Here's the next chapter! :) We're getting closer and closer to their trip! :)

Chapter 13

A Week Until Germany

"So, Penny, I heard that you're going on a vacation to Europe, soon," said Mike from his spot by the grill. Penny had gone back to the kitchen to spend her lunch break.

Sitting on top of a couple crates, she poked at her salad before answering. "Yeah, a friend of mine asked me to go and of course I said yes."

Mike walked around to stand in front of her, wiping his hands on a stained towel. "No offense, but isn't a trip to Europe a little...expensive?"

"Yeah, but everything is paid for," Penny leaned against the crate behind her back. "Otherwise, I definitely would not be going." She could barely pay her rent, let alone a weeklong trip to Europe.

"Oh, so it's that kind of friend." Mike waggled his eyebrows in suggestive way and Penny briefly thought of Howard.

"No, he's not that kind of friend, Mike." She was done having those kinds of friends for the moment. Hell, she hadn't been on a date since...since the guys had come back from the Arctic. Which was nine months ago and for the old Penny that would be unheard of. "Sheldon's my best friend and he asked me to go with him to Germany."

Penny instantly regretted revealing who she was going with when she saw the look on Mike's face. "No way!" He exclaimed. "Crazy Hamburger Guy? You're going on vacation with him?"

Penny just sighed and hopped off the crate, no longer hungry. "His name is Sheldon. He's been my neighbor for three years and we've become really close since then."

"You know, I thought, out of the four guys that always come in on Tuesdays, that you would get with the short one with the glasses before Craz-, I mean, Sheldon."

Penny shuddered at the thought of being with Leonard. She'd be lying to herself if the thought hadn't entered her mind once but that was when they had first met and she was still smarting from the break-up with Kurt. The last three years had given Penny a deeper look at how Leonard was and he wasn't the nice guy he claimed to be.

"Listen, Mike, I'm not with either of them, especially not Leonard. Now," she grabbed her apron and tied back around her waist. "My lunch break is over. I'll talk to you, later." Not.

S-P

Sheldon held a clipboard in his hand and once again, looked over the contents in his suitcase, which lay on his bed. It was still a week until they were to leave, but he liked to be prepared and there was nothing wrong with getting everything together early.

He wondered if Penny had taken his advice and started packing, as well. Probably not. That woman rarely did as he suggested, no matter how right he knew he was. Maybe after he was finished here he'd go check up on her. Glancing at his wristwatch, he saw that it was about the time Penny got off from her shift at the Cheesecake Factory.

Someone knocked on his door, which was partially opened, and he turned to see Leonard fidgeting there. Sheldon had to roll his eyes at the way his friend's hands twisted together, clearly nervous. "Hey, buddy," Leonard began. "So, today is the third Thursday of the month."

Sheldon placed his arms at his sides, his clipboard clanked lightly against his thigh. "I am aware of the day, Leonard."

"Well, that means its Anything Can Happen Thursday and Howard, Raj and I decided to go see a movie and maybe hit a few bars afterward. Do you want to come?"

The tall, lanky, physicist sighed with annoyance. They knew that he didn't like to go to bars (disgusting places filled with germs and who knew what else) and they were probably going to a theater he didn't approve of. However, they did think of inviting him, so Sheldon's annoyance at his friends dimmed. "No, thank you, Leonard. I still have a few things to do here to prepare for my trip to Germany, but thank you for the offer."

Leonard looked relieved for a moment and instead of leaving the doorway, like Sheldon thought, he continued to stand there. "So, you and Penny, huh?" He asked in a poor attempt at a conversation.

"Penny and I, what?" Annoyance once again began to bubble up. Hadn't he just told Leonard that he had things to do?

"Still going to Germany?"

"Of course, Leonard. With only one week until our departure, it would be highly unlikely to cancel now." He turned back to his suitcase, hoping his short, bespectacled friend would get the hint to leave him alone.

"I hope she knows what she's getting into." The words were spoken so low that no normal person would have been able to hear them, but Sheldon wasn't normal and he had Vulcan hearing. The words stung a bit.

"I'll have you know, Leonard," he said without turning back around. "Penny does know what she's 'getting into' and I have asked her if she was sure she wanted to accompany me on this trip." Turning to face Leonard, Sheldon made sure his face was an unreadable mask. "She has assured me that wishes to go."

