I know this is late but I had family stuff going on as well as work. Better late than never, that's my motto. Anyway, hope you enjoy. As a warning, I am looking forward to the premiere on Monday and will probably be on cloud 9 for the rest of the week afterwards; so next chapter will probably be late too. Not that any of you will care because we'll all be on cloud 9 together and this fic will not be missed.
Chapter 49
3:45 PM
House and Bella stepped inside the house and made their way toward Bella's bedroom where the boxes containing Mattie's belongings were located. House had been outside with Bella when she finally decided it was time to go through the boxes. House had been curious about what was in there but he had restrained the urge to open them and take a peek. He couldn't violate Bella's privacy that way. Normally he couldn't give a damn about anyone's privacy, but this was his kid, and she had already gone through enough recently.
House watched as Bella walked into her bedroom. He needed to find Cuddy and let her know what was going on. House made his way to the laundry room where he knew Cuddy was. As he stepped through the door, she turned her head toward him and rolled her eyes. "Damn it, House, I thought I asked you to let me do this in peace. I'm almost finished, you think you could wait ten minutes before you start annoying me again?"
"Shut up." He told her in a serious tone. "Bella's in her room…she wants to go through Mattie's stuff. Thought you'd want to know." He replied, seeing the irritation on her face fade and take on a more serious expression.
She nodded in thanks, setting down one of Bella's t-shirts that she had just been folding.
House turned around and walked back the way he came, heading toward Bella's room. He wasn't sure if she would want them in there for this but he thought he'd at least see if she was ok. When he got there he saw her standing in the middle of the room staring at the boxes. House heard Cuddy approaching and he turned his head to see her come around the corner, making her way toward him. She had a look of concern on her face and a question in her eyes. He knew she wanted to know what they had talked about outside to make Bella want to do this now.
Cuddy looked inside to see the same image that House had seen when he stepped through the door. Bella hadn't moved as she continued to stare at the boxes.
"Bella?" Cuddy spoke softly, not wanting to startle her.
Bella turned around to see them standing there. "Hi, Mom. I decided to look at Mattie's stuff now."
Cuddy nodded and stepped further into the room, going over to stand next to Bella. "Ok. Would you like us to stay or do you want to be alone?"
"Um…will you be mad if I want to be alone for a little while?" She asked in a small voice.
"Of course not. We're here for you if you need us." Cuddy replied softly, gently rubbing her hand over Bella's shoulders.
Bella nodded. "I know. I just want a few minutes by myself and then I want you and Greg to be with me when I open them."
"Ok, Sweetie. Whatever you want."
Bella nodded.
Cuddy placed a kiss on Bella's head and turned around, quickly glancing at House before walking out of the room. House stood in the doorway for a moment before speaking softly to Bella. "We'll be in the living room, kid, if you need anything."
Bella nodded once more before House stepped back and closed the door to her bedroom. He felt Cuddy gently lay her hand on his back before she took his hand in hers, leading him to the living room. They both sat down on the couch, side-by-side, and stared across the room. They were silent for several minutes before Cuddy spoke softly.
"What happened outside? I take it you two talked?" Cuddy asked with curiosity.
House nodded. "I think she finally realized she needs to let him go. And I think for the first time she's actually willing to."
Cuddy looked over at him with surprise. "What did you say to her?"
"Not much…it's like you said, she just needs reassurance."
"Tell me what happened." She replied softly, placing her hand over his.
House released a soft sigh and lowered his gaze. "She told me she doesn't know who she is anymore; that because of what happened to her, she doesn't know what she wants. Of course, we were sort of talking about what she wants for her birthday, but it was more than that. She's confused about who she's supposed to be now."
Cuddy nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Before everything that happened to her, she was used to a normal life with parents and a brother who loved her. Plus she was younger then, more vulnerable and innocent. Now…god, now she's a different person." Cuddy replied with a deep and pained sigh. "House, what if there's nothing remaining of the little girl she used to be? The six year old who had a carefree existence up until her parents died. How does she get that back?"
House shook his head. "I don't know, Cuddy. I didn't know what the hell I was saying out there. I just told her to be a kid and let us worry about taking care of her. I said that like I knew what I was talking about; except I don't. I'm the last person she should be listening to about this shit. I don't know what the hell I'm doing." He responded somewhat bitterly. "I should've just kept my mouth shut."
"House, whatever you told her worked. She's in there trying to move on with her life and that's because what you told her made sense to her. You said the right thing, even if you think you didn't. Welcome to parenthood." Cuddy told him, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Are you sure I'm the one you want in this, Cuddy?" He asked, turning his head to look into her eyes.
"I haven't changed my mind. I have faith in you…you are great Father to her."
"Why do you have so much faith in me, Cuddy. I have never given you any reason to have faith in me. All I've ever brought you is pain and misery. I have been a bastard to you the majority of the time we've known each other and you still…." He sighed with a shake of his head. "I've never done anything to deserve you."
Cuddy smiled at him and shook her head. "I don't know why." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "There's just always been something about you that I couldn't get out of my head…or my heart."
House scowled as a slight grin of amusement took over his face. "That was a cheesy line, Cuddy."
Cuddy chuckled. "What can I say…you bring it out in me."
House continued to stare into her eyes, his smile still in place. "I love you." He told her softly before shrugging his shoulders. "Always have."
Her smile grew at the sincerity in his voice as she looked into his eyes as well. "I love you too."
