#john is very like. at his worst a cold shoulder bad at personal confrontation kind of a pushover quick to resent but usually just seems

[firstroseofspring]

thinking pondering to me john torres is like. what if u met a woman. with confidence and dignity and a strong moral backbone. you meet and she makes a distinct impression with her honesty and her frankness and she seems like she's always sure of what she wants and what she needs and she's so different from anyone else you know and thats exciting and she's exciting and she likes you specifically you. and you don't think much of you but it feels good to be liked by someone like that. you love her of course. you marry her. of course!

[unify-my-universe]

Second part of Mikey Palin/Monty Python Story...

The next few days were quite relaxing for Penny as she wasn’t needed for any scenes.

It was sort of nice to get a break from The Pythons.  She didn’t want to disturb them too much with her presence anyway!

She decided to fully embrace the Scottish history and visit all the castles and museums that were in reasonable driving distance from where she was staying. Luckily she had brought her camera with her so took plenty of pictures.

The Scottish countryside really was beautiful. So much greenery. So peaceful. She had made a picnic basket for herself and laid a blanket on the grass. She lay on the blanket for a while contemplating the last day or so of being here.

She lost track of the time after a while until she heard a voice coming from above.

“Didn’t expect to see you here…”

She got up suddenly.

“Oh hi John, finished filming?”

“Yes just finished, thank god. We missed your presence on set today actually, well I did.”

Penny was of course flattered but she really wasn’t interested in John. She hoped he realised that.

“I’m flattered. To be honest I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet. The countryside has that kind of effect on you, doesn’t it?”

“Ooh no I find the countryside dreadfully boring. It’s Mike and Terry who are into that kinda stuff.”

Another reason to like Michael. He loved nature and appreciated the beauty of it.

“So you, uh, ready to head back?” said John.

“Yeah sure.” Penny said with a smile.

She was looking forward to seeing Michael, she couldn’t wait to hear about his day.

Michael saw Penelope coming towards him accompanied by John. A feeling of jealousy came over him.

Oh come on Mike, she wouldn’t be interested in John he’s married for a start! But John is so bloody charming. He has a way with women. They all fall at his feet. Why don’t I have that sort of luck?

“Look who I bumped into on my travels!”

“Alright Penny, fancy seeing you here!” said Eric.

“Hello. I’m afraid John interrupted my peace and quiet for the day!” Penny said with a wink.

“Oh John! Couldn’t you give the girl a bit of peace for one day?” said Michael.

Penny loved it when Michael defended her. It was quite attractive!

“I didn’t exactly seek her out Mike. How was I to know she was going to be there?” said John.

“Alright, alright let’s not start arguing. We’ve had a really good day of filming, let’s not spoil it with pointless bickering.” Said Terry J.

It was quite ironic that in this case Jonesy was trying to be the mediator when he’d locked horns with John on more than one occasion!

“Well I don’t know about you guys but I’m ready for some food, fancy joining me Penny?” said John.

Penny noticed Michael shot John a dirty look. Could it be that Michael was jealous?

“Uh…”

All the Pythons turned to look at her. Now she really felt under pressure! They knew that refusing John would be a big mistake on her part! However Penny didn’t want him to get the wrong impression.

“Better say yes Penny otherwise you’ll never hear the last of it! The day you refused THE John Cleese!” said Eric with a laugh.

“Oh shut up Idle. So, Penny, made a decision yet?”

“Uh, well, I don’t want to upset you by saying no as it’s very kind of you to ask and everything…”

“Jesus Christ guys am I that bad to hang around with?”

The Pythons all looked at each other. Who was going to be the one to have the balls to tell John how intolerable he could be to hang around with sometimes?

“Well John sometimes you can be a bit, well, difficult to be around. Especially if you’re going through your questioning phase…” said Michael.

Penny smiled. It was rare Michael was the confrontational type as he had been described by his fellow colleagues as a bit of a pushover. There was a reason why he had a reputation of being the nicest man. A title Michael really hated but Penny knew full well it was true.

