Chapter 26: A Prom to Remember

Prom Part One.

Bernie squeaked, "Okay, I'll bite. Who's our mystery guest going to be?"

Penny smiled mischievously at Sheldon, "Does the name Barry Kripke ring a bell?"

Sheldon's eyes flew open and he shouted, "Oh dear lord, NO!"

Niki was surprised by his reaction, so she asked the group, "Who's Barry Kripke?"

Penny answered her as she put her clipboard away, "He's Sheldon's Emily Sweeney. Barry's been on sabbatical for a year, but now he's back and wants to come to our prom."

Sheldon stood up and demanded angrily, "Who on earth told Kripke about our plans? The man is detestable!"

Leonard looked extremely guilty as he admitted in a small voice, "It was me. I saw him on campus the other day and told him about the prom. I never thought he'd want to come. I'm sorry, Sheldon."

Niki rose to join her lover and said, "Hey, I've never met the man, but if Leonard told him about the prom, he's got every right to attend."

Sheldon move away from Niki and looked at her with a petulant face, "And just how would you react, Miss Smarty Pants, if Emily Sweeney showed up?"

Niki took Sheldon's hands in hers, "I would keep my distance and retain my composure."

Bernie voiced her doubts, "Uh, I haven't seen you do that around her. I remember a real hard slap and a BITCH being thrown her way."

Niki turned to Raj as she defended herself, "That was at someone's house in a private setting; I will apologize once more for that, Raj. Anyway, she engaged me first, remember? I think now that I know her better; I would just avoid her and concentrate on enjoying the evening."

Sheldon whined, more to himself than anyone else, "Well, I will find that extremely difficult to do with Barry. He will purposefully set me up for something."

Leonard clapped him on the shoulder, "Look, buddy, I invited him so I will make sure I run an airtight interference for you that night. Okay?"

Sheldon sighed, "If you feel you must, Leonard. I would prefer he not come at all."

Penny put her foot down in a kindly manner, "Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. Look, sweetie, between me, Leonard, and Niki, we promise he won't get near you, okay?"

Niki spoke to the group as a whole, "I'm a little curious. What's this guy like?"

Leonard eyes never left his friend as he answered her, "Well, as far as I know, right now he's a focusing on string theory, but he used to work on plasma research."

Niki shook her head in frustration, "I didn't ask what he was researching; I asked what he was like."

Leonard turned from Sheldon to Niki and explained, "He has an amazing knack for teasing people and pulling practical jokes. Plus, he has rhotacism."

Vewy, vewy, badwy, too. Howard joked.

Niki smirked at Bernadette's husband, "Oh, I see. He's like Howard, but with a speech impediment. I think we can handle that."

Sheldon grinned broadly at his lady and pulled her close while Howard glared at them both.

Penny ignored Howard, brightened and declared, "Okay, everyone. I think we've covered everything. Let's get ready to party!"

Niki and Bernie were up on the roof Saturday morning decorating it for the prom to be held later that evening. They were busy inflating helium balloons and hanging festive bunting when Niki suddenly asked Bernadette, "I'm kinda new to the dynamic between all of you, but I have to ask, what is it between Sheldon and Howard? I thought they were friends."

"Well, it's more kind of a habit they've both gotten into that's a little unhealthy, but keeps going. Sort of like my chocolate addiction. From what I've heard, it all started when Howie first met Sheldon, he called him a cross between Pee Wee Herman and C-3PO. He shortened that to C-3P-Wee Herman. For some reason, Sheldon has never forgotten that."

Niki smiled wryly and replied, "I see. So Sheldon countered with the assaults on Howard's education and career?"

'Yeah, they do it more in jest right now, but if you let it go long enough, they sometimes get serious about it again. You made a good move the other night in stopping it. I know they're really friends, but when they start in on each other, well, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Like when I get a pap smear."

Niki gave her tiny friend an uncomfortable look, "I don't know how to respond to that."

"Neither do I. I just interrupt them when they really get going."

Niki went back to inflating balloons, "No, I meant…never mind." Niki thought a moment, then brightened and started the conversation on another track. "You know, Bernie, when we first met, we talked about getting together without Penny, to get to know each other better. Penny lives next door to me, so I have plenty chances to talk to her by herself, but you live way up there in Altadena. It makes it sort of hard to just drop in, you know?"

"You're talking like I live at the North Pole; I just live fifteen minutes away! But yeah, I know what you mean. I have Howie, Kelly, and my job. My time is pretty much taken up with all of that. But here we are, so let's talk. What do you wanna know?"

"Okay, for starters, how did you meet Howard?"

