"Unwritten" post-ep ficlet.

[lit_luminary]

Title: Smokescreen
Author: lit_luminary
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Chase/canon female character.
Summary: Chase is good at showing people only what he wants them to see.

Comments

[flywoman]

Maybe he now understands better what Cameron wanted, too. Thanks for sharing - I liked the ashes imagery very much, and the marks that will be gone by morning.

[lit_luminary]

This story started in my head with the ashes imagery, so I'm glad it stuck with you.

And yes: now that he's using sex as a bitter kind of escape himself, perhaps he does.

[flywoman]

I have a request: I'm writing a post-ep ficlet too, based on my comment above, but I won't be able to see the episode until next week. Would you be willing to describe Liz briefly? Do we know that this is her name? If not, I'd like to use it and credit you.

[lit_luminary]

I gave her the name--'Elizabeth,' meaning 'God is my oath' has connotations of holiness/purity, and since this encounter was anything but, I chose it for the irony. You're welcome to use it and credit, thanks. (Actually, I'd like to link to your fic once it's up, and perhaps you'd link to mine? Since they're thematically related, perhaps we'd both draw a few more readers.)

As for the physical description: around Chase's age; tall with a slender build, probably reasonably strong, since her arms and legs had good definition (and she was definitely dressed to emphasize them, particularly the legs: bare and very long). Wavy, dark blonde hair past her shoulders (about to the top of the breast line. She was wearing it down.

As for clothes: short skirt, almost skintight, possibly denim; black tank top, strappy black sandals. She was holding a lit cigarette when House (and then the viewer) saw her through the PPTH doors.

Hope that's useful!

[zaras]

I like that you're portrayed Chase as more than a player. I like that he didn't really enjoy it, that to him, the kiss tasted bad. This is the same man who wanted more than just a fling with Cameron.

[lit_luminary]

To me, the 'player' angle the writers are trying to pull is inconsistent with his character as established in the previous six seasons: Chase is a man who wants a genuine relationship with a partner, something meaningful.

I can see his having sex as an escape, or as a kind of self-punishment. But I can't imagine him bragging about a sexual encounter with sincere happiness: that kind of thing cheapens it, and when he's attached to his partner, he wants more than something tawdry.

[freddie_mac]

oh, I liked this! You really got into his head, a few bits especially stood out:

"For a few ecstatic seconds ...he doesn’t have to think." and
"... he puts that smile on like armor at the office ..." and of course
"Half-truths are the best lies: he didn’t. Not beside an unknown woman in a strange bed."

I'm kinda cringing about the whole "Chase will start dating again" arc, 'cause I'm expecting lots empty playa scenes. Maybe we'll get lucky and get *depth* too? *sigh*

[lit_luminary]

Thanks for quoting favorite lines: it's always nice to hear what stuck in a reader's head.

Believe me, I'm cringing, too: as I said above, "Chase the player" is inconsistent with the Chase we've seen in seasons one through six, who was so devoted to Cameron (even though she treated him quite badly at times) and wanted a lifetime partner and a family.

Given the way the writers generally handle sexual/romantic relationships of all kinds, I'm not holding my breath for depth, but I needed a way to reconcile what the writers are giving us with the character as he's been established, and so this was born. I'm glad it was effective.

[jerom2003]

I was so happy to see a new post-ep fic from you.
And I wasn't disappointed :)
Thank you!

[lit_luminary]

You're very welcome! I don't write post-ep fic every week, but this week, I needed a closer look at what was going on in Chase's head, since his behavior has seemed so uncharacteristic in the past few episodes.

This explanation satisfied me, and I'm glad you also enjoyed it.