When Kelly went to awaken House, she found his bed empty and made and Kansas sprawled on the bedspread. She rubbed the cat under its chin and went to dress and prepare herself for the day.
Her mom was already awake, having prepared breakfast for Randy and Sarah-Beth and made sure they'd made it off to school. Now she was cooking breakfast again for the adults and minding a sleeping infant, singing along with the radio and happily in her element. "Good morning, honey," she trilled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, fine," Kelly lied. "Can I help you with anything?"
"No thanks, it's almost ready. I'll go get your father. Why don't you get Dr. House? I believe he's in the music room."
He was. Kelly found him at the piano.
"You were up early."
"Your stupid cat woke me up."
Always the crank. He didn't miss a beat while he complained, but the moment her hands found his shoulders he hit a wrong note. His recovery was immediate but the mistake wasn't unnoticed. "Time for breakfast."
His fingers reluctantly left the keys and with some difficulty he rose to his feet. "Do I look okay?" he mumbled self-consciously.
"You're looking 'cruel and unusual', in my opinion." The blue of his eyes was made all the more vibrant set against a dark cerulean button-down over a white tee-shirt. His khakis hung just right on his lean frame. "There's nothing to be nervous about. Just be yourself."
"You're an idiot. That's got to be the worst advice I've ever heard."
"You just need to relax." She smoothed the front of his shirt and ran her fingers through his hair to tame the errant strands. "You really do look great."
"Stop flirting." But he was smiling a small smile when he looked down at her with such tenderness it nearly brought tears to her eyes. "Now I'm assuming you're not so skinny because you grew up eating terrible cooking."
"You assume correctly. My mom's an excellent cook; she'll fatten you up."
He took a deep breath. "Yeah, if I can managed to keep it down. Alright, let's go."
House set a ridiculous pace. Kelly took his hand and questioned, "Are you really that intimidated by my father? What could he possibly do to you?"
"He could tell me to stay away from his daughter."
She laughed. "That's all? Honey, I'm 32 years old, and my dad's not stupid," she assured him confidently. "He wouldn't dare!"
Embarrassed by his own uncharacteristic nervousness, he tried to play it off. "Well then, sugar, let's eat."
Yet for all her big talk, Kelly was still careful to drop his hand before entering the kitchen. Not that she didn't trust her dad; she just wasn't quite ready to trust herself.