Chapter 10

Leonard, Dirk and Al had worked right up until Adam's had closed and then they had adjourned, along with Lauren, to the log cabin that Leonard called home on the weekends. When Al had no longer been able to stifle his yawns, Lauren had insisted that they call it a night. Leonard had convinced them to bunk down with him instead of driving the 40 plus miles to the hotel in which they were staying. Dirk and Lauren had finally agreed to take Leonard's bedroom and he and Al had hunkered down on the sofa and recliner in the den.

As had become his habit on weekends, Leonard awoke precisely and 5:30 a.m. and quietly made his way to the backdoor and stepped out onto the back porch. He quietly slipped on a pair of hiking boots and set off for a leisurely stroll down to the river below. When he reached the riverbank, he settled down on a fallen tree and closed his eyes. For the next thirty minutes, the only plans he had were to relax his mind and listen to the sounds of the universe. A moment later, he heard a twig snap and the rustle of leaves. He opened his eyes and saw Dirk walking up the bank of the river. "Good Morning, Mr. Hofstader. You're up and at 'em early this morning." Dirk said.

Leonard just looked at him for a moment and marveled at how Dirk looked as if he had had slept for eight hours instead of the three that Leonard knew was all that was possible. "You're chipper yourself," Leonard responded. "I hope you slept well."

They sat on that fallen tree for over an hour and talked sparingly about marriage and love. Leonard found Dirk's perspective on mingling marriage and an adventurous life to be amazing. He sat spellbound as Dirk summarized his relationship and finally his marriage to Lauren. They eventually made their way back up the hill to the cabin. They entered to find Lauren standing at the stove cooking eggs over easy.

"I saw you heading back up the hill and figured you would be hungry." She placed the first two eggs on a plate that had two slices of toast already on it and handed it to Leonard. "I hope you like fried eggs," she said to Leonard. She turned and cracked two more eggs into the skillet, then she placed two more slices of bread into the pop up toaster.

"Do I smell breakfast?" Al said as he walked into the kitchen.

"You jump in the shower and I'll have your breakfast ready when you get out." Lauren said as she continued to cook. "We have four people and one bathroom. We've got to do this in an orderly fashion."

~ Apartment 4A~

Sheldon sat in his spot and ate the bowl of cereal he had made himself. Unfortunately, BBCAmerica had seen fit to change their schedule and Doctor Who was no longer shown at this time of the day. But Sheldon had compensated. He hit the play button on the DVD player and his Classic Doctor adventures featuring the Fourth Doctor began. He heard a door shut down the hall and looked up to see Amy walk into the living area. "Good morning Amy. I trust you slept well."

"Yes, quiet well. The third set of sheets that I put on Leonard's bed proved to be adequately hypoallergenic. I was able to maintain a restful state for approximately four and one quarter hours before I was forced to rise and sit at the desk until I could confirm that you were awake." She looked at him sitting there with his bowl of cereal and said, "I compliment you on your quietness. Previous attempts at having apartment mates have been unsuccessful because they were all to loud."

"That reminds me," Sheldon said, "I've asked Howard and Raj to come by this evening to move Leonard's belongings into Penny's apartment. If they are to be married, he'll have to move in with her."

"That would seem to be the social convention," Amy agreed.

"With Leonard moving across the hall, that leaves his room available." Sheldon started. "Would you consider occupying that room on a more permanent basis? I would gladly revamp the roommate agreement to fit your 'different' status."

"Please expand upon the term 'different'. I do not believe I like that term," Amy said.

"Oh. No, I mean 'different' in only the best possible connotation. You are more intelligent and… well, just overall, a better fit as a roommate than Leonard could ever be." Sheldon surmised.

"I would need some time to analyze the variables and make a determination as to the viability of such an arrangement. But… initial reaction is to accept the offer. I will make a determination in 48 hours." She then proceeded to the kitchen area and made herself a bowl of cereal and joined Sheldon on the couch.

