It's raining cats and dogs, thanks to Howard.

:Flood:

She sighed heavily and pressed her cheek against the glass. She jumped as a hand appeared in front of her face suddenly. She looked up the long sinewy arm and into his crystal blue eyes. He put a finger to his lips and beckoned her up. Intrigued, Penny took his hand and followed him as he tiptoed around their sleeping friends. They slipped out of the door and down the steps. Sheldon was grinning mysteriously, and she was dying to ask him what was going on, but when she opened her mouth, he put his hand over it. The tingle left behind by his fingers as they lingered on her cheek was enough to keep her quiet.

They reached the ground floor and Sheldon pushed open the door. Before they went through he pulled her close and kissed her just under the ear. "Our time," he whispered.

Penny shivered with delight. None of their friends knew about them, and that's the way they wanted to keep it. Ever since the Council had moved them all into the Cube, Penny and Sheldon had maintained the illusion of friendship in front of everyone else. Their times together were few and far between, but that just made them all the more special.

The rain was warm, a steady drizzle that had been going on for 53 days now. Two months ago Howard had used his alchemy to create what he thought would be the perfect weather predictor. Turned out to be a perfect weather inducer. Then it short circuited and now they had an endless rain. The guys had been trying to fix the old one or make a new one ever since, but for some reason, they were failing. Sheldon slipped his arm around her shoulders and they moved swiftly up the sidewalk.

Penny paid little attention to the other people as they hurried along. It was frowned upon to mingle with others. Cubes were designed to be separate, self-contained worlds. Each one had an even number of people. Each person brought a different skill to the table. For example in theirs, Leonard was a wiz with electronics. Raj was an expert cook, Howard had an okay grasp on the alchemy, but he was getting better with practice. Bernadette could heal almost anything. Stephanie was always looking for something to clean. Priya was their go-between for the their Cube and the Council. Sheldon was the Claviger, basically he was their keeper, who made sure everything got done. She was their Cerebus, their protector.

Sheldon glanced around and made sure they were alone. Then he pulled her off the path and across the grass of the park. Suddenly she knew exactly where they were going and her heart sped up. They moved swiftly and reached the fence on the far side in moments. They quickly found the loose boards and squeezed through. Once on the other side, they slowed somewhat. There were no sentries here. No one would come along and question them.

They followed a small path through the trees until they reached a large pond. Penny looked at Sheldon in awe. The small meadow they usually came to was gone. Sheldon nodded with a wicked grin. "Completely flooded. Feel like a little swim?" Penny's eye sparkled mischievously.

Nimble fingers divested them of their clothes in seconds. Hand in hand they slipped into the cool water. Sheldon pulled her to him and slid his hands under her hips and lifted her up. Little by little he slid inside her. Penny let her head fall back as her arms clung to his shoulders. They moved leisurely, taking their time. Teasing kisses, tender touches, words of love murmured softly in each others ears. The gentle rain fell around them as they lost themselves in each others embrace.

"Where have you two been?" Bernadette asked when they returned two hours later. Sheldon handed Howard a fresh supply of chalk and sulfur for his work and Penny held up two bags containing Thai food.

"Everyone was asleep, so we decided to run out for supplies," Penny said casually. She passed out the meals and sat down on the sofa.

"Penny, you're in my spot," Sheldon said sternly.

Penny rolled her eyes. "Whack-a-doodle," she groused in an irritated voice. Everyone ate while watching the new filmivision release Leonard had bought about a giant lizard destroying Japan. When it was over, Penny retired to her unit to sleep and Sheldon went to his to log his daily reports.

Priya looked around the room at the others. "Are we ever going to tell them we know they are bonded?"

Leonard smiled and shook his head. "And spoil their fun? That wouldn't be very nice."

The others nodded and smiled. Why mess with a good thing?