Disclaimer: This story is the product of my overactive imagination. Any resemblance to any character in this story, real or otherwise is purely coincidental and unintentional. My apologies to the creators, writers and actors of House. The OC's and the story are mine (and I will be messing around with the show's time line, but that fits in with my story!) House and his partners in crime belong to Fox. Thank you for letting me play with them! This is what I think might happen if Wilson had a little sister and she and House crossed paths . . . . .

CHAPTER ONE

Princeton, New Jersey Early Spring, 1997

Lucy Mazzelli had just changed into her baseball uniform (she played shortstop for PPTH's baseball team). Just twenty-three and the baby of the family, including all the cousins, she had just finished her junior year of medical school at The University of Pennsylvania. She had known since she was five that she wanted to be a doctor. Although she came from an educated family, no one quite understood why she chose to be a doctor. "You're so beautiful. Why do you want to be a doctor?" Lucy could never understand the insistence on marriage.

She looked at her reflection. What was the big deal? OK, it was a fairly safe assumption that she didn't get beat with an ugly stick. Truth be told, Lucy was a knock out, but it always made her uncomfortable when she was told she was beautiful, especially when boys/men were paying the compliment. She always wondered if they actually meant it or if they were just trying to get in her pants.

Lucy had thick, wavy dark brown hair with natural red highlights in it, and olive colored skin with freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. She was almost petite in size with long shapely legs, lots of luscious curves, a small waist, big bust, thick dark eyelashes, big dark brown eyes with flecks of gold in them that got darker when she got mad, which was quite often, especially with her older brother.

Well, half brother, actually, but that was a distinction Lucy never made and would never let anyone else make, either. Growing up, she got into many fights over it. Jim's father died when he was five. Their mother Lina remarried and Lucy came along when Jim was ten. Dad never formally adopted Jim and changed his name to Mazzelli. When Lucy was a precocious seven years old, she asked her father why.

She had always known she and Jim had different fathers, but she knew children were often adopted by their step fathers and had their names changed. Frank took his daughter aside and told her that he didn't adopt Jim because he thought it would be disrespectful to Jim's father and family, but that Jim was the son of his heart, and he loved him as much as if were really his flesh and blood son.

When Mom remarried, she married Uncle Tony's brother. Uncle Tony was married to Aunt Loretta, mom's older sister. Talk about "All In The Family"! Aunt Loretta and Uncle Tony had two boys. Dad and Uncle Tony also had two sisters who had three boys each. She was the only girl on her father's side of the family. Naturally, all the men of the family treated Lucy like a little princess, but she was not spoiled by any means, just stubborn as a mule. Actually, she could give stubborn lessons to mules! Mom and Aunt Loretta had three brothers and they provided 15 more cousins (Lucy didn't even include grandchildren or the family in Italy!).

Her mother and Aunt Loretta had both taught nursing at The University of Pennsylvania as well as working at PPTH. Dad was a doctor, and now the hospital's administrator and chief/dean of medicine. Uncle Tony was a lawyer and chief counsel at the hospital. The rest of the cousins were lawyers, nurses or tenured professors, but she was the only girl who was going to be a doctor, and the only one who wasn't at least engaged. THAT was the problem!

Both sets of grandparents had immigrated to this country from Italy and did so well in America that everyone had a trust fund, and if Lucy chose, she didn't have to work or do anything for the rest of her life. Lucy never took anything for granted. Her name might open a door, but once she was through, she earned everything. She had grown up with all the privileges money could give you, but she wasn't a spoiled trust fund baby; no one in the family was.

She graduated from high school a year early at the top of her class and she completed her under graduate studies a year early with a 4.0 GPA. She was going to finish medical school a year ahead of schedule with a better than a 4.0 GPA. She was naturally extremely intelligent and driven but everyone, especially Aunt Loretta kept trying to push her into marriage. Marriage had always been in her plans, but to a man she fell in love with, not just anyone her family thought convenient, and not until she was ready for it.

Dad and Uncle Tony seemed to understand, and they wanted her to be happy. But the rest of the family, especially her aunts? Oh, brother! She thought about her parent's marriage. Even though Aunt Loretta had a hand in it, they were truly in love with each other. That's what Lucy wanted. A loving, lasting relationship. So far, that had eluded her.

