Chapter 24 - Farewell

Morning came much too early for the couples, especially the girls, they were loosing their husbands today and they had so little information about what was going to happen to them. There just didn't seem to be enough time for the girls, Penny feeling cheated of time she should be spending with her new husband and Bernadette thinking it unfair that her husband was being taken again from her by the Government, first space and now the Army. It was hard for both of them to let their husbands leave their beds that morning, and even harder to watch them get ready to go. What even made it worse, was that the Army gave them Army All Climate Uniforms (ACUs) to wear on their trip out, driving home the point, to the girls, that their husband's and their lives would be different from now on.

The Army had cleaned their clothes for them and had them hanging in the closet, Sunday night, so Penny got up and dressed that morning, before Leonard. She had woken up and hurried to get ready so she could help him figure out how to wear the uniform they gave him. Penny hated him wearing it, because it scared her, he now looked like a soldier, and she fought the urge to break down in front of him, because she didn't want him to go and didn't want him in danger. After he was dressed, Penny mechanically put his now clean civilian clothes into a cloth bag, that was left for them, and they were done, suddenly she realized in was now time, they had to go. She looked around the room, that had been theirs the last couple days, their first room as husband and wife, and felt horrible she now had to leave it. They left the officers quarters and were escorted to breakfast, as soon as they were ready, Penny grabbing Leonard's hand, as soon as they both left the room, holding it tight, to calm herself.

In the dinning hall, Leonard watched her as they ate that morning, her eyes telling him she was hurting, her tight grasp on his hand, the whole time, letting him know she was scared.

"Penny it will be okay."

"Leonard, you can't go away for weeks to some place, we don't know about and say it is going to be okay." Penny looked at him breathing heavy, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that."

"That's okay, I understand. I will miss you a lot, too." Then Leonard gave her a goofy smile. "But hey, look on the bright side, I'm not going to jail."

Penny shook her head, she knew he was trying to cheer her up, but she couldn't laugh about this, "Sweetie, you be careful, don't do anything dangerous."

"Like try to save the world." Leonard softly chuckled, still trying to lighten the dark cloud over them.

Penny was now really ready to cry and was not amused, "Sweetie, I'm serious, nothing dangerous, not even something that will break a nail." She sniffled a little. "You are not responsible for just you anymore, you are now responsible for me too, so no more saving the world." She looked him right in the eye, as a tear fell down her cheek. "Leonard I am your wife now, so you are suppose to listen to me, I don't want you to risk your life. Do you understand me?"

Leonard immediately got serious and just nodded when he looked at her face, "I promise." He then stood up and took her into his arms, feeling her whimpering into his shoulder, this was becoming really hard for both of them.

Howard and Bernadette sat alone a few tables away from Leonard and Penny, both couples wanting to be alone these last minutes together. Bernadette sat just picking at her food, while Howard watched her, she had been quiet all morning and Howard was getting worried about her. "Bernie, say something, you're scaring me." Howard pleaded.

Bernadette looked up at him, suddenly feeling bad she had wasted the morning not talking to him. "It's not fair, why are you always leaving me." She was staring directly at him, breathing heavily, desperation evident on her face.

Howard looked at her in shock. "I…..I'm sorry." he didn't know what to say.

"Howie, I love you with all my heart. But we haven't been married a year yet and it is killing me that you are leaving again."

Howard felt horrible as he watched tears starting to stream down his young wife's face. "Bernie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know." She said very quietly, then got up from her chair to go sit in Howard's lap, burying her head in his shoulder, and started to cry.

Howard held her and rubbed her back, "Bernie it will be okay, I promise."

"Howie, I don't want you to go. I don't want to be alone again." Bernadette's voice cracked in despair.

"I have to go. I have no choice."

"I know, that is what makes it so hard, there is nothing I can do, but accept it and miss you horribly until you come back."

"I'm sorry. If I could fix it, I would."

"I know. I want to be mad at you for leaving me again, blame it on you, but I can't. I can't tell you, that you shouldn't have helped Leonard or built that thing that allowed Leonard to save Penny. I can't blame you for anything you did, but that doesn't make this feel any better."

