A/N: sorry for not updating this in a while; I wasn't sure on which direction I wanted this to go, not too mention a bit of a rough time in my private life.


Penny noticed the expression on Andy's face. Of course her genius son immediately made the link between her earlier confession to him to have found someone she might want to have a relationship with, and the fact his idol was currently in their home to enjoy dinner. And they hadn't even sat down yet. She was surprised when Andy, after shaking hands with Leonard, sat himself down in the chair, leaving her loveseat the only spot for her and Leonard to sit on. It was a clear signal her son approved, and she sat down next to Leonard with butterflies in her stomach, suddenly feeling very nervous.

While eating dinner, Leonard and Andy had quickly turned conversation to a physics topic, far too complex for her to even attempt to follow, and she just ate her food, smiling whenever she looked towards Leonard, though she didn't realize that last part until they had almost finished eating.

Leonard and Andy were still deep in discussion about physics, Andy clearly trying to learn as much as possible, and while it should have left her feeling ignored, she sort of enjoyed their talking back and forth. For one, it allowed her to quietly observe Leonard when he was clearly in his element; he spoke with confidence, not once stammering or looking away shyly. She liked seeing that side of him. The second reason was that it gave her an idea on how well Leonard and her son would get along, should she decide to really pursue a relationship with the cute physicist.

Her eyes moved away from looking at his head to take inventory of the rest of his body. She remembered their conversation earlier in which Leonard had mentioned he wished he had enrolled in self-defense class, be more athletic, but with his hoodie removed, Penny could see his arms and bit of his chest. While no one would call him buff, there was definitely some definition there, and Penny wanted nothing more than let her hands slide along his biceps or over his chest, preferably after divesting him of his shirt as well.

Penny quickly turned away and looked in the direction of Andy, glad to find his attention still focused on the conversation with Leonard. She needed to clear her mind; it was way too soon to have these kinds of thoughts. Then again, she hadn't been with anyone in six years. A long time, especially considering the very healthy libido she had displayed during the couple of years before she stopped dating. She definitely missed that part, she admitted to herself, then frowned slightly. Was she only interested in Leonard because he could give her something she hadn't had in a long time? Was this just something physical? She didn't think it was, but now she wondered if he would think it was just a one night thing, should she eventually decide to sleep with him. Or what if he was only interested in a one-nighter? Not that it would stop her from riding him all night, she admitted to herself once again.

"Mom, you don't have to try to follow this discussion. It's pretty advanced physics, anyway."

Penny realized her frown must have deepened while pondering the potential of her and Leonard. She smiled at Andy. "I wasn't. I was just thinking about… stuff. Work." She gave a small nod, happy she found some explanation for her frown.

"Oh," Andy replied, sounding as if he didn't quite believe her. "Well, I'll put these," he indicated the now mostly empty containers, clearly not prodding any further into her lie, "in the trash and take it out before I go over to Rick's."

Penny's expression changed immediately. "How's he holding up?"

Andy shrugged. "As good as anyone would after losing both a father and a sister."

Penny nodded sadly. She'd heard about the accident on the freeway, hours before finding out who the victims were. She pulled Andy in for a hug. "You tell Rick's mother if she needs anything, she can ask me, okay?"

"I will," Andy promised, extracting himself from the hug, collecting the containers and taking them to kitchen. Moments later he walked back in and grabbed the duffel Penny hadn't even noticed before. "I'm staying over and go to school from Rick's place, so I'm not going to see you until tomorrow late afternoon, after Taekwondo practice."

Penny nodded, remembering they'd talked about this before she had gone to get their food. "Okay, Sweetie." Andy said goodbye to Leonard and walked away. As Penny heard him open the door she yelled after him, "I love you," to which he replied he loved her too. She turned around at the clearing of a throat.

"I guess I should go back home as well."

Penny frowned, hearing the insecurity in him again. "No, you can stay. I mean, it's still pretty early, and there's no need for both of us being alone all evening."


Leonard had started to feel more and more comfortable as the evening progressed, no doubt at least in part thanks to the wine they'd been drinking. They'd ended up telling a lot about themselves to each other and he was glad she had persuaded him to stay. But checking the time, he knew it was time to get going.

"I think I should call a cab," he said after remembering how much alcohol he'd enjoyed the last couple of hours. Perhaps not much but since he didn't drink very often, he knew he was impaired enough to make it dangerous to drive.

