Title: Family

Disclaimer: Sadly neither Wilson or House belong to me.

Summary: House reluctantly goes to a Wilson family gathering, but makes a decision about his own family. House/Wilson established relationship.

A/N: This is almost a kidfic. I never thought I'd ever write one- so maybe this fic is the nearest I'll get!

As ever, any reviews/comments will be gratefully received! Thanks!

The only reason House had reluctantly agreed to be dragged to one of the Wilson family gatherings was the promise of good food and an unending supply of alcohol. Wilson knew all too well how dangerous it was to leave a bored House to his own devices for a long period of time, so he had used his great skill for persuasion and a little bribery to make House go with him to his sister-in-law's birthday party.

Once they arrived at the party, they immediately separated. Wilson went to talk to his parents and House walked straight to the kitchen to pile a plate full of food and grab two bottles of beer for himself. Wilson's family had known House for long enough not to try to engage him in petty small talk so he knew he would be left alone in relative peace for most of the afternoon.

After an hour spent in the garden, enjoying the warm summer sunshine, House decided to head back into the house to find Wilson and see if he would agree to leave the party early. House had already thought of a work-related excuse to use so that they could leave without appearing rude. He walked down the hallway, but stopped in his tracks when he spotted Wilson in the far corner of the living room with his young niece and nephew. They were deep in conversation. Wilson was sitting on the floor crossed legged, mimicking how the young children were sat opposite him. The expression on Wilson's face took his breath away. He had never seen Wilson look so happy. Wilson was positively revelling in the look of delight on the their faces as he spoke to his captivated audience.

House vaguely recalled the young girl's name was Sarah. As the three of them talked, Sarah had gradually moved towards her uncle and sat in his lap, pointing to the blonde-haired doll in her hand. House chuckled as Wilson's nephew grabbed the doll from her hand and mischievously threw it out of her reach. House continued to observe them from across the room as Wilson gently chided the young boy before turning away to retrieve the doll and give it back to it's owner. There must have been apologies all round as several seconds later they all seemed to be the best of friends again.

House finally made his way towards Wilson and sat down on the chair that Wilson was using to lean against. He gently patted the top of Wilson's head in a silent greeting.

"Hey." Wilson said, twisting his head to look up at House.

"Hi, Uncle House!" Sarah exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"Hi Sarah." House found himself smiling back at her wide, toothy grin.

"You haven't met Sarah's cousin Charlie before have you?" Wilson asked. House shook his head and reached out to shake Charlie's small hand. The gesture seemed to impress Charlie and House was immediately in his good graces.

Sarah and Charlie's conversation then moved onto one of the Harry Potter movies. They discussed it with immense seriousness as if it was actually a debate about the global economy. Of course House contributed by deliberately saying something incorrect so that both children gasped in shock and proceeded to loudly admonish him for being so silly.

The sound of Wilson laughing at him, tugged at House's heart. He then looked across to see Charlie grabbing at Wilson's sleeve to get his attention. In that moment House made a decision. But it wasn't made recklessly, on a whim. He knew all the hard work that would be involved and the difficult decisions that would have to be made, but they could do it. Wilson would be an amazing father and together they could be great parents.

Seeing Wilson look so happy; his eyes shining brightly in a way House couldn't even begin to adequately describe, was enough for him to take a deep breath and summon the courage to tell Wilson. House planted his left foot on the floor and carefully slid off the chair to sit down next to Wilson. He placed his cane on the floor and moved it out of the way. He then reached out for Wilson's left hand, intertwining their fingers before he spoke.

"We could do this." House began quietly.

"Do what?" Wilson asked, still a little distracted by Charlie still playfully pulling at his sleeve.

"Be parents." House added.

"What?!" Wilson exclaimed incredulously, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"We could adopt a child." House explained with effort.

"You're kidding, right?" Wilson asked, still bewildered. He thought that maybe House had had too much to drink or perhaps it was his idea of a joke, making fun of him for spending time with his niece and nephew in preference to the adults at the party.

"No." House said firmly.

"Why?" Wilson managed to ask, his attention now completely fixed on House. He suddenly remembered once admitting to House that he regretted not having any children. He couldn't believe House had stored away that tiny piece of information in his memory.

"You look happy. You are happy. You should be a father Wilson." House stated as if it was the most obvious explanation in the world.

"What about you? You've never wanted kids." Wilson felt the tiniest glimmer of hope begin to grow for something he had long dismissed as impossible. But experience had told him not to be too optimistic too soon.

"I...I don't want to make the same mistakes..." House's voice trailed off. Even the merest mention of his father was enough to make him tense.

"You wouldn't, House. You know better." Wilson replied earnestly.

"You'd stop me though...stop me making those mistakes?" House almost pleaded as his grip on Wilson's hand tightened. He couldn't bear the thought of history repeating itself.

"Yes." Wilson whispered softly, squeezing House's hand in reassurance. Wilson was his family. He loved and trusted him completely. House believed Wilson was telling him the truth.

"Okay, then." House responded feeling relief wash over him.

"Okay." Wilson echoed, still a little shell shocked. It suddenly seemed so easy as if they had just decided to buy a new couch instead of making the most momentous decision of their lives. But his heart was pounding and he felt his hands trembling a little as the life-altering ramifications began to sink in.

"Uncle Jamie!" Sarah complained bitterly as her favourite doll was thrown even further away by Charlie.

As Wilson resumed his peacekeeping duties between his nephew and niece, House was certain they were doing the right thing. He couldn't help thinking about the possibility of adopting a child and both of them giving him or her all the love he had been denied as a boy himself.

Any desire House had to leave the party early suddenly vanished as Charlie clambered over his outstretched legs and began to draw Harry Potter's face on House's sneaker with a black marker pen which had magically appeared as if from nowhere.

The End