Glass Waltz: Chapter 99 (099. Writer's Choice)
Title: Glass Waltz (99)
Fandoms: House/24/MI5
Characters/Pairing: Greg House/Brittany House, referenced Brittany House/Michael Colefield and one-sided Brittany House/Jacob Lindsay
Prompt: 099. Writer's Choice
Word Count: 1157
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and adult subject matter.
Spoilers: None for this part
Summary: A killer's dying wish brings his last victim to life.
Author's Notes: The 99th chapter of an ongoing novel. All chapter subtitles are from the song "30 Minutes" by TATU.
Ninety-nine.
All Together Now.
for the rest / of my life
September 15, 2011
2:32 P.M. EST
Princeton, New Jersey
House is standing in the living room, staring out the back window, trying to find meaning in his life.
It's been three months since they got out of the game.
And in a lot of ways, it's been the longest, hardest, and most painful months of his life. He misses his friends, who don't call anymore. He misses the coffee runs with Kyle. The intellectual discussions with Julian. Hell, he even misses the the bitchfests he'd have with Hannigan. The man only comes to the basketball games. Never around to really do anything, anymore.
Jackson is six. A very hyper six. But a very intelligent six years old.
They're sitting at the dinner table, having a bit of a late lunch, when Jackson prods at his sandwich and pouts. "I miss Uncle Kyle and Uncle Mike." He says, with his little face in a frown. "Why don't they come over and visit anymore? Why didn't they come to my birthday?"
House pulls in a quiet breath and looks at his son. "They're busy people, Jackson."
"But I miss them!" Jackson protests, thudding his little fist against the table. "I didn't even get any presents from them." He glares at his father.
"Jackson, it isn't about presents,"
"I miss them." His eyes well up with tears and he climbs away from the table, going to run off into his room.
House sighs and looks at his wife, who looks just as distressed, and then gets up from the table, to make the walk into the bedroom. He knows his son misses his uncles, because he misses his friends just as much. They still haven't heard from Michael.
Jackson is curled up in a ball underneath his covers, and sobs shakily as he cries.
It breaks his heart to see his son like this. House quietly walks into the bedroom and sits on the bed, then puts a hand on his son's back. "Jackson, I'm sorry..."
"No," comes the tearful reply. "Because they used to come over even if they were busy. Now they don't come over to play." Jackson rolls over. "Can we go see them, please?"
House swallows. "Jackson..."
"Please, dad? I really want to see Uncle Kyle and Uncle Mike."
"Uncle Mike is in England," House says, even if it isn't the truth, it's the best he can do at the moment. "And Uncle Kyle is teaching classes."
"I want to see them. At least Uncle Kyle. Please?"
"We'll see, Jackson."
Jackson pouts up at him.
In the kitchen, Brittany is sitting at the table in tears, listening to the exchange between father and son. Her son shouldn't have to cry to get to see the men that used to be in her life. Her son shouldn't have to pout and beg to see his role models, his uncles, his grandfather. She wipes away the tears and bites her lip.
House walks out of the bedroom a few minutes later, wiping at his own eyes as he takes a seat at the table. "He misses Kyle, Mike, Jack," he says.
"I know," she says quietly. "I heard him. He's upset that they didn't come to his birthday party like they always do." She reaches for his hand. "Are we doing the right thing?"
He sighs and nods. "This is what we needed to do, I just don't know if it's worth watching his heart break like this at every birthday, every Christmas, every time he misses them. I don't know if it's worth it."
"I know," Brittany echoes. "It kills me to hear him cry like that but I don't know what I can do. They haven't called. They haven't come by. I walked away from them," she swallows hard. "They're just returning the favor."
She never expected it would be like this. She always thought that they'd be able to hang out, still be friends after it all, but she should have known better.
So much for the happy ending.
Jackson wails loudly from the bedroom, sending shivers down both his parents' spines.
House folds his hands on the table. "We need to fix this." He says needlessly, before he pushes himself up to standing and sighs. "I'm going to call them."
"Greg, if they don't want to see us, then we're only going to crush Jackson's heart." Brittany counters.
