Fic: The Crossroads Conundrum, Part 14
Title: The Crossroads Conundrum
Part 14: Penny
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,434
Summary: Future!fic! Sheldon, Penny, and Leonard all thought they knew exactly what they wanted, but with a big change on the way, all three begin to question themselves, and each of them is lead in a direction they had not anticipated.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is all mine. No copyright infringement is intended
Author's Note: All the winter weather (and subsequent letting-me-out-of-work-ness) has finally given me a chance to clean this up and post it. One more part to go!!! Also, if you have not seen it, check out this super hot cover art g-girl143 made for me. And, again, this piece of lovely made by renisanz. I can't wait to collect this whole thing into a binder!
Back to: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13
It's hard to defeat a woman in love. - Destin Figuier
Penny’s stomach still ached, her eyes a bit raw from crying as she parked her car at the train station. She did a quick once over of herself in the rearview mirror. When she was satisfied the tear tracks down her cheeks had been successfully rubbed away, she went inside to meet the others.
Her hands played with one another, fingers idly rubbing the bare spot where her engagement ring had once been. She licked her lips, feeling apprehensive, legs sort of wobbly as she spotted Missy, Raj, and Howard near the ticket counter.
She took in a deep breath and spoke quietly to herself, “Okay. Here we go.”
Penny walked over to them, her lips trembling slightly, “Hey, guys, so what have we got so far?”
“Well, the lovely lady behind the ticket counter, Lola,” Howard drew out the woman’s name, his eyes darting from her and back to Penny, “Says she remembers him as, and I quote, ‘that weird, annoying grasshopper-like guy who asked about a million questions before purchasing a ticket’.”
Penny waited and when Howard didn’t elaborate further she waved at him, “And…? Go on.”
Howard shrugged, “That’s about it. She said she didn’t actually get a chance to sell him a ticket because he was still debating about where to go when her shift ended.”
Penny scowled and stomped her foot but Missy placed a gentle hand on her arm, “Not to worry though, she’s calling the guy who took over for her. Trying to find out if he remembers.”
Penny nodded, “Okay, okay, yeah…it’s a good start. How many people did you have to ask before you got this far?”
Raj rolled his eyes and Missy pointed to him, “What he said.”
“That many, huh?”
Missy shrugged, “Hey, ‘s big ol’ train station. Lots of people work here. Considering how many people they see a day, I’m surprised we found anybody who saw him, much less remembered him.”
“Au contraire, mon frère,” Howard offered saucily, “I don’t imagine there would ever be someone who didn’t remember Sheldon once they crossed his path. He has that kind of effect.”
Missy raised an eyebrow, “‘Au contraire, mon frère’? Do you even know what that means? ‘Cause if you do, then you know you just called me your brother, right?”
Howard frowned, “Really? Huh…no wonder that line doesn’t work…better brush up on my French,” he eyed the ticket counter again, “Especially for Lola. Llll-la-la-la-Lola.”
Missy shook her head, jerking a thumb in his direction, her voice quiet as she whispered to Penny, “Thinking I should break it to him that that Lola tune by The Kinks was about a boy and a transvestite?”
“Nah,” Penny chuckled, “Let him try. If she knows, the results could be…quite entertaining.”
Howard, who had approached Lola again, quickly discovered that Lola did, indeed, know this bit of pop culture minutiae and her laughter was heard rippling through the station as an embarrassed Howard shuffled back over, “So…no luck there.”
“With finding out where Sheldon went?”
“Oh,” Howard shook his head, “Oh no, no, I got that info. Just…no luck with Lola.”
Missy groaned, pressing a hand to her face, “Howard…”
He held up his hands apologetically, “Sorry, sorry…just…okay, well, he apparently bought a ticket on the Coast Starlight. It runs from here to Seattle, so, they said they’d try to give the train a call. Get a handle on him there. We just…have to wait.”
They all nodded, when suddenly Howard looked at Penny with confusion, “Hey, where’s Leonard?”
Penny took in a deep breath, repeating what she had rehearsed to herself earlier in her mind, “He’s not here. He’s not coming.”
