A/N: Here's the new chapter! Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and favs! Kudos and a Sheldon surprise if you spot the song reference hidden here! Read, review, and enjoy! :D
Copper breezed through her door, dropping her keys on her little table and her bags near the sofa. Rubbing her lower back idly, she kicked off her boots and padded to the kitchen, throwing open the refrigerator door. Her cellphone buzzed in her back pocket as she was bending over to retrieve a can of soda and she blindly dug it out, cracking open the can with her free hand.
"Yea'llo?"
"Hey, Smokey."
"Always nice to hear from the almighty, all-knowing Blonde Bombshell Bandit of the Bedroom," Copper quipped, snickering to herself when her friend's grumbling crackled through the connection.
" You wanted me to call you just for that?"
"No, no, hon," her head tipped back as she took a large gulp of coke as she plopped down on the couch, "I wanted to know what I could fix for Sheldon this evening. He's popping by and I wanted to make sure I had whatever his wackadoodle heart desired."
There was a resounding silence from the other end of the line and Copper shifted on her couch uncomfortably.
"Penny?"
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" her friend finally asked.
"If you think I'm saying what I know I'm saying, then I could possibly be saying that."
"Oh my god, Copper!"
"I'm not saying that!" Copper protested, if a moment too late because the call disconnected suddenly.
Letting out a heavy sigh, the redhead stomped over to her door, put her hand on the knob and counted silently. She reached ten and swung open the door to reveal the green-eyed blonde with her hand lifted. Her friend's eyes were sparkling and filled with mirth, causing Copper to roll her eyes dramatically. Without a word, she left the doorway and turned back to her living room, hearing Penny shut the door behind her.
"Are you serious, Copper? This isn't some really twisted joke you're trying to pull on me?"
Copper glared at her over her shoulder.
"Do you honestly think I have a sense of humor that warped?"
When Penny didn't say anything, just stood there with twitching lips, Copper's scowl deepened and she fisted her hand around her now empty can of soda, tossing it into the waste basket. Muttering under her breath about blondes who know too much for their own good, she dropped into her big arm chair, throwing her legs over said arm and propping her chin in her hand. Penny sunk into the cushions of the couch, the twitching around her mouth having bloomed into a full smirk.
"So?"
Copper didn't look at her, just glowered at the innocently blank screen of her television.
"I am not telling you anything. You'll overreact."
"Ok, I admit that. Now tell me?"
Copper let out an exasperated breath, throwing her hands in the air.
"Since when does admitting you have a presupposed disposition towards melodrama in any way entitle you to potentially sensitive information, which, I will add, you cannot, under any circumstances, talk to your boyfriend about."
She was pointing at Penny with a slender finger, her grey gaze narrowed and hard, but the other woman was still smiling.
"That sounds suspiciously like the speech given just before you spill the beans," Copper was silent, so Penny lifted her eyes heavenward before adding, "And Leonard will never hear it from me."
Copper held out her pinky finger and Penny reached for it, both of them miming a linking action. Satisfied, Copper settled back into the plush chair, crossing her arms in the process.
"You remember how tense it was when you and Leonard left the apartment last night?" she began and her friend nodded slowly.
Then Penny's eyes widened and she squealed, "Copper, you didn't!"
Copper buried her head in her hands, praying for patience. Taking a deep breath and fighting back the blush that threatened to spread across her cheeks, she looked up.
"No, I didn't, thank you very much and wipe that stupid disappointed look from your face!"
Penny twisted her fingers around in her lap.
"So, what then?"
Here we go, Copper thought, with a mental grimace.
"Well, we argued."
"And?"
"And accusations were made."
"And?" Penny made a gesture.
"And I kind of goaded him."
Penny's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline as she gestured again.
"And?"
"And he kissed me, alright? And now he's coming here tonight to talk about maybe starting a relationship thing-hell, I don't know!"
Frustrated and embarrassed, Copper almost leaped from her chair and began pacing back and forth in front of the couch. Penny automatically lifted her feet from the rug, tucking them to her side and staring at her friend incredulously.
"Sheldon?"
Copper nodded.
"Sheldon Lee Cooper, with two PhD's?"
With a frown, Copper nodded again.
