So I should be writing the next chapter for Let Her Go, it's been a week, but after watching the new episode today, I'm in too good of a mood to write angst right now. I loved The Scavenger Vortex so much. So my happy feelings mixed with the "Wedding Songs" Pandora station playing has brought this on.

Hope you enjoy!

"Penny?"

The little girl jumped, spinning around, trying desperately to hide the item she was currently holding behind her back. The quick motion caused one foot to connect with the other and her body fell forward. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, prepared to hit the ground hard, but the pain never came. Instead she felt two hands reach out and steady her. Her eyes opened and peered down at the hands resting on her shoulder. Hands much bigger than her own tiny ones. Her gaze met the soft hazel eyes staring down at her.

"Hey daddy."

"Hey Sport, whatcha' got there?" He pointed down to the object clutched in her grip.

Penny stared down at the material bunched up in her fists and slowly opened her hands. She glanced back up into her father's eyes and saw his brow furrow, the tiny wrinkles appearing across his forehead.

"Is that your mother's veil?" He asked, reaching out a hand and taking the object from her, "You really shouldn't be playing with this."

Penny's instantly stood a little taller and spoke with the stubbornness that her father had become very familiar with over the years, ever since she'd screamed 'No' for the first time, barely a year old. "I wasn't going to break it! I was just looking at it!"

"Really?" Wyatt chuckled and shook his head, "Because it looked like you had it on when I walked in the door."

He saw his daughter's stance falter and her gaze dropped to the floor. "Maybe," He heard her mutter.

Wyatt continued to stare down at her, his expression hard, "Penny, you're only five years old. That's a little young to be thinking about marriage already."

Penny scoffed and shook her head, "I'm not wanting to get married! Boys are icky!" She smiled slightly when she heard a laugh escape past her father's lips. The smile left as quick as it had appeared though and she spoke softer this time, "I was looking at the picture of mom hanging up in the living room. She looked so pretty in it. I just," She paused, biting her bottom lip," I wanted to look pretty too." She decided not to tell him that she had considered pulling the dress out of the back of the closet as well, before realizing she'd definitely get in trouble for that.

Her dad was silent for a few minutes and Penny just knew she was going to get lectured about being in her parent's room and in their stuff. Before she could spit out another excuse, Wyatt sighed and sat down on the bed near them. She watched as he sat quietly, fingering the material in his hands. His eyes seemed distant; she imagined this was how she looked when she watched TV.

"You know," Wyatt's voice broke the silence and caused Penny to jump, "She did look very pretty." His eyes met Penny's." Your mother did." His eyes glanced over the little girl standing before him. He took in her red Corn Huskers jersey hanging loosely from her scrawny body, the jeans, the plain tennis shoes on her feet, even the baseball cap that had been sitting on top of her messy ponytail earlier that day, now thrown to the ground. His baseball cap. No matter how many he bought for her, she always wanted to wear his, despite how large it was. A smile graced his face. His little slugger caught trying on wedding clothing.

Penny had had enough of the silence, "Alright, let's go play ball outside." She bent to pick up the cap and started to walk out of the room.

"Hang on."

She turned in the door way to face him again, her eyebrow raised.

"C'mere." He stood and strode across the room to floor length mirror hanging on the wall. When Penny stayed in the same spot, her father waved her over again. "C'mon."

Frowning, she walked over until she stood in between him and the mirror, as he directed. The frown deepened as he lifted his hands and placed her mother's veil atop her head.

"There," He father spoke, straightening the material just a bit.

She stared at her father in the mirror, still unsure, but his eyes finally met hers and she caught a glimpse of a smile. Her eyes left his to focus on her own reflection. "How do I look, daddy?"

She pretended not to notice the crack in his voice as he replied, "You look beautiful, sweetie."

"Penny?"

Penny awoke with a start, jumping slightly. She heard chuckling from behind.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, honey."

