Application for Blythe House from House, M.D.

[hidden_house]

Blythe House remembered ushering John onto his train, tuning out his usual complaints about how trains were too slow and how some idiot was going to do some such thing that would surely make him late.  She remembered turning away from the distinctly normal-looking Amtrak train and having the idea to go to the market to buy herself some vegetables

Comments

[semper_fi_house]

John was on his way to to the Owlery when he passed the entrance to the Sorting Room. His time happened to put him there just in time to hear the tail-end of the questions being answered by a very familiar voice. He slowed to a stop, listening intently. It couldn't be. He turned his head and peered into the room, and then took a few steps into it. And there she was: his wife.

He smiled widely and strode across the room briskly.

"Blythe," he called as he neared her. "I'm so happy to see you!"

[hidden_house]

Blythe looked back from the window to see her husband striding toward her in a deeply familiar fashion. She felt two things all of a sudden: overwhelming relief, then anger.

"Forgotten how to use a phone, have you?" she asked quietly, watching with a faint sense of satisfaction as he stopped short and paled. He was always haranguing Greg about not calling, well, now the shoe was on the other foot. "Six days. Six days and not a word from you."

[semper_fi_house]

John's mouth opened. That hadn't been exactly the reunion he'd anticipated. Then he gave a wry, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, dear. It wasn't my fault! There's no telephones around here, and I had no idea how to get back. No idea how I got here in the first place." He shook his head. "It's a strange, strange place, this..." He looked back at her. "But I sent you an owl. That's, uh, the way people communicate around here. I wasn't sure you'd gotten it..."

He sighed. "I was worried about you too, you know."

[hidden_house]

"An owl?" Blythe felt her face crinkle in confusion. "What on earth are you talking about? You sent me an owl?"

She turned away from John and walked back to the window, gripping the edges of it for a second before turning back to face him.

"It amazes me the faults you can find in everyone else, saying they're just looking for excuses. And then, to have you...how, pray tell, would an owl explain why you were missing for six days, Mr. Punctual? They don't have phones here, you say. Well, besides the owls, what do they have? And, no, I didn't get your explanatory owl!"

She hadn't intended to snap at him, but she couldn't exactly say she was sorry about it. She wasn't after all and the stress of worrying the past few days was starting to get to her.

"Where are we, since obviously you've made yourself at home. You've always been good at that, after all, and expected everyone else to turn around and do the same. Will you be giving me the grand tour?"

[semper_fi_house]

John frowned. "Delivery owls," he said by way of explanation. "I wrote you a letter and sent it with one. That's what the folks here do. I didn't know any other way to contact you." He stopped and sighed, shrugging helplessly. "Look, Blythe, I'm sorry I worried you. It certainly was never my intention. Getting stranded here isn't exactly my idea of a vacation. I thought I'd gone and lost my mind."

He shook his head and turned to glance around the room. "This place is called Hogwarts or something like that. I've been told it's a school for magic. Now, you'll think I'm crazy saying this, but I've seen it. And..." He shook his head again. "You'll have to see for yourself, I suppose. And I'll certainly show you around, as best I can."

[hidden_house]

Blythe sighed, frowning and taking a deep breath. Yelling didn't fix anything. She'd spent half their marriage trying to explain that to him, only to turn around and do the same thing.

"I'm sorry I yelled. I just...I was so worried about you..." She paused and looked up at him, wondering if she'd misheard him. "A school for...what?"

[semper_fi_house]

"I know it sounds absurd," he said. "Everything here seems absurd... But it's the truth. Watch."

He took a step back and clapped his hands once, looking about the room. "I want a House-Elf to bring me a cold ice tea." Instantly, a little house-elf popped out of thin air, a glass of ice tea in it's hand. John took the glass and handed it to Blythe with an amused smile.

[hidden_house]

Oh, hey, did Older!John ever get Younger!John's last owl about meeting House?

Blythe stared at the tiny creature that had appeared with a sharp crack as it handed John a glass of what was clearly a glass of tea and...cracked...away again.

She blinked.

"John. An elf just brought you tea. And you're drinking it. And I don't have anything to pump your stomach with."

She wasn't quite sure whether or not she was actually hallucinating all by herself or if her husband had kindly joined her. She wasn't quite sure she wanted the answer.

