DISCLAIMER: The characters of 'The Big Bang Theory' do not belong to me. They belong to Chuck Lorre and the fine people over at CBS, I'm merely borrowing them for a little while. This is my second piece of Big Bang fan fiction so please be kind.
The Requisition Complication
Leonard thought that everything in his life was going absolutely right for once. He had a great group of friends— Sheldon sometimes excluded, his work at the university while not being groundbreaking was earning him some prestigious words of praise and he was in a wonderful relationship with Priya. Sure there were some underlying issues to their relationship, like the fact that Raj didn't like them being together, but there was also the fact that even though Leonard was happy with Priya, he still wasn't one-hundred percent over Penny, and Priya was noticing.
"Goodnight fellas," Penny began as she got up from her seat. It had been their normal Chinese food night, something that had remained unchanged for the last four years, the only difference being that Priya was there. "And Priya," she added in a quieter voice.
"Goodnight," Sheldon, Howard, Raj and Priya stated at various times.
"Goodnight Penny," Leonard said as Penny left the apartment.
"Leonard, can I talk to you a moment?"
"Sure Priya," he answered, wondering what his girlfriend wanted to talk to him about as she lef him to his bedroom. "What's up?" he asked once she had closed the door behind him.
"I need you to choose."
"Choose?" asked Leonard. "Choose what?"
"You mean you really don't see it?" she asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Leonard shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You should have an idea of what I'm talking about, it's staring you right in the face."
"Are you talking about you?" asked Leonard, still feeling quite confused.
"Yes," Priya exclaimed. "I want you to choose between me and Penny."
"Penny? What do you mean? I'm with you, not Penny."
"Yes but I see the way you look at her."
"I don't look at her any particular way," Leonard defended, suddenly feeling as though he was a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I'm not blind," Priya insisted. "You look at her as though you're still in love with her."
Leonard gave an unconvincing laugh. "That's impossible."
"Is it?"
"She broke my heart,"
"Yes but the heart wants what the heart wants," Priya continued.
"And what does yours want?"
Priya sighed and began to walk towards Leonard's bedroom door. "I want you to choose between your relationship with me, and your friendship to Penny."
"Wait," he stated, stopping her from opening it. "You can't ask me that."
"Sure I can," she assured. "I'm your girlfriend."
"But Penny's been my friend for years,"
"And I'm uncomfortable having her around." Priya stated. "So you need to think about it Leonard. It's either her, or me."
With that said, Priya stalked out of Leonard's room, where he was in complete shock. "Choose between Priya and Penny?" he asked himself as he flopped down onto his bed. "How can I do that?"
A while later, when Leonard finally reemerged from his room, he saw that his friends were gone, save for Sheldon who was working on his laptop. "Hey Sheldon," he began as he walked over to him. "Can you help me with something?"
Sheldon turned to Leonard. "You know I thought that you were never going to ask."
"Huh?"
"You've obviously come to me regarding your quantum experiments to try and determine the moments that came before the Big Bang," Sheldon explained. "You're so off the mark regarding your equations that you're like Frodo at the gates of Rivendell wondering whether to turn left or right, and turning right instead because you don't have the genius Gandalf to point you in the right direction."
"Oh and I suppose that you're Gandalf to my Frodo?"
"Precisely,"
Leonard shook his head. "I don't need your help regarding my research."
"Then what else could you possibly need?"
"I need your advice on a more personal matter."
"Oh?' asked Sheldon, intrigued. "What is it?"
"Priya's asked me to choose between her and Penny."
"That's no choice at all."
"No?"
"No," Sheldon insisted as he turned back to his computer. "Choose Priya."
"Sheldon I can't do that,"
"Well why not?" he asked, turning back to Leonard. "She's a more suitable mate for you."
"More suitable?" asked Leonard. "How?"
"She can keep up with you mentally as well as physically."
"And that should be the determining factor?"
Sheldon nodded. "Of course."
Leonard shook his head. "That's insane," he stated as she walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Sorry about my mother," Howard apologized as he closed the front door behind him.
"It's alright," Leonard assured. "Listen I need to ask you something, and it's important."
"Alright," Howard began with a nod. "Shoot."
"What would you do if Bernadette asked you to choose between her and your mother."
Howard shuddered. "She already did."
"And?"
"And I moved in with Bernadette, briefly but she realized that the way things were was best."
Leonard shook his head. "That's no help at all."
"What's going on?"
"Priya asked me to choose between her and Penny."
"Oh man," Howard warned. "That's not good."
"No I know,"
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know."
"HOWARD!" came the screaming voice of his mother. "I NEED YOUR HELP."
"Sorry man," he apologized as he opened his front door. "But Mother calls."
"This was very nice of you," Raj thanked as Leonard drove him home. "I love ice cream."
"Yeah well, it's more of a ploy than anything else."
"Ploy?" asked Raj. "What ploy? Why do you need a ploy?"
"I need to get your advice on something,"
"What is it?" Raj queried. "Is something the matter? It doesn't have to do with my sister does it?"
Leonard sighed. "Calm down," he began. "Yes something's the matter and yes it involves Priya."
"Oh my god," Raj moaned. "She's pregnant! I knew it. You better do the honourable thing—"
"No," Leonard insisted. "She's not pregnant. She's just asked me to do something."
"Oh. What has she asked?"
