I thought I might have a go at writing a two, maybe three chapter fic based on what happens between Leonard and Penny in Las Vegas. I welcome your comments and feedback.
Warning: Contains spoilers for S8 finale.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Big Bang Theory.
It was gone midnight when Penny entered into the hotel by way of a revolving glass door. Striding purposefully toward the lobby bar she took a seat on a high chrome stool, picked up the drinks menu and ordered herself a glass of champagne.
"Out partying tonight?" the bartender enquired casually as he went about uncorking the bottle and pouring the fizzy liquid into a frosted champagne flute.
Dressed in her favourite black sequin dress that she'd worn on a subsequent trip to Las Vegas with Amy and Bernadette the previous fall, it was reasonable to assume that she was on her way out to a club or to a casino. In fact, given that the following day was set to be the biggest and most important day of her life so far she had promised herself just the one drink before retiring to bed. Tomorrow she was to finally marry Leonard.
"I guarantee you after this I'm heading straight to bed." Penny asserted after taking a small sip and taking a moment to savour the sweet taste and the sensation of the bubbles on her tongue. "I'm getting married tomorrow." she added.
"Well in that case my congratulations! Welcome to Las Vegas." the bartender declared in a sing-song voice. He'd noticed her engagement ring while she'd been studying the drinks menu and had been wondering at what point her fiancé was going to join the exceedingly attractive blond that was now sat opposite him at his bar. "You've certainly come to the right place to get married. 115 thousand couples per year can't be wrong can they?!"
"Im getting married tomorrow...wow." Penny repeated to herself as she absentmindely twisted the solitaire ring on her finger that Leonard had presented her with just over a year ago. "I still can't quiet believe it's actually happening!"
It had certainly been a whirlwind of a day, beginning much like any other, but ending with her and Leonard making an impulsive decision to drive to Las Vegas to get married. In the end it had taken five hours to make the journey from Pasadena to Las Vegas and although it had been their intention to marry that night, exhausted and much in need of a of a shower they had decided to postpone for a few hours. And so, after driving to the county marriage bureau to obtain their marriage licence dining afterwards at a steak restaurant, they had checked into a hotel with plans to marry the following day at a chapel Leonard had found and booked online.
Just then a guest approached the bar and ordered a beer, momentarily taking the bartender away from the bride-to-be, leaving her to drink her champagne and reflect upon her impending nuptials.
"So where's the lucky guy tonight?" the bartender questioned after he'd finished serving his customer and returned to end of the bar where Penny was seated.
"In the hotel across the street." Penny answered.
The bartender looked bemused.
"Well, after we decided not to get married tonight I thought it would be kinda romantic if we didn't see each other until the ceremony tomorrow, so we agreed to make separate room reservations." Penny explained. "Well that and you know because it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each on the day of the wedding." she added matter-of-factly. Privately the bartender thought it bizarre to forgo a night together in Las Vegas for the sake of a wedding superstition. For Penny it afforded her the opportunity to get her hair and nails done in the morning before the ceremony at 1pm and maybe to have a massage if time permitted.
"Well, I'm sure come tomorrow everything will turn out just great for you both." he enthused. "Have you been together long?"
"Eight years." Penny replied. She couldn't quite believe herself how quickly the time had gone by. Only recently she'd admitted to Sheldon that she couldn't remember a time when he and Leonard hadn't been in her life. "Well, we've known each other for eight years. We haven't actually been together all that time. Let's just say we've had a few break-ups along the way..."
Even years later it still pained her to remember the two years following her breaking up with Leonard in the bowling alley and how sad and lonely she had become thereafter, particularly after he'd started to date Raj's sister Priya.
"Well you know what they say about the path to true love and all that." the bartender remarked flashing a cheeky grin that was designed to lighten the mood and elicit a smile from his customer who had now bowed her head and was chewing nervously on her lower lip. "At least after eight years nobody can say you're rushing into marriage. Hey, you must know everything there is to know about each other." He intended his words to calm and reassure someone he presumed was a nervous bride-to-be; however it was clear from his customer's demeanour that they were having quite the opposite effect.
"I hope I haven't said something to upset you?" he said apologetically, after seeing Penny grimace and sensing that he'd unwittingly hit a nerve. "Are you ok?"
