The Unconventional Convention

First off, I hope everyone had a good Christmas or whatever it is you celebrate. I apologize for not posting last Thursday but I had a lot of Christmas related stuff to do so this is going up earlier this week and, if I can manage it, I'll get back on track this Thursday with the next chapter if I come up with something within twenty-four hours.

Time for the big event!

Drum Roll!

Will Wheaton had gotten bored as he absently signed autographs, his eyes traveling around the room looking for a tall physicist accompanied by a gorgeous redhead. He had seen the other three guys and even the two other girls but no sign of Sheldon and Marnie. There were many people around, some in costumes, some not. Various ranges of nerds and geeks, all the types that made Will Wheaton feel like he was some big hot shot. Many people came around his area, begging for autographs which he gave without so much as a second thought. Unless of course the person asking was a rare good looking woman, then of course Will would take his attention partially away from looking for two specific people and would turn it to flirting. At some point he figured he should feel bad for it but then he just didn't. It wasn't his fault he attracted women, that was just the way it was.

He hadn't heard a thing from Stewart about process on Sheldon and Marnie since the lunch with Marnie last week. For all he knew, his plan had worked and they were no longer together. It was almost a pity that it worked that easily.

Almost...but...not quite.

Will was still looking around for the pair when the next person came up for a DVD autograph. He took it without looking, his eyes on the crowd more then the people he was meant to be paying attention to.

"Who am I making this to?" Will asked automatically.

"The girl who you thought wouldn't show up." Marnie's voice sounded musical and full of laughter. Will snapped his head around to find not only Marnie but Sheldon standing in front of him. Marnie dressed as Uhura with her hair up in a high ponytail and wearing a red dress with the silver comm badge on her chest and black knee high boots. She even had a replica ear device, similar to the movie. Sheldon was no surprise, dressed as Spock.

"Well well well, look what we have here." Will stood up slowly to get a better look at the duo.

"Surprised?" Marnie asked, tilting her head. Her ponytail tilting along with it.

"Just a little." Will replied.

"Don't be too upset, Wheaton." Sheldon mocked. "Your little plan to sabotage us didn't work." He put his arm around Marnie's shoulders and for a second she shot a glare at him. "Marnie is here...as my girlfriend...and dressed up."

"Yep...I am." Marnie said, rolling her eyes then smiling. Will raised an eyebrow. "You admit Sheldon wins?"

"I'm going to have to." Will admitted, frowning.

"Great...you can keep the DVD." Marnie replied. She walked away and Sheldon went after her.

"You know...this actually isn't too bad." Penny admitted, looking around.

"You're just saying that because the free gift bag has stuff in it that you like." Leonard replied, smiling. Penny shrugged and smiling. She raised an eyebrow when Marnie stormed past them, an equally upset Sheldon right behind her.

"Oh don't be rediculous." Sheldon chided.

"Rediculous?" Marnie asked, spinning around. "Hello, I'm walking around in this skin tight little red dress, I'm pretty sure we've gone past rediculous." The rest of their gang had grouped around, all of them wondering what was going on. "I got you what you wanted, you beat Wheaton, happy now?"

"Honestly Marnie, in the middle of the convention you want to start this now?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah well it's not as if you'll listen any other time or place." Marnie replied, crossing her arms. "Look, I came, I dressed up for ya, he saw us together, it's done, you can get a ride home from Leonard and Penny, I want out of this damn dress as soon as possible."

"What the..." Penny muttered.

"Fine, I'm glad this is over." Sheldon agreed.

"That makes two of us." Marnie said.

"Fine." Sheldon said.

"Fine!" Marnie exclaimed, spinning around and stomping off. Penny and Leonard watched her go then looked at Sheldon. Not far behind him, they could see Will Wheaton watching, looking just about as surprised as they were.

"Sheldon, go after her!" Penny exclaimed.

"What for?" Sheldon asked, looking incredilously at Penny. "Our deal is done." Penny's jaw dropped as Sheldon walked away.

