Chapter Text

Penny looks back at the man sleeping in the bed, guilt heavy on her mind, she still remembers her talk with the girls about a boring kind of love, Leonard is…not the worse guy she could end up with but still, she thinks that she deserves better, He deserves better but her gut clenches with apprehension every time she thinks about breaking up with him, she’s in her thirties now and the voice in her head telling her that she won’t do better sounds suspiciously like her mom.

She sighs and shakes her head stepping into the hallway, she can hear her Wackadoodle is already watching cartoons and she is in the mood to join him. Had Penny opened her eyes she might have hesitated to step into the portal of the door as the hallway had disappeared, replaced with shining blue light but with her eyes closed all Penny could see is darkness, however, she did notice that something was not right immediately after she walked through the door, her ears popped and for a moment she felt herself float before finally touching solid ground again.

As Penny braces herself against the wall because what the hell was that she looks back to see if Leonard felt it as well and that’s when her brain goes blank, the room she was just in is gone, instead she can see clothes, as if someone had transformed it into a closet. In shock and morbid curiosity she went back into Leonard’s room and found it transformed, one half of the room was dedicated to clothes and shoes (in a detached way she was super jealous of whoever owned this wardrobe because it was as if someone took her wishlist right out of her heard) while the other half of the room was dedicated to comics and a life size cut-out of Spock, right in the middle of the room there was a wooden bench that looked well worn but cared for, she stepped back quickly and closed the door, a little harder than she wanted and froze at the voice coming from the living room, she knew that voice, it was her own.

"Sheldon? Sweetie? Are you okay?" The voice was warm and teasing and Penny wondered if she could still sound like that, she knew that she was no longer the bubbly girl the guys first met. Curious she walked towards the voice, maybe Sheldon would be right and meeting oneself would make the Universe implode, had she traveled back in time?.

"Moonpie? Are you stuck again and need my hel-" the voice trailed off and now Penny could see the other her as well, no explosion so she took the time to study Bizarro Penny (Sheldon was rubbing too much on her). Bizarro Penny looked good, she was wearing Hello Kitty shorts and an orange tank top and Penny was sure that she had traveled back in time, that is until she walked fully into the living room and saw the Hello Kitty calendar on the side of the fridge, Nope. No Time travel, it was the same year and same day if her memory served her right which at this point she was more willing to think she was dying of a stroke and this was her final vision. But no, no time travel, dimension travel.

Bizarro Penny was also studying her and Penny suddenly felt insecure, she was wearing the pants of one of Leonard’s pajamas and an old ratty Princeton T-shirt. She wished that she had known this would happen so she could wear her best clothes you know? And she was perfectly aware that she was joking so the panic threatening to overwhelm her would stay at bay. She was debating on what to say when Bizarro Penny sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, took three calming breaths and then opened one eye as if to check if she was still there, Penny felt that a handwave would not be out of place so she did just that, Bizarro Penny simply sighed again and in a tone of voice that she herself had used often simply asked "Sheldon?" Penny shrugged with one shoulder in what she hoped was enough of an answer.

Bizarro Penny suddenly yelled "Sheldon Lee Cooper! If this is one of your jokes I swear that you will be sleeping in the couch for months you hear me!" Penny felt her jaw hit the floor, that couldn’t be right, Bizarro Penny made it sound like she and Sheldon were together and because the Universe has a sense of humor she heard that unmistakable voice that she both loved and hated, "Penny? I thought you would be watching that dreadful show of yours, I was just reading about this new-" Penny still with her mouth open turned and looked at Bizarro Sheldon, expecting to see…well, she was not sure what she was expecting but he looked just like her Sheldon, plaid and comic book shirt included, he had a bundle of papers in one hand and trailed off when he finally looked up and saw her standing there.

Bizarro Sheldon was just Sheldon, no tattoos, no leather jacket, no evil spock goatee, no nothing outwardly noticeable that she could see or explain why Bizarro Penny was apparently boning Bizarro Sheldon. As for the man himself he stood there and watched her in the same way he would watch his whiteboard to try and understand something and Penny crossed her arms in front of chest because she forgot to wear a bra and while this might be a version of Sheldon it wasn’t her Sheldon and she wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of him looking at her so closely, not especially after it seemed this version had a deal and that deal was Penny.

Sheldon finally stopped studying her and then turned his head slowly to look at Bizarro Penny, he raised an eyebrow and asked "Is it my Birthday?" Bizarro Penny just laughed like it was the funniest thing ever but Penny felt herself flush, she must have misunderstood, there’s no way, there’s just no way that her Wackadoodle just made a sex-joke or implied one about a threesome or whatever, alternate Universes were stupid and dumb.

Sheldon just raised the corners of his mouth into that smirk he gave her whenever he successfully made her laugh and went to sit at this spot and she idly noted that the couch was different but he still sat in the spot, in his 0,0,0,0 and that more than anything else made her keep her cool.

Sheldon finally spoke after a moment "Fascinating, multiverse travel is beyond my ken at the moment but the me from that universe must be brilliant!" Penny had to quickly burst his bubble and explain that she a) did not know how she got here, b) as far as she knew the other Sheldon was watching cartoons and not working on any device or machine and c) was kinda freaking out about the entire thing.

"Seriously Penny, there is nothing to worry about, Sheldon and Penny Cooper are here and we’re going to get you back home" Bizarro Penny had prepared a cup of coffee and handed it to her, she nodded in thanks and took a gulp and almost spit it back out when Bizarro Penny took a seat on Sheldon’s leg and in a move that only comes from year of familiarity she saw in disbelief as his hand went to her hip and then Sheldon did that thing where he starts planning things in his head and ignores the rest of the world, except this is the first time she had seen him do that with a lapful of Penny, she went to gulp more coffee when her brain finally caught up to her and she muttered "Penny Cooper?" Bizarro Penny in a very Sheldon manner raised an eyebrow and lifted her left hand to show the ring that sat there and Penny could only stare, she jumped when Sheldon exclaimed "I got it! I need to go to the university for some equipment to make sure but I will be right back" and if Penny wasn’t freaked out enough she saw as Sheldon patted Bizarro Penny’s butt to get her to stand up and quickly kissed her before dashing out the front door.

Bizarro Penny seemed to finally take pity on her and asked "Want a drink?" Penny couldn’t answer fast enough "Oh god yes!" After they both had glasses of wine (it was the good stuff even) and sat on the couch looking at each other, Bizarro Penny in Sheldon’s spot and Penny on the other end, neither said anything but while Bizarro Penny was happy to stay quiet the silence was eating at Penny, she had so many questions, Penny and Sheldon? Sheldon touching her? Married? So Penny tried to vocalize these questions in an eloquent and casual manner but all that came out was "So you and Sheldon huh" and cringed at the end result.

Penny wished that she could be as composed as Bizarro Penny was, maybe she had to deal with this often, maybe this was normal for them and yeah right she was grasping at straws here. Bizarro Penny simply nodded and said "Sheldon and me" and offered nothing more than a teasing smile, it was weird looking at the other Penny, like a mirror, except the mirror looked brighter and happier. Penny was already in deep so she decided to go for broke "Can I ask why you didn’t chose Leonard?" she hated how sad her voice sounded.

Bizarro Penny finally looked surprised "Leonard? Sweetie, I don’t know any Leonards" it was time for Penny to be surprised, no Leonard? Without intending to, she told her story to Bizarro Penny, dropping out of college to pursue acting, meeting the guys, how Leonard was Sheldon’s roommate on the other Universe and how she and him had a complicated on/off relationship, to her credit Bizarro Penny did not interrupt her even once until she was done.

"Okay Sweetie, I know you don’t want to hear this but you deserve better, you know that right?" Penny suddenly feels her throat constrict and her eyes burn. Bizarro Penny is looking at her and the fact that she’s not judging her or making faces finally breaks the barrier and huge sobs escape her mouth, Bizarro Penny is instantly there to hold her and in the back of her mind she thinks ‘I knew that I gave great hugs’.

Penny takes a while to recover but by the time Sheldon returns she’s nursing her second glass of wine and her eyes are dry. Sheldon brought several devices that she’s not even close to knowing what they do but he seems to be happy to do whatever he’s doing and she catches Bizarro Penny’s face and her breath stops, the way she’s looking at Sheldon makes her feel guilty because she’s pretty certain that she’s never looked at anyone in this way, not Leonard for sure. Bizarro Penny catches her staring and just gives her a slow smile.

Penny needs to know so she asks the working Sheldon "Sheldon? Do you know a Leonard?" Sheldon stops his tinkering to turn and look at her "I know of several Leonards but I’m guessing that’s not the nature of the question?" He turns to look at Bizarro Penny and she gives a thumbs up to which Sheldon smiles a real smile, not his joker smile and Penny’s heart breaks because her Sheldon doesn’t smile as much or as sincerely, "Yeah, it’s uh, Leonard Hofstadter." and she can almost see the loading icon above his head as he searches his memory but then suddenly he straightens up and looks at Bizarro Penny and there’s some communication happening there that she’s not getting but she doesn’t know why and when Bizarro Penny gives her a one side arm hug she knows that whatever it is, it won’t be good.

"Leonard Hofstadter was a experimental physicist working for Caltech until 9 years ago," Sheldon’s voice is steady but he’s looking at her in concern and it takes everything in Penny to not cry again as Sheldon continues "However. he was found removing experimental military grade fuel and providing it to a North Korean Spy" she’s not sure if she gasped or if it was a sob but the arm around her tightens "He’s currently serving a sentence in a Federal prison."

Penny can’t help it, she laughs and then cries, how fucked up are their lives, she remembers this story, Sheldon had accidentally saved Leonard and destroyed their elevator, she had laughed at the time but now she wasn’t laughing. She knew that Leonard had issues and at first they were sort of cute if you squint really hard but as the years pass she finds it harder and harder to squint and it seems that in this Universe Leonard’s luck ran out.

Sheldon returns to tinkering and she can see that he’s pointing something that looks like a wand at their closet/Leonard’s room door and she doesn’t want to think about Leonard so she blurts out a question to the Penny holding her together so she doesn’t break further "Did your Sheldon also mistook your vibrator for a chew toy?" Bizarro Penny instantly loses her shit and starts laughing so hard that she’s worried she might fall off the couch and Sheldon turns so quickly to give her a glare and it’s just like her own Sheldon that she can’t help but laugh alongside Bizarro Penny.

After being all laughed out Sheldon informed them that the readings were consistent with what he had initially theorized which reduced to basically having to wait, the energy readings were still pretty high so he was sure that in any moment a new portal would appear to take her back, how was he so sure she didn’t know but it was Sheldon telling her that so she would trust him.

Pizza was ordered and Penny found it funny that it tasted the same as the one in her own Universe, as they ate she finally asked the question that had been burning the tip of her tongue and now that she knew she could go back well what better way to spend the time, "So, how long have you been married?" she hopes that it sounded as casual as she wanted.

Bizarro Penny immediately brightens and answers without hesitation "13 years!" she can see Sheldon give that little smile and he looks at the Bizarro Penny in a way that makes her heart hurt and then her brain restarts and she starts doing the math in her head and it doesn’t add up, ti doesn’t make sense, maybe she had too much wine, she actually stands up from the couch and holds her hands in front of her as if warding off the information she just got.

"13 years?" a nod from both of them "And you turned 30 this year right?" She says pointing to Bizarro Penny, another nod from the both of them and Penny is sputtering trying to make sense of things and she can see Bizarro Penny smirk, oh no, "But I’ve been ‘courting’ tall and clueless here since I was 10 so in my book we’re closer to 20 years" and Penny sort of deflates and falls back on the couch and can only gape in surprise and ask "How?"

She can still remember how Sheldon, her own Universe’s Sheldon spoke of the multiverse, how in some the changes are so miniscule that it might just be about the color of the car you’re driving and how in others the changes are so big that you might not exist in it at all and Penny thinks that this Universe is a nice mixture of both.

Bizarro Penny explains that her parents divorced, her father cheated and always called it a small mistake, she wryly says that her Father’s favorite phrase was "Are you going to give up on all of our years together for one mistake?" and one day her mother had enough, she refused to be manipulated further and divorced her dad, then they all left Nebraska for Galveston Texas for a fresh start and Penny met and befriended Missy which in turn meant she went to the Cooper house to ‘do homework´ (the quotes are from Sheldon) and she met Sheldon and the rest is history, they’ve been together ever since, she was also able to learn a couple of things further, Bizarro Penny graduated college and is now a writer for TV, Bizarro Sheldon confidently says he’s going to win the Nobel Prize in one or two years depending on if they cancel their annual (more like every 3 months Bizarro Penny claims) Disney trip or not and that Bizarro Penny recently stopped taking anticonceptives and they’re actively trying for a baby. That one makes Penny’s eyes sting because they look so happy together that she starts seriously (not really) considering staying here with them and just as she thinks that they hear a suction sound from the hallway and just like that there’s a shining portal in the door and Sheldon is pushing her to go because they don’t know when it will appear again if ever and before she goes through she launches herself at Bizarro Penny and Bizarro Sheldon "Thank you" she tries to tell them but by this point she’s sure it came as a sob through her tears, they still both pat her on the back and say "There, there"

And then she’s running through the portal and the feeling of free falling is back and as she fears that she will fall forever she’s back in Leonard's room and Leonard is still sleeping, she can hear the cartoons on the other side of the apartment, she’s back, she’s back!, Penny runs as hard as she can to the living room where Sheldon is watching cartoons but also meddling with a metallic box on the coffee table and he doesn’t know it yet but he just earned himself a glimpse on what Junior Rodeo means but for now she just wants to hug her smart but stupid Wackadoodle.

Chapter Text

Penny knows that this is not a stomach bug, she’s been having morning sickness and waiting for it to go away, except, it doesn’t and she knows she’s in trouble.
She doesn’t know what to do so she tells Leonard and a feeling in her gut tells her is a bad idea when he suggests that they go to Vegas and get married, she doesn’t want this child but he looks at her with those puppy eyes and just so much expectation that she mutters ‘okay’ and that feeling in her gut is now full on screaming and she ignores it completely.

The guys are happy when they hear the plans, everyone is in and Bernadette and Amy are already telling her how lucky she is and that they’re so happy for her and it isn’t until Amy turns to Sheldon for confirmation that she notices he hasn’t said anything, he is in his spot and looking down at his hands. Penny was dreading his reaction the most, she knows that he will belittle their relationship or otherwise be rude because this will affect his routine and she wonders how often people get what they expect because Sheldon doesn’t say anything directly to her, still looking at his hands he addresses the room "I suppose congratulations are in order" a pause and she wishes that he would look at her, yell at her or just be her regular obnoxious wackadoodle but he just stands up to go to his room and with his back to everyone he says the last words Penny will hear directly from him "Please don’t interrupt my REM cycle, I will see you all when you’re back" his back looks wrong, like a tree about to topple and she extends an arm to grab him because she can feel it in her gut, she needs to grab him now, except Howard and Leonard are already moving everyone out of the apartment and she tries to go back to Sheldon "Sweetie, Ple-" she’s cut off by Leonard telling her that he’ll be fine, he just needs time. The feeling in her gut is wailing at her to go back but then she’s in the car and her friends are around her and she lies to herself ‘it’ll be okay.’

They’re gone for 3 days and when they return it’s to an empty apartment, Sheldon’s things are missing and it’s enough to freak everyone out, their calls go directly to voicemail, emails are bouncing and Raj is the first to think to call the university. Sheldon took a sabbatical and they don’t know where he is.

They search for a week straight before Penny thinks of calling Missy, they’ve kept in touch and Penny is beating herself for not thinking of this sooner, she’s expecting Missy to not know that he was missing at all or that she will join their search efforts, she’s not expecting the short and clipped "Shelly’s fine, he’s gone back to Germany" her mouth forms an O and she’s about to ask Missy if he was truly okay and if he needed anything but Missy hanged up and trying to call her back only gives her a busy tone, she cries herself to sleep and Leonard doesn’t understand why she doesn’t want sex which makes her feel worse.

She shares the news with everyone and it seems to quell their curiosity, even Amy seems satisfied by it and they all respond to her requests of trying to find more information with the same answer "He’ll be fine, he just needs to get it out of his system and he’ll be back here in no time."

The feeling in her gut is boiling, it’s as if an infinite number of snakes were moving at once all and each and everyone of them was angry at her. Sheldon never comes back.

It’s been two years since Sheldon left and Penny and Leonard have moved away from Pasadena. Leonard was offered a position in Princeton and he happily took it, she wishes that he had discussed it with her beforehand but she doesn’t want to rock the boat, things are going great between them and she thinks that maybe a change of scenery will be good for them.

The feeling in her gut goes quiet, not in a peaceful way but in a suffocating and stifling way, something was about to happen and she could only wait.

She has made friends with other moms in the neighborhood but in that detached and almost coworker kind of way, she is not invited for tea and she doesn’t invite people over and since Leonard asked her to not return to work she doesn’t know what to do with her time, so her weekly calls with Raj are a breath of fresh air and he’s the one that tells her about Sheldon first "Oh Penny, he’s publishing again! And it’s…beautiful, I don’t have any other word for it." Suddenly serious he continues "Penny, his name will be right there with Einstein, he is *that* brilliant" and her eyes prickle and her throat constricts because she knew her wackadoodle could not be stopped.

8 months later she’s cleaning the house when Leonard comes home and slams the door closed, the face he is making is exactly the same that Beverly makes whenever she visits, she can hear him slamming the door to his study and she knows, she knows that she should go and ask what’s wrong but she remembers all those nights he comes home smelling of cheap hotel soap and too much cologne that still isn’t enough to cover the smell of a woman’s perfume and Penny decides instead to get ready for her video call with Raj.

Raj is immediately bursting with joy, Sheldon made it, he got the Nobel Prize, Penny is holding her sleeping son in her arms but she dances in her place as best as she can without waking him. She’s so proud, she knew he was going to get it, it was a matter of when not if. Quickly, guiltily she thinks about Leonard and his reaction earlier, so that’s why.

