Wow, that last chapter caused some heavy backlash ^^ was expected though.

You might wonder why I'm already releasing the next chapter of this story without releasing a new one of my other story. If you remember my final author's note from last chapter, you saw that I made that cliffhanger because my girlfriend was mad at me. Well, she apologized finally and then did things to me whose memory I will take to my grave :D And she promised to do it again if I hurry to write the follow-up chapter quickly and she likes it. Although I will probably get into trouble for writing this here.

So, enjoy (I hope she does) :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the franchise. I write here only for my own pleasure and that of others who read the story and I don't make any money. Any similarities to song titles or lyrics are absolutely coincidental and unintended. Some dialog is verbatim from different episodes and are there to keep the story going.

Disclaimer2: Using Meryl again, thanks TerribleWaitress :)


"There you are!" Sheldon's voice snapped him out of his sorry, as Leonard walked slowly into his apartment, having just left Penny's after the bombshell she dropped.

"What is it, Sheldon? I'm really not in the mood." Leonard sighed, wanting nothing more than to take a long shower and curl up in his bed.

"You were gone the entire night. We also need to coordinate costumes because we lost the bet and you're taking me to Disneyland today."

"I take you where?" Leonard asked confused.

"Did you forget?" Sheldon was indignant. "When we lost that game yesterday after Penny left and Stuart told us we had to dress up as female superheroes and parade through the comic book store to the amusement of the others, you said you would take me to Disneyland today so it will be bearable."

"Leonard, your promised!"

"Sheldon, I'm in pain, both physically and emotionally, do you really want me to drive you somewhere?"

"No, I really don't, you have the look of someone who might drive me off a cliff." Sheldon mused. "But I thought now that your relationship with Penny is finally over, you would return your focus on my well-being."

"Sheldon, if you keep talking like this, I might take you into my arms and fling us both out of the window." Leonard sighed and continued his walk into the bathroom where he undressed and took a long shower.

An hour later, he left the bathroom, feeling at least physically refreshed. He took a peek into the living room and saw Sheldon looking at pictures of female superheroes, probably trying to find out which one to wear for their walk of shame tomorrow. Leonard sighed again at the thought but he had agreed to the stakes of the bet and was too honorable to back out of it.

He headed into his room to change into other clothes and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He thought back to day he came back from the North Pole. There had been signs sometimes that Penny felt guilty about something but he would have never thought that she'd seek the embrace of another man just because he was gone.

He knew of her past, how she had, during her teen years, changed guys like other people changed underwear but he had really thought that they had something special. And all her actions spoke of someone who really loved another person, so the blow was even more pronounced. Now that he thought more about it, all the sexual evolution Penny had could be attributed to her feelings of guilt.

What was even worse was the fact that he still very much loved her, a feeling one simply can't switch off like a lamp. He knew that they should talk about this but quite frankly, he felt afraid of what he might learn. Suddenly, he heard the familiar knocking of Sheldon, making him scowl.

"Go away Sheldon." he called out but the door opened nonetheless.

"I made tea." Sheldon stated, holding a cup in his hand.

"I don't want tea." Leonard said.

"It's not for you." Sheldon returned, taking a sip.

"Then why did you say it?"

"To break the ice."

"What do you want."

"To help you see the bright side of the end of your dalliance with our neighbor."

"What?"

"While this breakup is an unwelcome change in my life again, I want you to realize that now, with the time that you save by not having coitus or going out with her, you can finally start working on your experiments again. And maybe, you will get to level of mediocrity that garners you the adoration of feeble minds that are attracted to a small man with a medium-sized brain."

"Unbelievable." Leonard deadpanned.

"It really is, isn't it? It took me only an hour to come to this conclusion." Sheldon smiled.

"Get out."

"Have I not cheered you up?"

"GET OUT!" Leonard shouted, causing Sheldon to jump up and flee.


An hour had passed and for the entire time, Penny had been unable to stop crying. Each time she started to calm down, she found or saw something that reminded her of Leonard and the tears started fresh, even a look at her door had been enough where a little paper heart was hanging that he had given her once.

Penny was still crying, when someone knocked on her door. Sniffing and trying not to look like someone whose heart had been ripped out, she shuffled to the door and opened it, finding someone standing there who she hadn't expected to be here at all.

"Hey sweetheart." Meryl said, looking at Penny with knowing eyes.

"Mom!" Penny broke down again and flung herself into her mother's arms.

She cried freely into her mother's shoulder, soaking her clothes in the process but Meryl simply held her tight and let Penny get out as much of the negative emotions as possible. After a minute, she backed them both into the apartment, not wanting a neighbor to see them like this. It took several more minutes but finally, Penny calmed herself a bit and blew her nose into a handkerchief Meryl handed her.

"Now sweetheart, why don't we sit down and you tell me what's going on." Meryl said, tapping the couch.

"Mom, what are you doing here? When did you get here?"

"When I saw your face in that videophone call, I knew something was severely wrong, so I hopped on the next available plane here. Unfortunately, the plane had a layover in Vegas, otherwise I would have been here earlier." Meryl explained. "And I'm here because right now I need to be here. Now, tell me, what happened."

"Remember last summer, when Leonard was at the North Pole?" Penny asked.

"Yes. You went on and on about during your visit with us."

"Well, what you might not now, I... uh... didn't touch myself because I wanted to savor his return. But after I was back here, got a Skype call from him that was interrupted when the satellite connection was severed and that made me feel very distraught. Then at work I saw only loving couples, as if fate was mocking me. I felt really miserable so when Kim and Cheryl invited me to a girls night, I accepted." Penny recounted.

"Okay, following you so far." Meryl interrupted.

"You see, the thing is, Kim and Cheryl wanted to lose their status as sluts and I advised them to stay single for a while. But one day, I kinda saw them... uh... relieving their sexual pleasures... with each other."

"Oh my." Meryl chuckled. "Those two are...?"

"No, I don't think so." Penny stopped her mom. "But during that girls night, we got really really drunk and I told them about how I felt with Leonard gone and his phone call and what I saw people doing during the day and then... they... um..."

"Oh dear lord." Meryl interrupted her again. "Are you telling me they...?"

"Yeah. They wanted to make me feel better and did it like they do it with each other. And what's even worse, I started to participate."

"Why?"

"Because being with Leonard taught me that if you give back as you get, you will feel a lot better." Penny sniffed, on the verge of tears again. "The morning after, I was quite grateful, to be honest, because I felt better but gradually I felt like crap for doing it because even if they were girls, they made me cheat on Leonard."

"And you never told him?"

"Obviously. I had no idea how to approach the subject. And when our relationship stepped up even more, the opportunities got even more rare and then I buried the secret until a few days ago when a thrown remark by Leonard brought them back again. And after that, other people talked about cheating, if not in a relationship sense but the word struck like a bell in my head until it boiled over and I ran out."

"Then what happened?"

