Chapter 37 - End of a Long Day
Leonard walked out to 'his car' and stopped just staring, it seemed alien to him, like a lot of the life he was now living, and he wondered seriously for the first time if he really could adapt in this timeline. He couldn't help that his mind was constantly thinking about staying there, ever since the future/past version of himself told him and Penny to fix things, so they could live happily ever after. However today had made him wonder if that was possible, the problems Sheldon had caused, this awkward relationship between him and Penny, and the uncomfortable meeting he had just got out of with President Siebert. He knew it was only his first day, but still he couldn't help but wonder if he stayed, would the rest of his life be like that, trying to fake his way through a live that wasn't his, and trying not to make mistakes that would show him to be the fraud he really was.
Leonard pushed the unlock button on the car remote and sat down in 'his car', at least it was comfortable, even if he didn't know what all the controls meant. The buttons on the steering wheel, especially intrigued him, so he reached over to the glove compartment and happily found the owners manual there. Leonard spent the next 30 minutes sitting in 'his car' just reading how the whole thing worked, including the buttons that had the phone symbol on them, imbedded in his steering wheel.
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Penny just wanted her rehearsal to end, her mind hadn't been in her work at all, thoughts of Leonard occupying every second of her day. She had screwed up so much today, some of her fellow actors were actually trying to help her, which never happened before with her. It seemed the only relief she got was when she wasn't in a scene and just got to sit to think about the man she knew she was missing that day. Like right now, she was sitting in the corner, while her fellow actors were going over a scene, and although she knew she should be going over her lines for the next scene, every time she looked at her script it seemed like it was written in an alien language to her.
Penny's phone vibrating took her out of her thoughts and she almost squealed as the early picture of Leonard holding her popped up on the screen identifying the caller. Penny quickly hit receive. "Sweetie, hold on a second, I have to go someplace else." Penny then quickly looked around, stood and headed to the studio bathroom, locking herself in a stall. "Sweetie, I missed you."
"I'm not keeping you from your job, I sorry if I interrupted." Leonard now thought maybe calling her had been a bad idea.
"No Sweetie, they are rehearsing a scene, I'm not in, so it is fine. You are calling me from your car, aren't you. Are you on your way home?" Penny suddenly just wished she was in the car with him, instead of where she was now.
"Yeah, I have been sitting her trying to figure out all the buttons and I got this urge to call you, sorry." Leonard confessed.
Penny smiled at the thought of his urge, her mind immediately going to them both naked in bed pressed against each other, both surrendering themselves to each other. Penny had to gently shake her head to bring herself back to reality. "I'm glad you called, I have been worried about you and your first day. Did everything go alright, especially with Sheldon?"
Leonard sighed, "That is complicated and I thing we should talk about it when we see each other tonight."
Penny's smile turned to a frown. "You had problems didn't you." She immediately thought she should have stayed with him, damm her job.
"Don't worry, I got done today, none the worse for wear, we can talk later. Speaking of later, when do you normally get home?" Leonard asked.
The smile crept back on Penny's face, Leonard, before the last year, would always wonder when she was getting home and would take her into his arms as soon as she arrived. She missed that so much, "They are finishing up a scene then we have one more scene to do that I am in, before we finish. I'll probably be here another hour, do you want me to call you before I leave?"
"Please, I don't want to have to worry about you." Leonard sat there a second wondering if he had the right to even say that with her. He decided he better change the subject before it got awkward, "Do you want me to make something or do you want to eat out tonight?"
Penny's mind was still stuck on the 'I don't want to have to worry about you' so it took a second to respond. "I am a little tired, but Sweetie I know how you hate to cook."
"Umm, I like to cook some, we….I mean I took cooking courses and I make a mean Tilapia Fish dinner." Leonard told her.
"That actually sounds good." Just then Penny heard the restroom door open and someone walk in.
"Penny are you alright, they are setting up for the last scene." The director's assistance informed her.
"Sweetie, I have to go. I would love if you made dinner and I will call you as soon as I leave the studio." Penny whispered, then hung up and flushed the toilet, for appearances, following the assistant out to the studio. She couldn't get the small smile off her face the whole time they rehearsed.
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Sheldon was finally relaxed for the first time since he had gotten to Cal Tech, of course he was leaving now so that was probably why he felt relief. He knew Amy knew he was stressed, by the way she immediately offered to drive them home, and again he was happy for her presence, wondering why he ever let her go in his past timeline. He had been so afraid of the sexual aspects of marriage, that he didn't even take into consideration the companionship aspects until after he lost her. He remembered how Leonard and Penny told him that just wanting to be around each other and enjoying each other' company was something that could last a lifetime, and intimate relationships would naturally come later, but he never believed them. He had to admit now the last few days had proven them right, being with Amy was something he could easily see him doing the rest of his life, there was no ones company he would prefer having then hers.
"Sheldon how was your day?" Amy knew he was upset and she didn't want to make things worse.
Sheldon was pulled out of his thoughts and as he looked at her, he said the first thing his mind thought. "I love you Amy."
Amy swallowed, she was getting more and more pregnant every day, plus this weekend, when they had the sexual relations talk, still weighed heavy on her mind, so him telling her he still loved her was the affirmation she desired. Her hormones now took over as tears slowly leaked from her eyes as she tried hard to drive correctly, her emotions raging inside of her. "I love you too, Honey."
Sheldon saw the tear slide down her cheek and became immediately concerned he did something again to hurt her, "Amy you are crying, did I say something wrong?" confusion evident in his voice.
Amy shook her head a small smile on her lips, "No Honey, you said something right, it is just my hormones make me cry when I am happy."
"Oh, I see. You know hormones are a important factor in pregnancy…." Sheldon continued on for a good five minutes explaining hormones to her, Amy just enjoying listening to him the whole time.
