Saturnalia Fic for: xoxony!
Title: Adaptation
Author: mothermedusa20
Rating: G
Word Count: 2, 935
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Summary: As Penny watches the festivities at Howard and Bernadette's wedding, she's not sure what her place in this little group is anymore until a perpetually out-of-place physicist shows her exactly where she belongs within the confines of a hallway and a classic box step.
Written for xoxony for Saturnalia exchange from the following prompt:
Prompt #2: It's Howard and Bernadette's wedding and it's time to hit the dance floor. Penny/Sheldon with a pinch of Leonard/Amy.
I hope you like!
Thanks to trippy41 for betaing services rendered.
“Hit me,” Penny pointed at her empty shot glass and the bartender reached over to fill the glass with clear liquid. Penny covered a slice of lemon with sugar then threw back her vodka shot and sucked on the lemon. A whoop from the dance floor caught her attention. Howard and Bernadette were sitting on chairs that were being carried around the function hall as all the other guests wildly danced the Hora around them.
All, that is, except for her and one other person.
She tried not to stare at Sheldon as he sat alone at his table, slowly stirring his melting root beer float. Even Amy had abandoned him and was skipping around the dance floor, hand in hand with Leonard. Penny ran her tongue over her teeth to feel for any pieces of lemon or sugar caught in her gums. She watched Amy and Leonard some more - those two certainly had quite a connection at weddings if no where else. Come to think of it, Penny reflected, Amy had sat next to Leonard in the limo and in between him and Sheldon at dinner, even though she and Leonard had talked most of the time. Who could blame her? Sheldon was miserable at any function that didn’t have him as the focus. He whined about missing Dr. Who, he whined about the unconventional food (stuffed chicken breast, steamed carrots and broccoli and a twice baked potato in lieu of his usual takeout), he whined about the tables proximity to the band until, one by one, they had all drifted away. Sheldon swirled his straw in his mug and Penny pouted a bit. He looked so lonely. Even she had ditched him to sit here at the bar.
“Hit me again,” She barked.
“This is some party,” The bartender commented as he came over once more. “I’ve done lots of weddings but those two are having a blast.”
Penny looked over her shoulder once more. Howard and Bernadette were waving their hands wildly in the air, egging on the crowd at their feet. Bernadette had grabbed bunches of her gown in each hand and was kicking her feet to the beat in the chair-dancing version of the Can-Can.
“I guess so,” Penny shrugged and turned back to her drink.
“Why aren’t you out there?”
“Me?” She threw back the shot. The bartender waited patiently while she finished chewing on her wedge of lemon. “First of all, this dress is murder,” Penny indicated the fuschia strapless sheath that encased her body, “and the shoes are some form of medieval torture device.”
The bartender laughed, signaled for her to wait as he poured a beer for one of Howard’s uncles. She knew the guy had to be related to Howard just by the bad comb-over and the leer he gave her. Penny flared her nostrils at him and deliberately turned away.
“That didn’t seem to stop the other bridesmaid,” The bartender wiped the counter in front of Penny. “She kicked off her shoes an hour ago.”
“She’s more of a free spirit than I am,” Penny deadpanned. The Electric slide was pulsing through the room and Amy was right up front leading them all.
“I doubt that,” When the bartender leaned back, Penny saw his name was Spencer. “I bet you’ve got some moves.”
Penny gave him a half-smile as the alcohol warmed her belly, “I used to go dancing all the time when I first moved out here. Not so much now.”
“Oh yeah? How come?”
Penny started to answer him but the music interrupted her thoughts. “Is that the chicken dance?” Spencer nodded. Penny whirled around on her barstool. There was Howard, Bernadette, Raj, Amy and Leonard all flapping their arms and wiggling their rears in the saddest imitation of poultry Penny had ever seen.
“Oh my God,” She groaned and dropped her head in her hands. She prayed the videographer had already left for the evening. Could this get any worse?
“Penny, I demand you take me home this instant.”
Of course it could.
“Go away, Sheldon.” She moaned, head still in hands.
“I am trying to do just that, Penny,” he snapped, “but my plans are being thwarted by the fact that you are stewing yourself in alcohol.” Sheldon paused. “Why are you drinking anyway? Are you distressed in some way?”