Howard blinked, still confused, “Why?”
Missy touched Penny’s shoulder, expression soft and comforting, “You talk to him?”
Penny swallowed, sniffling, and nodded as she ran a hand through her hair, her teeth worrying her lower lip, which had begun to tremble. Missy returned the nod and held her arms open, “Aw, sweetie, you did the right thing. Come here.”
Penny let Missy hold her and Howard looked from one woman to the other, completely lost, “What the hell is happening?”
Raj, who shook his head and rolled his eyes again, went over to Howard and whispered in his ear. Howard’s eyes grew wide as saucers as he cried, “What?! What do you mean the wedding is off?!”
Raj and Missy shared a look and Raj nodded to her as he took Howard’s elbow and tugged it. Howard, stunned but somewhat understanding, let Raj lead him away so he could explain in private.
Penny pulled away from Missy, her voice quiet, “So…you think we’ll find him?”
Missy pushed a few strands of hair behind one of Penny’s ears, her expression hopeful, “I’m sure we will, sweetie. But…might not be tonight.”
Penny nodded and Missy looked back at Raj and Howard a moment before speaking again, "Listen, Raj and I have been talking-"
"You and Raj have been talking?" Penny asked incredulously and the look Missy shot her then made Penny stick out her lower lip and nod, impressed, "Okay, yeah, sure, right, go on..."
"You and I should go out tonight, you know? Relax a bit. That way Raj and Howard can go back to the building..." Missy rolled her head about her shoulders, trying to think of the best way to continue, before settling on, "take care of Leonard."
Penny sniffled, shaking her head, "I still can't believe it's over."
Missy rubbed her arms, giving her another quick hug, "It was the right thing. May not feel that way right now, but-"
"Yeah, yeah," Penny cut her off, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She licked her lips and tried to sound more upbeat, "Going out for a night on the town sounds good. Let's...let's get to it..."
Missy nodded and, with one arm around Penny, led her over to Howard and Raj. Missy did most of the talking, short, clipped sentences about how they were leaving and how, if they heard anything, to get in touch.
Once that was taken care of, the two girls went out and got a bite to eat and, when buying tickets to a movie, Penny reflected on the strangeness of life.
Here she was, a wedding cancelled, a long standing relationship over, a man she was unsure about lost, and the world just kept on as if not a blessed thing had changed. She wondered if it showed at all on her face, in her movements, how different everything was but, as far as she could tell, it did not.
When they got back to the apartment building she stared at Leonard and Sheldon's door. It was quiet and she felt her eyes well up, her head shaking unconsciously, "I ruined everything."
"No, shh, hey," Missy drew her close, hugging her again, "Like I said earlier and I'll keep saying 'till I'm blue in the face...you did the right thing. It hurts, sure as hell, I'm sure it hurts. Stings like a bitch. But if you had married him...honey, if you had married him...that woulda been a helluva lot worse."
Penny sighed and entered her apartment, suddenly, overwhelming, exhausted, "I just...don't know. I don't know. I don't know anything."
"You need to sleep," Missy said softly, and pushed her towards her bedroom, "Go on. Sleep is the world's best medicine."
Penny wanted to say more. She wanted to talk. She had avoided it so much earlier, wanting to loose herself in the nothingness of food and film, but now she wanted to spill her heart out.
She wanted to talk about her fears in regards to Sheldon, her fears about the possibility of never finding him, her fears of what she would do if (when) they did find him, her fears about whether or not she could ever be friends with Leonard again and then there was Raj and Howard and the dismantling of the wedding and...
All of it, the emotions, the thoughts, the possibilities, the what-ifs, they formed a big, black wave rising high above her, preparing to crash down, engulf her, wash her away and she just...she wanted it to be over.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. She wanted...
Her head hit the pillow and she had never been so thankful in her life for the sleep that over took her.
88888888888
Penny awoke to find her apartment spotless.
She blinked and saw Missy sitting on the couch, a magazine in her hands, she didn't look away from it as she said simply, "I took care of the weddings favors for you."
