Flashback III

The following Saturday, Leonard, Howard, and Raj were in 4B preparing to take on the Chemistry Department in paintball when Leonard got a call.

"Hello?" He listened to the other end and just replied, "Okay. Okay, yeah, thanks." He hung up. "Problem?" Asked Raj.

Leonard nodded, "A small one. Olsen can't play, he's at the hospital, his wife went into labour."

"So we're down one is what you're saying," Howard concludes solemnly then brightens up, "Hey, I got an idea. Ask your Marine neighbour to sub."

"No."

"Come on," Howard cajoles.

"No," Leonard says vehemently, "I'm not asking a damn Marine to play paintball."

"Come on, what's the harm? The worst he could do is say no." Howards says and Raj nods in agreement.

Shaking his head dismissively, "No, the worst he could do is say yes and take a fun game all serious, and ruin it."

"Dude, we've been paintballing for eight months and in that time we've never had any fun, we are always the first casualties. I've never once made it past that one tree that marks the end of our territory and the beginning of theirs." Raj says.

"Look, just go ask, if he says no then we'll figure out something else or do something else," Howard says annoyed. He knows Leonard is probably still miffed that his new neighbour is actually two neighbours who were married to each other, and he's probably still a little afraid after getting caught stealing their mail.

Huffing, "Fine," he marches over to 4A's door and knocks. He was expecting Sheldon or if he was lucky Penny, but when a beautiful brunette in a purple flowery dress opened the door, he practically swallowed his tongue.

"Uh… hi?"

He cleared his throat, he knew he probably looked weird to this brunette goddess being in paintball armour and all but he can salvage it. "Oh sorry, I'm Leonard, I live across the hall," he pointed to 4B, "I was looking for Sheldon."

"Oh, you a friend of his?" She beamed. "Uh… not exactly."

"Missy, who's at the door?" Another voice called from inside he didn't recognise.

Missy turned her head, "Oh, Sheldon and Penny's neighbour," she turned back toward him, "What did you say your name was?"

"Leonard."

"It's their neighbour Leonard, momma," she called back.

Leonard couldn't believe it, this was Sheldon's sister. A figure to die for, cute dimpled smile, deep blue eyes, luscious brunette hair he wanted to just run his hands through; she was Sheldon's sister? Life was really not fair. Married to one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen and related to another… life was truly unfair. But he shook his head slightly remembering why he was here, "Anyway is Sheldon here, I wanted to invite him to join me and my friends for paintball?"

"Oh sorry hon, he and Penny went to the airport to pick up Penny's parents, we've all been dying to see LA and now that they moved closer we figured with Sheldon back from deployment now would be the right time."

"Oh… okay. Well, thanks. Nice meeting you," he walked back to his apartment sparing a glance at the brunette still watching him.

When he entered 4B, he looked dazed.

"So I guess he said no, huh?" Howard concluded judging by Leonard's expression.

"Nah, he wasn't even there, he's picking up his relatives at the airport with Penny, I was talking to his sister."

"He's got a sister?" Howard asks his interest piqued. "Yeah, a hot one too."

"Really? Maybe I should go over and say hello," Howard wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Leonard sighed, he didn't want Howard to scare away another potential partner—even if she was the sister of the luckiest Marine on the planet. "You know what, let's just go, maybe we can get someone from Chemistry to come over to our side."

"Sounds like a plan." Howard agreed and grabbed his marker as Raj grabbed his. They went down to the lobby when they ran into Sheldon, Penny and her family.

"Hey Leonard," Penny said holding back a laugh because he looked so ridiculous; short, pudgy in jungle camo with plastic armour from head to toe with a facemask and goggles, holding a paintball gun—they all did really. "Shipping out?"

"No…" he blushed and was thankful his goggles and facemask covered his blush, "Just going to play some paintball."

That Penny and her family already figured, "Oh okay, have a good time." "Thanks."

The trio rush past the group and Sheldon has to chuckle, "I bet you anything, those three will come back covered in paint."

"Ooh, you're on, Moonpie. Say an extra long massage if they don't?" "That's doable, but what about your forfeit?"

