Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...
Part XL...
"Dr. Stein..." young Sheldon on the porch of the Stein home, on-campus, at UTexas, Austin.
"Mr. Cooper. Good morning." Stein, in suit, smiled at him. "A bit early for my class but good to see you up and outside." he peered over at adult Sheldon in Flash T-shirt.
"Your...Brother, visiting?"
"In a manner of speaking..." nod. "I realize I have no appointment but might we possibly have a few moments of your time, Doctor?"
"I suppose, come in...You may as well meet my daughter, she's finishing her breakfast. Mr. Cooper?" he turned to adult Sheldon. "Please come in."
"Hello...Uh, doc." wave.
Probably best to assume the persona of Georgie at least for the outside world to see...He thought, coming up the stairs...Entering after the others and following Stein and young Sheldon to the dining room.
Oh, Lord...My nemesis...Right at the table, eating Frosted Flakes.
It figures...
"Susan? This is young Mister Cooper, whom I've told you about...And his brother..."
"George...Georgie...Hi y'all." Sheldon gave wave. Young Sheldon eyeing him.
Well, I suppose I should be pleased I still think quick...But Georgie never greets anyone but girls.
Although, to be fair...There's the vicious snake that will destroy my future happiness, in girl form.
Whoa...He eyed Susan's smiling face.
She is hot. I see we face an even greater threat than I realized.
"Hey, Sheldon." she waved. "So you're in my dad's classes here? And you have your own place?" she eyed young Sheldon. "That's so cool. You really must be a genius." warm smile. "Nice to meet you, at last."
"Yes, obviously..." young Sheldon, carefully.
Must be cautious... If Amy and the lanky drink are right, this vixen could ensnare me if I'm not very careful.
But phew, she's no Amy, carefully appraising nod.
"You're visitin' your brother?" she smiled at "Georgie". Sheldon nodding.
"Yes, sir, little lady. Just thought I'd come up and see what my incredibly brilliant lil' brother was up to, changin' the world in ways my own pitiful little brain could never imagine."
"Mr. Cooper? Some coffee?" Stein offered, pouring some for himself.
"Uh...Why shore...I drink it by the gallon back home, with no thought of the effect of caffeine on the neural process. Big words my lil' but incredibly gifted brother taught me. Thanks, pardner." taking cup as young Sheldon stared.
"Want some orange juice, Sheldon?" Susan offered.
"Yes, please..." Sheldon, carefully maintaining his place.
Cough turning to hack from adult Sheldon... "That's just great, great stuff, doc." he told Stein, choking a bit. "Just a little went down the wrong way..." Hack...
Young Sheldon, catching him...Do not spit on the floor. Carrying it too far.
"Cuse me, dust ball in the throat from walkin' over." Sheldon, somewhat reluctantly swallowing.
I was really getting into the part...I can see now why Penny loves acting so, even if she sucks at it.
"Sheldon? You wanna come sit?" Susan smiled at young Sheldon. Patting seat by her side on bench at table.
Uh...Panicky look to Sheldon...
"He's plumb shy around girls, ma'am. But I'll sit down." he took seat.
"Cooper? You wanted to talk?" Stein eyed young Sheldon. "Perhaps we can leave your brother and Susan for a moment..."
"Oh, well..." adult Sheldon started to rise.
"Oh, they're just gonna talk Physics." Susan beamed. "Don't leave me all alone, George."
"Yes, well...We should talk a bit first, then I would like Georgie to join us, if it's all right?" young Sheldon, glance to a non-plussed "Georgie".
"Well, now I'm quite intrigued...Come along, Cooper." Stein made for his study.
"That's cute how he calls you 'Georgie'." Susan beamed at adult Sheldon next to her. "Are you a scientist too?"
"No...Ma'am. I sell tires. My small brain don't allow for more. Though Sheldon has been tryin' to enlighten and educate me."
"Really? That must be a little hard, having a brother so brilliant who's younger. I feel embarrassed sometimes around Dad when he gets going."
"It's fearful intimidatin' like, ma'am." nod.
"But you go out and sell people things...Tires?"
"Tires." nod.
"That must be quite a thing. I love people, getting to know them, what they like and don't like, trying to please them. I want to be an actress one day, like my Mom." she noted, eagerly.
"I'm sure you'll be at the top of that...'Profession'...Ma'am."
"Thank you, I hope so." warm beam. "But I do kinda like Science some. My dad says I've a natural bent for Math and Physics...I think he's just overproud of me. I've just come to stay with him." she eyed "Georgie". "He and my mom don't live together anymore just now, she's been ill. But she'll get better and then we'll all live together again." wistful stare.
"I hope so, ma'am."
"Your brother is cute." she grinned. "Daddy wants him to come to dinner and I think he wants him to ask me out. You can tell him I'd love to, if he's nervous with girls."
"I shorely will, ma'am." nod.
"Thank you." suddenly kissing him as he gasps, falling off the bench.
"Sorry..." she offered a hand. "You're just so nice." beam.
