The Paradigm Shift Predicament

By Penny Parsons

Author's Note: I do not own The Big Bang Theory or anything associated with it. I do however own this here little story.

Chapter 1

"What?!" Penny exclaimed, feeling numb. Deep humiliation was starting to lump in the bottom of her stomach.

"Penny, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen." Leonard tried to explain himself but nothing he could say could justify what he had done.

"You slept with your coworker, Leonard. I mean, I know that Katherine is attractive and intelligent and everything but we've been dating for almost a year!" Penny's voice was rising but wavering. She would cry if she wasn't so damned angry.

Leonard's face held an immense amount of guilt. He breathed a deep, heavy sigh. "Penny I care so much about you but lately we've been fighting and with this new experiment that I've been working on, we barely get to see one another."

"So instead of telling me this, you decide to bang your little lab partner and then still sleep with me whenever you had the time. You know, I can't believe you. You pined after me for two years and then when I give you a chance and start to think that I loved you, you go and bang the next hot girl that comes along." Penny shook her head in amazement. As her anger rose she stood up from the maroon leather couch. "And another thing, I can't believe you were the one who cheated on me! I mean, look at you and look at me. I just-I just can't believe this!"

"Hey now, that's not fair! I'm not some hideous monster and you're not some perfect princess. Penny I'm sorry. This was the last thing that I wanted to do to you. I didn't want it to end like this!" Leonard said becoming defensive which meant his voice was whinier than ever.

"You know, I thought you would be different Leonard. I guess I really am just another dumb blond. Leonard Hofstadter, you are low. You are nothing but a two timing, little creep. I never want to see your face or hear your whiny voice ever again!" Penny screamed, marching out of apartment 4A, slamming the door behind her.

Sheldon, Raj and Howard had just made it to the top step of the fourth floor landing when they heard the commotion and watched an enraged Penny march to her own apartment.

They looked at each other and shrugged, simply assuming it was yet another lover's spat of Leonard and Penny.

But when they walked through the front door and spotted a beaten down and miserable Leonard they knew this had not been your everyday spat.

Howard, having Bernadette to only dump him two months prior, knew the tell tale sign of a broken hearted man. "Is everything okay, Leonard?" Howard asked, obviously concerned.

Leonard heaved another heavy sigh. "No Howard everything isn't okay. Penny and I just broke up-for good this time."

"Well I'm not surprised Leonard. Even though this little tryst lasted longer than what I had hypothesized I knew eventually Penny would tire of coitus with you and go back to her own kind." Sheldon smugly interjected.

"Penny didn't break up with me." Leonard stated quietly.

"Come again?" Howard asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh man. Do you know Dr. Katherine Parks?" Leonard asked.

"Yes." All three men answered in unison.

"Well we've been having sex for the last month or so and I told Penny today. Of course I don't think our relationship would recover from my little confession anyway and there is a huge possibility that I may be in love with Katherine." Leonard didn't look up from his hands as he spoke but when he did he was met with three very stunned friends.

Raj was the first to speak. "Dude, are you crazy! Penny actually gave you a chance and this is how you repay her? By sleeping with the second hot girl to come along and pay attention to you. That is low."

"Yea Leonard, people expect this from me but not from you." added Howard.

"Look, I'm human too! I made a mistake and I handled it badly." Leonard admitted, "And as for you Raj, just because Penny graced me with her presence doesn't mean that I was to spend our entire relationship groveling at her feet?"

Silence hung in the air for a few minutes. Howard, shaking his head said, "I don't know man. This was just a low blow from you. I'm surprised and shocked. I know Penny wouldn't want any visitors right now so I'm just going to head home. I'm sorry Leonard but I can't look at you right now."

Raj followed Howard out only stopping for a second to shake his head at Leonard.

When the door closed behind them, Leonard turned his attention to the unusually quiet Sheldon. "Well any quips or ridicule?"