Bernie began going back in time with her thoughts as she put down the balloon in her hand, "Penny set us up on a blind date as a favor to Leonard. It seems the two guys had some sort of agreement that whoever found a girlfriend first would set the other one up with one of his lady's friends. Penny and I worked together at The Cheesecake Factory at the time and were sorta friends, so I was the Chosen One. Anyway, I met him, we bonded over complaining about our mothers, and the rest is history. Here we are fifteen years later married and with a kid."

Niki smiled at her and winked, "You guys owe Penny and Leonard big time."

Bernie cocked her head in confusion, "How's that?"

"Well, you now have a great marriage with a wonderful guy and a fantastic daughter. If it hadn't been for Leonard and Penny agreeing to set you guys up, you wouldn't have Howard or Kelly."

Bernie looked a bit sadly at Niki, "Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to breathe a word to either Howard or Sheldon."

Niki made the motion of crossing her heart, "I promise. What is it?"

"It hasn't always been easy being with Howard. Remember, when I met him he had lived with his mother his entire life except for his college years. He was a huge momma's boy. Cute, sexy as hell, but still an overgrown child."

Niki let the cute and sexy comment go and pleaded with Bernie, "Please continue. I didn't know any of this. Sheldon doesn't talk about Howard much. It seems he's closer to Leonard and Raj."

"Yeah, you're right on that one. Howie and Sheldon are friends, but not close friends. They're both the outliers of the group, if you know what I mean. They're both closer to Raj and Leonard than they are to each other. Anyway, when I had Kelly, Howard really stepped up to the plate and matured, but that wasn't so good, either."

Niki didn't get it so she asked Bernie, "Why is that?"

Bernie looked around to make sure they were alone and then continued, "His main focus became Kelly. I always felt I came in second best with Howie to our own daughter. But I never complained. How many women would love to have their husband become Super Dad? Most, I guess. But he never seemed to notice me as much after we had Kelly. Sex was kinda impersonal, more like, as Sheldon would put it, 'coitus' than making love. But all that changed after he saw Penny in her play."

Niki was becoming increasingly curious, "How did it change? And why?"

"Well, he started making more time for just the two of us. We now go out together sometimes and leave Kelly with my folks; he never used to like doing that. He also pays a lot more attention to me in the bedroom, if you know what I mean. My Howie went from a dud to a stud. I'm not complaining anymore! Why this all happened? I don't really know, but I say you never look a gift horse in the mouth. Not that Howie's a horse or anything…" she giggled and winked at Niki.

Once again, Niki did not know how to respond, but she smiled and looked at Bernie, "I promise not say a word of this to anyone. Thanks for filling me in on a lot of things. I appreciate it."

Bernie filled her last balloon, sat down in one of the chairs and motioned Niki to sit down beside her, "Now your turn, honey. I want to know all the dirt on you and Sheldon. How did you meet, how does he treat you, and how on earth do you tolerate some of the things he does?"

Niki stared out at the sky and began to speak, "Let's see, Raj was working with Sheldon on his black hole research and he convinced Sheldon to let me take his place when he went to work at the Palomar Observatory for a few weeks. We found we worked well together and as time went on, we grew closer."

Bernie leaned toward her eagerly, "How did you ever get him to make that move at Disneyland? He's a little slow moving when it comes to romance."

Niki's face became a huge question mark, "He is? He's the one who made the first move, not me. He kissed me right outside of It's a Small World. It was a good kiss, too."

"That's so unlike Sheldon. He usually makes the lady work for it, at least that's what Amy said."

Niki thought for a minute and then nodded in agreement with Bernie, "Yeah, now that you mention it, he did say something along those lines to me. But now he puts the moves on me all the time. Maybe he's just older and more confident now. I don't know."

Now it was Bernie's turn to look confused, "That's strange you called him confident, Sheldon's not real good with social skills, you know?"

Niki shook her head emphatically, "No, I don't know. I believe he's very astute, actually."

"How so? He doesn't always recognize sarcasm or irony. And he's got a weird sense of humor."

"Well, let's see about that. Do you remember when Sheldon and Raj got into it the other night?" Niki looked straight at her friend as she spoke.

Bernie pretended to brush a piece of confetti off of her sweater, "Sure. They do that a lot. We just talked about that, remember?"

"Uh huh, and could someone who has no clue about sarcasm or irony fire off insults at Howard like they were coming out of a machine gun? Well, could they?"

Bernie looked surprised and came close to falling out of her chair, "Wow, I never thought of it that way. Are you saying he's been pulling our leg all these years?"

