Chapter 11: Weather the Storm

"I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door. I've had you so many times but somehow I want more..." ~She Will Be Loved, Maroon 5

Chase walked into work and sat down with a crossword puzzle. He was early so no one was there to disturb his thoughts. The cup of coffee in his hands was still hot but nothing distracted him from the thought of Kate.

He couldn't take it. Therefore, Chase went down to the clinic. He picked up a chart and took a patient into an examination room. He had just finished three examinations when Cuddy came up to Chase. "How are you Dr. Chase?"

"I'm fine Dr. Cuddy. Did you need something?"

"Yes. Can I talk to you privately?" Cuddy asked.

"Uh, sure." Chase said before following Cuddy into her office. It was an awkward silence. Chase had a bad feeling. "Dr. Cuddy I am sorry for whatever I have done."

"You aren't in trouble Dr. Chase." Cuddy said as she sat in a chair and pointed to the couch. "Why don't you sit down?" Chase sat down confused. "Why don't we try this again, how are you doing Robert?"

"You want the truth I take it."

"Only if you feel like sharing it."

Chase looked at Cuddy confused beyond a doubt. "What is this?"

"I'm trying to be your friend if you'll let me. Why don't you try calling me Lisa in this scenario."

Chase looked at Cuddy for a long time before saying: "Lisa, I take it that you know what it is like to be in love with someone and not be able to be with them. You know what type of pain that is. It's horrible. It is as if your stomach is constantly being tied up in knots. It is exhausting."

"Yes, I do know what it is like. It can be very exhausting." Cuddy agreed.

Chase stood up and walked over to the window behind Cuddy's desk so that he was looking over the courtyard. "I…I did something horrible. I broke Kate's hear not one but twice. I never meant to hurt her. The kiss with Cameron just happened. I tried talking to Kate, but she didn't want to talk to me. I've lost her…again." Cuddy went over to Chase. She put her hand on his shoulder. Chase's voice was shaking when he said: "I miss her."

Cuddy went over to her desk and took out a paper. She held out the paper to Chase. "You just have to sign it. We don't have to make a big deal about it." Chase looked at the paper and then at Cuddy. "It's your decision."

"Where have you been?" House asked Chase.

"I was in the clinic." Chase said as he took a case file off the table. He looked at the board to see a few symptoms written down. He listened as Cameron, Foreman, and House bounced ideas off of each other. However, he wasn't really there.

House looked at Chase and said. "Do the test Dr. Chase said."

"I didn't say anything." Chase said coming out of his daze.

"Oh, that's right you are depressed about your girlfriend. She moved on. Now get a hold of yourself. You are more pathetic than when Cameron dumped you." House looked at Cameron. "I guess you weren't that important or good."

"Meningitis." Chase said to change the subject. "We should do a spinal tab."

"You mean you should do a spinal tap. Go and take Cameron with you." House said.

Cameron and Chase walked to the patient's room in silence. Once inside they performed the task as professionals. Chase didn't speak to Cameron unless it was an absolute necessity.

"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" Cameron asked as they walked down the hall away from the patient's room.

"I'm talking to you now." Chase said just to spite Cameron.

Cameron pulled Chase by the arm into an empty patient's room. "I am sorry. Okay? I was drunk and obviously I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Cameron, we are both at fault. Okay?"

Cameron looked at Chase surprised. "Then why aren't you talking to me?"

"I'm upset!" Chase sat down on the empty bed. "I kissed you back. What makes it worse is that I kissed you in front of my girlfriend. Now, I've screw up things royally between me and Kate."

"Why did you kiss me back?"

"I didn't mean to honest. I'm sorry." Chase said instantly regretting what he said. Cameron looked extremely hurt by his words.

"No, it's okay."

"Cameron, I like you. I used to like you a lot, but now… My feelings aren't what they used to be. I'm sorry."

Cameron nodded her head. "I know. When you kissed me back it wasn't like before." Chase cocked his head to the side. "I knew you didn't like me as you once did. What are you going to do about Kate?"