"She wants me to stop being friends with Penny."
"Then you should do it."
"What?" asked Leonard. "How can you say that?"
"Dude, she's my sister."
"But it's Penny."
"Doesn't matter," Raj argued. "I don't like you dating Priya but you better not break her heart."
Leonard sighed and pulled up in front of Raj's apartment. "That does me no help at all."
"Good," he answered gruffly as he got out of the car leaving Leonard alone with his thoughts.
"What do you mean?" Penny asked as Bernadette cornered her at work.
"I mean that Leonard's been asking the guys advice over whether he should choose his relationship with Priya over his friendship with you."
"And you're saying that she asked him to do this?"
Bernadette nodded. "Apparently."
"Oh," Penny murmured, tears springing to her eyes. "What am I going to do?"
"I don't know," she answered sadly. "I don't think that there's anything that you can do."
"I can't lose Leonard," Penny insisted. "He's one of my best friends and..."
"You may not have a choice," Bernadette repeated. "It's his choice to make."
Penny came home that night from The Cheesecake Factory feeling rather depressed. She had done a lot of thinking and came to the realization that she couldn't think about it anymore. Unfortunately for her, Leonard was waiting in the lobby. He had done a lot of thinking of his own too and realized that while he had talked to everyone, he hadn't talked to the one person that his decision would hurt the most.
"Penny," he began.
"You don't have to say anything," she interrupted. "If you're choosing Priya over me—"
"How do you know about that?"
"Bernadette told me."
"And how did she?"
"Howard," Penny explained. "Listen I understand..."
"Penny—"
"No let me finish," she insisted. "If you want to choose Priya over me, I wouldn't blame you."
"No?" he asked as he took off his glasses.
"No," Penny assured as she placed a hand on his cheek. "I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"How could I?" Penn asked as she stepped back. "It's your choice to make."
"Yeah but,"
"She's pretty, and smart and so much better for you than me," Penny stated, dissolving into tears.
"Oh Penny," Leonard fussed. "Why would you say that?"
"Because it's true," she cried. "And I'm losing you."
"You're not losing me," he insisted. "We're still friends."
"Yeah, but for how much longer?"
"Penny,"
Penny shook her head. "She's making you choose between me and her."
"I know."
"She shouldn't be doing that."
"No?" Leonard asked.
"No," Penny assured. "It's not right."
"Right nor not she is."
"What are you going to do?"
Leonard shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
Penny sighed. "Then I'll make this easy for you,"
Leonard watched as she began to walk away. "What are you doing?"
Penny paused on the stairs and turned slightly. "Ending our friendship."
Leonard rushed up the stairs to stop Penny. "Is that what you want?"
"No," Penny assured. "Of course not."
"Then why are you doing this?"
"Because," Penny explained in a teary voice. "If I don't, you will."
"Why don't you let me make that decision."
"Because you've already made your decision," she argued.
"I haven't," Leonard assured. "Really, I have no idea what I'm going to do."
"You're going to choose her,"
"Penny you don't know that,"
"Well you won't pick me."
"How can I not pick you when I'm in still in love with you," Leonard exclaimed passionately.
Penny was almost too stunned to speak. "You... you still love me?"
Leonard nodded almost guiltily. "I never stopped."
"Oh Leonard," Penny cried as she leaned into his warm embrace.
"Why are you crying?"
"Losing you is going to be so much harder now,"
"Why?" asked Leonard.
"Because I love you too." Penny explained. "And I don't want to you to be with Priya."
"Then I won't be with Priya,"
"Really?" Penny asked with a sniffle as she looked at Leonard.
Leonard shrugged. "Really."
"Isn't that going to be hard for you?" she asked. "Breaking up with her?"
"No not really," he stated. "It was harder for me when I thought that I was going to lose you."
"Well you're not going to lose me," Penny assured as she threw her arms around his neck. "Ever."
"Come on," Leonard stated as he led her up the stairs. "Let's get out of the hall."
The following day, Leonard met Priya at a local coffee shop. "Well?" she asked expectantly.
"Well what?"
"Have you made your decision?"
Leonard nodded. "I have, and uh... I've just got to say how sorry I am."
Priya sighed. "You're choosing that untalented waitress over me?"
"I'm choosing Penny over you because I love her, and I don't care about her job." Leonard defended. "Now," he continued as he stood up. "It's been a pleasure but next time you're in town, I'd rather you not contact me."
"So not that I'd really like to know, but how'd she take it?" Penny asked as she poured a glass of wine for herself and Leonard
Leonard shrugged. "She took it rather well,"
"Leonard!" came the enraged voice of Raj. "I need to speak to you."
Leonard sighed. "I better go deal with that,"
"Yeah," Penny agreed. "I think you should."
Leonard walked to the door and opened it. Raj came in and was instantly silent. "Don't talk," Leonard mocked. "Just listen. I know that I promised that I'd take care of your sister but she gave me an impossible ultimatum and after careful consideration I realized that while I enjoyed the relationship such as it was, I could never give myself fully to Priya because I'm still in love with Penny, and what's more she loves me too and if you're really my friend Raj I hope that you'll understand and be supportive about it."
Raj said nothing. He merely nodded and left.
Leonard turned back to Penny and smiled. "I think that I handled that very well."
"Yeah," Penny agreed as she walked over to her once again boyfriend. "Me too."
END