Sheldon could recognize that voice anywhere, even if he wanted to forget it, his eidetic memory would not allow it. He closed his eyes and suppressed the sudden rush of anger that coursed through him.

He was still his daddy's son and anger ran deeply in the Coopers.

It was only a moment but he successfully mastered himself, opened his eyes and addressed the person interrupting his lunch with a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"Wolowitz."

Emily startled, looked at the short man standing by their table and narrowed her eyes while not so subtly buttoning up her coat. Sheldon didn't like talking about the Arctic but Emily wore down his defenses and she was fully aware of the reason why he no longer called Caltech his home.

"Heeeeeey buuuuuudyyyyy!" Howard exaggerated his greeting, even to Sheldon's eyes it was obvious that he was uncomfortable. Howard shuffled in place, adjusted the neck of his too tight shirt and combed back his hair.

Sheldon could almost see the specter of Koothrappali in Howard making room for someone that was no longer there.

"What a coincidence right? I swear th-"

"Wolowitz, you should be fully aware that I don't enjoy small talk. Please state your business so we can both go back to being strangers."

Howard looked angry for a moment before deflating and taking a seat next to Emily and across from Sheldon. Emily quickly moved to sit next to Sheldon and no one missed the pout Howard shot her.

"Look buddy. I get it. No! I truly do!" Howard raised his hands stopping Sheldon from talking. "We screwed you over. No way around it." Howard paused for a moment to see if Sheldon would interrupt him but Sheldon simply nodded and gestured with a hand that Howard should continue.

"I'm sorry. That's the first thing I should tell you. I should have told you a long time ago…I…I get why you were-are?-whatever so angry at us. Leonard is in jail, Raj was sent back to India and I had to take a job at a private company installing lab equipment across the country." Howard rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's why I'm here. We're installing some new equipment and filming a promo for it. It's a new type of laser that uses-"

"I'll be sure to let the University know that it should be checked so it doesn't blow in anyone's face." Emily interrupted Howard. She looked really unhappy and loathe as he might be to make the comparison, she looked like an angry terrier ready to bite Howard's face off.

"Uh…Hello-" Like a switch, Howard went from apologetic to flirty.

Sheldon snapped his fingers in front of Howard's face. "Focus."

"Right, right, right. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Look, I know what we did to you sucked and we all lost our careers because of it. I was about to work with JAL!...And then I listened to Leonard…and now I'm here." Howard rubbed at his face with both hands. "So, I just wanted to apologize to you." It looked like Howard wanted to say more but he stayed quiet and waited for Sheldon.

"I appreciate the-" Sheldon couldn't finish because Emily jumped in.

"He doesn't forgive you! You betrayed science you, you, you, you, you…pendejo!" Her hands immediately went to her mouth and she looked regretful.

"Huh, that means asshole right?" Howard turned to Sheldon.

"Essentially." Sheldon was still looking at Emily amusedly before turning back to face Howard. "Anyway, as I was saying. I appreciate the apology. Though I feel that I should make use of the popular phrase 'Too little, Too late'." Sheldon made the air quotes.

Howard sighed but did not look surprised. "I know. But you left and your number changed, I only had your work email so, my options were limited, plus having to find a new job, dealing with the NSA and immigration. I had my own disaster to control."

"Understandable."

"Well, I see my crew is waiting for me. I'll let you to have lunch with your?..." Howard led on and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Thank you Howard." Sheldon ignored the question. "Though it might be hard to believe, I wish you success on your next endeavors."

"Thanks buddy. I'll see you arou-no. Sorry, force of habit. Good luck to you buddy." Howard waved at Emily and moved back to the table filled with strange people.

"You're okay Shelly?" Emily looked like she wanted to touch him but was holding herself back knowing of his boundaries which Sheldon appreciated.

"Strangely enough. I think I am."

"WOAH! You're kidding!" Even though Howard had just woken up at an ungodly hour to talk to Raj, all sleep left him at the news he just received.

"Nope! I'm going to be a dad!" Raj couldn't contain his excitement and had to call Howard right away.

"Congrats buddy!"

Howard was truly happy for his friend. He had been worried about his friend for so many reasons but in a weird twist of fate, going back to India had been a catalyst for incredible change.

First, his parents refused to let him wallow inside their home so he was sent to work at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. How they got him a job? Not even Raj knew.

Second, if he wanted to keep living with his parents then Raj had to attend therapy so he could talk to women without drinking alcohol.

Third, he wasn't being forced to marry, but he needed to go to a "Marriage Bureau" which was basically a Matchmaker, just under a different name.

Fourth, he met a wonderful Mathematician girl that was just the right amount of bossy and Raj was smitten right away.

And now Howard could add Raj becoming a dad.

The pair continued gushing about Raj's news and organizing a visit from Howard so they could hang out again. Right before hanging up Howard remembered his own news.

"Waitwaitwaitwait, don't hang up!"

"Whatwhatwhatwhat?"

"I wanted to tell you, I ran into Sheldon."

Howard heard Raj gasp. "Wait, weren't you installing a new laser at a University in Texas?"

"Yeah, it almost gave me a heart attack." And so Howard told Raj everything.

Penny ran.

She had just landed back in Austin and was dog tired.

But she still ran.

As soon as she landed she had read Raj's email and was so happy that her friend was going to be a dad. He had confided in her that it was both a dream and a nightmare, he was scared of screwing up.

This place was unfamiliar, she read door plate after door plate but each wrong name just filled her with more frustration. So she ran.

Penny had gotten to the bottom of Raj's email and there, like an afterthought, was something that made her heart stop for a second.

'I know where Sheldon is.'

So, Penny ran.

The drive to UT Austin was torture for her. Had Sheldon really been so close? Hell, the University wasn't even that far from her apartment. They might even go to the same grocery store!

Her car still had her suitcase in the trunk, her previous tiredness forgotten.

Penny ran.

Penny grabbed the first person she saw in a lab coat to ask a very important question.

"Where is Sheldon Cooper's office?"

Notes:

Today was a good day. I was able to breathe normally and didn't feel like I was about to pass out just by cleaning the litter. So, while I'm not back at a 100, I'm getting there.

Covid is not fun, take care of yourselves peeps.

Now, onto chapter stuff. I know most of you were probably expecting Penny to be the one to meet Sheldon...but where would be the fun in that? I wanted to make their meeting deliberate and not by chance.

Ps. Go watch 'Spaceman' It's really good.
Pss. Don't watch it if you have arachnophobia.
Psss. Yes, really, the Adam Sandler movie.