A/N: Okay, I admit it, I have zero self-control. But it's really not my fault, this idea just jumped on me and savaged me into writing it. I really honestly did sit down in front of my computer with every intention to updating one of my already ongoing fanfictions but this just…spewed out.
Then so did the next chapter and the next so…my muse is evil, sue me.
No, in fact, don't because I own none of these characters and am not making any profit off of this so…hah! Ye cannae.
Uuuumm…what else? Yeah, I actually thought this was going to be so much crap and had every intention to deleting it because I thought it was a dead end concept and that it was SO done but, alas, the road to hell is paved and all that.
Read and review, just so you can tell me how completely demented I am for writing ANOTHER story when I should be finishing the other ones that I've got (which I will do, by the way, it'll just take me a little longer than expected).
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Development
House poked his head out of the exam room and whipped it one way and then the other, just to make sure the coast was clear. He sidled out of the room and limped along the corridor to the nurse's station, slapping his folder down with that distinctive whap of triumph. He grinned down at Brenda, who rolled her eyes and finished her charting.
"Dr House signs out at 5pm." He bobbed his eyebrows at her and watched her turn with deliberation to look pointedly at the clock.
"It's only four."
House blinked. "Whatever happened to daylight-savings time?"
Brenda arched a brow at him and then pointed imperiously back down the corridor towards the exam rooms. "You still have patients."
"Yeah, but at home, I've still got eggnog." He shot back as he lifted his cane to indicate the double doors leading to freedom. "Cuddy loves me, I'm sure she'll thank you for letting me out of your hair an hour sooner than usual." House wheedled expertly.
Brenda flipped to the next paper on her chart. "Yeah, sure. If by thank you mean 'fillet'."
House lounged against the desk. "Fillet you? Never. You're like the woman's right arm."
Brenda shot him a look.
"Okay, then." House admitted. "Maybe not an arm. Perhaps a…thigh. Trust me, she like's her legs better than her arms." House informed her brightly and knew he'd won when Brenda gritted her teeth and slapped her folder shut.
"Fine. You can go." House gave the air a small punch of success. "If you clear it with Dr Cuddy." Brenda added her proviso and House's happiness deflated rapidly.
House pouted and then brightened as he limped his way towards the Dean's office. If he was lucky, she wouldn't even be in. Then he could say that he would have cleared it with her but she had been distinctly absent. Schmoosing a donor or something else ass-kisserish.
House shoved the doors to her office open and staggered to a halt as a wall of sound slammed into him. A god-awful high pitched wail emanated from the waiting couch opposite the assistant's desk and House glared automatically in that direction at the assault on his eardrums.
He stilled slightly when he saw a frantic nurse trying to calm two hysterical little boys. House considered turning to go but the wails increased and he found he couldn't. He scowled, fine time to develop some compassion.
The weekend beckoned!
House limped over to the nurse and shooed her away. She went gratefully and let House take the seat that she had wheeled in front of the twins. House sat down and examined them in a single all encompassing glance.
They were quite small, maybe seven or eight, and nearly completely identical with dark curly hair that he'd bet their mother went gaga over and, when they weren't bloodshot with tears, bright blue eyes. They had strong features that would make them unbearably handsome when they lost their baby fat and made them quite adorable at the moment.
The clung to each other as they whimpered and stared up at House wide eyed.
"Guys, guys, cool it. You'll upset the ladies." House smiled at them as he lowered himself into the seat and popped a Vicodin.
The boys stopped wailing almost immediately and fell into fascinated silence as they looked over House with every iota of intensity that House had examined them with. He leant forward and spun his cane between his hands as he spoke gently to them.
"You want to tell me why you guys are here?"
"They're here for Dr Cuddy…" House held up a hand and silenced the eagerly answering nurse with a glance.
"Why don't you go and get us some juice while we have a manly chat?" House prodded her and she nodded eagerly before slipping out the door to go and find a vending machine. He turned back to the twins and noted that they were particularly fascinated by his cane. "Well? You wanna tell me why two cool little guys like yourselves are stuck in the popsicle stand on a Friday night?"
The twins looked at each other and then back to House. "We were in a assident."
House frowned. "Are you hurt, has a doctor seen you?"
They shook their dark tousled heads and House took that to mean that they were fine.
"Okay, how about names then?" House said brightly. "My name's Gregory House. What's yours?"
The twins stared at him for a moment and then glanced at each other, debating silently between themselves. "Nikolai." The twin on the left eventually answered. "Antonio." Followed the twin on the right.
"Italian boys?" House asked, more as a way of keeping them distracted than any deep desire to know. He didn't usually spend a lot of time speaking to kids, he had his street cred to consider.
They shook their heads. "Grandma's Greek." Nikolai said and sniffed loudly. Fat tears also filled Antonio's deep blue eyes and House guessed the rest.
"Your Grandma was hurt in the accident?"
They nodded and shed a few tears but didn't start screaming again. House turned to look out into the lobby and see if he could spot any anguished parental types looking for two young sons.
Nada.
"Hey, guys, where's your mom?" House asked them gently, finding himself hoping that mom hadn't also been in the accident.
"Mamma went to find Uncle Ben and Aunt Liza." Antonio answered in a hushed voice.
House mulled it over. Either the family were big donors and Cuddy was personally babysitting to keep the hospital's best interests highlighted or she was Aunt Liza. He glanced out the doors again and realised that his question was about to be answered as he saw a non-too-happy Cuddy striding across the lobby with a tall dark haired man and a petite pale skinned red-head practically jogging to keep up with her.
The twin saw too because they both gave relieved yells of "Mamma!" Before launching themselves out of their seats and bolting towards the doors.
What House saw next, absolutely floored him.
His jaw actually fell open as he saw Cuddy throw open the door and fall to her knees. The twins launched themselves into her arms and looked like they were thinking about taking up permanent residence. She clutched them to her chest and murmured nonsense soothing words as she rocked them back and forth.
"It's all right, mamma's here." She told them over and over as they sobbed all over her expensive business suit. She looked up over their dark heads and her eyes met House's. She swallowed hard and House saw how close she was to tears. "Mamma's here."