TDT
This is my first BBT fanfic. Special thanks to my mom and my sister, AppleBlossom844, for their help in editing and proofing. All other errors are mine alone. Furthermore, I own nothing. Chuck Lorre and CBS have the honor of producing/owning BBT. All other characters, ideas, businesses and objects are the property of their respective owners.
Chapter One
"Dude, how can you possibly believe that the next Batman villain will be Poison Ivy?" Raj asked Howard. The little man grinned widely.
"How can you not? Think about it, Amy Adams in a little green outfit. With Rachael Dawes dead, they need some new eye candy for this movie."
"It'd be a better choice than going with Cat Woman." Leonard offered. The three of them shuddered at the memory of the Halle Berry movie. Even Howard agreed that the leather unitard could not save that disaster. "And Heath Ledger's dead, so the Joker's out. That means that they can't bring Harley Quinn into the series." Leonard continued. Leonard looked at his watch and let out a slow breath.
Sheldon and Stuart reignited their old debate about the true heir of Batman, and yes, Sheldon was batting French phrases about. Raj sighed. The three of them tried to break this up three times now. Each time retreating and beginning a new discussion. They'd even discussed Superman's strength capabilities at night. Howard muttered something about the energy storage capacity of Kryptonian skin cells. Really, who would put that in a comic book?
At length, Leonard suggested that they wait for Sheldon to realize that his schedule was imperiled. After more than seven years, Leonard had come to respect the power of that schedule. It was sort of like the book of Leviticus, all the laws and punishments neatly laid out. Nearly as severe too.
While Sheldon and Stuart showed no inclinations of ending their argument, others were inclined to leave the comic book store. The door swung back and forth as patrons quietly left, leaving only the most dedicated comic book aficionados. All of them lonely men, most were over forty, and two still lived with their mothers. The surprise was all the greater when a woman entered the store and spoke at the counter.
"Forgive me for intruding; however I am in need of some assistance. You wouldn't happen to keep a phone book around, would you?" Everyone, from Stuart to Captain Sweat Pants stared. The woman shifted uncomfortably. She slouched slightly to disguise her tall frame, dark blonde hair curling gently at her shoulders. Blue eyes in a pale face scanned the shop and then drilled Stuart. She leaned on the counter. "Please, I wouldn't ask if it were not important." She added. Stuart turned and quickly started fishing under the register.
"Sure, sure." Stuart started.
"Do you not possess a cell phone? The web feature would speed your search." Sheldon asked.
"I do." The woman replied, taking the object out of a pocket, looking at the blank screen, and re-pocketing the device. "It died." After rifling through various supplies and old promotion flyers, Stuart produced the phone book. The woman flipped strait to P. Howard swaggered up to the counter, looking at the woman as a potential future Mrs. Wolowitz. Raj came and stood a little behind him.
"What are you looking for?" Stuart asked craning his neck. "A pharmacy? There's a Walgreens not far from here."
"While that's nice to know, no." She looked around, the others had gathered around. She sighed silently. "I'm searching for a pawn shop. I'm stranded here in Pasadena and I need to raise funds to support myself during my stay."
Raj whispered into Howard's ear.
"Raj says that Crown City's really good. They're on Colorado." Howard relayed and Raj nodded.
"Raj, how is she going to get to Colorado from here?" Sheldon asked. Raj frowned and shrugged.
"You've been to a pawn shop?" Leonard's brow furrowed. Raj nodded curtly, and whispered to Howard.
"It was during the week that he lost his funding and feared that he'd be deported." Howard supplied.
"Do you know where you're staying?" Stuart asked. The woman shook her head.
"Not yet. I passed a shelter. I haven't asked if they have a bed available."
"Oh good Lord! Those places are crawling with the accumulated germs of hundreds of people."
"Not every place outside of your apartment is a diseased cesspit, Sheldon. Unless you have another suggestion?" Stuart asked heatedly, crossing his arms. This was like the Knights of the Round Table all rushing to a damsel in distress and he'd be damned if he didn't join in.
"I take it that you don't have friends here in Pasadena." Leonard said to the stranger.
"No, I don't. Really, the shelter is my only option. I don't think that I can get enough cash to stay at a motel. You said that Crown City is on Colorado?" She turned to Raj and Howard. Raj nodded. The woman flipped to the maps in the front of the book and nodded to herself.
"It seems I must get going if I'm going to make it before closing. Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance." She said turning to leave. Leonard stepped forward.
"We'll drive you." He said smiling, if just a little too much.
"Really?" She asked, incredulous. She quickly calculated odds in her head.
