The date was going well. Neither of them mentioned the twins or Jesse, to which James was particularly grateful. Liz ate like a lady, though it took almost all of her will power to do so. She had forgotten to eat lunch and was starving. Liz was about to ask a question when the music started.
"About time." James stated. He stood and reached for Elizabeth's hand. She took it with a small smile. "You know how to dance right?" he asked as they took the floor, along with several other couples.
"Yes, I do." She said. "My only problem is I like to lead." Wilson laughed.
"I'll have to be forceful then?" he asked with a raise of one eyebrow.
Liz stuck out her bottom lip. "Be gentle, I'm a fragile creature." Her voice had a hint of a southern accent in it.
Wilson laughed as he spun her around along with the rhythm. "I'll be extra careful then." He pulled her closer to him and she couldn't repress her happiness. He looked down at her face. She was smiling. He was happy that she was happy. And for that simple fact they danced, holding each other as close as physics would allow. "You really do look lovely tonight." he whispered in her ear.
"Thank you." Liz replied. Her whisper barely audible. She hadn't had this much fun since Beltane in '98. She let herself be led around the floor. The time seemed to both stand still and move faster than light. For her, it was just the two of them.
James was lost in the moment. The world was whirling around him at an unbelievable speed. Voices were garbled and people were nothing more than blurred forms that turned in and out of his view. His eyes and thoughts were steadied on Liz. He was amazed on how simple she was and how complicated at the same time. He decided that she was nothing like House and rejected the idea altogether. He was vaguely aware that the music had stopped and Liz was tapping him lightly on his shoulder. He focused on her grey eyes.
"You want to get away?" she asked him. He could only nod. With a smile, Liz took him by the hand and they returned to their table. She scribbled down a series of numbers on the bill and handed it to a passing waiter. He looked at it and nodded.
"I thought this was my treat?" Wilson asked her. Liz only smiled back.
"It is. You'll see." The waiter returned a minute later with the real bill and a small bottle of wine. Taking the bottle she held it up for him to see. "Mead. Not too expensive because it's fairly fresh, but it'll still knock you on your a$$ after a few glasses." She grinned. Wilson could only shake his head. "What?" Liz asked.
"Nothing." James replied, though Liz could see an answer behind his eyes.
"No, tell me." she insisted.
"It's just that you have the same mannerisms as they do. Did." He stiffened and the muscles in his neck flexed as he said "The twins."
Liz nodded. "Ahh, I see. Should I be more meek and reserved?" She leaned onto the table, placing her chin in the palm of her upturned hand.
Wilson shook his head. "No. It's just that I'm not used to women like you. You confuse me."
Liz laughed. "How do I confuse you?" she asked.
Wilson blushed. Liz smiled. It made him look like a kid getting ready to tell on his friend. "It's just that I know nothing more about you than what's in your medical file. I know nothing of who you really are. Why you are the way you are."
"What do you want to know?" she asked him, still leaned over onto the table.
"Your father, for one." Wilson started. "You never talk about him. I'm just curious as to why."
Elizabeth nodded. Her eyes showed that her thoughts were turned inward as if she were remembering something. "My mother met him while she was still in high school. That much I do know. He was older. By about three or four years, I think." She sighed. They had a couple of dates and by the time she found out she was pregnant with me, he was gone. She didn't know where to, but she never looked back. She decided to keep me and the rest is history." She hoped this would suffice.
Wilson looked frustrated. "So... you have no idea who he is, do you?"
"I've heard names. My uncles mention this or that boyfriend that mom had in school. Any number of them could be him." She shrugged. "I don't know. I like to think I turned out pretty good without him around."
"You're perfect." James said wistfully. Liz smiled and let herself laugh.
"Now, answer this for me." Liz said.
"Shoot."
"Did House put you up to that question?" James winced. She'd hit it right on target. "I knew it. That... that.. cretin!" she gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes. "I'm so going to get him for that. He can ask me anything, he doesn't need to put you up to things." She heaved a sigh and sat up, removing her elbows from the table. "Lets get out of here, ok?"
Wilson stood and together they walked arm in arm out of the small club where they'd eaten. "One more question." he said as he opened the car door for her.
Mimicking him, Liz replied. "Shoot."
"You missed lunch didn't you?"
Liz let out a burst of bell-like laughter and had to hold her stomach. "Yeah, I completely forgot. How did you know?"
"Your stomach was growling rather loudly when we first arrived." He grinned. "And when I came back from getting us drinks, half of the cracker packets were gone." Liz lowered her head and laughed as a scarlet flush filled her cheeks. James laughed and said "It's alright. I understand." He closed her door and got into the driver seat. "Where to?" he asked.