Penny taps her finger against her lips in thought, then walks over, whispers in his ear, pulls back,

and grins, "Well?"

"Uh, yeah. That's a bet," Sheldon says at a momentary loss for words, they've only been together for two years but good God what a rollercoaster that's been. And since they got married, Sheldon has found that his wife is a lot more playful and that often brings him up short.

They hear a man clear his throat, jarring the pair from their moment, Penny jumps away from her husband as if her dad just caught her making out with a boy on the porch steps late at night, she frowns, "Dad, Sheldon and I are married, happily. Remember?"

"I know, Penny. But I rather you, not set up your bedroom activities in public," her father Wyatt says with a hint of disapproval at his youngest, but also a twinkle of pride in his eye. His youngest daughter is everything he could've asked for and apart from dealing with her many boyfriends in high school, his daughter is the only one of his children to do things the right way. The proper way.

The two women behind him laugh. "Wyatt, give the kids a break," his wife and Penny's mother, Susan says her voice full of amusement.

"Yeah daddy, it's not like they're going to do it here in the lobby or anything," his oldest daughter and Penny's sister, Lisa giggles.

"Thanks, sis," Penny smiled at her sister. "Any time, Pen." Lisa gives Penny a wink.

On the drive to the paintball grounds, Howard commented, "Penny looked pretty today."

Leonard couldn't deny that. Her tight yellow blouse and yellow short-sleeve zip made her hair seem to glow, and those skinny jeans she wore, God he'd give anything to trade places with Sheldon right now. On the one hand, he'd be a tall, tough Marine married to a beautiful woman, on the other though he'd have to go fight in a war and if past paintball games were any indication he'd be dead within minutes. He just had to hope there was someone, anyone out there willing to look past his near-sightedness, aversion to dairy, his complex relationship with his mother, and his need for affection and attention to love him for just him, Leonard. So far, not a one. "Yeah…" he finally responded.

"So between Penny and Sheldon's sister, if you could who would you go for?" Howard asked hypothetically.

Leonard had to think about it, and then he said, "Probably still Penny, I mean she's around, Sheldon's sister isn't."

"Do either of you know what she does?" Raj asked from the backseat.

Leonard and Howard looked at each other and realised that in the weeks since the pair moved into 4A, they didn't know a thing about either of them other than the fact that Sheldon was an active- duty Marine.

"No, but I can look it up. That's why God created Google," Howard said fishing out his phone. "I thought Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google," Raj quipped, amused.

"Let's see… let's try, 'Penny Cooper', that's Sheldon's last name, right?" Howard asked.

Leonard nodded then realised he was driving, "Yeah."

"Holy frak, 477,000 results!" Howard exclaims then clicks on a few links before finding the right Penny Cooper. "Ah here she is… she's a production assistant for Walt Disney/ABC, before that she was a two-time NCAA softball champion at Nebraska from 2005-2006. Graduated in May of this year."

"See, what I mean when I said she was perfect? Smart, beautiful, and athletic… perfect."

"And taken," Howard added as an afterthought. "Hey look, there's a video of her graduation," Howard hits 'play'.

"Penelope Quinn Teller; presented by her fiancé, United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Sheldon Cooper recently returned after a second deployment in Iraq." The video shows Penny breaking down on stage as Sheldon walks on stage from behind the back curtain in a Marine Blue Dress Uniform and Penny jumping into Sheldon's arms and kissing him soundly to loud cheers and applause from the audience. When Sheldon breaks away, he takes the diploma offered and hands it to Penny, which she takes with a watery smile. "Penny, did we surprise you?" the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences asks knowingly. Penny just nods enthusiastically in Sheldon's arms. "Congratulations, Penny," the dean says. Sheldon and Penny walk off the stage as the video ends.

"I gotta tell you, dude, after seeing this video, I'd say you'd have a better chance with Seven of Nine than Penny," Howard tells Leonard.

"Personally, I think it's the uniform," Leonard gripes as he grips the steering wheel tighter.

"Right…" Howard really doesn't understand why his friend is so hung up on his neighbour especially since he kinda has a casual physical-only thing with Leslie Winkle going on.

"Hey while you're at it look up Sheldon," Raj tells Howard.

