Chapter 4 - Feelings

Sheldon looked at all the equipment in the room, the computers and the field generators, to anyone else it looked just a bunch of stuff electrically wired together, but Sheldon knew what it could really do. He had testing it for six months, sending recorders and automatic cameras into the very distance past, he was the only man on earth that had seen a real dinosaur, he had it on video. However, once he was able to successfully send things back and forth through time, the real work began, he needed to determine how to accurately determine exact points in time to go to, he needed to calibrate everything so he could control where he ended up. The thought of ending up in the middle of a pack of Velocity Raptors, still brought chills to his body, reminding him how important it was to be able to control what time the traveler would end up in. That's what took up the last six months, sending cameras, to look at the sky, at different settings so he could tell by star constellations what the date was compared to the machine settings, and it eventually worked, he could now send someone back to within a couple weeks of the date he wanted.

xxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxx

Penny entered the Cheesecake Factory, it had been almost a year since her and Leonard or the gang had eaten there, yet everything seemed the same. She didn't really know anyone there now, it was that kind of job, and that is why she hated it after a few years, she had been one of the oldest employees there, when she left. She quickly looked around, not seeing Sheldon, and was about to walk out until she heard someone call her name. "Penny?"

Penny turned to see who it was, and she was pleasantly surprised to see her old friend, but sad to see her still in a waitress uniform. "Cheryl, how have you been girl?"

Cheryl took Penny into a hug, which Penny returned, her and Cheryl had a lot of history together, and it made Penny give her a little squeeze. "Sweetie, it has been a long time."

Cheryl nodded, "Yeah, it has. So how is married life and being a cop?"

Penny smiled, "I love being married, but that is probably because I married Leonard, he still makes me feel special, and I can see in his eyes everyday how much he loves me."

Cheryl nodded, "Good for you girl, you deserved it."

Penny got serious, "I don't think I deserved him, if the world had been fair, I would have lost him, I hurt him to many times and even hurt myself. But I got a real break, Leonard loved me so much he wouldn't give up on me, I was really lucky. I know now, that we were made to be together, we both wouldn't have been really happy with anyone else, but back years ago, I couldn't see my soul mate, even though he was standing right in front of me."

Cheryl smiled. "I'm happy for you Penny."

Penny looked at her friend. "Cheryl are you still with Ryan?"

Cheryl shook her head, "No, we broke up last year, he found some one younger, I'm 33 now and don't look like I use to."

Penny saw the sad look on Cheryl's face, so she took her into another hug. "Cheryl you look great, you don't look your age at all, as a matter of fact I know a certain Astrophysicist who always liked you, since you slept with him years ago after my Halloween party."

Cheryl stood back and looked at Penny, "His name was Raj, right?"

Penny smiled and nodded, "You still remember him?" Penny saw her friend blush and it immediately dawned on her Cheryl had liked him back then. "He is still single, he can talk to women now and he is still cute."

Cheryl looked at her, "Then why is he single?"

"He is still shy and he had a bad marriage for a couple of years. His parents arranged a marriage for him and as soon as the girl got to America, she started to spend all his money and fool around, he caught her cheating and that ended it. It was so bad, his parents were telling him to divorce her."

"Oh poor Raj."

Penny could see Cheryl was actually being sincere in her sympathy for Raj, which made the matchmaker in Penny come out after years of being buried. "Cheryl why don't you give me your number and we'll have you to dinner when he is there. No pressure, just one of Leonard's friends and one of mine. We'll even invite Howard and Bernadette, you remember Bernadette."

Cheryl smiled, "I remember her, she was nice. I would like that Penny." Cheryl gave Penny her number and they hugged again before Penny left.

The ride home, Penny was deep in thought, Sheldon and Raj both on her mind, they both had a hard time with relationships. Raj never finding a girl that loved him for himself and Sheldon giving up his one true love, Amy. Then there was the Nobel Prize he thought he was going to get, he was so close, this was probably driving him crazy right now. He needed Amy, she had tried to tell him that years ago, when he could have still won her back, but he couldn't admit he was wrong, that man was more stubborn than her dad's old mule. She tried to tell him and show him how once she married Leonard, everything fell into place for her, being able to have your love always there put everything into perspective, and really did make things easier, but he just wouldn't listen, it made Penny shake her head as she drove.

Penny pulled into the driveway of their house, seeing both Leonard's and Howard's cars sitting there, as she parked her unmarked police car behind them. It was only a minute later, as she walked into the house and kissed Leonard, she noticed that Bernadette was with Howard in the kitchen drinking fresh coffee and talking. "I hate you guys." Penny teased.

Bernadette smiled, "Hey, I didn't see you stop drinking coffee around me when I was pregnant."

"Yeah, but I didn't know what torture it really was." Penny sighed.

Leonard handed Penny a cup, "Here I made some Swiss water processed organic decaf coffee for you. The research I read says it is safe for pregnant women and their babies."

Penny sniffed the steaming liquid and savored a sip, it was wonderful. "Honey, I love you so much right now." She leaned over and gave him a long kiss.

"You guys really need a room." Bernadette teased.

Penny pulled back smiling then gave Leonard a wink, whispering, "Later Baby." Then turned to her friends becoming serious again. "So no luck finding Sheldon?"

Howard, Bernadette and Leonard all shook their heads. Leonard caught her up, "I went to the apartment, he wasn't there and I don't think he was there since he went to work. Howard picked up Bernadette and then they went to the comic book store, train store and even the bowling alley, but no Sheldon."

"How about the places he eats?" Penny figured Leonard had them covered, but she had to ask, the cop in her now coming out.

"Raj and Alex are checking those all out now. Also, I called his mother and sister, they haven't heard a thing. I really hated to do that because now they are worried too."

"What about Amy." Penny knew Amy would worry about him, she still really cared for him, probably still loved him, but she was also in love with another man, now, a man she could see a future with.

"She is staying at home alone, so if he comes by there they can talk. Her fiancé is really a great guy, he told her he understands and to take all the time she needs."

Penny nodded, "Yeah she deserves him, I want to slap Sheldon upside the head every time I think about him letting her go."

"He really loves her, you know that Honey." Leonard said quietly.

Penny nodded, "I know, why he wouldn't listen, I will never know."

"He's Sheldon." Bernadette added. Everybody nodded, it really explained it all.

xxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxx

Amy was sitting on her couch in her apartment alone, just as Leonard had said, only one light on, deep in thought. Her feelings were all over the place right now and it scared her, really scared her, because she was having doubts. Everything had seemed fine until today, she found a man she loved, they were getting married, her life was planned and she was happy. Now Sheldon was missing and she was afraid for him, really afraid, she didn't know what she would do if something happened to him, the thought of him not being around anymore was almost too much to bare, because Amy still loved him. All her plans were falling down in front of her mind's eye, she didn't just love Sheldon, SHE LOVED HIM, and she was now just realizing she had been fooling herself all the time. Amy promised herself if he came out of this okay, she would slap him, then tell him she still loved him and wanted to be with him.

xxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxxTIMExxxx

Sheldon completed his inventory, he had planned for something like this, so he had a two weeks supply of food and water, a portable toilet, shower, cot and clean clothes. He had a lot of work to do, but he felt two weeks would be plenty of time and the thought that he could just work and sleep when he needed it, comforted him a little. However just a little, the anger in his stomach was still there and he felt it would never go away until his plan was complete and Lewis was punished. So he powered up his computer and started his research on the Lewis family, Sheldon had decided to end his problem at the source, he decided to make sure Raymond Lewis was never born.