Love Is Hell

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The California-Texas Expedition

-Authors' Note: Happy Thanksgiving (or rather, Happy Turkey Day) my fellow peeps! Please read and review this story, like the other chapters, and have a wonderful holiday!-

Kate was up early as usual, making breakfast at six o'clock. She wore her Batman pajamas however, too tired to get dressed so early. She still needed to shower, but it could wait after she'd had daily dose of energy. It was Wednesday, and she was making French toast for breakfast. Along with toast, she had also poured Sheldon a glass of two-percent milk, and as she placed the plates in their proper spots to be consumed, she got herself a can of Diet Pepsi Max (Diet Pepsi but with an extra boost of Caffeine).

She heard Sheldon's alarm go off at six-fifteen and as he came out into the hallway, he beamed to see the French toast and milk ready for him.

"Good morning, Kate," he greeted, sitting on the stool. Kate sat across from him, drinking her can of coke.

"Good morning, Sheldon," she returned, like any day.

Sheldon noted her pajamas and said slowly, "You're not in your day clothes; are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Sheldon," Kate responded sweetly. "I'm just tired. I didn't feel like getting into my clothes this morning. Not until I take a shower anyway." She rubbed her eyes, feeling the morning fatigue that was getting out of bed, knowing you were going to have a very long day.

Kate had mapped out the agenda for today; the train left California to Texas at nine o'clock sharp, and they'd arrive in Texas around five o'clock the next morning. The thought of it was already causing her physical exhaustion.

Sheldon took a bite of his French toast and said happily, "Yummy yum, yum!"

Kate smiled. This trip wasn't going to be this bad.

Xx

Sheldon and Kate were going over their logs (for the second time in the morning), making sure they had everything, that every item was read, marked, adhered to, and accounted for. Sheldon held the clipboard and with a pencil was marking off the item and as he called the name, Kate responded 'got it'. This went on even as the door opened with Penny and Leonard stepping into the living room. They watched as Kate and Sheldon continued uninterrupted.

"Blue argyle socks, pair 1," Sheldon called.

"Got it." Kate returned.

"Blue argyle socks, pair 2," said Sheldon.

"Got it," Kate responded yet again. She sat in the armchair, leaned over two suitcases—hers and Sheldon's. They were only on his, and this had taken so far an hour. Mainly because he preferred to cite the specifically labeled rather than the general question: "Do I have all my socks, one, two, three, yep, they're there!" Now he was doing this.

Sheldon sat next to Kate, on the arm of the armchair. Kate looked at him for a moment, smiling slightly then as he called the next item on the list, she returned swiftly to the subject at hand and replied, "Got it!"

"Guys," said Leonard slowly as he sat in Kate's initial spot on the couch, "how long have you all been doing this?"

"An hour," Kate responded.

"How much longer will you all take?" asked Penny.

"That depends," said Sheldon. "It'll take three hours and also the amount of time needed to end this less than pointless conversation." He touched Kate with the eraser end of his pencil and said business-like, "Enough chitchat; we continue." He listed off more items and Kate returned with her appropriate response of "got it".

Leonard and Penny glanced at each other with weird looks. It seemed that Kate never ceased to amaze them with her own quirky nature: dealing with Sheldon's antics as though they were own. Either of them would have killed Sheldon but Kate seemed to enjoy herself. Maybe that was because she, herself, liked organization and accounting, but Penny wasn't completely blinded when Kate glance at Sheldon with a gaze with which she was most familiar. It was obvious: with Sheldon's take-charge attitude of counting everything, it was making Kate considerably...'happy'.

Twenty minutes passed and Kate and Sheldon continued their bout of naming and recalling. Leonard took Sheldon's clipboard after a moment and said, "So we can assume you two have gone through this list several hundred times last night and you're going to end up with everything you need. Why don't you just cut to chase and say you have everything?"

Kate stood, looking at Leonard.

"I think he's right, Sheldon. I mean, after all, we've done this four times. Twice last night, and again earlier this morning.

Penny's eyes widened, glancing at Sheldon with amazement, saying, "You all did this again like around midnight?"

Kate smiled and said to Penny calmly, "He was experiencing insomnia because he was sure things weren't accounted for."

