"Gran Mag…"
Summary: Utterly for fun…Sheldon is in deep, deep trouble…From certain povs…When Amy's older sister blows…Into town…For Halloween and their engagement party…
Helps if you look up the wondrous Charlotte Gainsbourg…And one of the better pics of the equally wondrous Maggie Hamilton…
Disclaimer: BBT is all Chuck's…
Part IX…
Our apartment where Howard and Raj had "maintained the command post" (i.e. played unauthorized Halo on a night not designated for such…)
"No luck…?" Howard to Leonard… "Hey, honey." Hopeful glance by Bernadette…Dashed by his polite smile and casual look away as she moved to his side.
Howie…
Jesus, you can play video games all night with the guy you were told was caught with me but you can't give me the time of day…Or just a little anger, hatred, anything to say this has had some effect?
God I am more than Halley's mom…That's not enough to paper over this.
Later…But hate me or despise me, you are gonna hear me…
Leonard, slight frown at Howard…Then resigned shrug at Bernadette's leave-it-to-me stare.
Raj for his part, apparently suffering a revision of his old condition, seemingly spellbound and helpless in the presence of multiple beautiful ladies. Charlotte warmly smiling upon him for a moment…Reducing him to an utter puddle of curry.
However I can tell you his sudden "Flowers for Algernon" reversal had but one short blonde trigger…
The woman he'd managed to compromise…
As for the Halo…I fail to see how Bernadette couldn't see that it could be quite cathartic to spend an evening ruthlessly murdering your best friend and wife's possible lover. And Howard, whatever else he is, is a dutiful friend. When called to man a video gaming post to support his friends, he stands to his post as any of us would.
And Howard wasn't about to start a confrontation with Raj with little Halley in the other room. Leonard's room, naturally, much as I love my spirit niece, I do not love her mass produced byproducts. Horrible enough that it has now become "Penny's" room in spirit during their separation.
Thank God for their inability to spend a single night without coitus…
"No…" Leonard frowned, returning to more important matters…Namely my fiancee's sufferings, as he should… "Wherever Sheldon's holed up, he's done it well…We thought we had a lead at Starbucks…"
"Starbucks?" Howard, blinking… "Sheldon?...At Starbucks…?"
"It was pretty clever, actually…" Leonard noted. "I know I'd never have thought to look for him there…"
"All this to get out of…" Howard, reflecting…
(What can I say…The man is an engineer…)
"Uh…" he eyed Amy's shattered face. Charlotte with arm on her shoulder…
And Bernadette's grim one…Penny's equally so…
"…An evening with us…But hey, maybe he had some work at the University. He's like that, taking off to suddenly do work in the middle of the evening." lame finish…
"He's not working…But thank you Howard…" Amy sighed.
(Au contraire, mon amour…And all for you…)
"Has he ever done this before?" Charlotte asked.
(The inner cackling no doubt reaching epic proportions…Sensing victory to be hers…)
"He's locked himself in his room." Leonard reflected. "And me out of the apartment…And once he did run home to his mother in east Texas…"
"I see…" Charlotte nodded. "My poor Amy…" she patted her.
"I'm fine…" Amy shrugged. "Sheldon will show up, with some explanation, when he wishes. For now, it's best I go home to my old place and drown my sorrows in carrot juice…"
Penny, eyeing her…
"It would be ice cream, cake, or booze…" Amy shrugged again. "But hey, he might show in time for the party and I don't wanna gain ten pounds before hand…"
"I'll stay with you…" Charlotte, insistent. "Leonard?...Could you drive us to Amy's…?"
"Sure…"
"Thanks, Charlotte…Would you mind if Penny…My bestie? And my friend Bernadette?...Come too. Penny?...Bernadette...If you don't mind…Would you?"
"If you guys really want me...Sure…" Penny eyed them.
"Yeah..." Bernadette nodded. "We'll burn that little Sheldon's ears off with our witty gal tales of his flaws and inadequacies... "
Amy staring ...Hard frown...
"Or maybe we'll just drink carrot juice and watch a weepy video?... Howie?"
"Oh, sure…I've got Halley set. Do your thing…" smile.
Sigh…
"Thanks…"
Raj desperately moving to stand by Leonard who eyed him.
Have a heart, dude…Howard said he accepted my explanation…However lame it may have been. And I swore to you it never happened before…
"I wouldn't have it any other way…" Charlotte, smiling warmly… "A girls' slumber party…You know I've only been to one in my life, besides with the ones Amy and I had with each other when we were young…"
"Remember, Amy? The other girls called me the 'elephant woman' and wanted me to play a human piñata? It was so much fun…" she beamed. The group blinking at each other…
…
Naturally defeating both the series of multiple locks and the rather simple alarm system at our friend Stuart's comic book store…Our special place…Was no challenge to me, once I'd stealthily made my way to the locale…
The only real threat being the temptation to feast upon the new issues gleaming in their racks before me once I'd made my way inside…But when Love drives a man, even comic book mania must bow.
However I was rather startled to find on moving toward the living quarters in back that a light was on…
And to find Stuart, a rather elfin little fellow, of no more than minor sexual appeal to females, awake in bathrobe, reading from a stack of comics by his favorite chair. Eyeing me as I approached, with no surprise whatsoever…
"Hello, Sheldon…" he glanced at me. "I've been waiting for you…"