"I told him this morning and he simply left without looking at me." Penny finished and continued to cry.

Meryl didn't say anything for a while and simply let her daughter shed the tears she needed to shed. While every maternal instinct told her to take her daughter into her arms, she knew that what Penny did was wrong, having had a similar experience like that in her youth as well, knowing the feeling. When Penny finally calmed a bit, a strange knocking combination sounded at the door.

"What the hell?" Meryl asked. "Who knocks like that."

"It's Sheldon, Leonard's roommate." Penny said and stood up to open the door. "What is it, Sheldon?"

"Leonard promised me... hello." Sheldon started but stopped when he saw the other woman in the room.

"Sheldon, this is my mom. Mom, this is Leonard's roommate Sheldon." Penny introduced.

"Nice to meet you." Meryl smiled and held out her hand.

"Oh, I don't shake hands unless one of us wears rubber gloves." Sheldon said.

"Sheldon, what is it?" Penny asked again.

"Leonard promised me to take me do Disneyland before we have to make good on the bet with Stuart. Yet Leonard is in bed, having thrown me out and refuses to take me." Sheldon explained.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Go talk to him. Say anything you need to say so he honors his promise." Sheldon ordered.

"Excuse me Sheldon but your Disneyland trip is the least thing I have on my mind..."

"Penny will take you." Meryl interrupted.

"Penny is doing what now?" Penny asked shocked.

"Take him to Disneyland. You won't be able to talk to Leonard anytime soon anyway."

"But mom, I don't want to go to Disneyland." Penny protested. "I'm really not in the mood for that place."

"Penny, take him."

"Mom, he's crazy." she tried her last card.

"I am not crazy, my mother had me tested." Sheldon threw in.

"Get moving, Penny." Meryl ordered. "While you are away, I'm taking a nap."

"Yes, mom." Penny said subdued and moved to get her purse. "Come on Sheldon."

With one last look at her mom, who made herself comfortable on her couch, Penny left her apartment both annoyed and confused at her mother's insistence on taking Sheldon to Disneyland. Sheldon grinned like a child as he started to talk about all the rides he wanted to use. Penny just hoped that the day would go by fast.


Leonard was still lying in his bed after forcefully dismissing Sheldon's attempts at cheering him up, his glasses on his nightstand, contemplating what he had learned. The still tangible throbbing sensation in his lower parts was nothing compared to the emotional hurt he was feeling after learning what Penny had done during his time at the North Pole.

So he had stormed out and left her crying on the couch, something that made him feel awful in its own way but he couldn't stop himself. He wondered what he should do. Despite everything, he loved Penny with all his heart and he was quite certain that she loved him too but the whole thing had shoved a wedge in between them whose size he felt barely able to comprehend. As he lay there thinking, another knock came on his door.

"Go away Sheldon!" he called out, even after realizing that it hadn't been his roommates usual knocking behavior and his ire rose when he heard the door open.

"I said go away!" she shouted as he put his glasses back on and turned around to find a familiar but unexpected person standing in the door. "Meryl. I'm sorry, I thought you were my roommate."

"I kinda got that when you called me Sheldon." Meryl smiled, more with sadness than with mirth.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like crap. Emotionally. Physically I'm in pain but considering I got so drunk last night that I can't remember a thing, I don't even have that much of a headache."

"The reason I came over is because I wanted to talk to you. Is that okay?"

"Sure. What about?"

"Not what, who."

"Did she tell you?"

"Of course she did."

"Did she tell you to talk to me?" he asked her.

"No, she doesn't even know I'm here. As far as she knows, I'm taking a nap while she occupies your roommate with a trip to Disneyland." Meryl explained and Leonard nodded. "I want to ask you a question before I tell you a little story that might bring some perspective."

"Okay." he said and sat up against his headboard.

"Leonard, first and foremost, do you love my daughter?"

"Yes." he replied without hesitation. "That's why it hurts so much."

"Good. Now to the story. As you might know I was very young when I had Bridget. I got pregnant even before I turned seventeen and my parents were very conservative and strict. They gave me the choice of aborting the pregnancy or they would kick me out of the house. Despite the fact that she was an accident, I couldn't abort the pregnancy, so I moved in with my sister Lucy, you've met her. Even though he was freaked out by the notion of being a father, Wyatt accepted it but we kinda drifted apart. We never officially broke up but we barely exchanged words because neither of us knew how to proceed. But after Bridget was born, it all came crashing down. Handling a newborn when you're not even eighteen is tough, especially when you still attend high school."

"Okay, I'm following so far." he interrupted.

"The hormonal change that came over me after giving birth also put a strain on our relationship. I said some very mean things during some of our arguments and it hurt him deeply. So much that he also didn't want to have anything to do with me and apart from him taking care of Bridget, he avoided me for several months although we never actually broke up."

"What happened?" he asked, sensing what was coming.

"One night, some of my girlfriends convinced me to come to a party with them. I left Bridget with Wyatt and went and we had a lot of fun. It had been months since I really let myself go and we drank a lot and danced a lot and did everything you could imagine some would do during a party."

"Did you...?"

"Not finished. Then one of the guys, someone I didn't even know, cornered me upstairs and started sweet-talking me. He told me everything a young woman wanted to hear and the alcohol I already had plus the one he handed me continuously didn't help. And then he kissed me. We were in one of the bedrooms with nobody else there and he started undressing me. I realized what he was doing and I knew that it was wrong but you have to understand the place I was in emotionally. I missed Wyatt terribly and that guy did everything I wanted Wyatt to do. So I didn't stop him. I let him do it and we had sex."

"What did Wyatt say?"

"Coming to that. When I woke up the next day, the guy was gone. I couldn't remember what he looked like but I knew what he had done and I knew that I had let it happen. I tried to forget it and in my guilt, I patched things up with Wyatt very quickly. But it hung over me like an anvil, waiting to come down. And one day it broke me. I don't remember the circumstances but I told Wyatt everything."

"How did he react."

"Like you but more agitated. First he wanted to know who the guy is so he could beat him up before handing him over to the police for rape. But then I told him that I didn't stop the guy and he became mad at me and stormed out. You have no idea what hell that day way. You're daughter is crying because you are crying and you can't calm her down because she feels your anguish. But a day later, Wyatt came back and he simply sat down and told me to come clean. So I told him everything. How lonely I felt because we didn't really spend time with each other. And why I let that guy have sex with me."

"Then what?"

"He forgave me. He understood. He appreciated my honesty and we patched things up because he believed me when I told him that I never had any inkling to actively cheat."

"So, what should I do?"

"I suggest you talk it out with Penny and when she answers your questions, consider the wider picture that led to her actions. Because I think you, like me, believe that Penny never wanted to cheat on you but that it happened as a result of a combination of too much alcohol, the fact that he missed you terribly and two of her friends who apparently have a strange concept of helping a friend in need."

