This one took 4 days to write. I kept creeping myself out. That's why there are no arachnids in this story. I would have given myself a heart attack.

:BUGS!:

She flew into the apartment, slammed the door behind her, and locked it. Then she turned and leaned against it, trying to hold the tiny towel closed as she gasped for breath. She looked at the others with wide eyes wondering why they were so busy staring at her. Howard smirked and stood.

"Ah, fair Penny. You appear to be in distress. Can I be of service?" He wiggled his hips obscenely. Before he could say anything else a blushing Sheldon was before her holding out the robe he had just been wearing.

"You appear to be distressed," he said worriedly. "What is wrong?"

Penny looked at him like he was insane. "Distress? Uh, yeah! How could I not be?"

She paid no attention to Sheldon's fluttering hands as he tried in vain to work the robe around her body. She looked around the room again. They were just staring at her. Her eyes flickered to the window and she moaned. Sheldon jumped back as if scalded, robe dangling from his fingers.

Raj followed her line of sight and gave a squeak. It was just loud enough to get the attention of the other three men off Penny and onto him. They frowned and turned to see what he was pointing at. A beautiful red and gold butterfly was resting on the window. That wasn't the cause for their sudden worry though. The fact that is was about 8 feet tall was.

Sheldon turned back to Penny and jerked her forward, against him. He quickly slid the robe up her arms, causing her to drop the towel. With only a slight hitch in his breath, he tied it securely and drew her away from the door. She twisted a fist in his flannel pajama shirt and followed him meekly.

The butterfly flew off and they were able to see down the street. A bumble bee the size of a van flew by. A ladybug covered the roof of a building down the block. Penny whimpered into Sheldon's shirt.

"There's a beetle behind the building. It's big enough to fly up and block my bathroom window."

Well, that explains her lack of clothes, Sheldon thought. Sheldon felt a rush of blood to his lower anatomy, but tried to suppress it. There were bigger things to think about than his attraction to Penny or the fact she was almost naked. Like that, he thought, as a 5 foot wasp came into view.

Leonard moved away and turned on the TV. Immediately they found a news report. It seemed the meteor shower in Alaska had brought with it some sort of gamma-like radiation. Now arthropods were mutating as the radiation slowly spread across the skies. According to initial reports, it appeared to be limited to winged varieties of insect.

"Holy frak," Howard murmured. "Sheldon, you're gonna need an bigger epi-pen."

Sheldon guided Penny down the hall and opened his door. He grabbed his Thursday pajamas and held them out. Penny just stared at them like she didn't understand. She was in shock, he realized. He took a steadying breath and sat her on his bed. He bent and slid her smooth legs inside them and helped her rise up. He closed his eyes, hoping she wouldn't freak out and pulled the pants up and secured them tight around her waist. Her eyes were glazed as she stood there. Sheldon's hands trembled slightly as he untied the robe and grabbed the top. He slipped her arms into the sleeves, unable to look away this time. He buttoned each button timidly and then released the breath he was holding. Sheldon and Penny walked back out into the living room. The others looked away from the TV to watch Penny as she hesitated on the step.

"I saw it kill a man," she whispered. Sheldon's eyes went wide. Hers were unfocused. "The beetle. It snapped it's pincers around him and killed him. Then it flew up and landed on my window." She looked up at him now, lost and scared. "He didn't even have time to scream."

Sheldon watched as Leonard tried to hug her. She stood still in his arms, not returning the embrace. After 8 seconds (not that Sheldon was counting) Leonard noticed how awkward it was and finally pulled away. As soon as he released her she moved over to the couch. She slipped into the tiny space between Howard and Raj, slipping her arms through theirs to keep them close. Sheldon watched as she trembled. She was terrified. So terrified, in fact, she was seeking comfort from even Howard. Even more surprising, Howard was patting her hand soothingly and not making even the slightest innuendo.

She looked over at him and took a deep breath. "What do we do, Sheldon?"

He tried to smile encouragingly. "For the moment, nothing. When it gets dark, we will need to gather a few things and leave. These buildings aren't very safe, with such large windows. Most of these insects are dormant at night, it will be safer then to find better shelter. I suggest the university. There are large food stores, plenty of water, space and we are liable to find others also seeking shelter. We have several hours to wait, so I suggest that for now, we keep watching the news and our windows. I'll prepare a couple of bags to take with us."

Penny stood, tugging the two men with her. "I need some clothes. I can't go anywhere, with pajamas constantly falling down my hips." She looked over at Sheldon again and smiled softly. "Thank you for them, sweetie. I'm very grateful." Sheldon nodded with a smile and watched her hurry across to her own apartment, dragging their friends with her. She made Raj stand guard in the hallway, while Howard watched out the living room windows. She felt like an idiot, a cowardly, cringing idiot, but she couldn't help it. She kept seeing that man in the alley. The fear, pain and sudden stillness. She had seen the life drain out of his face. Watched every ounce of life slip out of him. Suddenly she collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped the tears from her face and sighed. Then she tilted her head. She could just see the corner of the leather case under her bed. Slowly she dragged it out. Penny smiled as she swept away the dust covering the top.

Quickly she stood and slid on some jeans. She shoved her feet into sneakers and laid the case on her bed. She opened it up pulled out the two compact Storm Berettas and shoved her wallet, a few shirts, a pair of jeans an a handful of underwear inside. There wasn't enough room, so she removed the shirts, and closed it. She slipped off her tee and slid into a thermal shirt left over from her life in Omaha. She slipped her tee over it and grinned. She was dressed like Sheldon. Except her pants weren't plaid. She reached into her closet and pulled out the shoulder holster for the guns. She checked them, loaded them and slid them into the holster. She threw on a thin jacket and zipped it up halfway. She picked up the small case and walked into the living room. She was from Nebraska, dammit. She placed third in junior rodeo. She had spent her early years in the woods with a rifle and a bowie knife. She was not going to let a beetle be her undoing.

"Let's go, boys," she said loudly. They both looked at her with relief. Penny was back to her old self. Long live Queen P.