Chapter Fourteen: First Times

AN: Okay, here's the new chapter. Finally. I ended up rewriting the entire story to fix a ton of formatting errors that seems to love to add. I also changed some minor things. If you want, you can reread the story, but it's not truly necessary. I didn't change anything important. It's still Penny and Sheldon. Just kidding.

Now on to the story.

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~

Leonard opened the car door for Penny, tucking her in before shutting it behind her. Then he got in and started the car.

It only took a few minutes to stop by her parent's house and pick up a few things. He didn't see what Penny packed for herself in the overnight bag she was now carrying, but he, himself, only had his toiletry bag and a change of clothes.

Leonard was almost shivering at the thought of what was about to happen. Next to him, he felt Penny's presence, as if she exerted a force upon him that was beyond the mere physical.

It was almost like gravity, he mused, the pull he felt toward her. Like the moon and the tides, forever being drawn toward one another. Or perhaps a better analogy was the moon and the earth, itself.

He and Penny were like two celestial bodies that would forever be attracted to one another, always close. Except in their case, capable of touching, he thought in amusement as he took her hand in his, gently squeezing it.

"Where to?"

A mysterious look on her face, Penny said, "Just drive."

Leonard did exactly that, unable to decipher the mood of the girl at his side. Penny had been acting differently ever since the reception, as if a matter of great import was weighing upon her. When he'd finally gained the courage to let her know what he wanted, he had not been sure of her response.

More than anything else, Leonard had said what he had just to put the idea out there. He wasn't sure if Penny was ready, although he, himself, definitely was. The delay in her response had been telling, but in the end, she'd worn an expression of someone who had made their decision.

And that decision was to be with him.

Leonard's heart swelled at the thought. It was all he could do to drive down the road in a relatively straight line, as all he could think about was Penny. She was everything to him and she occupied his thoughts completely.

"Turn here."

Leonard didn't register where they were, even when he pulled to a stop in a parking spot. Then he realized that they had stopped at a motel. A Super 8 to be exactly. Raising a crooked brow at Penny, he waited.

She shrugged and smiled. "What can I say? They're clean and have good beds. And I've never been inside of this particular one."

There was something loaded about the comment, of that he could tell. However, if Penny thought that he cared about her past sex life or partners, she was mistaken. At the same time, Leonard appreciated that she cared enough to make the effort. His heart raced as he got out and opened Penny's door for her.

Leonard barely registered going inside and getting a room, the motions done on autopilot. All he could see was the girl at his side. All he knew was her presence, like a burning flame at his side, warming him with the heat she gave off.

It only took a few minutes to arrive at their room. Standing next to Penny in the elevator, Leonard was conscious of a certain amount of nervousness. He felt her small, strong hand slip into his and just like that, he relaxed, his nerves melting away, to be replaced with a different form of tension.

Leonard felt like he was almost floating as he opened the door to their room and ushered Penny inside. The two of them slowly walked in until they were both standing next to the bed.

Now it was Penny who looked nervous, as if she were standing upon a precipice and any misstep could result in a fall. In an effort to reassure her, Leonard offered, "We don't have to do this, Penny. If you want to just hang out and talk, I'm okay with that."

In response, she flashed him a wicked smile that sent his heart racing. Deliberately, she pulled something small, fire engine red, and silky out of her overnight bag. Shaking it at him like a talisman, she commanded, "Get undressed. I'll be out in a little bit."

With that, Penny sashayed into the restroom, the sway of her hips visible even under the heavy bridesmaid dress. Once she was inside with the door closed, Leonard sat heavily upon the bed. There, he kicked off his shoes. Almost absently, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and got up to hang it on one of the hangers the motel provided in the closet. He did the same with the rest until he was dressed in just his boxers.

Suddenly shivering in the room's cold air, Leonard made his way over the heater and turned up the thermostat until it blew warm air. Finishing adjusting it, he walked back over to the bed.

Should he strip completely and get into bed, he wondered? Or should he just stay here in his boxers? At that moment, Leonard felt more uncertain than at any time since first meeting Penny.

Sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxers, he couldn't help but reflect upon the effect she had on him. It was all he could do sometimes to keep his hands off of her, while at others, she filled him with a tenderness that he could barely contain.