"You want to make out until the kid comes in here to get us?" He asked with complete seriousness.
She laughed at him and shook her head. "And have to hear how disgusting it is that we're sucking face?"
House rolled his eyes. "You know that kid is going to be the death of both of us when she starts becoming interested in boys, right? I'll be doing some serious ass kicking when she starts dating."
Cuddy laughed. "Get used to it now, House, because it won't be any easier when the time comes."
"It's a good thing I have my trusty cane. It'll come in handy for when I threaten an overly hormonal teenage boy with a cane up his ass if he so much as thinks about kissing my kid."
Cuddy shook her head with a smile of amusement on her face. "Spoken like a true over-protective Father."
"Are you complaining?"
She looked over at him with a smile. "No. I think it's sweet."
House rolled his eyes. "It's not sweet, it's manly."
She laughed once more. "Right…manly. I'm pretty sure that's what I meant."
"Don't patronize me, woman." He told her as he began rubbing his leg.
Cuddy chuckled, laying her hand over his as he rubbed his thigh. "Here, let me. I'll make it up to you." She said softly, taking over for him as she began gently massaging his thigh and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"That's more like it." House told her, closing his eyes and letting her help him. He relaxed as much as he could but it was strange to have her do this for him. He didn't feel uncomfortable; it was just that she had never really done this for him before…and it felt nice. House placed his arm around the back of the couch, gently combing his fingers through her hair. "Thank you." He told her softly.
"You're welcome. I'm not hurting you, am I?" She asked.
House shook his head. "No. It feels good."
She nodded, her smile growing before turning her attention on massaging his leg once more.
After a few minutes of silence, House sighed softly and glanced over at her once more. He remembered the conversation he wanted to have with Cuddy about talking to Bella about the men that killed Mattie. Bella had stopped him from asking her any questions about it and he was glad that she had because it was something Cuddy needed to be aware of first. They both needed to be there for that conversation because it was going to be painful. "Cuddy, we need to talk about something I've been thinking about." He told her.
Cuddy turned her head to look at him, a frown on her face, unsure what he was referring to. "About what?" She asked as she continued to massage his leg.
"We need to ask Bella about Mattie's killers. We need to find out who did this."
She stopped the movement of her hands on his leg and dropped her jaw in shock. "House, we can't talk about that right now. She may be comfortable talking to us about Mattie, but I don't think she's ready to talk about who killed him and I know she's not ready to try and identify them. There is so much going on right now. We can't ask her to do this."
"And when do you suggest we ask her? Weeks from now? Months? When these bastards have had the chance to kill someone else?"
"It's been a year already, House, waiting a bit longer isn't going to change anything."
"You don't know that."
"No I don't…but Bella is my priority right now. She should be yours too, House. As her parents we put her wellbeing first."
House sighed in frustration. "Cuddy, we can't wait on this. If we don't do this now, they may never be caught."
"Max is working on it. Give him a chance to do what he can and then if he…"
"We're there already, Cuddy. Max isn't going to find these men without Bella's help." House told her, sitting up and looking her in the eyes. He sighed. "We should at least ask her if she knows their names. That's all we need right now." He continued, trying to convince her that this was the only way.
Cuddy sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head as she thought about what to do. After a moment she shook her head once more. "It's too much for her right now." She whispered to him. "I'm afraid of what this could do to her."
"We're treading awfully close to the line we crossed the last time, Cuddy, we can't keep this from her." House replied.
"Damn it, House." Cuddy said in frustration, standing up and pacing the room. "Why did you have to bring this up right now? We need to think about Bella and what this could do to her. We just got her back and now you want her to…"
"I don't know those men…Mattie never told me who they was."
House and Cuddy's heads snapped in the direction of Bella's voice as she stood in the doorway of the living room. They were both shocked to hear her voice and to see her standing there. House had no idea she had been listening to them.
"All I know is that they tried to get Mattie to sell drugs for them and he wouldn't do it. He lied and said he would and then he stole their money when they wasn't looking. That's why they shot him. He died because he was just trying to take care of me and he didn't know how to…so he did what he knew. Mattie knew how to steal, he was real good at it. He could steal a wallet out of a man's pocket without him ever knowing. Mom and Dad woulda been pissed that he knew how to do that, but that was the only way he knew to take care of me. And that's why he died." Bella told them softly, her voice small as the memories still haunted her.
House couldn't believe his ears; he stared at her in surprise, the shock written all over his face. She had just answered several questions he'd had since he started this investigation. House looked over at Cuddy and saw a similar expression on her face. She was just as shocked as he was. Her eyes shifted to his briefly before shifting back to Bella standing in the doorway, her hands at her sides and her head lowered as she looked at the floor in front of her.
"Bella." Cuddy said her name softly after listening to what she had just revealed to them.
Bella glanced up at her Mom.
"C'mere, Sweetie."
Bella walked over to her, taking Cuddy's hand in her small one. "I don't know what their names are, but I know what they look like. I won't ever forget what they look like." She mumbled, glancing over at House.
House nodded in understanding.
"I'm sorry." Bella replied with a slight pout to her lips.
House shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry about, understand? You told me what I needed to know; that was brave of you. I'm the one who's sorry. Cuddy was right…it should've waited."
Bella didn't respond except to nod her head, accepting his apology.
"Come over here, kid." House told her softly, holding his hand out to her.