"You should definitely not drive," Penny agreed with him. "You know, you can just stay in guestroom? I just put on fresh sheets."

Leonard frowned. "Are you sure? It'd be just the two of us in the house." Not that he intended to decline the offer, but he felt obligated to at least give her a way out, in case her alcohol affected mind hadn't thought the suggestion through completely.

She grinned at him. "I promise I won't jump your bones."

If he hadn't drank so much, Leonard was sure his shock would have shown. Instead the alcohol had started to make him brave, and he found himself replying, "what if I can't promise the same thing?"

She shrugged, but Leonard noticed the grin didn't fade in the least. "I might object to appear being a good girl, but I'm sure it wouldn't take much for you to change my mind."

Yep, he definitely should be showing shock now, but the alcohol seemed to make him incapable of that facial expression. Then it hit him: the alcohol had lowered her inhibitions and she'd probably would regret it later. She couldn't really mean any of this; in his experience he had to really work hard to even get a woman's attention and he hadn't even attempted anything with the gorgeous woman sitting next to him, knowing she was just way out of his league.

"It's up to you, but the offer of the guestroom stands," Penny interrupted his train of thought.

Leonard glanced at the clock once more. At one a.m. he wasn't really looking forward to call for a cab, wait for it to pick him up and take him home. Plus, he would have to come back here later to retrieve his car. "Alright, I'll take the guestroom."

Penny smiled brightly. "Great! Follow me, I'll show you where."

Before he could do anything, Penny had grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, pulling him with her as she moved toward the stairs. His eyes had turned toward her ass for a moment, and now he found he couldn't get them to look anywhere else. He admired the movement as he followed her up the stairs, far less steady than she was. Confusion washed over him as she stopped at the top, to retrieve her smartphone. Seconds later a light at the end of the hall came on and the light coming from downstairs vanished at the same time. "Did you just control the lights with your phone?"

She turned to him, giving a small shrug. "Andy showed me once how he could control pretty much anything, so I asked if we could install it permanently for the lights and stuff. Obviously without public access." She turned away and stretched her arm in front of her. "The guestroom is the one on the far right, directly next to the bathroom. If you need anything," she glanced behind her with a grin at 'anything,' "my room is right here."

Leonard just gave a small nod. "Thanks."

Penny shrugged. "Sure, no problem, sweetie." She opened her bedroom door, then turned back. "Oh, there should be toothbrush still in its package in the bathroom, as well as aspirin, in case you get a headache in the morning."

"We should probably drink a lot of water," Leonard said, suddenly remembering. "Much less of a headache in the morning."

Penny frowned briefly. "That actually works?"

Leonard looked sheepishly at her. "Well, that's what I have been told. I usually don't drink so much, so I never really had to test this particular theory."

"Okay, I guess we'll test it together, then," Penny said, turning on the lights downstairs with her phone. "I'll get us some bottles," she said, descending the stairs.

Leonard followed her with his eyes all the way, until she walked out of view. He then looked into her bedroom, the door still wide open. He didn't dare step inside, but he could see the bed and her wardrobe closet. He didn't get much time, as he heard her walking back to the stairs. Again he followed her with his eyes, blushing when she took the last step to the landing and he realized just exactly where his eyes had been focused.

"Here you go," Penny said, handing him two bottles. "I got us two each, in case we get thirsty later."


Penny smiled slightly to herself once her bedroom door was closed; she'd seen where Leonard's eyes had been directed at as she ascended the stairs with the water bottles. She wasn't unaccustomed to men, and on occasion women, staring at her cleavage, but it was cute when he'd blushed and averted his eyes when he realized what he'd done, even though she hadn't shown any indication of discomfort or even noticing.

She changed into a white tanktop and Hello Kitty shorts, her mind going over the evening. To Penny it had been instantly clear the cute physicist wasn't used to drinking, judging by how little alcohol it had taken for him to get tipsy. Penny didn't drink very often anymore, and definitely not so much that she'd be too drunk to think straight, but her tolerance was definitely still quite high.

But the alcohol had seemed to have given Leonard a little more confidence in his interactions with her. They'd talked about their lives upto pretty much the day they first met, and Penny felt they'd really gotten to know each other better.

