Because Darkly Dreaming demanded a sad story. And she wanted it fast. Excuse any mistakes. I wrote it quick and posted it almost immediately.
:Not The Guy:
The moment Leonard made the announcement, he had almost run away. Maybe to Galveston. Maybe to Germany. Anywhere but here. He knew he couldn't leave, though. He had to see it through to the very end. He had to see it with his own eyes. He had to witness every second of it, to see his hopes and dreams die if he was ever to be free of them.
He watched as each button was pushed, every switch was flipped, and all the equipment was unplugged. Leonard sat on the chair by the bed and sobbed loudly. Howard and Bernadette stood on either side of Raj and tried to comfort him. Amy stood near the window, tears pouring down her face.
Slowly he approached and sat down on the side of the bed. He imagined he could actually hear her heartbeats fading away. He no longer cared about "appearances". He didn't feel bound by "convention" or "doing the right thing" anymore. He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her soft lips. He ignored everyone in the room as he took her limp hand in his.
He placed his thumb over her pulse, feeling it stutter and slow. "I may not have been The Guy for you," he said softly, "but you were always The Gal for me." His heart seemed to freeze in his chest as he felt her pulse still and watched the air leave her lungs for the final time.
He gently set her hand on her stomach and stood up. He avoided looking at the anger in Leonard's eyes and the accusation in Amy's. He stayed holed up in Penny's apartment until the funeral. He stood apart from the others and watched solemnly as she was laid to rest.
Six hours later his plane landed in Galveston and he took a taxi to his final destination. Meemaw held him tight as he poured out his grief and pain.
Two weeks later he sent for his belongings. He was stunned to see the extra box Leonard had sent. On the top were pictures. Him and Penny at Disneyland. Him and the guys at Comi-con. Penny's first Halloween party. One from the only time Penny joined them for paintball. Even one, obviously taken by Leonard's phone, of Penny's underwear hanging on a telephone wire. Under the photos was Penny's diary. A note was taped to the top. Sheldon unfolded it cautiously.
Sheldon,
No. You were never The Guy for Penny. (His chest tightened painfully.) But neither was I. Penny loved us both, equally. She used to ask me if I believed in your multi-verse theory. She never explained why she wanted to know until the night before she collapsed. She hid how bad she really was from us all, but I think she knew the end was near. She asked again if I believed that there were other universes out there with other versions of us in them. I said yes, mostly to just be agreeable.
Penny smiled sadly and said she hoped that in at least one of them all three of us were happy. Maybe in one of them, she was free to love us both. You weren't The Guy and I wasn't The Guy, because we were The Guys. She loved you, Sheldon. Just as much as she loved me. I hope you're right. I hope there are other universes out there. Because I need to believe that in at least one of them, all three of us are happy, like she wanted.
Still your friend,
Leonard
It took him a week to work up the courage to read her diary. Some passages made him laugh. Some made him cry. One in particular he read every day for the rest of his life.
Today I met an honest-to-god beautiful mind. His name is Sheldon Cooper, and he fascinates me. I've never met anyone like him before. I find myself hoping for the chance to get to know him better.