A/N: The episode "Que Sera, Sera" always bothered me because Chase disappeared for half of the show and it was never mentioned again. Therefore, I decided to write this missing scenario.
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As House, Cameron and Foreman stood outside of their patients room discussing their latest case, House asked, "Where's Chase?"
"Dunno. Haven't seen him since you told him to sit on his ass yesterday," Cameron replied.
"Interesting," House remarked before continuing with the differential diagnosis.
Their newest patient, George, was a morbidly obese man who Chase believed was trying to commit suicide by eating himself to death. Chase's lack of interest in the case was the main reason House had basically told him to do nothing.
Quite honestly, House thought this would make Chase try harder in order to please his boss but clearly his plan had not worked.
House was glad that the ass-kisser had stood up to him for once and not worried about the consequences. Then again, Chase was the one fellow House could count on to come up with a creative suggestion to help solve the case and that's exactly what they needed right now.
It occurred to House that Chase had been acting differently lately, as if he had other things on his mind. Even in the conference room earlier that day, Chase had distanced himself by sitting apart from Foreman and Cameron and had seemed uninterested during the differential diagnosis.
Was it simply boredom because of his disdain for the patient or was there something he was hiding? When this case was solved, House decided he was going to find out just what was up with Chase.
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Once the team had figured out what was wrong with George, Chase was back at work as if nothing had happened. House, however, was not yet willing to let his intensivist off so easily.
"Where have you been? Did you take a quick trip home to visit the parents?" he harassed. "Oh, wait. You're an orphan, aren't you?"
Chase gave House a scathing look but ignored the jab, taking a seat next to Cameron at the conference room table.
"Well, don't worry your pretty little head," House continued. "We managed just fine without you on our last case."
"Hey, you're the one who told me to just sit on my ass," Chase defended himself. "Far be it from me not to listen to you."
Finding pleasure in the fact that Chase's new found confidence wasn't a one time thing House inquired, "So, what did you find to do with all your free time?"
There was the slightest hint of a smile before Chase turned away and answered, "Nothing you'd be interested in."
Becoming impatient, Foreman changed the subject, "Wouldn't our time be spent more wisely if we actually discussed our new patient? I just came from his room and he's still experiencing nausea. Chase, how long ago did you start him on an IV drip?"
Chase looked at his wrist and noticed that he wasn't wearing his watch. He nonchalantly pulled the sleeve of his lab coat down to cover his mistake and said, "It was about thirty minutes ago."
House, of course, noticed the gesture and wasn't about to let an opportunity pass to further make the Aussie squirm. He figured he would take a stab in the dark and see what kind of reaction it would cause.
With a smirk House said to Chase, "So that's what you did while you were gone. You got laid."
"What would make you think that?" Chase responded, furrowing his brow.
"It's obvious," House answered. "You're not wearing a watch."
"Isn't it possible that he just forgot it?" Foreman sneered.
"Nope," House replied. "There are certain things a doctor never forgets and a watch is one of them. Knowing Chase he keeps it right on his dresser and slips it on immediately after putting his shirt on every morning, you might say just like clockwork. Unless, of course, something interferes with his routine, like say.... sleeping at someone else's place."
As Chase secretly wondered how House was able to see through people so easily, he wasn't about to give in to his bosses prying into his personal life. With a little laugh he replied, "I wish you were right, but to tell the truth Foreman is. I really did just forget to wear it."
In a more serious tone House said, "I believe you. After all, there's one thing we've learned over the years and that's Robert Chase cannot tell a lie."
"Oh, wait," House added as if suddenly remembering. "That's George Washington. Chase on the other hand is a lying liar who lies."
"Why would I lie about this?" Chase asked with a shrug.
Foreman remarked, "I have no idea, unless it's because you don't want to give a certain someone information about your personal life that could be used as ammunition."
Cameron, feeling uncomfortable with the topic, asked, "Do you think we could possibly discuss the patient instead of Chase's lack of a sex life?"
Ignoring her, House turned back to Chase and remarked, "Quite honestly, it wasn't the watch that gave you away. It's the huge hickey on your neck."
As Foreman and Cameron turned to look, Chase visibly reddened, slid down in his seat and pulled his collar up higher to cover his neck.
"Actually, you're both a couple of liars," Foreman said. He turned to Chase and disgustedly added, "There's no hickey on your neck."
"So, who is she?" House asked, smiling triumphantly. "We know it couldn't have been Cameron because it doesn't look like she got stoned last night."
Cameron momentarily took offense at the reminder of her indiscretion, but she decided to let the comment pass when she realized that she was more than a little curious.
"Are you seeing someone?" she asked Chase, trying to sound uninterested but at the same time wondering why she even cared.
Chase, who never liked personal questions, was saved from answering when he noticed that House was no longer listening to the conversation. Instead, his attention was focused on the hallway outside. Foreman, who had also noticed House staring intently, followed the older man's gaze.
"Who the hell is that?" House exclaimed.
Chase and Cameron glanced at each other before turning around in their seats to see what had the other men so captivated.
Cameron's eyes opened wide when she saw the gorgeous woman who was talking to a nurse out in the hallway. The woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, had thick, long blond hair which softly cascaded in waves past her shoulders. She had piercing blue eyes that were offset by her perfectly tan skin. Cameron figured the fact that the woman was 5'8" tall with an amazing body didn't hurt either.
Oh great, Cameron thought, this is what has them acting like complete idiots?
She turned around expecting to see Chase as entranced with this woman as the others were but was instead surprised to see him slightly frowning.
"If anything, I'm thinking she must be a model for Vogue magazine," observed Foreman admiringly.
"Vogue, are you kidding?" answered House. "We're going to have to call you Boreman from now on if that's the best you can come up with. She obviously could be a model for Playboy."
As the nurse pointed towards the Diagnostics Department, the unknown woman thanked her and headed towards the conference room.
House whispered conspiratorially, "She's coming this way. If we're lucky, she has some horrible, unexplained illness that no doctor has been able to diagnose."
Cameron gave him a hardened look and said sarcastically, "Nice."
Chase stood quickly and said to the others, "I'll see what she wants."
As Chase headed to the door, he was stopped by a cane that suddenly appeared between the wall and himself.
"Uh uh," House remarked. "I saw her first."
Seeing the woman arrive at the door, House motioned for her to come in.
She entered and politely introduced herself, "Hi, you must be Dr. House. I'm Gina. I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," replied House charmingly. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Cameron was rolling her eyes.
"I'm really sorry to intrude but I was wondering if I could have a quick word with Robert," Gina said.