Penny slowly remembered. The little white baskets, the ribbons with the neatly printed gold letters. She walked to her fridge, pulling out the orange juice.
Missy continued, "I also made some calls this morning. Almost everything is settled. The church and what have you. Spoke with Howard and Raj. They did some dismantling on their end as well."
Penny poured herself a glass and took a big sip before sitting near Missy. Missy looked at her, then, closing the magazine, said softly, "Boys are in Vegas. No date when they'll be back."
Penny nodded, then, heart heavy, couldn't help but ask, "Leonard?"
Missy took in a deep breath through her nose, "Good as can be expected."
Penny's eyes welled up and she nodded and she wondered if he hated her terribly. She couldn't say she blamed him if he did. She rubbed at her forehead and forced herself to breathe, "Sheldon?"
Missy closed her eyes and shook her head, "Got some word this morning...you won't like it."
"Lot in my life I don't like right now...you may as well tell me."
"They got a hold of the train, but...he got off. They don't know where exactly. Some say Santa Barbara, others say," Missy rubbed at her neck, "Doesn't matter. Point is, he's gone."
"So...we have no idea where he is. We're back at square one."
"Would seem so."
Penny leaned back in her seat, eyes on her ceiling, "Well...that's that, then."
Missy let out a dramatic sigh and got to her feet, shaking her arms a bit, rolling her head about her shoulders, "Come on. We should go out."
"No thanks."
"Won't help you to stay here and wallow in it," Missy pointed out sharply, "Best thing to do when you're hurt is to keep moving. Move until, when you do stop, you can handle it."
"Missy..."
"I can be just as stubborn as my brother," she warned, "And, if I have a mind to be, just as much a pain in the ass."
Penny shook her head.
"Penny, girl, this is good...in a way...you need a break. You need a break from the boys...hell, a break from men, period. You need to get yourself together. Collected. You need to be you."
Penny sat up, eyebrows knitted together, "I need to be me?"
"Well, sure as shit, you ain't who you are right now," Missy said, "The girl I met, the girl I heard about, is all Nebraska steel and fire. True, I haven't known you for years and years, but that's my guess, and it's as good as any other. Now come on, we're going to go to one of the best places you can go when your life has changed dramatically..."
"Hair salon?" Penny asked with a lazy smile and Missy nudged her, "See? There's that Nebraska girl."
Penny groaned and rolled her eyes before getting to her feet, "Let me go get dressed."
88888888888
The days sort of melted into one another. Penny couldn't say if it had been a week or two weeks but she knew it had been long enough.
Penny felt as if she had not seen Leonard, Howard, or Raj in months and Sheldon, years. Missy stayed and helped and laughed and Penny had never been so grateful for another person all her life.
But, eventually, it was time for her to go and she promised to tell Penny if she heard any important news. She also promised to be back, stating quite strongly that she had found the taste for Pasadena to be to her liking. That and she and Raj were moving rather swiftly along.
Oh, she had done her best to hide it, but Penny could see the bounce in the other woman's step. Not to mention she was doing the amount of text messaging that one only does when a relationship really starts to kick off.
And when she was gone, Penny was surprised to find out how okay she really was. Really okay. At first she had felt sure she would crumple up like a piece of paper thrown on a fire, the only thing left of her ashes and dust, but, as time has a habit of doing, she found herself healed and whole and, most importantly, okay.
She went about her daily life and found herself alone and fine with it.
Then one day she noticed the date.
Everything had been such a whirlwind, such a series of monumental changes, that time seemed to have gone on a lot longer than it actually had. It had really all been just a mere matter of days and now, now..
Penny was at home when she noticed the date. She was actually straightening her room when she saw her calendar, hanging loosely on one of the walls. She ran one finger in a tiny circle around the little number.
Tomorrow would have been her wedding day.
Tomorrow would have been...
She would have been Mrs. Leonard Hofstadter. Just one more day and she would have...
Penny sat on her bed and looked at her hands, then titled her head back and closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath.
She searched her mind and tried to settle on how she felt.
That's when her cell phone rang.
Her eyes opened and she got to her feet, picking up the phone, "Hello?"
