-A/N Comic*Con typically runs from Wednesday through Sunday. Our gang arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and the current chapter starts Friday morning. Hope that clears up any confusion :)
Chapter 4
Despite Penny's assurance that the 11:00 rule didn't apply at the convention, Sheldon was tentative when he knocked on the adjoining door.
"Oh, good," Penny said when she opened the door. She promptly turned her back on him. "Zip me up will ya', Honey?"
Presented with Penny's back, bare save for her bra, Sheldon was disproportionately nervous, as he slowly and carefully zipped her costume up.
"Thanks, Sheldon," Penny said as she moved a step away and turned to face him. She quickly studied his face, before she continued to speak. "Let me just get my boots on and I'll be ready." She pulled her boots on and with a casual smile stood next to him.
"Are you not wearing lip-gloss today?" He found himself asking.
She blinked at him, "Thank you, I'd forgotten." A smile quirked her lips. That was interesting; Sheldon was pretty much only aware of what he wanted to be aware of. Yesterday it was coffee and today…. She applied her lip-gloss, and together they left. "What's on the agenda for today, Sweetie?" She asked once they were in the elevator.
"After breakfast there is a meeting regarding the Mystery. Then there is the Doctor Who panel, and afterwards autographs with cast members of 'Battlestar Galactica'. "
"And then lunch." She finished with a grin.
"And then lunch." He confirmed, with a quirk of his lips that was almost a smile.
Breakfast was pleasant, the tension between Penny and Priya was mostly gone, and Howard and Bernadette kept their PDA's to a minimum, for which everyone else was grateful.
After breakfast, those participating in the Mystery (which was everyone except Priya and Leonard) attended the meeting. There, they met the police detective who was investigating the pretend crime. Sheldon did not like him. He especially did not like the way his gaze lingered on Penny's legs.
Detective Rogers started the meeting by saying that a prop from the second "Terminator" movie, which had been on display, had been stolen and was being smuggled out of the country. He needed their help to locate the missing prop. He gave them a photo of the red Terminator arm, and some other details, and sent them on their way.
Penny and Sheldon were going to the "Doctor Who" panel, but the others were going to a "Twilight" panel. Penny quirked an eyebrow at Leonard, remembering his disdain for the movies. He wouldn't meet her eyes.
Sheldon and Penny headed for their panel. They got about halfway there when Penny declared that she needed to use the ladies room. Sheldon went in to save them seats. As he sat waiting for Penny, a red-haired woman, dressed quite accurately as Donna Noble, sat down next to him, to his consternation. "Hello, I like your costume, did you make it? I'm in costume, too. I'm Donna Noble from 'Doctor Who', although if you're at this panel, you probably already know that. Are you saving that seat for someone? Your girlfriend, maybe? Tall handsome guy like you, you probably have a different girlfriend for every convention." As the woman prattled on, never stopping to give Sheldon a chance to reply, or apparently to take a breath, Sheldon looked frantically for Penny. Suddenly, like a Guardian Angel (if he believed in such things, which he didn't), Penny appeared.
"Making friends, Sweetie?" Penny asked, her voice neutral, although, Sheldon, after several years acquaintance with her, could detect amusement. He shot her a desperate look. The woman was still talking, although she appeared to include Penny in the one-sided conversation. Penny cut across her words. "Hi, I'm Penny, and this is Sheldon."
"Oh. Hello," she appeared startled. "I'm Yolanda." She shook Penny's hand, and offered to shake Sheldon's. He sent another pleading to look to Penny.
"He's got germ issues."
"Oh." Yolanda said again. She took a rubber glove out of her bag, put it on, and once more offered her hand to a slightly bemused Sheldon. He shook it, and watched her remove the glove, and place it in a Ziploc baggie, which she returned to her bag.
Penny looked at Sheldon, "Sweetie, why don't you trade me seats?"
He rose with alacrity and took the seat he had been saving for her. The woman, Yolanda, didn't seem at all put out at the switch, in fact she gave Penny a pleased smile and started talking again, about how much she like Doctor Who, and so on, until the panel participants took the stage. Then Penny very firmly told her that it was rude to talk during the panels. Yolanda shut up instantly. Several of the audience surrounding them shot Penny grateful looks. Yolanda stayed quiet for the entire panel, and afterwards trailed hesitantly behind Penny and Sheldon, as they vacated the room.
