Hello! This time I wanted to challenge myself with a Penny and Leonard fanfic. I just felt being familliar with these characters as I write will make my writing style better. Please review my story. It really keeps me inspired despite my busy schedule here in school.

Standing in the Moonlight

Leonard Hofstadter scanned the crowded ballroom, wondering where his dancing partner had run off. Penny had always been good at disappearing. During a break in the dancing, he had left Penny conversing with Amy Farrah Fowler and his friend Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon noticed Leonard's frequent searching glances and leaned closer to him and whispered.

"She went upstairs, Leonard. She probably needed some fresh air. You know she is not the same intellect as ours. She easily gets bored with this kind of event."

Leonard nodded disregarding his friend's yakking, he simply replied. "Thanks, Sheldon." He headed for the stairwell, excusing himself past a few couples deep in conversation, and quickly walked upstairs.

As he walked down the long hallway, Leonard fingered a circular object in one of his pockets. He had been planning this evening for weeks. Once he found Penny, he would take her out to the gardens for a moonlit walk. He discreetly peeked into various rooms until he found the object of his search. She stood on the balcony of the library. The open French doors framed her slim silver-gowned figure. She had her face tilted up into a beam of moonlight that made her dress shimmer like ethereal. Penny leaned against the doorjamb, just to admire the picture she made against the dense black backdrop of a starry sky.

His mind went back to the day he had first gotten to talk to her in front of their apartment when she moved in. She never had gotten him back the pants that his ex-boyfriend took from him and Sheldon. He chuckled softly.

The low sound startled Penny and she turned around to face him, a slender hand blocked her eyes. When she saw that it was him, she lowered her hand and smiled. That smile always made Leonard's heart skip a beat. It was the one she always saved for him only.

"It's cold out here, Penny." Leonard walked across the library to meet her in the balcony doorway. He took her hands and rubbed them between his gently. Her hands were cold, but she seemed to be ignoring them as her green eyes swept his face.

Leonard gripped his hands in hers and pulled him out onto the balcony, right into the chill wind blowing in from the ocean. Her blonde hair blew back from her face and she pointed to the full moon rising above the horizon of the nearby ocean.

"The moon is beautiful, Leonard. I had to see it."

Leonard knew better though. Penny was romantic, but she was not a hopeless one. He tucked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side. He bent down until his lips were close to her ear.

"You're lying."

Penny laughed and turned toward him, placing her arms around his neck. She looked up at him earnestly. He had grown quite a bit in the past few years and he found himself looking down into her moonlit eyes. She reached up to his face and brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd come."

"I need to ask you something, Penny."

An expectant look came to her face, and Leonard took her arms from around his neck and placed one of her hands in the crook of his arm.

"Can we go for a walk?"

Leonard turned her face away to glance at the beach. She gave him a pleading look. "Can we walk along the shoreline?"

Leonard winced inwardly. He had never liked the sea. It had almost taken his life as well as the life of the girl who stood in front of him when they were still dating. He could not imagine life without her. But Sheldon nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Let's go."

Soon, the couple walked barefoot in the sand along the shoreline, their shoes left on the lawn of the house. Penny leaned against Leonard's shoulder, her eyes closed as they walked, trusting him to keep her from falling. The sound of the gently lapping waves seemed to have their own music, a melody that drowned out the sounds of violin music coming from the venue. Penny stirred slightly, and Leonard stopped in his tracks.

"Dance with me,Leonard." She had heard the music.

"Here?" Leonard glanced around at their surroundings.

Penny stepped away from him and whirled around playfully. "Can't you hear it? The sea has its own music. We can waltz to it."

Leonard sighed at her antics and then obediently stepped forward to take her in his arms. Waltzing on a beach. He could not believe he was doing this! He looked down at the girl whose head was pillowed against his chest. But if it made her happy, he was willing to do it. Leonard loved having her in his arms though, so his hesitation quickly disappeared. Slowly they maneuvered themselves closer to the waves and then farther away, keeping time to the waves coming in. Then, came that perfect moment.

Leonard reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. Gently, he pressed it into Penny's right hand. She stopped dancing, startled at the touch of cold metal against her skin.

"Marry me," he whispered against her ear. He had been waiting five long years to ask this question. He hoped he already knew her answer.

Penny pulled back enough to look at him in surprise. Then, she smiled. A smile that said yes. She touched a finger to his lips, whispering back, "Yes."

She held her hand out to him, and he took the ring from her, only to take her left hand in his and place the ring on her finger. She sighed contentedly and let him take her in his arms again.

"When do you want to get married?" She asked while kissing the tip of his nose lightly.

"Now." Leonard's voice was low with barely contained emotion.

Penny pulled back again and grinned up at him. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like the way you think, Leonard Hofstadter. Do you want to get out of here and have,, you know?" She grinned.

Leonard gave her a smile. "I'd say that you're thinking like me now."

"Should we tell them?" She said, nodding toward the venue standing on the hill behind them. Classical music still poured from its lit windows. Penny pulled her back toward him.

"Not yet. I want you to myself for a little bit longer." With that statement, he lowered his head and kissed her. Penny broke off the kiss for a few seconds to whisper.

"You're holding back, Leonard. Let it go."

Her words stirred him. How had she known? He had been holding back for the past few years, afraid that he would hurt her, afraid that he would lose her somehow because of the intensity of his feelings for her. Afraid that she would break his heart. But with those words, she broke down all the barriers.

Leonard whispered, "I love you."

Then, he kissed her again, but there was something different about his kiss this time. It was possessive, and he felt her respond in kind.

When the kiss finally ended, Penny sounded like she was about to cry. She leaned weakly against him, sniffling a bit. He kept his arms around her, settling his chin on top of her head.

"I love you, Leonard." She said. The words sounded like music to his ears. "Can we just stand here like this for a few minutes? I want to remember this moment."

"For as long you like, Penny..."

The couple swayed together slightly to the music of the ocean. A tall man stood on the hill above them, observing them, unseen. He smiled to himself, knowing he should not have worried about them even though the rest of the visitors had already left. He turned away and headed back to the venue, leaving Penny and Leonard standing in the moonlight.

Thank you guys for reading this short story. I hope i can get some reviews from all of you.