The trail back home

Penny and Leonard need to get back to their family. They were found in a dire situation and they are themselves trying to make it back within their "one world" they have made for themselves.

A/N: Penny's and Leonard's thoughts and experiences as they fight to come back to their family are shown in bold italics. They have certainly formed a bond together where they experience each other's presence seemingly in a dream while their physical bodies repair themselves.

I do not own any characters of The Big bang Theory, oh though I wish I did.

Sheldon pulled open the door to the shelter. As warm as it had become in the small room, the stark difference in temperature to the outside shocked him. "We need to get them back to the cabin as soon as possible. They seem not to be responding even to the warmer temperatures and the insulated clothing".

Wyatt came in and saw that Sheldon had gotten his daughter and her husband in the overalls. Randal was right, The clothes were too big for the couple. In a strange way, Penny and Leonard looked like two infants dressed in clothing that was clearly meant to be used after they had grown into them. He walked over to Penny and lifted her as tenderly as he could. Almost like he would when she was an infant, while Frank came in and did the same for Leonard.

Wyatt lay Penny in the back of the sleigh and Leonard next to her. He looked at Randal. "Son. You take my horse. Ben, get the blankets from the blind." When Ben came with the blankets, Wyatt took them and looked at Sheldon and his grandson. "Boys, you need to get in back with Penny and Lenard. Then cover up with the extra blankets. I need you to share whatever extra heat you have with Penny and Leonard there." There was little objection and Sheldon climbed in with Ben. Sheldon felt much more comfortable sharing his body heat with his ex-roommate rather than Penny. Ben found nothing wrong with snuggling up to his aunt. It was something he often did when he was a toddler and she would visit. There was always a special bond with Penny and her nephew. Penny loved kids. Wyatt covered them all with the extra blankets and turned the sleigh toward the cabin as he took the reins of the horses. Randal and Frank followed as best they could. Wyatt was pushing the two large horses as much as he saw fit. He needed to get his daughter and son-in-law back to where it was warm and they could be properly cared for.


Penny suddenly felt the warmth of the morning. She could feel Leonard snuggled behind her just like every other night. She knew it was morning because the sun was enticing her with the promise of another wonderful day. Unfortunately, Penny never shed the want of staying in bed and sleeping in. She reached back to find Leonard's arm and pulled it over her and held it tight snuggling back just a bit getting more comfortable in his hold. Penny was so glad that she had insisted they go on this vacation. Sure Pasadena was a special place for her but there was really no other place on earth like this.

It wasn't uncommon waking after sleeping with her husband, ever since they were engaged, they had made a habit of sleeping together. It didn't matter if it was in her apartment or his, they never went to bed angry. What was uncommon was that Leonard wasn't up first and in the kitchen already making coffee. He even started breakfast every now and again. He usually left the French Toast to her, but he could easily make a killer omelet. Suddenly, Leonard pulled his arm away. Penny frowned and reached for her husband. "Leonard?" She turned to see Leonard. It looked like he was shivering. "Sweetie, why are you so cold?"


Wyatt took the horses hard to the right going down a slope he hadn't thought wasn't quite so steep almost upsetting the sleigh. The quick turn easily must have upset the passengers in the back of the sleigh. "Sorry about that! I'll try to be more steady. Is everyone okay back there?"

Ben poked his head out from under the covers. "You jostled us pretty good, but I think we'll be okay, we've got everything back together. Keep going." Ben pushed himself back closer to his aunt as he pulled the blankets tighter around them all.


Penny put her hand to Leonard's face. She could feel nothing but cold. He seemed to frown. Penny turned fully toward her husband. She tried to wrap him within her arms and legs, but something was getting in the way, she needed to get closer to him. She needed to warm him. She knew she was warm. She had been running a slight temperature for a month or so. It was nothing to worry about only about a degree above normal. She had asked Dr. Johnson, the Employee Health Physician at work and was assured that it was perfectly normal for her to have a higher body temperature. She had nothing to worry about. The only thing she could think of now was to give some of that temperature to Leonard.


