Chapter 34 - The Real First Day
Sheldon had gotten nervous after Amy had been gone over two hours, he was worried and having difficulty concentrating on anything but her. He was now sitting in a lawn chair it the apartment parking lot, under an area of shade, waiting for her. Even there he found it hard to read anything on his laptop, the words almost looking like a foreign language to him as him mind kept wandering back to Amy. It was more than her just being gone shopping, it was about how Sheldon now liked his new life and was worried something would happen making it so he would loose Amy again. He almost flew out of his seat when he finally saw their car pull into the parking lot.
Amy put the car in park and shut off the engine, reaching over to pick up her phone and call Sheldon to help her, the knocking on her window almost making her scream, she was so surprise, "Sheldon you scared me."
"Amy where have you been all afternoon!" Sheldon whined.
"Sheldon, if you wanted me to be faster, you should have come with me." Amy was a little mad at him.
Sheldon swallowed, she was right, he should have gone. "I'm sorry Amy, I was just so worried."
Amy looked into his eyes and saw the concern there, she was getting good at reading his expressions after being married to him for two years. It was actually sweet he had been worrying about her, even if it was because of him that she went out alone. "Okay, Honey, can you help me bring things up?" Amy calmly replied.
Sheldon nodded and offered his hand to help her out of the car, then helped her put the groceries into their collapsible cart to take upstairs. Once done, Sheldon grabbed the cart and pulled it to the door, while Amy followed him up to the apartment, after locking the car door. It was after the elevator doors closed, that Sheldon leaned down to kiss her, making Amy eyes go wide and a smile form on her face. "Sheldon, you missed me that much?" She said softly almost in a whisper.
The kiss had been almost automatic, but the next words were something he had been thinking the whole time she was gone. "Amy I love you."
Amy just looked at him, this was not the first time he had told her he loved her, he had said it a lot over the last couple of years, but the heartfelt way he said it now tugged at her heart. "I love you too, Honey." Amy then reached over and took his hand, feeling him gently squeeze hers as soon as their hands joined.
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Penny had made sure they got the right table when they arrived and as soon as they sat down Bernadette arrived to get their drink orders. Everything went great at first then nothing, nothing at all, Howard didn't show any interest in Bernadette and Bernadette seemed too busy to spend much time at their table. When it came to the end of the meal, Leonard and Penny just ended up staring at each other, neither of them knowing what to do to get Howard and Bernadette to notice each other. The drive home, after dropping Howard back at his house after dinner, was full of questions for both Leonard and Penny.
"Well that didn't go too well." Penny summed up the whole night.
Leonard nodded, "I just thought if we got them together, they would just click. Boy was I wrong."
"How did it happen in your timeline?" She glanced at him with curiosity.
Leonard sadly chuckled. "Well you set up a blind date between them and at first it went really bad. They seemed to have nothing in common, as the night dragged on, and we both were just wanting it to end so we could take them both home, declaring failure. Then suddenly they started talking about their mothers and they clicked right in front of our eyes and they pretty much then always wanted to be with each other."
"They bonded over their mothers?" Penny said incredulously.
"You had to be there to understand." Leonard told her
Penny just nodded, "I guess stranger things have happened." Penny thought for a second, "So what do you want to do?"
"I want to try again. Penny they are great together, I've seen them and now they seem to need each other even more, they both need someone in their lives. I can't give up on them yet."
Penny nodded, a little bit touched by Leonard's concern for his friends. It made her immediately think of her friend, "Tell me about Raj and Cheryl."
"Well remember that Halloween party you said we slept together?" Leonard started to tell Penny what happened between Cheryl and Raj, then going over their getting reacquainted in his timeline. He caught her up to the time he left and how they were already living together.
Penny listened intently, "She told me she hooked up at the party to some guy who was awesome, a great listener." Penny giggled. "It all makes sense now, she kept talking and Raj couldn't talk back to her." Penny nodded to herself thinking. "Cheryl was disappointed he didn't take her number." Penny then told him.
Leonard looked at her. "I guess I need to get Raj back to America." Penny nodded.
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The next morning Leonard turned off the alarm clock before it went off, he had been already awake for 15 minutes just laying on his back in the bed. He didn't want to move, Penny, who he was spooning when he fell asleep was now sleeping on his chest, and it really didn't surprise him. Many the time he would find her in that position when he woke up in his own timeline, she seemed to flip and just grab on to him in her sleep. Like now, her head on his chest, one arm and one leg thrown over his body, her steady breathing, a sign he knew that meant she was content and comfortable. It was amazing how little things like this were so important and precious when you thought you would loose them soon, because that was how Leonard felt right now. So he just laid there, enjoying the feeling of her so close, trying to capture every little detail of it, not wanting it to end.