She rolled over to face the man next to her. Her eyes met his beautiful brown ones.

"Good morning," His voice soft, his hand coming up to brush her crazy morning hair out of her face. He tucked a strand behind her ear, his hand tracing down her jawline and finally cupping her cheek.

"Mmm, morning." She moaned, pushing her face further into his palm and closing her eyes.

"I have to get ready for work."

Her eyes popped back open, "Noooo." She drug the word out, stretching her right arm out to wrap around his waist. Pulling him closer, she buried her head into his neck, lightly kissing the skin, before shutting her eyes once again.

She felt his arms around her body. She shook with his body as he laughed, "You didn't hear the alarm blaring? You must have been dreaming about something good."

She nodded, "Yeah..although, it wasn't really a dream. More like a really good memory. One with my dad."

"Oh," He paused, "Not exactly the kind of dream I was hoping for."

She pulled back and shoved his shoulder, laughing along with him, "You're gross! Go to work!"

His arms quickly closed around her again, hugging her close, planting kisses across her face. The more she squirmed, trying to escape his grip, the more kisses he left. His heart swelled as the sound of her adorable laughter filled the room and he joined her. His hold on her finally loosened and he found himself staring into her eyes. He had to use every ounce of strength in his body not to get lost in them or the captivating smile on her face. Even this early, without any makeup at all, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. "I love you, Penny."

The smile on her face grew, if that was even possible, and her gaze softened, "I love you too, baby."

As he climbed out of bed, Penny's stare turned toward the night stand. In a silver frame, sitting upon the small piece of furniture, was a picture of the two of them. She studied the photo, noticing the purple button up shirt she was wearing, her hair in messy pigtails. She sat perched on Leonard's lap, one of her arms hanging around his shoulder, while his were around her waist. She remembered being so upset with him that day, so determined to prove him wrong. Even after the day's events, she couldn't resist the apology he offered, along with the puppy dog eyes he threw her way. Later, as the gang had sat around discussing the day, Penny had sat down in Leonard's chair with him, leaning forward slightly to whisper in his ear exactly how he could make it up to her. As she had pulled away, her eyes still staring intently into his and matching smiles adorning their faces, she had heard the snap and caught a glimpse of a flash from Amy's phone. The picture wasn't staged or planned in the slightest, they weren't even facing the camera, instead lost in their own world.

"You remember the scavenger hunt?" She spoke as she turned over onto her back, watching Leonard stop in the door way of the bathroom.

His brow furrowed, "That Raj planned? Yeah, why?"

She shrugged innocently, "Just thinking about it again. Despite everything, it was a pretty fun day."

She watched as Leonard cringed before speaking, "Yeah, Bernadette kind of ruined that for me."

Penny raised both eyebrows and smirked, "Serves you right for not wanting to be on my team! And you know if that coin would've been where it should've been, I totally would've won!"

Leonard just shook his head, biting back the chuckle. He knew after several small arguments not to get into this subject with his girlfriend again. "You're right, sweetie," He agreed, "I'm gonna go take a shower now."

Watching him leave, Penny's thoughts drifted back to the day of the scavenger hunt. That had been a over a year ago. They had come such a long way since then. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the slight changes from the past ten months. The majority of Penny's stuffed animals had been put away, with the exception of one or two scattered around the room. Cleaning up her bedroom, they had cleared away enough space for a small bookshelf. In the bookshelf, sat Leonard's various comic books that she may have secretly wanted close by for the nights he was working late. On top of the shelf was her nerdy boyfriend's very own bat signal, along with the Star Trek toy she had bought him a few years back. She knew his colorful hoodies now hung in the closet next to her blouses and dresses. His inhaler in the drawer of the night stand by the bed. The same night stand that the velvet red pouch sat on containing the snowflake from the North Pole. She knew if she walked into the living room, she'd see his xbox set up next to the tv close to a shelf with his geeky movies mixed in with her romantic comedies.

