A/N – Oh! Wow! Your reviews are absolutely heart warming! Seriously! Lately I have been feeling like my writing isn't very interesting but your inspiring comments are the drive behind this story. I love writing to express the stories that my mind creates and I love getting them down to see what others think. Especially AU's.

I know that I haven't updated in a while but I hit a bit of writer block on this chapter. I was going to only make it short but a few days ago I suddenly got out of my writers block and continued it to make it longer. This one is a rollercoaster of fluff and angst so I hope that you enjoy it.

Thank you all for reading and supporting the story :)

Chapter 8 – Bacon, Walking and Wine

Sheldon opened his eyes sharply when the heat on his person was noticeable. His eyes trailed up the tanned, petite hand which was resting on his chest, over the smooth looking forearm to finally settle on the soft expression that was on Penny's face. He stiffened at first, frozen in shock. He had no idea what to do. He wiggled a bit which made Penny snuggle up closer to his shoulder in her sleep. Her legs wrapped tighter a around his and he found himself trapped. He wouldn't have minded, really, he was actually surprised to find himself enjoying the experience. However, he really wasn't used to this situation and neither was his body, which had traitorously responded against his will. Both the warm of Penny and the intimacy of their position were making it remarkably hard (pun-unintended) for Sheldon to calm himself.

He carefully untangled himself with a bit of struggle due to Penny trying to grip him back to her, from his shirt clad chest. Once he was free he made his way over to the bathroom and after looking back over his shoulder before he entered, he couldn't help but think that she did in fact steal all of the covers last night.

Penny stretched lazily out across the bed and giggled when she realised that she did steal all of the covers last night. She sighed contently without a care in the world. She couldn't remember the last time that she woke up feeling so refreshed and comfy.

She realised after a few seconds of contented bliss, that her hand didn't hit her companion when she stretched. She slowly looked up to her right and found the space empty. She sleepily dragged herself to lean against the head board and pulled the covers up to her chin. Her eyes wandered around the small room. They landed on the closed shower curtain in the bathroom and her ears took notice of the sound of running water.

She allowed herself to linger on the lean, tall silhouette of a certain Texan through the thin, light green sheet. She also noted that you could almost see through the piece of material, but she dismissed this thought as quickly as it came; she was too distracted for that. She subconsciously reached up and touched her lips gently. How could somebody make her feel that way after only knowing them for roughly two days? Nobody had ever kissed her like that before. Leonard tried but it ended up being messy and uncomfortable. Oh, crap! Leonard!

Reality hit her like a tonne of bricks. Why was she peeping at Sheldon in the shower when she was going through this mess because she wanted to propose to Leonard? Her Boyfriend. The man that she loves.

Penny quickly shook her head and jumped out of bed and rushed to change into fresh clothes before Sheldon finished his shower.

Sheldon stepped out of the cold shower and made haste to dry and get changed. He came back into the bedroom to find the room empty, so he made his descent downstairs.

He entered the large farm house kitchen to find Penny making bacon, or trying to. He stepped closer trying to stay silent as he watched her struggle. The heat was up too high and the fat was spitting violently which made her flinch every second.

He chuckled at her struggles which made Penny jump out of her skin. She glared at him but was too caught up in fighting off the evil fat spitting at her to truly commit to the act.

Sheldon sighed and took the handle from her hands whilst reaching over to turn down the gas a bit.

''Here let me, you just watch and learn'' Sheldon said with mock condescension.

This time Penny didn't have a distraction so she was able to truly give him a death glare, which he only chuckled at with a smile.

''The heat was on full. Didn't you stop and think why you were being attacked by fat?'' Sheldon asked with a snicker; still shocked that she couldn't make bacon.

''I've never used one of these things before. The temperature thing is wrong.'' Penny grumbled at him whilst he easily turned the bacon over.

''A gas cooker you mean? Well, now it's set right so why don't you try it again?'' Sheldon offered sincerely and angled the handle for her to take over.

Penny huffed but took the offered handle to try it again. She would show Sheldon that she wasn't a blonde monkey and can make bacon. She blushed a bit unwillingly when his hand grazed hers. She noticed the slight intake of breath from Sheldon and a thick silence swallowed the room. The only sound was the sizzle of bacon and the slightly more heavy breathing from both occupants.

Penny didn't dare turn around and continued to glue her eyes to the bacon. Sheldon had similar ideas and quickly started to prepare the rest of their breakfast.

They soon settled into a comfortable system of working around each other to get things done. The moment completely forgotten and they were soon sending each other sly looks. They would laugh a bit when the other caught the other's eye. When breakfast was finished they were both smiling broadly at each other and finally entered into smooth conversation about anything. Either Sheldon's talking about theoretical physics or Penny about her life and hobbies. Neither seemed to mind, they just listened and reciprocated.

They were interrupted by a small whistling noise that made Sheldon wrinkle his nose in annoyance at the tune. Penny quickly shoved her hand into her jeans pocket and plucked out her phone. She looked at the caller ID and found that it was Leonard. She looked up at Sheldon when his hand came into to view to collect her plate.

