Letting go of something you love is one of the most difficult thing a person has to go through, even if it is just for a while. Not knowing how long this separation can last can push a man beyond the bounds of sanity.

"And remember, no matter what time it is you can always call me."

"Yes, you made that very clear."

"I emailed you the minute by minute instructions and here's a hard copy" said Raj handing his girlfriend the sheets of paper.

"I'm breaking up with you."

"No need to get all sarcastic.I'm just gonna miss my little honeybun."

"Raj, I think I can take care of your dog."

"I guess. It's just that.I'll miss her. But this is important. We are going to witness the climax of the tale that has had us on the edge of our seats for such a long time. Their love is like a roller coaster ride and being able to see the end of their beautiful journey is a dream come true" said Raj dreamily.

Emily tried her best not to react to Raj's monologue.

"Do you think...that the distance will start getting to her?Making it hard to stay away."

"Of course my little num-num will miss her daddy but I'll be back."

"I wasn't talking about Cinnamon Raj. Anyway,you wouldn't wanna be late. Call me before you board."

_oOo_

"Howard!You forgot to pack your speedo!"

"Why would I need that Ma!"

"You plan to swim in your regular clothes?"

"Bye Ma! See you when I get back.I'm off to pick up Bernadette"

_oOo_

"Packed Penny?"

"Yeah.I just need to throw a few more things in my bag."

"You mean like everything that's on your bedroom floor."

"No, my suitcase is right over there" said Penny pointing at a red trolley-bag.

"Are you sure you got everything you need? We are going to be in different corners of the world so if you forget something we can't really come back. And forgetting things seem to be your forte nowadays" remarked Leonard.

"Do you have to bring that up in every conversation. And I told you I never planned to go."

"How could you say..." protested Leonard before he was interrupted by his highly frantic room mate.

"You're not done yet? I knew including everyone was not a good idea. Now we're gonna be far behind all of our flights and everything would be rushed in an disorganized fashion causing this entire thing to blow up in our faces" yelled Sheldon.

"Sheldon ,you're not the only one who wants to be on that plane. This isn't just about you. We have been waiting too Sheldon. This isn't a vacation for us. A lot is at stake, our world is twirled around. So quit being a selfish baby. We are all already stressed out" retorted Leonard.

Penny stood there with her mouth hung open. Anyone who knew Leonard Hofstadter, which weren't that many people, would describe his inability to stand up to his room mate as hysterical, depressing or even nerve-wrecking. However, right at that moment, Penny witnessed the unthinkable. She just stood there, trying to take notes on his facial expressions and dialogues in case she ever wanted Sheldon to shut up in the future.

"You're right apologies. So did you pack your lucky inhaler?"

"You don't believe in luck."

"There are a lot of things I don't believe in. Psychics, ghosts, the bible, loop quantum gravity, people who praise Princeton, MIT, UC's ..."

"We get it Sheldon, you think majority of the college graduates are stupid and they can't handle a job in the sciences, but..."

"Hold on Leonard, I'm not done. Penny's age on her resume, the need for geologists, Howard's engineering degree. I could go on but that explanation just took out three minutes of our time."

"Is there a point to this?" asked Penny.

"Same as always, condescension." commented Leonard.

"Just pack it Leonard. You're wasting precious time" said Sheldon as he turned to leave.

"So when was the last time you saw that inhaler?" inquired Penny.

"Well...she was playing with it..I'll look for should finish your packing quickly."

"Relax Leonard ,we have time."

"How could you say relax. I don't know about you but I can't afford another detention for being late."

_oOo_

"Hey Bernie. Ready for the original ,Wolowitz- style ,all you can get spectacular romantic getaway."

"Howie, we're going there to support our friend."

"No matter how you put it. He had it coming."

"Howard. Behave. We need to meet up with the rest of the gang. Let's go."

_oOo_

Leonard entered his apartment only to find Sheldon ruffling through his belongings.

"All done ?"

"Yes. I'm just making some last minute checks"

"Alright.I should probably do that too.I'm in my room if you need me."

As Sheldon heard the click of his room mate's door he frantically returned to his search. He finally found the photo frame tucked beneath a pile of paper. Looking at the two most important woman in his life smiling back at him made the physicist smile after what seemed like ages. However, his happiness was short-lived as he was brought back to reality by the knock on the door. Howard and Bernadette were the first to enter followed by Raj. Sheldon rose from his couch and with a soft smile he walked towards the guys.

"I don't think I ever properly thanked you."

" For what?" the duo asked.

"Call Leonard and Penny we don't have time for chit chat."

_oOo_

"Hurry!Hurry! Hurry! Everyone grab a trolley for your bags and go inside." said Sheldon.

Everyone did as they were told and walked towards the flight information board. Over there they saw Sheldon standing, motionless with a blank expression on his face.

" What happened? Why aren't we going towards security check?" asked Bernadette.

They all came closer and followed Sheldon's gaze. There was an actual audible gasp when they read the word 'Delayed' written next to their flight number.

"So what are we gonna do?" asked Penny asking to no one in particular while hoping that somehow somebody knew the answer.

A/N-Thanks for reading! We hope you liked it. We know it was a little slow but things are going to pick up speed so please be review. We'd love to get some feedback. Where do you think the gang is going and why? We're sorry for the mini cliffhangers but you won't have to wait too long. We know that Howard's mother passed away in the series, but she was such a remarkable character that we just couldn't leave her out of it.