Hoc est eunuchorum Quisque enim TBBT. There that should take care of that. It's 70 degrees, snowing on Tuesday and now 70 degrees. I'm opening a well-chilled bottle of 2008 Puligny-Montrechet Chardonnay. Batards are too expensive now, though Leonard has told me the 2023 may be a vintage of the decade.

Pink Ponies and White Unicorns

Leonard and Penny enjoyed a quiet day at home. They shared a light breakfast of fruit and scones. Penny showed him paint colors and wall paper for Lisel's new room. A play center and desk that included a slide. Leonard looked at it all smiling the whole time. He added a comment here and there. But for the most part just listened, watching how excited and involved she was. When she started looking for bedding he started laughing.

She looked up annoyed, "What's so funny?"

"It's not funny but you are adorable. You remind me of you 15 years ago. I love seeing you like this. How long have you been thinking of being a mother?"

"Since we were together, even the first time. It scared me thinking about it then. A lot of things did". She had sadness on her face for a moment.

"I saw little Leonards and Pennys running around. It has always been there, I really never felt that way with anybody else."

She gave Leonard a slightly sad quirky smile then went back to her laptop.

"Would you like to talk to Lisel tonight, she's an early riser so she'll be up about 11:00 tonight?"

Penny looked very excited, "That would be great, I want to see that little face smiling at me again"

Leonard grinned "Me to, I'll email Horst."

The front door opened and Patty came through. She had a stack of scripts and mail in her arms. She smiled sweetly at both of them.

"Good morning Leonard, Hi Penny." Then she walked toward the desk by the patio.

Penny squeezed Leonard's thigh, "What'd I tell you?"

Leonard just shook his head and smirked.

Truth or the Door

Leonard sat on the couch, in the spot. Sam Larson was sitting across from him in his chair, looking at notes on her tablet. Leonard looked up, smiled, and said "Hi honey". Penny was dressed the same as when they had left the house. A red tight fitting top, that was long and black stretch pants. She had taken off her boots and was in her bare feet.

Sam seemed shocked for a moment. She stood and turned toward Penny who extended her hand before Leonard could introduce her. "Hi Sam, I'm Penny." She shook Sam's offered hand then leaned in and pecked Sam on the cheek. "Thank you for helping me find Leonard again. I thought I'd join you." She came over to the couch and curled up on Leonard's right side and took his hand palm to palm. She folded her legs and bare feet up on the couch.

Leonard was a little nervous now. "I'll be acting", came into his mind, she was acting like her sweet self. This made Leonard think of a cat playing with a mouse before they bit its head off. She hoped Penny ended up liking Sam or he'd have to clean up the blood stains.

Sam had gotten over the shock and now even looked a little smug. "Well as long as you're here do you mind if I interview you as well Penelope?"

Now the tone of Penny's voice changed. "It's just Penny right now, an interview with Penelope will depend on you."

Sam was taken aback for a moment, "What do you mean?"

Penny must have given here the wolfish grin, Leonard thought, because Sam had turned slightly pale. Leonard knew that grin, in Halo that grin meant you were about to die.

"I have some questions first Sam, then some ground rules, alright?"

Sam moved toward her recorder, Penny shook head. "What's your question?"

Leonard felt Penny tense beside him.

"Rule One then Question One. You must be honest with us and we will be honest with you up to a point. If we can't be honest we will just not answer and you'll have to move on. But you can't write that question was ever asked. Speculation is for the tabloids."

Sam was little stunned, but nodded she agreed.

Penny leaned forward. Leonard could see a slight grin on her face. "How did you find out about Leonard?"

Sam handled it gracefully she started to answer but Penny interrupted. "Sam I already know you're not a grad student from USC. My publicist tells me you got your masters from there already. You get only one chance here?"

Leonard looked over at Sam there was just a hint of panic or perhaps anger in her green eyes. It's never easy to get caught in a lie. Would he have given that interview to any reporter off the street? Probably not he decided.

She finally spoke. "I'm a reporter, I researched it." Leonard felt Penny tensing. Sam must have seen something in Penny's body language because she quickly expanded her answer. "I did an interview with Jeanie Corbett last year. She told me you had been in love with a physicist from Caltech when you were in New York. She said he moved to the UK and you were really devastated. She couldn't remember his name though. So I dug around and figured it out. It really wasn't too difficult. You were the only physicist that went to Oxford in three years. I even have a copy of your sabbatical request."

She tapped her tablet for a few seconds and handed it to Leonard.

Leonard felt Penny relax a little and lean back. "Yep, that's my sabbatical request. But why all the detective work, you could have just asked for an interview. Penny might not have even got in contact with me."

Penny squeezed his hand. "It's because I don't give in depth interviews sweetie. I never have given one. I'll give a show 10 minutes to promote something, or just say hi to my fans. I love my fans. I'll tweet them, make sure new pictures get out, and make personal appearances to support causes. But I want to live my life as Penny most of the time, not Penelope Jensen."

Sam spoke up she had been typing on her pad, "Can I use that?"

Penny looked hard at Sam, "Not if you want this interview to continue." Penny said very softly.

"You must have been disappointed that Leonard hadn't been in contact with me. No way to get inside?"

Sam smiled this time. "There actually was interest in the story from the Times just for his interview. If they could prove the tie in to you it would be a human interest story to say the least. So they ran it and I added it to the Caltech Ezine through a friend in the humanities department."

Penny was silent in fact she was staring at Sam very intently. She turned her face to Leonard softly kissed him on the cheek.

"Leonard I say we give Miss Larson her interview." She turned back to Sam. "Here are the rest of the rules. You interview us together as a couple. You get one hour, no video, voice only and no broadcast rights. Don't ask questions about family. If we chose not to answer a question you never asked it. What do you say?"

