Several of you asked about Jimmy Snacks. House offers an explanation in the last chapter of this story, but the original Jimmy Snacks weren't as PG rated. I didn't invent them. They were the creation of a deranged fanfic writer named Andrew for a fanfic called Jimmy Doo and the Chairman of the Board written by Jellybean for the Fox/House boards. (And, by the way, Jellybean, or JB, was the inspiration for Gretchen and Tommy's teacher.)

So, here are the last three chapters of this story. I'll begin posting the sequel, The Gift of Love, next Monday.

Thanks for reading or rereading this story. I love all of my readers.

Chapter 198. ISLAND IN THE SUN

The next morning the ship docked at Princess Cay, the island owned

by the cruise line. An entire day of activities was planned centered

on the private beach on the island. The beach had snowy white sand

encircled by palms. The water was warm and crystal clear. If you had

a mind to, you could go snorkeling or parasailing. There'd be plenty

of beach volleyball and other games, and of course swimming.

But the main goal of the Three Amigos and Kevin and Keith was to

build a sandcastle. Not just a castle, they were determined to build

an entire fortress. Both Marty and Billy enthusiastically offered to

help.

When he was young, House loved the beach. But after the damage to his

leg he avoided it. For one thing, he hated to have anyone see the

ugly scar. He thought about wearing his customary jeans, rolled up to

his calves perhaps, but instead he settled for a fashionable knee-

length pair of shorts. That of course was the least of it. He was

quite used to walking on solid surfaces with the aid of his cane.

He'd been doing it for years now. But navigating across a sandy beach

was at least problematic and possibly quite painful.

He made his way gingerly to a lounge chair with a good view of his

daughter, her cousins and her friends, and made himself comfortable.

He got out his game cube and newest iPod, and settled in for the

day. The bonus was the babes in their bikinis were sunbathing nearby.

Four of the five were doctors. They knew the dangers of too much sun,

especially the tropical sun, to their New Jersey winter, sun-deprived

skin. So they'd liberally applied the highest SPF sunblock possible.

He'd enjoyed the show as they helped each other apply it, and he

wouldn't have minded helping, but they didn't ask. Maybe a day at the

beach wasn't such a bad thing after all.

He barely noticed Wilson stretch out on the lounge chair next to his,

just enough to say, "I'll take those five over any other chicks on

this beach."

"Just stick to the one that's yours," Wilson said.

"I bet you were watching them all slather that sunscreen on, too. Not just your wife." But before Wilson could respond they saw two men ogling the women. "Put those eyeballs back in your heads!" House demanded. "What do you think you're looking at? Only Wilson and I can look at them like that. And those two helping

the kids with their sandcastle."

"Oh, yeah? It's a free country!" one of the men said.

"If you don't walk away now, you'll see just how free it is," House

warned. "I've got a cane and I know how to do things with it you

really won't like."

The men were incredulous. Who did this old guy think he was? They

looked at his friend.

"Better listen to him. I've know him a long time and he

isn't kidding."

The two men scampered off.

"We need some towers." Gretchen helped Kevin dig a moat surrounding the base of their construction.

"What are you doing?" Em asked Tommy as he concentrated on shaping

the top of a wall.

"Making crenellations" he explained. He liked the sound of that word.

"Now that you have a moat, you'll need a drawbridge." Marty was amazed by the imagination and skill of the five kids.

"OK," Tommy said. He'd finished his crenellations for now. "Should it

be up or down?"

"How about half-way?" Emily proposed.

Keith and Billy returned from the water's edge with plastic cups of

wet sand. "Where should we put these?" the boy asked.

"Over here," Tommy called. He needed some for his drawbridge supports.

Like any construction job, they were drawing a crowd of onlookers.

None of these construction workers were about to indulge in catcalls.

They just worked away, their fortress rising and growing with each

passing minute. The ship's photographer was so impressed he took

several pictures.