"Penny? It's Missy. I know where Sheldon is."
Part 14: Penny
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2,434
Summary: Future!fic! Sheldon, Penny, and Leonard all thought they knew exactly what they wanted, but with a big change on the way, all three begin to question themselves, and each of them is lead in a direction they had not anticipated.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The plot is all mine. No copyright infringement is intended
Author's Note: All the winter weather (and subsequent letting-me-out-of-work-ness) has finally given me a chance to clean this up and post it. One more part to go!!! Also, if you have not seen it, check out this super hot cover art g-girl143 made for me. And, again, this piece of lovely made by renisanz. I can't wait to collect this whole thing into a binder!
Back to: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13
It's hard to defeat a woman in love. - Destin Figuier
Penny’s stomach still ached, her eyes a bit raw from crying as she parked her car at the train station. She did a quick once over of herself in the rearview mirror. When she was satisfied the tear tracks down her cheeks had been successfully rubbed away, she went inside to meet the others.
Her hands played with one another, fingers idly rubbing the bare spot where her engagement ring had once been. She licked her lips, feeling apprehensive, legs sort of wobbly as she spotted Missy, Raj, and Howard near the ticket counter.
She took in a deep breath and spoke quietly to herself, “Okay. Here we go.”
Penny walked over to them, her lips trembling slightly, “Hey, guys, so what have we got so far?”
“Well, the lovely lady behind the ticket counter, Lola,” Howard drew out the woman’s name, his eyes darting from her and back to Penny, “Says she remembers him as, and I quote, ‘that weird, annoying grasshopper-like guy who asked about a million questions before purchasing a ticket’.”
Penny waited and when Howard didn’t elaborate further she waved at him, “And…? Go on.”
Howard shrugged, “That’s about it. She said she didn’t actually get a chance to sell him a ticket because he was still debating about where to go when her shift ended.”
Penny scowled and stomped her foot but Missy placed a gentle hand on her arm, “Not to worry though, she’s calling the guy who took over for her. Trying to find out if he remembers.”
Penny nodded, “Okay, okay, yeah…it’s a good start. How many people did you have to ask before you got this far?”
Raj rolled his eyes and Missy pointed to him, “What he said.”
“That many, huh?”
Missy shrugged, “Hey, ‘s big ol’ train station. Lots of people work here. Considering how many people they see a day, I’m surprised we found anybody who saw him, much less remembered him.”
“Au contraire, mon frère,” Howard offered saucily, “I don’t imagine there would ever be someone who didn’t remember Sheldon once they crossed his path. He has that kind of effect.”
Missy raised an eyebrow, “‘Au contraire, mon frère’? Do you even know what that means? ‘Cause if you do, then you know you just called me your brother, right?”
Howard frowned, “Really? Huh…no wonder that line doesn’t work…better brush up on my French,” he eyed the ticket counter again, “Especially for Lola. Llll-la-la-la-Lola.”
Missy shook her head, jerking a thumb in his direction, her voice quiet as she whispered to Penny, “Thinking I should break it to him that that Lola tune by The Kinks was about a boy and a transvestite?”
“Nah,” Penny chuckled, “Let him try. If she knows, the results could be…quite entertaining.”
Howard, who had approached Lola again, quickly discovered that Lola did, indeed, know this bit of pop culture minutiae and her laughter was heard rippling through the station as an embarrassed Howard shuffled back over, “So…no luck there.”
“With finding out where Sheldon went?”
“Oh,” Howard shook his head, “Oh no, no, I got that info. Just…no luck with Lola.”
Missy groaned, pressing a hand to her face, “Howard…”
He held up his hands apologetically, “Sorry, sorry…just…okay, well, he apparently bought a ticket on the Coast Starlight. It runs from here to Seattle, so, they said they’d try to give the train a call. Get a handle on him there. We just…have to wait.”
They all nodded, when suddenly Howard looked at Penny with confusion, “Hey, where’s Leonard?”
Penny took in a deep breath, repeating what she had rehearsed to herself earlier in her mind, “He’s not here. He’s not coming.”
Howard blinked, still confused, “Why?”
