Title: Of Cousins And Secrets
By: sarcasticsra
Summary: Wilson’s cousin is in town for a few days, and Wilson wants House to meet him. Turns out that they’ve already met.
Pairing: Gil Grissom/Gregory House
Disclaimer: Still not mine. Drat.
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: This is the sequel to Guest Lecturer. It’s not necessary to read that one first to understand this one, but you’ll probably want to. Thanks for beta’ing, Kelly.


“You want to come with my cousin and me for lunch today, House?” asked Wilson one morning as they walked to House’s office.

House rolled his eyes. Wilson always had relatives stopping by for lunch, it seemed. “Ooh, sounds exciting,” he commented, sarcastically.

“I’m paying.”

“Then I’m there. Which cousin is this?”

“He lives in Las Vegas, but he’s in town for a conference or something. Dr. Gilbert Grissom, formally.”

House stopped in his tracks suddenly and he was sure Wilson was looking at him curiously. “There’s this thing called walking, you may have heard of it –- you place one foot in front of another and it causes movement, which carries you places. Stopping abruptly isn’t part of it, surprisingly.”

“Gilbert Grissom, the crime scene investigator and entomologist?”

“So you’ve heard of him. You’ll probably like him, he’s as smart as, if not smarter than, you.”

House started walking again, trying to not let on about his slight huffiness at that statement. “He’s not smarter than me.”

*



“James,” Grissom greeted him, nodding. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s been awhile,” Wilson replied. “Gil, this is my friend, Greg House.” Wilson indicated House with a nod of his head.

Grissom looked at House knowingly. “Greg House? You’ve come a long way since medical school. Not all of it good, though.”

“But I haven’t tried to ruin a lecture since -– well, wait, no, there was that thing two weeks ago, but other than that, I’m completely innocent.”

House suspected Wilson would’ve snorted, but he was too busy being confused. “You two know each other?”

“We met when Greg was still in medical school. He didn’t tell you?”

Wilson looked hard at House. “No, not that that’s really surprising. How’d you two, meet, exactly, Greg?”

“The respected doctor was just giving a lecture. I, the esteemed student, decided to go. You know, to further my understanding.”

“To heckle him, you mean,” Wilson corrected. “But...”

“He found that my lecture was satisfactory,” Grissom said, quirking his lips into a smirk.

“Among other things,” House muttered. The man’s eyes were still as intense as House remembered them – dimmed a little from experience, but damnably intense.

“So, what, you two started talking?”

“That’s what happened,” House answered sitting down at the table. If Wilson wasn’t going to use his common sense, he wasn’t going to help him out.

Wilson looked between the two men, who were studiously studying their menus. House looked back up at him just as a flash of realization seemed to appear on his features. “House,” he said slowly, as if unsure that he really existed, “did you two sleep together?”

“There wasn’t much sleeping involved, really,” House remarked flippantly, continuing to look at his menu. “Not that I recall.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you–-”

“Slept with your cousin? Frankly, I didn’t know he was your cousin given that I didn't know who you were at the time.”

“No,” Wilson responded. “That you slept with men at all is what I was going for there.”

“Wilson, I’m bisexual. There, I’ve told you.”

“Gee, thanks.” Wilson rolled his eyes. “I meant before, when I told you who my cousin was.”

“Well, that wouldn’t have been any fun, now would it?” House smirked. “I mean, poor Gil here wouldn’t have gotten to see you all flustered and adorable, and what kind of friend would I be if I let that chance slip away?”

Grissom, for his part, looked rather amused as he idly glanced at his menu. The corners of his lips were turned up in what was part of a smirk, and his eyes were twinkling with merriment. House smirked to himself. He wasn’t the only one who enjoyed seeing Wilson when he was riled up, apparently.

“I... need a drink.” Wilson sighed.

“It’s only one,” Grissom pointed out mildly, and House damn near burst into chuckles at the glare Wilson shot him.

*



“House, you slept with my cousin!”

“I know that, Wilson. Stop acting like I slept with your wife.”

“You couldn’t have mentioned this to me in all the time we were friends?”

“Does it really matter?”

“He’s my cousin That’s so... weird.”

“It was actually really fun...”

“House!”

“What’d he do now?” asked Foreman, as the three fellows entered the room. Chase was holding a folder.

“Sleep with a guy’s cousin and suddenly you’re the devil,” House said, shrugging. “Something tells me that file isn’t Chase’s collection of dirty pictures. What is it?”

Chase rolled his eyes and was about to open his mouth when Cameron interrupted. “You slept with Wilson’s cousin? Who is she?”

House looked positively gleeful, deciding something. “Yeah, Wilson, go ahead –- tell them who she is.”

“Oh, sure, you don’t care if they know, but your best friend...”

“You never told me about your brother.”

“So is that what this is? Some type of twisted revenge plot?”

“No, I just think your reaction is funny. Maybe I should call up your cousin. We can go out again, before he leaves town.”

Cameron let out what could only be described as a squeak. “He?”

“She can repeat words. Neat.” House rolled his eyes. Foreman had raised an eyebrow, and Chase was gawking. Why were the reactions of the people he knew so ridiculously predictable and yet comical at the same time?

“Yes,” Wilson said wearily. “He.”

“When?” Cameron asked. She seemed to be turning a light reddish-green color. That was weird, and would be festive, if it were Christmas.

“Back when he was in med school.” Wilson seemed to be at the “acceptance” stage of grief now, thankfully. As fun as his reaction had been at first, it was starting to get old.

“Enough about my sex life, people. I hear there’s a sick person around here, somewhere.”

*



“Greg, come in,” Grissom said, allowing House to enter his hotel room. “Can I help you?”

“If you have any alcoholic beverages in here, yes.”

Grissom frowned. “Aren’t you taking pain medication for your leg?”

“Who’s the M.D. here, again?”

“I’ve seen quite a few accidental deaths in my time, Greg.”

“I know what I’m doing,” he replied, sitting down on the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room.

“You always did. How long has your leg been like this?”

“Awhile. You always asked too many questions.”

“You liked it back then.”

“I wasn’t the subject of it back then.”

“Why are you really here, Greg?”

“Why do you think?” House attempted to leer; he failed, if Grissom’s amused expression was any indication.

“Don’t you think that might annoy James?”

“Don’t you think that’s half my reason?”

“What’s the other half?”

House smirked. “Guess.”

As it turned out, Grissom didn’t have to guess.

He knew.


-End