The next morning when Penny woke up, two clear blue eyes greeted her. "Good morning, sweetie," she said.
"Morning."
"How did you sleep?"
"Not well," he said.
"Oh poor baby," she said, arching in to a stretch.
"I am unaccustomed to sleeping in close proximity to another person," he said, "additionally, the bears did not prove a durable barrier. They had a tendency to travel and I was forced to make several late night adjustments."
"Well, the bears will have to go," she said, "…and you must sleep here regularly, to get used to it."
"Agreed," he said, "I will stop by the Comic book store today. I believe Stuart has some packing foam which, once properly santitized will serve us better."
She reached over and stroked his hair, "I'm so glad you're here."
"Are you?"
"Yes, we are finally getting somewhere."
"We are almost there," he said, with a little smirk.
That day, Penny took her Care Bears to the charity bin. She kissed each one, as they parted company for good. "I don't need you anymore, I have a new Care Bear," she said, as she watched the last smiling toy disappear in to the bin.
Sheldon visited the comic book store that day and brought back some foam, to construct a soft barrier. On the second night, he still had difficulty sleeping. By the third, he was very tired but insisted on the sheets being changed, before they turned in. Penny took out some clean ones and was about to make up the bed. "They must also be ironed," he said.
"Sheldon, who irons sheets?"
"Anyone who wishes to eliminate bacteria. Also, I noticed that you do not put double pillowcases on your pillows," he said.
"Two pillow cases?" she said, giving him a derisive look.
"Yes, and also ironed."
"Well, if you want them ironed, honey. You'll have do it yourself," she said.
"Very well!" he said. He marched to her cupboard and took out the ironing board and plugged in the iron. As he worked away, he gave her a detailed description of how her bathroom cleaning was inadequate and must be updated with a new routine. "Thorough cleansing twice a week, with a mild solution of bleach, is a minimum requirement," he said.
"You'll have to do that, too!" she said, her arms crossed in defiance.
"Now Penny, it's only fair we share these duties," he said.
"Sheldon, they're not my duties, they're yours."
"I can't wait for you to sign the document, then you have to do things the right way," he huffed.
"Don't count on it, sweetie."
He let out a little yawn. His eyes were heavy with rings, from lack of sleep and she suddenly felt guilty, as she looked at his exhausted face.
"Oh, give it here," she said, taking the iron from him and finishing what he had started. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited looking very sleepy.
"Perhaps we should attempt to argue every evening," he said, "I'm very tired now."
Penny shook her head and smiled.
Once the sheets were done and the bed made, he drifted off almost instantly. She knew he was sleeping because she could just make out his slow breaths. This time she couldn't sleep. Leonard was due back the next day and she was worried. What if he wouldn't talk to Sheldon? What if this final task wasn't possible?
She looked over at the dark shadow, on the pillow next to her and wanted to reach out and touch him. The memory of his body crushed up against her, on that first night invaded her thoughts. She wanted him to do that again. She wanted to cross the foam barrier and run her hands over his warm flesh.
Instead, she did nothing. Sheldon had taken a huge step; he was in her bed, willingly. The courtship had to be completed. This was something that had to be done his way. Whatever happened tomorrow, was out of her hands.
"Okay, everyone pay attention," Sheldon announced, standing in front of his whiteboard. "Although Leonard, has not made it back yet, 'The Mystic Warlord of Ka'a', new expansion pack night, will go ahead as planned."
It was 7pm Saturday evening and there had been no sign of Leonard all day. Penny felt her stomach turning over. Where was he? When would he get back? She needed a drink.
"You're packs are in front of you and I have listed the game play instructions, hence…" Sheldon continued, pointing at the whiteboard.
"Anyone want a drink?" Penny interrupted.
"Ooh, I'll have something," Amy replied.
"Now, now, Ladies, the proceedings are about to commence. There is no time for dallying over beverages."
"Sheldon, I'm getting beer!" Penny said, making her way to the fridge.
"Err Penny…" he said, "…just because we are dating now, does not afford you extra privileges within the group, you will have to abide by the same rules as..."
She smiled, "Shut up, sweetie!"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, sitting down.
"How'd she do that?! Howard said, stunned. "Tell me how you did that?"
"Practice," said Penny.
"Well in that case, I'll have a beer as well," he said, with a wide grin.
Sheldon looked a little perturbed, at the disruption. He decided to ignore them and unpack the game cards, while they asked for their various drinks.
"Raj likes orange fizz," said Amy.
"But I'll have whatever Amy's having," he said, giving her a little wink.
"Those two are so cute," said Bernadette, leaning in to whisper to Howard.
"Who'd have thought," said Howard.
Penny placed the tray on the table. "Waitressing on your day off?" Amy joked.
"Well, make the most of it because I won't be waitressing much longer," she said.
