Standard disclaimer. I own nothing, all science in here is BS and incorrect.

I also forgot to mention that this story completely ignores Young Sheldon.

Bold text = Characters thought
Italic Text = past/flashback
Bold Italic = Texts, computers, reading, whatever.

Thank you to Lonny J for your review.

Chapter 2

Sheldon couldn't believe what he was reading. The day had started off just fine. He woke up feeling well, he had a nice car game with Leonard on the way to work, and he didn't run into Kripke as he headed towards his office. All in all Sheldon would consider the morning in a positive light

That was until he sat down at his desk to check his email before continuing on with his work.

There in standard font was a notification from his department head Dr. Gaberhouser informed him that his presence was not required at that night's reception for Dr. Owlster. Sheldon didn't understand why and there were no further details. While he hated these receptions he had always been required to attend. He was the child prodigy who had brought so much progress and attention to the school for his work in string theory. Sheldon was in fact, Senior Theoretical Particle Physicist, his presence would most certainly be required.

Moreover, Sheldon was in actuality looking forward to it. He had admired Dr. Owlsters work in gamma ray particle decay for well over a decade, citing the man's work on his own papers more than once. Dr. Owlster was currently putting a team together to prove a theory the man had on detecting gamma ray decay, something that, depending on the outcome, could help further Sheldon's own research. He had planned to make an introduction to the visiting doctor to discuss it that night. However the email he was reading put a damper on that plan.

Closing his laptop Sheldon got up from his chair and headed out the door. He would bring it up with President Siebert. Going to Gaberhouser was a waste of his time, knowing the man still held a grudge over their introduction when he first came to the university. The man fired him! Him, Sheldon Lee Cooper. Genius extraordinaire.

He walked quickly down the hall, his long legs carrying him quickly as he headed towards President Sieberts office. In his head he was crafting what he would say to the man, expecting to win because of who he was, but also wary due to his current situation.

Sheldon slowed to almost stop at that. His heart fluttered wildly as he remembered where he was now with the University. How thanks to his friends and their frequent interference in his work in the past had caused a planet sized crater in his path of his career.

He was shaken quickly from his own thoughts before he could dwell on it further by the sound of the very man he was on his way to see coming down the hallway. Sheldon walked to the end, waiting for him to turn the corner before he would register his complaint about the ridiculous email he had received that morning.

"President Siebert." Sheldon addressed as the man rounded the corner. He watched him do what everyone does when confronted by Sheldon Cooper, grimace and look for a way out before being resigned to their fate of having to talk to him. Though he always ignored it, always expected it, he would never let anyone know how much it hurt him to watch.

"Dr. Cooper, how can I help you?" Siebert asked, looking up at Sheldon.

"I wish to discuss with you my uninvite by Dr. Gaberhouser for tonight's reception."

"Yes, it was decided at last night's department heads meeting that it would be more beneficial if you weren't there." He said.

Sheldon crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his eyes to Siebert. "I don't understand." He replied simply, watching as the head of the University gave a tired sigh.

"Dr. Cooper, I've things to do so let's not beat around the bush shall we? You're on the outs with the University right now due to the fiasko of your last expedition. Dr. Owlster is deciding which University to do his research at and that school will get a shit ton of money thrown at it so it's important for us he chooses CalTech."

Sheldon stared at Siebert for a moment, clenching his jaw. "That was over three years ago now President Seibert. When is my punishment going to end?"

"When you produce work that has solid evidence. Preferably before announcing it." Siebert said and started to walk around Sheldon.

"My work is in Theoretical Physics. If there was solid evidence it wouldn't be called 'Theoretical' And you've had my career at a stand still for three years!" Sheldon bit out angrily, turning to follow.

"Yes and it's been good work, keep it up." Siebert replied one last time before arriving at his destination and entering a conference room.