Niki shook her head once again and explained, "Not at all. Sheldon does have some trouble picking up on social cues, but not to the extent that he would have you believe. He can't lie, that's for sure, but lots of people, myself included, have trouble with that. He loves routines, but don't we all to some extent? I like knowing what's most likely going to happen on any given day, and I bet you do, too. He carries it to an extreme sometimes, but believe me, if he's given the right motivation, he can bend. Boy, can he bend. I'll let you in on another little secret. Sheldon Cooper is one of the most fun people to be around that I've ever met. He's adventurous, timid, serious, silly, wise, caustic, and kind, sometimes all within a space of five minutes. He's slowly maturing and he's learned how to let go and relax in the last few months. Now, Sheldon loves to go dancing with me and he's crazy about rollerblading. But he's not the only one who's different now, I've changed since knowing him, too. He's taught me how to play a mean round of paintball and Halo, and to watch and enjoy Dr. Who. Plus, he listens to me without judgment most of the time. Not everyone can, or will, do that."

"This is Sheldon you're talking about, right?"

Niki gave a little laugh, she'd heard some form of this phrase from Penny more than a few times, "Yeah, that guy. I think the world of him. He's pretty smart, too."

"And he never lets anyone forget it, either. He does have this huge ego problem sometimes."

Niki nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Sheldon does think he's smarter than everyone else, but I think he's just being honest. Anyway, if the only good thing people had ever said about you was that you were smart; wouldn't you hold onto that fact for dear life? His whole life, Sheldon's been called weird, strange, annoying, obnoxious, and rude. The only good thing people say about him is that he's smart. People forget, the guy does have feelings. When the world acts like there's no place for you in it, you find your own niche. Sheldon's was being a genius and he's held onto that like a drowning man to a life preserver. Given the chance, Sheldon is also the kindest person you will ever know."

Bernie turned to Niki with an annoyed face, "Now you're just being ridiculous."

"Am I? Do you remember when Howard's mother died?"

Bernies head dropped and she replied in a small, sad, voice, "Of course I do. Howie was lost, and heartbroken, and scared, all at the same time."

"Okay, now I got this from Penny, so correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Sheldon the one who knew exactly the right thing to say to Howard when no one else did?" Niki stared at her friend, waiting patiently for her answer.

Bernie's eyes grew wide and she gasped, "My god, you're right!"

"And let me tell you something else, this has to do with me and him. I hadn't been working with Sheldon long when I decided to tell him about my past, about Paul dying and me falling apart and losing my job."

Bernie nodded, "Yeah, I heard about that from Penny."

"Uh huh. Do you know what the man you all call insensitive and annoying said to me when I told him all of that?"

"No, what did he say?"

"He told me he felt bad about what I had gone through and that he respected the fact that I had admitted I had a problem and handled it. He was so kind and understanding, when most people would have been judgmental. I think that is when, subliminally, I began to fall in love with him. On the other hand, he's not always the good guy, either. I know for a fact that Sheldon may not always be nice and while he may not recognize irony or sarcasm every time he sees them, when it comes to verbal battles, he chooses his weapons very carefully and uses them very skillfully. Sheldon always knows what he is doing and how to get his way. Always. Pretty socially adept, huh?"

Bernie gave her a sideways glance "You have him all figured out already?"

Niki laughed out loud, "Hell no! I haven't even figured me out completely yet. I just know Sheldon is more capable than most people give him credit for."

"Is that how you manage to put up with him?"

They both rose from their chairs and made their way for the doorway that led downstairs. Niki turned to Bernie and confided to her in a tongue-in-cheek voice, "Well that and…you were saying something about a horse earlier?"

Bernie blushed and headed down the stairs. Niki caught up with her and asked her, "Tell me, why do all of you guys put up with him? Even you say disparaging things about him sometimes, so why do you hang with him? Why is he a large part of your social circle?' Bernie turned to contradict her friend, but Niki stopped her, "Don't you dare say he isn't. Let's see, Leonard and Penny took him in after Amy died, Raj made sure he wasn't left in the lurch for a research assistant when he went to Palomar, and Howard never hosts a game night without inviting Sheldon. Stewart always holds first editions of comic books he likes for him and he's always invited to every party any of you guys throw. Why?"

Bernie thought for a moment and then spoke from the heart, "Oh, that's simple. We do that because in spite of all his faults, we, like you, see his good points. He is loyal, he never talks behind your back, if you need anything he's the first one who will offer it, he will never go after one of his friends' wives or girlfriends, and he's helped every single one of us at some time or another and asked for nothing in return."

