Bowling Night - Prologue The House Fan Fiction Archive Home Quicksearch Search Engine Random Story Upload Story   Bowling Night - Prologue by MitchPell Title: Bowling Night Author: MitchPell Disclaimer: I don't own anything; however, David Shore and Fox do. I'm just using their stuff for a little bit of non-profitable fun. Authors Notes: Spoiler warnings for all seasons and episodes, but seasons 4 and 5 will be covered in more detail than the others. I appreciate any and all feedback. Tell me whatever you think: the good, the bad, the ok, the grammar errors, etc... Constructive criticism is always welcome. Summary: Bowling night wasn't part of the custody agreement. Email: mitchpell@yahoo.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Prologue Chase mentally braced himself as he picked up the distinct step-thump-step of House's uneven gait outside the locker room. Terrific, he thought as he pulled the scrub top up over his head and tossed it towards the biohazard bag in the corner. Last thing he needed, or rather wanted, at seven o'clock on a Friday night was to be harassed by his previous boss; not when all he really wanted was to go home, get something to eat, and crawl into bed next to Cameron. That probably wasn't going to happen if House was seeking him out. Course he could get lucky. Just because House was coming down to the locker room didn't mean he was necessarily looking for him. Maybe he'd just gotten puked or pissed on. Unlikely, but a guy could hope. Then again if he was being sought out, like all things House related; it would be best to get it over and done with. Besides, there was no way for him to get out of locker room without being noticed. He was effectively cornered. Resigning himself to the upcoming encounter, Chase continued to change back into his street clothes, waiting for House to enter the room. "I heard Kutner cured you of your syphilis," he deadpanned as a greeting, deciding to be preemptive. "Congratulations on getting rid of your STD." His tone was laced with sarcasm, more than enough to convey his annoyance with the other man. He barely heard House's soft, short, laugh, didn't look up to catch his brief half-smile, but he knew both were there. "Needed to teach the newbies to stay out of my medical files; something I thought you and Cameron and Forman would have known by now. Still so gullible," House lightly mocked. "Or just out of practice with dealing with jerks," Chase replied as he pulled his jacket out of his locker and shut the door, snapping the lock into place. "Doesn't explain why you're down here though," he said, pulling on his coat as he finally turned to look at the other man. "What do you want, House?" The older doctor looked away briefly and tapped his cane lightly on the floor, a familiar sign that whatever he was about to ask made him uncomfortable; a small clue that peeked Chase's curiosity. "I didn't get Monday in the custody agreement," House answered after a moment, "with Amber." He added for what Chase guessed was supposed to be clarification. It wasn't. He waited for more, but House seemed disinclined to continue. "Am I supposed to know what that means?" "I made deal with Amber. I get Wilson on Wednesdays and every other weekend..." "Wait a minute," Chase interrupted, unable to keep a small smile from creeping onto his face. "Are you saying you actually took my advice? Wow...I'm...shocked. Honored even," he teased, heavily. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't pat yourself on the back too hard. Your so called advice left me short a bowling partner." Chase smirked. "That's what you're here for? You want me to take Wilson's place?" "Do you have a problem with that?" House asked with a pained look on his face. "Depends." "On what?" "On why you're asking me." Chase replied honestly. "I figure one time's a fluke. Maybe you couldn't find anyone else in a pinch, but now you're asking for a weekly commitment. So I'm curious. Why me?" House shrugged. "Do I need a reason? You obviously enjoy the sport; that is if your personalized bowling ball is anything to go by. Isn't that enough?" "No. Not after today. I need to be sure I'm not getting jerked around, at least not anymore than usual." House sighed, as he rubbed the back of his thumb against his forehead. "I'm asking you because I'm not your boss. And you're not mine; lowers the chances of ulterior motives." Crossing his arms over his chest, Chase studied the other man for a minute. House's answer had been more open than he'd been expecting. Basically what the other man was saying was that he'd picked Chase because any decision he made to spend time with House would be of his own free will. There was no pressure because of an employer/employee relationship. There'd be no direct or immediate gain. It wasn't a declaration of undying friendship or any kind of friendship for that matter. But it seemed honest enough. "Alright," he said after a beat. "I'm in on one condition. No more ditching me in the middle of a game and sticking me with the bill." House lips quirked into a smile. "Deal," he agreed, as he turned back towards the door. "See you on Monday." He said, before walking out without another word.   Please post a comment on this story. Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of NBC/Universal, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.