~Bernadette's Apartment~

Howard awoke on the couch and gazed around the room. He remembered staying behind after everyone else had finally left around midnight-thirty. Once everyone had stopped talking at once, Penny had reluctantly brought everyone up to speed on her pregnancy. She had even admitted to her deceit in telling Leonard she had lost the child. At that confession, Jill had launched into another tirade and Raj had stepped in once again. 'Bobby' had backed him up and Jill finally settled back down to let Penny continue her story. Penny had informed them that she and Leonard had set a date and time for the wedding and asked if everyone could be there. Something about the way Penny told the story of their decision to marry struck Howard as wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Bernadette walked into the room holding a cup of coffee in each hand and proffered one to Howard. "Thank you," he said. "You look absolutely ravishing this morning."

"I came back in after washing my face for bed, and you were asleep on the couch, so I just put a blanket over you and let you sleep." She sat next to him and sipped her coffee. "Last night was quiet a wild ride, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was." He turned toward her. "What was your impression of the story Penny gave about the wedding?"

Bernadette looked at him for a moment. She felt some loyalty to Penny but even more to Leonard, and her fledgling relationship with Howard didn't need a half-truth lingering over it. She took a calming breath and said, "Penny didn't exactly tell the whole story. Leonard did pick the place and time, but it was Penny that initiated the talk of marriage; at least this time. She told me later, after we were on our way home, that Leonard had offered marriage as…"

"So Leonard asked; she said no and then she changed her mind?" Howard stated as a question. "She turned him down and then he turned around and gave in when she changed her mind. That's whipped, even for Leonard."

"I believe Leonard truly loves Penny and he would do anything to make her happy, and marrying her is what is going to make her happy… for now." Bernadette stood and walked over to a window to gaze out at the rising sun. "But I don't think this is going to turn out the way Penny, or even Leonard, thinks it will."

"How do you think Leonard wants this to turn out?" Howard asked as he stood and walked over to the window and placed his hand on her shoulder. "And for that matter, why did Penny change her mind and decide she wanted to marry Leonard?"

"I think Penny had it right when she said Leonard was paving the way to change his life, but I think it was at the molecular level as opposed to the atomic level," Bernadette said as she turned to face Howard. He just stared at her in confusion. "I believe that he was, indeed, trying to help us all find happiness; but not to extract us from his life completely. I think he wants to forge a new life with a focus outside our little group. It's simple evolution; his needs are outgrowing his comfort zone. He needs to expand his circle of friends… and family."

~ Jill's Apartment~

"It was nice of you to let Raj stay here last night," Bobby said to Jill as Jill was pouring out cereal into two bowls. "I really think the bombshells that your friend Penny dropped last night really hit him hard."

"I didn't want him to slip back into his shell. It was amazing to see, or hear, him when he…" Jill began to say.

"…When he leaped to your defense," Bobby concluded for her.

"I hope that was part of it, but most likely, it was because he was afraid for Penny. I'm pretty sure that Raj is afraid of me," Jill concluded.

"That's not entirely true" came a voice from the kitchen doorway. Raj walked in and sat next to Bobby at the kitchen table. "I'll admit that you did rattle my cage when we first met, but over the last few months I've discovered your little secret." Jill and Bobby looked at him with a tinge of fear in their eyes. Had they been found out and how would he react? Raj looked between his two newest friends and said, "I know you're just a big teddy bear."

Jill was noticeably relieved that he had not discovered their ruse, but could not pass up the opportunity to get in one swift jibe. "Oh, so you think I'm 'BIG' do you? You think I'm fat and you have the gall to say it to my face."

Raj did a double take at Jill and was about to babble some sort of defense when he saw the smirk on her face. He decided to riposte and said, "I think you have the biggest…" he paused to see what reaction she would have to that particular terminology. Her eyes grew to twice their normal size and he thought she was about ready to bite his head off. "…heart I have ever encountered" he finished and her eyes softened almost to the point that he thought he saw a tear beginning to form. She dropped all of her innate defenses and scooped him up into a bear hug.

"Raj, Raj, Raj. Why did it take you so long? That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Jill slacked off of the hug just a bit and he could feel on arm leave him completely, but it returned a moment later and carried the body of Bobby with it, as his hug with Jill became a group hug.

