House pulled up to designated home on his motorcycle. It didn't look much different than the others around it. Same typical white paint; same typical brown roof. Not knowing what else to do, he went up the brown steps and rang the doorbell. A girl came to the door. She looked very good for a 16-year-old, considering it was 8:00 on a Saturday morning in the middle of June. She wore a t-shirt reaching down to her waist that read 'Normal is Overrated' with a picture of a jackelope. She also wore hip-hugging jeans that perfectly complimented her icy blue eyes and the brown glasses framing them. The girl's rich brown hair cascaded exquisitely down her back to her skinny waist. On the whole, she looked very sexy. The girl looked at him confusedly. House hissed at her,

"Hello there babe. Want to come out and talk? We really need to talk about getting together. I don't care if you want to or not, but you will come out and talk." The girl raised her eyebrows. She shrugged, and almost stepped out. She knew how to defend her self, and how to gravely injure a man 11 different ways with her bare hands. Just then, someone from inside the house called,

"Jade, who the hell is it?" Jade called back,

"Just some damn ding-dong-door-ditchers Mom, that's it. I'm going to go out and hunt down their dead asses." Jade's mother called back,

"Just shut the damn door!" Jade went out, and met House in the driveway. She put her hands on her hips, emphasizing their slim looks. She said,

"Alright, we can talk. What's this about? Who the hell are you?" House ignored her, and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. He dialed a number and held the phone out to Jade and said,

"Mommy will explain." Jade shot a puzzled look at him, but warily took the phone. It rang once, and it was immediately picked up by a woman, saying,

"Dr Cuddy, Dean of Medicine." Jade looked quizzically at House, and ignoring the woman's kind greeting said angrily,

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" Dr. Cuddy was silent for a while, and when she spoke again, it was barely above a whisper,

"Is this Jade Winters?" Jade was even more confused now. How did this woman know her? She answered,

"Yeah, this is Jade Winters. What do you want with me?" All the anger had disappeared from her voice. All that remained was pure, unadulterated curiosity. She heard Cuddy sigh and say,

"This is going to sound insane and unbelievable, but I am your mother." Now it was Jade's turn to be speechless. She had known that she was adopted, but she hadn't thought of her real mother for quite a few years now. She had just assumed the bitch had had sex as a teen, and didn't want her. Jade said,

"That's not possible." She knew it was, but was too busy stalling for time to care about her knowledge. Cuddy said quickly,

"It is true, I swear. You were born June 17, 1993. You have a beauty mark on your left wrist." Jade couldn't help but glance at it, and took this in with surprising speed. She said,

"Give me something that only you and I would know." Cuddy said with finality,

"You have a mole on your right upper leg on the left side." Jade now accepted this. She said coolly,

"Fine, you're right. Why did you send Limpy here to give me a phone call?" Cuddy laughed and said,

"His name is Dr. Gregory House, but is referred to as House. He is an employee at the hospital. He cannot know what we have discussed. I was wondering if—well…oh hell, I want you to come live with me. I sent him in case you said yes." Jade mentally weighed her options. Stay in the care of her semi-cruel and nasty foster mother, or be welcomed into this unknown woman's arms who Jade knew wanted her. There really wasn't much competition. She said warily,

"Ok, but can we try it for a week first?" She heard Cuddy smile as she said,

"That would be wonderful. So, I'll see you late tonight?"

"Yes."

"Great. I love you, sweetie. Can you put House on the phone?" Jade handed House the phone and said,

"Mommy wants to talk to you." He took the phone and Jade ran into the house. House said,

"Yes, controlling woman? Can I have my balls back?" Cuddy ignored him and said,

"You are to bring Jade to me, and I will relieve you from all clinic hours you have still to do, and all you will ever have to do at my hospital. Also, you will refrain from any sexual comments. You will not appraise her body like a horse for breeding. If you do any of the above, I will stop the Vicodin. You know very well that I can." With that, she hung up. House was surprised how protective she was of Jade. Her protectiveness sent his mind reeling. Was this her daughter? He immediately dismissed the idea. She would never surrender the child she had wanted for so long. Perhaps she is a niece? It was possible. She did look so like Cuddy. Except, those eyes were so very unlike Cuddy's soft chocolate brown ones. He knew Jade's eyes looked familiar, and he had a pretty good idea where they were from. But that was impossible. Even if it was true, there would be hell to pay. He shoved the thought out of his mind.

