Camille looked up at the flight of stairs, and then back to the Out of Order sign that was plastered across the elevator door. It was thick with gray dust, and clearly had been out of commission for quite some time. And her brother lived here? Silently she shifted her bag a little higher on her shoulder, wrinkling her nose briefly to try and shift her glasses back into place. It didn't work, and with an impatient stab of her index finger, they were settled back where they belonged. Well, it seemed that there was nothing to do but go up. And up. And up. If the apartment number on the mailbox was any indication. This was what she got for leaving New Jersey without telling anyone. Especially her mother. The last thing she needed was to hear another lecture about why it was ultimately foolish to leave Coriell, especially over something as trivial as moral outrage. So, after handing in her resignation, she had booked a flight out. California, so ironic, had been the first flight available. Perfect she had thought at the time; heart beating like a hummingbird in her chest. Now, she wasn't so sure. Now, she was actually here, and wondering if her mother might not have been right (sometimes, Camille wondered if her mother had been trying to see how indecisive people could be trained to be.) After all, God knew her parents had never been great advocates of sibling affection. As she made her way up the first staircase, she vaguely recalled being about three, and waking up from a nightmare. Knowing her parents wouldn't appreciate the gravity of the childish terror, she had woken up her older brother. It had been fine until morning, when her mother had given her the lecture about "Proper familial arrangement". Right, she could do this. Leonard wouldn't just show her to the door. She was his sister. Honestly! This was... Well, this was the door. Camille looked at the door for a long moment, pushing her glasses back up her nose nervously. "You've come all this way. It would be foolish to turn around and leave." She reminded herself under her breath. But as it turned out, as she raised her hand to knock- the door opened. <div align=center></div>
Life was never simple in California. Something always had to unsettle the natural order of things -- or perhaps that was the macaroni Leonard ate earlier, these things were hard to differentiate. Often times, Leonard could pinpoint certain feelings toward certain things that had happened to him. He felt embarrassed by Sheldon's constant inability to socialize, but he couldn't pinpoint the nature of a feeling of dread he felt in the pit of his stomach. He decided to go talk to Penny about it. She'd know what he was talking about. Women were better at expressing feelings. Leonard really hoped that he didn't accidentally get cheese into his system, which could also conjure the dread feeling in his stomach. He opened the door to see his sister about to knock on it. He blinked a few times. Camille was standing on his doorstep. It had been a while since he saw her -- the last family gathering, was that Christmas or Thanksgiving last year? He couldn't remember. "Camille..." he muttered, still in shock. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in New Jersey?" A moment of second-guessing himself washed over him... was that where she was supposed to be? He hadn't spoken to his family in quite some time. His work at the University and Sheldon, plus his infatuation with Penny had taken up most of his time. He liked his sister, at least. Out of all of his family, she seemed to act the most ... human out of them all. He tried not to think about it for the moment, and let his sister explain her presence in California. Why was she here?
"Leonard." Camille's voice sounded a little strange, even to herself. A sort of high pitched, breathless squeak- the same mouse like tone that had usually accompanied their mother's rounds of inquiry ("All for the good of the academic community.") that had always seemed more like the Spanish Inquisition. At least Leonard had the buffer of having another brother! "Yes. Yes, I should." She said after a moment, pursing her lips as she resisted the urge to rock back and forth on her heels. "However.. I'm not." Yes, and that should be axiomatically obvious to anyone with even the meanest intellect; suddenly, Camille was stricken with the irrational urge to slap her hand to her forehead, just to see if a sharp jolt would bring her higher mental faculties back online. Finally, she shifted her handbag into the crook of her arm, and pushed her glasses back into place on the bridge of her nose. "I'm aware this is all..." Camille paused, biting her lower lip, part of her mind all too quick to remind her that this was her big brother, and she didn't have to worry about impressing him. Moreover, that her mother's detached speech patterns had clearly been rubbing off on her. Well, it had to be said that the Hofstadter parents had done a truly remarkable job of giving their children all sorts of nervous habits and issues. "Can I come in?"