Something wasn't right here. He had not been in too many hugs before and very few involving another 'guy', but… wait a second… this isn't a 'guy'. This 'Bobby' didn't seem to… "Uhm, Jill… what's going on here? Who…" Raj began to stammer.

Jill pulled back to be able to see Raj's face and what she saw was confusion that was blossoming into comprehension. "Okay Raj. Hold on just a minute and don't freak out on me. I can explain."

"Raj… Let us explain before you…" Bobby started.

"Before I what? Before I lose my cool and bite your head off for lying to me." Bobby pulled away in order to give Raj the room he needed to express him self. Raj looked back and forth between them a few times before he bowed his head slightly and said, "You've been planning this for weeks, haven't you?" Jill and Bobby just nodded their heads in the affirmative. "Well… I guess I have to thank you." The girls were stunned. "I'm assuming that since you aren't currently laughing at me, that you didn't mean your deception as a joke."

"No, absolutely not" Jill said with emphasis. "We only had the best intentions. Leonard thought that if you had the opportunity to get to know Bobby before your condition had a chance to kick in, that maybe we could supercede the effects of it."

"And when Jill told me about this nice guy that couldn't… well you know… I had to meet you for myself. And everything that she told me about you was true" Bobby said.

"So if I hadn't realized it just now during the hug… by the way, is that painful?" Raj asked Bobby as he glanced at her chest.

"Not the most comfortable I've ever been" she admitted. "If you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom, and set my puppies free." They all laughed as she left the kitchen.

"So when were you going to tell me; when the medicine was up to full strength?" Raj asked once again.

"See, that's just it. We didn't know if it was going to work at all. We were playing it by ear. But that all became a moot point when you pulled you little stunt last night. When you spoke up and stopped Penny from attacking me… well, you made me very happy."

"Well I couldn't let you hurt Penny, even in self-defense. And besides, I guess the drug that Dr. Bambilina has me on just kicked in a little quicker than she thought it would" Raj surmised.

"About that…" Jill said, "Now don't get all pissed at me and everything but…"

"But what?"

"Well that medication she gave you… well it's a placebo," Jill blurted out.

Raj just looked at her and became very quiet. Jill began to panic because she was afraid that this last bit of information might have sucked him back into the grips of his selective mutism. "Well…" her heart leapt when she heard this one syllable escape from his lips and she launched herself at him and kissed him squarely and firmly on the lips.

~Woodland California Town Hall~

Leonard sat outside the door to the office of Judge Wendell Jessup and tried to calm his nerves. He had called the judge this morning and asked for a meeting because Penny had sprung on him, her news of his fatherhood (revisited) and her decision to exercise her option of marriage. The plans he had made over the last two months seemed to be threatening to fall apart, but he could still see the brass ring and he would continue to fight to claim it. His phone chose that moment to ring and he pulled it from his pocket. He looked down at he number and it was one he did not recognize. He thought for a moment about whether or not to answer the call, but finally hit the talk button.

"Hello, this is Leonard," he said.

"Leonard, this is Al. Where are you right now?" Al blurted out.

"Hey Al. I'm in downtown Woodland at the County Courthouse" he answered.

"Is there a secure location in the building? Somewhere you can go that is safe?" Al insisted.

"What's going on Al?"

"I'll explain when I get there. I'm about forty minutes out. I'm almost back to the airport and will be in the air in ten minutes. Is there an area close to the courthouse that I can land my 'copter?" Al summarized.

"I'll be in the office of Judge Jessup when you arrive. What am I trying to secure myself from?" Leonard asked.

"Ensign Goggins is rogue. He sabotaged your equipment. When I confronted him, he brained me and went AWOL. I'm assuming he may be coming after you to cover his tracks. Did you ever tell him about spending time in Woodland?" Al said and Leonard heard the props of a helicopter begin rotating in the background.

"I talked to him this morning and told him I was meeting with Judge Jessup. I'll go into his office and have him lock us in. He can call the security desk and have them not let anyone in without an ID." Leonard had stood and was walking up to the Judge's clerk's desk. "The High school football field is about a half mile away. You can radio the sheriff's office and I'm sure Robert will have someone meet you there with transport. If you can let them know the situation, I'll keep this line clear and wait to hear from you." He hung up the phone and turned to speak to the clerk. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the door to the outer office open and he turned to see Ashley and Jane walk into the office. "What are you guys doing here?"