"Deal? What deal?" Penny asked, turning her shocked expression towards Leonard.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

"Sheldon what is going on?" Leonard asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sheldon replied.

"You just broke up with Marnie!" Penny exclaimed.

"We were never together." Sheldon pointed out. Penny and Leonard frowned and looked at each other.

"What?" They both asked.

"It was a show." Sheldon explained. "To get you all to believe that it was still going. Once Marnie found out..."

"Why put on a show for us?" Penny asked.

"Because." Sheldon said simply.

"You are such a jerk!" Penny exclaimed, walking away into the crowd.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

Marnie twisted the straw in her cup as she sat in the fast food joint. She had changed out of the costume but kept on the boots and left her hair in the ponytail. The whole gang had gotten rooms in a hotel for the convention so they wouldn't have to worry about the drive home whenever they decided to leave. Marnie had a room to herself, the key card firmly attached to her keyring. Her eyes drifted around the restaurant as she sipped the milkshake she had ordered when she arrived.

"You messaged." Will stated, walking over to the table, hat and sunglasses in place.

"Hi." Marnie replied, gesturing to the chair across from her. Will sat down and pulled off his sunglasses. "I'm guessing you saw what happened at the convention."

"Uh yeah...I was watching." Will decided the honest route would go over better. "So you were just playing along with him for this?" Marnie shrugged and sipped her milkshake again. Will tilted his head. "You really did start having feelings for him didn't you?"

"What's done is done." Marnie replied simply. She jumped when Will took her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Gesture of friendship." Will explained, smiling slightly. "I want you to know that I'm here for you, if you ever need anything." Marnie looked down at their hands, watching his thumb run over the back of her hand.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

Penny was fuming.

She was angry.

She was livid.

She was going to go Junior Rodeo on the ass of Sheldon Lee Cooper.

That is if she ever really saw him again. They had been back from the convention for a couple of days now and Penny had yet to come across her boyfriend's roommate. Although, now that she thought of it, she didn't really see her own roommate too much anymore either. Marnie was always working lately, either at the shop or with the band. Penny was starting to miss her redheaded friend.

Dinners with the boys were weird without Sheldon around. The three guys and Penny would sit around and eat. It was fun the first day but surprisingly only the first day. The next day it was weird. The third day, it just didn't make sense.

And so Penny took drastic measures.

"Cooper residence." Mary Cooper answered the phone as she stood in the kitchen of her house in Texas.

"Mrs Cooper, it's Penny, I'm your son's neighbor." Penny replied.

"Oh yes, I remember you, Leonard's girlfriend." Mary said.

"Yep, that's me." Penny laughed slighly. "There's uh...well...a bit of a problem."

"Oh no...my son gone and put your underwear on a phone wire again?" Mary asked.

"Oh, no...no this is...well...it's still about Sheldon but a uh...different girl." Penny explained.

*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*BBT*

"So what do you think?" Marnie asked the man sitting across from her.

"Well I can tell you that no one will appreciate it." He replied.

"Well it's not really up to them now is it?" Marnie retorted. The man smiled and shook his head. "They'll understand...eventually."

"Oh probably." The man agreed. "Afterall, they can't be that ignorant."

"They just worry too much." Marnie said. "Once the shock wears off, they'll see that this was really a good thing."

"And if they don't?" The man asked. Marnie paused then smiled. She put her arms over her companion's shoulders, her hands linking together behind his neck. His hands drifted down to grasp lightly at her waist.

"Does it matter?" Marnie asked, head tilted, eyebrow raised, lips curled in a slight smile. She looked innocent but at the same time like such a little devil.

"Hmm..." The man pretended to contemplate his answer. The longer he took, the larger Marnie's smile grew. Finally, she was gifted with a smile and a slight tug on her waist. "No."

"That's what I thought." Marnie replied. She balanced up on her toes and softly kissed her companion's lips.

Oh boy, look at the mess I've caused. Several messes actually.

As Sid the Sloth has once said...DON'T SPEAR ME! There's reason a-plenty for the messes.