Wedding Bells

Buzzing. Chirping. Clanging.

House turned over and grumbled. He opened one eye warily and glanced around. Sunlight filtered through trees. Allison was long gone, probably the cause of the clanging upstairs. He sighed and tried to go back to sleep. It was no use.

He flopped over in the bed and turned on the television. After flipping through a few channels showing NASCAR, bass fishing and golf, he rested on an old, black and white movie.

Cameron came downstairs with a tray. It contained two mugs of coffee, a plate of toast and three donuts. "Good morning sleepyhead!" She called down to him.

"Morning," he managed to get out. He reached for the mug greedily and took a long gulp. "What time is it, and when do we have to be someplace?"

She set the tray down and smiled, "It's almost nine and we don't have to be anywhere until three this afternoon." She nestled against the pillows. "How divine."

"So I don't have to get dressed, or bounce around the countryside or speak pleasantly to an aged relative? I can be grumpy and smelly with you?" He bit into a donut. The sugar caused a spike in his insulin. "What is this? It's like there's a party in my mouth and everyone brought cake."

"Krispy Kreme. Is it great?" She eyed it hungrily, but continued to eat her more sensible toast.

"A bit sweet for my taste. I think it ate away at my palate." He took another sip of coffee.

"The treasures of the South are completely wasted on you." She sighed. She poured him some more coffee from the carafe on the tray.

"Oh well. I have other redeeming qualities." He settled back and watched the television. "What's all that buzzing out there?" He indicated the window.

"Buzzing?" Cameron had no idea what he was talking about.

House muted the sound. They listened for a moment.

Cameron giggled. "Cicadas. Katydids. Crickets. Bugs. We have them in New Jersey too." She smacked him playfully.

"Not that loud." He complained and turned the sound up.

"Is nature too noisy for you?" She asked, sliding back down into the bedding for a snooze.

"Too noisy, too quiet. I'm a suburban boy. Lawn mowers, motorcycles, those are proper weekend noises." He too decided to have a snooze.

They spent the day in lazy activities. They were dressed and ready to leave when Abby knocked on their door. "Okay guys, come on!" She called through the screen.

House struggled in a suit and tie, Allison wore a silk, floral chiffon dress. Short, with halter top and a ruched bodice. She played with the skirt like she was four-years old. Her high-heeled sandals clicked across the floor on her way out to the car.

Abby rolled her eyes, "Are you going to tap dance like you did when you were little?"

Allison giggled as she put a sweater on so that her outfit would be suitable for church, "I might. I don't know why, but I'm in such a good mood right now."

Alana leaned over from the back seat. "I like your dress. Where'd you get it? Can I borrow it?"

Allison thought for a moment, "Macy's I think and no, you have to get your own." She fluffed the skirt a bit and crossed her legs so she could rotate her foot. It was impossible not to notice her pedicure. Light gold polish accentuated with a black curlicue pattern.

"Cute!" Alana shrieked, "Mom…"

"You're a bad influence, Ali." Abby said, regarding her own French pedicure. "Is there a toe ring too?"

"As a matter of fact…" Allison crossed her legs again, showing her left foot, complete with a simple gold toe ring with a small diamond. She smiled serenely.

Alana cooed and exclaimed; Abby complained. House took small notice. He liked the girly stuff, although he wasn't one to make a fuss about it.

"You know Allison; you should enjoy this stuff while you can. Once you're married and taking care of a family, you won't have time for it." Abby sounded like someone who was startled to find that she had no idea what was hip or cool anymore.

"Okay. I will." She leaned over to adjust the ring imperceptibly, and to admire it again.

At the church they settled into a pew and waited for the ceremony to start. Alana joined the rest of the bridesmaids in the mindless activity of sitting around to wait while dressed to the nines. Simon had tried to pull out his Gameboy, but his mother had confiscated it so he slunk down into his seat and moped. "Sit up," Abby hissed at him.

Finally, after three minor crises, the wedding began. The pastor addressed the church and advised them that they were as much a participant in the marriage as the bride and the groom. He read a bit from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. He invoked the vows. He invited the couple to light a unity candle. Then it came time to exchange rings. He placed them in his hand, holding them aloft, between his fingers for the congregation to see. "These rings, like your love, were forged in fire. They have no beginning and no end." A small titter bobbed around the church. Three of the bridesmaids had trouble keeping their countenance. Ben's left hand reached over the pew towards House, who quickly slipped a five-dollar bill into the palm. Abby, who saw this out of the corner of her eye, fumed.

After the ceremony, while the wedding party posed for formal pictures, punch and finger sandwiches were served in the fellowship hall. House perched on a folding chair and waited for the signal to head over to the restaurant where the reception would take place. Allison sat next to him. "So what did you think?"

"I'm down a fin." He said.

"Smart money was on tradition." She said. "So how do you see our wedding?"

"Not that." He said simply, indicating the wedding bells hanging from crepe-paper streamers.

