Confrontation
AN: Ok guys and gals, this is the penultimate chapter. Also i've seen a lack in reviews lately, please be generous with this one!
Quote of the day: "Dead ends only exist when you don't look past them." - Me
Today was the day of Alice's departure and House hoped it wasn't going to be a dramatic one.
He'd called into work to inform them he wasn't going to be in again and Cuddy had been surprisingly lenient.
"You don't see your family very often." She said down the phone. "You should've really asked for the whole week off in the first place."
"You sure you're feeling alright?" House asked suspiciously.
"Yeah. Why shouldn't I be?"
"You're in a happy mood, that's all…"
"Maybe the fact you aren't in at the moment is making me happy."
"Don't worry; I'll be there to depress you tomorrow."
"You'd do that, just for me?" Cuddy asked sarcastically.
"Yeah I wouldn't do it for just anyone, y'know."
"I'd love to stay and chat House, but I have important paperwork to do."
"You do paperwork!" House gasped. "You must be the only doctor that does abominations such as that."
"See you tomorrow House…"
And with that Cuddy put the phone down.
"Right I better be off to see Alice." House informed Wilson and Erica.
"Can't I come with you?" Erica asked.
"Erm, you're better off staying here…"House trailed off.
"Why?"
"Because…" he then looked over to Wilson's direction.
"What?" Erica asked impatiently.
"Wilson, go to work or something, I need to talk with Bloss."
"What are you going to talk with her about?" Wilson asked feeling slightly hurt.
"Family stuff."
"I'm as good as…"
"Go on." Erica said giving Wilson a hug "Work needs you."
"Fine. Say to Alice, Robert and Amy that I said goodbye." Wilson said picking his bag up from the living room floor.
"Bye." Erica waved.
After Wilson had left, it was the two siblings left on their own.
"So come on. Why isn't it a good idea to see Alice off?"
"Because I went over there yesterday, and some stuff happened."
"Like?"
"I ended up telling her about you and Robert."
"What!" Erica screeched as she flew off the handle. "You told her?"
"It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter." House retaliated defensively.
"So what happened? You were chatting nicely and she came out with "Oh Greg, by the way did Erica sleep with Robert on my hen night?""
"No, Robert kept hinting about it."
"That slimy rotten bastard." Erica said as she fiercely grabbed her coat. "Wait until I get my hands on him."
"Erica. Have you thought about Alice in all this?"
Erica stopped in her tracks and turned around with tears in her eyes.
"Greg you know I didn't mean it, I was being a spiteful bitch at the time. It's just he was so nice and not like any other jerk I'd been with before, the fact that he was going to be married to Alice didn't bother me then."
"Bloss, you shouldn't be explaining this to me. It's Alice who needs to know the full story."
"Do you think she'll talk to me?"
"Probably not, but you're persistent. She'll have to talk with you."
"You'll stay with me won't you Greg?"
"You know I will."
"Can I punch Robert?"
"I don't think Alice will let you." House smirked. "She had to restrain me."
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Amy opened the door to her Aunt and Uncle.
"Hey you two! Sorry I haven't been to see you, I was catching up with some friends." She apologised.
"It's fine honey." Erica replied giving her niece a hug.
"I didn't like you very much anyway." House replied jokingly.
"Mom and Dad are all over the room packing, I'm sure they'd be happy to see you." Amy said beckoning them in. "Also Dad's a bit grouchy, he's been having some back pain."
"Oh really." House grinned thinking of his own handiwork.
As the two shuffled in accompanied by Amy, Alice and Robert both came to a halt.
Alice's posture stiffened and Robert shrunk back a little. The atmosphere had turned into one of a battlefield, one before battle.
"Amy sweetie." Robert called out to his daughter. "Go out and make sure the cab is here."
"Ok, do you want me to take the suitcases?" she asked.
"Yeah, that'd do me and your Mom a big favour."
Robert handed over some money and continued.
"Here's some money for the cab and get yourself something to eat."
"Wow Dad, I should offer to do stuff more often." Amy replied looking at the fifty dollars in her hand.
"See ya, Uncle Greg. See ya Aunt Erica."
"Bye." They both waved.
As Amy left the room, it became silent and the tension kept on building. Each one of them regarded the other carefully, watching and waiting for someone to make the next move.
