A sound woke her but this time, it was morning. Penny looked over at her clock. The alarm hadn't gone off yet, she could sleep some more but there were noises. Bang, bang, bang! Leonard. He was back and he was dragging his overnight case, up the stairs. Why did he always take that thing, he packed like a girl.

She then remembered Sheldon. On the couch and the night before. OMG! What would he do? Would he freak out? She had to tell him it was okay, it was no big deal. Jumping out of bed and grabbing her dressing gown she walked in to the front room. Sheldon was already dressed, his hair was disheveled and he looked as if he hadn't slept. He was standing with her front door open to greet Leonard, as he unlocked the door.

"You're home" he said and walked straight by Leonard, through their apartment and towards his room.

"Yes, nice to see you too, Sheldon" he said sarcastically.

Penny walked into the hall. "Welcome back."

"Sheldon didn't lock himself out again, did he?" said Leonard with a smile.

"Afraid so"

"Amy's coming over later tonight. It's Thai night and you're on the early shift right?..."

Brrrrrrrinnnnnnnggg!

"That's my alarm. I'd better get hopping" she smiled weakly.

"So, Thai?"

"Sure" she said, hoping to sound enthusiastic.

The early shift went fast. Lack of sleep and a feeling of bewilderment clouded her day. The customers endless demands, even her bosses annoying voice, seemed far away. "Much better effort today" he had said.

The previous night no longer felt real. It couldn't have been. Sheldon Cooper doesn't have a deal. He never did. It can't have happened, but she knew it had. Well, he's got a more than willing girlfriend, waiting for him to make his move. He must have some pretty messed up issues, she thought. The poor thing. As her shift came to an end she began to worry. I bet he's having a breakdown, she thought. She suddenly wished she had stayed on the couch. Then she thought about Amy. Oh god!

That evening at the apartment, Leonard was unpacking containers on to the coffee table when Penny arrived.

"Hey" Penny said, as she opened the door and sheepishly stepped inside.

"Hi, come on in," said Leonard "you're just in time."

"Thanks" she said and sat herself down in the armchair.

"Sheldon" he called out, "Before you ask, the chicken is diced, it's brown rice, we got the good hot mustard and the low sodium soy sauce."

"I checked it twice" said Amy beaming, from her seat next to Sheldon's spot.

Sheldon was at the desk on his laptop, typing away furiously. He said nothing.

Leonard sat next to Amy and said, "Okay, dig in everyone"

"Sheldon, we're eating now," said Leonard.

"Unlike yourself Leonard, my work takes priority" he said, turning to give him a disapproving glance. "Sustenance is a distraction which I can defer."

"Well your sustenance is getting cold" she Penny dryly.

He gave her his usual cool look, stood up and strolled over to the table. "I was finished anyway," he said and sat in his spot.

Penny felt a flood of relief. He was the same old annoying Sheldon. She watched as he picked up his food, pushed it around as usual, examined it, prodded a little more and then began to eat. He was okay. There was no change.

Why was there no change?

"Sheldon, I thought for date night this week we could continue my experiment," said Amy.

"Very well" said Sheldon without emotion.

As the week rolled on, Penny decided the whole thing was best forgotten. Whatever Sheldon's issues are, they weren't physical and they certainly weren't any of her business. She listened to Amy talk excitedly about how this date night she would be working on Sheldon becoming more comfortable with touch.

"How do I look?" said Amy, standing there is a new green cardigan and denim skirt.

"You look great Ames," said Penny.

"I knew it, this is what I'm wearing tonight," she said proudly "I'm road testing this ensemble, to see how she handles." Penny smiled.

"So what's your plan?"

"Well… Sheldon will be arriving at my place at 7.30pm and I will be ordering pizza," she said.

"Because it's pizza night," said Penny automatically.

"Of course." said Amy with a smile.

"Then once he's settled. I have a set of small cognitive behavioral steps, which I hope will induce a hug… or even kissing!" She shouted, rocking back and forward on her heels excitedly. "Well, probably not kissing on the first try but you never know."

"You sound optimistic."

