A/N: Trying something new. When Cuddy can't find a babysitter for Rachel, she gets help from an unexpected source. Eventual Huddy, but starts out Luddy (gag me with a fork). Let me know how you like it!

(Rated T just in case. And obviously, House isn't mine. Oh, and in this story, Cuddy gets to work around 7 and the nanny arrives at 6:30. I don't know when she's supposed to get there (or the nanny's name), so we're going to pretend, ok?)

Lisa Cuddy woke up at 5 a.m. Friday morning to her alarm clock beeping obnoxiously. She turned it off quickly so that it wouldn't wake Rachel up. She looked over to the other side of her bed. It was empty, and she discovered that the sheets were cold as she'd run her hand along them. Had Lucas even been there last night?

After checking on her daughter, Cuddy proceeded to go about her usual morning routine. She was starting to get worried, though: it was almost 6:45 and the nanny hadn't arrived yet, and she was supposed to have left five minutes ago.

Cuddy jumped when the phone rang and hurried to answer it. It was Rachel's nanny, Beth.

"Beth, where are you?" At this point, Cuddy was frantic. She had a board meeting at 9 and she hadn't printed out some charts she needed yet and...

"I'm sorry Dr. Cuddy, I meant to call you. I've got the flu. It's pretty bad, I feel awful."

Cuddy stifled a tiny yelp. "Um, ok, Beth. That's all right. Get well soon."

"Ok, thanks Dr. Cuddy."

With that, Beth hung up the phone. Cuddy counted to ten to calm herself, then picked up the phone again to try and call some other babysitters. Unfortunately, it seemed that the stars were aligned against her endeavors. Danielle had a broken leg. Lucy had eloped to Vegas with her boyfriend. Gerri's mother was in the hospital…the list went on and on. She decided to start calling some employees that she knew well. But Cameron had left PPTH. Turner had four surgeries to perform today. And Wilson was at a medical conference. That left only one person.

NO, Cuddy thought to herself adamantly. There was NO WAY she'd ask HOUSE to watch Rachel for her, even if it WAS his day off. She just couldn't, not with the fact that he would be an incapable parent was the main reason she had chosen Lucas over him. It would be a royal slap in the face, and she would be contradicting herself.

But she couldn't bring a fifteen-month-old to a BOARD MEETING!

She would have to swallow her pride and ask. She could only hope that House would make a joke about it…

At 7:10, House was roused from his light sleep by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. He sighed; so much for sleeping in…

The pounding became louder and more desperate, but House was in no hurry, thinking that it was probably one of the neighbors complaining about his late-night piano playing. He opened the door and was thumped on the chest by a frantic Cuddy, who was looking down the hallway instead of at the door because she was afraid of someone seeing her.

When she realized that whatever she had hit was softer than the door, her head whipped forward and she saw House taking a step back, his right hand clutching the doorframe and his left hand on his chest.

"That's one hell of a right hook," he gasped out. He wasn't hurt too badly, but it had knocked the wind right out of him.

"House!" Cuddy cried. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you and I- well, I have to ask you for a huge favor."

House eyed her suspiciously. He did NOT like granting favors to people.

"What?"

Cuddy bit her lip.

"Can you please watch Rachel for me?"

House was surprised. "I thought that you couldn't trust me with kids."

Cuddy looked at the floor, knowing that it was HER fault he felt that way.

"House, I…" she wanted to apologize, but her pride just wouldn't let her. "Please, House, do this for me and I'll give you a week off from clinic duty!"

A week? House thought. She MUST be desperate if she offers a week without any negotiation.

Truthfully, House had no intentions of refusing her. Actually, he was going to use it to try and get out of a few hours of clinic duty, anyway. Cuddy offering a week just made his life easier.

"Ok," House agreed. "I'll do it."

"House, please, I- wait, you WILL?" Cuddy had fully expected him to say no! Was he up to something?

"I'm not up to ANYTHING, Cuddy," House said, rolling his eyes. He was no mind-reader, but it didn't take a psychic to read the look on her face.

"Thank you so much!" Cuddy gushed. She passed a sleepy-looking Rachel to House's arms and put the diaper bag on the floor by the doorway. "Everything you'll need is in there: diapers, toys, food, everything. But if you want to give her some fruit, she doesn't like cherries and she'll only eat bananas if you cut them up for her. She usually has a nap around 1 p.m. Call me if you need anything, but you probably won't, she's a good girl. I've got to go now, I have a meeting soon. I should be back around seven." She kissed Rachel good-bye and ran from the loft, leaving House and Rachel standing in the doorway.

"Is she always that crazy?" House asked Rachel. She just stared at him, her eyes wide. They were sort of pretty- not the rich, chocolate brown of Wilson's eyes, but a soft, warm light-brown, fringed with dark lashes.

"Well, let's get your coat off, then." House placed Rachel on the floor and carefully removed her tiny coat. He placed the coat on the rack beside his own before picking Rachel up again and grabbing her diaper bag.

House, still tired, suggested to Rachel, "How about we go back to sleep?" He carried Rachel into his bedroom and placed her on the bed. He arranged pillows around her so that she wouldn't fall, and put an extra pillow on the floor just in case. House put a small blanket he found in the diaper bag over Rachel, and lay down on the bed himself.

Rachel turned her head to stare at him curiously. House stared back.

"Well, aren't you tired? It's still early," he said, tucking the pink blanket under her chin. Rachel didn't close her eyes, but she made no move to get up, and wasn't crying, so House figured that she must be content where she was.

"Would it be irresponsible of me to go to sleep while you're awake?" Rachel just continued to stare at him.

House sighed. "Not much of a talker, are you? Well, that's ok. When I was little, I didn't talk much, either."

Rachel sat up then, her little arms reaching for House.

"You want me to carry you?" House lifted her up gently. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm tired."

But apparently, Rachel just wanted to be held. She laid her head on House's chest, closing her eyes. House covered her with the blanket again, unsure of what to make of Rachel's behavior. The only thing he could say for sure was that he had just become the little girl's bed.

Cuddy was in her office, hurrying to get everything she needed for the Board Meeting that she had in an hour. But even though she was trying to focus and make sure she was prepared, her thoughts kept drifting back to House and Rachel. Would they really be ok together for the WHOLE DAY? Cuddy scolded herself; she should know better by now than to doubt House's abilities. If he REALLY thought that Rachel would be too much for him to handle, he would have refused. But still…Rachel was her baby and Cuddy's instinct was to protect her from all possible harm. She KNEW that House would NEVER hurt Rachel intentionally, but accidents DO happen, right? Cuddy was going to drive herself crazy with this. She'd never be able to focus on the Board Meeting now…She may as well have brought Rachel with her!