"I don't know yet. She's gone." Chase stood up. "It was nice talking to you." He said before walking towards the lab.

Foreman watched Chase as grabbed coffee. "Foreman, I thought we established this a long time ago. I'm not your type." Chase joked.

"You wish you were my type." Foreman threw back.

"Seriously, stop checking me out. It's making me nervous." Chase said sitting down.

"Nervous?" Foreman asked.

"It's something Kate used to say…" Chase muttered.

"You are an idiot." Foreman said as he stood up and began to pace.

"Excuse me?"

"You have a beautiful woman in love with you twice. What do you do, you mess it all up. I swear if Kate hadn't made me promise, I'd smack you—"

"What did Kate make you promise?"

"She made me promise to look out for you. Lord knows why."

Chase looks at Foreman confused. "That doesn't make sense."

"I swear, Kate must be a saint seeing as she worried about you even though you broke her heart, again."

"I get it. You don't need to rub it in. I'm an ass. I admit it." Chase looked at Foreman. "Did you know she was leaving?"

"No." Foreman said. For the first time he actually saw how sad Chase looked. "You miss her don't you?"

"More than you know." Chase let his head drop into his hands. "God, I was an idiot!!"

"Well, if she was here you could try and fix it." Chase looked up at Foreman. "I know that look. It's the same one House gets at the end of a case."

Chase bolted up from his seat. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"The clinic. I know how to fix it." Chase said before heading out of the door.

"What's in the clinic?" Foreman asked but Chase was already gone.

Foreman looked around the conference room. Something wasn't right. "Where is Chase?" Cameron shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to talk about what she had done. Foreman looked at House.

"The wombat is gone." House dropped a stack of files on the table. "Find someone who isn't an idiot in there."

"What do you mean gone?"

"Chase resigned. He doesn't work here anymore."

"Where did he go?"

"He went home…to Australia." House said before heading into his office.

Foreman looked at Cameron with a glare. "What?" Cameron asked.

"I didn't say anything."

"I know that look."

"What look?"

"You think it's my fault that Chase left."

"Again, I didn't say anything."

"Well, it's not."

Foreman took one of the files and looked it. "Just help me go through these files." He closed the file and put it to the side. He grabbed two more files. One file went on top of the file Foreman had previously set aside. The other file started a new pile. They worked in silence.

Cameron looked over to House's office and found her boss asleep. Cameron looked at the file in front of her before saying, "I didn't mean for it to happen. I knew he was involved but I couldn't help it." Foreman knew what Cameron was referring to. He didn't say anything and let Cameron continue talking. "I instantly regretted it. I never thought I would cross that boundary. I never thought I would be that woman. So, if you want to treat me like crap and criticize me go ahead, but know that I am truly sorry."

Foreman nodded his head and looked at Cameron for the first time. "I don't blame you. I never did. I had my suspicions that Chase might leave. I just didn't think it would be so soon."

"Either did I."

"How many possibilities did you find?"

"Two. You?"

"About four." They both let out a sigh and went back to sorting through the resumes. They both knew that even with a replacement it wasn't going to the same.

Chase stood at the door of Kate's parents' house. He knocked again. When there was no answer so he rang the doorbell again. The door opened. Standing there was Liz, Peter's wife; she didn't look surprised to see him. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Hi Liz." Chase said. "Can I talk to—"

"She doesn't want to talk to you."

"Please." He was desperate.

"She isn't here. You might want to get out of here. Peter's inside and he isn't as patient as I am."

"Right." Chase knew it was never a good idea to get in an argument with Peter about Kate. "Could you just ask Kate to call me? Please." He was begging now. Liz could see it in his eyes.

"I'll give it a chance, but don't expect anything."

"I never do. Thanks." As Chase was turning to leave who was getting out of the car pulling up, but Kate. Kate looked at Chase surprised, but she did not falter. She could not. "Hi." Chase said as Kate came up to the door.

"Hi." Kate said. She noticed how Liz closed the door of the house giving them sometime alone to talk. "What are you doing here? Peter and my dad are going to kill you if they find you here."