Wyatt pushed the horses. He needed to get the kids back to the cabin where they could get warmed up. It looked like Leonard had a bump on his head that needed to be cleaned up a bit. Penny just seemed to be mighty cold. "Are you sure they're okay?"

Sheldon answered this time. "Penny seems to be clawing at Leonard. She seems to want to shed him of his clothes. I would advise against that in these temperatures".

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "No Crap Charley! Keep them wrapped up and as warm as you can. It won't be much longer". Wyatt did something that he almost never did while riding with the horses. He pulled out the bull whip and cracked the whip above the back of the horses and above their heads to make a point. Never actually hitting them with it. "Heeaw... C'mon GIRLS! GIT! Heeaw!"

The Belgians were strong and hardy work horses meant for plowing, although on the farm these days they were just for pulling the hay wagon and the sleigh. More for fun than work. They understood what they were being asked though. The snow was deepest up at the hunting blind. As they came nearer to the cabin the going became easier. Both horses put their heads down and high stepped through the snow like they were on parade in July.


Penny was beginning to get annoyed, why couldn't she feel Leonard next to her. She was sure they went to bed naked. Like many nights. But now she couldn't feel his skin against hers. He was so cold and she couldn't help him warm up. She NEEDED to warm him up!"


Wyatt was nearing the cabin. Susan was standing before the window staring into the white cold that surrounded them. She hadn't moved since shortly after the girls went back into the house. She couldn't get comfortable doing anything. Nothing would take her mind off her missing daughter and her son-in-law. Amy and Denise tried to make small talk. When the horses were heard outside coming near with the urging of her husband, Susan pulled on her coat and boots and went outside.

Wyatt pulled up and Susan saw Benny and Sheldon fussing with something in the back of the sleigh. The first of the kids taken out of the sleigh was Penny. She had begun to come around. She seemed weak but held up with her mother's help. "Mom?" Penny was immediately pulled into a hug and taken directly into the house. She was very cold, so cold that the warmth of the cabin made her uncomfortable. As Susan brought her daughter to the fire, Penny started to feel as if she was on fire.


Penny didn't know what was happening. She was with Leonard trying to help him, warming him up as best as she could. Where was Leonard? Why couldn't she feel him. They were together. She was holding on to him. She needed to find Leonard! Something was terribly wrong. Everything was too hot. She wanted to feel Leonard, but all she could feel was HOT. it was too hot. She felt like she was burning.


Frank and Randal had come up by now and Frank went into the cabin. Seeing Susan with Penny by the fire he took hold of his sister-in law and pulled her back from the fire. Susan was confused. Frank stood between Penny and The warm fire. "She needs to be warmed up slowly. The fire is too hot . It'll just burn her. Get some blankets, but get her AWAY from the fire." Denise and Amy went to a closet and pulled out some blankets and wrapped Penny in them, turning her away from the fireplace.

Wyatt now came in carrying Leonard. Penny looked up and reached out. "Leonard"!

Frank looked over. "Bring him into the bedroom away from the fire." Wyatt did as he was told. Denise followed with blankets.

Penny pulled away from her mother. "I need to go to Leonard. He needs me".

Susan held onto her daughter. "Dad and Frank will take care of him. You need to warm up here yourself."

Penny pulled away and stood. "I NEED to be with Leonard!" She shuffled into the bedroom wrapped in blankets. She entered the bedroom and saw Leonard had been put down and he was being covered by blankets. "You all need to leave".

Wyatt and Frank turned. "He needs to be warmed up slowly. So do you."

Penny spoke as loudly as she could but he voice was hoarse. "You all need to LEAVE right now. Leonard is MY husband and I will take care of him. Now please LEAVE!" Wyatt Denise and Frank did as they were told.