They got to the bottom step and stopped. Nike pretended to look out a window and commented in a casual voice, "Oh, Sheldon sounds like a good friend."

"Yeah, I guess he does, I mean, is. I'm sorry I said bad things about him. I know he's good to you and you love him."

Niki started walking away from the window, "I do, very much. He's different, I guess, but I know I'll never find another guy like Sheldon."

Bernadette caught up with Niki and teased her "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

That evening, before the men arrived, the ladies met in Penny's apartment and compared their looks. All three ladies looked extraordinarily beautiful. Bernadette's dress fit her like a second skin and she wore her hair in a high ponytail fastened on the left side of her head. With her eyes graced with copper and gold eye shadow, she looked both adorable and lusciously sexy at the same time.

Penny's dress caressed her body elegantly. She looked like a Greek Goddess done up in red satin. The black gloves added a slight touch of naughty to her dignified ensemble. Penny wore her hair up in a loose bun and had used a combination of amethyst and bronze eye shadow that made her green eyes pop and called appropriate attention to her lovely face.

Niki was perhaps the most transformed. With her strapless dress hugging her long, slender, body, she looked, as she had hoped, like sex on a stick. Her hair was loose and free with a deep side part, reminiscent of Jessica Rabbit. Her unique eyes were dusted with both copper and melon colors, which, with kohl eyeliner, gave her an almost feline appearance.

The three friends nodded at each other in approval, gave the usual encouraging hugs, and went upstairs to the roof to meet their dates.

As the ladies emerged from downstairs, the men turned and took them in, with their mouths ajar and a multitude of thoughts racing through their minds.

Howard took in his wife in her figure hugging dress and told himself, "We're definitely having sex tonight!"

Leonard's first thought was, "How did I ever get so lucky?"

Sheldon's mind drew a complete blank for the first time in his life. He was, as Bernie had predicted, having trouble holding his mud.

Each man guided his love over to a table and presented her with a single red rose. The ladies presented each of their men with a sweet kiss in thanks. A loud "Harrumph" broke the embraces as Raj came through the rooftop door and took his place by the dj's booth. He then smiled widely at each couple and gave them a friendly 'thumbs up'. The ladies looked down and found the following program for the evening propped up against a romantic candle in the center of the table:

Dedications and Picks Rooftop Prom 2026

The Guys to the Ladies How do You Talk to an Angel

Howard to Bernadette All by Myself

Howard's Pick Amazed

Leonard's Pick Stone in Love with You

Penny to Leonard Because You Loved Me

Penny's Pick You Needed Me

Niki's Pick Crazy for You

Sheldon's Pick High on You

Niki to Sheldon Lost in Your Eyes

Ladies to the Guys God Only Knows

Bernadette's Pick Somewhere Out There

Leonard to Penny I Can Love You Like That

Howard's Pick Sexy Eyes

Leonard's Pick If

Sheldon to Niki ?

Penny's Pick Eternal Flame

Niki's Pick The Way You Love Me

Sheldon's Pick I'll Make Love to You

Bernadette's Pik Love Will Keep Us Together

The evening started off with each man leading his lady to the dance floor, looking deep into her eyes, and dancing with her closely to How Do You Talk to an Angel? When the song had finished, the couples all headed over to the salad, pasta, and sushi bar and filled their plates with food. After a few minutes, Raj decided it was time for some more music and started playing Howard's dedication to Bernadette, All by Myself, by Eric Carmen. As they took the dance floor, Bernie's eyes shined bright and she melted right into Howard's arms. She had never expected that her husband would dedicate such a meaningful song to her. She laid her head on his shoulder as they danced and his arms tightened around her, keeping her safe and close to his heart.

After the Wolowitzes had danced their solo dance, everyone looked over to the door as Stuart and his new girlfriend, Georgia came up from downstairs. The men all walked over to greet Stuart and talk comic books while the women quickly surrounded Georgia, gushed over her gown, and showed her where to get the food and drinks. Penny left the group to go talk to Raj about the music, but Bernadette and Niki stayed close to her. They were first struck by how attractive she was in her short, red chiffon dress and then by how sweet and cordial she seemed. Before they could really get a good conversation going with her, Stuart returned to retrieve his petite, dark haired lady and lead her to a private table where they carried on what seemed to be an intimate, happy, conversation for some time.