Penny is happy and asks Raj if there’s a video of Sheldon accepting the award or giving a speech and Raj is happy to comply, he’s still gushing about how Sheldon has changed the world of Physics when she notices the way he stiffens and trails off, he tries to claim that sadly there’s no videos but she channels some of her lost fire and says warningly "Raj, show me"

So he does, it’s a YouTube link from the official Nobel Prize channel, she is not sure what she expects to see but it’s definitely not this. The feeling in her gut remains oddly quiet, no, it’s holding its breath, waiting.

Sheldon was always thin but the man on the video is only bones, his eyes have huge and dark bags, he is sitting so still that for a moment she thinks he’s a statue.

Penny had imagined how this moment would be, she was a dreamer and she knew that Sheldon was as brilliant as he claimed to be so she thought about what dress to wear to see him receive his award, how he would be surrounded by friends and family and how proud he would look, how he would reverently hold the medal and give a long speech, she knew for a fact that the last time he told her that speech was already 8 pages long.

Instead, what happens is that Sheldon is alone, no one is sitting around him, a huge table and only him in the middle of it, the person presenting the award is talking about how the world will change thanks to him and Sheldon simply looks indifferent, she watches as he is given the award and is asked to say a few words. She doesn’t realize that she is holding her breath until it’s physically painful and she has to pause the video because she can see what’s left of the video duration and the feeling in her gut is now boiling in anguish telling her to run, to get up and run, to move right now. But her son is heavy and rooting her in place so she instead presses play again.

Penny can see that Sheldon is holding the award in one hand, he is looking at it and at the same time not, he looks up at the camera and Penny can feel her heart break, Sheldon looks lost. And in the voice of a stranger he simply says "Thank you" and leaves the podium to go sit down again and the video ends. The feeling in her gut is now boiling oil and she cries herself to sleep for a week straight and one morning she wakes up and has to run to the bathroom because she’s puking her guts out.

That same morning she thinks that it might have been actually true because the feeling in her gut is gone, no roiling, no burning, no push to make her run and she thought it would make her feel relieved that there was nothing there now, except, that’s not true, she can feel the loss of it, whatever it was, like a tooth falling out, it’s the absence of something. Of something important.

8 months later and heavily pregnant Penny decides that enough is enough, she needs Sheldon back in her life and is building herself a head full of steam because how dare he leave her alone and she threatening the Sheldon in her head when he phone rings, it’s Raj and suddenly she doesn’t want to pick up the phone but she still does.

She doesn’t understand at first what Raj is saying, because it’s ridiculous and impossible but Raj is crying and she is wondering why Raj is taking this prank so far, doesn’t he know she’s pregnant? And then it hits her like a hammer, Sheldon is gone, they find him slumped over his desk, nothing that could be done. She’s waiting for the feeling in her gut to react, she wants the pain that it brings, except, there’s still nothing there, her gut is silent and Penny wishes for something to feel, and that’s funny she was standing up just a moment ago and now she’s looking at the ceiling, she tries to say something to Raj but all that comes out of her throat is sob after sob and she curls in the floor of a house that is not a home.

Howard, Raj and Bernadette travel to see her, Amy is in Saudi Arabia and can’t come. She’s about to give birth any moment now but all that matters to her is to find more information, to know where Sheldon will be put to rest, to go to his funeral, to see him one last time. No one has received information. She tries calling Missy but all she gets is a busy tone, all others except Leonard are calling their contacts to try and find more information but nobody knows anything and it isn’t until Raj is threatening Dr. Gablehouser that she thinks about a phone number she called once before, Mrs. Cooper picks up on the third ring.

The last thing Penny wants to do right is talk but she forces herself, she talks about how they’re all sorry to hear about Sheldon and her voice cracks but she’s proud of herself for not breaking down and she is direct, asking where the funeral will be so they can attend. There is a long pause on the other side of the line before Mrs. Cooper, not unkindly replies "Oh darling, I’m sorry, it will be only for friends and family, now you have a good rest of your day." and the line cuts off.

Penny is not sure she can ever breathe again, Mrs. Cooper words hang heavily in her soul and she breaks down in front of her friends. Her gut is fully silent now and she’s learned to live with it but it doesn’t make it any less painful, especially when her water breaks alongside her and there’s no more time for her to grieve, her second son is on the way.

Life continues, an undergrad student comes knocking on her door a year after her second son was born, young and full of guilt the undergrad whose name is Martha confesses that she’s pregnant and it’s Leonard’s. Somehow it doesn’t feel bad, instead Penny thinks "Ah, there it is." and of course Leonard is full of scrunched up faces and sad eyes and Penny doesn’t know how she ever found it cute, she asks him to leave and true Leonard comes out to play "And then what?! You are not working, do you really want to give up on us so easily? Over a silly mistake?! You’re not being fair!" He whines and cries and somehow he’s in her bed again grunting away, Penny meanwhile thinks about how ugly their ceiling is.

Penny loves her sons, she really does, they are a spitting image of their father, rim glasses and lactose aversion included. But some nights, most nights, she dreams of blue eyed children that smile like the sun. And her heart breaks all over again each morning.

Chapter Text

Pilot Episode but when Penny is moving in and meets the guys for the first time a blonde 7 year old girl is also there (Jo? Cute sounding name and very Penny-like), Penny might have not been able to escape the teen mom curse of Nebraska but she was not going to stay back, now with a child she was more than motivated to make something out of her life. Her daughter is immediately taken to Sheldon and Sheldon seems surprisingly okay with that.

Penny with a daughter is more wary of men in general since it’s not only her so she’s not very impressed with Leonard’s attempts to be a nice guy.
Penny can immediately see the disappointment in Leonard’s eyes as her daughter shows herself and is kinda pissed at the way he quickly ignored her daughter in order to talk to her.
Penny’s daughter is a good judge of character and seems to want to get to know Sheldon more.
Penny is properly pissed at the way Leonard tries to use her daughter to get a date with her.
Penny’s daughter is equally as unimpressed as her mom.
Sheldon has absolutely no issues helping Penny’s daughter with her homework because ´knowledge seeking should be encouraged’.
Penny’s daughter quickly latches onto Sheldon’s hobbies and Sheldon is more than happy to educate her on how awesome trains, comics and Halo are
Penny is still trying to become an actress.

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Leonard doesn’t want to be mad, he really doesn’t but when Sheldon and Penny ambush him one night to inform him that they’re going to try dating, well, that just stings, Penny and him tried but she claimed that there was ‘something’ missing and he tried to move on from her but he could still remember the first time he saw her and they became friends and, and, and he just felt like maybe the world was finally rewarding him for being a good guy and when they ended their relationship he could console himself by saying that it was fine, because he knew that one day a handsome, tall and muscular guy that can talk about football would appear and take her right out of his hands but! Sheldon. Of all people it had to be Sheldon?.

He got angry and yelled at both of them for betraying him and he was getting a head full of steam when Sheldon disarmed him with just a few words "Leonard, Penny is not a thing." after that he lost all fight in him and just asked them to not rub it in his face, they had his blessing or whatever and asked that they don’t hold it against him if he made himself scarce for a few days.

He didn’t even make it to 2 days, he missed Sheldon and Penny and wanted to get his friends back, they both understood and claimed that they would be discreet and he tried to smile but did ask Penny to not hug him for a while.

And if he kept a flame inside of him with the hope that maybe, just maybe one day he and Penny could give it another try, no one had to know about that.

A month later Leonard had to admit to himself that Sheldon and Penny going strong was not something he expected but they kinda made sense if you tilted your head and blurred your eyes and it helped that he never saw Sheldon arrive late at night or sneak out at night, after all they were not even sure if Sheldon had a deal. Leonard was trying to keep the venom out of his thoughts but really, how could Sheldon ever have something close to even resembling a sexual relationship with anyone, much less the big ol’ five herself.

Maybe it was just a matter of time and all he had to do was wait for the inevitable end of their relationship and then maybe, just maybe Penny would turn to look at him again.

The night after he thinks that it’s the first time it happens, a little piece of the flame of hope he harbors dies inside of him. Penny and Sheldon had just come back from doing laundry that he noticed something off, the weather took a turn and while not sweltering the heat was certainly uncomfortable but yet here they were sitting side by side and both were wearing layers, he was about to comment on the absurdity of it when Howard gasped and loudly announced "Sheldon! Is that a rope burn on your arm?"

Leonard could see the way his roommate flushed red and attempted to deny it but his eyes immediately went to the other one person that was suspiciously wearing long sleeves as well and seeing Penny with her own blush of embarrassment made his stomach lurch as if he had eaten ice cream, cheese pizza and yogurt all at once. It didn’t help matters that Raj was able to convince her to show him the marks on her arm and Leonard was glad that he was sitting down already because his legs felt cold and like jelly, he could only observe in shock and disgust how Sheldon reluctantly showed Howard a burn very close to the collar of his shirt, ´A slight miscalculation on the type of rope that was used. But I can assure you this mistake will not repeat itself, silk ropes as well as the needed oils to treat them have been ordered post-haste."

Leonard could hear the other guys tease Sheldon and Penny but he could not focus on that, no, he was focusing on trying to keep breathing, this couldn’t be happening, he and Penny were meant to be, their babies would be- And after that he knows nothing more, sweet darkness takes him away and he wakes up still in the chair, there’s a blanket on him and the apartment is dark. A quick look at his phone shows that it’s almost 1 AM and he rushes to bed, still feeling light headed and wants the nothingness of sleep to take him, maybe it’s all a nightmare, a horrible, horrible nightmare.

That night he dreams of Sheldor the Conqueror and a bound Queen Penelope because he can never catch a break and his own brain is against him.

The second time it happens it’s his fault, no two ways about it really. Since the nightmare day as he had taken to call it in his head Leonard made sure to never spring a surprise on Sheldon or Penny and on Laundry night he made himself sparse not only from the apartment but from the entire building, except, this night, he had forgotten his inhaler and he only remembered in the middle of their DnD game and any other night he would have not minded but Howard and Raj wanted to go out to a club and Leonard didn’t want to just up and die in the middle of the dancefloor as he tried to get a date so very reluctantly went back to 4A.

He knew he would probably find Sheldon and Penny cuddling in the couch or lightly kissing but he was willing to bear it, he wanted to move on from Penny, she and Sheldon have been dating for a little over 3 months and he was getting used to the idea of seeing them together. Penny had even given him a one armed hug on last Halo night and Leonard had not flinched (much) so he was going to man up, walk in, greet Sheldon and Penny (His girlfriend a nasally horrible voice taunted him), go to his room, pick up the inhaler and then go back down to the car and drive to the club. Easy, 3 minutes tops, he can do this, you got this Leonard Hofstadter he hypes himself up.

When he opens the door to the apartment Leonard has a full blissful moment of ignorance as his brain tries to makes sense of the scene in front of him. He takes his glasses off and cleans them with the edge of his shirt before putting back on, nope, still there and that flame of hope in him gets reduced to smoldering ashes.

Sheldon and Penny were in the apartment as he had planned, that’s the only part that matched his imagination for the rest he doesn’t think he can ever actually forget it. Sheldon was shirtless but still wearing his pants (mind you, those are the same plaid pants he always wears) and had his hands on the kitchen island ‘stalking’ towards Penny on the other side, he was glaring and Penny was smiling as bright as the sun but if it had only ended there he would have been able to simply walk to him room as he had planned but when both Sheldon and Penny were wearing animal ears headbands and more importantly each was holding a leash that lead to each other’s collar, well, Leonard feels justified in covering his eyes, yelling "Arrrghhh!" and basically throwing himself to the hallway and into his room.

5 minutes later he is still trying to gather the courage to go back out, inhaler now safely in his pocket when an angry text from Howard finally makes him go out into the living room. If he didn’t know any better he could have swore that it was a hallucination (or even better a stroke) because Sheldon was on his computer typing away and Penny was in the middle cushion reading a magazine and while he didn’t see any collars anymore the both of them were still wearing their animal ear headbands. He quickly left the apartment while loudly saying "Learn to lock the door!", he couldn’t wait to get to the club and try to erase the image with some very slutty Cuba libres.

The moment he feels all hope die inside of him for a romantic relationship with Penny is six months into their relationship. It’s the middle of the morning, everyone took a day off from work to help Leonard move his things into 4b and to help Penny move her things into 4a. Yeah, he didn’t see that coming but he could honestly now say that he was happy for both Penny AND Sheldon. If he was honest with himself he saw how they brought the best out in each other so he had joined the other guys in teasing the couple and even going on a couple of double dates with them and while it no longer brought a heartburn-like feeling he was still not going to admit out loud that they were actually pretty cute together.

He was just coming from a quick run to purchase more cardboard boxes when he arrived to an empty apartment, when he left Sheldon and Penny they were eating breakfast and in fact he could see their bowls of cereal still in the Kitchen Island, thinking nothing of it he went to the only other locked door in the hallway "Hey Sheld-" and he trailed off at the sight that greeted him.

Sheldon sat in his bed, thankfully fully clothed but that’s where Leonard’s luck ended because right there on Sheldon’s lap was a topless Penny straddling him, if that was all then Leonard would have just ducked away right away but his eyes were focused on Penny’s arms, her arms were crossed behind her back and seemed to be bound by a leather bracer that restricted her movements and as Penny turned to look at the door he could see that she was also wearing a ball gag with leather straps and for some reason she seemed to be drooling in the extreme.

Leonard was many things, but a prude wasn’t one of them, he was perfectly aware that normal couples have their own bedroom dynamic and to put it shortly he shouldn’t ‘kink shame’ but this was a step too far. While usually he would be thrilled at a topless Penny (he wasn’t blind or a eunuch after all) all he felt at this moment was disgust, this was, it was, he struggled to find an appropriate comparison, it was, it was like walking in on your parents! "C’MON! I left for 15 minutes, 15! c'mon!"

So Leonard backed out quickly and closed the door while rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was glad to be moving away because he definitely did not want anything to do with Mr and Mrs Wackadoodle -oh sorry- Dr and Mrs Wackadoodle. Whatever kinky games they were playing he was hoping they would limit them to 4a and when no one but them was there, he was even tempted to call his mother for a consultation "God, I can’t catch a break".

Chapter Text

Penny was not a jealous person, oh sure she gave Veronica Miller a black eye for necking JJ after he had asked Penny to Prom, but she was not blind, she saw the way JJ was being as enthusiastic as Veronica herself so she made sure to make things even and also gave JJ a black eye to match…bastards ended up marrying each other after highschool, lovely wedding, Penny cried at how beautiful Veronica looked.

So, in short, Penny is confident that she’s not a jealous person, even when Kurt cheated on her she was upset about the break of trust (and of her heart) but not because someone else had ‘taken’ Kurt from her. Once a cheater, always a cheater, she cried for the lost time, for trusting in him.

When she started to take notice of Leonard and then he dropped her like a sack of moldy potatoes for Alicia (and Priya, and the girl that smiled at him giving him a cup of coffee, and that cougar lady that did jazzercise around the building block), well, she was disappointed, she had thought that Leonard was different but no, he was just like the rest, just better at hiding it. She had to sit him down and explain that to him, that no, it wasn’t jealousy and that she deserved to be treated better and in a moment of genius that even Sheldon would be proud of she had declared to him "Even if we do end up going out, I would have to wait a year before we slept together". She tried to keep the hurt from her heart when he looked at her as if she was crazy and proclaimed they were better as friends. She did cry a little that night because she had been certain Leonard was different, that they were friends, what a mistake she almost made.

And thus, Penny can happily conclude that she’s not a jealous person. So she’s not sure where that feeling of hot and cold on her face, the shaking fists and the sudden stone in her gut is coming from. Because Penny, as established before, is not a jealous person. But that and other beliefs start shaking when she sees Sheldon being assaulted by that redheaded floozy. She still can’t say the name Ramona without hissing and wow, okay, she’s not jealous, she’s just a very good friend that hated seeing her friend being pawed at. Besides, this was a fluke, a one time occurrence, those feelings will go away because this won’t ever happen again Penny proudly thinks.

The next time it happens, Penny was having such a great day, she got the lead in a play! She couldn’t wait to tell her guys, so she quickly went home, changed into her comfy Hello Kitty pajama shorts and a yellow tank top and put on her robe and entered 4a without knocking as usual and with a greeting that died in her throat.

You see, Penny was not a jealous person, she was 100% confident in that assessment so when she entered 4a and saw a brunette woman that looked as tall as Sheldon, built like a Victoria Secret model (wearing some pretty nice shoes) trying to kiss Sheldon in his spot while he resisted, well at that moment Penny had to reassess that stance because she was sure that the tingling in her arms, the feeling of sudden heartburn as well as the way her stomach was churning meant that either she was jealous or having a heart attack and she didn’t know which one she would prefer at that moment. Putting that thought aside for a moment (she was not avoiding it, truly) and making a quick analysis of the current situation she came to some conclusions:
-Sheldon was in his spot and the brunette jezebel was in Penny’s spot
-Leonard was in his chair looking very proud of himself (Penny decided right there and then that he was guilty of whatever was happening)
-Bombshell brunette had not noticed her yet
-Sheldon was actually losing the struggle
-Sheldon DID notice her entrance and looked at her in a way that makes Penny want to put this brunette hussy in the hospital
-Penny had to act NOW

While Penny wasn’t a jealous person, she was a very athletic one so jumping over the coffee table she quickly put herself between Sheldon and this girl and holy crap on a cracker, the girl was strong. Finally getting enough leverage she was able to push the girl off from her Sheldon and in order to prevent her from trying to approach Sheldon again Penny did the only thing that made sense. She sat in Sheldon’s lap while keeping her arms out warding her off.

Penny wanted to scream at this girl to stop, to get away and to leave the apartment but what came out was closer to "Whawhawhawhawhawahwahwa" not one of Penny’s most eloquent moments but she hoped the intent was communicated.