"You have given me a lot to think about." he said quietly and looked at a spot on the wall before realizing something. "Wait, two of her friends? She had sex with two guys at once? That's even worse!"

"What guys?" Meryl asked confused.

"You just said, two of her friends..."

"Oh, no no no, there were no guys involved. I meant her two female friends from high school, Kim and Cheryl, you might know them too."

"Wait, she and they..." Leonard stammered, his head unwillingly filling with very inappropriate thoughts and images. "It's still wrong."

"The bulge developing in your shorts there says otherwise." Meryl laughed knowingly and Leonard quickly put his cushion over his crotch, blushing heavily.

"I'm just pretending that you aren't the mother of the woman I love." he huffed.

"One last advice. Don't take too long. My daughter loves you deeply but she is prone to rash and bad actions when she's not thinking straight."

"Okay, I'll go over there in a few minutes." Leonard said.

"No, she's not home. I told you she's taking your roommate to Disneyland, remember? You need to wait until she heads back, you might use the time to rest a bit and formulate what you will say. Because, and I'm saying this with love, you look like shit."

"Gee, thanks."

"By the way, why are you rubbing your abdomen every now and then and wincing?"

"Oh, I got drunk last night and apparently fell twice on the rim of a bathtub after trying to balance on it, although I can't remember any of it." he winced at the non-existent memory.

"Ouch. Well, good luck."

"Thanks Meryl. And thanks for the talk. I have a lot to think about now."

"And I will leave. I need to get to the airport so I can catch a sooner flight."

"Want me to drive you to the airport?"

"Thanks but it's okay, I'll call a cab." she said and turned to leave before stopping.

"Oh, and if you patch things up with Penny, something I would really like to see, we would very much love to have you on our farm again. Tornado misses you." Meryl smiled.

"Thanks. I will think about it."

"That's all I can ask for." Meryl told him and left him alone.

Leonard took his glasses off again and sighed deeply. Learning that Penny had a drunken night with two other women lessened the blow but the fact remained that she cheated on him. Despite himself, he couldn't stop imagining her rolling around naked with those two, also naked, pleasuring each other.

Like most guys, he had, years ago before meeting Penny, watched girl on girl action clips that Howard had forwarded him but unlike this situation, he didn't know the girls personally and wasn't in love with one of them. He put his arms over his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to formulate sentences in his mind that he could say to Penny.


Penny parked her car on the spacious parking lot, getting out slowly while Sheldon excitedly hopped on his feet as if he was a dog on a leash with a pork chop a few feet away. She walked towards the entrance, wondering how she would pay for her ticket with the measly amount of money she had with her but Sheldon took the decision away from her when he quickly bought two tickets and pulled her into the park.

As soon as she was inside and saw the magical surroundings, she looked in awe at the various offers the park had. Sheldon was giddy like a small child, turning left and right as if trying to decide where to go first.

"What do we do first?" he asked her, unable to get to a decision.

"How about we take a clockwise route through the park and ride anything you like?"

"Good idea. That saves us the decision making on what to go to next and we can take on every offer the park has." he agreed. "I'm surprised that you came up with that while I couldn't."

"Just walk." Penny sighed, already annoyed again by Sheldon's condescension.

They walked the distance to Adventureland, looking at their surroundings while Sheldon led them to the pyramid where he insisted they climbed up. She indulged him and followed him inside, only half listening to him while he recounted the history of the Aztecs and Incas who build pyramids like this. She was disgusted by his vivid description of their use of human sacrifices but luckily, they took a ride on the Jungle Cruise and once that was done, they were out of Adventureland and on their way.

When they entered New Orleans Square, Sheldon pulled her towards the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which even included Jack Sparrow in the mock pirate attack but Penny could only shake her head that people seemed to like this. Sheldon got quite scared inside the Haunted Mansion but Penny again wondered why he found that scary.

Once reaching Critter Country, it was past noon but still, Sheldon demanded to ride that strange Winnie the Pooh ride. Penny was about to tell him how he was too old for a ride like this but then remembered that she was dealing with a child in the body of a man and so followed him to prevent him from making a scene.

"We should get something to eat, I'm hungry." Sheldon complained after leaving Critter Country and dragged her to the nearest food stands.

"What would you like to eat?" she asked.

"I don't know, it's such a selection." he mused. "Ooooh, churro, I take churro. Two portions please."

"Really? You don't want to wait to see if you even want a second?"

"No, I'm hungry!" Sheldon said resolutely and bought his two portions.

While Sheldon started eating, Penny took her time choosing her lunch. Since her mind was still busy with comprehending the end of the best relationship she ever had, her body reacted by not showing signs of hunger or even thirst. Yet she knew that she had to eat something, otherwise she might faint on one of the rides.

She chose some rice with boiled mushrooms and a mild sauce, hoping that getting mushrooms from a food stand wouldn't bite her in the ass. It was quite tasty and she savored the flavor while Sheldon was busy wolfing down his second helping of churro but she could see that he was quite full by the way he took deep breaths before eating the remnants and throwing away the plastic box it came in.

Since one day wasn't quite enough to take in the entire park, Sheldon skipped Frontierland apart from having his picture taken in a cowboy outfit, while Penny had herself photographed in a sexa cowgirl outfit. Granted, it wasn't supposed to be sexy but the woman snapping the pictures only smiled and went along when Penny opened her shirt buttons and started posing without ever showing too much skin.

They skipped Fantasyland, even Sheldon accepting that they were too old for that and headed straight to Mickey's Toontown where Sheldon giggled as he ran around the place. He approached the poor fellas wearing those oversized costumes of Donald, Mickey and others and struck up conversations with them that Penny knew were things that these guys tried to finish up.

"Penny, over here. Take pictures with us." Sheldon called her over and she went, snapping a couple of pictures with Sheldon as he stood with Donald Duck, Mickey an Minni Mouse and arm over shoulder with Pluto.

"Put your other arm around his shoulder." she told him and pointed to Goofy, who had joined them without Sheldon noticing.

To her surprise, Sheldon screamed in fear and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. She looked after him and then to Pluto and Goody who looked at her. She shrugged her shoulders and turned around, walking into the direction Sheldon had disappeared in but was unable to find him again.

Shrugging her shoulders again, she walked back to Fantasyland and took a little sightseeing in peace and quiet. She did a tour through the castle and at around five in the afternoon, sat down on one of the benches to rest her feet, typing a quick message to Sheldon so he would know where she was. She then simply waited for him to join her, not willing to hurt her feet. She was sitting for almost an hour when Sheldon finally rejoined her, a Mickey Mouse cap on his head and his hands laden with sweets like ice cream and cotton candy, grinning like a little kid.

"It's getting late, we should head back soon." she counseled.

"No, we're not finished yet, we still haven't visited Tomorrowland. I still want to ride Space Mountain." he whined like a little kid.

"Fine." she sighed and they walked the distance to the south-east part of the park.