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Leonard had just finished taking the fish off the stove, when he heard the door to the garage open and Penny come quickly in the house. Her being home so much later than him allowed him to stop at he supermarket and get all the fixings for their dinner tonight, he found he wanted to impress her and thank her for everything she had done for him so far. "Why don't you wash up and then when you come back, I'll have our plates ready." He then smiled at her.
Penny smiled back, "Everything smells so good, I'm suddenly starved, hurry, I'll be right back." She giggled and then headed quickly to her room.
It was 20 minutes later, them half way through their meals, when they started to talk in earnest again. "Leonard, I swear this is the best fish I have ever ate."
Leonard chuckled, "That is because you are hungry, did you eat anything after you left me today?"
Penny looked at him with guilt. "I had a salad."
Leonard shook his head, "I know you are an actress and have to watch you weight, but I made sure this is a low carb meal, so eat all you want okay."
Penny smiled and nodded, then speared another piece of fish off Leonard's plate. "Hey, there is some more fish on the counter." Leonard protested.
"Your's looked more appealing." Penny teased.
Leonard shook his head, smiling and mumbling "Just like the crispy French Fries."
"What Sweetie." Penny looked at him slightly confused, but smiling.
"Nothing, I need more fish." Leonard got up to get the rest of the fish off the counter.
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Sheldon and Amy walked into their apartment, Sheldon carrying the takeout bag from the restaurant, filled with the food she had been craving all day. She had done the ordering from the car and she had ordered what she said was his favorite, so Sheldon hoped it would something he could eat. The set up dinner quickly and were eating only a short time after they arrived, just quietly sitting next to each other on the couch, their hips just touching each other, the TV not even on.
Amy especially noticed how quiet it was and the lack of Sheldon's interest in the TV, it was something she liked and at the same time worried her, because if anything, Sheldon was a creature of habit. "Sheldon is something wrong."
Sheldon sighed, he knew this was going to come up and he wanted to tell her, but now that it did he didn't know how to start. "Today was a little bit difficult."
"How so, Honey." Amy was now looking at Sheldon with concern.
The urge to kiss her upturned face, got stronger in Sheldon with every day he was with her, but he needed to go on. "Everything has changed since I have gotten the Nobel and it is hard to adjust." 'Adjust is an interesting word' Sheldon thought, he had a lot of adjusting to do.
"Yes, but it is good change isn't it Honey?" Amy tried to give his worry a positive spin.
"Some, but I have found that Leonard and I now have a wedge between us." Sheldon didn't have to lie about the wedge between them, it was just the cause he knew was a lie.
"Really, but Leonard is your best friend." Amy reminded him.
Sheldon shook his head, a very small smile on his lips. "You are wrong there Dr Cooper. Amy, you are my best friend, Leonard is just a friend and acquaintance."
For the second time today, Amy swallowed hard at he husbands words, tears again trying to escape her hormonal ravished body. "Sheldon…" She didn't get to finish as Sheldon softly brushed his lips against hers. The kiss, that was intended to be quick, went on and on, until Amy finally opened her eyes, breathlessly looking at her husband.
Sheldon, looked down at her, with regret, he didn't want to stop the kiss, but he was loosing his grasp on reality with her, and it was the only way he could keep control. He had put his hands on her waist as he kissed her and as he pulled her closer, her baby bump and breasts rubbed against his arms, making him only want to caress both of them. If he had kept the kiss longer he knew he would have given up to his urges and then what, it scared him to think what he may have done next. "Amy maybe we better eat the rest of our food before it gets cold."
Amy just nodded, unable to think of words to speak to explain how she felt just now. It was after a couple of minutes, she finally composed herself, "Sheldon do you want to tell me what happened today." She watched her husband nod and then listened to him explain his day.
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Everything had been fine, until Leonard and Penny sat on the couch, after they cleaned up from dinner, Penny on one side and Leonard again on the other. Penny had gotten quiet and as she fidgeted with a after dinner glass of wine they both were drinking, he could see something was bothering her again. He figured it was him and this whole situation he put her in, he had ruined her life, in both timelines and he was really amazed she was doing so well after all she had seen so far. He knew whatever happened he had to make this right with her and even now he had to see if he could do something to make things better for her. "Penny is something bothering you?"
Penny looked up at him with the look of a small girl getting caught at something she had just done wrong. "No Sweetie…well nothing that has to do with you."
"You want to talk about it?" he coaxed.
Penny sat there thinking, a expression Leonard had seen many times before when she was trying to figure something out, he knew just to give her time. It was a couple seconds later Leonard could see she had come to a decision. "Sweetie, remember when I kept saying it was a year ago, that it happened." She looked at him and say him nod to continue. "Well it was at the end of the season, at the cast party, and that happens again this Friday, since our last taping is Thursday. The director came up to me today, because he knew I wouldn't go, to tell me that the network was sending a couple of big-wigs to the party to make an announcement and everyone needed to be there. I have to go, Leonard."
Leonard just nodded, not knowing what to think, "Okay."
Penny wanted to cry, "Sweetie, I promise you I will stay with the married couples all night and won't drink a thing, okay."
She was talking to him like he was her husband, again giving him mixed feelings, but there was also something she said that confused him. "Married couples, do people take their spouses to this party?"
"Yes, there are spouses." Penny looked at Leonard finally getting what he was asking. "Sweetie you don't have to go."
"I know, but I would like to be there, if you want me. Do you want me to go?" Leonard looked at her.
Penny couldn't keep her eyes on him, he made her want to cry, and she looked down at her hands, responding in a whisper. "Yes."
Leonard scooted closer to her and took her hands which made her look up at him again, "Then I would love to go with you, if you'll have me." Penny just stared into his eyes and nodded.