The Decoupling Activation, Chapter Four by patricia51

(Starting Over)

(Two months later)

Penny locked the door to her apartment. She needed to hurry; she just had enough time to get to work. Bracing her hand against her lower back she groaned. She had been working a lot of overtime lately and it was taking its toll.

But she really didn't have any choice. She hadn't had a casting call in almost a month now so nothing was coming in that way. Coupled with the way she had cut loose immediately after her break up with Leonard she had emptied her checking account in short order. So she was glad of the extra work even if it meant a lot of night work.

Not that she wasn't still getting plenty of offers for dates and a lot of them were from really good looking guys. But she had had to clamp down hard on her habit of running into guys who needed her to bail them out. Never again she had promised herself and kept that promise. Well, except for a small loan to Kurt but that was all and he had promised faithfully that this time he would pay her back. It was supposed to be the other way around after all, the guy taking care of the girl. Leonard might have spoiled her a little with his habit of doing that and never asking for anything in return.

Oh my. Speaking of Leonard, there he was.

By an unspoken but somehow mutually understood agreement they had rather stayed out of each other's way as much as possible since that day. When they did see each other, and it was inevitable that they would, they kept their interaction confined to nods and brief hellos. It was better that way, she didn't have to meet those sad puppy dog eyes and wonder once more if she hadn't made a mistake. She slowed and blinked.

Leonard was bounding up the stairs two at a time with a broad smile on his face that never flickered when he saw her. He made no attempt to avoid her but neither did he try to close the distance between them.

"Hi Penny! How's it going?"

Without waiting for a reply her ex whipped through his apartment door, leaving it slightly ajar in his haste. Inside she could hear Sheldon's voice lifted in protest.

"Leonard it's Pizza Night! A night for us to break bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese together. Instead once again you are going out gallivanting like a bunny with who knows whom and who knows where. And you'll be late getting home or once again not come home at all."

Leonard's reply was short and indistinct. Sheldon's voice drew farther away as though he was following Leonard into the latter's bedroom.

"I can't imagine what could be more interesting out there than spending time here with me. And Howard and Raj too of course I suppose. But no, it's been like this ever since that day you announced you were going to some lecture and just bolted out the door alone without waiting for me. By the time I figured it out and got there it was over and you had gone already which left me with a rather large taxi bill that really you should have paid for me since it was your fault I incurred it."

There was more but Penny couldn't make it out although she crept closer to the door and strained. After a minute or two she finally picked up Leonard speaking again.

"Sorry Sheldon. Got to go."

Realizing he was heading towards the door Penny nearly panicked. She turned and fled down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she could. She climbed into her car, slid down in the seat and adjusted the mirror so she could see the front door of the building. Very shortly Leonard emerged.

Okay THAT explained it. Leonard was wearing a new shirt, one she had never seen before. And new slacks as well. That meant only one thing. He had a new girlfriend. The only time his wardrobe ever updated was when he was seeing someone.

But who was it? She had managed to stay in touch with Amy and Bernadette, especially the former who was unwilling to give up her "bestie" no matter how she disapproved of her breaking up with Leonard. Neither of them had given the slightest hint that Leonard had someone new. Not that they had brought him up very often nor had she asked. It was better to let sleeping dogs lie and all that. But still they should have heard something. But from the sounds of it Sheldon didn't know what was going on either.

While she was musing Leonard had left. For one wild moment she was tempted to follow him and find out who this other woman was. Then her phone, which she had programmed to warn her when the time to be at work was getting close, beeped at her and brought her back to reality. She started the engine and headed for the Cheesecake Factory.

After all what did it matter? It was good Leonard had moved on although Penny was surprised he had found someone so soon. That stung a bit, the tiniest bit only she told herself, especially since she was no nearer finding that "Wow" lover now than when the quest started. Still, she comforted herself; it wasn't as though there the slightest chance that whomever Leonard was seeing was anywhere near as hot as she was.

At the same time that Penny was convincing herself about her decisions Leonard was getting to do something he very rarely managed to find an opportunity for and he was going to enjoy every moment of it. With a grin on his face he started to whistle.

Who would have believed it only weeks ago that he would be as happy as he was now? No one. Of course anyone who did pick up on his renewed zest for life would be curious as to the cause, except of course for Sheldon who didn't notice, but it would continue to remain a secret for as long as he could manage it.

They had debated going to Human Resources on the sly and getting Janine Davis's opinion on whether or not their dating would be deemed inappropriate or not. After all, Alex was not HIS graduate assistant. She was however officially a student and he was technically a faculty member although he never entered the classroom. So for now they just contented themselves with being politely friendly at work and keeping their relationship quiet and out of sight of the school.

Relationship. Leonard marveled at that word. He had to admit that he had been staggered, as well as immensely happy, to find out that Penny was not the only attractive woman who was interested in him. He had, rather obliviously he now admitted sheepishly, thought that Alex Jensen was a sweet and friendly girl who was being nice to him. Even after he spent the night at her apartment it hadn't dawned on him that she was looking at him as anything more than a friend.

Sheldon was right about one thing. It had all started the day of the lecture. Or as he and Alex termed it now "THE Lecture".

He and Sheldon had been playing the full size version of Jenga that he had invented when the knock had come on the door. Surprisingly it turned out to be Alex. Sheldon explained about recording his night time sleep-talking. Leonard was rather doubtful there would turn out to be any "gold" to be found in them but was happy that the idea gave him a chance to talk to Alex.

"So do you have any plans this weekend?"

He admitted that other than trying to find a place to store the Jenga game he really had nothing. "How about you?"

"I'm going to go see Kip Thorn give a lecture on sub-atomic space-time," she replied.

"Oh that's his take on John Wheeler's Quantum Foam. That should be great," he had enthused.

"Well if you want you could come with me."

"That would be great!"

By the time Sheldon returned with his recordings they had firmed up the details.

"Why don't you meet me at my apartment?" Alex had suggested. "It's on the way."

"Why don't I pick you up there?" He had countered and so it was settled.

The lecture had been tremendously enjoyable, capped off by the opportunity to meet the presenter, one of Leonard's boyhood heroes after the question and answer period. Just as exhilarating was the intensely spirited discussion he and Alex had on the way back to her place. It crossed his mind that he never could have had this kind of talk with Penny. Somehow that made him feel a bit guilty, a feeling he firmly dismissed as being silly. He didn't dump HER after all.

When they neared Alex's apartment he said something a bit wistfully about how he hated to end the evening already, to which she suggested they go have dinner some place and talk more about it. He instantly agreed. As tempting as it was to suggest the Cheesecake Factory he decided it would be much more fun to go to any of the innumerable non-Sheldon approved restaurants where he had always wanted to eat.

The two of them talked till the restaurant closed around them. With hardly a pause they moved the discussion to Alex's couch. They talked Physics, they talked colleagues, and they talked the world. And when they woke up the next morning snuggled together under a handy blanket she had fetched them sometime around midnight it felt really good. Almost as good as the tentative kiss they had shared.

"Good morning," he had near blushed.

"Good morning indeed," had been her reply and she had laid her head on his shoulder for a moment before springing up to make coffee and breakfast. She really did make an excellent omelet he discovered. It was one of the many talents he was to discover. The most important one though was that she was genuinely attracted to him and it didn't take any time at all for him to return her feelings.

He smiled and drove a little faster, now concentrating on the road. It wouldn't do to get in an accident because he was dreaming about a gorgeous grad student now would it?

(To be continued)