A/N: Christmas greetings! This story came to me all at once and I just had to write it down. I hope that you enjoy it and that you have a wonderful Christmas. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)
Penny sat in the hard plastic airport seat, nervously flipping through her phone. She'd been at LAX most of the day waiting for her flight to depart. With Christmas two days away, the airport was packed and with the constant sound of cranky children and upset parents yelling at their offspring, she'd just about had enough.
This was the first chance she'd had to visit her family in months and the anticipation of seeing everyone had her emotions running high. She couldn't wait to get off the plane and give her mom and dad a huge hug, then ride home with them sharing stories about her job as a waitress, the auditions she'd been to, and her life in general.
The flight had been delayed twice already due to a snow storm moving through Nebraska. She'd watched several other flights depart on time. With each passing hour she felt a little more hopeless about her chances of making it home. Finally, after waiting ten long hours, the announcement was posted. Her flight was cancelled. She wouldn't be going home for Christmas.
Defeat set in and she felt her lip tremble a little when she realized there would be no Christmas cookie decorating party with her mom and gram. There would be no teasing, no silliness, no Christmas Eve service followed by pizza and laughter. It would be Penny in her apartment, alone.
She grabbed her bags and headed out the door, nearly tripping on the moving walkway. After a lengthy shuttle ride she finally made her way to the long term parking lot and found her car. She opened the door, threw in her bags, and slammed the back door shut. Jamming the keys in the ignition, she prayed that her old clunker would start. The engine roared to life on the first try. She backed out of the space and popped the car into drive. As soon as she pulled away, it was obvious something was wrong. The car pulled to the left and just felt…wrong. She limped it into the next available space, put it in park, and got out. Her front tire was completely flat, metal rim resting on the pavement.
Penny got back in the car, shut the door, and let the entire situation wash over her. In desperation, she leaned against the steering wheel, lowered her head, and sobbed. She cried for the time she was missing with her family, for the fact that she didn't have a spare in the trunk, and that she didn't have the money for a tow. She cried because she didn't know what else to do, and at that moment, she didn't care. She cried because she was alone.
Her phone buzzed and lit up, startling her. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes before picking it up to check the message.
Have you landed yet? I hope you have a wonderful time with your family. – L
She sent a quick text back.
Flight cancelled, flat tire on car. No spare. Stuck in long term lot. :(
He replied back instantly.
Get somewhere safe and well lit. On my way, will call when I get close. – L
Leonard grabbed his keys and headed out. Penny was stranded at the airport; it was dark and who knew what kind of weridos were hanging out in the parking lot? She was adorable, rather trusting, and alone. That could be a dangerous combination in Los Angeles.
Traffic was heavy, but by some miracle, he made the trip in just over an hour. The airport was packed with cars, taillights stretching down the road and lighting up the night. He picked up his phone and dialed her number. It rang five times before going to voicemail.
Hi this is Penny. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks!
"Penny, it's Leonard- I'm at the airport. Please call me back and let me know where you are." He hung up, feeling nervous. Why hadn't she answered?
She sat in her car with the seat reclined, eyes closed. It had been a long day and she felt awful. Her phone rang and she dug around in her purse, trying to locate it. After pawing through the entire bag, she realized the phone had been stuck in her jacket pocket, which was sitting under the purse. She grabbed it, but the call had already gone to voicemail.
It had been Leonard. She called back and he answered on the first ring.
"Hey! I was a little worried when you didn't pick up. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just had a hard time finding my phone. Thank you so so much for coming to get me. I honestly don't have enough cash on me for cab fare."
"It's no problem. Where are you?"
Fifteen minutes later, he was parked behind her disabled car and loading her bags into the trunk of his vehicle. She got in, buckled up, and let herself slump back into the headrest.
"I'm really sorry," he said quietly.
"Thanks, sweetie," she said, squeezing his hand. "Hey, who doesn't want to spend Christmas all alone anyway, right?"
"Well…likely no one. Traditionally speaking, Christmas is a time when people gather with their famil-" he stopped. "Oh. That was a rhetorical question, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. Don't mind me. I really am so grateful that you came to get me. You're a good friend, Leonard."
He drove her back to 2311 Los Robles, parked the car, and grabbed one of her bags.
"So, what are your plans for Christmas?" she asked as they climbed the stairs.
"Oh, I'll just be by myself. Since Sheldon went to Texas for Christmas, I don't have to worry about disappointing him with another traditionally bad meal. I'll probably just try to get some work done."
"You're going to be alone too?" she asked.
