The Shootout

So like I said last week, gonna have some fun this chapter with paintballing. Plus I wanted to hold off the convention one more chapter lol. I've played with ideas and gotten a really good one from my lovely dear friend, AuntMo, but I thought this would be fun to do as a sort of filler bit.


"Really?" Marnie asked

"Yes." Sheldon replied.

"Are you kidding by any chance?" Marnie asked.

"Did I use the word, Bazinga?" Sheldon asked.

"You did just there." Marnie shot back with a triumphant little smile. Sheldon paused then grinned and shook his head, surprising everyone else in the room.

"When I posed the initial question, Marnie, not when answering yours." Sheldon stated.

"Oh...well then no, you did not." Marnie admitted.

"Exactly...therefore...no kidding is involved." Sheldon explained.

"Fair enough." Marnie nodded in understanding. Everyone else watched the pair as they moved around each other in the kitchen of the boys' apartment. Marnie had come up with the idea of doing a home cooked meal for dinner and she had somehow managed to convince Sheldon to help her. They were adding the finishing touches to a pasta dish and everyone was amazed at the fact that they had yet to bump into each other considering how often they turned and moved.

"So?" Sheldon asked.

"Everyone else is going?" Marnie asked, looking over at the group who all instantly pretended that they weren't paying attention to the couple.

"Yes, even Penny and Bernadette." Sheldon reasoned.

"I don't know, Sheldon." Marnie leaned over the stove to check the food. "Usually is someone hands me some sort of gun, it's for laser tag not...paintball."

"The only difference would be that you'd get more colourful in paintball." Sheldon attempted to convince her. "And...you wouldn't get hurt, we'd make sure you have the appropriate armour. Also, have I mentioned yet that it'll be fun?" Marnie laughed slightly. "Will I have to resort to childish forms of negotiating?"

"Well we wouldn't want that." Marnie joked. She turned around to look at Sheldon then put her hands on his shoulders before standing on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Fine, I'll go."

"Good!" Sheldon smiled.

"Man if giving Sheldon a girlfriend made this sort of change in him, we should have done this sooner." Howard muttered.

"I think it's sweet." Bernadette said. "Sheldon's happy, Marnie's happy, everybody's happy."

"Until Will Wheaton finds out his plan to break them up didn't work." Leonard said, smiling. "Then he'll be unhappy."

"Dinner's ready!" Marnie asked, looking over at the group. "Howard, you're in Sheldon's spot." Everyone else laughed as Howard got up and moved to sit on the floor with Raj who had already figured out the pattern. "Don't sit yet!" Howard paused in the action of lowering himself to the floor. "We're not going to serve you guys, come get it." Everyone got to their feet and got the food.

Penny wondered if anyone else thought that Marnie kicking Howard off the couch when she did wasn't necessary since Sheldon basically beat everyone else back to the living room.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

"Get in, get in, get in!" Sheldon encouraged, running into the shed that was acting as the base for their team. Everyone else followed him and Howard closed the door. "Alright, strategies people! We need strategies!"

"How about Marnie and I just take everyone out?" Penny suggested. "Stick with the original plan."

"Well of course but we need to create an opening for you." Sheldon exclaimed, exasperated.

"Howard, Raj and Bernadette go one way, you and go the other." Leonard stated. "Penny and Marnie go up the middle, shoot everyone, bam, we go celebrate." Marnie laughed and shook her head. "Whoever they don't take out, the rest of us get."

"Who made you the team leader?" Sheldon asked.

"It's a good plan, Sheldon." Marnie reasoned, lifting her goggles to her forehead. "Makes sense, easy to follow, and uses our strengths appropriately."

"Oh alright." Sheldon caved. Marnie grinned at the others. They all gave her thumbs up.

"Everyone ready?" Bernadette asked.

"Let's do this!" Penny replied enthusiastically. Marnie laughed and slid her goggles back in place before the whole group went charging out the door, dodging enemy fire and shooting at anyone that dared try to get them.

"Hey Pen...did you ever see Failure to Launch?" Marnie asked as they crouched behind a crate.

"Umm yeah I think so." Penny answered. "Why?" Marnie wiggled her pointer and middle fingers in the air before twirling around the crate and using both fingers to tap at the trigger and successfully shoot rapid fire at their would be attackers. "Oh, awesome!" Penny went around the other side of crate to do the same maneuver.

"What do you know, Penny really is an amazing shot." Sheldon commented from how spot watching the girls.

"Yeah, quit watching and shoot Sheldon!" Leonard barked. Sheldon just rolled his eyes before looking around and shooting a rival player.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

"As fun as that was, I think I'll stick to laser tag." Marnie commented as they returned to the apartment building.

"But we won, you have to play again." Sheldon insisted.

"Sheldon, I can teach you guys the finger thing." Marnie said. "It's not that hard."

"It's really not." Penny agreed.

"Plus...I won't almost twist my ankle in laser tag from dodging a laser." Marnie remarked as she limped up the stairs, Sheldon right behind her.

"Don't worry Marnie, you're not the first one to step in that hole." Howard pointed out. "Raj has done it a couple of times." Raj glared at him as they all followed behind Sheldon and Marnie.

"I had fun." Bernadette spoke up. "I'm just happy I didn't get shot."

"That's because you had me to protect you." Howard said, putting his arm around his girlfriend. Marnie turned around to look at them then looked at Raj who had started doing gestures. She grinned and looked at Howard.

"Really Howard? Because Raj said you were hiding most of the time." Marnie translated. Everyone stopped walking and looked between Marnie and Raj. "Told him if he's not going to talk then he might as well learn sign language." Everyone looked at Raj who was smiling triumphantly.

"Well...what do you know, she's found a way around it." Leonard observed.

"That's because Marnie is smart in her own right." Sheldon stated.

"Aww, that's just about the sweetest thing you've said." Marnie stood on her toes and kissed Sheldon's cheek quickly before stumbling back to flat foot. "Okay, I need off this foot and preferably some ice." Sheldon tilted his head then put an arm around her waist to help support her. Everyone was shocked again as they watched the two continue up the rest of the stairs.

"I never thought I would see the day." Howard remarked.

"And she's going to the Star Trek convention with him." Leonard pointed out.

"She's even got a costume already in her closet." Penny said as they started trooping up the stairs after Sheldon and Marnie.

"Ah, love is in the air." Howard commented. Penny and Bernadette smiled slightly at that statement.


Okay so I just wanted to get a chapter up this week because I've basically set myself to updating this story every Thursday so please forgive the shortness. Now I'm going to step up to my other stories. This story, I see it having about three to five more chapters then getting finished so you've all been warned.