The Duality Synthesis, Chapter 4 by patricia51

(If you will hold my hand)

"What does it mean this fiddler on the roof who fiddles every day and fiddles every noon?" Alex danced around the room as she sang. "Why should he pick so curious a place to play his little fiddler tunes?"

She paused to look critically at the angle where a couch and an overstuffed chair met. Nodding she carried on.

"A fiddler on the roof! A most unlikely sight!"

From behind her a baritone voice took over.

"It might not mean a thing."

She turned with a smile and joined her voice to her husband's for the final line in a not completely unharmonious duet.

"But then again it might!"

With a laugh she sprang into Leonard's arms to be soundly kissed and spun around in the air once before being set back down on her feet. He cast a critical eye over the living room of their apartment.

"Have you been rearranging the furniture again?"

"Maybe just a little bit," Alex confessed. "But I can't help it. It's so great having all this room."

Leonard had to agree. Portions of their finances had remained separate after their marriage. They each continued to have their own credit cards and their own retirement accounts. But their savings had been pooled together and the amount had sufficed for them to put a generous down payment on this apartment and still give them a good reserve fund. Nestled in one entire corner of the fifth and top floor of this building Alex had fallen in love with it at first sight and Leonard had agreed it was everything they could want.

They now had three bedrooms. One was theirs of course; one was set up for a guest (although Alex already was dreaming of what the bedroom might become one day) and the last was fitted out as a study/game room/lab. There was a big eat-in kitchen and a sprawling living room with one end available as a dining area. One wall was lined with bookshelves while the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side looked towards the nearby ocean.

"Besides," the slender woman carried on. "Monday we go back to work. I want to have everything perfect by then."

"Alex," Leonard laughed as he took his new wife in his arms. "In the week since we got back from our honeymoon you have done nothing but make this apartment perfect. You have worn out our friends, not to mention an assortment of deliverymen who have carried furniture and furnishings in and back and forth. And once everything was here you have rearranged the entire apartment at least three times." He pretended to pout. "I fact I'm beginning to suspect that you only married me for this apartment."

"Oh gosh!" Alex staggered in pretend shock. "How did you figure that out? I was trying to be so careful not to let that show." She grinned as she closed the distance between them and plastered herself against him. Standing on her tiptoes she blew in his ear. "As I recall I have managed to tear myself away from setting up over the last ten days enough to show you that I value you for something else too. Not to mention the two weeks before that on our honeymoon."

The honeymoon had been fun. Knowing that Leonard was not at all fond of the ocean or the beach had eliminated most of the usual spots like Bermuda or Cancun. But then Alex wasn't much of a "lie on the beach" type girl either. So they came up with a better idea, one suited to them. After the reception they had flown to Washington DC and spent a week exploring the landmarks and museums; paying particular attention to the Smithsonian and the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Following that they had crossed the Atlantic to England and immersed themselves in the British Museum.

Of course, Leonard smiled as he remembered, it hadn't all been landmarks and museums and science and walking tours. When they had arrived at their DC hotel and unpacked he had set up his laptop and started an internet search. Without turning around he had called behind him "What do you want to do first Alex?"

A slender arm had reached over his shoulder and turned off the laptop. That arm was showing more skin than it had when they had arrived a part of his brain noted. And the pair of breasts that pressed against the sides of his neck didn't seem to have anything preventing their softness from rubbing against his skin.

"You have three guess Leonard," a husky voice had whispered in his ear. "And you better get it right the first time."

He was pretty sure he had got it right. More than once. In fact it hadn't been till the next morning that they had left their hotel room. Room service had proved to be a life saver even if he had had to get out of bed both times and put on a robe to answer the door.

At least he HAD a robe then. They had almost been caught in "flagrante delicto" in a secluded nook deep in the British Museum. Their credentials as scientists, particularly his, had got them into places the general public never saw but almost certainly would NOT have saved them from being booted out the door and having it locked in their faces. Fortunately the sound of approaching feet had found them already readjusting their clothing. He had to admit that his new wife had the ability to plaster a look of such innocence on her face that even if they HAD been caught she might have got them out of it.