Leonard scoffs, "Why bother, he's a grunt. I can probably tell you his bio right now, graduated last in his class at Dumbfuck High, didn't have money for college so he went into the military, and probably because of the GI Bill has a Bachelor's in Physical Education from some third-rate college."

Howard chuckles lowly, he is searching while Leonard was ranting and immediately came across Sheldon's military biography. "Dude… you are so far off you might as well be orbiting Jupiter with my digital camera satellite. Listen to this, 'Staff Sergeant Sheldon Cooper joined the Marine Corps at 17 after obtaining a master's and a doctorate in physics from the University of Heidelberg through the Fulbright Program at 16. The youngest valedictorian in Rice University history at the age of 14, SSgt. Cooper is also the youngest-ever winner of the Stevenson Award. SSgt. Cooper

has served in humanitarian and combat roles in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.' So, I guess the airy jarhead isn't so airy."

Leonard scoffs dismissively. "That doesn't prove anything…"

"How can you scoff? Name me one other non-fictional teenage doctor?" Raj cried incredulously from the backseat, "The dude graduated college when we were in middle school, he got his doctorate when we were sophomores in high school, He's probably forgotten more about physics than we'll ever know. And the way he diagnosed the problem with the time machine last week was pretty spot on."

Leonard doesn't need to be reminded of that either, when he called a moving company to come the

next day; they came and asked him what he wanted to be moved and where, he pointed at the time machine, and told them up to the fourth floor. The movers had looked at him with a roll of their eyes and at each other with mirth. Then before they moved anything they did some measurements, including of his apartment then told him no. When he asked why they told him the stairwell was too narrow and their insurance won't cover 'excessive weight damage of non-essential items' and also his apartment was too small to fit the time machine in without moving out a couch or something. In the end, they offered him storage rental space which was $15 a month and they'll haul it away. Leonard sighed but agreed. It took four bulky movers who looked like linebackers, each taking a corner to lift and move his cumbersome impulse buy.

"I'll say one thing about your neighbour though, the dude is tough. Because I can make out a Purple Heart and a Silver Star on his ribbons rack. And I count a total of 16 ribbons with additional decorations attached… at the rate he's going the DoD's liable to name a base or something after him. And in addition, he has expert rifle and pistol badges on his chest. That's a bad man." Howard finished.

Leonard rolled his eyes, "He's not Superman." "You sound jealous," Raj commented.

Leonard gripped the steering wheel tighter, and just hoped they get this over with as soon as possible.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Howard asked sarcastically as they stomped up the stairs dejectedly covered in blue paint, the noise they made caused 4A to open its doors. Missy, Penny, Lisa, and their mother came out.

"Oh guys, what happened?" Penny asked with concern but also with a little tilt of amusement in her voice because they looked even more ridiculous now.

"We, uh, got ambushed," Leonard answered.

"Aw that sucks, I guess you didn't win your little game, then. Maybe next time you should take Sheldon," Penny suggested.

"They came by looking for him, but you two were out pickin' up your folks," Missy told her sister- in-law.

"Oh… you could've just asked us in the lobby," Penny told the paint-covered trio. Then she remembered they'd never been formally introduced. "Anyway, Mom, Lisa, Missy, that's our neighbour Leonard," she pointed to the man with glasses underneath his goggles, "and his friends Howard and, oh I'm sorry I didn't catch your name," she turned to Raj. He clammed up.

"You'll have to excuse him, he's painfully shy and can't talk around women," Raj shook his head no. "He's Rajesh, but we just call him Raj." Howard introduced in his stead.

Penny looked at her relatives unable to form any words, luckily her mom found some, "Would you boys like some homemade Macaroni and Cheese? Me, Sheldon's mom, and grandmother are cooking up a storm right now."

"Ooh… sorry I can't; lactose intolerant," Leonard waved off the offer. "That's too bad dear, how about you two?" Susan turned to Howard and Raj.

"I could eat," Howard nodded, and Raj did as well.

"Great," Susan smiled, "Go get changed and then come on by," Susan instructed then led everyone from 4A back into 4A.

Once the door closed, Leonard turned to his friends angrily, "I can't believe you're ditching me for mac and cheese."