Sheldon stared at the door for what felt like hours, wishing he really did have heat vision eyes so he could blast the crap out of it, before giving a tiny exhaustive sigh and walking slowly back to his office.

He didn't know what to do. 'Well, that's not true' he thought to himself. He knew exactly what he had to do. He had to leave the university that had been his home since he was 15 years old. The thought terrified Sheldon and he felt a shiver down his spine thinking it.

None of this would have happened if he hadn't met Leonard. With Leonard came Howard and Rajesh, then finally Penny. He wouldn't be questioning leaving his place of employment if it weren't for gaining friends. It was something he had always been denied until Leonard came along. And he loathed to admit it but he was happier since gaining them. But a part of him hated the part that loved his friends. It was a voice deep inside him that has taunted him since the first prank Howard played on him which led to Sheldon getting his first reprimand ever. The voice would taunt him, calling him weak for wanting the companionship of friendship and that that weakness will prevent him from achieving his goal of a Nobel.

But there was this other part of him. The part that enjoys the companionship, who didn't completely feel alone anymore like he did before. The part who acknowledges that yes, his life's goal had been slightly delayed and derailed but who was figuring out there was more to life than just science. There was friendship and there was love. Both he's cherished greatly but while the effects have been mostly positive, there have been negative impacts as well. Which would cycle back to that first voice.

Once Sheldon was safely in his office he gently closed the door and leaned against it with his eyes closed as he tried to focus his thoughts. He didn't want to think about that anymore right now. He just wanted to focus on work, and it's been getting harder and harder to do so. It's been harder and harder to feel the same excitement he once felt when he was deeply immersed in his work. But now there were so many obstacles. Namely, the difficult task of getting published lately due to the university's restrictions on him.

Sheldon opened his eyes and stared blankly at the wall across from him. Things were changing, he knew it. He knew it had to, that he couldn't stop it but he was concerned about the direction it was going. Things were going too fast in every aspect of his life.

"Stop." He told himself aloud. He stood up to his full height and walked over to his desk. He sat down and reopened his computer, once again coming face to face with the horrible email before hitting delete. He would just have to meet Dr. Owlster some other way while he was at CalTech.

Satisfied with that plan of action he opened the file he was working on for his next paper to be slowly reviewed and maybe someday published if the University deemed it well enough. "Stop!" He said aloud again, berating himself.

With the never ending exhaustion that has been building upon Sheldon he slumped back in his chair and just stared at the ceiling for a minute. He needed to talk to someone. Another bad habit he picked up from having 'friends'. The need to talk to another person when he needs perspective. Pre-Leonard he kept everything to himself. He didn't even trust writing anything down. But with Leonards friendship there seemed to be all sorts of negative impacts on his life. He needed a distraction. He thought about going to Amy's office but she didn't really like him popping in unexpectedly. Howard and Raj were working on something together in the engineering lab and Leonard was in a meeting with his department. There was always Penny.

Sheldon sat and reached for his phone, knowing exactly who to text.

What did the toast say when he fell down the stairs?

"Crust Almighty!"

What do you call a zombified piece of toast?

The unbread

Bernadette chuckled as she read the text.

Do you prefer your bagels toasted?

*raises glass* TO BAGELS!

She was a busy day for her as she was getting close to a breakthrough in one of the drugs she was lead on but she was delighted an hour ago when she received a beep from her phone alerting her to a text and seeing that Sheldon had sent her a text. Not just a text, but a joke. About toast. And had since spent the last half hour texting jokes, both bad and good back and forth with him.

How do you make 50 toasts at once with only one toaster?

Kick the toaster in a swimming pool.

She set her phone down and began reviewing the latest datasheets, looking down at her phone when it beeped again with an 'LOL' from Sheldon. She was about to reply with another joke when her office door opened and Penny came in with a smile and a Mcdonald's bag in her hands.

"Please tell me you got fries and not apple slices." She said standing up and moving over to the couch.

