Chapter 4

The backyard looked beautiful. The decorating company had done a wonderful job, and turned the garden into an oasis of hydrangeas and peonies. Intimate tables all done in white were scattered around the yard, and a bar was set up next to the hot tub and DJ station. Phoebe was sitting on a patio chair watching her little brother Daniel play with his toy truck on the ground. Quite a few guests had begun to arrive, and they were milling around the bar, getting cocktails and appetizers. Phoebe spied Leonard and Hayley walk into the backyard. As soon as her mom entered the backyard, a caterer came up to her to with some problem and they went quickly back into the kitchen, leaving Leonard alone in the garden.

Phoebe gazed at her uncle. He was so different from her uncle Michael. He was funny and easy to talk to, and his hair was just like hers. Uncle Michael never seemed to have too much to say to her. Just "How's school?" and "What grade are you in again?" And Emily was mean. Uncle Leonard didn't understand because he hadn't met her yet. She jumped off the chair and walked over to Leonard.

"Hi Uncle Leonard!" she chirped.

Leonard smiled, happy to see his little niece again. "How's the prettiest girl at the party?" he asked.

"Penny might not like you saying that!" Phoebe giggled.

"Oh, well Penny is not here. And if she was here, I'd say I'm with the TWO prettiest girls at the party." Leonard laughed. "How was your violin lesson?"

"Boring. She wanted me to practice scales. I hate scales." Phoebe grumbled.

"Well…scales are boring...but important. You know you can make a little game out of it. I could show you." Leonard suggested.

Phoebe looked distracted as she looked towards the gate to the backyard. She pointed at the gate and whispered to Leonard "There they are.."

Leonard looked up. He saw his brother Michael, and a slender auburn haired woman wearing a blue outfit. So this was Emily…

"She looks like a smurf in that outfit" Phoebe whispered.

Leonard tried to contain his laugh as he looked at his niece. "Now Phoebe, what did we talk about earlier? About being nice to Emily? I think it would be a nice gesture, if we went up to them and gave them a proper hello."

"I guess…" she sighed. Leonard and Phoebe walked over to where Michael and Emily were standing near the bar. Phoebe waved at Michael. "Hi Uncle Michael." She went up to Emily and gave her a hug, putting her arms around her waist. "Hi Aunt Emily"

Emily gasped and shoved Phoebe back. "Oh my god…is she sticky? This is a Gucci outfit. I can't have little sticky hands ruining it!"

"I am NOT sticky!" Phoebe snapped angrily. She turned around tears filling her eyes and looked at Leonard "See! I told you!" She turned around and ran towards the house crashing into Hayley on her way in.

"Phoebe wait!" Leonard called out, but Phoebe had already run into the house. He was about to go after her, when Haley came storming towards them. Although a small woman, when angry, Hayley seemed ten feet tall.

Hayley walked right up to Emily and poked her in the shoulder. "Charming as always Emily. What pray tell required you to shove a little girl? I really can't think of any legitimate reason for you to do that."

"Hayley…she was –" Emily started

"If you ever touch my daughter like that again, I will destroy your social status in this city. Just try me." She glanced at Michael. "Michael, or no Michael." Michael frowned at Hayley, and Leonard watched the scene unfolding before him stunned.

Emily was busy brushing her outfit straight. "God, Hayley calm down. It's an expensive outfit, ok? I need to look my best in case I get photographed for the Times." She turned and smiled sweetly at Michael stroking his arm. "Maybe you could talk to your mother about getting Hayley on some sort of medication. She definitely needs a bit of sedation.

"Who requires sedation?" Beverly Hofstadter enquired as she approached the group holding her glass of champagne.

Emily's eyes lit up. "Oh hello Beverly! Oh, I was just mentioning to Michael that Hayley is a bit hot tempered, has she always been that way?" she asked coyly while smiling at Hayley. Hayley glared at her in return.

Beverly glanced at Hayley and sighed. "She has always been a bit passionate. She must get that from me I suppose." Beverly said coldly as she sipped her drink. She gazed at her three children. "You know as much as I tried to implement my modern parenting techniques, these three have fallen into the classic first born, middle child, last born roles. Hayley is a classic overachiever and can be controlling. Leonard is a people pleaser and thrives on validation. Michael is warm and outgoing, but is a bit of an attention seeker."

"Perhaps Hayley's bad temper is due to the fact that she is an overachiever and she keeps falling short." Emily suggested.

Hayley's face flushed red as she angrily looked at her brother. "I swear to God Michael…." She turned around and walked away.

"Hayley wait-" Michael called as he rushed after her. He glanced back at Emily and mouthed. "Stop antagonizing her!"

Emily laughed and turned around to face the group.

"Leonard, perhaps you not being an over achiever is a blessing. You never seem to be bothered by your mediocrity." Beverly stated.

"Mother! I don't know in what universe, I would be considered mediocre!" Leonard argued.

