Hello all and welcome to my first Big Bang Theory fic. It will be focussed on Shenny, though not immediately, I didn't want to rush things and make it unrealistic. Rated M for 'suggestive' content, mild sexual scenes, and just in case for later chapters. This story will be canon up to the season 7 finale, when I started to write it, but may have conflicts with season 8. In later chapters I will try to incorporate elements of season 8 into my story, so long as it doesn't conflict with my storyline, so I guess it's AU in terms of Shenny. It is my aim that this story will tell a more difficult side to Sheldon and Penny's relationship in terms of the sadness and heartbreak the whole group will be faced with if there is any cheating going on, or if Leonard/Penny or Amy/Sheldon break up. I've found a lot of fics just 'make room' for Shenny (not saying there's anything wrong with that - I've read great fics that do that) but I think there would be a more negative reaction from the whole friendship group than is often portrayed. So this is me giving it a go. As I said, this is my first BBT fic and and only second fic I've ever posted, I'm not an experienced writer so pleased review to help me improve - I don't mind criticism. Disclaimer: Everything you recognise, including some dialogue, belongs to the respective creators/departments.

"We're engaged!" Penny announced. Her friends enveloped her in a joyous hug and spoke their many congratulations. Bernadette has taken a hold of Penny's left hand and was glazing admiringly at the diamond on her finger. She'd finally done it, she'd finally found the courage to commit to Leonard.

Penny always knew deep down that she wanted to be with him for the rest of forever, but the future scared her. Penny had felt that she couldn't trust herself. What if a gorgeous man came along who was athletic and a charmer? What if he was everything she had missed out on with all-too-kind, sensitive, slightly-awkward Leonard? Sometimes she lay in bed coveting just one great night with a guy who knew what he was doing. It's not about sex! Penny would tell herself, she loved Leonard and that meant more than her sexual desires. She couldn't help think she had more fun when she was alone than with Leonard though. Just imagine, a guy who really knew what he was doing. Just one great night.

But those thoughts weren't an issue any more, and Penny was proud of herself for being able to straighten out her thoughts. In her head she knew exactly what she wanted and that was to marry Leonard. The future still scared her, but now it was a fear of all the babies Leonard would want right away, and the mortgage repayments on the family home in the suburbs that they'd just have to have. So, the future was still scary, but Penny was keeping her head, and living in the moment. She was engaged to be married to the man she loved. Weddings and houses and babies could wait.

xxx

The seven of them went out to celebrate, much to Sheldon's disappointment. It's was Thai food takeout night and he was more than prepared to send Leonard on his way to get their usual order. Penny, not in the mood to argue on her special night, agreed that they'd go out for Thai food at the 'fancy place' they'd never tried.

They took two cabs into town. The girls in the first and the guys in the second.

"I'm so happy for you, Penny," Bernadette told her, "and it'll be Amy next. We'll be three wives together."

"Oh, I don't know. Well, you know Sheldon."

"I know Sheldon loves you, Ames," Penny said, "in his own special way, he does."

"I don't know. I've been having my doubts. I mean, he is, and always will be the amazing Sheldon Cooper, and I get to be the girl who dates him. But.. Well, I just wonder, if we'll ever get there."

"Of course you will!" Interrupted Bernie, "he's still a guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but it's Sheldon," said Penny.

"That's what worries me," admitted Amy, "What if it's not him, what if he does have those sorts of feelings, just not about me."

Penny turned to Bernadette. "It's definitely not you," they said together. 'Besides,' Penny added, 'Leonard and I were speaking to Sheldon, and he said he hadn't ruled out the possibility of sex. So, you never know.' Penny was pleased with the way Amy's face lit up in delight.

'Oh, it's another tiara moment!' Amy beamed.

xxx

Meanwhile, Sheldon continued to express his uncertainty of going to an unfamiliar restaurant.

"We know nothing about this place, Leonard, for all we know it could be festering paradise for all those bacteria!"

"Sheldon, this place looks fine, it's posh, it's clean. Just give it a try." Leonard told him.

