So I had this little idea in my mind after The Psychic Vortex, and when Amtrak12 suggested actually writing it, I figured I might as well! I did research on the psychic stuff, so if any of it is wrong (I did try to steer clear of Wikipedia, though) let me know so I can change it.

I own absolutely nothing.

He didn't care that she had refused to read that book. He was just glad that they were on good terms again, talking and even laughing as he helped her fold her clothes. And she was happy too, smiling to herself as she set her fluffy blankets in neat piles on her bed. She'd never seriously dated a guy who had never acted like a jerk, but she'd never before been with someone who'd apologized so quickly and so genuinely. Most of the time she made up with her boyfriends through what Sheldon called "amorous activities" and though she was sure that they'd be doing a bit of that later on, she was happy that she and Leonard didn't need to get physical to save their relationship.

"I have an appointment with Tabitha tonight," she said. "I'll have you see her, instead." Looking over at him, Penny felt relieved when he just nodded and said "okay." She still couldn't believe that he was actually doing this.

Neither, really, could he. This was just so against what he believed in…but even he knew that he'd been too big a jerk to expect her to just let this go. And hey, she had tried to learn about his job. Waitressing wasn't too complex, so it was only fair he try to learn about her interests.

On the drive over, Penny told him a little bit about Tabitha. "It's amazing, Leonard. You tell her anything you want to know, like about your future or whatever, and she'll focus on the 'energy' and start seeing things. Then you make the connection to what you're asking about."

"You make the connections? Not her?"

"Well, she tells you what she sees and generally what it's referencing, but you get to make the connection, if you have positive energy."

Ah. So she hadn't specifically been told she'd get a commercial if she cut her hair.

They reached Tabitha's workplace, her house. It appeared normal from the outside, and it wasn't too strange on the inside, even, just seemed dimmer than most places. Leonard didn't really notice much, though, as a middle aged woman with gaudy silver earrings beckoned him into a side room.

"I can see that I must prove myself to you," she said when Leonard sat down.

Odd, he had expected some sort of accent, but there was none. "I'm…sorry?"

"You're lacking the sparkle of anticipation in your eye. You had to get a nod of encouragement from your companion before joining me. You are a skeptic. A challenge. This I like. Many people come to me skeptical, but they leave me believers."

Leonard smiled. "Okay. Impress me."

First, Tabitha did the old bending the spoon trick. Lame, really. He had seen the crack in the seemingly solid utensil before she'd broken it. Then she picked up a match and held it on her palm. "Now, I focus," she said. Slowly holding it over the table, where Leonard could see. The match slowly turned so it was standing on end, the head up.

"Wow," Leonard said, trying to sound impressed. In reality, he not only knew she was faking, but he knew how. The match, as did the table, were magnetized, and as she held her hand over the table, the match reacted.

The psychic smiled. "So you are impressed. These are party tricks, sir, compared to what I can do. What do you want to know? A deceased loved one you wish to speak with, perhaps?"

Leonard thought about pretending that he had a deceased relative named Mitzy, but he had promised Penny to take this seriously. "I want to know something, anything, about my future," he said. "Maybe about my work? Anything." He smiled to himself, thinking how funny it would be if she told him he'd get a Nobel Prize and not Sheldon.

"Press your hands onto the surface of the table," Tabitha instructed. She closed her eyes, and pressed her fingers to her temples. Leonard almost laughed at her-it looked like Sheldon trying to blow up someone's head.

"I am getting a shape," she said. "A circle. No, a circle inside of a circle, almost like a tire."

"I drove here," he said. "That's nothing."

"No," Tabitha said. "That's not it. There is an arrow, pointing forward, to the future. This object you do not have yet."

A futuristic tire? Hmmm…Leonard figured there could be a correlation to his job there. Maybe it would mean that he'd make, in the future, a contribution to society that was as significant as the wheel…of course, that was only if the psychics were real, which they were not.

"Now I am getting a number," said Tabitha. "A four. What does that mean?"

"Well, I live on the fourth floor…and so does my best friend and my girlfriend." Leonard's wrists were beginning to ache from holding his palms on the table.

