"What did you say?" Wilson asked the blue-eyed teenager standing in his office. She sat down in the chair opposite of him.
"I'm looking for Dr. Gregory House." She told him again and slouched down in the chair holding her button covered messenger bag on her lap.
"And why would you be looking for him?" He asked her.
"Because he needs to take responsibility for being an idiot and not using a condom 16 plus years ago and getting my mom pregnant. I'm kinda stuck in a shitty situation right now." She told him. Wilson's jaw dropped. Looking at the girl, now taking into consideration what she said, she looked just like House. The most obvious feature being the blue eyes.
"I'm sorry...are you saying House is your...father?" He asked.
"Yes. Do you know where he is?" She asked him.
"There's really no telling where he is right now." The oncologist told her. "What do you need?" He asked as the girl sighed.
"Look I really need to talk to him." She told him.
"There's a waiting room outside. You can wait for him there. I can't promise he'll show up though." He told her. The girl nodded to him. He watched the girl go into the waiting room. She took off her coat and winter gear before plopping down into the chair. She took out what Wilson thought was a Barnes and Noble Nook and an iPod. She put in her earphones and waited for her father.
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Wilson looked at the young girl sitting in the waiting room. She was a typical teenager rebel. She carried a black bag covered in buttons that was so worn it must have been with her all the time like a personal satellite. She wore large black and purple hoop earrings. Around her neck she wore tiny bird skull necklace and her wrists were adorn with a chunky black pyramid watch and several handmade bracelets. For the last thirty minutes she had been making another one. Her hands worked fast as she knotted the embroidery thread pinned to her bag with a safety pin. Once in awhile she would look up at the office or her phone and then go back to work. Wilson watched her work for a few minutes before inviting her for lunch.
"What's your name?" He asked her.
"Madison House. I think mom wanted me to have my father's name so I could find him when I wanted to. I never questioned her about it." She told him.
"Where's your mom?" He asked as the girl took another sip of her soda.
"She's dead. I don't have anywhere else to go so I went looking for my father. My uncles can't take care of me. I need someone to take me in, I'm hoping not to go into foster care right now." She told him. Wilson's heart did a flip. He hadn't ever wanted children of his own, not really, but Madison was in her late high school years. She was smart or otherwise she would be here. He thought that, maybe, since this was House's girl, that having a kid wouldn't be so bad. But on the other hand, this was House's kid, Wilson had no idea what her personality was like and living with two Houses would be too much for him to handle.
"I'm living with your father. I don't think it would be too much trouble." He said, "I don't know how your father would take it though." Madison raised an eyebrow at him.
"You live together? You're in a relationship with him?" She asked.
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Wilson asked, hoping that the girl didn't for her sake but the girl shook her head at him.
"No, I was just curious. The way I've been hearing people take about him makes him sound like the world's biggest jackass. I'm surprised he would be living with someone." She told him. Wilson laughed at that. He had thought the same thing over and over since the relationship started.
"Yeah, that's a fair assessment I guess." Wilson said. "Hold on, you've been talking to people?"
"Well yeah, sorta...I've also been listening to the nurses and doctors too. I asked a few people, like the director...what's-her-name? Dr. Cuddy?, when you weren't watching me." She replied honestly. "She said he was a pain in her ass, a totally sarcastic, sadistic jerk but a great doctor."
"Yeah, that's him." He said.
"Look, I can't promise living with me will be easy. I'm not a total jerk. I have mood swings, yeah, but I like to think I'm a decent human being that prefers to be left alone." Madison told her.
"That sounds like him too." Wilson said with a sigh. "I don't know how your father is going to handle being a father. I don't think I'll mind living with you. You seem like a smart, good kid to me Madison. The struggle might be getting your father in on it."
"Leave that to me." Madison told him.
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House walked with Wilson to his car after work was over talking about their days. A skinny shadow was sitting on the hood of the car. As they got closer House could see it was a teenager, most likely a female, who got up off the car when they approached the car. He watched the black snow shoes hit the ground and House had a feeling of déjà vu as he looked into the familiar blue eyes.
"Maddie." House said and the girl ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. Tentatively, House wrapped an arm around. "Maddie...I'm sorry about your mom." He told her.
"Dad, can I stay with you?" She asked him. "Please? Wilson said it was ok." She asked him with hope in her eyes.
"I'm sorry." He said and pushed her away. Wilson shouted at him for pushing his daughter away but Madison was already after him. "I can't do anything for you. I haven't seen you all your life and you ask to move in with me? I'll give you sympathy but I won't let you live with me."
"HOUSE! She's your daughter!" Wilson yelled at him. Madison followed House the rest of the way to the car.
"If you wanted nothing to do with me why would you submit to a blood test? Why would you facebook stalk me?" Madison asked him. House stopped walking and turned to look at the girl. "Why would you send me birthday presents every year? Why did you visit me when I was 3 years old? You probably think I wouldn't remember but I do. You rode your motorcycle into Manhattan. You took me to F.A.O. Swartz and Central Park and the zoo. I bet you have my picture somewhere because you took a lot of them that day. You sent me flowers when I was in the hospital after having an appendectomy last year. Don't lie to me. I know you want to be in my life. I know mom promised you wouldn't have to take responsibility unless she was dead. My mom was...she was murdered." House contemplated what the teenager was saying for a good ten minutes before he nodded to her. She smiled widely. "Where do you live? I drove myself and I have stuff at my hotel..." House gave her a stern look and her eyes turned sad like a kicked puppy. "Oh...ok...I guess I could get them some other time."
