A/N: The only characters featured in this story are Sheldon and Penny but I can't stress this enough - this isn't a Shenny story. S/A and L/P are both big parts of this story even though Amy and Leonard don't appear. You have been warned.
I'm going to dedicate this to I Am Molly and TerribleWaitress who yelled at me to write this story when I mentioned the idea on twitter. I hope you like it, girls.
Warning: very mild spoiler for the first episode of Season 7, and mention of cancer - don't read if this is a sensitive subject for you. No need to get upset over a dumb fanfic! :)
Sheldon was about to ring the doorbell when he heard muffled sobs coming from inside Leonard and Penny's house. He had heard her cry enough times to know Penny was the one sobbing, and he suddenly felt very ill at ease. Sheldon never had had much patience for weepy people, especially not when they were Penny, and he would have simply turned around and walked away if he hadn't needed Leonard's DVD boxset of Star Trek: The Original Series so badly.
He stood behind the door for over five minutes, trying to gather the courage he would need to deal with an over-emotional Penny, before he realised he would be back home after dark if he didn't act quickly. Sighing loudly, he rang the doorbell in three little succession before calling her name.
Ring ring ring, "Penny."
Ring ring ring, "Penny."
Ring ring ring, "Penny."
It took about two minutes for the door to open, and when he finally saw Penny standing here, it was clear even to Sheldon that she was trying to pretend like she hadn't just been crying. He figured she had realised it would be best if she wasn't crying in front of him, and he was extremely thankful for that. It would save them both a very awkward moment.
"Hey Sheldon," she said, a false cheerfullness to her voice that made Sheldon happy to be known as someone who doesn't understand sarcasm and body language. Had he been Leonard, he would have had to say "What's wrong?" and to insist even after she would have said "Nothing," because that was what was usually expected from people in these situations. But he was Sheldon Cooper, and Penny knew he would take her cheerfullness at face value, no matter how incredibly fake it sounded.
"Hello Penny," he answered, and asked "Is Leonard back from work yet?"
Penny shook her head, and Sheldon sighed. "Mind if I wait for him here?"
She seemed like she had never wanted anything less than to spend time with him in her entire life, but she nodded and silently invited him to follow her into the heart of the house.
Sheldon liked going to Leonard and Penny's. It was the only place he truly felt comfortable in, besides his childhood bedroom, his Caltech office and his and Amy's appartment. It was somehow lacking in the decoration department as Penny had categorically refused that Leonard expose his replicas of light sabres in the living room, but it was definitely much calmer and more peaceful than the Wolowitzs' house – this son of theirs was a nightmare – and dining here was always like walking into a memory of Sheldon and Leonard's days as room-mates. They had lived together for over twelve years, after all. That was four times the time he had lived with Amy.
"Do you want something to eat or drink?" Penny asked, and her voice broke a little. Sheldon felt weirdly concerned for her, but he also didn't want to ask what was wrong and have to deal with Weepy Penny. Instead, he settled for not pointing out that he never ate or drank when it wasn't a pre-established meal time. That would save them both some stress.
"No, thank you," he said, and then, almost immediately "Do you know when Leonard will be back?"
"He called me a couple of hours ago to tell me he'd be an hour late."
Sheldon didn't try to stop the groan escaping from his lips, but then again, it didn't seem that important. Penny was upset and distraught and she probably didn't have time to deal with him. Which was more than fine.
They sat in the living room in awkward silence for over ten minutes, Sheldon watching Penny play with a loose thread on her tee-shirt for far too long for it to seem natural. She probably felt his gaze on her, for she looked up and smiled weakly.
"Oh," she said with the same pretend cheer she had used at the door. "I just realised I haven't asked you how was your vacation back home!"
Sheldon would have loved to point out he was okay with silence, but given that the alternative was a sobbing Penny, he preferred not to take his chance and nodded.
"It was good, thank you."
"It was the first time Amy met your whole family, it must have been pretty big."
"Huh huh."
They sat in silence for five more minutes when Penny asked "What is it that you need Leonard for? If it's not a science thing, I can probably help you. And even for science things, I do know some of it now."
Sheldon highly doubted he would ever need Leonard's help with "a science thing," not to mention Penny's, but given that he actually didn't need Leonard's help or advice on anything and that the reason why he had shown up at all was something even idiots could do, he realised that was his ticket to freedom.
"Well, actually, yes. I need to borrow Leonard's Star Trek: The Original Series DVD box set."
