Dearest Readers,
Holy…wow. I apologize for the long update…I think I'm going to be saying that at the start of every chapter now. ^^;
I've realized that I've made a boo-boo that I fix in this chapter. ^^; Oops.
Read on, Cherubs.
Over and out.
Un/Wanted Guest
"This has got to be the smallest wedding…ever…of all time." House said with his chin on Chase's shoulder, looking down at the guest list.
"Oh be quiet, you. These are the people we know we want to be there."
"Well you can cross off Wilson's name then." House countered, earning a poke on the forehead with Chase's pencil.
"Be nice, Greg. Wilson's a good guy and I'm sure he would love to be there." The blonde looked up at him, smiling. House sighed in defeat.
"Oh alright, I suppose Jimmy can be there." Chase rolled his eyes as he finished writing Cameron's name.
They've been planning their wedding for the past 4 months and they were very proud of themselves for completing so much in a short amount of time. They have even decided on the date to have the wedding. The date was mainly House's idea and it took some effort to persuade Chase to agree on the date. It wasn't the time of year that Chase disagreed with, it was the fact that it was a certain holiday as well.
March 30th…
National Doctors' Day. [1]
"I still don't understand why you want to have the wedding on National Doctors' Day." Chase said, writing Foreman's name. House sighed dramatically.
"Because," He said childishly. "We are both doctors…the majority of people that we know are doctors…March 30th is dedicated to folks like us…we save lives and are super smart…we deserve a damn holiday." House reasoned, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Chase looked back up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"So it's also like a day off for the others?" House tilted his head from side-to-side.
"Sure, let's go with that." They jumped slightly when Chase's phone vibrated on the coffee table. Groaning dramatically, Chase leaned forward and grabbed it, smiling when he saw Aura's name on the Caller ID.
"Hey Aura," He said, leaning back into the couch, stretching.
"Hey Robbie, I have a question for you."
"Yes Dear-Aura-Of-Mine?" Chase asked, smiling.
"When the hell are you sending the invitations to the wedding? Huh? I've been waiting, Mister. And you know how long it takes for mail to get to here in Australia from the United States." Chase laughed softly.
"We'll be sending them out soon. We've decided on a date and everything like that, but we just need to make the invitations and send them off." Aura sighed dramatically and Chase could practically feel her roll her eyes.
"Oh alright, I suppose I can live with that."
"You'll be the first one that an invitation is sent to." Chase said, House chuckling lightly behind him.
"I better be." Aura grumbled. "Is Greg there?"
"Yeah, he's right here." He held the phone up to House, who took it.
"Yes Miss Aura?" He said, leaning against the couch.
"Greg," She said seriously. House felt his heart beat quicken when he heard the seriousness in her voice, not understanding why she was upbeat with Chase, but serious with him.
"Yes Aura?" House asked innocently, walking towards the kitchen so that Chase couldn't hear their conversation.
"Is Robbie with you?"
"No, what's going on Aura?" She hesitated for a moment.
"Robbie's father got into contact with me earlier today."
House remained quiet, his grip tightening on Chase's phone. Chase's father had talked to Aura…but what about?
He felt his heart stop:
He must've heard about the wedding.
"What did he want" House asked, keeping his voice low.
"He…he heard about the wedding, Greg." House remained quiet again.
Chase's father wants to come to the wedding.
"I'm assuming he said that he wanted to come?" Aura hesitated again.
"Yeah, but I told him that Robbie wouldn't want him to be there. Robbie won't be able to handle the news that his father wants to be at the wedding. I'm trying to talk his father out of not being so persistent about it, but he's not budging." She sighed deeply. "I don't know what to do, Greg. Should Robbie know that his father wants to be at the wedding?"
House sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, thinking. If him or Aura told Chase that his father not only got into contact with Aura, but also wanted to be at the wedding, he won't take it well. But if his father decided to visit Chase without warning, he won't be able to handle that either. He sighed again. He didn't want to admit that he didn't know what to do either.
"Two things can be done, but both will have the same outcome." He finally said slowly.
"What do you mean?"
"If we told him that his father got into contact with you, he won't take it well. But if his father decided to visit unannounced, he won't take that well either. Either way, Chase is going to get hurt."
It killed House to say that Chase would get hurt no matter what they did. He hated the fact that there was nothing he could do to prevent the pain from inflicting Chase in an unknown way.
His father verbally abused him and left…it's always difficult for a person to face their abuser; especially if the abuser is a relative. Plus Chase hasn't seen him in years and he still has bitterness and Unforgiveness towards his father…
He needs to know that his father got into contact with Aura.
He sighed.
