A/N Thanks to those who reviewed. I keep wishing I had a new way of letting you know how much they mean to me. I am still borrowing these characters.
When Leonard entered 4B, he was greeted by a waiting Penny, "Well?"
Leonard sat down on the couch realizing how tired he suddenly was. "Sheldon and Amy are out but they said I could do whatever I felt was right."
Penny was disappointed but not completely surprised, "So where does it exactly stand?"
"if…when we win, I will see to it that Alex is in the audience and I will acknowledge her contribution and announce that I am splitting my share with her."
Penny corrected, "We will."
"What?"
"We will see to it that Alex gets her recognition."
Leonard smiled, "You're right, we will."
He slid over to her and embraced her, kissing her passionately. She responded and pressed her body against his. After a time he sat back, "I love you, Penny."
She smiled happily, "I love you, too. I just want you to know how proud I am of you for sticking up for Alex."
Leonard gave her a quick kiss, "Well, I might as well call Alex and let her know what was decided."
Leonard called and told her what had happened. She told him she was a little disappointed but wanted him to know how much she appreciated what he was doing for her. She also said she did want to work on the papers with him. He told her how much he appreciated that and looked forward to working with her.
After he hung up, he surprised Penny by suddenly grabbing her and as he crushed his lips against hers reached up and fondled her breast. She quickly recovered and responded by pushing her breast against his hand as she opened her mouth, their tongues embracing. They stayed that way for some time as Penny moaned against his mouth.
They finally broke apart and after getting their breath, Penny smirked, "Well that was nice."
Leonard smiled, "Now that this Alex stuff is settled, I decided we should get started on living together."
Penny grabbed him and kissed him and then took his hand, heading for the bedroom, "I think that is an excellent idea."
The next day they decided it was time to coordinate things with Sheldon and Amy.
When they entered 4A, they were surprised to see that Sheldon and Amy had been thinking along the same lines. As would be expected they were proceeding in a logical manner, creating a list of steps that needed to be taken.
Sheldon spoke up, "Ah, you are just in time. We were about to decide what items you want to move."
Leonard and Penny stared at the array of whiteboards. It appeared they had listed every item that Amy was going to move and where it would be placed in the new apartment. There was also a timetable of when each step would be completed.
Although Penny and Leonard really didn't want to go through this process, figuring it would just be easier to get started and just move. But they also knew that Sheldon and Amy would be shocked at such a cavalier undertaking. So, resignedly, they sat down and prepared for a long and boring few hours.
They were surprised when it moved along fairly quickly and they had to admit it would facilitate the move. Best of all, they knew it committed Sheldon, since he would never go against the agreement that would result. When they finished, they had set a timetable of one week.
They balked a little when it was clear that during that week, Amy and Leonard would stay in their respective apartments, but did not want to hold anything up.
With Sheldon seeing to it that they followed the schedule, they were able to finish on time. During the same week they also got started on preparing the papers on the Asymmetry Project.
They soon discovered that all of Leonard's 'toys' would not fit in their apartment and rather than disrupt Sheldon's agreement, Leonard rented a locker to store them in. There were a few exceptions and Penny's stuffed animals were soon joined by an Ewok.
Penny was a little shocked when she saw the amount of medicines that Leonard had. She was mollified though when she discovered that he did not take them regularly, but were there in case his breathing problems would flare up or when he was not careful with his Lactose intolerance.
She was also moved when Leonard told her she would replace Sheldon in learning how to deal with him if he should have an attack. Accepting that responsibility and knowing he trusted her, made her feel like they were truly together.
Finally, they were done. The final ceremony was Leonard turning his key over to Amy. (Sheldon then gave Leonard the key back because he wanted him to have one for emergencies.)
While Penny and Leonard celebrated by eating a pizza on Thai night and breaking several late night taboos, Sheldon and Amy signed the new Roommate Agreement that was similar to the old one he had with Leonard, but also included several items referring to their relationship, such as a schedule of date nights, when to hold hands, and even some openings for intimacy. Although she knew Sheldon was undoubtedly referring to kissing and hugging, Amy decided it could imply much more.
For the next month, everyone struggled a little with the new arrangement. One of the areas of contention for both couples rotated around the bathroom. None of them were quite ready for sharing a bathroom with a member of the opposite sex. But it was a major step forward when everyone seemed to be able to adjust, while secretly convincing themselves they would get the other to make changes.
It also helped that the four of them still got together often for supper and that Sheldon and Leonard would spend time together while Amy and Penny, often joined by Alex and Bernadette, had time together as well.
One night, when Amy and Bernadette were busy, Alex and Penny met in Alex's apartment. Fortified with wine, Alex decided this was an opportunity to talk to Penny about a couple of things that had puzzled her for some time.
"Penny, could I ask you a personal question."
"Of course, what is it?"
"When we had that first girl's night and were playing Never have I ever, you took a drink when I asked who had dated Sheldon. How did that happen? Was it serious?"
Penny was caught off guard and stalled for time by saying, "That's two questions."