While House thought to himself, Jade ran up the stairs to her room. She dragged her duffle bag out of the back of her closet, and started stuffing it with any clothes she thought she might need. Some t-shirts, some shorts, a pair of jeans, lots of underwear, some books and notebooks all fell in a haphazard manner. Jade grabbed her cellphone and wallet, stuffing them in her pockets. She also threw in her laptop and charger. Jade viciously slammed the zipper shut. She picked it up, and went tearing down the stairs, shouting to her mother,

"I'm going away for a week and might never come back! See you in Hell!" The woman who helped raise her had no reaction. She continued watching John Travolta sing "Greased Lightening". Jade ran out the front door, purposely leaving it wide open, much to the infuriation of her foster mother. She threw her giddy appearance to the ground, snatched her poise out of the wind, and coolly walked out to the driveway. This time, House was leaning on his motorcycle, which he had parked a few houses away. His cane looked very odd in his right hand. He put a helmet on and mounted his steel beast. He threw Jade the extra helmet and she reflexively caught it. She put it on, and got on behind him. House popped two Vicodin. He turned to her and said,

"Hold on tight baby." Jade laughed and said,

"Hold on to your cane Limpy." She put her arms around him, and he almost choked. It seemed there was a viper around his middle, not some 16-year-old-girl's arms. He said,

"Not that tight tonight, hooker baby." Jade laughed again and said,

"Give it your best shot, Limpy." He revved the engine on his bike and they were off like a herd of stampeding turtles. As they drove, Jade let her mind examine and dissect her conversation with her mother. This was something she had often done with her other acquaintances. She would ask the most mundane question, and would gain a boatload of facts about the questionee. Her mother was one of the hardest people to read for her. Or maybe she didn't want to read into her mother in case this all turned out to be some nasty scam. Cuddy's list thus far looked like this:

1) Head honcho at the hospital

2) Loving

3) Wants a daughter

4) Misses me??

As much as she analyzed the conversation, she couldn't glean more information than this. Instead, she turned her attention to House. His list looked like this:

1) Employee at a hospital

2) high-up at hospital since Cuddy sent him

3) A semi-pervert, at least

4) Likes the freedom and speed his motorcycle gives him

5) Trusted by Cuddy

6) Doesn't respond to name calling

Jade decided at the next gas station she would talk to him, and hopefully learn more about him. About a half-hour later, they pulled into a Sinclair station. Jade questioned House while he ate his well-deserved breakfast.

"What's your position at the hospital?"

"None of your damn business."

"What's the technical term for that?"

"Shut the Hell up?"

"Is there a reason you're antisocial?"

"Piss off." Jade smiled at his responses.

"Tell me about your personal life."

"Like Hell I will. Tell me about your night life." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Jade instantly turned from a gawky nosy teenager to sex kitten as she closed her eyes until they were seductive slits. She put her hands on his shirt, playing with the buttons as she unbuttoned them down to the bottom of his ribcage. She looked up at him through her lashes, slyly saying,

"Not much to tell. No nightclubs, no boyfriends. A girl like me is desperate to get into any guy's pants." With that, she forced his face toward hers, and she kissed him passionately. He thought she was moving fast, but kissed her back. He had both his hands rubbing up and down her arms, and she had on in his hair, and the other who knows where. Just then, House felt something chillingly cold trickle down his spine. He pulled back, and realized Jade had dumped his ice water down the back of his shirt. She laughed at him, and got up. She walked over to the bike, swinging her hips, and put on her helmet. She threw House his and said,

"Limpy, you couldn't handle me if you tried. Let's ride." He smiled, and limped over to the bike. He put on his helmet, revved the engine, and they were off again.

Jade reviewed all she knew about House. Her list hadn't changed much:

7) Anti-social

8) Desperate to get into any woman's pants

9) Talks little