Disclaimer: House... someone else's. Cameron too. Lettie, mine mine mine mine mine.
Right on the nose of 45 minutes, Lettie and Dr. Cameron walked into the communal room of the rehab ward and found House sitting there staring up at the ceiling. He took his eyes off the speckled tile long enough to look at them and raise his eyebrows. Even as angry as the two women were, they could definitely tell the look was "What did I do to deserve a reward?" Lettie started the cut-off by saying "We're not here to massage your ego or anything else on your body. We're here for apologies, explanations and to get on with our lives." Cameron added, "Don't even think about being crude, cause we're not in the mood for it." "Oh so the dominatrix fantasy comes true this time?" House asked, and laced his hands behind his head. The doctor turned on her heel and headed for the elevator. The ballerina stood wavering in the space between the woman she wanted to respect, and the man who held her attention captive for weeks.
Dr. Cameron turned back to Lettie at the door and said "I think this would be best carried out one at a time, I am sorry I was foolish enough to think he could handle both of us at once. If it's all right with you I would like to talk with you sometime, I actually think we have something in common besides… him." She gave House a disparaging look and stormed out of the room. "I'm sorry, she's not used to socializing on any level that does not contain cotton candy and love. How are you?" "I'm good… yourself?" "Good, one of the goons is acting as my supplier and I am getting everything I want." He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited for a response. He got what he was waiting for.
"You really are unbelievable. Do you know that? You are in rehabilitation for God's sake and you are- I won't say it! I won't say it. I just, I can't imagine what you are thinking. But I won't blow your cover. You are still relatively a stranger, and so it is none of my business any more." She looked at him and Dr. House realized she had tear-filled eyes. "Damn it Lettie, if you cry, I will throw you out of here. I will do it. I have Cameron looking at me with wet eyes five days a week and I was expecting more out of you. She doesn't know how to handle me, I thought you might try."
"The last time I cried because of you they were angry tears House. What makes you think these are not the same?" Three tears dropped from her eyes and landed on her tights. They made darker pink circles on the lightly rosy Lycra. She jabbed at one of the splotches with a finger. A fourth tear fell and landed on House's sleeve. She reached out a jacket-sleeved hand to brush it away and he caught her hand before she could pull it back. The room, the entire ward it seemed, was suddenly deathly silent. "Give me my hand back Dr. House, please?" Her voice shook in an emotion that could have been perceived as fear, but was really an almost flawlessly controlled rage.
"What makes you hate me so?" House used his other hand to pick up her chin and level her eyes with his. Brown met blue and locked to the very core of both souls before Lettie spoke. "I do not hate you. I have never hated you. Even when you were being such a bastard in the clinic, I didn't hate you. Even if you had not listened to me, I would not have hated you. I don't think I could if I tried." "So you really are like Cameron? Are you really in love with me despite the complete jackass thing I do to everyone?" Neither had moved a muscle, or an eye until Lettie spoke again, she wrestled her face away from House's hand and looked to the ground when she said:
"Its not love really. Its not even sex, not really. I just LIKE you. I just really thought when I saw you walk in, that I might have just found someone who could be termed, 'my match'. I had pretty well determined by the time I limped out of that clinic that I had to know you. So when all of this came down on me, I thought I brought it on myself. I thought I had made a bad choice, and that I was suffering the consequences of thinking I'd found someone who could best me. I thought I was suffering because you were besting me. I lied for you. I told Dr. Cameron, who I really like as well, that you were more concerned about your team than about yourself. I knew it was a lie when I said it. But I didn't want to hurt her, and I wanted to protect you too. I didn't want her to abandon you."
Dr. House looked at her and his jaw flexed a few times, but he remained silent so she plunged on. "You said you helped me because you liked me. I wanted you to keep liking me. It's a damn silly thing I admit. It's the closest thing to a schoolgirl crush I have ever been a part of. I hate myself for it. It's made me let my guard down. And you're not really my match. You are a bitter man who is addicted to his pain and his methods for curing it; addicted to the commotion he brings to the world, addicted to the things he can contribute. I was duped. I am a fool. But if you said you loved me right now, I would probably believe it even though I wouldn't return the feeling. Because I just can't shake the stupidity." The flood of tears was pouring now, and the anger ran unchecked across her face. House was taken aback momentarily and then decided just to quietly let go of her hand and place his hand on her shoulder.
When her tears finally subsided and her jacket sleeves had been drenched, House spoke. "I have never had someone speak to me like that. I have had different people say different parts of that speech over and over again for the last few years, but I am not sure any one person has ever felt all that for me, and said it. Now I admit, I am a son of a bitch sometimes. I also admit I pretty much just wanted to sleep with you, a lot, when I saw you the first time. The second time though, I thought I had met MY match. You made me melt a little, and it scared me, because I wanted to help you and I never really want to help people without motives of my own."
She scoffed a little through her calming sobs. "When you came to my house I was faking it. I was in pain sure, but I was not as incoherent and pathetic as I seemed. I was hoping you would be so freaked out you wouldn't notice if I dropped the act. I should have known better. I did use you, and I was pissed off that you wouldn't play my game, so again I thought I had met my match. Now I do not know what to think. I don't know what to do."
"Just that fact right there tells me that you, Lettie, a genius ballerina with great timing, killer curves, great legs, and sexy as hell hair… are 'my match'. You have driven me to a brick wall, and slammed me against it so hard that I can't see anything for the spots in my eyes. I'm defeated. I don't love you either. I do not necessarily even want to sleep with you any more, though that could just be all the damned warm fuzzies in this place. I just want you to go off, be happy, and leave me to pretend I am triumphant. I can't let anyone know. I'm too damn proud." He took his hand off of her shoulder and she immediately put her own there, as if to try and capture the warmth.
"So that's it?" He shook his head. "Well damn it House. I am through crying for, about, or because of you. I have been angry enough for long enough as it is. I'm out of here. I'll be ok, you know? I am stronger than that." "I know you will Lettie. That is the only reason why I feel like I can let you go. Don't blame yourself. Blame me, everyone always does, it is easier that way." Lettie got up from the couch and stood in the middle of the room. She turned to look at House and then said one thing he was not expecting. "At least let me hug you before I leave."
"Why?" but he stood up anyway. "So I can fulfill any latent fantasies that might surface later… for closure that is why! I am a female, we need resolution." She walked very close to him, put her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him. As he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her she whispered something into his ear, very closely, and then turned and walked out the door. A very pleased and confused looking House stood where she left him, long after she was gone.
Lettie opened her eyes and stood up from the bench. As she started to walk away, she put her hands into her pockets and smiled a little as she walked off. "If you ever come to the ballet, stage door for me, I get lonely after all those performances, I need company sometimes." she whispered to herself, and then burst out laughing. Met his match indeed. She was not going to let him get away without appealing to his baser side one more time. Did she win? Only time would tell.
A/N: This is not how I envisioned the story going when I first started it, as I intended for it to stop after chapter one, just a drabble. But I really have come to love Lettie, and writing about her. I think she and Dr. House are pretty much finished together, but that is why I introduced Cameron, I like to think that Lettie could be a staple little ballerina for a few more stories. let me know if you happen to agree. And PLEASE PLEASE R&R, I like to know what people think, period. The only reason I write is for feedback. Thanks all!