I Need a Hero, Chapter 1 by patricia51
(BBT collides with "2012". Sheldon is miserable. The Nobel Prize committee has made an incredible mistake. Leonard has abandoned him. And now the world is coming to an end? Penny's cousin has a plan to save the group. But who will save them from Sheldon?)
(Changes)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEEEEEEEEEEEE! Nooooooooo! NOT Euclid Avenue!"
Sheldon's screaming protest was in vain. Not only did the truck he was riding in turn onto the speed bump laden street but it did it on two wheels. Nor did the vehicle slow down once it bounced back onto the other pair of tires. The engine roared as the madwoman behind the wheel stomped the gas pedal to the floor while shouting a completely superfluous recommendation to hang on.
The vehicle hit the first speed bump and went airborne. It slammed down to the pavement, sparks flying as the frame ground on the concrete. The action repeated again each time another bump was encountered; more violently each time as they continued to pick up speed.
Sheldon greeted each bump with a sound that was ever increasing in both volume and pitch. He would have done the same for each landing but didn't find the time to do so before the next launch. His eyes bugged out at the sight of a semi-trailer blocking the end of the street. However his resulting faint spared him from discovering if one or both of the evil midgets in the back seat him would have indeed followed the yelled directions for "someone stuff a sock in that mouth".
(Four months earlier)
"Oh my God, LOOK!"
Sheldon continued to eat. After all, if he stopped what he was doing every time Howard Wolowitz thought something was important he would never get anything done. Well, not anything but his productivity would be definitely reduced. Although what could command such rapt and reverent attention from an engineer with no doctorate might be an interesting thought to pursue when nothing else was available right now his food demanded his full concentration.
"Oh MY!" That was Koothrappali chiming in. Still not enough to merit turning around especially since there seemed no hint of danger involved. However...
Leonard was staring in whatever direction the other two seemed to be indicating. His mouth was open in an expression of amazement that Sheldon normally only associated Leonard having when his roommate was dreaming about the annoying neighbor across the hall. It did not seem likely she was here.
"Sheldon, LOOK!"
Well perhaps if Leonard felt it was important. Although not up to his own abilities the New Jersey physicist did occasionally somewhat approach his own level. He turned slightly.
The department chairman Doctor Gablehauser and CalTech President Siebert were walking towards the table where the foursome sat. They were accompanied by two men and all were having a very animated conversation; one that seemed to excite the University duo. Then he recognized them even as Leonard supplied the answer.
"They're from the Nobel Committee!"
Sheldon folded his napkin and placed it precisely next to his plate on the tray. "Well I can hardly say I'm surprised. In fact I find it hard to believe it has taken this long." He calmly stood to await the group. A group that lost Doctor Gablehauser after he looked around; failed to see whatever he was looking for and scurried away. The remaining trio hesitated. Why would they need to do that fretted Sheldon. He was right here. So he took the initiative and advanced.
"No need to look any further. I'm right here."
President Siebert looked astonished. Why was that? Very strange. Then one of the two men asked an even more surprising question.
"You are Doctor Leonard Hofstadter?"
"Of course not!" Sheldon replied indignantly. "Why would you even ask such a question? Certainly you must know who I am."
"No idea," admitted the other man after the two Nobel representatives shared a look which Sheldon was, of course, unable to decipher.
Just then Gablehauser returned with, of all people, Leslie Winkle. What in the world was she doing here?
"Gentlemen here is the other member of our prize pair," Gablehauser announced. "Doctor Leslie Winkle."
The light dawned on Sheldon. "Oh I see. Very droll." He gave his little two step laugh. "Very amusing. Yes, you had me going there for a minute. But enough of this foolery. Let's get on with the real announcement."
"Whatever you say Doctor Cooper," President Siebert said agreeably. "Gentlemen?"
To Sheldon s astonishment the two Nobel committeemen proceeded to announce to one and all the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Physics to be jointly shared between Doctors Leonard Hofstadter and Leslie Winkle. He seemed after that to catch only occasional words once he realized they actually were giving HIS Nobel Prize to those two, well, only one was a hack but the other, while somewhat capable was not in his league. Words like "dark matter" and "string theory" and heaven's above "impressive contribution to science" were bandied about. Finally it all ended with the entire group; visitors, so-called friends, administrators and Winkle leaving with him still standing there. In fact it took him so long to come out of his daze that he found everyone had gone home without him, forcing him to get a taxi home.
