New Beginnings

The next day at Caltech, “May I have everyone’s attention please?”, President Seibert said as he stood next to Dr. Gablehauser and Mrs. Davis from the Human Resources Department. “Oh great, another announcement! It’s like Dennis Kim all over again!”, Sheldon complained as he sat at the cafeteria table with his friends. “Sheldon shut up! This is probably really important!”, Howard said. “About as important as your need for a Ph.D.”, Sheldon pointed out. “Why do you have to belittle me?!”, Howard angrily asked. “Can it Wolowitz!”, Leonard hissed. “Would you a**hats shut up and listen?!”, Raj hissed at his friends. “Dr. Gablehauser, you have the floor.”, President Seibert said. “Thank you President Seibert. Fellow colleagues, I’m very pleased to announce that we have a new colleague joining us here at Caltech University. She is exceedingly smart with an IQ of 185 and she will be joining us in the Physics department. Please welcome new theoretical physicist, Dr. Leo Fordyce.”, Dr. Gablehauser said as everyone in the cafeteria gave Leo a round of applause. “Thank you.”, Leo said with a smile. “Oh no! What is she doing here?!”, Sheldon complained. “Sheldon don’t start, we just met her yesterday!”, Leonard interjected. “Exactly Leonard! We can’t seem to catch a break from her! She is starting to be the bane of my existence!”, Sheldon interjected back. “How?! We’ve only known her for a day Sheldon!”, Leonard pointed out. “Well that’s one day too many.”, Sheldon said. “Well Sheldon have you ever considered just getting to know her instead of assuming she’s some hooker with a Ph.D that just wants to use you like some sort of sex toy?”, Howard asked. “How is this possible that Bernadette tolerates you?”, Sheldon asked narrowing his eyes at his Jewish aerospace engineer friend. Before Howard could say anything, Leo approached their table. “Hi guys. Just my luck, I’m seeing you guys here too. Oh this is great.”, Leo said as she sat down on one end of the table. “Yes wonderful. Bazinga.”, Sheldon said. “What the hell does that mean?”, Leo asked confusely. “Don’t bother asking that.”, Leonard said. “Fair enough Leonard.”, Leo said. Later that evening in Penny’s apartment “Hey Leo congratulations on getting a job at Caltech.”, Penny said with a smile as she took a sip of her wine. “Yeah congratulations.”, Bernadette said. “Thanks. How did you two know about that?”, Leo asked. “I told them shortly before you showed up. I have a tendency to engage in gossip.”, Amy said. “It’s true, she does.”, Penny said. “I can tell that.”, Leo said. “So how was your first day there Leo?”, Bernadette asked taking a sip of her wine. “It was good Bernadette except Sheldon was a little uncomfortable with my presence.”, Leo said as she took a sip of wine. “Figures, he’s such a whack-a-doodle.”, Penny said as she tossed her head back. “Hey you’re talking about the person I love who I’m in a romantic relationship with Penny!”, Amy said feeling somewhat offended. “You’re Sheldon’s girlfriend?”, Leo asked. “Yes I am Leo.”, Amy said taking a sip of her wine. “What’s it like being with him?”, Leo asked. “It’s almost like having coitus with a cat. One minute he’s sweet and charming and then the next minute he’s like an emotionless robot.”, Amy said. “Coitus?”, Leo asked in confusion. “Sex.”, Penny said. “Oh ok I get it now. Really?”, Leo said. “Yeah but you get used to it after a while.”, Bernadette said. “While others just think he’s bat-crap crazy and want nothing to do with him.”, Penny said. Knock knock knock! “Penny!”, “Who’s that?”, Howard asked. “A complete stranger that Leonard insisted on inviting to have dinner with us”, Sheldon said. “Sheldon, she has a name, and remember what I said, be nice”, Leonard said as he opened the door. “Hi, Leonard”, Leo said with a smile across her face. “Hi, Leo, come on in”, Leonard said, opening the door for her, allowing her to walk in. Later that night, as Sheldon and Leonard returned to their apartment, they were greeted by the sound of loud music coming from Penny's apartment. "What the hell?", Leonard said. "Oh hey Leonard and Sheldon! What’s up?!", Penny exclaimed as she was doing the Running Man dance. "You know very well what’s up Penny! What is that infernal racket I’m hearing coming from your apartment?!", Sheldon shouted over the loud music. “It’s just Leo’s favorite song! We’re listening to one of her CDs!”, Penny shouted. “Is this the same song she has as her ringtone?!", Sheldon shouted. “Yes it’s called Stand Up by the Flobots!”, Leo shouted. “Well regardless if you don’t cut that out there will be strikes made against all 4 of you!”, Sheldon