Ch. 10 Interim
A/N: Well, this chapter isn't incredibly exciting….. Unless you count the fact that……………House sings! That's right, if you know the show 'Angel', then you'll be interested to know that House ends up going to Caritas while in LA.
Please enjoy the latest chapter in what is rapidly becoming my favorite fan fiction project
Los Angeles, California
3 days later
House lay on his bed in his room at the Hyperion Hotel. The flight to California hadn't been that bad, and with the vicodin his leg hadn't bothered him too much. Now, though, it was throbbing like hell and he couldn't concentrate on anything. He closed his eyes and tried hard to bring himself under control. Tried to block out what was making him like this.
"You are an infuriating woman, you have no sense of tact, and I have a good mind to leave right now."
"And yet you're still here. There must be a reason. So answer my question."
Angela. House couldn't stop thinking about her. The way she smiled at him, the way she was timid in bed without overdoing it. And her scent: Sweet and spicy with floral undertones. Envisioning her scent and thinking of her voice helped him focus. The way Angela understood why he had been so embittered… House sat up and shook his head. He had to stop thinking about her. That's why he was here in the first place.
A knock on the door caught his attention. "Who is it?" he asked, gruffly.
"It's Fred," said a lilting female voice, a Texas accent flavoring the words. "C-can I come in?" House stood up and grabbed his cane. He limped over to the door and opened it. Fred had a shy smile on her face, and she held a shopping bag. "Cordy told me to go get some food for you. I just thought I'd bring it by." House took the bag and thanked her. She hurried off, leaving him to go back to the bed.
The bag had two styrofoam boxes- one large, one small- of food along with a bottle of peach mango juice, some grapes, and a couple rolls. House opened the boxes. One held two delicious smelling pieces of roasted chicken as well as a potion of rice and sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. The other had a piece of linzer torte and some fresh raspberries and strawberries. House took the set of plastic utensils and started eating. He'd certainly have to ask Cordelia where this came from. The chicken was so moist and the vegetables were perfectly done. As he worked on the rice, he wondered if Angela would know where this came from.
London, England
'Happy' was not a word in Angela's vocabulary. Her leg ached, and she so wanted Sirius there so she could pummel him. Little snot-nosed, son of a bitch bastard. The exercise bars weren't that hard, it was true. But it was just the fact that aggressive movement started her nerves working overtime. Suddenly, she wished for a sword to impale her sideways again. That would take care of everything. "One more time, Angela," the physical therapist said, much too cheerfully. It wasn't the bars that were making her miserable. It was the prosthetic.
"Can't you take this thing off for just a minute, please?" Angela asked, whining. Oh, god… she was whining! Forget pummel, she wanted to pound Sirius into a bloody pulp!
"Sorry, honey. You got to learn to deal with it, I'm afraid." Angela grit her teeth. The pain was building, but she didn't want painkillers. She wanted House. His tenacity had been the only thing that had kept her from sinking into immediate depression, and his constant affection was what kept her going. 'Stupid Lily,' Angela thought as she continued her reps. 'This is all her fault.'
Lily hated what she was putting her friend through. She had watched from across the PT room as Angela worked, first without the prosthetic, then with. Angela kept going, her muscles straining. Angela's fit figure was born of daily runs and basic work, rather than daily sword exercises and the constant battles with other Immortals. It was amazing how long Angela had lasted, considering. She wasn't open about being Immortal, but she didn't exactly keep it a secret, either. Angela was always wary if she felt the presence of other Immortals, especially ones she didn't know. Any unfamiliar presence, and she would high-tail it home and stay there. Usually it was the 1000+ year olds who were the squirrelly bunch, but Angela had apparently figured if it worked for them, then it would work for her. And work it did, as Angela had had a total of 11 Quickenings in her entire life.
Lily stopped watching after a while. A large part of her felt more that extremely guilty for what she had done. It wasn't fair. She should not be putting Angela through this right now. But it had to be done. Angela, particularly, had an addictive nature, so putting her with a man like Dr. House was basically tantamount to exploitation. The two had a dependence on each other, which Lily didn't want to destroy, but the two needed to understand that you weren't with someone just because it was an alternative to drugs.
