Fic : Home for Christmas, Part Three
Dec. 29th, 2012 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
menolly_auTitle: Home for Christmas, Part Three
Characters: House/Wilson, Blythe
Rating: PG
Words Approx 1500
Warnings: Fluff, Christmas sentiment
Spoilers: For Final arc
Summary: Blythe gets an unexpected gift on Christmas Eve
So first there was Home for Christmas. Then![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
third_owl and nightdog_barks added a second part Home for Chistmas, Part Two. Now there's a third part :)
There's something about waking up in his mother's house on Christmas morning that makes him feel like he's eight years old again and lying awake waiting for his father's imposed deadline to come before he can jump out of bed and run down the stairs to see the presents waiting under the tree.
Those minutes, or hours, of anticipation were always the best part about Christmas. The gaily wrapped presents were usually a let-down but in those early morning hours they could have been anything. He had hope.
The feeling of being a child again is swiftly dispersed when he rolls his head to one side and sees Wilson. He's snoring heavily, and drooling on the pillow. He'll be asleep for a while yet; he's never been able to hold his drink. House thinks about prodding him into life for a quickie but there's little point; Amber had been right about Wilson's inability to perform after alcohol consumption.
He leaves the bed that's warm with Wilson's presence for a chilly trip to the bathroom and then wanders downstairs to the kitchen. His Mom is already there, a mug of coffee clasped in her hands; she's showing no after effects of her late night drinking session. Her face lights up as she sees him and she watches him as he makes his way to the coffee pot. He mumbles a Christmas greeting that seems to satisfy her and slumps down into a chair at the table, his hands wrapped around the mug.
"Thomas called," she gestures to the phone lying discarded on the table, "he's snowed in. All the flights have been cancelled for today."
House feels an instant wave of relief; Thomas had been due to fly back today from visiting a sick friend. It had been rough enough yesterday, dealing with his Mom alternating between joy, concern and anger and he doesn't need Thomas kicking his ass about it.
He looks around the kitchen; Wilson had spent part of yesterday pottering around in here - staying out of the line of fire for the most part, and who could blame him? There are signs of a Christmas dinner in the making and he gets up and starts to pull stuff together. He becomes aware of his Mom's silence and looks up to find her staring at him. He continues his efforts - he's not going to try explaining the desperate search for diversion post-Mayfield which led to him being competent in the kitchen after a lifetime of frozen meals.
After a while she joins him, quietly working alongside, sometimes brushing his hand as they work. She's been doing that a lot - as if she can hardly believe he's still here. He knows the impulse - he's felt it with Wilson, although with Wilson it's less about a gentle guiding touch and more about covering every inch of his body with his own until Wilson starts to make noises about being smothered.
There's the sound of shuffling footsteps and Wilson appears in the doorway. He has that crumpled look that House enjoys, and one hand rubs at the back of his neck as he stands there awkwardly. He's feigning an embarrassment House knows he doesn't feel and he's rewarded by Blythe coming forward and hugging him warmly. House rolls his eyes as they exchange the usual Christmas pleasantries.
"Get your lazy ass over here and peel some potatoes - this dinner isn't going to cook itself."
"And a merry Christmas to you too, House." Wilson says mildly, ignoring his suggestion and sitting down with a cup of coffee.
"Thomas can't get back," Blythe explains to Wilson - as if he cares. House sees the relief on Wilson's face even if Blythe doesn't. "It's lovely to have both of you here, but won't your wife mind, James?" Her glance flicks towards Wilson's ring again. House has always kept her up to date on Wilson's marital failures.
"I'm not married," Wilson says and then shuts up - the weasel - tossing the ball firmly into House's lap.
"I got him the ring," House says. It had been a joke at first. When Wilson had started his treatment course House had insisted that he wear the ring to scare off the flock of nurses who would otherwise gather around the poor wounded teddy bear to nurse him back to health. He didn't want another Wilson-wife riding on the back of one of the motorcycles - that would kill their man-cred for sure.
When it became apparent that there would be no more Wilson-wives, ever, Wilson had still kept the ring firmly on his finger. House has caught him staring at it with a dopey look on his face more than once.
Blythe is looking at him doubtfully, as if she's not sure whether House is joking or not. She glances at his empty ring finger and then back at Wilson.