"We need to tell him." He said and he heard Aura sigh and then sniff.
"Yeah," She said thickly. "It's best if you do it…you're there and his fiancée. Just let me know what happens after you tell him, alright?" House nodded.
"Alright, I'll…go talk to him."
"Good luck." House hung up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Chase wasn't going to take this well.
He pushed himself off the counter and towards the living room. He tossed Chase's phone next to the blonde on the couch and sat next to him, slipping an arm around his slim waist. Chase looked over at him and smiled, making House's heart ache.
"What did Aura say?" Chase asked, tilting his head to the right slightly in curiosity. House sighed and organized his thoughts, choosing his words carefully. Chase sat up straighter and looked worriedly at him.
"Greg, what's wrong?" House sighed quietly again, knowing that the blonde was going to not take the news well…and cry…it killed him to see the blonde cry.
"Aura talked to someone that she hasn't in a long time." Chase raised an eyebrow.
"An old friend?" House bit his lip.
"Your father."
Silence.
Chase directed his eyes towards his lap, looking at his hands. House pulled the blonde onto his lap who laid his head over his heart and let the rest of his body remain limp. House held the blonde tightly, burring his face in Chase's blonde apple-scented hair as he heard the Aussie sniff.
"What did he say?" Chase choked, already having a general idea.
"He wants to come to the wedding." House said quietly. Chase sighed heavily, closing his eyes. He felt House rub his back slowly as he listed to the older man's steady heartbeat.
They remained in silence for what felt like hours, Chase feeling repressed emotions well up inside of him. His father wanted to be at the wedding after he hurt him and walked out.
He won't allow his father to be there.
But he's your father. Chase cursed his conscious for its very existence.
That doesn't matter.
Every parent wants to see their child get married.
He wasn't a parent.
It's been years since you last saw him.
Let's see if we can make that number even larger.
He might've changed.
People don't change.
You have.
Chase opened his eyes and stared mindlessly at the cream-colored wall in front of him, feeling House's arms still tightly wrapped around his frame. He pressed himself closer into House, remembering the past year and a half with the man.
He dared to look back at his life before starting his relationship with House and cringed slightly at the memories. He thought back to where he was at the moment and felt even more conflict within himself.
He has changed.
So if he's changed…
Does that mean his father has changed as well?
People like him don't change.
Chase sighed heavily again and buried his face into House's shirt, grabbing the front of the blue fabric in the process. House sighed quietly, looking down at the blonde. He knew that the Aussie was currently having internal conflict…he could feel it. And it pissed him off that he couldn't do anything about it.
He withdrew his arms from the blonde as the younger man stood, walking towards their bedroom. House chose to not follow, knowing that Chase needed space.
HouseXChase
He let out a small grunt as he flopped, face-first, down onto the bed. He breathed in the smell of the newly Febreezed sheets and crawled under the blanket; a nap has been screaming for him all day anyway.
Chase was just about to close his eyes when the silver binding of a book in the slightly opened drawer of his nightstand caught his eye. He sighed and closed his eyes, but soon opened them again as the curiosity of the book got the best of him. Sighing, he reached into the drawer and pulled it out, quickly realizing what it was.
I thought I got rid of this.
It was his mother's diary.
Propping his head up with his right arm, he flipped it open and recognized his mother's elegant cursive handwriting looking back up at him. He flipped through it, not really reading any of the words. He made it to the last page and felt a chill run through his body. His green-blue eyes stared at the words as he gently bit his lower lip.
Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. [2]
Chase released a small sigh and chuckle, not really sure how to react to the irony of his mother's words.
Did she plan on doing that?
Chase knew that he started over, that fact was undeniable. But…he knew that he hasn't let go of what his father did…that fact was undeniable.
He's started over, but hasn't let go.
He thought back to the time when he and House had their 'major fight'. House had said that hasn't let go of what his father did to him…and he was right….
He reread his mother's words.
"'Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over'." He muttered to himself, starting to feel the internal conflict calm down.
He needed to let go…
He needed to talk to his father.
Chase sighed and closed his mother's diary, laying his head back on his pillow. If he can change from the person he used to be to the person he is now…that means that there's a possibility that his father has changed too.
That thought didn't settle too well with him. But…
Guess I won't know until I talk to him.
HouseXChase
House was mindlessly twirling his cane when he heard Chase walk down the hallway into the living room. He looked up at the blonde, confused by his nervousness.
"You okay?" He asked carefully as Chase sat next to him, holding his phone in his hands. Chase didn't say anything as he scrolled through his contact list, finding the number he was looking for. House frowned worriedly as Chase sighed and called the number, holding the phone to his ear.