Lily hadn't spoken to Angela since the day House left. She didn't want to get her upset… or homicidal. James had checked in on Angela and reported "Snape glares less than Angela does right now". James also hadn't had much luck in talking with Angela. It seemed that Angela was considering both of them the enemy, and thusly being snippy with the two of them.
Only Remus was able to get away verbally unscathed. Though this was due to the fact that he sided with Angela. Remus found it hard to believe that Lily would to this, but he knew she probably had her reasons. Not that he'd voice that to Angela. He liked having his body intact and silver free, thank you very much.
Remus walked into the PT room to talk to Angela and saw her doing reps on the bars again. He headed over and smiled. "Hey, Angela. How are you doing?"
"Better. Doesn't hurt as much. Best part is that I walk easier." Remus noticed that as Angela was walking, her hands were barely holding onto the bars. He found the progress to be a little unnerving. After two more laps, Angela stopped and looked at the therapist. "Do you mind if we walk back to my room? I'll use the crutches, I promise." The therapist, whose badge said 'Jamie' nodded and went to pick up a set of ring crutches. After Angela was situated, she and Remus started heading back.
"I have to use these," Angela said, when they were in the hallway. "-because Miss Jaime is constantly afraid I'll fall. I haven't yet." She looked at Remus and saw the strained expression on his face. "How's Lily doing?"
"Well, she's afraid to talk to you."
"Yeah, I know. It's not her fault. I'm just… lonely. I've been lonely for a long time. And up until last week, I had someone who made me feel less lonely. Upside, though, I slept all last night. That's a good thing, right?" Remus nodded. "I guess. How well did you sleep?"
"I'm sorry; your call cannot go through as dialed. Please hang up and try again," Angela said, smirking. Remus laughed. It was good to hear Angela making jokes since lately she'd been a bit manic-depressive.
"I said," Remus repeated, still chuckling. "-how well did you sleep?"
"Not too bad, just tossing a little. So, um… any… news from Greg?" Remus stopped smiling. He hated telling her.
"Lily called him the other day. He misses you. I think Lily said that she and someone named Gunn were taking him to this bar tomorrow night. I think the name of the place was Caritas." Angela stopped and looked at Remus, awe-struck.
"Caritas. Oh, dear God, please tell me you're kidding." When Remus shook his head, Angela's laughter let loose. She was laughing so hard, it was only the crutches which were keeping her standing. "I… would pay… anything… to see… that," she gasped out, around peels of mirth. Remus still looked perplexed.
"Why?" Angela finally calmed down, though tears of amusement were still running down her face.
"Because," she said, chuckling. "Caritas is a demon karaoke bar."
Los Angeles, California
'Give me Cuddy on a bad day,' House thought as he stood in the doorway to Caritas. 'Give me Foreman on a normal day. Hell, give me a pierced and tattooed teenager with an MP3 player stuck up his butt. Just get me OUT of here.' House was in total disbelief at the creatures that were around the bar. Demons with two heads, horns, slime, and one he saw had all three. One of the demons came over. He was about 5'10, and had green skin, red eyes, and horns coming out of his head. Cordelia smiled warmly. "Hey, Lorne. How are things?"
"Oh, swell, peach muffin," Lorne said, grinning. "Say, who's this scruffily handsome dude?" Cordelia smiled at House.
"This is Dr. Greg House. He's Angela's fiancé." Lorne remembered Angela, the very attractive, not anywhere near as broody twin sister of Angel the Vampire With a Soul. He held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Dr. House. Don't worry," he said, seeing House's face. "I don't bite." House shook Lorne's hand hesitantly. "So, what are you going to sing for us?"
'Sing?' House thought, mortified. 'Oh, sweet mother of God above, please, no!' House hadn't done any singing since his college days. He had a fair voice, but still. Cordelia and Gun just smiled expectantly. They knew this was going to happen. Well, there was nothing to do now but… go for it. Swallowing, he made his choice.
He couldn't be doing this. He had to be crazy. House was sitting on a stool on the stage in front of the microphone. This was crazy. He couldn't do this. 'Yes, you can,' said Angela's voice in his head. 'Just speak from your heart. Think of me.' Taking a deep breath, House sighed and began to sing.
"Girl, you're looking fine tonight
And every guy has got you in his sight
What you're doing with a clown like me
Is surely one of life's little mysteries
"So tonight I'll ask the stars above
How did I ever win you love?