She recalled the idea of him moving in flying through her mind when he returned from the North Sea. Four months away had pushed her to assess her feelings more. She felt so foolish for waiting so long to proclaim her love for him, and even after doing so, still being so scared of the words. She was fully prepared to prove to him how 'in' she really was when he was back home and in her arms. But, just like so many other times, her fears had taken over and pushed the idea to the back of her mind, listing reasons why they were moving too fast.

It wasn't until several months later, after a long day of work , she had come home to dinner, wine, and a foot rub, after Leonard had let himself in. She told herself she should've been aggravated by him using the emergency key however and whenever he wanted, but just like the day he had returned from his trip and let himself in, Penny really didn't mind. She realized just how nice it was to come home to already find Leonard waiting on her, instead of having to call or walk across the hall to greet him. The excuses her brain had come up with before disappeared and all she saw was him in her home, wanting to take care of her. After that she knew she wanted to make her home, their home.

Her fingers reached up and gently touched the golden heart shaped locket hanging around her neck and smiled. Some women would look at this simple piece of jewelry and merely shake their head, but to Penny it meant the world. She knew that their relationship was far from any other she had ever been a part of. The thought had scared her for a long time, but now, after eight years of the back and forth, the arguing, the storming out, the insecurities, now she felt much more comfortable. She had someone that truly loved her and she couldn't, especially after four months away, picture sharing this bed with anybody else.

Penny had begun to feel herself change even more over the past month. It had all started when standing in Bernadette and Howard's apartment one day, waiting on her friend to finish getting ready to go out. She had found herself in front of one of the many framed pictures of Bernie in her wedding dress. Penny had seen plenty of pictures over the two years her friends had been married, but for some reason, on this day, she couldn't tear her eyes from the photograph, her eyes taking in every detail of the white dress. When Bernadette had finally emerged, Penny shook her head, walking out of the room and trying to erase the vision of that dress on her body instead, and wondering what Leonard would've thought.

The second time, Penny had been waiting in the check-out line at the store, scanning the magazines on the shelf. Her eyes had moved past her usual copies of Us Weekly and Vogue, instead landing on the bridal selection. She stared at the women on the front covers, arm stretched out, prepared to grab one, when the cashier had called out to her, asking if she was ready. She pulled her hand back as if it had been touching a flame and walked away, pushing the images of her as happy bride just like those women from her mind. She told herself she wasn't quite there yet. Yet, as she walked to her car, groceries in hand, she couldn't help but wonder what song they could have their first dance to.

That had been just the week before and now Penny had dreamed of a memory from a long, long time ago. She had been so small, not even old enough to understand marriage (some days, she still didn't think she was), but she remembered the look on her father's face as he placed the veil on her head. She envisioned what he would look like lifting her veil now, before placing a kiss on her cheek, and handing her off to the only man she knew he had ever liked. She pictured a sad smile on his face as he watched her transform from his little girl to a married woman. Mrs. Hofstader.

Penny suddenly felt her heart begin to race, could feel the sweat on her palms. She felt the room begin to shrink. Sitting up, she leaned against the wall behind her, placing her hand on her chest. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly. Thoughts ran full speed through her mind. Yet, the smile never left her face. It only grew in size.

Mrs. Penny Hofstader.

Opening her eyes, they traveled back to the framed picture beside their bed. She remembered the guys discussing the scavenger hunts they had once participated in at their respected colleges. She recalled the excitement in Leonard's eyes then compared the expression on his face after his experience with Bernadette. Poor guy. Even though it was his own fault really, he did deserve a better chance at another one.

Her heart stopped suddenly as an idea began to form. She jumped across the bed, towards her own night stand, grabbing for her phone. Listening to make sure the shower was still running, Penny searched through her contacts for the person she needed.

Once dialed, she pressed the phone to her ear, drumming her fingers on her leg, biting her lip. When he finally picked up, she spoke, quietly," Raj, I need your help with something."