Penny reckoned that Michael knew he could get away with saying it because John liked him so much. After all it was John’s desire to work with Michael that got Monty Python together in the first place…

“Alright, Penny I won’t force you to have food with me it is entirely your decision.”

“Okay well as much as I would like to take up the offer, I would like to continue with my original plan of having my own space which includes eating on my own.”

“Well, alright. See you tomorrow at filming then Penny?”

“Yeah see you later.”

She said her goodbyes to the guys and headed off. Luckily she knew her surroundings and got back to the hotel okay. She did want a quick shower as it was actually reasonable weather today but she knew as soon as The Pythons got back, hot water would be none-existent.

Luckily a cold shower could be the ideal thing right now.

She was right. The cool water was refreshing and she was looking forward to grabbing a quick bite to eat and settling down for the night.

After having something to eat which was surprisingly very filling, she put on her dressing gown and lay on the bed. She grabbed a book from the bedside table and started to read. She’d been wanting to finish this book off for a while so it was a relief to be finally getting near the end.

Just as she was getting into it, there was a knock on the door. She checked the clock on the table, it was nearly midnight. She sighed.

Oh well, I suppose I can finish it another day. Story of my life.

She opened the door to find Michael standing there.

“Oh Michael hi.”

“Sorry Penelope were you asleep?”

“Oh no I was reading. What can I do for you?”

“I know you said no to John because you didn’t want to lead him on. I mean he is a married man so he shouldn’t really be how he is with you. Anyway, I’ve hardly saw you all day so I wondered if you fancied a walk with me?”

“What in our pyjamas?”

“Yeah why not? Scotland is so beautiful at night and I thought it would be relaxing.”

“With the others?”

“No just me and you.”

Penny liked the sound of that. Michael seemed to have gained some confidence in expressing his feelings lately. It helped Penny start to understand exactly how Michael felt about her.

“Okay sure, sounds fun!”

“Great, come on I know just the place we can go.”

The excitement of not knowing where she was heading filled her up inside. God Michael even looked attractive when driving. Was the man ever not attractive? Luckily Michael was a good driver so felt comfortable in his car.

So comfortable that she fell asleep for the duration of the journey. She was awoken by a gentle tap on her shoulder.

“Penelope? We’re here.”

The view she woke up to was truly spectacular. The moonlight silhouetted against the mountains, in the distance was Doune Castle. Where Michael had decided to take her seemed so far from anywhere, from anyone.

Finally some time together without any Pythons ruining it…

Michael could see Penny was admiring the scenery intently. She was sat on the grass taking in the surroundings. Nature could be so beautiful sometimes.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” said Michael.

“Yes it is.”

Penny thought he was talking about the scenery but in fact he meant her. The light emanating from the moon really brought out her eyes. They glowed brightly. Her hair looked so golden, natural light really brought out a person’s beauty.

Could it be that Michael was beginning to fall in love with Penelope?

“Isn’t it nice to be somewhere without those pesky Pythons getting in the way?” said Michael.

“Yes it is.”

“I mean don’t get me wrong, they’re like brothers to me but it’s nice to get away from them for a little while. Besides they probably find me annoying too and I’m classed as the nice one!”

“I don’t think anyone could ever be annoyed with you.”

“Ah you’re so kind Penelope but I sense an inner sadness. You’ve seemed so happy since you came here. Is life at home not worth going back to?”

“Well my flat isn’t so bad, well it’s comfortable enough but incredibly isolated. I used to love living on my own but being with you guys, I dunno it’s just changed all that.”

“We’re always here for you, you know that. I know we’re not gossipy girls well except Gray or when we’re the Pepperpots but we’re always there to listen.”

“I’d always wanted a girlfriend, like a best friend who could listen to me as well as advise. I find it so difficult to make friends because I find it hard to trust people. But with you guys I trusted you right away. Strange really.”

“What about your parents? They must advise you on things.”

“Pft them. Parents is the loosest sense of the word.”

“Oh. Want to tell me about it?”

“Oh Michael believe me you do not want to know about my problems. Besides it’ll spoil a perfect night me depressing you.”