"No." She agreed, "I've already done that. I'm over it. So what then?"

"Well, you're an atheist…" He started.

"Shh." She shushed him.

"Right. To your family you're still a Methodist. Gotcha." He winked.

"What they don't know won't hurt them." She stated.

"We could just go down to City Hall, and have a judge do it." House wasn't into big ceremonies. He didn't even attend his own graduations after high school.

"That's an option. Or we could have a small ceremony on the beach, with dinner afterwards." She envisioned herself barefoot at sunset in a simple white dress.

"Do I have to decide now?" He grew petulant. "You know, I've never actually proposed to you. Maybe you'll want to wait on planning this shindig until we get that part out of the way."

She held up her left hand, "I've got a ring and your promise."

"You know, when a man proposes, it's a big deal. It's probably the most I'll ever organize in my whole life. Do you really want me to skip it? There might be another ring in it for you." He bribed.

Allison cocked her head to the side and considered, "I love the ring I have. I don't want a separate engagement ring. Isn't there a matching wedding band that goes with this? That'll be enough for me." She clicked her nails against the plastic top of the table and turned in the direction of the sanctuary. "How many different configurations of the wedding party are they going to take? I'm tired of sitting here." She looked specifically at some of the younger kids who were playing with disposable cameras. "Great, they'll spend $100 in developing blurry pictures of people's butts."

"You know, half of marriages end in divorce." He looked around the room.

She followed his gaze, "None of these have. Smart money's on us House."

"You seem to have an inside track." He smiled.

"Yup. I might be small, but I'm mighty." She stood, "Come on, you want to go outside for a minute and get away from all of this madness?"

"I've wanted that for the past three days." He said, rising to escort her out.

The party at the Mexican restaurant was only an hour late in getting started. The open bar served dulce de leche pina coladas while a deejay played typical wedding music. The photographer was getting casual groups together, arranged by relationship. Allison had posed for one of all the aunts. The Bubbas formed a trio, all smiling as they toasted with their beer glasses. Ben glanced over at House who regarded this with much amusement and a little horror. "Hey Greg, you need to be in this with us!" He called.

House thought about it for a minute. The three looked at him expectantly. There was no going back from this point. He would be officially in the family. It didn't start with Allison accepting him, or with her father's permission, it started with a goofy picture of uncles. It was impossible not to flashback on Tod Browning's Freaks. One of us, one of us, one of us, ran through is brain. "Come on, my beer's getting warm." Scott moaned.

House was resigned, "Gabba, gabba hey." He said quietly as he got to his feet. He moved into the picture and as the flash blinded him he realized that he had just gained three brothers. Three redneck brothers.

The next morning they were all packed up for the trip home. Alana and Simon sat in the far back seat and watched a movie quietly, too tired from all the activity of the previous few days to even snipe at each other.

House and Allison sat in the middle seat, alternately napping and listening to the eighties station that Ben had tuned in on the satellite. Abby flipped through a magazine and stared out the window.

It seemed to take half as long to get back to Atlanta. It had been agreed that rather than going all the way back to the airport that Ben would drop them off at the Brookhaven station so that they could take the subway. "Are you sure you'll be okay on the train?" He asked as they pulled up to the curb.

"We'll be fine. We live in the northeast; we take trains all over the place." Allison assured him.

"Just get on a southbound train. They all end up at the airport." He said as he helped them with the suitcases. "You going to be okay with this?"

"I'm fine. Stop worrying. It has wheels and Greg can sling this bag over his shoulder." She handed House duffel.

"Okay." He hugged Greg, "It was great meeting you Bubba. I guess we'll see you for the holidays." He hugged and kissed Allison. "You take care of yourself Sissy."

"I will Bubba." She said. She hugged and kissed her sister, her niece and nephew.

They got on a nearly empty train and piled the luggage on the seat that faced them. "If it gets crowded we can move that." Allison said.

House nodded. "So, are you sad about leaving them?"

"No. It was nice to visit with everyone, but I'm glad to be going home. I miss the boys. How relieved are you?" She asked.

"It wasn't that bad." He admitted.

"Good." She nestled into the crook of his arm.

It was nearly midnight by the time they got home. Allison dropped the suitcases at the front door and went looking for Roman. "Kitty-kitty!" She called.

"Allison!" House yelled from the den. She joined him as he pointed to the cat, who was sound asleep with all four paws up in the air.

She bent down to pick him up. "Poor baby."

"Poor baby? He's sound asleep. Probably dreaming of mice and birds and unlimited Tender Vittles." He sat down in his chair and sighed. "It's good to be home."

"Are you hungry? Do you want anything?" She asked cuddling the groggy cat.

"No. I've got everything I need." He smiled. "Wait. Give him to me." He held out his arms for Roman.

Allison, puzzled, handed him over.

House arranged him in his lap. He stroked Roman slowly until he heard him purr. "Perfect. Now it's perfect."