A/N: I don't know what possessed me to write something like that, but if didn't post it now, I would post it never.

Takes place in the middle of 5/11 Joy to the World

Many, many, many thanks to the beta-reader of this story - lmbrtvll !!!

Chase and Cameron were sitting in the hospital cafeteria. Chase was picking at his salad, while Cameron stuffed several french fries into her mouth. She looked up at her boyfriend and smiled.

Chase didn't miss her grin. "What?"

"Nothing," Cameron said almost giggling now.

"What's so funny?" Chase sounded annoyed.

She shook her head and tried not to choke on her fries.

When she eventually swallowed the last bite, Chase asked, "Tell me."

"I just think you eat funny."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know...like a teenage girl, who desperately wants to be like Kate Moss."

"So. What's wrong with that? Or maybe you just like fat guys? You should have told me."

Cameron finished her last fry and drank her coke.

"I'm surprised you went that far to get the truth out of those young spoiled brats.""

"Why shouldn't I? They were mocking at her. I wanted to teach them a lesson."

"I thought you hated fat people. And you would think she deserved it."

"I don't hate them. I feel sorry for them. They're miserable and they can't help it."

"You know way too much about fat people." Cameron said suspiciously.

"I used to be... kind of chubby... when I was a kid." Chase was unsure about revealing this information.

"Hard to believe really." She thought for a moment. "I haven't seen a single picture of you when you were a kid. Do you have any?"

Chase looked surprised. "Of course I do. You've just never asked."

"Well, I'm asking you now. Did kids bully you? Cameron seemed to understand where Chase's concern for Natalie came from.

"No... I mean... yes." Chase resumed torturing his salad, obviously uneasy with that subject.

House's training kicked in and Cameron found Chase's behavior interesting.

"I suppose it wasn't all about you being chubby, was it?"

Chase was silent.

"What else? Why were they picking on you?"

Chase seemed to be quite an average guy. She would never have thought that he had had a hard time in school.

"Doesn't really matter. I'm over it." Chase never liked to discuss his past, even with Cameron.

"Strange. You're a nice looking, from a respectful family. I bet you were a stud in some high-class private school. Why?"

"Cameron, just leave it, okay?"

"Are you ashamed? Why can't you tell me?"

Chase looked at her. She spent too much time with House to be able to leave some things alone.

He couldn't explain to her that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't fulfill his father's expectations. Eventually this made him so insecure, he isolated himself out of fear of being abandoned. Four years of House's abuse and now he was able to stand up for himself again.

"I told you I'm over it. Besides, things like that make you stronger. I wouldn't have survived four years with House if I had no previous experience with jerks like him."

"House was doing it on purpose, he wanted to make you a better doctor. These kids are doing it just to humiliate, to show their superiority."

"Then why were you doing it?"

She didn't expect that question.

"Doing what?"

"You and Foreman weren't the most supportive colleagues in the world."

Sometimes she hoped that he didn't remember how bitchy she was towards him. Because if he did, then she would have to apologize, and that was something she did not want to do.

"And what about you? You weren't much better." Cameron thought that attack was right now the best defense. "Besides when we were arguing it was better for the differential."

"And you think now we won't be able to participate in the differential?" Chase asked.

He was right. They could nail the right diagnose without insulting each other.

"Whatever I or Foreman or even House said to you... you never seemed to care."

Chase didn't answer.

"But you did, didn't you?" She took his hand and barely above a whisper sighed, "I'm sorry, if I..."

She stopped herself. She couldn't find the right words. But that was more than enough for him.

"Me too." Chase smiled and gently kissed her hand.

A/N: I would like to thank Juliabohemian very much for her advice to write in Russian. New community was found recently and there are not many stories about Chase and Cameron on Russian fandom, so fics about them are in a great demand.

I hope I'll have enough will power to finish my other story, but apart from that I'm going to stop writing in English, unless you like what I've written so far and would like me to continue. Please let me know through the review or PM.

Thank you very, very much for reading!