Penny had been shopping with Sheldon several times and over the years they had reached an understanding. Sheldon didn't comment on her purchases and she didn't leave him in the parking lot. This Sheldon hadn't learned that little rule yet.

"Penny, I notice you are buying green apple shampoo in a 24 oz bottle."

She took a moment to unclench her teeth. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Sheldon looked at her quizzically. "Do you realize that for an additional 78 cents, you could purchase the 64 oz bottle?"

"Yes, I do," she repeated. "But I don't want the large bottle. It doesn't fit the shower caddy I have."

"But if you purchased the larger bottle, you could simply refill the smaller bottle as necessary, and save approximately $3.24 a month. That is a savings of $288 a year."

Penny turned to yell at him, but stopped when she saw his expression. His expression was open and innocent and she knew immediately he was simply trying to be helpful. How often in her past had he done this exact thing? And she always felt guilty when she had gotten upset with him, realizing after she yelled that he wasn't being critical, he was simply being Sheldon.

Penny nodded finally. "You know what? You're right." She put back the smaller bottle and grabbed the economy size. She was rewarded by a cheerful smile from her lanky friend. Worth it, she thought to herself as they left the health and beauty aisle.


The moment he entered his apartment, Sheldon found himself in the middle of an interrogation.

"Who is she?" Leonard demanded.

"How did you meet her?" Raj asked.

"How long you been hitting that?" Howard asked with a salacious wink.

Sheldon pushed past his friends and took his purchases into the kitchen. "Her name is Penny. We met when she approached me at my office. And, Howard, I would never hit a woman. Any man who would, is not a man at all," he said firmly.

Howard rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean that literally! I mean how long have you been bumping uglies? Getting it on? Doing the horizontal bop?" At Sheldon's blank look, Howard tried bluntness. "Having sex?"

Sheldon's expression became thunderous. Howard's crude question made his temper rise. "Penny is my... friend. We are not having coitus. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"So, she's single?" Leonard asked eagerly.

Sheldon nodded. "Yes. She is single and now living in 4B."

Howard, Raj and Leonard looked at each other for a second. Suddenly they burst into action, racing for the door. All three men scrambled to be the one out the door first. Being slightly larger than the other two, and a little more agile, Raj won, stumbling out the door and across the hall a second before Leonard.

He knocked eagerly with one hand while searching his pockets for a pen and piece of paper with the other. By the time Penny opened the door, Howard and Leonard were beside him, all three jockeying for position.

Penny looked over their heads at Sheldon standing by the desk, watching her. She could see confusion in his eyes, and wondered what had him worried. She looked back at the others who were all smiling at her in what they thought were flirty ways.

"Hi," she said calmly.

Leonard secretly pinched the other two to give him the advantage. "Hi, again. I just wanted to welcome you to the building, and say that if you need anything, I'm just across the hall."

Penny smiled slightly. "Thanks, guys. I'm sure we'll bump into each other. Especially since Sheldon and I will likely be spending a lot of time together."

"You and Sheldon?" Howard asked with surprise. "Really?"

Penny smiled at Sheldon over their heads. "Sure. He's a great guy. I'm very lucky to count him as my friend." She looked back at Leonard, desperate to cut off any crush he might be developing. "Sheldon's the whole reason I'm here. Well, I need to unfinished packing. Bye."

Penny shut the door and the three drifted back into 4A. Howard closed the door behind them and the trio slumped down on the couch. "Great," Leonard whined. "I finally meet the girl of my dreams, and she's only got eyes for Sheldon."

Sheldon ignored the insult and walked back to his bedroom. He closed his door and sat on the edge of his bed. He had been concerned when his friends had raced across the hall. That confused him. He had only known Penny for 5 hours and 11 minutes, and yet, the urge to protect her was already deeply imbedded. Possibly because of the things she had told him about their future relationship. It did seem as though they were good friends from the things she knew about him, and how easily she accepted his so-called quirks.

"Sheldon's the whole reason I'm here."

He wondered why that statement felt prophetic.