A/N: I honestly did mean this to be a one and done. And even though I got a few follows expecting more and a couple of reviews asking for more I was perfectly happy leaving it as it was to continue working on the two other stories I am literally in the middle of. But then one of the Leonard-worshipers had to go and say something. And I know I shouldn't be reading anything written by these cretinous, cowardly bullies but I did and it pissed me off. And since I know that I've pissed them off I've decided to see how far I can take this. However I'm not going to let it delay my other stories. Let's see how well this works.
2
Knock. Knock. Knock. Sheldon.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Sheldon.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Sheldon.
"Hello Penny."
"I did it."
"What did you do, Penny."
"I served Leonard with divorce papers and moved out."
"I'm proud of you."
"Sheldon, I kind of need a favor for a few days."
"Anything."
"Can I crash on your couch?"
"Wouldn't you prefer to stay in a hotel?"
"Actually, I'd rather be with my friend. And, honestly, you look a bit down. Amy dumping you must really hurt."
"Penny, I need to apologize. I may have mislead you."
"I don't understand. Did Amy not dump you?"
"Oh, Amy Farrah Fowler did indeed sever our relationship. However, it was in response to me throwing her out of the apartment."
"Sheldon, why would you do that?"
"As you know, I was recently in Switzerland lecturing for two weeks at the Cern Super Collider. Amy Farrah Fowler took advantage of my absence to discard all of my action figures, statuary, toys and comic books."
"I thought the apartment looked a bit empty."
"This was completely without my knowledge or permission."
"What did she say when you asked her about it?"
"She said it was time I grew up. So I requested she depart never to return. On her way down the stairs she hollered that she was breaking up with me, I assume in an effort to save face."
"Oh, sweetie. Come here."
Sheldon approached Penney and she drew him close in a hug.
"There, there. Would you like a hot beverage?"
"Penny, as this is my home, I believe that it is my duty to offer you a hot beverage. I assume that ending your marriage must be somewhat upsetting."
"Actually, not so much. It's a little liberating. I'm kind of glad to get out of that stupid little house."
"I can imagine. That house is actually smaller than this apartment."
"Don't I know it? But Leonard insisted that we live on his salary. He had to be the breadwinner. The only thing he let me do was actually buy the house."
"Leonard is unwilling to accept your success and the perquisites that come with it."
"That and his ego is threatened by a wife who out-earns him by a factor of millions. Sheldon, I kind of said something to him on the way out to be mean and it sort of involves you."
"Penny, what did you say?"
"I told him that you and I us bought a house and that while at the moment we're only sharing we were both hoping it would turn into more once we got over our broken relationships."
"You lied to him."
"Yeah. The thing is…"
"What, Penny?"
"Sheldon, ever since I said it I keep thinking it's a good idea."
"That we should purchase a home and live together in hopes of one day pair bonding."
"You make it sound so romantic."
"Actually, Penny, it's a fairly practical idea."
"You're kidding."
"I'm not. We both have significant funds sitting in the bank doing very little for us. A real estate investment would make sense."
"You'd be willing to share a house with me?"
"I would not be comfortable living in a house alone. I enjoy your company. We already attend events together several times a month because our former significant others were not willing. However, I do not wish to live in a house such as the one in which Leonard forced you to reside. Even with an additional bedroom it would be too small. I would prefer some space."
"You're willing to leave this apartment?"
"I'm finding that my memories of living here with Leonard and more recently with Amy Farrah Fowler are not very pleasant. And since she removed the items that made it mine I see no reason to remain."
"Sheldon, one of the guys on the show told me about a place that I think might be perfect. It has lots of room, enough space so that if we didn't want to deal with each other we wouldn't have to."
"I hardly see that as a selling point but I would be perfectly willing to look."
"Sheldon, it's not that close to Pasadena. You might have to finally learn to drive."
"Penny, one of the advantages of my stature is that when people wish to see me they typically send a car for me. I could certainly make a similar arrangement with the university at this point. When can we see the house?"
"Let me make a call."
The next day Penny drove Sheldon out to Woodland Hills to look at the house.
"Penny, this isn't a house. It's more of a mansion."
"It kind of is, isn't it?"
It was a Spanish-style structure with a red tiled roof, and a light brown façade. There were five bedrooms, two of them master suites with their own bathrooms, a large living room, a dining room, a gigantic eat-in kitchen, a theater, a game room, a couple of rooms on the main floor that could be offices, maid's quarters, a completely finished basement the size of both of their old apartments at 2311 N. Los Robles, a gym, a swimming pool, a hot tub and a pool house that was bigger than the house Penny had been sharing with Leonard.
"Sheldon, I love it."
"I find it is quite attractive. I certainly enjoy that there is room for guests. Our families could come to stay. For very short periods of time."
"I want to make an offer."
"Penny, please allow me to review everything and determine our strategy."
"I don't want to lose it, Sheldon."
"We won't. Let's speak to the realtor now…"
"Sheldon, wouldn't it make more sense to go directly to the seller. I know who they are."
"Alright. Make an appointment for tomorrow. I will review our finances tonight and compare like sales in the area and the history of this property. By tomorrow's meeting I shall arrive at what I believe will be a reasonable offer."
Two days later Penny and Sheldon owned a house.
As Penny watched Sheldon pack up Apartment 4A she thought out loud.
"You know, Sheldon, that's a pretty big house. It's going to take a lot to keep it clean. Even more to keep it to your standards."
"I'm aware. I don't quite relish the task."
"I have another idea."
"Alright."
"We should hire someone to run the house for us. They could live in the pool house. They could interview and organize a cleaning company, someone to prepare meals, maybe a driver for both of us that's on call…"
"That will be an expense but it does make some sense. You say that as though you have someone in mind."
"There's a woman I've run into at a few auditions and she had a couple of small roles on the show. We've gotten a little friendly and she was doing exactly that kind of thing until recently when the folks she worked for moved east."
"I'd be happy to interview her."
"Her name is Nora. Nora Glass."