Chase and House sat at the table in the university of Byron Bay again, the same student that had translated the first bit to tell them more about what he had found out now.
''Okay, so after I did some more research...everything turned into a bit of a rollercoaster...not just the diary...but when I tried to find out what happened, multiple history students got involved and we went through a lot of data.''
Chase nodded and sighed. ''Sorry so many people got involved over one diary.''
''Are you kidding me? It was exciting. The history students loved it.''
''Can we please art about what is in the diary?'' Chase asked nervous then.
''Your dad's friend, Robert, was killed during the invasion.'' The student said then as he pointed over one of the reports. Chase bow over the report, looking at some of the pictures and all of the names listed and right there in the middle was Robert Kadlec. All he could wonder boat now if he was named after him, but even though nobody had ever told him or confirmed it, he was fairly sure.
''Andrej Benik - Your dad - was shot during the invasion.''
''In his shoulder?'' Chase asked and the student shrugged.
''You tell me. But it said he was shot in the police file.''
Robert nodded and thought about the scar on his dad's shoulder. It was suddenly making sense now.
''Your dad was arrested while he was receiving medical care. He was brought to one of the hospitals in Prague, but it disappeared from the hospital 5 days later. You have to give it to the Soviet - they are good at keeping files on people. From the moment your dad was arrested, your grandparents were under constant surveillance as well by the police. Your grandparents disappeared that day as well.''
Chase just nodded, trying to comprehend all that was being said.
''That was in August...and in December of 1969 your grandparents and dad arrived in Australia. They arrived here on a boat with Dutch immigrants. They probably fled out of the country in some way, fleeing into the Netherlands and getting onto a boat there.''
''But...did he already change his name by then?''
''Yes, you whole family had changed their names by then.'' The student said then, ''we couldn't get into everything, but they did enter the country with the last name Chase.''
''What happened in all that time before they arrived here - or got on the boat?'' House asked, wondering.
''Can't say for sure, but they probably spend some time in hiding. With your dad arrested in the invasion and your grandparents under surveillance, who knows what might have happened to him. Strange things happened at the time. People disappeared, or got send to prison because they didn't agree with the regime.''
''I think I know enough, or is there anything else I need to know?'' Chase asked a bit upset.
''I think you know most of it, but if you want to know more deta-''
''No.'' Chase said firmly as he got up then and House looked a bit concerned at him.
''Thank you so much.'' Chase said then and he grabbed the diary, didn't know how fast he had to get out of the room. House passed some more money to the student.
''Thank you so much for figuring this out.''
''Glad to have helped.'' The student said and House hurried after Chase.
On the ride back home, Chase said nothing and House wasn't sure if he should say something because he wasn't sure if Chase was upset but also didn't want to make him more upset.
At home Chase parked the car but as soon as he was inside he also wanted to leave again.
Chase walked outside by the house then, walking towards the beach and sitting down on the sand. Somehow he couldn't be in his dad's house now anymore after hearing everything. He had wished his dad would just have talked about everything that had happened to him in his past, but he guessed that had been too painful.
Looking over the water he tried to process all the information.
''You know, by the boulevard there, there is a nice little bench. Couldn't you have sat down on there...would've saved me walking through the sand with my cane.'' House said as he teasingly poked Robert in his side with the cane, but the man was too far away in his own thoughts. Slowly he sat down beside him, with some effort because of his leg.
''You'll have to help me up.''
Chase still didn't say anything and finally House sighed.
''I don't know what to say, okay?'' House admitted then as he sat down beside him, ''I thought this would make it easier for you. But it doesn't.''
''I wish he would just have told us about these things. Maybe he did to my mom, I don't know. But...it could have been different! Maybe if he had talked about it he wouldn't have been such a jerk! Maybe it would have made it not only easier for us, but also for himself!'' Chase said angry as his voice kept getting louder each sentence, ''He always so angry and bitter and I thought it was because of me! I thought I was the mistake but maybe it wasn't me. He even named me after his best friend whom was killed in a political battle and I never knew!''
''If you had known his past, would it have changed anything?'' House asked wondering.
''I don't know. I guess it makes sense now why my dad was so bitter.'' Chase said, ''But that doesn't mean I can forgive him for the miserable childhood.''
''You probably never will. But that is alright. You do know what he never talked about.'' House said then.
''Yeah.'' Chase just said as he looked at the waves washing up on the shore.
''I've had enough of this place.'' Chase said. ''Let's just drive to the airport and get on a plane to Melbourne.''
''You don't want to spend another night in your dad's house.'' House figured.
''Yeah.'' Chase said then and he got up and helped House up, both of them walking back to the home together.
Twere packing their stuff after just calling to the airport for a flight to Melbourne and still being able to get on one. With a flight to Melbourne living almost every day and it being a domestic flight, it was fairly easy.
A little later, they sat in a Qantas plane headed for Melbourne and House sat beside Robert, looked as he was looking out of the window.
''What are you going to do with this place?'' House asked as he didn't know what the man was going to do and it made him wonder.
''I am going to sell it.'' Chase said then, ''There is no way I ever want to spend time there again.''
''And then? Buy a new surfboard?'' House teased him for a bit, hoping to tease a smile out of him.
''Maybe, maybe donate some to charity.'' Chase nodded and finally smiled a bit.
The plane landed in Melbourne and they took a cab to the house that Chase owned here and walked inside. It had been seven days ago that they had been here but it seemed like an eternity ago.
''I want to fly back to the US soon. I don't know, I just feel like Australia is done for now.'' Chase said then and House sighed.
''And I didn't even get to see the opera house!'' He sighed overly dramatic and Chase smirked.
''Next time I fly back to see my friends here I'll send you a postcard of it.''
''Don't forget to take a fridge magnet - but aren't you going to Melbourne to see your friends?''
''Yeah, but I have some friends in Sydney as well.'' He said as he threw his suitcase on the bed. He unpacked just a few things as he knew they would fly back to the United States very soon. As much as he liked to be in his own country, he also was just done with being here now. It had been good to find out more about his dad but he wanted to go back to Princeton now and get back to work.
''Time to get back to the office in Princeton.'' Chase said then and House nodded.
''I wonder how the team has been doing while we are gone.''
''Cuddy took over, didn't she?''
House nodded and Chase realized that it hadn't been easy that both of them had left at the same time.
''Thank you so much for coming with me.''
''What. I just wanted to go to Australia.'' house said then but Chase still was grateful, because he knew House came with him and it meant a lot to him.
''I know, but still thanks for coming.'' Chase said then and House nodded, walking to the bedroom where he was staying while Chase sat on the edge of his bed. Even though he finally knew stuff about his dad, he finally understood the man better, he still didn't feel that different. He finally had what he always wanted but with his dad gone, it seemed like there was still not the big change he wished for.
He and House both went to bed, no plans for tomorrow except for booking a ticket back.
Chase sat in his bed then, looking at the picture of his dad, smiling beside his friend and wished that he had met this smiling man instead of the bitter, angry jerk. But it made it all a bit more understandable now.
But this was something he had to leave in the past as well now. Hopefully at home, he would get back into normalcy.
NOTE: So a chapter where Chase finally finds out what happened to his dad and how he ended up bitter and angry and they went back to Melbourne as Chase wants to leave the past behind now as well.
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I hope you did enjoy it and that you are looking forward to the last chapter of this story, coming up next! I am currently also working on a new House/Chase story which will involve Nobody's Fault. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and hopefully till the next and last chapter!