''Can you please answer that? … I hate whistling'' Sheldon looked a bit sheepish but strode over to the sink to start washing up their plates.

''yeah, I will be back in a second'' She replied with a smile and skipped out of the room whilst answering her phone.

''hey, honey''

''hey, where are you?'' was Leonard's reply. He sounded rushed and a bit panicky with a small hint of accusation in his voice.

''Umm, in Texas?'' Penny drawled, unsure if she should tell him about her trip and a bit worried about his questioning.

''Why are you in Texas? I called the apartment but there was no answer so I got really worried. Are you ok?'' Leonard rushed again with a stronger hint of worry but also accusation.

''I wanted to surprise you with a visit but the bad weather brought me down halfway to New York and so now I'm stranded in Texas. I'm making my way towards Houston airport so I will hopefully see you on Saturday.'' Penny replied, for some reason feeling the need to justify her absence.

''Oh, wow, it sounds like you've had a tough time. Hey, maybe when I see you on Saturday we can have some 'relax time' together?'' Leonard said with a suggestive hint in his voice that made her suddenly feel tired of the conversation. Here she is, expressing that she is on her way to see him and he can only think about sex. She was looking for maybe a bit of moral support and advice to get her there faster or gratitude for her efforts.

''Maybe, listen I have to go but I can't wait to see you soon. I love you honey.'' Penny replied trying to sound unaffected.

''Me too, and I love you and get here soon.'' Leonard sounded like he was looking forward for what they were going to do, more than actually seeing her.

Penny sighed as she ended the call and made her way back into the kitchen. She found Sheldon leant up against the wall with all of her belongings at his feet.

Whilst Penny was talking Sheldon could hear her side of the conversation. The call from her boyfriend was like a bucket of water over his head and he suddenly remembered why Penny was even in Texas to begin with. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel differently towards her and he realised that he needed to snap out of it and complete the mission. He was getting dangerously close to her and she was supposed to be going to New York to propose to Leonard. He needed to get his head out of the gutter otherwise he will end up getting even more hurt when she does leave him by himself.

''We better head out if you're ready, if you want to get back by Saturday.'' Sheldon said with his accent coming through a bit stronger.

''Uh, yeah ok.'' Penny said with a hint of disappointment. She was inwardly hoping to stay and chat for a bit but then she joked to herself that Sheldon was the captain to this mission. Wow, I have been around Nerds for too long. She thought.

After giving some money to Mr and Mrs Vartabedian for their stay and saying their goodbyes, they made their way back onto the road.

Sheldon mused out loud that they had about another 2 miles before they arrived in Houston and then the airport was approximately a 20 minute drive from then on. He suggested that they get on the bus route to Houston which starts about 10 minutes up the road at a small shop corner.

They could see the bus stop up ahead but they continued their slow pace up the road. Again, Sheldon was holding her belongings. He didn't want Penny to lose them now after keeping them safe for so long.

They were both deep in thought as they trudged along the concrete road. One thought stood out in Sheldon's mind though. He always thought of this question when around new people. It was a sort of 'getting to know the person' test. He realised that he hadn't asked Penny yet and seeing as they were walking in silence, he would bring it up now.

''If there was a fire in your home, what one thing would you save as you left for safety?'' Sheldon asked but didn't turn to look at Penny; he just continued looking forward as if he didn't ask anything.

The question made Penny pause. It was unexpected and she truly didn't know how to answer. What would she save? She instantly thought her phone or maybe laptop but thought that it was a trick question so she threw it back at him.

''What would you save?'' she asked teasingly but she was actually curious.

''I asked you first'' Sheldon replied quickly and scowled at her for turning the question around on him.

''And I don't know so I want to know what your answer is'' she didn't back down.

Sheldon sighed and he realised that he liked the banter. He smirked but didn't answer. She won this round but that doesn't mean the she will get an answer. He liked this; just walking with good company that could actually have an interesting conversation with. It made him feel lighter. As if he didn't have a care in the world. He could feel the wind brush past and grass fields rustle. He knew what he would take if there was a fire but he felt that making her feel the anticipation of not knowing would be much more fun.

He glanced at Penny after not replying and he could just make out the twitch in her lips as she tried to suppress a grin. It only made his point and so his smirk grew wider.

''Wack-a-doodle'' His Vulcan-hearing picked up her muttering, which mad his smirk turn into a grin. He would never admit that he found the name endearing.

They could see the small corner shop building up ahead but something else caught Penny's eyes. In-between the shop and them, was a large expanse of grass on either side of the road. The thing that caught Penny's eyes was a wedding taking place in one of the fields. There were large white tents covering white tables and chairs. White transparent material was draped over everything and they swayed in the breeze.

Laughter was in the air and it seemed to be the wedding reception. Family and friends of the bride and groom were chatting and smiling with one another. Penny couldn't take her eyes away. Sheldon, seeing her attention was elsewhere, followed her gaze and instantly new that she was going to walk towards it. As soon as he thought it, her legs seemed to wander in that direction and he cursed under his breath. What was he going to do with this women!