Bella moved toward him, taking his hand in hers as he gently pulled her into a hug. She wound her arms around his neck and he closed his eyes, hugging her tightly. He hadn't expected her to be listening outside the door and it wasn't how he had wanted to have this conversation. But he had gotten his answer; he just hoped there wouldn't be any serious emotional repercussions for her. She could end up having nightmares because of this, and once again it would be his fault.
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15 Minutes Ago
Bella heard the door to her bedroom close as she stood in front of the boxes in her bedroom. Like her boxes, they had aged a bit, with dust and cobwebs on them as well as some water stains. Bella approached the boxes slowly, looking at Mattie's name written in black Sharpie on the side. His name had faded a little and that brought a sense of sadness to her heart. His memory hadn't faded though and that was what mattered to her. She remembered his smile that caused the slight dimple in his cheek to deepen. She remembered his voice and the way he used to call her 'B'. Bella had always loved that he was the only one that ever called her that.
Bella knelt down in front of one of his boxes and gently traced her finger over his name. He had been the one to write it on the box; it was his handwriting she was tracing. Bella sighed and sat back on her heels. She was a little nervous about opening the boxes; just like she had been when she opened hers. But this was different, these were Mattie's and they were more important to her than her boxes. She would be keeping everything in his boxes unlike hers that she had donated.
Her eyes shifted to the guitar and violin cases on the floor beside her bed. She crawled over there and reached out to unlatch the guitar case, opening the lid and revealing one of her brother's most prized possessions when he was alive. Bella touched the smooth surface of the guitar head, tracing her finger over the neck and around the strings. Her touch was light, barely feeling the ridges in the strings, but hearing the slight scratching sound it made as she did. Bella didn't know how to play the guitar but she had always liked it when Mattie played, even though she had told him on several occasions that she hated it. She carefully lifted the guitar out of its case and turned it over, seeing the word she'd written in black Sharpie so long ago. Her eyes misted over with tears as she remembered the time she'd done that and the trouble she had gotten into at the time. Bella allowed a smile to come to her face at the memory of Mattie's anger at her for that and she had to admit that it was pretty mean, but that's just what they did to each other. They were brother and sister and that's what brothers and sisters did; and she missed it. She missed him so much. She missed her parents so much too.
Bella felt a tear slip silently down her cheek at the thought of how much she missed her family. But it was time to let go of them. Greg had been right, she was a different person now and it was time for her to move on and let herself be a child again; to stop worrying about the hard stuff. He told her she needed to let him and Mom take care of her now. She had loved her childhood with her family, until they had died and she was left all alone. Now she had a new Mom, who loved her just as much as her real Mom had and who would do anything for her. And Bella had Greg, who was learning to love her like a Dad loved his child. He wasn't perfect but who was? Her real Dad hadn't been perfect either but he was the best Dad that a kid could have had and Bella believed that Greg could be that too. He was rough around the edges, but that's what Bella needed right now. She needed someone who was learning to be a parent just as she was learning to have new parents. She just wished that Greg would realize that and decide to become her father. She really needed him.
After another moment holding the guitar, Bella set it down in the case once more and opened the violin case. Mattie had loved to play the violin just as much as he loved to play the guitar. He was better at the guitar but he loved them equally. She had never understood why he didn't take them when they ran away from the Bedford's house but now she was glad that he hadn't; because if he had then they would have been lost forever. Bella wiped the tears away from her face with her hand as she held the violin in the other. She picked up the bow and placed the violin under her jaw but it was awkward and she couldn't hold it in place. She set it back down in the case and closed the lid, sighing as she looked over at the boxes. It was time to go through them now; she didn't want to put it off any longer. Bella stood and made her way to her bedroom door, wanting to have Mom and Greg with her when she opened the boxes.
Bella made her way down the hallway and heard Mom and Greg's voices in the living room. They were arguing about something. She heard Greg sigh in frustration.
"Cuddy, we can't wait on this. If we don't do this now, they may never be caught."
"Max is working on it. Give him a chance to do what he can and then if he…"
"We're there already, Cuddy. Max isn't going to find these men without Bella's help. We should at least ask her if she knows their names. That's all we need right now."
Bella's eyes widened at their words as she heard Mom sigh. Mom didn't respond right away and Bella knew she was upset, she could tell; Mom didn't like this one bit and now that Bella knew what they were talking about she was glad that Mom was upset, because Bella didn't like what she was hearing either.
"It's too much for her right now." Mom spoke softly. "I'm afraid of what this could do to her."
"We're treading awfully close to the line we crossed the last time, Cuddy, we can't keep this from her." Greg told her in a serious tone.
Bella flinched when she heard Mom speak next, her voice raised in frustration as she moved around the room. "Damn it, House. Why did you have to bring this up right now? We need to think about Bella and what this could do to her. We just got her back and now you want her to…"
"I don't know those men…Mattie never told me who they was." Bella cut her off as she stepped into the room, deciding that she needed to tell them what she knew…or rather, didn't know.
Mom and Greg stared at her in surprise, obviously not knowing that she had been listening. As she stood in the doorway she began telling them about what happened and why Mattie had died. As she explained everything, her mind flashed to the last time she had ever seen Mattie; his face, his blood everywhere. The memory of the men that shot him flashed into her brain as well. She'd never forget them even though she didn't know their names.
"I won't ever forget what they look like." She mumbled, glancing over at Greg and seeing the understanding in his eyes.