"Why do you need that?" Penny asked, visibly forcing herself to look interested.
"It's Star Trek Slash Downton Abbey Night tonight."
Penny rolled her eyes. "I know that," she said. "That's the reason why Amy can never go out with me on Thursday nights." She sighed and then added "I thought you had your own box set, is all."
"Aaaah," Sheldon said, understanding where Penny's surprise was coming from. "I do own a box set, but unfortunately, I had to leave it behind in Texas and need to borrow Leonard's until I can buy another one."
Penny seemed genuinely surprised, and he knew why: Sheldon Lee Cooper never left behind anything Star Trek related, especially not the Original Series. That's why he felt the need to add some clarification.
"Unfortunately, my nephew discovered in himself a fondness for Star Trek and I had to surrender my DVDs so he wouldn't make his mother's life a living hell. I told Missy I really didn't care what happened in her household when I wasn't here, but she threatened to kick me... you know where."
Penny blinked at him twice before bursting into uncontrollable sobs.
"Dear Lord!" Sheldon exclaimed, his face agitated with nervous tics. He really didn't like weepy people. "No need to cry, Penny, she didn't actually kick me in the the you know what!"
"I'm not crying because of you, you self-centered jerk!" Penny screamed, which Sheldon found a little unfair – she obviously was the self-centered one as she didn't care that he had been threatened with bodily harm.
"Is it because you don't want to part with Leonard's box set? I'm sure we can convince Amy to have Star Trek Slash Downton Abbey Night with you guys. She likes you both, even though even after all these years, she still finds Leonard sort of tedious."
"Shut up Sheldon!" Penny cried between two sobs and Sheldon opened his mouth, appalled at her language, only to close it instantly when Penny added "Oh please, I don't need a moral lesson on what comes out of my mouth!"
"Then will you please stop crying?" Sheldon asked, even though he knew the moment he said the words that she wouldn't take them kindly either.
"Do you think I'm enjoying being a mess, you idiot?"
Sheldon surely hoped the question was rhetorical, because he didn't know how to answer without upsetting her more. Instead, he chose the thing that worked best under such circumstances – running away.
"Do you want me to call Leonard before I go, so he can cure whatever's taken possession of you?" he asked, quickly getting up from the couch. But at the mention of Leonard's name, Penny's cries redoubled in intensity. Dear Lord.
"God, no," she managed to say, and Sheldon could feel his own breathing becoming more difficult. If he didn't get her to stop crying soon, he was going to feel really sick.
"Do you want me to call Amy and ask her to come over?"
"No. I don't wanna see anyone!"
Sheldon breathed in deeply. He didn't like what he was about to suggest, but it had to be done. "Do you want a consoling hug?"
That was enough to stop Penny's sobs. She blinked in rapid successions and her mouth opened in shock. After a dozen of silent seconds that were starting to make Sheldon as uncomfortable as Penny's crying, she finally said "Do you remember... Do you remember the summer Leonard went away to the North Sea?"
Sheldon nodded. He had an eidetic memory. Of course he remembered. What a stupid question to ask.
"I missed him terribly, and there was this one time I asked you if we could hug because I needed some comfort. You didn't want to, and I had to steal that hug from you."
Sheldon did remember that. It had been a very unpleasant experience to say the least.
"But look where you are now. Actually offering Upset Penny a hug."
Her face broke into a tiny smile, but Sheldon shrugged. "Time has passed, Penny. People adapt. It's a law of-"
"Sheldon," Penny interrupted. "Please shut up, and yes I'd like a hug."
She got up from the couch and Sheldon suddenly felt very nervous. Just because he had gotten better at hugs didn't mean he enjoyed giving them – the only person he truly enjoyed hugging was actually his fiancée. But even through all her annoying traits and habits, Penny was his friend and he had offered his help. It wouldn't have been fair to go back on his word now. So he awkwardly opened his arms, and Penny walked into his embrace, her cheek resting on his shirt. Reluctantly, Sheldon patted Penny's head a couple of times, and about ten seconds later, Penny let go of him.
"Thank you Sheldon," she said. "I know this isn't easy for you, and it means a lot."
Sheldon politely nodded, and Penny smiled a little. Sadness hadn't left her eyes, however, and Sheldon asked "Do you want me to ask Amy to come over?" he said. "So you hens can talk about whatever's troubling you."