"Who the hell gets apple slices when going to Mcdonalds?" Penny asked incredulously. Bernadette didn't respond other than raise an eyebrow as she plopped down heavily onto the couch.

"To what do I owe this honor?" She asked, digging into the bag Penny handed her, her mouth watered as she unwrapped the mchicken with mustard added.

"Oh it's nothing. Just wanted to see ya. See how you're doing and all."

"You're curious about my evening with Sheldon."

"How could you not have gone crazy? I mean, I live with the guy and I love him but he is one serious wackadoodle."

Bernadette again didn't respond. She had said over and over it was fine, but nobody seemed to believe her. She was opening her mouth to change the topic when her phone beeped again in her lap. Chomping on a couple of fries she looked down and smiled again

.

I broke into a science lab and made some toast. Eating it made me really sick…

I guess I'm just lab-toast-intolerant

Bernadette chuckled out loud and responded to him with a laughing face. Who knew Sheldon had such a good sense of humor.

"Was that Howard?" Penny asked curiously. Bernadette considered for a moment lying and saying yes but she couldn't think of any reason to lie about it.

"No, just Sheldon." She answered as Penny choked on her drink.

"You're texting Sheldon?" She asked dumbly.

"Yeah, we've been texting toast jokes to each other all morning. He has some good zingers."

"Sheldon?"

"Yes."

"Sheldon Cooper?"

"What is with you guys? He's your friend. Do you really find him so repulsive that you can't have a good time with him?" She asked, annoyed. Penny shook her head as she cleared her throat and coughed up the water she nearly drowned in.

"No, it's not that. It's just…toast jokes? He put my email in his spam filter for a month because I sent him a LOL CAT."

"Maybe he doesn't like LOL Cats' ' She stated, crumbling the empty packages and putting them in the bag. She hoped Penny would get the hint that she was done with this and to leave. She had gotten grilled again by Howard that morning and received several texts from Amy a few hours previous and the whole subject was quickly bringing her to a melt down. Bernadette never realized how they all thought about Sheldon before now. Guilt had plagued her a good chunk of the night as her mind replayed her own past transgressions.

She had never really given him a chance. She knew of him from the Cheesecake Factory where the entire staff tried to avoid him like the plague, refusing to go anywhere near him without Penny as a shield. After that she'd listened to the stories from Howard, Raj, and Leonard and after finally getting a formal introduction she had avoided him as much as possible.

And it wasn't a total mystery why people thought that about the man. He had almost no social skills and an off putting personality. But blessed with marrying Howard and fully integrating into this little band of friends, she could see that Sheldon at least tries to fit in. But it wasn't until last night that she fully realized what a nice guy he could be and became dismayed with the way they all treat him.

"I mean the only person who gets away with any of that sort of socializing is Amy, but she can sometimes be on his waive of crazy more than any of us." Penny droned on.

"Ok."

"I mean, don't get me wrong. I love her to pieces and she's improved so much over the years but she's still...pretty out there."

"I get it Penny. Sheldon's a weirdo and Amy's close behind." She snapped, sitting back down in her computer chair. She looked over at Penny's stunned face and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm crazy hormonal and tired."

Penny nodded and picked up all the trash getting ready to leave. Bernadette couldn't be happier but she did feel bad about snapping at her friend. "Hey, I want to go to the Pottery Barn and see if there's anything that would look decorative in the nursery after work. Would you like to come?" She asked, extending an olive branch.

"I'd love to but I can't. Leonard has this thing at the university for some visiting person and he asked me to go with." She said regretfully, her expression stating obviously she would rather do anything else than be at some stuffy college thing. It wasn't something she advertised but Bernadette knew that sometimes Penny felt overwhelmed by the intelligence of the people in her social circle. She wasn't on par with any of them in the education department. Her insecurities came out the most when she was obligated to go to one of their conferences, or receptions, or anything else that highlights the work of her friends and husband. Bernadette would be lying to herself if she didn't wander from time to time on how Penny managed to get herself into such a position. She was the popular girl in school, she should have been able to easily dodge this group of uber nerds.

