Chapter four

House opened the door and walked out of his building. After locking the door he turned and noticed Titania in running clothes, sitting on the bottom step holding coffee and a bakery bag. She stood as he got to the bottom step and looked up at him.

"Brought breakfast to you. Figured the element of surprise would be better than calling you to meet me and having you say no."

"The answer is still no."

"Oh come on, coffee and pastries." She waved the bag under his nose.

"You have to eat some time."

House caught the scent of baked goods. Rolling his eyes he said, "Oh alright. Eating. No talking."

Titania nodded and waved her hand to the steps with a questioning look. House nodded and they sat. She took out a danish and offered it to House. They sat, munching on the food and sipping the coffee. House eyed Titania as she ate and took in the scenery around her.

Feeling his eyes on her she turned to him and said, "How long have you lived here?"

"Forever."

She gave a small laugh and finished her food and sat holding her coffee, rubbing a thumb along the lids opening. House finished off his food and coffee and sat awkwardly before shifting his weight and clearing his throat.

"So how much do you know about your mother and me from back then?"

"You mean other than the whole bopping each other thing?" She said with a smile.

He blinked in surprise and cleared his throat.

"Yeah besides all that. Kind of crude there aren't you?"

"That's what it was though. Mom told me that it wasn't about finding a forever with each other. It was the sexual experience. She was very open about that. She said that was part of the college experience."

"Did she follow through with that thinking when you went off to college?"

"When she dropped me off she gave me a hug and then a gift bag filled with condoms, lubricants and other flavored accompaniments along with a peacock feather."

House laughed. "I can see that. She was quite open and adventurous."

"Yeah, a little too much for my step father at times. He was a bit more reserved, but then again, he was British."

"Step father?"

Titania nodded and House said, "So what was his response to your mother's gift?"

"He hugged me, whispered in my ear to be safe and to choose wisely. Then he handed me a couple cans of mace and said they were for just incase."

"Sounds like he was protective."

"He was. It was a nice counteractive to mom's 'C'est la vie' approach to life. William had some of that in him but definitely not as much as mom. He was more cautious with certain things. But it was great growing up with them. It was a nice balance that helped me to be shaped into who I am today."

Titania noticed that House was getting uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. She gathered up the remains of the breakfast, stood, wiped off her pants and said, "Thank you for having breakfast with me. It was nice." With that she turned and started to walk away, throwing the garbage in a can by the curb. House stood, watching her go her way. When she was a few feet away, he called out to her.

"We can eat and not talk again, say around 1o'clock today?" Titania turned and flashed him a smile.

"Okay."

"Meet you at the diner on the corner by the hospital."

Her only response was to nod and say, "Later" before continuing on her way.

House watched her walk and turn the corner before shaking his head and making his way to his car. He had to admit that this whole situation was a mystery that was starting to look interesting. Realizing this, he said aloud to himself, "Damn, what are you getting yourself into?"