"The wackadoodle, supposed homo novus, man who couldn't tell you the difference between a hickey and a goose bump? The doctor of arrogance and-"
"Yes, Penny!" Copper snarled, cutting her off, "Yes, that Sheldon Cooper kissed me!"
Growling, she resumed her pacing, her fingers winding around themselves as butterflies erupted in her stomach as the memory of last night was finally allowed to flood back in. She had been keeping it at arm's length, knowing that her concentration would have been completely shot if she had given in to it, given mental permission to lose herself in the reminiscence. That kissed had rocked her down to her brightly painted toes. Hell, they had curled and the fact that Sheldon had initiated the contact had only made her body's reaction more intense. Intense was the operative word there too, she had to admit, biting her lip and suppressing a shudder. Inexperienced maybe, but most definitely a natural, she thought.
Penny watched her with her head tilted and caught her friend's arm as she made another pass in front of her. Copper looked down to see Penny looking up at her with an inquisitive expression.
"Copper, am I reading that look right? Sheldon was…good at kissing?"
Copper let out a breath and lifted her unoccupied hand to cover her eyes before they peeked through her fingers.
"Penny, can you think of the most passionate make out session you've ever had in your life?"
Penny nodded and Copper let out a breath, then continued.
"Well, there was no neck or tongue involved and it would top that."
Green eyes widened, perfect lips parted as her jaw dropped. Copper just nodded slowly as a grin started to spread across Penny's features.
"You're pulling me leg."
"Considering that I'm still wrapping my head around it, I don't begrudge you your disbelief, but," Copper smiled, "it's very true."
Penny let out a snort and Copper frowned.
"What?"
Penny shook her head.
"Now I believe you. You sound just like him."
Copper swatted her arm, but she was grinning too.
"Ass."
"And you love it."
"Don't be so sure."
They stared at one another for a long moment before Penny started giggling. It was infectious and Copper was covering her mouth with a hand to muffle her own laughter. Then their eyes met and it triggered another wave of amusement. Copper ended up collapsing on the sofa next to Penny, both of them gasping for breath. Finally recovering, she pointed to the kitchen while she wiped her eyes with her free hand.
"Want anything?"
"Yeah. Whatcha got?" Penny asked breathlessly and Copper stood up, rubbing her sore belly.
"Come look. I want a munchie."
Copper wandered over to the cabinet, opening her makeshift pantry cupboard and examining its contents. Tapping her fingers against her chin, she picked up a bag of white cheddar popcorn, mouth watering as she ripped open the bag and inhaled the sharp, buttery aroma. Grabbing a handful, she turned and hopped back onto the counter, her legs dangling over the edge. Deftly, she flicked a kernel into the air and leaned to the right, catching between her parted lips with a happy murmur. Her eyes landed on her friend as she slid onto a stool with a carton of sugar cookies and a bottle of water. Penny met her look with a small chuckle.
"That's got to be the most lame excuse for a party trick in the history of party tricks."
Copper waggled her eyebrows, chewing. Then she tossed one across the bar and Penny easily caught it.
"And who taught you how to do that lame ass party trick in the first place?"
"Point taken."
A couple of hours passed like that as both women caught up on current events and exchanged 'remember when' stories when there was a knock at the door.
*knock, knock, knock*
"Copper!"
*knock, knock, knock*
"Copper!"
*knock, knock, knock*
"Copper!"
A look passed between the two women as Copper lifted her voice.
"The door's open, Sheldon!"
He walked in, a thick manilla folder in hand, and stopped when his gaze landed on Penny, who lifted a hand to him and stood up.
"I was just going, Sheldon. See you later, Smokey."
Copper gave her a lazy salute as her friend passed the lanky physicist on her way out the door. As it shut quietly behind her, Copper tossed another popcorn kernel upwards. Aware that Sheldon was watching her, she leaned back and parted her lips, catching the small piece of food. Tilting her head forward again, she slowly licked her lips with a satisified grin. Then she placed the unfinished bag of popcorn next to her on the counter, clipping it closed neatly. When she lifted her gaze back up, she noticed that Sheldon was simply staring at her now. She raised an eyebrow.
"What can I do for you, Sheldon?"
That seemed to snap him out of whatever thought he had been having.
