Moving On Chapter 2

Alex tried to defend her position but quickly realized that her advisor was right and that her proposed line of research would fail to yield results that would support her thesis.

"Okay, Dr. Cooper, you win. I see how this project – "

"This isn't a contest, Ms. Jensen, it's your thesis and the only loser here would be the scientific community if you continued on in this direction. You are in unknown scientific territory and the occasional nudge from someone who has failed in similar circumstances is part of my role as your advisor."

She nodded, not at all upset with his conclusion. When she was at Stanford all she heard from the faculty was about Dr. Sheldon Cooper at CalTech. He was something of a folk hero to the nerdiest theoretical physicists there and now she knew why.

She sighed when she thought about all the hours she'd spent following a path that led nowhere.

"Alex," her head jerked up when he called her by her first name, something he'd never done before. "This is just the first time you'll hear that you're pursuing a dead end. Believe me when I say it won't be the last. I once spent a year chasing after something only to realize that the computations I'd used to initiate my study contained an error that changed the outcome to what I wanted."

She looked at him in utter disbelief. He had called her by her first name and then admitted to having wasted time because he'd overlook an error in some arcane formula he'd developed.

"Don't look so surprised, Ms. Jensen. You've discovered something that won't work. You'll do that a lot in Theoretical Particle Physics…it's why it's called 'Theoretical'. Now, go dream up something that will!" His smile was nearly human and his eyes glistened with sincerity and purpose.

"And please close the door as you leave, Ms. Jensen." She gathered up her papers and stuffed them into a folder and left his office, quietly closing the door behind her. It was a ritual with them. He always insisted on having the door open when she was in his office. It was his rule, just one of many, but an ironclad rule that would never be broken.

Sheldon watched her leave, her tight jeans and sweater were pushing his personal boundaries of propriety but so long as the door remained open he felt safe from his baser urges.

He opened up her file and noted the date and time and gave a brief synopsis of the meeting for her evaluation.

She was a brilliant PhD candidate and had a promising career provided she didn't fall victim to some silly biological urge and end up driving a min-van and 2.5 children to soccer practice in the future.

Closing out the file and returning to his own problems, he dismissed her from his mind…almost.

His phone twirled around on his desk and finally fell off the edge. The sound jarred Sheldon and he glared at the uncooperative symbols on the white board and stooped to pick it up. It was half past seven and once again he'd lost track of the time.

It was a text message from his 'girlfriend', Amy Farrah Fowler, reminding him that he needed to be ready for their farewell dinner at LaSavage for Howard and Bernadette who were moving to Houston for the space program.

He glanced at his Batman Chronometer and cursed – he was going to be late and that was something Sheldon hated in others but absolutely loathed in himself.

He called for a cab and quickly changed into the new suit he'd brought from the house should just such an instance occur. His foresight often astounded him, such was his ego.

LaSavage

Sheldon paid off the cab and rushed into the restaurant but was met by his group of friends and their dates in the lobby - waiting.

"Hello, I'm dreadfully sorry I'm late. I got caught up in my work and – "

"Yeah, we figured as much and that's why I made the reservations for 8:30 not 8:00, Moon Pie. I know how you get lost in your science-y stuff and I planned for it," said Penny saucily.

"Sheldon, you look very grown up in your new suit! Do you like it, Penny? I picked it out. He looks so good in a gray pinstripes, and the tie matches his cornflower blue eyes exactly," said Amy, hanging on to Sheldon's arm and smiling broadly.

Penny had noticed already. The tie was a perfect match for those blue eyes that seemed to pierce her soul whenever he spoke intently to her about anything at all. If she had to summarize Sheldon Cooper in a word, it would be intense.

A waiter came and led them to their table and once everyone was seated, another waiter took their drink orders.

"Jack & Coke." Seven pairs of eyes bulged from their sockets and seven jaws dropped noticeably. Amy was the first to recover and glanced up at her boyfriend with a questioning stare. The look she got back made her quiver. There was an intensity in his gaze that seemed to linger on her lips before he turned his attentions to the menu before him.

Leonard and Penny seemed to be in a quiet debate about something with Leonard saying something that made Penny's lips purse in an angry moue and turn her attention to her plate.

Leonard stood up from the round table and tapped his spoon against his water glass to get everyone's attention, an unnecessary act inasmuch as the small group had already focused on the couple's intense but quiet argument.

