[The scene opens in the apartment shared by Leonard and Penny, along with them are Howard, Raj, Amy, Bernadette, and of course, Sheldon, all seated around the coffee table, enjoying Chinese takeout.]
Leonard: *taking a bite of his food* Mmm, Golden Dragon really knows how to make good General Tso's Chicken
Howard: Yeah, it's hitting the spot. I needed this after a day of battling with work in the astronautical engineering lab.
Sheldon: *nodding* Work does have a tendency to work up one's appetite, Amy and I have been working on our super-asymmetry theory quite intensely lately.
Amy: Yeah, it's nice to take a break from all the science and just sit down with everyone to eat.
Raj: *speaks up excitedly* Speaking of science, did you guys hear about the upcoming astrobiology conference?
Leonard: Astrobiology? That sounds interesting. What's it about?
Raj: Well, it's all about the search for extraterrestrial life and the study of how life could exist beyond Earth.
Penny: That sounds like something straight out of one of those sci-fi movies you guys like.
Bernadette: Actually, Penny, it's a legitimate branch of science, while it is speculative in some respects.
Raj: Exactly, Bernadette. And this conference is going to cover everything from life on Earth to the potential inhabitants of other planets.
Amy: *very obviously interested* Wow, that sounds fascinating. When is it?
Raj: It's in a few days. I've been thinking about attending. It could be a great opportunity to learn more about the latest research in astrobiology.
Howard: Count me in. I could use some knowledge on life in space, after all, I've been up there!
Amy: Sheldon and I are coming too!
Sheldon: Now-uh hold on there Amy! I do not want to attend a conference on astrobiology, we still have quite a lot of work on super-asymmetry!
Amy: We can work any day of our lives, Sheldon, come on, it will be fun!
Sheldon: Well I suppose one day would not cost us too much progress, but it should count as our weekly date night in our Marriage Agreement.
Amy: Fine, if that's what it takes for you to agree, then sure, but you got to take me out to dinner afterwards.
Sheldon: That I can do.
Leonard: Well if everyone's coming, then I am too!
Penny: Oh not everyone I don't wanna come.
Bernadette: I'm pretty busy with both my work and the kids lately so I can't come either.
Raj: Well then, Howard, Amy, Sheldon, and Leonard, I will expect to see you all this Friday at the conference.
Leonard: We will be there for sure!
[Timeskip to Friday, at the conference, Raj, Howard, Amy, Sheldon, and Leonard are all seated]
Sheldon: I must say, Raj, I was not initially certain about this, but sitting here in this large conference room has made me quite excited for what's to come.
Howard: Are you going to say bazinga or do you want me to say it for you?
Sheldon: No, I am being serious, I truly am excited for this great opportunity to learn more about Astrobiology.
Howard: Yeah, I bet you're hoping they'll finally reveal your true origins, maybe you're not from Texas after all.
[As the conference begins, the attendees settle into their seats, eager for the presentations to commence. Sheldon's attention is piqued when he notices a familiar face among the crowd, but he can't quite place where he knows her from.]
Sheldon: *whispering to Raj* Raj, who is that woman over there?
Raj: *glancing in the direction Sheldon indicated* Oh, that's Dr. Swanson. She's one of the keynote speakers for today's conference.
[Sheldon's eyes widen as he suddenly recalls his childhood interactions with Paige Swanson in East Texas. Memories of their rivalry and occasional camaraderie flood back, leaving him momentarily stunned.]
Sheldon: *in disbelief* Dr. Paige Swanson?
Raj: Yeah, that's her. Why? Do you know her?
Sheldon: *hesitantly* We... we were acquainted many years ago.
[Sheldon's friends, noticing his unease, exchange puzzled glances.]
Leonard: Sheldon, is everything okay?
Sheldon: *awkwardly* Everything is... fine. I just didn't expect to encounter someone from my past in such a setting.
[Despite his discomfort, Sheldon tries to focus on the presentations, but his mind keeps drifting back to memories of his childhood encounters with Paige. He struggles to reconcile his past experiences with his present reality.]
Howard: *noticing Sheldon's distraction* Hey, Sheldon, you seem a bit out of sorts. Everything alright?