"No, that's fine...Ma'am."
Good gravy! Is she after me, too?
Well, yeah...She is, really.
"I'll just sit over here, ma'am." he took a seat in rocker against the wall.
"Oh. Ok." she got up and pulled a second rocker over, smiling. "I like rocking together. Oh, let me get you your coffee."
Oh, no...
"Oh, no...I've had plenty." slight gag. "I drank a whole gallon at breakfast."
"Oh..." She took seat. "You Texas men never do anything by halves..." warm smile.
Oh, we seem to be kinda doing it here...
He looked down the hall...
"I wonder what the problem was your brother needed help with?" Susan asked, curious. "I might be able to work with him on it, I really am pretty good at Science. Though not like him of course..."
"That's just...Fine...Ma'am. I'm shore he'd appreciate it. I think it has to do with worms and holes or some such things. Too much for my slow-movin' lil' brain."
"Wormholes? My dad's been studying them, theoretically. They're not really that hard to get. Like energy bridges across time and space to anywhere, beautiful really."
"Probably real dangerous to play around with, ma'am. Or so my brother says..."
Yes, a quick encouragement to stay away from the subject could pay dividends down the road...
"Oh, Mr. Cooper?" Dr. Stein called from down the hall. "Would you care to join us?"
"Guess Sheldon needs someone dumb to check to see if he can talk down proper for his teaching classes." Sheldon noted, rising.
"It's hard to imagine him teaching a class, isn't it?" smile. "I'd be scared to death. Though Dad says he's pretty good, I'll have to go sit in, sometime... But, I'm sure he respects your opinion, George. Dad always listens to me, though I'm not trained in the field." Susan smiled. "Come back and tell me more about yourself and your family when they're done with you..."
Sheldon, blinking...
Hmmn...If only I did look more like George, this could work out...
"Shore ma'am...Pardon me." he went down the hallway where Stein awaited him, entering a book-lined study, well lit by a huge window of dozens of framed panels.
"Your...Brother...Has just been telling me a most interesting tale." Stein eyed Sheldon, waving him to a seat besides young Sheldon and taking a seat at his desk. "You support his contention? Sheldon?" careful stare...
"If you mean am I the adult Sheldon Cooper from 2017, yes." Sheldon nodded. "He did show you my State ID from California, expiring in 2020? And my picture of the Stevenson award I'll win late next year."
"He did... And contends you...Two friends...And my adult daughter, now a physicist, were accidentally trapped here, in an experimental accident...Involving the physical application of my worm hole theories."
Sheldon nodded...
Well, we sure weren't gonna tell you we might have to kill one or both of your daughter's versions...
"Well, cool. If rather thoughtless..." Stein nodded. "But if so, why didn't Susan come with you? Is she all right?"
Uh, well...
"She was separated from the main party, my counterpart said..." young Sheldon noted. "Didn't you, counterpart Sheldon?"
"Uh...Yes...Separated. The rest of us are looking for her right now."
"And Xavier Francis helped you with the components? What about me? Was my counterpart involved here?" Stein eyed them.
"You developed the basic theory, Dr. Francis and your daughter applied it with the help of one of my other friends, who did not come."
"I see..." Stein leaned back. "I hope I wasn't so vain and foolish as not to urge you all to desist."
"Actually you did, Doctor." Sheldon nodded. "But it was a test, gone wrong, obviously, only."
"And Xavier? Surely he must have realized the danger...?"
"The intent was only to use minimal power..."
Hmmn-hmmn. "You do realize this sounds remarkably like the combined plots of 'Back to the Future' and that TV series 'Sliders'? And I know you like the movie at least Sheldon..." Stein eyed young Sheldon.
"I did. But if you think we're deceiving you..."
"No, actually I believe you." Stein smiled. "And it makes sense you'd come to me...But because every physicist worth his or her salt dreams of the day someone comes knocking to say he or she is from the future and used your theory to get here, I must try to repress my natural enthusiasm, be cautious, and review all evidence."
Sigh... "You do realize I may not be able to assist you. It would take far more than a lucky lightening strike to get you back into your current, to you, existence."
"We know...But we needed to start, somewhere." Sheldon noted.
"But what about your own universe and timeline...The power required to create the bridge..." Stein eyed them. "You do realize this little excursion of yours may have destroyed much or even all of your universe."
"Which is why we are desperate to reverse or repair this." Sheldon nodded. "Or if we must, stay here and see the timeline is safely resumed and our other selves, including Sheldon here, lead more or less the lives we led."
"Temporal paradoxes, quite the bitch...And two Sheldon Coopers in my world...?" Stein shook head. "Gives me a headache just contemplating it." he turned anxious look on Sheldon. "But you say Susan is lost, here? Adult Susan?"
"Our expert team is seeking her..." Sheldon noted.
"Part of a team that blundered into destroying your universe and sent you here, accidentally?" Stein eyed him. "Well, clearly we must find her... While seeing that she and my current era's daughter don't meet , if possible." he paused.