Missy touched Penny’s shoulder, expression soft and comforting, “You talk to him?”
Penny swallowed, sniffling, and nodded as she ran a hand through her hair, her teeth worrying her lower lip, which had begun to tremble. Missy returned the nod and held her arms open, “Aw, sweetie, you did the right thing. Come here.”
Penny let Missy hold her and Howard looked from one woman to the other, completely lost, “What the hell is happening?”
Raj, who shook his head and rolled his eyes again, went over to Howard and whispered in his ear. Howard’s eyes grew wide as saucers as he cried, “What?! What do you mean the wedding is off?!”
Raj and Missy shared a look and Raj nodded to her as he took Howard’s elbow and tugged it. Howard, stunned but somewhat understanding, let Raj lead him away so he could explain in private.
Penny pulled away from Missy, her voice quiet, “So…you think we’ll find him?”
Missy pushed a few strands of hair behind one of Penny’s ears, her expression hopeful, “I’m sure we will, sweetie. But…might not be tonight.”
Penny nodded and Missy looked back at Raj and Howard a moment before speaking again, "Listen, Raj and I have been talking-"
"You and Raj have been talking?" Penny asked incredulously and the look Missy shot her then made Penny stick out her lower lip and nod, impressed, "Okay, yeah, sure, right, go on..."
"You and I should go out tonight, you know? Relax a bit. That way Raj and Howard can go back to the building..." Missy rolled her head about her shoulders, trying to think of the best way to continue, before settling on, "take care of Leonard."
Penny sniffled, shaking her head, "I still can't believe it's over."
Missy rubbed her arms, giving her another quick hug, "It was the right thing. May not feel that way right now, but-"
"Yeah, yeah," Penny cut her off, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She licked her lips and tried to sound more upbeat, "Going out for a night on the town sounds good. Let's...let's get to it..."
Missy nodded and, with one arm around Penny, led her over to Howard and Raj. Missy did most of the talking, short, clipped sentences about how they were leaving and how, if they heard anything, to get in touch.
Once that was taken care of, the two girls went out and got a bite to eat and, when buying tickets to a movie, Penny reflected on the strangeness of life.
Here she was, a wedding cancelled, a long standing relationship over, a man she was unsure about lost, and the world just kept on as if not a blessed thing had changed. She wondered if it showed at all on her face, in her movements, how different everything was but, as far as she could tell, it did not.
When they got back to the apartment building she stared at Leonard and Sheldon's door. It was quiet and she felt her eyes well up, her head shaking unconsciously, "I ruined everything."
"No, shh, hey," Missy drew her close, hugging her again, "Like I said earlier and I'll keep saying 'till I'm blue in the face...you did the right thing. It hurts, sure as hell, I'm sure it hurts. Stings like a bitch. But if you had married him...honey, if you had married him...that woulda been a helluva lot worse."
Penny sighed and entered her apartment, suddenly, overwhelming, exhausted, "I just...don't know. I don't know. I don't know anything."
"You need to sleep," Missy said softly, and pushed her towards her bedroom, "Go on. Sleep is the world's best medicine."
Penny wanted to say more. She wanted to talk. She had avoided it so much earlier, wanting to loose herself in the nothingness of food and film, but now she wanted to spill her heart out.
She wanted to talk about her fears in regards to Sheldon, her fears about the possibility of never finding him, her fears of what she would do if (when) they did find him, her fears about whether or not she could ever be friends with Leonard again and then there was Raj and Howard and the dismantling of the wedding and...
All of it, the emotions, the thoughts, the possibilities, the what-ifs, they formed a big, black wave rising high above her, preparing to crash down, engulf her, wash her away and she just...she wanted it to be over.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to break something. She wanted...
Her head hit the pillow and she had never been so thankful in her life for the sleep that over took her.
88888888888
Penny awoke to find her apartment spotless.
She blinked and saw Missy sitting on the couch, a magazine in her hands, she didn't look away from it as she said simply, "I took care of the weddings favors for you."
Penny slowly remembered. The little white baskets, the ribbons with the neatly printed gold letters. She walked to her fridge, pulling out the orange juice.