Sam nodded, Leonard leaned forward. "You have to say yes Sam so it gets recorded."

Sam looked around, "we're being recorded", and Leonard nodded. Sam looked a touch rattled then composed herself. "Yes I agree to your rules"

Leonard smiled at her, "Tish take all the audio for last 20 minutes and keep a permanent archive, tag it with Sam Larson please."

"Yes Leonard it's done."

"Tish start a timer for 1 hour please and let us know when it's up and record it with same tag"

"Started Leonard"

Leonard looked at Sam, "What's the first question?"

Sam looked just a little spooked. "Okay who's Tish?"

Not Pulling Teeth

Tish had just called time on the hour. Sam had stopped and looked at her tablet. "I had a few more questions, but I know the rules."

Penny smiled at Sam. Leonard felt this one was a genuine smile. "Anything earth shattering left to ask"?

"There is one I'd like to get to, Leonard what did you think of Penny's TV show?"

Leonard froze, "Oh I ah, ah", Leonard remembered the rules and chose not to answer.

Penny squeezed his hand, only the second time in the whole interview and answered for him. "He's never seen it he was at CERN when the series was on."

Sam smiled then got up. "Well I guess that's it, I need to go down before you two do so those scumbags don't run me over."

Penny laughed and offered her hand again. Sam took it. No pecks on the cheeks were exchanged. "Take care Sam". Penny smiled and walked toward the kitchen. Leonard shook Sam hand also and she did give him a peck on the cheek. Sam whispered in his ear.

Leonard showed her to the door. He turned to see Penny with a small grin on her face. "What did she whisper to you?"

Leonard smiled "only that she was happy for me. How do you think we did by the way?"

Penny shook her head considering, "Let's see we decided to not answer the question about your mother, and if we're planning on children. We were suitably vague about our wedding intentions. The only one she got a score on was the last one. They always save one zinger for when you're gracious enough to let them ask one more."

Leonard shook his head, "I didn't think you gave in depth interviews. How would you know that?"

Penny looked at him and took several breaths and her face and body relaxed. She smiled that smile that he knew few people had seen. "I still haven't, she's going get home and read the transcript and realize all but the last question is already out. Either on the website, Twitter and everywhere else Josh put it. Oh she'll polish it up and it will get play on the entertainment page. She could even break her promise and talk about the questions we didn't answer. But she probably won't, I actually kind of liked her. She did care about the questions she asked."

Penny put her arms around Leonard's neck and kissed him. She kept kissing him. When she pulled back she had a twinkle in her eye. "It's really nice to be me again. Should we head home, have dinner, make love then get up at 11:00 and see Lisel?"

He pulled her back close, "After that kiss I think a better plan is make love now, get Thai food on the way home, and play with dogs then see Lisel.

Oh Leonard you are such a rebel.

Expectations

Penny, Leonard, Einstein and Leaky were gathered around the TV. Schrodinger was on Penny's lap purring. Horst would call in just a few more minutes and they would get to see Lisel. Leonard's cell phone beeped. "Their ready, Leonard dialed the number then synced to the video recorder and the TV in the wall. He adjusted the picture of them and hit the send key.

Horst was on the screen, he smiled, it was a warm smile, a little world weary, but warm. "Hello Penny, Hello Leonard. Penny this is my wife Lena." Penny waved at Lena, who apparently didn't speak English. She was younger than Horst who Leonard said was 62, she looked in her mid-fifties. Then Lisel was on the screen. "Hi Papa, hello Penny, oh look at das puppies."

Penny held up Schrodinger. "Oh ein Miezekatzekatze", you could hear Horst tell Lisel to speak English. "It's a lovely kitty Penny, he's so cute. Can we keep him Papa?"

Leonard looked at Penny than back to Lisel, "Yes Lisel, his name is Schrodinger. And this is Einstein and Leaky." Leonard patted each dogs head. "They are our dogs as well."

Lisel was so excited she was jumping up and down, little blond curls bouncing. "Papa how much longer before I can come home?"

Leonard was somber for a moment, "Soon little Lisel, soon. But Grandmama and GrandPapa need you their right now so they can love on you."

Lisel suddenly hugged Lena, "Grandmama says I must take my bath now, goodbye Papa, goodbye Penny, goodbye kitty and doggies."

She waved and Horst was on the screen. "Was geschieht, geschieht in der Stille. Goodnight Leonard and Penny. Talk to you Sunday."

Horst had hung up.

Leonard stared at the blank screen.

"What did Horst say Leonard?"

Leonard pulled back from where he had been. "It's from one of Liisa's favorite poems. What happens, happens in silence. A subtle reminder that Liisa's birthday is Sunday. "

Penny had a tear in her eye, "It's a lovely line can I try it?"

"Sure"

Penny prepared for a moment, her face very soft and the voice she used was commanding yet low almost hushed. "What happens….happens in silence:

The line is from The Private Life by Lisel Mueller, she has a way with idiom that I have always loved. Hope you enjoyed this chapter of course edits will happen in the morning.

If you want to follow it on twitter follow ElipticalThread lost L and S due to size limitations.

A big shout to Kid Macy, it fun to hear from you today it cracked me up.

Please enjoy, love reviews, I love to read what you think

T

PS Hoc est eunuchorum Quisque enim TBBT is Latin for This is the official disclaimer for TBBT. At least I think it is, it could be please let go of my banana also. Been awhile.

A note on character development:

You're going to learn more about Horst, he's based on and old departed friend of mine. I see his face and channel him when I think about Horst. He could challenge you with a single phrase. Remarkable man.

Liisa will also figure prominently later, I hope I can do her justice.

.

.