A/N Well, it looks like there will be more than five chapters. Each Universe may take longer than I thought. This is the first part of what occurs when Leonard 2 returns to his Universe.

Thanks again for the reviews. I still own nothing.

***********August 9, 2015, 6:13 P.M. Pacific Time************

Still stunned at what happened, Missy finally got out, "Where were you? What happened to the other Leonard?"

He pulled back, "I'll tell you everything, but first…" He kissed her lips again and then rising, held out his hand. She smiled and took it, allowing him to lead her into the bedroom.

In the next couple hours, Missy attempted to make up for twenty-five years of waiting. Finally, they both laid back, completely sated.

Missy smiled, "Wow."

Leonard laughed, "Exactly."

After a few moments they both took showers and after getting ready for bed, changed the sheets.

When they lay back down, Leonard spoke up, "In answer to your questions, would it be okay to wait until tomorrow and I can tell Sheldon and Penny at the same time?"

"That will be fine." She moved over and snuggled up to him, "Goodnight, my love. Welcome back."

"Goodnight, Missy."

After making love again in the morning, they called Sheldon and Penny who were shocked and thrilled to hear that Leonard had returned. They quickly arranged to get together.

Later, with everyone fortified with beverages, Leonard began, "I know this may be difficult to believe, but in that world, I was married to Penny. Sheldon, you were married to a woman named Amy Farrah-Fowler." He smiled, "Evidently, she was the woman you would have met if Raj had fooled you with that dirty sock."

He turned to Missy, "I have to admit I didn't even meet your counterpart. She lived in Texas and was married."

Seeing the look on her face, he hurried on, "I was still an experimental physicist at Caltech." He looked at Sheldon, "You were a theoretical physicist there as well." He turned to Penny, "You worked as a Pharmaceutical Salesman."

When he paused, Sheldon broke in, "While you were gone, you were replaced by another Leonard. The logical assumption was that you had exchanged places. While we do not have definite scientific proof, everything you have said leads me to believe we were correct. His life mirrored what you describe."

After thinking a moment, he went on, "Just as another check, did this Amy and I live in 4B in our old apartment and you lived with that Penny in 4A?"

Leonard nodded.

There was a long silence while everyone tried to absorb what they had just heard. Finally, Sheldon said, "Well, Leonard, what do we do now? Do we call the news, prepare a paper? Forget it?"

Leonard smiled ruefully, "I was thinking about that. We really have no proof at all to back up what we are saying." He sighed, "And there would be lots of questions about what else happened on the other world. Like, the politics of it, etc." He shook his head, "I think we just need to let it go."

Sheldon nodded, "I am afraid I have to agree. It would be possible we would never be taken seriously as scientists again. And I don't relish experiencing the life we would live."

Penny smiled, "It would make a heck of a story though. Maybe we should write a book."

After they talked for a while, they decided to split up with Missy and Penny going into another area of the house.

Leonard got himself another beer, "While I was there, I had to work in the lab at Caltech." He looked at Sheldon, "I realized how much I missed it."

Sheldon then surprised him by asking, "What type of woman was this Amy that Sheldon was married to?"

Leonard hesitated and then said, "She was very intelligent." He smirked, "She did seem to not only put up with your 'idiosyncrasies," she seemed to embrace them."

Sheldon hesitated and then shocked Leonard further, "I have taken the step of searching out information on Amy Farrah-Fowler. I am surprised you didn't recognize the name. She is a Doctor of Neurology at UCLA."

"As a teacher of undergraduate students, I have very little interaction with the research departments."

He went on, "If I may ask, why did you check on her?"

"Is it so strange that I would be curious about someone I was married to in another universe?"

"What else did you uncover?"

"She is indeed very intelligent. Her record is quite impressive even if it is not in Physics. She works mainly with the brain."

Sheldon hesitated, "She also seems to not be caught up in a woman's concerns with her looks. She dresses in a very conservative way."