"Hey, you're the one that turned down the invite, not us," Howard shrugged as they trooped into 4B.

"That's because I can't eat cheese," Leonard defended.

"So? There was bound to be other food they could have offered you but you turned down the initial invite," Raj added as he went to his duffel for a clean shirt and trousers and headed for the bathroom to change.

"You think I can still come over?" Leonard asked Howard.

"That's kinda rude don't you think? They invite you, you say 'no', but then show up anyway?"

Leonard sighed, "Yeah, all right, go have a good time. I'll be here with my non-dairy Lean Cuisine and Babylon 5 box set."

Howard and Raj had never been to 4A before; before Sheldon and Penny moved in Leonard hadn't really shown any interest in his neighbours so they hardly ever talked, except for the occasional 'hello'. The pair didn't exactly know what to expect when going over to the opposite apartment; compared to them, Sheldon and Penny are proper adults, and they didn't think that the couple would be the kind of people to blow $600 on a time machine prop or spend excessive amounts of time on popular culture.

They knocked on 4A's door, Penny's sister, Lisa, opened it and let them in, "You guys clean up nice," she smiled after they walked in and she closed the door. The pair look around at the apartment, decorated in muted colours with a large brown sectional couch dominating the living room, facing the modular entertainment centre that Howard saw Sheldon and his friend carry up the day they moved in. On the wall is a massive 55" flat screen. In the far corner is what they assume to be Sheldon's office nook, they see a large mahogany bookcase filled with books and photographs. There's a Tri-fold American flag in a display case on top of the shelf, they wonder whose it was. Along the walls are pictures of the couple and a print of Cologne from the River by

J.M.W. Turner, they wonder what the significance of it is. There is a built-in bookcase on the back wall filled with family mementoes, books, DVDs, and other knick-knacks. Overall, it felt very homey and inviting.

"Dad," Lisa led them over and introduced the pair to a balding grey-haired man that they remember from earlier, "You remember these guys from earlier, this is Howard and… Raj? Did I get that right?" Raj nodded.

"Nice to see you boys out of tactical gear. Name's Wyatt." He held out his hand for the pair to shake.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Howard said as he shook the man's hand; Raj shook Wyatt's hand and nodded respectfully.

"Can I offer you a beer?"

"Uh sure, I'd love one," Howard consented to the offer. Raj nodded too.

"What's wrong with you?" Wyatt frowned in amusement, but went over to the fridge and got a few beers. He handed each a beer, after popping the top off of the bottles and told them, "Cheers," and took a swig.

After Raj took a swig he asked, "What's the occasion?" Noticing the long table and the number of people milling about.

"Dude, did you just talk?" Howard asked stunned. Wyatt chuckles, "Does he not usually talk?"

"Not when there are women around," Howard began to explain, "We think it's a form of selective mutism brought on by social anxiety."

"You know what I'm not going to waste this, I'm going to go over and talk to Sheldon's sister, excuse me," Raj says as he gets up and walks over to Sheldon's sister.

"Howard, was it?" Wyatt asked. "Yes sir."

"What do you do for fun?"

Howard chuckled, "Well, as you saw earlier we went paintballing. And then there's video games and comic books."

"Yeah, I saw. Did you win?" Wyatt asked.

"No, we were ambushed about five minutes in and just sat out the rest of the time." "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Next time you should take Sheldon."

Howard chuckles again, "Actually, Leonard came over to ask him to join us because our team was short one player but he wasn't here, then when we got down to the lobby we noticed that he and Penny had other plans." He takes another swig of beer and looks around, looking for either of the main tenants. "Where are they?"

"Oh, they stepped out to get more food because my wife informed Sheldon you two were coming."

Howard stammered, "Oh we…um, didn't mean to cause a fuss. Mrs. Teller invited us and we just assumed there was enough."

Wyatt laughed. "There is, my wife and Sheldon's mother and grandmother just want an excuse to cook."

"I see," Howard nods and takes another swig, "And I don't want to piggyback on my friend's earlier question, but what is going on?"

Wyatt looks around, "I guess you can call it an informal family reunion slash housewarming."

