Thank you so much for your three reviews! I appreciate it. This one was fun to write. As always, I don't own anything and I am looking for a BETA. So if you know anyone- please send them my way. As always reviews make me write more often. Just a hint. ;)
The first thing he saw as the world came to emerge around him was sunlight. It was beating down in the parking lot around him, all except for where one door was located. It was clear the door was an exit to some building, a fire escape or just a back door, he couldn't be sure. The building itself spanned at least a block, and had no windows or any other exits by it. And right in front of the only door he could see was himself. Or another version of himself. This version of him was what Penny would call "beefier". His face appeared to be full, and his jawline pronounced. His outfit was dark, black, and thick. He was wearing sunglasses, even though he was standing in the shadow of the wall. His hands were behind his back, frozen as random noises kept coming from his walkie talkie on his belt.
Instantly Sheldon's mind went to Men in Black. This was much more his scene than the ice skating rink. And his mind started running with possible stories he would be able to tell Leonard about his epic counterpart. He hoped that at any second an alien or hostage came running around the corner so he could see himself in action. But as seconds ticked by, nothing about the scene changed.
Sheldon started walking around the empty parking lot trying to asses where possible targets could come from in the wide expanse. When he came to be ten feet from the edge of the building a force stopped him. He couldn't feel any force stopping him from crossing past the imaginary wall, expect that his feet moved and moved but remained walking in place. He had no choice but to walk back to the middle where the other version of him stood. The universe before had made him believe people somehow couldn't see him. So he allowed himself to get closer to this version of him. He could tell by his counterparts breathing that he was awake, but he just stood by the door frozen. Moments went passed and Sheldon was starting to become anxious. Was this all he would see? Himself just standing watch over a door? At least in the universe before people moved, even if it was artistic mumbo jumbo.
"Zazzles swiftly approaching to Quarters Three. Zazzles entering Quarter Three." The walkie talkie announced at the second the door flew open. Sheldon jumped as something came flying out. After a couple of moments he noticed the something happened to be another version of Amy. He was floored. To see Amy in one universe was statistically significant. Yet, here she was again. But Sheldon was a man of science. Not a man of emotion. A lesser man like Leonard would consider it a sign, but Sheldon knew that it was more than likely a calculatedly probability. Until he could be certain he had to amuse himself with watching as another version of his short brunette girlfriend banged on the wall of the stone building behind her. Even Sheldon could tell the stone was rough and uneven, yet regardless of the reddening of her fist, she didn't even wince. He looked to the other version of him who seemed unmoved, and already had his walkie talkie out.
"Zazzles in Quarter Three. Area secure until pickup."
"Pickup confirmed, seventeen down. Flanked on east and west." Beeped back on the radio static.
"Secure East."
"Secure West."
Sheldon watched himself watch the other Amy as she turned around with her back to the building. But the other version of himself's expression didn't change, even as she lowered herself to the ground in a ball. Sheldon wasn't the king of social interactions but even he knew social protocol dictated some type of statement to acknowledge the girls emotional distress. And since a hot beverage wouldn't be welcome in sweltering parking lot, he should at least say a "there there." But instead he just stood beside her, with his arms crossed behind his back.
This Amy's face was covered, but from what he could tell she looked more like his Amy than the last one he had run into. Her hair was the same length and straight but something was different about it. It wasn't pulled to the side with a bobby clip or pin, but it still somehow looked different. It took him awhile to note that her hair was parted to the left but also wasn't as tightly pulled close to her head. She wasn't wearing glasses, which still made Sheldon feel uncomfortable but she still looked like Amy.
Sheldon couldn't help but be disappointed. He was hoping that his job in this universe would be akin to an intergalactic peace keeper, or at least the keeper of some secret building that housed radioactive weaponry, yet the evidence suggested he was just a mere body guard to a clearly emotionally unstable girl.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I am sad?" Sheldon wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer to her questions. Knowing women it could be any myriad of problems. She could have her woman cycle, she could have been broken up with, Penny was once distraught because a fly flew into her mouth. But he knew that he should have answered the question. Instead the other him didn't even acknowledge to have heard her speak. The other Amy seemed to be unmoved by this.
"You might be the only person in the world who has no questions for me." Still no answer.
"Don't you want to ask me how I feel? What I think?" The other him stood still.
"Yes Kerrington I care about your emotional state," She continued in a deep male voice obviously starting to voice his side in their conversation. "My name is…. Bob. And while we are at it, I would love to buy you coffee and tell you all about my side business planting petunias."
There were more moments of silence and she breathed a huge sigh. "You know it's been three years. Seems unfair. Sure you can yell at me, stand outside my shower as I bathe, and watch me cry like a baby but you somehow can't tell me your name. You've talked to me before; I know you have a voice." She stood up and walked over to him. Sheldon couldn't help but notice her outfit. It was a dark blue pinstripe skirt that hugged her hips tighter than all of his Amy's skirts ever had. She had on a matching dark blue fitted blazer, with a cream collared shirt underneath it. She was wearing small blue heels, and every time her head tilted, something in her hair glittered in the fractions of light that spilled into the shadow. It was like seeing his Amy in a lawyer get up. But this "Kerrington" was clearly not of the same temperament as his Amy. "What's your name?"