They first went to Innoventions, where several tech companies had build a dream home and Penny imagined herself living in a house like this, only to have her mood go back into melancholy when her inner eye saw Leonard sitting in the home office, working at his computer with his whiteboard next to him.

They spent the next two hours riding the Astro Orbiter, Autopia and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, half of the time waiting in line to get on it. Penny had to admit, it was kinda fun but she still would trade all this for sitting in Leonard's arms, cuddling, while watching one of his superhero movies.

"I'm getting hungry again." Sheldon stated and headed to a nearby food stand.

"Churro again?" Penny asked as she watched Sheldon eat the fried dough, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

"Why not, it tastes good." Sheldon smiled as he finished eating. "Okay, now on to Space Mountain!"

"You sure?" she hesitated. "You just ate, you don't want to wait a bit?"

"If we wait much longer, I miss my bed time. Don't worry, I can handle it."

"If you say so." she doubted him and followed him into the line to the ride.

Since it was getting late, the line was mercifully short and after only ten minutes waiting, they were on the ride. Once the line of carriages left the tube, she took a quick look at the construction of the ride. Since the daylight was already fading, the lights were on, basking the entire ride in an amazing light. But her view was soon ruined when the ride sped up and took its first turn.

Despite herself, she screamed with the other passengers when the ride took turns or rode downwards. Remembering what Leonard had told her once, the screaming wasn't done out of fear but to have the mouth open and the air out, relieving the pressure on the sternum when the high g-forces buffeted the body.

After two minutes, the ride ended with the carriages back in the tunnel and stopping. The carriage stopped and the people piled out, Sheldon swaying as if drunk. She looked at him when they were in better light and saw his pale face and thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"You okay Sheldon?" she asked when they were outside again.

"Yeah, I just need to breath and..." he started but couldn't finish when he suddenly doubled over and vomited his churro back out, parts of it landing on her left shoe.

"Damn it Sheldon, you said you can handle the ride." Penny cursed and tried to wipe her shoes with some leaves on the ground.

"I may have overestimated my abilities." he said as apology between heaves.

While he emptied his stomach, she bought a bottle of water from a nearby stand and drank a few sips before handing him the bottle. He downed it in a few swigs and fought himself back to his feet, still unsteady and pale.

"So, another ride?" she asked with a sweet and fake smile.

"No, I want to go home." he huffed.

Unfortunately for him, they couldn't cross through the forest around them and had to leave Tomorrowland by going back to its entrance but they soon enough were back on Central Plaza and then on Main Street, headed for the exit. They walked in silence through the balmy evening air to her car and in regard for his sensitive system, she drove slowly and tried not to break suddenly.

After almost an hour, they were back home and headed upstairs. She followed him inside his apartment and helped him to his bedroom where he grabbed his pajamas and walked to the bathroom. She waited until he was done with his shower and teeth brushing and tucked him into his bed.

"Don't you want to take off the cap?" she asked, referring to the Mickey Mouse cap he still had on.

"No, that's fine." he replied. "Thank you for taking me to Disneyland today."

"It's fine sweetie." she said tiredly. "Good night."

"Good night."

She walked back into her apartment and found it empty, making her wonder where her mother was. She spied a note on the coffee table and picked it up, seeing the handwriting of her mother, telling her that she had taken an early flight home. Shaking her head, Penny headed into her bedroom and sat down on the bed, looking at photos she had taken of herself and Leonard. Each picture made her sadder and soon enough tears were falling freely again. She laid down and pressed her head into the cushion, trying to block out the light only to fall into a restless sleep.


Leonard jerked awake at a slight banging sound, having fallen asleep during his deliberations. The pain in his abdomen had thankfully regressed into a dull humming, as if he had done hours of leg lifts without warming up first. He heard Sheldon thanking Penny and Penny's tired and subdued voice and his heart ached at hearing her. One look at his clock showed that it was already ten at night, indicating that they appeared to have had a fun day at Disneyland.

He waited for several more minutes in silence if Penny would come into his room but once Sheldon went quiet it was like that in the entire apartment. He slowly got up, putting on a pair of sweatpants and his slippers and walked out of his room, checking in on Sheldon to find him sleeping in his bed with a Micky Mouse cap on his head. Apparently he had had fun there but he hoped she didn't let Goofy come close to him, otherwise Sheldon would have nightmares again that Leonard would then have to deal with.

He walked to the door and exited the apartment. He stood in front of Penny's door for several minutes, wondering if she should knock but then simply tried to open it, finding it locked. Using the emergency key of hers he still had, he unlocked it and quietly entered the apartment, the lights in the living room off and no sound emanating from anywhere.

He looked to the right and saw Penny asleep on her bed, on her stomach, her head facing him. Whatever she had tried to do, she apparently was exhausted enough to simply fall asleep with her day clothes on or even turning of her nightstand lamp which illuminated the head part of the bed in soft and dim light.

As he closed in on her, he could see the streaks on her face where the tears had run down and the smudged eyeliner Penny liked to use to make her eyes look more smoky. Leonard noticed several pictures in front of her, indicating that she fell asleep while looking at them. He picked one up and saw that it was of them, taken by her in various places but they were always hugging or kissing and smiling widely at each other. He saw the happiness in his eyes which was mirrored in hers.

Damn, who was he kidding. He loved that woman so much, it hurt to actually be away from her. And the thought of her running to another man because he rejected her filled him with so much dread, he almost fell down because his knees turned to jello. On the other hand, she had cheated on him, even though with women and also, if what Meryl had told him, not deliberately but was simply caught up in a very disconcerting moment. And although he came over to talk to her, he didn't want to wake her so he turned around and started to leave, bumping his shoulder into the door frame on his way out.

"Huh?" her head jerked up and he silently cursed at his clumsiness. "Leonard?"

"I'm sorry. I was about to leave to let you sleep." he told her.

"No, that's okay. Didn't want to fall asleep." she said and sat up, seeing him look down at the pictures. "Yeah, I wanted to take consolation in the time we had, now that it's over."

"I came over to talk to you but if you're too tired..."

"No no, talk is good. I just need to wash my face. Wait for me?"

"Sure." he nodded and went into the living room to sit on the couch while she hurried into her bathroom to take off her smudged makeup and try to wash the tiredness off her.

He was actually here! Penny hoped that it would happen but didn't think it would be so quickly. Her heart hammered inside her chest, since it could mean that it was either a good thing or unbelievably bad. After two minutes, her makeup was gone and face washed and she had also prophylactic emptied her bladder before she went into the living room and sat down on the other side of the couch, waiting for him to speak.

"So, talk..." she hesitated after he hadn't made a sound apart from breathing for several minutes.

"Yeah." he sighed. "I got a visit from your mother."

"I knew she couldn't resist." Penny sighed.

"Look me in the eye and tell me what happened. The truth."

"Okay." she took a deep breath and lifted her head to look at him. "Remember when we had that Skype call after eight weeks of you gone to the North Pole?"

