Fic: The Crossroads Conundrum, Part 3
Title: The Crossroads Conundrum
Part 3: Leonard
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG-13
Word Count:1,108
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.
Back to: Part 1, Part 2
Sometimes when you look back on a situation, you realize it wasn't all you thought it was. A beautiful girl walked into your life. You fell in love. Or did you? Maybe it was only a childish infatuation, or maybe just a brief moment of vanity -Henry Bromel
Leonard had never imagined he would be this lucky.
As of right now, everything in his life was perfect.
Perfect.
Or at least, it was the picture of it.
He went into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. He looked at the couch and frowned, eyebrows knitted together.
Odd.
Sheldon should have been awake by now.
He should have been awake and on the couch in his spot watching television. Or, at the very least, in his spot, eating his breakfast and looking up at a newly woken Leonard and criticizing his cereal choice.
“Leonard! You can’t have that much fiber! Don’t forget you have a big day coming soon and that much fiber-”
And then Leonard would tune him out and make what he wanted to eat anyway.
But there was no Sheldon.
Just a sort of…ghost.
Leonard’s frown dissolved as he sat at the bar to eat. He probably should be grateful. A few moments of silence. Still. It was odd.
Leonard shook his head and moved his thoughts over to Penny and their impending wedding.
The church had been booked, the reception hall. Everything was coming together nicely. And Penny certainly seemed happy. Seemed happy, Leonard’s thoughts hissed at him, sort of highlighting it and he sighed, putting down his spoon and rubbing at his eyes.
He needed to stop this.
How long had he been with Penny now?
It had been long enough, or at least, so he had thought, to ask her to marry him and she had said ‘yes’. He still couldn’t believe that. That she had said ‘yes’.
And he had asked her because - well - he loved her.
Of course he loved her, how could he not?
She was beautiful and funny and sweet and…he would never meet another girl like her. He would never be involved in a relationship with another girl like her. She made him feel…wonderful.
Handsome.
Fantastic.
But then she wasn’t…
Things with Penny were good.
They were good.
But, sometimes, quietly, he wondered if good was, for lack of a better term, good enough. He wondered how happy Penny actually was in their relationship. And, what was worse, he wondered how happy he actually was.
Was this the way it was supposed to be?
Was this how love was?
Wasn’t there supposed to be…more?
It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been fireworks and excitement and that bubbling euphoria of passion and sex, that flying feeling, in the beginning of their relationship. But it didn’t seem to last very long.
Once he realized he was dating her, really dating her, it had just sort of…settled.
It had become, oh god, he hated to think ‘stagnant’ but it was the first word that came to mind and he was glad he had put the spoon down because if he was eating his cereal he was certain it would taste like ashes right about now.
This was ridiculous.
He was being ridiculous.
Maybe it was just cold feet.
Yes, that was all it was…
He loved Penny. He loved her. He was going to marry her. For Christ’s sake, their wedding was so close. Too close.
This was what he wanted.
What he always wanted.
Leonard sighed, teeth worrying his bottom lip. He could make Penny happy. He did make her happy. She made him happy too. Right? They loved one another.
Perfect job. Perfect friends. Perfect wife. It would be like he had always imagined it. Who could ask for anything more?
But for some reason Leonard just kept thinking of all those people out there. The world population, growing and amassing, bigger and bigger. He thought of that and of some nameless, faceless woman out there. Some woman who would make him feel…more complete.
He shook his head.
Ridiculous.
Penny made him feel complete.
There was no one else.
There never would be.
This was what he wanted, what she wanted.
But two weeks ago…
It had been a Saturday night and she had left his apartment to go to do her laundry and then turn in, sleep at her own place for once, and he had nodded and given her a quick goodnight kiss.
And then, she had come back to him. She had come into his room, late at night, crawled into his bed and touched him, kissed him. And instead, instead, they had made love and it had been so frenzied, so desperate, so…
It was as if…
It was as if she was trying so hard. So, so hard. To make it work, to make it good. And worst of all…it had been as if he had been trying too. As if he had noticed something or caught something and he was trying to convince her. And maybe convince himself too.
And the next morning, when he had woken up, she had been gone.
They hadn’t talked about that night.
They had just ignored it. Erased it. It was an aberration in time and space. It was nothing. They had gone back to friendly smiles and nice kisses and hand holding and placated happiness.
Leonard got up from the bar and dumped out his cereal.
He wasn’t hungry anymore.
Where was Sheldon?
It was too odd and too quiet and Leonard wanted, needed, distraction.
He didn’t even care if Sheldon gave him a lecture on food waste or the history of waking people, as long as he talked and talked and talked and drowned out the words and feelings that seemed to currently be overwhelming him.
Leonard went to Sheldon’s room and knocked on the door, not even slightly tentative, “Sheldon?”
He knocked again and hoped to hear an annoyed voice yammer back at him. He hoped for some kind of respite from how he felt now.
He got nothing.
Leonard opened the door and saw Sheldon’s bed, made and not even slept in, a note waiting for him.
Without missing a beat, Leonard swore.