Missy continued, "I also made some calls this morning. Almost everything is settled. The church and what have you. Spoke with Howard and Raj. They did some dismantling on their end as well."
Penny poured herself a glass and took a big sip before sitting near Missy. Missy looked at her, then, closing the magazine, said softly, "Boys are in Vegas. No date when they'll be back."
Penny nodded, then, heart heavy, couldn't help but ask, "Leonard?"
Missy took in a deep breath through her nose, "Good as can be expected."
Penny's eyes welled up and she nodded and she wondered if he hated her terribly. She couldn't say she blamed him if he did. She rubbed at her forehead and forced herself to breathe, "Sheldon?"
Missy closed her eyes and shook her head, "Got some word this morning...you won't like it."
"Lot in my life I don't like right now...you may as well tell me."
"They got a hold of the train, but...he got off. They don't know where exactly. Some say Santa Barbara, others say," Missy rubbed at her neck, "Doesn't matter. Point is, he's gone."
"So...we have no idea where he is. We're back at square one."
"Would seem so."
Penny leaned back in her seat, eyes on her ceiling, "Well...that's that, then."
Missy let out a dramatic sigh and got to her feet, shaking her arms a bit, rolling her head about her shoulders, "Come on. We should go out."
"No thanks."
"Won't help you to stay here and wallow in it," Missy pointed out sharply, "Best thing to do when you're hurt is to keep moving. Move until, when you do stop, you can handle it."
"Missy..."
"I can be just as stubborn as my brother," she warned, "And, if I have a mind to be, just as much a pain in the ass."
Penny shook her head.
"Penny, girl, this is good...in a way...you need a break. You need a break from the boys...hell, a break from men, period. You need to get yourself together. Collected. You need to be you."
Penny sat up, eyebrows knitted together, "I need to be me?"
"Well, sure as shit, you ain't who you are right now," Missy said, "The girl I met, the girl I heard about, is all Nebraska steel and fire. True, I haven't known you for years and years, but that's my guess, and it's as good as any other. Now come on, we're going to go to one of the best places you can go when your life has changed dramatically..."
"Hair salon?" Penny asked with a lazy smile and Missy nudged her, "See? There's that Nebraska girl."
Penny groaned and rolled her eyes before getting to her feet, "Let me go get dressed."
88888888888
The days sort of melted into one another. Penny couldn't say if it had been a week or two weeks but she knew it had been long enough.
Penny felt as if she had not seen Leonard, Howard, or Raj in months and Sheldon, years. Missy stayed and helped and laughed and Penny had never been so grateful for another person all her life.
But, eventually, it was time for her to go and she promised to tell Penny if she heard any important news. She also promised to be back, stating quite strongly that she had found the taste for Pasadena to be to her liking. That and she and Raj were moving rather swiftly along.
Oh, she had done her best to hide it, but Penny could see the bounce in the other woman's step. Not to mention she was doing the amount of text messaging that one only does when a relationship really starts to kick off.
And when she was gone, Penny was surprised to find out how okay she really was. Really okay. At first she had felt sure she would crumple up like a piece of paper thrown on a fire, the only thing left of her ashes and dust, but, as time has a habit of doing, she found herself healed and whole and, most importantly, okay.
She went about her daily life and found herself alone and fine with it.
Then one day she noticed the date.
Everything had been such a whirlwind, such a series of monumental changes, that time seemed to have gone on a lot longer than it actually had. It had really all been just a mere matter of days and now, now..
Penny was at home when she noticed the date. She was actually straightening her room when she saw her calendar, hanging loosely on one of the walls. She ran one finger in a tiny circle around the little number.
Tomorrow would have been her wedding day.
Tomorrow would have been...
She would have been Mrs. Leonard Hofstadter. Just one more day and she would have...
Penny sat on her bed and looked at her hands, then titled her head back and closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath.
She searched her mind and tried to settle on how she felt.
That's when her cell phone rang.
Her eyes opened and she got to her feet, picking up the phone, "Hello?"
"Penny? It's Missy. I know where Sheldon is."