Leonard was unsure as to whether or not he should call his mother. He had a feeling that, since she had not called to tell him she was on her way, she didn't want her parents to find out about it. He kept working through this mentally perplexing series of events while his sister was standing there, looking a little awkwardly at him. Finally she had asked him if she could come in. He looked over at Penny's door, and then back to his sister. He had wanted to tell her yes, but not to touch anything... and then go to Penny, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He would never find out the exact reasoning for his sister's sudden flight to California if he just left her in the apartment. Plus, socially, that would be a little more than rude. He moved out of the way, so he could let his sister in. Camille -- and girls in general -- were irrational, but that irrationality was what made them so intriguing. If he had left her alone in the apartment, he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, either, thus meaning he wouldn't be doing the brotherly duties set upon him by his parents. He always has to protect his sister. "You can come in, on the condition that you tell me why you're here... and not a bunch of half-sentences... I need to know why," he said, glancing longingly at Penny's door. He could talk to her any time, he reminded himself. Leonard closed the door behind his sister and turned toward her. "Now... continue your story." He didn't realize she hadn't started a story, but in any case, he wanted to hear the end of it. He walked into the kitchen, feeling quite out of sorts. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked.
Leonard watched his sister. He could still remember when they were children, how much he admired her. She was is baby sister, and even though his parents didn't promote affection between siblings, it was still there. Leonard, however nerdy he was, would have stood up for his sister with no questions asked back then. What had changed? He sat in his customary cream-coloured chair, looking over at Camille. He would help her; it was his job, being the older brother. Now there was only to tell Sheldon. Oh, brother... Sheldon. He looked down at the floor for a moment, before adjusting his glasses. Ethics were a good thing to have in the science world. There were a lot of terrible things that one could do, using 'science' as a cover. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, from the sounds of it, you made the right choice then. You can stay here... but you should tell Mom," he said with a crooked half-smile. He knew how his mother would react to this whole situation. He could hear her in his head right then. Leonard Hofstadter, you tell your sister to get back to New Jersey this instant. She told these people she would work for them. A Hofstadter does not leave commitments unfinished.
Leonard had always been her favorite brother. Michael was a pain in the neck most of the time, and two couldn’t seem to get along for more than a few minutes at a time (a fact that Camille had always blamed heavily on their parent’s decision to raise their offspring like lab rats, rather than children). She didn’t see him often anymore, now that he lived so far away; her rationale had told her that she should come here because it was far away. The truth was that there had been nobody else she trusted enough. â€I’ll get a hotel if it’s easier, it’s not a problem, I don't want to impose. I just didn’t know where else to go.†Camille took her glasses off, rubbing the lenses clean on a pinch of her sweater. Holding them up to the light, there were still a few streaks around the edges, but nothing that was going to impair her field of vision. “I know, I have to tell her, but..†At that moment, she really wanted to pull her knees up to her chin, like she had as a child- 23 years old, and some habits were still die hard. If she hadn’t been wearing a dress, she might have, and in the end, she just toed off her flats, and tucked her feet up beside her. It was no secret that Camille and her mother had… Issues. Well, Beverly had issues with all her children. “She’s been worse since the divorce. I keep thinking the High Command is threatening to beam her back to the mothership for failing to perform her duties adequately.†The corner of her mouth twitched up a little, some of the anxiety starting to ease.
The fetal position was something that even the most masculine men wanted to do when facing their mother. Leonard knew that. He was going to stand up for his sister -- for once in his life. He shook his head. "No, Camille, you can stay here. We don't have an extra room, but you can sleep on our couch if you want," Leonard said, realizing the mistake he made just after he had opened his big mouth. Sheldon was going to be immensely uncomfortable with a girl staying in their apartment. He was going to hate the routine interruption. Routines were Sheldon's favourite thing. If they couldn't have pizza for dinner because it wasn't Thursday night -- their pizza night -- then they wouldn't be able to have a visitor in the apartment... indefinitely. "I'll have to run it by Sheldon, actually." he said, with a small, crooked smile. "He doesn't like change... but I'll convince him." Leonard chuckled weakly. That was something he was unsure about, but he would try. Leonard looked at his sister and sighed slightly. He wanted to help her tell their mother, but he didn't want to stand up to the woman without a plan. He tried to come up with one, but Leonard was more of a planner than a doer. He needed to plan everything he did that scared him. It was his way of coping with things. "If we get you another job, you could just tell mom you came out here for work..." he suggested, chuckling at the thought. "Then we wouldn't have to tell her you left New Jersey because the other job..."