Part 3: Leonard
Author: she_burns1
Pairing: Sheldon/Penny, Leonard/Penny
Rating: PG-13
Word Count:1,108
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.
Back to: Part 1, Part 2
Sometimes when you look back on a situation, you realize it wasn't all you thought it was. A beautiful girl walked into your life. You fell in love. Or did you? Maybe it was only a childish infatuation, or maybe just a brief moment of vanity -Henry Bromel
Leonard had never imagined he would be this lucky.
As of right now, everything in his life was perfect.
Perfect.
Or at least, it was the picture of it.
He went into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. He looked at the couch and frowned, eyebrows knitted together.
Odd.
Sheldon should have been awake by now.
He should have been awake and on the couch in his spot watching television. Or, at the very least, in his spot, eating his breakfast and looking up at a newly woken Leonard and criticizing his cereal choice.
“Leonard! You can’t have that much fiber! Don’t forget you have a big day coming soon and that much fiber-”
And then Leonard would tune him out and make what he wanted to eat anyway.
But there was no Sheldon.
Just a sort of…ghost.
Leonard’s frown dissolved as he sat at the bar to eat. He probably should be grateful. A few moments of silence. Still. It was odd.
Leonard shook his head and moved his thoughts over to Penny and their impending wedding.
The church had been booked, the reception hall. Everything was coming together nicely. And Penny certainly seemed happy. Seemed happy, Leonard’s thoughts hissed at him, sort of highlighting it and he sighed, putting down his spoon and rubbing at his eyes.
He needed to stop this.
How long had he been with Penny now?
It had been long enough, or at least, so he had thought, to ask her to marry him and she had said ‘yes’. He still couldn’t believe that. That she had said ‘yes’.
And he had asked her because - well - he loved her.
Of course he loved her, how could he not?
She was beautiful and funny and sweet and…he would never meet another girl like her. He would never be involved in a relationship with another girl like her. She made him feel…wonderful.
Handsome.
Fantastic.
But then she wasn’t…
Things with Penny were good.
They were good.
But, sometimes, quietly, he wondered if good was, for lack of a better term, good enough. He wondered how happy Penny actually was in their relationship. And, what was worse, he wondered how happy he actually was.
Was this the way it was supposed to be?
Was this how love was?
Wasn’t there supposed to be…more?
It wasn’t as if there hadn’t been fireworks and excitement and that bubbling euphoria of passion and sex, that flying feeling, in the beginning of their relationship. But it didn’t seem to last very long.
Once he realized he was dating her, really dating her, it had just sort of…settled.
It had become, oh god, he hated to think ‘stagnant’ but it was the first word that came to mind and he was glad he had put the spoon down because if he was eating his cereal he was certain it would taste like ashes right about now.
This was ridiculous.
He was being ridiculous.
Maybe it was just cold feet.
Yes, that was all it was…
He loved Penny. He loved her. He was going to marry her. For Christ’s sake, their wedding was so close. Too close.
This was what he wanted.
What he always wanted.
Leonard sighed, teeth worrying his bottom lip. He could make Penny happy. He did make her happy. She made him happy too. Right? They loved one another.
Perfect job. Perfect friends. Perfect wife. It would be like he had always imagined it. Who could ask for anything more?
But for some reason Leonard just kept thinking of all those people out there. The world population, growing and amassing, bigger and bigger. He thought of that and of some nameless, faceless woman out there. Some woman who would make him feel…more complete.
He shook his head.
Ridiculous.
Penny made him feel complete.
There was no one else.
There never would be.
This was what he wanted, what she wanted.
But two weeks ago…
It had been a Saturday night and she had left his apartment to go to do her laundry and then turn in, sleep at her own place for once, and he had nodded and given her a quick goodnight kiss.
And then, she had come back to him. She had come into his room, late at night, crawled into his bed and touched him, kissed him. And instead, instead, they had made love and it had been so frenzied, so desperate, so…
It was as if…
It was as if she was trying so hard. So, so hard. To make it work, to make it good. And worst of all…it had been as if he had been trying too. As if he had noticed something or caught something and he was trying to convince her. And maybe convince himself too.
And the next morning, when he had woken up, she had been gone.
They hadn’t talked about that night.
They had just ignored it. Erased it. It was an aberration in time and space. It was nothing. They had gone back to friendly smiles and nice kisses and hand holding and placated happiness.
Leonard got up from the bar and dumped out his cereal.
He wasn’t hungry anymore.
Where was Sheldon?
It was too odd and too quiet and Leonard wanted, needed, distraction.
He didn’t even care if Sheldon gave him a lecture on food waste or the history of waking people, as long as he talked and talked and talked and drowned out the words and feelings that seemed to currently be overwhelming him.
Leonard went to Sheldon’s room and knocked on the door, not even slightly tentative, “Sheldon?”
He knocked again and hoped to hear an annoyed voice yammer back at him. He hoped for some kind of respite from how he felt now.
He got nothing.
Leonard opened the door and saw Sheldon’s bed, made and not even slept in, a note waiting for him.
Without missing a beat, Leonard swore.