DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Big Bang Theory, neither am I making any money from the writing of this story. I'm just doing it for poops and giggles.

CHAPTER TWO

~ Compatibility Test ~

Thursday and Friday passed at different speeds for each scientist, some looking forward to the planned meeting more than others. Eventually the designated time rolled around, and they made their way to the Comic Book Store with Penny in tow, and arrived only five minutes late.

Sarah was waiting for them outside the store, leaning against the window and staring at her feet. She was wearing a long pink shirt with 'qtp' written in black across the chest, faded blue jeans and full white sneakers. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, loose strands falling to her shoulders and framing her face along with her fringe. When she saw her guides making their way towards her, she straightened up and smiled.

"Hey guys," she greeted, taking a step forward.

"Hey. Uh, Sarah, this is Penny. Penny, Sarah," Leonard introduced as the two women stepped forward to meet each other.

"Hello, Penny," Sarah greeted, shaking her hand once.

"Hiya. Cute shirt," Penny complimented with a friendly smile.

"Thanks. I thought it would be appropriate for the present company."

"Oh no, you're not a brainiac too, are you?" Penny asked with a now obviously forced smile.

"No no, I'm not all that clever, don't worry," Sarah assured her with a shy grin. "But if I start talking too fast or too much, just hit me or something and I'll stop."

"Got it," Penny grinned, wondering why certain other people that talked too much didn't also offer such an appealing remedy.

"So! What's first on the itinerary?" Sarah asked, folding her arms around her stomach and smiling pleasantly at everyone.

"Despite my best efforts of producing one, there is no actual itinerary," Sheldon spoke up, stepping forward. "Apparently we're just going to 'wing it', though I am beyond a reason of a doubt that without some sort of plan, this will all come to nothing."

Sarah took a small step back, her shoulders hunching just a little bit. "If you don't want to be here, you don't have to be. I don't want to force my company on anyone," she said softly, looking at the others to let them know that the same applied to them before looking back down at her feet.

"Aw." Moving forward, Penny wrapped an arm around Sarah's shoulders and started rubbing her arm, ignoring the confused look from the slightly shorter woman. "I've got an idea. Let's just you and me go shopping and we'll meet the boys somewhere for lunch. That sound okay?"

"Uhm..." With a shy smile, Sarah looked up at the blonde and nodded. "Okay. Sounds good, Penny."

So after Leonard apologised to Sarah for Sheldon's behavior, Howard tried another pick up line but was intercepted by Penny, Raj managed a shy smile that earned him one in return, and the meeting place and time for lunch was decided upon, the group split up.

Penny took Sarah to the closest clothes store, chatting amiably in the car on the way there about how stupid smart people were. It took a few minutes of monologue and three shirt recommendations before the perky Nebraskan managed to get the timid Australian to speak freely. Obviously she was shy and uncertain when it came to other people.

"So, you've been here for a month, right?" Penny asked, thumbing through a rack of skirts.

"That's right. I moved here with my sister, but I think I'm going to have to find my own place pretty soon," Sarah admitted, looking around at the clothes but not actually touching any of them.

"You got a boyfriend yet?" Penny turned her face to smile at her new friend.

Sarah blushed bright red in a straight line across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. "N-No way! I've only been here for a month!"

"Well, yeah, but you're cute and your accent is hot. I bet you've got a handful of guys panting at your door already." Penny jabbed her elbow at Sarah's ribs and grinned knowingly.

Sarah's reaction surprised her. Her blush disappeared and she folded her arms in front of her, holding her elbows in her hands as she looked almost wistfully at the rack of skirts Penny had been looking at. "Thanks, but you don't have to do that."

"Do what? I'm just calling it how I see it," Penny assured.

A small smile only doubled the look of wistfulness. "Thank you, Penny, really, but I know I'm nothing special to look at. Besides, I think my accent only confuses a lot of people. Before Sheldon came and talked to me in the comic book store, no one had."

"Oh, sweetie." Penny moved to hug Sarah again. "Don't worry, I'll introduce you to some of my friends. You'll have a boyfriend in no time flat."

The blush returned to Sarah's face as a dusting of pink across her cheeks. "That's okay. I don't really need a boyfriend right now."

"You just get over a bad break up?" the blonde asked knowingly, turning back to the skirts.

"Uh, no, not exactly." Sarah's blush deepened. "I've kinda... never had a boyfriend before."

"You're kidding me," Penny laughed without even turning around. When Sarah didn't say anything for a while, she turned to look at her and saw the pensive look. "You're not kidding. Oh my gosh. How old are you? Twenty one, two?"

"Twenty six," Sarah corrected. She looked away from Penny and turned toward a rack of shirts, studying them without touching them. "But that has nothing to do with anything."

"No way. How come you've never had a boyfriend?"

Sarah shrugged. "Besides the obvious? I guess I'm kinda shy. But it doesn't matter. If I'm lucky, one day I'll meet someone who will be able to put up with me. In the meantime, I don't mind."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Heck, I would," Penny snorted. Placing her hands on her hips, she turned to Sarah and gave her a once over. After a moment of inspecting, she pointed resolutely at her. "Right. I'm getting you a boyfriend."

