Author's Note: Wow, Chapter 10! Thank you SO much to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review, and I hope I don't disappoint you with this next instalment.
*Just FYI: I picture Mr and Mrs Nicholas living in a home like this, only with very different taste; picture a lot of marble floors, reds and golds, and brocade curtains.
.com/property/pasadena/a_mediterranean_
Disclaimer: I feel obliged at this point to remind you all that I do not own The Big Bang Theory or the house shown in the link above. Shocking, I know, but life does go on.
On Saturday, Layla was barricaded in Penny's apartment effectively vetoing most of the dresses in the blonde's closet. Owning very few dresses herself, Penny had insisted she come over with what she was wearing. Personally, Layla didn't see what was wrong with her modest black dress with lace overlaid skirt, but apparently Penny thought it was too 'old fashioned'.
"But I am modest," she defended the sensible boat neck and cap- sleeved cocktail dress. "This is my parents' party, Penny, not The Standard."
"I'm surprised you know about The Standard." Penny scoffed.
"I went to school in LA, Penny, I know about every club even if I've never been to them."
"Well, if you're not going to wear any of my dresses, at least let me loan you some jewellery." She held a pair of earrings out in the palm of her hand. They were purple stones, polished but not shaped, and beautifully clear.
"Amethyst?" Layla asked, smiling as Penny nodded. The brunette took them and went to Penny's full length mirror, threading the straight pin through her ear. "They're lovely, Penny."
"Thanks. The boys bought them for me for my last birthday."
"And these don't have Leonard's name all over them," Layla teased. "He's loony for you."
"I know," Penny sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do about him."
"Well I'd like to talk about it, but frankly this night is about me, and right now I need to know how to handle Sheldon if he gets..."
"Annoying?" Penny supplied.
"I was going to say 'out of hand', but sure."
"Just threaten him with some vandalism to his comic books. Works for me."
*Meanwhile, across the hall...
"I'm very uncomfortable." Sheldon observed. Leonard rolled his eyes.
"Sheldon, tonight you are going to rub elbows with some of the most amazing minds in our field that are still alive; surely that makes up for not liking to wear a blazer."
The gangly scientist was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white t-shirt and black sports jacket, having simply refused to wear a tie. Typical, Leonard thought.
"We'll see." Sheldon replied. Right then, there was a knock on the door and Penny entered. "Generally one waits to be allowed entry after a knock." He groused.
"Sheldon, I live across the hall and I'm here nearly every day; deal with it." Penny replied. "May I present Miss Layla Nicholas?"
"Good lord, Penny, don't be so dramatic." Layla replied, stomping into the apartment. Sheldon's abdomen performed an uncomfortable tremor as he looked at her in the modest black dress with the lacy flounce for a skirt and long legs in attractive heels. Her hair was subtly curled and she wore Penny's purple earrings. No other jewellery. For the first time since they met, she wore a light sheen of makeup; gloss on her full lips and her blue eyes clear without her glasses. He gulped.
"Good evening Layla." Sheldon nodded.
"Hi Sheldon," Layla replied. She smiled, holding her hand toward the still-open front door. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." The scientist nodded again. "Good evening Leonard, Penny."
"Have a great time!" Penny waved.
"I'm sorry, but my parents live in North Kinneloa Ranch," Layla said as they climbed into her car. "It'll only take about twenty minutes."
"Fine," Sheldon sighed, buckling himself in. Layla smiled to herself and revved the engine, heading east on Orange Grove Boulevard.
"I need to warn you, my mother's parties are notorious for being covered by the press. So when we get to the gate, be prepared for photographers."
"Why would they care about an academic's party?" Sheldon questioned.
"Well, my mother is a distant Kennedy cousin, so everyone gets their knickers in a twist when she throws a party."
"I see." He said, although it was clear he really didn't.
They drove in silence for about ten minutes, and then they rounded the crest of a hill and approached a wrought iron gate. Surrounding it were fluorescent orange barricades and a dozen or so reporters. Layla uttered several turns of phrase under her breath that his Sheldon looking at her in shock.
"What?" she laughed when she noticed his stare. "I went to all four years of public high school. If you had, you'd develop a skill for profanity too."
Sheldon decided not to comment on this, since she was rolling down her window and speaking to the young security guard manning the gate. "We're here for the Nicholas' party." She informed him, showing her driver's license.
"O-okay," the young man nodded, waving her through. He seemed very unnerved by the loud mass of reporters, who attempted to ride through the gate on the back of Layla's car. The guard pulled them off and Layla sped away.
Whew," she breathed. "The easy part is over."
"The easy part?" he replied, forgetting himself and showing a little bit of alarm.
"Yeah," she pulled into a cobblestone driveway where several valets were moving vehicles. The house behind the car park was massive, a Spanish- style structure with iron pillars and rounded windows cheerily illuminated. "Now comes the hard part."
"Layla!" a familiar voice rang through the marble foyer, where yet another staff member was checking coats. This must be the mother, Sheldon thought to himself as a tall brunette woman glided toward them. She was dressed in an olive green dress that cascaded to the floor, and the top of it had a strange sort of collar. This was accompanied by too much gold jewellery. "Darling, there you are!"
"Hello mother," Layla smiled obligatorily and hugged the heavily powdered and perfumed woman. It was obvious where Layla had inherited her height. "This is Dr. Sheldon Cooper; Sheldon, my mother, Amelia."
"Oh yes, Sheldon!" Amelia cried, pecking his cheek. "Enoch is in the study, smoking that dreadful pipe. Really, dear, I wish you'd dress up a little."
"I did dress up mother; this is hardly what I'd wear to work." Layla argued quietly, mindful of the nearby guests.