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Some distance away from Penny's house, Sheldon was just waking up too, as he turned off his alarm clock to not wake of Amy. He was beginning to worry again because today would require him to act like the man he replaced, a man he never met or never knew, and it scared him. Amy worked at Cal Tech, in this timeline, and he thought he could convince her to drive them to work today too, but that part of it was easy, it was when he got there that worried him. There were people at the party he did not know and even the ones he did, he didn't know what they were doing or how he interacted with them. That made it a trap for him, because for everyone he met, there was another chance to make them wonder who he really was and what happened to the man they knew. So Sheldon laid there, Amy's sleeping form against him, wondering what he was going to do.
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Leonard delayed waking her up till the last possible moment, it was almost impossible for him to break the physical contact they now shared. "Penny…..Penny….I have to get up now Penny." He nudged her trying to wake her.
"Just a couple more minutes." She mumbled, and instead of moving off him, just tightening her grip on him.
"Penny…..Penny…..Please Penny, I really need to get up." He nudged her a little more. He heard a moaning sound from her, then she moved her face to his neck giving him little soft kisses there before drifting off to sleep again. It brought up strong memories for him, remembering how she would do little affectionate things to him, in the morning, when she didn't want him to leave her bed. If this was his timeline and his pregnant Penny, he would have been late for work or not have gone in at all, but this wasn't, so he had to get up. This Penny and him where not intimate with each other and agreed not to be, so Leonard put his arms around her and rolled her off of him, then sat up in the bed, looking down at her.
Penny had been half asleep, warm and comfortable, a relaxed state she hadn't experienced in a long while, so the sudden change when he woke her up made her open her eyes wide. Looking up at Leonard, it took her a couple seconds to realize where she was and who she actually was in bed with, but even then she let a small smile come to her face for the man she was with. "Hi."
"Sorry to wake you, but I need to get up for work now and you were…..were…..anyway I needed to get up." Leonard finally got out.
"Okay. I'm just not use to getting up this early, I usually don't go to the Studio till almost 11. But I can get up to drive you." Penny responded
"How do I get to work, if you don't drive me, do we usually work different days or time." Leonard asked, the whole situation seeming a little strange to him.
Penny smiled and shook her head. "Your car is still at the university, we never picked it up after we left Friday. We have been together all weekend."
"Oh, Okay, so I have a car." Leonard thought a second.
Penny giggled, "Yes you have a car, did you think I drove you around all the time."
Leonard chuckled at the memory, "Like Sheldon."
Penny looked at him confused, "Sheldon drives." Then she understood. "Oh, you mean your Sheldon. You guys drove him around?"
"You did too." Leonard said with a smile to her.
"Really. Wow." Penny then pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes, mumbling. "You get ready, I get up in a minute."
Leonard softly chuckled to himself, some things never changed and it warmed his heart that Penny still acted the same with certain things, like she did in the other timeline. He gently put his hand under her hair till it was just touching her neck, hearing a little moan come from her, he knew exactly where to tickle her. "Come on Penny you need to get up." he said before he started the delightful torture.
"Leonard, Noooo…" She squealed as she tried to get away from him, but still stay buried in the bed. But there was no where for her to go, so she retaliated, she had been married to him for years and she knew his vulnerable spots too, so she attacked. It only to a few seconds for them both to end up rolling in the bed trying to tickle each other, while laughing and giggling the whole time and by the time them were done they were both exhausted. Both of them laid on their backs with big smiles on their faces, trying to catch their breath as the realization of what just happened formed in their minds.
The smile slowly left her face as Penny looked to her side, trying not to move her head, to see the man, whose presence in her life now was capturing her heart. She was still having problems though with fully loving him, the events of year ago still making her cautious about giving herself to him, until she was positive she was doing the right thing. She only knew she had to get up now, because she also knew in her heart that he had only to lean over and kiss her, and she would be his. "Okay, you win, I'm getting up." Penny got up and went to leave for her room, physically forcing herself not to look back at him, so she would stay strong in this battle, in a war she knew she was loosing.
Leonard laid there a few seconds, after watching her go, a empty feeling coming over him as soon as she was gone. He missed the intimate bond he had with her, it wasn't just the sex, it was the kissing, cuddling and the touching, that had always been there between them. He forced those thoughts out of his mind, he was going to be late, and he got up to get ready, he had a lot to learn today.
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"Amy, could you drive today, I have a headache." Sheldon lied.
"Yes of course, you're not getting sick are you." Amy walked up to him to put her hand on his head.
Sheldon was proud of himself because he didn't even flinch, in just two days his missing of her made him welcome the touch of her skin on his. "No, I don't think so, I think it is just stress from this weekend." He was surprised how easy the lies came now, he didn't even feel any twitching in his face, he actually felt calm as he continued to lie to her.
"Okay, you're head is not warm. Let me get you a couple aspirins." Amy quickly turned to go to the bathroom.
