Chapter 1
Landing gear screeched as the airplane coming from Savannah, Georgia touched California's soil. Once it rolled up to the gate the passengers disembarked from it. Among them was a 31 year old caucasian woman with long, straight golden blonde hair that was up in a ponytail. She had dark blue eyes, was wearing a long sleeved pink and green striped shirt, blue denim capri pants, and black open-toed sandals on her feet. On her face she wore dark blue wire-framed glasses. After she picked up her belongings from the baggage claim, she headed outside the airport to call for a cab.
" Hello?", the cab service operator asked.
" Hi, this is Dr. Leo Fordyce. I'm calling for a cab to pick me up from the airport.", Leo said as she scratched the bridge of her nose.
" Of course ma'am. Where are you coming from and where are you heading to?", the operator asked.
" I'm coming from 24689 Charlotte Lane in Savannah, Georgia to 2311 North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, California.", Leo said.
" Alright, I'll send someone to pick you up right away. Have a good day Dr. Fordyce.", the operator said.
" Thank you.", Leo said as she hung up. 20 minutes later a yellow taxi cab pulled up to pick up Leo to take her to the destination she needed to be at. On her way to the apartment complex, her cell phone started to ring. The ringtone was Stand Up by The Flobots.
" Heyo Leo! What's up? Have you made it to California safely and are on your way to your new place?", an enthusiastic woman's voice asked.
" Not much and yes Morgan I made it safely. Could you please not worry about me? I told you that I will be fine.", Leo said.
" Come on, I'm your best friend. I know things have been hard for you since you lost your fiancé.", Morgan said sympathetically.
" I know but I'll be just fine Morgan Brisby. I just need a change of scenery.", Leo said.
" Are you sure Leo?", Morgan asked.
" Yes Morgan, I'm sure.", Leo said.
" Ok, but just know I'll always be here for you if you need me.", Morgan said.
" I know. You always have. Anyway I got to go Morgan, I'm about to pull up to my new apartment complex. It was nice talking to you, I'll talk to you later.", Leo said as her cab pulled up into the parking lot of the apartment complex at 2311 North Los Robles.
" Ok you too. Bye Leo.", Morgan said as the two best friends hung up. Once Leo unloaded her stuff into the lobby she pressed the elevator button only to discover that the elevator was broken.
" D*mn it, the elevator's broken! What do I do now?!", Leo hissed under her breath. Then she moved her eyes to the left and saw the stairs.
" Oh, duh! What was I thinking?! I'm a fracking genius!", Leo said to herself as she began hauling the first few boxes up the stairs to the second floor. She found the door to 2A and unlocked it using her key. Once she moved the boxes in she began heading back down the stairs to get more boxes. It was at this same time that two certain physicists arrived home from Caltech. It was Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. The two men entered the lobby to see an assortment of boxes scattered on the floor.
" What's up with all these boxes?", Leonard said as he scratched his head.
" Well Leonard, either someone is moving in or we've stumbled into the middle of a robbery which in that case we should call the police.", Sheldon said taking his phone out of his pocket.
" Sheldon!", Leonard hissed. Leo then appeared walking down the stairs, smiled and said, " Oh hi, do you guys live here?"
" Yes. Are you moving in?", Leonard asked.
" Oh yeah I am. Sorry about the mess. I just got here and I have too much to carry at one time.", Leo said as she began picking up more boxes to take up to her new apartment.
" I still think we should have called the police.", Sheldon said to Leonard as Leo disappeared up the stairs.
" Sheldon she's a new neighbor not a robber. Chill out.", Leonard said. Leo came back down to grab some more boxes.
" Uh, do you need any help with that?", Leonard asked her.
" Oh, well, thank you but I think I got it.", Leo said with a smile.
" No no no it's ok. We don't mind helping you.", Leonard said.
" Ok well thank you.", Leo said.
" Now hold on wait a minute!", Sheldon said.
" What is now Sheldon?!", Leonard groaned.
" You just offered us to help a complete stranger that we don't know! I don't appreciate this!", Sheldon complained.
" Sheldon don't be rude! Now shut up and start picking up boxes!", Leonard hissed. Then he said to Leo, " Please excuse him, he's crazy."
" Leonard I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested.", Sheldon said.
" Oh grow up Sheldon!", Leonard huffed in frustration.
" Geez, what a grouch!", Sheldon said.
" Just start picking up boxes!", Leonard hissed at his roommate/best friend.
" Alright, fine. Although I still say this is a terrible idea.", Sheldon said. He then sprayed himself with Lysol and rubbed his hands with Purell.
" Sheldon just pick up the boxes! They're not going to kill you!", Leonard shouted as he picked up a couple boxes.
" Ok ok just stop screaming at me!", Sheldon exclaimed as he picked up a few boxes as well. Leo picked up the last of them.
" So where are we taking this stuff to?", Leonard asked.
" Just the second floor. Apartment 2A. The door's open so you can just set that stuff anywhere inside on the floor.", Leo said.
" Ok thanks.", Leonard said as he began trudging up the stairs. Sheldon followed behind him and Leo followed suit. Once they reached apartment 2A the two physicists set the boxes down.
" There you go. Is that everything?", Leonard asked.
" Yes thank you so much for your help. Oh and I'm so sorry, I'm being rude by not introducing myself. My name's Dr. Leo Fordyce.", Leo said as she held out her hand.
" Hi nice to meet you Leo. I'm Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and this is my best friend and roommate Dr. Sheldon Cooper.", Leonard said shaking hands with her.
" Nice to meet you.", Leo said grabbing Sheldon's hand.
" Nice to meet you too. Please don't touch my hand Leo.", Sheldon said narrowing his eyes at her.