Was this what love was like, he wondered? He, who had never truly been loved by anyone in his life other than perhaps his grandmother, wasn't really sure what love was. He had to suspect, though, that what he felt for Penny was the real thing, or at least close to it.

Leonard had never imagined feelings so strong for another person in his entire life. He'd never dreamed that he would want to put another person's welfare ahead of his own. That making that person happy, made him happy as well. In so many ways, Penny's mere existence filled him with a joy that he'd never imagined that it was possible to experience. Then again-

All of his thoughts stuttered to stop as the door to the restroom opened and a vision exited.

It was Penny, but a Penny that Leonard had never imagined seeing. Dressed in a red silk nightgown that barely reached mid-thigh, her soft, full breasts were as revealed as they were covered by the item's deep décolletage, as well as by the sheerness of the material.

As she walked forward, her legs flashed into view all the way to above her hips as high slits in the sides of her nightgown revealed her lack of panties. Leonard could see her nipples beneath the material visible harden into little peaks in the room's still cool air as she slowly came to a stop in front of him.

Rising to his feet, Leonard's mouth was utterly dry as Penny finally came to a halt just inches away from him. She was close enough that he could feel the heat from her body upon his skin, impacting him as if she were the sun. With quiet intensity, he stared into her beautiful green eyes.

Pupils so big he felt like he could just dive right into them stared back at him. He reached out with exquisite slowness as if he was afraid that this was all a dream that he would wake up from and cupped Penny's face. Cradling her cheek in his hand, Leonard whispered, "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life."

He could feel the muscles in her jaw flex as Penny gave him a crooked smile. "You're not so bad yourself."

Leonard shrugged, refusing to be selfconscious, even though he knew he wasn't half as aesthetically pleasing as his partner was. Instead, he looked into those amazing eyes and whispered, "I love you."

Penny blinked and started to speak, then stopped, a look of uncertainty on her face. Before it could bloom into something more, Leonard moved his hand so that one finger rested upon her lips. He smiled at her startled look. "Penny, you don't have to say anything. I know how much you care about me. That's enough. Why don't you kiss me?"

Again, Leonard refused to allow himself to feel hurt at the look of palpable relief upon Penny's face at his words. He knew that she felt strongly about him, even if he didn't know how much. He'd rather she waited until she was confident enough to say it to him and mean it. Until that time-

His thoughts were interrupted as Penny covered the space between them in less than an instant, her mouth seeking his. Hungry lips caressed his, then her eager tongue sought entrance. A second later, her arms were winding around his neck as the two of them tumbled onto the bed behind him.

From there, it was lips and tongues, hands, fingers, and erogenous zones, and skin on skin contact that seemed to last forever.

Tasting Penny between her legs seemed to be the right thing to do one moment, while in another, she was taking him into her mouth. A short time later, he was inside of her as the two of them came together at least.

Soft sighs and tender whispers filled the room around them as they each showed the other what they liked. Then there was the rising sounds of passion that ended with a crescendo, like a tidal wave crashing upon the shore as the two of them lay spent on the bed in a tangle of sweaty limbs.

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~

Penny tenderly brushed hair back from his forehead as surprise and pleasure vied for dominance within her. Smiling widely, she whispered, "You really are a genius."

Giving her a nonchalant grin, Leonard demurred, "Or maybe I'm just really good at googling things. Kidding."

His grin turned so naughty that Penny threw back her heard and laughed wholeheartedly. A moment later, Leonard was laughing as well. The two of them laughed for a few minutes, until, finally, they subsided, with just the occasional giggle from her.

Penny felt amazing. It had been too long since she'd last had sex, at least with something that didn't require batteries. She'd almost forgotten how good it felt. Of course, the fact that it had been with Leonard only made it better for her because of how much she... cared about him. He had surprising talents in the bedroom and she was looking forward to finding out just what else he knew how to do.

Contentedly, Penny pressed herself against Leonard, loving the feel of his solid form against her curves. She wanted to mark him with her scent, like a cat, so as to tell all other women that he was unavailable. Deliberately rubbing her cheek against Leonard's shoulder, her tongue darted out to taste the faint saltiness of his skin.

Startled, he looked at her and asked, "What are you doing?"