"Really, what are you going to do instead?" Bernadette asked.
Sheldon suddenly stopped what he was doing and met her gaze. "I thought I might become a teacher," she said, smiling back at him. He smiled shyly in recognition and went back to unpacking the cards.
At that moment, the door flew open and Leonard, Stuart and Kripke appeared.
"Hello losews!" Kripke shouted.
"Hi guys," Stuart said.
Everyone replied in turn.
"Welcome back Leonard," said Howard.
"Hi everyone," Leonard said. He looked tired, tanned and had a few days stubble.
Kripke dropped a bag on the floor.
"Thanks for carrying my case up the stairs," Leonard said.
"No pwoblem."
"That was a great night, huh? You sure you don't want to join us at the Comic Book Store for another drink?" said Stuart.
"No thanks, no more for me tonight."
"Okay, but see you next Satuwday, wight?" Kripke said.
"Sure thing," he said, "bye guys."
Kripke and Stuart said their goodbyes and then left. Leonard then picked up his bags and took them to his room.
The room went silent.
Sheldon stood up. "The knight has been called," he said, following Leonard to his room.
"Do you think we should stop him?" Bernadette asked.
"I don't think we can," said Penny quietly, as she watched him disappear from view.
They others were waiting in silence, barely breathing. They heard Sheldon trademark three knocks, the door open and then nothing.
"Do you think..? Raj started.
"Shhhh!" said Penny.
"But…"
"Shhhh!"
Sheldon closed the door and took a deep breath, "You know why I'm here," he said.
"Sheldon, you don't have to say anything," he said.
"But I do. You are my best friend and I owe you everything."
"Okay, lets get it over with," he said, sitting on the bed.
"As you know, Penny and I are in love."
"So I hear."
"And although your suffering causes me great distress, I want you to know, that I am committed to completing my courtship."
"I thought you might be."
"If you wish us to duel, I will gratefully accept."
"Sheldon, we're not going to duel."
"I need to fix this, Leonard," he said, putting his head in his hands, "...just tell me what I can do."
"You can't, fixing this, is up to me."
"I don't understand."
"Amy was right. Penny is not right for me. No more than Amy, was right for you."
"Did you do the math?" he said.
"I guess I did," he sighed, "I've spent so long chasing her, I forgot why I was doing it in the first place. I don't love her, I was just obsessed by the idea that she could love me."
"Obsessed? I understand that."
"I was stuck in a loop."
"Hmm, just like my fusion reaction work with Kripke," he said, shaking his head in dismay.
"Yeah, just like that."
"So, you are not adverse to me pursuing her further."
"Well, I'd be lying, if I said it was going to be easy. But I'd also be lying, if I didn't admit that things were wrong between us. It was moving way too slowly and there was a nagging doubt."
"What kind of doubt?"
"That she was waiting for someone else."
Sheldon dropped his eyes, "I'm sorry."
"I know you are. This week I've done a lot of thinking and have decided that I need someone who likes me, as I am. Secretly, I always knew this wasn't Penny. We had too many misunderstandings."
"Hmm, now that's my job."
Leonard smirked, "It is."
"I look forward to it," he said.
Leonard shook his head, "You're an oddball, Sheldon."
"Perhaps, but consider this. If you could discern what most people are going to think, do or say, before they did it, life would be rather dull, right? Even with Amy, I knew how her intellectual brain functioned. But Penny…"
"She's a little chaotic!"
"Yes, isn't is wonderful?"
"Do you remember that very first day when we saw her across the hall?"
"I do."
"I thought she was an impossible dream."
"I thought she was best avoided!"
Leonard managed a smile, "Well, it's not high school anymore."
"Lucky for us, or we would be settling this via chinese burns," said Sheldon.
"One thing, that is still confusing me, where did this sudden interest in Penny come from?"
"Oh, let me start from the beginning, I was up making french toast...
After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the others heard Leonard's voice emerge from his room. "So you think the symposium, was the singular quantum event?"
"Absolutely, because particle configurations by their mirror images, run everything backward in time…"
"Huh-huh."
"…and when I realized the equation was a spacetime symmetry, there was only one possible explanation."
"I see."
"…it was also supersymmetry, that lead me to my conclusions. Completing the paradox."
They stopped suddenly and looked at the others. After a long pause, Leonard asked, "Is that the new Mystic Warlords of Ka'a expansion pack?"
"Yes, Space Mutants and Superheroes," said Raj.
"Did you get me one?" he asked.
"Of course! We picked them up today," said Howard, with a wide grin.
Leonard looked down at the cards, on the table. "Okay, I'm in," he said, grabbing a chair.
Later that evening, Penny was in her apartment preparing. She took out all the presents she had received over the course of their courtship. She lit the incense, made jasmine tea in the Japanese tea set and placed the globe on her coffee table. Next to the globe, in pride of place, was a gold frame containing her poem.