Penny took in her lonely and forlorn carriage. Before she could speak, Sheldon grabbed her bicep. "Please, no, Penny."
"Aw, Sheldon, she's just lonely." She looked at him with big eyes.
"I'm quite certain that there is a good reason for it." He said, harshly.
"Sheldon!" She admonished. "That's surprisingly uncharitable of you."
His eyes wouldn't meet hers. Finally, he sighed in resignation. He would have better luck proving Loop-Theory (which was absolute hokum), than diverting Penny from her soft-heartedness. And truthfully, he didn't want to. It was part of what made her so frighteningly endearing.
"Aw, thanks, Honey." She patted his arm. "Yolanda? We're going to get BSG autographs. Are you headed that way?"
While a part of Sheldon was amused and pleased that Penny had correctly used the fan acronym (he'd wager that neither Bernadette nor Priya could do so), another part was disheartened by the way Yolanda perked up and latched onto Penny. It was like Wolowitz and Koothrappali all over again. They'd never be rid of her.
He murmured in Penny's ear. "I fear that she has imprinted on you like a newly hatched duckling."
"Be nice, Sweetie."
"That was nice," he said quieter still, his breath warm against her ear. She gave a huff of laughter. Sheldon took Penny's hand, keeping her between himself and Yolanda, and they all walked up to the room where autographs were being signed.
They had a long wait in line, enlivened by Yolanda's cheerful monologue. Penny listened with one ear, and listened to Sheldon with the other. Finally, Penny held her hand up at Sheldon and turned to fully face Yolanda. "You're a medical examiner? Like on TV?"
"Well, not nearly that glamorous, but essentially, yes." Her hazel eyes held Penny's. This was usually where the few people who made it this far into a friendship with Yolanda bailed. But she wasn't ashamed of what she did. She felt like she was useful.
"Sheldon, Yolanda is an ME; in did you say Arcadia, Yolanda?" Yolanda nodded, a little surprised that Penny actually seemed kind of pleased. "How cool is that? A Doctor, Sheldon." There was a teasing glint in Penny's eyes as she looked from Yolanda to Sheldon. Sheldon looked at Penny, then appraisingly at Yolanda.
"Our landing party does need a Medical Doctor," he finally allowed with a nod.
"Landing party?" Yolanda asked.
"Sheldon is, of course, Spock, Leonard, who you'll meet later, is Kirk, and Raj and Howard are… what Sheldon, Red Shirts?"
He gave a breathy laugh, as his eyes warmed. "And Penny is, of course, Nurse Chapel." Sheldon said.
Yolanda blinked at them, processing what they were saying, and a slow smile lit her face. "Okay. Ooh, does that mean I get to examine live people?" She asked excitedly. Sheldon's eyes lit. Penny felt quite smug and vindicated in her befriending of Yolanda.
The Klingon watched from distance as the pretty blonde and tall skinny guy talked to the red-head. He had scoured the convention and only found two sets of Nurse Chapel/Spocks. And the other one would in no way qualify as a pretty blonde, although the other guy was just as skinny as this one. He would have to follow them, and see if they had obtained the goods yet. If not, then he would intervene at the appropriate time. If they had, they he'd have to search their room for it.
Once Sheldon had they autographs that he wanted, they went to meet the others for lunch, unaware of the large form shadowing them.
Leonard looked at the red-head that Penny and Sheldon brought to lunch. "Yolanda," Penny started, pointing to each as she named them. "This is Leonard, his girlfriend Priya, Priya's brother Raj, Raj's best friend Howard, and Howard's girlfriend Bernadette. Guys, this is Yolanda. We met her at the Doctor Who panel." Everyone greeted her except for Raj. "Raj has selective mutism, he doesn't talk to women. Hey, Priya?" Priya raised her eyebrows at Penny. "Does Raj talk to you?"
"Yes, he has no trouble talking to myself, our mother, or our grandmother."
"Huh," said Penny. "Anyway, don't be put off." An evil glint lit her eyes. "In fact, Raj would probably love to hear about your work. He's an awesome listener."
