Can I just say I am so touched by how many people are actually reading this story? ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU

Blah blah blah disclaimer blah blah blah…

Now that Leonard had a ring, he knew it was time he planned his proposal. He wanted to make sure this was perfect for Penny. After all, this was the woman he had loved since the first time he'd seen her. And yeah, it hadn't been easy – far from it – but he could guarantee that this would be perfect.

But, Leonard needed an idea. He had a couple of hours until Penny got home, since she was working the dinner shift at The Cheesecake Factory tonight. That was enough time to think of something and put his plan into action before she got home, right?

He decided to go to Penny's apartment – using the key she'd given for him to unlock the door – since he knew that's where his girlfriend and hopefully soon to be fiancée would be headed when she got returned from work. He turned on the lights, awaking Lenny from his nap. His little head shot up from its place perched on his paws at the sudden flood of light in the room, his black eyes looking at his master.

"Sorry to wake you, boy." Leonard said to the puppy, bending down to scratch behind his ears. Lenny closed his eyes, happy to have some attention after being home alone all day. "Hey, can you help me think of a way to ask your mommy to marry me?" Lenny simply thumped his tail in response, then lowered his head and went back to sleep.

"Thanks," Leonard said sarcastically, rising to his feet. "You've been a big help…" He headed towards Penny's kitchen, still thinking. Maybe there was something in there he could use to make a romantic dinner? He shook his head. No, Leonard had never been a really good chef. The gang didn't get takeout all the time because they were lazy. Maybe he could order Chinese and try to make it romantic in some way?

Leonard decided this wasn't a good idea either. What about Chinese takeout said romance? Nothing. What was something simple and romantic he could give her that didn't require much – or even better, any – cooking skills? He decided to look in Penny's freezer to see what she had. He saw a stick of butter, a carton of milk that hadn't been closed, a couple of beers, some moldy bread and…was that a bottle of nail polish?

None of that would work. Leonard decided to raid Penny's cabinets next, which were slightly better. There were assorted spices, some not moldy bread, lots and lots of alcohol (that would definitely come in handy later) and…bingo, a secret stash of chocolate.

Sure, Leonard couldn't eat it without stinking up the place and totally killing the mood, but chocolate was romantic – and an aphrodisiac, if you believed that sort of thing. Now, he just needed something easy to go with it. What went best with chocolate?

Leonard laid Penny's candy stash out on the counter, tiptoed past Lenny and then headed across the hallway to Apartment 4A. When he entered, Sheldon was sitting at his laptop, typing furiously.

"Hey," Leonard said to him as he walked past into the kitchen.

"Fine, I'll bow to social pressure," Sheldon said. "Ha-ey."

Leonard resisted rolling his eyes. He didn't have time to deal with Sheldon today, he had work to do if he was going to pull off the most romantic proposal ever. He found a carton of strawberries in the fridge that he'd just bought the other day - they were still fresh, perfectly red and plump – and was about to head back over to Penny's with them when Sheldon called out to him, throwing a wrench in his plans.

"Where do you think you're going with our strawberries?"

Leonard sighed and stopped, turning around to face his roommate. Apparently, the universe didn't care that today was one of – if not the most – important days of his life so far. He had an hour and a half and counting until Penny would return from work and he wanted everything to be ready by then. "I need them for my date night with Penny," He said, hoping this was a good enough reason.

Alas, it was not. "But those are our strawberries Leonard. They're not Penny's. Tell Penny to get her own strawberries! She already mooches dinner off of us, and uses our wi-fi, and…"

"Did you plan on eating strawberries tonight?" Leonard cut the theoretical physicist off.

"Well…" Sheldon began. "No."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Leonard replied, turning to leave again.

"It's the principle of the thing, Leonard!" Sheldon said, and Leonard turned back around, running a hand down the front of his face in frustration as he did so. Oh God, why did Sheldon have to be so difficult about everything... "We bought the strawberries, we should be the ones that eat them."

"I bought them," Leonard said. "So if I promise to eat them will you let me go?"

"Well, you bought them with my money."

Leonard groaned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out some cash and coins and dropped them on Sheldon's desk.

"Three dollars and eighty four cents?" Sheldon said, after quickly counting the money.

"That's how much the strawberries cost." Leonard explained. "There, I have officially not spent your money on the strawberries."

"But since we split the groceries wouldn't I only take half of this? I don't want to be in your debt Leonard, you know I hate gift giving, I –"

Leonard groaned, took half the money back and started out the door. "You took an extra penny!" Sheldon called after him, but Leonard slammed the door and headed back to Penny's apartment, ignoring him.

Approximately one hour and nineteen minutes until Penny got home.

He was both excited and terrified.