Penny and Leonard are no more (yay!) and he, Raj, and Howard have been spending a lot of time with their lady friends. This takes place in a universe without the The Excelsior Acquisition.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"No," Sheldon said emphatically. He was happy that she got the part she wanted. And it wasn't because there was still a ringing in his ear from her exuberant screams of excitement. He did not dance.

Since the others were all preparing for some large collective dating experience, Penny had inferred that he, Sheldon Lee Cooper, would give in to her pleas.

"Please, Sheldon?" Penny begged.

"Penny, I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I don't dance," he said slowly so she would understand him.

"How about we all go out tomorrow to celebrate?" Leonard suggested as he straightened his tie for the hundredth time.

"Sure, Bernadette'll be working and I don't have any other plans," Howard stated as Raj nodded his head in agreement.

The three, Sheldon observed, were completely unaware that mentioning their dates were partly the cause of Penny's distress over the past several weeks and the reason she was so elated at the opportunity for the acting job she just received and her joy in the celebratory event.

"That would be great, but I still want to go out tonight," Penny pointed out. "Please, Sheldon. It's customary for a friend to take out another friend when they get good news."

"That is understandable, and I would be more then happy to oblige. However, you are asking me to participate in an activity that I do not do. In the infinite number of universes…"

"Yes! A clown made out of candy! I-get-it," the guys looked at her, then to each other, and then shrugged it off, too scared to speak.

Finally! Sheldon sighed in relief.

"Fine," she curled her lips. "If you're not going to take me out willingly…I'm calling in my marker," her arms were crossed and her hip popped out to make it known to him she was serious.

"Excuse me?" Sheldon retorted. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant by 'marker,' but her tone concerned him.

"You owe me," he saw a surge of power in her. "And you owe me big. So you are going to take me out, we're going to have a good time, and YOU ARE NOT going to complain about it. And," she quickly added, "you are going to be at opening night."

"What do you mean, he owes you?" Leonard asked before he realized what he was doing. He looked as if he stupidly stood between a standoff of two ferocious lions.

"That is between me and Sheldon," she never took his eyes off her prey.

"Penny, there is no favor you have done for me," Sheldon was about to boil over, "that would allow for a reciprocation of this magnitude. I am not taking you out."

"Oh, come on, Sheldon," she grinned with confidence. "You peeked at my soup," she playfully frowned inflicting her crippling blow. "I would think even in your beautiful mind that would entitle me to some payback. But if you're not going to take me out," she grinned with confidence, "I demand to receive equal tender," her eyes moved from his face down to his hips and back up again with a toggle of her eyebrows; all done out of sight of their very captive audience.

His eyes were going fall out of his head until she mentioned 'equal tender.' Then he glared at her. It hadn't been mentioned since that night, and here she was demanding retribution with that smug look on her face.

"Penny in light of your news, I would like to extend an invitation to go…" he sneered, "dancing."

"I'd love to," she cocked her head and smiled sweetly at her success.

"Then shall we?" he walked towards the door. The sooner he got this night over with, the sooner it would be over.

"We can't go dancing dressed like this," she kept her smooth and soft demeanor. "You can finally wear your new suit and I can wear my dress," she perked.

"But…"

"I said no complaining," her smile disappeared and she became serious again.

"Very well. I will be ready in ten minutes."

"Great!" Penny didn't waste anytime rushing to her apartment.

"This is all your fault," Sheldon eyed Leonard before disappearing into the hallway.

"Dude," Raj was the first to break from their stupors. "What the hell just happened?"

Howard and Leonard just looked at him. They were just as perplexed and paralyzed.

"I can't believe I am submitting to this blackmail," Sheldon yanked on the black jacket that Penny convinced him he needed.

"I told you that suit was perfect for you," Penny was sliding her shoes on in the doorway. "Ready?"

"I suppose," Sheldon rolled his eyes and went to join her.

"Good. Here," she tossed her keys to him. "You drive," he caught them one handed without an ounce of effort.

"Wait! Are you crazy?" Howard spoke up.

"What?" Penny saw nothing wrong with it.

"You are already forcing this disappointing evening on me. I am not driving," he dangled the keys in front of her.

"I only had ten minutes to get ready. I have makeup to put on. That's going to happen whether I'm driving or you are. You pick," she smiled smugly at him.

"Fine," Sheldon took the keys back ready to burst. She was pushing all his buttons and he was confident she knew it.

"Sheldon can't drive!" Leonard shouted.

"Yes, he can. Speaking of which," she turned to her 'date', "When are you planning on taking your test?"

"I'm a busy man, Penny."

"You do realize that you could have made up and excuse and left if you had a license."

"Hmm…" that hadn't occurred to him and he headed down the stairs

"Night guys," she followed shutting the door behind her.

"What the Frack was that?"