Leonard had to smile to himself, "Have you thought of contacting her?"

"I considered it but was unsure how to approach her. It hardly seemed prudent to tell her about the alternate Universe. Then, of course, I am married to Penny."

After a rather long silence, Sheldon seemed to make a decision, "How about you, Leonard, how did you interreact with the Penny from the other universe. I also must say, I find it interesting that you apparently did not make an attempt to contact the Missy of that world."

Leonard was caught off guard, he was surprised to realize he had not thought about that before. Why hadn't he wanted to visit her, after all, he was married to her counterpart?

He finally said, "I guess I don't really know. She was in Texas and married. I just thought it would be confusing for her."

He paused, "The Leonard of that world had only met her a couple times."

Sheldon nodded, "You didn't answer me about how you were with Penny."

Leonard wondered why Sheldon seemed so interested. He remembered how it had been when Penny and Sheldon got together. Leonard really didn't have the right to complain, he was dating Missy, but it had been awkward between the three of them. He had even been able to be best man at their wedding but left for UCLA soon after that.

He and Missy had grown closer and he asked her to marry him. He always wondered though if it could have had something to do with Penny now being married.

He finally answered Sheldon, "I really didn't see much of her. She was distraught about her husband being gone and went home to her parents." He didn't mention how he had thought of going after her, ostensibly to comfort her; or how he had missed her. He couldn't help wondering what could have happened if the trade had been permanent. He felt a little guilty about that.

After they were settled, Penny spoke first, "It must seem like a miracle to have Leonard back."

Missy smiled, "Yes. I didn't know if I would ever see him again."

She hesitated and they surprised Penny, "It was strange when that other Leonard was here. It was confusing for me to spend time with him; but, although I understood why, it was sort of disconcerting that he had no real feelings for me."

"Oh, he was understanding of what I was feeling, but it was strange to realize he had no romantic feelings for me." She paused and took a sip, looking up at Penny, "How about you, Penny? It must have been a little strange knowing he was in love and married to his Penny."

Penny was caught off guard. She realized Missy was talking about something that she had been thinking about. Now that he was gone, she had assumed these confusing feelings would go away. But she could not forget how she had felt herself being attracted to Leonard. The more she tried to deny it, the more she had realized it was true.

She remembered how she had felt when she realized he loved his Penny so much, he was not even tempted to be with a beautiful woman like Missy.

She also remembered when she had told him about how they had split up, how she had loved her Leonard.

She felt guilty when she realized she wasn't completely truthful when she had said she was satisfied with her life with Sheldon. He had elicited feelings she thought she had long ago put behind her.

Knowing that he and his Penny were in love, were married, had taken her back to how she had felt when the Leonard of this world had taken up with Missy. She remembered how she had felt. How she had berated herself for not being able to tell Leonard that she loved him.

Although she had not consciously done so, she came to realize she had gotten with Sheldon partly because she knew it would bother Leonard.

She sighed to herself. If only she would have let Leonard know how she felt. She would always wonder if it would have made a difference.

She had been saddened when he left Caltech and went to UCLA. She knew he did it because he didn't want to be around them.

She was glad he had found someone in Missy and that he was best man at their wedding. But there was always something unsaid between them.

She realized she had been quiet and not answered Missy's question. "It was kind of awkward in a way, but I was not his Penny. He loved someone else. And I love Sheldon."

Missy nodded. She felt Penny was hiding something. When she and Leonard had started dating, she could never escape the feeling he still was in love with Penny.

And although she did believe he loved her too, she knew he was upset when Penny got with Sheldon. She had been shocked when he gave up his position at Caltech to accept a teaching job at UCLA.

She had often wondered whether they should get married, but she did believe he loved her and she did love him.

But the arrival of the other Leonard had brought a lot of old memories and thoughts back. She had a feeling the same thing was true of Penny.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Missy took a deep breath, "Leonard, I am sorry, but I have to admit, I am a little upset that you never wanted to spend time with my counterpart."

