A/N: I couldn't get this idea out of my head. It will follow cannon for the time period we've seen of our geeks, but prior to the first episode some history of the characters will have been changed.
This takes place a couple months after the Leonard returns home from his trip to the North Sea. Since the next season has not begun yet, if you are reading this later some of this will not be cannon.
Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Big Bang Theory. No infringement is intended.
Leonard could see the smile on Sheldon's face light up the whole room as the overgrown recently-single-again man child spotted none other than his beloved Meemaw perched on his favored spot. Leonard could only guess that the sudden appearance of Meemaw, who to this day he'd yet to meet (he was fairly sure she had a health condition that made travel a hassle, so this had to be very important) and Sheldon's mother and Missy was due to the breakup of the Shamy relationship some three months ago. Why they chose so long after, or why they came at all when it seemed both Amy and Sheldon had moved on quite amicably from the whole incident… well, he couldn't be sure.
What he could be sure of though is that while Sheldon may have not inherited it, the Coopers shared a very common trait of being able to lock down when they wanted and not say a single word as to why they were here. Penny tried her hardest to coax something out of Missy who had been nearly constantly pacing behind the sofa for the full hour the three women had occupied the apartment, but no luck. Bernadette and Amy focused on Meemaw with himself, but she just kept telling (admittedly very funny) stories about her Moonpie as he was growing up. And Raj, trying to take advantage of the fact that he could speak to women now teamed up with Howard in any attempt to coax something out of Mrs. Cooper. But after around forty-five minutes of this it became apparent that they would have to wait until Sheldon returned home from the comic book store with Stuart to get anything out of their mystery guest.
Leonard did take a moment from his worry to be grateful however, Amy dating Stuart meant he came over a lot, which also meant that Wednesdays no longer required him to chauffeur Sheldon around that day. Ever since Sheldon made it perfectly clear well over a month ago (it truly hadn't been a hard break up and both moved on pretty quickly) that he was very content with the whole situation, the whole group felt a sense of relief and Stuart offered his newly close friends Wednesday off, he was coming to 4A straight from the comic book shop anyhow.
"Meemaw!" Sheldon's Texan accent broke through as he hugged his grandmother for all he was worth. All his friends knew she was the person in his family he most connected to. "What are you doing here?" He asked excitedly before realizing how out of sorts it was. Meemaw's heart wasn't fit for travel. His mother always was sure to announce her visits and Missy, well, she didn't come unless she was being sent as his mother's spy. "Why," his tone switched to worry. "Why are you here?" this time, the question was directed at his mother.
"Sit down Shelly."
Sheldon's brow pulled into a crnickle. He knew that tone, it's the same tone his mother used when she broke the news that his father died. He needed a moment to steady himself so he opted for stubbornness as a small conversational buffer. "I can't sit down. Meemaw is in my spot and I can't ask Meemaw to vacate it."
It was just so like her son, so like the little boy he once was and the man he had once been that Mrs. Cooper didn't push hos sitting down anymore. She was going to have to push as it was and frankly she was losing her nerve. She didn't think she could even ask Stuart who was standing nearby the open door to the apartment to close it, or better yet, ask his friends to leave. "Shelly, we've come to talk to you about that thing you told us to never mention again."
He hadn't expected that. He never would have expected they would try to bring up the one thing he never, ever wanted to speak on again. "No."
Penny watched as Sheldon's face turned to stone, his tone deep, cold. She could see the deepest pain she thought she'd ever see flick into his eyes though and wondered if anyone else saw it too as he looked at the three women closes to him and sneered his response. "Sheldon," she implored in her overly sweet, whiny voice that usually got Sheldon to listen to reason. "Sweetie, whatever it is that your mother and Missy and Meemaw came here to say seems important. I think you should listen."
Sheldon looked at his friend square in the eye and almost territorily guarded his standing. "No. I said no!"
Missy's eyes were slowly misting, which set Raj (who had been focused on watching her the whole time she was here, wondering if he still had a shot there) to wonder what the hell was going on? Was it something traumatic? Did Sheldon get molested or something as a kid?! If it was that there was no way he was going to let it be broadcast to the whole group. "Sheldon, maybe you should sit down, we can leave…"
He felt attacked from all ends, though he was grateful that Raj was cognizant that this wasn't any of his friends' business. That brought his estimation of his friend up a bit in his books, but it didn't mean he was having this conversation. Not in the least."That wont be necessary."
