A/N: So, I have a confession to make. I am a House/Thirteen shipper, have been for a long time, have even written two stories about that. But the development of Huddy, the wonderful promo poster for Season 7 and the first two episodes have left me thinking maybe the real unseen couple is Thirteen/Chase. So, this fic takes its core from episode 1 (obviously) but also episode two. Chase was way too cool and indifferent, so I'm just going to pretend like he knows a little bit more about her than they showed.

As always, I do not own any of this, except for my imagination.

Oh, and the Réti Opening is a very quiet, positional play while the Latvian Gambit is very aggressive. They're both openings in chess.

'Will you have sex with me?'

The question reverberated in her head, repeating itself like a broken record. Will you, won't you, could you, do you want to.

It had caught her off guard. Who does that? Who asks a question that has infinite answers, infinite possibilities while there is a neurosurgeon throwing up and getting high in his bathroom and there's a game of chess waiting to be played?

That's what it was; a game of chess they had been playing all along. Her opening had been classical, a subtle Réti Opening, quietly positioning herself while he had answered with a Latvian Gambit, ready to declare checkmate before she had had the chance to comprehend they were even playing.

'I was playing a long game. Deadline's been moved up.'

He had been planning everything, she realised. And, thinking back at so many things, she could see it everywhere – in his eyes, his jokes, their communication was vibrant with the subtle flirtation right under her nose but still invisible.

It was intriguing, the proposition, the idea behind it and she just couldn't let go. Probably that was why she was standing behind an unfamiliar apartment door, not sitting on a plane to Rome like she had planned. He must've been; they had long ago discovered she wasn't going to have a fête with them. But she couldn't leave with this question in her head.

She finally knocked and a part of her hoped he wasn't home. It would've been the safer choice.

"Thirteen?"

His cool blues were looking at her with a mixture of confusion and delight and worry but he wordlessly stepped aside to let her in, not asking anything more.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, she realised it had been a bad idea. A bad, bad idea. There was nothing inside her head any more, no ideas, no words, no nothing, only the dread of something she couldn't explain.

"You're not taking the Huntingdon's trial but you made us believe you were."

It was accusatory. She could deal with that, it gave her a baseline, a way to vent the feelings she hadn't asked for. Turning to meet him, she felt the irritation rise on the inside.

"I didn't do anything. Eric just assumed I was taking it but I didn't confirm anything."

"You didn't deny it."

"Not denying something doesn't mean it's true."

He let out a breath of irritation on his own part. He should've known she was going to be this stubborn and frustrating and full of self-righteousness.

"You should've said something."

She merely shrugged her shoulders, indicating her indifference towards anything they might've thought but on the inside, she was dreading anything he might say next.

"You know what, this was not a good idea. I'm just going to go."

She was making her way out but Chase grabbed her shoulder and that contact alone made her stop, made her want to just tell him everything.

"Why did you come, then?"

"Why did you ask me if I wanted to have sex with you?"

He removed his hand quickly as if her shoulder was burning him and shrugged. "Why not? You're attractive and fleeing for who knows how long. No strings attached, therefore."

She gave him an incredulous look. No strings attached. How could he be so blind, so naïve, so unaware of everything?

"I would be coming back."

"Given your mysterious behaviour, I don't have reason to believe that. You might just as well disappear off the face of Earth; actually you already did. Your phone's been disconnected, your apartment's cleaned out and you're not taking the trial. Which part of that should make me feel like you're coming back, do tell me!"

His frustration at her gave way just like that and she could see him struggling with words, struggling with the facts, throwing words back at her like she wasn't aware of any of that. He was angry at her and there was really no way of fixing this; this couldn't be fixed. Couldn't, wouldn't, wanted, will you. There it was again and suddenly she had the answer.

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

Now it was his turn to stare at her with disbelieving eyes like he wasn't sure if he was hearing this.

"What is this, a joke you're playing at my expense? You said no!"

"Because you asked the wrong question, god dammit! It's not about will but want!"

Her anger was rising to match his but the last sentence cleared both their heads, making it seem like they were seeing each other for the first time. It was finally out in the open, what she had been dreading.

"What?"

His anger completely dissolved, his voice was calm and soft as he moved closer to her, so close she could make out the thin lines starting to form on his forehead, the bags underneath his eyes, the stress evident in his posture.

"I said, it's not about the will but the want. I won't because I want to. Do you understand?" She was begging him with her words, trying to convey her meaning. I cannot ruin this, I cannot mess this up, I cannot not want to.

And just like that, like he could hear her inner voice, see the way she was struggling behind the words she had not meant to say out loud, he stepped incredibly close and hugged her.

It was similar to their last hug at the hospital but this time they were both holding on to each other like it was the last thing they were ever going to do. It was desperate, it was everything they thought and felt but couldn't say and it was going to be the only thing for a while.

"Will you come back?"

She stepped out of their embrace and looked straight at him. Things had changed in a matter of minutes and she didn't know what it meant or what would happen but she was now convinced of the only thing that could possible mean anything. And she needed to make sure he knew it, too.

"I will."

And she walked out with his gaze following her steps, holding her to that promise, making sure she took that along with her to wherever she was going.

Any thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes? Do tell me.