After a second of thought Liz answered "Anywhere but my place, the club or the hospital. Other than those three places, it's your choice. You're driving."
"Why not your place?" he asked, looking over at her.
Liz turned to him, his eyes were looking into her. She smiled and answered him with one word. "Amy."
Wilson nodded. "Yes, I almost forgot she was there." he said. "So, how about the waterfront?" he asked finally.
"That sounds good." Liz said as James started the car and let it warm up. "Lead the way." She motioned forward with her arm in a flourish.
As they drove, Liz was certain that he was having fun but she thought it best to ask. "You are having a good time, aren't you?"
Wilson looked at her with surprise. "Yes, why wouldn't I?"
Liz looked out her window. "Because of what I said earlier." She cleared her throat. "About the twins."
Wilson nodded and bit his lip. "Yeah, that kinda got to me. I had no idea that you even knew that group. It never occurred to me that you would. I don't know why but the thought never entered my mind."
"And you're sure it's ok. You have nothing to add?" She was still looking peacefully out the window at the passing stars as they drove.
"No." he started. "It's just... I ... I wasn't real proud of myself for never speaking to them again afterward. Things got... difficult at the hospital and I was in the process of going through my third divorce. They kinda slipped out of my mind." He glanced at her. "Does that make me a bad person?"
Liz finally turned her head to face him."No. Absolutely not. You had bigger things to worry about and I'm certain the girls understood. Besides, if there had been a problem as far as that, I bet Jesse would have told House."
Wilson nodded. "You're probably right."
Liz smiled. "Probably?"
"Ok, you're right." They two of them laughed. Having brought the issue out and dealt with it made the mood a lot lighter. They pulled into the parking lot of the waterfront's main park. A few picnic tables dotted the left lawn and the canal was flowing happily on the right.
Wilson was out of the car and around to Liz's side and had the door open before Liz even knew he had exited. "May I?" he asked.
Liz smiled and took his hand. "Are you like superman or something? 'Cause I never even saw you get out of the car."
Wilson leaned in and whispered into her ear. "I won't tell if you won't." She laughed.
"Ok." Liz managed to say through her giggles. She let him hold her around the waist as they walked the paved sidewalk that traced the canal. It was a peaceful night and nothing in the whole world, not even House was going to screw it up for them tonight.
&&&&&&
The phone rang. Amy, who had been working behind the bar answered it with a vibrant greeting of "Yo."
"Is Jesse there?" asked a male voice.
Amy stopped moving. No one called the bar looking for Jess. No one. "Um... no. Queenie is out of town. Who is this, maybe I can get a message to her."
"Just tell her Greg called." said the voice and he hung up. Amy placed the phone back on it's charger and went back to serving drinks.
&&&&&&&
House sat in his apartment and groused. The day hadn't gone as he planned. Not at all. First he finds out that the girl he feels fatherly to is one of Jesse's acolytes. Then, she goes off and has to date Wilson. He sighed and lowered his head and shook it. Heaving his shoulders up, House poured himself another shot. He was getting drunk and he didn't care.
Who was he kidding, of course he cared. She had done this to him. She made him... human. "Dammit!" he swore as he downed another double. The pain in his leg was pulsing into his lower back and it hurt like hell.. He popped a pair of vicodin and took another shot.
He slowly rose from his small sofa and limped, caneless, to his bedroom. There, he puled open his side table drawer and retrieved a simple Polaroid photograph. It was him and Jesse. They were both smiling. Jack was standing at the bar behind them and the twins were doing something just out of view. His face cracked as he let himself smile. The, as quickly as it came, it was gone. His smiled turned over and the frown cut deep into his face. He tossed the picture back into the drawer rather unceremoniously and pushed the drawer shut, using a little too much force. The drawer became wedged in it's frame. "Dammit!" he swore again.
He hobbled back to the couch and sat there staring, motionless. The TV in front of him was playing a T-Voed basketball game. He wasn't paying attention to it at all. He sighed and thought about how much fun Wilson was probably having with Elizabeth. It made him even more upset. Another shot, then another.
Now officially drunk off his a$$, House picked up the phone and dialed Wilson's cell.
&&&&&
As they walked Wilson's cell started to ring. "Don't answer it. It's House." Liz said.
As James pulled the phone free of his pocket and checked the called id he asked "How on earth did you know that?"
Liz shrugged and smiled. "I'm cool like that." She took the phone from him and slid it back into his coat pocket. "He's not going to ruin this night. Call him back later."
Wilson, impressed with her ability to ignore House just as well, if not better than himself only made him love her more. He looked her in her eyes and asked. "Is it ok if I kiss you? This being the first date and everything."