Bella relaxed a little at the compassion she saw there. Mom gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as she held on to her. Greg explained that it was ok and that she had answered his questions. He apologized and Bella saw the repentance in his eyes. She nodded her head, accepting his apology, knowing that he was only trying to help her. He reached out for her and she slowly moved into his arms, hugging his neck tightly. Bella felt his arms come around her and she felt safe in his embrace. She felt like nothing could ever happen to her as long as he was there to keep her safe. Bella felt that way about Mom too and she knew she was the luckiest little kid in the world for having two of the best people to take care of her for the rest of her life.
Greg released her from his hug and Bella moved to sit down on the coffee table across from Greg and turned her head to see Mom come around and sit beside her. Mom put her arm around Bella's shoulders, gently caressing her arm.
"I want you to know that we weren't going to keep this from you, ok? We were just talking about it, that's all."
Bella glanced up at Mom and nodded. "You was just protecting me, I know that now."
Mom nodded, affirming what she'd said.
"Bella, if Max can locate the men that did this to Mattie, could you point them out?" Greg asked.
"House, stop it." Mom told him sharply.
"Cuddy…"
"I don't want to see them again." Bella interrupted, the thought of it scaring her to death. She shook her head. "I don't want to." She repeated, her eyes blurring with tears. "I want to move on and I don't want to see them again. I don't care if they don't get caught."
Greg furrowed his brow at her. "What? You don't want the men that killed your brother to get caught? How could you not want them to pay for what they did to him?"
"House." Mom said, her tone a warning to him.
Bella's tears spilled down her cheeks as her face fell and her shoulders began shaking as she cried.
Mom hugged her close, whispering to her. "Shh it's ok, Bella, we're not going to make you see them again." Mom reassured her.
"Kid, they shot your brother. How the hell could you not want them to pay for that?" He asked again.
"House, so help me God, if you don't shut up and leave her alone right now you can take your bag and go back to your apartment, understand me?" Mom warned him again.
Bella leaned her head on Mom's shoulder as she continued to cry softly. "I don't want to see them ever again. They shot Mattie and they almost killed me too but they didn't and I don't want them to shoot me." She cried into Mom's embrace, Bella's arms winding around her waist as the fear she felt at seeing those men again almost overwhelmed her.
Bella felt Mom's body stiffen at her words. "Bella, they almost shot you?" She asked in shock.
Bella nodded.
"Oh my god." Mom mumbled, tightening her hold on Bella.
Bella jumped when she heard a loud bang against the floor. She opened her eyes and saw Greg's cane lying on the floor across the room. He stood up quickly and she knew that he was angry, not at her, but at what she had just told them. Bella felt Mom continue to rub her arm soothingly as she looked up at Greg in surprise.
"House, calm down." She told him softly.
"They tried to kill her, Cuddy, and you want me to calm down?" Greg replied, spinning around toward Mom and Bella as he paced the room without his cane and rubbed his hand over his thigh.
"Please, House, just sit down. You're not helping the situation." She replied softly, reaching out for his hand.
Bella wiped the tears from her eyes and watched as Greg sighed loudly and after a moment, he made his way back to the couch. Bella released Mom from her hug and slowly crawled onto Greg's lap. His arms wound gently around her as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, kid."
Bella sniffed, leaning her forehead on his neck and inhaling the cologne he was wearing. She loved the smell of his cologne, it calmed her and made her feel safe. "It's ok." She whispered.
"I'm not upset at you, I'm pissed that those bastards tried to kill my kid."
Bella nodded, understanding why he had been mad. "I know."
"I know it's hard for you to think about, but they need to get caught and thrown in prison for really a long time. Do you think we could talk about that sometime?" Greg asked her softly.
Bella closed her eyes as more tears fell down her cheeks and sniffed, rubbing her hands over her eyes. She let out a soft cry as she spoke. "I'm scared of them."
"I know. But I would never let anything happen to you. They don't even have to know you pointed them out. They will never see you."
"House, please stop. Don't do this right now. We don't even know who they are, how do you think we're going to find them?" Mom asked him.
"I don't know."
"Then, let's talk about it when the time comes. Right now, we have other stuff to worry about." Mom suggested.
Greg nodded and placed a soft kiss on Bella's forehead. "Is that ok?"
Bella nodded, glancing up at Mom to see her reaction as well. She reached out and gently rubbed her hand over Bella's arm, soothing her. Bella glanced at her and gave her a small smile before shifting her eyes up to look at Greg.
"You ok?" He asked her softly.
Bella nodded.
"Want to go open Mattie's boxes?" He asked her.
Bella nodded once more. "I want you and Mom to come with me."
Greg nodded. "Let's go."
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Cuddy and Bella were seated on the floor beside the boxes that contained the belongings that Mattie had boxed up when their parents died. House had pulled up the small stool from the vanity and placed it beside them so he could sit down. Cuddy knew if he sat down too long on the floor his leg would bother him more than it already was. Cuddy had been very curious to see what Mattie had packed away in the boxes because Bella didn't seem to know what was in there either. She hoped there would at least be some family photos for Bella to look through and remember the wonderful times she had with her family. She knew it would be painful but she also knew it was something Bella had to go through to move on.
Bella reached for the first box, ripping the packing tape off the top and opening the flaps. Cuddy watched her face intently, wanting to see what kind of reaction Bella would have and also wanting to anticipate any negative reaction and be there to comfort her if she needed it. She was relieved when the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile as she reached into the box. Bella pulled out a sports trophy…a baseball trophy to be exact. She held it up for them to see.