shouted. “Sheldon we’re not even in your apartment! So it doesn’t apply!”, Penny shouted. “It does if you’re on my side of the hallway in which case you are!”, Sheldon shouted. “What kind of crap is that?!", Bernadette shouted. “The kind of crap that someone tells you when they don’t want to listen to something you’re listening to! So turn it off or the 4 of you are going to receive a strike! No excuses!”, Sheldon shouted as he shut the door. Leo got an idea and walked back into her apartment shutting the door behind her. The girls listened as they heard the sound of spitting and Sheldon screaming, “Leo!” The second Leo came running back laughing her head off the song Dance Like Yo Daddy by Meghan Trainor began playing on the stereo. Sheldon came bolting after her batting at his face screaming, “Come back here Dr. Fordyce! You’re going to pay for this!” as he chased her down the hallway to Penny’s bedroom. As Sheldon chased Leo around the bathroom, Leonard shouted, “For God sakes Sheldon get back here and leave Leo alone!” The girls were about to interfere thinking Sheldon was going to hurt their new friend for spitting in his face but Leonard shoved past them running down the hallway. Sheldon rubbed the side of his face where his roommate/best friend Leonard slapped him. As Leonard was dragging Sheldon by the ear he said, “You’re lucky I did that instead of knocking you out! And believe me, I wish I did!” Leo came out of Penny’s bedroom staring at her new girl friends hissing, “What the hell you guys?! Why didn’t you do anything?! Sheldon was about to tear me apart!” The four of them continued to talk until they all went their separate ways for the night. Once again Leo said good night to her fiancé’s picture and kissed it. As she settled into bed she looked at her engagement ring again. She thought about finally taking it off but decided she was still not quite ready to let go. 4:03 AM Leo suddenly woke up to sounds and soft footsteps coming from her kitchen. "Aw crap! An intruder!", Leo hissed in her mind as she threw back the bedspread and climbed out of bed. She went to her closet and pulled out a crowbar that her dad gave her to protect herself from burglars. She then tip-toed out of her bedroom, crowbar raised above her head ready to hit whoever lowlife decided to break in. But much to her complete shock when she turned her head she screamed jumping back a bit on her foot startling the other individual. "Oh my god!", Leo shrieked as she placed her hand on her chest. Her breathing was racing as well. "Great Ceasar’s Ghost you scared me Leo!", Sheldon screamed leaning against the countertop. "Sheldon what are you doing in my apartment?! It’s after 4 in the morning! You nearly gave me a heart attack!", Leo interjected. “Well you nearly gave me one as well!”, Sheldon stated. “What are you doing here?!”, Leo hissed. “We’re out of tea bags and I was wondering if you had some.”, Sheldon said. “Yes I do but why didn’t you just go across your hall and ask Penny?!”, Leo snapped. “And so you thought it was a good idea to break into MY apartment in the middle of the night for this?!”, Leo hissed rolling her eyes. “I was not breaking in. I merely used the key that you gave us.”, Sheldon stated. “Damn it! I forgot about that!”, Leo hissed under her breath. Then she said, “Alright you can have some tea bags but on the condition that you don’t enter my apartment in the middle of the night again for any reason what so ever unless you want to get hit in the head with a crowbar. That’s just really creepy.” “Were you really going to hit me with that?!”, Sheldon shrieked as he pointed at the crowbar in Leo’s hand. “You bet your a** I would have, had you been a burglar.”, Leo stated as she pointed it at Sheldon. “Well I suppose that is a fair request. I am very sorry I disturbed you. Good night Dr. Fordyce.”, Sheldon said as he grabbed the tea bags and headed to the door. “Good night Dr. Cooper.”, Leo said heading back to her room as Sheldon walked out the door. Two weeks later... Leo was in her office at Caltech working on her calculations while listening to a radio that was sitting on top of a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. As she concentrated really hard she was suddenly interrupted by Leslie Winkle. They exchanged a conversation with each other but then Leo lost it when Leslie said something insulting about Sheldon. “Look Leslie I don’t know who you think you are but I don’t like what you said about my friend! So you know what, you can just get out of my office!”, Leo angrily said. “Excuse me?!”, Leslie exclaimed. “Dr. Gablehauser, you have the floor.”, President