Chapter Eleven

Author's note: Planning this scene was hilarious. It went something like this:

Meg: Wombat!Chase should stumble into them this time around.
Delta 6: Ooo, like Wombat!Chase stumbling into their campsite?
Meg: Yes! Wombat!Chase: Baby, it's cold outside!
Hotaruchan: I'll warm you up, baby!
Delta 6: And he should totally be all -depressed wandering- and Wilson should be all "awwww wassamatta?"
Meg: I'm thinking of putting in slight undertones of slash between Wombat!Chase and Scatterbrain!Wilson.
Meg: YES!
Meg: You and I SHARE THE SAME BRAIN!
Meg: alksjdfh
Delta 6: oooo dooooooo iiiiiiiiiiittttt!
Hotaruchan: -sighs- you and your yaoi.

Well. You get the idea.


Cuddy was a city girl, through and through. She didn't know how to start fires without a match, paper, wood and a fireplace and a fire-starter. Luckily, Wilson still retained the parts of his brain that enabled him to remember how to find sources needed to create a safe outdoors campfire. Wilson gallantly gathered all the firewood and explained how to construct the pit in which they could safely light up the wood. Oh, and House assisted.

Unfortunately for Wilson's perception, what really happened was he had haphazardly gathered the wood, several numerous long sticks and quite unintentionally smacked them against House's head several times as he pranced around enthusiastically. House quickly took the large rocks from Wilson's hands before he could do something deadly with them.

The final straw had been his idiotic prattling on while House was futilely trying to light the slightly damp wood.

Cuddy rescued a bewildered Wilson from House's irate shouting while the heartless man finished working on building and starting the fire. She soothed the halfwit from the verge of tears as he insisted that he was only trying to help.

Things settled down as the fire was successfully started and they shared in a meal of apples. "Tomorrow," House said, "we'll likely get close enough to the river that runs near the Emerald City. I'll catch some fish."

"Fish sounds great," Cuddy sighed, rubbing her arms. Wilson nodded in agreement, his eyes wide and happy. Cuddy was almost envious of his easy manner, until she thought of how his manner had come about, and then she couldn't help but be thankful that she still had all her faculties about her. Living life with only half a brain. The poor man.

The fire was crackling merrily and warmed them in more ways than physical. Its bright light drove back the darkness and shone like a beacon of hope in the night. Cuddy sat up. She thought she saw something move in the shadows.

"House…" she murmured, staring out blindly past the fire into the dark woods. House looked over to her and frowned, following the line of her sight.

"What is it?"

"I saw something move."

Wilson perked up, sensing the undertones of caution in their voices. His face grew fearful. "What? Is it a monster? I don't like monsters! They rip my clothes and try to eat me."

Cuddy wrapped an arm around Wilson, "hey, it's okay. House and I won't let anything hurt you."

There was a loud sharp crack and shrubbery shook and parted. A very blond man/creature stumbled into the firelight. He had great hair. Really, really great hair. And a very strong resemblance to Chase. A great gusty sigh escaped his pouting lips and he cast woeful eyes upon their party. He sighed again.

"'M not a monster," he said, feelingly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No," House agreed. "You're a wombat. Not scary at all."

Chase sighed again, and Wilson melted against Cuddy's side. Cuddy looked in surprise at Wilson. He had been scared stiff as a board just a moment ago. His emotional yo-yo-ing was going to give her whiplash. His gaze was settled on Chase and had a distinctly caring expression Cuddy recognized from her Wilson with his cancer patients.

"Why are you so sad?" Wilson blurted out, his eyes just full of his emotional empathy.

Chase looked up at Wilson and sighed again. Then he drew himself up, cleared his throat and began to sing.

"Oh, it's tragic, my dear friend, when you'll go to every end
And be labeled a disgrace.
My father never loved me, my mother thought not of me
And my boss is a nutcase."

House looked up at that and glared at Chase.

"I'm afraid that for an Aussie," Chase sang. House stood and cut in.

"You're really rather saucy…" He so did not appreciate being called insane.

Chase glared at House for interrupting his song, but kept singing. "I'll punch you in your face!" Then his expression grew wistful, "I'll somehow prove my worth…"

"I'll appreciate the curves…." House sang, gazing lustfully at Cuddy. Cuddy blushed.

Wilson sang hopefully, "I'd be able to observe…."

"If the Wizard is a Wizard who will serve." Cuddy put in her soft voice.

Wilson:
Then he's sure to fix my brain,

House:
My heart,

Cuddy:
Wake up…,

Chase:
Love me…

The quiet mood that fell over them was broken when Wilson crossed over to Chase and dragged him closer to the fire. "Sit, sit with us," Wilson said cheerfully. "Would you like an apple? They're really quite delicious!"

Chase looked up into Wilson's eyes and he managed to dredge up a little smile from somewhere. "Oh, thank you."

"I'm Wilson!"

"Chase."

"She's Cuddy, he's Toto, and I'm House. Now we're all friendly." House snarked. He watched the two of them. Watched as Wilson handed Chase an apple with a moronic expression of droopy caring. He rolled his eyes at the overly saccharine display.

Cuddy saw House's expression and she felt a little sad. If he didn't think much of the emotional connection Wilson was forming with Chase, did what happen between the two of them earlier mean anything to him? She wished she could get some reassurance from him, but he seemed so unapproachable now, across the firelight. The firelight that had flickered so warmly across his face earlier now seemed to cast dark shadows that only heightened the dour expression. She yawned. Maybe in the light of day, things would be better.

As she settled by the fire, drowsing slowly into sleep, she saw Wilson snuggle up into Chase's fur for warmth and smiled fondly at the sight. Heartened by the visual, she drifted to dreams and was only dimly aware of a light, tender touch on her hand which gave her feelings of being loved.