The next morning after the date ended badly for Raj he called Emily several times but she did not pick up the phone.
"I can't believe what Penny did." Raj shook his head in dismay. He was out at brunch with Howard. The two were still best friends and they made sure that having a relationship didn't stop them from doing things together.
"You need to stop calling Emily, Raj!" Howard warned "If she needs space you are not helping by smothering her."
"I will not stop calling Emily!" Raj persisted "We are in love and I won't let what Penny did get in our way!" Howard felt like rolling his eyes but kept it together for his friend. Raj picked up his phone and dialled again. Howard watched as his friend tapped his fingers on the table, waiting anxiously to see if she'd pick up. He was surprised to see Raj's expression become happy and that meant Emily had answered the phone.
"Emily!" Raj exclaimed "I am so happy you picked up!"
"What do you want Raj?" Emily sounded very reluctant to talk. Howard listened carefully to make sure he heard everything.
"I'm very sorry for how I got advice from Penny and Amy last night." Raj apologised. "Everything was going so well before you found out about that ."
"I felt betrayed Raj" Emily said "You told me you wanted to break up with me and then I find out you are getting advice from that..."
"I don't…" Raj started to say but he was interrupted.
"I thought I wanted to keep you and I made a sincere effort last night." Emily sounded sad now "But I have realised how much of a handful you are. You are a great guy but you are no longer a great boyfriend. I'm sorry but I think we should got break up."
Raj began stuttering into the phone but Emily hung up and left him speechless. Howard had heard what happened and said reassuringly "Are you ok Raj?"
"I would be if it weren't for Penny." Raj said angrily.
"Shouldn't you be angry at Emily not Penny?" Howard tried to maintain the friendship between the two. "And isn't this what you wanted?"
"No!" Raj slammed his fist on the table and almost knocked over a salt shaker. "Thanks to her I am going to die alone!" He picked up his phone and began to angrily dial Penny.
#
At a different restaurant Penny, Amy and Bernadette were also out at brunch. They agreed they needed to discuss what had happened the night before and with any other progress they'd made.
"Stuart said he had a surprise last night." Bernadette explained to them "I don't know what it is but I hope it means he is moving out."
"I knew my feminine charm would work." Amy smiled boastfully.
"Amy I need to ask you about Sheldon." Penny was nervous at requesting that they should meet again. She knew there was a chance Amy wouldn't want to yet and that she would get angry at her. She took a deep breath and continued "Do you think you are ready to talk to him?"
"I don't know yet. My heart does want to. My head doesn't." Amy said sincerely. "You've been working with him and I trust your opinion. What do you think?"
"He made me cry from something he wanted to say to you…"
"Was it that bad?" Amy asked curiously.
"Seriously that is what he thought!" Penny almost laughed at the similar response. "No it just was very emotional. I think you should at least meet again."
"I don't want to just commit myself already though." Amy told her. This made Penny think of the marriage proposal Sheldon wanted to do over Skype.
"You don't have to end the break Amy." Bernadette added "Just meet with him and decide if you want to continue."
Amy smiled at the support. "Thanks I don't know what I'd do…." Mid-sentence Penny's phone began to play Bollywood dance music.
"Damn it is Raj." Penny looked worried "I haven't talked to him since yesterday. I kinda have been feeling nervous about how are friendship would be now."
"Do you regret what you did?" Amy asked.
"No. I know Raj will be better without that stress." Penny looked down at her phone and sighed. "Might as well get it over with." She answered the phone and put it on speaker so the girls could hear.
"PENNY I AM SO MAD AT YOU!" Raj shouted from the other end. The three girls were shocked.
Penny was tongue tied but Bernadette spoke up. "I'm sure it'll be alright Raj."
"NO EMILY JUST BROKE UP WITH ME!" they heard crying between words.
"I'm sorry Raj but I do think that it will be for the better." Penny said.
"PENNY I WILL DIE ALONE AND IT'LL BE ALL YOU FAULT!" Raj continued to cry.
"Could you keep it down." They heard Howard say.
But Raj had just hung up in frustration and left the girls sitting in awkward silence.
"Well…" Bernadette spoke up "I think we should go talk to him."
"After brunch we can go to his apartment and cheer him up!" Amy suggested.
"Bernadette and I can do that." Penny said "You need to contact Sheldon."
"Ok." Amy said in agreement. She thought of how anxious the prospect of texting or calling Sheldon was. She hadn't contacted him since she started the break and she didn't know if he'd act immaturely or not. She hoped he wouldn't but she could never tell with him.
#
Leonard and Sheldon had not heard of the events of the night before. Sheldon had been following his regular schedule all morning and Leonard had been on his laptop. At 12 o'clock exactly Sheldon sat on the couch and began watching The Flash. Watching the show reminded him of Amy. He then noticed out of the corner of his eye that Leonard had begun pacing around the living room.
