A/N Thanks so much for your reviews. I really do appreciate all the input. I am still just borrowing these characters.

When everyone had returned, Halley and Michael were sent to their room and the others sat down to finalize what needed to be done.

Leonard decided he should call his parents. His mother's reaction was about what he expected.

She did ask him to keep her informed. His father was much more supportive and regretted he could not be with him.

Penny told them she did not have to work the next day, but was scheduled to meet with the director of her soap at three in the afternoon. She said if they needed her, she could try to postpone it.

Bernadette had some meetings in the morning but nothing she couldn't get out of.

Howard and Raj contacted Caltech and arranged to take the next day off.

They then discussed whether Leonard should take Warren with him the next day. Although he hated to be away from him, Leonard agreed it would be best for him to stay.

They finally agreed that Penny would come over and stay with Warren in the morning while Bernadette went to work, Bernadette taking over his care in the afternoon. Bernadette would take the kids to day care as usual.

Raj agreed to stay and help with supper, then planned on going home and returning in the morning.

Penny decided she better pick Sheldon up and have supper with him. She told them she would come over after she dropped him off at work in the morning.

After everyone but Howard and Bernadette had left, they set up Halley's old crib in the guest bedroom. They asked Leonard if he wanted them to stay up with him, but he told them to go to bed, that he needed to start getting used to being alone. Bernadette gave him a final hug and Howard told him to be sure to get them up if he needed anything.

Leonard got ready for bed and after getting Warren settled in, laid down on the bed. It quickly became apparent he was not going to get much sleep. He thought about the last time he had seen Monique on the airplane. He wished now he had spent more time on saying goodbye to her; but it was only going to be on the ground for a short time and he and Warren had quickly deplaned. He teared up as he remembered he had not even bothered to watch the plane leave.

It was midnight when Pierre and Marie called. Assuring them it was no problem what time it was, he told them again how sorry he was for their loss.

Pierre quickly answered, "We appreciate that, Leonard, but you have suffered the same loss. We know how much Monique loved you and how happy you made her. We have lost a daughter but we have gained a son and grandson."

Leonard felt himself tearing up again, "Thank you for saying that. I also feel I have gained a mother and father. I love you both."

"We love you too, Leonard." He listened for a moment; Marie wants to speak to you."

"Hello, Leonard, how are you doing? I wish I could be there to hug you."

"I am hanging in there. I wish I could be with you as well. How is Gerard doing?"

"He is doing as well as can be expected, he stayed with us last night." She hesitated and went on, "How is Warren? Does he miss his mother?"

"He is fine. He is still a little young to be able to understand. I looked up a little information on the internet. Although he will not miss her specifically and he is too young to grieve; he will know that something is different. He will miss her presence. It suggested that he will need extra attention for some time."

"He is lucky to have you to love him. If we can be of any help, we would be more than willing."

"Don't worry, I plan to have you be a big part of his life."

"Well, we will let you go. I know it is late there but we just needed to talk to you. Please try to get some sleep."

"I will, but don't worry about the time. Please call me anytime." Then he remembered the next day, "Do you think I could talk to Pierre for a moment?"

"Of course, goodnight, Leonard."

"Goodnight."

When Pierre got back on the line, Leonard told him about what he knew and his plans for the next day, telling him he would let them all know what they needed to do after he met with the people from the Funeral Home. He then said his goodnights.

He tossed and turned for some time but then thankfully fell asleep for a couple hours.

The next day everyone concentrated on what they needed to do, trying not to dwell on what had happened.

After everyone left, Penny found herself again alone with Warren. Everyone had marveled on what a good baby he was. Penny also had to smile when she saw how Leonard was with him. She had always thought that Leonard would be a great father, knowing he would want to be sure his children would have the love his Mother kept from him.

He had told them about his call from Pierre and Marie. It had been apparent to all of them that he had become a part of their family. He now had parents that loved him.

She thought back to the night before. She had continued to be pleasantly surprised how Sheldon was acting. It had been one of their best nights for a long time. She had found that she needed to be held and was proud of how he had made a real effort to be there for her.

This morning, when she had seen Leonard, she wanted to do something to make him feel better, to be there for him. In the end, she had given him a hug and told him how sorry she felt, that if she would be there if he needed her to do anything. He thanked her and all the others for how wonderful they had been and how he didn't know what he would have done if not for their support.

A little to her surprise, Penny found herself really enjoying being with Warren, even changing his diapers. She decided she was happy to be helping Leonard. She had not really thought of being a parent. She didn't feel she and Sheldon would be very good parents and she was okay with that.

She was actually disappointed when he settled down and she put him down for his nap.

When Bernadette returned, Penny stayed for lunch and fed Warren once more. Bernadette was a little surprised how Penny seemed to enjoy caring for him. She knew that Penny had decided not to have any kids of her own.

Before Penny left, there was something Bernadette wanted to discuss with her.

"Last night after Leonard went to bed, Howard and I had an idea. We called Raj and he agreed it was something we could look into."

"What was that?"

"We are going to look into going to Paris to be with Leonard at the funeral and to meet Monique's family. You know, to give him support."

Penny was surprised, "Wow, that sound like a great idea. Have you discussed it with Leonard?"

"No, we thought we would wait until the details were set. It might not even work out as far as getting tickets, getting off work, etc."

She hesitated, "We were wondering if maybe you and Sheldon…"

Penny was shocked, "I don't know. I doubt if Sheldon would be interested. And it sounds kind of expensive."

"Raj said he might be willing to help out if you were interested. How about you, Penny?"

Penny thought about it. At first, she was excited, she would like to be there for Leonard. She wondered though what Sheldon would think about it. No, she wasn't going to let that stop her. But then she was struck by something else. She was Leonard's ex-girlfriend. He had told her that he loved her. She wondered if Monique's family knew about her. She didn't want to do anything to make anyone uncomfortable. "I appreciate the offer but maybe with my and Leonard's past, it would be better if I didn't go."

Bernadette was surprised at what she was saying. She was about to say she didn't need to worry about that, but then realized she might be right.

As he and the others drove to Santa Clara, Leonard realized how fortunate it had been that this had happened when he was with his friends. He didn't want to think what he would have done without them. It even hurt more now that they had never gotten to know Monique and she them.

Not sure how to act, Raj and Howard were relieved when Leonard suggested they talk about old times during the trip.

When they arrived at the police station, Leonard was again so grateful they had accompanied him. They each held a hand when the moment came to see Monique. In spite of himself resolving he would be strong, he broke into tears. While Raj hugged him, Howard laid his hand on his shoulder, enabling him to recover.

It turned out that the police and the Funeral Home had arranged for her transfer as soon as Leonard finalized it with the Home. Thanking the officers and receiving their condolences, Howard and Raj got Leonard to eat something before heading over there.

They spent the rest of the day learning that there would be a lot involved. They were informed that while the Funeral Home could serve as the 'Shipper' and would work with the international entities that needed to be involved, they also would need to work with a Funeral Home at the other end. Leonard spent time talking with Pierre and Marie, arranging for what would happen in Paris.

It was getting late when the details were finally worked out. Leonard had signed his name to a myriad of papers and wrote out a substantial check to get things started. He was informed that it would take from one to two weeks to get everything settled.

They told him they would do the embalming and other preparations. The body would then be taken to Los Angeles International for the flight. They assumed he would want to be there to load the body on the plane and would be accompanying it to Paris.

It would then be picked up at the Paris airport by the other Funeral Home.

It was after seven when they finally got back on the road. They had contacted Bernadette and she told them she and Penny would be waiting for them when they got home.