Penny made a face at his words; she still hadn’t turned to face him. “Why do you want to go home?” She replied. “Are you distressed in some way?” Her eyebrow lifted. Penny could see Sheldon reflected in the mirror behind the bar. He was tugging at his bow tie but paused at her words. He cleared his throat.
“I will admit that I am less than pleased that Leonard has absconded with Amy this evening though I suppose it was inevitable.”
Penny swung her stool around, stopping just short of Sheldon’s legs, “Oh yeah? How do you figure?”
“It’s the scientific method Penny. Both of them are retesting the hypothesis formed after the last function they attended together. Once again, the results are favorable. Now, as long as Leonard doesn’t ruin it all by engaging in coitus with her, they should continue to enjoy each other’s company for some time.”
“And this doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it does,” Sheldon growled. “I am far superior to Leonard in every way. I would say my pride is hurt more than my feelings.” He waved at the dance floor where a rather lengthy conga line was forming, “Leonard and Amy both regret the social mores they missed out on as they pursued academia, therefore they have quite a bit of common ground.”
Penny looked at him with narrowed eyes. Finally, she shook her head, “Sheldon, I so did not have enough to drink to have this conversation with you.” Sheldon made a face as Penny picked up her purse, “fortunately, that also leaves me perfectly capable of driving you home. Let’s go get you all tucked in.” She slid off the stool and looped her arm through his. Sheldon waited until Penny gave him a quick nod and began walking.
“It’s a shame you want to leave though,” She looked up at him. “You look very handsome in that tuxedo.
Sheldon smirked, “I've seen a mirror; I know how I look.”
X
They walked in silence to Penny’s car. The music from the reception hall echoed through the night. Penny stopped to look back at the brightly lit building. Envy surged through her. Bernadette had her career, her education and now she had found love. What did Penny know for certain? That Sheldon was going to bitch about her check engine light the whole ride home. She sighed and unlocked the passenger door for him.
When she got to the driver’s side, Sheldon was still outside the car. He stood, rigid as a telephone pole, but his eyes were fixated on her.
“Penny, I sense that you do not really want to do this. I can go back in and make Raj take me home.”
“Sheldon, you cannot ask Raj to drive you home. Didn’t you notice he was dancing with two women? He’s so drunk Howard probably confiscated his keys already.”
Sheldon’s mouth twitched, “Leonard, then.”
“Don’t you dare bother Leonard,” Penny cried. “He’s having a good time which doesn’t need to be ruined because he has to babysit you. Now, get in the car.”
Sheldon opened the door and folded himself inside. Penny stayed outside to pry her shoes off her feet. She rolled her head back as the blood flowed into her lower extremities and she wiggled her toes. The music had changed to more of a swing beat. She hummed a few bars of “Fly Me to the Moon” before Sheldon started leaning on the horn.
Penny threw the door open, “Seriously, Sheldon! What is your problem?”
“I want to go home but am meeting increasing difficulty in achieving that goal. What on Earth are you doing out there?”
“I am listening to a song. Do you mind?”
“Yes!”
Penny growled and slammed the door. The night air was warm. A few fireflies blinked in the darkness. The moon was a half-circle and Penny spotted a star just to the right of it. She made her usual wish for an acting break but add years of happiness for Howard and Bernadette too. Her bout of jealousy had been fleeting; it wasn’t her nature. Her ears perked up when she heard the car door slam. Sheldon was headed back to the reception hall.
“Hey!” Penny yelled. “Where are you going?”
“To find someone to drive me home.” He shouted back. Penny rolled her eyes and climbed into her car, an act which necessitated her hiking up her gown well past her knees. She turned on the ignition and Sheldon stopped walking. Penny put her car in gear and rolled over to him.
“Hey, sailor, lookin’ for a date?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
Sheldon’s eyes landed on her legs. He pursed his lips.
“A ride home will do.”
X
Penny tuned the radio to an AM station that played music from the big band era. Sheldon huffed and stared out the window.
“Sheldon, doesn’t this music bring back memories?” Penny sang under her breath to “Some Enchanted Evening”
“If by memories you mean visions of me in a linen suit, sweating as my sister did her level best to trample my toes, then yes it does.”