Eyes widening in a look of pure panic, Sarah raised her hands and waved them in front of her. "No no, you really don't have to!"

"Too bad, that's what's happening!" Penny grinned.

Sarah tried to dissuade Penny from her apparent plan for another ten minutes before she gave up with a sigh and a bemused shake of her head. They shopped around the store for a while longer, and Penny bought four new shirts, a skirt and two pairs of shorts. Sarah bought nothing, despite the blonde's goading.

The next stop was a short strip that had several cafés, pubs and clubs on both sides of the street. The two girls didn't actually go into any of the establishments, but they checked them out for future reference. After that there was another clothes shop nearby and they repeated the process of the first store; Penny bought several new articles of clothing and tried to get Sarah to buy something, but failed.

Lunch time came and Penny drove Sarah to the Cheesecake Factory to meet the boys. They'd already taken a table, saving two seats for the girls. After greetings were exchanged, Penny took the seat next to Leonard and Sarah sat at the head of the table.

Holding the menu in her hands almost gingerly, Sarah asked, "So what's good here?"

"It's all good," Penny assured her with a smile that was returned.

"I beg to differ. However I will admit that the Barbeque Burger is quite delectable," Sheldon interrupted without looking up from his own menu.

"Hm." Sarah scanned the menu for the burger and read what was in it. "It does sound good. Okay, I'll get that." She folded the menu and put it down with a smile she turned on everyone at the table.

"So, how did you like shopping, Sarah?" Leonard asked the brunette, leaning forward.

"Yeah, it was fun." She smiled at Penny, then turned back to Leonard with a small shrug. "Didn't see any games shops, though. You know of any?"

"You play video games?" Howard asked, now also leaning towards Sarah.

"Of course. Do you?" she asked with a shy smile, suddenly worried that she might have said too much.

"Do we play video games!" Howard laughed. "Honey, you're looking at some of the best gamers in town."

"Really? We'll have to play something some time."

"I'll play with you any time you want, baby," Howard replied with a suggestive look, lowering his voice.

"Howard, no. Down." Penny shook her head at him, and he leaned back in his chair, somewhat defeated. It seemed that Penny had taken it upon herself to be the barrier between Sarah and Howard's advances.

"So, uh, what games do you play, Sarah?" Leonard asked, trying to smooth over the conversation.

She shrugged again. "I'll play anything, really. Though I just started playing through Halo one again. I haven't gotten anything new in a little while."

"You play Halo?" Sheldon asked, looking up.

Sarah nodded, turning to face him. "I do. It's one of my favourite game series."

Rajesh leaned over to Sheldon, who he was sitting next to, and, holding a hand up to cover his mouth, whispered into the taller man's ear. Sheldon flinched at the proximity, but dutifully listened to his friend.

"We already have four players," he responded to the Indian man. Raj whispered again. "Then there would be no reason for you to be there."

At an insistent gesture from Rajesh and curious looks from everyone else, Sheldon sighed and shook his head, turning to Sarah and saying, "Raj has suggested that you join us on Wednesday for our regular Halo night, to which I replied that we already have the required number of players. He then said that he would forfeit his place for you to join in and he would watch."

"Really? Aw, how sweet of you, Raj." Sarah smiled at Rajesh, and he looked down at the table, but he was smiling too. "Why don't we do a round robin sort of thing? Raj can play in the first round, and I'll replace whoever has the lowest score, and so on."

"That sounds fair," Leonard agreed. Sheldon was also forced to agree. And so it was decided.

The waitress came and took everyone's orders. Penny and the boys asked Sarah about Australia while they waited for their food, and after they'd all begun eating, she asked them about America. The afternoon passed pleasantly and everyone enjoyed themselves. Plans were made to meet at the comic book store on Wednesday evening, and then Penny drove Sarah home.

It already seemed as though Sarah had integrated herself nicely in with the little band. Everyone already liked her; she was so mild and unassuming that it was difficult not to. Penny had decided that, along with hooking her up with a guy, she was going to educate her on fashion as well. She could already see a lasting friendship with Sarah in the future and was more than pleased that the boys had invited her along.

Raj liked her enormously, especially since she seemed shy like him. Obviously nowhere near to the same degree, but still. Not to mention she had smiled right at him, just for his suggestion of playing Halo. Now if only he could talk to her, he might have a real shot.

Howard thought she had a rockin' body, and he wanted to rock it all night long. If he could only get Sarah alone, with Penny far away, then he was almost positive that he could strike up a relationship with her. She was so demure and malleable to any idea that it was pretty much a shoo-in.

Leonard liked her, but he didn't think that she was quite as pretty as Penny. If he could have a choice, he would choose Penny every time. Of course, if a relationship with Sarah presented itself, he certainly wouldn't turn it away. She was incredibly nice and pretty smart.

Shockingly, even Sheldon liked Sarah. Her contralto voice was low enough so as not to irritate, and she was quiet enough that he didn't have to listen to her overmuch. She had listened to him attentively with wide eyes as he had explained String Theory, and seemed to understand the gist of it. If he absolutely had to extend his social circle, he was okay with Sarah being the addition.