However she is constantly thankful Penny failed to extricate herself from the boys, otherwise she wouldn't have met Howard.

"Well, maybe next time. I'm sorry you have to go. Howard is going to that thing too. I told him no way in hell." She laughed, trying to ease Penny.

"Yeah well, Leonard likes me as arm candy and I can't say it's not a nice ego boost to be ogled in public." With that she grabbed the rest of the trash and said her goodbyes to Bernadette.

Bernadette sat there in front of her computer for a few minutes, trying to get herself to focus on her work but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't. Her mind was just elsewhere. Nowhere in particular but not where she wanted it to be. With a sigh she sat back in her chair and rubbed her hand upon her bulging belly in thought until her phone beeped again.

A piece of toast and a hard boiled egg walked into a bar...

The bartender says " Sorry, we don't serve breakfast here".

She chuckled again, trying to think of another one, but paused in thought for a moment.

Do you want to go to Pottery Barn with me after work?

"I must say this is delightful Bernadette, thank you for inviting me." Sheldon said as he meandered along one of the aisles. He paused for a moment at a display, gently picking it up and turning it around his hands a couple times before gently setting it back down again.

"No problem Sheldon. I'm glad you could come. I had asked Penny but she said she was unavailable tonight."

"Oh yes, she's at the reception for Dr. Owlester. A brilliant man if I may say so." She watched him as he picked up another nicknack, once again turning it over in his hands a couple times before setting it back down. She couldn't fathom what he was doing. It was obvious he was getting a closer look but the way he took in the details told her his mind was doing more than just looking at the general appearance of the object..

"How come you aren't there tonight? Even Howard went. Dr. Owlester's a physicist right?" She asked him curiously.

"If you knew about the reception than why did you ask me to accompany you?""

"Honestly I didn't even think about it, which just proves the losing brain cells while pregnant theory. I had just got done asking Penny who mentioned it and then a few minutes later I thought of you and here we are."

"I see. Yes, he is a physicist. Several of his theories have been conclusively proven in the past decade. I wouldn't be surprised if a Nobel was in his near future." Sheldon said as stood next to the cart with his hands behind his back. Bernadette looked up at him as she placed a blue pillow into the cart. She couldn't help but notice he looked slightly saddened by this news but she couldn't tell why.

"That's nice for him." She said, noting to herself to look him up later. She paused for a few beats for Sheldon to answer her original question but he just stared at a nearby shelf quietly. "And you're here with me instead of there because…" She prompted. Sheldon cocked his head slightly to the side and gave a small half smile to her. Not for the first time since knowing him had she realized that he had a pleasant smile when it was genuine. It was a rare sight she had realized. His normal smile was one usually dripped with condescension and derisiveness. But on the few occasions it was real she couldn't help but find it attractive.

She watched him as he seemed to form his response fully before responding, another thing she had noticed about him. He had the reputation for being rude and unfiltered, but after a conversation a few years ago with Amy, Bernadette had started really listening to what he said. And yes, while he was still condescending, insulting, and rude, none of what he said was untrue. Amy told them all he says is based on the facts that he has at the time. It's just that, unlike normal people, Sheldon doesn't seem to understand that despite the truth, some things should be said with better sensitivity if not at all.

But when it came to personal matters, of opinions or thoughts, Sheldon always seemed to pause and think of his words first. It was a realization that had startled her at first, not expecting it. In those instances he seemed less robot-like, as the group teased he was, and more human. He seemed almost vulnerable and that's when one would realize that while he easily spouted out facts and figures, educating and insulting all at once, he was equally as guarded when it came to matters of his own truths.