Seibert said. “Thank you President Seibert. Fellow colleagues, I’m very pleased to announce that we have a new colleague joining us here at Caltech University. She is exceedingly smart with an IQ of 185 and she will be joining us in the Physics department. Please welcome new theoretical physicist, Dr. Leo Fordyce.”, Dr. Gablehauser said as everyone in the cafeteria gave Leo a round of applause. “Thank you.”, Leo said with a smile. “Oh no! What is she doing here?!”, Sheldon complained. “Sheldon don’t start, we just met her yesterday!”, Leonard interjected. “Exactly Leonard! We can’t seem to catch a break from her! She is starting to be the bane of my existence!”, Sheldon interjected back. “How?! We’ve only known her for a day Sheldon!”, Leonard pointed out. “Well that’s one day too many.”, Sheldon said. “Well Sheldon have you ever considered just getting to know her instead of assuming she’s some hooker with a Ph.D that just wants to use you like some sort of sex toy?”, Howard asked. “How is this possible that Bernadette tolerates you?”, Sheldon asked narrowing his eyes at his Jewish aerospace engineer friend. Before Howard could say anything, Leo approached their table. “Hi guys. Just my luck, I’m seeing you guys here too. Oh this is great.”, Leo said as she sat down on one end of the table. “Yes wonderful. Bazinga.”, Sheldon said. “What the hell does that mean?”, Leo asked confusely. “Don’t bother asking that.”, Leonard said. “Fair enough Leonard.”, Leo said. Later that evening in Penny’s apartment “Hey Leo congratulations on getting a job at Caltech.”, Penny said with a smile as she took a sip of her wine. “Yeah congratulations.”, Bernadette said. “Thanks. How did you two know about that?”, Leo asked. “I told them shortly before you showed up. I have a tendency to engage in gossip.”, Amy said. “It’s true, she does.”, Penny said. “I can tell that.”, Leo said. “So how was your first day there Leo?”, Bernadette asked taking a sip of her wine. “It was good Bernadette except Sheldon was a little uncomfortable with my presence.”, Leo said as she took a sip of wine. “Figures, he’s such a whack-a-doodle.”, Penny said as she tossed her head back. “Hey you’re talking about the person I love who I’m in a romantic relationship with Penny!”, Amy said feeling somewhat offended. “You’re Sheldon’s girlfriend?”, Leo asked. “Yes I am Leo.”, Amy said taking a sip of her wine. “What’s it like being with him?”, Leo asked. “It’s almost like having coitus with a cat. One minute he’s sweet and charming and then the next minute he’s like an emotionless robot.”, Amy said. “Coitus?”, Leo asked in confusion. “Sex.”, Penny said. “Oh ok I get it now. Really?”, Leo said. “Yeah but you get used to it after a while.”, Bernadette said. “While others just think he’s bat-crap crazy and want nothing to do with him.”, Penny said. Knock knock knock! “Penny!”, “Who’s that?”, Howard asked. “A complete stranger that Leonard insisted on inviting to have dinner with us”, Sheldon said. “Sheldon, she has a name, and remember what I said, be nice”, Leonard said as he opened the door. “Hi, Leonard”, Leo said with a smile across her face. “Hi, Leo, come on in”, Leonard said, opening the door for her, allowing her to walk in. Later that night, as Sheldon and Leonard returned to their apartment, they were greeted by the sound of loud music coming from Penny's apartment. "What the hell?", Leonard said. "Oh hey Leonard and Sheldon! What’s up?!", Penny exclaimed as she was doing the Running Man dance. "You know very well what’s up Penny! What is that infernal racket I’m hearing coming from your apartment?!", Sheldon shouted over the loud music. “It’s just Leo’s favorite song! We’re listening to one of her CDs!”, Penny shouted. “Is this the same song she has as her ringtone?!", Sheldon shouted. “Yes it’s called Stand Up by the Flobots!”, Leo shouted. “Well regardless if you don’t cut that out there will be strikes made against all 4 of you!”, Sheldon shouted. “Sheldon we’re not even in your apartment! So it doesn’t apply!”, Penny shouted. “It does if you’re on my side of the hallway in which case you are!”, Sheldon shouted. “What kind of crap is that?!", Bernadette shouted. “The kind of crap that someone tells you when they don’t want to listen to something you’re listening to! So turn it off or the 4 of you are going to receive a strike! No excuses!”, Sheldon shouted as he shut the door. Leo got an idea and walked back into her apartment shutting the door behind her. The girls listened as they heard the sound of spitting and Sheldon screaming, “Leo!” The second Leo came running back laughing her head off the song Dance