Jane smiled and said "Wendell called me and said you had asked for a meeting with him. He said it might be good for us," she gestured between herself and Ashley, "to be here. I told him we would wait in the outer room until he called for us."

Leonard turned to the clerk. "Amanda, let's all get into the Judge's office. We have a bad situation here." She stood and proceed to walk towards the inner door and Ashley stepped forward to take Leonard's hand. He looked down at her as she looked at him in a questioning manner. "Hey sweetie. It's good to see you, but we need to get inside where it is safer."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked.

"Let's get inside and I'll fill all of you in." They all stepped through the door that the clerk had opened and entered and as soon as they had cleared the doorway, Leonard turned and locked the door behind them. He turned to see Judge Wendell Jessup standing behind his desk and asking Amanda what was going on? Leonard stepped in to explain. "Judge" he began, "I just got a call from a colleague with whom I am working. It seems that he found out that one of the ensigns that was assigned to our project was sabotaging our equipment. Al, my colleague, called to inform me that this ensign was most likely headed this way to confront me. If you would, please call down to the entry security and ask them not to let anyone in without ID. The man's name is Ensign Goggins, and I'm afraid he may be armed."

Judge Jessup reached for his phone and punched a few numbers. After a moment, someone answered and Leonard could hear raised voices over the voice on the phone. The judge said a few quick commands and hung up the phone. "He's already in the building. He knocked Harry over the head and headed up the stairs. That was Frank on the phone, Harry's okay, but he said the perpetrator set off the metal detector as he went through. That's why Frank was able to respond before he got out of sight. He's dispatched the two remaining security people to follow the ensign."

Ashley was clinging tight to Leonard's leg and Jane had stepped over to put her hand on Ashley's shoulder. Leonard looked down at Ashley but he spoke to Judge Jessup. "Have you got a back way out of here?"

"No." replied the Judge. We are on the third floor and the only way out of the office is through the front door."

"What about that door?" Leonard asked pointing to a door opposite the desk.

"That's a private bath," the Judge replied. There was a loud knock at the door. No not a knock, some one was trying to kick the door down.

"Everyone in the bathroom," Leonard exclaimed and he herded all of them through the door. As soon as everyone else was in, he closed the door and locked it from the outside. "Be as quiet as possible. Everything will be okay." He heard muted rebuttals and recognized one in particular. Ashley was begging him to come inside with them. He put his head against the door and said sternly "Ashley, sweetie. Ya'll need to be as quiet as possible. I… I love you so much. Everything is going to be…"The door splintered behind him and he turned abruptly. He thought he heard someone say through the door "not without me" but he was too focused on the large angry looking man standing in the doorway.

"Your little buddy is to smart for his own good. If he had just kept his nose out of things, I could have just disappeared." He brandished the weapon in Leonard's direction. "But now… he's got everyone looking for me. I need to get out of the country, and you're going to help me."

Leonard needed to stall for time. He had to give the security team a chance to make their way up here. "So… who exactly are you working for? I mean, what interest would anyone have in the research that I am doing?" He stood as erect and tall as he could. He wanted to make this traitor as uncomfortable as possible.

"You raised some red flags with the Chinese when they heard the Navy was involved in research for new underwater power conversion equipment." Goggins said.

"New underwater power conversion equipment? He questioned. "Ohhhh" he said as it dawned on him, "You reported to them that our experiments were military projects and thus had weaponry characteristics. You lied to you r handler in order to get a larger pay day." He looked at Goggins with distaste. "You were lying to the people you were spying for. What were you thinking you could do? You sabotaged the equipment, why, to prolong the paychecks?"

"When you told me that the data you collected was going to made available to the scientific community, I knew the Chinese would realize I had lied to them. My only hope was to make sure the project never got off the ground. Then I could claim that you were unable to get the military project to…"

"That the experiment was a failure," Leonard surmised. "Okay, so what happens now? You are on the run. And I will just proceed with the project as soon as you disappear. We both get what we want. You can just run. I'll tell the naval investigators that I have no idea where you went."