Several things happened that made Penny aware of her position. First, Sheldon actually held her, not in a ‘You’re my shield now’ kinda way but in a ‘You’re my teddy bear’ kinda way, one of his arms went around her tummy and the other around her shoulders so Sheldon was basically trapping her against him. Second, Sheldon’s hug (because there’s no other way to call it) actually puts her flush against his chest and more importantly on top of Sheldon Jr if you catch her drift. Third, she still couldn’t believe it so she shimmied a little on top of him and maybe that was a bad idea because she could feel Sheldon Jr react to her movement and grow to say hi. Fourth, Sheldon was hiding his face against her neck so she could feel his breathing against her and all of this made it very, very hard for Penny to concentrate on anything else.

"PENNY!!!" Of course Leonard would be the one to focus on the fact that she was on Sheldon’s lap and not on the fact that his roommate had been assaulted not 2 feet away. Leonard stood up and was trying his best to imitate a tomato as he glared at them, or maybe just at Sheldon, she couldn’t actually tell.

"Leonard, shush!" she knew that her usual bravado was somewhat diminished by Sheldon currently using her as a life-size teddy bear but the way Leonard flinched she hoped that it was enough, because Penny still had an undergrad brunette hussy to send home.

When she turned to lay it on the would-be assaulter Penny was confused, instead of the woman looking ready to brawl or being shocked or on the verge of tears she instead looked proud? What the hell…

Nevertheless, Penny had a job to do and by golly she would do it "Now, listen here! Dr. Cooper doesn’t need your assistance or your manistrations-" Sheldon quietly intervened "Ministrations" and Penny quickly nodded and patted the arm around her tummy "That too!, so you can go back home and-" Penny trailed off as the other woman began to belly laugh with so much mirth that Penny just wanted to go over there and show her why she was the Junior Rodeo champion but all those violent thoughts disappeared in a moment when Leonard decided to interrupt again "That’s his sister!".

We have established that Penny is not a jealous person but she was the type of person that was good at jumping to conclusions (and on Sheldon’s lap a treacherous part of her mind added) but she was also good at dealing with unexpected situations but the relief of the situation might have made her a little too glad that Sheldon was not being assaulted by a stranger that she forgot exactly where she was and instead went into ‘meeting a new friend’ mode.

"Oh my godI'm so sorry!, it’s just that We’ve had to deal with some persistent undergrad students that can’t take no for an answer and -oh- I’m Penny by the way the next door neighbor" and she offered her hand to Sheldon’s sister (thank god for that) trying to smooth over the situation.

"Oh darlin’ you’re precious! You were trying to protect Shelly, how adorable, I’m Missy darlin’." this coming from anyone else would have made Penny get on the defensive because someone might be trying to bully Sheldon but his sister, Missy, had none of the teasing in her voice, she was truly happy that Sheldon (Shelly) had someone in his corner and was honestly happy to meet Penny. Missy shook Penny’s hand and the both of them started to chat, about their lives, about Sheldon, about waitressing and it wasn’t until she adjusted herself that she remembered exactly where she was, and that was because Sheldon Jr knocked on her door and ringed the buzzer, but it was fine, she was an actress, she could cover her moan with a cough which she almost immediately recognized was a bad move because coughing just made her body shake on top of Sheldon’s lap and it was a bad angle (or very, very good her horny mind provided).

Penny decided that she might need to invest a little more in acting classes because Leonard suddenly squished his face in a way that made him seem eerily like his mother and left the apartment not without first slamming the door on his way out.

Thankfully Missy was someone that could read a room so with a quick "I’ll go check on him." she left right on the heels of Leonard, leaving her and Sheldon (and Sheldon Jr).

She patted Sheldon’s arm "Sweetie, I think you can let me go now." good, her voice didn’t tremble.

"Penny?" Sheldon looked around and down at her on his lap, like he couldn’t understand how that had happened "Penny!" and then Sheldon stood up but he either didn’t realize or didn’t care that she was still on his lap and when he stood up suddenly like that something very interesting happened and that was that he pushed her with his hips and Sheldon Jr ringed her bell once again but this time someone answered and oh god it had been a while, she stood there bent over with one hand holding for dear life on the middle cushion while her legs tried to remember that they were in fact not jelly.

Penny had made up her mind, she was going to pretend nothing happened, this was normal, what’s a little second base stealing between neighbors, she was going to go back home, take a long hot bath and NOT remember this evening while using her shower head and all of that flew right out the window when she turned to look at Sheldon.

Sheldon’s eyes had always been the clearest shade of blue, electric and bright but now they were so dark that they might as well be the ocean itself. "Sheldon?" Her voice came out husky and it made Sheldon’s eyes darken even further.

Penny was not a jealous person, but she was good at jumping to conclusions. And to Sheldon’s lap, she kissed him and it was desperate and awkward but Sheldon quickly adapted and thank god for his beautiful brain because he was learning on the job and he was excellin to the point that she felt like jelly again and they were just kissing!

Of course that was the moment that Leonard and Missy decided to return but thankfully Missy is a no nonsense kind of girl and quickly dragged Leonard back out as he whined about how the universe was not fair "Have fun Penny!" Missy’s voice ranged out. She should take Missy out for lunch in thanks, Penny thinks absentmindedly and then Sheldon bites her lip and Penny can’t think of anything else.

Penny is not a jealous person but you better stay away from her Moonpie or she’ll go Junior Rodeo on you.

Chapter Text

Penny is already having second thoughts about this, she had accepted to go to this Gala thingy with Leonard but now, on the actual night of the event she was getting cold feet and the reason for that was the tall and geeky physicist that was still changing in his room. She had helped the Wackadoodle to purchase a suit and it was just unfair how good it looked on him, Penny thought that she had already smothered that thought when the guys told her that Sheldon was asexual, so she didn’t pursue him, instead she accepted Leonard’s invitation and she knew that she shouldn’t do this because she liked Leonard as a friend, but just as a friend.

Penny was also feeling kinda bad because she was wearing a black dress with heels that she knew perfectly matched Sheldon’s suit but that not only clashed horribly with Leonard’s plaid atrocity of a suit but on the count of her heels also made her feel that she was taking him to one of those ‘mommy and me’ dances.

"Okay Raj, you ready? Remember, we’re going to strut -no- we’re going to swagger in there you get me?" Raj just nodded as he nursed a bottle of beer in one hand and Howard’s hand on the other.

Howard and Raj were in the middle of the guys’ apartment practicing some sort of walk (at least she hoped it was a walk) while holding each other’s arms and even Leonard looked at them strangely "Eh guys, were you unable to find dates and are going, you know, together?."Leonard finally asked and she half expected Howard and Raj to jump away from each other but instead they gave Leonard a very smug look, Raj’s smile looked more drunk than smug but still.

"That’s where you’re wrong Leonard," Howard announced "This is not just any Caltech Gala, but THE Caltech Gala. Everyone will be there so Raj and I prepared something special for the occasion and in fact, we’re waiting for our dates."

"Right…" Leonard looked like he didn’t want to know more but in the end his curiosity got the better of him "Okay Howard, spill, don’t tell me you’re taking your cousin again."

Penny laughed and because she felt bad tried to pretend that she had coughed when Howard turned to glare (that quickly turned into a leer) at her, moving quickly to the kitchen and pointing to her throat she went to grab a glass of water as she listened to Howard’s explanation.

"No Leonard, we had the best idea ever!" Which meant that it was a horrible idea, she really couldn’t wait to see how it would come to bite him in the ass. "We hired high end escorts for the gala!." Howard even pushed his chest out and Leonard just shook his head "You guys are telling Sheldon, not me." he finally said.

Maybe she should try and find Howard and Raj actual real dates, sure all of the guys could be a handful one way or another but they were still her boys and she found it sad that they had to resort to this, and she was sure that Sheldon would flip his shit once he found out and because he was going to be riding in the same car as her and Leonard she could already imagine the rant waiting for her (and Leonard) on the way to the event and back.

Penny had nothing against sex workers, hell, if she was honest with herself there was a time where she wondered about it but for her it felt like giving up so she just grinded harder at The Cheesecake Factory and maybe if she hadn’t met the guys that could have been her so she was not going to judge and was going to be friendly and kind.

"Sheldon, are you still not ready?" Oh he is ready, ready for- No, bad Penny.

As usual Dr Wackadoodle did not reply and she could imagine that he was sulking while looking at himself in the mirror all tall and dark while saying ‘I look ridiculous’ and not knowing he looked like a freshly baked pie that she could just eat up. Oh wow, this whole thing of giving up on her attraction to Sheldon was working perfectly!. Sarcasm.

A knock at the door finally took her away from her dirty thoughts and she could see Howard and Raj teetering with barely contained glee and even Leonard looked nervous as he opened the door.

Penny wasn’t sure what she was expecting but the 2 gorgeous ladies wearing long beautiful dresses wasn’t it. One of them looked young, younger than Penny and was a beautiful redhead with a peppering of freckles across her cheeks and with a teasing smile that made even Penny herself do a double take because Wow! That was one gorgeous lady. Her companion was equally beautiful but a brunette that looked a little older than Penny and she was breathtaking, she smiled and Penny (and the guys) all gasped because hot damn, that was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

"Hello, we’re Agatha and Gemma," she said as she pointed to herself and then to the other girl respectively "We’re looking for Howard and Raj." Even her voice was hot and sensual! This finally lit a fire under the aforementioned guys and they quickly tripped over each other trying to introduce themselves and to invite the girls in while they waited for Sheldon to appear.

Penny was confident about her own body but both of these girls were as close to perfect as one could get and she allowed herself to hate them just a tiny bit for that because damn.

"I still insist that I look ridiculous in this, Penny can’t I just wear my usual suit?" And here he comes, the man haunting her dreams. He is looking down at himself as he complains, Penny just hopes that whatever rant he will undoubtedly give them is short so they’re not late to the gala so she hopes to stop any arguments in the bud "You look great Sweetie! Isn’t that right?" Penny turns to the other 2 girls in the room and damn if she’s not proud of her work because the both of them are looking at Sheldon like he’s the last steak at the buffet so to hide her smug grin she takes a sip of her water.

"Dr. Cooper?" Agatha says in delight and suddenly walks up to Sheldon and everyone that knows Sheldon takes a sharp intake of breath because she didn’t just approach Sheldon but she’s also touching him, well, not exactly, Penny can see that she is holding Sheldon’s sleeve in between two of her delicate fingers but she still cringes and closes her eyes waiting for the Sheldon explosion but it doesn’t come right way so she opens her eyes to see if maybe Sheldon went into shock or something and first she looks at the other guys and she’s sure her face matches theirs, all of them are shocked. Not only does this girl know who Sheldon is but she’s also touching him (kinda) and he’s not blowing a gasket. Maybe this is one of those massive hallucinations thingies..

Focusing her attention on Sheldon brings her up short because he’s not looking ready bolt or like he’s going to Purell himself into next week, no, he looks surprised but then he gives Agatha that lift of his lips that means he secretly happy and the water still in her mouth suddenly tastes like vinegar. "Ah Martha, good evening." Sheldon nodded at ‘Agatha’ in greeting and Penny swallowed the suddenly bitter water and it burned the whole way down to her stomach. "It’s Agatha tonight Dr. Cooper" the brunette hussy replied, even her voice had changed, it went from sensual to happy and Penny wanted to punch something.

Sheldon nodded as if that made any sense at all and okay, maybe Penny wasn’t as smart as him but this didn’t make sense because Sheldon was acting as if, as if he knew this Agatha…

Motherfuc-

Penny is not sure how but suddenly she’s there in between them and taking Sheldon’s hand to drag him out of the apartment " Let's go, we’re gonna be late!" and her voice sounds high even to her ears but she needs to get out of there, she needs to get him out of there and get some answers because nuh-uh, this was Sheldon, he didn’t have a deal right? There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation to this, she might be an undergrad that is paying for school or, or, or maybe she is Sheldon’s dentist and just happens to moonlight as a escort, or maybe she’s a fan of his work and Penny is aware that she’s grasping at straws but she needs to because the other possibility is that Sheldon knows Agatha -sorry- Martha in the biblical way and she stops that line of thinking because her eyes start to burn and her throat constricts a little so she turns to look at Sheldon and he looks so innocent, so Sheldon-like, that her look becomes a glare because her Moonpie had some explainin’ to do. They stop at the lobby and she finally lets go of him so he can face her.

Of course Sheldon is complaining about her wrinkling his suit and how he bruises easily as if he hadn’t just turned her entire world upside down just a moment ago.

"Sheldon, shush!" and he clams up, good, still the same Sheldon she knew "Okay Moonpie, dish, how do you know her?" hands on hips so he knows it’s serious.

"Penny, only Meemaw may call me-" Finally looks at her face and something clicks in that beautiful mind of his and realizes that this is serious talk time. "You mean Agatha?" Her jaw clenches.

"No Sheldon, I meant Martha" she hisses the name and it’s only because she’s looking at him closely that she catches the twitch of his mouth. Unfuckingbelieveable. He was thinking about lying to her, to her face!

"Okay Sheldon, spill." Penny pointed a finger right at him and she could almost see his thought process, look up, look down at her and then look away, bring his hands up to his chest trying to grasp at a strap that was not there and then he finally sighed and opened his mouth. Of course this is the moment that the rest of the party chose to join in and Penny wanted to weep in frustration because as soon as Sheldon saw the others he started taking charge and maneuvering everyone to their own cars (Raj, Howard and their dates on one while Leonard took Dr. Look-I’m-full-of-surprises and her on the other) but she didn’t miss the way Sheldon was holding himself he probably thought he was safe from her question but he had another thing coming.

Thankfully, once in the car she wasn’t the only one curious "So buddy, Agatha, uh, you know her?" Leonard also looked as if he had been punched so she felt a little vindicated in her reaction, yes, this was normal, Sheldon freaking Cooper knowing a escort, that was the weird part and she could kiss Leonard (she won’t tho) for bringing up the subject, she was going to get her answers now.

"Ah, yes, I know her. Leonard please keep your eyes on the road, I rather you not kill us due to your lack of attention." And then he clammed up while pretending to fuss with the sleeves of his jacket and hell no, he was not getting away with it, she could already see Leonard back down from his roommate glare but Moonpie had still to look back at her even once, the audacity.

"No sweetie," she could see him freeze up at her extra sweet tone of voice "What we want to know is how, how do you know…Agatha" it took a lot of her to not hiss out Martha instead and wow, she wasn’t sure where all of this anger was coming from but it was clear that she was not doing a great job at hiding it, even poor Leonard was giving her a weird look. Okay, calm down Penny, you accepted this date because you had decided to give up on Sheldon, he didn’t have a deal, he was not interested in women or men. Except. It seemed that she was wrong and looking back on it, it was always someone else telling her that about Sheldon, but the man himself never said nor confirmed that, so Penny had two options, stick to her guns, forget about this and move on with her plans to at least give it a try with Leonard…or, go after the Wackadoodle and deal with the consequences.

Said Wackadoodle seemed to have decided that silence was the better part of valor (Yeah, she knows that’s not the right quote but she’s too pissed to care right now) and was doing his best to look out his window and pretend that there was no one else in the car.

Penny could forget all about this, pick Leonard, he was the safe choice, he knew how to behave in public and was not driving her crazy due to his eccentricities BUT, was that fair to him? To herself? Penny was no quitter, she once broke a pinkie in the middle of rodeo and she still came first.

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and making the two nerds on the car jump as if she had just shot a gun, she looked amused but then her face crumpled a little, she hated being a bitch, but she was going to have to be one to poor Leonard and ensure he knew she was making a choice, a choice he would not understand but one he would have to accept and live with and she hoped they would come out friends afterwards. Goddamn Wackadoodle with his piercing blue eyes and innocent face, fine, he was a baby deer but she was a goddamn Huntress. Penny is no quitter.

No one brings up again the subject of Agatha/Martha for the rest of the night, but that is not to say that it was a smooth night, first, her heels made it so Leonard was basically talking to her boobs and Penny just wanted him to look at her face and more importantly now Penny was hyper-aware of Sheldon and every time Penny would see that Agatha would approach him she was suddenly right there by his side and she knew that by the end of the night it looked more like she had been Sheldon’s date and not Leonard’s which made her feel bad, maybe she could set him up with that new waitress at the Factory, Bernadette was cute as a button and also blonde, plus she had that nerdy but hot vibe going on and she was sure Leonard would love her.

Sheldon probably thought that she had forgotten but oh no, she was biding her time because she was fully aware that Sheldon Cooper was a creature of routines and tomorrow night was Laundry Night™. Penny already knew where her baby deer was going to be, she just needed to follow him there.

The night ends and she successfully prevents Agatha from approaching Sheldon which fine she technically didn’t have a reason to do that, yet, but…shut up.

And of course things are never easy so when they all go back to the building, Howard and Raj are excited because they basically made Kripke lose his shit in the middle of an event and everyone was congratulating them and she really needed to get these boys on a real date ASAP, or maybe get them to accept that they were adorable together and to give it a shot but she’s tired so she’ll leave that decision for Future Penny to deal with, the both of them are talking in quiet tones with their dates and Penny doesn’t want to hear the contents of that conversations so she grabs Sheldon’s arm and moves to the lobby so they can go to their respective apartments.

Penny doesn’t miss the longing look Agatha shoots Sheldon and is forever grateful that Dr. Oblivious is the way he is because he is already talking about his REM cycle and Penny is just feeling inner peace knowing her Wackadoodle is in here and that Agatha is out there and just as she thinks that everything will be okay she hears a voice "Penny, can I talk to you?" and Penny might truly be a bitch because she doesn’t want to talk, she knows what Leonard will ask and she knows that it will suck plus her feet are hurting because the heels made her look amazing but they were hell on her feet, but better to deal with this right now than having it hang over their heads. She lets Sheldon go up and stays in the lobby waiting for Leonard to make up his mind on how he wants to approach this, it doesn’t take long.

"So, did I do something wrong?" Leonard shuffles from one feet to the other and he looks up at her with kicked puppy eyes, any other night, any other day she might have caved in but tonight she still had some of that rage in her gut and she had made up her mind so no, Penny was not going to play along tonight but that didn’t mean she had to be cruel.

