Hello everyone!
Happy New Year to all! I wish everyone that this year will be the best and will bring you everything you want.
Chapter 26 is ready for all of you to read :) this is the last one about the holidays. The next one will probably be about Beth's birthday and House and Cameron will be making an announcement to everyone ;)
In this one the family has dinner together. There are also some moments between Cameron and Beth and House's thoughts about Christmas.
Thank you all for reading my story and for taking the time to drop a comment and tell me what you think. It means a lot! :)
I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter as well!
Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D...
Chapter 26: Christmas dinner
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"Mommy can I help you make the turkey?" Beth asked looking at her mother expectantly.
"I thought you were going to play with daddy and your new PSP." Cameron said but Beth shook her head.
"He is listening to the CDs and record that Santa brought for him and he said we would play later." Beth explained, resting her head in her hands.
"Then I would love to have some help from you." Cameron replied, ruffling Beth's hair lightly.
She grinned widely and she hoped off the chair she was sitting.
"Are Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lisa coming?" she asked, inspecting the ingredients Cameron had placed on the table.
"Yeap, both of them are coming. But they are not the only ones coming." She said and took Beth's hand in hers.
She sat on a chair and took Beth in her arms, making her sit in her lap.
"Who else is coming?" she asked eagerly, looking at Cameron.
"Do you remember Haley?" she started and Beth nodded vigorously.
"She is awesome!" she exclaimed making Cameron smile.
"She is not coming on her own though. I invited my parents for dinner too." She added making Beth frown.
"I don't like them…" she said looking straight into Cameron's eyes.
"Why don't you like them? Have they done something to you?" she asked caressing her daughter's cheek tenderly.
"No, but they have done to you and if they don't love you then I don't like them!" she replied stubbornly and Cameron smiled at how much she reminded her of House at that moment.
"Yeah, but that was in the past. And now they want another chance to do things right this time." She explained.
Beth raised her eyebrows, studying her mother's face and she gave her a small nod.
"Sooo, you are going to give them a chance?" she asked cautiously and Cameron nodded in confirmation.
"And you are going to meet your grandparents." She finished making a small smile find its way to Beth's lips.
"Are my other grandparent's going to be jealous now that I will have other grandparents too?" Beth asked and Cameron smiled.
"No, I think they will be happy for you." She said matter-of-factly and Beth smiled widely.
"Then I think it's ok for them to come." She replied hugging her mother tightly.
"Ok, let's make that turkey then!" Cameron said and after placing a kiss on Beth's cheek they both started preparing dinner.
xOxOx
He was in the living room, eyes closed, head resting on the back of the armchair he was vacating. He was listening to the new CDs and record that 'Santa' had brought him for Christmas.
If you asked him, it was one of the greatest gifts he had ever received on Christmas day. Sometimes he still found it hard to believe how well she knew him.
Over the years they were together he had come to start liking that day. And the reason behind it was their first Christmas together. He could still remember the way her eyes shone when he had handed her the gift he had picked out.
And when Beth was old enough to understand he got to witness their daughter's excitement too as she ripped through her presents.
He never believed that he would come to like Christmas but life has a way to surprise you.
Laughter coming from the kitchen interrupted his train of thought. He opened his eyes and he paused the CD he was listening.
He grabbed the camera that Cameron had left at the coffee table and after grabbing his cane he walked to the kitchen as quietly as he could.
He smiled to himself at the sight that greeted him and he quickly snapped a photo before they understood that he was standing by the door frame.
"Hey, no one said that there was going to be a party in here!" he exclaimed making both Cameron and Beth to look at him, smiles on their faces.
"We are preparing dinner daddy, there is no party here." Beth explained and House walked towards them and stood right behind Cameron.
He reached out in order to take some of the stuffing but she slapped his hand away.
"This is for the turkey." She said seriously.
"I'm going to eat the turkey anyway so what is the problem?" he asked in bewilderment and rested his hand on her hip.
"You are going to eat the turkey later and you are not going to eat it alone so stop eating the ingredients now." She admonished making him scoff.
"Fine…" he muttered and then turned his attention to Beth.
"Come on, let's go play!" he said to his daughter but she shook her head.
"I'm helping mommy now, can we play later?" she asked, her eyes connecting with his.
"Ok… I'll go listen to my music then." He said resignedly and he headed out of the kitchen.
xOxOx
"When is Haley going to arrive?" Beth asked impatiently, nudging her father's arm.
"In a while sweety… maybe they lost their way." House replied making Beth sit on the couch next to him.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and she turned her attention to the TV.
"What, your grandparents and us are not enough for you?" Wilson asked with a playful smile.
"You are, but I want someone my age Uncle Jimmy." Beth explained with a smile of her own.
Wilson didn't have the time to answer because the door bell ringing made Beth run towards the door.
"I'll get it!" she exclaimed running past her mother who was heading to answer the door.
Cameron smiled in amusement at her daughter's actions and she followed her to the door as well.
Beth flung the door open and revealed Haley and her grandparents standing behind it, presents in their hands.
"Welcome!" she exclaimed with a grin which Haley returned.
"Hi Beth!" Haley said happily and gave her cousin a hug.
"Come in, the others are in the living room." Cameron said ushering her parents inside.
"I have some more in the car, I'll go get them." Her father said, placing the packages he was holding on the floor.
Cameron nodded and Beth looked at him for a while. He didn't move, he looked straight back at the little girl and waited for her to make the first move.