Leonard's face grew red. "U-Uh, okay. Well, um, Raj and Howard should be here soon. See you later." He quickly retreated.

Packing no longer appealed to him and Sheldon placed his clipboard on top of the suitcase, zipped it up and placed it neatly by his bed. There was still six more days to finish up and right now, he just wanted to sit on his bed and be left alone with his thoughts, which for once, were not on his equations.

Insecurities were something Sheldon rarely experienced, if at all, but the past several months they had began to rear their ugly heads. Was he really smart enough to gain a Nobel Prize? Did he really deserve to lecture at Germany? Did Penny really want to go or did she just feel sorry for him?

Penny had been a constant since the Arctic and he had never been more grateful for a person than he was for her. If she hadn't been there, he didn't know where he would be. Probably still sulking away at his mother's house in Texas, no doubt.

Something else that was different since he returned from the Arctic was the way he felt every time his pretty, blonde neighbor was around. His heart rate would speed up, his face would sometimes feel flushed and, to his horror, sometimes he didn't even know what to say when around her. That was unheard of.

At first, he had thought he had been coming down with an illness and had checked the internet for any sickness that matched his symptoms. Nothing credible popped up and he abandoned the mission. Sheldon just decided that he would deal with these things every time Penny was around and to be honest, they didn't feel all that unpleasant. He had thought about telling her what was going on with him, but decided to keep it to himself.

The door shut and he lifted his head towards his still open door to see if he could hear voices, like Raj or Howard, instead he heard nothing and figured it was just his friends leaving the apartment.

"Sheldon?" His head popped up when he heard someone calling his name. It was a feminine voice and of course, he knew who it was. Penny. "Sheldon?" Penny appeared at his doorway and smiled at him. She still wore her uniform and her hair was in a messy bun.

"Hello, Penny." He stood from his bed and met her at the door. "Is there something you needed?"

"No," she shook her head and looked up at him because of their height difference. "I just passed Leonard, Howard and Raj in the hallway and they told me what they were up to, so I decided to come over and ask if you wanted to do anything since you're going to be home alone."

A night spent with Penny? That sounded way more appealing than spending the rest of his night packing and watching the Syfy channel. "What did you have in mind?"

Penny shrugged. "I don't know. Anything you want to do?"

Sheldon had nothing in mind since he hadn't been expecting her to visit. "Maybe we could play some Age of Conan? I'm afraid it's been a long time since I've played and my character is in dire need of leveling up."

Penny smiled, brightly. "Okay! Just let me get showered and changed and then I'll be right over." Sheldon followed her as she began to head towards her apartment.

"While you're gone, would you like me to order a pizza?" His hand was already reaching for the cordless phone by his spot.

"Sure!" With a hand on the doorknob, she turned to face him. "Give me a half hour and then, I'll be right over."

Forty-five minutes later, Penny and Sheldon sat on the couch, shoulders brushing against each other, laptops settled in their laps and talking rapidly through their headsets. A half eaten pizza lay on the table.

Sheldon looked over at his best friend, the insecurities of earlier leaving his mind. If Penny didn't like or want to spend time with him, then why was she here? Why would she willingly come over and ask to hang out with him?

Leonard had been wrong to think that she would run for the hills the moment she say what she was really getting into. Sheldon had not been the only one to change since the Arctic. Penny had changed as well. Gone were the excessive drinking and partying days and though, she still worked as a waitress, the number of auditions she went for had significantly increased.

Fingers snapped in his face and he was brought back from his thoughts. "Hey, Sheldon, are Queen Penelope and Sheldor going in this fight or not?"

Sheldon looked down at his screen and then at his beautiful best friend, a smile upturning the corners of his lips. "Of course, my Queen."

When Leonard returned back to his apartment late that night, he was surprised to see two figures fast asleep on the couch. Sheldon lay slumped across the armrest, legs sprawled on the ground and curled into his side, head pillowed by Sheldon's shoulder, was Penny.

Leonard wanted to ignore how comfortable they looked and continued to stumble to his room. Maybe in the morning he'd forget all about it.

My Sheldon may seem a little OOC and I apologize for that. For some reason, I kind of like an insecure Sheldon. What about you all?

Also, the next chapter may not be updated for awhile. Since we're getting closer to the Germany trip, I have to sit down and outline the next few chapters. It shouldn't take me long, though!

Thanks for reading!