Wow guys. It's been a while! Sorry I've been moving and NO INTERNET! It's awful but next month I will have internet and be able to update regularly! I love you all. Thanks for favoriting and following and everything! Sweethearts[:

This is kind of a filler chapter but still important to the rest of the story!

I love chuu all. Enjoy[:


Chapter Seven

Penny knew, she just knew, Leonard would be walking over to her apartment any second. So she quickly changed into some of her pajama shorts and a tank top. She couldn't take this on by herself and she was going to make Sheldon do it with her. No more secrets.

It's time to come clean.

She opened the door to Leonard's raised fist. She motioned towards his apartment and they walked over there. Penny sat next to Sheldon, in her spot, and Leonard stood.

"So why were you in Sheldon's room?" Leonard asked and it looked like he was a parent questioning her the way he stood over them.

"Sleeping." She answered and Leonard sighed and plopped onto his chair.

"Why were you sleeping in there?" Leonard asked and Penny looked at Sheldon.

"I went in there last night to talk to Sheldon but…instead I fell asleep. I don't think drunken conversations are very great anyway." She and Sheldon shared a small look.

Leonard knew. He absolutely knew now.

"YOU GUYS LIKE EACH OTHER?!" Leonard practically screamed.

"What?" Penny said dumbly and Leonard walked to the kitchen, unsure of what to do with himself.

"I-you-he…what is going on here?" He finally breathed out.

"Sheldon, I think we should tell him. We can't put it off until the agreement is drawn up." Penny said and Sheldon thought it over.

"I suppose we should." Sheldon agreed.

Penny was worried about how Leonard would react, and she didn't want to tell him until after his date but she knew that it had to come out and now is as good a time as ever.

"Sheldon and I are in a relationship…sort of." Penny said and Leonard lifted his eyebrows.

Leonard shoved his hands in the pockets of his robe and stood there silently for a while.

"Sort of?" He finally said.

"I haven't presented her with the relationship agreement yet." Sheldon answered and Leonard sighed.

"How long has this been going on, Sheldon?" He acted as if Penny wasn't there.

"Not that long…" Penny cut in.

"Sheldon." Leonard persisted.

"She kissed me the day we came back from the artic but I requested she stopped seeing people on Wednesday when she was intoxicated." Sheldon answered and Leonard felt his blood boiling.

He knew, he knew I liked her. Leonard thought angrily.

"Why?! Why him?!" Leonard yelled at Penny.

"Whoa, um, first of all take it down a notch or I will do it for you. How dare you yell at me! We never even really dated. You don't own me, Leonard and I have the right to date who I want!" Penny yelled back.

She was getting pissed off. He had no reason to act like this.

"Leonard, I'm going to ask you to stop yelling at Penny. She isn't at fault here, if anything you are." Sheldon interjected.

"Oh don't get me started with you! I thought I was your best friend! How could you do this to me?!" Leonard didn't give Sheldon the time to answer as he stomped of to his room.

"Did I break some sort of social protocol there?" Sheldon sat confused.

Did he? Penny thought.

I mean, yeah, Leonard had those feelings for Penny and usually a guy's friend wouldn't go after that girl but Leonard has a date tonight. Penny and Leonard never dated. So why does Penny feel a little bit guilty?

She knows she shouldn't and she wants to beat herself up over it but if this is going to strain Leonard and Sheldon's relationship…then maybe she should feel guilty.

At least a little bit.

But God damn it. Leonard didn't own her.

"I don't know sweetie." Penny finally answered unsure of how to handle this situation. "Maybe I should talk to him." She breathed and stood up.

"Or maybe we should give Leonard some time. He has his date tonight…let him think on it. If nothing changes then maybe we both should sit down and have a talk with him." Sheldon said and Penny nodded.

She really hoped he would calm down but how can she be so sure?

"I'm going to go get ready." She said and quickly left.

She felt a heavy tension over there and she didn't like it. Maybe they should have waited until after Leonard's crummy date then he would be in good spirits. Maybe Penny shouldn't have gone over there drunk and decided to sleep all day.

"Fuck." Penny voiced and realized she was standing with her door shut just staring at nothing.

She shook her head and walked off to her room. Time for a shower and some Advil. That always helps.

Sheldon sat in his spot and contemplated what he did wrong.

He likes Penny, Penny likes him, Leonard and Penny aren't together nor were they ever, so what is wrong with the situation?

Is it because he likes her? Well so did Wolowitz does that mean he's going to be hurting Howard too?

Because just like Howard, Leonard will be infatuated with almost any pretty girl that he sees.

So what? What was it that was wrong here?

Sheldon hated problems he couldn't solve, especially when it came to being social. It was always just out of his grasp. He should be able to solve this. Know what to do.

But he didn't. And he didn't like that.

"I'm going out." Leonard walked out of his room wearing his unnatural amount of layers of clothing.

"Leonard, may I ask you what I did wrong?"

"Like you don't know." Leonard spat back still headed for the door.

Sheldon stood up, "I don't…otherwise I would try to fix it."

"You want to fix it? Then maybe you should break up with Penny." Leonard stomped out and left Sheldon speechless.