"I see," Howard pauses, he doesn't know what to say, he isn't friends with the couple nor is he family.

Wyatt waves off his apprehension, "My daughter and son-in-law are really easy to get along with,

you might not be friends now but I'm willing to bet if you play your cards right by the end of the night you'll be trading childhood stories like old friends."

Howard is about to respond when the front door opens and Sheldon and Penny enter carrying several bags of groceries. Howard put his beer down, went over, and relieved Penny of some of her bags, it was the least he could do.

Penny smiles at him, "Thanks, Howard."

When the food was in the kitchen, Sheldon, Penny, and Howard were shooed away after introductions; Penny and Sheldon offered both Howard and Raj—who told Penny she looked very pretty today, shocking the couple—a tour of the apartment. They accepted with Missy joining them as she had struck up a nice conversation with the Indian man prior.

The first stop was an 8x10 formal wedding photo of Sheldon and Penny. Him in Blue Dress Uniform and she is in a strapless wedding dress holding a bouquet of summertime flowers in her left hand, her right looping through his waist with his hands on hers. Penny looks up lovingly at Sheldon and Sheldon looks adoringly down at her, each smiling.

"When did you get married?" Raj asked looking at it, he is a sucker for weddings and all things lovey-dovey; the couple beside him and in the photo clearly show that.

"Saturday, June 23 of this year," Sheldon replied.

"When did you propose?" Raj followed up, thankful for the beer allowing him to socialise.

"I proposed on March 6, 2006, a week before my second combat stint in Iraq. A month to the day after we first met."

The next stop was their college graduation photos angled to face each other. Obviously one really didn't look like the other. As Sheldon's graduation photo from Rice showed him at barely 14 in 1994 and Penny's was this May.

"I saw your diploma presentation video online, your reaction is really telling," Howard said, "That must've been some surprise, huh?"

Penny chuckles, "You're telling me. We had been e-mailing and had a few Skype calls planning his return and him showing up at my graduation. However, he couldn't offer me any guarantees. So walking into Memorial Stadium, I texted my mom and she said Sheldon wasn't seated with them. I was majorly bummed for most of the ceremony. They get to the T's and I hand in my card like I'm supposed to, but the ceremony stops, instead, the Dean goes, 'Our next graduate is about to get a very special surprise.' Then she calls my name and I walk across the stage but she doesn't hand me anything, then she says, 'presented by her fiancé, United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Sheldon Cooper recently returned after a second deployment in Iraq.' Sheldon walks out and across the stage in dress blues and the stadium goes nuts, I go nuts. I do the first thing that pops to mind and that's kiss him. The dean hands him the diploma, he gives it to me and by now I'm attached to him like a barnacle and barely holding back more tears."

"You guys really do love each other, don't you?" Raj asks with a smile. "She's my everything," Sheldon tells him but looks at Penny the entire time.

"He's basically that song from Vertical Horizon," Penny tells him but looks at Sheldon the entire time.

"Man, you guys are exhausting, no offence," Howard joked. The couple laughed and continued on with the tour.

"Trust me, they were even more sickening when they were datin'," Missy leaned over and whispered as Sheldon and Penny continue to point out an interesting piece here and there.

The group reach the built-in bookcase and Howard and Raj see a squad photo of nine Marines; five standing, four kneeling posing with their weapons in front of a tent somewhere in the Iraqi desert. Sheldon is kneeling at the end of the right side of the picture.

"That was taken in August 2004, four days later a roadside IED exploded on our convoy killing my friend and spotter who was travelling in another vehicle, that guy right there," Sheldon points to the man standing right behind him, "Corporal Esteban Perez. We went through Basic together and at one point I was really pissed because he wouldn't jump into the trust circle but, he was a friend and a brother and I miss him a lot." Sheldon explained.

"If you don't mind me asking, is that who the flag is for?" Raj asked and pointed to the flag on top of the mahogany bookcase.

Sheldon shook his head, "No, that's for my dad and grandfather. Both were Marines. My grandfather served in Europe during World War II, while my dad served in Vietnam."

Howard was about to ask a question but Sheldon's mom interrupted him, "All right kids, chow time. Come on, gather 'round."