Beth gave him a small smile and she extended her little hand out waiting for him to shake it.
"I'm Beth." She introduced herself and Jason broke into a wide smile.
He shook her hand and kneeled down so that he was at her eye-level.
"And I'm your grandfather, Jason." He replied.
Beth walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
She pulled back and looked at Helen who was looking back at her with a smile on her face. She went to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. Helen placed a kiss on her granddaughter's head and hugged her back.
"I guess you are my grandmother Helen, right?" she asked with a little smirk. Helen nodded and caressed Beth's cheek softly.
"It's nice to meet you two." She announced and then looked at her mother.
"Can we go with Haley at my room and play?" she asked with her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Sure sweety, you can go." Cameron replied to her daughter and the young girls headed to Beth's room.
"Come on, I'll show you my bunny! His name is Ricky." Beth said as they walked down the hall and her room.
"Well, I'd better go take that presents from the car." Jason said, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
"Dad, you didn't have to buy all these things." Cameron said looking at her father.
"No, but we wanted to." He replied with a smile and he went back to the car to retrieve the other packages.
"Come on mom, the others are in the living room." she said and she guided her mother there.
"Well, you already know Greg and you have met Dr. Wilson and Dr. Cuddy. And these are Greg's parents, John and Blythe." She introduced.
"This is my mother, Helen."
Her father's voice made her head back to the door and her mother took a sit on the couch with the others.
"Is everything alright?" she asked when she reached her father.
"Yeah, everything is good. I just needed some help to carry the presents under the tree and I wanted to ask where to put these." He said pointing to something.
Cameron's eyes went wide when she saw what her parents had brought with them. She went close and glided her hand over the guitar cases.
"You flew all the way back just to bring my guitars?" she asked, her eyes always glued to them.
Her father smiled and walked close to her and stood right next to her.
"Just the look in your eyes made the trip worth it." He replied resting his hand on her shoulder.
He didn't expect her to hug him but he welcomed the hug he received as a thank you. He wrapped his arms around her body reveling the feeling of having his little girl in his arms once again.
"Come on, the others will be waiting and mom will probably feel a little awkward having to deal with Greg's inquisition alone." She mumbled and pulled back in order to look at him.
He gave her a small nod and together they made their way to the living room.
Cameron took a sit next to House and he gave her a small smirk.
She eyed him suspiciously with a quirked eyebrow making the smirk on his face grow even bigger.
"You are scaring me." She said with a smirk of her own.
"How come I haven't heard the songs you have written?" he asked her suddenly making her groan.
"Mom, did you have to say it to him?" she said and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
Helen shrugged lightly while the others smiled.
"You know he is not going to let this drop." Wilson said and she sighed.
"Yeah, I know that." Cameron replied.
"Maybe you could play it now." He suggested leaning closer to her, the smirk always plastered on his face.
"Wait, I have another idea. I will go and make the table and you will go play something at the piano." She suggested making him frown.
"Ok, I say we skip the part where we play music tonight." He replied with a shrug and she smiled.
"I will agree. Now, excuse me but I have to set the table." She said and stood up heading for the kitchen.
"I'm going to help you Allison." Cuddy said and followed her to the kitchen.
"We are coming too." Blythe said and they made their way with Helen to the kitchen as well leaving the men at the living room.
"I think I'm going to get Beth and Haley…" House announced after a while and stood up in order to go to Beth's room.
Once there he knocked on the door and then opened it. Haley and Beth were sitting on the bed with Ricky between them.
"Hey, do you think I can play with you?" he asked and walked inside the room.
He took a sit on the bed next to Beth and looked at the girls.
"Sure Uncle Greg!" Haley said cheerfully making him smile.
"Ok, what are we playing?" he asked, resting his cane on Beth's desk.
"We are trying to teach Ricky some tricks." Beth explained making him raise an eyebrow.
"I don't think that this is going to work…" he said thoughtfully, rubbing his hand over his chin.
"Yeah, because he isn't cooperating!" Beth exclaimed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Because he is a bunny, not a dog." House said with a smirk.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"We are eating in a while; your mom is setting the table. So, I came to get you two." He explained and both girls nodded.
"Ok, let's go then!" he said, grabbing his cane and they all walked out of the room and back to the living room where they found everyone sited around the table.
"Hey, are you going to eat without us?" he asked incredulously.
"Sit down you big baby." Said Cameron who was right behind him.
"Yes dear." He replied sarcastically placing a kiss on her lips.
Once everyone was sitting around the table they started eating their Christmas dinner. House looked around the table and saw that everyone was smiling and laughing, all of them having a great time.
He still found it hard to believe that this was his life. Cameron noticed his expression and rested her hand on his thigh, catching his attention.
He looked at her with a soft look in his eyes and she smiled tenderly at him.
"Merry Christmas…" he whispered in her ear and placed a small kiss on her lips.
"Merry Christmas Greg…" she replied, the smile on her lips growing even bigger.
Their daughter's laughter made them turn to look at her. She was talking animatedly with Haley who was also smiling and laughing.
"I guess next Christmas is going to be much more interesting." She mumbled resting her hand on her stomach.
He gave her a smile and he kissed her temple.
"I think you are right." He replied, looking around the table and resting his hand on her thigh.
Definitely next Christmas were going to be much more interesting. But at the moment they enjoyed the present Christmas with their loved ones…