"The X-Advisors..."

"The X-Advisors..." Part LXXII...

Sheldon Swifties LIX: "X-Advisors..."

Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer...Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.

Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...

Part LXXII...

"Yes, yes...It was someone quite important, Sue." Glance to Margaret who stared back at him, urging calm. "Did he leave a number? Oh...I see. From a payphone but he will call again. Thank you, sweetheart. Oh, yes, I'll be home shortly. Did you eat dinner yet? Well, then, I'll hurry. Yes. Oh, Dr. Hofstadter is a colleague who bears some interesting information regards some of my crazier notions. Oh, I think so, Sue. I have to go, but I'll be home soon. All right, sweetheart. I love you too." He hung up.

"You think...?" Margaret eyed Stein who nodded.

"I do...Unless older Xavier is being utterly malicious. And it does make sense, if somehow..." Stein paused. "He called from a payphone, probably near. She said he said he'd call again. I'd best get home." He looked up the hallway.

"We must be careful, Francis." Margaret noted. "Penelope's very delicate right now. And if by the slightest chance, it is Xavier... Indeed, even if it's really her Leonard." She paused, pulling off glasses, wiping eyes as Stein regarded her.

"You'd think by now..." she offered wan smile. "It would be a Leonard." sigh. Stein returning smile, offering handkerchief which she took gratefully.

"There's many a fellow, including Leonard Horowitz, who'd be grateful for those tears." he told her, gently.

Older Amy emerged from the room, both turning to regard her.

"What?" she offered worried look, seeing Dr. Fowler-Horowitz hastily removing handkerchief from her eyes and placing in suit pocket.

...

"Whatdaya think?" Leonard eyed the door of the Stein home... "Do we knock or...?"

"Why not?" Bernadette grinned. "We're scientists, newly arrived for a visit to the campus, callin' on a colleague after Leonard's already made a phone call. Nothing unusual there."

"Seems plausible to me...But we also may want to book a room while I still can draw on my account." Raj noted. "And that would give us a phone number if Dr. Stein's not yet..."

"Hello..." a smiling young Susan from behind locked screen door of the front door...

"Hey..." Leonard beamed, a bit nervously. "Hi. I'm the Dr. Hofstadter who called earlier? Is your dad home?"

"Not yet." Susan noted. "But I told him you called and he's coming home soon for dinner. I'm sorry I can't let you in, Dr. Hofstadter but I'm not supposed to."

"That's very wise." Raj nodded. "I'm Dr. Koothrapali, by the way. An astrophysicist who works with Dr. Hofstadter."

"Wow. After you from India?" Susan asked.

"Indeed...From that mysterious subcontinent itself." Raj nodded, smiling.

"I'm sorry, I really can't talk to you till Daddy gets home. Excuse me, I hafta go. I'll tell him you came by." Susan, with sigh. "I do wanna hear more about India and what you're doing in astrophysics, Doctor. You too, Dr. Hofstadter, ma'am." Smile as she closed door.

"That's all right, sweetheart..." Bernadette smiled kindly.

"Well, what now?" Leonard eyed the others.

"Kids. Can't help findin' em cute even while you consider bashing their skulls in." Bernadette, a bit grimly. "In a way I'm glad she didn't open that door."