Author's Note: Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. — Winston Churchill

Action takes place at the time of Season 4, Episode 4: Guardian Angels

Disclaimer: I don't own House, M.D., nor its concepts, characters, and setting, but I do love them, especially Chase.

"It's terrible the way he treats Cole," Cameron said, sipping her wine. "As badly as he treated you."

Chase lifted a forkful of osso buco to his mouth. He loved the food at this restaurant, it made him feel like he had an Italian grandmother cooking for him. He chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed, before saying mildly, "I don't think House treated me all that badly."

"What?!"

Chase smiled and sipped his wine. "Don't get me wrong: he yelled at me, called me an idiot all the time, constantly inserted himself into my affairs so he could make fun of them, mocked any opinion I expressed, punched me on the jaw in the hospital lobby, and ultimately fired me, but… on the whole, I don't think he treated me worse that he treats anyone else… except maybe the punch in the face, but he was off his Vicodin at the time. His leg probably hurt." He cut a section of potato, then forked it and put it in his mouth with the fork still in his left hand.

No matter how many times she'd seen it, the fork in the left hand still surprised her, though not as much as what he'd just said. "Robert, he did treat you worse."

"I don't think so. He mocked Foreman, he mocked you, pried into your affairs, called you idiots, constantly accused you of screwing up, same as me. It's how he relates to people. A sort of hazing gone wild. Come to that, he does it to Cuddy and Wilson, too, as much as he can get away with."

"Okay, but the rest of us fought back, you didn't. Until yesterday."

Chase shrugged and cut a carrot in half. "I don't really see what he got so hot under the collar about. So Amber wanted another test, big deal. He ended up not firing her or the men anyway, so it was silly for him to come and yell at me about it."

"Exactly. He likes to have a whipping boy handy, and since he doesn't have you anymore, I think he's fitting Cole out for that role."

"For someone who quit, you're awfully interested in who ends up on his team."

She shrugged, delicately turning her fork to loop the strands of angel hair around it, then picked it up right handed to place it in her mouth.

Chase continued eating, knowing she would answer when she was ready.

Cameron took another sip of her wine. "I'm not all that interested. Just want to help him out, make sure he doesn't have to go through what you went through."

"Mmm-hmm. Well, if he ends up on House's team, he's going to go through plenty."

Cameron found him in the doctor's lounge, sprawled like tomcat on the couch. Scrubs suited him, made him seem more virile somehow, and that was not how scrubs normally affected her. "You'll never guess."

"In that case, perhaps you'll just tell me."

"I took a case to House. Mortuary cosmetician had a grand mal seizure. And, during the course of our discussion, he told me Foremen's been fired from Mercy."

"Already? Okay, I would not have guessed that."

"For insubordination, apparently."

"Acting like House, was he? I thought he resigned from here specifically to avoid that."

"Plus, he addressed Cole as 'dark religious nut'."

"Foremen did?"

Cameron reached out and smacked his arm lightly. "No, House."

"That's more predictable."

"So… House and I made a bet."

"Also predictable."

"That Cole would kick his ass."

Chase blinked. "You bet House that your allegedly timid little clone of me would—"

"A hundred bucks."

"For someone who's about to lose a hundred bucks, you look remarkably happy."

Why did Cameron send these people to him? What did she think he was going to say to Cole?

Their conversation took place in the O.R. over the enlarged spleen and necrotic liver of House's current patient.

Chase really had no advice to give. He'd certainly taken House's crap the entire time he'd been on the man's team, but that was just how things were. If you really didn't want to put up with it, you'd have to walk out the door.

Fortunately, House's presence in the gallery forced them to cut the conversation short.

At the end of the shift, Chase went to the ER to look for Cameron, and found her not merely dressed in street clothes and ready to go, but glowing and crowing with delight.

"Dinner is on House tonight."

He couldn't resist teasing a little. "On the house, you say? Did you get a restauranteur in here today?"

She slapped at him playfully. "No. Greg House."

"He fires me, then wants to buy me dinner? Kinky." Happening a lot though, if you count that burger the other day.

"Chase," Cameron said in a mock warning tone.

He leaned down to kiss her. "Sorry, go on, why is our former boss paying to feed us?"

"You know that bet I had with House?"

"The one about Cole? What happened?"

"Cole clocked him a good one in front of all of the remaining fellows. I wish I'd been there."

"Me, too," Chase agreed. "Where shall we eat?"

She looked at him speculatively. "How about Blue Pointe Grill?"

He smiled. That was a happy surprise. "Oh, yeah? Great," he agreed.

"I can dress up, and you can hit the raw bar."

Chase grinned. "Planning on having your way with me later?"

Cameron laughed. "Of course, but why would you say that?"

"Oysters are an aphrodisiac."

Cameron watched in fascination as her boyfriend slurped down raw shellfish with great gusto. It both terrified and attracted her that he could ignore the dangers of norovirus, vibrio infection, and hepatitis A in this way, and yet she loved to see him like this, his very hunger joyful, and the obvious pleasure he found in eating his favorite foods.

It wasn't like that for her. For her, food was something to keep you alive, not something to glory in. But Chase was like that about so many things: Enthusiastic.

"I'm surprised House paid you so fast for Cole," Chase remarked, wiping his mouth with his napkin after dispatching the last of the mollusks. "A lot of times he tries to find some excuse not to pay, and it's not like you were there."

"He'd never get away with it with that number of witnesses, and he knows it."

"Did he fire Cole?"

"No, he fired Henry."

"That figures. Henry was nice."

"Cole's nice."

One blond brow rose. "So nice he punched his prospective employer?"

"Whatever."

"Think he'll fire Cole next?"

"I'd bet Foreman."

"Foreman?!" Chase repeated. "What, is he back?"

"He will be by next shift, in good time for House to fire him."

"Really." Long gold lashes hid her boyfriend's gorgeous green eyes. "How much would you bet?"