Title: Second Best

Author: Opals

Disclaimer: Not Mine

Summary: Chase is used to being second best. Sort of a father/son, House/Chase by the end.

A/N: It occurred to me that everything I write tends to be very dialogue heavy, so I decided to play around with something a bit different.

OoOoOoOo

Cuddy calls him the day after House fires him and offers to forcibly put him back on the team. Chase politely declines stating that maybe it really is time to move on and thanks her for consideration.

He notes to himself that she doesn't offer him the position that she offered Foreman (if the hospital rumor mill is to be believed, Foreman was offered his own team and the chance to work completely independent of House) and is actually oddly relieved that she doesn't. He knows that he's not exactly cut out to lead, and he always would have known that he wasn't the first choice for the position anyway.

OoOoOoOo

Cameron talks him into returning to PPTH a few weeks later and he winds up taking a position as an intensivist on the surgical staff. He sometimes pretends that he did it to be near her, and while that's partially true he knows that he's more comfortable at Princeton Plainsboro than he would have been anywhere else.

He loves the companionship of their new relationship now that they have one and spends far more time at her apartment than at his own, because she lives closer to work and her place is a little less cold and lot more home-like. He can't really remember a time when he's ever been happier.

Chase steps out of the bathroom one morning after his shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping into his eyes from his ever lengthening hair. He's forgotten to bring his razor into the bathroom with him and is on his way to retrieve it from the duffle that he's had sitting in Cameron's bedroom for the last few months (He tries not to leave his personal belongings lying about her house in fear that it will spook her).

Before he can make it across the hall however, he feels one soft hand on his shoulder and another tangle into his damp hair as Cameron pulls him into a deep, almost lewd kiss- not that he minds in the least.

He wraps his arms around her and returns the kiss with fervor. When the towel around his waist starts to slip a little he feels Cameron nervously grab at it to keep it from completely falling off.

He breaks the kiss to tease her a little about this, because it's hardly as though she hasn't seen him naked before. When he opens his eyes, however, he sees that the joke is actually on him.

Apparently House needs a consultation with an immunologist because he's standing in Cameron's living room just a few feet away. Right. So not exactly Cameron's first choice either. He realizes that this little show of affection has been exactly that- a show.

Chase looks away because he doesn't want either of them to see exactly how hurt he is by this, and quickly excuses himself to the bedroom to get dressed. He distantly registers House's wolf whistle and, "Don't stop on my account, 'cause I'm always up for a good porno!" as he walks away.

He doesn't say a word when he leaves the apartment, but takes his duffle with him- a clear sign that he won't be returning. And if he tells himself that he doesn't care if Cameron asks him to stay, then he won't be disappointed when she doesn't.

A few days later she does make a half hearted attempt to make sure that they are at least still on good terms, and Chase complies easily enough. Maybe he should be angrier with her than he is, but at least Cameron chose another human being over him. Dad chose work and Mum chose gin, so coming in second to a bitter, misanthropic cripple hardly stings as much as it should.

OoOoOoOoOo

It's less than a month later when House bursts into the OR with a critical patient that he wants to perform exploratory surgery on in a last ditch effort to come up with a diagnosis. Chase doesn't think twice. He bumps the mastectomy they have scheduled and assists House on the surgery.

Dr. Shalit, head of the surgical department, storms in immediately after the patient is wheeled out. He's a stout man, short of stature and even shorter of fuse, and has an ego sizeable enough for a rock star. (Chase has learned that nearly all surgeons do.) After working with House for nearly four years none of these things phase him in the least. He is, however, a bit concerned about the look of fury on Shalit's face as he enters, because the clashing of these two titans can only result in a lot of collateral damage.

"You insane quack!" he hollers at House. "I had a thirty-seven year old scheduled for a double mastectomy and now that poor woman has to worry and wait because you had to try to play God."

The ranting doesn't seem to affect House at all. "Oh, shut it. You're just upset because you have to reschedule your golf game."

"Play games in your own department, House. Don't use my staff to try to screw around with mine."

At this Chase decides to attempt to try to smooth things over a bit. "Dr. Shalit, I can ex-," he starts to say, but that's as far as he gets before Shalit cuts him off.

"Not a word out of you, " Shalit warns. "I let Dr. Cuddy talk me into taking a chance on your sorry ass, but you make a mockery of my department the first chance you get."

Shalit takes a step towards him, invading his personal space a bit, and Chase takes a small step back. Because he's trying to look everywhere but at House or Shalit at this point he doesn't see Shalit move as if to take another step towards him or House hold up his cane to block the surgeon's advance- a not so subtle warning in House's gesture.

"C'mon. Dr. Chase wasn't mocking your department today, " House says. "Now that imitation he did of you at the Christmas party last year, that was mocking you."

House and Shalit then step towards each other and begin shoving and grasping like a couple of prepubescent boys feeling their proverbial oats. Chase inserts himself between them before things can escalate too far.

Shalit looks furious , but then seems to regain some of his composure after a few moments for which Chase is greatly relieved- that is until the man points to him and mutters, "You're fired" before walking away.

Chase doesn't even look at House. He just sighs and goes to clean out his locker.

House pages him less than 10 minutes later and Chase is a little thrown off to hear "You're hired," as soon as he steps into the diagnostics office.

He thinks it over for a moment, but shakes his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I knew what I was doing when I helped you. I should accept the consequences."

"He never would have canned you if I hadn't provoked him," House points out.

Chase can only shrug his shoulders to this. House may be right, but it really doesn't matter.

"I wanted him to fire you," House continues.

Chase is a bit baffled by this, but then again it's House, and often House does things for reasons only obvious to himself. "You deliberately provoke Shalit in hope that he'll fire me so that you can offer me my old job back? Why not just ask?"

House stands up and takes a few steps towards him. "I figured you'd be more apt to accept if you didn't have any other immediate options, and I never said anything about giving you your old job back."

At Chase's quizzical look House adds, "Attending position. Twenty percent pay raise."

"Why?" Chase asks. "Do you honestly pity me that much?"

" I don't do pity, and because none of my new doctors have hair as shiny as yours," House cracks. House then takes another step towards him and adds a bit more seriously, "You're the best diagnostician I know...aside from myself, of course."

Chase doesn't know whether to laugh because House has just made fun of his hair or cry because he's just paid him a rare compliment. He can feel his eyes start to water and quickly scrubs his hands over his face.

He thinks for a moment that House takes this gesture for indecision, because before Chase can say a word one way or the other House says, "Fine. Twenty-five percent. But I'm warning you- if you make me take you on a date I expect you to put out."

Now he does laugh, and coincidently feels stray drops leak from his eyes as he does so. He starts to turn away in an attempt to hide them, but House wraps a hand around the back of his neck and firmly pulls Chase towards him into a not- quite embrace of sorts, with House holding Chase against him by keeping a light but insistent hand on the back of his neck- yet not exactly hugging him.

Chase knows that House isn't normally one to initiate any contact of this type at all, and can't help but wonder why he would do so now. "Well, if this isn't pity, then what is it?" he mumbles into House's shoulder.

House, usually quick with a sarcastic retort, actually seems to consider his answer for a moment. "Not sure," he says. "This is a bit of a first for me."

Chase has no idea if he's laughing or crying anymore, but he is certain of one thing- it's nice to be first for a change.