"Very interesting…I'm also getting an M, and a P…do those mean anything to you?" A relative? Pet? Girlfriend? Oh, I'm getting an H as well…"

Leonard of course had a brother named Michael, and then there was Mitzy…he frowned, confused that his mood seemed to have improved in the last few seconds. "I do have a PhD…could that be it?"

She frowned. "I don't think so, but it could be…the meaning isn't all that clear to me. I think it is because of your negative energy." She opened her eyes. "You can take your hands off the table, and go home and think about what all this means to you. A circle in a circle, the number four, and the letters M, P, and H. Go and reflect-I actually feel that you have some psychic ability yourself, so you should be able to figure it out."

So that was her game. The truly gullible would just go home thinking that they had made a connection. Those she felt were not buying it, she would say they had the ability to flatter them and count on them coming back. As a beautiful mind with an I.Q. of 173, Leonard could see right through her little act, but it did give him something to think about…there was some advantages to going to psychics if you didn't believe in them…

"Hey, how was it?" Penny jumped up as he came into the main room. "Isn't she amazing?"

"It was…interesting."

"Are you going to be a jerk again?" she asked him, frowning.

"Don't get so defensive," he said. "I'm not finished."

"Sorry," she said meekly, her hand finding his as they headed out to the car.

"As I was saying, I learned something in there, even though I still don't really believe in that stuff. Psychics can really help you learn about yourself."

"They have powers to do that," Penny said, looking sideways at him.

"Sure," he said agreeably, not wanting to fight again. "They have great powers. Powers of observation. I don't buy telekinesis or speaking to the dead, but they really can help you learn about yourself. Take my reading, for example. She gave me a four. Everyone has a four somewhere in their lives, and some have multiple. The first thing into my mind was the floor we live on, because that's important to me, being near you and Sheldon. Others may think of a lucky number, or a jersey number, or anything they want. When you stop to analyze what you thought of and why you thought of it, that teaches you things about your personality, interests, or feelings. It's a bit like a Rorschach test, only with a person instead of an inkblot."

They had reached the car, and Penny slid in the passenger side and handed Leonard the keys he had dropped when reaching for his seatbelt. "Well," she said. "I should have known you'd get all sciency on me." They both looked at the floor for a second, and then Penny spoke again, quietly. "Thank you for doing this." He looked up to see her smiling at him, and she leaned over to give him a kiss. "Maybe I'll go down to the laundry room and get that book when we get home. Meet me at my apartment, okay?"

On the ride home, Leonard was quiet, thinking about what Tabitha had told him. Futuristic wheel, four, M, P, and H. Well, future wheel was easy. He wanted to be good at his job so badly it was no surprise why he thought of that. It spoke to his ambition and lack of self-confidence in what he did, based on a correlated lack of success. Four was self-explanatory as well. Leonard was mentally separating his mind to better analyze, but any person could have come up with that one. The letters were the hard part. What on Earth did he want that had to do with them? He already had his PhD…but to be fair, Tabitha had not said anything about a D. He remembered feeling…good, when she'd said those letters…where in hell had his subconscious taken him? He tried to relax and focus on it, anxious to figure it out.

Unfortunately, he was making a left turn when it came to him, and his momentary shock caused him to drift into another lane. "Leonard!" Penny said sharply, jolting him back into his own head as himself. Or maybe hitting his head had done that.

"Sorry," he said.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Oh…nothing. I forgot."

"Oh, okay, well, just keep your eyes on the road."

She really was gullible, to believe that he had forgotten. He had been analyzing it in his head, thinking of what the letters could mean: Roman Numerals, abbreviations…initials…initials! He doubted that thought would ever leave his mind. Sure, Tabitha was not a true psychic-there was no such thing-but what were the chances that the three letters she randomly threw out could stand for Mrs. Penny Hofstadter? He shook his head. Sure, that was something he wanted, but what were the odds of that?

Hope you enjoyed that! I tried to tie in psychic stuff with my own beliefs and turn it into something Leonard would say. Sorry if that was really bad, I just had to write it! Review, please!