"Okay, stop. Leonard sweetie…just stop. I know I was a sucky date tonight" She didn’t liked how his eyes filled with hope "But I think this is a sign that we’re not meant to be." one of her hands reaches out to grab Leonard’s shoulder because she needs him to understand this "Sweetie, I don’t feel that spark with you." her voice was gentle but firm. She then took a breath expecting the return serve.

"But you feel it with Sheldon?!" She knew that he was mad, and that her response would only make it worse but no hiding for her, she made sure he was looking at her before nodding and firmly saying "I think so, at least I want to give it a try."

"But I love you!" at that she finally let go of him and took a step back, the L word was a big thing for her and she never said it unless she meant it, so hearing Leonard saying it so easily after 1 Not-date and now this sham of a date made Penny feel thankful that she had not given in because this was sad, he barely knew her, never even asked about her life and they did not share anything in common other than living in the same building and liking Tarantino movies and that was not enough to build a relationship out of, she was not going to build castles in the sand, not after Kurt.

"No Leonard, you don’t." She raised a hand to stop his next words "You can’t love me because you don’t know me, we don’t have anything in common and you have to respect that I can say ‘No’ for whatever reason I want." She could see his shoulders sag at this, but she wasn’t done yet "Leonard, sweetie, I want to believe that I am your friend, that you respect me as one and that we’ll be okay. That I was more than the girl you wanted to bang." Shit, that came out harsher than she intended "I’ll give you time but I still want to be your friend Leonard." The effect of her words was clear in the defeated posture but she had said all she needed to say so she started to climb up to her apartment.

"Penny?" she looks down at him still rooted in the same spot, guilt overwhelming his face and eyes "I’m sorry" There are worlds contained in those two words.

Ah, that still hurts just as much as the first time she realized that the boys in high school were not hanging out with her because they liked her but because they wanted to get in her pants and once she made it clear it was not happening they all cut her out of their lives, silly Penny, did you really think it was going to be different this time?. Giving Leonard a watery smile she managed to say "Thank you."

Maybe they will be okay after all.

She made it all the way to her apartment without crying but allowed herself to cry until she fell asleep, tomorrow she had some Hunting to do.

Penny hated that first moment of waking up right after you had a good cry because it felt like a mini-hangover that was totally unfair, excuse her for being an emotional person. Whatever, she had a shift today and also had a Moonpie to catch. Suddenly feeling better Penny went through the motions of her day, by this point she was an expert waitress so she could spend time thinking about how to approach Sheldon in the Laundry Room without messing up orders or tripping over her own feet.

She was not having much luck unfortunately because all the usual tactics would go right over his perfectly combed head. Giggle and smile? He would look around scared of a prank. Touch her hair and throw it over her shoulder? Probably would make a comment about her split ends. No, Sheldon was different so she needed to think differently, she almost went to Bernadette to ask ‘How do you tell a guy that you like him?’ but she was not a 14 year old girl and she had some pride dammit.

At the end of her shift she decided that the best approach would be a direct attack, Sheldon would probably try to wiggle out of it otherwise because his stupid brain can only think science and not the fun Discovery Channel science that Bloodhound Gang sang about.

Now with a plan (sort of) she was ready (sort of) to meet her not so innocent neighbor, she took a shower, debated between shorts-shorts or pajama pants and finally chose pajama pants with Hello Kitty print, she thought that maybe it would make her look casual but no too casual…goddam it, she was a 14 year old girl.

Finally hearing the 4a open she peeked and sure enough there was Sheldon with his basket, okay, deep breath, you got this Penny. Taking her own basket she waited until Sheldon had walked down and judging enough time she went after him, heart beating wildly.

The laundry room had no one else, probably because everyone in the building knew to steer away when Sheldon Cooper was on a mission. Seeing that he was separating his clothes Penny decided to bite the bullet and implement her plan. Penny entered the laundry room and before Sheldon could utter his regular greeting she closed and locked the door behind her and for good measure she leaned against it so he would have to go through her if he really wanted to leave.

"Hi Sheldon" Okay, good, her voice was normal.

"Hi Penny?" He sounded confused and was glancing around the room as if he were looking for the reason that I closed the door. Time for the truth Penny, get you that baby deer.

"Hi Sheldon" Or not

"Hi Penny" eyebrow going up, not a good sign (but very sexy looking) "Is there a reason why you’re currently blocking the entryway?" he even stopped sorting out his clothes so you know it’s serious.

"Hi Sheldon" Please say anything else, just anything else before he thinks you’re having a stroke.

"Hi Penny, are you feeling ill?" Okay, the way he scooted back and used his shirt to cover his mouth and nose hurt a little but that was enough to get her to reboot and remember her plan.

"Sheldon, I must parlay with you on paramount subjects" there, it’s out.

"Penny," he finally lowered his shirt and she could see the slight lift of his lips and it just wasn’t fair, no one should look that cute "seeing as you have trapped us in the laundry room I think we can discuss these important -ah- paramount, sorry, paramount subjects." He looked amused and even went back to sorting his clothes.

Okay Moonpie, game on.

"I am attracted to you Sheldon" She saw as his body froze and he turned to quickly look at her.

"Bazinga?" Oh poor baby, he looked as scared as she felt. But it wasn’t time to approach him, you got this Penny.

"No Bazinga Sheldon," c’mon, spit it out, if he rejects you then it’s better to get it over with "Last night I realized that I was still attracted to you," like a Band-Aid, all at once "I actually held onto these feeling since I met you, but then you never showed anything back and I tried to forget about it," No, don’t cry! Ahh fuck that’s a sob "I tried to bury my feelings because you became my best friend and I didn’t want to lose you but seeing last night how you flirted with Martha or Agatha or whatever her name is made me feel as if I would lose you and that’s why I spent all night with you because I wanted you to look at me! And I already told Leonard because I’m done running away!" There, the full truth and even some things that she didn’t want to reveal.

Sheldon looked like a deer caught in the headlights and she was sure that he wasn’t breathing, she was watching him closely and jumped when he took a deep breath, there it is, she can see it now, the panic, he’s looking around the room for an exit but no luck Moonpie no running from this.

He starts moving his mouth but for once in his goddamn life Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper is speechless. If this goes to hell at least she’ll always have this image. No! Bad Penny, no assuming, no running. She is wiping her tears but refuses to look away from him, she’ll face this head-on.

"Penny, I…I don’t know what to say, I-" and he clams up again, okay Penny, give him a nudge.

"Sweetie, I just want to hear the truth, that’s all." Voice watery but at least she’s not sobbing anymore.

"Ah, the truth, yes," big beautiful brain is working overtime there "Forgive me, I’m not familiar with the customs for this type of situation, but," rises to his full height and licks his lips in nervousness, his eyes still refuse to focus on anything, at least until he focuses them fully on her, blue meets green and her breath is gone "I have also felt a physiological pull towards you, in the same manner as you mentioned a moment ago, I tried to suppress these feelings thinking them unwelcome and then Leonard began his incessant and unpleasant courting of you and…" He trails off, unsure on how to continue "And I was unable to suppress them, each time you prance into the apartment I can’t help but stare at the way the light plays with your hair, when you smile at me I-" he finally looks away, a blush on his cheeks "feel like I can do anything. Your optimism is contagious and on days where I’m unable to see you I find myself angry and saddened. You were a distraction in the beginning, you brought chaos into my life and foolishly thought of banishing you from our lives, but," he takes a deep breath, c’mon Moonpie, please "but I found your absence unbearable and even more distracting. I have never felt this for anyone Penny, I don’t know what the correct protocol to follow is." and he extends his arms to show how truly lost he feels but for her it’s an invitation and dropping her basket she runs into him and is only the wall being there that prevents him from being bowled over.

Penny can’t speak right now, because Sheldon feels the same, that’s enough for her right now, they can figure this out later, one day at a time. She’s sure that it will be difficult, for the both of them, but as his unsure arms surround her in a hug that shouldn’t feel as good as it does she feels that things will be okay, they got each other.

An unsure hand comes up and touches her cheek, she looks up at Sheldon and the blue of his eyes swallows her, to the point that she almost misses the way his lips hesitantly touch hers in a chaste kiss and right there, at that moment she knows. She’s a goddamn 14 year old girl because she can feel her face flush red as if he had just proposed. He’s going to kill her and he doesn’t even know it.

They still have a lot to talk about, but it can wait, for now she’s happy to just be here in his arms.

Chapter Text

Penny woke up feeling great, she can’t actually remember the last time she felt so rested. The events of last night seemed impossible just a month ago but she had done it, Penny got her baby deer. She stayed in bed enjoying both the warmth of the covers and the memories.

She shouldn’t feel as giddy as she did but she had decided to fully embrace the 14 year old girl side of her. For all they made fun of Sheldon’s lack of experience she had come to the conclusion that she was not much better actually.

The things that carried her previous relationships were lust and alcohol, she skipped right over the teenage awkwardness into second base and sex and never looked back but now she didn’t want to do that, and that was a scary thought by itself, Penny didn’t do commitment, except, she knew that this thing between Sheldon and her was not going to be a fling and she was weirdly okay with that, mainly because she knew that if anything it would be her leading the way forward, Sheldon would not tell her that he loved her unless he actually meant it, he would not try to get into her pants right away (she’s the one that has to learn to be patient, especially if he’s wearing that suit, yum), no playing games with him, she needed to learn to be direct with what she wanted and how, and this last part was something that she had a hard time letting go of, she knew that Sheldon would never be that guy that brought her a dozen bouquets of roses and surprise her with a trip to Cabo…but, she didn’t want that guy, she wanted Sheldon, to see that small tug of his lips when he’s proud of her, to know she’s the only person that can touch him without him flinching, she just needed him to be himself. Besides, it might be fun to be the one to surprise him, the one that makes him smile, that adorable little smile that makes him look 10 years old again.

But there was still something weighing heavy in her and that was the subject of Agatha/Martha. She didn’t want to be THAT girl but she had to know more. Penny was not happy about this because she knew that Sheldon would not really care if their roles were reversed but…and in a moment she gets it but wishes she hadn’t, Martha had looked at Sheldon the same way that Penny looked at Sheldon, and that brought all those uncomfortable feelings from that night back to the front of her mind. She needed to talk to Sheldon so she could finally let go of this.

Looking over at her alarm clock it showed that it was only a little past 9 am so she might as well go shower and eat something, Sheldon had agreed to come by around noon (meaning exactly at noon) so they could discuss how to approach this subject with Leonard as Sheldon didn’t want to lie to him, she only hoped that her talk with Leonard would at least take some of the heat from the upcoming argument, because she knew there was going to be one.

Trying to mess with her Moonpie Penny opened her apartment door at 5 minutes to 12 and just waited there with a cup of coffee and sure enough 4 minutes later Dr. Wackadoodle came out from his own door and seeing there waiting for him lead to his eye twitching and his brow furrowing because of course, she was the weird one in this relationship so she smiled at him and took a sip of her coffee moving to sit on her couch and letting him to follow her inside.

Once inside he sat on her couch but didn’t seem inclined to talk.

"What up Moonpie?" There’s that eyebrow twitch again.

"Cute. As always your grammar leaves much to be desired and only Meemaw may call me Moonpie."

"Nope," She made sure to pop the word "Non-optional social convention. You’re my Moonpie now as well." She allowed herself a smile behind her cup, waiting to see how he would react to that.

Sheldon looked at her suspiciously for a moment but then his face cleared and he nodded "I suppose that is true," small blush comes to his cheeks and he looks at his hands "And I do like it when you say it." Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, it’s not fair, she’s not going to make it past 1 week without wanting to jump him, he’s too adorable.

Because she can, she decides to give him a peck on the lips and she’s jumping for joy when he responds, awkwardly but eagerly and she can’t stop the smile that comes to her face.

Deciding that it was best to get the uncomfortable parts of the conversation out of the way first Penny reigned in on herself "Sweetie, are you sure you want us to tell Leonard first? Without the other guys there?"

Sheldon sadly lost that small smile on his face and turned serious "Yes, I feel that this is the appropriate path to take, Leonard will have a hard time accepting your decision so it’s best that we’re alone so Wolowitz and Rajesh can’t influence or feed into the negative emotions that Leonard will undoubtedly display."

"I agree Sweetie, plus Leonard is our friend and he deserves to hear it from us first." Okay Penny, time for the other subject, scooting closer to Sheldon so their legs touched she reached out to grab one of his hands "There was also something else that I wanted to ask you about…remember how I told you about Martha flirting with you?"

"Penny, I have an eidetic memory, I rem-"

"Not the point Sweetie," She held his hand and made sure he was looking at her "I told you how I was afraid of losing you and that is because when Martha looked at you, well, she looked like a woman in love."

Sheldon paused and looked at their joined hands, he rubbed his thumb on top of her fingers and nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you have romantic feelings for her?" And her lungs stop working, she didn’t want to hear the answer to that because she remembers the way Sheldon looked at Martha, that smile and the not flinching away from her touch.

"No." Not a single facial twitch in sight and she’s able to take a breath again, but we’re not done yet Penny.

"Could you tell me how you know her?" Her voice is soft because she doesn't want to spook him, and she can feel it, there’s more to the story.

"As you know, I have excellent hearing, so often I’ve been able to hear Wolowitz and the rest joke about my sexuality when they think I can’t hear them. My mother and Meemaw raised me to, as is so often colloquially put ‘To not kiss and tell’ so I was never tempted to correct their beliefs as I found their posturing and bragging in bad taste." He stopped and then looked at her "Having said that, I believe that it’s important that I share the following story with you due to the recent change in our social and relationship paradigm." He looked nervous and stopped talking.

"Hey Honey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I think I got my answer about Martha." Penny lied but she didn’t want to make him feel bad and force him to spill his guts out, she could live without knowing, but Sheldon shook his head and she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"It’s not a story that makes me relive negative emotions if that was your fear, however, it’s something I have only voiced to a few individuals. This takes place before Leonard ever became my roommate, as you know I spent some time in Germany during my formative years and met several acquaintances, one of them was my last research partner, a brilliant young lady by the name of Nana, she was to be wed and I received an invitation which I, after much thought, decided to accept. Mostly so I could enjoy the sights of Germany once again."

Penny sat on the couch watching as Sheldon went into his story. She liked the way he moved his hands and had to laugh a little to herself when Sheldon mentioned enjoying the sights, because for Sheldon that probably meant a laboratory or classroom and not exactly a forest clearing or a tourist spot.

"Once there I was forced to attend and endure the ‘stag party’" yes he did the quotes with his fingers and rolled his eyes "despite me not being acquainted with the young man that was being celebrated. Initially it all went as it’s often portrayed in popular media, we were taken to a bar where alcoholic beverages were consumed and several small speeches were proclaimed for the young couple to be, as well as some only meant for the groom."

She really, really enjoyed the way his throat moved and wanted to give him a little nip, just a tiny nip but forced herself to stay put. She had no idea where Sheldon was going with this but she was going to be a good listener and not miss anything.

"After this, we moved to a club, that was the word used to describe it, but I was confused, clubs were usually indicative of loud and ear damaging noise but this club was quiet, private." Clears his throat "We were directed to a room that had several chairs pointed at a small stage and I thought that we might actually get to see a theater performance or perhaps someone reciting poetry and the curiosity to know what it would be kept me at my seat."

She could see the blush that started from his neck all the way to his face and she held her breath..

"After a few moments a woman and two gentlemen entered the stage, each of them was wearing a raincoat that covered them so I thought it might be a modern art presentation. I was mistaken. Without anyone talking the people on the stage disrobed themselves, the woman was wearing leather underwear and the men were bare chested and each of them had a length of rope in their hands which they then proceeded to tie and restrain the woman in ways I never thought possible."

Penny thinks that if it was the middle of the night she would be able to light up her entire apartment with Sheldon’s blush alone. She’s riveted by Sheldon’s tale, she can imagine a younger Sheldon mortified but curious at what was happening in front of him, but she has to wonder how this will connect with Martha.

"I wanted to get up and remove myself from the building but strangely found my body unwilling to comply. I sat there until their presentation had ended, the men never touched the woman inappropriately, there was no coitus but I still found it terribly stimulating, the manner in which the ropes restrained yet also enhanced the female form, how the rope seemed to guide the woman to present herself, the look on her face was…fascinating."

Holy fraking shit. Penny had her mouth open because whatever she was expecting, this was not it. Sheldon had a look of amazement on his face and she imagined that this must have been the face he was making at that time.

"After returning to the US I found myself unable to forget what I had seen and decided to do some research on what I came to learn was called ‘Bondage’, this research also revealed that a similar club existed in Pasadena and…"

Penny couldn’t believe it, her Sheldon, her innocent Wackadoodle had visited a sex-club. Wow. But wait a second. Her eyes opened wide and her jaw hit the floor but no sound came out. Martha.

"And I found that they could teach me how to safely perform this activity on one of the personnel hired by the club. The place I visited was very receptive to all of my cleaning standards requests and Martha was assigned to guide me in this endeavour." He finally turned to look at her and even he with his ‘can’t see when Penny upset’ knows that something is up because he quickly adds "I never engaged in coitus with Martha. She just helped me to learn Shibari, Sukaranbo, Karada and Shinju. I always wore gloves and never touched her directly."

Making a note to google those words later she took hold of Sheldon’s hands to reassure him "Hey, hey, it’s fine. Thank you for sharing this with me." She saw him relax, he was probably terrified that she was going to run out screaming or something. Ropes huh…

"Sweetie, is this something you want to do with me?" She could see that his eyes went as wide as possible and she tried to make her face as open as possible.

Very hesitantly he replied "In time, yes"

What the frak? She could feel her hackles rising, so he would still go to Martha? "In time? So you don’t want to teach me?"

"What? No, I mean, yes, but…Penny, I am perfectly aware that this is not ‘normal’ and I’m not an expert and I don’t want to scare you and I just thought that we could gradually-" Sheldon continues to ramble and her anger disappears immediately, He was concerned for her, He wasn’t trying to exclude her. Goddamn it Penny.

