January 14th

Jason trudged over the packed snow with a silent Gibbs at his side. He huddled deep inside his warm new coat. Gibbs had taken him to WalMart earlier in the week and gotten him some clothes. He'd even allowed Jason to pick out what he'd wanted. That included the thick parka he wore now, though he still had Doctor Goldman's barn coat, the first new piece of clothing anyone had ever given him in his entire life, and his secret favorite.

"Sarah wants you over f'supper," Gibbs had said this afternoon when Jason had arrived home from school. "It's all right by me if you'd like t'go. We'll walk over, she'll bring you back when you're ready."

Jason thought about Doctor Goldman as he moved down the path. He'd already had a few therapy sessions with her, but they hadn't gone anything like the way he'd thought they would, based on his prior experiences. She hadn't made him sit in a boring little room and answer stupid questions, hadn't lectured him about his record, hadn't acted like he was some kind of dangerous animal in need of constant supervision. Instead they'd baked cookies one afternoon, and he'd taken some of them back with him to Gibbs's place. Another time they'd built a snow fort and waged an epic battle. Gene had been there for that and proved himself to be a decent shot with a snowball. It had been fun, but he couldn't figure out what all this meant. Weren't they supposed to work on his behavior or something?

("You'll always be a rotten little bastard. Nothin' will ever change that and don't you forget it.")

Jason flinched away from the memory of his stepfather's voice and moved into the Goldmans yard, in time to see Doctor House limp up the walk. The older man looked tired, but he nodded his head at Jason and Gibbs. "Hey."

"Hey," Jason said warily. He still wasn't sure what to think of this guy.

"Gonna play Hot Pursuit after supper. You in?" House paused at the door.

"I'll have to ask Doctor Goldman," Jason said, uneasy. Was he being set up to do something bad so he'd get caught and sent back to Juvy? House stared at him.

"Make up your mind," he said, and went inside. Gibbs snorted softly.

"See you later," he said, and left Jason at the door. Jason went inside the house, wary now. He sensed a setup or trap of some kind, but couldn't understand how it would play out.

The house was warm and welcoming, as always. Jason loved it here. Gibbs was kind to him, had given him a comfortable room and everything he needed, but this felt more like what Jason had imagined a real home would be. He liked how it was quiet and bustling by turns, a hub of activity that always involved something of interest. He delighted in the rich colors all around, the music, the smell of good cooking, the give and take of conversation that didn't consist of drunken arguments or mockery.

"Hey Jason." Doctor Goldman stood in front of him. "Take off your coat and stay a while. Supper's on the stove, we'll eat shortly. Get your homework finished?"

"Yes ma'am," he said, and shrugged out of his coat. Doctor Goldman took it and put it in the closet.

"Good, well done. Gene's in the office if you want to check out iTunes."

"Okay. Uh—" Jason hesitated. "Would it—is it okay if I play Hot Pursuit with House and Gene later?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "That game!" She gave him a keen look that was not unkind or mocking. "All right. I have my doubts about you learning to jack cars from those two pirates, but I'm just one woman here without Roz to back me up." She smiled a little. Her continued friendliness confused him; no one had ever treated him this way without some kind of payment in return.

"It's just a game," he muttered, and didn't dare to tell her he'd known how to break into a car by the time he was eight. Belatedly he remembered his manners. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. It'll be an hour or so before food's on the table, so if you're hungry now you can have some fruit. There are bananas and pears in a bowl in the dining room."

He took a banana and headed for the office. His iPod was almost full but he could fit a few more songs on it . . . Jason stopped as he came into the doorway. Gene sat at Doctor Goldman's desk; the webcam light was on. The view on the monitor showed a woman. She was really pretty—in fact she was beautiful, with thick blonde hair and big blue eyes and a nice smile. She and Gene talked and laughed together. Jason watched them both as his heart sank. His stepdad had brought home girlfriends when Mom was away . . . this looked like the same kind of thing.

