Chapter 10: Sorrow

No one could speak; it was all still too shocking. Pip was infatuated with "her" unborn child; House could tell by the shoes that she had worn that first time in front of him that she was spoilt and hated things to be taken away from her.

However, he was curious about the fact that Chase was too far along for it to be Idnax's kid, judging by the time they'd known each other. It would still be an embryo even now, and if Chase had been expecting when Idnax arrived, that meant that…

"How long have you guys known each other?"

Both stared back at him, knowing that if they denied anything now, House would give them the "Everybody Lies" lecture. Chase started to explain:

"We met in our last two years of uni back in Australia-"

"Idnax, you moved! Was St. George really that pretentious?" House interrupted.

"Yes, Australia proved to be worth more interest than Wales, shocking, no?" Idnax retorted "Let him tell the damn story."

"Meri and I were probably the only two not drinking stupidly, smoking, snorting, injecting anything stupid-"

"Partaking in orgies?"

"No!"

"Sorry! But daisy chaining was really taking off in the nineties, and high school students and uni kids thought it was all the rage-"

"God, NO! I'm still, uh…intact…down there…" Idnax babbled nervously. She could tell that at the rate this was going, today was going to be a long day.

"Whoa, more blackmail! I never would have thought the cowardly dragon was another one of Chase's fan girls, let alone a virgin…" House thought to himself.

The other three were staring to look very uncomfortable and torn in the middle. "Excuse me? I don't think you were involved in any of this, you can go back to class." He shooed them away before turning back to the other two ducklings that now had looks on their faces like naughty school children. Maybe metaphors are more powerful than we think.

"Good, now we're alone, care to discuss what happened five months ago?"

Idnax was now biting her lip, and it was bleeding a little. Chase looked ready to faint.

"I'd just arrived at Princeton, no idea whatsoever that Robert was going to be here too. Went out to a bar the same night, unaware that we about to walk back into each other's lives…"

House nodded, and swallowed two of his Vicodin. "So, bumping into each other gave him a bump?"

"No, you're only telling me half of it. One two-second knock into each other can't knock someone with HS up so easily. Friendly hug?"

Once more, the irritating silence.

"Yes. And a…peck, is that the word?"

"Oh, er. You are in a fix."

--

A month later, Idnax was walking quickly down the hall to catch up with Cameron. She was going to be paying Chase and Pip a visit at their flat, and Idnax wanted to give him something useful.

"Cameron, wait!"

"Yes, Meri?"

"Uh, I'm kinda busy tonight, House has kept me back to help with something, and seeing you're going to see Robert, could you take this to him?" she asked shyly, passing a small bundle to her. It was sort of squashy; Cameron guessed it was clothes or a blanket. Nevermind, it wasn't her present.

"Tell him that I care for him and Joey, no matter what happens to him and Odessa."

"Odessa?"

"Pip, y'know, his, girlfriend…"

--

It had been one of the hottest days in August, and now the night air had become suddenly cold.

"Whew, they'd better be making something hot." She muttered to herself as she trudged along to the door.

The bellman looked at her with refined disgust. "Are visiting any of our current residents?"

"Ah, yeah. Robert Chase or Odessa…Odessa…"

"You mean Mr. Chase and his partner Miss Nombre?'

"Yeah, I'm seeing them for dinner." Cameron nodded in confirmation. Snotty people, like this bellman made her uneasy. Like Chase had when he'd first arrived. It was probably his clothing that had done that to her, but he'd turned out perfectly normal.

"Room 213."

"Thanks."

--

The lift made its typical 'ding' sound, and let Cameron out to walk down the hallway to Chase's flat.

She knocked quietly on the door, waiting for a response while she fixed her hair out of her face in the reflection of the room number plaque.

"Is anyone in there?" She asked and peeked through the open spy hole.

Nobody answered, but was that stifled sobbing she could hear? It was definitely common in the oncology ward to hear the same sound that was coming from under the door. Surprisingly, the lock clicked open.

It was the most depressing sight she'd seen. The table was set up nicely, but there was no food on it. A candle had been lit, but now it was about to go out.

The most upsetting part of it was Chase, hunched over as possible on the couch fingering a bracelet and crying.

"Oh, God. Chase, are you alright?"

"She did it. Pip's dumped me."

A/N: Oh, big-arse cliff-hanger! Now what are our wombats gonna do now? Warning, I downsized the CamChase to friendship, so don't get your hopes too high fellow shippers. I don't mind it myself, Chameron is one of the better 'ships out there, but I'm scared I'll screw it up.