Penny went over to her husband and could feel the cold still radiating from the clothes they rode back in. Tears started to come to her eyes and burned a little as they trickled down her cheek. Penny took Leonard's clothes off and saw how terribly pale he had become. She cleaned the side of his head where he bumped it and gave him a tender kiss. When he started shivering, she quickly shed her own clothes and climbed into bed with him and piled the blankets over the two of them making sure there was an extra one over their feet. She had tried to use her body temperature to keep the two of them warm through the night before and she was determined to do it again now. Penny snuggled close to her husband, naked... chest to chest. She wrapped her legs with his again trying to maximize their contact. Feeling was coming back to her fingers and she gently rubbed Leonard's hands and blew her warm breath onto them. With little more effort, Penny drifted off to sleep snuggled close wit Leonard, wishing her body temperature into him, hoping that things would be better now that they were back with her family.


Susan watched as Wyatt, Denise and Frank came back into the living room. Wyatt saw the concerned look on his wife's face. "Penny's with Leonard. She told us to leave them alone. She's determined to take care of him by herself. For all I could see, the boy has had a fall and is mighty cold. There's not much we can do except keep an eye on them. There's no making it back to the farm in this snow. We can look in on them in a bit to make sure things are still at hand but we should leave her be for now."

Susan stood. "She's my baby".

Frank looked over as Wyatt steadied his wife from going in the room. "Penny's got all the blankets she needs. They both need to warm up slowly. If the warm up is too quick they could have more damage. We need to look for reddening or signs of frostbite that are worse. After they get some proper rest, we can look at them more. That must have been a fitful night they just had. They couldn't have gotten much real rest. Let them be."

Susan took a step forward. "BUT..."

Denise took her mother's arm. "MOM! Frank's right. let her be."

They all gathered by the fire. Sheldon with a fresh cup of tea as the others drank hot fresh coffee. It was Christmas, and they were sure thankful for the return of Penny and Leonard, but nothing about the day was feeling festive. It wouldn't until they knew Penny and Leonard were okay.


Penny soon found herself with Leonard again. She again wrapped herself around her husband as best she could trying with all her will to shed some of this extra body heat from herself to Leonard. She needed to bring him back to her. It was Christmas and she had something very special for him and the entire family.


Susan couldn't take it much longer. She needed to see that her baby was okay. Much against the advice of her family, she went to the bedroom that her daughter and son-in-law were in. She slowly opened the door and immediately saw that the clothes that Randal had brought with hm were in a pile by the side of the bed. She walked tenderly over to the bed to see that Penny had climbed in with her husband and wrapped them both up in as many blankets as she had. The look on Penny's face was one that mixed concern with content. Susan knew at that moment that Penny was doing just what she had said. She was with her husband and she was taking care of him. Sharing herself with him to warm him, to bring him back to her, to all of them. Susan thought that this seemed to be the most intimate bonding she had seen. Penny was selflessly giving herself to her husband. Susan turned and went back to the living room and to her family. The small smile on her face put ease in the stares she had gotten from her family and guests. "Something tells me that Penny will bring the two of them out of this".


Leonard could feel warmth for the first time since leaving the cabin. The first time since he had fallen into the pond. He could feel something that was causing the warmth. It felt smooth and soft. It was Penny. She was wrapped completely around him and they seemed to be under a mountain of blankets. He could feel her next to him. He was naked and so was she. He started to get some feeling in his hands and feet. They burned, but he couldn't help himself. He stroked the smooth naked back of his wife. She was snuggled into him chest to chest.

Penny could feel Leonard moving. "Sweetie. Stay still. Don't move until you can feel your fingers and toes. Just lay still. Let me help you warm up."

Leonard stopped stroking his wife. "Penny? Why are you so warm?"

Penny smiled. "Shush, Sweetie, you need to rest. Just let me warm you up". It didn't take much convincing. Penny and Leonard quickly fell back into a more contented sleep.