Sheldon Swifties XLV: "Un Coeur En Hiver…"
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved bits in my Buffyverse stories, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.
Disclaimer: All is Chuck's…
"Well?..." Leonard eyed the group seated about his and Sheldon's living room…Clicking off the TV as the credits for "Un Coeur En Hiver" rolled by….
"Wow…" Bernadette, shaking head…Arm round a rather sad Howard… "That was quite a film, Leonard. Tres sad but…"
"Oh…" Raj, weepy… "How could he close up himself to that loving girl like that?...Oh…."
"Especially that loving girl…" Howard noted…Wan smile to Bernadette's mock frown…
"Kind of a downer…" Penny shook head. "I mean I guess it's great acting and all…Though in French…But…Not my choice for a fun evening…"
Leonard, slight frown…
Wasn't meant to be a fun evening, remember?...Quick glance, nod indicating the somewhat solemn, stricken Amy…
Oh…Right…
Another Leonardy attempt to help out the Shamy…Amy being a little…Down…Herself these days…
But, eh…They always pull through…
I mean…They have to…Shamy being the living proof that Leonard and I will make it…That Raj has a chance…
It wouldn't be so nice a world if…
But come on, Sheldon's Sheldon and Amy's used to it…Leonard's just hypersensitive to these things…Not that it's not very nice of him to be so concerned for my bestie…And his roommate/best friend…
Amy at the end of her rope, he said…Something has to be done…One way or the other, he said…
Hmmn…He and Amy sure are "sharing" these days…
Not that I could be jealous of my bestie, poor ole Amy…Who gave Leonard such a nice time at that damned wedding…And always seems so sure he's interested in her…
Eh, she always notes she's not interested…
Though not recently…When she said how grateful she was he was so concerned for her and had promised to do something for her with Sheldon…
Not a word of her lack of attraction…In fact…She went on about what a sweet fellow he is…So thoughtful and considerate…
And she is brilliant…He always goes on about that, even when talking about her "quirks"….And these days he even seems to find a lot of those quirks kinda sweet…
Oh, come on…Penny? …VS Amy?...
Heck she hasn't even had sex…
Hmmn…Virgin…Guys do go for…
Nah…Come on…
"Sheldon…" Amy spoke up, suddenly… "What did you think?..."
"About what?..." he eyed her… "Oh, the film?...Well, hardly the documentary on clock-making I was hoping for…"
"I see…" she nodded, sadly…
"You seem a little disappointed yourself…" he noted… "I hope the Cooper coupon you cashed in to get me to see this with you all was worth it…Since Leonard did choose the film, I'd be willing to do a refund from his coupon book…?"
"No…"Amy, despondently… "It had about the effect I expected…Leonard…?" she rose… "Thank you for trying…A lovely evening, all." She moved to the door…
"Shall I go with you down to the front door?..." Sheldon rose…
"Why bother…" shrug… "Stay and enjoy your spot…"
Bernadette, worried look to Howard…
"Wait, Amy…" Leonard… "Sheldon, I chose this movie because Amy is desperately unhappy…"
"Leonard…" Amy put up a hand…
"No, he needs to hear this…Sheldon…"
Sigh… "Leonard…It's fine…I can't expect Sheldon to give me something he doesn't have…It's fine and if it's not it's my problem to resolve…I appreciate your concern, you're a good friend…Good night…" Amy went to the door…
"Sheldon…" Penny glared at him…"Don't you let her go like this…"
"Like what?..."