"I believe that we agreed last night that I would be stopping by in order to open negotiations concerning the potential, tentative parameters of a future relationship."
Copper let out a deep breath and slowly shook her head, biting her lip.
"I should have been more specific. Sheldon, may I please see the print out of the agreement that you drew up?"
"Oh, yes, of course," Sheldon strode across the room and around the island, handing the folder to her, "It is basically an unchanged copy of the agreement settled upon by Amy Farrah Fowler and myself, but I did add a few clauses to compensate for the differences in interests, profession, living conditions, etc."
Copper barely heard him as she scanned over the first few pages, a frown appearing on her features, then deepening. Sheldon stood near her elbow as she held the folder in her lap, her legs crossed at the ankles. She pointed to a lengthy paragraph near the end of the third page.
"Sheldon, what the hell is this? 'In the event of unexpected or unintentional coitus, I, Dr. Copper McIntyre, do hereby take full responsibility of all repercussions forthwith, the exception being conception, which will become a designated obligation with full cooperation of both parties.' Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"
"Well now, really Copper. I'm a genius, not a mind-reader, how am I supposed to know what you believe the interpretation of that clause is?"
She looked up at him evenly, mildly irked that she still had to tilt her head back a little to make eye contact.
"You're saying," she replied slowly, through clenched teeth, "that if we have sex, God knows how on earth that'll ever happen, I will be responsible for the emotional aftermath that either of us may experience?"
He blinked at her.
"Well, yes."
Copper closed her eyes and bit her lip, fighting back the snarl and the flow of uncomplimentary words that threatened to spill out in her irritation. She heard Sheldon clear his throat next to her.
"I wish you wouldn't do that."
She opened her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"I wish you wouldn't bite your lip like that."
Her head tilted.
"Why?"
He tapped his fingertip against the folder.
"It's in the section on honesty between you and myself. We both have to be totally honest with each other, since I am not very adept at keeping secrets and you are much too capable of hiding things. Thus, I am being honest with you by telling you that I would like for you to stop biting your lower lip."
He was just begging her to start doing it on sheer principle, wasn't he? Taking another deep, calming breath, Copper looked up at him.
"I reiterate in a different format: Why do you want me to stop biting my lip?"
She saw the hesitation flash in his eyes and heard it in the several heartbeats in between her inquiry and his answer.
"Because I find it to be very distracting," he said finally.
Her lips curved into an amused smile.
"And why is that?"
He licked his lips nervously.
"Why does the action distract me?"
Copper gently closed the folder and laid it down on the counter at her hip.
"Yes, that is exactly the question I am posing to you, Dr. Cooper."
She watched him swallow hard, his hands sliding into his pockets and his feet shifting a bit as he bent his head to look down at them. She scooted closer to him on the counter, the heels of her socked feet gently banging into the cabinets below. With a curious expression, she poked his knee with the toe of her foot to get his attention. When he didn't respond, his gaze firmly fastened on the floor, she reached out a hand and carefully touched his forearm. He flinched, but she didn't withdraw. Instead, she said,
"I know we haven't signed this contract thing, so you don't really owe me any honesty at the moment, but I would still very much like to know why you find me biting my lip distracting."
His cobalt blue eyes flickered up to her face with a frown.
"I suspect that you know exactly why and that this is merely a game to you in which you force me to say why."
"Yeah, pretty much."
He shot her a withering glance and she shrugged, unfazed.
"I apologize, Sheldon, You don't have to tell me if you don't care to."
Sheldon continued to stare at her and she shifted on the counter, hiding her fingers beneath her denim clad thighs. Her gaze darted between his face and various areas in the kitchen. The discomfort of the situation settled like an itch between her shoulder blades. Unwilling to idle under the strange tension, Copper turned to him with a crooked smile, picking up the folder again.
"So, how much room have you given me in this version of the agreement?"
Sheldon's brow furrowed.
"Room? I'm afraid I don't understand the question."
"Where in the agreement did you make space for my input? Is there a Copper clause somewhere that I get to fill in with my rules?"
"Oh," he was still looking at her blankly, "I didn't realize you had specific requirements that you would like me to follow. That is, of course, your right, but the thought didn't cross my mind."