"She's a physicist?" he smiled. "Is she happy?"
"Well...I would imagine she's very happy that her work succeeded."
Stein frowning... "You know what I mean, Cooper. And from the way you spoke that, I getting the feeling she is not quite content. Are you?" narrow-eyed stare... "Her husband?"
"God, no!" Sheldon blurted.
"I thought not."
Stein regarded them both... "She's not well in the future, is she?"
"She has her moments..." Sheldon noted.
"Cooper...Cooper..." he eyed both in turn. "Did she cause this?"
...
"So...?" Penny looked about the dorm room... "This is where you live?"
Eyeing the giant expanded photo of young Sheldon...Covering most of one wall.
Oh, so cute, if a bit creepy at that size.
"Of course, since I mentioned it in my offer to bring you here...Please feel free to tour my personal space." Amy noted. "Would you care for something to drink? I'm afraid I have only water and lemon-flavored water, the lemon for special occasions. Or elderberry tea. Or decaffinated tea."
"Water's fine." Penny, con
"This being a special occasion, I can break out the lemon water...?" Amy offered.
"Oh, no...That's fine."
"Oh..." somewhat downcast...
"Well..." Penny smiled, looking over at the slight girl. "I guess it is a special occasion. Sure."
"Excellent...The first time traveler in my home deserves celebration. First visitor to my home as well, likewise."
"Yeah..." Penny, nodding. "So you've never had other people over?"
"My grandmother brought me, she was here. I did have two roommates assigned to me but they chose to secure housing in other locations, more suitable to their classes and social life."
"Aren't we in the middle of the campus, right next to the main buildings, Student Union, and campus shuttle...?"
"I understood they felt it too far from the jumpin', throbbin' center of social life here. I prefer having the space anyway. I got to decorate as I like."
"Yeah..." Penny eyed the blank beige walls where no giant posters were hung. A bookcase stuffed with rather big and imposing textbooks and on one shelf...
"Yikes! Is that a dead cat?"
"Ruffles, my anatomy cat. We each were given one to study neuronal connections, he's quite dead."
"I got that..." Penny nodded.
"I've had him specially preserved so I can always refer to him when I have a neural anatomy question regards motor and sensory connections."
"Nice..." nod, looking over at a small desk. Which at least had what seemed to be family photos just above it.
Naah...She jumped a bit at the center photo above the desk, smaller than the mammoth photo of Sheldon but still large enough to show every pore... Or lump...
"My sister, Charlotte. She has Proteus syndrome among other problems. But she's much better now. She's in France." Amy noted. "Here you go. One lemon water. The cup has been sterilized." she handed a large blue cup. Thanks, Penny nodded.
Oh, right...Charlotte...Before most of her surgeries, I hope. Penny eyed the photo.
"Oh, my...Who's this?" she eyed a smaller photo. Amy at sixty or so, in rather severe business suit and hat. Strong chin jutting, piercing brown eyes.
"My gran Mag...Margaret, my grandmother." Amy, beamed at the photo. "If she seems to bear a striking resemblance to the famed Margaret Hamilton of Wicked Witch fame, she's her cousin."
"Amy?" Penny turned to her. "You're related to the Wicked Witch of the West?"
"Indeed." beam. "Charley and I are very proud of her." sly smile. "So bad, she was good...And we have the stories from her Hollywood days to prove it." grin. "I have some of her photos but they're back home in Maine, I didn't want people thinking I was trading on a famous relative. But my gran is famous, too...In..."
"Neuropathologic psychology and biophysical physiology..." Penny smiled.
See, bestie...You tell me something that matters to you and your bestie never forgets...
"Is she still famous in the future?" Amy, eagerly.
"Of course...In our Science fields, natch...And she was still around, last you tole me." Penny added, pleased to see Amy's young face beam.
"Thank you. I'm so glad." Amy nodded. Earnest look... "What about Charlotte? Is she ok?"
"From what I know, from you...Not too bad, after some really, really rough times. Yeah." Penny smiled. "And you're friends, again. But that's another story."
"Which I probably shouldn't hear...But thank you." sigh. "Now, what about Sheldon? He didn't send you, did he? At least, he didn't mean to..." tearing...
"He loved you...Amy." Penny, weeping.
"Yes, I know...And I know...He's dead." tears running. "And I'm dead, too, aren't I?"
"No, he's not. You're not. And we won't let either of you die." Penny took her hands. "We'll save him, all of them, don't cry. Don't cry."
"No, no...I'm crying for you, Penny." Amy hugged her. "You're the one to cry for, aren't you? You're all alone. The only one who got away...I can see it in your eyes. But you're not alone, Penny. You have me. And my Sheldon. And somewhere, right now, he or she's here, too. They all are."
"He." Penny corrected, weeping in her arms.
"Ok...He." Amy nodded, stroking her hair. "And we will find him whereever he is and make sure he doesn't die either."
"Thank you, thank you..." Penny wept in her arms.
"It's what besties do, I think." Amy beamed.
...