Sheldon Swifties LIX: "X-Advisors..."
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer...Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...
Part LXXII...
"Yes, yes...It was someone quite important, Sue." Glance to Margaret who stared back at him, urging calm. "Did he leave a number? Oh...I see. From a payphone but he will call again. Thank you, sweetheart. Oh, yes, I'll be home shortly. Did you eat dinner yet? Well, then, I'll hurry. Yes. Oh, Dr. Hofstadter is a colleague who bears some interesting information regards some of my crazier notions. Oh, I think so, Sue. I have to go, but I'll be home soon. All right, sweetheart. I love you too." He hung up.
"You think...?" Margaret eyed Stein who nodded.
"I do...Unless older Xavier is being utterly malicious. And it does make sense, if somehow..." Stein paused. "He called from a payphone, probably near. She said he said he'd call again. I'd best get home." He looked up the hallway.
"We must be careful, Francis." Margaret noted. "Penelope's very delicate right now. And if by the slightest chance, it is Xavier... Indeed, even if it's really her Leonard." She paused, pulling off glasses, wiping eyes as Stein regarded her.
"You'd think by now..." she offered wan smile. "It would be a Leonard." sigh. Stein returning smile, offering handkerchief which she took gratefully.
"There's many a fellow, including Leonard Horowitz, who'd be grateful for those tears." he told her, gently.
Older Amy emerged from the room, both turning to regard her.
"What?" she offered worried look, seeing Dr. Fowler-Horowitz hastily removing handkerchief from her eyes and placing in suit pocket.
...
"Whatdaya think?" Leonard eyed the door of the Stein home... "Do we knock or...?"
"Why not?" Bernadette grinned. "We're scientists, newly arrived for a visit to the campus, callin' on a colleague after Leonard's already made a phone call. Nothing unusual there."
"Seems plausible to me...But we also may want to book a room while I still can draw on my account." Raj noted. "And that would give us a phone number if Dr. Stein's not yet..."
"Hello..." a smiling young Susan from behind locked screen door of the front door...
"Hey..." Leonard beamed, a bit nervously. "Hi. I'm the Dr. Hofstadter who called earlier? Is your dad home?"
"Not yet." Susan noted. "But I told him you called and he's coming home soon for dinner. I'm sorry I can't let you in, Dr. Hofstadter but I'm not supposed to."
"That's very wise." Raj nodded. "I'm Dr. Koothrapali, by the way. An astrophysicist who works with Dr. Hofstadter."
"Wow. After you from India?" Susan asked.
"Indeed...From that mysterious subcontinent itself." Raj nodded, smiling.
"I'm sorry, I really can't talk to you till Daddy gets home. Excuse me, I hafta go. I'll tell him you came by." Susan, with sigh. "I do wanna hear more about India and what you're doing in astrophysics, Doctor. You too, Dr. Hofstadter, ma'am." Smile as she closed door.
"That's all right, sweetheart..." Bernadette smiled kindly.
"Well, what now?" Leonard eyed the others.
"Kids. Can't help findin' em cute even while you consider bashing their skulls in." Bernadette, a bit grimly. "In a way I'm glad she didn't open that door."
"It's all right, Raj..." she eyed his worried look. "I know I shouldn't do it just right now. I say we look into booking that hotel and wasting some more of young Raj's..."
A cab pulled up...The three turned to stare.
"Leonawrd Hofstadtewr..." Barry stared as he emerged hurriedly. "Doctowr Stein told me but...As I live and almost don't bwreathe. And Wraj K...So, you wreally did make it?"
Raj, sheepish nod. Leonard, intent one. "Penny...?" he began, hesitant.
"She's ok..." Barry raised calming hands. Oh my God...He blinked at the smiling Bernadette.
"Hey, Barry." She grinned. Raj patting an overcome Leonard...Who nodded to him.
"Oh, no..." Barry shook head, stepping back. "Oh, Bewrnie..." tears flowing...Startling the three.
"Sowrry...Wreally nice to..." he lowered head, weeping. Bernadette, recovering a bit from the shock, embracing him.
"Hello, gentlemen...Ma'am." Young Sheldon had emerged to face them.
"You must be my future best friend, Leonard Hofstadter." He eyed Leonard who stared.
"Sheldon?" he blinked.
"Yes, I am Sheldon Cooper, the younger." Solemn nod. "Very pleased to make your acquaintance, best buddy." He offered extended hand which Leonard, now smiling, took and shook, fervently.
"You, too, best buddy." He beamed.
"Bewrnie...Oh, God damn them!" Barry, still weeping.
"It's all right...I'm ok." Bernadette hugged him. Raj tearing now...
"Oh, knock it off, Raj!" Bernadette glared. "I can't deal with all of you running the waterworks now!"
"Sorry..." Raj sighed. Leonard offering a sympathetic glance.
"Howard?" Barry asked, gently, no trace of lisp. Guessing the answer...
"No." she shook head. "And yes..." faint smile. "And I made sure..."
"Yeah..." he nodded. "Lesley too. Though I don't know if I could...Beawr..."
"We'll make sure, Barry." Bernadette, firmly.
"Dr. Koothrapali, likewise of long future acquaintance?" young Sheldon turned to Raj.