The silence continued. "All I am asking for is a name. You don't have to ask me how today went. You don't have to ask me if I am alright. Hell you don't even have to elaborate. Just a first name, it's all I'm asking for." Sheldon started to feel nervous because he could feel the frustration rolling off the girls body. "I'm not asking for hobbies, or your detailed history, just tell me your damn name!" Her eyes, which were more pronounced then his Amy's flashed in a look Sheldon recognized as anger. It was the same look countless girls had flashed Howard over the years right before they pummeled him with their purses. And sure enough up went the fists as her tiny frame advanced on her version of him. "What is your fucking name?" She started pummeling her tiny hands into his chest but Sheldon could tell they were barely making an impact, and the jacket itself was absorbing most of the momentum. Yet the other him was unmoved, not even looking at the small ball of fury as she beat him for a solid three minutes. At the end of the three minutes she stopped suddenly taking a couple steps back, She took a huge breath, and allowed her hands to come to her sides. After she studied the bodyguards face, she pursed her lips and walked back over to the door, her body shuttering a little bit with every steadying breath she took.
She sat back down on the ground until she caught her breath. After a while she began running a finger on the pavement besides her, making invisible patterns on the shadows tar.
"I have to lie." She confessed and Sheldon was even more confused. She had to lie about what? "Is that wrong?" She looked up at the other him, as if she honestly expected an answer. Sheldon didn't know why, if she didn't get something out of him while she attacked him it was less likely she would get one now. She seemed to hear his thoughts and nodded to the lack of response. "You know you technically work for me, I'm sure I could pay someone to find out your name." She looked up at the man hovering besides her again and then looked back down at the pavement. "But I'm sure you know I've already tried that. I could just demand it of you." She looked up to the sky, and Sheldon could see some of her eyelashes were stuck together. She reached up to the top of her head and adjusted the headband so her hair wasn't so closely intertwined with it. When she pulled it up Sheldon could see it for what it really was- a green sparkling tiara. It wasn't like the tiara he bought for her when she was mad, this one was intricate, and based on the amount of jewels on it clearly more expensive.
"I demand you, as your Princess, Queen, whatever the hell I am now of Lapania to tell me your name." She stated but his counterpart stayed silent. This silence, unlike the other ones seemed to be too much for her to bear because at that point, actual tears started streaming down her face. She gasped, and the gasp had a moan behind it. Sheldon couldn't be more confused at this point, what was it about knowing or not knowing his name that was putting her in a fit of tears. Yet, even though he knew she was being unreasonable, something tugged on him. For no reason at all, just seeing her eyes filled to the brim with sorrow, and her body shaking slightly he wanted to walk forwards to her. She wasn't even his Amy and he wanted to give her a beverage, or even cuddle with her if she thought it might help. He even felt a strange twinge to reach forward and just place his lips on her forehead.
"It's against protocol." When his counterpart did speak up, the rasp in his voice surprised Sheldon. The girl, Kerrington didn't look shocked at all. She just nodded, and swallowed. Her breathing slowly started to settle down.
"Do you think I am a traitor?" She looked up at him like she would believe whatever he told her. Like his word would be a definitive answer. "I'm sworn to protect these people, and yet….." She breathed again and let her head fall back to the stone behind her. "I've never lied. Not to them, not to myself, not to our government. How am I supposed to get up and tell those people that I think this war is a good idea?
She looked to him, but the other him remained a statue. "I'm not their elected official, I'm not a master of combat. I'm a figurehead. A figurehead that's supposed to get married, have children, smile for news interviews, and tell them all that yes, I stand by their government that they chose. That yes, I believe everything will be okay. And yes, I think our country should march into a battle to protect a nation that has never shown us any mercy. A battle where hundreds of people will undoubtedly loose their lives, and give another country the ability to basically own our asses. For what?"
She looked at him expectantly. "No really for what? Because some greedy and corrupt politician are getting paid by said country for us to go to battle for them? Because they are creating and perpetuating an idea that their rival country has it out for us, when in reality they have reached out to us to try and prove the opposite? How can I shake the hands of grandmothers, fathers, sisters, honest workers, knowing that my silence could possibly send their brothers, spouses, bosses to their deaths? Yet, how do I have any right to stand against their government, the people that they, themselves deemed to be qualified to make these decisions? How do I have any right to create contention or doubt in their brains that could utterly lead to other problems I can't even foresee yet? I have to stand on one side or the other. Do I lie?" And once again she looked at him, but the other Sheldon stood straight as an arrow, with nothing to offer.