"Leonard I just did a quick Google search. Are you either excited, worried or high on Redbull?" Sheldon asked
Leonard looked at Sheldon with derision when he said the last option. "I'm a mix of the first two."
"Is it appropriate to ask why?" Sheldon queried.
"When do you care about when something is appropriate?" Leonard asked back and Sheldon nodded understandably.
"Good point." Sheldon said "So then why are you excited and worried?"
"I'm continuing to plan my wedding with Penny." Leonard told him "I want to surprise her with it."
"And you thought telling me was a good idea?" Sheldon looked confused "You know I can't keep a secret."
"As my friend you have a social obligation to do so." Leonard told him. "But I'm pacing around because I am trying to figure it all out. I'm excited to be planning but I am worried Penny won't like it. What if I screw this wedding up like when I kissed the girl on the expedition?"
"I'm not exactly an expert on this as you probably know." Sheldon said "But I personally think you and Penny could have got married in that cheap Vegas chapel and she'd still be happy."
"So you're saying it doesn't matter as long as we're together?" Leonard thought aloud.
"No I was saying Penny is tacky and probably wouldn't notice." Sheldon explained himself "But sure the hippy-dippy thing you just said."
Leonard rolled his eyes and sat down at his laptop again. Sheldon felt confused so he went back to watching The Flash. His phone suddenly made a noise and a Neil Diamond song played.
"It's Amy!" Sheldon looked stunned and almost flung his phone across the room like it was a hot plate. "What should I do Leonard?"
"Answer it Sheldon!" Leonard said like it was obvious.
Sheldon panicked as he answered the call and his hands trembled as he put the phone up to his ear.
"Yo how is it hanging?" he said. He wanted to make it seem like he wasn't just freaking out.
"Um…." He heard Amy who sounded confused "Is this Sheldon?"
"Who else would it be?" Sheldon asked rhetorically.
"Well this call is a formality." Amy told him "I am just letting you know that I wish to meet up with you again to re-evaluate the relationship."
"Really?" Sheldon said like an excited child.
"I know you have a fixed schedule so I'd like to find a time that can fit in with that." Amy explained.
"I'm free tonight!" Sheldon didn't even think about his schedule at that moment "Are you free?"
"Yeah I am." Amy said "I'll meet you at the Cheesecake Factory at 7:30."
"Ok." Sheldon smiled really wide and it reminded Leonard of The Joker. Amy said goodbye and hung-up.
"So you and Amy are back together?" Leonard asked.
"It seems that way!" Sheldon began to do his 'Sheldon and his brain' dance around the living until both he and Leonard heard something smash from outside their apartment. Leonard stood and looked out the door where he saw a girl who had just dropped a box on the ground and was picking up the contents.
"Alicia!" Leonard began to help her put her things back in the box. "Are you moving out?" The two had hardly spoken since she and Penny got in that fight many years ago.
"Yeah my acting career failed miserably so I'm moving back home." Alicia explained "Turns out you can't just sleep your way to the top."
Sheldon and Leonard looked at each other awkwardly.
"If you want you can help me get back on my feet." Alicia winked at Leonard and moved closer to him. Leonard felt really uncomfortable and almost began to hyperventilate.
"I'm sorry." Leonard said as he moved backwards "Penny and I are engaged now."
"You and the blonde slut." Alicia said with a devilish grin "You only dated her because she put out right?"
"Don't you dare speak that way about her again!" Leonard began to get angry.
"Or you'll kill me with a light saber?" Alicia said with a laugh. She picked up the box when she'd put everything back in and saw Sheldon staring at her from within the apartment "I'd better hurry and get this done before a prospective apartment renter comes to check the place out." She then walked down the stairs like she'd just threw a grenade.
"Oh no this is a disaster!" Sheldon panicked "I was just getting used to her and now someone else is going to move in!"
"Relax Sheldon." Leonard reassured "You need to think about your date with Amy."
"You are right." Sheldon said and tried to get his mind to focus "And just on a related note you have to drive me to the Cheesecake factory later."
Leonard rolled his eyes. Of course he'd just assume he had nothing planned.
And I'll end it there. This chapter pretty much features every plot-line and I hope I managed to entangle them all together nicely. Next chapter will be just a continuation of this chapter. I am not sure what plot-lines I will include but I hope I'll make the right decision.
In relation to the events of Season 9, this story is a completely different entity like a parallel universe of different events. I was really impressed with the first episode and thought it was funny (I loved the conversation between Penny and Sheldon with the hot beverages) but this story is something different. I might borrow events if I feel they fit but I have no plans to at this point.
Thanks again for reading. If you liked this chapter please do the usual – follow, favourite and review- as I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks bamadude, shamylover, SRAM and nibbler747 for reviewing as I loved hearing your opinions. Also thankyou everyone who even viewed this story as seeing people do so makes my life a little happier as I try to get through college.
Thank you again. :D
ClintEye