"He was real good at baseball. Mattie played on the school team." Bella informed them.
Cuddy smiled, taking the trophy that Bella handed to her so she could inspect it. Bella stuck her hand in the box and pulled out his uniform and baseball mitt as well, setting them down on the floor. House picked up the mitt, placing it on his hand as Bella handed him the baseball she had just retrieved out of the box.
"Dad was real proud of him because Mattie played first base just like Dad did when he was a kid." Bella told them.
Cuddy smiled again as she listened to Bella and held the trophy in her hand.
"I think he won that at a baseball camp he went to one summer." Bella continued, turning her head to look back into the box.
Cuddy and House both stayed silent as they watched Bella go through the box. She pulled out a few more sports items inside a shoebox, setting them down on the floor beside her. Most of them were knick-knacks and decorations he had probably had up in his room. There were also a few more items of clothing as well as some books and magazines. After Bella had emptied the box, she looked around at everything before glancing up at House and Cuddy.
"I want to keep everything, but I don't want to put it all up in my room." Bella stated.
"It's ok, we can put what you don't want out, down in the basement. That way you can always get to it if you want to." Cuddy told her.
Bella nodded in agreement before moving over to the second box. She repeated the same process as before, ripping the tape off and opening the flaps. Once again, Cuddy watched Bella's face for any sign of distress or sadness. Upon seeing what was in the box, Bella gasped, dropped her jaw and stared at the contents of the box.
"Oh my god…Mom look, it's Mattie's music. His music that he used to play; he packed it all up. I didn't know he did that." Bella exclaimed happily, reaching into the box and grabbing the first thing she saw. It was a beginner's 'How To' book on how to play the violin. Cuddy noticed that it was well worn as Bella held it in her hands.
"Look Greg, his first music book." She said, looking over at House.
Cuddy shifted her eyes to House, seeing his expression. He smiled at Bella, nodding his head in acknowledgement.
"How old was he when he started lessons?" House asked.
"I don't know, I just remember him always playing music; ever since I was a baby."
"He learned the violin first?
Bella nodded.
"It's pretty hard to learn…was he good?"
"Yeah, he got good. But sometimes he would play bad just to annoy me; it sounded like he was strangling a monkey in his bedroom." Bella told them with an eye roll, causing House and Cuddy both to laugh at her. "I always went outside when he did that because it sounded like shit." She continued, suddenly covering her mouth with her hand and shifting her eyes to Cuddy. "Sorry, Mom." She apologized, her voice muffled by her hand.
Cuddy shook her head at her. "Please watch your language, baby. I don't want to tell you again."
Bella nodded, removing her hand from her mouth. "Sorry."
Cuddy nodded, accepting her apology.
"Yeah, kid, watch your fucking language." House interjected.
Bella giggled, looking over at House as Cuddy rolled her eyes. "House." She complained.
"What?" He asked innocently.
Cuddy shook her head. "Why do you do that?" She asked with exasperation.
"Because it annoys you." He answered with a smirk on his face.
"Greg, you should watch your potty mouth too." Bella told him. "Your potty mouth is bigger than mine."
Cuddy smiled and looked pointedly at House. "Yeah Greg." She replied smartly.
"Neither one of you has any idea how big my potty mouth actually is…I could string a sentence together so foul, it would make both of you cringe. Just ask Wilson; he's the only one who's had the pleasure. Of course, I was drunk and he was practically passed out at the time so he might not remember." He added as a second thought.
"That's great, House…thank you for being such a shining example to my daughter. Now shut up and stop trying to corrupt her." She responded harshly.
"It's ok, Mom, I've seen lots of drunk hobos on the streets and most of 'em were passed out, so I know what he means." Bella told her in a matter of fact way.
"Great." Cuddy answered sarcastically, scrubbing her hands over her face before looking up at Bella once more. "I better not ever catch you anywhere near a liquor bottle or I'll ground you for life, understand me?" She told Bella pointedly.
Bella nodded her head quickly in understanding, not wanting to piss her off anymore than House already had. House started laughing and Cuddy glanced in his direction. "What's so funny? You want her to drink?"
"Of course not, but you should listen to yourself. You sound ridiculous." He told her.
"Shut up. Bella, why don't you show us what else is in that box before this conversation spins out of control." Cuddy suggested.
"Too late for that one, Cuddles."
Bella chuckled. "Cuddles."
House and Cuddy both looked at her as she laughed at what House had just called Cuddy. Cuddy looked at her with amusement as House chuckled along with her.
"I never heard you call her that before." Bella laughed. "Can I call you that too, Mom?"
"No, I don't even like it when he calls me that, but that never stops him does it?" She asked, turning her head expectantly in his direction.
"I am unstoppable." House confirmed.
Cuddy rolled her eyes, shaking her head at the weird turn their conversation had taken. "I think we should get back to looking through the boxes."
"Sure thing, Cuddles." House responded.
She sighed as Bella laughed again.
'Ok, two could play at this game.' Cuddy thought. "So House, when you decided to become a cheerleader, did you realize you'd have to wear the tight uniform or was that the reason you signed up in the first place?"
House stopped laughing and glared at Cuddy. Bella stopped as well and looked over at House with surprise.
"You was a cheerleader?" She asked, a chuckle escaping her lips.
Cuddy smiled triumphantly at House and arched her eyebrows in question. "Well?" She prompted.
