OMG, thank-you so much for all of the reviews!

Samanthaon: I actually wasn't even considering a Wilson/Julia romance when I came up with this idea, but after I finished that last chapter with the whole eyes thing and all, I started wondering if that might be a possibility. You never know with this odd mind of mine…

To all my other fabulous reviewers that shower me with compliments I know I don't deserve: What do you think? Wilson/Julia? Or…something else? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Julia was quite comfortable in her accommodations in the ICU of the hospital. "I didn't exactly come here thinking I was going to stay a while," she told Wilson. "Maybe a nice afternoon outing, but not a vacation."

"You're not the only one," he laughed. "It looks like you're all set in here. Meals will be served to you in bed, so that's very nice, you've got cable t.v., and you've even got a private room."

"Sounds like fun," she replied. "Thank-you very much, Dr. Wilson. I really appreciate the fact that you're all looking out for me."

"Anytime," Wilson said. "Listen, I've gotta run, but we've got a whole array of doctors on your case that will be coming by. And then I'll be back later on, just to see how you're doing."

"Thanks so much," Julia said again, none of the meaning of the statement lost in her voice.

"No problem," Wilson said. "If you need anything, just holler. Literally. There will always be someone standing around out there for you if you need them."

Julia giggled. "What constitutes as a need? If I can't breath, obviously, but how far down the line can I get? What if I get lonely and just decide I want to play cards with someone?"

"That's the most important need of all," Wilson said, smiling. "Just let one of the nurses know. They'll be glad to get off their feet and hang out with you for a while. And like I said, I'll be by whenever I can, just to make sure things are going well. And," he continued, his eyes sparkling, "I love to play cards."

"Are you a gambling man, Dr. Wilson?" Julia asked him.

"Sometimes."

"Good. We're gonna play Blackjack, and I'm gonna kick your ass." She clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry. I have this incurable potty mouth and no matter how hard I try, something always slips out."

While Julia thought this was something to be ashamed of, it took a lot off of Wilson's shoulders. He could cuss now! He didn't have to feel guarded! "It's alright. If that's your worst vise, you're an angel. Besides, you'll probably catch me saying something rude later on. You won't have problems kicking my ass at Blackjack."

"You'll probably murder me at poker, though," Julia admitted. "Look, I'd better let you go. You probably have important doctor things to do and I don't want to keep you from them."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Wilson said. "I'll see you in a few hours, okay, Ms. Peterson?"

"That's Julia to you, and don't you ever forget it!" she said sharply, a wide smile across her face.

"See you in a few hours…Julia."

That made her feel all gooey and warm inside. He called her Julia! Only…they weren't exactly on first-name basis, because he hadn't asked her to call him by his first name. Oh, well. There were probably rules against that in the doctor community. Whatever. He was still pretty cool. Lots of fun to talk with, obviously intelligent, kind of cute…

Julia, he's old enough to be your father!

Actually, no. House was old enough to be her father.

House. She wondered if she'd cross paths with him again at some point.

"House!" Cuddy's shrill voice cut through the air, embedding itself directly where it was supposed to go: House's eardrums. "Come here!"

House sluggishly turned around and hobbled over to her. "You know, you're not my personal trainer. You don't have to send me running all over the place at the speed of light."

"I just wanted to give you back your Vicodin, but if you're not interested…" she said smugly, shaking the bottle of pills in front of him. "I'm impressed. You got through clinic duty. I'm gonna have to steal your medicine more often."

"Not gonna happen," he told her, shaking his head as he snatched the pills. "I'm having an alarm installed. Maybe a fingerprint system, heat monitors, the works."

"You have a new case," she said, not in the mood for games. She slammed a file into his chest. "Julia Peterson, age 19. Came in complaining of some minor symptoms that weren't going away, had a seizure just as Dr. Wilson was about to kiss her good-bye."

"He was going to kiss her?" House couldn't believe this. My best friend is making moves on my daughter! He's old enough to be her father! Actually, no. Almost, though. A seizure!

"It's an expression, kind of like, 'Kiss my ass,'" Cuddy told him. "Actually, he was shaking her hand, and she just started seizing."

"Is she alright?"