"You know that won't do. Even if the US Navy gives up on finding me, the Chinese never will," the ensign said.

"Why would they pursue you? As far as they're concerned, the project is a flop."

"But when you do get it back on track, complete it and publish your data, they'll realize I cheated them. They'll send someone after me."

"Then I'll not…" Leonard started.

"Don't try to lie to me. Of course you would proceed. No, the only way to stop them from hunting me is to kill the project, and Mr. Hofstadter, you are the project." He raised his gun and pointed it at Leonard's head. The ensign and Leonard both turned to see Ashley standing in the now open doorway of the bathroom.

"You leave my daddy alone," Ashley said as she stomped toward them, but the hand of Jane reached out and stopped her progress. Ashley tried to pull free but Jane's grip was too tight. "Let me go." Her eyes pleaded with Leonard to reach out and grab her, to pull her to him. "Daddy, please…" she began to cry. That struck Leonard with the most ferocious blow; she was crying. He had heard her call him daddy, and while that was a surprise, he was shocked that tears were now streaming down her face.

Leonard turned back to the ensign. "Whatever you are going to do, don't let this precious little girl have to witness it. Let's just walk out of here and we'll find away to get you away safely. Then you can… decide. Just let me say goodbye to my daughter."

The ensign lowered his gun slightly and said, "Say what you want to say, but it ends here. There is no reprieve for you."

Leonard turned fully toward Ashley and the others that stood behind him. He took one knee in front of Ashley and said, "I need you to go back into the washroom. I need you to be strong for Miss Jane and the others. I love you so much sweetheart. I came here today to sign the papers that would make you my daughter, but I don't need a stack of papers to prove to the world that I love you and you love me. I saw the love in your eyes the first time I met you. You saved my life that day and you have been saving it everyday since." Ashley was openly crying now. "I need you to know…" He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face "I love you now and forever. Do you remember me telling you the story about the Big Bang and how that once the universe stops expanding in billions of years, how it will start collapsing again?" he asked. She nodded her head yes. "Well, when the universe starts to collapse, maybe then my love for you will cease to expand, but it will never diminish. My love for you will hold the universe together, because it will always exist."

"Leonard…" She hugged him and he felt as if she might squeeze him into a singularity, "Daddy…" she said softer this time, "Please make him go away."

He had never asked Ashley, or even Jane, how Ashley's birth parents had died. He knew they had passed away, because she had been in the foster system since she was five years old. "I need you to take care of Aunt Jane. She's gonna need you to be strong for her." He squeezed her hand and then brought it up to his lips and kissed it softly. "Now, go in the washroom and turn the water in the sink on.

She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead and then took his face in her hands. Leonard looked into her eyes and saw, not an eight-year-old girl, but a soul that was as old as the ages. She lowered her eyes from his and looked at the ground. "I love you daddy." She took a hand from his face and wiped a tear from her cheek and then rubbed her arm under her nose. "Please don't…"

"Shhhh, beautiful. I can't tell you that I'm gonna be here for you. I won't lie to you. I'm scared, but…" She launched herself into his arms again. He felt the barrel of the gun poke him in the back of the head. He pushed Ashley backwards toward the washroom. "Go on now, take care of Aunt Jane." Jane took her by the hand and led her into the washroom. Jane glanced over her shoulder at Leonard one last time and gave him an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment. He turned back to look at the ensign and said to him, "When I told you to run the level three diagnostic; that's when you did it, wasn't it? What exactly did you do to the equipment?"

The ensign had changed his position in the room and settled in behind the desk. "No need to try to stall any longer. The guards are outside in the outer office and you are going to get me safely out of the building. Tell them that we are coming out and to clear the building or I'll shoot you in the back of the head."

Leonard stepped closer to the door and said, "We're coming out. He has a gun and HE WILL SHOOT ME if you make a move to stop him. I am going with him willingly in exchange for him leaving the hostages unharmed. Please let us leave without incident."

A disembodied voice replied, "Am I speaking to a Leonard Hofstader?"

"I'm him. The ensign is here for me; no need for anyone else to get hurt" Leonard reiterated.