Switching off the laser, Leonard removed his protective goggles and sighed. He wasn't close to being done with this experiment. It definitely wasn't going the way he wanted it to. He had promised Penny he would be home earlier tonight for dinner. Glancing at his watch, he pulled his phone from his pants pocket, prepared to call and explain things to her. The picture on his lock screen caused him to pause. The night before, after a little too much wine, Penny had stolen his phone from him, snapping pictures of the two of them together and some on her own, making funny faces. This particular one was of Penny, her hair in a messy bun atop her head and the black framed glasses she had purchased years ago. Before taking the picture, she had slid the glasses lower on the bridge of her nose and then bit her bottom lip. There was no way Leonard was ever deleting this picture. He'd get it framed if he knew she would let him.

Suddenly, Leonard heard footsteps outside of his door. He waited for a knock, but one never came. Instead, an envelope slid underneath the crack in the door. Taking a couple of steps forward, Leonard opened the door, but no one was there. Looking around, he swore he caught a glimpse of a sweater vest around the corner. "Raj?" He questioned, but got no answer. He hadn't seen his friend all day at work today.

Frowning, he bent to retrieve the envelope from the ground. On the front, a pink heart had been colored in with a sharpie. "Man, I really hope that wasn't Raj."

His fingers fumbled trying to open the envelope and he mentally cheered when he made it through without any paper cuts. Smiling, he unfolded the piece of paper from inside and began to read. He instantly recognized Penny's handwriting.

Leonard,

This morning you mentioned how you didn't get to enjoy the last scavenger hunt we all did (In all honesty, I don't know if any of us did..expect Howard and Amy of course.) Anyway, I thought, why not help you out, even though you should've just picked me to begin with, I'll give you another chance at some fun. Of course it won't be as 'scientific' and 'nerdy' as the last one, but at the end of it all, I have a present for you!

Here's the first clue: "Go back to the place where we had our first 'date'. It's not the date you're probably thinking of though. I'll give you an extra hint: olive."

Have fun, honey!

-Love, Penny.

Leonard frowned once again. Olive? He searched his brain for the memory she was talking about. It didn't take long before he figured it out and folded the paper, stuffing it in his pocket, along with his phone. Shutting the door behind him, he started down the hallway. The experiment could wait.

Opening one of the double doors to the restaurant he had arrived at, he was hit full force with the memory from eight years ago. His first subtle attempt at somewhat of a date with Penny. He remembered the awkward silence that had surrounded them that night, the way he begged his brain to come up with anything to talk about, to not scare her away. A ghost of a smile appeared across his face as he remembered the trick with the olive and cup he had shown her, he remembered her eyes lighting up. And then, unfortunately, he remembered crawling under the table to retrieve said olive and injuring himself, right in front of her. He for sure thought he'd screwed up any chances then.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Leonard came back to reality and turned to see the hostess staring at him. He knew how silly he had to look, running into a restaurant and just standing, lost in his thoughts. "Um..this may be an odd question, but did someone drop off an envelope here?"

The lady smiled and reached into her pocket, pulling out an envelope folded in half. "I was told you'd be coming," she said, handing the item over to him.

With one last smile, Leonard took the envelope, this one with a heart on it just like the last, and stepped back outside. The cool breeze hit his face as he pulled out the slip of paper and read.

Good job, baby! You got it right!

I'd never admit it then, but you were really cute that night.

The next clue: "You may not think you're very strong at times, but I can promise you, you are my hero."

xoxo Penny xoxo

"I'm her hero?" Leonard whispered, frowning. "Her hero? What does that.." He trailed off, looking down at the shirt he was currently wearing. The Green Lantern logo staring back at him. "I got it!" He yelled to no one, before taking off again.

Entering the comic book store, Leonard frantically glanced around, searching for an envelope. He was flipping through the stacks of comics, when Stewart approached him, holding out what he needed. Leonard smiled and grabbed the envelope. "Thanks!"

