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Chase had intended only to grab a sandwich and apple, but the sight of lemon meringue pie slices with pi symbols neatly drawn on them with yellow icing brought him up short.
"Happy Pi Day, Doctor Chase," the cashier smiled upon seeing the two pieces of pie on his tray.
"Thanks," he answered automatically. Instead of returning to the Department of Diagnostic Medicine he headed to Foreman's office.
Foreman looked up from the budget report he was reading when Chase entered. He opened his mouth to ask what Chase wanted, then closed it when he saw the pie.
Chase closed the door behind him with his foot and set the tray on Foreman's desk.
"Pi Day. You know..."
"Yeah."
They fell silent, remembering.
~
"Pie? What are we celebrating?"
"Your first Pi Day at Princeton-Plainsboro, Doctor Cameron!"
"Pi Day?"
"The third month, fourteenth day. Pi Day."
"Oh, how cute!"
"That's hot girl speak for "dork", Wilson."
"You're just jealous because you didn't think to bring pie today."
"I don't need to, I knew you would. Because youg uh doc."
"Didn't your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?"
"He said you're a dork."
"Thank you for the translation, Chase."
"What kind of pie is it?"
"Don't ask House, he ate that so quickly he couldn't have tasted it."
"White chocolate key lime."
"It looks delicious. Thank you, Wilson. House, give that back!"
"I'm just trying to help. You can't keep your girlish figure if you eat chocolate pie."
"Here Cameron, there's plenty."
"It's really good. My grandmother used to make a pie like this."
"Thanks, Foreman."
"Every year he brings pie on March 14th. Why is my best friend such a dork? Where did I go wrong?"
"And yet you always wait until you've eaten half the pie before complaining."
"Why doesn't anyone celebrate Euler's number?"
"Because February doesn't have 718 days and Euler wasn't known for his baking."
"See? Total dork."
"You brought it up!"
"It's also Albert Einstein's birthday, and he lived in Princeton too."
"That's right!"
"First of all you're Australian, you're not supposed to know that. Second, stop sucking up to Wilson."
"Why shouldn't we? He brings us pie."
"Because he's a dork."
"Maybe Pi Day will catch on, House, and then I'll be cool."
And even Cameron had laughed at that.
~
Foreman broke the silence first. "I wonder..." He let the sentence trail off.
Where House is, if he's eating pie today, Chase finished silently. He knew he was the only one Foreman had confided House's secret to.
"What was the pie last year?" he asked instead.
"Strawberry rhubarb," Foreman said reverentially.
"That's right, Wilson made a plain rhubarb one too just for me," Chase said. He'd expected House to grab for it while joking that real men weren't allergic to strawberries, but he's just mumbled "I've seen better rhubarb pies at gas stations" and turned away.
Chase knew he'd accepted that he'd never see House again when he'd accepted that he'd never understand him.
Foreman pierced a portion of lemon meringue pie on his fork and raised it in the air. "To House and Wilson," he said.
"To House and Wilson," Chase echoed and prepared to take a bite himself as Foreman ate. He stopped when Foreman grimaced and put down his fork.
"Dream Whip," he said.
Chase shuddered and pushed the pie away.