Thank you to Teobi for leaving such an epic review – you are a boss :)

Let's have a challenge to see if anyone can do better than Teobi, shall we? :P I would love you if you review *gives hug* :)

This chapter is a bit of character filler, and it dives a bit into your past. Hope you don't mind :)

Chapter 4: The Meal-Time Catalyst

"Then, Leonard made me hot cocoa and we all sat and drank it together! Penny, you never told me how nice your neighbours were! Or how insanely smart they are…" you trailed off, deep in thought as you explained the nights events in great detail to a very indifferent and slightly bored Penny. You both sat on her sofa, clad in your cosy nightwear and free of your make- up as you switched dramatic and humorous memories. You had just ran out of anything to say, so proceeded to tell her what had happened during your eventful visit to meet her friends and neighbours across the hall and use the shower in their apartment.

"That's nice sweetie…" Her voice drawled as she gave you a small smile, tucking her legs underneath her, and you – oblivious to her boredom – grinned back.

The pillow you were clutching against your chest was the one you had brought from your old apartment and the pink fluffiness was drawing Penny's gaze and making her more interested than she had been previously before. The white wine in the glass she held in her right hand was now almost empty as she sat it down on the coffee table, before turning to you.

"(_f/n_)?" She asked quietly, a serious tone lining her usually bright voice.

"Yes?" You questioned, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the gaze she was now giving you.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," You felt the colour drain from your face; maybe she was going to ask you to stay away from her friends? You didn't have many friends – hell, nowadays you felt Penny was your only friend, "How did you reach where you are today? Like, how did you lose your apartment?" She looked apprehensively at you, slightly fearful in case you refused to tell her anything and simply stopped talking to her altogether. You looked past her, deep in thought as you contemplated on whether or not telling her the whole story was a good idea. In the end, you opted for half of an answer.

"Ah..." You paused, smiling slightly at her, "It's a long story."

"Well I have time." She looked optimistically at you and you sighed. You guessed it couldn't hurt to tell her.

"Well, you know I had that job at the restaurant?" She hummed thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah, I remember eating there a few times, it's a nice place." You rubbed your neck awkwardly as you continued.

"Well, when I came home one day from a night shift, my apartment was broken into." Penny gasped slightly but you kept talking, "They took almost everything I had, except my furniture."

"Oh, I'm sorry, (_f/n_)" You shrugged.

"It's okay, but I realised that I would either have to go to the police and report the crime or continue working and try harder at my job to earn more and pay for the damage. I knew the police would never do anything. They would just take one look at me and judge me as 'another young girl who can't take care of herself' It's happened before with them, and it would happen again." Penny was silent, her face showing sympathy and empathy to you and your current situation. "So I worked as much as I could at that restaurant, and I even took another job as a checkout operator at a local grocery store. After a few weeks of non-stop work, I was run-down, ill and only a few thousand dollars up. The manager told me to stop taking so much work because of health and safety reasons. I told him no, I needed the money and it was none of his business to care about my health or safety. We got into an argument and he fired me. I didn't really beg for my job because I hated it there anyway. I was sick and tired of seeing that place." You shivered involuntarily as Penny picked up her glass and sipped the last remaining wine. "The grocery store manager fired me a week later. Something along the lines of mixing up the Sweet Potatoes and the Yams." You laughed. You actually had done that on purpose to escape from the misery of that damn job. Penny nodded, her eyes boring through you as you finished your story.

"So I couldn't pay for my apartment, I called you and here we are." You smiled, "Thanks for taking me in by the way." You grinned, cuddling your fluffy pillow like a small child does and before you knew it, Penny was hugging you again, sobbing as she did so. Alarmed and thoroughly worried, you hugged her back.

"P-penny, what's wrong?!" She sobbed into your shoulder.

"Oh, (_f/n_) I'm so sorry! Everything that's happened to you, everything you've been through, it's just a-awful and you don't deserve it!" She hugged you tighter, stealing away the last bit of air you had left in your lungs as you laughed softly.

"Its fine, don't worry Penny, it's all behind me now." She nodded and pulled away, wiping her eyes with her free hand. Grateful, you took a deep breath of air into your starved lungs.

"Sorry I asked..." She mumbled apologetically.

"That's okay, I don't mind." You rubbed her shoulder affectionately before she stood to place both of your empty wine glasses in her kitchen. You stretched out on her couch which had been turned into a makeshift bed with a random assortment of coloured blankets and pillows strewn across it. Pulling one off the ground and placing it over yourself, you bid Penny goodnight as she passed to her bedroom. She returned it politely, stray sobs echoing her voice, before wishing you a good night's sleep and closing her door, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

It had been a long and stressful day and sleep sounded like a great idea, and just as you were drifting off, there was a gentle knock at Penny's apartment door. You jolted upright, intent that murdering rapists were trying to break in and destroy the house with you inside. Frantically scanning the room for a good-sized weapon, a though hit you – murdering rapists wouldn't knock, would they? You sighed, panic attack now firmly subdued and you made your way cautiously over to the door, eyeing it suspiciously as if it would cave in at any moment. When you reached it, you peered through the eye hole and a wave of relief spread over you – it was just Leonard.

You opened the door quietly so you didn't disturb Penny and looked, as Leonard stood, clad in a red dressing gown – complete with white socks and messy hair. He looked nervous for some reason.

"Oh, hey Leonard." you greeted, smiling warmly at him in an attempt to encourage him into speaking.

"Hi (_f/n_), sorry for coming round this late..."

"That's okay, I wasn't really sleeping anyway," You shifted on your feet, "Is there something you wanted?"

He nodded and spoke again.

"I was just wondering if you would like to join Penny – or j-join us – when we have dinner... in our apartment... tomorrow night..." He pointed behind him when he said 'our apartment' as if you didn't know where his apartment was already. You were a little taken aback, if truth be told. Could he not have just waited till tomorrow to ask you? I mean, it wasn't as if you had many plans nowadays... But you didn't have the heart to deny the guy; standing there wringing his hands and tightening his dressing gown as he waited patiently for your answer.

"Sure," He grinned at you from behind his glasses, "I would love to have dinner with you guys," you pointed into Penny's apartment behind you, "Penny's coming too?" He looked behind you warily as if she would suddenly spring out from her hiding place, but when she didn't, he answered with a; "Yeah, I presume so."

You laughed quietly, "Cool. It's a date then." You waved him goodbye and shut the door behind you, unaware that as Leonard walked away, his cheeks flushed pink in the darkness.