A/N: Hiya. This story was taken off for awhile because of the abundant grammer atrocities committed. Its been beta-ed. Well, sorta, by a dear friend, and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Byeeee..

Btw, Happy new year :P

The weather was freezing. Snow was piling up outside the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital and the children were building snowmen by the garden outside the entrance. It was Christmas Eve and people inside the building were being nice and warm. The whole building was nice and warm, it was nicely decorated with glittery Christmas ornaments. However, it was an entirely different dimension within 2 feet of Dr. Gregory House. Sad, and cranky.

House never does nice and warm. As a result, there seemed to be a curious 2 feet radius of emptiness wherever he walked. A marked distinction in comparison with the general atmosphere: A group of nurses were at the lounge dressed up as elves with a cheeky one who had slapped on a Rudolph's nose on her face, were cheering up a group of children, or a couple of teenagers bringing a warm cup of coffee to their mother while they wait for daddy's health report to be released, or the gathering of an entire family around the grand dad's hospital, holding each other's hands while singing Christmas Carols and praying that he would live through this Christmas day. It's mostly a sad thing to be in a hospital during this time of the year, but the sense of togetherness and the company made things better and not… sad, at all.

If he had had his way, he would have clocked out at the usual 5 p.m., probably at 4 on Christmas Eve as he had done during the other festive occasions, while spending most of the day hiding in some obscure location in the hospital playing with his PSP.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the privilege this year.

Because the devil incarnate aka Dr. Lisa Cuddy, Dean of Medicine, administrator, boss of this hospital, boss of his, decided to host a fundraising-cum-Christmas party this wonderful year. And he had to be there. He fumed whenever he thought of it.

He had tried to get out of the hospital to disregard his duties, but the lovely head nurse Brenda wouldn't let him sign out.

"Cuddy's orders", she said curtly, never fond of House in the first place and not in a giving mood despite The Season. However, she added kindly when House started to walk towards the exit stubbornly, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. See those 2 guards over there? They received similar orders from Cuddy."

House lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the guards. Tall, strong and burly. And eyeing me suspiciously. Damn! He knew he couldn't get away this time.

Though his fate was resigned this Christmas Eve, he told himself that though the war was over, the fight isn't. He glanced at his watch. 5.30. The fundraising/Christmas party wouldn't start till 8. Plenty of time, he muses. Not for the rest of the hospital staff though. Busy, busy, busy. But not for me.

He would have disturbed Wilson by now, probably to convince him to pack buckets of snow and snow fight in Cuddy's office. With Cuddy in the office. But Wilson was out of town to attend a cancer conference in New York a day ago and would not return till the 27th.

He sighed, headed to an empty clinic examination room and locked the door.