Um, yeah. I don't really have an explanation for this one. Sorry. Just…. Well… I'm sorry?

It was her eyes. That was the problem. They were too…..knowing. They sparkled with humor. They twinkled as if she could read every thought in his head. It clawed at his mind and heart. Could she really see through him so easily? Did she know his every thought? He slammed his fist down on his desk. Those damnable eyes! He hated them so much!

She was curled up on the armchair beside him, smiling slightly as Howard and Leonard argued over a Mystic Warlords of Ka'a play. His hands clenched slightly on the cards in his hand and her smile grew a bit. She knew! She was reading him right now! He struggled to blank out his thoughts. He imagined mental walls to keep her out. Her smile grew into a full blown grin and he jumped up. He threw his cards down and hurried away.

"What the frak?" he heard Howard say as he slipped into his room.

"You guys know Sheldon doesn't like it when anyone argues," Penny chastised. "Well, I guess I'll call it a night. You two should apologize to him before he goes to sleep."

Leonard cleared his throat hopefully. "Um, Penny, would you like to stay and watch some Battlestar Galactica?" Sheldon frowned as Leonard once again tried to capture Penny's interest.

"Nope," she said. He heard the front door open. "Good night guys." The door closed and he relaxed against his door. He looked down at his trembling hands. He couldn't take much more of this!

He watched her from the corner of his eye as he separated his laundry. She was moving her clothes to a dryer. When she finished she turned and hopped up onto the dryer and looked at him. Sheldon stiffened slightly when her eyes focused on him. He imagined he could actually feel her gaze in his spine. His heart started thudding in his chest.

"So, whatcha doing, Shel-dude?" she asked with a giggle.

"It is laundry night," he said as calmly as possible. "Therefore I am doing my laundry."

Penny giggled again. "So how was your week?"

Sheldon put the loads into the washers and took a deep breath before turning around. "My week has been normal," he said. "My work is going well. My bowel movements have been normal and on schedule."

She rolled her eyes at him and he froze. Those sparkling, searing, emerald orbs were starting to haunt him. Penny reached up and released her hair from the ponytail and smiled widely at him. "Are you guys playing paintball in the morning?"

Sheldon watched her eyes moved down to the ponytail holder in her hand and then back up to him. Heat blossomed over his body wherever her gaze touched. He opened his mouth a time or two but nothing came out. Penny tilted her head and watched him curiously. Sheldon was helpless against the panic rising in him. He gave a high pitched squeak and ran.

He paced his room frantically. He couldn't take much more! They had went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and Penny had kept looking at him. Her laser like gaze had seared through him. He was absolutely certain now that she was reading his mind! Every block or wall he tried to put up only made her smile more! She was laughing at him! God, how he hated her!

Penny flopped down on her couch and turned on The Voice. She propped her popcorn bowl on her crossed legs and reached for her soda. She was just getting settled in when she heard Sheldon's signature knock. She smiled to herself as he went through his routine. She liked all of the guys, but Sheldon was her favorite. He was so cute and sweet. She loved watching him because he was so adorable. Sometimes she just wanted to grab him up and hug him tight.

"Come in, sweetie," she called. The door opened and Sheldon stepped inside. Penny patted the couch beside her. "Have a seat, Sheldon. Want some popcorn?"

She looked up at him and smiled. Slowly the smile faded as she took in the intense look in his eye. She set aside the popcorn and stood. She took a step toward him. "Sweetie? Are you okay?"

Sheldon closed the door firmly behind him. "Not yet," he murmured. "But I will be."

Howard sat down on the couch and looked around the room. "So, still no word from Penny?"

Leonard sighed and shook his head. "No. She's been gone for three weeks, now. The landlord said he got a message from her saying he could keep the furniture. All she took was her clothes and care bears. I never even got the chance to ask her out."

Sheldon took his seat and picked up his takeout box. "Then you have been spared the painful rejection that was sure to be her response. Now, shall we watch Star Trek or Firefly?"

Sheldon closed and locked his bedroom door and walked over to his closet to pull out his Thursday night pajamas. He glanced at the jar on the shelf and slowly reached up to tap it. The clear formalin swirled slightly and the two small objects bounced against each other. He smirked at the blankness in the emerald orbs. Never again would they read his mind. He pushed the jar further back on the shelf and slipped into bed. In moments he was deeply asleep.