I've neglected you all! I'm so sorry! Life happened, but people are still following and that's amazing. THANK YOU so much.

This chapter is short and was what I was working on before the long break, but I figured I'd post it so you all know I'm not dead.

The morning was a blur for Sheldon. He awoke in a sort of haze, untangling himself reluctantly from the sleeping blonde in his bed. During his morning shower he watched the water hit the wall and as he went over his mental notes for the lecture he'd be giving something clicked. He quickly shut off the water and returned to the bedroom, dressing in a hurry. He was halfway out the door before he hesitated. There was probably a protocol for leaving when there was a guest in your bed.

Sheldon stood in the doorway watching Penny's chest rise and fall. Hopefully she'd forgive his lapse since he let her sleep in. He finally walked out mind buzzing with the calculations he was already making in his head.

Penny was awoken by a ringing from somewhere in her room. After rolling over she searched for her nightstand, but when she only found more bed she opened her eyes. Memory flooded back and she got out of bed and searched for her phone. Her life was becoming a blur with mornings of dramatic awakenings. She found it on the floor and the caller ID showed Bernadette.

What would she say? Jeeze, this was not the way she had planned anything to go. She looked at the time – 10:34, Sheldon had been gone for hours. She ignored the slip in her pride that he'd left without waking her and answered.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?!" Bernadette shouted.

Penny checked her notifications. Yup, 4 missed calls. Man she'd slept like a rock.

"Oh, sorry I slept through the ringing," she apologized plopping down onto the edge of Sheldon's bed.

"The ringing? What about the pounding on your door?!"

Panic filled Penny and she searched for her clothes. "I didn't hear any of that, but –"She found her bra, but still searched for her shorts. "Uh, that's because I'm not home."

"Well duh, where the hell are you?"

"I'm, I'm just –"

"Oh, no, tell me you're not across the hall, Penny if you've ruined anything—"

"How did you- I mean -" she stammered "Why would I be across the hall?" Penny threw the comforter back and then got on her knees to search under the bed. Ah hah! She scrambled to put them on but not before she heard the front door being opened.

"Penny! It's not worth it, it's not going to – Where are you?!"

Penny just clasped the button on her shorts when Bernadette came in. The blondes looked at each other, but Bernadette's expression was one of utter confusion and Penny's was one of beet red guilt.

"Why are you in Sheldon's room? No one can be in Sheldon's room."

"I –" Penny started but was cut off.

"Why are you in Sheldon's shirt?!" Bernadette's eyes were as wide as plates as she looked around and when she saw Penny's bra on the bed they got wider still. "You better start filling me in because my brain is doing the work and it is not looking good."

"You might want to sit down," Penny said crossing her hands over her chest to hide her embarrassment.

"Why would I need to sit down? Penny, WHY DO I NEED TO SIT DOWN?!"

"Stop yelling!" Penny said putting her hands up in front of her and started moving Bernadette down the hall by her shoulders.

"I can't help but yell, I'm angry and confused!" Bernadette walked the rest of the way on her own and sat down. "I thought I was preventing arson!"

"Arson?" Now Penny was confused.

"Or some sort of vandalism . . ." She gauged Penny's reaction. "Although by the looks of it you might have come up with a better form of revenge, though my brain still cannot piece together how, what or why. Self-preservation of the mind I guess. "

"Wait, wait, wait," Penny plopped down next to the other woman. "What are you talking about? Revenge for what?"

"You haven't been on Facebook?"

"No, not lately why?"

Bernadette's mouth snapped shut.

"Why?!" Penny demanded her gut sinking with dread. Anything that could convince Bernadette she'd resort to vandalism was bound to be horrible news.

Bernadette shook her head vigorously. "Nothing. No reason."

Penny went to the room to retrieve her phone. Bernadette chased after her, but Penny was more athletic. She snatched her phone off Sheldon's bed and opened the lock screen.

"Nothing good can come of this!" the shorter blonde exclaimed attempting to get the phone out of Penny's hands.

She opened Facebook and a notification immediately caught her eye. Leonard Hofstadter was tagged in Alex Jensen's photo.

She didn't want to look, but couldn't help herself. A photo with Leonard posing with some college age kids. A familiar redhead posed next to him draping an arm around him and his was wound around her waist. A flood of emotions hit her all at once. Hurt, sadness, jealousy and anger swept over her and she quickly made a decision. She clicked Leonard's name chose the box where friends was checked on his profile and made quick work of unfriending him. Penny didn't want to know reasons, she had felt this all before, but it was a fresh wound.

"Wow. That was fast." Penny's voice didn't shake, which she was glad of.

"I know right?! That's why I came over. I had a day off anyway for an appointment and that was in my notifications from yesterday."

Penny felt cold all of a sudden. She put her phone in her back pocket and moved to leave the room. As she made her way back to the living room she sat in Sheldon's spot and wrapped her arms around her knees. She couldn't be mad. After all she had done in the last week, she should be the one on the other side of this empty feeling. She felt the cushion beside her move with Bernadette's weight. She wasn't going to cry, she couldn't, why should she?

But the tears came anyway and sobs raked through her and she let Bernadette hold her.

What did she have anyway? She just woke up in another man's bed by herself like she had after so many other break ups. Leonard was happy and she was just confused. Confused and lonely and sad. Had he and Alex been talking this whole time? Did she just jump on a plane with him or was she the reason he had considered the Jenkins project at all.

When she was spent she leaned back and dried her eyes on the sleeve. The familiar scent of the man who wore it brought on another wave of hurt confusion and she let out one last half sob.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry, I thought you knew," Bernadette admitted patting Penny's shoulder.

"I'll be fine. I'm just a little emotionally raw that's all."

"I can imagine. So..." Bernadette started and Penny remembered her state of undress. "Are you gonna tell me why you woke up in Mr. Roboto's bed this morning?"

Penny avoided her gaze running her left hand into her hair and attempting to think.

"Oh my god?! How?!" Bernadette shouted and Penny was positive all of Pasadena had heard her.

"Shhhhhh! Would you keep it down?"

"I don't even –"

"Look it's not as bad as you think, okay. I'm figuring it out as I go along, but I will handle this."

Bernadette's mouth closed and she looked at Penny as though stunned. Penny thought she was getting off pretty easy. Maybe her acting was getting better because she didn't feel too confident but then Bernadette spoke again.

"You're sober." The tone was strictly factual, but Penny felt a little offended.

"Yea, why wouldn't I be? It's eleven in the freakin' morning."

"I know that, but you're also not hungover, which means you weren't drinking last night."

Penny shrugged, "So?"

Bernadette shook her head and smiled softly, "Nothing, nevermind. Wanna grab some breakfast? I'm starving."

"Yea, okay," Penny said standing to follow Bernadette out. Feeling the hem of the shirt touch her thighs she hesitated. "Um, actually give me about 20 minutes. I need to get myself together."

Bernadette nodded assertively, "Yea, that's probably a good idea."