''Penny, we don't have time for this…'' Sheldon grumbled behind her. He really did not want to go over there. He hated weddings; and it was not because they reminded him of what was going to be Penny's near future. It wasn't.

''Lighten up, Sweetie. It will be fun!''

''Penny, you cannot just crash a wedding!'' Sheldon was starting to realise that she was actually going over there. She was going to crash the wedding.

''I have learnt from meeting your family that some people in Texas are wonderful. Who's to say these people aren't just as nice?''

They were getting closer people were looking over at them as they drew nearer. Some people smiled, some people eyed them suspiciously and some people just looked away without even questioning it.

They could see the bride and groom talking with a group of people. They decided to stand off to the side and observe.

''what is the purpose to this?'' Sheldon groaned next to Penny.

''sheesh. Why don't you like weddings so much?''

''ugh, you wait in a month or two they will be screaming at each other and their love will turn to hate.''

''Someone's cynical about love. Why's that? Did you have a bad experience?'' interest was immediately spiked.

''Let's just say I have learnt enough about love through my family and I know that it never turns out well. Either people get hurt or abandoned. It's best to just not get sucked in.''

''Sweetie, your family just hasn't had much luck. Haven't you ever felt love for some girl or even just had a crush?'' Penny half joked but she was actually very interested to know.

Sheldon paused and stared at her for a long moment, whilst she was looking around the crowds of people. He breathed out a tired sigh, he was starting to think that the first crush he has ever had was going to be a bad experience; The girl that he is helping, to reach her soon-to-be fiancé.

He quickly looked around the other way as she turned to face him after not receiving a reply. She took notice of his expression and decided to change the subject.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him on to the dance floor. ''Would you do me the honour of sharing this dance with me, Moonpie?'' She asked in a false posh tone.

''Only Meemaw can call me Moonpie.'' Sheldon retorted but he allowed her to drag him away.

Laughter doubled in the air as more people started to join in with the dancing. They were definitely under dressed for the occasion. Sheldon still had his blue checkered shirt and faded blue jeans on that he had scrubbed clean back at the inn. Penny was wearing a simple summer dress and cardigan with simple flats on. The weather was nice, lucky for the bride and groom. The bad weather had passed so now the only obstacle on their journey was travelling the last distance to reach the airport; Plus Penny constantly stopping, like a magpie being distracted by anything shiny.

They were smiling gently as they slowed down to an eventual stop from dancing. Sheldon's cheeks were rosy after having his hand on Penny's waist for so long and it only made Penny laugh harder, as well as her terrible dancing technique which Sheldon helpfully pointed out to her a few times.

The atmosphere was very mild, seeing as it was only around about 3pm at this point so only a few people were drinking. There were children running in-between everyone's legs as they chased each other. Still, nobody seemed to take notice of the two wedding crashers and seemed content to let them share the merry occasion.

''you're making fun of me'' Sheldon accused lightly as he followed a hysteric Penny off the dance floor.

''I'm not I promise…it's just that did you realise that you counting the steps on that last slow song'' Penny attempted to say as she calmed herself down from her laughing fit.

''Well how else am I supposed to concentrate on my technique? Especially since you, on the other hand, were swayin' about willy-nilly. Somebody had to lead.'' Sheldon argued but there was no bite behind it.

''yeah, yeah.'' Penny waved a dismissive hand at him. ''When do you think we should ditch this pop-sickle stand?''

Sheldon raised an incredulous brow at her use of terminology but was inwardly glad that the topic was on leaving.

''Now, I believe would be a good time.''

Sheldon quickly retrieved Penny's belongings from the table that he had hid them under and rejoined Penny's side. Just as they were turning to leave, neither of them noticing the bride walking behind them, Penny accidently knocked into her. In doing so, she accidently knocked the wine glass which was in her hand, all down the beautiful wedding dress she was wearing. Unfortunately the glass was filled with red wine. Time froze as the bride gawked at her ruined dress. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Sheldon grabbed Penny's wrist and pulled her away whilst shouting apologises over his shoulder.

Laughter bubbled up in both of their throats as they grew closer to the corner shop. By the time they reached the small dainty bus stop just past the shop, they were both laughing out right and panting.

''Oh wow, best wedding ever. Maybe next time I shouldn't spill wine on the bride but, eh, what wedding doesn't have its drama.'' Penny exclaimed as they got their breath back.

''Yes, that might be a good idea. That was actually quite enjoyable…thank you'' Sheldon wheezed and put his hands on his knees.

The both looked at each and slowly bright smiled graced their faces and the laughter bubbled up again until tears pricked the corners of their eyes. What a way to wait for the bus.

A/N - So there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this one. I definitely enjoyed writing it.

I hope that you all felt the emotions that I was trying to invoke. (Smiling like goons at the fluff and feeling sympathy at the angst)

Please, if any of you have any ideas to the story or predictions then I would like to hear them. Criticism is welcome, we learn from making mistakes. Review, favourite and follow for more :P

Amber x