Dearest Readers,

"Your Call is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit" Book by: Laura Penny

^^ Just finished reading this and it's quite interesting.

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

The Witch from Yesteryear

"No! No! Stop! Stop!" Chase cried in between laughs as House sprayed him again with the sink hose.

They were in the kitchen and House was doing his best to keep Chase pinned to the counter with his body and extra arm, as he sprayed Chase with the hose attached to the sink. He stopped the water when he heard Chase sputter and then laugh, becoming breathless. Chase whipped his head up towards House, causing his drenched blonde hair to flip back and stick to his face, splattering House's face with water.

"Greg! Stop it!" Chase cried, trying in vain to make his lover stop spraying him.

"Not until you give me what I want!" House said loudly, smiling widely as he watched the blonde laugh and tried to put his hands in front of his face to prevent House's attack.

"Never! I will not...be...defeated!" Chase laughed, trying to squirm away.

"You are a stubborn man. Surrender!"

"No!"

"I'll keep spraying you until you tell me!"

"Alright!" Chase cried, giving in.

"What?" House asked teasingly, knowing what he said.

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!" Chase spluttered.

"I thought you would see it my way." House teased as he stopped his attack and put the hose back into the sink.

They were both panting heavily. It took a lot of effort on House's part to keep the young Aussie pinned to the counter with only his body and one arm. Chase was trying to catch his breath after being sprayed with water for so long. House looked at the blonde's face and found it to be flushed, but bright.

Chase laughed lightly and patted his hands on House's chest, pushing him away slightly. He reached up and ran a hand through his drenched blonde hair and glared playfully up at House, who was almost as wet as he was. Chase laughed and looked around at the now wet kitchen.

"You dumby, this place is soaked!" House chuckled lightly as he shrugged.

"Oh well." Chase punched him lightly.

"Fine, you win. Get off me, you're heavy."

Chase carefully pushed himself up onto the counter as House went to their bedroom to retrieve the object that was the center of their water battle. House was back in the kitchen with his portable TV in his hand and carefully walked across the soaked floor and leaned against the counter next to Chase, who was drying his hair with a dish towel.

"Okay, Wombat." House said, turning on his TV, "Password please."

"OK." Chase said, watching the unfamiliar show on the screen.

"Alright. Now that you're cooperating, what is it?"

"I just told you, Dumby!" House looked over at the blonde, confused.

"What?" Chase smiled and talked to him slowly.

"The password is 'OK'. The letter 'O' and the letter 'K'. Both capitalized and no space in between."

"That is the most stupid password I've ever heard of."

"If it's stupid, then how come a genius like you couldn't figure out what it was?" Chase countered, looking at House with a grin.

House faltered for a second and glared jokingly at Chase and punched in the password, letting out a cry of delight when he saw General Hospital flash into the screen. Chase rolled his eyes and laid an arm around House's shoulders, watching General Hospital without knowing what was happening.

Chase laid his head on top of House's as he felt himself become tired. He closed his eyes and he smiled lightly when he felt House gently lay a hand over his. It wasn't too long before House heard Chase's breathing even out, indicating that he was asleep.

HouseXChase

"Alas," House said in mock sorrow as he walked into the conference room the next morning, "Victory is mine...once again. The Wonderful Wombat...Chase...has fallen."

"What!" Cameron and Foreman asked loudly, thinking that something bad has happened to Chase.

"Oh shut up, you." Chase pouted as he hung his bag and jacket on the coat stand.

"What about Chase? He seems fine." Cameron said worriedly, not understanding what was going on.

"On the outside, he is fine." House said, continuing to pretend to be sorrowful, "But he is not. He is badly wounded on the inside and it is a wound that he shall never recover from."

"Stop being so dramatic." Chase said as he slumped in his seat with his crossword book.

"So, Chase, you're fine?" Cameron asked, looking at him.

"Other than a damaged ego, yeah, I'm fine." Chase answered, too focused on his puzzle to care about what Cameron was saying.