"Why don't you two go on together? I need to stop by the store on my way home." Wilson told the two. House glared at him but eventually agreed and fallowed Madison out to her car.
"Nice." House was honestly impressed by the girl's car, a silver 2011 Camaro coup that was obviously either a gift from her mother or had once been her mother's.
"Thanks, it was a birthday gift. Well, more like a way to say 'Sorry I'm such a shitty mother and never at home' if you really want to know." She told him before opening the doors. House got into the car while Madison took off her coat and threw it into the back of the car. House watched her, she was nervous but the girl took a deep breath that calmed her.
"Did you really know the flowers were from me?" He asked her as she turned her head to look behind her.
"Who else would have sent flowers without a name? Even the weird guy from biology class who had a crush on me put a name on his card." Madison told him. She looked at him when she was done backing out of the parking spot. "Did you keep pictures of me?"
"Maybe one or two." House said looking away. "You really remember that day?" Madison smiled and nodded.
"A little bit. I remember your motorcycle. I remember you buying me a teddy bear that was almost as big as I was. I remember seeing the penguins and just becoming so fascinated with them. I remember the bears. I remember begging you to take me to a play ground." Madison told him. They were silent for a moment.
"You made me swing with you. You loved it." House said to her with a small, short smile. "You can stay with us, if Wilson really doesn't mind."
"Really? That's awesome! Thank you!" Madison grinned wide and hugged her father when she pulled into the parking lot of the condo. "Hey, do you mind if I bring some stuff over? I don't really like keeping it at the hotel." She asked her father.
"Sure." He told her and she left giving her father a hug.
Half an hour later Wilson was back from the store with extra food and pizza. House was reading a medical journal when he came into the condo.
"Where is she?" Wilson asked House, a little excited to have House's daughter staying with them for the foreseeable future.
"She went to her hotel to pick up some stuff." He told her.
"You're really letting her stay?" Wilson asked his lover. "I'm a little shocked. I thought you didn't like kids and teenagers."
"I don't like other people's kids and teenagers but I like mine." House said, "We'll move her into my room this weekend." Wilson raised an eyebrow at him. "What? I haven't used in months. Well, you and Maddie will her."
"Maddie?" Wilson repeated with a knowing grin.
"Shut up. I've been referring to her as Maddie since she was born." House told him.
"Why didn't you tell me about her?" He asked his lover. He shrugged.
"Does it matter? She's here now." And Wilson knew better than to push the subject anymore.
A few minutes later Madison was knocking on the door. Wilson opened the door to find Madison pulling a purple cello case behind her. She was carrying a guitar case as well as a large duffle bag.
"Thanks...I have more stuff. Could you leave the door open please?" She thanked him.
"Sure." He said and she was down the hall going to the parking lot. "Well, she's polite. She didn't get that from you." Wilson commented. The next time she came back she had another duffle bag, a camera bag, and had a backpack on her back.
"That's it for now. Thanks!" She told him. "Thanks for letting me stay. I know it must be weird having your lover's teenage daughter moving in with you. I appreciate it!" She gave him a quick hug that made him grin. House hid his smile behind the journal he was reading.
"I brought back pizza. Are you hungry?" Wilson asked her. She nodded and jointed the two at the table.
"When did you start playing the cello?" House asked his daughter as she took a bite of her slice of cheese pizza.
"When I was 8 my mom gave me my first cello and sent me off the cello lessons. I loved it, despite my mom forcing me into it." She told him. "I fell in love with music. Thank you for the Les Paul by the way. I love it."
"No problem." House said.
"So, what are you interested in Madison?" Wilson asked, a bit awkwardly. Madison finished her first slice of pizza before answering.
"Well, like I said...I love music. I also like photography, reading, collecting postcards, gardening, crocheting, computers, skating, roller derby, hockey, and the slightly embarrassing hobby of collecting ball jointed dolls." Madison said as she took another slice of pizza.
"You mean those big, expensive dolls?" House asked with a laugh which earned him a swat from his lover.
"Yeah, they're beautiful and well sculpted. I think it's worth the money and I don't care what you say." Madison glared at her father for making fun of her. "But if you're talking academics I like physics and chemistry."
"Really? Is that what you're planning on studying in college?" He asked her.
"I don't know." There was a lull in the conversation. Madison shared more about her life and her interests and Wilson shared more about them. House let his lover and daughter talk, not wanting to ruin the bonding they were sharing.
Eventually the three of them decided to go to bed after the pizza was gone. Madison had fallen asleep on the sofa while Wilson was cleaning up. It was clear the emotional toll the day had a physical manifestation.
"I'll tell her to move her stuff into my room tomorrow. She's dead asleep right now." House told Wilson as he came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. House kissed the skin right behind Wilson's ear, the sensitive place that always earned him a small moan. "You what's going to suck about having a teenager in the condo?" House asked.
"What?" Wilson asked.
"We won't be having sex as often." Wilson groaned.
"We could always have office sex..." Wilson offered and followed his lover back to the master bedroom.