A/N Still just doing this for fun. As usual want to thank my reviewers, you make it even more enjoyable. But I also want to thank all those who are following my story. Know it is long time between chapters, but I recently started working from home and hope can get more done.

After he left Penny at her door, Leonard glanced at his watch and was gratified to see it was past Sheldon's bedtime. He really just wanted to relax and think about the evening. When he went into his own apartment, he was astounded to see not only was Sheldon still up, but Amy was there as well. They were both deeply engrossed in working on one of Sheldon's whiteboards and didn't even seem to notice he was there.

Curious as to what was so demanding their attention, he walked over and looked over Amy's shoulder. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at but then he noticed the word Asymmetry at the top. Suddenly he realized what they were working on and as he studied it deeper, realized how exciting it looked. He watched as Sheldon continued to work with Amy contributing at certain points. About fifteen minutes after Leonard entered the room, they seemed to hit a stall point. Without thinking he said, "You need to go back a step. Think you inverted your sign."

They both looked him and said in unison, "What are you doing here?"

Leonard smiled, "I live here." Then he went on, "I got back about fifteen minutes ago, but you guys were so engrossed, you didn't even notice. "Then gesturing to the whiteboard, "This is really fantastic, I think you are really on to something."

Sheldon and Amy smiled at each other. "We know."

Leonard went on, "What ever got you started on this?"

Sheldon looked at Amy, "It was like a mutual brainstorm. We were talking about something unrelated and she said something about symmetry and asymmetry and it just came to me." He looked proudly at her, "She caught on right away and we were off."

Then he looked at the whiteboard, "But if I am starting to make mistakes that Leonard can notice, I think it is time to give it up for the night. We can continue tomorrow."

Amy spoke up, "Should we work on it over lunch at work? I don't know if I can wait until tomorrow night."

Sheldon thought for a moment, "I agree, but it is too dangerous, someone might get an idea of what we are doing." Then he looked at Leonard. "Of course, Leonard knows."

Leonard stared at him, "You can trust me Sheldon. You know I would never betray you."

Sheldon seemed like he wasn't sure, then he said, "I suppose."

Leonard smirked, "Gee thanks Sheldon." But then he realized something. "Tomorrow is Friday, everyone is planning to come over for supper."

Sheldon sighed, "That's right. I don't suppose we can cancel without someone getting suspicious."

Amy hesitantly spoke up, "We could work at my apartment."

Sheldon looked at her and then said, "What would make you think that would cause less suspicion? They would still wonder why we were not eating here, especially since I have never done anything like that before."

Leonard who had seen what Amy was doing, surreptitiously wrote a quick note on a piece of paper and then said, "I think it's a good idea Sheldon, we will just tell them you are having supper with your girlfriend." At the same time he snuck the paper into Amy's hand.

Sheldon stared at him. "Leonard, you know Amy is not my girlfriend."

"You misunderstood me Sheldon, I just meant she is a friend who is a girl."

As Sheldon considered that, Amy looked at the note Leonard had given her. It simply said 'Spaghetti with hot dogs.'

Finally, Sheldon said, "I guess that would be all right." Then it looked at Amy, "But what would we be having? After all, it is Pizza night."

Amy said a little worriedly, "Spaghetti with hot dogs."

To Amy's surprise and joy, Sheldon's face lit up, "Spaghetti with hot dogs cut up! That's my favorite!"

Amy turned to Leonard and mouthed 'Thank you.'

Leonard just smiled happily back. Then said, "Maybe you should put the whiteboard in Amy's car. You can put a new one in its place so no one notices it's gone."

As they left to do that, Leonard stopped Amy for a moment and whispered, "If you can find some Pink Yahoo, I would recommend getting some."

After they left, Leonard felt proud of himself. 'Wait until Penny hears how I was a matchmaker.'

Thinking of Penny brought him back to thinking of the evening. Not wanting to talk to Sheldon any more, he quickly brushed his teeth, relieved himself and got ready for bed.

As seemed usual when he thought back over events with Penny, it did not seem near as bad as it had before. It really had been good to be with Penny. As far as the incident with George, he realized that if had tried to help, the whole thing would have probably blown up and ruined the evening. He also decided if Penny was really in danger, he would be there for her.

He smiled to himself as he thought how he had solved the problem of when to cheer. At first, he waited until Penny did, but by the time he got up, Penny and the others were done. He found that if he watched Penny, he could anticipate when she was getting up and thus was more in synch. He smiled to himself, it had also been much more pleasurable to watch Penny than the game. He also ruefully thought that since he already knew he and Penny did not enjoy many of the same things, this night had not changed that.

As he continued to think back over what had happened, he berated himself that his insecurities about the evening had prevented him from asking Penny if she wanted to do something afterward.

As he was dropping off to sleep, he remembered how Alex had approached them before the game. Not for the first time, he wondered, since it was becoming more obvious that he really did not have a shot with Penny, if he should ask her out. But it always came back to the same thing. She was a student working for him. There was another reason also. He really did admire her and her work. He planned to write a glowing recommendation for her after they were finished. He didn't want to risk having anyone saying he might have been affected because he was involved with her.

