Chapter 5: More Than A Crush

"After everything that we've been through I just want you to know that I still love you. I want you to know that I forgive you." Wings of Forgiveness, India Arie

"Do we have to go to this?" Kate asked holding up the invitation/memo that was in each department.

"Of course you do." House said. "Where is your team spirit?"

"Since when does team spirit involve me where a dress and heels?" Kate asked.

"Don't you always wear heels?" House asked. Similar to Cameron, Kate always wore professional clothes that were somewhat dressy. Her outfits frequently included heels. "Maybe you'll wear a little bit more makeup, a different perfume, do a fancy hair style but it's not that different than usual."

Kate took that as a "yes" to her original question. It wasn't that she minded going it was just after work she liked to have time away from the hospital. She was there for an extensive amount of time already. She inwardly groaned at the idea of going to a hospital benefit disguised as "Casino Night." Could she just donate the money instead of attending? However, that did not appear to be an option.

"Come on it will be fun." House pouted.

"Stop worrying I'll be there." Kate said. "How dressy is this thing?"

"Wilson and I often show up in penguin suits. Wilson is cute as penguin and no you can't have him. He is already an emotional wreck."

"Wouldn't he have to be to be your friend?" Kate asked.

"Good one. Just wear something that doesn't make you look like a whore." House turned to Cameron. "This is your chance to wear something that makes you look like you actually hit puberty. Don't mess it up."

Instead of blushing, Cameron looked annoyed which was something new. Maybe all of her: "I'm over House" comments were true.

"So, about the other night." Chase said to Kate when they were alone in a hallway. She was getting a snack out of the snack machine.

"What about the other night?" Kate asked confused. "Nothing happened. You dropped me off and left."

"I was referring to our conversation."

"What about it?"

"It was nice to talk."

"You are acting really strange right now." Kate started walking down the hall.

"I meant it's good not thinking you hate me anymore."

Kate stopped, turned so quickly it caught Chase by surprise, and stared at him. "I never hated you."

"You didn't?"

"I could never hate you. Sure, I was mad at you but it never reached hate."

"Why didn't you hate me? I left."

"I figured you had your reasons. Plus, we're probably better off."

"Probably..." Chase said even though he did not believe it. He doubted that Kate even believed it.

"You like Harker." Foreman said since he and Chase were the only ones in the room.

"Excuse me." Chase said but his expression confirmed Foreman's suspicions.

"You can't lie to save your life." Foreman gloated. "So, when House said you two were involved it was true."

"It's ancient history, but we were once involved."

"How serious was it?"

Chase froze. "Let's just say we both got hurt when it ended."

Foreman watched Chase's expression change with the last question. "Wow, she really meant something to you." Chase nodded his head. "Do you still regret how things end?"

"How can you not regret letting someone you love go? It ended and that's what happens." Chase asked.

Suddenly the pieces fell into place for Foreman. "Wait, Kate was the girl. She's the love of your life?"

"She was. Since then, we've both moved on."

Foreman paused and watched Chase. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"No comment." Chase said.

Foreman couldn't tell by Chase's expression what the truth was. All he knew was that at one point Chase and Harker had been deeply involved with each other. He knew that things had not ended well. He knew that Chase had been in love with Harker, which was no small thing. "You should tell her."

"What should I tell Kate?" Chase asked as if he hadn't been paying attention to the conversation.

"Tell Kate the truth. Tell her: you love her."

"I don't love her."

"Sure. Then are you in love with Cameron?" Chase gave Foreman that look that was clearly a no. "You may say you don't but you do."

"How would you know?" Chase asked annoyed. One moment Foreman hated him. The next Foreman cared about every single detail of his life. It was irritating trying to keep track of Foreman's mood.

"I've seen your face when you talk about her. You light up when you are around her. Plus, you are a horrible liar."

Kate had the perfect dress for the benefit. She went home, pulled out the dress, and went to take a shower. After her shower, she did hair and makeup. Makeup was easy. It was simple and subtle. Brown mascara, light eye shadow, light blush, red lipstick, and perfume. Her nail polish was clear.

Now hair was a different matter. She could go simple with just clipping it back. Alternatively, she could put it up. Kate decided to pull it back and put it up in a bun. There were a few loose strands around her face that she gently curled. It was simple and elegant.