“Did you really hate dancing that much? ‘Cuz you looked like you were having a swell time that night you danced with Amy.”
“It was not an unenjoyable evening,” he conceded. Penny turned on her blinker for Los Robles. She glanced over at him. His hands were folded over in his lap and he was staring down at them.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweetie. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Sheldon didn’t reply. His thumbs rubbed against each other. Penny approached their building.
“Penny?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you want to leave tonight?”
She pulled into a space in the lot behind the apartments. She placed the car in park and turned off the engine. They sat there in the dark, listening to the clicks of the engine as it cooled.
“I guess,” Penny began, “I guess I just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. It feels like the end of an era. Howard is married. Leonard and I are pretty much through. Amy is forming a new role for herself in our group,” Her voice trailed off. “This time, I’m the odd one out, you know?” She uttered a half-laugh.
Sheldon tilted his head and began to speak but Penny cut him off, “It’s okay, Sheldon. I know all this emotional stuff makes you uncomfortable. You ready to go upstairs?” She gave him no chance to answer as she exited the car. The sound of his door closing reached her ears and soon he was loping along beside her as they walked to the front door.
Sheldon reached the door first and unlocked it, letting Penny in ahead of him. They began their ascent up the four flights of stairs but Sheldon stopped her at the first landing.
“Penny, I’m not sure I understand why the dynamics of our group changing would make you want to leave a wedding.”
Penny’s eyes closed wearily. She raised the hand that was holding her shoes and rubbed her forehead with the back of her wrist.
“Sheldon, I really don’t want to get into it tonight,” she started walking up the stairs again. “I was just…I was sitting there and everyone was dancing…”
“So you were upset that no one asked you to dance.” Sheldon beamed.
“No,” Penny dropped her voice. “It just made me realize everyone knew where they belonged except me. I never really fit in with you guys; I certainly was different from the folks back home. Acting isn’t working out,” She squared her shoulders and said in a much firmer voice, “I guess I was feeling sorry for myself and wanted to come home to do it.”
“I see,” Sheldon replied, rounding the corner.
“You do not see,” Penny retorted. “You’ve never felt sorry for yourself in your life.”
“That doesn’t mean I am not aware that such an emotional state exists. I can hardly blame you for feeling that way, especially after you outlined the catalysts for such feelings so clearly.”
“Glad I could help you understand,” Penny’s voice was flat. She found her apartment key on her key ring and inserted it into the lock. Sheldon walked to his own door.
“Good night, Penny,” he called softly.
“Good night, Sweetie.” She smiled briefly then slipped inside her door.
X
Twenty minutes later, her dress was a fuschia puddle in the corner of her room. The shoes had gone straight into the trash. She took another shower to rid her hair of all the styling products in it and now sat on her couch in her Cornhusker shirt with a freshly made cup of tea. She clicked on the TV and began scrolling through the channels.
Sheldon’s knocks were so soft at first, she almost didn’t hear him. She walked over to her door and listened. When he finished with the last “Penny,” she said:
“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
He began knocking again.
She opened the door and he was there in his robe and pajamas.
“Can I help you?” Penny looked him over.
Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back. Penny rested her head on the door frame. She just wanted to be alone, in her apartment, but Sheldon, for some reason, was feeling chatty. Sheldon was right in her personal space, a fact that would not strike her until a few minutes into their conversation
“I’m listening,” she sighed. He was so close she could count the stripes in the plaid of his pajamas. So close she could catch the faint scent of talc and the undertone of the shampoo he used. She had a crazy impulse to reach out and hook one finger in his belt loop but her hand hovered awkwardly between them.
He raised his hand in the direction of his apartment. Seconds later, music was playing. Sheldon dropped the remote back into his robe pocket and faced her once more.
“When I saw you sitting at the bar, I should have asked you to dance this evening instead of demanding that you take me home.” He looked down at his slippers for a moment.
Penny crossed her arms, “Sheldon, what is this all about? You hate dancing.”
“You know that no one abhors change more than I, yet I cannot dismiss your observations about our social circle.” Penny blinked up at him. In the light from the hallway, Sheldon’s eyes had a gray cast to them, like his thoughts were shadowed. “It forced me to admit that, when it comes to you, there are so many things I “should” have done.”
