House mulled over the events of the day with a glass of whiskey in his hand, wondering what exactly had happened. His grandfather had been dying for a while, that was no surprise. Sure, his mother had called to tearfully inform him that there were only a few weeks left, but that was something he had planned on happening. Everybody died. And his grandfather was in his ninety's.
What surprised him was the sudden idea. And it had seemed utterly brilliant at the time. It gave him much more money, but it was at the same time, just money. It didn't give him anything else. A knock on the door jarred him out of his thoughts, and he shouted at them to go away, but the sound of a key in the lock resigned him to facing the one person he'd rather not.
"I have beer." And a case was set down on the table. He didn't even look up as he heard the sounds of a coat being draped over a chair, and the couch protesting as Wilson flopped into it. There was a long while before either of them spoke, both of them busy watching the television. "Why?"
House sighed, the one question he didn't even know the answer to. "Why not?"
"Why are you suddenly deciding that you need to be married? You don't need the money."
"I don't." House looked up, and saw the concern in his friend's eyes, and found it to be absolutely damnable.
"So why? Cuddy thinks you have this urge to be a bitch to your family by brining me along as your-whatever." House hadn't even considered that, really. He had considered his mother's reaction, his father's didn't matter anymore, the man was dead. He knew his mother would be upset at the lack of grandkids, but she hadn't been holding out hope anyway. She knew his past full well, and it wouldn't surprise him, he knew that.
"It's not that."
"So what is it? Why now? Why me?"
"I don't know. Why'd you marry any of your ex wives?"
"Because it seemed like the natural thing to do. I thought I was in love, we'd been dating, it seemed like the natural progression of things. Dating, engagement, marriage, divorce."
"So you married them because you dated them?"
"Because I didn't think there'd be anyone else." Wilson swilled down a beer, and reached for another.
"But there always was. Don't you think by wife number three, you'd have learned?"
"Last time I checked this conversation was about you."
"Did you really love any of them, or did you just pretend to?" Wilson pinched the bridge of his nose, and House knew he'd hit a sore spot.
"I did, at least I thought I did."
"Bullshit." It's one word that cuts Wilson to the quick, and he knows it's true, but he won't admit it.
"You married them because it stopped you from being alone, and it gave you someone who would need you. Because unless you're being needed, you're not happy." Wilson briefly wondered how many whiskeys House had knocked back before he realized that the tone in his friend's voice was frustration, not drunken anger.
"At least I've never wanted to marry someone for money."
"It's not just for the money." House knew there was more to it than that, but what the other thing was, he wasn't sure. It was just an idea that had taken root and refused to leave. One that had been stewing in the back of his mind for the past week.
The phone rang, interrupting their conversation, and House grabbed it, checking the caller ID. "Are you going to do this, or no?"
"Now, you want me to make a decision now?"
"Well, my mother's calling, and it would give her enough time to get up here before gramps kicks the bucket-" Wilson felt very put on the spot.
But he couldn't leave House hanging. There was always the possibility of divorce number four, another tally on the list of failed relationships that he'd had. "Fine." He agreed, knowing full well that he had gotten himself in way over his head. This was far worse than any of his previous marriages, at least those had been done with a semi noble purpose in mind. This, this was done simply out of curiosity.
Which, he had the sneaking suspicion was the entire reason why House was doing it. Because he wanted to see what would happen. House was like a five year old in that regard. Give him a vague idea, and he's naturally run it into the ground, attempting to see things from every angle. Tell him not to do something, tell him he couldn't do something, and he'd do it, just to see what would happen.
House was the sort of person that would have ended the world during the cold war, simply because he would have pushed the button that would have started mutually assured destruction simply to see how the rest of the world would respond. And he had a feeling that that was exactlly what this was. Mutually assured destruction. Or rather, nuptually assured destruction.
He groaned as he heard House's smirk rather than saw it. "Hi, mom, how are you? Me? Excellent. I'm getting married." Yes, that's what this was, nuptually assured destruction.