"Hey, who's the cutie behind you?" the woman said. Gene turned around. To Jason's surprise he didn't get mad or even look guilty.

"Hey Jason," he said, with a relaxed cheerfulness that eased Jason's anxiety. "I'm talking with Laynie, she's Sarah's friend and mine too. Come on over and get introduced."

Jason edged just a little closer. "Hi," he said, still a bit doubtful.

"Hey, nice to meet you! I'm Laynie." The woman had a warm sweet voice, and her smile widened to reveal dimples in her cheeks. "Did Gene say your name was Jason?"

"Yes ma'am," he mumbled, horrified to feel a blush heat his cheeks.

"Oh god honey, don't call me ma'am! You're makin' me feel like I'm a hundred years old!" She laughed, a musical, sweet sound, and Jason fell in love with her right then and there. "Just call me Laynie, okay?"

"Okay Laynie," he said, and wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

"Great! Now what are you and this other handsome man up to this evening?" Laynie waggled her brows.

"Video games after dinner," Gene said. Laynie rolled her eyes just the way Doctor Goldman had done earlier.

"Boys and their toys, I swear. I'm sure House is in on it too. I don't know how Sarah manages things so she's all alone with a bunch of handsome men, but sign me up!"

"You are incorrigible," Gene said, and Laynie laughed.

"That's my middle name and don't you forget it." She leaned forward a little and Jason saw she had cleavage—really nice cleavage. The heat in his face intensified. "Did you guys get the video footage I sent from the Arkansas tornadoes?"

"I'd rather watch you trolling for a date," House said from behind Jason. Laynie's face lit up.

"House, you hunka burnin' love! Why aren't you here feeding me grapes and tickling my fancy?"

"I'm more interested in a little girl-on-girl action," House said. He leaned against the doorjamb.

"I would remind both of you we have someone under eighteen in the room," Gene said mildly.

House shrugged. "Hey, the kid's gotta learn about the world sometime."

"Agreed, but not now and not this way," Gene said firmly. "Unless you both care to explain to Sarah . . ."

Jason was amazed to see Laynie flinch. "Ouch. Uh, no. Sorry babe," she fluttered her lashes at House and gave him an apologetic smile, and Jason felt a twinge of jealousy. "Another time, okay?"

"About that tornado footage," Gene said. "You sold it, right?"

"Yeah, AP bought the rights. They're becoming good customers," Laynie said. "I think next summer we'll make a nice chunk of money off vids. That should help us break even, maybe even buy some new equipment."

"You—you chase tornadoes?" Jason dared to speak up, his interest piqued beyond Laynie's physical attraction now. "For real? Like the guys on Storm Chasers?"

"Yup," Laynie said, smiling. "You're interested in science?"

"He's interested in your bilateral symmetry," House said. "So am I, for that matter."

"Roz would have something to say about that," Gene said, his tone still quiet. House snorted.

"You would bring that up."

"Aw come on, Roz knows I wouldn't cut in on her good thing even if I swung that way," Laynie said. "Anyway, I was talking to Jason, not you, you big horndog."

"Pot, this is kettle," House said, and Laynie laughed. "Fine, I know when to leave. Catch ya later, Lezzy Cornfed." He straightened and limped off into the living room.

"That man," Laynie said with obvious affection. "Now where were we? Oh yeah. You like science?"

Jason took the seat next to Gene. He could hardly believe someone like Laynie actually wanted to talk to him. "Yeah . . . yeah, I do. I—I, um, I don't know anything about tornadoes, though."

"I can send you some basics if you like. Hey, I got it! You're taking science in school, right?" At Jason's nod she continued. "I'll bet your teacher would be willing to give you some extra credit if you make your house a weather station."

"Weather station?" Jason felt a tingle of excitement.