“I don’t understand?” The music from 4A changed tempo. Penny recognized the low thump of bass, the strains of a violin and the soft bleat of horns. It was old music. Romantic.
“Mmm, nice,” she breathed. Penny felt her smile grow as she stared at Sheldon’s proffered hand. He led her out the few steps into the hall between their apartments. He raised their joined hands while his left hand pressed firmly between her shoulder blades. He cocked his ear toward the music then began to lead Penny in a classic waltz.
Penny leaned into him, feeling the movement of his legs and letting her body be guided by him in the confines of the hallway. Since she was without shoes, she was tucked right under his chin and his heart beat in time with the music.
“Sheldon,” Penny kept her voice low so she wouldn’t disturb the moment, “What did you mean when you said there are so many things you should have done with me?”
He twirled her around. The notes of piano, soft drums beats and Sheldon’s warm palm now curved around her waist lulling her senses.
“You stated earlier,” he spoke suddenly and Penny jumped a little in his arms. Sheldon pulled her closer. “That you didn’t know your place in our group.” She nodded against the collar of his robe. “Change in the scientific world is cyclical.” His hand slid lower to curve around her waist. “It is indicative of a necessary shift within an organism, planet etcetera.”
Penny felt warm. She felt the way she did at that first meeting when Sheldon’s whiteboard stood between them. There had been a flicker between them then and it was here again now. It made itself known in every interaction they had because, when all was said and done, who did they come back to but each other?
“But…” Penny began but Sheldon shushed her.
A few more light steps in a semi circle. Several slow sways and even a half dip that had her laughing and Sheldon almost toppling over. He stepped out of the hold and held his hand aloft so Penny could twirl then he pulled her back close to him.
“So, is there a name when an organism does change?” She asked. Her breath came in little gasps and she was pretty sure it wasn’t from the dancing. Sheldon’s chest rose and fell as he inhaled deeply through his nose. His arms crossed behind her back and he tilted her back once more.
“Adaptation,” he replied before covering her mouth with his.
End.
Author: mothermedusa20
Rating: G
Word Count: 2, 935
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Summary: As Penny watches the festivities at Howard and Bernadette's wedding, she's not sure what her place in this little group is anymore until a perpetually out-of-place physicist shows her exactly where she belongs within the confines of a hallway and a classic box step.
Written for xoxony for Saturnalia exchange from the following prompt:
Prompt #2: It's Howard and Bernadette's wedding and it's time to hit the dance floor. Penny/Sheldon with a pinch of Leonard/Amy.
I hope you like!
Thanks to trippy41 for betaing services rendered.
“Hit me,” Penny pointed at her empty shot glass and the bartender reached over to fill the glass with clear liquid. Penny covered a slice of lemon with sugar then threw back her vodka shot and sucked on the lemon. A whoop from the dance floor caught her attention. Howard and Bernadette were sitting on chairs that were being carried around the function hall as all the other guests wildly danced the Hora around them.
All, that is, except for her and one other person.
She tried not to stare at Sheldon as he sat alone at his table, slowly stirring his melting root beer float. Even Amy had abandoned him and was skipping around the dance floor, hand in hand with Leonard. Penny ran her tongue over her teeth to feel for any pieces of lemon or sugar caught in her gums. She watched Amy and Leonard some more - those two certainly had quite a connection at weddings if no where else. Come to think of it, Penny reflected, Amy had sat next to Leonard in the limo and in between him and Sheldon at dinner, even though she and Leonard had talked most of the time. Who could blame her? Sheldon was miserable at any function that didn’t have him as the focus. He whined about missing Dr. Who, he whined about the unconventional food (stuffed chicken breast, steamed carrots and broccoli and a twice baked potato in lieu of his usual takeout), he whined about the tables proximity to the band until, one by one, they had all drifted away. Sheldon swirled his straw in his mug and Penny pouted a bit. He looked so lonely. Even she had ditched him to sit here at the bar.
“Hit me again,” She barked.
“This is some party,” The bartender commented as he came over once more. “I’ve done lots of weddings but those two are having a blast.”
