More Than A Memory
A/N: First off I'm a HUGE fan of TBBT and I'm a Shenny Shipper. I have enjoyed so many authors stories here in the fandom. You all inspire me on a daily basis, make me laugh and smile, and even cry sometimes. I like to write, but have never been bold enough to post anything until now. This little plot bunny just wouldn't leave my head. I kept thinking that with an eidetic memory what else besides his usual stuff would Sheldon think about in that beautiful mind. So I present the beginning of something that I may be inspired to continue if it garners any interest. Again this is my first fic so any love and/or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to keep Sheldon as true to the character as possible, but since we can't truly get into his head I beg creative license.
This is set after The Monopolar Expedition. The guys are in the Arctic when our story begins.
Of course I do not own TBBT, I just like to play with my favorite TV couple (I wish).
He thinks of her more often than he should, more often than he'd ever admit. The gift of his eidetic memory makes it possible for him to "see" her any time he wants; to recall in perfect clarity her smile, the flash of her green eyes, the vanilla scent of her skin. Just last night he was thinking about the first day they met. Seeing her standing there in her denim shorts, the soft blue t-shirt that hugged her curves. He remembers how his body, which he thought immune to biological urges, reacted when he first saw her, the "butterflies" in his stomach, the warmth of his cheeks, the desire to impress her.
This morning he woke to a vision of her from their first prank war, the one where he strung her lingerie along the telephone wire. "Your kin can kiss my Barbie," he heard in his head. It still makes him chuckle when he thinks of that. He sees her standing in the doorway of 4A, that dark coral colored camisole leaving nothing to his imagination, her eyes bright with green fire and anger at discovering her underwear missing. Penny was always aesthetically pleasing, but angry she was stunning. He remembered that he had never explained how he'd accomplished that particular feat. He made a mental note to tell her about it when he got home.
Tonight at dinner he was reminded of her again. Leonard, Howard, and Rajesh were rehashing their trip to Las Vegas for the fortieth time. He added no commentary as he sat in his spot and ate his brown rice. He sat in silence as the moments of the hours they were gone replayed in his mind. She laughed at him being locked out of "his big ice thingy", and then graciously took him in. He remembered their attempts at conversation and twenty questions, and his "big Cornish head". He laughed out loud, startling the others when he thought of that.
"Something funny Sheldon?" Leonard asked with a slight edge of concern.
"No, I just thought of something I have to tell Meemaw," he was able to get out without even the slightest twitch. "If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have more data I need to go over, I believe I'll retire to my room. Don't forget, no noise out here after 9pm, and if there is I'll give you double strikes. One for here in the Arctic and one for home." He rose placed his bowl on the counter and went to his room and shut the door.
He sat at his make shift desk and closed his eyes as the final "scene" from that night played out in his mind. Him lying in Penny's bed, her sitting beside him in that ridiculously short pink robe and singing him "Soft Kitty". That was the first night some of the feelings began to surface. When Penny had treated him like a human, like a friend, and not an annoying nuisance. Feelings he was unsure about and tried hard not to let in.
Feelings that were now overtaking part of his brain as his homesickness and lack of results on the project were making this whole enterprise seem like a fruitless endeavor. He didn't understand how and why he was feeling the way he did. He was so lonely and he missed her, and the only person he had ever truly missed in his life was his Meemaw. For once when he was supposed to be on the brink of all his goals in Science he had lost his focus. He couldn't talk to Leonard about it, due to his infatuation with Penny. He couldn't contact her for fear of letting something slip. So he was keeping everything to himself and the stress was causing him to act out even more aggressively. 'Double Strikes,' he thought to himself. While not a bad idea even for him it seemed extreme.
An hour later and Sheldon had changed into his thermal pajamas and was monitoring the data stream from the instruments outside on his laptop. The lines of code were starting to blur so Sheldon gave his head a quick shake to wake up and refocus. As he looked at the numbers again he saw a shift in the pattern. His eyes lit up. This is what he had been waiting for, this is what would change everything, the evidence to prove his theory.
A new window pops up on his screen, a Skype message alert. Incoming from Queen Penelope. He hadn't heard from her in two months, and now just as he was getting results she calls. Hmm… if he believed as his Mother did he would call it divine, since he doesn't he'll call it a coincidence. He accepts the call as he double checks the data stream window before he minimizes it.
'Respirations increasing, palms sweaty…ok I'm nervous,' Sheldon thought as the call finished downloading. And then there she was, Penny in all her glory. He drank her in with his eyes, taking in every detail. The sloppy ponytail of her golden blond tresses on top of her head, her pink camisole top that cut low enough to reveal the ample cleavage of her breasts, her emerald eyes filled with warmth and concern, and her smile. That smile that was brighter than the brilliant snow covered vastness outside the walls of his room.
"Moonpie!" she beamed at him.
Sheldon finally noticed the scenery behind her, his bookshelf, in his apartment, directly behind her. "Penny," he replied with a genuine smile lighting his face. "You're in my spot."
She rolled her eyes and laughed in response. "Well I have to take advantage of it when I can."
"Penny," he tried in his stern warning tone that just didn't quite come out as hard as it normally would. The thought of her sitting in his spot made his heart flutter.
"Sheldon, why haven't you been in touch? I've heard from the other guys."
"I've just been so busy with the experiments. And up until tonight I've had nothing but negative results."
"Aww, I'm sorry sweetie. The guys have said that you've been more Sheldony than usual."
He scoffed, "Penny that is not a word."
She smiled at him again, "I'm just teasing. I can honestly say that I've missed you, and I'm worried about you. Leonard said that you haven't been sleeping, and you're about to give everyone more strikes for what even you would call minor infractions. Is something bothering you other than the experiments?"
Sheldon could feel himself getting twitchy as the lie formed on his lips, but he tried to maintain his façade. "No I'm perfectly fine. I'm in good health. And as I said earlier I now have positive results, with which I'm going to be able to prove String Theory. So I'm fine." There was one minor little eye twitch that he couldn't control, but he figured Penny wouldn't notice.
"Ok, Moonpie," Penny said softly.
Sheldon huffed, "Penny only Meemaw calls me Moonpie. Now if you'll excuse me I really need to get back to my data analysis."
Penny looked at him and sighed, "Ok Sheldon. Take care of yourself. I'll see you soon."
"You'll see me in approximately 44,820 minutes. Have a good night Penny."
Sheldon took a deep breath to clear his thoughts after the screen went dark to commit this new vision of her to memory. 'Oh Penny, if you only knew how much I've missed you,' Sheldon thought to himself. He clicked on the window with his data still pouring in and began to go over the results.
Penny shut down her laptop and set it over beside her. She pulled her plaid covered knees up to her chest so that she could rest her head upon them. She was in his apartment, sitting in his spot, wearing his pajama bottoms trying so hard to feel close to Sheldon and he'd never felt further away.
She was worried about him. She hadn't heard from him in two months, when of course mister eager beaver Leonard tried to get in touch every time the satellite was in range. 'Something's going on with him,' Penny thought to herself.
He only scolded her about Moonpie once, he smiled about her being in his spot, and he outright lied to her about being fine. How she knew this she'd never told anyone. Penny had a made a point to study Sheldon and learn his quirks; hell she probably knew them even better than Leonard. She initially learned his idiosyncrasies so she could use them to annoy him, but as Penny got to know Sheldon as a person and as a friend it helped her understand him better. And in understanding him, that's when she started to fall…