Yes, Leonard Hofstader left Sheldon Cooper PhD speechless.

Break up with Penny? That didn't make his stomach feel good. It made it feel sick.

Penny made him happy. Why couldn't Leonard be happy for them? Did it really bug him so much that he couldn't have Penny? It made him unhappy to the point where he wanted to make Sheldon and Penny unhappy?

What kind of person is like that?

Sheldon began to question Leonard's intentions.

Does he really think that breaking them apart will help his chances?

But does he really want to lose his best friend?

Penny, though, was also a really good friend. She was a really good girlfriend too.

He had so much thinking to do. There are people that are going to be lost in this situation, he felt, and he didn't like that.

Because he felt really strong feelings for Penny and he was scared to lose her.

He also cared about Leonard, he didn't want to lose him either.

But who could he choose in this situation?

And I'll push you away, I get so afraid.

Leonard didn't know where he was going but he only had two other friends so there were only two other places to go and since he didn't really want to deal with Howard's mom he went to Raj's.

He was pissed off. Who would have thought Sheldon of all the people in the world would get with Penny?

Sheldon knew that Leonard had a thing for her. He would be with her in a heartbeat if she asked him to. He assumed Penny knew it too. It's like they intentionally hurt him.

But a part of him thought that it was too far of him to say that, to think that.

Because really it was but he was so angry he didn't care. He might regret his words somewhere down the line but he really just didn't care at this moment.

"What's up dude?" Raj said when he saw Leonard's face.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay sure come in." Raj steps away from the door and Leonard marches to the couch.

He didn't know what to do.

"So what's going on man?" Raj sat next to him.

"I-I don't even know. It's so unbelievable. Sheldon and Penny…they like each other. They're almost a couple!" He shouted and stood up abruptly.

He didn't even know why he was so angry.

"Almost?" Raj asks and Leonard rolls his eyes.

"The Relationship Agreement hasn't been drawn up." He finally sits back down.

"Good for them." Raj said cheerily and Leonard shot him a death glare.

"What? Why do you have to be so angry? Penny isn't your girlfriend and you have a date tonight. Why wouldn't you want them to be happy?" Raj said and Leonard sighed heavily.

He didn't know what to do. He was still angry at Sheldon and he had nothing to say to Penny but Raj brought up valid points.

"I…don't know what to do. He knew I liked her. They both knew and still they were acting differently and…and—" He cut off and sighed again, "why didn't I see this coming?"

Raj had no answer. He saw it coming, hell even Howard seen it coming, Leonard was just so infatuated he didn't notice.

Even when everyone else could.

Penny didn't know if the situation would get better she could only hope. She hoped Leonard would come to his senses and realize that he was overreacting. Like way too much.

Penny changed and checked what day it was. Nope, no work today. She hoped something good would come on her day off. Maybe Sheldon will finally get that damn agreement drawn up and she can say that he's her boyfriend, for real.

She didn't really think that this agreement would change much because she already said he was the other night but it will be official for Sheldon and well, she wanted that. She wanted him to feel it was official in his mind too. She smiled thinking about her Whack-a-Doodle.

She's felt a lot of things in her life time regarding love and sex but something was different with Sheldon. He wasn't the normal douche bag guy she usually dated who pretended to be nice just to get with her then turn into a total asshat after. He also thought of her as a person. Not just an attractive dumb blonde.

Sheldon may be an asshat but that's just because he doesn't know any better and he usually does it to 'help people'. She used to think Leonard was a nice guy. She even thought he would be that guy.

You know the guy who would be such a perfect match and a total sweetheart.

But Sheldon was him.

Oh my God, she thought, it's Sheldon.

Her mouth fell open and she clasped a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly.

Well, crap on a cracker. She didn't know how to handle this one.

Sheldon was unsure of what to do, still. He kept pacing around his apartment whilst working on his board. He couldn't get his mind off Leonard's words.

He didn't want to break up with Penny.

He didn't want to lose her so shortly after they have gotten together. Well, he didn't want to lose her period. He was losing focus on his work. He kept drifting off thinking about Penny or Leonard.

When would Leonard return? Would he still be angry?

Sheldon sighed. Clearly nothing was going to be answered with him just standing here. Not even his work is being helped with this free time.

He should be working. No Penny. No Leonard. No Howard. No Raj. No distractions.

He was the distraction and he didn't like it. He usually focused but now…now he had all these unanswered questions. He hated not knowing. He gave up on the board and walked over to the television. He put on Battlestar Galatica and stifled another sigh.

He really hated not knowing.

He was halfway into an episode and wasn't even focused on the TV. He heard banging around at Penny's house then some music. He rolled his eyes. He will never understand why she must listen to her music so loudly. He got up and walked over to 4B and knocked his usual knocks.

"Hey sweetie." Penny smiled and obviously shut off the music.

"Penny, may I ask you to keep the volume on your stereo at a lower level. I can barely hear Battlestar Galactica."

"You're welcome." Penny smiled and Sheldon quirked an eyebrow.

"For what? I did not thank you for anything." He was quite perplexed.