Sheldon's blue eyes moved fervently across the floor, trying to process what had just happened. "Leonard how could you do this to Penny?" Sheldon asked his voice coming out small and sad.

"Now don't tell me that you're going to take Penny's side too? I mean, yes what I did was terrible, but I didn't mean for all this to happen." Leonard said defending himself for the third time within an hour.

"Well, what did you mean to happen? I don't understand it."

"I meant to stay with Penny, love her, marry her and live happily ever after. But after meeting Katherine I realized Penny wasn't the one for me and I fell in love with Katherine instead." Leonard paused before adding, "And besides Sheldon, what would you know about love and sex and relationships for that matter. You said so yourself that you don't understand."

Sheldon was pensive for a moment. "True, I've had no desire for a romantic, sexual relationship but I have pursued and maintained four friendships. While natural monogamy among our species is a debatable topic I know that when you care about someone you should inform them that you want to engage in sexual intercourse with another mate or what my mother would call, common decency."

"Common decency? You want to talk to me about common decency? That is really rich Sheldon. When have you ever had common decency towards another human being?" Leonard asked in a huff.

"While others may perceive me as "difficult", I have gone out of my way on several occasions to accommodate another person's needs." Sheldon stated.

"Name one?" challenged Leonard.

"Alright." Sheldon said clasping his hands behind his back. "I have lent money. I have helped people advance to other levels on Conan the Barbarian. I have helped people start and maintain a small business. I have given gifts not to mention hugs. I have driven people to the hospital and then back to their place and put them to bed. I have given countless advice when asked and kept many secrets. Leonard I could go on and on but really what's the point?"

"Sheldon?"

"What Leonard?"

"You do know that when you say "people", you mean Penny."

"What? No-I-"

"Yea, Sheldon you've done most if not all those things only for Penny."

"Well there you go. Maybe I'm not as yielding to my male friends but when it comes to my female friends, or should I say female friend, I do in fact have the common decency to treat them a little better than you."

"Whatever Sheldon. I need to go lie down and I can't listen to anymore of this lecture, let along from you. Please don't talk to me for the next couple of days; it's going to be rough as it is." Leonard mumbled as he went inside his bedroom.

Sheldon stared after his roommate as he settled in to his spot, contemplating the immense paradigm shift that was taking place. It was true that Sheldon had never been in favor of Penny and Leonard dating but he was certain she would have ended it. He was surprised at Leonard, so surprised that it made a heavy feeling form in the pit of his stomach and spread throughout his chest. Sheldon was sad. His sadness was intensified when his mind would shift to Penny. How was she doing? How was she feeling? Is she going to be okay? Would she still join them for Thai take out and Halo night?

Of course, Sheldon rarely cared how people "felt" or how they were doing. But this situation called for a little more reflection than usual. Truer still was that Penny somehow always managed to get under his skin. They were constantly sparring and as hard as this was to admit, she had bested him on more than one occasion. Despite all their differences and fighting, Sheldon cared for Penny or at least found her tolerable. She kept him on his toes and had taught him more about social conventions and obligations since he had left his mother and meemaw behind in Texas. Heck she had maybe taught him more in the past 3 years than he had learned in his whole life. And now thinking of her probably crying and devastated in her messy apartment prompted him to walk over to 4B and see how she was doing.

Knock, Knock, Knock. "Penny."

Knock, Knock, Knock. "Penny."

Knock, Knock, Knock. "Penny."

"Go away Sheldon, I'm not in the mood!"

"But Penny I would like to speak with you."

"Look!" She said as she opened the door, "I am in no mood to hear you gloat and say I told you so!" Penny's face was red and puffy and her hair was in a messy bun atop her head.

Sheldon studied her for a moment and she thought she recognized sadness and possibly empathy in his blue eyes.

"May I come in?" He asked earnestly.

Penny sighed, "Sure come on in." She stepped aside to let the tall physicist walk in.

As soon as she closed the door behind them, Sheldon spun around and embraced her in hug.