They gathered around the table and Howard and Raj are stunned by the spread. Casseroles, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried chicken, salads, and a huge brisket.

"Meemaw, would you say grace?" Missy asked.

"Sure, darlin'," The spry elderly woman seated at the end next to Sheldon's mother said. They bowed their heads and Meemaw said, "Good food, good meat, good God, let's eat. Amen."

Everyone laughed after saying 'Amen' although Mary looked at her mother, incredulously. "Mom!"

"What? That's literally everything you want," then she looked over at Howard and Raj with a smile, "Trust me, boys, you haven't lived until you tried my world-famous brisket."

"I know I can't wait for it, Connie," Wyatt rubs his hands enticingly.

Mary relents, "All right enough jawing, pass your plates up so that we can cut the brisket."

Howard had to admit that Sheldon's grandmother's brisket was better than his mom's. Hell, the entire spread was incredible. Then when they started talking, it felt very intimate, very natural. With plenty of laughter and funny stories going around along with the amazing food, Howard felt like he was part of a very loving family, which he sorely missed since it had been just him and his mother for so long. It was during one story about basic training that he found out that Penny's dad served in the Army in Korea. He could see then why Wyatt approved of Penny marrying a Marine, especially one that looks at her as if she was every Christmas present he ever got come early. In another story, Penny claims that Sheldon in a bid to impress her when they first started dating tried and failed miserably to bodysurf on a Slip n' Slide. Howard didn't believe it but then after dinner, Lisa showed them Penny and Sheldon's wedding video which included that clip in the 'Meet Cute' section. Not to be outdone, Sheldon then shared the story about how Penny one night decided it would be fun to relive her Junior Rodeo days and freed a piglet to chase only to fall into a nearby

pond when the piglet made a sudden change and she didn't. He received The Look and a kick to his shin from Penny for telling that. There were plenty of other stories about other members of the family and by the end of the night, Howard and Raj were comfortable enough to share their own embarrassing stories.

Raj has never had so much amazing food. Not even his wildest fantasies about an ideal American Thanksgiving came close to this. In the same vein, he's thankful Penny's dad offered him a beer because somehow with it he can talk to the women in the room. He found out prior to sitting down and eating, that Missy is a child psychologist, she told him she got the idea after she and Sheldon took part in a twin study—he didn't know they were twins—at the University of Houston when they were kids and despite her brother scoring off the charts on nearly every test, she beat him in empathy. She said that their father's death affected Sheldon more than anyone in the family originally thought because when her nerdy, neurotic beanpole of a brother came back from Germany, he told the family he was leaving physics for the Marines. Raj couldn't imagine the tough-looking Marine he'd met a few times described as nerdy, but apparently Missy said her brother was really into comics as a kid and he was beaten up a lot too. Missy told him that Sheldon joining the Marine Corps made her realise that it was time to grow up. It was hard for her because school wasn't her strong suit or her favourite, but she worked hard her last two years of high school and got into the University of Texas-Austin 'by the skin of her teeth' which she mostly attributes to Sheldon's letter of recommendation. She told him she picked child psychology because she saw firsthand how lack of emotional development and advancement in general development can affect a child; her brother. He went from being a scientific prodigy to a Marine all because their dad died. She says Sheldon shared a little about what their dad said to him on his deathbed but to this day she still doesn't know the full story. It was after talking to Missy that he wondered if he suffered some kind of childhood trauma that caused him to go mute around women, and he couldn't help but make comparisons with what she said about development and not think of Leonard. He would consider all that later because sitting here now with Sheldon and Penny and their family, Raj feels as if he can do anything with the right support system. He heard Penny tell the story of how she went to Nebraska because that's where her parents went to school and she was about to drop out until she met Sheldon. He convinced her to stay in school. He was the one that convinced her that there were more avenues into the entertainment business—she was a drama major—than simply being an actor. He made her realise that college was more than just an education, it was a way to network and develop connections. He was the one that made her see that she was more than just a pretty face, that she had skills beyond what her looks afforded her. That is in Raj's opinion true love—undying and unyielding support. By the end of the night both he and Howard felt like they were part of this family, which for Raj having his actual parents and siblings two oceans away, made him feel at home. He wonders briefly as he and Howard get in his car to go home, whether it was the beer or the idea of being at home that allowed him to talk.