Meanwhile, after a half hour on their backs, the five women turned

simultaneously to their stomachs, almost as if they'd choreographed

it. Then, after another half hour they took off for a dip in the sea.

When Cameron returned, she put on her cover-up and stretched in a

hammock not far from House, where she promptly fell asleep.

By three-thirty, the construction crew had finished their creation.

Some of the spectators had actually applauded the finished job.

Oblivious to the fact that they were by now covered in sand, the

kids were very proud of their accomplishment. They took a bow.

Marty and Billy suggested they rinse off in the water and they were

happy to do so. They played in the water for a while but eventually

returned to where their parents had gathered. Gretchen sat down

between her parents. She'd collected a bunch of shells and went

through them to pick out the most complete conch. She handed it

to her mother who held it to her ear to 'hear the ocean'.

About five PM the ship's crew set up for a barbecue on the beach.

They grilled fish and meats as well as assorted vegetables and

plantains. At six a steel band began to play and the food was served.

After everyone feasted, it was time for the limbo contest. All of the

children were game, and so were most of the adults. But House wasn't

about to try. When Cameron didn't get up to join the line of people

he said, "Go ahead. I bet you're great at this."

"I used to be..." she began.

"Go on, I wanna watch you," he said with a leer.

"OK," she reluctantly agreed.

He probably didn't realize how his eyes shone as he watched his

friends and especially his wife and daughter bend their backs as they

tried to make it under the limbo stick. The one who surprised him the

most was Cuddy. She was unbelievably good and ended up winning the

contest.

Now House knew the reason for the expression 'Life's a beach' and

why 'a day at the beach' was supposed to be a good thing. This one

certainly was.

Chapter 199. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S, NEW YEAR'S EVE?

At ten in the morning on December 31 the ship docked at the harbor

in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. All of the women

had been looking forward to several hours of shopping. As they went

through the breakfast buffet line, the ladies chattered about what

they were each going to look for.

"Mom, do we have to go?" You guessed it. House beat the other kids

to ask that.

"Someone's got to carry the packages," Cameron told him.

"But not the cripple!" he retorted.

"They're supposed to have a great selection of cigars and liquor,"

Cuddy said. That got the other men's attention, but House still

wasn't convinced.

"What are we going to do?" Tommy asked. The adults looked at each

other guiltily, not sure what to tell the children.

"You can stay aboard, or you can come shopping. Maybe we'll do some

sightseeing," his father offered.

But just at that moment the staff who organized the activities for

children and teens aboard the ship came by.

"Do you kids want to spend the day with us?" Brad, a very athletic

college student, asked. The five kids had attained some sort of

celebrity status after their castle-building on the beach.

Gretchen, Tommy, Emily, Kevin and Keith looked at each other, then

one-by-one, they shrugged and said 'OK'.

In the end, Cameron decided to stay on board with House. They'd never

taken advantage of the couple's massage that was part of their

wedding package and she decided today would be the day.

Before long they lay stretched out on their stomachs on side-by-side

massage tables just a few feet apart, a thin white sheet covering

their nude bodies. The two masseuses, in crisp white uniforms, began

to massage their hands, giving attention to each and every finger,

palm and wrist. As they moved up each arm to the shoulder, smoothing

the skin with massage oils and stretching each muscle, the tension

in House and Cameron's bodies began to melt away.

Next, their backs were pounded and kneaded with application of still

more of the fragrant oils all the way from shoulders to buttocks.

House didn't know which he appreciated more, having his body massaged

or watching someone massage his wife.

As the masseuses massaged the backs of their legs, House and Cameron

looked over at each other and smiled. Calves and ankles were next

and then it was time for them to roll over.

Her masseuse knew that Cameron was pregnant and his that House had

chronic pain in his right thigh, so they took those facts into

account as they again made their way from top to toe. Face, neck,

chest, followed by stomach, hips and thighs, their skilled hands

eased every knotted muscle and aching joint.