What did I do?
What did I say?
To turn your angel eyes my way?"
As House sang, Lorne was captivated. He'd had singers give off various auras before, but there was just one thing coming from this guy. Love. Love for Angela Rosemund Celenia McKeaten. House's entire aura was filled with thoughts and memories of her.
"Well, I'm the guy who never learned to dance
I never even got one second glance
Across the crowded room was close enough
I could look but I could never touch
"So tonight I'll ask the stars above
How did I ever win you love?
What did I do?
What did I say?
To turn your angel eyes my way?"
"Don't anyone wake me If it's a dream
Cause she's the best thing to ever happen to me
All you fellows, you can look all you like
But this girl you see, she's leavin' here
With me tonight"
The words came so smoothly from House's lips. He put all of his heart and soul into singing, and after a few rough starts at the beginning, he was now fully in his rhythm. He had also forgiven Cordelia and Gunn for dragging him here. He knew why they had done it. It was a chance for him to open up without, well, opening up. As House got ready to finish the song, he saw that Cordelia was starting to cry, and even Gun was looking reminiscent.
"There's just one more thing I need to know
If this is love, why does it scare me so?
It must be something only you can see
Cause, girl, I feel it when you
Look at me
"So tonight I'll ask the stars above
How did I ever win you love?
What did I do?
What did I say?
To turn your angel eyes my way?"
When House wrapped up, everyone in the bar applauded. He stood up and made his way down to where Cordelia and Gunn were standing with Lorne. The green demon looked as if he was about to start crying as well.
"That," Lorne said, gazing at House. "-was absolutely beautiful. I've had some crooners in here before, but you… You're a treat and a half." Lorne leaned close. "Is there… any way I can… get you to do an encore?" House wanted to say no. He had never shared his singing voice with Angela, and a part of him felt he really should. On the other hand, it could be something to surprise her with on the eve of their wedding. "Sure," House said, smirking. "I'll do one more."
Taking his place once more, House got ready to sing his next song.
'I hear the wind call your name
It calls me back home again
It sparks up the fire—a flame that still burns
Oh, it's to you I'll always return'
'I still feel your breath on my skin
I hear your voice deep within
The sound of my lover—a feeling so strong
It's to you I'll always belong
Where the first song brought up love and affection, Lorne got a different reading from this one. This time, there was loss and a deep sense of missing and being missed. That was part of the reason Cordelia had brought House here. She had called Lorne and told him about Angela and House, and she was trying to find some way to draw the doctor out. Lorne had suggested coming by the bar. And listening now, Lorne could see that House was way overdue for an emotional release.
'Now I know it's true
Yeah, my every road leads to you
And in the hour of darkness, darling
Your light gets me through'
"Want to swim in your river
Be warmed by your sun
Bathe in your waters
Cause you are the one
House found the song strangely appropriate. He missed Angela deeply. Missed her smile, her grace and poise. But most of all, he missed how she made everything fit. She brought his life into order, something that he didn't even realize he needed. House tried to sing each word as if she was there. He was pouring his heart out, and he could only hope that some small part of that would go to Angela tonight.
"I can't stand the distance
I can't dream alone
I can't wait to see you
Yeah, I'm on my way home
Yeah, I'm on my way"
'Oh, I hear the wind call your name
The sound that leads me home again
It sparks up the fire—a flame that still burns
Oh, it's to you I'll always return'
"Want to swim in your river
Be warmed by your sun
Bathe in your waters
Cause you are the one
Cordelia had been dubious about Angela's relationship. Most of that had been a bizarre sort of spillover from dealing with Angel. Angel was always brooding, usually mentally, over Buffy and later over Darla. Angela, from what Cordelia could gather the one time the two had met, didn't brood. She dwelled. The result was basically the same, but with one major difference. Angel mourned his past. Angela put it behind her. And getting to know Dr. House, Cordelia realized that the doctor did the same thing.
"I can't stand the distance
I can't dream alone
I can't wait to see you
Yeah, I'm on my way home"
'Oh, I hear the west wind call your name
The sound that leads me home again
It sparks up the fire—the flame that still burns
Yeah, I'm on my way
I will always return
Yes, I will always return
I've seen every sunset
And with all that I've learned
Oh, it's to you I will always, always return"