House waits for Wilson to say something to fill the heavy silence. There's a tray of peeled carrots sitting ready on the kitchen bench. Maybe if he throws it up in the air that will be sufficient diversion. He and Wilson can run out the front door and be in the next state by evening. They won't even need to break a window this time.
"James and I are together," he hears himself saying instead. "He's my gay boyfriend. He's just too cheap to buy me a ring."
She still looks doubtful - as if she can't believe a word he says, and where did she ever get that idea? She arranges her face in a neutral expression and turns to the dresser to start getting out the fancy linen.
House pulls a face at Wilson who is giving him a stern look and making strange gestures with his hands. House just shrugs at him, hey, he tried. What is he supposed to do - throw Wilson onto the kitchen table and start ravishing him?
He keeps preparing the food, glad to have something to do rather than make conversation with his Mom. After a while Wilson and Blythe disappear into the next room - ostensibly to lay the table for lunch. There's a low murmur of voices and he figures they are having a Serious Conversation. Then he hears laughter and the voices become louder. Either Blythe has reconciled to the idea that her son and his long suffering best friend are now lovers, or Wilson has been plying her with booze again. Either way is fine with House.
They eat at the large table in the dining area. The table is as meticulously dressed as if Blythe had been expecting her dead son, and his partner, to turn up for Christmas dinner all along. Wilson has somehow put those damned Christmas songs on his Mom's stereo and they roll out across the meal, breaking up any moments of silence with their forcible Christmas cheer. House starts planning his revenge while Wilson is carving the turkey.
It isn't the most awkward meal House has ever had but it ranks right up there. His Mom is still looking at him as if she expects him to disappear in a puff of smoke at any time, and alternating that with glances between Wilson and himself. House swears he can almost hear her thinking 'how cute', or maybe it's 'when did my son turn gay', or 'what is he going to do next to disappoint his mother'; he's not sure.
There's a picture on the wall directly opposite where he's sitting. It's a formal portrait of John in his uniform, Blythe the dutiful military wife, and his twelve year old self, stuck between them, a fixed smile on his face. John has a heavy hand on his shoulder. There isn't a word of truth in the picture.
Wilson follows his glance and then looks around the table. He clears his throat and raises his glass.
"To family," he toasts.
Blythe raises her glass and, after a chiding look from his Mom, House joins in. He meets Wilson's gaze and Wilson silently toasts him.
Blythe looks from him to Wilson and smiles behind the thin veil of tears that shines in her eyes. "To family," she echoes. She looks straight at Wilson and raises her glass in salute. "Thank you, James."
________________________________________
Once Blythe has gone to bed, and Wilson's liquor haul has been depleted by a respectable amount, they settle on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. There had been no presents; House had figured that his having risen from the dead was present enough for Blythe, and he had everything he could have wanted from his Mom.
Wilson pours them both another glass and then he goes over to the tree and retrieves some sort of package from where it was hidden in the high branches. He returns to his place on the couch next to House and puts the small package in front of him on the coffee table.
It's small and square and House has no doubts that a gold ring, twin to Wilson's own, lies inside.
"To the future," Wilson says.
The only thing left for House to do is to kiss him. So he does. When they break apart he rests his head briefly against Wilson’s and murmurs in his ear.
“Merry Christmas, Wilson.”
~~End
Characters: House/Wilson, Blythe
Rating: PG
Words Approx 1500
Warnings: Fluff, Christmas sentiment
Spoilers: For Final arc
Summary: Blythe gets an unexpected gift on Christmas Eve
So first there was Home for Christmas. Then
third_owl and nightdog_barks added a second part Home for Chistmas, Part Two. Now there's a third part :) There's something about waking up in his mother's house on Christmas morning that makes him feel like he's eight years old again and lying awake waiting for his father's imposed deadline to come before he can jump out of bed and run down the stairs to see the presents waiting under the tree.
Those minutes, or hours, of anticipation were always the best part about Christmas. The gaily wrapped presents were usually a let-down but in those early morning hours they could have been anything. He had hope.
The feeling of being a child again is swiftly dispersed when he rolls his head to one side and sees Wilson. He's snoring heavily, and drooling on the pillow. He'll be asleep for a while yet; he's never been able to hold his drink. House thinks about prodding him into life for a quickie but there's little point; Amber had been right about Wilson's inability to perform after alcohol consumption.