"Damaged ego?" Foreman questioned, looking between Chase and House.

House and Chase have a bizarre relationship…what the hell is House talking about?

"I forced the password to my TV out of him. It took a while, but I won."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gloat now because it won't happen again." Chase threatened lightly, throwing a glance at House before returning to his puzzle.

HouseXChase

"What…what are you doing here?" Cuddy stuttered as she stared at the person in front of her.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Stacey said as she took a seat across from Cuddy's desk. Cuddy couldn't believe this.

Stacey? Here? After all this time, why did she decide to come back?

"Cuddy, have you seen-" Wilson stopped when he saw Stacey in Cuddy's office, looking at him. He felt his blood run cold.

Stacey? Why is she here? Probably involves House somehow.

He had no idea how House would react to Stacey being here and how much Chase knew about House and Stacey's history. Stacey didn't know that House was with Chase and that their relationship was serious. Cuddy was obviously thinking the same thing he was and both of them knew that if House saw Stacey...it was not going to be pretty.

"Where is Greg?" Stacey asked, bringing Wilson out of his thoughts.

"Uh...well Stacey, he-" Wilson said, not wanting to tell her where he was...mainly because he wasn't certain either.

"I think I know where he is." Stacey cut in, walking out of the office towards the conference room, Cuddy and Wilson following briskly behind her.

HouseXChase

"It could be Lupus." Foreman said and House rolled his eyes.

"I thought we established the fact a long time ago that it's never Lupus?" House shot back from his place next to the whiteboard.

"It's rarely Lupus, not never." Said Stacey from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention towards her.

House felt his heart stop. He couldn't believe his eyes. Stacey hadn't changed too much since the last time he saw her. God, how long ago was that? He couldn't remember. She walked further into the room, looking around. Wilson and Cuddy gave House concerning looks, unsure of House was going to react.

"Stacey, we can talk more in my office. House and his team have a patient to deal with." Cuddy said but Stacey didn't seem to be listening.

Stacey?

Cameron and Foreman were confused as to who this woman was, but then it dawned on them:

This woman was House's ex.

Stacey was the only one that House has ever truly loved and was there when he had his accident...the one who left him, leaving him hurt.

Angry.

Bitter.

Alone.

Chase was the only one in the room who had no idea who Stacey was. He's only heard Wilson use the name, rarely, but he assumed that he was talking about a patient. 'Stacey' was a popular girl's name in America after all.

He felt worry rise in him. The tension in the room was suffocating and the look on House's face told him that he was feeling lots of different emotions. Whoever this woman was had an impact on House in some way, Chase knew that, but he didn't know what. Chase was confused and he looked around at the others to see what their reaction was. They all had the same worried facial expression. Chase turned back towards House to find that he and Stacey were staring at each other and he could feel the tension in between them growing.

Who the hell is this woman? Why does everyone know about her except me? What the hell is going on?

"Hi, Greg." Stacey said quietly and Chase quirked an eyebrow. No one but him called House 'Greg' and he only used House's first name when they were alone.

"Leave." House said, venom dripping from his voice. Chase's heart started to beat faster. He's seen House angry before, but never...like this.

This woman, Stacey, must have done something extremely terrible to Greg if just her presence is making him this upset.

"Greg, I just want to talk to you. Please listen to-"

"No, now leave." House butted in making Stacey look hurt, but she recovered quickly. Chase's confusion mounted. Why was House so intent on making this woman leave?

"Greg, I just wanted-"

"To say you're sorry?" House barked, taking a step towards her. "Is that it? To apologize to clear your conscious? You're not trying to apologize for me, you're trying to apologize for yourself." House seethed as he took another step closer.

Wilson moved forwards slightly, just in case House decided to try to hit Stacey. Foreman noticed this as well and stood and walked around the table quietly, to make sure that he was able to get to House before he hurt Stacey, if it came to that. Cameron and Cuddy looked at the scene before them with very worried looks, House could be very unpredictable and in a situation like this...someone could get hurt. As for Chase, he was now on his feet, looking between House and Stacey in confusion and slight anger because of his lack of knowledge.