House looked between Cuddy and Bella and rolled his eyes. "She's making it up, kid. She's just trying to get me back for calling her Cuddles."
"Right…I'm pretty sure there's photographic evidence. I've seen it."
"It was a fake, remember?" House replied, narrowing his eyes at her, trying to get her to back off.
"Hmmm, I think I remember someone showing me the photo…it looked real to me."
"Can I see it?" Bella asked with interest.
"Nope." House answered as Cuddy chuckled.
"But I want to see you as a cheerleader." Bella replied in a serious tone, her curiosity peaked.
"Sorry, I burned it. And if you want to see your 9th birthday, you'll keep your mouth shut, capice?"
Bella frowned before rolling her eyes at him. "Fine, I ain't going to tell nobody that you was a cheerleader, geez."
Cuddy chuckled at Bella's response. "Now…can we please move on? I'd like to see what else are in those boxes."
Bella sighed with exasperation at House before turning around and pulling a few more of Mattie's music books out of the box. She leafed through a few of them as Cuddy and House both picked up a few books as well.
"Hm." House grunted as he leafed through one of the books that looked like a sketchbook with music scales written on it.
"What is it?" Cuddy asked.
"Hey kid, Mattie wrote his own music?"
Bella looked at him, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know."
"It looks like he was working on a song that he didn't finish. This book is full of music he wrote." House replied.
Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise and smiled. "Really? What kind of music?"
"Mostly chords, no lyrics." He answered.
"Will you play it, Greg? I want to hear it." Bella asked.
House looked up at her with a bit of surprise on his face. "You want me to play his songs?"
Bella nodded her vigorously. "Please?"
House glanced over at Cuddy. She nodded encouragingly at him, a small smile on her face.
House nodded, standing up and reaching for Mattie's guitar. He strummed a few chords before looking at the book and reading over the chords that Mattie had written. House started playing the chords and getting a feel for the song and as he went on the music began flowing. It was beautiful. Mattie had been talented at playing and apparently writing music as well. Cuddy turned her gaze to Bella, watching her reaction to the song her brother had written. Bella was listening intently, her eyes on every chord House was playing on the guitar. She was mesmerized by it.
After a few moments, House stopped playing and looked up at Bella. "That's it…he didn't finish the song."
"It was pretty." Bella replied.
House nodded. "It's rough, but he was pretty good at this." He told her softly.
She smiled at up at him. "Thanks, Greg. Will you play another one?"
"Sure." House answered.
As he played, Bella smiled at the sound she heard, loving that her brother had written music that she didn't know about. Cuddy loved seeing her expression. She wasn't sad, like Cuddy assumed she would be. She was pleased to have learned something about her brother today. She imagined it was like opening a gift a loved had left after they were long gone.
When House finished playing another song a few minutes later, Bella smiled once more. "I didn't know Mattie wrote music…he never said." Bella said softly.
"Maybe he wanted to keep it to himself." House told her. "It's not something some people like to share." He added.
"Do you write music you don't like to share, Greg?"
House allowed a small smile to come to his face as he nodded. "Yeah, kid, I do."
"Why?" Bella asked with innocent curiosity.
House shook his head. "I don't know, maybe people won't like it."
"I liked the song you wrote Mom for Mother's Day, and you played that for a bunch of people."
"Yeah well, that was a special occasion." House replied, shifting his eyes to Cuddy.
Cuddy smiled at him, remembering the beautiful song he'd written just for her. "If all of your songs are like that, I'm pretty sure everyone would love them." She told him softly.
"They're not. Like I said, it was a special occasion." House responded, averting his eyes and setting the guitar down inside its case.
Cuddy watched him, seeing a bit of the vulnerability that he hid away from everyone, but that still resided within him. You had to look closely to see it, but it was there. It was rare that anyone saw that side of House because he never let it show. But the times that it did were special because those were the times that you saw the real House; the special, wonderful man that he truly was. The man she had fallen in love with.
He looked up, meeting her eyes once more and her smile grew as she looked at him. "Thank you for playing." She told him softly.
House gave her a short nod in acknowledgement before he shifted his eyes to Bella. "Why don't you open the last box, kid?"
Bella nodded and moved over to the third box. Upon opening it, her jaw dropped and she stared in shock at what she saw. Her eyes welled up with tears as she reached in and gently pulled out a photo album.
Cuddy gently laid her hand on Bella's back, rubbing soothing circles over it.
"Mommy look." She spoke in quiet voice. "It's my family." She added.
Cuddy nodded and smiled, watching as Bella's tears spilled over her cheeks. The book was huge, no doubt full of memories that Bella had forgotten. It was a leather hardback book; heavy, with a rectangle cut out of the center for a photo to be placed there; however, it was empty. There were words written across the front that read 'Our Family'. Bella sat down on the floor and Cuddy glanced up at House briefly before shifting her eyes to Bella once more. She opened the book as it lay across her lap.
"This is where that photo that Mattie had with him is supposed to go." Bella mumbled, indicating the empty space on the first page. "He took it from this book."
Cuddy and House exchanged brief glances at what Bella had told them. They didn't speak, not wanting to interrupt Bella's thoughts as she flipped to the next page. There were several photos of Mr. and Mrs. Porter as a young married couple, a few of their wedding photos displayed on the first few pages as well as other pictures of them as a couple. Some were of them on various vacations, probably some from their honeymoon. Cuddy noticed how happy they looked; they were a beautiful couple, with their lives ahead of them. She felt sad as she thought of what had happened to them and how their lives had been cut short. As she looked at their smiling faces her heart grew heavy over the tragedy that would face this family. Cuddy felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but fought to keep them at bay, not wanting to become emotional as Bella looked at the book of memories in her hands.