He leaves the bed that's warm with Wilson's presence for a chilly trip to the bathroom and then wanders downstairs to the kitchen. His Mom is already there, a mug of coffee clasped in her hands; she's showing no after effects of her late night drinking session. Her face lights up as she sees him and she watches him as he makes his way to the coffee pot. He mumbles a Christmas greeting that seems to satisfy her and slumps down into a chair at the table, his hands wrapped around the mug.
"Thomas called," she gestures to the phone lying discarded on the table, "he's snowed in. All the flights have been cancelled for today."
House feels an instant wave of relief; Thomas had been due to fly back today from visiting a sick friend. It had been rough enough yesterday, dealing with his Mom alternating between joy, concern and anger and he doesn't need Thomas kicking his ass about it.
He looks around the kitchen; Wilson had spent part of yesterday pottering around in here - staying out of the line of fire for the most part, and who could blame him? There are signs of a Christmas dinner in the making and he gets up and starts to pull stuff together. He becomes aware of his Mom's silence and looks up to find her staring at him. He continues his efforts - he's not going to try explaining the desperate search for diversion post-Mayfield which led to him being competent in the kitchen after a lifetime of frozen meals.
After a while she joins him, quietly working alongside, sometimes brushing his hand as they work. She's been doing that a lot - as if she can hardly believe he's still here. He knows the impulse - he's felt it with Wilson, although with Wilson it's less about a gentle guiding touch and more about covering every inch of his body with his own until Wilson starts to make noises about being smothered.
There's the sound of shuffling footsteps and Wilson appears in the doorway. He has that crumpled look that House enjoys, and one hand rubs at the back of his neck as he stands there awkwardly. He's feigning an embarrassment House knows he doesn't feel and he's rewarded by Blythe coming forward and hugging him warmly. House rolls his eyes as they exchange the usual Christmas pleasantries.
"Get your lazy ass over here and peel some potatoes - this dinner isn't going to cook itself."
"And a merry Christmas to you too, House." Wilson says mildly, ignoring his suggestion and sitting down with a cup of coffee.
"Thomas can't get back," Blythe explains to Wilson - as if he cares. House sees the relief on Wilson's face even if Blythe doesn't. "It's lovely to have both of you here, but won't your wife mind, James?" Her glance flicks towards Wilson's ring again. House has always kept her up to date on Wilson's marital failures.
"I'm not married," Wilson says and then shuts up - the weasel - tossing the ball firmly into House's lap.
"I got him the ring," House says. It had been a joke at first. When Wilson had started his treatment course House had insisted that he wear the ring to scare off the flock of nurses who would otherwise gather around the poor wounded teddy bear to nurse him back to health. He didn't want another Wilson-wife riding on the back of one of the motorcycles - that would kill their man-cred for sure.
When it became apparent that there would be no more Wilson-wives, ever, Wilson had still kept the ring firmly on his finger. House has caught him staring at it with a dopey look on his face more than once.
Blythe is looking at him doubtfully, as if she's not sure whether House is joking or not. She glances at his empty ring finger and then back at Wilson.
House waits for Wilson to say something to fill the heavy silence. There's a tray of peeled carrots sitting ready on the kitchen bench. Maybe if he throws it up in the air that will be sufficient diversion. He and Wilson can run out the front door and be in the next state by evening. They won't even need to break a window this time.
"James and I are together," he hears himself saying instead. "He's my gay boyfriend. He's just too cheap to buy me a ring."
She still looks doubtful - as if she can't believe a word he says, and where did she ever get that idea? She arranges her face in a neutral expression and turns to the dresser to start getting out the fancy linen.
House pulls a face at Wilson who is giving him a stern look and making strange gestures with his hands. House just shrugs at him, hey, he tried. What is he supposed to do - throw Wilson onto the kitchen table and start ravishing him?
He keeps preparing the food, glad to have something to do rather than make conversation with his Mom. After a while Wilson and Blythe disappear into the next room - ostensibly to lay the table for lunch. There's a low murmur of voices and he figures they are having a Serious Conversation. Then he hears laughter and the voices become louder. Either Blythe has reconciled to the idea that her son and his long suffering best friend are now lovers, or Wilson has been plying her with booze again. Either way is fine with House.
They eat at the large table in the dining area. The table is as meticulously dressed as if Blythe had been expecting her dead son, and his partner, to turn up for Christmas dinner all along. Wilson has somehow put those damned Christmas songs on his Mom's stereo and they roll out across the meal, breaking up any moments of silence with their forcible Christmas cheer. House starts planning his revenge while Wilson is carving the turkey.