She had lots friends, dated a few boys, but most of Lucy's sexual encounters had consisted of what used to be referred to as "heavy petting," a.k.a. foreplay, and she was always the one who left unsatisfied. She didn't actually lose her virginity until the end of her junior year at Penn State, and that happened more out of curiosity about the actual sex act than anything else, and Lucy was the one that ended the relationship.

She knew it was a mistake from the beginning, but not because she believed that she should "save" herself for marriage or anything like that. Lucy knew the boy was only interested in her because of what her father could do for him, and quite frankly, Lucy was just curious about sex. That the sex was bad was no surprise. Lucy would try and show him what she wanted, but he never paid any attention; he was only concerned with his needs, leaving Lucy to take care of business when she got home.

The break up was really ugly, to the point that the boy called Lucy a frigid bitch. How could she be frigid if she could get herself off? Lucy wasn't Catholic enough to have problems with masturbation, but was that what it was all about? Self-satisfaction? There had to be more. Lucy came to the logical conclusion that some sort of emotion other than curiosity on her part had to be involved if she were to enjoy sex. She was not the sleep around type. She actually believed in love at first sight, like Michael and Apollonia in "The Godfather." The "thunderbolt" (except she didn't want to be blown up in her car, thank you very much!) Oh, well.

Even though she knew it wasn't true, the frigid bitch remark really got to her. So she decided that she would not get herself in any relationship until she was finished with medical school and her residency. Although she would have been there anyway, as a result of her decision, she got to the top of her class in medical school by the middle of her freshman year and had been there ever since. She would most likely graduate with top honors and be valedictorian of the class. She had a small posse of friends from high school that she still hung out with, including her first serious boyfriend. Lucy was the only single girl in the group.

If anyone's girlfriend or wife had a problem with Lucy being the only unattached person, they were told in no uncertain terms that Lucy was a part of the posse and if they didn't like it, the door was over there. If anyone tried to be anything other than a friend to Lucy, she gently but firmly discouraged it. Lucy had convinced herself that she was content with her life as it was. Everything fit into her plan to finish medical school and her residency. Once that was out of the way, she could have a personal life as well. She kept herself so occupied that she didn't realize that she was lonely.

Although she had her game plan and timetable to follow, little did Lucy know that very shortly, that day, as a matter of fact, her life would be turned upside down and she would meet her match, starting a roller coaster ride that she never would want to end.

Her brother had just accepted a position in the Oncology Department at PPTH, and he and his third wife had just moved to Princeton from Chicago. Third wife? Moron. Lucy wondered why her brother hadn't been able to find someone to make him happy and give him kids. Not that she had ever liked any of her sisters-in-law, but as long as Jim seemed to be happy, she tried to behave for his sake.

Unfortunately, Julie was a real piece of work and Lucy really had to make an extra effort around her. Julie was self-centered, stuck up and disrespectful to Lucy's parents. That was one thing Lucy would not tolerate or forgive even for Jim, and she told him so. She so wanted to see Jim happy and with kids so she could be the cool aunt that spoiled them rotten.

Lucy would finally get to meet the "world famous" Dr. Greg House today. "Big fat hairy deal." she thought. He was Jim's best friend, older by five years. Jim was thirty-three, so that made Dr. House thirty-eight. He was one of the top diagnosticians around and Jim got Dad to start up a Diagnostics Department at PPTH to lure his best friend here. Lucy knew the man by reputation only; she had never met him. He was a caustic, sarcastic son of a bitch, but he was probably the best at what he did. He had been in Princeton before, but Lucy had been away at school when he was in town.

Lucy had heard many stories about his and Jim's drunken escapades over the years. Unfortunately for her, her parents had invited him to live with them, and much to Lucy's chagrin, he accepted. God knows the house was big enough, but he would probably stay in Jim's old room across the hall from her (thank God she had her own bathroom!). Why her parents wouldn't open up the other wing of the house for Dr. House, she didn't know, and it would be absolutely no use her kicking up a fuss. Lucy would just have to deal with it, and she knew what having Dr. House there would mean. The match making would start, which would hopefully send Dr. House running out the front door, if not from Princeton, and she wouldn't blame him one bit! She might even drive him to the airport! Lucy had her own plans & would get married in her own good time, so her family could do their best. Or worst. It didn't matter to her.