"Sheldon, Hon. I’m sorry, I thought you meant that you wanted to keep seeing Martha and I…I got jealous and insecure. If this is something you like to do then I would like to experience it alongside you. You’re not scaring me, to be perfectly honest this might be the most ‘normal’ thing about you." she smirked and hoped that he would get the teasing note in her voice.

The relief in Sheldon could be seen from miles, she continued "You just said that you’re not an expert right? So that means we can learn together!"

She was sure that Sheldon would never hurt her, besides she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little bit interested. So they sat there holding each other’s hands when a noise from 4a brought them back to the now, there was still something pending before they could explore their relationship and now that Penny knew that Sheldon was interested it removed a weight off her shoulders. Maybe Sheldon would like to be tied as well, 'there’s an idea' she thought with a smile.

"C’mon Moonpie, we got us a homunculus to battle."

Chapter Text

There are an infinite number of Universes, for every choice presented to you that you did not take there exists a version of you that did take it. These choices are terrible and wonderful and you will never know what is on the road not taken, perhaps that’s the kindest result.

Out of the infinite number of Universes ever-present we find two that are similar and yet very different. In both exists a Penny, an aspiring actress with a broken heart and a penchant for spending too much on shoes. There’s also a Sheldon, a genius physicist whose life needs to be surrounded by routines. And there’s also a Leonard, a good man that allows the worst parts of himself to take over until there’s nothing good left.

In both Universes these three individuals meet and become involved with one another, in both there is a prank war, in both there is Halo and Thai food and whiteboards, in both Leonard chases after Penny but this is where we find the first truly important decision that will define these two Universes, and the glimpses that we can catch, each moment is light reflecting on the waves of a river bank, gone before you realize it fully.

In one Universe Penny doesn’t give up, she’s scared because despite her misgivings, moving into Los Robles has been a great experience, and she doesn’t want to mess it up but she can’t live without not knowing, she knows that she’s burning a bridge with Leonard but Penny doesn’t want fear to rule her life.

"Hey Moonpie, I like you."

In another Universe Penny is scared, she doesn’t want to rock the boat, she finds Leonard’s crush a little cute and she looks longingly at the tall scientist working on his laptop and convinces herself that it will never happen so she finally accepts Leonard’s invitation.

"Uh, yeah, we can do Dinner."

Some occurrences happen almost identically in several Universes at once, though the characters in these plays orchestrated by the Universe might not be the same.

In one Universe Penny is happy because Sheldon in his own way admitted to liking her back. Leonard was unhappy but eventually learned to accept their relationship and even started dating Leslie Winkle, this time he would not let his fear of her fierceness get in the way of being happy.

For this Penny the fact she was able to overcome her fear makes her want to start taking acting seriously, because Sheldon appreciate and enjoys her company but she knows that there are no free rides in the Cooper train, she can’t stagnate because he will always move forward and she doesn’t want to be the one that holds him back. She stops going out clubbing and starts going to acting classes recommended by Sheldon, she limits her drinking because she finds it easier to run lines, Sheldon is there to help her and even if she feels like strangling him sometimes she knows that he’s happy for her. He wants her to be happy succeeding in her career of choice because he doesn’t care that she’s Penny the actress, or Penny the waitress, he cares that she’s Penny and that’s all he wants she thinks as she runs up the stairs.

"I got it!! I got the lead!!" Penny bursts into 4a right after getting the news, she got the lead for a play, it was a decent sized theater and the role just felt right. A struggling young woman working as an assistant to an old disabled writer that was still trying to finish her last book.

Sheldon looked up from his laptop and gave her a small smile before going back to his work "You were the obvious choice, had you not gotten it I would have seriously put into question the sanity of the casting director."

Penny felt her smile diminish a little, sometimes she wished he could remember that celebrating was more than just acknowledging the event. Shaking her head Penny went to kiss the side of his head and then hug him from behind. It had taken a long time for Sheldon to be comfortable with touching but they were able to reach the point where she could touch him spontaneously and he would not freak out, it was one thing to touch his arm and it was another to hold him like this and even though he would harrump and complain she knew that if he truly minded he would move away or ask her to stop. Because that had happened, the sting of it was removed when he would shily touch her hand afterwards.

"Are you proud of me Moonpie?" she said softly against the side of his face.

He moved his face to face her a little better but to her it felt like he had snuzzled "I’m always proud of you, I was certain that if you applied yourself that this would be the natural result. Good job Penny." She held him tighter and tried to keep herself from crying. Sheldon Cooper did not ever say something he did not mean. He probably didn’t even realize how much he had helped her, running lines with her, watching Youtube videos on how to act (because she didn’t always had enough for her classes, helping her come up with a plan on how tackle auditions instead of just winging it and he did those thing just to help her, not because he wanted to get in her pants but because to him that was the right thing to do for your girlfriend. He still wasn’t allowed to clean while she slept tho.

"Penny?" his voice was soft

"Yeah?" her voice came out hoarse with unshed tears but it was equally soft.

"Only Meemaw may call me Moonpie." Wackadoodle, she couldn’t help but laugh. Only Sheldon would fail to read the mood but still make her laugh.

Now wiping tears of laughter from her eyes she kissed him again "Let’s go celebrate!"

"I suppose it is Anything-can-happen-Thursday." a lift of his lips matched by her.

"Wackadoodle" came out more wistful than she thought but yeah, she was happy that she decided to give it a try with him. He still frustrated her to no end but she really couldn’t see it any other way and he always managed to surprise her in the most endearing ways.

In another Universe, that Penny was trudging up the stairs tiredly but with a pep on her step. She hadn’t wanted to audition for the play but strangely enough it was Sheldon that had looked at her and just asked "Why not? Aren’t you an actress?" and it felt enough like a challenge that it lit up a fire under her ass and she auditioned out of spite alone. Of course she didn’t get the lead but they liked her enough to play a minor role, it was better than nothing and it would show Sheldon that she was an actress. She hoped that Leonard was in their apartment, maybe they could celebrate with a bottle of vodka and then have some alone time. She wanted to shut off her brain for tonight.

Going to her apartment to change, she took a moment to consider if she should even say anything, it was a minor part and she was hoping that it could lead to more opportunities but…maybe it just wasn’t in the cards for her. Shaking her head she decided to tell them if just to show Sheldon.

Walking into the boys apartment she was happy that only Leonard was there at the moment "Hey Hon, I have some good news." She tried to inject cheer into her tone.

"Hey Penny, did someone leave a big tip?" Leonard said as he turned away from his desk and smiled at her.

"Nope. Remember that play I auditioned for? They casted me!"

"Oh, that’s great! You’ll do great as the lead. Err, will you have to kiss someone?" Leonard scrunches his face in worry and Penny really tries to not let it get to her, of course that’s what worries him.

"No Sweetie, and I didn’t got the lead, I am playing the editor which is a small role but I can put it in my resume now!"

"Ah, cool, cool, so no quitting the Factory just yet, waitress by day and actress by night." Leonards laughs but Penny feels the sting of tears. Leonard was a nice guy but sometimes he acted as if her dream of acting was nothing more than a hobby and it sometimes made her feel small, especially when he compared their jobs and tried to show her how much of a big deal he was.

"Yeah, not quitting just yet." She said quietly. Leonard picks up on her tone and not knowing how or why she’s not happy anymore he immediately changes the subject hoping she’ll be distracted.

"I got just the thing to celebrate you moving up the world." He says moving to the kitchen and pulling a bottle of something, she doesn’t care what it is but she hopes it will make them drunk enough to have sex but not drunk enough to puke, she had missed lunch and the last thing she needed was puke in her carpet.

She nodded and smiled at Leonard, he looked so happy, as if he had passed some sort of test or won a prize.

"Let's go, before Sheldon and the rest come back." He practically drags her across the hallway and Penny swallows the sigh threatening to become a sob. Maybe she’ll be enough one day.

Another wave and the light moves in unexpected ways, again the same moment flashes in two places. A scared Penny sits on the toilet looking at a pregnancy test, the enormity of missing 2 pills doses is not lost on her, the last time she was in this situation was back when she was 16 and she still feels the same way as she did back then. She’s not ready for this, maybe she’ll never be.

In one Universe Sheldon enters her apartment and finds Penny in her bathroom, his mind takes but a moment to analyze everything in the room, including the pregnancy test and the distress on Penny’s face. They been dating for 2 years and the topic of children had come up, he was not averse to the idea but knew that she was not receptive so this must be a shock to her, especially with her career taking off recently, Penny found a love for theater and live performance and Sheldon agreed that she thrived in it, TV and Film only stifled her potential and failed to capture her brightness.

Taking a seat on the bathtub (thankfully some of his cleaning habits had rubbed off on her) he waited for Penny to look at him but her eyes seemed glued to the little stick in her hands.

Finally only one line appears and Penny takes a breath so deep that if he didn’t know better he could swear that she was coming up from being underwater.

And she finally looks up at him with a wan smile "I’m so relieved." a shuddering breath and only because he is familiar enough with her he knows to expect the ‘glomp’ and he adjusts his body so as to prevent himself from falling into the bathtub.

"There, there" Sheldon rubs her back "We’ll be more careful and perhaps we should plan a visit to Planned Parenthood just to be sure, and they also have the necessary expertise to perform an abortion should it be necessary."

Shocked green eyes turn to look at him "Ar-Are you sure Honey?"

Sheldon nods and holds her hand. His eyes never leave hers "If we ever are to become parents then it should be a decision taken after careful consideration and where we both agree to it. I was a witness to what happens when 2 people stay together ‘for the kids’" a grimace of bad memories crosses his face.

Penny sags in relief between his legs and finally gives him an honest and tired smile.

In another Universe Leonard is the one to enter her apartment, he leaves the bottle of Vodka in the coffee table for later and goes in search of his girlfriend, finding her in the bathroom just sitting there quietly. Maybe she had started early and Leonard smiles because that means Fun Penny comes out to play. It isn’t until he’s halfway into the bathroom that he notices the stick in his girlfriend’s hands.

Leonard gasps and then smiles, ‘I’m going to be a dad’ he thinks happily. He knew that his girlfriend had said she didn’t want kids but this was a sign, they were meant to be together and this would only make her closer to him. He would not be like his own parents, he would love his child with everything he got. He could picture it now, He would purchase a house near the University and his girlfriend would finally stop working to take care of the children, he would arrive home after work and have his beautiful wife waiting for him. Their kids would not be left wanting for love and affection, she would make sure of that. She didn’t know it yet but she would make the perfect mom for his children.

A shuddering breath from the other occupant takes him back to reality and he see that his girlfriend is crying and he can’t stop himself he jumps in joy and exclaims "I’m going to be a dad!"

"No. You’re. Not" her voice is cold and he finally takes a look at the stick in her hand, one line. Oh, so that’s why she’s crying, poor thing.

"Hey hey, it’ll be okay, we can keep trying" his hug gets rejected and she’s suddenly in his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you Leonard?! You know I don’t want kids. You told me that you understood."

He shifts in place, giving her the look, the one that got her to go out with him in the first place. "But, I thought that you would change your mind," he whines "We got back together and things have been going great, so I thought this would be good."

His girlfriend is standing there, her mouth is open in shock and what he really hopes is not disgust.

"Fuck. You. Leonard." she spits out and leaves the bathroom, he can hear the bedroom door slam close and muffled sobs from beyond it.

"I just can’t catch a break, god!" he mutters in frustration. When was Penny going to realize that he only wanted what was best for her? She was always too emotional and failed to see the big picture. He would give it a few minutes before going out, he had left the Vodka bottle in the coffee table and it was only a matter of time before his girlfriend cracked it open to drink directly from it. He would go out and apologize and if she was in the mood maybe he could apologize with his body as well.

This time the waves move and the moments are similar but not the same, too many things have changed, the similarity only in intent and you know this is the last time.

In one Universe Penny is happy but anxious. She has been doing theater for a couple of years now and their play had finally picked enough steam for her to be noticed in the big leagues. Broadway. The only snag in this plan was that she had just moved in with Sheldon, he had his entire life here in Pasadena and she really couldn’t see her life without him in it. Maybe she can travel to New York and then back. She has the money to do that now, She really doesn’t want to do long distance.

"Sheldon? Honey?" Blue eyes turn to her and give her his full attention. After explaining how she appreciated that, Sheldon had adapted once again. Penny took a deep breath and explained it all, this was huge for her career, she could finally reach that unattainable dream but she also didn’t want to leave him, she wanted it all and she wanted Sheldon to not give up on them, on their relationship.

After her explanation, Sheldon just sat there without an expression and then nodded to himself. "When are we moving?"

"Wha- Sweetie, hold on" she looked at him in disbelief "Did you hear me?"

"Penny, Penny, Penny" how could he sound so arrogant she could never know "I can work from anywhere in the world. I can open my email and find several offers from Universities to Private companies all wishing to ‘poach’ me. I am sure that adapting, finding new acceptable restaurants as well as a properly stocked comic book store will not be an easy task and I find myself already dreading it. However, the alternative, of losing you is simply not acceptable and one I refuse to even entertain for a moment or to put it in colloquial terms ‘you go, I go’"

Penny couldn’t keep the smile off her face, leave it to Sheldon to be sweet, condescending and then right back to sweet. Going to where he was sitting she rounded on him and hugged him from behind, she found it soothing and she knew that he thought so as well even if he covered it with big words to try and explain how it was actually good for his health when she did this. Wackadoodle.

"Thank you Sweetie. For everything."

In another Universe Penny gave up on acting, Bernadette had been nice enough to find her a job as a sales rep for the pharmaceutical company she was working at. Leonard had made a joke about how the shorter the skirt the bigger the sale and she had felt cheap. But she didn’t have any other options and Leonard had been not so subtly telling her that it was time to grow up.

She was actually great at this job and was going places. Except she could never win with Leonard. She had just explained how her boss wanted her to travel to the Texas offices for 6 months to train a new team and Leonard just about lost his shit, he had accused her of wanting to go and cheat, to wanting to leave him behind and before she even knew how or why She was the one apologizing to him. She couldn’t forget the face of disappointment her boss had given her when she rejected the opportunity. Maybe by the time she got to the end of this bottle of red wine she would be able to forget not only about that but also about her shitty life. Maybe Leonard was right about her.

Some people are mirrors, reflecting and enhancing your light.

"Love you Moonpie."

And some people are voids that consume all of the light in their grasp.

"Pass me the bottle Leonard."

Chapter Text

Penny happily skipped up the last flight of stairs to her apartment, this was the happiest she had been in a while and it was all thanks to Sheldon. She had been wary of how their relationship could actually work but in a weird way it was easy, they already had a lot of activities together and they simply added a new one, dating (and kissing).

They were still sniping at each other, teasing and not backing down but it never had an edge, it was never aimed to hurt each other and she was happy that Sheldon was who he was because she was never bored. Of course there were growing pains, Sheldon still was the arrogant genius that had hung up her panties on the phone line…she stops for a moment, so that means he had already seen her good luck panties, well, she needed to go buy something nice anyway, she wonders if they make Green Lantern themed panties, maybe Flash as well?. Shaking her head and focusing back on her original train of thought.

Sheldon could be, was and will be frustrating, but that's the thing. He learned. As soon as she explained clearly why something made her feel bad or upset her and it clicked in that big brain of his, it was there forever. He would adapt and adjust, she was perfectly aware that Sheldon was never going to be ‘a regular guy’ and it was surprising her how easy it was to be honest ‘I like that you kiss me goodbye because it makes me feel that you care.’ and boom, her Wackadoodle boyfriend did it almost naturally by this point. And of course, sometimes it could be right down mortifying ‘Moonpie, I don’t want to hear about your bowel movements just like you don’t want to hear about mine…you do?, No. Just No. I’m vetoing this subject’.

Penny quickly enters her apartment and goes through the motions of getting rid of her uniform and preparing to take a quick shower. Today was Anything-can-happen-Thursday and she had already informed Sheldon that she wanted him to join her for dinner. She had even cleaned, somewhat.

Her Wackadoodle had surprised her, she knew that he disliked change but he still rose to the challenge every time. He hated losing and they were both mule-headed to a fault. He was getting more and more comfortable with touching and now they could even cuddle on her couch. The other occupant of 4A was still sore about her and Sheldon so they mostly kept all activities to her apartment…and the laundry room.

But she was happy about Leonard, he could have been a bigger a-hole to Sheldon and her but after Sheldon basically tore him a new one for insinuating she was an object Leonard had chilled significantly and she truly believed that they could start to build a friendship now. Leonard was not avoiding either of them (though he would still stare at her wistfully when he thought she wasn’t paying attention), he still drove Sheldon to work and back and he even paid for her dumplings last week without boasting about it, so she would take all progress as positive.

Finally done cleaning herself she went about to prepare dinner, eye-talian style.

Sheldon had come over perfectly on time as always and she saw as he surveyed her apartment and frowned at her. She cocked her hip and raised her chin (she was secretly pleased that she had to actually look up at him, she wasn’t sure why but it did it for her), Sheldon raised an eyebrow and Penny knew he had her. "Yeah, yeah, I’ll clean more thoroughly but between work at the Factory and the new classes you recommended I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to clean."

And that was true, Penny can’t remember ever being so busy since moving here. She had confided in Sheldon about her lack of success, her fears of never amounting to anything and how she wished she could do more which lead to him simply saying "Well, why don’t you?" and it had sting but this was Sheldon so she knew he was not being mean but genuinely asking her which made it worse because he looked at her in a way that made her think Sheldon truly believed she could achieve her dream, so she would not disappoint. They worked together to create a plan for both improving her budget but also for her to take new classes and Sheldon also pushed her to get a new agent. She already had 3 auditions lined up so maybe Moonpie was onto something.

Dinner was a success and she still had a hard time believing that Sheldon loved her Spaghetti and hotdogs so much but he still insisted that it was even better than his mother’s and hey she’s going to take that as high praise (and hope he doesn’t repeat it to the woman’s face).

Penny was really happy that Sheldon was now comfortable making out, even if they did have to brush their teeth and floss first. She now had her own UV light on which their toothbrushes sat under side by side.

