The Paternal Catalyst 24
The Paternal Catalyst
Rating: PG
Word Count: Over 44,000 in all
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize except California. That I rule.
Spoilers: Up to the Maternal Congruence
Summary: Because of Penny's father, Penny finds herself hiding in the laundry room while Sheldon constructs a dating formula and Leonard performs human experiments.
Author's Note: In this fic, Bernadette and Howard are broken up. I originally had a subplot that revolved around their break-up and make-up. However, I couldn't really work it in without disrupting the flow. I MAY write it as a companion piece but as of now, consider this fic AU in that respect.
(This fic was beta'd by the charming talkingmetaphor without whom I would still have the shoddy grammar that comes from writing while an insomniac)
Thanks everyone for your comments/criticism!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
24
Penny
I sort of glided through the rest of the day, and it felt like I was walking in sludge. I hid in my apartment, unable to distract myself. Conan only reminded me of Sheldon, sleep wasn’t forthcoming, even with sleeping pills. That just made me more distant, but still no sleep. I tried cleaning, but again that reminded me of Sheldon, so then I tried to watch TV. Nothing was on.
In the end I decided to visit Tabitha at the TV show taping. She’d told me to drop her name at the desk, and they’d page her. I waited in the lobby until she showed up, and she took in my disheveled appearance--I hadn’t changed out of my work clothes. ‘You okay?’
‘Fine,’ I said, and to my ears it sounded sharp. ‘Just tired,’ I told her. Though it was a weariness, like I’d run fifty marathons, one after the other.
She lead me to the set, introduced me to faceless people, names I didn’t commit to memory. I sat in a folded chair and watched her performance, while not actually watching it.
Snap out of it! I told myself. Why the hell was I behaving this way? Usually I took change easily, but maybe Sheldon’s vision of them had brushed off. Maybe it was that he was a constant in my life, and he was changing. Possible. That would explain the unsteady feeling, like my entire world was crumbling around me when in truth, it had actually gotten better. But my chest was tight, and I was doing everything I could to bite back the tears. I usually knew why I was crying but this time, total mystery. Maybe I was just that worried for Sheldon losing his virginity. Well, I assumed he was a virgin, but he seemed comfortable enough with the action now.
Maybe talking to Sheldon would help. Clear things up. Maybe knowing why he was doing it would somehow answer my own questions.
A few hours had passed by the time I’d come to this decision, and it was getting close to Sheldon’s laundry time. Though I wouldn’t later remember it, I was pretty sure I managed to say goodbye to Tabitha, probably gave her some sort of excuse. I drove home in a fog, the ride a blur of streetlights and headlights. I parked the car haphazardly in the lot and raced in.
The familiar sight of Sheldon’s back, his purple shirt stretched firmly across his shoulders, made me exhale loud enough for him to hear.
He turned, expectant but when he spotted me, he only said, ‘Oh, hello Penny.’ Then turned back to his clothes.
‘Sheldon,’ I ventured, and my voice cracked. I swallowed. ‘Can I talk to you for a sec?’
He stiffened, turned, and folded his arms. ‘Is this about Leonard?’
‘N-no,’ I said in surprise. ‘Actually, it’s about . . . about sex.’
He gave me a flat look. ‘Penny, as comedic as Howard and Leonard find it, I do not need The Talk. I’ve done research.’
I took a deep, shaky breath and stepped toward him, hand outstretched. Why, I don’t know. ‘I just . . . why are you doing it?’
His eyebrows went so far up his forehead wrinkled, and then he cocked his head as if to say well, it makes sense. ‘I would have thought you would be a supporter of my action. You are a fan of coitus, if the amount of times you and Leonard--’
‘It’s not that I have a problem with sex itself,’ I insert, not patient enough to let him finish. ‘I just want to know why you are doing it. You always talk about how . . . how much it disgusts you.’
He turned back to his laundry, pretty much dismissing me. ‘Suffice it to say I have decided it is a necessary step in my personal evolution.’
‘But you barely know Martha,’ I whined at his back.
‘You barely knew most of your sexual partners,’ he shot back, his voice surprisingly venomous.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, dammit. ‘Sheldon . . . I just don’t think it’s the right path for you.’
With an annoyed exhale, he threw down the clothes and spun. ‘Why not?’
You’re too uncorrupted, was on my lips, along with the other reasons I told Leonard. But I couldn’t think of anything but how aggravated he was, like the others had given him grief already and he was sick of it. He was protective of his decision. He must really like her. ‘I don’t want you to,’ I heard myself say, walking toward him again.
‘Care to clarify or do you wish to continue being vague?’
The urge to kiss him took me by such surprise that I just reacted. Gripping his shoulders to brace myself, I stood on tiptoes and pressed my lips to him. Though I felt him stiffen into a statue, I reached to grip his neck, my kiss desperate against unresponsive lips. Then I felt his hands on my upper arms and for one deluded and gleeful second, I thought he was going to kiss back. But his grip tightened and I felt myself being pushed away.
When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see his, so wide, so . . . furious. Even more so than our spat, more so than when that one girl wanted to take partial credit for a breakthrough of his. For the first time in my life, Sheldon Cooper terrified me, looming, looking for the entire world like he wanted to strangle me. ‘Get out,’ he hissed, jaw clenched almost too tight for the words to escape.