"An elf just brought you tea..."

[semper_fi_house]

((No? Where did you post it?))

John chuckled. "Oh, I'm not drinking it. I got it for you!" He held it out for her. "Maybe we should sit down. I know it's a lot to take in. Believe me, I was thrown badly for a bit when I first arrived here. I'm still not entirely convinced this isn't all some bizarre dream, in fact. There are some very strange people here..."

He looked down, raising his eyebrows, remembering some of the stranger beings he'd encountered. Suddenly he looked back at her. "Oh, and Greg's here, too. Oddly enough."

[hidden_house]

(( the last comment))

Blythe took a deep breath as she took the tea John gave her, not entirely reassured by the fact that he wasn't drinking it himself.

She stared at it, still seeing the elf in her mind's eye. Then his final words registered with her. "Greg's here, too? But..."

She found words failing her and shook her head again, placing the glass of tea on the table and picking the questionnaire she'd filled out back up, staring at it in an attempt to orient herself.

"Did...did you fill out one of these things, too?"

Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[semper_fi_house]

((OOC: Oh, right. I thought you meant an owl after having met him. Yeah, he got that. Figured that was the end of that correspondence, since John agrees with that course of action, and neither can say anything more about House until young John's met him.))

John nodded, leaning over to glance at the questionnaire. "Yep. Pretty appalling questions, some of them." He shook his head and looked away from the sheet. "Well, what happens is, based on your answers, a bunch of folks who welcome you vote you into different places in the school. There are four houses... Or were there eight?" His brow furrowed for a moment as he recalled contradictory explanations from people. "At any rate, I got put into Gryffindor. I want us to stay together, of course, so I'll vote for you to join that one as well."

Re: Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[hidden_house]

((Gah, I just found out I've been godmodding all over the place and didn't realize it. Please don't report me. I won't write JHs' movements anymore. And, um, a good word in with the Hat so I don't get expelled would be fantastic.))

Blythe gave him a small smile, quietly amused as she always was at his unintentionally sweet comments.

"I missed you, too, dear."

Re: Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[semper_fi_house]

((It's ok now that you've realized what's acceptable and stuff. I don't think you godmodded with JH at all really, just House. Restating actions another character just did, from your own character's perspective, is ok, as long as it's not putting an entirely different spin on whatever that action was. Anyway, I think things should be fine now as long as you keep it in mind.))

John smiled and simply looked at her for a moment. He wasn't sure he could express just how glad he was that she had come here too, and how tense things had been between him and Greg, without her there. He definitely couldn't tell her about the accusations from Greg's professor friend.

"Well," he said, cutting off that train of thought. "I guess we just wait until you get sorted officially, then. And then I'll show you around a bit. I don't know how long we'll stay, but..." He shrugged.

Re: Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[hidden_house]

((Good to know. *is...* Well, no, I'm probably a lot less mortified than the...questionable characters running LJ right now, but we won't get into that right now...))

Blythe sighed, feeling slightly more at ease now. Then she decided to have a little fun with him for making her worry. "John, just say we're all trapped. You're painfully blunt with everyone else. I shouldn't be any exception."

God knew Gregory certainly wasn't. Blythe raised an eyebrow at him.

Re: Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[semper_fi_house]

John glanced at her, slightly taken aback. Then he snorted and gave a wry grin.

"I suppose you're right. And it's not as if I can get anything by you anyway." He smiled fondly at her for a moment, and then sighed. "Does look like we're trapped here, though, for the time being..."

Re: Vote: GRYFFINDOR

[hidden_house]

((Since I kept thinking of things to add, I decided to consolidate Blythe's last three comments.))

"Thank you," Blythe told him, reaching up to give her husband a kiss on his weathered cheek. "Just promise me you'll give him a break. That's all I ask."

Then Blythe looked at the paper in her hand and thought for a moment. "What House is Greg in? And...are you sure you can decide which House I should be in if you didn't even look at my application? Surely, that's a requirement."

Blythe held out her application and waited patiently for John to take it, wondering what his reaction would be. He certainly looked surprised that she was bringing it up. She found that rather funny.

"I don't think nepotism is quite going to cut it, dear."