The newlyweds thought they'd been relaxed before, but by the time

they were sent to the shower to rinse off the oils, they were both

quite mellow, and even more turned on than ever.

They sponged each other off, focusing especially on the most

sensitive spots. Then they dressed quickly and headed back to their

room for a couple of hours of passionate, intense and very satisfying

lovemaking.

New Year's Eve at this resort on the sea was a party waiting to

happen. Every restaurant, every public space seemed to be instantly

decorated for the holiday, including massive New Year's-inspired ice

sculptures. The champagne flowed from dinnertime onward.

Marty had been tempted several times during the cruise by the free

access to alcoholic beverages, but, like Nancy and Cameron, he stuck

to drinking soft drinks, iced tea, and non-alcoholic coolers instead.

He saw that Nancy and his brother both noticed and approved, and he

was very proud of his own strength of will. His life was turning

around and he wasn't going to jeopardize that.

The children had all insisted on staying up until midnight. Efforts

to get them to nap during the day were futile. Even the youngest,

Keith, just scoffed and claimed he wasn't a baby.

By eight, the orchestra in the restaurant where they'd eaten dinner

began to play dance music.

The kids danced the latest line dance with Bonnie, Billy, Marty and

Nancy. Wilson and Cuddy did a mean Cha-Cha. House was still so

relaxed that even he danced a few slow numbers with his wife, but he

didn't want to push it. The fact that he even tried pleased Cameron

immensely.

By ten thirty Kevin and Keith were getting sleepy, but they were both

determined not to give in.

"Honey, you can close your eyes for a while" Keith's mother told him.

"We promise to wake you at eleven thirty or so. You'll see the

fireworks." But he shook his head. He didn't want to miss a minute.

The Three Amigos began to fade forty-five minutes later, but wouldn't

give into sleep either.

At eleven thirty, everyone began to move out on the various decks in

anticipation of the fireworks show over the water. And they weren't

disappointed. The show was spectacular. Twenty minutes of non-stop

bursts of color and sound. Shooting stars, rockets, all the pyro-

technics available.

House stood with an arm around each of his girls, watching the show

but also the look of wonder in their eyes. The fireworks ended at

exactly midnight.

Cameron turned to him. "Happy New Year, Greg. This is going

to be the best year ever!"

"Happy New Year, Allie," he replied and then kissed her passionately.

Then he looked down at his daughter. "Happy New Year, Gretchen." There was a catch in his voice. He wondered where that came from.

"Happy New Year, Dad." She beamed up at him. "Happy New Year,

Mom."

Her mother smiled back at her. "Happy New Year, Sweetheart."

Chapter 200. THE REST IS STILL UNWRITTEN

Everyone slept in the next morning. It was New Year's Day and they

had nowhere to go, not much to do. But House suddenly sat up with a

start. "The Bowl Games!" he said.

"Aren't they in the afternoon?" Cameron asked sleepily. "You've got

plenty of time. C'mon back down here."

"I need to get a good seat on deck."

"That screen is so large and so bright, every seat will be good."

Although she knew you didn't argue with Gregory House when he'd made

up his mind, she had to try. "Just a half hour or so," she coaxed,

her fingers beginning to caress him gently, then more aggressively.

"Didn't you get enough fireworks last night?" he asked. They'd

followed up the sparklers in the sky with some explosions of their

own back in the room. "You've become insatiable."

"I can't help it. I just love showing you how much you mean to me.

It's one of the ways I can do that," she purred.

House had always expected that when Cameron 'grew up' and became the

strong and confident woman she was now (and he'd had no doubt she

would) her feelings for him would disappear. It continued to amaze

him how wrong he'd been. "I guess I was wrong about you."

She wasn't sure what he meant but guessed. "You were wrong to think I wanted to

fix you," she said. "I wanted to take away some of your pain, bring

a little happiness into your life, maybe even mend your damaged heart

but I never wanted to 'fix' you and change you into someone you're

not."