"Yes, but that's okay. I don't mind."
"Would you want to celebrate together?" she asked. "I mean, only if you want to. I don't want to interrupt your work."
"Um, yeah, sure. That-that sounds great." He stuttered.
"Okay. I'll try to come up with some fun things to do. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so maybe we can do some prep stuff? Would that be okay?"
"Yes. That sounds great." He repeated again, inwardly groaning. Way to be original, Hofstadter.
They arrived at the 4th floor. She hugged Leonard and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you again, sweetie. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be sitting in the parking lot of the airport, probably crying. You're the best."
Leonard watched her open the door of her apartment and close it gently behind her. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. She was so lovely and adorable and…and just perfect. And she wanted to spend Christmas with him. A strange happy, giddy sensation filled his chest and he smiled and opened the door to apartment 4-A.
The next morning he woke early and went out shopping. He bought a small artificial tree along with a few strands of lights, some tinsel, a star for the top, and two boxes of ornaments. Next, he set out and purchased her a few small gifts- a bag of her favorite coffee, a bath set, and a snowman mug that contained several packets of hot cocoa mix. He selected her gifts with care, not wanting to come across as creepy. On the way out of the store he saw a gingerbread house kit. On impulse, he purchased it, hoping it would give them something to do.
He went back to the apartment, quickly wrapped her gifts, and set the other purchases aside. The place was already clean and tidy, so there was nothing to do but wait.
Penny knocked on his door around noon. He answered it and was surprised to find her with a big bag of groceries in her hands. She smiled apologetically.
"I hope you knew what you were getting into when you said you didn't mind doing Christmas stuff with me," she grinned.
"Come on in," he gestured.
"Do you have any cookie sheets? I bought some cookie dough, sugar, and sprinkles, but I forgot that I didn't have a baking tray."
"Yes, we actually have two of them."
"Great!" she smiled.
They spent the next hour rolling out sugar cookies and cutting the dough into stars, bells, candles, and wreaths. After placing them on the baking trays, they sprinkled them with colored sugar and red and green sprinkles. Leonard set the timer and, just as Betty Crocker promised, the cookies came out golden on the bottom and cooked through on the top.
Penny bit into a warm cookie. "You know," she said, "these aren't half bad. I mean, they aren't as good as my gram's, but they taste pretty good. The sprinkles are the same- nice and crunchy. We always made a party out of decorating the sugar cookies. My mom and I would go over to my gram's house early in the morning. She made the dough the day before and it would be ready to roll out when we got there. Most of them got colored sugar or sprinkles, but she'd always make two or three dozen that we would decorate with all different colors of frosting. We'd have such a good time." She paused.
"That sounds like a nice memory. I really am sorry that you didn't get to go home."
"Me too but when I called this morning, mom said it was still snowing and the power was flickering because it was so windy. I don't even know if they are going to make it over to my gram's today."
"I know you wish you were there, but at least you're safe." He cleared his throat. "So, I bought a gingerbread house kit. Do you want to try putting it together?"
Her eyes lit up. "You did? Awesome! I've never made one of those before, but it sounds like fun."
"Great. I'll go grab it."
Penny sat back and admired the house. It was far from perfect, but it had its own quaint charm. One of the roof panels slid off the side of the house, collided with the counter top, and had broken, so they'd had to glue it back together with icing. The windows were lopsided, and the peppermint swirl doorknob was completely disproportionate to the size of the house. The spearmint leaf bushes in the front yard leaned precariously.
"Well, it's probably good that I didn't become an architect." Leonard remarked.
"Oh shush," she said. "I think it looks fabulous. I had a fun time putting it together."
She had a little smear of icing on her cheek.
"Here. Stay still a minute." He wet a paper towel at the sink and gently wiped her face.
"Better?" she asked.
"Yes. Perfect," he answered truthfully. "So…what do you want to do next? I have a small tree we can try setting up, if you want."
"You have a tree? I have a reindeer ornament kit! Let's do both!"
Time went by quickly as they un-boxed the tree, strung on the colored lights, added the tinsel and ornaments, and Leonard affixed the start to the top.
They stood back to admire their handiwork.
"You know, I was really depressed about spending Christmas by myself, but you know what? I'm having a really great time with you. Thank you for sharing this with me, Leonard. It means a lot."
"It's my pleasure. I'm glad you're having fun. He paused. "Are you hungry? It's been hours since lunch and I'd be happy to treat you to dinner."
"Yeah…we sorta did just eat cookies for lunch, huh?" Penny asked.
"Do you want to try and find a place that's open so we can go out, or should I just order us something in?"
