Alright, I refuse to write any Penny/Priya scene for this episode, because I refuse to write Priya. I know she served her purpose, but I just didn't like her in the slightest. I really didn't like that Penny and Priya talked about Leonard's sex life, but maybe I can try to put a spin on it, without altering the storyline. I don't really care for the episode, but I do think this is my favorite chapter so far.

I don't own Big Bang Theory.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: The Engagement Reaction

"C'mon, Penny, think."

Sighing, Penny rested her head against the back of her couch. A week had passed since the measly, yet meaningful texts she had shared with Leonard and she had begun to put her plan to try to see him more into play. With no such luck. Every time Penny had worked up enough courage to walk up to their door, prepared to enter, her nerves would begin to take over. Her feet would become glued to the floor right outside their apartment. She'd find herself unable to reach out, unable to move forward, almost as if there were an imaginary force field.

Despite her hesitation, Penny wanted to see Leonard, badly. There was no doubt that she missed being around him, but the mere thought of having to share those precious moments with Priya made her sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure if she could stand watching them be 'coupley' in front of her again. If there was a teeny tiny silver lining to all of this, it was that she didn't have to witness Leonard kissing another woman.

With the option of barging in across the hall out of the picture, Penny had thought about just texting him. It seemed simple enough. She had even typed out several messages, from a small 'Hello' to a long message telling him just how much she missed his presence. The messages would be ready to send, but her finger would always hover above the button. She'd bite her lip and frown, before finally erasing the whole message. Nothing seemed good enough.

So texting was out too. That left running into him in the hallway. This was one of her last options and Penny was becoming frustrated with the results so far. She had yet to see him. She'd never admit it to anyone, but she even found herself peeking out of peep hole of her door a few times in search of him. That got her nowhere as well.

Penny was shaken from her thoughts by her alarm blaring through the speakers of her phone, letting her know it was time to go check her laundry downstairs. Another thing she had done in hopes of running into him.

"Another failure," Penny mumbled, bitterly, before standing, grabbing her empty laundry basket, and walking out.

She stood face to face with the door to 4A once again. What she wouldn't give to be able to just walk in, to be able to sit down with all her friends, enjoy dinner, maybe even play a round of Halo.

"I'd give anything," She whispered, before turning and heading downstairs. The walk down had never felt lonelier.

Reaching the entrance to the laundry room, Penny stopped in her tracks, a smile stretching across her face for the first time that day.

Sheldon!

He wasn't Leonard, but he was the next best thing. Having to stay away from Leonard meant having to stay away from Sheldon too.

Walking further into the room, she greeted him, completely ignoring the fact that it was a Saturday night and she was at home, waiting to catch a glimpse of Leonard and actually happy to be doing laundry with her quirky neighbor.

Rushing out of the laundry room, clean clothes forgotten, Penny followed behind Leonard as he led the way to his car, Sheldon sulking close by. She really hoped that Howard and his mother were okay. She knew how close the two of them were, sometimes she really wished she didn't know just how close, and if something happened to one, it might kill the other. Please let them be okay.

Suddenly, all thoughts of Howard and his mother were gone from her mind as her eyes drifted lower and directly in line with Leonard's backside. He really does have a cute tushie.

"Oomph."

She felt her body collide with Sheldon's as they both tried to exit through the door at the same time.

"Penny!" Sheldon exclaimed, frowning, "Watch where you're going. It's bad enough I have to go to this germ infested hospital, now I'm going to have a bruise." He slowly rubbed at his right arm, giving her a look of exasperation. He proceeded to walk out in front of her, blocking her view of Leonard.

Probably for the best. I may walk out into traffic if I keep staring.

Climbing into the front seat of Leonard's car, Penny smiled across at Leonard. Finally. They were around each other at last. Her heart rate sped up and she opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by Sheldon, in the back seat, beginning another rant concerning hospitals and the diseases that fill them.

"Great," She muttered, "Now you're jibber jabbering about germs."

Leonard chuckled and flashed a smile her way, before putting the car in gear and pulling onto the road.

Penny couldn't stop the blush creeping across her cheeks, joining her smile.

Pulling her damp hair into a messy ponytail, Penny dropped the towel from around her body and stepped towards her dresser, in search of clothes for the night. As she decided, her mind wandered back over the events from just a few hours before. Thankfully, both Howard and his mother were going to be just fine. She wished she could say the same for Bernie and Howard. She'd have to text later to see how she was.

