A/N: Hello gang! Sorry for the delay in updating, my attention was demanded elsewhere. But I'm back, with hopefully, once more, regular updates. Leave a review at the door, you know why, and please do read and, of course, enjoy! :)

A shrill screech echoed down the hall into Leonard's room, jarring him awake as it slithered down his spine and even rattled the fillings in his teeth. Groaning, he pulled the covers back over his head, fully intending on blocking out the sound on sheer willpower alone. Then footsteps pounded towards his door, immediately followed by its bursting inwards and two glaring pairs of eyes regarding his person hostilely.

Fumbling for his glasses from beneath his fabric haven, he settled them against his face and blinked up blearily as he allowed his comforter to be jerked away. He let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his fingers bumping the rims of his glasses. Sitting up, he noted the taller of the two held a violin by the neck in one hand, the matching bow in the other.

"Sheldon, did you take up an instrument again? You know how the bongo drums turned out…"

"Leonard, I have no interest in your inane, sleep deprived babble. What I want to know is what you think of learning how to play the Imperial March on the violin."

Leonard blinked, his features scrunching up in bewilderment before he scowled.

"You woke me up for that? Do you even have to ask? Yes!"

"There, you see!" Sheldon crowed, crossing his arms loosely once he had handed the instrument back to its owner, "It makes perfect sense for the Imperial March to be the very first music I learn to play."

Copper's grey eyes had narrowed to slits and Leonard felt an urge to scoot a bit towards the other side of the bed.

"Very wll, Sheldon," she answered finally, "If that's what you want to learn how to play. However," she said, pausing as she turned towards the door, "let me point out that we are not going to be playing anything else until you perform every note precisely."

"That seems entirely logical," Sheldon replied casually, his blue eyes gleaming in victorious pleasure.

Leonard couldn't help the grin at Copper's smirk.

"That includes all video games, Sheldon. Your focus will be the violin and that is all it will be, the exception being your work, of course."

As she strode forward, Sheldon trailed behind her in a cacophony of protests.

"But Copper," he whined, "one needs to take preplanned breaks during an activity, in order to maintain peak-"

His words lost coherence to Leonard's ears as they turned the corner down the hall. Yawning, he put his glasses back on the nightstand and curled back under his covers with a sigh. Hopefully those two would play nice while he basked in his Saturday.

He did admit that it was a vainglorious hope at best, just before the warmth around him lulled him back into slumber.

Sheldon frowned deeply, his arm held at an angle as he gently grasped the neck of the violin. The bow hung poised in the air, loose in his grip as he watched Copper inspect his posture. Finally, she nodded and he placed the bow against the strings, shifting his fingers and sliding the length of black, varnished wood across the strands. The sound was not unpleasant, but as he and Copper listened, they both shook their heads.

"It still isn't quite right," he murmured and she nodded in agreement.

"Allow me?" she asked and he handed her the instrument.

Swiftly and with practiced ease, she lifted the violin, propping her chin on the rest. The bow sang over the strings, strong, emphatic notes filling the room. Sheldon watched her hands attentively, or, at least, he attempted to. Her eyes had closed and her lips parted as she played, creating such an enticing picture that it was difficult to keep his gaze from her features. Then he mentally chastised himself. This was hardly a moment to indulge himself in- in what, exactly? The question drew his brows together as he watched her play. Her face was pleasant to look at; it gave him a strange sensation in his chest, something akin to when he solved a particularly difficult equation.

Weeks had passed since they had that conversation in her kitchen. The relationship agreement had been scrapped, Copper instead suggesting that they simply remain honest with one another. If something bothered him, she said, tell her and she would do her best to make him feel more at ease. So far, that policy had been successful, though Sheldon had to admit that he had very little to complain about. Their involvement, if one cared to call it that, seldom actually fell outside the boundaries, as he understood them, of friendship. The exception being, of course, their more physical encounters. She never pushed physical contact, however. Couple that fact with her ability to read his moods that was positively uncanny, and her intelligence, which allowed her to keep up with his leaps of thought and emotion. That had, of course, been exactly the same before he had decided that he wanted to pursue some type of relationship with her, but now he found that he appreciated those facets of her more.