"We have the building cleared of all other civilians. You have an unhindered access to any exit you want" said the voice. The ensign stood up and walked up behind Leonard. He pressed the barrel of the pistol in to Leonard's back right at the level of his heart.

"We're coming out, if I see even the slightest motion or hear one noise that I don't like, I'll kill him." He nudged Leonard forward and they walked into the outer office. Leonard could see the top of a head behind a filing cabinet and a moment later the person was in full view. The officer stood stock-still and held his gun at his side pointed toward the ground. That was Larry. He had written Leonard a ticket for speeding the first weekend that he had spent here in Woodland. The next day he had seen him at church and had introduced Leonard to his wife and two sons. They had become friends when Larry had been assigned to run the background check on Leonard when he had applied to adopt Ashley.

"Don't even think about it Bubba," the ensign said as he looked at Larry. Larry just nodded in acquiescence. As they approached the door that led to the hallway, Leonard looked back at Larry one last time and he saw Larry give him a smirk and a slight nod. They did not see anyone else until they were at the front exit of the courthouse. As he opened the door, he could see that the street was deserted for as far as he could see. On top of the building across the street, he could see a figure standing. He recognized the figure as Sheriff Robert Rampy. He stood there with his hands held over his head so the ensign could plainly see him. Ensign Goggins glanced up at the Sheriff and prodded Leonard forward toward his car that was parked halfway down the block. Leonard went over everything in his head. Larry and Sheriff Rampy were two of the three Officers that worked the small county in which Woodland was situated. They worked the immediate area around Woodland and left a bulk of the county patrolling to the state police. That left Kevin as the only officer that he had not seen. Then it clicked in his mind. Deputy Kevin had been a sniper in the first Gulf War and had been sent into Iraq as a training officer after the 2001 terrorist attack in New York. He looked back up at Sheriff Rampy and as soon as his eyes met the Sheriff's, Leonard saw him drop both hands as if he was dropping a flag at a drag race. Leonard didn't even have time to think, he threw himself at the ground and prayed that he would not regret that decision.

Leonard forgot to put his hands down to cushion his fall and his head hit the sidewalk in a thud. There was a pop and then silence. He felt the blood ooze down the side of his face and was thankful that death seemed to be relatively painless. Except for the throbbing in his head, he didn't feel a thing. He laid there for what seemed like hours. He thought about Ashley and hoped that she would forgive him for leaving her. He prayed that she would go on to be the gentle caring person that he knew she could be. He thought back to last Friday when he had been at her piano recital. She had played beautifully. He had heard a lot of people try to play the piano and while Ashley did not have the natural talent he had seen in some, she had the determination and patience to become as great if not better than any of those 'naturals'.

The recital piece she had chosen played in his mind as he lay there waiting for the end. Why was he still able to think? Wasn't there supposed to be a bright light or eternal darkness. He began to hear a buzzing in his head and then the buzzing became a screech. Suddenly the world was a cacophony of sound and he could not separate one noise from another. He felt his body being prodded and realized something was turning his body over on his back. As he turned over, he opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of Officer Larry.

"Are you hit?" he asked. Leonard just stared at him uncomprehending. Larry started to run his hands up and down Leonard's body. "I don't see any entry wound. Leonard? Can you talk to me?"

Leonard turned his head and saw the body of the ensign lying a few feet from him. The gun that had been pointing at his back lay well out of reach of the dead man. He fought to find his voice, but was being hampered by the overwhelming urge to vomit. He was finally able to suppress and found his voice. "Is Ashley okay?" He looked back at Officer Larry and was relieved to see a smile appear on his face as he shook his head in an affirmative gesture.

"She's fine. One of the security guards is with the four of them. They're all fine." Just then his walkie-talkie squawked and he reached to answer it. "Go ahead" he said into the mike that was attached to his shoulder.

"What's the situation? I've got a little girl here that is about to come running out the door," said a voice that Leonard didn't recognize.