Leonard shook his head. Sheldon would just have to deal with his sister staying with them until they got back on their feet. Leonard just hoped that it wasn't anything like the last time they had guests stay over. He freaked out about it, and wouldn't sleep for half the night. Sheldon really had a problem with change. His sleep was precious and couldn't be interrupted, or else the rest of the world would suffer the consequences. Leonard didn't need that. "I think he should be fine...as long as you don't snore... or make any other noises in the living room after he goes to bed." Camille's hug was met with confusion for a few seconds. He could count the number of times he had hugged his sister on one hand, and this would still only make it around three times. The hug was pleasant -- not too long, not unbearably short. Leonard had time to recover from his momentary hesitation. He, too, longed for affection after being starved of it for so long as a child. His sister didn't want to work in experimental medicine? He was confused. "What changed? I thought you wanted to be the Dr. Hofstadter that discovered the cure for diabetes... What did they do that was so horrible, Cam?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what the research could have done to change her convictions. He nodded to her suggestion of working in an Oncology division. Huntington would be great for her, if she wanted to get out of experimental medicine. "If you're sure that's what you want to do -- and it will make you happy, I'll help you get it. If you want, I can have someone draft up a reference letter from the University... and we can go down there with your resume tomorrow." Leonard paused. The last he had heard, his brother Michael was teaching law at Harvard...and dating the youngest appellate court judge in New Jersey. He shrugged his shoulders. "I only get a call from mother when she's in town and is stopping by to see me... and then I only get that as a courtesy. What happened to the appellate court judge Michael was dating?"
"I'll...try not to?" Camille wasn't entirely sure how she was going to manage that, but if it meant the difference between being able to stay, and finding herself looking for a vacant hotel in the middle of the night? She knew where her better odds lay! Of course, it raised one very important question- just what kind of a lunatic was her brother living with?! But his question snapped her from her momentary reverie, shaking her head and pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Of course I wanted too. But if it wasn't for the 'old boys club' at Coriell, we would have been finished the research two years ago, and be well on our way to having it available to patients. I'm so close to figuring it out, Leonard.. But that hospital will never be the place to find a cure for anything." The glass ceiling effect, constantly having her work undermined on the sole fact that she was- indisputably- a woman. "And I'm not saying this is going to be perfect, but it's a start." With his words, it felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Camille swallowed hard, drawing in a breath to calm the strangely conflicted feeling- it was the right thing for her, to leave New Jersey. But like any huge ending, like any life altering decision, it had come with a bit of grief as well. Such was the human condition. "I'm sure Dr. Embry will as well, he is as frustrated with the situation as I was." In truth, the older man had had no small influence on her decision to leave. And every bit of good reference was a blessing. Rising to her feet, Camille paced a few steps; not exactly anxious, but restless with the sudden decision. She had spend most of her life planning things, or having them planned for her; high school, University, the psychology degree her mother had wanted her to complete, and the medical one that she had wanted for herself. Rubbing her hands against the small of her back to try and dispel some of the tension from sitting on the plane all afternoon, Camille rolled her eyes behind her frames. "She realized that Michael has all the personality of cottage cheese." Clearly, the younger two siblings hadn't managed to fix their rather estranged relationship. "Not that his new fiancee is much better. I think they were both grown in test tubes and given to their parents as an alien exchange program gone wrong."