But before Alex could say anything, Penny took a gulp of her wine, "When I first moved into the apartment, I was coming off a bad break up and was pretty vulnerable. As it turned out, Sheldon was also recovering from a bad experience. It caused us to be closer than under normal circumstances. Then something happened that caused Sheldon to believe that I was interested in a romantic relationship. We were both a little lonely and rather than hurt his feelings, I went along. When Leonard became his roommate and my friend, and Amy came along, I decided it was time to end it."
She took another sip, "Although I was fond of him and we helped each other at a bad time, I never did have romantic feelings for him."
Penny hesitated, "Why were you interested, Alex? Did you think I was just toying with those guys, that I was just playing around?"
"I admit for a moment that thought crossed my mind. I just couldn't imagine you and Sheldon together. But then I realized how much you loved Leonard. I am sorry now I asked, I was just curious."
Penny smiled, "Don't worry about it. I have to admit, I would be curious too."
Alex relaxed and wondered if she should quit now, but decided she might as well satisfy her curiosity about Bernadette also.
"I can't believe I am doing this, but that same night, Bernadette drank when Amy said she had never kissed Leonard."
Penny smiled, "When Leonard first moved in, he and Bernadette dated for a while." She smirked, "Actually, I was the one who got them together. I thought they made a cute couple. They found out, although they liked and respected each other, they weren't romantically attracted to each other."
Alex nodded. Then she smirked, "Is that why you worked to get Zack and I together, because we would make a cute couple?"
Penny was caught completely off guard, she was about to protest, saying she didn't know what she was talking about, but realized she had hesitated too long.
"I just thought that you were two very nice, attractive people. I guess I really liked you both and wanted you to have someone."
Penny took a sip, "So, how's it going?" She smiled, "Leonard told me Zack was at your apartment pretty early."
Although Alex had known Penny would ask about Zack, she was caught off guard.
She hesitated and took a sip before she said, "It's good. The sex is awesome and he is really a nice guy. We decided we were girlfriend and boyfriend…"
Penny could sense Alex was hiding something, "But?"
Alex sighed and took a bigger gulp, "It's just that he wants us to be together constantly. As I said it is good when we are together, but I need some time to myself. It's like we are married, and I am not ready for that." She hesitated and then seemed to decide something, "And it is bothering me how stupid he can be."
Penny was shocked. Finally, she got out, "You knew that about him before you agreed to date him."
Alex looked down, "I know. But it's just that he won't stop talking about science. He wants me to explain everything to him. I feel like that's a big reason he is with me." She looked up, "He has a lot going for him but he is obsessed about science." She teared up a little, "God, I am such an awful person."
Penny got up and sat beside her, putting her hand on her shoulder, "You're not horrible, Alex. You can't help how you feel. I can see where it could get tiresome."
She hesitated, "Do you want to break it off?"
Alex met her eyes, "That's the problem, I just don't know. I do like him and am attracted to him, but something has to change."
"Maybe you need to talk to him."
"I've thought about it, but I don't want to hurt him."
"You know if you let this go, you will end up probably hurting him worse."
"You're right, I need to talk to him."
Penny sighed to herself, it just seemed that fate had it in for Alex. And Leonard was right, the more they tried to help her, the more they seemed to set her up for pain.
As they settled into an uncomfortable silence, Alex decided to change the subject, "How are you and Leonard doing with him moving in?"
"There were some problems." She smirked, "After all he is a man and like all men, they are sometimes almost impossible to deal with." She went on, "But above all, I love to be with him. I have never been so happy."
She hesitated, "I know I can't imagine a life without him."
Alex nodded to herself. She couldn't stop a moment of jealousy, but it quickly passed. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Leonard.
They sat and finished off the bottle, both thinking of what had transpired.
When Penny got up to leave, Alex came over and surprised her by giving her a hug. "I am so glad for you and Leonard." She smiled, "And I do believe that Zack and I will be okay, too. He really is a great guy."
Penny hugged her back, "Thank you, Alex and I'll be pulling for you two."
Howard couldn't believe what was happening. Why did Bernadette have to check out her family tree? At first, it had seemed kind of cool that both their families had lived in Poland at one time. He wished he had thought more about what it could mean before he told his mother.
Her reaction had stunned him. She immediately asked him not to see Bernadette any longer. She apologized that she had not discussed what had happened with his great-grandfather before but had not wanted to think about it or burden him with it.
She explained by saying that although her father had escaped from Poland before the war, her grandfather had died in a concentration camp. Although she admitted that Bernadette's ancestors were likely blameless, she would be a constant reminder of the past. She also wondered now if his being a Jew was why Bernadette's father was so opposed to him.
Howard was shocked and torn. Although he could understand what she was saying, and he usually tried to follow her wishes, he felt she was way out of line this time. He told her that the reason Mike disliked him was well, because of the kind of guy he was, not what he was.
When she stayed adamant, he decided, as much as he didn't want to, he needed to talk to Mike.