Just Muse Me: Family Secrets
[ooc: Prompt is future fic, based on this and this. The Wilson mention is not binding on any actual Wilson muse unless they'd like it to be.]
Scenario: spill a secret
Murphy was putting the last of the dishes away when someone knocked on the door. She told whoever it was that it was open and got ready for round two.
“Murphy?”
It was Wilson’s voice, which prompted Toby to immediately run out of the kitchen for the front hall. The dog was strangely devoted to the other doctor. Neither Bree nor the man himself could explain it. Murphy sighed to herself and followed after the dog. Wilson was dressed for moving in, jeans and his McGill sweatshirt. He also had a brightly wrapped gift tucked under one arm while he scratched Toby behind the ears.
“She’s not here,” she said right away. She figured it was better to start this conversation now before Wilson figured out that she was the only person in Bree’s brand new apartment.
Wilson looked up with a slight frown, “Where’d she go? Did you guys forget something?”
“No, she found out and after a short shouting match, stormed out.”
“Ah,” he said with a wince. After patting Toby on the head one last time, he set the box down and studied her with his head tilted. “What happened?”
“What do you think?”
Wilson frown deepened and Murphy sighed, running a hand through her hair. She shouldn’t take it out on Wilson, even though he was really good at handling all the dysfunctions involved with being a friend to her, to House and surrogate mother to Bree. He had to be part Saint or something to last this long.
“Come on, you can test out the new furniture.” She led him into the living room, which had shiny new Ikea furniture and masses of broken down cardboard boxes.
“You did this all by yourself?” Wilson sounded impressed.
“They’ve been gone a long time.”
Now he sighed, “I told him she hates it when he lies to her.”
“He lies to everyone,” she pointed out.
“Not to her. It’s… scary how honest he is with her.”
“And he knows how much she hates change. He just wanted to protect her, but I don’t think Bree heard that part in the sarcasm. She’s going to be mad at you too when she finds out you were our witness.”
“I can handle that when the time comes,” he said, “How are you handling it?”
“Oh, fine. Except for the fact my family is fighting all because I put a ring on this morning instead of leaving it in my gun safe.” She was only slightly blaming herself. She and House both knew one day they’d have to tell Bree they were married. Now that she had moved out, it had seemed like the right time to Murphy. It was, but Bree had still gotten really upset over being lied to for three years.
Wilson’s eyes immediately went to her left hand for a second before looking at her, “You didn’t actually tell her?”
“I figured we might as well continue the trend. He never asked, I never actually said yes, neither of us will actually tell Bree we’ve been married for years behind her back,” she shook her head. “You were right about this.”
“I’m sorry.”
She chuckled, a little bitterly, as she sat down on the futon. “What? No ‘I told you so’?”
“Murphy…” he sat down in an armchair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
“Sorry, it’s been a rough morning.”
“How mad is he?”
She made an indecisive gesture with her hand, “Somewhere between the time Thirteen almost died and I had to arrest Bree.”
Wilson’s eyebrows shot up, “That bad?”
“You know what fighting with Bree does to him,” she shrugged, brushing off how much it hurt to have him mad at her, “He’ll come around when things are okay between them again. And she always forgives him in the end.”
“In the meantime, you’re caught in the middle, right?”
She shrugged again. She was used to her place in their little functioning dysfunctional family. When things got crazy, she stayed rational, calm and stubborn. She hadn’t kept Bree or House from walking out today. It was supposed to be such a big day too. Bree gets her own apartment for medical school, yay! Instead it had turned into Bree finds out they’d been lying to her for years, boo.
“It’ll be okay, Murphy. You guys will work it out.”
“The last time you said that it took two months,” she pointed out, but Wilson was using his caring doctor voice and it was hard not to believe that voice. “So, how about we stock up on Chinese while we wait them out? Maybe the smell of free food will bring them both back.”
“I’ll make sure to order extra egg rolls as incentive.”
Scenario: spill a secret
Murphy was putting the last of the dishes away when someone knocked on the door. She told whoever it was that it was open and got ready for round two.
“Murphy?”
It was Wilson’s voice, which prompted Toby to immediately run out of the kitchen for the front hall. The dog was strangely devoted to the other doctor. Neither Bree nor the man himself could explain it. Murphy sighed to herself and followed after the dog. Wilson was dressed for moving in, jeans and his McGill sweatshirt. He also had a brightly wrapped gift tucked under one arm while he scratched Toby behind the ears.
“She’s not here,” she said right away. She figured it was better to start this conversation now before Wilson figured out that she was the only person in Bree’s brand new apartment.
Wilson looked up with a slight frown, “Where’d she go? Did you guys forget something?”
“No, she found out and after a short shouting match, stormed out.”
“Ah,” he said with a wince. After patting Toby on the head one last time, he set the box down and studied her with his head tilted. “What happened?”
“What do you think?”
Wilson frown deepened and Murphy sighed, running a hand through her hair. She shouldn’t take it out on Wilson, even though he was really good at handling all the dysfunctions involved with being a friend to her, to House and surrogate mother to Bree. He had to be part Saint or something to last this long.
“Come on, you can test out the new furniture.” She led him into the living room, which had shiny new Ikea furniture and masses of broken down cardboard boxes.
“You did this all by yourself?” Wilson sounded impressed.
“They’ve been gone a long time.”
Now he sighed, “I told him she hates it when he lies to her.”
“He lies to everyone,” she pointed out.
“Not to her. It’s… scary how honest he is with her.”
“And he knows how much she hates change. He just wanted to protect her, but I don’t think Bree heard that part in the sarcasm. She’s going to be mad at you too when she finds out you were our witness.”
“I can handle that when the time comes,” he said, “How are you handling it?”
“Oh, fine. Except for the fact my family is fighting all because I put a ring on this morning instead of leaving it in my gun safe.” She was only slightly blaming herself. She and House both knew one day they’d have to tell Bree they were married. Now that she had moved out, it had seemed like the right time to Murphy. It was, but Bree had still gotten really upset over being lied to for three years.
Wilson’s eyes immediately went to her left hand for a second before looking at her, “You didn’t actually tell her?”
“I figured we might as well continue the trend. He never asked, I never actually said yes, neither of us will actually tell Bree we’ve been married for years behind her back,” she shook her head. “You were right about this.”
“I’m sorry.”
She chuckled, a little bitterly, as she sat down on the futon. “What? No ‘I told you so’?”
“Murphy…” he sat down in an armchair, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
“Sorry, it’s been a rough morning.”
“How mad is he?”
She made an indecisive gesture with her hand, “Somewhere between the time Thirteen almost died and I had to arrest Bree.”
Wilson’s eyebrows shot up, “That bad?”
“You know what fighting with Bree does to him,” she shrugged, brushing off how much it hurt to have him mad at her, “He’ll come around when things are okay between them again. And she always forgives him in the end.”
“In the meantime, you’re caught in the middle, right?”
She shrugged again. She was used to her place in their little functioning dysfunctional family. When things got crazy, she stayed rational, calm and stubborn. She hadn’t kept Bree or House from walking out today. It was supposed to be such a big day too. Bree gets her own apartment for medical school, yay! Instead it had turned into Bree finds out they’d been lying to her for years, boo.
“It’ll be okay, Murphy. You guys will work it out.”
“The last time you said that it took two months,” she pointed out, but Wilson was using his caring doctor voice and it was hard not to believe that voice. “So, how about we stock up on Chinese while we wait them out? Maybe the smell of free food will bring them both back.”
“I’ll make sure to order extra egg rolls as incentive.”