Is he calling Aura?
House waited tensely for Chase to say something when he heard a muffled voice on the other end of the line. Chase held the phone in both hands and bit his lip gently.
"H-h…" Chase stuttered, sighing to steady himself. House heard the person on the other line speak again. Chase breathed in deeply.
"Hi, Dad." He said softly, earning a bewildered look from House.
He's talking to his father?
House wrapped an arm around his waist, debating whether or not he should leave Chase alone to talk to his father. But Chase reached out and grabbed his other hand, silently telling him to not leave.
"Robert? Is that you?" Chase's father asked confused. Chase bit his lip again.
"Yeah…it's me. I uh…I heard that you talked to Aura." Rowan was quiet for a moment.
"Yes…yes I did speak with her earlier today. It's…it's good to hear your voice, Robert." Chase felt his eyes sting at the soft sounding voice of his father.
"I…I'm assuming that you heard about…." Chase started to hate himself for being so tentative.
"The wedding?" Chase nodded, even though his father couldn't see him. "Yes, I've heard about it. Congratulations." Chase's eyes widened as he tighten his grip on House's hand.
"What?" He asked stupidly, not used to hearing positive things from his father. Rowan chuckled lightly.
"Congratulations on the engagement, Robert. I'm…I'm happy to hear…that you're doing well." Chase felt his eyes grow wet.
"Thank you." He said softly and House rubbed the back of his hand with his thumb. Chase hesitated.
"Are you…" He hesitated again, not sure if he should ask his question. His mother's words flashed in front of his eyes and he felt his lips twitch into a tiny smile.
"Am I what, Robert?" His father pressed.
"Are you…going to come? To the wedding, I mean." Chase asked the last part hurriedly, surprising House.
Chase wants him to be there?
Rowan was obviously thinking the same thing. He hesitated.
"Do you want me to be there, Robert?"
Chase remained quiet, thinking. Did he want his father at the wedding? But he then thought of his mother's words and he smiled lightly.
First step is always the hardest.
"Robert?" Rowan pressed after a few minutes of silence.
"Yeah," Chase said finally, feeling a large pressure being lifted from him. "Yeah…I want you to be there." No one said anything for a few moments.
"Why? I will certainly be there if you want me to be, Robert. But why do you…want…me to be there?" Chase looked down at the hand holding House's, the engagement ring catching the light from the windows.
"Just something that Mum said made me decide that I want you there."
"And what did she say?" Rowan asked, not quite understanding his son's reasoning. Chase smiled lightly again, still staring at his ring.
"I'll tell you when you get here." House was eyeing him carefully, not understanding Chase's current actions.
"Do you…have a date?"
"Is your address still the same?" Chase fired back, laying his head against House's shoulder.
"Yes…yes it is."
"Well then…I'll send you an invitation very soon." He ended the call and dropped his phone next to him, curling up against a stunned House. Chase looked up at him, concerned about the stiffness of his body.
"What?" He asked, his thick Australian accent cutting through House's confusion.
"Did you…willingly—"
"Invite my father to the wedding?" Chase finished for him, smiling. House nodded.
"Yes…yes I did." House's brow furrowed.
"Why?" Chase poked his nose affectionately and stood.
"My Mum always had a way with words." He said simply, walking over to the piano and sitting on the bench. House stared at him.
What brought this on? First he was about to collapse into tears and now he's….
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Chase begin to play mindlessly on the piano, staring out at the window to his left occasionally.
Chase smiled as he watched the sky become different shades of yellow, orange, and red. Never in his life did he think that he would be able to even speak to his father again, let alone invite him to his wedding. He quickened the pace of the notes, feeling a brand new sense of rebirth course through him.
Is this what it feels like…to let go?
Whether he actually did let go of the things that his father did was clouded. But either way, he didn't feel himself chained to his father's actions. He didn't feel the intense hold that his father's abuse had on him anymore…at least, not as intensely.
He looked back out window at the multi-colored sky, thinking. Talking to his father and actually meeting his father are two different things…but he knew that he would have to confront his father eventually. He couldn't run from his father forever no matter how hard he tried.
Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.
He smiled and laughed lightly at his mother's words. He's had his mother's diary for years, but he's never actually read through it. He didn't even know why he kept it in the first place. He smiled once again.
Looks like I have some new reading material.
HouseXChase
Alright Gang,
I know that chapter wasn't very long, but it was necessary.
Again, I apologize for the long update. ^^;
[1]:...yes...this is an actual holiday...according to Google. ^^;
[2]: On the first page of a book titled "The Secret of Letting Go"
Reviews please!
When-Rabbit-Howls