Raj played the next two songs for everyone to enjoy, Amazed and Stone in Love with You, which had been chosen by Howard and Leonard. All the couples enjoyed these selections, swaying slowly to the music and gazing into each others' eyes as if most of them hadn't been married for over ten years. Before the next song could begin playing, Mary and Alfred appeared from downstairs and everyone left the dance floor to greet them. The older couple were both introduced to Georgia and Stewart while the notes for the next song began. Instead of the listed dedication from Penny and Leonard, Raj played a special song for the them, Where Do I Begin? The Theme from Love Story. Everyone took their seats and watched entranced, as Alfred guided his wife tenderly around the dance floor, holding her as if she were something he never wanted to lose. When the song finished and the couple had taken their seats, Penny and Leonard took to the dance floor to dance sweetly to Penny's meaningful dedication to Leonard, Because You Loved Me.

While Leonard and Penny were dancing, Mary and Alfred sat down to chat with Niki and Sheldon.

Mary turned to her son and asked, "How's things been goin' with your sweetie, here?"

"Just fine, Mother. But maybe you should get Niki's point of view, also." He raised an eyebrow at his mother while grabbing his girlfriend's hand under the table.

"I'm sorry, honey. He's right, you're sittin' right here. How are you, darlin'?"

I'm doing well, Mary. How was your cruise? I've been trying to talk Sheldon into going on one for some time now."

"It was just fine. I'm sure Sheldon will enjoy it if you ever manage to talk him into it."

"We have other, more pressing, matters on our plate right now, Mother. But I'm sure we'll get around to it in due time."

Mary's curiosity was aroused, so she directed a pointed question to the couple, "What kind of pressing issues? Like a wedding or something?"

Niki shook her head and gave a small smile, "No Mary, not yet. But, we've invested in a property together in order to have more freedom with our research."

Sheldon's mother spun around to address her son, "What? You're leavin' the college?"

Sheldon attempted to calm his mother by giving her his best Koala Face and explaining to her, "Eventually, but there have to be some renovations done before we are ready to move in."

Alfred interjected, "You bought this property together?"

Sheldon nodded soberly, "Yes, in conjunction with a third party."

"What third party?" Leonard's father demanded, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Sheldon looked uncomfortable as he answered, "A big, shall we say, professional organization from Los Angeles."

"Be very careful with that, Sheldon." Alfred advised him, "How well do you know these people?"

"I have no trouble trusting them, Alfred. Niki has known them for years."

Mary's mouth made a surprised O, "How in tarnation did you meet people like that, girl? I thought you used to be a teacher."

Niki took a bite of pasta salad, paused a second to swallow and calmly explained, "I was, a teacher married to a high profile attorney." She casually shrugged, "You meet some interesting people when you're in that situation."

Mary's husband addressed them both, concern filling his voice, "Do you have a contract that spells out the shares in ownership?"

"Oh yes. Reviewed, signed by both parties and their attorneys, and duly notarized. I was the party that drew up the document, so I made sure, as the young people say, that I covered my ass. Niki and I own 60% of both the physical and intellectual properties."

Alfred nodded, "Well, that sounds good. When do you plan to leave the university? Won't that be difficult?"

Sheldon shook his head slightly as he took a drink of his punch. He then responded to the older man's question. "Our partners in this venture are both very powerful and very wealthy. I don't foresee any problems there."

"Yes, sadly, money does talk with universities." Alfred regretfully admitted. "Won't your friends miss you?"

Sheldon and Niki looked at each other an unspoken question transmitted between them. Both debated filling the older couple in on their plan to include their friends in the move but thought better of it. Niki replied, "We're not going far, just to Altadena. We'll still see them quite often."

Sheldon added, "We would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone else about this. We want to tell them ourselves."

As Mary and Alfred nodded an agreement, Niki suddenly heard the beginning notes to Crazy for You and happily realized that she and Sheldon would be busy dancing for the next little while. She hoped they hadn't admitted too much too soon to Alfred and Mary. She knew that she and Sheldon wanted to break the news of their purchase to their friends in their own time, at the proper moment. Deciding to worry about that later, she smiled and grabbed Sheldon's hand as she led him to the dance floor. It was while they were alone on the dance floor, dancing to the song that Niki had picked that everyone got into little groups and began to socialize. Suddenly everyone went silent as Barry Kripke came through the door. He had Emily Sweeney by the hand and he was smiling broadly in Sheldon's direction.

"Oh, shit." Howard blurted to Bernadette as he saw the reviled couple head toward an empty table.

"Looks like we're about to have Round Two." She warned her husband in a voice filled with trepidation. Gripping his arm tightly, she steered Howard to the dance floor in an effort to warn the oblivious lovebirds of the latest prom development.

Will Barry and Emily try to stir up trouble? Can Leonard, Penny, and the rest of the gang prevent them? We'll see.