"Yes, I am. Sheldon's been making much more effort lately." She said "and I think I have just the right approach. Failing that, there's always the electrodes"

Penny looked alarmed.

"Joke" she said "I think."

"Well… I believe you will get lucky this time, Ames." Penny said knowingly.

"You think?"

"Sure do! Call it Penny intuition."

Amy grinned.

"Good luck," she said as Amy left.

"Not going to need it," Amy called back "I have Penny intuition."

After Amy left, she undressed, turned on the water and jumped in the shower. As the water warmed her skin, she thought of Amy bouncing back to her place in her new outfit. She smiled. Then she thought of Sheldon's head resting on her shoulder. He had smelt so fresh. WTH?

It had been the first time she had thought back to that night. She stopped breathing. This annoying man was none of her concern, she told herself angrily. She'd always thought of Sheldon as a gentle weakling with a big fat mouth on him. He had become the annoying little brother she'd never had, always in her way. They had hugged a couple of times in the past. Something that was profoundly difficult for him and while she found it very sweet that he tried, his touch was tentative and insipid. This was her worldview of Sheldon.

Yet that sleepy embrace was neither tentative, nor insipid. He had held her so firmly she couldn't move freely without effort. And she had liked it. Not at all what I expected, she told herself. Amy may be luckier than I thought.

Choosing a pretty floral dress, she got ready and crossed the hall to 4A.

"Is Leonard there?" She asked.

Sheldon was sitting in his spot with his computer on his lap and headphones on. Tap, tap, tapping away.

"Yes, I'm here" Leonard called out, "almost ready. Take a seat and I'll be out in a moment." He disappeared back in his bedroom again.

"Sheldon, shouldn't you be getting ready for date night with Amy?" Penny asked inquisitively.

"I am ready" he said, "I'm just playing one final game before I leave."

Tap, tap, tap.

"Letting off a bit of steam?" she asked, regretting it instantly. He shot her a look and carried on.

Tap, tap, tap.

Leonard emerged from the bedroom pulling on his suit jacket. He walked to the fridge, opened it and started looking around inside.

"Do you want a drink before we go?"

"Not for me thanks," Penny said.

Tap, tap, tap.

Then Leonard began to talk about the restaurant he'd booked. It was a quiet little Italian in a basement, which he'd always been meaning to take her too. It had been owned by the same family going back generations. But his voice began to fade away and she found herself not listening because it was then she noticed. The tapping had stopped. Sheldon's eyes were not on his computer screen. They had moved sideways, towards her. He was looking at her cleavage. She couldn't move or speak. A second hung in the air.

"So what do you think?" Leonard asked, closing the fridge and striding over.

Penny snapped back to reality. "What?"

Tap, tap, tap.

"Sounds great, lets go," she said, standing up sharply and starting towards the door.

All evening Penny thought about Sheldon. What is going on with him? Had he finally reached puberty? Was she going to be living across the hall from a teenager in a man's body now?

Leonard chatted away and she responded here and there. The food was great and the wine amazing but she wasn't there in spirit. She was on autopilot. When they finished their main course she excused herself from the table and was pleased to find the bathroom empty. She gazed in the mirror.

"Never mind what's going on with Sheldon," she told herself. "What the hell's going on with you?"

Get a grip, she told herself. So Sheldon was showing signs of becoming a man. It's not as if Leonard's other friends had never looked down her top before. Howard and Raj both sprung to mind. Urgh! It was just weirder that it was Sheldon. It didn't seem right. It would never seem right, she thought.

I guess it was bound to happen one day, no point dwelling on it. As she sat back down at the table, she asked Leonard. "How does Sheldon seemed to you lately?"

"Arrogant, obsessive, self-centered… he's just fine," Leonard chuckled. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just thought he didn't seem himself earlier." she said.

Leonard thinks. "He did let me borrow his Alien trilogy on blu-ray."

"Does that count?"

"He usually makes me sign something."

"Oh" she smiled

They made their way back to her apartment and as they got to her door, they heard footsteps coming quickly up the stairs. Sheldon was bounding up them at speed. He unlocked the apartment door in one quick movement and slammed the door behind him.

"Date night went well then!" said Leonard.