Penny woke the next morning with a splitting headache, the result of her overindulging the night before. Thankful that she was working the late shift, she struggled out of bed, did her morning absolutions, took some pain pills, and crawled back into bed.

Some time later, she got back up, took some more pain pills and made herself something to eat. Then feeling more human, she sipped her coffee and thought back to how she had left things wondering what to do about Leonard. One thing had not changed, she did have strong romantic feelings for him, perhaps even loved him, but she hadn't changed her mind that them being together was not going to end well.

She realized though, that one thing had changed, she no longer felt she needed to tell him there would never be anything between them. There was no need to hurt him. Besides, she smiled to herself, who knew what the future held. No, she would just leave it the way it was.

Feeling satisfied with her decision, she suddenly remembered how that Alex dame had acted around Leonard. Maybe she should think more about her and Leonard. Then she shook her head, No, she wasn't the one for Leonard. If there was to be something between him and Alex or someone else, she would just have to accept it.

Then, ignoring the little voice in her head telling her that she was making a big mistake, she headed for the shower to start getting ready for work.

Although Penny had decided to leave things as they were, she discovered that was not as easy as she had hoped. Where before she was comfortable around Leonard, she now found that realizing her feelings for him affected how she reacted to him. When that was combined with the fact she did not want him to suspect how she felt, her time with him became more difficult.

Not having planned it, she found she was often avoiding being with him. She told herself that it was because she was dating more. That was true but she was not enjoying it that much. She also realized that more of her nights out were ending with sex. Although it was nothing like after she broke up with Kurt, it was still troubling.

Leonard could tell that for some reason Penny seemed to be avoiding him. When they did get together the special feeling that had existed between them seemed to be missing. He couldn't put his finger on it but something had changed. He finally decided she had gotten back into the life she was part of before her breakup with Kurt. She had been really living two different lives and it seemed she had chosen to return to her old one.

Leonard's solution was to throw himself deeply into his work. He was surprised and pleased when Alex did the same. They spent a lot of ten-hour days working together. Afterwards, they often would go out for a late supper. He found himself opening up to her about his past and even about his feelings for Penny.

For Alex, it was a mixed blessing. She loved all the time she was spending with Leonard and was glad to see him open up to her. But she was bothered by how he felt about Penny. Couldn't he see that she wasn't the one for him, that she, Alex, was the one he should be wanting to be with.

Meanwhile, Amy and Sheldon continued to work on their theory, spending almost every moment away from work together. Sometimes, when they lost track of time, Amy would stay over. She said she would be happy with the couch, but Sheldon, ever the gentleman, insisted she stay in Leonard's room. Leonard knew he should object but he was happy for Sheldon and especially for Amy. But it was becoming apparent to everyone except Sheldon that Amy wanted to move to a different level in their relationship.

Bernadette finally decided on what she wanted and took a high-paying job with a large pharmaceutical company. She remembered her promise to Howard and gave him a call. They started to date, but Bernadette wasn't interested in anything serious and dated other men as well.

Then, about two months after the basketball game, Leonard was informed he had been chosen to receive a highly prestigious physics award. Sheldon of course pointed out that he had won it when he was eighteen, but still admitted it was kind of a big deal for Leonard.

There was to be a banquet to give out the award and Leonard knew he was expected to bring a date. He immediately thought of Penny, but she had other plans. He then decided to ask Alex. After all, it wasn't really a romantic date. He still couldn't help smiling at Alex's excitement when he asked her.

The night of the banquet, Leonard, Sheldon, and Amy were in the apartment preparing to leave. Both men looked quite handsome in their black suits and Amy had even donned a more revealing and stylish dress for the occasion. Leonard had to smirk to himself as he saw how Sheldon was reacting to the new Amy. He kept stealing looks at her and seemed to be pondering something.

Penny was also preparing to leave; she was spending the weekend with Stephen in San Francisco. As she went out her door with an overnight bag, Leonard and the others were leaving their apartment as well. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw Leonard. He looked so handsome and she once again regretted she had not agreed to go with him. As time had gone on, her feelings for him had not lessened, but had increased. But she had become even more convinced that she was not what he needed, what he deserved. She had attempted to bury her feelings by convincing herself she was living the life she wanted, playing the field, with no attachments. The only problem was, she found it more and more difficult to convince herself.

Leonard saw Penny leaving her apartment with a bag and cursed himself that he still felt jealous and sad that she was going to spend the weekend with another man. Couldn't he get it through his head that they were not going to get together? In fact, they had never been so far apart since the first time they met.

Forcing a smile to his face, he called out, "Hi Penny, heading out to San Francisco? That really sounds like fun."

Penny smiled back, "Yeah, looking forward to it." She hesitated and then said, "You guys both look great, so handsome. And Amy you look really beautiful."

Amy blushed and answered, "Thank you Penny, I know I can never be as beautiful as you."

Then Sheldon shocked them all by speaking up, "Whoa. You shouldn't say that. I think you are just as beautiful as Penny. Maybe more beautiful."