Bernadette waited patiently while he thought and with a blink and a shake of his head, he had completed whatever analysis he'd been doing.. "I am here because you invited me." He finally answered. With that Sheldon turned away and started down the aisle again leaving the words to dangle before her. She thought about his words for a second, a hint of confusion before following him. Surely an invitation to a reception of a man Sheldon clearly admired in his own field would be a better choice than spending an evening with a very pregnant woman that was his friend's wife.. But as she watched him walk slowly in front of her, she noticed his shoulders were slightly hunched and the companionable chatter they had been sharing till that point had suddenly stopped.

"Hey, let's go pay for this stuff and go grab a coffee." She suggested. He stopped and waited until she was next to him.

"I do not drink coffee. While not a controlled substance caffeine is a drug. And I do not do drugs." He stated simply, causing her to smile and shake her head.

"I understand. Then perhaps a hot chocolate then. It's a chilly night and it would be a wonderful treat." She suggested. She could see him thinking about it before he nodded, once again smiling brightly much to her delight.

"Then I accept. Let us go." And with that he took control of the cart and headed for the registers.

Bernadette waited patiently in one of the corner chairs in a nearby Starbucks as Sheldon ran their purchases to her car and ordered their drinks. It was colder than she expected and had been shivering after a few minutes out in the air. Sheldon simply looked down at her and ushered her inside and off her feet.

He really was sweet when he wanted to be.

"Here you go. Half cafe mocha with extra foam." Sheldon said softly, sitting down in the chair to her right once she had the cup. Fun factoid for you, did you know ordering mocha in Italy will get you a glass of chocolate milk and that Mochas are just flavored lattes?" He told her taking a sip of what believed to be hot chocolate.

"Thank you Sheldon, this is exactly what I need. I didn't know that." She said, "How is it you know so much about just about everything?"

"Well having an eidetic memory does most of the work." He replied.

"I can't even pretend to imagine what it feels like to have all that knowledge in your head at once. And it's continually taking new stuff in!"

"Yes well, it's not like it's all jumbled trying to get out...at least not all at once. No an eidetic memory means I can recall things at will. My mind stores just about everything I've ever said, did, or read, or what others have in my presence. And when I need the information again I just recall it, like any other memory."

"Wow, I didn't know that." She said awed.

"Yes, well, you know what they say. You learn something new everyday." With that they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, listening to the music and sipping their drinks until Bernadette couldn't stand not knowing why he was with her and not at the function.

"So, tell me, why weren't you invited to the reception?" She asked him, taking a tentative sip of her coffee, She smiled down at it as the hot beverage started to warm her up..

"I don't know what you mean." Sheldon replied as he placed his own cup on the table between them. "Did you know…"

"Sheldon, don't deflect." She scolded lightly. "Tell me why you weren't invited."

"How do you know I wasn't?"

Bernadette took another sip, replaying the earlier conversation in her head. "When I asked you why you were with me instead of there, you said because I invited you." She layed out. "Thus giving me the presumption that you were not invited to the event."

Sheldon sat back in his own chair, crossing one leg over the other looking for all the world relaxed and at ease. If anyone were to pass by it would look like just two friends, or with her being pregnant, two lovers enjoying a nice hot beverage on a cold winter's evening. Bernadette waited patiently for Sheldon to answer her but as the seconds ticked by and he continued to stare longingly at a nearby table, she knew he would not respond. It was atypical of him, but the more time she's spent with him recently, the more her previous observations seemed non-void.

The pause gave her a chance to really look at him, noticing tired eyes and a thin face. She wondered if he was yet again stuck on some issue in his current project and neglecting himself again. It would never cease to baffle and amaze her how a man who put his heart and soul into micromanaging his life could go so off the rails when stuck on something. When she was stuck on anything she would take a step back but Sheldon drove himself mad.

And, if she were honest with herself, some of the lengths he'd gone through to get the answers he sought frightened her. She remembered the somberness of the group as they sat in his apartment having Thai food without him because he was still asleep. They had had to retrieve him from off a high billboard he had climbed up writing equations with a marker. Leonard had taken pictures of the work to save in case it was important but he said it was a jumble of many things. 'Incoherent babble." He had called it. "The true price of genius." Raj had added somberly and soberly she may add. .