He kissed her sweetly and in a voice husky with emotions he'd never

express, he said "I guess we have some time," and followed up by showing

her how much she'd come to mean to him.

Eventually food called to them and they ventured forth to brunch,

where they found the members of their party filling up on stuffed

French toast and Belgian waffles, western omelets and eggs

Benedict. Cameron took an omelet from the buffet table and House

filled a plate with all of the above plus breakfast potatoes and a

side of bacon.

"I never understood where you put it all," Wilson said as they sat

down with everyone else. "So, we're watching the games, right?" he

asked.

"Are my eyes blue?" came the response.

"They'll be starting soon." Marty looked at his watch.

House scarfed down all of his food and quickly drank a cup of coffee.

"So what are we waiting for?" He got up and led the way

to the deck.

The men secured deck chairs near each other. The women then surprised

them by sitting down next to them, or in Cameron's case, on the same

lounge chair as House.

In response to House's raised eyebrows she said, "Do you see a sign

that says 'Men Only'?"

As they watched, waiters passed among the lounge chairs offering

beer and soft drinks, hard pretzels and Jimmy snacks.

"I know there had to be a reason you wouldn't tell Tommy about the

connection between Jimmy snacks and his father, but they do taste

remarkably like his pancakes," Cameron remarked after a while.

"Yup," House said. "Now shush, I'm watching the game."

"C'mon, House. I'm not a child. You can tell me."

Looking at her face he couldn't refuse her. He glanced over to see

whether Wilson or Cuddy were listening, but they were both intent

on the game.

"OK. When Wilson was married to his second wife, he had an affair

with a nurse who supplemented her income by working at a bakery.

Now what he didn't know was that she was cheating on him with one of

the bakers. Wilson made the mistake of feeding her some of his

pancakes, and she liked them so much, she had the baker duplicate

the recipe in the form of a cookie. Then they went into business

together and made a gazillion dollars selling Jimmy snacks, and

Wilson didn't get a penny," House said. "Now here's the kicker.

Someone gave wifey number two some of them and she called Wilson

on the fact that they tasted like his pancakes. That was the end of

his second marriage."

"Ooooh!" Cameron exclaimed. She looked rather embarrassed that she'd

even asked. She studiously went back to watching the game.

A little while later, during a commercial break, House looked around

for Gretchen. The five kids had found a spot earlier to just sit and

talk. But now, instead of just the five there were about a dozen

kids. What were they doing? His curiosity was piqued. This wasn't

some activity organized by the college jock. In fact, none of the

ship's crew were anywhere near them.

"Allie, what are the kids up to?" he asked.

Cameron hadn't noticed but now that House had pointed it out, she

was curious too. "I don't know."

Just then, the children dispersed. Each of them headed towards his or

her parents, or so she assumed. As Gretchen came closer they saw that

she had something in her hands.

"We made you kaleidoscopes." she handed one to House and one

to Cameron. Tommy was giving his parents some also.

"Who's idea was this?" Cuddy asked.

"Well, Gretchen suggested we needed to make you all something to

remember the cruise," Tommy said.

"And Emily suggested kaleidoscopes," Gretchen added.

"And Tommy thought we could use the shells and pebbles we picked up

on the beach," Emily said.

"We made some for you too." Tommy gave one each to his uncle

and Nancy.

"Oh, Tommy, how sweet!" Nancy exclaimed.

Their job done, the kids decided it was time to jump into the pool.

"I'm still amazed at what a cool kid our daughter is." House watched Gretchen swim with her friends and cousins. "Why is she so much more outgoing than you or I?"

"Because unlike you and I, she has both of her parents unconditional

love. She knows that, whatever happens, we'll be there for her. It

gives her the confidence and security to be the person she is,"

Cameron tried to explain. "And to love us just as unconditionally."

"She does, doesn't she?" he said. And that meant that he had

something he'd never had before, something that was missing from his

life, unconditional love.