She stepped out of her bedroom and walked over to the bathroom. She stopped when the guestroom opened and Leonard stepped out in just his boxers, her eyes hungrily taking in his bare arms and chest. Damn, he was far more attractive than she had initially thought and she was fighting the urge to let her hands roam over the newly exposed parts of his body.

"Oh, uhm, do you want to go first," Leonard asked, gesturing toward the bathroom.

Penny bit her lip, her eyes not quite done taking him in. "Uhm, no, I'd probably need more time than you." Against her better judgement, she moved past him into the guestroom, brushing against him, her hands gliding over his chest. "I'll wait in here."

She waited until the bathroom door closed behind him, before she groaned and let herself fall backwards on the bed. "Get a grip," she murmured to herself. That wasn't going to be easy now that she'd seen quite a bit more of him and of course her inner voice took the opportunity to point out how long it had been since she'd been with a guy.

It took him only a couple of minutes and during that time she had moved into a sitting position, her hands resting behind her on the bed, allowing her to lean backwards slightly. She stubbornly denied to her inner voice the pose was intended to draw attention to her breasts but was quite pleased when she noticed his look as he entered the guestroom.

She stood up and walked over when Leonard seemed unsure about continuing in. "All set for the night," she asked, to which he nodded. "Good," she said, wrapping her arms around him to hug him tightly against her. "Sleep tight," she said, turning her head slightly to kiss him on the cheek.

"Uhm, yeah, sleep tight," Leonard said, sounding even more unsure and uncomfortable than ever.

Penny bit her lower lip for a moment, not ready to let go of him, and seriously contemplating pressing her lips against his. She knew if she did that, there would be no turning back for her. She wanted him but she knew Leonard would hold off, afraid she was letting the alcohol make the decision for her.

No, if this was going to happen, and she was going to try to make it happen soon, there would be no alcohol involved. It would have to be clear to him that she wanted it. She finally released him, the hug having gone on too long already. "Right, see you in the morning." She detected the hint of question in her statement, and it seemed Leonard had too.

"Of course." His response was accompanied by a soft smile. "See you in the morning, Penny. And thanks for… well, inviting me earlier and allowing me to crash here."

Penny smiled brightly. "My pleasure, Leonard." She leaned forward, her hand on his chest for balance, and placed another kiss on his cheek. Damn, feeling his chest against the palm of her hand was making it difficult for her to not just jump him right there and then. Before she could do anything rash, she removed her hand and turned around. In her haste, she knocked over one of the knickknacks on the dresser, causing it to fall to the floor.

She cursed softly and bent over to pick it up. As she grabbed the item, she suddenly realized her ass was directed straight at Leonard, raised up high in the air. She giggled at the thought of Leonard looking at her ass, probably wide-eyed and embarrassed. "I can be such a spaz sometimes," she lied, so he wouldn't think she realized he was looking at her ass. She bought him a few extra seconds of admiration when the item dropped just as she had picked it up. It was sheer luck it rolled backwards a little, forcing her to take a step back, closer to the physicist.

Finally placing the item back where it belonged, she threw a smile his way. "See you tomorrow, sweetie," she said, walking out of the guestroom. In the bathroom she stood in front of the mirror, ready to take off her make-up, but stared at her own image. It had been a while since she'd seen herself look back so happy, and it was all because of the man currently in her guestroom. If there had been any doubt before if she wanted to try to have a relationship with him, it had disappeared completely, leaving only certainty.

She wondered if he was entertaining the same thoughts, though she knew that if he did, he was undoubtedly telling himself he was being silly, that he didn't have a chance. No, for this relationship to even start, it would have to be her initiating it. And she was going to, very soon.


Leonard was awoken by his bladder, which was in desperate need of being emptied. Despite the need, he checked the time on his phone first, noting it was only four a.m. He put on his glasses and turned on the little lamp beside the bed. Unaccustomed to this room and the house, he felt he needed both to safely make it over to the bathroom.

Earlier he'd been laying awake for almost an hour, the vision of the gorgeous woman only a few feet away in the master bedroom keeping him awake. As a result he had only slept for two hours, probably a little less and he was sure it was going to be a while before he'd fall asleep again, his brain already retrieving various images from last night.

He wasn't fooling himself in thinking Penny had any interest in him other than a friend, her actions obviously the result of an inebriated mind. The long hug had felt wonderful, though he doubted she had even noticed her breasts had been easy to feel against his bare chest. And he was sure his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she had bent over forward to pick up an item she had accidentally knocked over. She probably hadn't even realized it had put her amazing bum in the perfect position for him to admire. He probably should've turned away, but the alcohol had affected him as well, and his eyes had been glued to her firm round backside.

