Chapter 4

The Doctor waved everybody out and locked the door, Sheldon and Donna had already walked out the alley while everyone else watched him – the constant admiration made him uneasy but he shrugged and reminded himself how much he usually enjoyed being the centre of attention.

He stepped around them and hurried after Donna who thanked Leonard for carrying her outfit,

"Such a gentleman, you pair could learn a lot from him," she said harshly,

"I'm a gentleman . . ."

"Maybe on Mars," Donna interrupted. The Doctor might have continued trying pointlessly to prove himself but Sheldon spoke up,

"I'm a gentleman, my mother was very strict about that, but I fail to comprehend how to consider feminism and that leads to being assaulted,"

"It's true," Leonard said as they reached his car,

"He once asked a girl at college if she needed help carrying folders up the stairs and she threw them at him – ironically they were papers on Mary Shelley's' Frankenstein a feminists critique," Leonard grinned in memory as he got in his car. Donna and the Doctor insisted they were happy in the back. Something for which Leonard was grateful; the only person Sheldon would let sit in that seat was Penny and that had taken a ten-minute argument that Leonard had only won by claiming it was socially unacceptable for the girlfriend of the driver to sit in the back.

"Last time I was in a car was when we first met," the Doctor remarked grinning at Donna giving the two men their first indication of where the Doctor was in his personal timeline.

"Doctor! Put your seatbelt on," Donna insisted as they drove out onto a busy road. She watched him until he had belted then looked out the window in interest,

"I've never been to the states," she said engrossed by the view,

"Slow Down Leonard!" Sheldon squeaked as a car swung close in front of them,

"We can go back if you want – see the Californian gold rush or Hollywood as it's created," the Doctor offered and then it was Leonard's turn to squeak.

"Oh I don't know with your 'driving' we'll probably end up in Alcatraz!" Donna smiled even as she criticized the doctors' skill.

"What's wrong with the way I 'drive'?" the doctor whined,

"What day of the week did you say you hate?"

"Um!" the Doctor suddenly remembered why he didn't argue with Donna,

"Sunday," Donna answered her own question,

"And what day of the week is it?" she continued,

"That was TARDIS!" the Doctor sounded like a petulant toddler as he made his excuses,

"And when we landed in Pompeii instead of Rome was that the TARDIS too?" Donna was not letting him off easy.

The Doctor gave Donna a wounded look so she sighed,

"Oh don't give me that look … Doctor … oh fine you're a wonderful driver," Donna huffed,

"Thank you Donna," the Doctor smiled and Donna narrowed her eyes.

While the two backseat passengers had … talked Leonard and Sheldon had keep quiet; Leonard was listening curiously while Sheldon worried about the drivers' distraction.

"Do you really plan to go back to the old west?" Leonard asked excitedly,

"Maybe and if we do end up in Alcatraz I'll just sonic us out again," the Doctor grinned with his carefree, smile-in-the-face-of-death look which so exasperated Donna.

A little while later,

"Here we are," Leonard said as he parked in his spot. Minutes later he directed them into the apartment block.

"What's wrong with the lift?" Donna asked,

"The what?" Leonard was already heading up the stairs so missed where she was looking,

"The lift,"

"Elevator," the Doctor said,

"Huh?"

"The English usually say lift, Americans say elevator, usually the TARDIS sorts that out but perhaps they're too close,"

"Oh, well we had an accident," Leonard blushed,

"We?" Sheldon paused mid step,

"Alright I had an accident but it's a bit of a secret,"

"Mad scientist?" Donna asked the Doctor as they followed the American duo up the stairs,

"Little bit yeah,"

"Hey!" Leonard protested but couldn't really think of an argument against the description.

By then the four had reached the second floor.

"Uh this is so domesticate," the Doctor complained as a woman past them with a child,

"Afternoon Mrs Dempsey, hey Clint," Leonard said,

"Leonard," she acknowledged and hurried past Sheldon in silence.

"I wish you wouldn't socialise with all our neighbours – it only creates problems," Sheldon whined,

"Sheldon I'm just being polite,"

"Well I don't know why,"

"And being friends with Penny hasn't created any problems," Leonard had a dopey grin as he thought about his girlfriend,

"Says you!"

"Penny! Oh will she be coming today?" the Doctor asked perking up,

"Good lord no!" Sheldon exclaimed.

"Who's Penny?"

"Our neighbour: Leonard is currently fraternising with her," Sheldon sounded like they were dating to annoy him,

Donna looked at the Doctor and asked,

"Another geek?"

"She's wonderful and far from … a geek," Leonard held his keys tightly as he admitted Penny was not a geek. The only point of contention in their relationship was how different they were.

They had reached their front door and Leonard stared at the door opposite until Sheldon huffed and took his keys off him to open their door,

"Alright I've devised a bathroom schedule . . ." he said stepping inside,

"I'll go first and you guys can fight it out for yourselves," Donna said stepping through. She glanced around and then walked straight towards the hallway with the bathroom,

"Wait that's not the plan," Sheldon hurried after her. Out of sight there were sounds of a scuffle and then Sheldon re-appeared rubbing his arm.

"Ok, Donna will shower first and then me and then Leonard, I assume you won't be changing?" he asked the Doctor,

"No I'll go as myself," he grinned,

"Why do you get to go before me?" Leonard closed the door and dropped his keys in a bowl.

"I'm going as Batman so I need more time to get ready,"

"I'm going as a Klingon – that takes ages!"

"Yes … but you don't need to shower," Sheldon said then turned to where the Doctor had put on his glasses and was looking over a white board,

"That's mine," Leonard said suddenly almost as nervous as his first 'date' with Penny (the one she hadn't known was a date).

"It's good, impressive …" he mumbled something else that the other two couldn't hear.

"This is mine!" Sheldon said as ever eager for praise running over to a nearby whiteboard and tapping it forcefully… Leonard was annoyed by the interruption and amazed Sheldon didn't seem even a little bit nervous about the Doctor seeing his work. Of course this was Sheldon – all ego and no humility.

"Genius no doubt about that," the Doctor said running a hand inches over the board, laughing when he found an insult to earlier (inaccurate) work.

"So how is it Leonard gets the four Nobel prizes?" he asked crossly folding his arms,

"That, Doctor Cooper, you will have to wait and see,"

"Does Leonard steal my work?" he asked suddenly,

"Sheldon!" Leonard gaped at his friend.

"It's a valid hypothesis,"

The Doctor sighed; he was beginning to think hanging around was a bad idea.

"How could I steal your work you hid it away."

And the two were off arguing again.

"Since you falsified my results don't you think I'm right too?"

As the two men argued louder the door opened and Penny arrived.