Like Yo Daddy by Meghan Trainor began playing on the stereo. Sheldon came bolting after her batting at his face screaming, “Come back here Dr. Fordyce! You’re going to pay for this!” as he chased her down the hallway to Penny’s bedroom. As Sheldon chased Leo around the bathroom, Leonard shouted, “For God sakes Sheldon get back here and leave Leo alone!” The girls were about to interfere thinking Sheldon was going to hurt their new friend for spitting in his face but Leonard shoved past them running down the hallway. Sheldon rubbed the side of his face where his roommate/best friend Leonard slapped him. As Leonard was dragging Sheldon by the ear he said, “You’re lucky I did that instead of knocking you out! And believe me, I wish I did!” Leo came out of Penny’s bedroom staring at her new girl friends hissing, “What the hell you guys?! Why didn’t you do anything?! Sheldon was about to tear me apart!” The four of them continued to talk until they all went their separate ways for the night. Once again Leo said good night to her fiancé’s picture and kissed it. As she settled into bed she looked at her engagement ring again. She thought about finally taking it off but decided she was still not quite ready to let go. 4:03 AM Leo suddenly woke up to sounds and soft footsteps coming from her kitchen. "Aw crap! An intruder!", Leo hissed in her mind as she threw back the bedspread and climbed out of bed. She went to her closet and pulled out a crowbar that her dad gave her to protect herself from burglars. She then tip-toed out of her bedroom, crowbar raised above her head ready to hit whoever lowlife decided to break in. But much to her complete shock when she turned her head she screamed jumping back a bit on her foot startling the other individual. "Oh my god!", Leo shrieked as she placed her hand on her chest. Her breathing was racing as well. "Great Ceasar’s Ghost you scared me Leo!", Sheldon screamed leaning against the countertop. "Sheldon what are you doing in my apartment?! It’s after 4 in the morning! You nearly gave me a heart attack!", Leo interjected. “Well you nearly gave me one as well!”, Sheldon stated. “What are you doing here?!”, Leo hissed. “We’re out of tea bags and I was wondering if you had some.”, Sheldon said. “Yes I do but why didn’t you just go across your hall and ask Penny?!”, Leo snapped. “And so you thought it was a good idea to break into MY apartment in the middle of the night for this?!”, Leo hissed rolling her eyes. “I was not breaking in. I merely used the key that you gave us.”, Sheldon stated. “Damn it! I forgot about that!”, Leo hissed under her breath. Then she said, “Alright you can have some tea bags but on the condition that you don’t enter my apartment in the middle of the night again for any reason what so ever unless you want to get hit in the head with a crowbar. That’s just really creepy.” “Were you really going to hit me with that?!”, Sheldon shrieked as he pointed at the crowbar in Leo’s hand. “You bet your a** I would have, had you been a burglar.”, Leo stated as she pointed it at Sheldon. “Well I suppose that is a fair request. I am very sorry I disturbed you. Good night Dr. Fordyce.”, Sheldon said as he grabbed the tea bags and headed to the door. “Good night Dr. Cooper.”, Leo said heading back to her room as Sheldon walked out the door. Two weeks later... Leo was in her office at Caltech working on her calculations while listening to a radio that was sitting on top of a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. As she concentrated really hard she was suddenly interrupted by Leslie Winkle. They exchanged a conversation with each other but then Leo lost it when Leslie said something insulting about Sheldon. “Look Leslie I don’t know who you think you are but I don’t like what you said about my friend! So you know what, you can just get out of my office!”, Leo angrily said. “Excuse me?!”, Leslie exclaimed. “You heard my words Leslie! Get the hell out before I call campus security! I don’t want to hear your crap!”, Leo shouted. “What’s your problem Leo?!”, Leslie shouted. “My problem is that you called my friend Sheldon a dumba** and that’s not ok with me! I don’t like that! That’s just disrespectful, insulting and rude!”, Leo shouted. “I don’t give a flipping care about what you and the whole university thinks of him! He’s a nutcase!”, Leslie shouted. “Someone should really shove you in a loony bin because you’re nuts Leo!”, Leslie shouted. “I am not! Quit being a self-centered bi**h Leslie! And if you tell anyone about this conversation I swear to god on my fiancé Brady’s grave I will kick your butt! Do you hear me?!”, Leo