While everyone was shocked into silence, Amy finally got out. "Do you really think so Sheldon? Do you think I am beautiful?"

"Of course, and you also have a beautiful mind, which is more than Penny can say."

With that the moment passed and everyone said their goodbyes as they went on their way.

They stopped to pick up Alex and when Léonard went to get her, he was stunned when she opened the door. She was stunning, the dress she had chosen showed off her figure and especially her gorgeous legs. Alex smiled to herself as she saw his reaction. Then she was stunned herself at how he looked. She had always thought of him as cute, but was amazed to see how handsome he was. As they both stood there, Leonard recovered and said, "Are you ready to go?"

Alex snapped out of it and said, "Of course." Then not wanting to sound like she felt, she said, "You look really nice, you should wear a suit more often."

"Thank you, you dress up very well yourself." Inwardly Leonard cringed, 'Way to go Hofstadter, you sound like an idiot.'

Alex didn't seem to notice; she took his arm and they went out to the car.

Both Alex and Leonard had a wonderful time at the banquet, thoroughly enjoying the time they spend together. Leonard even enjoyed dancing with her, she seemed to make it so easy. For Alex, it was so exciting to be his arms. She knew now, she had strong feelings for Leonard but then remembered how he still harbored feelings for Penny. Then she berated herself and told herself she was just going to embrace the time she spent with him. She was determined that he would grow to feel about her as she felt about him.

When he dropped her off at her apartment, Alex wanted him to kiss her, but told herself not to be disappointed when he didn't.

"Goodnight, Alex, I had a great time. Thanks for being my date."

"Goodnight Leonard. I am so glad you asked me. I really enjoyed it and congratulations again. I was so glad I could share this with you."

"Thank you, Alex, you made it more special for me."

Penny awoke in a room in a five-star hotel in San Francisco. She looked over at the man lying next to her. Both of them were naked from their lovemaking the night before. They had been in San Francisco for the past two days and were scheduled to fly out that afternoon. It had been an exciting time; they had really painted the town red. Stephen was a fun guy to be with and the sex had been great. So why wasn't she excited and happy? Why did she wish she had gone to what was probably a boring affair with Leonard? Why did she feel so empty? Why did it bother her so much that he had gone with Alex?

She, of course knew the answer to all those questions. She loved Leonard Hofstadter. The more she had tried to deny it, the more she had convinced herself they could not be together, the more she argued that she could not risk being hurt again, knowing this time she might not recover, the more she realized how deeply she felt about him.

God, she was so pathetic. She had to quit this. She had to quit feeling sorry for herself. She was strong, independent. She did not need Leonard to give her life meaning. She vowed then and there she was going to enjoy what she had. A lot of women would love to be where she was, to live her life.

She looked over at Stephen. Then, smirking to herself, she lifted the covers and reached out and took him in her hand, stroking him gently. Suddenly he awoke with a surprised look on his face, then looked down and saw what she was doing. Smiling, he reached out and stroked her breast, "My God, Penny, you are insatiable."

With both of them working so hard on the project, Leonard and Alex finished it up early. After they had turned in their report to Dr. Gablehauser, they went out and had a celebratory drink together. Alex convinced him they should do at least one dance. They ended up dancing together until the bar closed. Alex had to admit Leonard was not a star dancer but it felt so good to be held by him. They both drank a little too much and Leonard left his car and they took a cab.

Telling the driver to wait Leonard walked her to her door. Emboldened by the alcohol in her system, Alex was not about to be denied again. As Leonard was about to say goodnight, she put her arms around him and crushed her lips to his. At first, Leonard was stunned, but then he returned the kiss. After some time, they reluctantly broke apart, both breathing a little heavily.

Alex, now a little embarrassed by what she had done, started to apologize, when Leonard grabbed and kissed her passionately again.

This time, when they separated they were both deeply excited and a little surprised at what had happened.

Leonard was surprised at what they had done. He was tempted to blame it on the drinking, but knew that was just a small part of it. He wanted to go tell the cab to leave, but felt neither of them was ready for more. He still had the recommendation to write and he didn't want that to be compromised.

Reluctantly, he said, "I'd better get going."

Alex, even more reluctantly, "Yes, you better." Then she smiled, "That was wonderful, Leonard, I have wanted to do that for a long time."

"Alex, I don't know…"

Alex interrupted him by kissing him softly on the lips. "Goodnight, Leonard"

"Goodnight, Alex."

A few days after returning from San Francisco, Penny decided she need a change of scenery. Still too many of her 'dates' were turning into one-night stands. She felt she was slipping into the same trap she had before. She traveled to a bar and dance club away from the crowd she usually hung out with.

But, the attempt to get away from the pattern she was falling into was failing as it was just much of the same. She enjoyed the dancing but she was beginning to realize she was using sex as an escape from her feelings. She was working to show herself how unworthy she was of being loved. She only felt safe when it was just sex, with no strings.

She was about to get up and leave, when a voice came from behind her back, "I haven't seen you in here before."

She turned and automatically put her fake smile on her face, but when she saw who it was, the smile turned to a sincere and warm one, "Hey, Zack."