She sat straddling him as they took a breather and Penny thought that this was a good time to discuss something that had been on her mind for the last week "Hey Moonpie, so I’ve been reading a little about this BDSM thingy and, well, does this mean you want to do things to my butt?"

Full face flush and a squawk of "PENNY!, if you must know, I enjoy the B/D part of BDSM which is a different-" and off he goes as she laughs. Penny doesn’t miss how he actually didn’t say no though.

Still laughing a little she kisses his neck and mutters "Bazinga"

Sheldon immediately stops talking and tries to give her an indignant look but the flush on his face is not from anger and his eyes are laughing, god, his eyes. She felt so dumb for ever thinking he was unable to express emotion, all she had to do was look into his eyes and she would know what he was feeling.

"I actually wanted to ask you, do you own any of that stuff that’s needed for bondage? You know the ropes and leather?" She had been curious for a while because for the few times that she had been in his room she had never noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"Ah, I don’t" He looks uncomfortable "The club would take care of everything like that, I didn’t want to carry around such a long rope and," hesitation in his voice "And Martha would wear her own und-ahem-clothes" He really was trying to not look at her, Sheldon knew her feelings on Martha and was trying to spare them so she did her best to reassure him that it was okay with a kiss, slower and more intimate.

"It’s okay Honey, I know. Just- don’t keep me out, this is a part of you that I would like to get to know as well." She was aware that these feelings towards Martha were unreasonable because the one on the lap of one Dr. Sheldon Cooper was her and no one else, however, a part of her that refused to disappear whispered about how she was only a waitress and Sheldon was the big shot Physicist and he could be with anyone and he would leave eventually. To be fair, Sheldon needed to learn how to reassure a girl better but Penny knew, he only said what he meant and he had said that her, Penny, the waitress, the failed actress, the runaway daughter, the hot blon-no- she needed to stop thinking like this. Sheldon only wanted Penny, he liked her and it was time that she started liking herself as well.

Giving Sheldon a lingering kiss, Penny let go of these negative thoughts to focus on the man under her, she was not going to miss any opportunities for Sheldon-kissing-time.

"Okay, so when can we give it a try? Not anything hardcore but, I dunno, like beginner friendly" Penny asked Sheldon as they both sprawled on the couch after taking a break since the kissing was getting intense and Sheldon was still not there (well, she did, he was sitting somewhat properly and watched her disapprovingly while dropping comments about lumbar support), but he was getting there, she could feel it, literally.

"I would have to order the needed equipment. I have already found an online store that carries everything needed but I haven’t placed the order yet." It was so unlike Sheldon to not have everything ready but she guessed that until they had entered this relationship he really did not have any need of keeping his own equipment at the apartment where it could be found by Leonard or his mother if she visited.

"Well order it up Moonpie, meanwhile," she stood up and went to her closet to rummage through it "I think I left it here, oh, here it is. Does this work?" She said walking back to the couch, pulling a thin blue nylon rope from when she thought climbing could be a hobby she’d be interested in. Not a mistake she would make again.

Sheldon took the rope and examined it closely, she always found it kinda hot the way he could hyperfocus on things, his eyes would brighten and dance as if he was trying to see through whatever it was that held his attention. He gave her that look after she used her tongue in one of their makeout sessions for the first time, right before he dove in to keep going. She really loved that look.

"I think this could work as an introduction, but I am concerned about the roughness. It certainly feels coarser than what I would normally use." A pause and he tilts his head "Perhaps it would be wiser to wait for the proper equipment Penny."

"C’mon Moonpie, there has to be something you can show me right?" She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

She could see him considering it and was glad when he nodded and asked her to hold out her hands palms together as if she was diving into a pool. She could not really tell how he did it, it was really fast. One moment he had the length of rope folded in two and the next her wrists and hands were bound, it wasn’t painful but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either, she could still move her fingers around but otherwise her hands were bound. Moving her wrists to and from she tried to get free but he had done a good job.

"Wow Sheldon, you were so fast and this looks so complicated, I don’t know how you did it." She was truly surprised by his work and wanted to compliment him as she still inspected his handiwork but not hearing a response made her look up at him and whatever she was about to say died in her throat. His usually clear blue eyes were dark now, oh so dark, and it rooted her in place. She licked her lips and saw him do the same, the entire mood had changed suddenly and she was all for it.

"Can you show me another one?" Her voice was husky and holy crap, this was happening.

Sheldon didn’t speak, almost like a magic trick, he pulled on the rope and her hands were free. But she could still feel the rope, like a ghost, it lingered on her skin and it made her shiver a little. Okay, maybe this was for her as well, She didn't tell Sheldon but when she was researching this stuff she came across several horror stories from people doing this with strangers or hookups and how it had gone horribly wrong, on the same place the one thing that everyone agreed on was ‘you need to trust your partner’, trust them not to hurt you, to not abuse you, to not take advantage of the vulnerable position you are in. And she trusted Sheldon, he found something in this and it feels that she will also find it.

With slightly trembling fingers Sheldon put the rope around her tummy and then brought it up until it was directly under her chest, he adjusted the rope until she felt it tighten and her breathing started to come in a little bit faster.

As Sheldon was behind her she couldn’t see much of his work but when he asked to put her arms up his hands came around her, his fingers almost touching her breasts as he looped the rope around her. He wasn’t even touching her and she felt ready to explode, there was something about this that was intimate, she was allowing herself to be bound and that right there made her shiver, she was giving up control.

Just like before, without really noticing how, Sheldon had bound her. The rope was now under and above her breasts, the rope was tight around her body and as she looked down at herself she could swear that she was 1 or 2 cups than what she actually was and she moved a little she could feel the rope restricting her movements, almost forcing her to push out her chest to show to the world. It was a weird sensation, not bad, but she knew at that moment that she didn’t want anyone but Sheldon to see her like this.

"I’m afraid that’s all I can do with just one length of rope, usually one would use several lengths of rope. This is only the first step of a more complicated tie." He came around her to see his handiwork and as he watched her with that damn look, she had the odd urge to cover herself but she also felt the goosebumps on her skin and she wasn’t sure when it happened but there was a noticeable dampness between her legs.

Sheldon was not immune either, she saw the flush starting from his neck, the way his eyes moved to capture every detail and how his fingers grasped at nothing. She wasn’t hating this new vulnerable feeling, but she was still Penny.

Pouncing on Sheldon she kissed him deeply and felt him reciprocate with the same enthusiasm and she started to pull on his clothes as he did the same to her.

Later, much later she would thank that blue rope for making Sheldon take that final step in their relationship…and she would also curse it, rope burn was not a fun thing. Both she and Sheldon were sporting several and obvious marks on their bodies (She also wanted to learn how to tie him up and he was a willing participant) and she was sure that she was smiling like a loon so it would not take much to connect the dots on what they had been up to. It was Laundry night so they would be able to spend time rubbing some Aloe Vera in peace but they would need to go to the boys apartment for dinner eventually, maybe she could borrow a page from Sheldon’s book and just wear layers?.

She just hoped that Leonard would not make a scene if the guys noticed something was off.

In a weird way she got what she wanted. Of course Raj and Howard had noticed the rope burns and had to comment on them and her boyfriend, the genius scientist, the top dog of the physics world either was an idiot or post-sex Sheldon was just that relaxed because he admitted to the rope burn immediately as well as letting everyone know that he was buying the correct type of ropes to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Wackadoodle.

At least Leonard had taken it well. And by that she means that he passed out in his chair after mumbling something about babies.

She was the only sane one in the group sometimes.

Chapter Text

Penny had been so happy to be back in her own universe that she ran to Sheldon and basically bowled him over, his head in the middle cushion and her body on top.

"Penny?" he didn’t even sound upset, just worried.

"Hey Moonpie, look at me." Her voice was soft but her eyes were sharp as knives.

Sheldon looked at her and something in her face made him bring up a hand and cover his throat.

"Now Sheldon, you’re going to be very honest with me, okay?" He nodded. Good.

"What the hell is that?" she pointed at the metallic looking box which Sheldon had been fiddling with.

"It’s an experiment." Sheldon answered right away.

Penny nodded and smiled sweetly at him "Want to tell me why your experiment just sent me to another universe where I could have been trapped forever?!" Her voice raised with each word, she knew that it was mostly the shock and then the relief of being back home, that is if she hadn’t hallucinated the whole thing.

"WHAT?!" She had forgotten that he actually had a weight and height advantage, so when he stood up she ended up on the floor looking up at him. Her ass hurt and she was going to make sure he paid for that as well.

Setting her fists on her hips she glared up at him "You heard me, are you going to deny that’s what your experiment was supposed to do?" She saw as Sheldon collapsed on the couch and some of her anger was replaced with worry. He was already pale but now he might as well be transparent.

Okay, first question answered. It hadn’t been on purpose.

"Well?" she demanded as she tapped her foot. He turned to look at her but he was not there, the light was on but nobody was home. ‘Goddammit Sheldon’ she thought as her anger dissipated to manageable levels in order to make sure he was still breathing.

A slammed door made her jump and she looked to the hallway, expecting Leonard she was more surprised when he didn’t show up, peering closer revealed an empty hallway and closed doors. ‘So he only got up to slam the door closed because we interrupted his sleep, well, fuck you too’, she really wasn’t expecting much but was it crazy to want her boyfriend to come out and at least check out why she was upset?.

Turning back to Sheldon she saw that he was coming back, his eyes looked more alert and his body started moving. She yelped when his face was suddenly right in front of her and was about to step back when he held her face with his hands and looked right into her eyes. She could feel the blush creep up, she had always found his eyes to be very pretty and this was not helping, she had tried really hard to not imagine their Bizarro counterparts getting it on but this damn Wackadoodle had to come and break through. She licked her lips and Sheldon’s eyes followed every movement like a hawk and he finally noticed their closeness.

Sheldon took a very deliberate step back and only because he had been so close she was able to make up the light blush of his cheeks.

"I was trying to create a ‘projector’ of sorts" so we’re ignoring what just happened?, fine. "It was meant to show a glimpse, just a peek of alternate universes." He was getting excited, moving his hands in the air, tracing something only he could see.

"Yeah well, it did a little bit more than that." Her anger was returning, the grabbing of her face, Leonard being an ass and almost getting trapped in another reality made a girl cranky.

"Fascinating." He looked awed.

"No Sheldon. It was terrifying." Finally it clicked for him that she was not sharing his enthusiasm and to his credit he went about preparing her a hot beverage as well as explaining that he would have noticed her missing and put two and two together and he would have made sure to bring her home. He said it with such confidence that she couldn’t help but believe it, believe in him.

"Now Penny, I understand you need time to process your experience but this is unprecedented, this can change the world. Please tell me everything." He really looked like a kid on Christmas morning so she told him, the only thing she left out was the romantic relationship between their counterparts. She was not ready to open that can of worms.

Sheldon listened intently and didn’t interrupt. Somehow, telling him about it made it all the more real and the fear was being replaced with excitement.

"-and then I ended up back here, Leonard was still in bed so it looks like only seconds or minutes passed here but I must have been gone for 5 or 6 hours." She was exhausted but didn’t relish the thought of going back to Leonard’s room. The words of Bizarro Penny weighing heavy on her mind ‘You deserve better’.

"Penny, I need to do some work. I can finally see my Nobel again. Can we talk later tonight? Leonard and the rest are going to that awful club again." He was already distracted and working on his whiteboard, the metallic device forgotten on the table and she avoided it like she would a snake.

"I don’t know sweetie…a drink sounds really nice now." And it did, so many things happened today and she knew how easy it would be to just slip into oblivion.

Sheldon didn’t even stop working "I think I can get it open again."

Her breath was stolen. Of course, he activated it by accident so it would stand to reason that he could activate it purposefully now. "Is that safe Honey?" Her voice was breathy and faint.

"I’ll make sure it is safe and I’ll accompany you this time." Blue eyes met hers, he was so confident, so sure of himself.

Could she really do this? Go back? Yeah, she could. Because Sheldon would be by her side now and that means that whatever happens he has her back. "I’ll be here Honey." Her voice showed a confidence she did not feel, but it was okay because Sheldon would be there.

Rejecting Leonard’s offer to go to the club shouldn’t have felt as good as it did. He looked so disappointed in her that she just wanted to punch him. God, when had things turn so sour, she really didn’t want to hate Leonard but he made no secret of how much he disliked her and the things she liked, she even stopped wearing her favorite type of clothes because he couldn’t control his jealousy, same for dancing with her girlfriends, she had even rejected going out with a group of girls from work because she knew it would be just easier than to argue with Leonard. Was this really how life was supposed to be? When had she become someone so afraid of everything?.

She spent the afternoon just taking care of herself, eating cheese fries and ice cream without worrying about Leonard’s whiny recrimination. She even went out window shopping and when she saw a cute pair of denim shorts she bought them, if for nothing else than to shut up the voice in her head that said ‘Leonard would not like that’.

Going back to her apartment she went to prepare herself, she took a hot bath, wore cute makeup and put on her new shorts with a bright blouse and looking at herself in the mirror she had to wonder how she had lost herself so much. This was her, life had taken a lot out of her, the bubbly attitude was almost gone, she was meaner, less naïve, the world looked harsher now. She wants some of the old Penny back.

Hearing voices from 4A she moves and waits by the door, she can hear someone -maybe Amy- ask if Penny will be joining them. Leonard’s voice comes through clearly "No, she’s being a bitc-" and someone laughs and then the voices fade away.

She waits for the pang of pain, of her boyfriend referring to her as a bitch, of her friends laughing at it, except, it doesn’t come. She’s just so tired of it all. After Bernadette married Howard she started taking Leonard’s side more and more often and treated Penny like a crazy person for wanting to be treated better or wanting more. Amy seemed to waver between admiration and outright disgust and referred to Leonard’s opinion first. Howard had mellowed out since Bernadette and him got together but he was still a little creep and she knew that he would always take Leonard’s side no matter what, and Raj, poor Raj, he was a sweetheart when not drunk and when not influenced by Howard which sadly wasn’t often.

And then there was the Wackadoodle himself, she always felt close to him. With him it was always easy, like 2 pieces of broken glass that fit too well with one another. He was an ass but he was an ass to everyone. Sheldon was never purposefully hurtful, he was the perfect example of honesty without mercy and some days he was the only one that would tell her the truth. But he also admitted defeat when she got him good, He challenged her to be better. He was her best friend. And then she started to pull away, she knew he was aware of it and yet he never mentioned it, giving her the space she seemingly wanted. No more spaghetti dinners, no more soft kitty, no more Halo. No more requests for her to drive him somewhere. No more sets of three knocks. No more Penny’s spot. Because she had abandoned it.

Taking a shuddering breath she had to admit how lonely she had felt without Sheldon, because sure, they were still together in the group, but they no longer interacted with one another, just the two of them. At least not like they used to. To her it seemed that he was forcing himself to be with Amy…the same way she forced herself to be with Leonard. Two lonely people surrounded by people that didn’t give a shit about them.

What the hell was she doing with her life? Sure, she liked having that extra income from her new job but that feeling of wanting to act did not go away no matter how many times she tried to drown it in wine.

She had to find herself again, and more importantly she had to like herself again. Getting her best friend back sounded like a good place to start. And it wasn’t until her hand was on the doorknob that all of the anxiety, fear and nervousness came back, it hit her like a wave and she had to rest her head against the door. It was all too much.

"C’mon Penny, you got this." she muttered repeatedly. She wanted to stop fear from running her life, every decision she had made in the last few years had been born out of fear. Screw that.

Deep breath and she’s out of her door and opening 4A before any more second guessing can haunt her.

She had to hand it to Sheldon, when he had time to prepare it was hard to beat him. As soon as she was in 4A he had started to move, he had a note written ‘I’m feeling sick Leonard, can you get me some soup?’ and asked her to write something about her taking care of him and to tape it on the door to 4A. Then he locked, deadbolted and barricaded the door.

"We can’t risk being interrupted or anyone else going through that portal. The ramifications are too big to leave it up to chance." He said to her look and she had to admit that it did make sense.

"So what’s the plan here Moonpie? Are you simply activating it and we’re walking through it?"

"Don’t call me Moonpie. Essentially, yes. However…" his hesitation brought a new wave of anxiety "one of the components in the machine is basically a very expensive gemstone called Painite and earlier, after investigating the ‘camera’ (although I suppose I need to find a new way to call it) I noticed that the mineral had for the lack of a better word ‘crumbled’. I fortunately had the foresight to have a spare of each component but this means this is most likely the last time we can activate the machine (Perhaps ‘The Cooper Portal’?) so we should take full advantage of the time we have available to us. You mentioned 5 to 6 hours of time spent there and that should be our benchmark for this excursion." He stood in front of her, serious and business-like.

"How expensive a gem are we talking here?" That part had caught her attention, especially knowing this could very well be the last time they could use it before Sheldon proudly revealed it to the world, because she had no doubt that he would.

"Painite is an extremely rare mineral. These two specimens were provided to Caltech for identification and study but if you were to try and buy these in the open market then you would have to pay 80,000 to 100,000 per carat if not more. There are not many known deposits and the few that are known are heavily controlled."

She tried to close her mouth but it was hard, 100k for a single carat? These scientists were loaded. ‘Waitaminute’.

"Sheldon, does the university know that you have these rocks?"

"Of course they do!" She can breathe again "They were small and held no particular interest for study. I went through the proper channels."

"Okay, okay, just making sure Honey." She knew that sometimes Sheldon was happy to ignore the law in order to obtain something he wanted and in this case she had to wonder how many headaches he caused before whoever was in charge just gave in to his demands.

"I need a few minutes to double check everything, then I will once again point it towards Leonard’s door and we’ll know if the Nobel is within my grasp." He glared at the box, willing it to work and then took a seat in his spot.

She was going to sit in Leonard’s chair before stopping herself. In a deliberate move, she sat in what had once been her spot.

Sheldon stopped tinkering with the machine and turned to look at her in confusion and that look hurt her far more than Leonard’s dismissive words earlier. "Hey Sheldon," she reached to touch his arm and he flinched away ‘double ouch’, she knew it wasn’t unwarranted, she had stopped touching him. Something about the way Leonard was meaner to Sheldon after she touched him made it easier for her to simply stop. Like she had stopped being his best friend. She felt like crying but not yet ‘No fear Penny’.