" Oh sorry, force of habit.", Leo said. Then she asked, " So you guys both have Ph. Ds just like me? What do you guys do?"
" Well I'm an experimental physicist.", Leonard said.
" And I'm a theoretical physicist.", Sheldon said.
" Far out! I've never met another person in the same field as me!", Leo exclaimed.
" Wait, WHAT?!", Leonard exclaimed.
" You're a theoretical physicist too?!", Sheldon asked in complete shock.
" Yes and I also have a genius IQ.", Leo said.
" What's your IQ?", Sheldon asked as he held his breath.
" 185.", Leo said. Sheldon released his breath. He was surprised that Leo's IQ was two points lower than his which relieved him greatly. He hated the thought of anyone else being smarter than him.
" I know that this may seem as an awkward question but are you engaged to someone? I noticed you had a ring on your finger.", Sheldon said.
" Oh I was, but, unfortunately my fiancé died tragically a couple months ago.", Leo sadly said.
" What happened to him?", Leonard asked.
" He got blown up by a grenade on one of his deployments.", Leo sadly said. Her voice was almost shaking.
" Oh well we're really sorry.", Leonard sympathetically said.
" It's ok. I'm getting through it one day at a time.", Leo sadly said. It had been 2 and a half months since her fiancé Sgt. Brady Brackman lost his life during deployment in war overseas. It was the most heartbreaking day that she would never forget and it hurt like hell to her. Every night since that tragedy happened she had cried herself to sleep wishing that this was all just a dream but the reality of it was too much for her to bare. Every day she wished that she could see him one more time and tell him how much she loved him. The engagement ring that she wore on her finger symbolized their love for each other and that was one of the reasons why Leo wasn't quite ready to take it off yet. She was afraid that if she took it off too soon it would be the end of an era and that she would forget about him.
" So anyway enough talk about me. What apartment do you guys live in?", Leo asked.
" Apartment 4A. Just two floors above you.", Leonard said.
" Great! Maybe I'll see you guys around again sometime!", Leo said.
" Well we are having dinner in our apartment with our friends later. Would you like to join us Leo?", Leonard asked.
" I would love to Leonard. Thank you.", Leo said as she smiled.
" What is wrong with you Leonard?! First you offer us to help her move in and now you're inviting her to our apartment?! For shame!", Sheldon exclaimed.
" Sheldon be nice! Leo's going through a rough time right now. She just lost her fiancé for god sake.", Leonard said narrowing his eyes at Sheldon.
" Aw alright I'll allow it. But only because you softened me with that ' lost her fiancé' crap.", Sheldon said with a defeated sigh as he began walking up the stairs.
" Is he always like this?", Leo asked.
" Yeah but he'll warm up to you when he gets used to you.", Leonard said.
" Lucky me.", Leo said with a smile as the two of them went their separate ways.
4 hours later
knock knock!
" Coming!", Leonard called out as he got up from the chair.
" 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.
" Hi everybody.", Leo said as she waved.
" Howard, Raj, Penny, Amy, Bernadette, and Stuart this is Dr. Leo Fordyce. She just moved into apartment 2A.", Leonard said as Leo sat down in the open chair that was set up around the coffee table in front of the couch.
" Nice to meet you Leo.", Penny, Amy, Bernadette, Howard and Stuart said. Raj just sat there silently giving her a friendly wave.
" What's wrong with him?", Leo asked as she pointed at Raj.
" He has trouble talking to women. Don't take it personal.", Leonard said.
" Ah, got it.", Leo said.
" So where did you move from?", Penny asked.
" I moved here from Savannah, Georgia.", Leo said.
" Is there a reason?", Bernadette asked.
" I mainly wanted a change of scenery since my fiancé died.", Leo said.
" Oh sweetie that's horrible!", Penny said as she gasped.
" Do you know how that happened?", Amy asked.
" He got blown up by a grenade on one of his deployments overseas.", Leo said.
" What was his name?", Bernadette asked.
" Sgt. Brady Brackman.", Leo said.
" Your fiancé fought in the Army?", Stuart asked.
" It was the Navy.", Leo said. She then brushed her ponytail aside and picked up a little bullet-shaped urn that was attached to the chain around her neck. This bullet contained some of her fiance's ashes in it.
" What's that?", Sheldon asked.
" It's my little bullet urn with some of my fiance's ashes in it Sheldon.", Leo said.
" He was cremated?", Leonard asked.
" Yeah Leonard. That was his wish.", Leo said. As they all sat there talking and eating Chinese take-out, Leo's Stand Up by The Flobots ringtone began ringing again from her phone. It was Morgan again.
" What is it now Morgan?", Leo answered the phone as she laughed.
" What Leo? Can't I just call you without there being a reason to?", Morgan asked with a laugh.
" You silly dipshake!", Leo laughed as she stabbed her chopsticks into her food.
" That doesn't even make sense Leo!", Morgan laughed.
" Well it does to me! Morgan I got to go I'm eating right now!", Leo said with a mouth full of food.
" Ok I'll talk to you later bestie! Bye!", Morgan said as the two of them hung up.
" Who was that?", Leonard asked.
" My best friend Morgan Brisby. She always calls me every time she worries about me.", Leo said.
" Really? That's crazy.", Penny said.
" Yeah but I don't mind it Penny. It's just how she is.", Leo said. As they finished eating they continued talking until they went their separate ways for the night. As Leo got ready for bed she looked at the picture of her with her fiancé Brady that was taken shortly before one of his deployments. The smiling faces began to make Leo emotional again.
" Oh Brady, you have no idea how much I miss you.", Leo sadly said as she began to cry. She really missed him very much.
" Good night Brady, I love you!", Leo cried as she kissed the picture before setting it back on the nightstand and fell asleep.
To be continued…