Part III...
The Cal Tech reception had moved into full swing as President Siebert entered the hall with one of the distinguished guests of the evening, Dr. Xavier Francis...
"Dr. Francis..." Leonard had caught up with his idol, Penny nervously keeping up...
Dr. Francis, in rather elegant yet less formal suit jacket and sweater vest...And, yeah, Penny noted...Either a rather bad rug or a poor job of hair plugs...Turned. Pausing at sight of the couple before him.
President Siebert rather relieved to find young Hofstadter minus his usual Cooperian millstone, not to mention having that rather attractive young lady again in his company.
Hmmn...
Well, if she is a paid escort, she's a fairly classy one...
And given Dr. Francis seems to be taking clear stock of the attractive girl...
"Sheldon?" Amy looked at him... "Aren't we going over to meet Leonard's old adviser?"
"Soon as I know where Dr. Stein is..." Sheldon frowned. "It's like him to try and sneak in on me."
Him...He said "him". And he did say the daughter had no charms for him...Amy told herself.
Even if she has Penny's luminous skin and her favorite outfit belongs to one of Sheldon's more cherished sci-fi characters.
"There he is..." Sheldon, narrow-look to the front entrance where Eric Gablehauser was just coming in, leading another figure... "Well...Lets go in...But slowly..."
Very slowly, Amy mentally agreed...There being no sign as yet of her own primary concern...
"There's Dr. Francis with Leonard and Siebert..." Raj noted to Howard, Bernadette, and Lucy...
"And the Creator has entered the building..." Howard looked to the front...
"I hope you won't call him that around other people..." Bernadette noted.
"As long as you never let him get within ten feet when I'm not firmly attached to your arm, fine." Howard agreed. She eyeing him...
"Yeah...That bad..." he nodded. "And yeah, doesn't matter if he is seventy-something..."
"His reputation does precede itself..." Raj nodded...
"Dr. Francis...This is Dr. Leonard Hofstadter...One of our chief experimental physicists." Siebert indicated Leonard. "He actually helped organize this reception, he's been quite eager to meet you tonight."
"Ah, a man after my own field..." Francis genially offered a hand. The majority of his attention however focusing clearly on Penny...
"Well, we know each other, Dr. Francis..." Leonard, a tad disappointed...
"Hofstadter? Leonard Hofstadter? You were my adviser for three years?"
"Ah, yes...Of course..." hearty tone. "Leonard Hofstadter, my finest pupil." Friendly beam...
"And you are?" he addressed Penny...
"Dr. Francis?" Gablehauser had come up, leading a tall, distinguished-looking white-haired man in formal suit, rather neatly if quirkily set off by a bright red tie... "Sorry we didn't have time to meet outside, I had to pick up our other guests...Eric Gablehauser...And of course you know, Dr. Stein."
Francis' genial expression fading at sight of Gablehauser's companion...Who grinned impishly at Francis...Then gave a rather pleased glance to Penny...
"Well, hello..." he moved to her... "Francis Stein...And you are..."
"Dr. Francis, our Chairman..." Leonard introduced Gablehauser while just catching Dr. Stein's immediate move to Penny...
Who for once seemed a bit flustered by the attention of the two most important males in the room...
"Penelope...I'm Dr. Hofstadter's fiancée...I'm an actress though, so please don't hit me with any tough science questions." Nervous smile.
Leonard blinking...
Fian...?
"I hope you remember me, I took your Honors Physics class my first year of grad school." Gablehauser smiled to Francis who repressed his glare at Stein to attend to the formalities...
"Eric Gablehauser, of course...My finest pupil..." Francis nodded, shaking hand.
"Terrible when the mind goes like that..." Stein, watching, noted to Penny... "Pity it can't be attributed to Alzheimer's...Something to drink, my dear...?" he halted a passing waiter bearing wine glasses on tray, offering her one which she nervously took. "What a fine band...Though did someone think us both a couple of ancient duffers from the World War II era?" grin... "Can't say for Xav there but as for me..."
"Well...Dr. Hofstadter wanted to do something a little classy..." Penny, quickly.
"And it's appreciated...Pardon my bad joke...It is a terrific band." Stein smiled.
"Are you muttering your usual nonsense, Stein?" Francis frowned, overhearing.
"Just complementing you on your amazing memory of students, Xav." Stein grinned, raising wine glass. "Now, my dear..." he turned back to Penny. "So you are an actress? You know my daughter Susan dabbled in acting...And I've known a few actresses myself over the years..." he led her off. Leonard staring after them...
Take one for the team, Hofstadter...You know the drill...Siebert eyeing him...