She was far from being the evolved feminine counterpoint to his status as homo novus, but as far as humanity was concerned, he found her to be one of the best examples. Frankly, when technology finally reached the point where intergalactic space travel was possible, she was the first person on his list to send as a diplomatic representative of their race.

As if she were too caught up in the music, she switched songs, instead beginning to play the more melancholy, wistful tune could be heard in scenes with Luke Skywalker. Her expression softened, her body gently swaying to the music.

Fascinating.

Sheldon swallowed thickly, taking a step back from her, just so he could see her in her entirety. The words that came to mind to describe her at that moment were useless, cliche, trite, and unable in give voice to the warmth that bloomed in his chest as he regarded her small performance. She possessed such a remarkable ear for music. Last week, they had sat down to watch an old favorite of Leonard's, The Blues Brothers, and about halfway through the film, she had jumped up and rushed out of the apartment, the others staring after her. A few moments later, she had returned with a large guitar case.

"Go back to the part with John Lee Hooker playing in the street," she had said.

Leonard had given her a confused look.

"Who?"

She had then promptly smacked the back of his head, grabbed the remote, and rewound the disc herself, muttering under her breath about disowning blasphemous physicists. Pausing it long enough to get settled on the floor just in front of the television, the guitar strapped across her shoulder and sitting in her lap, she had then pressed the play button. Music blared from the speakers and Copper's head had tilted, her curls spilling around her shoulders. Sheldon had ignored the screen, instead staring at her back intently. Suddenly, she had struck a few cords, the musical vibrations echoing in the room. Then he had watched her arm begin to flex against the guitar, her other hand nearly stroking down the frets, and, as the street musicians began to play, so had she.

When she walk that walk,

and talk that talk,

The guitar seemed to come to life in her hands, the rhythms she played matching perfectly to the sounds pouring from the television.

and whisper in my ear,

tell me that you love me

She sang with them, her voice a southern-tinged, throaty beckoning, adding a sultriness to the lyrics; a kind of smoky, backroom summons to temptation.

I love that talk

that baby talk

Sheldon had shifted on the couch, a hot prickling stealing over his skin as she had tossed a look over her shoulder, grey eyes promising nothing but pure sin. How he knew that, he couldn't have said, either then or now. What he did know was that, somehow, she had turned the song into her own and it had caused a strong, physical reaction in him as he had watched her play, heard the words that had fired his imagination. He had remembered how she had strutted around the island in the kitchen, her body vibrant with motion and passion. It was the same sensation tugging at his gut, making his mouth dry and his palms sweat. It had taken every ounce of willpower he had to remain still on the couch and he still didn't fully understand how her music had made him want to pull her against him and-

Copper said something and it snapped him back to the present, blinking rapidly as he attempted to recalibrate his attention to the current time and place.

"Pardon?"

She gave him an enigmatic smile.

"I said, shall we try again?"

"Oh. Oh, yes, of course."

Sheldon cleared his throat and accepted the violin delicately, mentally scolding himself for allowing his mind to wander when he needed to be paying attention. He placed the bow against the strings, although without the smooth fluidity that Copper possessed. Copper reached out a hand and lifted his elbow.

"Stop slouching, pretending like you aren't so tall, and keep your elbow up," she told him, the crooked smile she gave him taking out any sting that may have been in her words.

Then she stepped around him to his left, positioning his fingers and Sheldon was keenly aware of her touch's warmth. A tingling had started where her fingertips had moved over his digits, following the slender pads as they trailed up his arm to his shoulder. He watched her face, but couldn't discern if she was doing it on purpose or not. The sensation was so light that he couldn't complain about it as physical contact. Her cheek brushed his covered bicep as she leaned close, checking the alignment of his arm. With a small nod, she gestured and he slid the bow across the strings as she came around to stand in front of him.

Copper had her head tilted as she listened, her eyes unfocused. Sheldon shifted his fingers, altering the note and she shook her head, causing him to stop abruptly.

