The Mirror Image Iterations Chapter 4
I.
When Leonard entered his apartment with Penny's script, Sheldon looked up from his computer. Leonard was glad to see that –h e had half-expected to see Sheldon sulking in his spot on the couch, just waiting for the opportunity to direct a laser-like glare at everyone who entered the room and inform them that they really needed to take speed reading lessons.
"I'm going to make copies of Penny's dialog," Leonard informed him. "Then we're all going to help her with it. That is, if you'd like to help, too?"
"Of course," said Sheldon amiably, getting up. "But why just copy Penny's dialog? Why not make us four scripts, so that we can read through the whole thing? Each one of us can play one of the roles."
"That's a good idea, Sheldon," said Leonard, surprised and pleased. He looked at the last page of the script – it was only 30 pages long, and he had a high speed copier.
As Leonard made the copies, Sheldon collated them, seizing the opportunity to read the script at the same time. He was a fast reader, especially when it came to fluff like a sit-com. Occasionally an eyebrow rose as he came across some technical dialog, but pore over it as he may, he couldn't come up with any inaccuracies. Leonard thought this would annoy him no end, but Sheldon continued to be amiable.
Finally they returned to Penny's apartment bearing five scripts.
"Sheldon suggested that we read through it with you," he told Penny.
"Well, I guess that'll be okay," Penny said. "But you don't have to go through all that trouble. All I want is to have all the technical dialog down pat before tomorrow, so I don't make a fool of myself at the first rehearsal. Everything else I can handle on my own."
"But it will be fun," said Howard, and Raj, finishing off his bottle of beer, said, "Let's go for it, Penny."
Before they got started, Leonard asked Penny about the other actresses, and what they were like. He told Penny – more for Sheldon's benefit than for hers – about the suggestions they would have made for casting, 30 years ago.
Sheldon immediately disagreed. "Not the Golden Girls," he said scornfully. "Designing Women. Dixie Carter would have been great in my role. Delta Burke would have been great as.." he gestured toward Howard.
"Before or after she gained all that weight?" said Howard, and Raj said, sincerely, "Either way."
"Annie Potts could have played Raj's part, and Jean Smart could have played Leonard's. "The normal one. She probably would have liked a role in which to show she wasn't the naïve blonde. I think Jean Smart would have been smart enough to play a supporting role to my genius," concluded Sheldon.* He looked around, proudly, thinking he'd made a clever pun, and everyone smiled at him encouragingly.
"How do you know so much about Designing Women?" Leonard asked him. "I thought you never watched sitcoms."
"My mother watched them, and she made me watch them with her. I tuned most of them out, of course, but Designing Women…for some reason I enjoyed that one. I suppose it was because of all the authentic Southern accents."
"Hey," said Penny, "Should I do a Southern accent? I can, you know."
Sheldon folded his arms over his chest and was about to retort when Leonard held up a hand. "That's something for you to talk over with your director, isn't it? For now, let's just get you comfortable with the dialog."
"Well saved," murmured Howard as they opened their scripts.
They read through the script, emoting broadly as amateurs always did (except for Penny who did emote as a professional should, only scaled back since they were only reading the script, anyway.) Sheldon also surprised her, hardly over-acting at all.
At the close of their impromptu acting session, everyone looked at each other…some in pride.
"I thought this was supposed to be a situation comedy?" Sheldon said. "Not that I've watched very many…only one, as I earlier alluded to, but, aren't they supposed to be funny?"
Penny smiled the faint smile she reserved for these occasions. The script was hilarious. But of course Sheldon couldn't see it.
Penny looked at Sheldon consideringly. He had come a long way in three years…not quite the overbearing know-it-all he'd been when they'd first met. They played their little games, and she knew he played up to her because he knew that's what she wanted him to do. He actually made the effort…it was so sweet…
At this point Sheldon looked up and into her eyes. She smiled at him faintly. He smiled ever so slightly in response….a rather bewildered smile ….. he's wondering why I'm smiling at him, poor sweetie….and returned his gaze to the script.
