Title: Intolerable Veisalgia
Author: smolder
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Angel the Series belongs to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Big Bang Theory belongs to Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. MIB belongs to Lowell Cunningham.

Chapter 6: Intolerable Veisalgia

So, blow to the head looking more and more like a likely scenario.

More likely than her using her spare key to get into the apartment and "borrow" some milk and finding Sheldon wearing the top part of a pair of a pajamas, and that Fred girl wearing a bra and the bottoms (rolled up a number of times at the waist to deal with the excess length) sitting at the counter eating oatmeal.

And what was it about Sheldon and pantslessness?

Maybe she did give a little sound of surprise and jump back against the door (she should probably just claim this door and be done with it, Sheldon had already practically claimed her apartment door after all) but she wasn't expecting anybody to be up yet. They had had quite a night after all.

She couldn't wait to see if one of those techie people at the party had it up on YouTube yet.

"Ahhhh. Would it be possible to lower the decibel of your screeching? My veisalgia is intolerable," Sheldon said in an oddly muted voice grabbing the sides of his head. "I can practically feel the vasopressin inhibition."

Ok, so, that was more incomprehensible than usual, even for Sheldon-speak.

Fred looked up from the mug she was holding with both hands and smiled wanly at her. "He's got a hangover," she explained.

"You couldn't just say that?" Penny shot at him in exasperation.

"I did 'just say that'" he muttered glaring at her (the effect was slightly weakened by his bloodshot eyes and obviously rough appearance) before pushing his oatmeal bowl carefully to the side and putting his head down on the table.

"Of course ya did," Fred said patting the top of his head with a sort of condescending fondness. He grumbled but didn't move away from the contact.

Sheldon being touched and not freaking out. Sheldon and a woman eating breakfast after apparently spending the night together. Sheldon getting drunk and singing at a formal event (again). Sheldon and a date looking gorgeous and elegant together.

So yeah, blow to the head. She was probably in the hospital right now hopped up on drugs imaging all of this (Good job brain! That sounded more soap opera than sci-fi.).

But really? Why were all of her hallucinations about Sheldon? She would have expected a little something more dramatic and exciting for her morphine-coma dream. She really needed to get out more.

And she needed coffee. It just felt like it was way too damn early for this. She poured some of their coffee that was already made (what Fred was drinking, she guessed) and stole some of Sheldon's milk from the fridge.

He turned his head a bit so that one of his eyes could glare at her over his arm and she thought that she heard him mutter "milk thief", but he did nothing else to try and stop her.

With a tired sigh she sat herself on one of the remaining bar stools and happily drank in some of her stolen beverage.

After communing with her morning caffeine for several moments she glanced over at the other woman at the table again. She seemed to be concentrating on the liquid in her cup as well.

Deciding to be friendly, she smiled and stuck out her hand, "Hi, I'm Penny."

Fred looked up kind of startled but took her hand with a slight smile of her own. "Kinda guessed that from the conversation, my name's Fred. Well Winifred really, but everyone just calls me Fred."

"Or CalTech's Hot Scientist?" she teased her.

"The Mad Hot Scientist of CalTech," Sheldon mumbled into his arms.

Both girls stared at him for a moment before catching each others' eyes and snorting with laughter.

Then everyone fell into silence - the sort of comfortable Saturday morning, nothing to do (but maybe had too much to drink last night), still not one hundred percent awake silence. Maybe after this she would just go curl back up in her bed and doze for a few hours Penny pondered. That sounded really good right now. There was nothing on her schedule today until laundry with Sheldon this evening anyway.

Leonard suddenly stumbled out of his room and into the bathroom without looking up at the kitchen area. Penny merely smiled into her remaining coffee and waited for when he would take in the scene that had surprised her so much that morning.

She heard the toilet flush and there was a pause before he opened the door. "Sheldon, you shoe was in the shower," he started, then he looked up.

And dropped the shoe.

Penny glanced to the side and saw that Fred was biting her lip trying not to laugh as well.

Leonard looked at them all at his kitchen counter, in various states of undress, with wide stunned eyes behind his glasses. He turned to the one person who technically should be there this morning. "Wanna fill me in, Sheldon?"

Sheldon slowly pushed himself up off the table and turned to look at his roommate full on. "We had unplanned sexual intercourse after unintentionally imbibing too many drinks of an alcoholic nature," Sheldon said blandly with a straight face.

Leonard made an odd choking noise. Penny was pretty sure she was too, but from trying to keep back her laughter; she'd be surprised if Fred didn't bite through her lip.

"Bazinga!" Sheldon exclaimed pointing at him in triumph tempered by hangover.

Leonard just stared blankly not quite awake enough to deal with this level of odd situation. "Wait, what? All three of you?"

It was just too much, she hadn't even considered the fact that she was now part of the weirdness that he would be walking in on. Penny started laughing and heard Fred laughing beside her. Both of them were cackling so hard that they were leaning against the table and each other just for balance.

Sheldon spun around to face them, still pointing "Too loud!" he said in a weird sort of yelling whisper voice, holding his head with his other hand. Leonard continued to just stare at the three of them in stunned shock.

Which just made them laugh even more and they fell off their bar stools and onto the floor.

"I must be hallucinating," Leonard muttered blinking a few times. "I'm going back to bed."

That set Penny off again. "Blow to the head," she said trying to calm herself down. She sat up with her back against the cabinets.

"Malfunctioning cyborg," Fred responded breathing deeply mimicking her pose beside her.

"Hot Mad Scientist of CalTech," they chorused, glancing at each other and giggling again.

As their giggles settled down the smile stuck on Penny's face. She had missed this, having female friends who you could just be silly with.

"I believe, given your actions, that once Leonard stops doubting his own mental stability he will start doubting yours." Penny looked up (and up and up and up) to find Sheldon standing in front of them (still without pants).

"Your one to talk, Sheldon," Penny sniped back.

"I'm not crazy," Sheldon said looking affronted, "my mother had me tested."

Penny caught Fred's eye and was gone again, the two of them laughing (like crazy) on Sheldon and Leonard's kitchen floor.