Leonard looked over at the body on the ground and told Larry, "Tell her to stay put. I'm okay and I'll come to her." Larry relayed the message and Leonard began to stand. AS he got to his feet, he saw Larry taking off his shirt. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You have… matter… all over your shirt and in your hair. Take it off and put my shirt on. Ashley won't wait long before she takes matters in her own hands and comes to you. Wear my shirt and," he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, "wipe the side of your face with this." Larry handed him the handkerchief and Leonard wiped his face and hair. Larry took the handkerchief from him and touched up a few spots that Leonard had missed.

~ Judge Jessup's Office – One Hour Later ~

Leonard had thought that Ashley would never let him go. As soon as he had entered the Office she had plastered herself to his side and had refused to let go. He spent the first few minutes assuring her that he was okay and he continually assessed her well-being. He had probably asked a thousand times is she was okay, but she never got annoyed with him. She just answered him each time, "I'm okay now."

Al had arrived a short time later and he had asked all the same questions, and they happily repeated that they were all okay. He had ducked out to speak with the Sheriff and had gotten in touch with Dirk and Lauren to let them know what had happened. When things had begun to calm down, Judge Jessup had stood up from his desk and walked over to put his hand on Leonard's shoulder.

"Leonard, do you think you would be up to signing those papers now. I know… well paperwork is paperwork," he said.

Leonard looked up at him and then dislodged Ashley from his embrace and looked at her in the eyes. "I need to tell Ashley some things before she decides to let me sign those papers," he said.

"Have you changed your mind," Ashley said in a feeble voice. "You don't want to be my daddy anymore?"

"Oh, sweetheart," he wrapped his arms around her again. "I want nothing more in this world, but you may not want to be my daughter after I tell you what…"

"Never, never, never. I'll never change my mind." She squirmed in his lap as if to burrow further into him. "I don't care. You're my Daddy and I love you."

"Thank you sweetheart, but let me tell you about it before you make up your mind." Leonard relaxed and laid back in his chair and pulled Ashley's wiry frame to his chest as he began his story. "I love you more than you can know baby and that will never change. But you just know the part of me that spends a couple of days a week here in Woodland. If you decide that you still want to become my daughter, you'll have to come with me to Pasadena and meet the family that you are getting, along with me."

"I know I'll love your family as much as I love you," she said without hesitation.

"How would you feel about having a Mommy too?" he asked and saw her ears prick up. How could he just blurt out the next thought. He wanted to ease her into it, but he didn't seem to have the linguistic skills to convey this to her, so he just blurted it out. "This Sunday, I am marrying a woman that I have loved for a long time." He saw her eyes widen in surprise and he thought he saw a touch of fear in them. "Hold on sweetheart. I love Penny, the girl I'm talking about, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. You may be too young to understand this, but there are different kinds of love… Think of it like this; you love me and you love Aunt Jane, but you also love ice cream."

"That's not the same at all," Ashley said. "If I never got to eat ice cream again, I would be sad, but not as sad as I would be if…" her voice trailed off.

Realizing his mistake, the fact that she had lost both her parents, he tried to change tact. "Think of it like this. You love ice cream and you love music. Both bring you happiness, but music makes you happiest when you are making it. Listening is fine, but your fingers on the keyboard brings it to life for you. You are my music, Ashley. Just you being in my life makes me so happy, but my soul touching your soul and together seeing them soar is what makes my love for you unique. No one will ever have that special 'Ashley' soul that makes the kind of music we make together. Not even your brother of sister. I will love you both just as much, but each love will be unique." She looked at him in awe. "That is the great thing about love; it can always increase with diminishing its core." He thought to himself, 'that sounded way to technical'.

"Oh, it like that movie we watched the other night," he squinted his eyes and tried to think to what movie she could be referring. "You know," she continued, "The movie about the blob of goo that kept getting bigger. Love is like the blob, if you keep feeding it, it will grow bigger than the world." She smiled at him and came to a conclusion. "I can love you and a mommy and… even a little brother."

Leonard just grinned back at her and said, "well tomorrow we will go to town for your doctor's appointment and then I will have the pleasure of introducing my daughter to my family and friends." He nodded toward the Judge who, along with Jane had listened intently to the exchange and the Judge slid a sheet of paper and pen to the desktop in front of Leonard. Leonard picked up the pen and, without hesitation, placed his signature on the line that would alter his life forever. And having done so, he became the happiest man alive.