"Yeah, Nat Geo has a good package of instruments. I'll order you a kit. You can set it up to work with your computer, keep a log of weather conditions. It'll go into the national database. Would you like that?"

"Sick," Jason said, and smiled a little. "I mean yes ma'am-yes Laynie."

"Absolutely sick," Laynie said, her blue eyes bright. "If you give me the name of your school I'll get in touch with your science teacher and see if she or he will do extra credit. Maybe they'll even set up a station at the school if they haven't done it already." She leaned back. "So tell me what subjects you like besides science."

It seemed like they'd talked only a few moments before Doctor Goldman stood behind Jason and said "Supper's ready, we'll call you back a little later, okay Laynie?" And then he was seated at the table, still amazed at the sheer amount of food that everyone else seemed to take for granted. Tonight it was hamburgers, home fries and salad. He faced the greens with less than enthusiasm; he'd never liked vegetables much.

"Two bites," Sarah said as he poked at the lettuce with his fork. "In fact, how about everyone at the table doing two bites of salad?" She glanced at House, who was busy with his hamburger and a pile of fries. He glared at Sarah.

"The whole reason why I decided to live past twenty-one was so I could do whatever I felt like doing," he said. "That does not include the voluntary ingestion of leaves."

"Hey man," Gene said. He took the tongs and put two small piles of greens on House's plate, then two on his own. "Just do it."

"Jesus," House said. Jason watched him, surprised by the petulant tone. "I don't wanna eat salad."

"Two bites. It won't kill you, I promise," Doctor Goldman said. She tried to look stern but her eyes held laughter.

"I could choke on the damn stuff and then you'd be sorry," House said. He swung his gaze to Jason. "This is your fault, rugrat."

For answer Jason stabbed some lettuce leaves and stuffed them in his mouth. He chewed them slowly; his gaze never left House's face. House glared at him. Slowly he reached for his fork, speared a mouthful of salad and held it up. "We who are about to die salute you," he said, and ate the bite of greens as if it was poison. Doctor Goldman sighed and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Two bites," she said. Gene picked up his fork.

"I was going to have some anyway," he said.

"Suckup," House said through a mouthful of food. Jason couldn't help but snicker. "Don't laugh, Junior. That includes you."

"If you'd just shut up and eat you'd be done by now," Doctor Goldman said. "So just do it, all of you."

"How about you?" Gene said. "I haven't seen you eat any salad."

"Yeah," House chimed in. "Walk your walk, woman."

Doctor Goldman raised her brows. "I ate an entire bowlful."

"I didn't see it," House said. "Show us this bowl of which you boast."

"I didn't see a bowl," Gene said. Doctor Goldman snatched the tongs, took a pile of greens and slapped them on her plate. She added some dressing, took a big mouthful and munched, swallowed, snagged another bite, ate that too, and then gave the rest of the table a meaningful look.

"Pony up, boys," she said, her voice low and dangerous. She held up the fork gripped in her fist.

"Better do as she says," Gene said. "She's pretty good with that thing."

"I bet you've got the marks to prove it," House said. "Especially on your b—"

"Just. Eat," Doctor Goldman said loudly. "Do it now, or I'll get some Krazy Glue and close up the flies on every pair of briefs you both own."

"You wouldn't," House said in an incredulous tone. Gene shook his head.

"Don't go there," he said. "Just hear and obey."

Jason finally understood what the adults were up to. He'd seen many fights and cruel exchanges between adults, in particular his mother and stepdad, but this was different. It sounded serious, but the intent was clearly not. They were teasing each other.

Eventually supper was finished and cleared away. "We'll do some dessert once everything's settled," Doctor Goldman said. "You boys go play and I'll bring it to you later, I want to talk with Laynie for a while."

The fire in the living room added an extra coziness that Jason enjoyed, even though most of his attention was focused on the game. He sat on an ottoman in front of the two easy chairs Gene and House had pulled up, his legs crossed and a throw wrapped around him, and hogged the controls with delight. He was warm, full and relatively comfortable, though he kept a cautious awareness of the two men behind him. It was never wise to let your guard down; adults were unpredictable.