"Oh sweetheart." Beverly said patting his cheek softly. "Ignorance is bliss. Mommy will try not to use so many big words around you next time." Beverly turned around and walked off.

Leonard and Emily were left there awkwardly staring at each other. Leonard shook his head in frustration. He didn't know why he let his mother get to him, but she always knew exactly what button to push. He glanced at Emily. The fact that she had pushed Phoebe, and then goading Hayley… She left a lot to be desired.

Emily gave a wickedly sweet smile to Leonard. "I'm so sorry, we were never properly introduced. Please ignore that exchange with Hayley. I think she will never like any woman paired up with her baby brother. I'm Emily Stevenson. Soon to be Emily Hofstadter!" she grinned as she stuck out her hand.

Leonard tentatively shook her hand. "I'm Leonard, as you know.."

Emily smiled brightly. "Of course! I've heard so many wonderful things about you!"

"Really?" Leonard said with disbelief knowing his brother and mother were unlikely to heap praise on him.

"Of course. Don't be silly. I know that you are a renowned experimental physicist at Caltech, whose work was just published in Scientific American. That you've worked with Stephen Hawking… Amazing Leonard. Michael didn't mention how handsome you are though" she said as she ran her hand up his arm looking into his warm brown eyes.

Leonard shifted uncomfortably. "Ummm…Thank-you? I'm engaged also –"

"Yes!" Emily interrupted "To Penelope right? The blonde actress?"

"Well, she actually goes by Penny. She's in pharmaceutical sales now." Leonard corrected.

"Oh really…" Emily said distractedly as she glanced at a reporter who was standing by the bar. "Yes, I do recall something about pharmaceuticals…. Leonard, I hope you didn't get a negative impression of me due to that altercation with Hayley. You know your sister…she can be difficult at the best of times. I really am a sweet person."

"Well, I think Hayley had every right to be ups –" Leonard started.

"-Oh Leonard, I have to go. There's someone I need to speak with. But let's chat later ok?" Emily strolled off to talk to the New York Times reporter..

Leonard shook his head. Hayley was right. Phoebe was a good judge of character.

Penny sat down in the backseat of the car and handed a piece of paper with an address to the cab driver. She excitedly looked out the window at the cars whizzing by. She couldn't believe she was in New York! She had never been to the Big Apple before, and it had always been a dream of hers. It was a huge amount of work to reschedule all of her appointments, but she was sure that Leonard would be delighted at the surprise. She couldn't wait to meet his brother and sister, and her kids. She had never met Leonard's father yet either. Beverly Hofstadter was a handful, but she was sure that his brother and sister were sweet and kind, just like Leonard.

Penny sighed and leaned back in her seat. It felt so good to be out of Pasadena. Sheldon and Amy were on a "break" and truth be told it was wearing on her. She had been trying to get Amy to open up to no avail. Sheldon on the other hand could not stop over analyzing everything. Sheldon was a handful at the best of times, but Sheldon "on a break" was a whole other ball of wax. He had been quite upset when she told him that she was flying to New York to surprise Leonard. She felt bad for Sheldon though, this whole break had really blindsided him. She hoped that he could use this time to ask himself the questions, that he had been asking her. Or perhaps Amy and him would speak directly to each other without trying to use her as a conduit.

Penny opened her purse and pulled out her compact. She had changed into a dress and heels at the airport. She just needed to do a few last minute touch ups on her make up. She wanted to look perfect for the party. Leonard had mentioned on the phone that Hayley's parties tend to be on the fancier side, and she wanted to look good for the occasion. She gave one final look over to her makeup. Perfect.

Leonard had only been away for a couple of days but she missed him so much. Tonight, she would be back where she belonged, in his arms. She was hoping that they could sneak away from some of the wedding activities and do a little site seeing. Romantic carriage rides through Central Park…catching a play on Broadway. She smiled…she knew this week was going to be magic.

"I swear to God Michael…" Hayley snapped. "Why did you have to get engaged to the devil incarnate?"

"Hayley come on….she's just not great with kids is all. You know getting in the Times has been an obsession of hers." Michael popped an appetizer into his mouth. "Besides…she's a means to an end. Her connections are critical for me to get elected into office."

"Wow….that's lovely Michael." Hayley said sarcastically. "That's exactly what one wants to hear before a wedding."

"Oh come on…it's not like you and Nate are the dream couple. I swear the hatred between you two is palpable."

Hayley looked up and sadly gazed at Nate. He was laughing with a friend over at the bar. "You know…Nate and I did love each other once upon a time."

"Twue Wuv is for the birds Hayley…you know that." Michael laughed.

"I guess…" Hayley trailed off sadly. She glanced at her cellphone wistfully. Michael narrowed his eyes at his sister.

Michael wanted to turn the conversation back around to Leonard and his plan. He needed to try to get Hayley on board before he derailed her completely. He gazed at Leonard speaking with Emily. "Hey Hayley…do you really think Penny has Leonard's best interests at heart?"