Howard nodded, then held her a little tighter. "I love you Honey and I'll come back. I will also make a very determined effort to not leave you again, okay." Howard felt his wife nod.

They sat like that for several minutes until they both felt a presence standing next to them and saw Major Martin waiting for them. It was time to go, Howard and Bernadette stood up and followed Martin to the door, then waited outside for Leonard and Penny to join them. Bernadette the whole time, with her arms around Howard and her head on his shoulder, trying to memorize the feeling of him against her.

"Dr Hofstadter, we really need to go, the plane is waiting." Major Gray hated to interrupt the newlyweds, but they did have to go.

Leonard stood up and gently pulled a reluctant Penny up with his hand, the one she had firmly in hers. He moved her so he could put his other arm around her waist, and she moved closer to him, until she could put her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the dinning hall. Penny was temporarily okay until they finally were outside the dining hall, and she saw the car to take Howard and Leonard to the airstrip was waiting, along with a car to take her and Bernadette home.

Leonard slowly lifted her off his shoulder, "I have to go. I promise to be careful and as soon as I find out what is available, I will contact you, okay." Penny nodded, there were tears in her eyes, she then crushed her lips to his. It wasn't really a long kiss, but it was a passionate kiss and it would have to do for them, for the next couple of weeks. Penny then shivered, it was cool that morning, and Leonard leaving only made her feel colder. Leonard took the bag of his clothes, she was holding, and grabbed his long sleeve shirt, out of the bag, to put it on her like a jacket. He then rubbed her arms to warm them as he gazed into her doe eyes, he had never seen such pain in them before, "I love you Penny and always will."

"I know." Penny barely got out, then with a little more effort, "Leonard, I love you and always will, Sweetheart. Please remember that and come home to me."

Leonard nodded, gave her another quick kiss, then let Penny go and walked down the stairs to the car, stopping at the door to give her one more look before he went inside.

Bernadette and Howard hugged each other hard enough to almost hurt, then kissed each other. "I will call, write or whatever you, as soon as they let me." Howard assured her, which got him a small smile and a nod. Howard smiled back, then let Bernadette go to follow Leonard to the car. "I love you Bernie."

"I love you too Howie. Please be careful."

Howard nodded and followed Leonard to the car, taking one last look at his wife before he got in too.

Penny and Bernadette watched silently as Leonard and Howard got into the car, with Major Martin, and drove off, tears immediately falling down both their cheeks as the realization, that their husbands were really gone, hit them. Neither seemed able to move, standing there both holding a bag of their husbands clothes, the only thing they had left of them. They didn't even notice Major Gray watching them with concern.

"They'll be okay and will be home before you know it." Major Gray told them.

"Really…sniff….you won't hurt him, will you…sniff…..please." Penny pleaded and Bernadette looked to Major Gray too, the same question in her eyes.

'You really love him, don't you?' Gray thought as she looked at Penny, "He'll be fine, it will be just like going to summer camp." Major Gray smiled at Penny and then looked at Bernadette "They'll both be okay, don't worry." Then she looked at both of them, it turn, a small smile on her face. "Let's get you all home." and she then led them to the second car.

Penny rode back silently all the way to her apartment, dread her dominate feeling, and thinking, 'Her brother almost drowned and died at summer camp'.

-TIN MAN-

Penny was dropped off first, and she hugged Bernadette before she left the car, but she wasn't really emotionally there, her mind still filled of thoughts of her husband. She never felt so alone as she walked up the stairs to her apartment, it seemed that she hadn't been there in years, instead of actual days. Each flight of stairs took all her effort to go up, she didn't seem to have the energy to climb the stairs, or the will. When she finally got to the fourth floor and to her apartment, she was almost scared to go in as she stood at her door with her keys out, things were so much different now and she didn't really want her old life back anymore. She was Leonard's wife now, he was away from her and she missed him so badly already she just wanted to scream her lungs out. Penny didn't even hear the door to 4A open or Sheldon walk into the hall.

