Cameron walked up the front path and climbed the three steps leading to the front door. The house was not what she had expected, not for House anyway. It was...well...normal. And pretty; the textbook fairytale type house. White siding, blue shutters at the windows. It even had a porch, though no porch swing. She smiled, sure that there would eventually be one, if Amy had her way like she had with the move. Definitely Amy's choice. As she reached out her hand to knock on the door, it suddenly opened, and she was met by Amy.
"Hey. Come on in." Amy stood back and let Cameron past. "Welcome to the House house." She grinned and took Cameron's jacket.
"Dad's hiding in the study." Amy said.
"You didn't tell him I was coming?"
"No, I did. That's why he's hiding...come on, I'll give you the tour." Cameron followed Amy round the house, through the large kitchen (that looked as if it hadn't been used in a while), the even larger great room (where House's piano stood pride of place, surrounded by boxes marked "Dad's stuff". Seeing Cameron look at the boxes Amy said;
"We've been here two weeks and he's refusing to unpack more than one box a night. At this rate, he'll be going until Christmas."
"I heard that." Came a voice from behind them. Amy and Cameron turned to see House standing in the doorway. He held out a Chinse take-out menu, which Cameron took.
"Pick whatever you want." Amy said, "I'll order when you're ready." Cameron scanned the menu...
"I'll have Duck Lo Mein, if that's ok."
"Sure. I'll be right back." Amy took the menu from Cameron and sidled past her father towards the hallway. House and Cameron heard her talking to the take-out place.
House looked at Cameron, not sure what to say to her. She was dressed casually, jeans and a black sweater. He wasn't used to seeing her in anything other than a lab coat; whenever she came by the old apartment to pick Amy up he would be conveniently engaged elsewhere.
"Did you want something to drink?" he asked, somewhat awkwardly. Cameron looked relieved when he spoke and said that yes she would.
"Beer ok? I don't know what's in the fridge."
"Beer's fine." Cameron shrugged, and followed him through the hallway into the kitchen. Amy was just finishing making the order and joined them.
"Should be about 20 minutes."
"How much did he offer you this time?" House asked her as he took two beers out of the refrigerator, and a Diet Coke for Amy. Cameron looked at him, confused. Amy laughed as she answered,
"Mr Huang, the guy who owns the take-out place wants me to marry his son. So far he's offering three hundred thousand and as many fortune cookies as I want. Last week it was two hundred and fifty, no cookies."
Cameron still looked confused and Amy continued,
"It wouldn't be a bad offer...but Mr Huang Junior is forty three years old. And still lives with his parents."
Amy pulled a face, making House and Cameron laugh. They were interuppted by the doorbell ringing.
"That wasn't twenty minutes." Amy muttered, leaving the kitchen to answer the door. Cameron and House heard her laughing and talking with someone, and seconds later the door was shut and Amy was back with their food.
"Apparently future daughter-in-laws get a rush on their food." Amy grinned, holding up the bag full of their order. She set it on the kitchen counter,
"Duck Lo Mein for Cameron..." Amy passed Cameron her container of food, "Duck Lo Mein for Dad..." Cameron looked slightly confused as Amy handed the container to House, "and Duck Lo Mein for me. Chopsticks anyone?"
"What?" House asked, seeing Cameron's bemused expression and taking a pair of chopsticks from his daughter.
"Nothing." She answered, and took a pair of chopsticks for herself. Seemingly unaware of the exchange between her father and Cameron, Amy was opening a drawer and retrieving a fork.
"Eating in the lounge?" she asked, to no-one in particular, before walking out of the kitchen again. House and Cameron followed a few seconds later to find Amy sat cross legged on a scatter cushion on the floor; her chopsticks in her hair and listening to Jazz on the CD player.
Four hours, more than just a few beers and three jazz CDs later, and House and Cameron were alone in House's living room. Amy had finally given in and gone to bed when she realised that House and Cameron; both slightly had been 'waxing nostalgic' about past patients for an hour and a half. And now that she wasn't there, the talk had turned to how House was adjusting to being a father.
"She called you Dad." Cameron said, trying to take a sip from her beer but finding it empty.
"When?" House asked, handing her a new one.
"Earlier when she gave you your food."
"Oh yeah. She does that now." House shrugged.
"How come?" Cameron asked
"Well Doctor Cameron," House said, aiming to be sarcastic but slurring his words slightly, "I don't know if you learned this in medical school...but there's this thing called sex." Cameron raised an eyebrow, "And sex, makes babies, which grow into Amy's."
"Riiight." Cameron said. "But she used to call you Greg, so why does she call you Dad all of a sudden?"
"I never really asked." House answered, "she just started doing it and it sounded OK, so I didn't tell her to stop."
"You like it." Cameron teased. "You like being a dad."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." House smirked, taking a swig from his beer.
"Liar."
"Everybody lies." House said, repeating his age-old saying. Cameron took a slow, steady drink from her beer, before saying,
"Except Superman."