I ran.
Chapter 25
Rating: PG
Word Count: Over 44,000 in all
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize except California. That I rule.
Spoilers: Up to the Maternal Congruence
Summary: Because of Penny's father, Penny finds herself hiding in the laundry room while Sheldon constructs a dating formula and Leonard performs human experiments.
Author's Note: In this fic, Bernadette and Howard are broken up. I originally had a subplot that revolved around their break-up and make-up. However, I couldn't really work it in without disrupting the flow. I MAY write it as a companion piece but as of now, consider this fic AU in that respect.
(This fic was beta'd by the charming talkingmetaphor without whom I would still have the shoddy grammar that comes from writing while an insomniac)
Thanks everyone for your comments/criticism!
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
24
Penny
I sort of glided through the rest of the day, and it felt like I was walking in sludge. I hid in my apartment, unable to distract myself. Conan only reminded me of Sheldon, sleep wasn’t forthcoming, even with sleeping pills. That just made me more distant, but still no sleep. I tried cleaning, but again that reminded me of Sheldon, so then I tried to watch TV. Nothing was on.
In the end I decided to visit Tabitha at the TV show taping. She’d told me to drop her name at the desk, and they’d page her. I waited in the lobby until she showed up, and she took in my disheveled appearance--I hadn’t changed out of my work clothes. ‘You okay?’
‘Fine,’ I said, and to my ears it sounded sharp. ‘Just tired,’ I told her. Though it was a weariness, like I’d run fifty marathons, one after the other.
She lead me to the set, introduced me to faceless people, names I didn’t commit to memory. I sat in a folded chair and watched her performance, while not actually watching it.
Snap out of it! I told myself. Why the hell was I behaving this way? Usually I took change easily, but maybe Sheldon’s vision of them had brushed off. Maybe it was that he was a constant in my life, and he was changing. Possible. That would explain the unsteady feeling, like my entire world was crumbling around me when in truth, it had actually gotten better. But my chest was tight, and I was doing everything I could to bite back the tears. I usually knew why I was crying but this time, total mystery. Maybe I was just that worried for Sheldon losing his virginity. Well, I assumed he was a virgin, but he seemed comfortable enough with the action now.
Maybe talking to Sheldon would help. Clear things up. Maybe knowing why he was doing it would somehow answer my own questions.
A few hours had passed by the time I’d come to this decision, and it was getting close to Sheldon’s laundry time. Though I wouldn’t later remember it, I was pretty sure I managed to say goodbye to Tabitha, probably gave her some sort of excuse. I drove home in a fog, the ride a blur of streetlights and headlights. I parked the car haphazardly in the lot and raced in.
The familiar sight of Sheldon’s back, his purple shirt stretched firmly across his shoulders, made me exhale loud enough for him to hear.
He turned, expectant but when he spotted me, he only said, ‘Oh, hello Penny.’ Then turned back to his clothes.
‘Sheldon,’ I ventured, and my voice cracked. I swallowed. ‘Can I talk to you for a sec?’
He stiffened, turned, and folded his arms. ‘Is this about Leonard?’
‘N-no,’ I said in surprise. ‘Actually, it’s about . . . about sex.’
He gave me a flat look. ‘Penny, as comedic as Howard and Leonard find it, I do not need The Talk. I’ve done research.’
I took a deep, shaky breath and stepped toward him, hand outstretched. Why, I don’t know. ‘I just . . . why are you doing it?’
His eyebrows went so far up his forehead wrinkled, and then he cocked his head as if to say well, it makes sense. ‘I would have thought you would be a supporter of my action. You are a fan of coitus, if the amount of times you and Leonard--’
‘It’s not that I have a problem with sex itself,’ I insert, not patient enough to let him finish. ‘I just want to know why you are doing it. You always talk about how . . . how much it disgusts you.’
He turned back to his laundry, pretty much dismissing me. ‘Suffice it to say I have decided it is a necessary step in my personal evolution.’
‘But you barely know Martha,’ I whined at his back.
‘You barely knew most of your sexual partners,’ he shot back, his voice surprisingly venomous.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, dammit. ‘Sheldon . . . I just don’t think it’s the right path for you.’
With an annoyed exhale, he threw down the clothes and spun. ‘Why not?’
You’re too uncorrupted, was on my lips, along with the other reasons I told Leonard. But I couldn’t think of anything but how aggravated he was, like the others had given him grief already and he was sick of it. He was protective of his decision. He must really like her. ‘I don’t want you to,’ I heard myself say, walking toward him again.
‘Care to clarify or do you wish to continue being vague?’
The urge to kiss him took me by such surprise that I just reacted. Gripping his shoulders to brace myself, I stood on tiptoes and pressed my lips to him. Though I felt him stiffen into a statue, I reached to grip his neck, my kiss desperate against unresponsive lips. Then I felt his hands on my upper arms and for one deluded and gleeful second, I thought he was going to kiss back. But his grip tightened and I felt myself being pushed away.
When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to see his, so wide, so . . . furious. Even more so than our spat, more so than when that one girl wanted to take partial credit for a breakthrough of his. For the first time in my life, Sheldon Cooper terrified me, looming, looking for the entire world like he wanted to strangle me. ‘Get out,’ he hissed, jaw clenched almost too tight for the words to escape.
I ran.
Chapter 25