Sheldon: *forcing an unintentionally creepy smile* Of course, Howard. I'm simply... processing some unexpected information.
[As the conference progresses, Sheldon finds it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Part of him wants to leave and avoid any potential confrontation with Dr. Swanson, but another part is curious to hear what she has to say. Caught between conflicting emotions, Sheldon grapples with the dilemma of confronting his past or facing his discomfort head-on.]
[The conference comes to an end, Amy notices Sheldon's unease and becomes curious about the cause. Sensing an opportunity to meet one of Sheldon's acquaintances from his past, she nudges him gently.]
Amy: Sheldon, dear, is something bothering you? You seem a bit... preoccupied.
Sheldon: *says hesitantly* It's nothing, Amy. Just some unexpected nostalgia resurfacing.
Amy: *replies excitedly* Oh, I know! It's Dr. Swanson, isn't it? You mentioned her earlier. I would love to meet her! Let's go say hello!
Sheldon: *internally panicking but cannot show it* Amy, I'm not sure that's such a good idea...
Amy: Nonsense, Sheldon! It'll be fun. Besides, I'm dying to meet someone from your past. It'll give me some insight into the mysterious world of young Sheldon.
[Before Sheldon can protest further, Amy grabs his hand and begins leading him toward the stage where Dr. Swanson is speaking. The rest of the group follows, intrigued by Amy's sudden determination.]
Howard: This ought to be interesting.
Leonard: Between this and that Tam guy, I don't even know what else he hasn't told us.
[As they approach Dr. Swanson, Sheldon's apprehension grows. He's torn between his desire to avoid an uncomfortable reunion and his reluctance to disappoint Amy, so he steps up to talk to her on Amy's request.]
Sheldon: Dr. Swanson, it is I, Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper.
Paige: *pleasantly surprised* Sheldon? I'm so happy to see you!
[Sheldon hesitates, unsure of how to respond. Amy nudges him encouragingly, silently urging him to acknowledge their past connection.]
Sheldon: *says very awkwardly* It has certainly been quite some time since we have last seen each other, Paige.
Amy: *eagerly* Sheldon, aren't you gonna introduce us?
Sheldon: Oh right, my apologies, Paige, this is my wife, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler.
Paige: *internally shocked to hear that someone like Sheldon has got a wife, and somewhat jealous because she is still single* You wife, huh? Well, uhh, it's certainly nice to meet you!
Amy: *intrigued* Nice to meet you too, Dr. Swanson! How come Sheldon never told me about you?
[Sheldon shifts uncomfortably and makes weird noises that signal being uncomfortable, feeling exposed under Amy's eager scrutiny. He's not used to sharing details about his past, especially with someone as inquisitive as Amy.]
Sheldon: *attempting to steer away the conversation* Yes, well, perhaps another time, Paige, my wife and I really need to go.
Amy: Sheldon, why don't we invite Paige to dinner? We can get to know each other better that way!
Sheldon: *not wanting to interact with Paige more* B-but it's date night!
Amy: Oh come on, Sheldon, we can do that any night!
Sheldon: *realizes that he has no other choice* Very well then, *turns to Paige* Paige, would you be interested in joining us for dinner?
Paige: Of course, Sheldon, I would love that. *gives them an awkward smile*
Amy: Great! We can eat at Leonard's apartment!
Paige: Who is Leonard?
Leonard: That would be me, Dr. Swanson, I am Sheldon's best friend, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter.
Paige: His best friend? *still surprised and jealous that Sheldon gets to have friends*
Leonard: Yeah! Him and I go way back!
Paige: Well that's one thing I'd know all about.
Amy: So uhh, Paige, you can come with us to Leonard's apartment, we can chat and talk about the past as we have dinner!
[It's clear that Amy is determined to uncover more about Sheldon's past, even if he's not quite ready to share.]
Howard: *whispering to Leonard* Looks like Amy's on a mission.
Leonard: *smirking* Yeah, she's like a detective uncovering Sheldon's little secrets.
[The scene cuts to the dinner conversation at Leonard's apartment, with Sheldon's friends taking turns asking Paige questions about her work and her connection to Sheldon.]