Cuddy's mind shifted back to Bella, watching her look at each individual picture in the book.
"I remember looking through this book with my Mom back then. She would tell me stories about her and my Dad and how they met and stuff. And she would tell me about their wedding day and how she shoved cake in my Dad's face." Bella recounted, causing Cuddy to smile at the tale she was telling.
"How did they meet?" Cuddy asked.
"Ummm, my Dad came up and started talking to her at a coffee shop and he didn't know that she was deaf. She told me he just kept talking and talking and when he finally stopped, she didn't say anything because she didn't hear anything he'd said, and she couldn't read his lips because he was talking too fast. And so he thought he had pissed her off and he walked away and she didn't see him again for about a month when he went back to the same coffee shop she was in. And when he seen her, he started to walk away again but she stopped him and started talking to him in sign language. She just kept talking and talking, like he did to her, and she knew he didn't know what she was saying to him but she talked anyway. And when she was done talking, he started laughing. She thought he was making fun of her but he wasn't and she really got pissed and left. Anyways, they didn't meet again until like two months later and when my Dad seen her, he started talking to her in sign language and that's how they met." She finished.
Cuddy smiled at her story. "That is so sweet." She replied.
House rolled his eyes. "Oh god, you would think that."
"You don't think it's romantic that he learned sign language, hoping he would run into her again? He probably went to that coffee shop everyday, hoping she would show up."
"He was an idiot. How the hell do you not know that someone is deaf?" He asked.
"You didn't know my Dad…he talked way too much, sometimes he wouldn't let nobody get a word in." Bella informed him.
"Well I think it's romantic that he learned sign language for her." Cuddy replied.
"Me too." Bella replied.
House rolled his eyes once more. "Good god, I'm outnumbered."
"Shut up." Cuddy told House, turning her attention to Bella again. "So what did they say to each other?"
"I don't remember. But my Dad was probably trying to be all cute and charming and stuff; he did that a lot." She replied, rolling her eyes with a smirk on her face.
Cuddy smiled at her as she continued to look through the book. "Your parents were a beautiful couple, Sweetie."
Bella smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Thanks."
After a moment of looking through the photo album, Bella glanced up at Cuddy. "Mom, you know what I was just thinking?"
"What, baby?"
"We don't got a family album of us." She replied softly. "We should get one."
Cuddy smiled at her suggestion, loving the idea. She looked up at House with a smile and nodded her head. "I think that's a wonderful idea."
House stared back her before shifting his eyes to his hands clasped in front of him. She didn't know if that meant he liked the idea or not but she would wait until they were alone to talk about it. They had yet to tell Bella that House was moving in because they wanted her to get readjusted to being home again before they mentioned it. Cuddy knew Bella would love it, but it was a little too soon right now; she had only been back for a day.
When Bella finished looking through the album she set it aside and reached into the box to see what else was in there. Bella frowned and attempted to pick up a smaller box within the big one. "Greg will you help me get this out?" She asked.
House nodded and moved to help her. He lifted the box out and set it beside the big one. It was taped up as well so Bella ripped it open. Her eyes grew wide and a huge smile overtook her face. "I forgot all about these!" She exclaimed with excitement.
"DVDs?" Cuddy asked with confusion.
"Yeah! My Dad had our home movies put on dvd. Well, some of them; the important ones. Like when me and Mattie was born and our other birthdays and stuff. I forgot…Mattie packed 'em up. He remembered 'em!" Bella replied, no doubt overjoyed that she would be able to hear her Dad and brother's voices again as well as to see her Mom too.
Cuddy felt happy that she would have that and she was grateful that Mattie had thought to pack them up back then. This was even better than what Cuddy had been hoping for. She wanted Bella to have something to remember her parents and brother by and the photo album was wonderful, but the home movies would be invaluable to her and would help her in the healing process.
Bella removed one from the box and held it up for Cuddy to see. "Can we watch one?" Bella asked, looking up at Cuddy with the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen.
"Of course we can, Sweetheart."
Bella's smile grew and she hopped to her feet and held her other hand out to Cuddy, wanting her to follow Bella to the living room.
"Come on!" She suggested happily.
Cuddy smiled and stood to her feet, glancing over at House as he stood up as well. Bella grabbed on to Cuddy's hand and pulled her along until they walked into the living room. Bella opened the dvd case, taking it out and placing it inside the dvd player's tray. Once Bella had it playing she made her way over to the couch where House and Cuddy were both sitting, planting herself in between them. Cuddy watched Bella's reaction as the dvd started playing the menu. Cuddy shifted her eyes to the television, seeing the startup menu as well. It had a picture of the Porters on it along with the date and a selection of different choices to view. The first was one of Mattie's music recitals, the second was a baseball game, and the third was several or Mattie's birthdays placed into one clip.
Bella made her choice, choosing to watch Mattie's music recitals.
"I was just a baby so I don't remember going to this." Bella told them softly.
Cuddy listened, but didn't comment. She gently placed her arm around Bella's shoulders as the shaky video of a full auditorium came into view with the lights shining on the stage and a young boy, about 7 years old, was standing in the middle of it with a violin in his hand. There was someone Cuddy assumed was the teacher, standing up at the microphone introducing Mattie to the audience.
