Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters; all belong to CBS.
"Well, here we are," Leonard said, entering the cafeteria first. "The university's banquet hall, also and more commonly known as the cafeteria."
Penny looked around. Aside from the absence of tables and the presence of many well-dressed men and women, it looked the same as it had when she'd visited with David Underhill. The cafeteria's machines were shut down, replaced by a long table of bagels, cheeses, and fruits. "Nice," she offered. Since Leonard had invited her to go to the university's employee dinner, she'd worried about mingling with a roomful of people of his intellect. The fact that the cafeteria didn't look much different was a secret relief.
Leonard sighed. "I…know it's not much." He looked down at his feet, and Penny squeezed his arm. Smiling at her, he scanned the crowd. "Try to spot Raj and Howard."
Penny looked around. So many people were here, and she knew none of them. Were they all physicists, as smart as Leonard? She finally spotted a familiar face at the end of the food table. "There's Wolowitz." Sliding her hand down Leonard's arm, she found his hand and led him over.
Wolowitz greeted them in Klingon. That she managed to pick up on the language he was using surprised Penny. "Holy crap on a cracker," she said, half to herself.
"What?" Leonard looked at her curiously.
"Nothing." Penny toyed with her hands as she looked around. There were so many people! Bits of conversation drifted toward her, and she picked up words such as dark matter, electron laser, and benzene ring. Not a single word she understood. God, she felt so uncomfortable here!
She suddenly noticed Raj and Howard looking at her oddly, and realized that aside from holding his hand, she was gripping Leonard's arm with her other hand and leaning on him. His left leg angled out in an effort to balance himself as he continued talking gesticulating with his free hand to help describe something.
Penny's purse had slid off her shoulder, and when she hunched her shoulders to correct it, Leonard wobbled and nearly fell. "I'm sorry!" Penny steadied him. She needed to get out of there. "I…have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back, okay?" Leonard nodded, and she kissed him quickly on the cheek before scooting out of the cafeteria. Glancing behind her, she speed walked down the hall to where she knew the bathroom was. Sliding inside, she locked the door and pulled herself up to sit on the counter. Her heart was racing, and her head was spinning. Why did she feel so uncomfortable? She knew that Leonard was okay with her not being as smart as he was, and he couldn't be ashamed of her, since he invited her here.
She craned her head around to look in the mirror. She was pale and sweating lightly, but otherwise she looked okay. Sliding off of the table, she splashed water on her face and dried it. At least she didn't look like she was having a panic attack anymore. She decided that she'd better go out and rejoin Leonard.
She opened the door and exited the bathroom, walking quickly up the hall. Now she couldn't remember how to get back to the cafeteria. As she passed a hallway, she thought that she'd overshot her destination, and spun to correct herself.
"Careful, Toby!"
Penny looked behind her to see a janitor looking her way, and a split second later collided with someone headed in the opposite direction that she was. They both lost their balance and fell to the floor.
"Sorry," she said, picking herself up and offering her hand to the small man on the floor. "My fault, totally."
"It's okay," he said, getting up and shaking her hand while glancing at his dusty shirt. "Toby Loobenfeld."
Her eyes widened in recognition. "Leo?"
He did a double take. "Uh-oh."