Copper sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Of course it didn't," she muttered under her breath, ignoring his frown.
"You're quite welcome to submit to me your own relationship agreement for review."
She let her hand fall to her lap. He was trying, she had to give him that. Her eyes fell onto the neatly typed words spread over her legs and she shook her head slowly. What had she been thinking? It was difficult enough to be friendly with Sheldon without an agreement, let alone attempting to enter a relationship with him under contract. This had been an incredibly foolish idea to even consider. Yes, they both seemed to want this, at least on some level, but how was this going to even work? There were so many Sheldon idiosyncrasies that any sane woman would back out with her hands up in surrender. Finally, after having remained silently thoughtful for a while, Copper glanced up. Sheldon was still watching her, hesitation and something else reflected in his eyes.
"What is it that you are thinking, Copper?"
"Sheldon," she began, feeling as if she at least owed him the truth, "I'm not certain that this is a good idea. That entering into an agreement with you is a good idea."
The way his face was set made her suspect that he had been thinking the same thing. His words confirmed it.
"I had been considering the same dilemma, though I believe that I have just now stumbled upon a remarkably simple solution. Granted, it is rather far afield of the set scientific precepts of experimentation, but I believe that it could render some intriguing results."
Now it was Copper's turn to frown. She braced her arms at her sides, her hands clasping the edge of the counter firmly at her hips.
"I'm listening, Sheldon."
Without warning, he was suddenly in front of her, his hands on either side of hers. He leaned over her and Copper was mildly surprised that he still had to bend over to look her in the eyes. The heat radiating off his body and into hers made a shiver chase down her spine. Her wide grey eyes searched his face, trying to find the reason for this unexpectedly aggressive move.
"Would you truly like to know why I wish you would stop biting your lip?" he asked her in a low tone, his accent making the question sound much more evocative than he might have intended. Hell bell's, that was a purr, and when the corner of his lips lifted in a smirk, she knew it had been deliberate, the conniving bastard.
Copper swallowed, her mouth having gone dry. This was a side of Sheldon that she had no experience with and no idea exactly how to handle. Although, she thought with a mental smirk, she would love to find out. Stop that! Bad Copper thoughts, bad! Hadn't they both just said that they didn't believe this was going to work? Reining in the chaos of her mind, Copper realized she had best give him an answer; there was hardly any need to inflate that ego any more than necessary. Still, a small part of her wanted revenge for the sensations he was causing just by being close to her, damn him! How far could she push this before it got out of hand?
"Yes, Sheldon," she replied huskily, her own southern dialect coming to the fore, as thick and heavy as peach syrup.
His pupils dilated at her answer, she noted with some satisfaction. He seemed to hesitate a moment, as if her response hadn't exactly been what he had been expecting. Then his hands were sliding over her sleeve-covered arms, until one had reached up to cup the back of her neck, fingers gently playing in the russet curls and the other occupied itself by rubbing small circles with its thumb over her elbow. The action bought their faces closer, his lips brushing the flushed skin of her cheek before she felt a warm puff of breath in her ear that made her shiver again.
She could feel his smile against the delicate shell.
"I believe the correct phrase is that we might 'wing it' and see what happens."
Copper was stock still for several heartbeats.
Then she started to giggle, which turned into more giggles, which then turned into full blown laughter.
Sheldon dropped his hands from her body, annoyance and frustration warring in his features.
"May I ask what is so amusing that you would interrupt me?"
"Be-because tha-that line," she gasped, holding her stomach as she tried to control her breathing, "so cheesy!"
He actually looked crushed and Copper took pity on him, sobering up as quickly as she could.
"But...it worked for The Flash," the confusion in his voice, like a little boy who got the answer wrong on the math question he was so certain was right, made her insides warm.
Quicker than the eye could follow, Copper hooked one leg around his, bringing him flush against her as her arms wound their way around his neck. Softly, she pressed soft, feather light kisses against his jaw, working upwards until she reached his ear. She heard his breath catch as she whispered.
"Handsome, you're not The Flash. And for what its worth, that's a damn good thing, considering I like a man with slow hands."
Then she leaned back far enough to kiss his lips, the papers in her lap falling to the floor in a forgotten heap.