Amy: So, Paige, how did you and Sheldon meet?
Paige: Oh, we go way back. We met through Dr. John Sturgis at East Texas Tech.
Leonard: That's interesting! Sheldon, I can't believe you never mentioned Paige before.
Sheldon: *shrugging* It simply never came up in conversation.
Raj: Paige, what's it like being an astrobiologist?
Paige: It's a challenging but incredibly rewarding field. I've dedicated my life to exploring the mysteries of the universe.
Howard: Sounds fascinating. Say, Sheldon, why didn't you ever introduce us to Paige?
Sheldon: *slightly nervous* I told you it just never came up!
Howard: Geez, okay, relax, no pressure.
Penny: So uhh, Paige, Sheldon said he never had any friends growing up, were you two not friends? Perhaps more than friends?
Paige: *Surprised and a bit sad that Sheldon pretty much forgot about her existance* That's odd, me and Sheldon were friends for sure, I don't know why he'd say he didn't have any friends, but about that last part, no, we were not anything more than that.
Leonard: Well he did never mention his old friend Tam either, so I guess it's just a thing he does, I wonder how many other secret friends he had that he won't tell us.
Sheldon: *Confused on why Leonard thinks that he keeps secrets* I can assure you, Leonard, that I do not maintain any clandestine social connections. I have merely encountered individuals in the past whose relevance to our discussions has been negligible.
[Paige seems to be getting more and more uncomfortable each passing minute,
between Sheldon's big group of friends and their never-ending questions,
she has decided that she needs to go]
Paige: *Awkwardly speaks up and goes towards the door* Hey uhh, I think I should go-
Howard: Oh that's a bummer!
Paige: Yeahh, yeahh, thank you for inviting me to dinner, and uhh, it was nice to see you again Sheldon.
Sheldon: You are certainly welcome, goodbye Paige.
[Everyone except Amy say their goodbyes to Paige as she leaves through the door,
Amy: *noticing Paige's discomfort as she leaves* Sheldon, I think Paige is upset, why don't you go talk to her?
Sheldon: But why? She's a bummer, Howard just said so!
Amy: Just go!
Sheldon: Very well then.
[Sheldon hastily excuses himself from the table and rushes out of the apartment, following Paige downstairs. He finds her standing outside, visibly upset.]
Sheldon: Paige, are you alright? Amy has informed me that you may be upset.
Paige: *angrily* No, Sheldon, I'm not alright! I can't believe you never noticed how uncomfortable I was back there.
Sheldon: *confused* I'm sorry, Paige. I didn't mean to make you feel that way.
Paige: *tears welling up in her eyes* You never meant to make me feel anything, Sheldon. You never talked to me after you left for California. You didn't invite me to your wedding, you didn't even tell me you were getting married in the first place!
Sheldon: *taken aback* I... I didn't realize you felt that way. I thought you were busy with your own life.
Paige: *frustrated* Busy with my own life? Sheldon, you were my only friend! And now you have this new group of friends who replaced me.
[Sheldon is at a loss for words, stunned by Paige's outburst and the realization of how his actions have hurt her.]
Sheldon: Paige, I... I didn't mean to...
Paige: *shaking her head* It doesn't matter, Sheldon. I just needed you to know how I felt.
[Sheldon is looking down, not sure what to do, but after a few solid seconds, he remembers what he has done in a similar situation with Paige when they were still kids,
He looks back up, and speaks silently]
Sheldon: May I offer you a hot beverage?
[Paige remembers when he said those exact words to her a long time ago,
She steps back, her eyes and lips slightly opening as nostalgia flows through her,
but even then, it's no use.]
Paige: It won't work this time, Sheldon...
[With that, Paige turns and walks away, leaving Sheldon standing alone on the sidewalk, grappling with the weight of his own actions and the impact they've had on someone he once cared about deeply.]
[The scene transitions to Sheldon and Amy in their apartment, after Sheldon has returned from his conversation with Paige.]
Amy: Sheldon, you're back! Is everything alright?
Sheldon: *hesitant* I had a conversation with Paige downstairs. It appears there are unresolved issues from our past.