"House," Wilson started, taking another step forward.

"Stay out of this Wilson." House said quietly, venom still dripping from his voice.

"House-"

"Shut up!" House shouted, glaring heatedly over at Wilson. "You're worthless in this Wilson, so stay out of it!" He turned his glare to the others in the room. "That goes for the rest of you too." His darkened blue eyes briefly locked with Chase's green-blue ones; House turned his deep glare back to Stacey.

Chase felt the world stand still. There was that word:

Worthless.

House had just called him worthless.

His father's voice started screaming in his head and he couldn't block out the sound. His father's voice always made itself known whenever he heard words like that and Chase couldn't make it stop. He hated triggers, but understood them all too well. The scene before Chase disappeared and he found himself back in Australia.

xXxXx

He watched as a bystander at himself as a 6 year old being forced into a corner by his father, thinking that if he could make himself as small as possible, then the insults won't hurt as much. A large man stood behind his father as Chase looked up at them, tears streaming down his face.

"You worthless piece of shit! Who the hell do you think you are? Trying to fight back against us? You mean nothing! The only people who know of your God-forsaken existence are your mother, myself, and Rider." His father growled, indicating the man behind him.

"Do you know who I am, Boy?" Chase nodded fervently, clenching his eyes shut as he suppressed a sob. He felt Rider kick him in his side, causing him to release a small yelp.

"You're an embarrassment to the Chase name! Look at you! You have none of the qualities that all Chases have! Your mother is a fucking drunk and she's a better excuse of a human being than you are!" Chase released the sob he was holding back.

Rider came forward and grabbed Chase by the hair, yanking him to his feet. His father grabbed his chin and forced the boy to look up at his glaring face. Chase held his breath, not wanting to release another sob as tears continued to roll down his face. His father brought his face close to his, their noses almost touching.

"Someday you'll see that no one really cares about you. That's just the way of the world, Boy. Isn't that right, Rider?" The big man roughly yanked on Chase's hair, making him release another yelp.

"Your father's right, Brat." Rider said in a deep tone. "You of all people should know that."

He shoved Chase away from him, causing Chase's head to collide with the concrete wall behind him. Chase let out a small scream when Rider shoved his foot against his chest, keeping him roughly pressed against the wall.

"Boy," Chase's father continued. "Your mother is passed out drunk upstairs right now, and she's more useful than you are." Chase dared to lock eyes with his father. Rider chuckled.

"She's easier to look at, Brat." Rider pressed his foot harder into Chase's chest. Chase's father knelt in front of him.

"There are many things that you'll learn about this world, Boy." His father said quietly. "One of the things is that no one will really care about you. That's just the way it is. And you know what other big thing you'll learn?" He was quiet and glanced up at Rider, who jabbed his foot into Chase's chest again, causing the small blonde boy to release a shout of pain.

"Look at your father, Brat." Chase did as he was told. His teary, scared eyes locked with his father's cold ones.

"You know what other big thing you'll learn about this world?" Chase shook his head. His father smiled.

"Everybody lies."

xXxXx

The scene faded and he found himself back in the conference room; everything the way it was before the images from his childhood surfaced. He assumed that House had said some cruel things because now Stacey's face held traces of tears.

"Are you too stupid to realize that you're not welcomed here?" House spat, Stacey's face now showing traces of anger.

"I am not stupid!" Stacey spat back, "You're too much of an ass to realize that I'm trying to apologize because I felt bad for what I did to you! Don't you remember what we used to be?"

"Be quiet! You don't mean anything to me anymore! Now leave!" House yelled taking yet another step closer, also causing Foreman and Wilson to move closer.

'Do you remember what we used to be?' That sounds like what a lover would say to someone.

Then it dawned on him:

House and Stacey used to be together.

Stacey did something to House that he won't forgive her for and there's always been tension between them. Bad break-up by the sounds of it.

By the sounds of it, Stacey left Greg.

