Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Big Bang Theory, just my storyline and my own characters. I realize I'm taking a lot of liberties with Sheldon's character, but I do hope that everyone likes it anyway.
Chapter 2: Meeting Again
While waiting for Penny to bring their order at the Cheese Cake Factory, Sheldon and Leonard were making small talk.
"Did you notice the new waitress Penny's training in?" Leonard asked as he twirled the ketchup bottle around.
"There was a new girl?" Sheldon asked confused. "I didn't notice."
"How could you not notice?" Leonard asked confused. "She was standing right next to Penny."
"Well I was intent on getting my order right with Penny."
"Sheldon as long as we've been coming here, Penny knows your order by now." Leonard said rolling his eyes. "She was pretty though, red hair really works for her."
"Well maybe I'll see her again, when she comes back with Penny." Sheldon said. Not too long after saying that Penny returned with the pretty red head, and Sheldon noticed she has the brightest blue eyes he's seen in awhile.
"Hey Penny, what's your trainee's name?" Leonard asked, not wanting to seem weird by staring at the girls chest to learn her name.
Penny looked at the new girl, and nudged her slightly. "My name is Nancy Adams." The girl said shyly. Sheldon who'd began to eat his burger choked slightly, unnoticed by the other three. "What's your name? You seem to know Penny well."
"I'm her boyfriend." Leonard said shyly, as if he still sometimes didn't believe it. "Leonard Hofstadter."
"Nice to meet you." Nancy said smiling. "I've been hoping to make some new friends, since I'm new to the area."
"Well you can never have to many friends," Penny said smiling. "I'm sure you'd be a good addition in our group."
"Really?" Nancy asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure Sheldon wouldn't mind." Penny said turning to talk to said genius, only to find him gone, his plate untouched. "Where'd he go?"
Leonard looked confused as he too looked around, neither noticed Nancy's surprised look at the mention of Sheldon, but she shook her head thinking that it couldn't be the same person she was thinking of. She knew he was living in Pasadena, but she didn't think he'd come to a place like this. Ever since their separation she'd been keeping a lookout on his life.
Sheldon made it around the corner before collapsing against the wall, unable to think straight at the moment. He didn't think he'd ever see his best friend again after all this time, he'd never been able to track down her and her father no matter how hard he'd tried. Suddenly he heard Penny and Leonard walking in his direction.
"He can't have gotten to far," Penny said. "I mean he doesn't drive."
"I don't understand why he even took off like this." Leonard said. "This really isn't like him."
Sheldon not wanting to talk to anyone right this moment sunk into the shadows of the nearby alley, knowing they wouldn't see him.
"Well maybe we'll see him at home later." Penny said sounding like she gave up. "And we'll introduce Nancy then, she gets off when I do."
"Well I guess I'll just take our food and go home and either wait for him or find him at home." Leonard replied, he kissed Penny, and they walked back to the restaurant.
Sheldon sighed in relief as they walked away from him. It looks like he might get a chance to talk to Nancy later tonight, but now he didn't know how he'd get home. He hadn't thought that far ahead when he was making his escape. He decided he'd have to take the bus, no matter how he detested it.
Sheldon grumbled to himself as he walked up to his and Leonard's shared apartment, realizing it was stupid to just disappear like that, because now he felt kind of dirty from riding the bus, and he was hungry. He unlocked the door and walked into the apartment, walking directly to his room when he noticed only Leonard was sitting in the living room.
"Sheldon why'd you run off like that, it's not like you." Leonard tried to ask, as Sheldon barely even glanced at him. "Sheldon we're having company over later, so make sure your nice when they get here."
"I'm always nice Leonard." Sheldon replied closing his bedroom door and sitting on his bed. He was extremely nervous about meeting Nancy again, no matter how much he'd deny it if someone asked. He knew when Penny's shift was over, so he knew he only had about an hour to prepare himself. He looked up as Leonard knocked on his door.
