TITLE: Epilogue

AUTHOR: new_raven

PAIRING: House/Chris

RATING: R-ish

WARNINGS:

SUMMARY:

DISCLAIMER: House and his pretty friends don't belong to me.

Almost three years later.

She paused in the lobby and took a good look around. They'd redone the floors. A huge banner for Race for the Cure hung from the second floor railings. Other than that is looked about the same. She moved towards the elevator, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Chris?" He almost didn't believe it was her. Her skin was golden and seemed to glow against a breezy white tunic that she wore over red tank top and khaki cargo pants. She would not have passed for seventeen anymore, but the change was as much in the way she moved and the look on her face as the sun damage.

"Wilson." She smiled and gave him a warm hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Great." She nodded.

"Are you… back?"

"Sort of, not really. I'm going to NYU next semester."

"Does he know you're here?"

"No. Are you going to warn him?"

"Do I need to?"

She smiled, grateful that Wilson was just as protective as ever, and shook her head. "I just want to say 'hello'."

She rode the same elevator to his office that she had a hundred times before, but it felt smaller than she remembered. It wasn't until she stepped into the hall and could see the door to his office that she began to feel nervous. Chase came walking out of the office as she approached.

"Hey." He stopped in his tracks. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?" She smiled and hugged him quickly.

"Good."

"Is he here?"

"Yeah. In the office." Chase nodded. "Good luck."

"Thanks." She laughed.

She could see him, reclined in a new lounge chair, through the glass. She pushed the door open braced for any response, but soon realized he was asleep. She let the door shut and stood watching him for a moment. He looked entirely too peaceful. She wasn't sure how to proceed. How mad could he really be if she just climbed into his lap?

His feet took up a corner of the ottoman and after a while she perched on the other side. Her heart pounded from the nearness of him and she watched him a while longer. She knew that it might all be over the minute she woke him. He was certainly the type to hold a grudge.

Finally she took a deep breath and called him with a soft but not quite timid voice. "House." After a moment she called again a little louder. "House, wake up."

He opened his eyes and at first thought he was dreaming. With her hair loose and spilling down in front of her and a barrette with orange flowers clipped over one ear she looked like a perfect mix of his ex girlfriend and a Hawaiian Tropic's add, but no, he wouldn't have dreamed that much clothing.

"Hi." She was smiling at him.

"Shouldn't you be under a waterfall somewhere?"

"What?"

"Nothing. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say 'hi'." The smile faded and she seemed to hold her breath.

"You did." His voice was cold.

She sighed and nodded. "Ok." This was actually a pretty pleasant response compared to the yelling and throwing things she'd imagined on the plane, but it still stung.

She stood and reached for her bag. As she did he stood almost knocking her over. When she caught her balance their bodies were so close that she couldn't remember what she was about to do. House put his arms around her in an odd sort of half hug. She started to let her body relax against his, until she heard him sniffing her. Then he moved his head to the other side and sniffed her again.

"What are you doing?" She stepped back.

"Are you pregnant?"

"I.. no… Do I smell pregnant?" He never failed to leave her grasping for words.

"You quit smoking."

"Over a year ago. I bought a pack of something that was not tobacco. I met Buddha and John Lennon, and they left me in a tree with a spider the size of a cat. I almost got kicked out of the program, and haven't had another cigarette since."

"You're boobs are bigger."

"No they're not."

"You buy a Wonder Bra straight from the sweat shop?"

"Maybe I've toned up. Maybe you're getting senile."

"Breasts shrink when you lose weight."

"I've gained muscle, not lost fat. They look bigger because they are sitting on top of more muscle."

He was openly staring at her chest but didn't seem convinced. "You can feel them if you don't believe me." She grinned, mostly kidding.

When he reached out and grabbed one of her breast with a firm squeeze her mouth fell open and her lip quivered the way it did right before an orgasm. That made him smile.

"Why are you so sure you're not pregnant?"

"Because I'm not." She shook her head and looked down at his hand still cupping her breast. He let his thumb flick across her nipple.

Chase cleared his throat from the doorway and they both turned their heads to look at him.

"It's ok. I'm a doctor." House told him. "Did you give up sex?" He asked her.

"No." She shook her head and moved his hand.

"Just a dry spell?"

"I've had sex, just not with a man."

House closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She wondered what national anthem he was using these days. "What's her name?"

"Taylor."

"Is it serious?"

"No. She's Catholic. She can't be a lesbian on the same continent as her parents."

House groaned. "Cute?"

"Hot. Red hair, green eyes, vegan. I've got pictures." She winked.

"How long are you in town?"

She shrugged. "How much Viagra do you have?"

"I don't need Viagra."

"You might. I've really missed..."

They kissed and it felt like no time had passed. They kissed and groped and clung to each other until Chase gave up and left for the day. They kissed as people in the hall paused to gawk at them. They kissed until their heads were spinning and they're lips were raw. They kissed like he hadn't done since he was a teenager and like she couldn't remember ever kissing anyone and then they went back to his apartment and made love like they never had before.