"Yes, really. We'd be happy to do it." He looked at a surprised Sheldon. "I'm Leonard Hofstadter, and that's Sheldon Cooper, this is Raj Koothrappali and this is Howard Wolowitz." He said gesturing around to each of his friends who waved in return.
"I'm Stuart Thompson." An eager face asserted, annoyed at being left out. The woman nodded to him with a small smile and returned her attention to Leonard.
"Ada." She offered her hand cautiously.
"Ada…?" Leonard let her name hang in the air.
"Mason." Ada replied, almost tripping the name.
"Ah Ada, the adorned one." Howard almost cooed up to Ada.
"Perhaps I should take the bus." Ada arched an eyebrow and retracted her hand. Sheldon groaned.
"You seem to prefer to make one dangerous decision after another. Really, Wolowitz is harmless, while the on the bus you would encounter a disconcerting lack of safety restraints and untold numbers of potentially hazardous pathogens."
"Then it appears that the decision has been made." Ada accepted.
They all piled into Leonard's car agreeing to drop Sheldon off at the apartment. Sheldon shook his head; he wanted no part of any shelter. From the apartment he would call Geno's, it was Thursday after all. Leonard pulled up the curb outside the apartment, people passed on the sidewalk.
"Alright, Sheldon, see you later." Leonard said to his friend as he climbed out of the car. Penny coming home from her shift walked up.
"Hi guys! How was the comic book store?" She asked. Raj shook his hand in a so-so fashion. Leonard swallowed hard and looked around nervously; things were still awkward from that one night of drunken sex weeks ago.
"It was satisfactory, though Stuart is determined in his folly over who would take up the mantle of Batman. Also we are in the middle of discharging a good deed." Sheldon reported.
"Oh?"
"Yes, Miss Mason is stranded in Pasadena. Leonard offered to drive her to a pawn shop so that she might raise money for her stay." Sheldon explained. Penny looked further into Leonard's car.
"Hi, I'm Penny."
"Hello, I'm Ada."
"How long are you stuck here for?" Penny asked.
"I don't know, a few days. Less than a week certainly, my father will find a way to bring me home before then."
"Do you have a place to crash?"
"There might be a bed at a shelter." Ada answered.
"If you don't mind a messy apartment and a small couch, you can crash with me. I live across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon."
"I thank you for your generosity, but I couldn't possibly impose." Ada responded, gratitude clear on her face. Penny couldn't help but smile in return.
"Well, if you change your mind have Leonard call me. Good luck on getting home." Penny said and turned to enter the building. Leonard had put the car in gear and started to pull away when he heard two shrieks and one of his car doors open. Leonard slammed the brake and car lurched to a stop. Leonard, Raj and Howard bolted from the vehicle. Ada was already some yards away.
"Penny, are you alright?" Sheldon asked as he helped her up.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Penny said. She started to jog a little back down the sidewalk.
"What happened?" Leonard asked.
"Some jerk stole my purse!" Penny yelled. Raj pointed and ran down the street.
"Oh man!" Howard breathed and ran after him.
It was over before any of them reached Ada. She had caught up to the thief. They watched as she spun the man around, using every one of his joints against him. They heard an unnatural pop as she brought an open handed uppercut to an elbow bent behind his back. A strangled scream escaped the purse snatcher and Ada brought down another blow to his shoulder causing the man to crumple completely to the concrete. He almost fainted from the pain. Ada released him to pick up the leather purse. She looked down on his form with staid fury.
"Get up and flee, wretch." Her voice was thick with malice, and a tiny smirk might have had a home on her face. The criminal, tears flowing unchecked, rolled to his good arm and brought himself up slowly. He staggered down the sidewalk almost blind from pain and breathing heavily as he left their block and disappeared from their sight. Ada turned around, Penny's purse in hand, took a deep breath letting it out slowly, and walked to the waitress and the scientists with a calm face.
"That was amazing! Where did you learn that?" Penny asked astonished as she accepted her purse from Ada.
"Daddy always says that one never knows when fiends and villains will strike."
"Now you have to stay with me. You can go get your money with Leonard, but you will not stay in a shelter while you're here."
"Very well, I accept. Thank you very much. I'm sure my errand will not take long." Ada said without any trace of her previous anger.
"Alright. See you soon." Penny smiled.
Penny held her purse closely and walked swiftly with Sheldon to the door of the apartment building. Ada walked for Leonard's car while Leonard shuffled. Raj and Howard hung back.
"She's like Jason Bourne." Howard breathed.
"No, dude, she's more like Jack Bauer."