"I don't care, we have to try." Another wail. "Listen to him. He's going to make himself sick." House stands up and then goes to comfort his son, picking him up into his arms and hugging him close, trying to soothe him and wipe away his tears.
"I miss Uncle Kyle. He always liked," a hiccup and a sniffle. "To play with me." The boy clings to his father's neck as they walk to the living room and sit down on the couch. "I miss Uncle Jake and Uncle Mike and Grandpa Jack. He never talks to me on the phone no more." Jackson wipes his face on his father's shoulder and sniffles.
"I know, bud, I know. I'm gonna try to fix that."
September 17, 2011
5:11 P.M. EST
Princeton, New Jersey
House is sitting at the table again. Jackson is sitting there, coloring a picture for Uncle Kyle when he shows up. Unknown to him, his uncle was supposed to be there ten minutes ago, if he was going to be there at all. Brittany can't bear to sit and wait for the end, so she just locks herself in the office and goes over plays.
Ten minutes late turns into thirty minutes late.
When it turns into an hour, and the sky starts to darken, Jackson realizes that Kyle isn't here yet, and he frowns deeply at the picture before grabbing it and turning it over onto the back so he can't see the careful coloring job he spent the last hour doing. He pushes himself back from the table and pads off to his room to sit and sulk in the corner on the floor.
House sighs as his son's door clicks shut, and he just picks the crayons up and cleans up the mess. It kills him to see his son like this. He picks up a bottle of beer and walks out to the front yard, phone in hand as he opens the bottle and sinks down onto the front steps. He dials Kyle's house number and isn't surprised when he reaches the message machine.
"I hope you realize that you shattered a little boy's heart tonight," he says into the reciever. "It was your choice, but I can't see my son broken hearted and not say something about it. I hope you know what you've done. And you have to live with that."
He hangs up, then dials back again.
Another message.
"Kyle, he misses you. I miss you. Brittany misses you. I can understand why you're not calling, why you're not coming by, but it hurts. I won't lie." He sighs. "Just please, call me."
He takes a drink of the beer, and sits there for awhile, just waiting for the phone to ring.
But when it does, he isn't really expecting it at all.
Fandoms: House/24/MI5
Characters/Pairing: Greg House/Brittany House, referenced Brittany House/Michael Colefield and one-sided Brittany House/Jacob Lindsay
Prompt: 099. Writer's Choice
Word Count: 1157
Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, and adult subject matter.
Spoilers: None for this part
Summary: A killer's dying wish brings his last victim to life.
Author's Notes: The 99th chapter of an ongoing novel. All chapter subtitles are from the song "30 Minutes" by TATU.
Ninety-nine.
All Together Now.
for the rest / of my life
September 15, 2011
2:32 P.M. EST
Princeton, New Jersey
House is standing in the living room, staring out the back window, trying to find meaning in his life.
It's been three months since they got out of the game.
And in a lot of ways, it's been the longest, hardest, and most painful months of his life. He misses his friends, who don't call anymore. He misses the coffee runs with Kyle. The intellectual discussions with Julian. Hell, he even misses the the bitchfests he'd have with Hannigan. The man only comes to the basketball games. Never around to really do anything, anymore.
Jackson is six. A very hyper six. But a very intelligent six years old.
They're sitting at the dinner table, having a bit of a late lunch, when Jackson prods at his sandwich and pouts. "I miss Uncle Kyle and Uncle Mike." He says, with his little face in a frown. "Why don't they come over and visit anymore? Why didn't they come to my birthday?"
House pulls in a quiet breath and looks at his son. "They're busy people, Jackson."
"But I miss them!" Jackson protests, thudding his little fist against the table. "I didn't even get any presents from them." He glares at his father.
"Jackson, it isn't about presents,"
"I miss them." His eyes well up with tears and he climbs away from the table, going to run off into his room.
House sighs and looks at his wife, who looks just as distressed, and then gets up from the table, to make the walk into the bedroom. He knows his son misses his uncles, because he misses his friends just as much. They still haven't heard from Michael.
Jackson is curled up in a ball underneath his covers, and sobs shakily as he cries.