Sheldon slept for 4 days straight.

"Sheldon." She said softly, his eyes finally looking to meet hers. "You can tell me."

"No, I really can't." He said simply. She was taken aback by his straight forward response.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

Sheldon stared at her for another few seconds unblinkingly before tiredly sighing. He sounded exhausted. "Because I can't trust you not to tell the others."

"I can keep a secret, Sheldon. You can trust me." she told him as he shook his head.

"I have no evidence to the contrary. Amy and I conducted an experiment years ago to find how fast gossip in our group gets around and the results were astonishing." He told her sincerely. "And I hear you girls gossiping like school children every time you're together."

"Sheldon that's-"

"While my affection for you has grown since the other day, with us playing Dungeons and Dragons I cannot risk giving ammunition to anyone for them to destroy me either currently or in the distant future." He bit out in a tone Bernadette had never heard come from him before. It wasn't his normal derisive condescending tone they were all used to. This one sounded bitter and angry, two things she wouldn't associate with Sheldon.

Bernadette didn't know what to think at this point. She played an internal monologue to herself on what to do. She of course was curious to explore this further but a part of her was cautious about getting involved in whatever was happening. But then she took in his hard sad features. She couldn't help but think again how exhausted he looked and his words troubled her.

Realization dawned on her that he may not have anyone to really talk to. She's heard Howard complain never ending on how Sheldon always talks down to everyone, but she couldn't help but think how isolating it must be to be a genius on Sheldon's level. Sure he was surrounded by friends but the way he just bit her head off she didn't think any of them knew there was a problem. They all remain blissfully blind to him.

"You can tell me." She said again. "You can trust me." Sheldon just stared at her unblinkingly for several beats.

"Everything is fine." He finally said in a soft whisper.

Bernadette felt her emotions getting hyped up and she wanted to cry. She wasn't entirely sure why other than hormones and this sad conversation she seemed to be in. They sat quietly together for a while, drinking their beverages and just listening to the noise around them. She watched as the baristas cleaned the tables, getting ready to close in half an hour.

"Test me." Bernadette finally said, breaking the silence. She saw Sheldon jump a little, startled by the sudden noise in the quietness of their corner.

"What?"

"You said you can't trust me. Then test me. Tell me what's wrong, I can and will keep it a secret." She watched the emotions grow over his face as a thought entered her mind. "I know we are gabby gossips in our little group but I understand that there are some secrets that must remain secret." She sat up awkwardly in her chair. It was rather undignified but being as large as a house made moving more difficult than it should be. She reached over and gently placed her tiny hand upon his clasped hands that rested in his lap and looked directly into his eyes. "You know that too, don't you? A man who seems incapable of keeping one, and by that it means that no one would look deeper into you."

Sheldon just stared at her with wide eyes. Her heart beat a little wildly and once again she wondered how she got to this place and if she really should be getting involved. Yes she's known Sheldon for several years but they were never close. He was just the weirdo of the group who they seem to just allow to hang out with them. But something in her told her that it's possible this was a bad idea, but that he actually was a friend despite their lack of personal socialization. It was probably just the pregnancy hormones giving her that mothering instinct everyone's always talking about. But she could tell that Sheldon must have felt something too with her, as she doubted he would be even this honest with just anyone.

Sheldon blinked a few times, turning his gaze away deep in thought before giving a nod to himself as he made some kind of decision. "Very well." He said simply, looking back at her again. "I will give you this test as you requested."

Bernadette felt some kind of pride at that. The more she learned about Sheldon, the more she realized that he doesn't trust easily and she was determined now to be someone he could. She gave him an encouraging smile and sat back in her chair again and waited for him to begin. Sheldon let out another tired sigh. He really did look exhausted. "I wasn't invited because my career has hit a bump in the road, so to speak."