It isn't the most awkward meal House has ever had but it ranks right up there. His Mom is still looking at him as if she expects him to disappear in a puff of smoke at any time, and alternating that with glances between Wilson and himself. House swears he can almost hear her thinking 'how cute', or maybe it's 'when did my son turn gay', or 'what is he going to do next to disappoint his mother'; he's not sure.
There's a picture on the wall directly opposite where he's sitting. It's a formal portrait of John in his uniform, Blythe the dutiful military wife, and his twelve year old self, stuck between them, a fixed smile on his face. John has a heavy hand on his shoulder. There isn't a word of truth in the picture.
Wilson follows his glance and then looks around the table. He clears his throat and raises his glass.
"To family," he toasts.
Blythe raises her glass and, after a chiding look from his Mom, House joins in. He meets Wilson's gaze and Wilson silently toasts him.
Blythe looks from him to Wilson and smiles behind the thin veil of tears that shines in her eyes. "To family," she echoes. She looks straight at Wilson and raises her glass in salute. "Thank you, James."
________________________________________
Once Blythe has gone to bed, and Wilson's liquor haul has been depleted by a respectable amount, they settle on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. There had been no presents; House had figured that his having risen from the dead was present enough for Blythe, and he had everything he could have wanted from his Mom.
Wilson pours them both another glass and then he goes over to the tree and retrieves some sort of package from where it was hidden in the high branches. He returns to his place on the couch next to House and puts the small package in front of him on the coffee table.
It's small and square and House has no doubts that a gold ring, twin to Wilson's own, lies inside.
"To the future," Wilson says.
The only thing left for House to do is to kiss him. So he does. When they break apart he rests his head briefly against Wilson’s and murmurs in his ear.
“Merry Christmas, Wilson.”
~~End
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 02:03 pm (UTC)This story meshes perfectly with the previous two, and there are so many lines in it that I love:
The gaily wrapped presents were usually a let-down but in those early morning hours they could have been anything. He had hope.
a formal portrait of John in his uniform, Blythe the dutiful military wife, and his twelve year old self, stuck between them, a fixed smile on his face. John has a heavy hand on his shoulder. There isn't a word of truth in the picture.
You've created such a vivid picture of the young Greg, while pointing out the contrast between past and present.
"To family", indeed.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 09:39 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 04:54 pm (UTC)This is the best kind of fluff; truthful to the characters and the larger picture. Brava!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 09:47 pm (UTC)third_owl & nightdog_barks kept the exact conversation between Blythe and House off-screen in the second part (wisely I think - that would be some complicated explanation)
House - See, I was shooting up heroin in a burning building, and talking to imaginary people, and then when I finally decided to haul my ass out of there the building exploded around me. It's a good thing I'm impervious to smoke and flames otherwise I wouldn't have gotten out alive!
Blythe - But why did you fake your own death?
House - Because otherwise I would have my parole revoked and have to go back to prison for six months because I flushed some paper tickets down a toilet and PPTH has lousy plumbing
Blythe - But you can't have your parole revoked for a new crime without a trial!
House - Yes, but the writers don't know that. Have a piece of turkey.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 12:10 pm (UTC)Best piece of meta I've read in ages.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 05:19 pm (UTC)Also, THANK YOU for explaining the ring. Mare and I tussled with that damn thing. :D
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 05:39 pm (UTC)The awkwardness of this was so in-character, and yeah, House would be thinking of tossing a tray of carrots. I'm going to go back to Part Two and link this at the end.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:00 pm (UTC)Thanks for playing along - it's been fun :) :)
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 05:24 pm (UTC)Wonderfully done!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:02 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:03 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading, glad you liked it :)
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 07:57 pm (UTC)Love this so much! I hope this story arc goes on forever (hint,hint). ♥
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:05 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 08:52 pm (UTC)Love the little moments, like House and Blythe quietly cooking together, with her sometimes brushing against him -- and House's admission to himself that he likes to touch Wilson to remind himself that yes, he's still really here.
Great addition to your original -- and I wouldn't mind a bit if it just went on and on. You and nightdog/third owl can just keep tag-teaming ;)
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 10:13 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-29 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 03:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-30 12:19 pm (UTC)It's a perfect Christmas fic.
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Date: 2012-12-30 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-03 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-03 10:16 am (UTC)Glad it was worth the wait anyway :) Thanks for reading!