"Oh Please Michael. Give it up. You just stated that you are marrying a vile woman for the sake of your career. Don't feign compassion for Leonard, and say that you are worried about him. I know that this is just for your career also. It's not like you two are close."

"I'm not the horrible person you are making me out to be. Leonard's my brother, I do care about him. Granted we are not the closest, but I don't want to see him unhappy." Michael argued.

Hayley laughed and gave him a look of utter disbelief.

"Ok, fine. It's mutually beneficial ok. I think you and I would both agree, that we want Leonard with someone who truly loves him. If that happens NOT to be Penny and he discovers that now, then it's the best for all us."

"Michael, you are not God. You can't just rearrange people's lives so that it's to your convenience. I don't think much of your plan anyways, so what if Leonard runs into Ainsley? He's bound to anyways, she's invited to the wedding. He's been with Penny for eight years, what makes you think that he'll suddenly leave her just because he see's Ainsley. Not your best work Michael." Hayley picked up a glass of champagne and gave it a sip.

"Leonard is caught up in the idea of dating Penny. The beautiful blonde popular girl liking him? What do they have in common? Not much I would bet. Football? Corn husking? I think it will strike him when he talks with Ainsley. She's absolutely stunning, she's brilliant, and her and Leonard have so many common interests. Plus she was his first real love. It will at least get him thinking."

"I think that you have something else up your sleeve. Your plans are never that simple. You are leaving too much to chance, which is not like you." She glanced over at Leonard and smiled sadly. "I really missed him. I wish he still lived here…"

Michael looked at Hayley annoyed. "You have two brothers you know…How about being there for the brother that HAS been there for you all these years. Where has Leonard been? I was the one that's been there for you, and I'm asking you to help me with the most important career move of my life."

"You are asking me to destroy one brother to help my other brother!" Hayley exclaimed.

"We are not destroying anyone. We are just presenting Leonard with a more suitable alternative." Michael argued.

"Suitable to you! Listen, I want no part in this ok? I regret agreeing to go along with this. Listen, I may hate Penny and she might be the idiot that we think she is, but it's Leonard's life. Your plan as is, has no teeth. I know you are up to something. I'll be watching you. If I think you are railroading Penny just to get your way, I WILL stop you" she said sternly. Hayley glanced at a number of serving trays that were near empty. "I need to go to the kitchen and deal with this." Hayley walked back into the house. Michael shook his head he walked her walk away. Hayley was proving to be a bigger problem than he had thought.

Emily saw that Michael was free, and she had just spent the last twenty minutes having a delightful conversation with a reporter from the New York Times. She walked up to Michael and gave him a light kiss on his cheek, making sure her good side was exposed to the cameras. "Hi Sweetie, I think I gave that reporter the most fascinating interview. I'm sure to make the front page of Society" Emily said smugly.

"That's good" Michael grumbled as he popped another appetizer in his mouth.

"Hey no frowns. There are cameras everywhere. What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Hayley's proving to be a major hindrance. She's changed her mind about the Ainsley thing. She seems ok with them meeting, but said she'll watch me for interference."

Emily laughed. "Oh you worry too much. We can easily outsmart her. She won't even know what hit her."

"Oh my God…." Michael stuttered as he looked across the backyard. Standing at the back gate of the yard was Penny, looking around with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"It's Penny. She's here." Michael pointed. "She wasn't supposed to be here to next week! This will wreck everything. How are Ainsley and Leonard supposed to grow closer if Penny is here?"

Emily smiled. "We simply need to change our game plan. You grab Penny before she can get to Leonard. I'll get Ainsley and Leonard talking right now. I'll give them a project for the wedding that they HAVE to do together. Casually mention Ainsley to Penny and gauge her reaction. Try to get her feeling really insecure about her. Then bring Penny over to me. I'm going to trash talk Hayley to her. We can't have Penny and Hayley on the same side. It won't help us at all."

"How are you going to trash talk Hayley?" Michael asked.

"Oh I don't know. Penny is a bleeding heart type right? I'll just tell her in confidence that Hayley is a horrible and neglectful mother. That should get her hating her…Now what about your plan for getting Hayley off our backs?"

Michael looked thoughtfully at his sister standing in the kitchen speaking with the caterer. Her hand was clutched tightly to her phone. Bingo.

"I need her phone. I need to break into her phone…see her messages, emails. She's hiding something, it's the key to destroying her. I know it." Michael whispered.

"Leave that to me." Emily smiled and gave Michael a little kiss. "Nobody can stop us Michael. We're too smart for them all. Now let's go. We've got a plan to implement." Michael grinned back at her. She was right. He was going to win, and nobody was going to get in his way.

A/N: Sorry this update was so late. I had a major case of writers block. Many thanks to Hazelra7 and Gohawks12 for the plot help! Thanks so much for reading, hoping to update the next chapter soon!