Alex's enthusiasm was catching too. Not only had he had an incredible time for the entire two weeks but on the flight back to America, almost to his own surprise, he had become the aggressor. With the cabin lights dimmed and the seats in first class reclined (Alex had charmed him into that. "Honey, we're only going to fly the Atlantic on our honeymoon once!") and even the flight attendants resting comfortably he had tugged her hand. Sleepily she had asked him what was going on but followed him to the relatively spacious first class bathroom. She had quickly woken though and enthusiastically agreed with his suggestion that this was the perfect time to join the "Mile High Club". All in all after those two weeks it was a wonder that either of them could walk straight without wincing by the time they got home. Or since then. Perhaps it was the feeling of comfort, of knowing that he and Alex had entered into this relationship as partners that made him more confidence filled than he had ever been.

Leonard's happy memories were interrupted as Alex snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Earth to Leonard. Are you there?"

"Yes Alex. You were saying?"

"I was saying that remember we have everyone coming over tomorrow night for a house-warming party. Everyone assuming that we can get Raj and Lucy inside the door and that Sheldon has forgiven you enough to allow Amy to persuade him to come."

Leonard shook his head in resignation. "Sheldon exists in his own world. While that world occasionally aligns with the one everyone else inhabits he never lets it affect him."

(Ten days previously)

"Leonard! LEONARD! Are you listening to me?"

"Frankly no I'm not," the short physicist told his just about to be former roommate, dodging around the taller man as he carried a pair of boxes from his bedroom to the front door where they joined an already existing stack of similar ones.

"I don't understand," Sheldon fretted as he followed right behind Leonard who returned to his bedroom to make one final check to ensure he had retrieved everything he was taking with him. "Why are you moving out? After all the time we have been together!"

Leonard sighed. Although he knew any explanation would be a waste of time he tried anyway, especially since his friend was following him around like a lost puppy. "Sheldon, do you remember that two weeks ago I got married to Alex?"

"Leonard! I have an eidetic memory. Of course I recall that vividly. Not only did I have to sit through the entire ceremony while Amy hung on my arm and whispered suggestions that quite frankly terrified me. Then you proceeded to disappear for two weeks, which I assure you put me in a very difficult position. If I call for Howard and Bernadette picks up the phone nowadays she refuses to connect me to him. Penny seems to be gone a lot and tends to slam the door in my face when I try to get her to drive me to work. And Raj, goodness gracious me, he's on the phone texting with that Lucy girl so much I often can't contact him at all."

"That's a real shame Sheldon," Leonard replied with complete and utter insincerity.

"Unbelievable as it seems it appears that one and all they consider the person of the opposite sex they are involved with as being more important than I am. It's a most baffling phenomenon I assure you. But then you finally come back after gallivanting all over who knows where like a bunny. You didn't even tell me where you were going! In fact when I checked your computer's history I found it had been wiped clean as though you didn't want me know. And now you tell me that you're moving out? Why for heaven's sake?"

"See my previous remark Sheldon," Leonard said patiently. "I'm married to Alex now. The two of us are going to live together. It's tradition."

"But what about me?" Sheldon said plaintively."

"You'll survive. Alex is my priority. She's the most important person in my life."

"More important than me?" a flabbergasted Sheldon gasped.

"Yes."

Sheldon stood with his mouth open for a moment before rallying.

"I'm afraid I can't accept that Leonard. Pursuant to Starfleet General Order 104, Section A, you are deemed unfit, and I hereby relieve you of your command and confine you to your quarters; also known as your room."

Leonard had to admit that living with Sheldon over the years had brought his patience level higher than he ever thought it could be. But it had reached the tipping point. He sighed. Plucking his door key from his pocket he tossed it in the bowl.

"Goodbye Sheldon."

Making one last ditch effort Sheldon attempted to apply the Vulcan Nerve Pinch to Leonard. However he apparently did something backwards because he suddenly got a look of surprise on his face, muttered "Oh my!" and fainted. Leonard shook his head, pulled his unconscious former roommate to the couch and propped him in his spot.

Picking up his boxes at the front door he backed out the door. They wobbled alarmingly. But Leonard didn't care as he was relieved him of several of the precariously balanced boxes in his arms by a waiting Alex.

"How did it go?"

"Better than I expected."

(Present)

The doorbell rang. Alex moved to answer it.

"I guess we'll find out."

(To be continued)

(Yes I know. The Star Trek quote is from "The White Asparagus Triangulation" but it seemed perfect for this conversation as well.)