"I think you're placing too much pressure with your ring finger, Sheldon. Let's try again, but keep that digit up, please."

He nodded, repeating his previous actions but with the minor adjustment she suggested. Sheldon was infinitely pleased when she suddenly grinned up at him and he lowered his arm and the violin.

"Beautiful, Sheldon! Much better!" her eyes glittered in the afternoon light, "You're improving very quickly. An excellent student."

He sniffed, carefully placing the instrument in its case and firmly shutting the lid with a couple of snaps.

"Of course," he responded in a mild tone, though inside he was gleeful that she thought so. Whether he would ever admit it or not, he considered her an authority on music, an honor that was not lightly or easily bestowed.

Perhaps she recognized it, since she didn't make a smart remark regarding his self-assuredness. Perhaps she was just becoming more accepting of his superior learning capabilities when tackling an unfamiliar project. In either case, he was in an excellent mood when he turned around and looked at her with a relaxed expression.

"What say you to watching a few episodes of Game of Thrones? Leonard and I have recorded most of them on the DVR and I know that you enjoy indulging your more fantastic leaning tastes on occasion."

Copper smiled at him in what he had come to know as her excited mood. Her eyes lit up, her lower lip disappeared between her teeth, and her fingers twined about themselves as she attempted to remain calm. It was, in short, one of his favorite temperaments that she exhibited and he was willing to confess that it was partially because it was usually reserved for something regarding him. In fact, he often found himself lately searching for provocations that would elicit her biting her lip. It was true, what he had told her not so long ago; that he had wished she would stop the habit. It was very distracting and he suspected on more than one occasion that she did it on purpose to tease him for her own nefarious amusement. Recently, however, he had to admit that while it was beguiling, it was also intriguing. It drew his attention like Captain Kirk to a distress call, and held it.

He would be concentrating, his focus entirely on the task at hand, and then she would nibble at her lower lip, turning its hue from a light pink to a soft red. Sheldon would then discover that a strange fluttering would begin in his belly as he watched her, wanting very much to lean close to her and tug that lip from its enamel confines with his. The thought was both thrilling and disturbing.

At that moment, though, he simply found it thrilling as she looked up at him with wide, grey eyes.

"I would enjoy that very much, Sheldon."

He nodded and set her case near the door before returning to dim the lights and take command of his spot. Copper settled onto the cushion next to him, a comfortable and adequate amount of distance between them. As he pressed play, he leaned back and laid his hands on his thighs. The music began and his blue eyes cut across from the screen to observe Copper. Her eyes had drifted closed, her arm extended while the other played over an invisible violin. She swayed gently, only stilling when the theme ended.

Sheldon turned his gaze back to the television once her eyes had opened and watched the rest of the show attentively.

Several hours passed, Leonard skidding through the living room, shouting something about being late for dinner with Penny being the only interruption. Sheldon's lips had twitched when the door had slammed shut, content in the knowledge that he would have Copper's company entirely to himself that evening. Although he would have been able to tell a person exactly what point in time he had begun to feel so possessive of the bewitching redhead, he doubted he would have wanted to share even that small piece of information. He enjoyed the notion that she was completely his, despite knowing that she was not in every way that she could be. In truth, he had been debating for some time if he should make plans for that possibility, but he had yet to come to a definitive conclusion on the subject.

Copper's body shifting a hair closer to his brought an end to his internal musings. Her eyes were glued to the screen and his flickered between her features and the picture on the television, attempting to uncover what had caused her to alter her body language. It was some bloody battle sequence and Sheldon frowned, mildly perplexed. Turning his eyes back to her, he suddenly found that was rapidly losing his focus on solving the mystery.

Her head was tilted in that expectant way she had, her brows drawn together as if she were puzzled. Burnished strands were falling into her line of vision and she lifted a hand to shove them out of the way.

It was her lips, however, that his eyes had settled on. Copper's teeth were worrying at it, causing to take notice of their contour, brought into sharp relief by her unconscious action. Sheldon held back a groan and shook his head. The woman was utterly maddening, sending bolts of alien emotions and sensations streaking through him like a proton accelerator. Suddenly she looked over at him and caught him staring.