After a few words of introduction, the teacher walked off stage and another moment passed before Mattie began playing. He started off slow, the music flowing quietly. The audio on the camera wasn't good but they were still able to hear him play. He was adorable, Cuddy thought. This must have been when he was first learning because as House had said it was a difficult instrument to master. It required discipline to play, as with any musical instrument; but he was doing well.
They watched him play three short songs and when he finished, they could hear applause in the auditorium and Nathan whistle loudly from behind the camera. He panned the camera over to Claire who had a huge smile on her face as she applauded in sign language for her son.
"It must have been hard for your Mom not be able to hear him play." Cuddy commented softly.
"Yeah, I guess. She never missed a recital though and neither did Dad. He taped all of 'em." Bella answered.
Cuddy smiled at her answer, nodding her head. She understood her Mother not wanting miss one; if Cuddy had been in her place, she wouldn't have missed them either. "She was proud of her son." Cuddy added.
"Yeah." Bella responded. "Want to watch some more?"
"I'd love to."
"Do you want to, Greg?" Bella asked, turning her head to look up at him.
House gave a short nod, a small smile on his lips.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
11:04 PM
House carried Bella, in his arms, down the hall to her bedroom as she slept soundly on his shoulder. They had spent the rest of the evening watching some of the dvds that were found in Mattie's box. House had felt slightly uncomfortable watching home movies of people he didn't know. It was strange, but he had kept his mouth shut for the most part and let Bella enjoy revisiting her family memories. It was important to her, so it was important to him.
House set Bella down in her bed, pulling the covers over her as she continued to sleep. She snuggled up to her little stuffed snow leopard she had come home with yesterday. He assumed she had gotten it at the zoo on the anniversary of Mattie's death. He placed a soft kiss on Bella's forehead and gently combed his fingers through her hair. House straightened up and quietly watched her sleep for a few minutes.
Watching the videos today had allowed him to understand her a little bit better. To see the little girl she used to be compared to the little girl she is now. Bella was scared that she wasn't the same little girl as she used to be, but as he watched the dvds, he could see that same little girl still in there somewhere. She had gone through so many difficult times in such a short span of time, but he could see her beginning to heal, and the kid she used to be, begin to emerge once more. She wasn't completely there, but given time, she would be.
He was proud of her for sitting there and watching those videos. There had been tears and laughter from her as they watched them, but he and Cuddy had been there for her and what was more important she had accepted their comfort.
At one point, Bella broke down and cried for her brother, unable to keep her emotions inside any longer after seeing him again and hearing his voice. She cried and cried as Cuddy held her in her arms and House held her small hand in his larger one. She had sobbed for several minutes, saying how much she missed his laugh and the voice she had once thought to be so annoying, she loved now.
Throughout the evening, Bella had also laughed at the many idiotic things he had done and had been caught on tape. House had to admit, that kid was an idiot, but so were most kids his age. House had also gotten a sense of his intelligence as well. Mattie had been a smart young man and House could see how he had kept his kid sister alive in New York for so long. It was just too bad that he couldn't have kept himself alive as well.
House felt Cuddy's arms wrap around his waist from behind him, and felt her place a soft kiss on his back before she laid her head against him. She gave him a gentle squeeze and sighed softly.
"You ok?" She asked in whisper.
"Yeah."
"What are you thinking about?"
"The kid."
"It's been a rough day for her." She commented softly.
"Mhmm."
Cuddy removed her arms from around his waist and took his hand in hers. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's been a rough day for us too."
House nodded and followed Cuddy out of the room. He closed Bella's bedroom door and they both made their way into their own bedroom, readying themselves for bed. As they lay there several minutes later, Cuddy curled up to him, winding her arm around his torso as she placed her leg over his left leg and pressed a kiss to his cheek, sighing softly. "Night, House."
House held her close as they both settled into bed. He caressed her arm softly with his fingertips.
"Want to have sex?" He asked.
Cuddy lifted her head and looked at him with a scowl on her face. "What?"
"You heard me. We were supposed to have our little rendezvous tonight, remember?"
"Another night, House, I'm tired. It's been a long day."
"I know something that will put you to sleep in no time." He told her, moving his hand down to her ass.
"Silence?" She asked, laying her head back down.
"You're mean."
"House, you're just as tired as I am. Sex can wait. We both have work in the morning and I have about a million things that need to get done and meetings to go to and…"
"See, you're stressed, let me calm you down." He replied, removing his hand from her ass up to her back, underneath her tank top and expertly rolling her onto her back as he placed a kiss on her lips. She looked up at him with surprise before he kissed her again, his lips quirking into a self-satisfied smirk.
He braced himself above her as his other hand skimmed over her body; down her side, over her hip and thigh and back up as he continued to place soft kisses on her lips.
"House." She spoke between slow, soft kisses.
"Hm." He grunted in response, moving his lips down to her neck, kissing and nibbling on the spot he knew would drive her crazy.
"House." She said again, in a more breathy tone, moving her hand over his back.
He stopped his assault on her neck and looked down at her, a smile coming to his face. "Did you have something you wanted to say?" He asked.
She leaned in and kissed him, before looking into his eyes. "You're such a bastard." She mumbled against his lips.
House laughed and nodded his head. "I know." He told her, before kissing her lips once more; this kiss turning into a more heated and passionate kiss than their previous ones.
Happy Season Premiere everyone! Enjoy the Huddy.