Erica was the first to move, she walked over from the back of the room towards the lumpy blue sofa that was centred in the middle of the room. Instead she walked around it and went for Robert.
"You bastard!" she screamed as she whacked into him and started punching his arms.
"Get her off me!" Robert pleaded to House, but he just watched and smirked at Robert's just desserts.
Erica was then yanked back by her hair, which was being forcefully pulled by Alice.
"How dare you even go near him." Alice spat. The extent of her anger was boiling over the top. For a day she'd had to keep calm and not make any moves in front of Amy, she had to pretend that everything was the way it should be. Now finally Alice could let her anger out.
"How could you do that to me?" Alice asked still with a clump of Erica's blonde hair in her hand. "How could you for twenty years hide away and then show up, still acting like nothing went on between you and my husband?"
"Alice…you're hurting." Erica winced
"Good, I'd want it to hurt more if it could. Because you will never feel the pain I'm feeling inside."
"Alice, let go." House said calmly. Although he was calm on the outside he was positively fuming on the inside. All the time his sister's were fighting, House was keeping a close eye on Robert who had retreated into the corner.
More than ever now House despised Robert Glass; it was bad enough that House had to carry around his brother-in-law's sordid secret for twenty years, but to make House tell his own sister about it was enough to make any normal man snap.
But House was no normal man.
"I'm not going to let go! I'd kill her if I had the strength."
"Can I point out something?" House asked.
"What?" Alice snapped as she was willing to strangle her sister to death.
"I'd like to point out that your ex is the one who started all this."
"What?" Alice asked again.
"Bloss is just a victim here of his womanizing ways. If Robert had been the perfect husband he would've told you before you got married."
Alice turned to look at Robert and slowly she released her sister's hair.
"But why didn't you tell me?" she asked Erica.
"I didn't want to break your heart on your wedding day." Erica said looking at Alice and starting to tear up again.
"Why didn't you come home and tell me?"
"I was scared. I'm scared now; please don't leave on bad terms with me."
Alice regarded her sister and helped her up from the floor.
"He's always been a womaniser Al." Erica whispered.
Robert had had enough; he walked over and took hold of Erica's arm.
"You lying whore. You knew exactly what you were doing that night. You'd been chasing after me since you'd met me. You wanted a quick fuck and I wanted a piece of your ass."
"Get off me." Erica said punching him on the nose.
"Jesus." Robert cursed as he clutched his nose in pain.
"Get out Robert." Alice said calmly.
"You're going to take her word over mine?"
"She's my sister; she'd tell me the truth."
"She hates you."
"That was in the past when we were kids. We've grown up. But it seems you haven't. Now get out." Alice commanded.
"How are you going to get home?" Robert asked.
"I'm taking the taxi. Find your own way of getting home."
House limped over to Robert and raised his cane in the air.
"If you don't leave now, my cane is going to become your next fuck buddy." He threatened.
"I'm going."
When Robert left the room, Alice hugged her sister.
"I'm sorry." Erica apologised into her sister's shoulder.
"I know" Alice replied softly. "Now I really need to go Bloss otherwise the cab'll be gone."
"Ok" Erica smiled. "Have a safe journey and I'll call you when I return back to London."
"Bye Greg." Alice said kissing her brother on the cheek. "Make sure she gets home safely."
"I will."
They all left the hotel room and Alice handed her keys into the reception.
"Where's Dad?" Amy asked at the entrance.
"I don't care; he's not coming with us."
"But…"
"I'll get the cab to take you to Emily's." Alice offered. "You coming?"
"Yes Mom."
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"That'll be you tomorrow." House said as they were back at the apartment.
"Yeah, it will won't it?"
"I don't want you to leave. Not for another twenty years."
"I have a reason to come back now."
"For me?" House questioned.
"Not just for you…"
"For Wilson?"
"Yeah."
"He doesn't want you to leave either."
"But I have to." Erica said.
"Why? What have you got back there what you haven't got here?" House questioned. "You won't have your family, you won't have your boyfriend, and you won't be able to get up to mischief."
"I have a home. I have my possessions. I…"
"You don't have a job there do you?"
"Well no…but I'll find one."
"Erica stay. Please."
"I'll think about it." She answered.
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