Deciding not to bother lying, Penny propped herself up on one elbow and shrugged, aware of the way the movement of her breasts drew his eyes. "Marking you with my scent."

At her words, Leonard closed his eyes and turned the most amazing shade of red that she'd ever seen. She smiled in satisfaction. Just when she'd thought she'd broke him, though, he opened his eyes and met her gaze. Looking more than a little embarrassed, he admitted, "I kinda did the same thing earlier, just with my teeth."

This time it was Penny's turn to be startled. Selfconsciously, she put a hand to her neck. So that was what that had been about when Leonard had bitten her. At the time, she'd been so lost in the throes of passion that she'd barely registered it. Touching it now, she could tell he'd marked her, although she didn't think that he'd broken the skin. But she'd have one hell of a hickey, something that other guys would register as her being with someone.

Not that Penny minded if any other man she ran into knew she belonged to Leonard. She wasn't going to fight what she felt for him any longer. While she might not be quite ready to tell him that she loved him, the intensity of her feelings for him was greater than she'd ever experienced in her entire life.

It was partially because of the unexpected strength of those feelings that Penny was afraid to sully them with words. She'd said those three words too often in the past. She-

Penny was pulled from her introspection by Leonard gently tilting her head to one side.

He hissed, clearly displeased at he evidence of his handiwork. "Penny, I'm sorry for doing that. I guess I got carried away."

"I'm not."

At Leonard's shocked look, Penny smiled. "I'm not sorry. Not that we did this. Or that you put your mark upon me. I'll let you in on a little secret, Leonard."

Straddling him, feeling him once again hard and ready against her sex as she slid back and forth over him, Penny leaned down and whispered into his ear. "I liked it."

Then she was taking him inside of her and riding him, as the passion that should have been at least partially slaked, exploded anew. What followed was a marathon session of sex that went on and on.

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~

It was several hours later when the two of them finished their shower together and got dressed. Leonard gave their room one final look in the early morning sunlight streaming in through the open curtains, then slipped an arm around Penny's waist.

"Ready to go?"

She slid her arm around his waist as well and leaned into him. "I'm ready."

"You know, I'm really going to miss that room," Leonard said, as the two of them sauntered side by side down the quiet hallway of the motel. He would, too, the memories of what they'd done there still occupying most of his thoughts.

Penny grinned at him. She teased, "Don't worry. We'll christen both of our bedrooms when we get home."

Now that sounded promisingly, Leonard thought. He cajoled, "How about christening my lab while we're at it?"

Penny looked shocked, her green eyes wide. "Why Leonard Hofstadter, are you asking me to have sex with you in your laboratory? Among all of your lasers and other scientific gadgets?"

He breathed, "Definitely."

Penny shrugged, then nodded. "Okay."

Penny's reply temporarily short-circuited Leonard's brain. Glancing over at the smug little smile she wore, he accused, "You did that deliberately."

"Did what?"

"Agreed to have sex with me at work."

Her response was simple, "You did ask."

Leonard was just starting to think of other things he could ask Penny to do, a certain chain mail bikini coming to mind, when she put a hand on his chest. "Down, boy. You can tell me all of the things that you want me to do once we get back. I'm pretty much open to anything, although I am reserving the right to refuse anything that is too skeevy. So as a certain knight once said, choose wisely."

Sharing a grin with Penny at the partial quote from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Leonard knew he would do exactly that.

The ride home was quiet. Sunday morning traffic was nonexistent, at least this early in the day. The house was still and dark, it being too early for even Penny's parents to be up yet.

"You want to get a little more sleep before our flight later?"

He smiled. "Sure."

Leonard enjoyed watching Penny get undressed, then slip into her blue sleep shirt. His groin stirred at the sight, something he wouldn't have believed possible after the day and night they'd spent in bed doing everything he'd imagined together and more.

Not that he planned to do anything about it, Leonard thought, as he slipped out of his own clothes and into bed. Settling against Penny's soft, warm figure, he slipped an arm around her slim form, cuddling up against her. He knew that she didn't want to do anything in her parent's house, shared room or not, something he planned to respect.

As the breathing of his companion deepened, Leonard felt himself sink progressively deeper toward sleep. But before he allowed it to take him over completely, he whispered against Penny's neck, "I love you."

