CHAPTER 5

So, I need to clear up some timeline stuff. Stacy and House did exist and House had the infarction. But it kind of goes away from cannon after that. I will include some stuff e.g Tritter (grrrrrr). But Stacy and House never had their fling in series 2 and Cuddy and House were never an item. I think this would be set around 2013. But again that's loose.

Disclaimer: Maybe I would live in Australia but Christmas in summer would be weird. But I don't so therefore I don't own House or Cars

As a ritual, House always took Dan out to their favourite diner in Trenton to eat on the Friday evening before he went to see Jen on the Saturday.

House and Daniel took their seats in their usual booth furthest away from the window. They ordered their usual of two burgers with bacon and cheese and two large chocolate milkshakes.

Danny was wriggling around in his seat.

"I can see you're dying to tell me how school was" House smirked

"It was soooo cool. We had to calculate how much of each substance we would need to make our rocket take off. We actually got to make the rockets as well!" Danny finally spat out after waiting for his dad to ask.

"Well that explains the gooey substance all over your uniform. So, are you going to become a rocket scientist then?"

"Nah, a mad scientist!"

House chuckled and ruffled his sons hair. Their food arrived and they tucked into they're greasy burgers. Like his father, Danny also had an alarmingly big appetite. Especially for a six year old. But still managed to maintain his lanky build.

"Dad, you have ketchup on your nose!" Danny giggled. House grabbed the ketchup bottle and put a dollop of sauce on his finger tip. He then smudged it all on Danny's nose.

"At least I don't look like Rudolf!" They both giggled and continued to eat with ketchup on both of there noses.

After they had finished, House grabbed the napkin and wiped both his and Dans nose's.

The atmosphere turned serious as House broached the subject of his mum.

"Hey, so I'm going to see mum tomorrow" House said softly

"I know dad, you only bring me here the night before you go and see mummy"

'True' House thought. This ritual had been going on since Dan was nearly 4. They sometimes brought Wilson but mostly House classed it as Father- Son bonding time. It also gave them a neutral space to talk things through about Jen if needed.

"Do you want me to take anything you made at school for mum? I already printed off a picture of you looking all smart and grown up in your school uniform." House leaned over and pinched Danny's cheek, trying to make the atmosphere less serious. But Danny still wore a stony expression.

"I want to see mummy."

House's face dropped. He had taken Dan to see his mum before. Once a year on Jens birthday he took Dan with him. He also brought Wilson along to take Dan for an ice cream or to play some soccer every hour. He wanted Dan to remember his mum and for Jen to remember him, but he also had to look after his son's well being. Even though he put up a brave front, House knew that seeing his mum so dependant and Ill upset him. Seeing his mum once a year was already enough for him to handle.

"Daniel..." but he was cut off before he could finish.

"I want to see mummy, dad. It's not fair that the other kids get to see their mummy everyday and they're mums cuddle them when they're upset or ill. Or their waving at their children's first day of school."

House was stumped. He knew that this would one day come but hoped it would be in a few years time. He'd never fully explained what happened to Jen to him. It was upsetting for all involved, never mind a six year old.

"Danny, you know you're mum can't be here with us. She's very unwell and needs special care which we can't give at home."

Daniel couldn't understand why his mummy couldn't be at home with them. All he wanted was his mummy and daddy to be together at home with him. His dad was a doctor, why couldn't he care for her? He knew how sick she was. She couldn't pronounce his name properly or say more than a few words. She had lots of leads coming from various parts of her body. It was scary to see someone like that. Deep down though he knew why his dad couldn't look after his mommy. But he wasn't ready to admit that to himself.

"I just want to see mummy" He was on the brink of tears. All emotions suddenly welling up. More than a six year old could take. House scooped Danny into his arms and rested him on his left hip and payed the bill. Dan was probably too big now to do that but he wanted to comfort his son as much as possible and take them both somewhere quite.

He hobbled slowly to the car, leaning heavily on his cane and sat down on the back seat with his son buried in the crook of his neck. Salty tears ran down the front of Houses band T-shirt. He stroked his sons hair and hummed the Rolling Stones to try and calm Danny.

He let a few of his own tears spill over as they both heavily felt the loss of a wife and a mum; Danny crying for a mum that will never truly be there and House crying for the lost love and what could of been. He thought of the time when they found out that Jen was pregnant with what would become Danny.

7 years before ...

They sat on the floor of the bathroom, waiting for the results of the pregnancy test. Greg held Jen in his arms. He felt nervous, excited and scared all at once. He turned to face Jen, dread all of a sudden filling him from head to toe. All he could think of was the ice baths, the broken bones, the trembling.

"What if I'm a shitty dad? What if I'm like my dad? I can't put our child through that Jen" Jen looked at Greg's eyes. Pain and fear filled his gorgeous oceans. Jen loved his eyes. They told they're own story, the true story of one Gregory House's emotions. She put her hand on Greg's cheek and slowly turned his face. Forehead touched forehead. Jens hands holding Greg's soft cheeks.

"Listen to me Greg. I fell in love with a genius, arrogant, arsehole, who's obnoxious behaviour has really got us into some really shitty situations" Greg focussed his gaze on the tile floor, willing himself not to cry. "Some people called me a psychotic moron for marrying you. One friend even offered to section me." She let out a soft chuckle at that memory. "But there's this other, beautiful side to this man I fell in love with. The side that others don't get to see. Underneath that hard shell, theres a kind, gentle, loving man who couldn't hurt a butterfly if he bloody tried. I've seen you try and kill a spider and fail absolutely miserably. You will always be the most gentle, caring and intelligent man I've ever met and I would feel privileged to share a child with you and let another being feel the warmth and love I feel every day."

Greg looked directly into her eyes to look for any deception. All her chocolate brown eyes held were honesty and true, unconditional love. He squeezed her tighter and planted a kiss on her head.

"God, you are such a sap, Jen. If you say anything that sappy again, I might puke" but the statement held no Malice behind it.

Jen stood to grab the test off the counter.

"It's positive". They both looked at each other and smiled softly. The little stick in Jen's hand held there future.

He held his son tighter. He couldn't stop the tears coming down. Danny was the only thing that kept him going from day to day. He was the only other person apart from Jen and occasionally Wilson, he shared his softer side with. He allowed them to see his pain, his true emotions. He will always remember Jens words that night. And the happiness they shared as they looked towards their future.

House slowly regained his composure again. He turned Danny round to face him and thumbed away the stray tears from his small face.

"Hey, tomorrow morning I'm going to drop you off with Uncle James and you're going to spend the day at the zoo. If you pout enough, he might even buy you a penguin."

"But daddy ..." House put his finger over Danny's lips and continued in a soft, calming tone.

"I want you to really think about this Daniel. If you are still determined to see mommy in two months time, I will take you with me. But you really need to be certain. You will have to be strong. But I'm sure mummy would love to see you. You just have to be sure"

His son nodded sleepily at his dads words. House strapped him in to his his Cars themed boosters seat and went to sit in the drivers seat. He let a final few tears fall before regaining his composure and he slowly drove home.