shouted. “Whatever I’m out of here! I don’t want to listen to this crap!”, Leslie shouted as she stormed out of Leo’s office. The next day, Sheldon pressed his ear against the wall to listen to what was going on in Leo’s office. The voices had distracted him at the moment even though Leo’s office was one office down the hall from his. Sheldon flinched at the sound of his friend’s office door slamming shut. As he went back to work he began thinking about what Leo had said. ‘Maybe she’s not a bad friend after all.’, Sheldon thought as a smile spread across his face. Later that evening Sheldon showed up at Amy’s apartment for date night. “Hello Sheldon.”, Amy said. “Hello Amy.”, Sheldon said. “Dinner’s almost ready. Come on in.”, Amy said opening the door. “Thank you.”, Sheldon said as he walked in and shut the door behind him. As they sat down at the table eating dinner, Sheldon broke the silence by asking, “So you said in your email to me that you wanted to conduct an experiment?” “Yes.”, Amy said. “Interesting. And what would this involve?”, Sheldon said. “You and your emotions and brain activity.”, Amy said. “You want to study my emotions from my brain?”, Sheldon asked. “Yes, I’m doing a study on how human emotions effect the neurons in the brain.”, Amy said. “Very well, that seems like an easy task that we shall accomplish together.”, Sheldon said. “Great!”, Amy said. After dinner they sat side by side on the couch. Amy’s laptop was sitting on the coffee table as she connected the electrodes into it before attaching them to Sheldon’s head. She began testing his emotions to analyze how the neurons in his brain would react to the different types of stimulus that she was exposing him to. After Amy got some satisfying results the two of them decided to watch a movie. It was during this that Sheldon’s mind began trailing back to what Leo had said to Leslie earlier that day at work. Sheldon was beginning to develop some strange feelings but mentally stopped himself by saying, ‘Wait a minute, what the heck am I doing?! I’m with Amy! I shouldn’t be thinking things about another woman, or nonetheless Dr. Fordyce! This is all very weird!’ Sheldon’s mind continued to trail off until Amy asked, “Sheldon are you ok?” “Wha...? Oh yeah, I’m fine.”, Sheldon said. “Are you sure?”, Amy asked. “Amy I said I’m fine! Can we please drop the subject?!”, Sheldon said in an angry-like tone. “Fair enough.”, Amy said. Once the movie was over the time had hit 8:57 pm. Date night was over. As the two of them shared a good night kiss, Sheldon’s subconscious began playing tricks on him and contorted an image that suddenly freaked him out. Instead of seeing Amy in front of him, he saw Leo! “Oh good Lord!”, Sheldon screamed as he backed away from Amy and jumped off the couch. “What?! What’s wrong?! Are you alright?!”, Amy exclaimed with a look of worry on her face as she stared at her boyfriend. Sheldon just stood there frozen like a deer caught in headlights. “Sheldon, talk to me! Say something!”, Amy said as she continued to stare at him. “I’m sorry Amy but I got to go! Good night!”, Sheldon exclaimed as he bolted from the apartment. His heart pounded through his chest as his anxiety began to rise. “Sheldon!”, Amy screamed after him, completely stunned and shocked by her boyfriend’s sudden unusual behavior. This was something that she had never seen him do before. As Sheldon came running through the door of his and Leonard’s shared apartment, Leonard, who was sitting at his desk on his laptop turned around and said, “Hey buddy, how was your date night with Amy?” “I don’t want to talk about it Leonard! Good night!”, Sheldon exclaimed at his roommate before running down the hallway to his room slamming the door behind him. “Ookay.”, Leonard said scratching his head before returning to his work. As Sheldon pressed his back against his door his heart still felt like it was pounding out of his chest. His anxiety continued to skyrocket and he wasn’t sure why. ‘What is wrong with me?! Why am I having these feelings?! Am I falling in love with Leo?! No, I couldn’t be! That’s preposterous! I’m in love with Amy! Unless, maybe this is a sign that maybe we aren’t meant to be together?! Wait, no! Why am I even having feelings for another woman anyway?! I’m a Homo Novus for god sake!’, Sheldon thought as he got himself dressed for bed. As he threw himself into his bed he rolled over onto his side and hugged his knees into his chest. He was so confused about his feelings that he didn’t realize that he was starting to cry. Sheldon cried himself to sleep that night unsure if he was experiencing anxiety or sadness.