Then the world faded from view.

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~

Sunday (Day Nine)

"Phone for you, Leonard!" Penny's mother called from downstairs.

He called back, "Thanks, Elizabeth."

Exchanging a puzzled glance with Penny, Leonard hurried downstairs. Picking up the phone's receiver like it was a poisonous snake, he wondered who the latest person was who couldn't understand what the word vacation meant. What it was for. One thing it wasn't for was to take land line calls from people whose cell phone calls he had already ignored.

Knowing that he couldn't put it off any longer, Leonard said, "Hello, this is Leonard Hofstadter."

"Dr Leonard Hofstadter?"

Rolling his eyes, Leonard said, "Yes, this is Dr Leonard Hofstadter. May I help you?"

"I hope, Dr Hofstadter. You're a hard man to track down. My name is Colonel Malcolm Schaulenberg with the United States Air Force. I'm calling regarding an application you made for research funding."

Leonard stared stupidly at the phone, feeling a bit stunned. "Okay. Uh... isn't it a bit quick to be contacting me over an application I made just last week? Usually it takes months for an application to make its way through the review process." Even with the shortcut he'd used.

"Actually, Dr Hofstadter, we've had our eye on you for some time. Your work with high energy lasers is cutting edge and we were considering asking you to consult in that area, among others. When your application came across the desk of one of my men, he fast tracked it to my office for my attention."

Leonard couldn't figure out whether he should feel honored or worried that the Air Force had their 'eye' on him. Considering that he'd been at least fifty percent responsible for blowing up the elevator in his apartment building, currently the latter emotion was dominating.

"Uh... thanks?"

Colonel Schaulenberg's tone was intense as he asked, "Dr Hofstadter, are you serious about being able to double the exothermic energy yield of the experimental fuel you worked on from before while maintaining stability? Despite your earlier failure?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I finally figured out where I went wrong. The instability was in the oxidizer, and I should have it licked."

"How exactly did you managed to figure that out without proper equipment?"

Feeling faintly embarrassed, Leonard rubbed the back of his neck as he explained, "It was right after my breakthrough in dark matter. I was going back and thinking about a lot of the things I'd worked on that hadn't panned out, the rocket fuel included. That's when I saw it. By using a flourine form of oxidizer, I should be able to solve all of the issues with the fuel. I'm pretty sure I'm right, but I need funding to run some experiments to make absolutely certain. Basically, I need three pieces of equipment for testing and some computer time to run the results. I mean, I don't want to run those calculations in my head like I had to the others."

There was a brief silence from the other end of the line. Finally, the colonel said, "I don't think you're going to need to run those calculations in your head, Dr Hofstadter. Does the budget for the experiment cover everything you need for confirmation?"

Almost apologetically, Leonard said, "It should. I know the amount's high, but the equipment I need is kind of expensive."

"Yes, we're aware of how much each item of lab equipment you've requested costs. We've also been following your recent paper in the area of dark matter. I've been told that it's absolutely groundbreaking work although I don't understand the math involved."

Trying to lighten things up, Leonard joked, "You and the majority of the human race. Apparently, there are only a handful of people who really understand it."

"Or, I would guess, would be able to run the calculations in their heads. Interesting."

Okay, the guy was seriously starting to freak Leonard out. He couldn't ever recall getting a phone call like this from the government before. Or being grilled in this way.

"Dr Hofstadter, just between you and I, there is almost a guarantee that you will receive the grant money you've requested. I can't get into specifics, but the government needs that fuel and is willing to pay to develop it. Get it right, and the grant and patent covering it will be worth quite a bit for you and your university. Of that, you can be sure."

"Uh, thank you, colonel. Was there anything else?"

"No, Dr Hofstadter. Enjoy the rest of your vacation. I'll be contacting you this upcoming week with details and a schedule for the grant."

"Thanks. Goodbye, colonel."

"Goodbye, Dr Hofstadter."

Leonard the receiver back on its cradle, not sure what to make of the conversation. Colonel Schaulenberg had been almost manic in the way he'd sounded. He wondered if it had anything to do with why they needed the fuel? Not that he especially cared. It was enough that he would soon be able to afford to purchase the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, and the Automatic High Sensitivity Dual Range Petroleum Cryoscope for his lab. Just thinking about them put a big smile on his face. All were expensive pieces of equipment and had many other uses beyond just what he'd need them for at the moment.