"Sheldon?" she queried softly and he watched her mouth form the words, her lip slightly swollen from her constant attention.

Sheldon Cooper realized at precisely that instant exactly how Gollum felt whenever he was anywhere near the Ring.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and crushed her lips beneath his, one hand sliding down and around the curve of her waist while the other tangled itself in her hair. She was frozen for only a heartbeat before she was returning the kiss eagerly. Seemingly emboldened by her lack of dissent, he sipped at her lips. Her hands flexed where they curled into his t-shirt when he slid his tongue out to taste the intoxicating flavor of her lower lip. Copper's lips parted in a tiny gasp and he immediately took the advantage, his tongue darting past her lips to swirl around hers sensuously, letting out a groan when she answered. He retreated and she followed, the taste and feel of him drowning out any concerns she had that he might panic and push her away.

Finally, the need for air parted them, both of them breathing heavily and Copper found her brain cells again. They sparked to life, beginning the swirl of second thoughts and hesitations. He was going to kill her as soon as his blood flow reversed back upwards, she was sure of it. He looked down at her, his eyes unfocused and incredibly dark. Copper bit her lip briefly before she opened her mouth to speak her thought out loud when he groaned once more.

Bu then his mouth was on hers again and promptly made her forget to argue with herself about the situation. She made a surprised sound when she felt the softness of the cushions giving at her back, Sheldon's weight settling on top of her. Her hands found their way into his hair, anchoring him to her as he plundered her mouth again and again, one kiss blending into another, deeper one. He was braced on his forearms, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. Her hands fisted in short, dark strands as his lips left hers to skim across her jaw, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to the side of her neck, his tongue flicking out to taste the soft skin and making her head tip back. Her fingers traced the shell of his ear, making him shudder over her.

"Sheldon," she breathed out, unable to say anything else at that moment.

He pulled back from her neck and bent his head, touching his forehead to hers. He blew out a hard breath through his nostrils, attempting, as was she, to calm her beating heart.

"Mom should have warned me about the dangers of a woman biting her lip instead of alcohol," he muttered and his tone made her chuckle softly.

"Perhaps you should have warned me that it was going to cause that kind of reaction?"

He lifted his head to look down at her with a skeptical expression.

"Isn't the passion of encounters such as this rooted in spontaneity? Or am I researching the wrong literature?"

Copper raised her eyebrows, shifting beneath him. As if realizing their position for the first time, Sheldon pushed himself up, tugging on her hand so that she sat up with him.

"I really shouldn't be surprised at that. But, to answer your question, yes, that is often the result of encounters such as the one we just experienced."

He nodded, his expression thoughtful and Copper made a conscious effort not to bite her lip again. Instead, she tilted her head. Her mind, and her body, was still coming down from that heated few moments, but she knew that he was mentally much quicker than she. So, it wasn't startling to see such a pensive set to his features.

"You seem to be thinking rather deeply, Sheldon," she murmured, reaching out a hand to catch his hand in hers, pleased when he didn't pull away.

"I think," he said slowly, "that I need to brush my teeth and I was wondering what would have been the most tactful way to express that."

Letting out a small laugh, she squeezed his fingers once and released them, gesturing down the hall.

"Being up front about it is fine. It doesn't hurt my feelings and if it did, then I wouldn't know you like I do. I think I'm going home. I have to get up and clean in the morning."

He nodded to her, standing and escorting her to the door. Following up on an impulse, Copper reached up and cupped his face in her hands, bringing him down for a short, chaste but sweet kiss. Then she dropped down to her feet with a smile.

"Good night, Sheldon. Perhaps you'll drop by tomorrow evening to have supper with me?"

He nodded.

"I would like that, Copper. Good night."

As Copper was walking down the stairs towards her apartment, her lips curved into a crooked grin.

"After all that time, I never would have guessed that increasing the frequency of that habit would have caused that kind of reaction," she murmured to herself with a chuckle.

She owed Penny ten bucks.