A/N These characters belong to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady

Leonard had never experienced such a rapid changing of emotions in such a short time. Just a few moments before, he had been enjoying literally the happiest moment of his life when he realized that Penny had romantic feelings for him. The kiss had been amazing. Then, it had all been torn away when Sheldon had interrupted after Raj and Howard had evidently got upset about something and told him about the electric can opener before Leonard had a chance to. Then, angered and frustrated over Sheldon's disrupting him and Penny, he had exacerbated the situation by attacking Sheldon with the lowest point of the expedition when they had discussed killing him. Later, Leonard had cooled down and gave Sheldon honest information about him sending the premature emails, but by that time the situation had deteriorated to the point where it sounded condescending.

From there it got even worse; as Sheldon stomped out, Penny went to console him. Leonard could only imagine what Sheldon would tell her. His wonderful feeling with Penny seemed forever ago now. He wondered if it would ever return.

When Penny returned, it was as bad as he feared; Sheldon had told her they had robbed him of a Nobel Prize. He knew he had no quick answer. He also realized that she was right, he needed to talk to Sheldon. Hoping she would later give him a chance to explain, he sadly left.

When he arrived in the apartment, he discovered that Sheldon had locked himself in his room and resisted any effort to talk. Deciding that it may just be better to let things settle down, Leonard decided to go to bed even though it was only eight o'clock. His night was spent tossing and turning as his mind went from one thought to another.

In the morning, Sheldon still refused to talk or even listen. He avoided all of them at lunch. When Leonard finally decided enough was enough and was going to confront him in his office, he got a message from Sheldon (addressed to Dr. Leonard Hofstadter) stating he would not need his services to get home. Leonard immediately went to Sheldon's office, but it was empty and it appeared he had left for the day. Leonard realized he was not getting any work done and decided to leave early and be sure he talked to Sheldon that night.

As he entered the apartment, he didn't see Sheldon anywhere. As he walked back into the living room, he saw his luggage still packed. It was a sign of Sheldon's frame of mind that he had not gotten on Leonard for not unpacking. Deciding it would be something to keep him occupied, he started to unpack. He had not gotten very far when he saw the velvet bag. Stopping, he took it out and sat down. He reached in and pulled out the present he had brought back for Penny. He wondered how she would react if he gave it to her now. Was she still upset about Sheldon? Would she give him a chance to present his side of the story? What the hell, he had made it for her when as far as he knew they were still just friends. Gathering himself up, he headed over to Penny's apartment and knocked on the door.

Opening the door, she looked guarded but said, "Hey, Leonard."

"With all that happened yesterday, I forgot to give you this."

Opening the bag, she pulled out what was inside and held it up to the light, saying, "This wasn't necessary." Then with a quizzical look, "What is it?"

"It's a snowflake from the North Pole. I put it in a solution so it will last forever."

"Oh, that is so cool. It is the most romantic thing I ever received."

Leonard was pleased by her reaction and especially her use of the work romantic. Deciding to press his luck, he asked, "Can we talk?"

He saw her bring her guard back up and she asked, "Have you talked to Sheldon?"

"No, I've tried, but so far he has refused to. I decided when he comes home tonight, I'll make him listen if I have to trap him in the bathroom."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I want to give you my side of the story. It will take some time. I think you need to know the full story of what happened."

She looked like she might turn him down, but then she seemed to make a decision. "All right, come in." As he entered, she asked, "Do you want anything?"

"Water, thanks."

As he sat on the couch, she brought him a water bottle and a bottle of wine and a glass for herself. She sat on the other end of the couch and poured herself a glass and looked at him expectantly.

Taking a drink from the bottle, he began.