Christmas (December 25th)
Penny wrapped the present carefully. She added a bright sparkly red bow on top and smiled softly. She had found a great gift for each person. A chess set from Lord of the Rings for Leonard. A collector's edition Battlestar Galactica lithograph for Howard. A globe of the stars for Raj that lit up and projected the constellations on the ceiling. For Bernadette she found a bracelet with charms on it. Ice skates, a snow flake, a music note and a little ice dancer figure hanging from a golden chain. For Priya and Amy, she bought tea sets. One for Amy of delicate china and one for Priya of hand-blown glass. And for Sheldon she had called in every favor she could, and promised a few herself for his gift. She ran her hand over the box again and sighed.
The last few weeks had been a bit of a strain. Sheldon was slowly pulling her back into the group. He insisted she join them for more and more meals and activities. He showed up unexpectedly on one occasion, just to 'hang out'.
She and Priya were getting along a bit better, now that Priya was seeing for herself that there was nothing between her and Leonard anymore. There was still tension between her and Amy. Tension that Penny was uncertain how to relieve. Especially considering the increased tension between her and Sheldon.
Only that tension was of a different kind. The tension of awareness. An awareness she was all to familiar with. Penny sighed and gathered all the presents into a big basket and carried it out into the hall. She knocked on 4A and shifted the load. Leonard opened the door and smiled.
"Hey!" He stepped back and let her in. Amy and Sheldon were sitting on the couch and Priya was in the kitchen.
"Hi, everyone," Penny said with a smile. "I wanted to bring these over right quick before I left."
Sheldon frowned. "Left? Penny, you know you must give me two weeks notice before any trips so I have adequate time to incorporate the watering of your plants and retrieval of your mail into my schedule."
She rolled her eyes and set the basket by the coffee table. "I'm going home for Christmas, and you don't need to water my plants or get my mail. Stuart is having the comic book shop painted and he's going to stay in my place while I'm gone. He'll take care of the plants and Leonard already agreed to get my mail."
Sheldon stood in surprise. "Stuart? You are letting Stuart live in your apartment?"
Penny nodded. "I talked to him last week when I stopped in for Leonard's gift and he mentioned the painting. It sounded like a good idea, so we worked out the details. He'll stay here starting tomorrow until the day before we get back. So, since I'm going to be gone, I wanted to make sure I brought these over for you guys to open on Christmas."
Priya walked over. "You got me a gift?" she asked with surprise mixed with a bit of excitement.
Penny nodded. "I got one for everyone. Well, I gotta get moving. I'll see you guys January 3rd."
She moved back to her apartment and grabbed her purse. Her luggage was by the door already. She turned to find Sheldon staring at her suitcase and carry-on bag. "Something wrong, sweetie?"
Sheldon didn't look up at her. "You said 'we'. When 'we' get back."
Penny nodded. "Mark is flying out East to see some of his family. He'll drop by New year's Eve and stay with me a couple of days before we return."
Sheldon looked up at her finally. "You are introducing him to your family. It is serious between you." He wasn't asking a question. He was making a statement.
Penny shrugged her shoulders. "Mark and I are just friends. I like him. He's… he's like a mentor or something."
Sheldon moved a small step closer. "Penny, what is this? Why do I feel like this? I can see you feel it, too."
Penny shook her head. "It's nothing, Sheldon. Maybe because we don't see each other as much any more. Maybe just nostalgia. Maybe just a fluke. Whatever it is, it'll go away." Her voice became a mere whisper. "It has to."
Sheldon felt trapped by something he couldn't identify. Things were changing, and he was lost as to how to stop it, fix it, or accept it. He watched her pull on a thin jacket. She walked over and picked up her carry on. She was reaching for her suitcase when he did something completely out of character.
He bent and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Happy Saturnalia," he whispered against her mouth. He placed a small gift in her jacket pocket and hurried back across the hall.
(Nebraska: Christmas night)
Penny sat on her old twin bed and slowly opened the box. Inside was a small glass flower under a dome. It looked exactly like one of her Penny-Blossoms. The tag on the gift brought a tear to her eye.
"For Penny, my favorite blossom
From Dr. Sheldon Cooper
(California: Christmas night)
Sheldon placed the bow aside and carefully unwrapped the thin box. Inside was a framed black and white photograph. It was a self portrait of Leonard Nimoy, he realized with a gasp. There was an authenticity certificate included. It was signed on the back.
"To Dr. Sheldon Cooper, my biggest fan, from Leonard Nimoy. Nothing unreal exists."
Sheldon traced a finger over the frame. An actual photograph taken by his idol. How had she managed to acquire this? Why did this mean more than the signed copy of A Briefer History Of Time that Amy had given him?
Dear Guest reviewer, you might want to actually watch the show before comparing the story to the show, sweetie. In all but 5 episodes of season 6, Penny is drinking, often pretty heavily. Doesn't sound like Leonard's been such a good influence after all. And no, Sheldon never called Penny a blonde monkey. Penny called herself one. However, if you want to quote Sheldon, don't forget, he told Amy he wished she was dead, but he told Penny he loved her. So keep those reviews coming. I love the way you ramble and rant quite incoherently.