"Pity any poor sot who's coupled to that one now 'the Creator''s got his hook in her." Francis noted with shake of head to a hapless Leonard. "So, Leonard Hofstadter, yes..." smile... "I remember your mother made quite a name for herself in psychology and anthropology...And was nearly indicted for child abuse at that meeting of the APA when Maggie Horowitz-Fowler denounced her. A card was that Maggie." Grin. "Of course I do remember you, Leonard...But you've got to give an old hack a moment to place a name and face. We did some damned good work together back then." Sincere pump of hands to a very pleased Leonard...
Very pleased...On more than one level...
Though still unsure which had more stunned him..."The Creator"'s quick swoop or Penny's sudden crystallization of their status...
"Dr. Stein..." Sheldon, coolly...
"Dear God...It's alive..." Stein grinned at Sheldon... "Sheldon Lee Cooper, as I live and breathe...Why, hello?" he peered at Amy.
"Is that your sister? The sane fraternal twin who visited you...?"
"This is Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, my girlfriend..." unmistakable arch if guarded look...
"Dr. Stein..." Amy, curt nod. "Hey, bestie..." she smiled to Penny.
Stein blinking...Slight shake of head...
"Really? You?" he eyed Sheldon...
Hah...First time out, I get the prettiest girl in the room...Score Cooper, 'Creator'...Sheldon firmly returned stare.
"I can't believe it...You know, my dear..." Stein smiled at Amy. "This fellow spent three years at university barely leaving his room. On at least two occasions I had to go over and make sure he wasn't dead."
"Thank you for checking on him. He's fine now. A true social whirler as well as a scientific genius." Amy insisted.
"The genius I buy...Never had doubts there...The 'whirler'..." Stein grinned. "Well...It is good to see you again, Cooper." He smiled at Sheldon. "I've followed your work with interest. Though I understand from Stephen Hawking you still can't handle basic arithmetic..."
Sheldon, dark look forming...
Damn that smirking Brit bastard lucky enough to have an android voice and a valid excuse to use a motor for mobility...I might have known he'd spread my humiliation far and wide...
"So you have a girlfriend..." Stein eyed Amy. "And a beautiful one to boot...I see we once again live in an age of miracles." sigh... "Well, my daughter will be disappointed...Oh, where are my manners?" he turned to Penny. "I see you know my friend Penny here..."
"Yes, she's my bestie...And taken...By Sheldon's best friend..."Amy noted. But ignoring Sheldon's increasing attempts to nudge her along...
"Sheldon..." she hissed... "Talking here..."
And not going...Not till I Goddamn well hear more about this "disappointment"...And gather more data on my nemesis...
"Dear God, Cooper..." Stein blinked at Sheldon... "A girlfriend?...And a 'best friend'?...Implying perhaps that you actually make human contact these days?"
Sheldon, slight frown to Amy...
We could've been safely away...
Still...A chance to finally show "the Creator" Sheldon Cooper has conquered new fields beyond his triumphs in Physics...
Namely, bagging the prettiest girl in the room...
"Actually I have many friends...At least..." Sheldon paused. "Six...Seven if we count Stuart..."
"Lucy..." Amy hissed.
"Well, she's on probation...Not fair to count her..." Sheldon shrugged.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it...Though shocked." Stein beamed. "Now, Amy...Dr. Fowler..." he took her arm...Eyeing her. "Are you by any chance a relative of Margaret Fowler-Horowitz?" he led her a few steps off...
"My grandmother..." Amy beamed...As Sheldon fumed...
Sheldon...Penny took his tensed arm.
Not the time or place for a judo chop...
"Looks like you're in luck, Leonard..." Dr. Francis was eyeing Stein and Amy... "Seems like that old lech Stein has found a new distraction...May I say your fiancée is a lovely girl."
"Thank you..." Leonard beamed. "Of course, it's not quite that far along..."
"It should be...Come now, Hofstadter..." mock stern look... "What was our motto back in the particle lab days?"
"Boldly go..." Leonard grinned.
"Indeed...And with a girl like that...Eminently justified action. So, is that fellow with the raven-haired beauty, Sheldon Cooper, Stein's ole basket case?"
"That's Sheldon..." nod. "Not quite the old basket case these days, thanks to the raven-haired beauty in no small part..." smile.
"She's lovely." Francis smiled. "Reminds me of ole Maggie Fowler...Lord, I had the biggest crush on her when I was just starting out at Princeton. Of course we all did..." he winked. "Everyone wanted to do the Wicked Witch's even sexier cousin...She was Margaret Hamilton, the actress' cousin, you know?"
"So Amy loves to tell us...Her granddaughter, actually..." Leonard noted.
Francis staring at him... "You don't say? She's Maggie's granddaughter?" He glanced over, frowning to Stein's glance his way...
Might have known Stein would catch the scent...