"And," Sheldon continued, taking his clipboard from Leonard, "I still believe they aren't." He turned to Kate, saying, "We have to be sure we have everything. Before one knows it, the moment they've boarded the train, immediately they realize as it leaves the station they've left something behind."

"You mean like your flash drive?" questioned Penny. She smirked at Kate, who had stared obliviously, saying, "A few years ago, they went to see this George Smoot guy and he left his flash drive with his paper or something like that."

Sheldon frowned, turning to Kate. "It was an important paper and it was brilliant. He needed to read it."

Kate smiled, saying, "Did he?"

"Yes," said Sheldon as though this was obvious.

"What'd he say?"

Leonard snickered, leaning forward towards Kate, saying, "He thought he was high." At this, Penny joined in with the laughter, leaving Sheldon looking formidably grumpy.

"I still think it's brilliant," Sheldon insisted. He turned to Kate. "Are you sure with a 200 percent guarantee that we have everything?"

"Of course," said Kate. "You have nothing to worry about." She clicked her tongue and then turned to the engaged couple, asking if they wanted anything to eat.

"Actually, that's what we came over for," stated Penny. "We were going to go eat."

"I'd rather not," Kate replied lightly.

"Why?" asked Leonard.

Penny and Leonard sat on the couch, sharing one cushion on the far right. Sheldon sat in his spot, and Kate accomodated in between.

"Well, part of the reason I don't like taking a train is that I have a little fear of being trapped."

"Claustrophobia?" suggested Leonard.

"Of course," Kate returned.

"Of course," repeated Leonard, although it sounded more like an imitation than an absolution. Kate merely gave him a cool look and he apologetically smiled.

"Anyway," continued Kate. "I'm not dissing trains by any means. I like trains. But it's the idea of being trapped in one for twenty hours...like in a cage, you know."

"Right, like being under house arrest," said Penny, although she said it too easily, like she was familiar with it. Because of this, Leonard and Kate gazed at her curiously but Penny recovered with, "It wasn't me, it was my brother."

Leonard's eyes widened. He replied, "I'm going to marry into a family that's been in all kinds of trouble, aren't I?"

"Yep!" Penny exclaimed, clapping him on the back. "Good job!" She chuckled then said to Kate, "Well, you can always take a break in between. Don't they stop places?"

"Yeah," said Kate. "I guess. But I'll be fine."

"Doubt it," Leonard said. "With that one aboard, everyone'll be driven crazy." He indicated Sheldon. "We spent 11 hours on the train and it was just a delightful trip." He smiled ironically.

"Well," Penny sympathized, "you can always text me."

"True," Kate considered. She felt a hand along the back of her neck, and she shuddered. She turned to see Sheldon and he looked at her with relief.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"The tag of your shirt was poking out and it was driving me crazy," Sheldon responded softly. However, he didn't put his hand down; his fingers lingered along the nape of her neck. Kate felt suddenly very flushed, but her nerves remained calm...although she couldn't deny that her heart had begun racing madly. She bit her lip and turned back to Leonard and Penny.

"So no food, right?" said Penny. Penny was smirking. Apparently, Kate's hormones were no different than any other girl when her man touched her. At least Kate was not a robot.

"No," conceded Kate. "I'd rather not."

"Then you might want to find another way to get rid of those nerves," Penny hinted. She winked at her and then stood. "Come on, Dr. Hodfstater; I have to get rid of this pre-marital nerves too." She took Leonard's hand and happily walked out of the apartment. Leonard followed shortly, grinning with absolute happiness as well.

Kate turned to look at Sheldon.

"You did that on purpose," said Kate quietly; she felt hot around the collar, under her shirt...in her pants.

"Did what?" Sheldon replied nonchalantly. However, Kate wasn't blind. Nor was he able to deceive her so easily. There was the slightest mischief in his voice—the feigning lack of knowledge, as though he didn't know what he could do to her. Subtlety was futile when Kate and Sheldon were alone.

"You know very well what," Kate remarked coolly.

Sheldon smiled at her shortly, stood, and walked into the bathroom to get ready; it was eight o'clock already and the train left at nine sharp. Even as he left, Kate could still feel the touch of his fingers along the top of her shoulder blades, near her neck...god, what he could do to her. Kate bit her lip again, what the hell...

