Hi folks! Sorry for the delay in updating, life sort of got in the way. Not to mention the site problems. By the way, thanks to CausticChick for telling me how to post during the site problems. This story is not over. Lots of pain, excitement, etc for House and Kate. Thanks for all the reviews, both positive and constructive. I appreciate it and want to keep going with this.

Chapter 22

Emily was six months old and House was actually feeling happy and content with his life. Which, of course, meant to him that something was bound to happen to mess things up. He wasn't wrong.

Cuddy had browbeaten him into doing his weekly clinic hours and he was just returning to his office when he almost ran into Cameron.

"Oh, good," she said, "You're here. I was going to go down to find you."

"Why?" he asked, fearing a new case would keep him at work when he really wanted to get home.

"You had an important message from your mother."

House immediately wished that there was a case. A message from his mother was never good news, especially right now.

Cameron continued, ignoring the anxious look that he gave her. "She asked me to tell you that she and your father would be stopping to see you tonight. Your father has a reunion in Washington this weekend for the Marines, but they need to pick up a friend of his who lives in Delaware. So they flew in to Philadelphia and rented a car. They're driving up to see you tonight, then they'll head to his friend's and the reunion."

"I can't see my parents tonight!" House was desperate.

"You'll have to. They don't have a cell phone and they're already on the road. Your father didn't want to wait. That's why she left the message."

"When did she call?"

"About forty-five minutes ago."

House picked up his helmet and headed down to his bike, wondering how he was going to get out of this. It was only a couple hours drive from Philly. They would probably be arriving at his house by early evening. That didn't give him much time. He could pretend that he never got the message, but knowing his mother she would check with Cameron and find out that she had given it to him. No matter what, he knew he was in big trouble.

Kate was home when he got there, feeding the baby. He greeted her with a long kiss, holding her longer than the greeting usually called for.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I love you." He answered.

"I love you too. So, what's up?"

"I just want you to remember that I love you."

"I know you do."

"I mean, I really love you. You don't have to ever doubt that."

"Greg, you're scaring me. What the hell is going on?"

He hesitated, tapping his cane on the floor a few times, before finally saying, "My parents are coming to visit."

"Oh." She replied. "It will be good to meet them." She wasn't sure if it was. She knew that House didn't get along well with them and she didn't know what they would think about her.

"They're coming tonight."

"Tonight? Well, the house isn't a total wreck, so I guess we can handle it." She was about to say she wondered if she could, then she looked at him and sensed there was something else on his mind. "What aren't you telling me?'

He took a deep breath. "I, um, haven't really talked to them in a while. And I've sort of not really told them about certain things."

"What things?"

He limped to the cabinet, pulled out the bottle of scotch and poured himself a drink. She watched him.

"What things, Greg?" she asked again.

He swallowed a large amount of scotch before answering. Then he looked down at the floor and said, "Everything."

She was confused. "What do you mean, 'everything'? Do you mean about us getting married?"

"Yes."

"But I thought you told me that they couldn't make it on such short notice. Are you saying you never called them?"

"Yes."

"Well, it'll be a surprise to them, but hopefully they won't be too upset. After all, it was really quick."

He took another large gulp of scotch and continued to look at the floor.

"Is there more, Greg?"

"Yes."

"What else haven't you told them?"

He didn't answer. She thought for a moment, then said, "Emily? Are you saying you never told them about Emily?"

"Yes."

She was shocked. "You didn't tell your parents that you have a daughter? I don't have parents, haven't for a really long time, but I think, if I did, I would tell them they were grandparents."

House didn't say anything, just drank more scotch.

Kate looked at him, understanding finally dawning. "They don't know about me either, do they? They don't know that we're together at all?"

"No."

Kate sat down. A million thoughts were going through her head. Two people were coming to her house tonight who didn't know that she and her daughter even existed. Her husband, whom she loved, had never told his own parents about them. Something occurred to her.

"Wait, how will they find you? Do they know about the house?"

"Yes."

"Do you mean you told them that you bought a house and the address, but you never told them about your wife and daughter?"

"Yes."

Kate was angry now. "Stop giving me those goddamn one word answers and explain to me why you would do this."

He continued to look at the floor.

Tears began to form in her eyes. "Are you so ashamed of me that you don't want your parents to know about me? That you don't want them to know you had a daughter with someone like me?"

His head shot up as he finally looked into her eyes. "NO! I am not ashamed of you. I could never be ashamed of you or Emily." He glanced at the baby who was playing with her bowl and spoon in the high chair.

'Then why?"

"There are so many things, I just can't…" he stopped at the look she gave him.

"I know you can't. We've been together almost two years and you've never really opened up to me. I know you love me, but you don't really trust me."

"Of course I do."

"Greg, I bared my soul to you. No one else in the world knows what you know about me. But you barely talk about your childhood and never about your parents. I know there are issues there and pain and hurt. I can see it in your eyes. But you never tell me anything about it."

Those eyes looked at her, then back down at the floor.

She scooped the baby out of the chair and headed down the hall towards the bedroom.

"I'll get her cleaned up and dressed before she meets her grandparents." Kate said quietly.

"Kate…" he started.

She stopped him. "We don't have time to get into this now. They'll be here soon. But we will get into this later."

She left the room, leaving him alone with the scotch and his thoughts.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.