"Yes. It got interrupted because we lost the satellite cover." he replied.

"Right, that one." she nodded. "Anyway, the entire week I saw loving couples everywhere, at work and even at home on TV.. It hammered home the fact that you weren't here. Also, I hadn't heard anything from you, no message for ages and I was really worried about you. And then came that Skype call where I finally heard your voice and saw your face again. And when we were disconnected, I was distraught."

"What happened then?"

"I went to work and Cheryl realized that something was wrong with me. So she invited me to a girls night and I accepted. I mean, what could happen if I sat there with my two girlfriends and drank?"

"Well, we know that now." he said with a pained chuckle.

"Yeah." she sighed. "While we were drinking way too much, I told them why I felt so miserable. What you might not know, I hadn't touched myself once during the entire time you were gone."

"Why not?"

"I wanted to savor our first time again. But when I started crying in my loneliness and sexual frustration, Kim and Cheryl took pity on me and decided to help me the same way they helped each other."

"And you didn't think to say?" he asked accusingly.

"At first I couldn't even comprehend what was happening. When Kim pulled my pants and panties off, I realized what was going on I realized what was happening but when Kim's lips touched me down there, I couldn't make her stop. I imagined the entire time it was you. But the worst thing was that I actively participated when Cheryl got naked and swung her body over my head."

"Wow." he groaned, trying to get rid of the mental image for fear of his pants tenting.

"Kinda your fault." she grinned hesitantly.

"Excuse me?"

"Remember during our first year where I hardly ever took your cock into my mouth?" she asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You licked me almost every time we had sex and it was always so amazing. It took me a while and your birthday to finally blow you to orgasm and the way you reacted made me feel so valued. It showed me how great it is to give back what you get. So when I got from Kim and Cheryl, my brain told me to give back. Admittedly, the alcohol wasn't helping." she said and he huffed. "You're disappointed and mad, aren't you?"

"Disappointed? Certainly. Mad? Yes, but I don't know if I'm more mad at you for doing it than I am mad at myself."

"Why are you mad at yourself?" she asked.

"Because I don't know why I am mad at you. Am I mad for you doing that with them or am I mad for not taking pictures." he groaned and collapsed into the couch cushions.

"Say what? Gee, if I had known that I would have placed the camcorder in front of Cheryl's bed." she huffed sarcastically.

"Don't tempt me." he squeezed his eyes.

"Where do we go from here? Is there a way for us to get back to normal?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"I don't know." he sighed. "What if I had to take another research trip that took me out of the country for weeks or months? What if you were again so lonely that you couldn't stop yourself if a guy this time tries to take advantage of the fact."

"That won't happen." she said resolutely.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because of two things I bought at the dirty store a few days ago." she told him quietly.

"What things?" he asked.

"Let me show you." she said and got up to go to her bedroom and take the box out of her closet before returning and shoving it into his hands. "Open it."

"Okay." he said slowly after opening the box and seeing the contents. "You bought dildos."

"They're battery powered."

"Huh." he sounded.

"What?"

"I must have the most generic penis in the world."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because these things look exactly like mine, even the vein standing out is on the same side."

"That's because I had them custom made. I drew yours from memory and added measurements and had them made directly in the store." she explained. "Now I can have you any time I want if you're not there."

"Why two? And why do they have pieces of paper with the letter A and P, respectively, attached to it?"

"I... uh... because... one is for my ass, the other for my pussy." she managed to say, strangely embarrassed. "Even though I would wash them after using, I don't want to mix them up."

"You would use them when I'm away?"

"Every day." she smiled.

"Come on, it's not as if we're having sex every day."

"Well, we could. I'm all for it." she chuckled, hoping that the turn in the conversation was a good sign.

"I'm not a machine." he said. "But there's one more thing I need to know."

"Shoot."

"All those things you did and allowed me to do... you know, sexually. Was that driven by your guilt?"

"No." she said without hesitation. "You might remember, we had our first anal sex on our anniversary and that was before the North Pole trip."

"Right." he nodded and stood up, wincing in pain again as he did so.

"What's wrong?"

"I still feel that pain in my groin from my crotching."

"Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Just sore."

"Still, it could be something worse." she argued.

"Okay, if I still feel it tomorrow, I call my doctor." he said. "But now I'm gonna go. I'm exhausted and so are you."

"You want to stay here?" she asked hopefully.

"No, we're not in that place. Yet." he added, giving her hope. "By the way, what is that smell?"

"Sheldon ate churro and threw up on my shoes." she sighed.

"You let him ride Space Mountain after eating, didn't you?" he grinned knowingly.

"He said he could handle it!" she defended herself. "By the way, what's wrong with him and Goofy? We took a picture with Pluto and Goofy joined us. When Sheldon saw him, he freaked out and ran away."

"I wish I knew. But now I know I will have to deal with a Sheldon plagued with nightmares again." he groaned. "Good night Penny."

"Good night." she said and for a second he hoped his step towards her meant he was about to give her a kiss but he stopped himself and turned to the door. "I love you Leonard. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I pray that you love me more than you hate what I did."

He didn't reply as he left and when the door was closed, she stood up and walked into her bedroom. She grabbed her pajamas and took a long shower, the lack of a return of her declaration of love hanging like a sword over her but she fought hard to prevent more tears. Before she went to bed, she put the pictures away and switched off the light, getting under the covers and closing her eyes, falling into another restless sleep.


After a breakfast of dry cereal and a cup of coffee, she got dressed in some jeans and a blue shirt and headed over to the guys' apartment, walking in like usually and seeing Sheldon in his spot, typing on his laptop and Leonard standing at the kitchen island, his hand around a big cup of coffee and typing a number into his phone before putting the receiver against his ear.

"Hello, doctor Kearny? It's Leonard Hofstadter. Is it possible for me to come in tomorrow?... sure... no, I had an apparent accident two days ago, although I don't remember it and I still feel the aftereffects in my lower abdomen, like a pulling... yes, ten would be fine... thank you... see you tomorrow... what? Yeah, that won't be a problem." she listened to his call and walked over when he had put the phone back down.

"Everything okay?" she asked concerned.

"I hope so, just following your recommendation since I still feel the effect." he replied.

"Leonard, are you sick?" Sheldon asked from the couch. "Because if so, you need to tell me in advance so I can implement the roommate sickness protocols."

"Do I even dare to ask what those protocols are?" Penny asked.

"Depending on the severity of his illness, Leonard will be subjected to wearing a face mask to quarantining himself in his room. Contact with the outside, namely me, will be only when I can be sure he won't infect me with the deadly disease he contracted." Sheldon explained.

"And you abide by this rules?" she turned to Leonard.

"No, he regularly breaks them despite repeated reprimands." Sheldon answered for him.

"Because you break them all the time." Leonard interjected. "When you had your ear infection back in '08, you traipsed through the apartment, demanding attention like a little child, driving me crazy."