"No problem, buddy." He turned to walk away, muttering, "Another game I'm not a part of. Yay."

Leonard ignored him and tore open the paper.

I had to send you to the comic book store. It's such a huge part of your life! Plus, I wanted to apologize for ever trying to date your friend, Stewart. It was a mistake and it hurt you, I know. Just know, he has nothing on you. You were on my mind the whole time. I promise, sweetie.

Okay! Next clue: "Bug Report: don't injure yourself when I'm trying to kiss you!"

xoxo Penny xoxo

Leonard smiled.

The sound of gunfire could be heard from inside the building, Leonard's hand had just reached the door knob, when the door suddenly opened, nearly knocking him over. A man that had to be two whole feet taller than Leonard stood before him, blocking the entrance. " I saw you walk up, here." He shoved the envelope into Leonard's hands. "You're not allowed back in here, man. Not after last time."

And as quick as he had arrived, the man reentered the building, leaving Leonard standing shocked. His mind flashed back to that day, when Penny's lips crashed against his, her arms around his neck, the gun going off, the trip to the E.R. A smile graced his lips and he chuckled, "I'm not allowed in somewhere. Cool." His fingers unsealed the envelope in his hand and he began to read.

Holy balls! My nerdy man got banned from a place! What!

What an awesome day this was, wasn't it? You might not think so, since you shot yourself in the shoe, but I thought it was great.

Next clue: "We totally did it in here. Twice. And now that I think about it, I'm way over due for another visit. I need to, because..sometimes I forget how smart you are."

xoxo Penny xoxo

Standing back infront of the door to his lab, Leonard frowned. He was sure he had locked it when he left..didnt he?

Turning the knob, the door opened and he stepped in. He was hit with the amazing memories of Penny's trips here. He had always fantasized about the two of them in here, but had never ever thought about suggesting the idea to her, for fear of rejection. Turning slightly to look at the table that they had made love on, he saw the white envelope laying there, the pink heart on the front like always. He opened it quickly.

You're almost done, I promise!

I had really considered leaving this one off the hunt, but..despite everything, it is still an important part of our relationship.

Next clue: "Go back to the place that I made the biggest mistake of my life at. I'll never be able to apologize enough for that."

xoxo Penny xoxo

Leonard's heart felt heavy as he opened the door to the bowling alley. He had been back here before since that night many years ago, on the last scavenger hunt for instance, but it still stung a little each time. He could still hear her words ringing in his ears, "I'm sorry, Leonard. I can't do this." He remembered watching her run out that night, remembered his heart breaking into tiny pieces at that moment.

"Snap out of it, Leonard, you're both better now," He mumbled to himself, fighting back the tears causing his eyes to burn.

He glanced around the nearly empty bowling alley, save for a couple of people at the lanes farthest away from him. He spotted the envelope taped to the back of a chair. Walking forward, he grabbed it and ripped it open, trying to focus on happier memories.

Like I said before, I almost didn't put this place on here. But, even though I shouldn't have done it the way I did, our breakup, despite how painful it was, was needed in a way. I needed to grow up more, I needed to get past these walls that I always seem to put up. But hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do, and yet I still did.

I'm so sorry.

This next place is your last stop, you're nearly there!

Last clue: "Go back to the place we first met, in my eyes, the most important place in our entire relationship."

xoxo Penny xoxo

Climbing the flight of stairs of his building, Leonard had made it to the third floor landing, his mind wondering what could possibly be awaiting him at his destination. He couldn't figure out what this prize could be, but he was excited. More than anything, he was excited to just see Penny. He hadn't seen her since early that morning and it was nearing seven in the evening. He definitely missed her.

Just as he reached the fourth floor landing, keys in hand, Leonard stopped in his tracks.