Penny looked over her shoulder once more. Howard and Bernadette were waving their hands wildly in the air, egging on the crowd at their feet. Bernadette had grabbed bunches of her gown in each hand and was kicking her feet to the beat in the chair-dancing version of the Can-Can.
“I guess so,” Penny shrugged and turned back to her drink.
“Why aren’t you out there?”
“Me?” She threw back the shot. The bartender waited patiently while she finished chewing on her wedge of lemon. “First of all, this dress is murder,” Penny indicated the fuschia strapless sheath that encased her body, “and the shoes are some form of medieval torture device.”
The bartender laughed, signaled for her to wait as he poured a beer for one of Howard’s uncles. She knew the guy had to be related to Howard just by the bad comb-over and the leer he gave her. Penny flared her nostrils at him and deliberately turned away.
“That didn’t seem to stop the other bridesmaid,” The bartender wiped the counter in front of Penny. “She kicked off her shoes an hour ago.”
“She’s more of a free spirit than I am,” Penny deadpanned. The Electric slide was pulsing through the room and Amy was right up front leading them all.
“I doubt that,” When the bartender leaned back, Penny saw his name was Spencer. “I bet you’ve got some moves.”
Penny gave him a half-smile as the alcohol warmed her belly, “I used to go dancing all the time when I first moved out here. Not so much now.”
“Oh yeah? How come?”
Penny started to answer him but the music interrupted her thoughts. “Is that the chicken dance?” Spencer nodded. Penny whirled around on her barstool. There was Howard, Bernadette, Raj, Amy and Leonard all flapping their arms and wiggling their rears in the saddest imitation of poultry Penny had ever seen.
“Oh my God,” She groaned and dropped her head in her hands. She prayed the videographer had already left for the evening. Could this get any worse?
“Penny, I demand you take me home this instant.”
Of course it could.
“Go away, Sheldon.” She moaned, head still in hands.
“I am trying to do just that, Penny,” he snapped, “but my plans are being thwarted by the fact that you are stewing yourself in alcohol.” Sheldon paused. “Why are you drinking anyway? Are you distressed in some way?”
Penny made a face at his words; she still hadn’t turned to face him. “Why do you want to go home?” She replied. “Are you distressed in some way?” Her eyebrow lifted. Penny could see Sheldon reflected in the mirror behind the bar. He was tugging at his bow tie but paused at her words. He cleared his throat.
“I will admit that I am less than pleased that Leonard has absconded with Amy this evening though I suppose it was inevitable.”
Penny swung her stool around, stopping just short of Sheldon’s legs, “Oh yeah? How do you figure?”
“It’s the scientific method Penny. Both of them are retesting the hypothesis formed after the last function they attended together. Once again, the results are favorable. Now, as long as Leonard doesn’t ruin it all by engaging in coitus with her, they should continue to enjoy each other’s company for some time.”
“And this doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it does,” Sheldon growled. “I am far superior to Leonard in every way. I would say my pride is hurt more than my feelings.” He waved at the dance floor where a rather lengthy conga line was forming, “Leonard and Amy both regret the social mores they missed out on as they pursued academia, therefore they have quite a bit of common ground.”
Penny looked at him with narrowed eyes. Finally, she shook her head, “Sheldon, I so did not have enough to drink to have this conversation with you.” Sheldon made a face as Penny picked up her purse, “fortunately, that also leaves me perfectly capable of driving you home. Let’s go get you all tucked in.” She slid off the stool and looped her arm through his. Sheldon waited until Penny gave him a quick nod and began walking.
“It’s a shame you want to leave though,” She looked up at him. “You look very handsome in that tuxedo.
Sheldon smirked, “I've seen a mirror; I know how I look.”
X
They walked in silence to Penny’s car. The music from the reception hall echoed through the night. Penny stopped to look back at the brightly lit building. Envy surged through her. Bernadette had her career, her education and now she had found love. What did Penny know for certain? That Sheldon was going to bitch about her check engine light the whole ride home. She sighed and unlocked the passenger door for him.
When she got to the driver’s side, Sheldon was still outside the car. He stood, rigid as a telephone pole, but his eyes were fixated on her.