"Sheldon? Can we talk please?" Leonard asked through the door.
"Sure." Sheldon replied totally subdued.
"What's going on? Why'd you run off?" Leonard asked.
"I don't know," Sheldon replied. Leonard sighed knowing he wasn't going to get much else out of Sheldon.
Nancy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and took a deep breath. She was going to meet Sheldon Cooper again, Penny had explained who their runaway friend was. She really knew she should go home first and inform her father, but she knew if she went home he'd never let her leave. She shifted her weight and winced as she felt the bruise on her lower stomach throb.
She'd never told Sheldon that she was abused since a year after her mother passed away when she was four. She couldn't bear putting that burden on anyone else. It was why she was so depressed when she had to move away with her father. Thankfully it was only physical, emotional and mental abuse, it would be so much worse if anything like that happened to her, she'd never be able to look at Sheldon.
She did smile to herself thinking of her best friend from childhood, she was glad that the promise he made had been fulfilled since they both lived in California now. She'd had a huge crush on him from third to fifth grade when she was forced to move. She was nervous about meeting this older version of Sheldon, whom she knew little about. What if he didn't want anything to do with her. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind as Penny joined her in the locker room.
"Hey Nancy are you ready to go?" She asked softly. Nancy turned to her new co-worker, and soon to be friend.
"Sure." She said smiling. "I do have to tell you something, before we get there though." Nancy said timidly as she grabbed her purse and light jacket.
"Sure," Penny said leading her out to the employee parking lot and to her car. Once they were in and Penny started the car she turned to Nancy before pulling out. "What's up?" She then began to drive away.
"Um...I already know Sheldon...well I knew him when he was younger." Nancy said her cheeks slightly pink. "We went to elementary school together."
"Wow," Penny said eyes wide. "I've never met anyone other than his mother and sister, I never knew he had friends when he was younger he said he was always picked on in school."
"He was, and it was totally for stupid reasons." Nancy said scowling. "Sheldon was so smart, everyone else was threatened by it."
"Wow you really sound like a good friend." Penny said smiling. "Yeah Sheldon is pretty misunderstood."
"Yeah." Nancy said smiling. "But I never let that bother me, I really liked him...I mean...well..." she stuttered realizing what she said when she saw the smirk on Penny's face.
"You liked Sheldon?" Penny asked with a small laugh. "Wow, I always thought he was kind of asexual."
"Well he didn't know about it until I had to move away with my dad," Nancy said blushing almost as red as her hair.
"Well you seem like a really nice girl, and if what you say is true you'll get along with Sheldon and his friends easily." Penny said as they turned into the parking lot of her apartment building.
"So this is where he lives?" Nancy asked her nerves starting up again.
"Yeah, I live right across from them actually," Penny said smiling. "It's very convenient to live right across from my boyfriend."
"Yeah," Nancy said as she followed Penny upstairs to the right apartment.
"We're here." Penny said indicating to the door with 4A on it, she then knocked once and entered completely familiar with being here. She motioned for Nancy to follow her. "Hey Leonard we're here," she said walking over to him and pecking him on the lips. Nancy stood awkwardly near the door, not knowing what exactly she should do. "Come over here and sit." Penny said motioning to the redish couch. "Well except this spot," she gestured to the last cushion on the right side. "That's Sheldon's spot."
Nancy giggled as she sat in the spot next to it. "He still has a spot that he claims?"
"Wait you know Sheldon?" Leonard asked confused.
"Since I was five...sort of." Nancy said. "I moved away in fifth grade."
"Oh, well I'll go get him be right back." Leonard said walking off to the bedrooms. He came back not too long after, a subdued Sheldon following after. He looked up at the couch and locked eyes with the girl he'd once had a crush on, although she never knew that. He noticed that she was sitting right next to his spot on the couch and he gulped.
"Hi Sheldon, it's been a long time hasn't it?" Nancy asked her cheeks pink.