Amy: *concerned* What kind of issues?
Sheldon: *reflective* It seems I neglected our friendship after I moved to California. She feels hurt and abandoned.
Amy: *sympathetic* I'm sorry to hear that, Sheldon. It must be difficult for both of you.
[Sheldon nods, silently contemplating the situation.]
Amy: Let s just go to bed, maybe tomorrow you can talk to her again and perhaps you ll have a chance to make things right?
Sheldon: Amy, you know how making things right is not where I shine at,
especially in moments like this, and the worst part of it is that I did not mean it, I never mean it, but the damage has been done, I wish I could understand how neglecting her for so long would hurt her when I had the chance.
Amy: Wow, Sheldon, I, uhh, I don t know what to say! I m so sorry! But I promise you, this is going to get better.
Sheldon: I m not sure if it matters anymore.
Amy: *confused* What do you mean?
Sheldon: We are not friends anymore, we were never supposed to meet again,
let s just forget that this even happened and move on with our lives.
Amy: I don t think that s a very good idea, Sheldon, your friend is-
Sheldon: *cuts Amy off* She s not my friend.
Amy: Well she is upset with you, don t you think that even if you don t want much to do with her, you should still go out on a good note?
[Sheldon slightly looks around, then down, and quietly speaks]
Sheldon: Very well then, I suppose you are correct, I will talk to her tomorrow.
Amy: That is great, I bet it will all turn out well, I believe in you!
Sheldon: Your faith in my ability to make things right comforts me, thank you.
Amy: You re welcome dear, now, let s get to bed.
Sheldon: You go, I will be there in a minute.
[As Amy goes to bed and waits for Sheldon, he opens a drawer and takes out a black and white marble composition book,
just like the ones he uses all the time, except this one was much older, with the date 1990 written on it, he opens the notebook and takes out and old picture between the pages, he stares at this mysterious picture for a solid 4 minutes and 24 seconds until Amy gets off the bed to check on Sheldon.]
Amy: *confused* Sheldon? What are you doing? I thought you were coming to sleep.
[Sheldon jumps back a bit after hearing her voice, not expecting her sudden appearance]
Sheldon: Oh, yes, indeed, I will be there in a moment, dear.
Amy: What s that you re looking at?
Sheldon: Well, it is nothing, just an old picture...
Amy: Let me have a look-
[Amy takes the picture off Sheldon s hands, in the picture, there s a young man with dark short hair, blue eyes, and an unhappy expression,
probably didn t like the fact that he was having a picture taken of him, Amy knew instantly that this was a young Sheldon, although she was not sure who the blonde girl with her arm over his shoulder and the old short guy standing right next to them in the picture was.]
Amy: This is you, right? Who is that girl?
Sheldon: That is Dr. Swanson, well, at the time she was not a Doctor, since you know, we were both 10 years old, and the old man is Dr. John Sturgis.
Amy: Oh, Paige, right, seems like you two were one hell of a team.
Sheldon: Oh I hated her! At least when that picture was taken, I very much disliked her because it felt weird to have another kid genius around in Dr. Sturgis lectures, after all, he was my mentor, my Meemaw s boyfriend, and he had spaghetti with hot dogs cut up in it at my house.
Amy: So you were jealous of her?
Sheldon: No, that s not in my nature.
Amy: Yeah right.
Sheldon: Anyways, we should better go to sleep now.
Amy: *yawning* I agree.
[Sheldon leaves the picture on the desk, the scene ends with a long shot of the picture.]
[The next scene opens up to the end of another conference about astrobiology featuring Dr. Swanson, this time, the only people of the main cast who attended the conference are Sheldon and Raj,
after it is over, Sheldon goes up to Paige to talk to her]
Sheldon: Greetings, Dr. Swanson.
Paige: Sheldon? What are you doing here?
Sheldon: I have been thinking of what I have done, and I just want to say that I am sorry.
Paige: You don t have to apologize for anything, it doesn t matter anymore.
Sheldon: See that is what I thought too, but I ve come to realize that it does, in fact, matter. See, after I moved to California, I never had a chance to get in touch with you, and I would just like to say that I am very sorry.