The door to 4B was wide opened, the room inside dark. Leonard could hear soft music playing from inside, turned down low. The hallway was lit up with a row of candles, their shadows flickering across the wall and broken elevator. He also noticed his green light saber, lit up, and leaning against the frame of their door.

"Hey you."

He smiled as Penny appeared in the doorway. She wore a pair of blue jeans, along with a familiar blue shirt. He had seen that shirt before, the locket around her neck. He would never forget that shirt. She had been wearing it when he had first met her, first become mesmerized by her beauty, and when he had asked her out again, the effect she had on him still the same after five years. Hell, it was still the same now.

"I'm pretty sure I paid the electric bill this month," he heard himself say, smiling.

Penny smiled back and shook her head, "No, you did. That's not what this is."

"Oh?" He asked, his smile being replaced with a small frown. "What's going on then?"

He watched as Penny stepped forward, her bottom lip clenched gently between her teeth. "I, um,-"She paused, her hands wringing together in front of her. She was definitely nervous about something he could tell. He nodded for her to continue.

"Leonard, I love you."

Leonard smiled at the way the words rushed out of her mouth. "I love you too-"

"I'm not done," She cut him off, "I love you. And it's taken me a long time to be able to say that, way longer than it should have. But I truly believe I always have, at least since the first time we dated. Our relationship has been a crazy one. The scavenger hunt I sent you on today included just a few of those moments. I've never been a part of a relationship like this one, but then again, I've never met any other man quite like you." She smiled sweetly at him. He had to fight back the urge to lean forward and kiss her. As she continued, he could see the tears brimming her eyes, he could hear her voice starting to break, "You're sweet, and caring, and smart, so so smart. You're handsome and you love me more than I could ever ask for, definitely more than I deserve." A tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped away at it quickly," I'm sorry, you know this is hard for me!"

"I know," He reassured her, reaching out a hand and rubbing her bare arm, "Take your time, lovebug."

Shaking her head, Penny giggled, before becoming serious again, "Leonard..I lead you back here, to this spot, because it's so important if you think about it. It's where we first met, where you gave me the snowflake, where you asked me out again, even after I broke your heart the first time, and-" She paused again and a smile lit up her face, "where I said I loved you for the first time. So I thought this would be the perfect place."

Leonard's eyebrows raised and he stared at her, confused, "Perfect place for what?"

Instead of answering him with words, he watched as Penny slowly dropped to one knee before him. His heart sped up, his chest tightened, and the tears that he had forced away earlier had come back. He continued to stare down at her, dumbfounded and wide eyed. He was sure his mouth was hanging open too.

"I know it's not the big ordeal you had planned, but I figured there wasn't a better place than this. A place that held so many memories for us already. Why not add one more? So, Leonard Hofstader, " She took a shaky breath and he saw another tear slide down her cheek. This time she wasn't bothered by it. Her eyes remained on his. She reached for his hand and clasped it in hers. He could feel her shaking. "..Will you marry me?"

Everything around him disappeared. The candles, the elevator, the stairs, even the door to 4A opening and the faces of his five friends popping out faded away. All that remained was him and her. His eyes stared into hers. Her beautiful, beautiful eyes. Her smile, her amazing heart. She was the most unbelievable person he had ever met and now, well now she wanted him to be hers..forever.

"Leonard?" Her smile was starting to slide away, worry in her eyes at his silence.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" He exclaimed, coming out of his thoughts, "Yes! Yes, I will marry you, Penny."

And within seconds, her face was bright again, the smile stretching from ear to ear, "You will?" At his frantic nod, Penny jumped to her feet and threw her arms around his body. He could hear the sound of cheering behind him, but at that moment, he held his whole world in his arms and couldn't be bothered to let her go. He felt her nuzzle her face into his neck, much like just this morning when they had laid in bed as girlfriend and boyfriend. And now? Now they were engaged. She would soon be Mrs. Hofstader.

He held her tighter as he whispered in her ear, "Yes. A thousand times yes."