“Penny, I sense that you do not really want to do this. I can go back in and make Raj take me home.”
“Sheldon, you cannot ask Raj to drive you home. Didn’t you notice he was dancing with two women? He’s so drunk Howard probably confiscated his keys already.”
Sheldon’s mouth twitched, “Leonard, then.”
“Don’t you dare bother Leonard,” Penny cried. “He’s having a good time which doesn’t need to be ruined because he has to babysit you. Now, get in the car.”
Sheldon opened the door and folded himself inside. Penny stayed outside to pry her shoes off her feet. She rolled her head back as the blood flowed into her lower extremities and she wiggled her toes. The music had changed to more of a swing beat. She hummed a few bars of “Fly Me to the Moon” before Sheldon started leaning on the horn.
Penny threw the door open, “Seriously, Sheldon! What is your problem?”
“I want to go home but am meeting increasing difficulty in achieving that goal. What on Earth are you doing out there?”
“I am listening to a song. Do you mind?”
“Yes!”
Penny growled and slammed the door. The night air was warm. A few fireflies blinked in the darkness. The moon was a half-circle and Penny spotted a star just to the right of it. She made her usual wish for an acting break but add years of happiness for Howard and Bernadette too. Her bout of jealousy had been fleeting; it wasn’t her nature. Her ears perked up when she heard the car door slam. Sheldon was headed back to the reception hall.
“Hey!” Penny yelled. “Where are you going?”
“To find someone to drive me home.” He shouted back. Penny rolled her eyes and climbed into her car, an act which necessitated her hiking up her gown well past her knees. She turned on the ignition and Sheldon stopped walking. Penny put her car in gear and rolled over to him.
“Hey, sailor, lookin’ for a date?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
Sheldon’s eyes landed on her legs. He pursed his lips.
“A ride home will do.”
X
Penny tuned the radio to an AM station that played music from the big band era. Sheldon huffed and stared out the window.
“Sheldon, doesn’t this music bring back memories?” Penny sang under her breath to “Some Enchanted Evening”
“If by memories you mean visions of me in a linen suit, sweating as my sister did her level best to trample my toes, then yes it does.”
“Did you really hate dancing that much? ‘Cuz you looked like you were having a swell time that night you danced with Amy.”
“It was not an unenjoyable evening,” he conceded. Penny turned on her blinker for Los Robles. She glanced over at him. His hands were folded over in his lap and he was staring down at them.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweetie. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Sheldon didn’t reply. His thumbs rubbed against each other. Penny approached their building.
“Penny?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you want to leave tonight?”
She pulled into a space in the lot behind the apartments. She placed the car in park and turned off the engine. They sat there in the dark, listening to the clicks of the engine as it cooled.
“I guess,” Penny began, “I guess I just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. It feels like the end of an era. Howard is married. Leonard and I are pretty much through. Amy is forming a new role for herself in our group,” Her voice trailed off. “This time, I’m the odd one out, you know?” She uttered a half-laugh.
Sheldon tilted his head and began to speak but Penny cut him off, “It’s okay, Sheldon. I know all this emotional stuff makes you uncomfortable. You ready to go upstairs?” She gave him no chance to answer as she exited the car. The sound of his door closing reached her ears and soon he was loping along beside her as they walked to the front door.
Sheldon reached the door first and unlocked it, letting Penny in ahead of him. They began their ascent up the four flights of stairs but Sheldon stopped her at the first landing.
“Penny, I’m not sure I understand why the dynamics of our group changing would make you want to leave a wedding.”
Penny’s eyes closed wearily. She raised the hand that was holding her shoes and rubbed her forehead with the back of her wrist.
“Sheldon, I really don’t want to get into it tonight,” she started walking up the stairs again. “I was just…I was sitting there and everyone was dancing…”
“So you were upset that no one asked you to dance.” Sheldon beamed.
“No,” Penny dropped her voice. “It just made me realize everyone knew where they belonged except me. I never really fit in with you guys; I certainly was different from the folks back home. Acting isn’t working out,” She squared her shoulders and said in a much firmer voice, “I guess I was feeling sorry for myself and wanted to come home to do it.”
“I see,” Sheldon replied, rounding the corner.