And Howard…he looked lost in thought. Probably not in any way in a self-discovery mode, but rather just imagining how often he could score if he were a beautiful woman.
As for Raj…three years of being unable to speak to her without being drunk. What was up with that? She'd thought that once he'd gotten to know her really well his shyness would ease around her, but it never had. But she knew he liked her, and she was pretty sure he knew she liked him….why didn't he do something about his problem?
And then there was Leonard… had she screwed things up irretrievably there…and if so, why had she done it? She knew his feelings for her, why was she afraid of reciprocating them?
So many reasons…
Life was so complicated!
Of course, thought Penny as she got up, collected the spent bottles of beer and took them to the kitchen. The script had not followed their lives exactly. Howard had given Wil Wheaton the idea for it, and Wheaton had apparently known that she was an actress who had recently moved next door to Sheldon and Leonard, but the rest of what had transpired in the script - that was just his imagination.
But he'd sure gotten their characterizations down pat.
And that was the problem, she thought sadly. She thought the script was funny, but they were playing physicists, after all. Would anyone want to watch 4 extremely beautiful but extremely smart women try to live their lives? Probably not. Still, she was going to get a lot of money for this pilot…enough to pay her rent on the apartment for the rest of the year, with plenty left over…maybe she'd get a new car, one that didn't have a broken Check Engine light…that would make Sheldon happy.
But as for tonight…
Penny said, "I've got a really early call tomorrow, otherwise I'd take you all out for a drink to say thanks. As a matter of fact, I've been warned, these next several weeks are going to be busy, what with rehearsals and costume fittings and stuff. I might not see you at all for a while! But I'll make sure that you have front-row tickets when we do the filming."
II.
Sheldon and Leonard returned to their apartment, Raj and Howard left for their own respective homes. Sheldon retired to his room with the script, his laptop, and a pensive look on his face.
And Leonard changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed.
What would happen, he wondered, if Penny was successful in the part? If the show was successful? Actors in TV series made a lot of money. A lot of money. She'd probably move out of this apartment – it was a 45-minute drive to Hollywood from here, why would she stay here? – and she'd be meeting actors…lots and lots of handsome actors with great bodies…and most of them would be straight.
She'd be lost to him.
On the other hand, she was lost to him right now. He'd told her he'd loved her and she hadn't wanted to hear it. And now he wasn't even getting benefits…it was just friends. Not that he minded that – he liked Penny a great deal as well as loved her…but….oh, hell.
More to the point, he thought after a few minutes of black depression, what would happen if the show wasn't successful? Or worse, if she was recast? What a blow that would be! How would Penny take it? Would the fact that she'd actually been in a TV pilot work toward her self-confidence, or would the fact that she'd been dumped from that role destroy her desire for an acting career….and cause her to fall back on marriage?
And if she did give up on her acting career and decide to get married, would she choose him? A mere physicist for Cal Tech, who had to share an apartment with a crazy person to make ends meet?
What else could he do? Well…hell…his rocket work had gotten him noticed once before. Indeed, that's why Joyce Kim had attempted to seduce him, all those years ago, to get hold of his formula. He'd put that work on hold, after the debacle in which Sheldon had had to save his life (and the elevator had been destroyed), but why not take it up again?
He should get in touch with Virgin Galactic, or the Space Ship Company. Civilian space exploration was the wave of the future, and he could get in on the ground floor…if he dared to leave warm, safe CalTech. And Sheldon.
Well, Sheldon would be all right. Bound to be. He could find a new roommate, and they could still have game nights together. There was no need for that friendship to end. And he didn't want his friendship with Penny to end, either…but if there was a chance of making it something more…
Leonard took a deep breath. All this angst was fruitless. It was time to accept the fact that Penny and he were no longer an item. He would just get on with his life. Starting with getting a new job.
*(An in-joke because a very hot looking Jim Parsons had a cameo appearance in the movie Garden States opposite the much older Jean Smart who portrayed his girlfriend. Give it a look on YouTube.)