"Give it a try?! Well, while I'm at it why don't I just wash my hands in a quaint little duck pond, or use Wolowitz's toothbrush!?"

"Do you always have to be so difficult?" Howard asked.

"Difficult!?" Sheldon questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, Sheldon, difficult!" Yelled Leonard. "We are going out for Penny, to celebrate. Stop being so selfish."

"Hey, at least you're all here with a girl. It's not nice always being the seventh-wheel you know," interjected Raj.

"You know, Leonard, if you want some tips on how to satisfy a gorgeous blonde, y'know, from someone who has one-" Leonard cut Howard off.

"You know what, I'm good.'

Sheldon returned the conversation to his complaints.

xxx

When the second cab pulled up outside the restaurant the girls had already gone inside. They were stood together at the bar and Amy had offered to buy the first round. Each person had their usual first drink. Penny, a large glass of white wine, Amy had red. A Cosmopolitan for Bernadette and a light beer for her husband Howard. Leonard was a simple pint of beer while Raj had a Grasshopper. And for Sheldon, a virgin Cuba libre, diet of course. They each picked up their drinks before being shown to their table.

"I'd like to propose a toast," began Howard once everybody was comfortably in their seats.

"Do you know why they call it a toast-?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes!" everyone else said at once.

"Anyways," Howard continued, "Marriage is a wonderful thing, as I myself have recently discovered, and I can't think of two people more deserving of this kind of happiness. They are perfect together. To Leonard and Penny."

"To Leonard and Penny!" everyone chorused.

"Awww, Howard, that was so sweet," Penny said. 'I almost can't believe it came out of your mouth.'

They each ordered their food and conversations continued around the table as they waited.

"Are you thinking about moving to a bigger place?" Bernadette asked Penny. "Now that you're engaged you'll be moving in together."

"Yeah. I guess my apartment is kind of small." Penny admitted. "Maybe I should move in across the hall and me and Leonard can adopt Sheldon..."

"I have to say Penny, I'm surprised you're keeping so calm about all this. Getting engaged, talking about moving out-"

"Moving out?!" Sheldon's voice came across the table. "Leonard, you're not thinking of moving out are you?"

Leonard, who had been in conversation with Raj, lifted his head.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we haven't actually talked about it. But, yes, I think Penny and I will be living together soon."

"No!" Sheldon's wail was like that of a stubborn child. "You can't!

"Why not?" asked Leonard, "and if you use the words Roommate Agreement, I swear to God-"

Sheldon got up from the table and walked away.

"Sheldon, wait!" called Penny. "You should go after him," she told Leonard.

Leonard sighed but reluctantly left the table.

"I'm so glad this is finally happening," said Amy with a big smile, "now maybe Sheldon will let me be his roommate!"

xxx

Leonard found Sheldon waiting in the parking lot.

"Sheldon, you can't wait out here all night," Leonard told him.

"Why not? There are no laws stating that I can't stand outside the restaurant I'm eating at for a breath of fresh air. And there's certainly no time limit on how long one may step outside for a breath of fresh air. Assuming one doesn't plan to return once the restaurant has closed."

Leonard processed Sheldon's usual pointless literal argument.

"Sheldon, look, you know people in a relationship more often than not live together. You must have known eventually I'd move in with Penny."

"Actually, given your relationship history, and with Penny in particular, it was never going to be a certainty that you would be together for longer than a few months at a time. I assumed you would continue this off-on scenario until either you gave up or she saw sense."

Sheldon's comment was not meant to be so insulting, but he struggled to differentiate between brutal, honest truth, and polite opinion.

Leonard took a calming breath. Penny appeared from the restaurant.

"Sheldon, are you okay, Sweetie?"

"No, I'm not okay! Penny, as you know, I find it difficult to navigate some of life's most basic parameters. I have created an environment that is both stable and comforting. For this to remain constant, I need Leonard to be a part of that. And not to mention, if Leonard moves out, Amy will try to move in again. I can't live with her."