"Penny, I am very perturbed that you and Leonard sent us to Oxnard, Friday night, over some non existent attack, then hid out from everyone all weekend, that was not in the least bit funny. Also I had to call in late today, because Leonard did not come home and Wolowitz wasn't available to take over Leonard's duties. You two are getting three strikes for these infractions and you are banded from the apartment for the next two weeks. Both your actions are inexcusable and will not be tolerated."

Penny had just stared at Sheldon the whole time he ranted and complained, not even hearing half of what he said. She could normally tolerate the whinny man-child in front of her, because he was Leonard's friend and they both sort of watched over him, plus he was Amy's boyfriend, but today was not one of those days. Every time now Sheldon said something derogatory towards Leonard, her husband, it just made her more upset and she found herself planning where to place the first punch to deck the praying mantis in front of her.

"Also Penny, I don't know where your boy-toy has hidden, but one of you needs to drive me to work immediately and right now I don't care who. You need to tell Leonard, that I will deal with him later and there are going to be serious changes to the roommate agreement due to the both of you…"

"SHUT UP!" Penny yelled without even thinking. Sheldon's eyes went wide and he backed up a step.

Her breath came in ragged intakes of air, and she was on the verge on crying again, "Leonard is gone, can't you see that! He is gone, and when he returns in a couple of weeks, MY HUSBAND will be moving in with me, so screw you roommate agreement!"

"Your husband! You and Leonard got married!"

"For a freaking genius, you sure state the obvious." Penny held up her left hand so Sheldon could see the ring.

"No, that is unacceptable, Leonard has obligations to me."

"NO! He has obligations to his wife, ME! Even Homo Novus should be able to understand that."

Sheldon stood there staring at her. "You can't do that."

"I am Leonard's wife and I just did. The roommate agreement is disapproved and canceled by me. Leonard is moving in with me and since his stuff is now my stuff too, I will collect it when I choose." Penny had dropped the bag of Leonard's clothes and was now staring up at Sheldon with her hands on her hips, her stance defying him to do something about what she was telling him. "And I am in a very bad mood right now Sheldon, so if you don't go back into your apartment right now, I won't be able to control myself from going all Nebraska on you."

"But I need to go to work." Sheldon whined

Penny took one step towards him, which made him quickly turn, run back into his apartment and lock the door. The sound of the locks being set, let the anger drain from Penny and allowed the grief to take back over again, as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. This was not really her, she had just taken out her anger, about the Army taking Leonard, on Sheldon, because she felt so helpless and not in control of anything anymore. She grabbed the bag of his clothes, she had dropped, and quickly entered her apartment, shocked at how cold and lonely it was, a horrible sense of emptiness in her soul. It was not a completely new feeling for her, she had experienced this feeling one time before, with only one man, Leonard, when he was with Priya, however this time it was worse, because it was laced with worry about him. Penny put the bag of clothes gently on her couch, then walked slowly to her bedroom, falling onto her bed and grabbing her pillow, for dear life. A terrible realization came to her while laying there, Leonard had not slept there for weeks, the sheets and pillows now completely absent of his scent, this thought just added to her loneliness and she began to sob. She just wanted Leonard, that is all she wanted in the whole world, he was the only one capable of comforting her and making things better, why couldn't she have Leonard, why did they have to take him away?

Bernadette didn't have anyone to deal with, like Penny, so when she was dropped off at her apartment building she just felt alone. It was a loneliness she had experienced before, when Howard went into space, it was a feeling of constant fear for him and being totally helpless. She put the bag of his clothes down and stood in her living room just looking around, feeling lost, the apartment feeling so huge and empty, without Howard there. The pain from the loneliness she felt was all consuming, and she tried hard to control all her emotions that were threatening to overcome her. Bernadette started to breath heavily, she needed to relax, and thought maybe she would feel better if she just took a warm bath, so she headed into their bedroom. However no sooner than she entered, her eyes locked on the one object that always reminded her deeply of her husband, the little star necklace he took to space for her, so she could have a star actually from space. It broke what little resolve she had left and Bernadette now lost control, grabbing the star in her hand, falling on her bed, balling her eyes out, her mind screaming to her, 'it wasn't fair, she hadn't been married even a year yet, she was a newlywed and her husband had yet been taken from her again.'