"Pizza?" she asked hopefully. "We always have pizza on Christmas Eve."
He raised his eyebrows. "Then pizza it is."
They sat on the couch together happily munching slices. Penny grabbed an extra piece of pepperoni from the box and faced Leonard.
"Sweetie, why are you taking off the cheese? That's like…the best part."
"Oh. I'm uh…lactose intolerant."
"Leonard!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me? We didn't have to order this."
"It's not a big deal. I'm used to it. Honest. Mind if I turn on the TV?"
"Sure, that's fine. I still wish you'd told me about the pizza..."
He flipped on the set and turned through a few channels till Penny let out a squeal.
"Charlie Brown is on! Yes! Can we watch it?"
"You want to watch a cartoon?"
"Oh come on. You've never seen A Charlie Brown Christmas?"
"My family…we didn't really celebrate like most families do."
"Aww. That's so sad!" Penny thought for a moment. "Well, you'll have to make up for lost time, then. I think you'll love them as much as I do."
They sat and watched Charlie Brown, The Grinch, and Rudolph, when Penny's head began to nod. In five minutes, she was asleep, resting on Leonard's shoulder. He turned off the TV and sat there quietly, relishing the moment. She slept that way for nearly an hour before he decided to wake her.
"Penny?" he rubbed her arm.
She picked up her head. "Leonard? I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to fall asleep. On you," she added.
"No, it's okay. Do you want to go home? You can stay on the couch if you'd rather."
She looked around at his quiet tidy apartment. The house still smelled like sugar cookies, their gingerbread house sat on the counter, and the tiny tree twinkled merrily in the corner.
"Do you mind if I stay?"
"Of course not- hold on."
He grabbed a blanket and two pillows. "How's this? Will you be comfortable enough out here? You can sleep in my room and I can sleep out here, if you want."
She wrinkled her nose. "Don't be silly. I'll be fine out here."
"Get yourself comfortable, okay?"
She grabbed the pillows and lay down. He draped the blanket over her and tucked her in a little.
"Okay?"
She nodded and smiled. "Can you leave the tree plugged in? I love looking at the lights."
"Sure. Anything you want."
He walked over and double checked the locks before heading to bed.
"Goodnight" he said softly.
"Goodnight, sweetie. Thank you."
Penny woke the next morning feeling rather happy. She stretched and yawned. "Christmas!" she thought to herself. Leonard didn't seem to be awake, so she sneaked over to her apartment, trying to find something to give him as a thank you for being so nice.
She wrapped two items hastily, and headed back over to 4-A. In the twenty minutes she'd been gone, Leonard had gotten up and started coffee.
"Merry Christmas," Penny smiled as she walked in the door.
"And to you" he replied. "Want some coffee? I just brewed it."
"Absolutely. It smells fantastic." She grabbed a cookie from the container on the counter and dunked it. "Heavenly." She stated.
"Yes, a well balanced breakfast is the best start to any day," He laughed, sat down next to her, and grabbed one of the sugar cookies. "You're not wrong, though" he said after taking a bite. "It is heavenly."
She looked at the tree, and noticed three presents under it. "Uh, did Santa stop by last night?"
"Yes, actually. He felt bad that you weren't able to get home, so he thought he'd try and make it up to you by buying you a few inexpensive items."
"Leonard! You didn't have to buy me anything."
"Oh, it's nothing much. Don't get too excited."
They sat on the couch and opened gifts, sharing each others company. She insisted they make the hot chocolate he'd given her as an excuse to eat a few more cookies, and he was happy to oblige.
Christmas day passed quickly by as they made the reindeer ornaments, hung them on the tree, and cut out snowflakes to tape in the window. They ended Christmas day together in the kitchen, making spaghetti. Everything felt so comfortable and at ease, Penny wondered why she didn't hang out with Leonard all the time. He was sweet, kind, adorable, and lots of fun.
After dinner, she walked over to Leonard and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you for being you. I had a wonderful time."
"The door's always open for you, Penny." He said. "You can come over any time. I was glad to spend Christmas with you."
She smiled and waved, then walked across the hall. She plopped down on the couch and picked up the phone.
"Mom? Merry Christmas! I love you too! Yes, I had a good day, how about you?"
She listened as her mom went on and on about the events and happenings in small town Nebraska. A nagging question was bothering Penny, so when the conversation lagged she hesitated then asked. "Mom? Can I talk to you about something? No, no, nothing's wrong it's just..." She paused and finally came out and said it. "I think I'm falling for my neighbor."