When Howard and Raj left 4A that night, both had to admit they had an incredibly fun time, and it was without Leonard. And they didn't even do anything geeky or nerdy. Both left with full stomachs and a new appreciation for the idea of overcoming the odds. If a boy who graduated high school at 11 and college at 14 and received a doctorate at 16—all confirmed by three other sources

—could change from being a victim of bullying into a Marine who got shot in the shoulder twice and still carried his injured squad mate to safety after killing five enemy insurgents, they sure as hell could overcome their small niggling problems, by comparison.

"The guys were pretty nice company tonight, huh?" Penny asked in bed later that night, after they took the family back to the hotel they were staying at.

"Sure," Sheldon agreed, "But didn't you find it weird that it was our neighbour's friends dining with us but not our neighbour? Somehow, I think this is the start of some bizarre neighbour Cold

War."

Penny laughed, "You think that the guy in 4B not showing up, but his friends showing up is what, a spy operation?"

Sheldon shrugged, "I don't know, could be."

Penny shook her head in amusement, then climbed on top of him, "You think too much, how about we turn that beautiful brain of yours off and have some fun?"

Holding his wife's hips as she's straddled across his abdomen in her tiny sleep shorts and camisole, Sheldon wonders what he did to deserve such a woman. "So… I'll go grab the Monopoly board?" He smirks.

Penny gives him an amused look and pout gracing her lips, "Ha-ha, very funny, Captain America." "Penny, I'm an enlisted Marine, not an officer," he quips.

Rolling her eyes, she tells him, "Shut up, Sheldon," then lowers her lips to his to actually shut up her husband.

Flashback

Camp Monteith, Kosovo 1999

"Man, why the hell did I let you drag me out here?" Michael Clarke grumbled on a midnight patrol of the perimeter of Camp Monteith in Kosovo.

"Funny, if I remember correctly—and I do—you were the one who wanted to come along after we finished SOI East and then were certified at Quantico. I believe your exact words were, 'Come on Doc, get the CO to sign off on my request too.'"

Michael laughed, "Okay, you got me. Damn your recall is scary. No wonder you went to college hella early. Y—"

Michael was cut off by Sheldon holding up a clenched fist, then pointing to the bushes 10 metres away. Sheldon went for his mini flashlight while Michael took the safety off his rifle.

"Mik apo armik?" Sheldon said in the direction he heard the noise and shined the flashlight in the area. "Mik apo armik?" Sheldon repeated again.

"Mik, mik!" Came a panicky voice and rustling out of the bushes. The Marines immediately took a ready-fire position. They were not expecting a family of three in tattered clothes falling at their feet and speaking rapid-fire Albanian. The two Marines looked at each other, confused. Sheldon knew German but that phrase was the only Albanian they were briefed on.

"Should I radio up for a translator?" Michael asked. Sheldon nods, "Please."

"You going to be okay alone for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, they look hungry more than hostile," Sheldon replied.

A few minutes later a translator and a humanitarian aid team from the Department of Defense came down and took care of the refugees allowing Sheldon and Michael to resume their patrol.

"Life with you is never dull, is it?" Michael laughed, "We been here a day—a day—and already we've been involved in a humanitarian rescue. Unconventional as it was."

Sheldon chuckles, "That was a coincidence."

"And only you Doc would bust out the only Albanian we knew. What would you have done if they spoke Serbian?"

Sheldon shrugs in the darkness, "I don't know, maybe switch to German? There's a good chance they might know some since this area was under the direct or indirect influence of the Habsburg Empire on three separate occasions between 1686-1860."

Michael laughed. They continued on with their patrol. Once they were relieved they went back and went to bed, they had a long day ahead.

"Cooper, Clarke, change of assignment," their CO called as he entered their squad bay, the Marines stand at attention.

"At ease," the CO told them, "Since you two volunteered for this there is no set program for you so you're like utility knives, you do whatever we need, understand?"

"Yes, sir." They chorus in reply.