"Just as long as we can get it sorted out with mother," Leonard said chuckling. He had high hopes that this would work out for Camille, but there was still Sheldon to conquer... Sheldon. There was something Leonard was supposed to remember to do... Leonard looked at his watch, and then back at Camille, wide-eyed. "I forgot to pick Sheldon up..." At that moment, keys rattled in the lock. A frazzled Sheldon stood behind the door, quietly cursing Gray Skull for making him take public transportation home from the University. He had been working because he needed more time with the equations... The math wasn't working out right -- probably because of the ten dimensions he had to make up for it to work out. Leonard got up and went to the door, opening it. "Sheldon! I'm sorry," he said, looking back to Camille. He was using her as his scapegoat -- there was no way he was going to take all the blame for this. "Camille showed up and we got to talking, and I forgot..." Sheldon's nostrils flared with anger. "Forgot? You forgot about me? It's not surprising since most of your blood seems to be in a different area of your body. You made me ride the... bus, Leonard," Sheldon's voice nearly cracked on the word bus. He hated public transportation. He pushed past Leonard and into the apartment, seeing the girl in the room. Camille, Leonard had said. He seemed to remember this girl's name. He looked to Leonard, then to Camille. They had the same dominant traits, the same mousey brown hair -- and even the same glasses. He looked back at Leonard. "I apologize, I didn't know it was your sister you were with. I thought it was another one of your hopeless attempts at courting a female of the species into having a relationship of a sexual nature." Sheldon set his things down, and started unpacking his bag. His laptop came out and was placed precisely on the table. "Sheldon, there was something I needed to tell you about Cam--" Leonard paused. "Hey! How did you know she was my sister? Nevermind. I could have been courting someone of a female nature..." Leonard huffed. That wasn't important right now -- who he really wanted was Penny, and she was never going to see him that way -- sadly. "Anyway, I had to ask you. Camille needs a place to stay. She quit her job in New Jersey and she wants to start in a new place -- and she asked if she could stay here until she got back on her feet," Leonard got all of it out at lightning speed, hoping that the quickness of wording would make Sheldon just say yes without really hearing it. Sheldon heard every word. He raised an eyebrow at Leonard, and then looked to Camille again. "We don't have a spare bedroom. We are not allowed to have a visitor in the apartment for longer than one night without telling the landlord that we have added someone to the lease. Plus if she quit her job, that means she has no income -- how can she contribute to bills?" Leonard pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses. "I just want to help her get on her feet, Sheldon. If it will make you feel better, we'll split things three ways and I'll pay her third if she's here longer than a month." Leonard sighed. That would be a tight squeeze. The whole reason that he was rooming with Sheldon was to save money -- not spend all of it on two-thirds the rent of the apartment. "I accept. This seems satisfactory... and It's Pizza night, don't forget -- It's your turn to buy the pizza." Leonard shook his head "How could I forget?" "You forgot me at the University today. Perhaps it's a trend for the day." "That was sarcasm, Sheldon." "Right..." Leonard went back over to his sister and sat down. "I'm sorry about that. Good thing though, you can stay."
Camille had just been about to reassure her brother that- yes- of course they would be able to work things out with their mother. It wasn’t like she had a maternal instinct that would be wounded by her abandonment, (for really, what else could you call vanishing in the middle of the afternoon to the other side of the country? Desertion, she supposed.) when the door was opened by an exceptionally tall, thin man. Camille cringed, taking a step back and remaining quiet while the two men argued it out. Well, it wasn’t so much of an argument, as this man talking to her big brother like he was some kind of a … She pinned her tongue between her back teeth to keep from saying something sharp. And if it had just been her own financial status, worth and usefulness that this man was casting into such a shallow light, then she probably wouldn’t have said anything. But Leonard? Her big brother? â€You know, sir, you show a truly deplorable lack of tact. From everything I have heard about your impressive intellect, I would have guessed that you had the wisdom to ascertain on your own, that a human’s worth isn’t measurable in dollar signs. Or, at the very least, not to pass judgment before you know if the person you are so dedicatedly insulting, has enough funds set aside to live on. With, or without, your charity.†It wasn’t a snap, and it wasn’t condescending- calmly, Camille just laid the facts out in front of him, with the kind of sniper-accuracy that only truly great minds could manage, or follow. It was, ironically, the same tactic she used when dealing with her mother, or her slightly elder brother, Michael. People who were almost universally baffled by the emotional approach, and became defensive as a result. Walking over to the couch, Camille picked up her purse, and tucked it onto her shoulder. â€It’s alright, Leonard- I don’t want to cause you any trouble, as I said. If one of you could point me in the direction of a decent hotel, I won’t clutter up your apartment any further.†He was rude, but everyone had the chance to redeem unfortunate first impressions. Besides, even if he had had to take the bus (oh, the horror, she thought in a deadpan,) it wasn't as though he were the only person having a less than stellar day.