It breaks his heart to see his son like this. House quietly walks into the bedroom and sits on the bed, then puts a hand on his son's back. "Jackson, I'm sorry..."
"No," comes the tearful reply. "Because they used to come over even if they were busy. Now they don't come over to play." Jackson rolls over. "Can we go see them, please?"
House swallows. "Jackson..."
"Please, dad? I really want to see Uncle Kyle and Uncle Mike."
"Uncle Mike is in England," House says, even if it isn't the truth, it's the best he can do at the moment. "And Uncle Kyle is teaching classes."
"I want to see them. At least Uncle Kyle. Please?"
"We'll see, Jackson."
Jackson pouts up at him.
In the kitchen, Brittany is sitting at the table in tears, listening to the exchange between father and son. Her son shouldn't have to cry to get to see the men that used to be in her life. Her son shouldn't have to pout and beg to see his role models, his uncles, his grandfather. She wipes away the tears and bites her lip.
House walks out of the bedroom a few minutes later, wiping at his own eyes as he takes a seat at the table. "He misses Kyle, Mike, Jack," he says.
"I know," she says quietly. "I heard him. He's upset that they didn't come to his birthday party like they always do." She reaches for his hand. "Are we doing the right thing?"
He sighs and nods. "This is what we needed to do, I just don't know if it's worth watching his heart break like this at every birthday, every Christmas, every time he misses them. I don't know if it's worth it."
"I know," Brittany echoes. "It kills me to hear him cry like that but I don't know what I can do. They haven't called. They haven't come by. I walked away from them," she swallows hard. "They're just returning the favor."
She never expected it would be like this. She always thought that they'd be able to hang out, still be friends after it all, but she should have known better.
So much for the happy ending.
Jackson wails loudly from the bedroom, sending shivers down both his parents' spines.
House folds his hands on the table. "We need to fix this." He says needlessly, before he pushes himself up to standing and sighs. "I'm going to call them."
"Greg, if they don't want to see us, then we're only going to crush Jackson's heart." Brittany counters.
"I don't care, we have to try." Another wail. "Listen to him. He's going to make himself sick." House stands up and then goes to comfort his son, picking him up into his arms and hugging him close, trying to soothe him and wipe away his tears.
"I miss Uncle Kyle. He always liked," a hiccup and a sniffle. "To play with me." The boy clings to his father's neck as they walk to the living room and sit down on the couch. "I miss Uncle Jake and Uncle Mike and Grandpa Jack. He never talks to me on the phone no more." Jackson wipes his face on his father's shoulder and sniffles.
"I know, bud, I know. I'm gonna try to fix that."
September 17, 2011
5:11 P.M. EST
Princeton, New Jersey
House is sitting at the table again. Jackson is sitting there, coloring a picture for Uncle Kyle when he shows up. Unknown to him, his uncle was supposed to be there ten minutes ago, if he was going to be there at all. Brittany can't bear to sit and wait for the end, so she just locks herself in the office and goes over plays.
Ten minutes late turns into thirty minutes late.
When it turns into an hour, and the sky starts to darken, Jackson realizes that Kyle isn't here yet, and he frowns deeply at the picture before grabbing it and turning it over onto the back so he can't see the careful coloring job he spent the last hour doing. He pushes himself back from the table and pads off to his room to sit and sulk in the corner on the floor.
House sighs as his son's door clicks shut, and he just picks the crayons up and cleans up the mess. It kills him to see his son like this. He picks up a bottle of beer and walks out to the front yard, phone in hand as he opens the bottle and sinks down onto the front steps. He dials Kyle's house number and isn't surprised when he reaches the message machine.
"I hope you realize that you shattered a little boy's heart tonight," he says into the reciever. "It was your choice, but I can't see my son broken hearted and not say something about it. I hope you know what you've done. And you have to live with that."
He hangs up, then dials back again.
Another message.
"Kyle, he misses you. I miss you. Brittany misses you. I can understand why you're not calling, why you're not coming by, but it hurts. I won't lie." He sighs. "Just please, call me."
He takes a drink of the beer, and sits there for awhile, just waiting for the phone to ring.
But when it does, he isn't really expecting it at all.