As for the outfit, that was a simple choice. It was a backless burgundy dress with flowers sewn over a nude flesh that covered the chest. There was a tie around the neck and a sweeping train. The slit came up a little above her knees. It was a beautiful dress and Kate had limited opportunities to wear it. She was going to take advantage of wearing the dress. Her black heels completed the look.

Kate arrived at the party and walked over to the bar. She needed a drink to calm her nerves. She ordered her drink and began to make the rounds to see what there was to play.

Chase in his only formal outfit: black shirt, black dress pants, and a tie, was going to get a drink from the bar when he saw Kate walking around. Chase could not help himself from staring at Kate. She looked amazing in the floor length gown. The fabric clutched at Kate's thin frame in all the right places. The cut was low enough to expose the perfect amount of cleavage, but remained modest. The slit in the fabric just revealed a little of her toned legs that it kept you curious. He was not the only one who was gawking at Kate, Chase noticed a few of the other doctors checking her out. For some reason he was jealous. What he would not do to be able to put his arm around Kate and say she was his again. His eyes followed her.

Kate found the poker table where House and Wilson were sitting. She sat down and was dealt into the next hand. "Nice dress." House said after checking out Kate.

"Compliments won't get you anywhere tonight." Kate said. "I'll see your raise and raise."

House smiled at the challenge. This was going to be a good game. A couple of hands later and significantly down chips House asked: "Where did you learn to play?"

"College. I call." House and Kate both put the cards down. "Ouch! You should really concentrate on those cards more." Kate took her winnings. "Well, it's been fun. If you'll excuse me." Kate took the chips and left the table. She was walking when she spotted someone familiar. "Hi."

"Hi." Chase said. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." The way he looked at her, Kate could not help but be reminded of a time long ago. "You look good to."

"I see you did well." Chase said referring to the chips.

"Yeah, I caught House by surprise and I had some good hands. Plus, I had a good teacher."

Chase smiled. "You were a good student." He looked at the dance floor. "Do you want to dance?"

"Oh…sure. Let me just go cash these first." After cashing the chips, Kate and Chase went onto the dance floor. It was a slow jazz song. It was awkward at first but became comfortable after a few moments. They fell into a comfortable rhythm. At one point he spun her and pulled her so close that they could feel the other's breath. There was a moment when they looked at each other and old feelings weren't so old. Impulses were restrained and sparks flew in their eyes.

When the song ended, they were unsure of what to do. They separated, but they knew a talk was necessary. Chase followed Kate down the hall and into a free clinic room. She put space between them by standing on the other side of the examination table. "What just happened?" She asked flushed.

"I don't know." Chase said. He kept looking at her.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that. It's making me…" She couldn't think of what to say. She said the first thing that came to mind. "…nervous."

"Nervous?" He asked through a grin.

"You know what I mean." Kate took a deep breath to recollect her thoughts. "Let's just agree to forget whatever just happened out there."

"Kate, we can't ignore what just happened." Chase moved around the table to Kate's side. "It's obvious that we still have feelings for each other."

"Of course, there are feelings. Feelings don't just disappear over night. That doesn't mean anything." Kate rambled trying to make up any excuse. She was not going to face the truth.

"Kate, it means something." He put his hand under her chin. Her eyes looked directly into his and her knees went weak. "You mean something to me. I'm probably right in assuming that I still mean something to you."

Kate caught her breath. She knew what he meant the whole time. "Robert, that boat sadly and regretfully passed a long time ago. We agreed it wasn't what we wanted. We were probably idiots, but that's how life goes..." Kate thought of what she had just said and immediately looked down at the floor. She couldn't face Robert's searching eyes. He would look straight through her and see that she never completely moved on and still wanted him. Kate let out a deep breath. "This is too confusing and frustrating. There is a part of me that wants to go back, but we let go of each other. We can't change that." Kate removed her hands that had somehow ended up on his chest and walked away. While walking away, she brushed away the tears that whelmed up in her eyes.

Kate promised herself she would never cry over Robert Chase again. She had cried over him before and hated that. She was not going to break that promise now. Kate took a deep breath, pasted a smile on her face, and walked back into the party.

Chase stood there for a long time. He did not want to ignore what had just happened. He had to tell her the truth. He was not going to pretend that there were not feelings anymore. He was going to face the truth. He did not care if Kate rejected him or not. That did not matter. With a new sense of strength, Chase went towards the party. He was going to find Kate and figure things out finally.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, I'm going to try and get the next chapter out sooner. I have most of written. I hope you are still enjoying it.

Disclaimer: If I owned anything of value do you think I'd be writing this??