A short chapter but an important one. As usual, I'd love to see your comments.

Chapter 70.

Jess and I hoped that the Greek food would soften Nina up a bit. She looked around the restaurant when we were seated and said, "It's kind of small, isn't it?"

Jess grinned at her sister. "But the food is great! Wait until you taste the spanakopita!"

I threw in my own two cents worth. "I don't remember a Greek restaurant in Dorsey."

"Well, no, there isn't one, but I would have expected something a bit fancier here." Nina frowned.

I rolled my eyes. "Jess is right. What the place lacks in décor it makes up for in flavor."

"We'll see."

Niko, the owner's son, came over to take our orders and leave a bowl of olives, some pita bread, and glasses of ice water. He grinned at Jess. "It's good to see you again. And who is this lovely lady with you?" Suave didn't begin to describe him. He could have made it in the movies with his wavy black hair and blazing dark eyes in a tanned face. Almost as tall as I was, he wore his shirt with the top two buttons open to reveal his bronze chest. I smiled seeing that Nina couldn't take her eyes off him. The fact that he was gay and in a relationship didn't have to come up.

"Niko, bring us some hummus and spanakopita to start, and a bottle of your best retsina."

"Very good, Doctor." The young man flashed his very white teeth when he smiled at the choices.

Once the handsome young man was out of sight, Nina examined the menu. "Oh, look, Jess. They have veal soffrito! I haven't had that since we went to Corfu!"

I wondered when that was, since Jess never told me her family went to Greece. She must have noticed my puzzled look because she said, "When our father took us to Italy to meet his aunt and cousins six years ago, we took a side trip to Greece for a few days."

"That was after the accident?"

The two sisters exchanged a sad frown. "Yes. I think it was an attempt to give us a sense of family," Jess said.

"The fact that he and his aunt argued the entire time we were there defeated the purpose of the trip, but it was an eye-opener in many ways," Nina added.

"Did Petey go, too?"

Jess nodded. "Kicking and screaming. Now I wonder if that had anything to do with his hyperacusis, his sensitivity to noises."

Niko returned with our starters and poured the thick Greek wine. Jess promptly held up her glass and said, "Here's hoping you'll enjoy your visit to Princeton, Nina. I'd love to show you what we're doing at the hospital, the results we're getting in this hyperacusis study."

"I'm not sure it's kosher for Nina to see the results," I warned. "The subjects do have to stay anonymous."

Jess smiled at me. She had to know that I was only bringing that up so Nina would think I was opposed to the idea. "There aren't any names in the statistics I'm putting together. I can show her how well the data are proving the link between genetics and the syndrome without giving away any personal information."

"This is the thing that Petey has?" Nina asked.

Jess nodded. "And his son, Christopher."

Nina still didn't seem interested in the baby, but she hadn't spent any real time with him. He was a cute kid, very appealing for someone who didn't speak much or do much.

"Dr. House, I'm interested in seeing what my sister is doing here. I hope you'll allow me to visit her at the hospital."

I scowled at her and said, "I guess it'll be alright. But I don't want you interfering with the work my team is doing. It's very important and sensitive."

"Yes, of course. I'll make sure I don't bother them."

Niko returned and took our orders. He grinned at Nina when she ordered the soffrito. He loved to grin. Both Jess and I had kabobs, knowing that Niko's parents used the most authentic seasonings in their marinade and cooked the meat and vegetables perfectly. While we waited, we finished off the hummus, pita and spanakopita, as well as more than half of the bottle of retsina. That alone seemed to be making Nina more mellow.

"I never imagined the two of you together." Nina looked from Jess to me and then back again with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"Frankly, neither did we. But I think Greg and I fill a need in each other."

"And then there's the sex."

Jess smirked at me but didn't complain about my comment. "Nina, whatever Petey told you, I'm happy with my choice to stay here with Greg. It's so much better than kowtowing to Dad's every wish. The work is interesting and I'm around very nice people."

I saw the flicker in Nina's eyes when Jess mentioned their father's wishes. She started to argue. "But do you have enough to live on? I know there's the trust fund from Mother, but..."

"Believe me, despite my meager pay..."

"Hey, I don't pay you so little!"

Jess rolled her eyes. "...I'm doing just fine. I was able to get a mortgage on our condo and still be comfortable financially."

"You bought it yourself?" Nina stared at her sister, then glared at me.

"Relax. It was part of a plan we had to mess with everyone's heads."

Nina's glare turned into a scowl.

"A plan that worked." Jess grinned.

What could I say to change Nina's attitude? "I'll be making the payments, so don't worry that your sister will be destitute before long."

"But if the condo's in Jess' name..."

"Only technically." I scrunched up my face. "In reality, it belongs to both of us."

"Dr. House, I expect that you can support Jess, but I still have my doubts about how long this will last. And when it ends, she'll be liable for the mortgage."

"What DID Petey tell you?" Jess asked.

"He seemed to think that Dr. House couldn't sustain a relationship."

"I wonder where he got that idea." But I thought I knew. "Jess and I are determined to make this last because we want it to."

"But Jess has to come home!" Nina closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she pleaded, "Please come back to Dorsey, Jess. I can't handle Dad on my own!"

"You know you don't have to put up with him running your life either. Being free from his demands is one of the better parts of living here. You could do the same thing, Nina. It's about time he learned that we're his daughters, not his servants."

"You don't understand."

"Of course I do. I've been where you are. Running when he snapped his fingers, dropping everything to meet his arbitrary orders. Breaking dates because my presence was required for some dinner meeting or last-minute "emergency". I won't do that anymore, and neither should you!"

"I don't know how to say 'no' to him. Yes, you did all those things, but there were also the times you refused, and for some reason he accepted it. The one time I tried, he made my life miserable for weeks, threatening to cut me off, to close my shop, even to prevent me from using my trust fund."

"Once you decide you don't need those things, that you don't need him, it will be easier. Trust me, Nina. You'll feel so much better when you do."

Niko returned with our food and Nina watched him as he placed the plates in front of us.

"There are lots of perks to living in Princeton," I told her. "You should give it a try."

Nina looked from me to Jess and back again, lips pursed and brow furrowed. "Maybe I will."