Liz smiled. "You've seen me in a hospital gown and those awful slippers. I think it's ok."
Smiling James leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. "You really are beautiful tonight." he said quietly.
"Thankyou." she replied, the blush returning to her cheeks once again. They continued to walk another few feet before settling down on one of the sidewalk benches.
&&&&&&&
When Wilson didn't answer his phone, House became angry. All kinds of thoughts ran though his head. What on earth could they be doing that would make him unable to answer the phone. "No, I don't want to know." he said to himself. But his brain went there anyhow and she let out a physical shiver and and guttural "Ugh!" He decided that more alcohol was needed and went to the cupboard in the kitchen and pulled out a fresh bottle of Jack Daniels. "My one true friend." he muttered to the bottle as he cradled it in the crook of his arm. Sitting back down on the sofa he stated "No need for a glass. We're all friends here." He unscrewed the cap and poured the whiskey straight down his throat, finishing with a satisfied "Ahhh."
When morning peeked through his curtains, Greg House was lying face down on the living room floor with the now empty bottle of Jack still in his hand. He groaned and tried to sit up. The pain in his leg wasn't as bad as the pain the shot through his skull. With a deadened moan he fell back over onto his face with an "umph". Turning his head to look at the clock he saw it was nearly noon. "Damn." he said dejectedly. He knew he had less than two hours to get ready for work.
A half hour later, and several tries, House was able to move himself off the floor. He dressed in silence. The slightest noise hurt his head. How in the world was he going to make it through the concert with Liz tonight? He groaned, which made his head throb. He threw some cold water on his face and decided that this was as good as it was gonna get. He snatched up his keys and headed to work.
&&&&&&&
The night had worn on as if time never existed. The two of them sipped the mead straight from the bottle and laughed as they noticed each other getting more inebriated by the minute. Liz and James were in heaven, or some similar variant. They walked until Liz's feet started to hurt. After that he took her home like a gentleman. To be honest both of them would have forgone that step and she would have gone back to his place if he'd asked her to. But since he hadn't asked, she didn't press it.
Liz woke to the sound of her alarm clock making it's usual annoying buzz. Out of frustration and a slight hangover, she threw the nearest heavy object at it. That happened to be one of her shoes. The other lay beside her on the bed. The mead certainly had done it's trick. The clock never stopped buzzing but the sound had gotten father away as she had inadvertently knocked it off the dresser and into the small space behind it. With a sigh and a groan, she got up.
After finding and turning off the clock, Liz went to the kitchen. The bottle of mead stood on the table, a testament to the night before. It made her smile. The sound of Amy snoring from the couch told her that her friend had gotten back even later than she had. Amy had not been there when James dropped her off.
&&&&&&&
James rolled over in his bed. He reached over and patted the pillow beside him. No, she wasn't there. He had been a gentleman and taken her home. He smiled. It was a first for him to even have wanted to ask her back to his place on the first date. "What has she done to me?" he thought aloud. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and dressed for work.
As James Wilson walked into PPTH the bright fluorescent lights streamed into his eyes causing him to squint out of reflex.
"Not you too." said a voice. Wilson looked up, thinking he was going to see Cuddy, but it was Cameron instead.
"What?" he asked stupidly.
"You're hung over." she said. Her hands placed firmly on her hips. "House is too. Were you two out drinking last night?" Her eyes accused him of all manner of things and he had to look away, deciding that the floor was the perfect place to stare.
"No. I had a date last night." he said. The recollection of House calling his cell at ten after midnight flashed through his mind. "He drunk dialed me last night." he said in shock.
Cameron shook her head and stalked away. Why was she mad at him, he wondered. He decided it was too much for his brain this early and headed to his office to hide from the light.
&&&&&&&
House was busy in his office. Sleeping. The door swung open and Cuddy slammed a stack of case files onto his desk. Jerking awake and glaring at her, House asked "What are these?"
Cuddy's smug smile widened. "Well, since you had to go and try to drown yourself in a bottle last night, I decided that it would be very unprofessional of me to let you loose of helpless patients. So you're doing paperwork today. Stay here and don't let anyone smell you. You wreak of booze."
Without skipping a beat House asked "Are you sure it isn't sex. I know it's been a long time for you Lisa. Maybe you've forgotten and are mixing the two scents up."
As she walked out of his office she sniped at him "Grow up."
Looking down at the large stack of manilla folders, House groaned. He'd much rather be sleeping or tormenting his new fellows than reading over old cases. But never the less, he resigned himself being grateful that he didn't have to deal with people today and flipped open the top folder.