She stood and smiled mischievously. Two could play that game.

She stood in front of the bathroom door, listening. She knocked briefly. The door opened and the moment his tall frame became apparent, Kate pushed through the door and kissed him hard on the lips. He staggered back; the surprise wore off and soon, Sheldon pulled back.

"What in the world are you doing?" Sheldon demanded, staring at her incredulously.

Kate saw that he was wearing nothing but his briefs. She smirked—and let him see it.

"Don't you even dare to think that you can get by so easily, Dr. Cooper," Kate renounced smoothly. "I practically invented cat and mouse."

Sheldon rolled his eyes, saying, "I'm not so sure I get your meaning, but very well. However, we must discuss this at another time."

"Balderdash," Kate replied smoothly. She stepped towards him again, pushing him back against the wall. Although she was a head shorter than him, but her mischievous grin, the glint in her emerald eyes, and the fire that was beckoning in her loins were her instruments of little chivalry. "We discuss it now."

Sheldon looked at her. Although he exhibited at first a little alarm in her dominating theater, Sheldon was now intrigued. Sure, Kate was strong-willed and hard-headed but this side of her was a little...different. It was similar but oh, did it contrast epically.

"I'm not dressed for the occasion," Sheldon told her quickly.

"I'm overdressed," Kate purred. With the last of her words, she lifted her lips to the corner of his mouth and kissed lightly. In spite of its gentle initiation, the curve of her lips said otherwise. "Besides," she sighed softly, "I'm not so sure we should discuss it later."

"Why's that?" Sheldon replied; his voice was quieter, softer, more interested. He noted her hands moved from the wall and now entangled in her shirt and pants, pulling them off, and down, accordingly to garments. He wasn't completely taken aback by her simple movements; what surprised him was that he experienced a little modesty concerning his nakedness to her eyes, and yet while in front of him, she merely stripped without discomfort.

Kate stepped out of the pool of her jeans and stepped between his legs; her hands now rested on his waist, just below his hips.

"Consider this, Dr. Cooper," Kate told him logically. She lifted her mouth to his and kissed his upper lip. "When placed together in a remedial private sector, it's obvious our sexual appetites consummate a certain...discomfort."

Sheldon inhaled sharply when she felt her hand touch his package. There was instant ignition of fire in his insides, namely those that encircled his sexual tract. Kate was multi-tasking, fondling him down there and yet her lips still enticed his own. Damn this temptress...

"We'll be two weeks without any time alone," Kate murmured against his mouth. "Kitten doesn't do well when she's being supervised." Her hand left him and her arms joined behind his back. Sheldon looked down at her, a bit confused but when she stepped closer to him, he knew what she talking about. Kate sighed sharply when she felt his arousal against her own heat.

Sheldon returned her kiss and laced his hands behind her buttocks. She moaned ever so softly as he pushed her against him.

"So you're proposing an extraction of future implementation for current bout of physical interaction in order to prolong whatever sexual impulses we may have in the future?" Sheldon asked her.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, saying, "Yes, that's what I'm proposing."

"Sounds practical," Sheldon noted.

"Mmm, I knew you'd agree." Kate murmured.

Sheldon moved her against the wall, pulling down her panties; as he did this, Kate reached behind and undid her bra. Grinning, she pulled down his briefs. Sheldon watched her, a bit intrigued. She straightened and when she kissed him this time, it drove him crazy; there was a hint of seduction, but the desire of control was clear. Sheldon pushed her against the wall, took her behind the knees and hiked her legs up around him, immediately putting his weight on her. Kate gasped when he'd done so, and felt his full arousal just along her inner thigh, peeking just before her sex.

"You're not fooling anyone, Kitten, especially me," Sheldon told her in a quiet but lucidly intimidating tone.

Kate smirked at him, murmuring, "You can lose control sometimes, Sheldon."

"Hmm," Sheldon mused. "I'd rather not."

"What if you had no choice?" asked Kate quietly.

Sheldon pushed himself inside her the slightest bit, teasing her; she whimpered with desire.

"It's not a choice," Sheldon told her. "It's my preference. Also, I'm not so naïve to your bodily reactions; I know what I can do to you."