“I want to know. Honestly I don’t mind if it depresses me. I care about you. You know that.” Said Michael with a smile.

She sighed. Talking about her ‘parents’ was always a bit of a sore subject for her but she wanted to tell Michael.

“Well okay then. Basically I’m an only child which usually means you get spoilt. Okay I was spoilt but not with love. My parents are well off hence the posh name that I detest so much, instead of giving me attention they’d just shower me with gifts and toys. My mother was the worst, the only time she’d speak to me was if I’d done something wrong or she believed I’d done something wrong. She’d screech Penelope! Such a horrible sound, so you see why I hated you calling me Penelope, just brought it all back to me. Anyway as I got into my teens my parents would just leave me alone at weekends, they’d go on these weekends away. Luckily I knew how to look after myself. I wasn’t abused by them, I mean my Dad showed some love towards me but he just let my Mother knock my confidence down to nothing. So yeah that’s the story of my life, I don’t want any pity, I’m so over it.”

Michael listened intently to what Penelope had to say. He had to admit it was very upsetting to hear that she had never been loved which would explain her coldness towards other people. He, on the other hand had seen a different side to her character. A softer, more vulnerable side. All he wanted to do was hold her.

However for fear of scaring her off, he put his arm around her. She responded by snuggling closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Thank you for listening Michael. I appreciate it.”

“Well I’m not here to judge and I’m flattered you’re not cold towards us Pythons no matter how annoying we are most of the time!”

“Are you gonna tell the others?”

“Only when you’re ready to tell them.”

“Thank you.”

For a while they just sat there, with Penny’s head still on Michael’s shoulder, both of them looking at the stars. How pretty they were.

“Do you ever wonder if there’s life beyond that sky?” said Penny.

“Oh I think there’s enough beauty to see down here first before we venture into outer space!” Michael laughed.

Penny loved it when Michael was being philosophical, he was so intelligent. For once in her life she felt loved, safe in Michael’s arms. She felt so relaxed she fell asleep.

The wind gently blew and Penelope’s hair fell into her eyes. Michael smiled to himself and moved the hair out of her eyes. She looked so peaceful next to him, he didn’t want to disturb her. However there was a reason why he brought her out here…

After a while sitting on the grass, Michael gently woke Penelope up. It was nearly 2 o’clock in the morning.

“Bloody hell you sleep a lot!”

“Sorry I keep falling asleep on you Michael. I’m a very sleepy person!”

“It’s okay honestly I’m only teasing. Anyway I brought you here for a specific reason.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“Well we don’t get that much time alone together and I wanted to get to know you better. The real you. I also wanted to be honest with you, completely honest.”

“About what?”

“Well about me. You see people have painted this picture of me as the Nice Python and the Cute Python—"

“All of which is true…” Penny said with a wink.

“See you think that because everyone says it, it’s true. I mean yes I am the nice one because I���m not a confrontational person, I don’t like arguing and I probably am a bit of a pushover but there’s so much more to me than that.”

“Michael I know trust me. Look I know what it’s like for people to just see one side of you, god knows I’ve been labelled a cold hearted bitch enough times but I suppose it’s because people don’t take the time to get to know the real me. You and the guys are the only ones who have ever given me a chance and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

“It’s so unfair isn’t it? To be constantly labelled as something. I trust you Penelope and it’s strange because I’ve only known you a few days but it feels like I’ve known you for years. I didn’t have the upbringing you did, my parents were very loving well my mother was. My dad well you know what fathers are like.  Not ones for showing emotion and he can’t speak very well, has an awful stutter like George VI had. I was a bit of a loner child, very shy and just watched the trains go by. I remember wanting to be a train driver at one point! Then I went to a public school in Shrewsbury, I think I discovered then I wanted to make people laugh because I was strange but funny. Maybe one day I’ll stop being a silly person and go travelling maybe even make a job out of it.”