Leonard was a little stunned but realized he shouldn't be. He himself had been surprised and had felt guilty when he realized he had no urge to meet her.

After a few moments, "She still lived in Texas and was married. I didn't see any reason to mess with her life. You have to remember we had no idea what was going on."

Missy absorbed what he was saying. It did make sense but she still could not shake the idea that he was hiding something.

She then asked, "Do you know who I was married to?"

Sheldon said his name was Craig something. Evidently, you had known each other since school.

Missy was surprised. She had to smile a little, remembering the crush she had on him. But then he had met someone. They had gotten married but Mary had told her he had recently got divorced.

Leonard was wondering what she was thinking. It was probably the wrong time, but he decided to go ahead with another idea he had.

"Missy, what would you think if I tried to get my old job back at Caltech?"

Missy was startled at the change in subject. What had brought this on?

"Is that what you want to do?"

"Yeah. While I was on the other world, I had to go to work there. I found out I really missed it."

"I think it is a great idea. I never really understood why you left in the first place."

She sighed to herself, that was a lie. She knew it was because he wanted to get away from Sheldon. To her dismay, she realized all the thoughts she had repressed, thoughts she had figured she had put behind her for good, were coming to the surface. The feeling that Leonard still had loved Penny when he married her.

She sighed, 'Did he still love her?' She sensed his discovery that he was married to Penny on that other world had brought back doubts she thought they had both buried forever.

She wanted to ask him if he did love Penny, but was afraid of the answer.

After Leonard and Missy left, Sheldon and Penny cleaned up and sat on the couch in the living room, each lost in their own thoughts.

Sheldon finally spoke up, "It is satisfactory having Leonard back." He paused; "I assume the other Leonard has returned to his life as well."

Penny was shocked when she suddenly had a thought of Leonard and Penny back together, making love. She realized she would miss him. She was surprised to realize that it had been strangely comforting to her to know that somewhere Penny and Leonard had got together.

She looked over at Sheldon. All of what had happened had brought back thoughts of when she had learned Missy and Leonard were dating. She remembered how she had been depressed, how she had been surprised when she found she could talk to Sheldon. After she had broke up with Mike, she had spent a lot of time with him.

Then, when it was apparent Missy and Leonard were getting serious, she felt she had lost him. She had cursed herself that she had not been able to tell him she loved him that night.

Although she didn't want to admit it, she had realized she had wanted to hurt him. To make him feel like she did. She made herself believe she was in love with Sheldon.

With Leonard agreeing to be best man at their wedding, with his announced engagement and marriage to Missy, Penny thought she had put her feelings for Leonard behind her.

Then, the transfer…

As a couple of months since Leonard returned passed, it seemed on the surface things were back to normal, but questions and feelings raised by Leonard's return had continued.

One thing Penny had been curious about was the woman Sheldon had married in the other Universe. When she decided to discuss it with him, she was surprised to find out he had already researched her.

She realized she wanted to meet this woman. As it turned out, Sheldon had also wanted to do so, but wasn't sure what to say or what Penny would think about it.

With Penny now pushing him, they called Leonard and they all decided to see her. They decided they would have to explain their visit by explaining everything. They were surprised to realize they wanted to share what had happened with another scientist. They were a little worried she might want to reveal their secret but decided to take the chance. They could always deny they had told her.

Amy was surprised when she received a call from Dr. Sheldon Cooper that his wife and another physicist Dr. Leonard Hofstadter wanted to meet with her. When she asked what it was all about, he told her it would be better to discuss it in person.

She found herself being intrigued and agreed to meet with them at his home. After he hung up, she checked the two doctors out on the internet. She was impressed with what she found in regards to Dr. Cooper. She found herself looking forward to meeting him.

When she had been admitted and they were all sitting in the living room, fortified with drinks, Sheldon took a deep breath and began.