"Oh, my...A pint-sized Sheldon...In shorts." Raj beamed.
"Permit me, ignoring that rather insulting comment, to offer you my profoundest thanks, future friend." Sheldon eyed him. "I understand it was you and Mr. Wolowitz who helped bring my Amy and me to the beginning of the end of our romantic journey."
"Yeah, he knows about Amy." Barry noted, wiping eyes a bit. "And it seems lil' Amy's been on his twrail hewre in Austin fowr quite a while."
"Much more to our romance than even you knew, Leonard...If I may call you Leonard?" Sheldon asked Leonard.
"So long as you don't ask me to call you Dr. Cooper. Sorry, it's a joke." Leonard smiled.
"Yes." Sheldon nodded. "Sheldon warned me you made them."
"He's ok? Thank God...But...Sheldon? Barry? Where is she? She's alright, right?" anxious tone.
"She will be when she sees you." Barry smiled. Bernadette offering relieved look to Raj.
Phew...
My God, you angel woman...Raj thought, regarding Bernadette's beam at Leonard.
By all the gods if we can't go home and I can't save my Lucy and our Howard...I'm never leaving your side.
"But we should take care in telling her..." Sheldon noted.
"What? Why? What's happened?" Leonard, eyeing the two.
"Latewr..." Barry said, gently. "For now, welcome back from the dead."
"You too..." Leonard, sighing, then... "Dr. Francis?", grimly. "What's he done to her?!"
"Only by a side wroute..." Barry noted, putting up a hand. "Doctowr Stein is coming, he knows about us and is helping. But lets keep cool, given young Ms. Stein."
"What about older Susan?" Bernadette, calmly. "Have you found her?"
"Yeah." Barry nodded.
"Is she still alive?" Bernadette, grim tone now. Leonard, even Raj, offering equally grim looks.
This is gonna be tough, Barry and Sheldon eyed each other.
...
A cheery adult Susan, in hospital bed, but no longer Doe, though uncertain as to whether she should use Koothrapali or Stein...
"Oh, Stein, darlin'...Absolutely, Stein..." Penny noted from her wheelchair. "Our proud family name is yours again, sis. Now that scallawag varmit..."
So sorry, Rajesh...You know it's only that mean necessity thing...
Though I'd bet you'd be smiling a little at the thought you landed Ms. Stein here, slight frown.
Amy and Sheldon both eyeing her, now.
Ixsnay on the bad accentay...
"...Raj?" Susan filled in. "Was he really so bad?"
"You're in a hospital with no memory, right?" Penny noted. "If that's his doin'..."
Really, really sorry, Raj.
"I suppose..." Susan nodded carefully. "So...Penny? What about Mom? You said she'd be coming...Are she and Dad divorced or something?"
"Irreconcilable differences..." Penny nodded. "No one to blame...I spent most of my time in Nebraska with her as a kid."
"Really...?" smile. "I did think that accent was a little much..." Susan noted.
"Well, I've been with Dad these last few...Kinda wanted to fit in around these parts, I guess." Penny, slight smile.
Nice retrieve, eh, guys? She eyed Sheldon and the Amys who rolled eyes.
"I'm anxious to see her..." Susan continued.
"See...?" Penny began. "Oh, right...Mom. Well, we hope she's coming. She tends to be a bit flighty. Ya never know if she'll show."
Margaret had reached the door...
"George...Amy? Might I speak with you two a second?"
"Hey...Is it Auntie or...?" Susan called to her.
Margaret, long, almost too so, look...
"Aunt Margaret is quite fine, dear. Amy? George?"
"Coming, Aunt." Amy, hastily.
"Did Dad leave?" Susan asked.
"Yes, he had to go deal with a problem with a colleague who's just come." Margaret nodded. "He'll be back as soon as he can."
Penny, anxious look...
No...That bastard Francis made a strike?
"But it's nothing too serious." Margaret, seeing Penny's startle, hastily. "And we'll be right back."
"Is it anything about Raj?" Susan, concerned.
"It's alright, dear. I'll explain in just a minute." Margaret, calmly sweet smile.
"We'll be right back." Amy to Penny. "Amy, look after...Both of them."
"Sure, Mom." Young Amy, nodding. Slightest smile to Amy's slightest of frowns.
Do not push me, girl.
...
"Oh, hello, Dr. Kripke..." the younger Xavier had strolled up to him where he stood on sidewalk with Leonard, Raj, Bernadette, and young Sheldon, before Dr. Stein's home. Friendly smile... "Is Francis in? I'd called and got his daughter a few minutes ago and thought I'd drop in and see if..."
Leonard, blanching...Raj staring...
Bernadette...
"Oh, my!" Sheldon, suddenly...Sensing Bernadette's sudden rage as she stood beside him. "Dr. Wolowitz, I think I'm going to be sick!" Grabbing at her hand, she whirling on him.
Don't...Sheldon shook head, immediately summoning his greatest physical attribute...The ability to conjure a violent stomachache on command.
"All right, there, son?" Xavier, concerned. Kripke taking advantage of the distraction to shake head violently at Leonard and Raj...
NO...NO...NO, fellas!
"Xavier, Kripke, Cooper...Dr. Hofstadter, I presume?" Dr. Stein had just emerged from a cab.
...