"Sheldon. I’m so sorry." He was looking at her closely now, she knew that in the time it took her to open her mouth again he had already reviewed their past interactions and was now trying to find a reason for her apologizing and most likely was coming up blank, simply because they no longer had that many interactions.

"I’m sorry for not being there." And it’s only because she’s looking at him so closely that she catches the full body flinch, as if she had shocked him with a live wire. "I was so stupid, you were my best friend an-" She can’t stop the sobs and tears now so she doesn’t even try. She lets go.

The hand on her shoulder and the mechanical ‘There, there’ feel undeserved and she only cries harder.

‘Enough Penny, no easy way out. Talk to him’ She gets her emotions under control little by little and between sobs she explains it to him. How she felt alone, how she knew it was her fault for stepping back from their friendship. He was her best friend. She cried her way through the explanation of how Leonard would act whenever Sheldon and her shared hobbies or activities and she stupidly thought it was easier to not rock the boat, to pretend everything was fine and then Amy was there and Sheldon could talk science with Amy and at one point she felt like Sheldon didn’t need a Penny in his life anymore, not when there was an Amy there, occupying the spot she had left, in this couch, in his life.

Sheldon simply sat and listened as she bawled her way through an apology long overdue and it wasn’t until she was done that she realized that his hand had not left her shoulder, it brought a smile to her face and she hoped it was a sign that they would be okay.

"Penny, I-" There were very few times that she had seen Sheldon speechless but she was happy for it this time, because he was taking her seriously, he was not dismissing her words or feelings out of hand.

"I thought…Penny," He ran a hand over his pants frustratedly, anxiously and he finally looked her in the eye. Bright clear blue pools showed her what his face wouldn’t or couldn’t. The pain, the anger, the hope.

"Penny, as you must know by now, I’m not a sociable individual. I’m brilliant and always have been but this has always put a barrier between me and the rest of the world. Even with Leonard and the rest, they make no secret of the fact that they tolerate me at best and actively despise me at worst." Her heart broke at his words, because she knew. Sheldon Cooper did not lie and there were no twitches on his face.

"And I was content with this knowledge. But then you came barreling into our lives and I found myself floundering, you were chaos incarnate. You brought disruption into my life and yet I found that your presence was desirable, you quickly carved your own place in my life. You were my best friend." She smiled at his words, but her smile disappeared at ‘were’.

"You left." It was not an accusation, but stating a fact. "You stopped spending time with me, stopped playing games, stopped giving me rides and stopped sitting next to me." The way he was so business-like in his delivery would have made her upset any other time, he was acting as if he didn’t care, his words and tone were clinical. But she never took her eyes away from his and it made her feel horrible. There was a mountain of pain and she was only seeing the bottom of it.

"So I assumed you had finally had enough of me like everyone else." A punch to the chest would have hurt less. He thought she was tired of him. "As you resumed your ill-fated relationship with Leonard, it became abundantly clear that you had made a choice. Despite this I found myself looking forward to your continued presence in my life. And then Amy joined our group and you looked relieved when she did and removed yourself even further from our interactions until they were left to the bare minimum possible." She deserved every bit of pain that his words were causing, he said that she had made a choice and the pain in his eyes was deep. He had never been anyone’s choice.

"Sheldon, I’m so sorry." She held his hand in hers, hoping, willing her body to transmit how sorry she truly was. She wanted to wind back the clock, to go back and shake the past version of herself until she stopped being stupid.

"I never realized that you were in so much distress as well, so I believe that this brings us back to zero." He gave her a small hesitant smile and her heart soared.

"We can start over Sheldon. I want to be in your life, I want to be your friend again."

"That is acceptable." She inhaled deeply and held it until it hurt. They were going to be okay. Letting go of the breath she allowed her body to relax into the middle cushion. This was a great start, she was lucky that Sheldon forgave her and wanted to give their friendship another shot. This time she would not mess it up.

As for step two, it could wait until after they came back from this alternate world excursion. She needed to break things off once and for all with Leonard.

Chapter Text

Penny had to refresh her makeup in the boy’s apartment, she spent enough time here that it was no surprise that she found everything needed.

After crying her eyes out and talking it out with Sheldon she was feeling much better. They had the opportunity for a fresh start and she was not going to let it go to waste. And she made a vow to herself to not allow Sheldon to feel like he was no one’s choice. Penny had already left him behind once and it was not going to happen again.

Coming out from the bathroom she saw Sheldon was in his spot and was focused on the metallic box in front of him. Not fiddling with it or modifying it in any way.

"Are we ready for launch Honey?" Sliding into the role of his friend once again comes easy to her.

"Penny? This is not a rocke-oh-, I see." Breathy little laugh. "Yes, we’re ready. I was waiting for you."

Time to come clean about the one thing she has not revealed "Hey Hon, can we take a seat for a moment? There’s something I need you to tell you."

Sheldon sits in his spot and he gives her his full attention.

"Remember that I told you about the Other Penny and Sheldon being roommates?" And before he can interrupt "And yes, I know about your eidetic memory it was a rhetorical question."

He looks a little upset at being interrupted but otherwise gives no other reaction.

"Iwasn’tfullyhonestwithyouasIdidn’tknowhowyouwouldhandleitbutsince-" and she has to take a deep breath or risk passing out. ‘Okay, calm yourself’

"Sorry, sorry, I meant to say that I didn’t share one important detail. That the Other Penny and Sheldon are together."

He looks at her blankly and she wants to facepalm, of course Sheldon needs it to be spelt out.

"As in, romantically involved with one another." She can see him process this information in real time and is a bit let down that his only reaction is the squeak of an ‘oh’. Sheldon might as well be frozen for all he’s moving.

She had been worried about how he would handle this information, she expected doubt, confusion or even disbelief. But this quiet shocked Sheldon is not the reaction she expected, not at all. She’s still studying him so she catches the flush and how his hands are bunching up his shirt.

"I see." He finally says and it still sounds like a squeak that she can’t help but giggle and shake her head. He’s probably imagining that the other version of herself hogtied her version of Sheldon and dragged him in front of a justice of the peace to make an honest man out of him.

"Yes, well, thank you for telling me Penny." He is refusing to look at her and instead is pretending to work on the machine, he can be so innocent and cute sometimes.

"So, we’re ready now?" Best to move this along or they’ll never go.

Sheldon simply nods and for the first time since this whole thing began he looks nervous, but before she can ask if he’s sure about this, he presses a small button on the side of the machine. She can hear that same noise, something being suctioned, and suddenly there’s a shining portal where Leonard’s door should be.

She didn’t have time to really appreciate it before but, this is huge, this is going to change the world in ways that she doesn’t even know and Sheldon’s face and reaction only reinforces that idea. It’s like his body can’t contain the excitement and happiness he’s feeling, he turns to look at her and the unrestrained joy in his face is enough that she feels a grin break her face because this is just pure untainted joy, ‘Sheldon should always have this expression.’ She sighs knowing that neither of them had been happy for a long time.

"C’mon Honey, let's go meet…well, I suppose you’ll meet ‘Us’ or a version of us." Her earlier apprehension is gone and now she’s excited for this trip. Last time she was worried about not knowing if she was going to make it back home so she couldn’t ask questions, she wanted to ask Bizarro Penny ‘Are you happy?’ and she wanted advice from a version of her that seemed to have her life together.

"Penny, we should hold hands, I don’t know if otherwise we’ll be taken separately but I rather not risk it." His hand looked big but there was no way she could miss the shaking. She could have teased him, or complained but instead she simply held his hand. She had forgotten how big his hands actually were.

Taking one last calming breath and then they were both falling, she knew that this feeling was temporary but her stomach still did flips. And just as suddenly they were touching solid ground again. She didn’t even notice her eyes had closed, Sheldon’s hand felt solid and fortifying so she opened her eyes and was excited to see the same room as that morning.

One half of the room had superhero paraphernalia as well as toys, figurines, etc and the other side had shoes, bags and she hadn’t noticed the first time but there was also a collection of care bears carefully sitting at the top of the shoe closet. Looking back she saw the hallway leading to the living room, no portal. This time she didn’t freak out and tried to enjoy this trip, judging by the sunlight coming from the window. This was either morning or early afternoon in this Universe, how much time had passed for this version of themselves?.

It finally clicked for her that Sheldon had remained suspiciously quiet so far so looking at him she saw an extremely shocked Sheldon Cooper, open mouth and wide eyes trying to take everything in front of him. She had to snap her fingers several times in front of him until he finally reacted and turned those wide eyes at her.

"It worked, it truly worked." His voice was just a whisper and just as she was about to tease him a little he started crying, huge fat tears ran down his face. Before she could react he pulled her to him and crushed her against him.

Penny was not a delicate flower, but even she was surprised by the amount of strength that Sheldon’s skinny body had and just as she was about to push against him she caught him still whispering and it broke her heart, "I’m not a failure." he kept repeating this like a mantra and she decided to respond to his hug in the same way and held him tightly against her. Two broken individuals embracing each other in a different universe.

Penny wasn’t sure how long they spent embracing each other but Sheldon finally pushed her away and gave her one of his small but sincere smiles. She smiled back and squeezed his body one last time before letting go.

"C’mon Honey, let’s go see if anyone’s home." She held his hand and guided him outside.

The apartment looked pretty much the same as it had that morning. She was much calmer this time so all of those little details she missed the first time now were clear. Throw pillows, the blanket on the couch, the cabbage patch doll sitting next to Sheldon’s Green Lantern figurine, the post it notes in her girly chicken scratch littering the side of the fridge, an astrology calendar, a pink border whiteboard filled with ideas for a show sat right next to another plain whiteboard that contained formulas. She could see herself living here, there was a longing in her for this place. A home she never knew.

They both stood in the middle of the living room and took everything in, she wished that she could pick open his head to know what was going through his mind at that moment.

"Moonpie? You forgot something?" The voice coming from the bedroom made them jump and they turned just as Bizarro Penny stepped into the hallway adjusting her robe. Penny felt that a tiny cute wave was the right course of action.

Bizarro Penny didn’t even stop in her stride, she kept going to the kitchen, "You’re not getting the satisfaction of surprising me, I told Shelly this would happen but does he listen to me? Nope." She started to fill a tea kettle to boil, "But what do I know right? I'm just his wife and my hunches are always right. ‘Penny, don’t be silly’ Hah, who's silly now Moonpie." She finally turned to look at them and sighed, "Sorry, it’s just, hormones, you know how it is." She waved a hand as if blowing away smoke.

"Hormones?" Penny felt herself asking.

Instead of answering, Bizarro Penny opened her bathrobe to show a small and perfectly round baby bump and Penny’s gasp was echoed by Sheldon beside her.

Ignoring how she and Sheldon were stunned into silence, Bizarro Penny pulled out her phone, pressed a couple of buttons and then put it on the kitchen island, they could hear it ringing. "Dr. Sheldon Cooper." Of course he replied like that in this world too.

"Hey Moonpie, you owe me that Cabo vacation AND the Cheer Bear."

"Penny? What are yo-oh-" a groan of pure frustration comes through the phone "I’ll be right there, keep them occupied meanwhile please."

"Will do. Love ya."

"I love you too." And the call ends.

She’s not sure what she finds the weirdest. The fact that the Bizarro versions of themselves obviously loved each other very much or the fact that their banter was pretty much the same as theirs had been in the past…without the love you’s…and the baby making.

Bizarro Penny went about preparing herself a cup of tea and something in Sheldon finally reacted because he directed her to sit down while he took over the task. Bizarro Penny’s light pat on the cheek and muttered ´Thank you Shelly’ made him freeze for a moment and Penny could see the tension in his muscles, he didn’t know how to handle this and if she was honest with herself, neither did she.

It was one thing to know Bizarro Penny and Sheldon were a couple but that baby bump made it all so much more real. Penny took the time to really observe Bizarro Penny and was once again struck by how this version of her was so much different. Bizarro Penny was obviously tired but she seemed to have a permanent smile on her face.

"So…baby?" She squeaks and Sheldon turns to look at her as if she was crazy.

Bizarro Penny laughs, thanks Sheldon for the cup of tea and takes a sip before answering. "I always liked your tea better. Thanks Shelly."

Sheldon colors a little and mutters a ‘You’re welcome.’ and Penny feels…something. She is not sure she can put it into words and she’s not sure that she wants to. She’s weirded out at how not weird it is that this Penny sounds so at ease and in love, it’s a small thing but it carries a significance that she can’t fathom but Bizarro Penny starts talking and Penny gladly backs from this line of thinking.

"Yep," popped word and everything "baby. For us it’s been 6 months since we last saw you. How about for you?"

"It was literally this morning for me, Sheldon figured out that we could return and he couldn’t wait, neither could I to be honest and," she pauses, unsure "and here we are." tries to smile and is happy that Bizarro Penny smiles back.

"I knew that you guys would be back. My Moonpie was sure that you would not return but I had a gut feeling. And you guys got me my vacation and my Care Bear so I’m a happy duck."

While they wait for Bizarro Sheldon to get home Penny decides to tell Sheldon about meeting the other version of him and is stumped when he asks "But why would two Penny’s imply that it is a birthday?" honest confusion in his features and Penny can feel the blush creep up when Bizarro Penny decides to be helpful.

"Oh Shelly, you know, having your cake and eating it too…and then seeing your cake eat another cake." Bizarro Penny frowns at the lack of understanding in his face and glances at her. Penny can only shake her head hoping she gets it. She does not.

"Um, inviting a guest star to the show?." She buries her head into her hands, this can’t be real.

"Having a three-piece meal?" She’s mortified and looks up at Bizarro Penny to ask her to stop when she sees the shit-eating grin on her counterpart’s face. She’s enjoying this.

Finally having enough she whispers the answer to Sheldon and he turns to look at her uncomprehendingly for a moment before his face literally flushes tomato red and he gives her an outraged "PENNY!" and then turning to the other version of her "PENNY!?"

Of course Bizarro Penny finds this to be the funniest thing ever and can’t stop laughing while Penny is trying her best to sink into the kitchen island stool. Alternate universes were dumb.

Still wheezing, Bizarro Penny tells Sheldon "I’m sorry Shelly but that was way too funny." wiping tears from her eyes she continues "And don’t worry, I don’t share and neither does he. It was just a joke." Sheldon just mutters something and Penny is too mortified to pay attention to it but Bizarro Penny just chuckles a little more at him.

A phone ring interrupts them "Whatup Moonpie?" She can see Sheldon's eyebrow twitch in annoyance, Penny is not sure if it is because of the nickname or the grammar.

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds great, hold on, let me ask." Turns to them and stage whispers ‘Thai food good for you two?’ She turns to look at Sheldon and hesitantly nods alongside him "Yeah, it’s fine. Oh, don’t forget some of those prawn spring rolls, and the sweet chilli sauce. Okay, thanks. Love you too."

Penny is suddenly jealous of the soft smile on Bizarro Penny’s face, she looks so happy and content. Why couldn’t she get that? Did she really fuck up so much her choices that it lead her to be in a loveless relationship with a man that barely even likes her and the part that he likes is just because she’s blonde and hot. She can’t even enjoy football anymore without it somehow making Leonard feel, she doesn’t even know what, emasculated? Disappointed in her? As if she failed some girly test that only he knows the answers to, and she can never pass.

Bizarro Penny catches the look and holds her hand and it makes Penny feel worse. It’s not Bizarro Penny’s fault, there’s no magic button, no time machine. She can either be jealous and wallow in self-pity or do better, take control of her own destiny. Yeah, she likes the sound of that much more and it gives her the strength to return a watery smile at the woman in front of her, this woman who is her and yet is not.

"Penny?" Sheldon's usually confident voice is now guarded, this is freaking him out more than he expected. And when two blonde heads swivel at him at the same time he doesn’t know where to look and just points to Bizarro Penny quickly before bringing his hand back down "Ah, Penny, you."

"You can call me Queen P if it’s easier." Bizarro Penny says teasingly and Sheldon brightens now being sure of how to address this version of her and completely missing the teasing tone.

"That is acceptable. Queen P," he starts and Penny sees the fond exasperation in Bizarro Penny’s head shake and smile. "I was wondering, Penny, I mean, my Penny, she mentioned that you knew your Sheldon since you were kids. Could you perhaps tell me more in detail how this occurred? I must admit to be baffled at what events would need to take place for it to happen." Penny turns eagerly to Bizarro Penny, this is a story she wanted to hear in full, last time she was in no place to listen to it, but now? She needed the details.

Bizarro Penny hums and looks up, "Well…I suppose the biggest thing is that we moved to Galveston, Texas. I remember you mentioned growing up in Nebraska." Points at Penny and she nods once to confirm. "But when I was 9 things got difficult at home. My father always was an insecure man. You know the type, he was always hounding mom about where she was going and who she was talking to. It was bad. I don’t know why but my father loved to cheat on mom and then brag to her about it." A grimace of disgust crossed her face at the memory.

"And when mom threatened to leave or started packing her bags, he would always try to guilt trip her into staying. ‘Think of the kids, do you really want them to grow up without their dad?’ or his favorite, ‘Are you really willing to throw away all our years together for one silly mistake?’." Bizarro Penny’s head shakes as if to rid it of the memory by force alone.

"Anyway, it was bad. Mom started drinking heavily by that point, Timmy was already well on his way to juvie, Maggie was looking for any means to leave home even if it meant marrying the first asshole that crossed her path and I was trying so hard to impress my dad. I thought that if I became the son he always wanted, that things would be okay. He could stop whoring and mom would stop drinking and then one night I walked past my parent’s bedroom on the way back from Junior Rodeo and saw my mom crying. It wasn’t like the other times, she looked sober, I was hesitant if I should talk to her or not, our relationship by this point was not the best. But in the end I went in and sat next to her on the bed." Bizarro Penny swipes at a couple of tears but her voice is steady.