Paige: Wow, Sheldon Cooper apologizing? There s a first for everything!
Sheldon: For your information I have apologized many times before, but anyways, see, the thing is, I was never even sure if we were friends,
you were always more of a friend to my sister Missy, and seemed to be steering away from science, it all seemed like we were no longer meant to be in touch.
[Paige is clearly unimpressed at his attempt to justify his negligence]
Paige: Oh well, I guess that fixes everything, right?
Sheldon: I would hope so, it s the most emotions I ve expressed in quite a while!
Paige: Your inability to recognize sarcasm is pathetic.
[Sheldon looks around, moving his eyebrows in a comedic way which conveys confusion and frustration, Paige smirks, as if his reaction to her statement was comedic to her in some way]
Sheldon: I guess what I am trying to say is, while I could not be the best friend that you deserved, I will try my best going on to make up for it.
Paige: Well, I guess there is not much to do about the past now, and you were right, I was kinda more of Missy s friend, I just thought that you wouldn t keep me a secret from your friends, or you would at least tell me about getting married...
Sheldon: You are right, I should ve told you, and invited you to my wedding,I apologize.
Paige: I suppose I could ve been kinda harsh and teasing to you when we were friends, perhaps we ve both had our fair share of mistakes, although your mistakes were quite bigger than mine, but I ve come to learn that you never mean it, I guess I could give you a second chance in being my friend.
Sheldon: Thank you Paige, that means a lot to me.
[Raj, having have stood there watching them talk, finally steps up to speak with Sheldon and Dr. Swanson]
Raj: You know, Sheldon, you should really invite Dr. Swanson over for dinner again, and uhh, let s just promise that we won t bombard her with questions this time!
Sheldon: Are you sure? We just invited her over to dinner yesterday!
Raj: Come on! You two just reconciled your friendship, it ll be a good idea to chat and catch up on each others lives over dinner.
Sheldon: Very well then. *turns to Paige*, Paige, would you join us for dinner once again so that we may catch up on our lives as a way of creating a stronger bond between us in terms of friendship?
Paige: Uhh, actually, Sheldon, I have to fly back to Medford later today,
I m sorry.
Sheldon: Oh well, I guess that is alright, we may still communicate via texting and phone calls though, right?
Paige: We sure can, Sheldon. *She checks the time on her mobile phone*
Oh dear, I gotta go now, it was nice seeing you today Sheldon, and I guess you too, Dr. Koothrappali.
Raj: It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Swanson.
Paige: Well, I ll go now, goodbye, Sheldon, and Dr. Koothrappali.
Sheldon: Goodbye, Paige.
Raj: *a lot louder and excited than Sheldon s response* Goodbye, Dr. Swanson!
[The next and last scene opens up with Sheldon and Amy having dinner in their apartment, and Amy speaks up]
Amy: So uhh, how did it go with Paige this morning?
Sheldon: You know, it has actually went wonderful, I am certainly glad that you pushed me to get on good terms with her.
Amy: Oh really? I m delighted to hear that, dear!
Sheldon: Indeed, she has decided to give me a second chance to be a good friend, and I promised that I will do my best, although she is currently on a flight back to Medford so we won t be seeing much of her but I will see to it that she is not left uninformed when major events happen in my life because I have come to learn that it was a bad thing to not tell her about those said events.
Amy: Excellent! I m glad you two are getting along fine, speaking of getting along, today is Saturday, you know what that means!
Sheldon: I do, in fact, know what it means.
Amy: Great! *she gets up from the table* then I will just get ready and wait for you!
Sheldon: That certainly is a good idea.
[The view slowly pans out as Amy leaves to the bedroom,
Sheldon walks over to the desk glances at the picture he left there the other night, he then walks away towards the bedroom,
the view shifts it s angle towards the picture and it ends on a clear shot of it, Dr. Sturgis, Sheldon, and Paige in 1990,
the view slowly gets darker until it is pitch black.]
THE END
Written by EEKTurk
SPECIAL THANKS TO leftory. and devon0002 on Discord.
Date of creation: February 17 2024 Date of completion: February 18 2024