Yolanda smiled brightly at him. Raj smiled shyly at her.
"Where to for lunch today, Sheldon?" Penny asked.
"Panda Palace."
"I do not wish to eat at Panda Palace," Priya protested.
"But it's Friday, which is Panda Palace day at Comic*Con." He replied in a reasonable tone. "We're having Panda Palace."
"I am sorry, Sheldon, but I do not understand why you get to choose where we have lunch." Priya said with some irritation. She was not in the mood for oriental food.
The others just looked at her. "Leonard." Sheldon said a note of warning in his voice.
"Priya," Leonard said in a slightly whining tone. "We knuckle under. It's just easier."
"I do not knuckle under." Priya said firmly. Penny nodded with a grin.
"Leonard," Sheldon said more firmly.
"Priya, trust me, it's just the way it is, and it's easier."
"Sheldon is irritating and arrogant. I do not understand why you put up with him at all." Priya said, stung by Leonard's apparent defection.
Sheldon's expression was hurt for a second, before it went blank. The grin was wiped completely off of Penny's face. "Put up with him?" Penny responded, her voice going high. "He's our friend, Priya. We don't put up with him, we like him. Right, guys?" She looked at the other guys for back up, and was surprisingly disappointed to find none. Priya quirked a smug eyebrow at Penny. Penny narrowed her eyes at the guys, as Bernadette and Yolanda watched in interest. "After all he's done for you guys? Really? Raj, you'd have been freakin' deported if Sheldon hadn't made up a job for you." Raj's smile fell from his face at that barb hit home. "And Leonard, you would have been detained by Homeland Security for that Joyce Kim crap if Sheldon hadn't saved your ass." Leonard's defiant gaze dropped. "And Howard…."
"Yeah, Penny," Howard interrupted. "Tell me what great favor he did for me, other than screwing up my security clearance with the FBI?"
"You mean where he told them the truth, which you had to know he would when you gave him as a reference? Or the part where he felt so badly about it that he tried to apologize and make amends. Which, let's be honest, is a whole helluva' lot more than any of you did for that crap you guys pulled on him in the freakin' arctic." Penny was furious, words tumbling out.
"What crap in the arctic?" Yolanda asked in interest, as the guys all looked guilty and ashamed. Except Sheldon, who was looking at Penny with the same expression he had on his face when she'd explained about his Spot to Bernadette.
"They screwed up his test results, and humiliated him in front of his so-called peers," Penny said "so-called peers" in the same sneering tone that Sheldon would have used. Leonard's head, which had been hanging in shame, snapped up. Penny was about to continue when Sheldon spoke.
"Penny, please let us not rehash it." His expression was still, but she knew that conflict distressed him, and he could start twitching at any time.
"Okay, Sweetie." Her voice gentled immediately.
Priya still didn't quite understand the point that Penny was making, although she and Leonard would be having a long talk about the Arctic later. "Perhaps she should be democratic and vote?" Priya finally suggested, thinking that she would easily win. "All those who wish to knuckle under?" Penny's eyes narrowed at Priya's choice of words.
"How about all in favor of going to the Panda Palace?" Penny rephrased it.
One by one, everyone except Priya put their hand up. She shot Leonard a betrayed look. Penny continued. "Or, we could all just eat where we want and meet up later for the 'Galactica' panel." She offered, her tone more conciliatory, her anger down to a simmer.
"That sounds like an excellent compromise, Penny," Sheldon said, glad that the uncomfortable scene appeared to be over.
As Priya and Leonard left, Penny turned a watchful eye on Sheldon. "You okay, Honey?" She asked very quietly.
A nod was his only reply, although he did place his hand in the center of her back to lead her to the Panda Palace. Raj stared between the direction Priya and Leonard had gone, and the direction Penny and Sheldon were headed, with Yolanda on their heels. He offered a shrug to Howard, and trailed behind Penny and Sheldon.
Howard gaped, and then sighed. "What are you in the mood for, Bernadette?" He asked her.
"I would kind of like the Panda Palace, snookums, if that's okay with you?"
He nodded. "Hey, Raj, wait up." He called as he took Bernadette's hand and hurried after them.
A/N Friday will be continued in the next chapter.
