Title: Matchmaker (Pt I)
Disclaimers: Don't own 'em, never will (House would be with me if I did & Chase would be the pool boy); don't own Fiddler either.
Rating: PG-13 (language on the safe side, 'cos House can be a snot)
Pairing: Mostly House - Wilson friendship, refs to Foreman/Chase
Spoilers: Few refs to Euphoria, Hunting & House v. God.
A/N: This was supposed to be my first attempt to write Chase. It's a piece where I wanted to set the scene between Chase & Foreman before the Cameron blow up in Realization. Couldn't do it, despaired of getting them to talk (Chase did what he always does, clammed up, then Foreman got snotty), what kept coming out was a fluffy piece of House & Wilson snark commentary on the situation instead, at which point I just gave up and went with the flow. And since when do I do fluffy!

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Matchmaker (Pt I)

It had been an unusual morning. It had started off normally enough - House had ambled in late to find his Fellows occupied with their usual pursuits - Cameron typing on her laptop, Chase contemplating the newspaper crossword and the disintegrating end of his chewed pencil, and Foreman pouring himself more coffee. The unusual event was that he was being trailed by a delivery guy lugging a vase containing a couple of dozen deep yellow roses.

"Diagnostics Office?"

"Yes," Cameron immediately walked over to the delivery guy, her face bending to sniff the flowers. "They're beautiful," she had smiled. "Where do I sign for them?"

The delivery man looked dubiously at her badge.

"Umm, sorry, Dr. Cameron, they're for a Dr. Chase."

"My, my, you put out last night, Ms. Chase?" House grabbed the card before Chase could reach it and ripped the small envelope open. "Hmm, Happy Anniversary, that's it?" He tossed the card back to Chase, who was occupied signing for the flowers, while the delivery man placed the vase on the conference table before leaving. "More importantly, Cameron, what did you do to think they were for you?" House leered at her.

"That's a singularly unattractive expression, House, and nothing. It's unusual to send a man flowers like that. I made a reasonable assumption they might be for me. You're not seeing anyone, are you, Chase?"

"Sorry, what's that?" Chase was staring at the flowers, a bemused look on his face.

"I'm disappointed in you, Cameron. I thought you were trained to observe and draw inferences. The card said "Happy Anniversary" - the only logical conclusion is that our darling daughter is in fact seeing someone and that someone thinks it's serious."

"Lay off, House." Foreman was grinning from ear to ear at Chase.

"Really, Chase? Who..?"

Chase lifted his head from the flowers, a small smile of genuine happiness on his face. House couldn't help but be astonished, he couldn't recall the last time he had seen Chase smile so, a smile that lit him up from inside. It was clear that Cameron was surprised too - not only by Chase's expression, but that the smile was directed at Foreman.

House groaned, and broke in across Cameron's question. "I refuse to deal with a love sick wombat or the two of you mooning at each other all day. Focus people, differential diagnosis."

"We have a patient?" This was from a suddenly serious Foreman.

"No, I'm trying to recall you to reality." He tossed his badge over to Chase. "Get rid of the flowers, Chase and then get down to the clinic. Go be me for a while, that'll cure you."