Sheldon immediately missed her soft warm hand on his forehead, he didn't even want her to leave the room. "Thank you Amy, you always take such good care of me." He said without even thinking.
Amy stopped at the doorway, just staring at him, his small complement touching her heart and reminding her how much she loved him. A smile quickly formed on her lips. "I love taking care of you, cuddles. Always did and always will, because I love you."
The next words out of Sheldon's mouth were easy, because they weren't a lie, "I love you too….Dr Cooper." Sheldon's heart seemed ready to explode as he watched Amy's smile get bigger and he swore he saw a tear in her eye.
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The beginning of the ride to work started out quiet, until they left through the gate of their property and hit the street. "Leonard, you have a secretary and her name is 'Jeannie'." Penny started to tell him.
"Okay, 'Jeannie', it that short for something?" Leonard asked.
"Well." Penny then sighed. "Her name is Jennifer Stewart, but everyone calls her 'Jeannie'…because she is a beautiful petite blonde who looks a lot like the girl from that '60's' TV show 'I Dream of Jeannie'."
"Really!" Leonard was surprised.
"Don't start with me Leonard." Penny couldn't help being upset, her old insecurities of her husband being around that beautiful extremely friendly girl, coming to the surface all over again with the man sitting next to her.
The turnaround in Penny's manor surprised him even more. "Penny what is wrong?"
"Leonard, that girl is sweet, funny and beautiful, and I can't stand the way she looks up to you. You are with her every day, all day and it drives me crazy, I wanted you to transfer her, but you told me you would have to fire her, and I couldn't tell you to do that, I know I am jealous, but I can't help it…." Penny's voice cracked as she rambled on, regurgitating every thought she had about his secretary.
"Wow" Leonard whispered, talk about a raw subject between them. He wanted to comfort her, "Penny remember, I'm not your husband and….."
Penny's next action surprised Leonard and stopped him from continuing his words to her. Penny pulled immediately to the curb and put the car in park, then rested her forehead against her hands on the steering wheel. "Please Leonard, please give me more time. I know you are my husband, you were my husband in your timeline and you will be my husband if things go the same as before in this timeline. It's just I have to be 100 percent sure, about this, before I can do anything. I can't get a year ago out of my mind, I cheated on you and I still can't understand why I would do such a thing. It is not you, it is me, so please if you love me give me a little time." It took a second for Penny to realize what she said, and she took her head of the steering wheel to look at him, her eyes locking on his.
Leonard was a little stunned, but decided to just tell her the truth, "You know I love you Penny. I have always loved you."
Penny nodded, "I love you too…..you Leonard, I love you. I don't know how but even after only two days, I know it is true."
"I didn't mean to push you, please understand that, it was a mistake. You take all the time you need." Leonard watched as Penny just nodded.
The rest of the trip to work they just talked about unimportant meaningless things like how sights along the way either changed or not from Leonard's timeline. However, when they got to Cal Tech, Leonard was not ready for her to go. "Do you want to come in to get some coffee and a pastry."
Penny smiled at him, "Yeah, I'd like that. Just let me find a parking spot."
"Don't I have a spot you can park?" Leonard asked
Penny giggled, "Yeah, but your car is in it."
"Oh, right." Leonard thought a second. "Can you show me where it is and what my car looks like."
"Yeah, that is probably a good idea." Penny then drove to the closer parking near the building.
"You're kidding me!" Leonard just stared at his car.
"Long story Sweetie." Penny said then giggled. "The short version is after I got my car, your car broke down, it had like 200,000 miles on it. So I took you out looking for a new one, and well, you kept looking at the most boring cars in the world."
"My cars aren't boring!" Leonard tried to defend himself.
"Sweetie they are boring. So anyway, we got talking about it and you got defensive like now." Leonard looked at her and she just shook her head. "So you got mad and bought that. I actually like it and you look way too cute driving it."
"A black Mustang GT convertible with silver strips down the middle. I must be the laughing stock of the university." Then Leonard remembered something, "I can't drive a stick, please tell me it is not a manual."
Penny shook her head, "It is an automatic, and Sweetie you drive a sports car and are married to a blonde actress, who some men find still desirable. Believe me Honey, they don't make fun of you, they wish they were you."
Leonard looked at her, "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to infer that you were not a fox or a hottie. I guess I can see your point."
Penny smiled, "You think I'm a fox and a hottie." He had just told her she was beautiful and she couldn't help how it quickened her heart as she looked at him.
Leonard chuckled, "Yeah." She was always drop dead gorgeous to him.
Penny stared at him for a minute, trying to control her heart and breathing, plus the urge to get in his lap and do him in the car, right there. "Let me find a place to park, before you are too late for work." Leonard just nodded turning his head to look forward again, as he wondered whose eyes were more dilated, his or hers.
A/N: Busy at work, getting ready for an important bi-annual meeting, so I was preparing briefings this week and next week is the meeting. So updates will not be regular right now.