A/N Thank you so much for your reviews. They really are important to me. These characters still do not belong to me.

It had been a week since Debbie and Howard had their talk and she had not had a good night sleep since. She hated the way they were so careful around each other. She knew it was basically her fault, but she was also still a little angry that he didn't seem to understand why she was struggling.

She did know one thing; they could not go on like this. The trouble was she didn't know how to get by it. She finally decided she should try to talk to Bernadette's father. She wasn't really looking forward to doing so and doubted it would help, but she felt she needed to try.

Mike found himself standing outside the door. Again he wondered if this was a good idea. Although he had mentioned the possibility of him talking to Howard's mother, he was surprised when she called. Bernadette had told him how things had become strained between Howard and his mother. Although Howard was still totally committed to her, she could tell how much it was troubling him.

Deciding he needed to do what he could to try to somehow resolve the situation, he had agreed to talk to her.

Sighing, he pushed the doorbell.

When Debbie answered the door, he unsuccessfully hid his surprise at seeing her, 'That was one big woman.'

Debbie just smiled, "Hello, you must be Mr. Rostankowski, please come in."

A little embarrassed, he said, "Mike," as he moved past her.

As she led him into the living room, "Thank you for coming, Mike, can I get you anything?"

"I could use a cup of coffee."

"Of course, could I interest you in a roll with that?"

"No, the coffee is fine."

"Are you sure, everyone raves about my crescent rolls."

"I guess I could try one."

"Good. Now you just get comfortable and I'll be right back."

Mike sat down on the couch and looked around. Everything was very neat and clean.

Debbie returned with a tray containing two cups of coffee and several rolls. She sat it down on the table in front of him and taking one of the cups sat in a chair nearby.

Mike took a sip of the coffee and realized it was one of the best he had tasted. Taking a bite of one of the rolls, he turned to Debbie, "These are delicious, Mrs. Wolowitz."

Debbie smiled, "It's Debbie. I am so glad you like them, they were one of Sam's favorites…" her voice trailed away.

Mike pretended not to notice and just said, "I can see why."

They sat in silence for a while as Mike finished the roll. He decided he didn't really need another one…

Finally, Debbie broke the silence, "Before we go any further, I want you to know that I have nothing against Bernadette. She is a wonderful girl and I know Howard loves her." She hesitated and took a sip of her coffee, "I am sorry for any trouble I have caused. I don't like to feel like this but I just can't seem to let it go."

Mike took another sip, "I want you to know that any doubts I had about Howard had nothing to do with his being Jewish. I am beginning to learn he is a good man." He ran his fingers through his hair, "I have come to realize I really don't think anything like he is not good enough for Bernadette, it's just he and I have nothing in common. I guess I always thought Bernadette would pick someone well, outdoorsy."

Debbie smiled, "Well, I can hardly argue that Howard is the athletic type."

There was again a silence before Debbie broke it, "I understand your father was in the Resistance?"

"Yes." He paused, "Could I tell you about a talk I had with him?"

When Debbie nodded, he sat back, "I was twelve at the time."

Mike was a little surprised when his father said he needed to discuss something with him. His father wasn't one to engage in small talk. After they were seated, his Dad showed him an old picture of a man in a Nazi uniform. "Do you know what that uniform is, Mike?"

"Yes, Dad, it's a Nazi uniform. Who is he?"

"He is my father, your grandfather."

Mike was stunned, "Your father was a Nazi?"

"Yes, he was a member of the SS."

They both sat in silence as Mike absorbed what he was hearing. Henry went on, "You know what I did in the war?"

"You fought against the Nazis. Mom said you were a hero."

Henry smiled ruefully, "I don't know about that, but yes, I was in the Polish Resistance."

"What happened to your father?"

"He was killed in the war."

"Now, I want to tell you something. I want you to listen carefully and never forget what I am about to say. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I was in my twenties when the Germans invaded Poland. We lived in a small town some distance from Warsaw and we were really not affected at first."

"My father was a small merchant and really not interested in politics."

"There were several Jews that lived in our town. I had never really thought much about them. They were just people like everyone else. Then one day I was downtown and the Germans came. Again at first, they made no impact, but then they started to round up the Jews. One of them they arrested was a friend of mine."

"I hurried home to tell my father, to see if he could do something. When I told him, he stunned me by saying it was for the best, that the Jews had betrayed Germany and were the cause of us losing the war. He said that the Fuhrer was setting things right."

"I tried to argue with him but he grew very angry with me and told me that such language could be a danger to not only me, but he and my Mother as well."

"A few weeks later, I came home and was stunned to see him wearing the uniform you see in the picture. He and my mother were so proud and excited. They told me how much better our life would be from now on. He told me that we would now be in the ruling class, that we would be serving the Fuhrer."

"When he said he was being reassigned to Warsaw, I knew what I must do. I ran away and joined the Resistance. I never saw him or my mother again."

"I am telling you this because there is something you must understand. Until the Germans came, I loved and respected my Father. He was a kind and gentle man. He had worked with Jews all of his life."

"He was my father. He took me fishing, played with me when I was young, helped me when I was sick."

"All I could ever think about was how could that man become what he did? Was he always evil? Was I fooled my whole life?"

"In the end, I realized that none of us are safe. We can all tell ourselves it could never happen to us, that we could never do what my Father did."

He looked into my eyes, "Don't believe it. We must always be vigilant. We can never be complacent and say it cannot happen here."

He took my shoulders in his hands, "I want you to keep this picture, to be sure you never forget."

There was a long silence when he finished. Finally, he said, "I think I could use another cup of coffee."

Debbie nodded and took his cup and soon returned with it. Mike took a sip and without thinking, picked up another roll.

Finally, Debbie spoke up, "It is strange. That is very similar to what my Father told me about what happened to my Grandfather. He said that many of the worst of the soldiers had been ordinary citizens before the war. My Grandfather had lived with them for many years. My father told me that was what was scariest of all. That these men that did such monstrous things were not monsters but human beings. He believed that if there had not been the Nazis, most of those men would have lived normal lives. But in the end, we are all animals. Given a chance for power, to feel superior to others, they succumbed. It would have been much less terrifying if they had been something abnormal, something inhuman."

She looked at Mike, "in a way, I have been guilty of what I fear. I have been judgmental. I think now maybe I can try to move on. Oh, I will never forget. Like you, I will always need to be vigilant, but I have been wrong to take it out on Howard and your family."

Mike smiled sadly, "I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. When my father told me about my grandfather, I felt guilty, like I had done something wrong. But then I realized that we are only guilty if we let it happen again."

They talked for a time, telling each other a little about Howard and Bernadette. Before they parted, Debbie suggested they all get together for supper some time. Mike said he would discuss it with his wife. Based on the food he had sampled, Mike quickly agreed Debbie could be the hostess.