"Well, can we at least discuss this later?" Penny asked, "Our food arrived and it's going cold. Can we just have this one night? Please, Sheldon?" She gave him one of her Penny smiles which always reminded him, however briefly, of the importance of their friendship.

"Well, alright."

xxx

The evening continued almost without a hitch, there was a slight dramatic moment when there was no chocolate pudding on the menu but eventually Sheldon settled, however reluctantly, on peach cobbler. He complained that it was far from the quality of his mother's peach cobbler and Penny pointed out that it was most likely due to the lack of lard.

Everyone agreed that the night should end there so that Leonard and Penny could have some privacy on their engagement night. Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon shared a cab back to their apartment building on North Los Robles Avenue and everyone else went home.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Sheldon said as Leonard and Penny went over to her apartment door. "You said we'd talk about Leonard moving. Can we do that before you engage in the coitus?"

Leonard sighed but Sheldon noticed a small smile play on Penny's lips. Penny mused at how completely annoying, yet totally adorable Sheldon could be.

"Alright, Sheldon," she said, following him into his apartment. He disappeared into his room for a moment and returned with the binder containing the all-important Roommate Agreement. He then settled himself into his spot and invited his friends to sit.

"Can we just get this over with?" Leonard grumbled.

"Well, of course, Leonard," Sheldon said almost pleasantly. "Item 1," Leonard rolled his eyes and leant back in his chair. "Leonard, have you asked Penny if she wishes to live with you?"

"I'd have thought that was pretty obvious," Leonard replied, seeming suddenly nervous.

"Well, judging from experience, Penny has shown no desire in sharing accommodation with you."

"Uh- You didn't want to live with Amy either!" Penny spat.

"That's not the point, Penny. So, do you want to live with Leonard? I've managed to get him on a bathroom schedule."

"Of course," Penny said.

"Alright," Sheldon opened the Roommate agreement. "A girlfriend will be deemed 'living with' Leonard when she has stayed over; A, ten consecutive nights, B, more than nine nights in a three-week period, or C, all the weekends of a given month plus three weeknights." Penny and Leonard exchanged nervous looks.

"Sheldon, Penny isn't going to moving in here. I'm going to be moving out." Leonard explained.

"Yes, I had considered that, but her apartment is barely big enough to accommodate all of her belongings in a tidy fashion and that's after you utilise an organisational schematic. Therefore, it would be illogical for the two of you to live in her apartment. This means that the only logical solution is for Penny to move in and share your room. Now, the following provisions are hereby activated; in the refrigerator, as opposed to us having two separate shelves and one communal shelf, the three of us now get individual shelves and the door becomes communal. Apartment vacuuming shall be increased from two to three times a week to accommodate the increased accumulation of dead skin cells. Third, the bathroom schedule-"

"Sheldon!"

"I wasn't finished."

"Yes, you were. Had it occurred to you that Penny and I might live together- somewhere other than her apartment?"

"Well, of course. Here." Sheldon turned to Penny and lowered his voice, "Honestly, what do you see in him?" To Leonard, "Were Princeton just giving away doctorates with free pens the day you got yours?"

Leonard counted to ten in his head and took a breath.

"I mean had you considered Penny and I living somewhere other than her apartment or here, Sheldon?"

"No."

"Well, there is no specific clause that outlines what happens when one roommate wishes to leave, it appears I overlooked that as a possibility. Which means we go to clause 208 which states that all ties and disputes are settled by me. Penny, welcome to the apartment. Section 9 of the Roommate Agreement states that the apartment flag is a gold lio-"

"Sheldon. We are not moving in here," Leonard told him.

"But- the tie," Sheldon pointed out.

"Actually, no. Penny votes against so it's two against one. Ha."

"Penny? Penny is not considered a roommate when we vote and so she doesn't get a vote," Sheldon explained.

Penny shifts forward from her place beside Sheldon on the couch.

"So, I'm a roommate now?" she asks.

"Yes," Sheldon confirms.

"So, can we vote two against one to move out?" she asks Leonard. Sheldon gives Penny a bemused look.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Leonard thought aloud. "Bye, Sheldon."