After lighting candles and arranging them around the room, she turned off the lights. It was ready.
Knock, knock, knock, "Penny."
Knock, knock, knock, "Penny."
Knock, knock, knock, "Penny."
"Come in," she called out, "It's open."
The door swung ajar and there he stood. There was a fiery warmth in his eyes and he was looking very triumphant. "Hello Penny," he said, boldly.
"Hello Sheldon."
"It's a little dark in here," he said.
"Yes, it's romantic," she said.
"Oh, I see," he said, still standing in the doorway.
"How did you do it?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Convince Leonard to stay friends with us?"
"He could not argue with the science."
"Sheldon, I think you are amazing," she said gently, her green eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
He strode over towards her. "Come with me," he said softly, extending out his hand. She reached up and their hands entwined. The very fact he was allowing this touch, made her heart jump. She didn't protest that she had just spent the last hour, preparing her apartment, so they had a romantic space to sign the relationship agreement. Instead, she let herself be led over to his apartment. When they got there, he motioned for her to sit.
There was a whiteboard positioned next to the couch and he picked up a marker and began to draw symbols on the board.
"Am I going to get another physics lesson? because you know how terrible I was the first time," she said.
"No," he said, turning back to look at her, "…but we have know each other a long time, Penny. And as you know, I have always held a very specific set of beliefs, in regards to human relations. I thought you might want to know, why I altered them. So you can appreciate that my commitment to you is eternal."
"Oh definitely, but… what is it?"
"Supersymmetry," he said, letting out a sigh, "This is the theory most particle physicists base their work on. This is the theory, I base my whole world on."
"It looks complicated."
"Oh, it's not," he said, smiling, "We call it SUZY. We call it the Elegant Theory because of its perfect symmetry." His voice was soft, as if he were talking about a previous lover.
"So elegant symmetry …is that us?" she said, a little confused.
"No."
She frowned.
"Supersymmetry tells us of a perfect balance of supercharges, relating fermions and bosons to one other."
"Oh!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat, "…and they cancel each other out."
"You remembered," he said smiling.
"I'm never going to ever forget that one."
"Well, I might have too! Because this theory is currently being challenged. Results from the Large Hadron Collider show no sign of our beloved SUZY…what if?... it's wrong?" he said, tapping his marker on the whiteboard.
"I don't know."
"Neither do I," he said, looking at her with an all-consuming glare, "This beautiful symmetric unity, brings together what we physicists like to call 'The Theory of Everything'. Quantum field theory, Einstein, dark matter, String theory, the hierarchy problem within the Standard Model. Disproving Supersymmetry would wipe out everything we thought we knew about physics this later century. Everything, I thought I knew…. My entire understanding of the universe," he said, picking up a cloth and wiping the board clean.
"Wow, that's big."
"The biggest!"
She smiled, "And that is happening now?"
"Right now," he said, "The theory may survive, it may still be proven in the coming years but whatever the outcome, this speculation has expanded my mind. Literally altered my ideology," he said, turning to face her, "Leading me to consider alternative possibilities," he said, his eyes warm with desire, "…like yourself."
"Thank you, large hadron thingy!" she said, playfully.
"I love you, Penny," he said.
"I love you too," she said, "now let's sign that darn agreement!"
Sheldon approached her and lowered himself down on to his knees. He took her hands in his, "We don't need it," he said, tenderly.
"Are you sure?"
"No, but then, I'm not sure of anything anymore." She looked into his eyes, they were wild and uncertain.
Bringing her hand up, she stroked his cheek. "Sheldon, I really don't mind. I know you need order in your life and I'm willing to be a part of that," she said, "…within reason, of course," she added, with a little smile.
"Thank you, but as you told the others you were going to become a teacher, I naturally assumed you would do me the honor, of becoming my wife."
Her eyes widened and she threw her arms around his neck. Pressing her lips to his ear and whispering softly, "Yes, yes, a million times, yes." His arms enveloped her and pulled her into a firm embrace.
"Oh Penny…" he said, his hands traveling over her back, her arms, her hips, "You are mine."
"Yes, I am."
"You are not a theory."
"Not as far as I know," she said.
His lips found hers, in a lovingly eager kiss. As their tongues came together, a fervent heat began to rise between them. His unexplored passion burst from every pore as he lowered her on to the couch. She felt his fingers wandering across her clothing, in search of bare skin. Finding a gap under her shirt, his hand ran up her abdomen to her breast. She drew in a breath, "Oh Sheldon, I can't believe we are here again, like this… I can't believe you worked it all out."
"I told you my angel," he said, breathlessly, "I just needed to do the calculations."
This is my first long FF, and it was great fun to write. I've tried to keep them IC and made the science as accurate as I could. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.