"What kind of bump?" She questioned trying to be casual about it. Not wanting to spook him into stopping. It was abundantly clear he was not used to diverging personal information.

"An unfortunate one of my making that I have not yet been able to undo," he said. "Has Howard ever spoken to you about the Arctic expedition?"

"The one where you were looking for evidence of mono-poles?" She said, giving herself a high five and knowing that.

"Yes, that. Well, I'm sure you've heard about the incident in regards to my research data being tampered with." Bernadette just nodded, watching him closely as he seemed to take a few deep breaths and carefully controlling his stoic expression. "Well that was the last straw for the university and I have since been censored and placed on probation. I am no longer allowed to publish, teach, lecture, or give interviews without thorough review first and someone has to be with me in any speaking engagement."

"Oh my god. You're kidding right?" Bernadette said incredulously.

"Oh I wish I was. But alas, I am not. Since then my career has been in some kind of holding pattern." He looked down to his folded hands dejectedly. "I've done so much research and work on a theorem that I believe will finally give me the Nobel I so desperately seek. But I can't do anything with it."

"You've barely published in three years?" She asked incredulously.

"The only thing I can think of doing is leaving CalTech. But you know I loath change. But if I still want a chance at a Nobel I'm going to have to do something so I can advance my research."

"What? No! Where would you go?" She asked, ignoring the pang in her chest at the thought of him leaving them.

"Anywhere I supposed." He said simply with a shrug. "I'm constantly being given offers for visiting professorship, research projects, I'm head hunted for senior positions. The world is my oyster so to speak."

That revelation floored her. People wanted him? *that's mean* she said to herself. But she couldn't help but feel incredulous. She knew Sheldon or until recently she thought she did and to her he was a strange uptight condescending self centered asshole. She'd feel bad about thinking that but she felt confident that he would probably agree with her to some extent without the swear word.

"Why?" She asked before she could stop herself, cringing. Sheldon didn't seem to take any offense to it however.

"I may be difficult to deal with Bernadette, but I'm still a genius. My huge ego aside, I honestly am a bonafide prodigy. People want to work with me. They want my thoughts and opinions, they want my name on their research to lend credence." He looked away then, staring off into the distance.

She thought about that and knew it was true. But the thought of him leaving the area to another place filled her stomach with knots. What about Amy? Would they break up if they left? Would Amy be able to move on after? She was new to this whole romance thing, or whatever it was she had with Sheldon.

"Honestly it's the only thing that keeps me going sometimes," he admitted. "When I look at that file full of this amazing work I've done, all the calculations and data. It can be too much knowing what I know and keeping it to myself. But others, they understand my value." He paused and looked at her. "People still think my work is valuable. Even CalTech knows that, that's why they keep me."

"I don't know what to say Sheldon. Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

Sheldon looked away from her and down to the floor. She could tell that she was losing her window to dig for information. "Only my sister."

She furrowed her brows not recollecting him having a sister before but deciding to come back later to that. "You said it was the final straw. What else has happened that brought the situation to him." She watched as Sheldon fidgeted a bit, unclasping his hands and gripping the sides of the chair pretty hard. He just shook his head and gave her a sad smile.

"Just a bunch of pranks that caused horrible humiliation for both me and the university. If you want details you can ask your husband. A good chunk was caused by him.

Bernadette gave an exasperated sigh hearing of her husband's role in this. She felt sorry for Sheldon and embarrassed that it was her husband who helped.

"I'm trusting you Bernadette." Sheldon said once again meeting her gaze. The intensity was almost too much though but she held it. He looked vulnerable in this moment, something she would never associate with Sheldon.

She smiled softly at him and nodded. "Your secret is safe with me." She told him. And she completely meant it.

The End...

Just kidding. Next chapter soon. Remember this thing is going to get super dark. (Already have it mapped out and written)