"Yeah right," Kate muttered skeptically.

Kate moaned involuntarily when he moved inside her suddenly, all the way, as far as he could go. She shakily exhaled; her eyes pinched shut and her teeth gritted slightly. Sheldon smirked.

"See?" he responded.

"You cheated," Kate accused, although her body wasn't complaining. Her stomach was turning with pleasure, and her intramuscular kept him inside deliciously.

"No, I haven't," Sheldon replied. He brought his hands, without hesitation of any kind, to her breasts, and circled her hardened mounds with his thumbs, making them harder; Kate's head moved back and she sighed. "I have an eidetic memory, Kate. I remember everything we've done, how you've reacted to me in the past...and if past indicates future response, assuming the trials repeat themselves as predicted, I know for a fact that when I do this" (Sheldon moved out of her completely then back in all the way, causing her to moan again) "your voice indicates sexual frustration but your anatomy tells me something entirely different."

Sheldon brushed his hands up from her chest and around her neck, kissing her lips with the same temptation she'd provided him. Like he predicted, Kate instantly kissed him back, expressing her passion with the intensity and need.

Kate wanted to say he was wrong but even she couldn't argue with her body. As he began thrusting inside her with his arrogant confidence, Kate was unable to elude the fact that she was becoming wetter, and her body reacted to him with every move he made.

Sheldon moved Kate from the wall and steadily to floor; she gasped softly when the cold tile met her warm flesh; Sheldon gave her chaste kiss on her bottom lip before he quickened his speed. Already, Kate could feel her peak; her senses became inebriated. Her breath was isolated, and the need for release was desperate. Evidently, Sheldon was experiencing the same.

It was almost like black magic how she could so easily push his buttons. The repetition of his name exhaling from her voice, the soft biting of her lip, the way she even breathed made his senses blur to practically nothing! Sheldon was only slightly caught off guard when she moaned something in Elvish, easily translated into "Oh, my god, Sheldon, please don't stop".

Sheldon couldn't get to his peak. It was steadily becoming annoying. And the desperation he'd been able to fend off was no longer staying true; it was there in his being. Kate looked ready to burst; her face was red, her breathing was erratic; his own was similar.

He conceded that probably losing just a little control would benefit. He moved and Kate immediately tackled him to the floor. Wordlessly, she moved into position. Kate pinned his wrists down on the tile floor; Sheldon was a bit alarmed by her sudden overtaking but his tinge of fear disappeared instantaneously, when she began moving herself onto him.

"This floor is cold," Sheldon told her.

Kate giggled softly. She began grinding her hips unto his. He had no control over this situation, but it wasn't exactly bad. Her body collided against his and with time passing, he felt more sexual arousal—he didn't think it was possible. He moaned when he felt his peak and Kate caught her breath, stopping when she felt the steady rush of adrenaline.

Kate breathlessly moved off him, sitting with her legs bent to the side. Sheldon looked at the ceiling then at Kate.

"I still have time for a shower, yes?" Sheldon asked lightly.

Kate glanced at her wrist watch and said, "Yes. I'll take mine at Penny's so we're not wasting anymore time."

Sheldon stood and held out his hand for hers. She took it.

"Actually, I disagree; this wasn't wasted time, but time that would have been wasted prior to the visit," Sheldon reminded her. "Time well spent, in this case...minus the use of currency. Unless one were to purchase time but then that would only throw the cosmos off balance, unless they had a currency backdrop to per-use lost time if its currency was bankrupted."

"Sheldon, shower." Kate told him.

"Oh, right," said Sheldon. "We'll take our showers, given ten minutes, give or take a few seconds. We'll meet back in the living room at 8:30 and then we leave at 8:45."

"Duly noted," Kate returned. She smiled at him and kissed him quickly on the lips. "You were fantastic by the way."

"Likewise," Sheldon responded. He smiled at her shortly then Kate took her clothes, dressed, took her clothes to wear the next day and ran into Penny and Leonard's apartment to use their shower.

Author's Note: This story has been temporarily put on hold. Will continue writing after a few things have been sorted and when I can get back in the mood to write this story. For those that have been reading, I express my apologies.