"Because an ear infection is not contractible."

"Neither is groin pain." Leonard retorted.

"We don't know yet what you have. You could have biliary disease,diverticulitis or intestinal obstruction." Sheldon threw back.

"Again, none of those things are contractible."

"For the safety of everyone, you should stay away from me today." Sheldon said resolutely.

"With pleasure. I can drive into work and work on some of my calculations for my experiments since I won't be able to tomorrow morning." Leonard proclaimed.

"Want me to drive you tomorrow?" Penny offered.

"Nah, it's okay, I think I can manage."

"But what if he has to inject you something that makes you woozy?"

"But he... alright, when you put it like that." he assented.

"Great. I'll call my boss to ask for some work..."

"Are you sure, you're not sick?" Leonard interrupted her.

"Shut up." she protested. "If I drive you tomorrow I need the day off and I need the hours."

"Alright. See you tomorrow then." he said and yawned.

"Rough night?"

"Sheldon had nightmares." Leonard explained.

"In my dreams, Goofy was chasing me." Sheldon muttered and then ignored them. "He kept slapping me with his ears."

"By the way, what did the doctor ask you to do? You know, that thing you answered with no problem." she asked Leonard.

"He told me that I should refrain from carnal activities."

Penny shook her head and returned to her apartment, sitting down on her couch and grabbing her phone. She typed in the number of the Cheesecake Factory and soon head Mike, the manager on the phone.

"Hey Mike, it's Penny. Don't you ever take a day off?" Penny grinned.

"What can I do for you Penny?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"I need the day tomorrow off, I have to drive my boyfr... neighbor to the doctor." she said, unable to say boyfriend since their status was still undetermined. "Is it possible for me to come in today to get the hours?"

"You're a godsend Penny." Mike sighed. "Not that Cheryl and Kim have quit and moved away, we're a little short staffed. Can you work ten hours? You get the extra pay for it being a Sunday too. Tomorrow we have a few girls applying so I can give you the time off."

"Will do. When should I start?"

"Now would be nice."

"I'm on my way." she hang up and jumped up to change into her uniform.

She applied some modest makeup and put on her uniform, detesting its tightness and cut but knowing that she needed the job, since her acting career was non-existent. Also, ten hours at work would give her something to do while Leonard thought about them, all the while hoping that he would forgive her and take her back. On her way out, she walked into Leonard, who was on his way out as well.

"Have fun at work." he said.

"You too."

That was the extend of the conversation while they descended the stairwell. While Penny sped off, Leonard got into his own car and drove to the university, hoping for a day of piece and quiet so he could work on his stuff and also try to figure out what to do about Penny. While he leaned towards forgiving her, like a boxer who wouldn't go down no matter how much you hit him, that persistent little voice in his head was telling him to run as far away as he could, else she would do it to him again.

He needed another perspective but where could he find it. Hew couldn't ask the guys since they already thought he and Penny had broken up and if he went to them with this dilemma, Raj would spout some nonsense about love, Howard would tell him to continue to tap that ass while it was still hot and Sheldon would probably look at him like he was a monkey.

Soon enough, he was parking his car in his assigned parking spot and walked into the building, using his key card to unlock the doors and waving a hello to some of the other scientists who he passed on his way to his lab. While there were no lectures on Sunday, quite a few people worked since certain experiments didn't know timetables or calendars, especially in the biology department.

He went into his lab and started working on his whiteboard, writing down equations for his upcoming experiment. Yet he found it difficult to work on the details since the curved lines of the logarithmic symbols reminded him of Penny's amused smirk or the infinity symbol had, in his eyes, a far too big similarity to Penny's cleavage in a wonderbra.

"Hey, doctor Hofstadter." a familiar deep voice took him out of his reverie.

"Frank! What a surprise. And call me Leonard, you're not a student anymore." Leonard said with a smile after turning around to find the way too big to be real human standing in the door, another person behind him. "And Alice. Nice to see you again."

"Likewise." the also tall woman greeted him, having a kid hanging on her hand.

"Is that Thomas?" Leonard asked.

"Yeah." Frank replied.

"Damn, he's grown."

"Even though he's barely two years old." Alice grinned. "So, how's it going? You look like someone killed your dog."

"That obvious, huh?"

"For a woman, yes." Alice nodded. "So, is it with Penny and what's the problem?"

"Yes, it's with Penny. We're in a very rough place right now. But I don't know if I should divulge information, it's personal and somewhat intimate and not suitable for a child."

"No problem." Alice said and handed Thomas a book before putting headphones over his ears. The young boy smiled and sat on one of the chairs, beginning to read and listening to music.

"What just happened?" Leonard asked, pointing at Thomas.

"He loves Mickey Mouse comics, although he can't read them yet, and listening to the singing smurfs." Frank replied. "So I bought about fifty bound Mickey Mouse bundles. Someone in Wisconsin collected them for twenty years and had those thin comics bound into books."

"Now, spill." Alice ordered.

"Where do I start." Leonard sighed. "You won't tell Penny that I told you this, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Frank and Alice replied in unison.

"Last summer I went to the North Pole on a research trip. I was gone for three months and had sporadic contact with Penny via text messages, depending on when the satellite covered us up there. After eight weeks, according to her, she had a girls night with her two friends and they drank way too much and then the girls... uh... helped Penny release the sexual desire by... you know."

"Oh god." Alice groaned, getting it.

"Did they take pictures?" Frank asked flippantly.

"Jerk!" Alice slapped him on the arm but chuckled nonetheless.

"Hey, I'm just a guy."

"Well, those are the facts." Leonard interrupted them. "She apologized and told me that would never happen again, she even got some... tools to prevent from ever having too much pressure build up again if I ever had to go on another research trip but I'm hesitant."

"Why? I thought you loved her?" Alice asked. "And I know from our time at that B&B that she loves you."

"It's because I love her that I'm hesitant. If I take her back and something like this happens again, I don't know if my heart would survive."

"That's the risk you take every day. Your loved one can be taken away from you tomorrow by a freak accident." Alice counseled. "You need to weigh all the good things you've already had with Penny and what you still could have against what she has allowed to happen."

"What's your opinion, Frank?" Leonard asked.

"Well, let me put it this way. If I were in your position, I would be relieved that there hadn't been a guy involved. Then again, if there had been a guy taking advantage of my wive, I would probably ripped out his spine with my bare hands and beat him to death with it."

"Yeah, thanks." Leonard chuckled.

"Well, we need to head out again. We only came here to seal the deal for Frank to return here to take over the photomultiplier lab." Alice said.

"Really? What about Professor Brinkman? I didn't hear anything about him retiring."

"He won't." Frank told him. "But he's cutting back on his hours because his wife got sick. He put in a recommendation, so here I am."

"I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job." Leonard congratulated him and shook his hand, his own vanishing inside Frank's huge paws.