And then succumbing to the overwhelming urge to share what had been bothering her all evening, Penny found herself blurting it out. "He kissed a girl.. Leonard...my fiancé he told me that he kissed girl." she garbled quickly. Leonard's confession that night while on route to Las Vegas had been a complete bombshell which had left her reeling with many unanswered questions.
"And now you're having second thoughts about whether to go through with the wedding, right?" the bartender presumed.
Shaking her head Penny downed the final dregs of her champagne in one gulp. "No of course not.."she snapped angrily, rising from her stool. "I shouldn't be telling you this...I don' even know you."
About to beat a hasty retreat Penny hesitated. She wasn't angry with the bartender, the only person she was angry with was Leonard himself who was probably sleeping soundly, comforted by the knowledge that she had agreed that was wedding was to go ahead despite his revelation.
"Look, I'm sorry." she apologised, turning back toward the bartender. "I don't normally yell at strangers. I'm just a little stressed right now."
"Hey, no problem. Forget it. Can I get another drink?" he offered.
"No, thanks. I really should be getting to bed."
"Well, is there anything else I can get you?" the bartender continued.
"How about a time machine so I can back and erase the last six hours." Penny answered to which the bartender chuckled, impressed by her effort to be humorous despite her obvious upset.
"Sorry, I think we're all out of those." he smiled. "And anyway, would you really rather not know about your boyfriend kissing this other girl? I mean maybe its a good thing that's he's told you now."
Closing her eyes for a few seconds Penny pictured Leonard's guilty expression while driving that night and let out a sigh. "That's just it. I don't really know what happened." she shrugged. "All I know is that they were both drunk at the time."
So far Leonard had revealed very little about the kiss that had taken place on board a boat in the North Sea nearly two years ago and initially Penny had had no desire to know the details, preferring . That had however changed.
"Maybe you need to ask yourself if you can trust him that it won't happen again?" the bartender said.
In her heart Penny knew she had no reason to doubt her finance's fidelity, knowing him to be naïve at times when it came to the flirtations of other women, but certainly not a cheater. "He swore it was just a drunken mistake." she answered quietly."But I can't stop thinking about it. Believe me I want to, but somehow I just can't.."
"Well if you plan on marrying this guy tomorrow I reckon you do have a right to know. Sounds to me like you guys have some talking to do."
While listening Penny's gaze had wandered across the bar, sighting a bride and groom who had returned from their wedding and were downing tequila shots in quick succession. It brought to mind her own alcohol-fuelled misadventure which had resulted in her unwittingly marrying Zack while on vacation over Thanksgiving holiday. It was just one of several things in her life that she had come to regret.
"You know what, this isn't how I ever imagined marrying Leonard would be." Penny admitted sadly, turning her attention back toward her newly found confidant. The thrill of throwing caution to the wind and heading off to elope in Las Vegas had in the last hour begun to fade to be replaced by nagging doubt and feelings of disappointment. Only that morning she had talked of marrying in a church and releasing butterflies. The simple ceremony they had planned for the following day was certainly going to be a far cry from the one surrounded by friends and family that she had envisaged. "I wish our friends were here to see us get married... my parents are gonna flip out when I tell them...Mom probably won't speak to me for months. Amy will be sooo disappointed not to be my maid of honour.."
"You do love him, right?" the bartender enquired, his bold line of questioning catching Penny by surprise, but he could already see the answer in her eyes.
"I've made some really stupid mistakes, done stuff that I've regretted, but Leonard, he's been the one constant in my life. He's always been there for me, even when we weren't together. He's my soulmate." Penny said in a choked whisper, realising then that she had never actually characterised Leonard out loud as being such, but that knowing without doubt that he was exactly that. Removing her cell phone from her purse, she stared down at the screensaver picture of the man she loved sporting his sexy graduate costume. She knew the danger of opening herself up to more hurt by pursuing the subject with him, but her compulsion to know everything was overwhelming. Who was she? How did it happen? Did she kiss him or did he kiss her? Were just some of the questions that had relentlessly plagued her that evening.
Leonard was already in bed and almost asleep when he was roused by his cell phone beeping on the nightstand. It was 1am, but the text that he'd just received from Penny told him that for some troubling reason she wanted to violate her self-imposed rule of not seeing him until the wedding. His mouth went dry as he read the brief message.
'Leonard I need to see you. We need to talk. P x'