Cuddy cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "She's got a monster headache, from what I understand, but she's fine. For now, anyway. She's in the ICU, room 116." She shrugged. "Who knows? Now that you're actually asking about how your patients are, maybe you'll want to go see them at some point during the course of your investigation. Here." Cuddy handed him the vial of blood Wilson had collected earlier. "Dr. Wilson had drawn some of her blood before the seizure took place. It should be enough to run a few tests for whatever you think is necessary."

"But…" House couldn't think of anything to say. Cuddy, I can't work this case because the kid thinks she's my daughter, and I'm scared out of my mind that she could be right. Come on, let's make a deal. I'll do clinic duty all day tomorrow. I'll scrub your office clean with my tongue. I'll be nicer to Cameron. Hell, I'd marry her if you'd just excuse me from this…

"No buts," she commanded. "Go, do your job. And because I'm so proud of you, I'm releasing you from clinic duty all week!"

"Couldn't I just have a lollipop?" House wanted to know. Cuddy turned her back on him and walked away. He felt the irresistible urge to kick someone, so he went and found Chase.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," Chase informed him after House kicked him.. "What's up?"

"We've got a new case, gang," House said, walking leisurely into the room. Nothing was wrong. Just another day. "Let's do this."

"Good morning, Dr. House," Cameron said brightly.

"Good morning, sunshine," he replied sarcastically. "Don't be so happy next time. Drink your coffee and pay attention. We have to do this one fast."

"Why?" Foreman wanted to know. "What's going on?"

"Julia Peterson, age 19, comes in complaining of…" He flipped through the file. "Exhaustion, persistent cough, severe headaches, weight loss, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. She's about to leave and then has a seizure. This is what we call a medical enigma."

"Please, that's elementary," Chase said. "There must be several diseases that ring a bell in your mind."

"Who are you, Sherlock Holmes?" House asked. " 'Elementary, my dear House.' Naturally, several diseases come to mind, but the question is, which one?"

"Why don't we just give her all the meds we can round up and see what happens?" Foreman asked sarcastically. "It's worked before."

"I don't feel like taking on a law suit at the moment," House replied, irritated that his favorite method had been flung at him so ruthlessly. "Take some blood, run some tests, and report back to me with your findings."

"What, we're not even brainstorming? How do we know what we're looking for?" Cameron asked.

"Sometimes, my dear, it's better to keep an open mind. Looking for something specific might deadly."

His team left the room. House allowed himself to relax, sat back in his chair, and began to think.

Keep an open mind. To what? To the fact that he might very well have a daughter?

Jesus, Greg, the daughter isn't half the problem. What about Alma?

They had met junior year of high school. It was supposed to be just a fling, not a relationship. He thought she was pretty, she thought he was handsome, and they both didn't want to bear the social stigma of not having a significant other. Their status was right, their chemistry was right, they even looked good together. What they hadn't counted on was how quickly they fell in love. It was a wild ride, passionate and unpredictable. Greg relieved her of her virginity on their senior prom night.

God, by the time she found out about it, he was probably already on his way to college.

He wondered how she felt, after they had lost touch so quickly after that night. He only called occasionally, rarely saw her outside of school. Soon, he couldn't even remember little things like the color of her eyes or the how she'd laugh so hard at him whenever he tried to be sensitive and romantic. It just didn't matter anymore, and he didn't know why. Deep down inside, he felt like an egotistical jerk, but he blamed it on his youth and never looked back.

He never thought it would come back to bite him in the butt like this.

Clearly, he had to get this Julia Peterson well, before he had to deal with Alma.

House put his hand in his pocket and felt the vial of blood. He rolled it between his fingers and knew the time had come. He made his way to the lab, trying to be inconspicuous. The truth of the matter was, he looked about as furtive as an inexperienced bank robber. He quietly locked the door behind him, and, confident no one was watching, drew his own blood.

The paternity test was now underway.

I know my romance is a little off, and a lot cheesier than it should be. My apologies, ya'all! Also, I have kind of a dumb question…actually, two.

1) What is Wilson's first name?

2) Is he married? If so, what's his wife's name?

(These may or may not be pertinent to the rest of the story; this is just for me. :P)

And, as a third:

3) Should I have known this before I began writing? (All signs point to: YES!) Chapter Four will be up soon. Enjoy this!