Lucy grabbed her mitt and spikes and ran down stairs. Maybe she would be able to get out of the house before her brother got there and put off the inevitable meeting with the brilliant doctor until later. Lucy hit the landing and made for the front door, but Jim had heard her charge down the stairs and came out of the family room with a tall man in jeans and a Harley-Davidson T-shirt following him. Jim called her and she slid to a stop 20 feet away from the front door.

"Oh, crap!" Lucy said to herself. "Almost made it out!" Jim and the tall man came over to her. Jim said, "Lucy, I'd like you to meet Greg House." "House, this is my little sister Goosey." Lucy glared at her brother for using the nickname that had annoyed her since childhood and took a step toward him as if she would punch him. Jim playfully put his hands up in self defense and stepped back.

She turned toward House, who had nonchalantly been checking her out and not bothering hiding the fact. Subtlety wasn't one of his strong points. She looked up. ("Damn! He's a tall drink of water!" Lucy said to herself.) to see an unshaven face, (Lucy never liked "pretty boys". Scruffy always worked for her.) and the most startling pair of blue eyes she had ever seen in her life looking down at her. Suddenly, a song ran through her head:

"Somebody's knockin', should I let him in? Lord, it's the Devil. Would you look at him? I heard about him but I never dreamed he'd have blue eyes and blue jeans.

(Somebody's Knockin', Terri Gibbs, Country's Greatest Hits).

She put out her hand and said "Please ignore everything this jackass may have said about me, Dr. House. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lucy." Their eyes locked as he took her hand. "The pleasure is mine, Lucia." replied House. "Your brother didn't come close to doing you justice when he told me about you." The sound of his deep voice gave Lucy goose bumps. Dr. House had addressed her by her given name (thanks a lot, big brother), which she normally didn't answer to. (Her father and Uncle Tony were the only ones who could call her Lucia and get away with it) But when Dr. House called her "Lucia"? With that voice, she'd give him anything he wanted! Her eyes widened a little. What the hell was he doing to her?

As Lucy's small hand disappeared into House's larger one, he studied her. The pictures he had seen of her didn't really do her justice, and Wilson really didn't describe her very well, but he wrote that off to her being his sister. She really was beautiful, and he could already tell she was more than a handful to boot. He was mesmerized by her and he noticed her reaction to him. He still hadn't let go of her hand. Aunt Loretta came out of the family room and saw the exchange. In Italian, she told her niece that she needed to be nice to this man, that he might marry her.

Startled out of her trance, Lucy said "what?", and before she had a chance to boil over, House replied to Loretta in absolutely flawless Italian, "Signora, your niece is very beautiful, but why would she want to be married to someone like me?" He gave her a lopsided smile that reached his eyes and made Lucy want to melt. Aunt Loretta's mouth dropped open; she was speechless (a rarity!).

Lucy forgot to be embarrassed as she and Jim laughed at Aunt Loretta's temporary discomfort. Hearing Dr. House speaking Italian gave Lucy goose bumps again. In her own flawless Italian, Lucy asked him, "Are you sure you want to stay here and get mixed up with this bunch, Dr. House?" All House said in reply was "Please call me Greg." He still had not let go of her hand.

Jim was confused. He didn't expect Lucy and House to react the way they had to each other. He was sure House was going to needle her without mercy, and Lucy would needle him right back, but he was acting like a dumb struck teenager, and Lucy was uncharacteristically behaving herself a little bit. Lucy reluctantly pulled her hand out of House's and turned to go out the front door when her brother stopped her to ask her to wait until he moved his car.

"Why the hell did you park behind me? Hurry up and move it or I'll move it for you" Lucy snapped back. "You don't know how to drive a stick!" yelled Jim. "Who said anything about driving it?" Lucy retorted. I'll just push it out in the street with mine." Jim hurried out the door to move his car before she carried out her threat (but at least she's behaving like Lucy now, he thought).

House walked to the door with Lucy and inquired about her game. He had recovered his normal composure, and reverting to his usual sarcastic self, he said he would take her out for ice cream if she won. Lucy stopped in her tracks and looked up into the blue eyes. Without missing a beat (and trying to hide how he was affecting her), she asked quite innocently in her little girl voice "can I have chocolate sauce and sprinkles too?" as she ran out to her car, a new red Monte Carlo. House smiled as he watched her run out of the house. He didn't realize it yet, but he was hopelessly hooked. Aunt Loretta saw the entire exchange and smiled too.