After pulling on a pair of cotton panties and bright pink shorts, she reached for the cute t-shirt she had just bought the day before. There was no way she could've bypassed it. Looking at it now brought forward several different emotions. She pushed back the depressing ones and focused on the happier ones, the ones involving memories she was more fond of.

Once the shirt was on, Penny strolled into her living room where she had left her glass of wine waiting for her. Sitting down, her thoughts once again flashed back to earlier that day, this time concerning her conversation with Priya. A part of her regretted the conversation they had had. She could barely see the two of them kiss without wanting to gag, why on earth would she talk about sex with her?

Deep down, she knew it was her way of grasping for a way to bond. Not that she really wanted to be friends with her. But becoming closer to Priya meant getting closer to Leonard once again. The possible outcome was worth the torture of enduring the woman's presence.

She really hadn't meant to trash talk Leonard to Priya. She honestly didn't think the sex was bad. In her opinion, while it may not have been the wildest she had ever experienced, it was definitely the best. She had never felt a stronger connection with someone. She had never had someone try so hard to make sure she was thoroughly pleased first, to put her needs completely above theirs. It was definitely a nice change.

She ended up saying the things she did in hopes that it would fool Priya into thinking that she had moved on, that she had no interest left whatsoever. But she missed hanging out with Leonard, and, like she had said earlier, she'd do anything to make it possible again.

A knock on her door brought her back to reality. She frowned, wondering who it was this late, but in the back of her mind, hoping it was who she desperately wanted it to be. Taking a quick sip of her wine to calm her nerves, she yelled, "Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Leonard. He smiled, taking in her attire, "Hello Kitty?"

Penny smirked, straightening out the shirt so he could see the material better, "Yeah, see she's dressed up as a lady bug, but look what it says!"

The smile grew as he got a better look. His eyes lit up and a laugh escaped past his lips, "Love bug?"

She nodded, her nerves growing. "Yeah," she said, shyly. Another sip of wine. "I, uh, I saw it at the store yesterday and I had to buy it." She glanced down at the shirt, mostly to avoid direct eye contact with him. "It's cute, right?"

Sitting down next to her, Leonard nodded slowly, "Yeah, it is." He cleared his throat, "I thought you hated when I called you that?"

Her fingers picked at the hem of the shirt, "I never hated it. I just.." She paused, choosing her words carefully," wasn't able to fully appreciate it at the time."

"Oh."

Her eyes lifted to meet his. He still had a faint smile gracing his face, but she could see the confusion there. Her heart sped up and her palms began to sweat as she realized this was the first time they'd been alone in forever.

Don't screw it up!

"Anyway.." She drug the word out, searching for something to talk about to keep the atmosphere from becoming too awkward, "what brings you over here?"

"Well, as you know, Sheldon is being quarantined right now and I was just over in the apartment and.." He stopped, shaking his head and chuckling, "I'm actually lonely. I finally get away from that crazy man and get the apartment to myself and it's driving me insane. It's too quiet."

"Awh," Penny cooed, "You miss your little buddy."

"Yeah, yeah." He shook his head, "Plus," His hesitation was evident.

"Plus?" She questioned.

"I was just wondering what exactly you and Priya talked about earlier. She wouldn't say."

"Oh." Penny smiled, "Worried?"

"Do I have anything to be worried about?" A smirk was beginning to appear on his face, slight confidence noted in his tone, but the usual doubt was still there, she could tell.

Shaking her head and smirking as well, "No. You don't." There was no way she was going to tell him and risk him getting mad at her.

He sighed, obviously relieved, "Good."

Silence surrounded them as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. The spark was still there. The cat was still very much alive, she could feel it trying to claw it's way out of the box.

But she couldn't do anything about it.

"So," She started, breaking the silence reaching for her wine, taking a much larger drink this time, "What is going on at work?"

Just as Leonard began to speak, his phone made a noise. Glancing down, she saw his face drop, a frown appearing before quickly being covered up with a fake smile. She knew the difference.

"It's Priya," He said, "Wants me to call and say goodnight."

"Okay. Well, you better go," She replied, hoping he couldn't pick up on any of her disappointment. Who knew when this opportunity to hang out would present itself again?

"Yeah, I should." He stood and stared awkwardly down at her. She wondered if he was thinking about hugging her. A girl could dream.

But the moment passed and he turned on his heels and headed for the door. Reaching for the door knob, he turned to look at her, "Bye," He smiled slightly," I'll see you around, okay?"

She nodded, watching as the door shut. "Will you?" she whispered into the vacant room, her heart heavy and her glass empty.