Penny found it fascinating hearing about Michael’s life, boy could the guy talk when he got going! But Penny didn’t mind. She found him an incredibly interesting guy. She was kind of jealous of Michael’s upbringing, it was so happy and loving. She’d love to meet Michael’s parents, they sounded so nice. Ha, who was she kidding? It’s not like she was going to end up in a relationship with him…

“Well you do whatever makes you happy. That’s my motto in life. I mean I could have done anything with my history degree but I chose to become an actress. One of the most unreliable jobs! Think my parents would be ashamed of my career choice.”

“Have you not seen them recently?”

“I moved out as soon as I went to university. Got a part time job to support myself and been living in the apartment since I graduated ever since. I don’t just act though because well it’s not the most stable job and I’m only just starting out and I don’t expect you Pythons to pay me very much!”

“Oh I don’t know I’m sure we can arrange a decent wage packet for you!”

“Well that’s very generous of you.”

Penny sensed flirtation on Michael’s part. She loved that he was so interested in her life, she’d never known anyone be so intrigued by her. The more she told him about her life, the more she felt she was falling for him.

He loved hearing about her life, though it was sad to hear. Would he ever get to meet her parents? They didn’t seem very nice.

“So you haven’t seen your parents for 7 years?”

“Nope and I have no intention of seeing them any time soon.”

“What work do you do alongside acting?”

“I work at my local library as an assistant. Nothing extravagant.”

“Well as long as it pays the bills.”

That’s what she loved about Michael, he wasn’t judgemental. Was there anything that she didn’t love about this man?

“Honestly Michael you’re the kindest man I’ve ever met. You’ve listened to me going on about my fucked up life and you haven’t judged me, you’ve just listened and no one’s ever done that before.”

“When I say I care about you, I mean it. I mean you didn’t have to listen to my ‘perfect’ childhood but you did. You care not just about the Python Michael that all the fangirls love but the other side of me. Don’t think I’ve ever met a girl like you before.”

Penny scoffed. Somehow she didn’t believe he hadn’t said this to another girl before. She wasn’t that special.

“Oh Michael, I bet you say that to all the girls…”

“Penelope, I’ve been out with a few girls over the years and all of them were interested in one thing. My money and fame. They were only interested in me because I’m a Python. Whereas you, yes you’re a big fan of Python but you don’t switch off when I don’t talk about Python. Trust me, you’re different.”

Penny blushed furiously. Was he really saying this to her? Maybe the moonlight has that effect on people.

“Oh Michael you really are the nicest man in the world.”

Michael got closer to her face, Penny started to get butterflies in her stomach. Was he about to kiss her? THE Michael Palin? THE Mr Michael ‘Sexy Pants’ Palin? She made a note to herself not blurt out to Michael her nickname for him.

The wind again blew Penny’s hair into her face. He gently moved it out of her eyes. Was this it? Was this the moment? His face turned away from her for a moment.

Then his fringe started to go all over the place, moved by the wind. Michael was clearly very cross about this. It ruined the special moment for him.

“Oh! Damn hair!”

Penny giggled a little. Michael was so adorable angry.

“Here let me have a go at sorting it out for you.”

Man his hair feels so soft. I’m surprised he’s even let me touch his hair! His hair is definitely his best feature! If only he’d kept his sideburns.

Michael quite enjoyed Penelope’s hands in his hair and he’d never let a girl touch his hair before!

“Don’t you miss your signature sideburns? They really were huge at one point!”

“In some ways I do but they weren’t around in the medieval times! Who knows I might grow them back at some point?”

“Haha I think your hair suits you long.”

“Oh yeah it’s brilliant when my fringe goes in my eyes, very annoying!”

“Well you can just get it cut can’t you? Bloody hell you don’t half do some moaning!” Penny teased.

“I suppose you’re right Penelope. Sorry if I’m annoying you moaning.”

“Oh Michael you’re not annoying me, far from it! I’m only teasing.”

“I know Penelope. I guess I just feel I’m a bit boring. I’m the boring Python!”

“No you’re not.  So was this the only reason why you brought me out here? To expose the real you to me?”

“No it wasn’t the only reason…”

Michael suddenly went all shy. He worried about rejection. What if he’d read the signals all wrong? He put his hand in his pocket and felt the small box. Was it even the right time?