"Thanks. Well, have a nice day." Frank said and the three of them left him alone.

Leonard turned back to his board, his mind still turning around Penny and his feelings for her. Alice was right, loving someone puts your heart at risk every day since accidents happen and the world was a dangerous place. He thought back to the great times he had had with Penny, their banter, visiting various places, her dedication to him even when better looking and taller guys were hitting on her and of course, last but not least, the amazing lovemaking they were capable of. He weighed his options and then turned back to his work, his calculations still needing some tweaking.


"When did you get in yesterday?" Penny asked Leonard as she walked into the apartment, finding a tired Leonard standing at the kitchen island again, coffee in hand like the day before.

"After midnight." came the reply.

"Did you go partying?"

"No, I had a breakthrough in my calculations and had to try the experiment. But setting it up and doing the first set took longer than I expected."

"It took me to message him with my worries to have him come home." Sheldon threw in from the couch. "And now I have to sit here because Leonard has to go to the doctor."

"Sheldon, I told you to take the bus if you really want to go to work. Or call Howard or Raj." Leonard said exasperated.

"Wolowitz drives a rolling deathtrap he calls a Vespa and Koothrapali always blasts Indian music when I'm in the car with him just to spite me."

"He never does it when he drives me."

"He doesn't do it from the start. We usually have a nice conversation but when I try to convince him that his work his substandard, he stops talking and turns up the volume."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Penny asked sarcastically.

"If you find the answer, please inform me." Sheldon returned, again not getting sarcasm.

"So, ready to go?" Penny asked Leonard.

"Yeah." he told her and they left.

While they drove, Leonard fed her directions and after thirty minutes, she parked behind the building where the doctor's office was located in. Penny realized that it was a polyclinic, with several different doctors offering their services. They walked inside and took the stairs to the second floor where Leonard's doctor was on. He went to the receptionist and gave his credentials before sitting down in the waiting room.

It took almost an hour, since there were several people already present but one after the other, they were called up and treated for whatever they had. Finally, Leonard was called in and Penny had to wait outside while Leonard walked into the office and sat down on the patient chair, turning off his phone before proceeding.

"So, mister Hofstadter, are the symptoms still there?" Doctor Kearny asked after greeting him.

"Just a bit. It's more a stiffness now."

"Can you drop your pants and show me exactly where?"

"Sure." Leonard said and stood up and pulled down his pants, then pointed to the spot to the left and right of his manhood. "Here and here."

"And what happened exactly?" doctor Kearny asked.

"Apparently, I got drunk and tried to balance on the rim of a bathtub, then fell down."

"Are you okay with lowering your shorts a bit?"

"Okay." Leonard hesitated and pulled his shorts a bit down to reveal more skin. "Ah, screw it." he added and dropped them completely.

"I see faint traces of hematoma on each side. No sign on your scrotum. So it could be true."

"I had bruises before but they never hurt continuously, only when I pressed on them." Leonard stated, pulling up his shorts and pants.

"If it makes you feel better, I can take a bit of blood and have it analyzed to look for anomalies. If you have a micro-rupture in your body, your blood would have some abnormalities." doctor Kearny suggested. "But since that is optional, your insurance won't cover it."

"How much is it?"

"Two hundred dollars, I'm afraid."

"Well, that's a small price to pay, since I get information if my blood is clean of any foreign substance."

"That's a boon of course."

"Then lets do it." Leonard said and held out his arm.

"Not from there, I'm afraid." doctor Kearsh chuckled and pointed to Leonard's crotch.

"Really? I'm not comfortable with getting a needle stuck in there."

"I'm sorry, but if we want to find irregularities in your blood, it's best to take it from the place where you have the problem."

"Alright." Leonard sighed and closed his eyes, wincing as the doctor pulled some blood from him.

"All done." Kearny announced and Leonard pulled up his pants again. "Say, do you have a urologist?"

"No, why?"

"If you want to make sure nothing is wrong with your scrotum or penis, you should go to one. If you want, I can write you a referral and you can go two floors up to doctor Mitchell and make an appointment."

"Sure, why not." Leonard shrugged and doctor Kearny wrote the note.

"Done. You can pay for the blood test at the front desk, we also take credit cards."

"Okay. Thank you doctor."

"Have a nice day mister Hofstadter."

Leonard walked back out and headed to the receptionist where he paid for the blood test and got his insurance card back. When he walked past back into the waiting room, Penny stood up and followed him out into the hall and onto the stairs up.

"How was it? Is everything okay? Why are we going upstairs?" she asked.

"He found nothing strange, just two remnants of hematoma left and right of my crotch, which supports what Cheryl and Kim told us. And we're going up the urologist."

"Why?"

"Doctor Kearny told me I should have him check out my scrotum if there's a problem. Just to make sure." Leonard told her as they reached the fourth floor.

They looked along the long floor and saw the practice of a gynecologist on the door to the left and the office of an otorhinolaryngologist, or an ear – nose – throat doctor on the right and a hundred feet further two more doors, a proctologist on the left and the urologist they were heading to on the right.

"That's convenient." Penny mused as they walked along.

"What is?"

"Every orifice on the same floor."

"You're right." he laughed and they entered the urologists outer office where the receptionist was sitting behind her desk, just hanging up the phone. "Hello."

"Good morning. How can I help you?" the middle-aged woman greeted them.

"Is my eleven-thirty here yet?" a brusque voice with a russian accent coming from the open room to the right prevented Leonard from talking.

"No, doctor, he just called and canceled." the receptionist shouted back.

"If his penis falls off and he shows up again, tell him he should find himself another urologist."

"The urologist from Stalingrad." Leonard chuckled.

"Damn, they have some manners here." Penny whispered as a burly man exited the open office.

"Who is this?"

"He was just about to tell me when you shouted at me." the receptionist told the doctor and the smile of the burly man told Penny that these manners were a form of playful banter between the two.

"I'm Leonard Hofstadter. Doctor Kearny gave me a referral for you." Leonard introduced himself and handed the doctor, whose name tag said Tscherenkov, the note.

"I see. Well, you're in luck, you can come in right now, otherwise you have to wait a few weeks."

"Then lets do it." Leonard said and accompanied doctor Tscherenkov into his office.

"Alright, pants off, underpants down, lie down on the exam table." doctor Tscherenkov ordered gruffly while putting on rubber gloves, his commanding tone making Leonard comply.

"No outward signs apart from the mentioned bruises. Penis seems to be normal, no abnormalities. Please hold it up for me, will you?"

"Alright." Leonard said confused and held his penis up while the doctor went to his drawers and got a short flashlight. "What is that for?"

"A little trick I learned in medical school in Russia. Since the scrotum is only skin, you can find abnormalities by holding a flashlight against it and light it. If you have internal bleeding or micro wounds in your scrotum, you can see it." Tscherenkov explained.

"A neat trick." Leonard nodded as the doctor moved the flashlight against the skin of his scrotum.