Gene had just taken over the controls when the phone rang. A few minutes later Doctor Goldman emerged from the office and stood beside Gene. All the easy humor was gone from her face; she looked pale, and her voice shook a little when she spoke. "That was Doctor Cuddy." Jason saw House look up, surprised. "She's asked me to come down to Princeton. Wilson's under seventy-two hour observation."

House's expression went blank, but not before Jason caught a flash of shock in his eyes. Gene handed the controls back to Jason and got to his feet. He put his arms around Doctor Goldman and drew her to him. She slipped her arms about his waist and lay her cheek to his shoulder.

"Are you going tonight?" Gene said quietly.

"First thing tomorrow morning." She sounded tired. "I don't know for sure how long I'll be away but probably no more than a couple of days, just a turnaround trip."

Gene nodded. "How bad is it?"

"I don't know. Cuddy wouldn't give me details over the phone except to say he's not in any physical danger."

House relaxed at that, though he still watched Doctor Goldman, his gaze intense in an impassive face. "He . . . he committed himself voluntarily." It wasn't quite a question or a statement, but a little of both.

"I'm not sure. As soon as I get there and find out what's going on, if I can tell you anything I'll call." She lifted her head and moved back, let go of her husband. "I'd better head upstairs and pack." She turned to Jason. "I won't be able to walk you home tonight, but Gene or Greg will take you."

"It's okay," Jason said, uneasy at the anxiety in her eyes. She gave him a brief smile.

"Thanks. I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm worried about an old friend of mine, he needs my help."

Jason nodded. He appreciated being talked to like an adult. "I hope he's all right."

"Me too," Doctor Goldman said softly. "That's very kind of you, Jason." She put a hand on House's arm. "I know you'll want to come with me, but I think it would be better to wait until we find out what's going on."

House looked away. "You think I'll make things worse."

"I think you don't have the objectivity—"

"And you do," House snapped. "Bullshit. If you can help him, so can I."

Doctor Goldman squeezed his arm gently. Jason noticed House didn't pull away. "Do you really want to come with me?" she asked after a moment. House shifted from one foot to the other, but didn't say anything. "All right. Can you take a couple of personal days?"

"I know how to set up time off," House said, but this time he didn't sound angry. He got to his feet. "I'd better get packed as well." He paused. "I suppose it's too much to presume I have clean underwear with unglued flies."

Doctor Goldman made a sound that might have been a laugh. She gave House's arm a little rub and let go. "Bright and early means five a.m.," she said, and moved toward the stairs.

Later, as Gene escorted him home, Jason said "Will Doctor Goldman be away long?"

"I don't think so," Gene said. "She should be back in time for your next session."

"She doesn't act like the other doctors," Jason said, and then wished he'd kept his mouth shut. Gene didn't pounce on him with questions though. He said only,

"Sarah has her own way of helping people. She uses the method she understands will be most effective, but if it doesn't work she'll try something else." He was silent a moment. "She'll always have your well-being and healing foremost in her mind and heart, Jason. It might not always seem that way, but it'll still be true."

They crossed the yard and went to the side door. Through the window Jason could see Gibbs at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. It was still weird to know the older man cared about him, but Jason realized he'd started to like it.

"All right, get inside before you freeze to death," Gene said. He smiled at Jason. "I'll come over tomorrow. We'll have a guys night in, just you, me and Bob."

"Cool," Jason said. "Thanks for dinner and the game."

"Our house is your house." Gene knocked at the door and pulled up his collar. "Call me after you get your chores done, okay?"

"Okay. G'night," Jason said, and opened the door. He wondered if this was the way normal people felt—tired and worried and excited all at the same time. With care he stomped his feet on the mat and went in to where kindness, concern and a warm bed waited.