"Can we talk?" Kate looked annoyed. "A few minutes. That all I'm asking for."

Kate looked at her watch. "You have sixty seconds."

"Are you serious?"

"Fifty-five, fifty-four—"

"Okay, I get your point. Can you at least look at me?" Kate looked at Chase. "I'm sorry for how everything turned out." He took a step towards her, but Kate backed away.

"Well, if that's all you are here to say you can go." Kate cruelly said. It was all part of her defense mechanism.

Chase nodded his head. "I am so sorry and…I miss you." Chase said before heading towards his car.

"What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to fall into your arms and make passionate love to you?" Kate asked making Chase stop and turn.

"I don't know. I just know I needed to see you and tell you that…that…I love you. I always have. I love that after I've spent an entire day around you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. I love that you are the last person that I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night and it's not because I'm lonely. It's just when you realize that you are in love with someone you want to spend the rest of your life with them; and you want the rest of your life to begin with that person as soon as possible. "

"That is just like you Robert, you say things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you. I hate you Robert, I really do." Kate was crying now. "I hate you." It was clear that she didn't hate, but loved him. Chase took a step towards to Kate, she didn't step back away this time. He stretched out his hand towards her. Kate took Robert's hand. She held his hand for a few moments.

Robert pulled Kate towards him and held her. He held her as she cried into his shirt. "I'm so sorry."

Kate looked up at Robert tears running down her cheeks. She leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was soft, gentle, deep, and completely intoxicating. Chase stared intently back in Kate's eyes as their lips came apart. He felt completely helpless by how in love he was with Kate. Kate kissed him again. She made this kiss more deep and intense than before. The kiss was the kind where it was more as if they were sharing one soul and becoming one.

Chase took a deep breath once their lips parted. His arms wrapped around Kate. "I love you."

"I know. I love you to." Absentmindedly Kate let her hands run through his hair. "I missed that. I missed you."

A couple of months later, Chase stood in front of a mirror fixing his tie. He suddenly felt a pair of hands go over his eyes. He recognized the hands. "Kate what are you doing in here? You aren't supposed to be in here."

"Close your eyes."

"Weren't you the one who insisted on me not seeing you in your wedding dress before the wedding?"

"That's why you have to close your eyes."

"Fine, they're closed."

"No peeking." Kate removed her hands, but Chase grabbed one of Kate's hands and pulled her so she was in front of him. "What are you doing?" Kate asked as Robert's hands moved up over her hips to her waist.

"I'm trying to figure out what the dress looks like."

Chase's hands on Kate felt wonderful. "I could so jump you right now."

Chase smirked. "Yeah, your brother and father walking in on us right now is just what I need. How about a rain check for later?"

"I guess. I'm going to kiss you."

"Sorry, but these lips are reserved for my wife." Kate smiled. In a matter of minutes, she would be his wife.

"On second thought, I don't want really want to ruin my lipstick." Kate said teasingly. "I'll see you out there. I'll be the one in white walking done the aisle."

"I can't wait to see you. I'll be the one waiting for you."

Kate rolled over and looked at her husband. She started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Chase asked.

"I just realized that it took us twelve years and three months to get married."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Kate said before giggling some more. "Think about it. We got engaged at nineteen when we were crazy in love and young. We broke up. You left and went to work for House. Then I went to work for House and everything happened. I came back to Oz and you followed me. Here we are, three months later."

"Wow, I can't believe it took us that long. Next time, let's not wait because I could not go through all of that again."

"Deal."

Chase's finger ran down Kate's cheek and over her lips before he kissed her. "I love you. I'm not going to let go of you ever again."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise." He gently pecked Kate's lips, but she automatically deepened the kiss. Kate pulled Chase closer to her and they enjoyed their honeymoon some more.

A/N: So technically, this is the end. However, there will be an epilogue.

Disclaimer: I used a conversation from When Harry Met Sally. It's a great movie if you haven't seen it. I own nothing.