"I was being a smart ass sweetie. Like your welcome you don't have to watch that awful show." Penny didn't really hate Battlestar Galatica but it for sure wasn't on her DVR.

Well right now she couldn't even watch her DVR…behind on the bill.

"Oh I see. A failed attempt at humor." He quipped and she rolled her eyes.

She still smiled, "want to come in?"

"I'm sorry but I have to decline. I would like to finish my episode of Battlestar."

"You already missed half of it." Penny said plainly.

"True." He said with a distracted look.

He examined Penny. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress that brought out her tan and her blonde hair was wavy. She had a flower in her hair and light makeup on.

She wasn't just lounging around at home. She was waiting for him.

"Penny, are you going anywhere?" Penny felt her face get warm.

Maybe she dressed up on the off chance that Sheldon would come over. Maybe she didn't. She wouldn't say anything.

"No. I was thinking about going out for lunch but then I checked my wallet." She said smoothly. "I should have done that before all the dressing and primping." She sighed for good measure.

"Oh I see how that would cause a problem." Sheldon's mind suddenly struck a quite brilliant idea. "Penny…what if I took us out for lunch? You're already dressed. So am I."

Did Sheldon just ask me on a date? Penny felt her lips automatically pull into a smile and her hear fluttered.

"That would be great." She sighed out after realizing she was standing there like an idiot with a stupid smile on her face.

"Great. Let me just get my coat." Sheldon said and walked over to 4A to get his coat.

As Sheldon and Penny were walking down the stairs Raj and Howard were walking up. Leonard was nowhere to be seen. When Howard caught site of them he was ready to say a dirty remark but then he remembered she was with Sheldon now.

"Hey guys, where ya goin'?" He said casually.

"I'm taking Penny out for lunch." Sheldon stated and Raj let out an 'aw'.

"Wow. That's a step in the right direction." Penny smiled at Raj and he looked at the floor.

"Wait…you guys are going on a date?" Howard asked. Penny's smile grew just a bit.

Sheldon thought it over, "Yes I suppose we are." He couldn't keep the smile from appearing, it was a small one but it didn't go unnoticed by the guys.

"Well, have fun you guys. We'll stop by later." Howard and Raj walked down the rest of the stairs they just walked up.

Penny laced her fingers through Sheldon's and they walked down the stairs hand in hand. Sheldon was unaware of what to do on a "date" but he knew Penny wouldn't get too aggravated.

Maybe a bit.

But not too much.

And I can't live without you now.

"Penny, you should know I am unsure of what to do on a date." He said as they exited the building.

"I know sweetie." Penny smiled at Sheldon.

It felt like she was smiling a lot lately.

Howard and Raj were planning on seeing what exactly was the deal with Leonard's ranting, so they decided to visit Sheldon (and hopefully Penny, Howard thought). They had always assumed Sheldon didn't have a deal.

Howard and Leonard because apparently Raj knew. Howard held in an eye roll.

Yeah, sure. He "knew". Whatever.

"Whoa is that…" Howard cut off when he saw the couple descending the stairs. "Hey guys, where ya goin'?"

It looked like Penny and Sheldon were about to go on…a date.

Penny was looking gorgeous and Sheldon…well, he looked like Sheldon. Not much to say there.

"I'm taking Penny out for lunch." Sheldon said.

Wow. Sheldon has a deal. And it's Penny.

"Wait…you guys are going on a date?" Howard said unbelievably.

He knew it was true. He just needed conformation from the supposedly a-sexual guy. He noticed Penny's smile.

She looked really happy and hot…back on track.

"Yes I suppose we are." Sheldon said after a moment of silence.

Howard and Raj noticed a small, genuine, smile appear on his face as well.

Howard wanted to say something so smart assed or dirty but…they looked so…happy. He couldn't end that moment. He might be a creep jerk most of the time but he wasn't all that bad.

"Well, have fun you guys. We'll stop by later." Howard said and he turned and walked away.

Wow. Sheldon has a deal.

But why was Leonard so angry?

Because he didn't win the metaphorical race? He didn't get the prize that is Penny?

Whatever it is…Howard didn't care. His loyalties did lie with Leonard but he didn't want to lose Sheldon.

Ugh, he even hated thinking that but when it comes down to it…Sheldon had become a friend and so had Penny.

"Wow, dude. I knew they would eventually see they liked each other but who knew Sheldon would actually take Penny out?" Raj nodded approvingly and Howard made a noise that apparently was a laugh.

"What do you think they're gonna do? Dress up like O'Hara and Spock and get it on?" He smirked then he thought about Penny dressed as O'Hara.

So hot.

Raj shrugged, "Do you think that Penny will actually stay with Sheldon if at one point they weren't planning on engaging in sexual activity?"

Howard stopped walking and looked at Raj. "Wow…Penny dressed as O'Hara and me, erm, I mean, Sheldon dressed as Spock. Do you think Penny would go that far?" He hoped Raj would say yes.

"No…I don't know." Raj shook his head and kept walking.

"Sheldon is a lucky bastard…" Howard said and they continued to Howard's "hog".