Missy finally broke into a howel of a cry. "Please Shelly!"
"Dammit Missy!" he stomped his foot, the first time he ever let his anger manifest physically, the first time he ever swore at his twin sister. "I'm not going to stand around here getting berated. You know I can't talk about this…" he turned toward the hallway half to hide the tears welling in his eyes, half to begin his retreat to the safety of his bedroom.
Meemaw stood too fast that she nearly fell but her begging tone of "Moonpie! Please!" fell on deaf ears.
"No Meemaw, not even for you will I talk about this." he took one step toward the hall when he heard it yet again.
In the sweetest tone she could muster she tried as hard as she could, if only he would stall a moment and let her explain. "Moonpie!" But she stopped, she saw the set of his shoulders rise and she knew what that meant, he went into stubborn mode and now not even she might be able to get to him. "…Moonpie" she whispered desperately.
"Moonpie." The heavily English accented voice wafted from the hall through the still open door. When their heads snapped to it, only after observing Sheldon's body stiffen and his tracks stop, they saw the lovely women it belonged to. She was dressed stylishly in a knee-length, high necked and sleeveless sheath black dress. Her shoulder length hair was worn down which highlighted her hazel eyes and naturally pink lips. The scar that traced the outside of her face, right near her ear to her neck seemed old and faded, but certainly there.
Sheldon knew he couldn't walk away from that, that voice he knew so well. That lovely, talented, crazy voice. It was impossible. "Meaghan?" He asked in such a small voice that had it not been for the utter silence in the room, save from his friend's heavy breathing, he couldn't be sure that she would hear him. And he couldn't turn to look around, if it wasn't her… he was pretty sure his heart might rip out all over again.
"Yes Shelly. Please, let me see you." She wasn't sure if she had the right to ask, but Meaghan wanted nothing more in the world to looking into those beautiful blue eyes at least once more. They were her favorite thing about him, always emotive when his face wasn't, always examining the world and the people in it. "Please Shelly, for me."
He complied, and forgot the rest of the room was there seeing her again. It had been ten years, nearly to the day and while his family might think he'd tried and forgotten, he hadn't. Not in the least. "But you were dead. I saw you, dead. I held your limp body in my arms."
Meaghan inched forward, as did Sheldon so that they were about four yards apart as she replied. This was the hardest thing she could try to explain, appropriate as the subject was the hardest thing she'd ever done. "I faked my death Shelly." She noticed the faces of Sheldon's friends locked on her, amazement, astonishment, confusion written on each of them.
She'd been told by Mrs. Cooper that a year after her funeral each member of the family was forced to promise to never mention anything about her again. He'd been on lockdown for months, then in such a terribly deep depression that he lost his position at Oxford. When he'd gotten the job offer at Cal tech his mother told him to take it, that Meaghan would want him to do so and so he did, with the caveat that he couldn't do it if he had to remember all the time. He needed whatever peace he could find and he couldn't while mourning so deeply. And from what she was told a few days ago, he'd remained somewhat locked down entirely even to this day, only somewhat loosened by the various friendships he formed in this room.
Sheldon took a minute to scoff. "Of course you did! I came to that conclusion when I realized you are still alive."
"Which was just a moment ago?" She asked for clarification.
"Yes," he couldn't lie about that. As much of a fool, and as relieved as he felt at the same time, he could never lie to Meaghan. "But why did you do it? And why didn't you tell me?" the anger in Sheldon's tone rose slightly as he spoke. It had been sheer heartbreak for years, living while he thought she was dead.
Meghan looked down, solemnly for just a quick moment as she gathered her breath and once again looked into the eyes of the man she loves. "I was under orders from my government." She took a step forward, her eyes pleading for understanding. "I was put into witness protection along with papa when I translated a document that neither of us should have seen. The car accident really did happen, but in the hospital they put us into protection without our consent. I was given the option of including you or not. I couldn't Sheldon. I couldn't rob you of your life. And I most certainly couldn't rob the world of you."
Sheldon's face softened and upon seeing that Leonard cleared his throat and asked the question burning on every one of their friends' tongues. "And who exactly is Meaghan to you Sheldon? She seems important."
That seemed the understatement of the century to everyone in the room, though that title seemed less important upon hearing Sheldon's response, his eyes still glued to the woman's. "Of course she is Leonard. She is my wife."
It was at that moment that Raj fainted.