"Am I a traitor?" Sheldon would think she would have gotten used to his silence by now. "Can I do this?" No shift of stance had given any indicator that he had heard her. She stood up and Sheldon felt his body tense, certain that Kerrington would result to physical violence again. "Have I failed my country?" She stood, her face coming to his neck with her high heels to propel her. She reached up and snatched his sunglasses off his face. The other him, was looking straight, but what shocked Sheldon was the obvious pain in his eyes. His face muscles were relaxed, but he could see his own discomfort in his blue irises. "Have I?"
Sheldon was getting frustrated at this girl. Didn't she understand protocol at all? Sheldon missed his Amy in that second. His Amy might push and prod, but that was nothing compared to this. She understood his limits. When he jumped at hand contact, she would remove her hand until he decided to grab it again. When she pushed too far, she would walk ten steps back and ask him to cross them back to her. But this girl had no limits. Couldn't she tell that the man wasn't going to respond?
"Please." She begged. A moment passed and Sheldon could only watch her, standing right on top of him, begging him to look at her and answer her. He could see the other him blink, and look over the top of her head.
"It's against protocol." He repeated.
"I won't tell if you don't." His walkie talkie beeped, but nothing followed it. The beeping seemed to alert Kerrington of how close she was to him, and she took a deep breath and backed a couple of steps back. She wiped underneath her eyes, to get rid of any stray makeup and smiled a strained smile. "I'm a terrible figure head. I can't seem to just listen."
At that moment the man nodded, and smiled. Kerrington, when seeing the nod smiled lightly as if he had given her an answer. "You are a terrible listener." He muttered and she laughed a little at the unexpected dialogue.
"It's not like you give me much to listen to." She retorted back. And seeming satisfied she walked over to the wall yet again, but instead of sitting just leaned against it, lost in thought.
"Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once." The other Sheldon said looking at her. He hadn't moved from his spot, but he was actually acknowledging the girl. She just looked at him, but if she was shocked, her face didn't betray it. "You are the worst person to be head of security for. The worst. You never listen. I tell you to stop trying to talk to my men, you instead play Little Mermaid trying to guess their names. I tell you to go from point A to point B without interacting with anyone, and you kiss every babies head in the hallway. I tell you to stay behind your podium when you speak, yet you feel it necessary to go out and collect every rose they throw at the front of the stage. I've had to fire eleven men, twelve after your fleeing the stage tonight without backup, because you have a way of just loosing them. We tell you to stay in your car, we find you in the marketplace with a toothless, homeless man telling you how his neighbor stole three chickens from him. We tell you not to do give into peoples demands because it's a guaranteed safety hazard, yet you somehow find a way to sneak five hens into his backyard. You are a pain in my ass, you have no concept of the idea of safety, you act without regard to your station, and you fight with me all the time."
Sheldon was afraid that the girl was going to yell, because as far as he could tell she was a violent creature but instead her lips curved up.. "I could fire you for this" She was actually smirking.
"But you won't." He stated the same way Sheldon would have stated that trains were the best. "Because of all the reasons I've stated- you care. You care about these people. I'm not allowed to have a political opinion. Or give political advice, but I have detailed a lot of people. And I know from experience very few people are the people that the media make them out to be. But if I had the ability to vote for you for Queen, I would. Annoying or not. As would a majority of those people."
"So you are saying I should hire a political advisor and try to advise my country like I was sworn in to do?"
"Transport arriving on East Side." Beeped in from the walkie talkie.
"I am telling you to listen to your damn detail crew before you get yourself killed. Your country needs you." He answered and turned away. She nodded, and Sheldon could tell she was thinking about what he said and making sense of it. She studied him as he studied the black SUV that was coming around the corner. And he pulled out his walkie talkie, missing the smile on Kerringtons face that was directed at him.
"Zazzles loading."
"I hate the name Zazzles." She stated as he opened the door to the front of the vehicle to ensure that the driver was hers. "As my head of security you couldn't have chosen something more interesting like Eagle or Hot Ass?" The other Sheldon didn't respond at all as he checked the trunk. "At some point you ARE going to tell me your name." He opened the door and helped her in.
"Zazzles secure." He said into the walkie talkie as he shut the door. She rolled down the window and Sheldon watched as the other him fixed her with a glare.
"Roll up your bullet proof window."
"Fine fine. But I just wanted to let you know, you look better without the glasses." She held up her hand, showing him that she still had them in her possession. "And don't think I don't know that you are peeking through them at me when you have to guard my shower." She winked, and the other Sheldon didn't even blink. He just reached down to his walkie talkie.
"Driver roll up her window."
The other Amy smiled and threw him his glasses as the window slowly went up. He caught them and talked into his walkie talkie again as the vehicle started driving around the corner. "Zazzles departing." After the vehicle was safely around the corner he watched himself shake his head with a small smirk and put them on his face as another vehicle came around the corner, probably to pick him up. "Of course. The hero always peeks." He grumbled.
