"The X-Advisors..."

"The X-Advisors..." Part XLIX...

Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...

Part XLIX...

"Dude...Thank God we got off that road..." Rajesh sighed. "The broiling sun, the endless miles...I know we'd've died by day's end. Or frozen in this evening's desert cold." Looking out the window of their bus at the twilight...

"Rajesh...We hitchhiked from Pasadena to Tucson. It's true we did have to wait for our rides but we've walked at most a total of two miles in three days. And most of that was shopping in Tucson for the souvenir belt buckle you wanted."

"Well, you must admit, we did sleep on the desert."

"In the camper of that retired couple who took us across the desert and fed us."

"Yeah, I didn't think we'd make it out alive. That nice lady stuffed me to the gills, I thought I would explode. Anyway, thanks for managing the bus tickets." Raj nodded.

"Thank, my dad for wiring the cash."

"Yeah...I cannot believe he really thought it was you calling. So Penny is right, you still have the voice of a twelve year old?"

"I assumed a high voice..." frown.

"And he thought you'd run away?"

"I did...I used to every two weeks, to get away from Mom. Dad understood, it became a game and his way of apologizing to me for not preventing the electroshocks when I was five."

"How did your Mom take it?"

"She never knew." shrug. "She was always off at sabbaticals and when she called she only wanted to check on what Dad was doing and if I'd been following my defecation schedule, what I'd been dreaming, and the number of times I hid in my room and played with myself. He'd say I was out and passed on his best guess..."

"He fudged your poop and whack-off data?"

"It's how Mother finally caught on...She said I couldn't have physically managed that many orgasms without dying from my asthma. You know I cherished that for years, I thought it meant she'd been concerned."

"Well...I hope it doesn't mean your younger self gets stuck somewhere."

"Not to worry. I never got out past the city limits. Though, right this weekend is probably the one time I went further. Well, Dad'll just have send twice."

Cut to Hofstadter home...

A middle-aged Judd Hirsch-look alike eyes a twelve year old Leonard Hofstadter coming in the doorway.

"Fast trip."

"Forgot my in haler." young Leonard nodded, picking said inhaler off kitchen counter and heading out.

Dr. Hofstadter looking after him...

"Am I gonna punish him for claiming he ran to Tucson and needed money to come home? A boy who has every right to burn the place down with us in it?" shrug.

"Well, in any case, Grey hound's winged feet all the way to Austin." Raj leaned back.

"Uh, well...Alamogordo, New Mexico." Leonard, a bit sheepishly. "I knew the fare from Tucson to Pasadena and I didn't want to ask for more than that and some dinner money."

"What?"

"It's pretty close and we can hitch the rest of the way. Besides, it's right next to the White Sands National Park and Missle Test range where the Trinity site is located."

"The first a-bomb test? Cool...But Dude, we can't go site-see now."

"It's only open for tours when missile tests aren't being conducted, but we could pick up brochures and come back with Penny later, after we save the world or at least make sure this becomes our world and goes on." Leonard noted.