To Camille's little outburst, Sheldon merely blinked. He had no intention of taking back anything he said in the last few moments. He had a bad day, and needed someone of an inferior mindset to take it out on. He could have done so with just about anyone in the world, actually. He shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't offering any charity. You must have misunderstood my meaning. I just want to make sure that this apartment is kept in our name without us getting removed from the premises. Which reminds me, Leonard, You can talk to our landlord about our guest. It says in our lease we can't have any visitors for longer than three days without full written consent of the manager of this apartment building." Leonard shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straight. Sheldon tended to muck up the works of Leonard's brain with his unbearable lack of tact. "No, you can stay here, Camille. I don't want you to have to spend money on a hotel -- especially since the ones around here aren't all that...nice," Leonard shuddered to think what the rooms were like in the closest motel. "Why don't we go get some food and talk about it there?" he asked Camille. Sheldon butted in, walking with quick shuffling steps over to the pair of Hofstadters. "Yes, Let's." he said smiling. "I was referring to Camille and me... The offer didn't extend to a third party, Sheldon," Leonard retorted. "I live here, too, which means I have full right to join you and converse the terms of Camille's lease." Leonard pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "It's up to Camille." he said, trying to get the blame game away from him.
"Hm.... Meh, yeah, that smells fine..." a small petite blonde wrinkled her nose and shrugged slightly as her nasal cavity was flooded with the scent of week old chinese food that she was determining if it was safe for consumption that evening or not. She knew she needed to go grocery shopping, but the budget of a waitress that recieved less than satisfactory tips (which was beyond her belief because her customer service skills were amazing) made it hard to keep the shelves of her refrigerator and cabinets constantly stocked. So instead, she had to stretch out food as long as it could go... even if it was boarder-line unsafe for her to ingest because of the risk of bacteria and getting sick. Of course she didn't know the technicalities of exceedingly aged food and why it was bad... she just recalled her father telling her eating old food was bad because it gave you gas. Either way... Wait... it was Thursday... Pizza Night was tonight nextdoor! Penny's face lit up, a broad smile across her face. The chinese would be okay for lunch tomorrow... tonight, she was bumming pizza from the guys. "I hope they're ordering pepperoni." she commented to herself, leaning up and slamming her refrigerator shut. Reaching up, she stretched her back with a yawn, a loud groan escaping her throat as she settled down, scratching her head as she looked at the clock. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and they wouldn't be ordering anything for a couple of hours, but she could burn time by heading over and waiting. After all... the guys loved having her around... including Sheldon... even if he didn't admit it. Walking to her room, Penny changed from her work uniform to a pair of jeans and a tank top, throwing her hair into a messy bun before looking herself over in a mirror. Meh... she didn't look like a goddess, but it was just Leonard and the guys... she wasn't there to impress them, or rather... the thought of impressing them didn't cross her mind because, frankly... she didn't think it would take much to. With a shrug, she slid her flip-flops on and slipped out the door, sliding across the hall before walking into Leonard and Sheldon's apartment without knocking. Couth? What was that? "Hey guys! Wha-" she paused, her eyes falling on the new mysterious girl in the apartment. Who on earth? She'd never seen this girl before... and Sheldon and Leonard having a woman in their apartment... a small smirk spread on Penny's face as she closed the door behind her, sauntering over and sitting on the arm of the couch. "Well hello... I don't think we've met." She said, looking over the woman who seemed to be about her age. By the look of the hair and glasses, you'd think she was a spitting image of a female Leonard. Penny chuckled softly at the thought of this, but kept her opinion to herself as she looked over to Leonard, who was standing closest to the woman. "Leonard... are you going to introduce me to your lady friend here?" she asked, flashing the woman a bright smile. What would Leonard be doing with another woman... Penny didn't even think Leonard even talked to other women. Surely it had to be something like friends, right? After all... what would Leonard need with a girlfriend?
