Summary, disclaimer, etc. in chapter 1.

Roo88 – cheers! glad you're enjoying and thanks very much for taking the time to review :)

LastScorpion – muchas gracias :)

Benj – glad I could help with that hangover! I've got the same opinion of Stacy – can't explain it, but I like her a lot – love writing her (which you do very well too); House's parents…I've already got them written in to another story – they're much fun to play with – really, anyone who can push House's buttons and get away with it is fun to play with; the other stories are coming right along now that I've got a break in the school year…which I should be using to write papers, not fic (oops) :)

Re: this chapter. My knowledge of Jewish wedding customs is exactly nil - I hope this either fits closely enough or that it seems sorta plausible that Wilson would have a Christian wedding (given that we don't know Julie's faith or how observant Wilson really is). Just to get that out there. :)

Jitters

May 1999

"I thought you said this was going to be a small ceremony," House hissed at Wilson.

Wilson fiddled nervously with his cuff links. "She has a big family," he said. "They all wanted to be here. Seems some people don't alienate their relatives from birth."

"She just hasn't tried hard enough," House grumbled, checking his hair in the mirror.

"Can you not speak ill of my soon-to-be wife five minutes before we go out there?" Wilson said anxiously, checking his hair also. "Some Best Man you are."

"Hey," House said, taking affront, "no one throws a better bachelor party than yours truly. And I'm keeping you from running off and jilting a very sexy woman, aren't I?"

"Is it so much to ask that you not covet your best friend's fiancée on the day of his wedding?" He caught House's smirk in the mirror. "Or could you at least keep it quieter?"

"I don't begrudge you a fine piece of ass like that," House said smugly.

"House, you're pushing it," Wilson said. The realization of what he was about to do dawned on him for the fiftieth time in the past hour and he blanched visibly, leaning forward against the counter.

House clapped him on the back, grinning. "Better hurry if you're going to throw up again," he said, "and be more careful. I've only got one spare shirt left and I'm fresh out of cummerbunds."

Wilson swallowed with difficulty. "You're not helping," he said shakily.

"He's not getting cold feet, is he?"

House jumped. Julie's stupid cousin.

The voice belonged to a large, blond, sun-tanned young man whose grin displayed two rows of perfectly straight, milk-white teeth. He slapped House hard on the back. House pitched forward before he could stop himself.

"Talk him out of it or I come after you," he said.

House let the thinly-veiled threat go and turned to smile at the shark-like man. "He's fine, Les," House said with false cheer. "Jimmy takes this very seriously, that's all. His concept of forever includes this thing called the afterlife. Big and scary if you ask me, but he's very serious about it. Takes him a moment to adjust to spending it with someone else. You understand." House returned Les's clap on the back, but the larger man wasn't thrown off balance as House had been. "Why don't you go see if they're ready for us," House suggested.

Les glanced at Wilson, who had gone even more pale, scowled briefly, and lumbered away.

Wilson watched him go in the mirror. "Thanks," he said gratefully. "I'm not looking forward to having him as an in-law."

House smirked. "Nothing against Julie," he said, "but you may be marrying into the Missing Link's family."

Wilson was unimpressed by House's comment. "Again, not helping," he said. He went back to fiddling with his cuff links. "What's taking so long?" he asked worriedly.

House glanced over to the door. The wedding coordinator was gesturing to them. He turned back to Wilson.

"It's time," he said. He waited until Wilson turned his head and their eyes met. "You'll be great," he added, smiling.

Wilson straightened up, composed himself, and smiled back as best he could. "If you ever need a Best Man, you know where to find me," he said.

House said nothing. Instead, he smiled again, adjusted the flower in Wilson's lapel, and led him out of the room.