And after all that when he changed his mind and destination to the Cheesecake Factory he found Penny wasn't there and the barkeep present not only didn't care about his troubles but charged him for his glass of water with umbrella and then ignored him. The amount of time he brooded over the injustice of the afternoon though at least meant when he did get home it was to witness the ending of an impromptu party. Fortunately that ending meant that Leslie Winkle left shortly after his arrival without even a word to him. Perhaps she was too embarrassed at getting what should have been his Nobel Prize or perhaps she was finally understanding that she really should confine herself to childbirth and such and therefore slipped away from him.
Eventually he found the apartment vacated except for himself, Leonard, and Penny; in descending order of importance. He realized that coitus was almost certain to occur, based on the kissing and the fact that Penny was positioned in Leonard's lap and the pair was ignoring any attempt by him to turn the conversation to Sheldon's desired subject. He was still trying to get Leonard's attention when the duo rose and without losing touch staggered out the door, across the hall and into Penny's apartment. Once the door was firmly locked they ignored his repeated knockings and he found that Penny had put a new lock on the door since his last midnight visit.
"Well," he had sniffed and gone off to bed and sleep. The bed was just fine. Sleep eluded him. It made him even more determined to tackle Leonard about what had happened yesterday when his roommate, who had apparently slept late because he didn't come home until nearly noon, finally showed up.
"Good morning Sheldon," Leonard greeted him cheerfully as though he had no idea at all what was wrong.
"Good morning indeed!" Sheldon fumed. "First of all it's nearly afternoon and second of all is that all you have to say after that disgraceful affair yesterday?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know very well what I'm talking about! You stealing away my Nobel Prize. And with that charlatan Leslie Winkle as well. At least you should have had the decency to list me as your co-researcher if not as the lead scientist in your little project, whatever it was."
"Sheldon," Leonard replied patiently, in far too good of a mood to point out the obvious flaws in his friend's statement. "I broached the base theorem with you when I first came up with it. You told me it was repetitive, pointless and not only doomed to failure but would leave me a laughing stock of the scientific community."
"And THAT is why you deliberately left me out of the credit for... well... it?"
Leonard rolled his eyes. "Sheldon you don't even know what the project was, even now. I tried to discuss it with you every step of the way, you always dismissed what I had to say. When I found I needed a partner I asked you repeatedly and each time you refused. When I asked Leslie she eagerly accepted and regardless of what you think of her I found her contributions were as important as mine."
"That's not saying much," Sheldon pointed out disdainfully.
Now Leonard sighed. "Sheldon you are a genius but if you spent more time on your own projects and less trying to run everybody else's down perhaps the Nobel Prize would have been yours. But it's not this year. Get over it."
"Get over it," Sheldon muttered. He retreated to begin a series of strongly worded protest emails he sent off in succession to The University, the Physic Department, the Nobel Prize Committee and Leslie Winkle's parents. None of them brought responses.
The days passed and eventually he thought he might be able to get past Leonard's actions. Heaven knows he had worked hard enough, every day impressing on his roommate how he Sheldon should have been the one to get the Nobel Prize and how Leonard really didn't deserve it and that he simply couldn't start skipping his duties as a roommate now. But it all turned out to be to no avail.
On a Monday morning he had come out of his room brisk and neat as always and prepared to go to work. And no Leonard was to be found. He wasn't in his room. In fact there wasn't any sign that his bed had been slept in. Sheldon had sighed and crossed the hall, fretfully checking the time as he did. Why did people always assume that anything they were doing was more important than what they needed to be doing for him? It was a question that baffled him. Never-the-less he knocked.
"Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny."
"I'm sorry," came an unfamiliar female voice from behind the closed door, "they're not here."
Sheldon considered the situation and knocked again.
"Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny."
"Amazingly in the fifteen seconds that has elapsed since your last knock neither Penny nor Leonard has appeared."
Was that sarcasm? He had such a hard time telling. He knocked a third time.
"Leonard and Penny. Leonard and Penny..."
The door was yanked open so abruptly that he nearly took a step back. A red-haired woman with green eyes that seemed more amused than angry stood with her hands on her hips. Sheldon reached for the door frame and quietly completed his knocking.
"Leonard and Penny."
"To repeat; they're not here. Did you get it this time or do I need to say it a fourth time?"
"Where are they? Or at least where is Leonard?"
"They're gone."
"Gone? Gone where?"
"Elsewhere."
Feeling that he was now being made fun of Sheldon persisted.
"Where elsewhere?"
"I'm not at liberty to tell you that."
"But I'm his roommate! Doctor Sheldon Cooper."
"I'm Petty Officer Second Class Donna Greene of the United States Coast Guard as well as Penny's cousin and in that case I REALLY am forbidden to tell you where they are."
"Why?"
"Because they don't want any interruption from you while they're on their honeymoon."
(To be continued)