didn't see them very often. I'd met her a few times when we were both kids, but we didn't start dating until I was out of the service and at Duke."

"Was she also in college at the time?"

"No, she was already out of school and working. She'd gone to Katharine Gibbs in Boston for an Associate's degree."

"Did she continue to work after you were married?"

"Yes, she was a legal secretary for several years, before Colleen was born. What about you, Blythe?"

"Oh, no. I would've liked to have a career, actually, something with books or writing, but we moved far too often, and John wanted me to be able to be home with Greg."

"He said you were a 'word person' – did you ever try writing yourself?"

"A little - just some poetry, actually. It's nothing very impressive."

"I'd still love to read it. I mean, if you kept any of it."

"That would probably embarrass me, but I'll think about it."

"You know, we've been talking all these weeks, and I feel like there's still so much to discover about each other."

"Well, we do have a lot of years to catch up on."

"We have all weekend to catch up. I'm hoping you've changed your mind about a hotel – there's plenty of room here."

"I'll see. Greg did say you have a couple of spare bedrooms, and I think he may decide to stay here tomorrow night. But we don't want to intrude or make things too hectic for you."

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, Blythe. I'd like you to stay, but it's up to you."

"Well, I suppose today really is our only day alone together, since the others will arrive tomorrow. And I'd like to spend as much time as possible getting reacquainted, so, okay – I guess I'll stay here."

"Good." Andy stood up then and took Blythe's hand with his free arm, leading her toward the back of the house. "It's a beautiful summer day; let's relax out on the patio for a while," he said, "and start getting reacquainted."