“You do not see,” Penny retorted. “You’ve never felt sorry for yourself in your life.”
“That doesn’t mean I am not aware that such an emotional state exists. I can hardly blame you for feeling that way, especially after you outlined the catalysts for such feelings so clearly.”
“Glad I could help you understand,” Penny’s voice was flat. She found her apartment key on her key ring and inserted it into the lock. Sheldon walked to his own door.
“Good night, Penny,” he called softly.
“Good night, Sweetie.” She smiled briefly then slipped inside her door.
X
Twenty minutes later, her dress was a fuschia puddle in the corner of her room. The shoes had gone straight into the trash. She took another shower to rid her hair of all the styling products in it and now sat on her couch in her Cornhusker shirt with a freshly made cup of tea. She clicked on the TV and began scrolling through the channels.
Sheldon’s knocks were so soft at first, she almost didn’t hear him. She walked over to her door and listened. When he finished with the last “Penny,” she said:
“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
He began knocking again.
She opened the door and he was there in his robe and pajamas.
“Can I help you?” Penny looked him over.
Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back. Penny rested her head on the door frame. She just wanted to be alone, in her apartment, but Sheldon, for some reason, was feeling chatty. Sheldon was right in her personal space, a fact that would not strike her until a few minutes into their conversation
“I’m listening,” she sighed. He was so close she could count the stripes in the plaid of his pajamas. So close she could catch the faint scent of talc and the undertone of the shampoo he used. She had a crazy impulse to reach out and hook one finger in his belt loop but her hand hovered awkwardly between them.
He raised his hand in the direction of his apartment. Seconds later, music was playing. Sheldon dropped the remote back into his robe pocket and faced her once more.
“When I saw you sitting at the bar, I should have asked you to dance this evening instead of demanding that you take me home.” He looked down at his slippers for a moment.
Penny crossed her arms, “Sheldon, what is this all about? You hate dancing.”
“You know that no one abhors change more than I, yet I cannot dismiss your observations about our social circle.” Penny blinked up at him. In the light from the hallway, Sheldon’s eyes had a gray cast to them, like his thoughts were shadowed. “It forced me to admit that, when it comes to you, there are so many things I “should” have done.”
“I don’t understand?” The music from 4A changed tempo. Penny recognized the low thump of bass, the strains of a violin and the soft bleat of horns. It was old music. Romantic.
“Mmm, nice,” she breathed. Penny felt her smile grow as she stared at Sheldon’s proffered hand. He led her out the few steps into the hall between their apartments. He raised their joined hands while his left hand pressed firmly between her shoulder blades. He cocked his ear toward the music then began to lead Penny in a classic waltz.
Penny leaned into him, feeling the movement of his legs and letting her body be guided by him in the confines of the hallway. Since she was without shoes, she was tucked right under his chin and his heart beat in time with the music.
“Sheldon,” Penny kept her voice low so she wouldn’t disturb the moment, “What did you mean when you said there are so many things you should have done with me?”
He twirled her around. The notes of piano, soft drums beats and Sheldon’s warm palm now curved around her waist lulling her senses.
“You stated earlier,” he spoke suddenly and Penny jumped a little in his arms. Sheldon pulled her closer. “That you didn’t know your place in our group.” She nodded against the collar of his robe. “Change in the scientific world is cyclical.” His hand slid lower to curve around her waist. “It is indicative of a necessary shift within an organism, planet etcetera.”
Penny felt warm. She felt the way she did at that first meeting when Sheldon’s whiteboard stood between them. There had been a flicker between them then and it was here again now. It made itself known in every interaction they had because, when all was said and done, who did they come back to but each other?
“But…” Penny began but Sheldon shushed her.
A few more light steps in a semi circle. Several slow sways and even a half dip that had her laughing and Sheldon almost toppling over. He stepped out of the hold and held his hand aloft so Penny could twirl then he pulled her back close to him.
“So, is there a name when an organism does change?” She asked. Her breath came in little gasps and she was pretty sure it wasn’t from the dancing. Sheldon’s chest rose and fell as he inhaled deeply through his nose. His arms crossed behind her back and he tilted her back once more.
“Adaptation,” he replied before covering her mouth with his.
End.