Plus, the idea of receiving a patent on the fuel should it work would be a bonus. Unfortunately, that didn't necessarily translate into actual money as the government would retain the right to use the patent for free. Only if it had commercial possibilities would it actually translate into actual money. Even then, Leonard would only own about ten percent of the actual patent, the rest owned jointly by CalTech and the Air Force.

"Everything okay, Leonard?"

Seeing Penny staring at him from the kitchen doorway with an inquisitive expression on her face, he explained, "I just had the oddest phone call..."

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~

"Mom, Dad, goodbye. I love you both. I'm going to miss you."

Penny hugged her parents tightly, almost not wanting to go back to Pasadena. She'd enjoyed the last few days more than she'd expected, although that might have something to do with the company she had with her.

Her dad cautioned her, "Penny, you take care of yourself. And Leonard?"

"Yes sir?"

"You take care of my little girl. I look forward to hearing from you about that matter we discussed."

"I'll call you and let you know, Wyatt. Elizabeth, thanks again for allowing me to stay in your wonderful home."

"Oh, Leonard, we're going to miss you around here. The two of you take care of each other, okay?"

Penny nodded, even as she wondered what her dad wanted to hear back from Leonard about. Then she just shook her head. Knowing him, he'd probably wanted to pick Leonard's brain about the Cornhuskers' chances against Texas and OU.

It was finally time to leave, though, and the two of them got into the car to head home. Penny could feel Leonard's occasional glance as they sat in mostly silence on the trip to the airport.

Finally, though, he asked, "You okay, Penny?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I'm going to miss my parents, though. This was one of the better trips back I've had over the last few years. And I owe it all to you."

In that self-deprecating way of his, Leonard said, "I don't know about that."

"Trust me, if I'd brought anyone else, or come alone, they would have mentioned moving back to Nebraska at least a dozen times. With you along, they didn't suggest it even once. They really like you, Leonard."

Glancing over at her boyfriend, Penny saw the smile her words put on his face.

"I really like them, as well. I like your whole family. Well, every one of them I met."

"Yeah, I'm sorry that you missed meeting my brother. But he couldn't make bail in time for my sister's wedding, the dumbass."

After that, they once more fell into a comfortable silence. Penny actually dozed on the way to the airport, then again on the plane.

It wasn't until they were on the ground again and on their way home that she finally woke up completely. Of course, that was when Leonard started flagging, so she ended up driving his car back to their building.

Occasionally glancing over at the snoozing form of her boyfriend, Penny knew that her lips were curved in an indulgent smile. She had it bad, she knew that now. That night at the motel had cemented their relationship, showing her just how intensely she felt about Leonard.

Now, all she had to do was figure out a way to not have a panic attack if he ever asked her to marry him. Because she knew it was coming.

Still, Leonard might just be cagey enough to reel her in gradually, something which she was hoping for. After all, despite how she felt about marriage, Penny wasn't so sure she felt that way about marriage with him.

Who knows, if he asked her after a few months had gone by, she might even say yes.

Pulling into the parking garage at their building, she woke Leonard when she parked the car.

Kissing him on the lips, she whispered, "Leonard, we're home."

"Mmm... Really? I was having the nicest dream."

Grinning, Penny asked, "What was your dream about?"

"Well, there was this beautiful blonde who was kissing me. Then I woke up."

"Too bad. That's no fun. Let's see if this helps..."

Penny kissed Leonard again, this time for a few minutes. Finally, though, her internal clock told her it was time for bed.

As they walked up the four flights of steps, she asked, "Are we staying in my apartment or yours?"

Leonard smiled broadly as he considered her words. "Let's stay in yours. I might as well put off talking to Sheldon as long as possible. As it is, the ride to work tomorrow is probably going to be hell."

"Do you really think it's going to be that bad?"

Just then, they arrived at their floor, only to find Sheldon camped out in front of Penny's apartmen, the chair he was sleeping in leaning back against her door.

Leonard turned to her and asked, "What do you think?"

~~~Leonard/Penny~~~