"Good, now since you two are snipers we're going to need you to be range spotters today. We are opening a humanitarian corridor between us and Camp Bondsteel in Uroševac, then onto Prizren. The family you two ran into last night is part of a larger Albanian refugee contingent of some 350 people. Our job today is to get all 350 people to Bondsteel, loaded up, and shipped over to the German sector at Prizren. Due to limited personnel, you two are to be distance spotters. There shouldn't be any trouble today but who knows with Milošević on the button? Any questions?"

"Are we the entire convoy security force, sir?" Sheldon asked.

"No, we have some elements of the Finnish and Greek armies with us today, as well as U.S. Army logistics."

"Are we allowed to readily return fire, if encountered?" Michael asked.

"Yes, all security options are on the table during this operation," the CO responded, "Anything else?"

"No sir," Michael and Sheldon say in unison.

"Good. Pack a good lunch today, gentlemen, it's gonna be a long day. OP Commencement is in 35 minutes." The CO walks out.

Once he leaves, Michael turns to Sheldon with a wry smile and says, "See, never boring." Sheldon laughs as the two finish getting ready.

The convoy operation was a success, and uneventful, except for a few NATO security checkpoints. Once they made it to the German garrison in Prizren, Sheldon realises why he and Michael were chosen to be the point man—he spoke German. He cleared the convoy, and he was the one that

made sure the Germans knew where to relocate the refugees.

Sheldon and Michael are eating dinner in the mess when Michael says, "You remember Perez from Basic?"

Sheldon turns and nods.

"I saw in the Marine newsletter before we left that he got his jump wings."

Sheldon chuckled, "Really? Are we talking about the same Perez who during The Crucible wouldn't jump from seven feet?"

"The very same," Michael confirmed.

Sheldon chuckled again, "I guess my grandmother is right… it takes all kinds." "When we get back we should get ours," Michael suggested.

"You want to get your jump wings?"

Michael shook his head, "No Doc, I want us to get our jump wings." He gestured between the two of them.

After a while, Sheldon said, "I hated heights as a kid… then again I hated swimming and exercise too."

Michael grinned into his food, "So we're going to Georgia after this?"

Rolling his eyes, Sheldon said, "Okay fine, but your ass better not die on me anytime soon." Michael laughed and slapped his friend on the back, "It's a deal."

Sheldon had read and studied how wars end in school but seeing it end first-hand was surreal. Especially in the Balkans. Mainly because not much actually changed. He and Michael had been in Kosovo since April and in that time they were more or less overly visible bodyguards for international recovery teams and organisations. He remembered one assignment where despite being in a jungle utility uniform and holding his trusty M16, he and Michael had no helmet, no radio or flak jacket. Their job right now it seemed was to intimidate the Yugoslav Army by being ever present. And then it just stopped.

Sheldon was getting ready for morning patrol on June 9, when the CO came in and told them, "Ceasefire's been declared and signed."

Sheldon knew in theory what a ceasefire was but, the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia for the last two months had pretty much brought an end to ground fighting in Kosovo itself, Sheldon couldn't even remember firing his rifle—and he remembers everything. The Kumanovo Agreement, he later read exchanged one security force for the end of a bombing campaign that he read a year later caused $3.8 billion in damages to Yugoslavia alone. That made him wonder whether he was on the right or wrong side of history briefly, but then he remembered his experience in the gas chamber back on Parris Island. Sometimes force against a tyrant is all that separates a world trying to live in peace and outright total war. The Kosovo War is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things but historically it is yet another blip in a region that Europe tried to split up when it really should have left it alone.

When he and Michael were relieved of service in September, Sheldon shared with his friend his feelings over the last six months, "While I can't yet put into words what exactly we just went through, I'm glad we did. War sucks but, at least now they have an opportunity to rebuild and prosper rather than continually wage an unsustainable conflict."

"I hear you, Coop," Michael nods, "Ready for our next adventure?" He smiles.

"What? You wanna start jump school now?" Sheldon jokes, they were high enough to qualify for the HALO jump.

Michael laughed, "Easy there, Daredevil. I ain't crazy, unlike you." "I'm not, my mom had me tested. I'm highly gifted."