After that wild weekend with Kelsea Ballerini, Leonard and Sheldon couldn't wait for the next Friday where Maddie and Tae were the headliners. Kelsea told Maddie about how great they were, but before they could meet up, Leonard received the call he was waiting for.
The dean from Stanford called and offered him the head of the physics department there and he jumped at it. The only problem was he had to arrive there by Wednesday.
He couldn't pass it up and after saying his goodbyes to all of his friends at Fox News. He had an emotional good bye with Sheldon. "I promised Kelsea I would return for the season finale. Listen, she has a fantasy that I want to accommodate her. So if it is okay with you, I'll arrive back on Wednesday before her performance. I'll send you a list of things to get and I'll be here to set it up, are you okay with that?"
"Listen Leonard, after the great time we had with her, I'll help you to give her, her fantasy anyway I can. I can't thank you enough for all you've done helping me get the new network off the ground. I hope you have all of the success at Stanford that I've had here." He gave him a tight hug and it shocked the shit out of Leonard.
Leonard was greeted at the office exit doors by a bevy of Fox employees, giving him a send-off that chocked him up. He was treated to a limo that took him to JFK and even chipped in for an upgrade to first class.
He arrived in California and asked the dean to keep his appointment quiet until he arrived. He explained why and the dean went along with his request.
Leonard settled in the apartment the university has for new department heads. He was told he could stay there for two weeks. They figured this was an adequate time for a new member of the faculty to find permanent accommodations of their own.
The following morning he had a meeting with his assistants and the staff in the physics department. He locked eyes with Alex Jensen (Margo Harshman) who was now his direct assistant. He saw she wasn't happy, not because he got the position she wanted, but because he didn't give her the heads-up that he took the position. That and not letting Stephanie or her know he was in town.
After the meeting she came over to him, once everyone else had congratulated him and welcomed to Stanford. She stood before him, "You know once Stephanie finds out you are here and didn't contact her, she is gonna be pissed and even more so, hurt you didn't come to see either of us."
He nodded, "I know, but you have to understand, I had to settle in and hit the ground running in this position. We both know if I contacted either of you, I wouldn't have gotten anything done and we would have spent the entire day in bed fucking and sucking."
She rolled her eyes, "Come on Leonard, do you actually think you are that desirable and we couldn't keep our hands off of you?"
He stared at her and gave her a sexy smirk, "Did you just hear what you said, Alex?"
She scoffed, "Okay, okay, you're right, but she is still gonna be pissed when she finds out. Where are you staying?"
He pulled out his phone and looked up the address. He showed it to her, "It's provided by the university. I have the place for two weeks until I find a more permanent place to stay."
She shook her head, "Goes without saying, you're staying with us!"
He nodded, "Aw, no fucking way! I have to prove myself in this position and if I stay with you two, I'll surely fail. And yes, I did hear what I said and you know I'm right."
Alex hugged him, "You are coming over for dinner and explain to Stephanie why you didn't call." He turned and went behind his desk, "Sorry, I can't, I have a dinner meeting with a few of the other heads of the other sciences and I can't back out. You're gonna have to tell her and let the chips fall where they nay."
She shrugged, "It's your funeral, but don't blame me when the shit hits the fan." She turned and returned to her office.
Leonard began sorting through his roster of professors and after a few short minutes his phone rang, "Dr. Hofstadter, how may I help you?"
A voice came screaming from the other end, "What the Fuck Leonard?"
He chuckled, "I know this can't be my ex-wife, she doesn't know where I am now."
Stephanie scoffed,"Don't give me any of that Penny bullshit! Why didn't you let me know you took the position and told me you were here?"
"I'm sorry Stephanie, but you know as well as I do, if I told you, you'd insist that I stayed with you and Alex and I'd be a wreck, not being able to be at my best for the first day on the job."
"Don't give me that crap, Leonard, what makes you think we'd be doing that?"
He let out a deep breath, "Are you telling me I'm wrong?"
She giggled, "No, I guess you're right, but I'm still pissed you didn't tell me. So where are you staying?"
"The university gave me a place for a couple of weeks until I found a permanent place to reside."
She grunted, "Not an issue, you can stay in our space bedroom, we'd love to have you."
He let out a sign, "I'm not so sure about that Stephanie. I surely don't want to impose on your hospitality. I need someplace permanent, not a place to crash for a little time. And another thing, I'm not so sure Alex feels the same way, she loves you and I would feel like I'm stealing you away from her."
"Nonsense, Leonard,. I know she likes you and would want you to stay with us."
"If that is true, why didn't she invite me to stay, I can't come between the two of you."
She let out a long deep breath, "Leonard, I love you! There I've said it. Everything I've done, lost all of this weight, got liposuction, and breast augmentation, I did it all for you. I wouldn't come between you and Penny, but I knew deep down, it wasn't gonna last and I was just biding my time, hoping against hope that you would see it and come to me. Now that you are here, we have to be together."