Leonard grabbed Penny's wrist and dragged her in the direction of her apartment. Their lips had begun dancing before they'd even reached the hall.

xxx

Leonard pushed Penny backwards into her apartment, their feet shuffling, unsteady, across the floor. He released his hands from her hair to tug off his jacket by the sleeves and allowed it to fall to the floor. Penny had only managed to get one arm out of hers before she toppled onto the sofa with Leonard coming down on her to place kisses on her lips and neck.

"I love you so much," he gasped as he took in one quick breath before returning to her lips.

"I love you too," Penny said as Leonard trailed wet kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. She shifted beneath him to get comfortable. He began to take off their clothes. "Sweetie, let go to the bedroom."

Leonard's face lit up with boyish wonder and he scrambled to his feet, dragging Penny with him. By the time they reached the bedroom he was completely nude while she just wore her little, pink panties.

"I can't believe you're going to marry me," he mused.

"Leonard, sweetie," she whispered, "shut up." She smiled seductively before pulling them both down onto the bed.

xxx

"I think we'd be perfect as roommates, Sheldon," Amy said down the phone.

Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"Amy, you don't understand. I have a roommate. And while you do seem to prove excellent at working to my schedule, there is no space for you to live with me."

"But I thought Leonard was moving out-"

"No. He and Penny are moving in."

"What the hell, Sheldon! Why can Penny live with you but not me?"

"Well, firstly, because I have finally managed to get Leonard to work to my schedule, it took a lot of time and I'd hate for that to be in vain. And he will not stay without Penny."

"Is that your way of saying you need Leonard without actually admitting it?"

Sheldon ignored Amy's question.

"Secondly, you and I have only been boyfriend and girlfriend for three and a half years. I don't think we're ready to live together. But Penny on the other hand has very little to do with my life, if you discount her interrupting my routine. And finally, if you move in then before long you won't want separate bedrooms and who knows where it'll escalate?"

"But- I'd make a great roommate for you. We're so compatible," Amy said sadly.

"Amy, I'm not disagreeing with you. But you're a scientist, simple math should tell you that my apartment cannot accommodate a fourth person. Now, I must go, I have another call."

Sheldon hung up the phone and moved over to his laptop where he had an incoming Skype call.

"Good evening, Beverly."

"Good evening, Sheldon. If you'll excuse my manners I'd like to skip the pleasantries. What information can you offer me in regard to Leonard marrying the blonde waitress?"

xxx

Penny lay on the bed, somewhat bored with the foreplay that seemed to go on and on. Whatever Leonard was doing seemed to arouse him though, she could tell by the hard rod he kept thrusting into her hip. Admittedly, she wanted to get it over with.

"Leonard, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh?" He panted.

"I'm kind of- well, really- horny," she lied in a whisper.

"Oh," Leonard said with a grin and a nervous-excited giggle. "Well, in that case..."

He moved to reposition himself but Penny was faster. She came to straddle him, giving him sultry looks. She lowered herself onto him and began to move, slow at first but getting faster. "You like that?" she teased.

After several minutes she felt his hands grip her hips and hold her still. He let out an urgent, breathy, "stop!"

Understanding his warning that he was drawing close to climax, Penny said, "Don't worry, I'm there too." She lied and after a few more thrusts let out a fake, yet convincing orgasm. He followed quickly after, bucking into her as he exploded. He moaned loudly.

She climbed off him and for good measure she kissed him fully on the lips.

"I love you, Leonard Hofstadter,' she said warmly and it was true.

Penny reminded herself that it didn't matter that the sex was bad.

She pulled her robe around her naked body just as there was a knock at the door.

*knock, knock, knock* "Leonard and Penny." *knock, knock, knock* "Leonard and Penny." *knock, knock, knock* "Leonard and Penny."

"Yes, Sheldon," Penny greeted.

"If you've finished having the coitus, I need to speak to Leonard."

"What?" Leonard said, coming out of Penny's bedroom in his t-shirt and boxer shorts.

"Leonard, your mother's coming."