The images and memories kept repeating as he crawled back in bed but he was apparently more tired than he thought, as the next thing he knew he was waking up at a little past eight, his bladder once again playing alarm clock. Just as he opened the bedroom door, Penny stepped out of the bathroom, still in her sleeping shorts and tank top.

"'Morning, sweetie," she said, a smile on her lips. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," he replied, only lying a little bit, as he slept just fine the past four hours. "But I really need to, uhm," he gestured toward the bathroom.

"Oh, sure," Penny said, stepping out of the way.

He decided he wasn't going back to bed and brushed his teeth as well. When he returned to the guestroom, he was surprised to see Penny waiting there.

"You wanna sleep some more, or would you like me to make us some french toast?"

"Oh, uhm, no, I wasn't going back to bed. But you don't have to make me breakfast!"

"Of course I do. You're a guest and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Besides, it's one of the few things I can actually cook," Penny added, grinning.

Leonard then nodded. "Okay, sure." As he pulled on his pants he noticed she was staring at him with, what seemed to be, a look of appreciation. He'd never seen a woman look at him like that, never really thought he'd be the recipient of such a look. He wasn't tall, muscular, or particularly good looking; nothing about him warranted any woman looking at him like she was. Was he reading too much into her look? Was it just his own fantasies causing him to believe she was interested in him? That did seem a lot more plausible.

"Right, I'll get working on breakfast."

Leonard frowned as Penny seemed to hurry out of the room. What was that all about? After a couple of seconds he shrugged, figuring he'd never understand women. He picked up his shirt and put it on. Grabbing his phone from the nightstand, he walked out of the guestroom, heading downstairs.


Penny fanned herself as she walked toward the kitchen. After seeing him bending over to get his pants, his cute tushy turned in her direction, she had gotten aroused. Her arousal had only heightened as he had turned back to face her, before stepping into his pants. She'd been on the verge of just grabbing him and kissing him passionately, ready to push him on the bed. She had realized she had to get out of there fast, or it would have happened.

Would that have been so bad her inner voice asked. Penny didn't know. She wasn't sure how he would feel about it. Hell, she wasn't even sure how she felt. Was she attracted to him? Definitely. But was it just physical, or did she in fact want more, like a real relationship? Ever since their moment in the guestroom last night, her mind had been going over what she'd wanted to do to him, what it would be like to be bed-partners. That didn't seem to include anything on the romantic level, did it?

Then again, their evening had been wonderful, as had their conversation at the coffee place in the mall. They had gotten along great then, even though he'd been timid. And she hadn't been focused on the physical aspect all that much. Of course she'd felt the physical attraction, but she had also been interested in learning more about him, and he'd seemed equally interested in her life. That's more like looking for a real relationship, wasn't it? So what if she was horny enough she wanted to rip his clothes off? She still wanted to be in a relationship with him, and it wouldn't be the first time she started a relationship by having sex first.

"Penny, are you alright?"

She turned around, smiling. "Yeah, I am."

"Oh. I just thought… You were just standing there..."

Her smile widened. "Yeah, just thinking about stuff, making a decision."

He looked wearily at her. "You haven't decided to try something new for breakfast, have you?"

She pointed an accusing finger in his direction, her smile not wavering. "Hey, you don't get to mock my cooking skills yet. Just for that, I should try something new."

"Maybe I should just skip breakfast," Leonard replied, though Penny could tell he wasn't planning on doing that anymore than she was going to cook something else.

"Right, French toast it is." She turned around again and started on that.

"Hey, is it okay if I check my email?"

Penny glanced behind her. "Sure. The WiFi password is freeloaders not appreciated. No spaces." At Leonard's chuckle she added, "yeah, well my neighbor seems to think he doesn't have to pay for anything." After a few minutes of silence, she glanced at Leonard again. "Got any plans for today?"

"Oh, uhm, no, nothing. You?"

"Nothing planned, really. Wanna hang out today?"

Leonard seemed surprised, then looked down at himself. "Sure, but I really need to go home and get some clean clothes. And a shower."

Penny shrugged. "Cool, I'm curious about where you live. I'll come with you after breakfast."