"Fine…" Leonard, grimly… "It's a waste of time…Sheldon, you deserve to have exactly the sort of life of complete isolation and loneliness you seem to want so much…Amy, Iet me walk you down at least…" he got up and went to her…
"Yeah, wait for me…" Penny got up…
Just supportin' my bestie…With my boyfriend…No jealous marking of boundaries here...Just good ole Pen joining in the supportin'…
"Well…Thanks…" Amy, wan smile… "I'll see you all later…"
She left, Leonard following, Penny hurrying after…
"Hmmn…What was that all about?..." Sheldon, shaking head…
"Just the end of any chance you had for a happy life, you stupid, selfish fool…" Howard, grimly… "But, thank God, Amy won't have to be the one stuck with you…You miserable bastard…"
"Howard…" Bernadette, gently reproving, hand on his… "Sheldon, you god-damn moron, go after her…!" she glared…
"Sheldon…As your friend…" Raj tried the milder approach… "Get your ass down there after her before that angel is gone forever from your life…"
"I'm a little puzzled…" Sheldon eyed the group glaring at him… "Didn't you people just spend two hours telling me by means of visual image and fine acting that I'm a heartless, selfish, unfeeling son of a bitch whose inability to express any kind of demonstrative love is proof I don't deserve a warm-hearted creature like Amy?...Haven't you been trying to pound that into my head all evening?..." careful stare…
Bernadette eyeing Howard…Howard, Bernadette…Raj blinking…
"And now…You want me to go and drag Amy back into this miserable relationship in which she would spend her whole life desperately waiting for me to change and trying to take even the slightest indication of affection as a crumb of hope where in fact there is none because I'm incapable of offering her any of the love and support she deserves…My, my…" stare… "I find it hard to call that friendship…Though lets say I force myself to become all Leonardy and go running after her and tell her how she means everything to me and I want her more than anything and please marry me…Not because I love her mind or her soul or her character but because, my…She sure is hot…"
"That isn't what Leonard's all about…" Howard, enraged now… "Sure, he wanted a pretty girl to begin with but he's always cared for Penny…He's spent years…"
"And she's still no more secure about him than she was at the beginning…" Sheldon noted calmly… "She certainly still feels he might dump her for the next pretty face…Particularly if it has any kind of intellectual underpinning and a little sophistication...As soon as he gets bored with her…Would you like that to be the basis of my relationship with Amy?..."
"We're talking about your complete lack of a relationship with Amy…" Howard noted… "But, heck…You're right…Well done…Lets hope Amy got your message and finally ends this hell for her…"
"We can but hope…" Sheldon nodded…
Bernadette staring…Narrowing eyes… "My God, you mean that…"
"I said it, didn't I?…Point Bernadette for seeing the obvious…"
"Sheldon!..." Howard rose, furious now… "I oughta sock you right in that pompous, arrogant…!"
"Howard!..." Bernadette grabbed at him…"Howard?!...Don't you see what he's doing?!..."
"What?!...I see he's being Sheldon, that what I see…!" but he calmed a bit at her touch…
"Sheldon, why are you driving her away?..." Bernadette, pleading tone… "You can give her what she wants, if you'd just try…"
"It'll be like Mom and Dad…" he shook his head slowly… "I'll hurt her and she'll grow to hate me…Maybe with fewer cuss words…And our children would suffer…"
"Sheldon…Sheldon, you're not your father…" Bernadette moved to him… "You've a loving soul, inside there…We've seen it, Amy's seen it…You can do this…"
"Daddy wasn't a monster…He just didn't know how to make Mom happy…I won't do that to Amy, I love her too much…" he said, quietly…
"But Sheldon…Amy loves you…She wants to help you…And you do love her enough…" Raj, anxiously…"You know that, you wouldn't have done all that you've done these past years…"
"It was different when we started…She seemed so like me…That she'd never need more from me and I wouldn't expect more from her…But…"
"But you found out that Amy has the same loving heart you do…" Bernadette, eagerly… "You are alike, Sheldon…Amy's just been able to bring hers out to show you a little faster…"
"I can't…I've nothing to give her…Isn't that what you people have been telling me for years?...That I'm a loveless freak…With heart and soul too frozen to ever reach out to anyone?...'Un Coeur En Hiver', right?..." hard stare…
"Sheldon, no…Listen to me…" Howard, insistent… "I had no right to inflict myself on Bernadette…Everyone and I thought that…But I did anyway…And I managed, somehow, to make her happy…At least a little…"
"A lot…Don't ever question that…" Bernadette, firmly…
"I don't…But, Sheldon…You can make Amy happy…" Howard sighed… "Come on, genius…It's not that hard…Even the little engineer you despise managed it…" wan smile…
"I've never despised you, Howard…" Sheldon eyed him… "Just your profession…"
"Sheldon, you're wrong…" Raj shook his head… "This isn't helping Amy, driving her off…This will break her heart…You are her soulmate and soulmates must not be separated or much of them dies…This will close her up, drive her back to what she was when you rescued her from that…"
"You and Howard and Penny did that…Just do it again and find her someone worthwhile…Though, given your failure in choosing me…" Sheldon pondered… "Perhaps I should do it…"
"That won't be necessary…" Amy's voice on laptop…Raj, sly smile, turning the open screen beside him to show her standing outside the apartment with Iphone, Leonard and Penny beside her, peering at screen…
"So…I understand, you love me?..." she began…Steady look…