His thoughts started to race before landing on what House just said:

You don't mean anything to me anymore.

He felt tears well behind his eyes again. If Stacey meant so much to him at one point and now she means nothing to him, so…what does House think about him? They've had spats, but not a big fight.

What if they had a fight and broke up...would he not be...worth anything to House anymore?

Is that right? If something caused Greg and I to break up, would I be worthless to him? Just like Stacey?

He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of that thought. After everything that's happened in the past two years, he meant something to House. He knew it...right? If he meant nothing to his father...then what is he worth to House? Was everything that House had told him a lie? Was House lying to him? Was he just stringing him along so that when he breaks up with him, he'll fall too far to get back up again?

"Everybody lies."

A common phrase spoken by House and his father. He's always ignored that similarity between them.

Chase narrowed his eyes dangerously at House, who was still in a shouting match with Stacey. He was right. House was lying to him. Everything that he's told him...everything that he's done...has been a lie. He meant nothing to his father, why should he be worth something to a medical genius like House?

It dawned on him that House was just like everyone else that he's met (besides Aura): he was a liar.

He only wanted to hurt him for his own sick pleasure. Well, that's not going to happen. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms. He started to shake and he felt a few tears well in his eyes.

"If you had a brain in your head, then you would know to leave." House hissed.

"I don't even know why I bothered to come back because it was obviously a waste of my time! If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable, fine, see if I care. But don't you dare call me worthless because you're the one-"

"SHUT UP!" Chase screeched, making the room go deathly quiet.

All eyes were on Chase, who was shaking, tears lurking in his anger-filled eyes. House instantly felt concerned as to why Chase was behaving like this, why he was so enraged…why Chase was killing him with his eyes.

"Chase," House started, his voice a lot calmer.

"Don't." Chase hissed quietly, continuing to kill House with his eyes.

"Chase, what's going on with you?" House asked, confused. A sarcastic smirk graced Chase's face.

"She's unimportant to you, huh?" Chase said, nodding towards Stacey. House felt his heart stop, realizing where Chase was going.

"Chase—"

"Wilson's worthless to you, huh?" House opened his mouth to speak. "I'm worthless to you, huh?" House was taken aback by Chase's last comment.

Did he call Chase worthless? He couldn't have. He wouldn't do something like that. He rarely says things he doesn't mean. What the hell was Chase talking about? He couldn't have called the Aussie worthless. He knew what those kinds of words did to the blonde. He watched Stacey out of the corner of his eye and felt his blood run cold.

Shit…Greg, you fucking dumbass. What the hell were you thinking?

He did call Chase worthless…indirectly in a sense. He shook his head lightly, blocking the excuse for himself. He called everyone in the room worthless to the situation…including Chase.

"Robbie, listen to me." House said softly, trying to keep the pleading tone out of his voice.

"No! I've done enough listening! I've listened to everything that I've ever been told and it's all contradicting each other! I'm sick of it!"

"Robbie, I'm nothing like your father. I didn't say those things to hurt you. I would never—"

"Don't say it."

"I would never intentionally hurt you, Robbie." Stacey turned pale at the gentle tone of House's voice, never hearing that tone before.

"Liar! That's all you want to do! Lie to me! Everyone wants to lie to me! That's what everyone does, right?" Chase yelled as House took a step towards him. Everyone could tell that Chase was on the verge of hysteria.

"Robbie, just calm down okay?" House said soothingly, trying to get the blonde to calm down so that he doesn't go into hysteria.

"Don't you tell me to calm down! I-AM-CALM!" Chase's breath began to quicken as his eyes became glassier with tears of rage, his heart thundering in his chest.

"Chase," Cuddy said, but Chase ignored her.

"Don't you ever come near me! EVER! I HATE YOU!" Chase then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. House felt his body go numb and the world fall away as his light left him in the dark.

HouseXChase

Alright Gang,

You know what I'm going to say.

Patience and reviews/PMs would be greatly appreciated!

When-Rabbit-Howls