Penny and Sheldon spent lunch together and got to know each other a little better. After expressing interest in Sheldon, Howard and Raj are now worried Penny is heading for a heartbreak.

Sheldon was typing up the new ad for a roommate when his phone rang. He did not recognize the number, but he answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey Sugar. Whatcha doing?"

"Penny? How did you get my number?" he asked, secretly a little pleased to hear from her.

She laughed lightly. "I stole it from Howard's phone."

"Thievery is not an admirable quality," he admonished with a slight smile.

Penny pfft'd. "Whatever. I do have a reason for calling, and if you're just going to be snooty, I won't tell you what it is."

Sheldon found he enjoyed teasing Penny. "If you do not tell me the reason for your call, then your reason becomes moot, does it not?"

"Smarty pants," she grumbled good-naturedly. "Do you want to hear why I called or not?"

"Please do enlighten me," he said with a smirk.

"Aunt Edith said there's a farmer's market somewhere in Glendale. I asked Howard, and he said he's only been once, and can't remember where it is exactly. He also said you went all the time. So, what can I do to convince you to go with me on Saturday?"

"I play paintball on Saturday," he answered automatically.

"Oh," Penny said softly. "Okay. Maybe some other time."

"I am free on Sunday," he said quickly. He didn't much care for the disappointment in her voice.

"That sounds cool," she said in a happier tone. "Are you sure?"

"I will have Leonard drop me off at the Wolowitz residence on his way to pick up Howard and Raj for the Planet of the Apes marathon," he assured her.

"Thanks, Sheldon. I'll see you Sunday," she said. "Good night."

"Good night, Penny," he replied before hanging up. He stared at his phone for a moment before saving her number.

Sunday found both Sheldon and Penny watching the time anxiously, but for different reasons. Penny was eager to spend more time with the man who fascinated her so much. Sheldon was fascinated by Penny as well, but that fascination worried him. He was not used to feeling drawn to anything outside his beloved physics. But drawn, he was.

Leonard glanced at his neighbor curiously. "Where's your chimp mask?"

Sheldon looked at him with confusion. "Why would I need a chimp mask?"

"For the movie marathon," Leonard said.

Sheldon shook his head. "I am not attending the movie marathon. I am accompanying Penny to the farmer's market in Glendale. She has never been, so I am her guide today."

Sheldon gripped his seatbelt immediately as Leonard accidentally swerved onto the sidewalk. "What?!"

Sheldon gulped and looked at Leonard warily. "Are you having a stroke? Maybe it would be best if we pulled up to the sidewalk and parked."

"What is wrong with you?" Leonard demanded as he parked in front of a donut shop. "You know I am attracted to Penny! Why are you dating her?!"

Sheldon flinched from the anger in Leonard's voice. "I do not see how this is any of your business. I am simply going to the farmer's market with her."

Leonard gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Get out."

Sheldon's eyes grew wider. "Excuse me?"

Leonard leaned across Sheldon, making him flinch. He shoved open the passenger door. "Get out! Find another ride from now on!"

Sheldon unbuckled his seatbelt and scrambled from the car. Leonard pulled the door shut with a slam and peeled out into traffic again, making a couple of cars honk their horns. Sheldon gripped his messenger bag tightly and looked up and down the street. With a sigh he pulled out his phone.

By the time Leonard reached Howard's house, he was feeling justified. Sheldon had brought it on himself, after all. Sheldon knew he was interested in Penny. He shouldn't be making dates to go to the farmer's market with her. He parked behind Mrs. Wolowitz's van and headed to the front door. He smoothed his hair and smiled before knocking on the door. He would take Penny to the farmer's market, and for once, he would get the breaks.

Howard opened the door and stepped back to let him in. Leonard looked around for Penny, disappointed she wasn't ready yet.

"She's gone," Howard said with a glare.

"Gone?" Leonard repeated. "Gone where?"

"Sheldon called her and asked her to pick him up. He told her you threw him out of the car halfway here," Raj answered. "Bad call, dude. She was pissed."

Dismay made Leonard clench his hands tightly. "He called her?!"

Howard sighed and plopped down on the couch. "Man, when are you going to figure it out. You barely register on Penny's radar. She likes Sheldon. Sheldon apparently likes her."

"Sheldon is a robot," Leonard whined. "He wouldn't know what to do with any woman, much less one like her!"

"I'm not saying they're dating," Howard said, "but Penny likes Sheldon. He makes her smile. And face it, Sheldon smiles around her. They're friends."

"If she would just notice me," Leonard complained, "she would see we're perfect for each other."

"She definitely notices you now," Raj laughed. "And it's not a good thing. I've never heard language like that out of a woman."

Leonard paled. "Really?"

Howard patted him on the back. "Buddy, if you're lucky, she'll only yell at you."

Leonard gulped. "And if I'm unlucky?"

"Know what Penny used to do for a living?" Howard asked. Leonard and Raj shook their heads. "Pro wrestler. Her signature move was a cross-face submission hold. Her opponents usually tap pretty quickly from the pain."

Turns out, Leonard was pretty lucky. He was already unconscious before his head hit the doorstop.

Sheldon watched Penny warily as she continued to mutter under her breath. When she had arrived to pick him up, she had fussed over him for several minutes. It surprised him how angry she was with Leonard. Outside of his immediate family no one had ever shown so much concern for him.

"Penny, while I am grateful that you are championing me, I assure you, there is no need to 'hog-tie the little troll' or 'go Nebraska on his puny ass'. I assure you I am unharmed by Leonard's behavior."

Penny glared more fiercely. "That imbecile left you stranded on a sidewalk in the middle of a dingy street. Who the hell does that?"

Sheldon shrugged. "He seems to think that his attraction to you grants him special privileges. He sees our trip as a threat to his chances of coitus with you."

Penny's jaw dropped and she looked over at him. "What?!"

Sheldon looked at her curiously. "Were you unaware of his carnal interest in you?"

Penny sighed and shook her head. "I knew he had a crush, but to be honest, I was hoping that if I ignored it, he'd lose interest."

Sheldon looked out the side window. "Leonard can be quite tenacious when it comes to his genitals."

Penny gave a surprised snort of laughter, a smile spreading across her face. "Sugar, you have an interesting way of putting things." She sighed softly. "Let's forget about Lenard and his silly crush for now, and just enjoy the trip, okay?"

Sheldon nodded calmly. "Very well."

Penny glanced at him briefly. He was just adorable, sometimes.