But Penny shook her head and said "How... how did you... get used to the idea that your life wasn't just yours any more?"
Sheldon frowned, not understanding, and Penny sighed. "When Amy got sick? How did you cope with the fact that you had to put your dreams and hopes on hold?"
Sheldon felt a pang in his heart at the mention of Amy's cancer. She'd been in the remission phase of her illness for over four years now, but it didn't mean it wasn't scary any more. It had been the worst period of his life, realising that what he had with Amy could be taken away from him in one instant, never knowing whether or not they were living their last months together. It had been awful – Sheldon had never been as eager as Amy to move fast in their relationship, because it had always been clear to him that he was never going to love another woman and that they had all the time in the world to take their relationship further, but the news of her illness had changed that. Suddenly, she wasn't his anchor any more – she'd become a passing ship in the night.
Remembering Penny's question, he said "It wasn't about me. She needed me. I'm not going to lie and say that refusing to be part of the team that Seibert created for the huge project wasn't hard, because it was. I had all reasons to believe that this project would get them all international acclaim, and it did, and I'm pretty sure that twenty years from now on, they are also going to get a Nobel Prize for it. And it saddens me greatly to know I missed the Nobel, but... I love Amy. I'm in love with her, and loving someone is putting their needs ahead of yours."
Somewhere in the middle of Sheldon's monologue, Penny had started crying again, albeit more quietly than before, and she whispered "I've been offered a big role in a huge action movie. With Ryan Gosling, even though I doubt you know who he is."
Sheldon actually knew him, but he also knew better than to engage with Penny about this. "That's nice for you," he said, even though he failed to see what was so sad about this.
"It's a really crazy thing, I'd have to leave for about ten months – the shooting is in India and in Australia – and I'd have to run around all day in a superhero costume."
"That's a long time, but I doubt you'd be shooting everyday. I'm sure you could come back to Pasadena rather often, if that's what you're worried about."
But Penny shook her head and sighed. "That's not... That's not it," she said, and then she hesitated a few seconds before whispering "I'm pregnant, Sheldon."
Sheldon blinked a few times and then said "Wow. I didn't know you and Leonard were trying to have a child."
"We're not!" Penny answered. "It's an accident, a complete accident, but... it changes everything. I know Leonard wants kids, he's told me, and... I'm not completely against the idea myself but... not now. The timing is terrible. My career is about to finally become something, but here I am, expecting a child to crawl out of my vagina eight months from now!"
Making a disgusted face at Penny's last comment, Sheldon asked "Does Leonard know?"
Penny shook her head. "No. No one knows. I was late and have been anxious for weeks but I only just did the test. I was too scared before. And not without reason, because now I am pregnant!"
Sheldon frowned. "I know it's not an easy thing but... You can always just abort, if your career is that important."
Penny bit her lip nervously before answering. "I've thought about it, trust me. This movie is what I've been waiting for my whole life – finally my chance to make it big in Hollywood. It's all I've ever wanted, to be a successful actress." She paused and resumed playing with a thread of her tee-shirt, like she had moments earlier on the couch. "But... Leonard wants children, and... I think I do too, even if not now. And I was wondering, you know. Should I actually keep it? Because... I mean, the timing is terrible, but... It's our child, and I love Leonard, I know I do, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him but..."
"You have to ask yourself if your career is more important than your relationship," Sheldon said. "And you have to ask yourself if you love him more than you love yourself. That's what I did, when Amy got sick."
There wasn't much advice to offer, really. That wasn't something Sheldon could solve for Penny, as much as he would have wanted to help his friend – she had to find the answer in herself without any help, just like he had done five years before.
"Thank you, Sheldon," she said. "It means a lot that you listened to me." She smiled and added "How about I get you that box set and you go back to Amy so I can think?"
Sheldon happily nodded – he cared a lot for Penny, but things were getting way too emotional and personal for him. She took the DVDs from the shelf behind their TV and handed them to Sheldon before leading him back to the entrance door. Just before he left, however, Sheldon turned to Penny and said "Whatever you choose to do, just remember that you have a wedding to attend three months from now."
Penny smiled, hugged Sheldon quickly (he would have protested at being hugged without permission, but Penny was upset and besides, the hug was over before he had the time to realise it had even started), and said "What kind of a maid of honour would I be if I missed my Bestie's wedding?"
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And please don't forget that reviews may not make the world go round but that they surely make a fic writer happy!