"Well, too late now, I suppose. Oh, there's the Steins!" she bubbled, moving off to the portly couple who'd just come in without another word.
Layla let out a breath and visibly relaxed. "As you can see, she's just as much of a handful in person."
"Yes, I see." Sheldon looked around at the guests already assembled; several of them stood in the marble-covered foyer, complete with Greek statuary, drinking cocktails and surveying everyone who walked in the door. A few more stood up the three marble steps to the rest of the main entryway, looking out at the marvellous view the eight-foot-tall windows provided, or chatting and eating crab cakes. He could smell them, and, as a waiter moved past carrying a gilded tray, see them. Through the archway on the left of the huge windows Sheldon could hear classical music, and he deduced this must be the ballroom.
"Come on; let me do a quick sweep for my sisters and then I'll take you to daddy." She whispered, putting one hand on his elbow and guiding him toward the ballroom. As much as he valued his personal space, Sheldon discovered being touched in such a casual way was not as revolting as he'd imagined.
"Couldn't we just go to the study?" he complained.
"No, and when we get to the ballroom, you'll see why." Layla held her ground, and they entered the more crowded room.
The parquet floor glistened, and in front of another large bank of windows an orchestra played a Viennese waltz. Several couples danced, and about two dozen more watched from the sidelines. He noticed almost immediately that almost every man in the room, whether he was with a woman or not, turned to look at his companion.
"Layla, everyone is staring at you." He observed, using a low register as not to be overheard.
"I know," she replied, gazing at the people assembled, trying not to make eye contact.
"Why are they staring?" Sheldon asked, as it was obvious she was not going to volunteer any more information.
"Because I've dated at least two thirds of them," she replied, moving finally, her hand still on his elbow. "Sheldon, put your arm around my waist."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I know Penny said you weren't into violating personal space, whether it was yours or others', but all these old letches are looking at me like I'm the dessert cart. That needs to stop. In order for it to stop, they need to see I've brought a man with me, and therefore they can go back to their wives or whichever lonely widow they were trying to seduce. Please, Sheldon, just do it." Layla finally looked at him, her eyes pleading. Sighing in a long- suffering way, he complied. "Thank you." She whispered. Sure enough, several of the men they passed averted their eyes.
A tall blonde waved to Layla, and she waved back. "That's my sister, Emily." She explained as they approached her. "Hey Em."
"Hi sweetie, how are you?" Emily replied, hugging Layla tightly. "I wish mom would let us bring the kids to these things; our babysitter costs a fortune."
"It'll be a cold day in hell before mom lets children under the age of nineteen roam loose in her parties." Layla scoffed. "Oh, and this is Dr. Sheldon Cooper, a colleague; Sheldon, this is my sister, Emily Scott."
"Nice to meet you," Sheldon said dutifully.
"And you, Dr. Cooper." Emily smiled pleasantly.
"Where's Henry?" Layla asked.
"He went to get us some drinks about fifteen minutes ago; no doubt he was corralled into some group of men talking about England in the time of Cromwell or something." She laughed.
"Any sign of Diana?"
"As if." Now it was Emily's turn to scoff. "Unfortunately, our little sister actually has a life, and it has nothing to do with stuffy museum parties."
"Well, Sheldon and I are here," Layla rebutted. "We may not necessarily have lives, but we do have work to do."
"Oh yes?" Emily turned to him. "What do you do, Dr. Cooper?"
"I'm a theoretical physicist at Cal Tech." He answered.
"Oh, so dad invited you?" Emily surmised. "I'm sure he'd love to see you both—oh my god, Lay, look who just walked in."
The two turned to see a short blonde with perfectly coiffed curls bounce into the room. She was wearing a boldly printed dress that flowed around her sandals, and she was on the arm of a man Sheldon had seen on the cover of Penny's magazine last month.
"Oh no, not another one," Layla sighed, pasting on a bright smile. "Hi, Diana."
"Hey Layla!" the blonde cried happily. "This is Justin; Justin, these are my big sisters, Layla and Emily."
"Hey," the muscular man nodded.
"Uh...right. This is Dr. Sheldon Cooper." Layla introduced.
"God Layla, you have the weirdest taste." Diana groused, making both she and Sheldon blush in embarrassment.
"Diana, Sheldon is a physicist; dad invited him tonight."
"Whatever; I'm sure he's holed up in his office, right? Explaining equations scribbled on papyrus."
"They use grease boards now, but kudos for knowing papyrus." Emily said, winking at her youngest sister.
"Well, we just stopped in to make mom happy; we have to go to a club opening in Malibu tonight." Diana boasted.
"Come on babe, car's waiting." Justin said. And with a wave, the youngest Nicholas girl disappeared into the crowd.
"Ugh, we're going to find dad." Layla told Emily.
"Yeah- send Henry back if you find him, will you?" the other woman asked. Layla nodded and pulled Sheldon away.
"I can't believe she had the audacity to bring him here." She whispered when they got out into the hallway again. "She couldn't bear to come to a party without a date, even an inappropriate one."
"Surely your objection isn't to do with him being famous or wealthy," Sheldon said. "Most women, I imagine, would be glad their sister found such compatibility and a comfortable situation."
"Yes, well, I don't envy my sister her Neanderthal," Layla scoffed. They headed across the foyer and into the right side of the hallway, where the corridor split in two; one side was bustling with wait staff and trays, while the other housed absolutely no movement. There was one door at the end of it. "Men like you, Sheldon, are light years beyond what women like Diana can even register in a man." They reached the door, and she knocked and pushed it open. "Welcome to my sanctuary."