Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the TV Show House. But sometimes I wish I did. (Well, most of the time, actually)
Spoilers: Love Hurts.
Summary: The end of the date, that we didn't see.
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"What I am is what you need: I'm damaged."
She looked steadily back at him, and through some miracle she managed not to the let hurt show on her face. One of the many things that she liked about him was his perceptiveness. She wondered if he could tell what was going on in her head- if he knew that right now her heart was breaking. How ironic that it had survived the death of her husband, only to be crushed by her sarcastic and bitter boss. But she didn't say any of this, and instead managed to smile slightly:
"You know, you don't have to be totally honest all the time." She picked up the wine list carelessly and studied it for a moment, trying to compose herself. At last she raised her head: "Now, the question remains: are you a red or a white person?"
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The ride back to her apartment was a silent one. When they finally arrived she climbed out and was surprised to see him follow suit. Clearly, he meant to keep his end of the bargain, and behave like a gentleman be escorting her to her door. It was a pity he hadn't felt the urge to be chivalrous during dinner, she thought with a flash of humour.
Alison shook her head gently to ward off his intention, and crossed to the other side of the corvette to stand in front of him. "It's late. We've got a patient in surgery tomorrow. You'd better get back."
He nodded faintly, but said nothing.
"This was fun." She continued with gentle sarcasm. "We should do it again some time."
The corners of his mouth curled into an appreciative smile. She stepped away from him and began to mount the stone steps. But something made her turn back, and he paused in the act of getting into the car.
"Just out of curiosity, Dr. House, what would you have said if you hadn't known about my husband?" She didn't bother to wait for a response, indeed she didn't expect one. If he had answered, it would have been with a clever evasion of the question or a sarcastic comment. Instead, she continued walked away from him and into her apartment building.
He stayed where he was, standing at the open door to his corvette, his eyes following her as she mounted the steps. He was still there long after she had disappeared from sight, her words echoing in his head: 'What would you have said…'.
And Dr. Greggory House, who was so sure about everything had no idea what the answer was.