"A toast to Howard and Bernadette." Everyone at the table groaned in anticipation of Sheldon's interruption to inform everyone about the origin of the toast but it wasn't forthcoming and Leonard was momentarily at a loss for words but continued on with wishing Howard and Bernadette the usual platitudes. He finally sat down.

Howard rose, teary eyed and thanked them all for their best wishes. He offered up a toast to Leonard and Penny and announced, as prompted earlier by Leonard, their wedding in August and new life in Princeton, New Jersey.

Penny looked over at a grinning Leonard and then bolted from the table, heading to the ladies' room. Bernadette and Amy followed, hoping to learn why she was so upset.

Howard sat down slowly, all joy gone from his face. "Leonard, tell me she knew about this?"

"We hadn't exactly set a date but I wanted…". He was interrupted by Howard's not so quiet "She didn't know you've taken a job at Princeton!?"

"Well, I told her about the offer and she said it was my decision. So I decided. It's not like there's anything here for her, is there?"

Sheldon sat quietly, absorbing the mini-drama as it unfolded, categorizing, attributing motives to the various participants, totally uncertain of what had happened. One thing was certain. The conundrum that often baffled him with regard to romantic relationships was an area fraught with peril to the uninitiated.

Raj leaned past his deaf girlfriend and waggled his fingers at him in greeting, glancing sideways at the Howard/Leonard discussion and shrugging his shoulders.

"Sheldon, were you aware that Leonard was even looking for a position elsewhere? You are his roommate, after all."

Sheldon could see the three girls returning to the table and his only comment to Raj was, "Were. We were roommates."

As the girls returned to their seats, Raj continued his questioning. "But Sheldon, he is your best friend. Surely he confided in you or discussed the pros and cons with you?"

Penny listened intently to the Rah/Sheldon conversation, tuning out her fiancé's attempts to mollify her somehow.

"Best friend? Hardly. A best friend would not have sabotaged my life's work. A best friend would not have mocked me or belittled me, both to my face and far more often, behind my back."

"Sheldon, the four of us are friends." Leonard interjected, uncomfortable with the content and direction of the discussion.

"The three of you are friends. Our apartment became the social focal point of all interaction but when you moved in with Penny, that focal point followed you, Leonard, thus proving my point."

He took another sip of his drink, aware of the silence that had descended on the group and felt guilty for spoiling the event.

"I'm sorry. We're here to say farewell to our – to Howard and Bernadette, so lift your glasses high. L'chaim, Howard and Bernadette. Sot Lat!" *

Howard looked like he was going to cry and Bernadette just grinned at the traditional Polish toast. The others murmured words and the moment passed.

The desserts were served and everyone was talking when Sheldon cleared his throat and calmly said, "This seems an appropriate time to mention that I, too, shall be leaving Pasadena, although only for a brief time. I've accepted an invitation to lecture at the Science Institute in Buenos Aires and have been granted a 6 month sabbatical beginning in June."

"But Sheldon, you'll miss the wedding, buddy," said Leonard. Penny just looked at her best friend sadly.

"Well, if you remember, you were talking about a wedding after the New Year, Leonard, not in August. This decision was made based on your comments. Sadly, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have already signed agreements with the Institute."

"Ames, did you know about this?" Penny was looking hard at her bestie.

"Oh, yes. Sheldon and I discussed it at great length and I agree with him. It is an opportunity that can't be allowed to slip through his grasp."

She looked up at Sheldon and smiled dreamily.

"We'll still Skype and send emails. Nothing will have to change between us. I have several new areas to pursue thanks to a grant from NIMH and I shall be very busy."

The music in the dance area changed and Amy suddenly grinned and grabbed Sheldon's hand.

"The Tango! Oh, Sheldon, they're playing our song!" She dragged him to the dance floor and treated her friends to a tango vaguely reminiscent of the one between Angelina and Brad in Mr. & Mrs. Jones.

Bernadette elbowed Howard and nodded toward the dance floor but Howard was not a dancer, at least not to the tango. Leonard had a similar response but Raj grabbed his girlfriend by the hand and off they went.

Penny watched as ShAmy became Brangelina and she felt like she had lost something precious.

Amy returned to the table, flushed and excited, not bothering to sit down but saying goodbye to their friends and dragging Sheldon out the door. He didn't look unhappy at all, something they all noticed.

"Oh my God! Someone's going to get lucky tonight!" exclaimed Howard and the others laughed and made the usual comments about Sheldon and Amy and they all laughed except Penny and Raj.

['To life' in Hebrew and literally '100 years' in Polish]