"I normally use it to find varicose veins in the scrotum. Easier than taking an x-ray. Less dangerous too, no radiation."

"That's a bonus." Leonard chuckled and then the doctor put the flashlight away again after wiping it off..

"All clear, no abnormalities in your scrotum. Doctor Kearny wrote that he ordered a blood test already but I can attest you here and now that your genitals aren't any factor, you are free to make love to your lovely woman out there again. If you still feel any soreness from those bruises, you should get a massage."

"Can't I do it myself?" Leonard asked.

"Better to have someone else do it. When you massage yourself and you feel pain, you stop or lessen the pressure needed to knead the tension out of the muscles." doctor Tscherenkov advised.

"Thanks for the advise." Leonard said and shook the man's hands after he had taken off the rubber gloves before he left the office.

"So, how did it go?" Penny asked.

"Gave me a clean bill of health. Just bruises that should be massaged by someone other than me."

"Why not by yourself?"

"Because if you massage yourself and feel pain, you stop or lessen the pressure." Leonard recounted what the doctor had told him.

"That's true." Penny nodded and followed him out of the practice and back down the stairs into the open air where Leonard turned his phone on again, receiving a message right away.

"Sheldon messaged me, he went to work with the bus." Leonard told her. "Wanna get some lunch and head home?"

"Sure." she agreed, seeing that as a good sign.

They drove to a nearby italian restaurant and got some food to go from it, Leonard making clear that they had to leave off the grated cheese off the spaghetti while Penny took it but no sausage in the sauce. He drove them home while she held the food containers on her lap and parked the car in his usual spot before they both walked upstairs.

"Wanna eat at my place?" she asked.

"Sure, it's cozier than mine." he agreed and followed her into her apartment.

She placed the food on the kitchen island and got two plates and forks, emptying the boxes onto the plates and placing them on the small table by her window where Leonard had already sat down after getting juice from the fridge. They ate in silence, occasionally smiling at each other until they were done and Penny removed the plates and washed them, so the remains of the food wouldn't harden.

"By the way, why did you have to pay two hundred dollars at the doctor's office?" she asked.

"Doctor Kearny took some blood to have it analyzed."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Hopefully, nothing. He said, the chronic sting I feel could be the result of some micro-tearing and if that's so, my blood will show some irregularities."

"Two hundred dollars for a whim?"

"You might never know. Also, it would be nice to know that my blood is clean in general." he told her and moved to the couch.

"That's true." she agreed and joined him.

"Well, what do we do now?" he asked. "We have eaten, the doctor thing is over and we both have our days off."

"I... uh... could give you that massage down there that the doctor recommended." he hesitated, thinking that his answer would show her his inclination in regards to their relationship.

"I don't... sure, why not." he nodded and took off his shoes and pants, putting his legs on the couch.

"Where are the massage points?" she asked him, scooting closer.

"Here and here." he replied, guiding her fingers to the points to the left and right of his crotch.

She put pressure on her fingers and started massaging the spots he had indicated through his shorts. She used her thumbs to create counter pressure and he winced when she hit the particular spot he mentioned before but she didn't lessen the pressure just as the doctor had advised him.

Leonard watched her as she worked on both the points, her gaze down and her face concentrated on the task at hand. He saw her look when the positioning of her head allowed it and almost felt the mixture of longing, love and regret coming off her like heat. When she licked her lips, that little unconscious act lit a fire in him that soon moved to his lower body, something she picked up on very quickly.

"I love you Penny." he said suddenly, his mind made up, causing her head to snap up and he could see her eyes tearing up.

"Really?"

"Yeah." he nodded and she threw herself into him, pressing her lips on his.

"I love you too. So much." she sniffed after breaking the kiss.

They kissed again and Leonard sat up, putting his feet on the floor and her body shifted so she was straddling him. He held her tight and stood up, having a little difficulty with her weight and without ever separating their lips, he carried her into the bedroom while her feet linked behind him. He laid her down gently and when their lips separated, she quickly discarded her sweater.

They continued kissing while he fumbled with her pants button, having a little difficulty with her sitting up. She quickly helped him, the button popping open and her zipper going down equally fast and she pushed him away to stretch her body, breathing heavily with anticipation. He pulled her jeans down along with her panties, leaving her only in her bra and dropped his own shorts before climbing on the bed and spreading her legs.

"Please." she breathed after he teased her a bit and when he finally entered her, it felt like something that had been missing forever was finally back.

After a, to her, grueling minute of no movement at all, during which Leonard savored the warmth and tightness or her insides as well as feeling the same thing she felt, like something was finally back where it belonged, they started moving. It took them only a second for their body movements to harmonize, his hips rolling with him as he thrust into her in deep and steady strokes.

To Leonard, this was the validation of his choice to take her back. He doubted that he would ever have this level of harmony with someone else and even though he would always fear to lose her to whatever situation, he couldn't imagine being with somebody else again. And during the entire sixteen minutes of their sexual reunification, she never once overpowered him, letting him direct the speed and position as he wanted, showing a level of trust he knew she hadn't had before.

When she yelled out and her fingernails dug into the skin of his back, he couldn't hold himself back any longer and came hard, his lips back on hers as he unloaded. He never wanted the connection to end but unfortunately, he was unable to hold out for hours on end.

"I missed you so much." she said, smiling up at him with moist eyes.

"I missed you too." he agreed and kissed her again.

"Now we can finally ease Sheldon's mind. He was driving me nuts with the change in his life, as he put it." she told him.

"Actually..." he grinned.

"What?"

"Remember how much fun it was to screw around with the guys?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked and her face lit up in understanding. "I see. You want to keep it a secret again?"

"An open secret. We won't make it obvious but not do our damnedest to hide it. Would be funny to see Sheldon's face when you follow me into my apartment at night. Knowing him, he won't ask but simply try to figure out what was going on, now that we are, and I quote 'not pair-bonded by the mutual desire for coitus.' end quote." he chuckled.

"Yeah, messing with Sheldon was always fun. The other two as well." she agreed. "Okay, lets do it. Lets mess with the guys again and see how long it takes these geniuses to figure it out."

"It's a deal." he smiled and kissed her again.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know about you but I believe we need to do a lot more making up, don't you think?" he smiled, running his hand over her nipples and stomach.

"Well, doctor Hofstadter, I believe you are right." she agreed and flipped him around, pressing her lips on his and never breaking the kiss until he was ready to go again. And again. And again. And again.

She knew that despite their reconciliation, some part of him will always hesitate now when it came to her. But she vowed never to give him any doubts about her devotion towards him again and also, to show him how much she loved him as often as he could.


Done. My girlfriend is already nipping at my heels, so to speak, to finish this and since it's Friday, I thought I finish it before the weekend starts ^^

And tell me the truth. Which one of you thought I would go with the show canon and break them up. And who believed I would keep them together? ;)

Review please :)