"I don’t exactly remember what we talked about, but I’ll never forget the face she made when I told her why I was doing Junior Rodeo. She had this horrified look and she held me so tight that it hurt. A month later we were on our way to Texas. I don’t know why mom chose Texas but it was the best thing that could have happened to us. Timmy actually went back to finish High School and found that he loved shop, while he never cared much for engines back in the farm, now he couldn’t get enough of them. Maggie was pissed at first, she was acting all brat-like but she and mom started going to church and Maggie started changing…apparently one of the boys in Sunday school was very hot." The wry grin on her face is more fondness than anything else.

"As for me, I have to admit that while not as bad as Maggie, I was still a little shit. I was a daddy’s girl and even though mom had explained to me the reason why we had to leave, well, it didn’t make it any easier. I befriended the girl that sat next to me on the first day of school. One Missy Cooper." Sheldon gasps. "We had a lot in common. She was also a little shit back then. We bonded over our frustration for our family situations and by the end of that first month of being in school we had become inseparable. Missy would always come to my house, she never wanted me to go to hers but one day that Maggie and mom were fighting more than usual Missy actually dragged me to her house, and I met the love of my life." She sighed fondly before smirking at Sheldon "Georgie Cooper."

Sheldon sputtered and even Penny found herself laughing.

"I’m kidding Shelly, I’m kidding. I love your brother but he’s as sharp as an obtuse angle at times. I mean, yeah, I had a crush on Georgie but then he opened his mouth and well, there was a reason why Meemaw didn’t let him balance the books." Penny is assaulted again by that feeling, this woman in front of her, she’s lived a full life alongside these people. She talks of Sheldon’s family with the ease and familiarity of years. Penny’s heart breaks a little for what could have been.

"Wait." Sheldon interrupts and he tilts his head in thought. "You said you met Missy in class." Waits for Bizarro Penny’s nod before continuing. "But Missy is the same age as me and we’re five years older than Penny."

Bizarro Penny’s eyebrows go high and turn to her in question. Penny simply nods to confirm. Bizarro Penny’s jaw drops in surprise. "Wow, well, here you and Missy are only 2 years older than me. Missy was held back a year and that’s why I was able to be in the same class as her." She explains sounding off put for the first time.

"Missy was held back?!" Penny snaps her fingers in front of him and chastises him "Sweetie, not the point." Penny makes sure he is paying attention to her. "Is this possible, that in one universe we’re different ages. Maybe even one where I’m older than you?" Sheldon listens to her but doesn’t seem to be registering her words and she’s about to snap her fingers again when he nods at her and simply says "Everything is possible." Good enough for her.

Bizarro Penny continued with her explanation, "Er, yes, so I met Sheldon the first time I visited Missy’s home. He was cute in an annoying way and always needed to be the smartest person in the room. He was the mad scientist and I became his assistant…Poor Snowball. And somewhere between us having shooting competitions and prank wars I fell in love with the Wackadoodle."

The sound of keys followed by the door opening interrupts the tale. Bizarro Sheldon walked in and was instantly frozen in place at seeing Sheldon, who himself is equally frozen in place. Rolling her eyes, Bizarro Penny grabs the bags of food and moves to the couch motioning to Penny to follow her and then points to the loveseat where in another universe Leonard’s chair sits. "Just give them a second." And she’s handed a take-out container. ‘Huh, Pad See. Score’.

"Fascinating." Penny is not sure who said it but the Sheldon’s are finally reacting. Seeing them side by side like this makes it easier to tell the differences between them. Bizarro Sheldon has laugh lines and he is not as jerky in his movements, there’s also a confidence in the way he moves that is missing from her Sheldon.

"Hey Moonpie, kiss me before you kiss your doppelganger." Both Sheldon’s turn to glare at her but Bizarro Sheldon complies and before sitting in his spot, he gives Bizarro Penny a chaste but sweet kiss, Penny doesn’t miss the way his hand moves to lightly touch the baby bump and in one interaction she can see the love and care they have for each other. It makes her eyes water and she takes a bite of her noodles to drown the sob trying to escape as her Sheldon joins her in the loveseat.

"I was telling our guests how you shouldn’t gamble against me." A teasing grin that is matched by Bizarro Sheldon.

"I will win one day Woman." The grin takes all the bite from the response. And Penny’s heart squeezes a little.

"Anyway. As I was saying, I fell in love first with my Moonpie here first but he fell harder for me."

Bizarro Sheldon is suddenly very interested in finding the right container for him, "There was no falling involved. We simply made the logical choice for our respective partners and came to the only logical conclusion that I was the ideal mate for you and you for me." The tone is clinical and detached and is fully ruined by the blush in Bizarro Sheldon’s face as well as the small twitch on his cheek. Bizarro Penny’s soft smile makes Penny think that they are used to telling this story in this exact same way.

"He was head over heels in love with me by the time it came for him to get his first doctorate…I was also fourteen so both Mom and Mrs. Cooper forbade us from getting married. We had to wait three years, but then I was able to join him here in Pasadena so I could attend college."

Penny can’t believe what she’s hearing. This version of her wanted to get married at fourteen?. She tries to remember what it was for her at that age and can only remember that she dated 4 different boys right before turning fifteen and then discovering sex and never wanting to get married.

"It must be nice to be each other’s first kiss huh?" Penny asks them. And it’s the sudden silence that makes her look up from her food. Bizarro Penny is still smiling but there’s an edge to the smile now, her eyes are hard as she looks at Bizarro Sheldon, and he’s looking at Penny like she just said that Batman was overrated.

"…or not?." Penny says into the silence and even her Sheldon is looking at her like she’s crazy.

Bizarro Sheldon seems to have more common sense or at least is able to handle situations better because he tells Bizarro Penny to go finish their food in their bedroom while he and Sheldon talk science and boring stuff as he very skillfully directs his pregnant wife.

Once they’re alone in their bedroom Penny takes the chance to look around and is not surprised to see that the closet is divided in two, with the half containing women's clothes being slightly messy. Without so many of Sheldon’s things the room was actually spacious, there was a cute looking vanity with some very expensive products on it. ‘Damn, she has the good stuff’ A quick and guilty thought crosses her mind.

"Hey, sorry about that, earlier, I mean. It’sobviousthere’ssomehistorythereand-" Bizarro Penny sighs and waves her hand.

"It’s nothing, don’t worry. But!," and she turns serious and points a finger at Penny, "If you ever meet a Paige Swanson, don’t let her get her grubby little paws on Sheldon. Capisce?" Penny can only nod and make a mental note to ask Sheldon about this Paige.

"So, we’re not a fan of Paige?"

"No. We’re. Not."

"Got it." ‘Sorry Paige’.

Bizarro Penny shook her head and gave her a forced smile "Enough about me, tell me what you didn’t tell me last time. I know there’s more to the story and those two out there will take forever." For some reason Penny is more focused on the fact that they’re eating in Sheldon’s room than anything else. Like she’s doing something naughty. She voices these thoughts and chokes on her noodles at the response. "Just let him knock you up and you’ll see he adapts quickly."

Penny knows she can be blunt but being on the receiving end is not fun.

Once she recovers she tells Bizarro Penny as much as she can. How Leonard was a nice guy and it was a nice change of pace from her usual dating pool. He wasn’t a meathead and was actually smart and could be sweet. Except. He wasn’t actually. He started treating her differently, tried to change her, made her take psych classes and it wasn’t until Sheldon pointed out how he was basically trying to turn her into his mother that it clicked and she broke up with him. Only to be back with him when her father turned up and basically told her she would not find anyone better and she should hold on to him. How Leonard went from this sweet guy to a controlling and manipulative stranger, she stopped wearing shorts and tops, she stopped trying to act, she stopped spending time with Sheldon, she stopped sitting next to Sheldon, she stopped going out dancing…she stopped being Penny. All to please him, because she was afraid of ending up alone and unloved. But it didn’t matter, because she was still lonely, she was still feeling unloved, she no longer enjoyed sex, it became a chore, the only moment her acting classes came in handy.

She cried her way through how their friends were basically just tolerating her and Sheldon. Bernadette acted like Penny was spoiled for wanting to feel loved. Amy praised and insulted her in the same breath. She did not even bother telling Bizarro Penny about Howard and Raj.

Penny held onto Bizarro Penny as if her life depended on it, she told how she had abandoned Sheldon, how they had reconciled but she was still afraid, of not being good enough to be her friend, of regressing to the same relationship. Their group of ‘friends’ was bad for her and Sheldon but she didn’t want to leave without Sheldon.

Bizarro Penny listened to it all without interrupting while rubbing small circles on Penny’s back and once Penny finally said all she needed to say Bizarro Penny sing ‘Soft Kitty’ to Penny and it made her cry again but this time there was laughter as well, because of course it had to be that song.

A yelp of pain from the living room made both Penny’s scramble for the door, each trying to reach their respective idiot.

Penny was the first to reach the living room and she was shocked that it was exactly what she expected for once in her goddamn life. Bizarro Sheldon was standing and looking at his hand like he couldn’t believe he had just slapped someone else. Meanwhile, her Sheldon was still in the loveseat holding his cheek with both hands and looking up in disbelief at Bizarro Sheldon. Penny went to check on her Sheldon and he looked at her like a lost deer. She tried to be angry but she had kind of expected this outcome.

Bizarro Penny was checking on her own Sheldon and once she knew he was fine she started to question him "What the hell was that? Does this Sheldon believe in loop theory? Did he say the Flash sucks?"

Bizarro Sheldon finally reacted and pointed at her Sheldon, "He gave up on his Penny!."

"She said NO!" Sheldon stood up and glared at his Bizarro counterpart and Penny was feeling lost, she didn’t know what they were talking about.

"So, the ‘great’ Sheldon Cooper took the easy way out, is that it?" Bizarro Sheldon was also glaring back and she was thankful Bizarro Penny was in the way as it looked that was the only reason he hadn’t taken a step towards her Sheldon.

Penny decided to copy her own counterpart and put herself in front of her Sheldon, this was quickly moving in a direction she didn’t want. What the hell had happened here.

Bizarro Penny took hold of Bizarro Sheldon’s face and forced him to look at her, her words were quick and angry, "Explain. Simple terms."

Bizarro Sheldon vibrated in his place and with a sigh all of the tension in his body left and he collapsed into his spot. Bizarro Penny quickly took a seat in his lap and Penny suspected that it was because she knew he would not get up while she was there.

While Bizarro Sheldon no longer looked like he wanted to slug it out his words still carried a certain amount of tension and anger "We were discussing several topics when I asked why he hadn’t asked Penny out yet." Penny’s mouth went dry and she kept her eyes in her hands, currently pushing against her Sheldon’s chest.

"He claims that he asked her out and was rejected." Wait. What. When.

"I requested clarification on the matter and Sheldon said that he allowed Penny to believe the invitation had been a childish attempt at making Amy Farrah Fowler jealous as he didn’t want to face further humiliation." Penny’s hands were trembling now, she didn’t know if it was rage or anxiety.

She remembers that day, Sheldon had asked her out and she had said that Sheldon was only doing it to make Amy Jealous, that…that he didn’t care about her in that way. Fuuuuuuck. Penny closed her eyes because she couldn't believe she really was this stupid. Sheldon only says things that he means.

"I inquired if he was happy to make Penny believe that and he confirmed that it was his course of action as Penny was in love with his roommate Leonard and her rejection was further proof of this, as such he could give up on courting her."

Penny’s hands are still on Sheldon’s chest but they’re no longer to keep him away, but to keep her steady.

"I rejected his conclusion as he had arrived at it with false data. Even I, with my limited experiences in human emotions, can understand that Sheldon is giving up and not giving Penny the chance to respond honestly and thus denying her a choice. I…reacted poorly to this information and was further provoked when Sheldon admitted to not wanting to rectify the situation." Shame crawls into his voice "I acted impulsively, I apologize. I never expected my reaction to be so visceral." Looks into Sheldon’s eyes "I disagree with your conclusion and findings but should not have acted in this manner. Would you like a hot beverage?"

Penny finds herself turning to look in disbelief at Bizarro Sheldon. Bizarro Penny is giving him an equally incredulous look.

"That would be acceptable. I accept your apology." Penny turns to look at her Sheldon, still in disbelief. ‘That’s it? They’re back to being friends?’. Turning a pleading look to Bizarro Penny she finds a mirror of her current expression.

Wackadoodles.

Bizarro Penny threatens the boys to behave and reminds them that the time is short so they need to limit their talk to geeky stuff and science. Both Sheldon's quickly agree and promise to play nice.

And it’s not until she’s back in the bedroom with Bizarro Penny settling in the bed that her brain replays the conversation ‘She said NO’ and Penny groans as she settles next to Bizarro Penny.

"He asked me out. I said no, because I assumed that he only did it to make another woman jealous." Penny feels like crying again, today she has cried more than in previous years, but she guesses that’s what happens when you realize how fucked up your life is.

"Well Honey, that’s dumb. Sheldon never says anything he doesn’t actually feel. So yes, we can agree that was dumb, the question now is, what are you planning to do about it?."

"I don’t know. I mean, I’m still dating Leonard and he’s still dating Amy. And we’re just now recovering our friendship and there’s all this other bullshit. Howard, Raj, Amy and Bernadette will never let us be ourselves and-" Bizarro Penny puts a hand on her mouth to stop her rant.

"Okay, first of all, breathe. Second, forget all that BS, I asked what you were planning on doing. I’m not telling you to go back to your universe and marry the man. In fact, it might be a good idea to stay single for a while and just try taking it one day at a time with Sheldon."

Penny hesitates, wanting to ask if she thinks she and Sheldon can make a relationship work but then her eyes rest on the baby bump of the other woman and she swallows the words.

Bizarro Penny takes her hesitation for something else, "And don’t you tell me that it’s because you’re both dating someone else. I can already see it, you are going to break up with your goblin and he’s going to break up with this Amy girl and you will both dance around the issue and pretend it’s normal because you’re both cowards and you’ll start dating in 5 years expecting the time be right for everyone but yourselves." And the worst part was that Penny could picture that exact scenario happening.

"So what should I do?" Maybe this is what it felt like having an older sister that gave a shit about you?.

"Look, the environment you both are in is super toxic. You told me all about your friends and not one thing was good, Bernadette wants to make you into a stepford wife and Leonard only wants you as a dick-warmer. Amy wants to change who Sheldon is by vetoing every single of his hobbies and the guys just treat him like a thing with no feelings instead of a fellow human being. I think you need to get out of there, if Sheldon was alone I don’t think he would do it. But, he has you right?. Sheldon does best when you are direct with him. Be blunt and just go ‘Do you have a plan for you and me to escape this environment?’ and I’m 99% sure that he’ll have like 3 plans in place and each and every one of them accounts for your presence."

Bizarro Penny made it sound so easy.

They spent the rest of the time talking about what Penny wanted to do with her life and she had to agree that now with her new job she had disposable income to invest in acting classes as well as improv classes. Bizarro Penny gave her a few tips on how to read scripts and find the clues left behind by the writers on the character they had in mind.

Penny was having fun when the now familiar suction sound interrupted them. Before Bizarro Penny could react Penny hugged her while muttering "thank you’ over and over. Opening the bedroom door revealed the pair of geniuses inspecting the portal.

"It’s time." Her Sheldon remarked, he was back to his usual demeanor and you’d never know he was slapped by a younger version of himself.

Penny hugged Bizarro Penny again and then gave a big hug to Bizarro Sheldon while whispering into his ear "Don’t touch my Moonpie again." the wide eye glance he gave her felt pretty good.

Not wasting any more time Penny held onto Sheldon’s hand and jumped through the portal. She was feeling pretty good about this entire trip. She’s got new determination, a new plan to move her life forward and got her best friend back. All in a day's work.

Landing into Leonard’s room felt bad. Not because of the travel itself but because she found she had an almost violent reaction to this room. It smelled of her dad’s cologne, of disapproval and barely concealed disgust.

She walked out into the living room, still holding onto Sheldon’s hand.

"I’ll go remove the note." He was avoiding her.

Just as he reached to unbarricade the door she hugged him from behind and felt him tense up.

"Penny wha-" He cutoff as familiar voices sounded behind the door.

"Crap, Sheldon’s sick. God, we can never catch a break."

"Look, Penny is with him, that’s her writing." Sounded like Bernadette.

"Haha, that’s what she gets for bailing on us." Howard is always lovely.

"Shhhh, don’t make noise. We’ll pretend to not have seen this. Raj you still have my emergency bag right?"

A pause.

"Then I’ll stay with you for a couple of days and come back once Penny begs me to. Lets go."

Footsteps going down and then silence.

Still hugging Sheldon from behind Penny goes for broke "Moonpie? I don’t want to live here anymore. Can we go? Together. I think we’d make pretty kickass roommates."

Sheldon instead of tensing sort of goes slack, as if a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. "In my desk, the blue folder is for apartments in California, the gray one is for apartments in Texas and the red one for apartments in New York."

"Okay." She mumbles against the fabric of his shirt. And she means it.

They are going to be okay.

Chapter Text

Sheldon considered himself a rather patient individual. After all, he had not proceeded with his scorched earth plan on his ‘friends’ after the mess in the Arctic, as was his initial plan. Rather he took care to listen to his mother and decided to forgive them, to put his other cheek.

To forgo his Nobel dreams in the name of friendship.

His mother was rather proud but Sheldon felt that he lost something important. He no longer found the same joy in the things and activities he had ingrained into his routine for years. For the first time in his life, Sheldon Cooper PhD was lost. Of course he still went through the motions, laundry night, Halo, Thai food, orange chicken (that should be tangerine chicken), and Penny.

And yet, this feeling of emptiness never goes away. Once Amy joins the group he starts getting anxious. These people, his supposed friends want him to stop being himself, they want to change him, to make him ‘Human’. Sheldon scoffs at that, Howard, Raj and Leonard confound emotions with wanton abandon of their baser desires.

And now, those same people have dragged him from his safe place, his home, with lies and deception about a Train exposition in Vegas. He should have known that there was no real possibility that they would present the East Indian Railway No. 22 in this supposed Exposition.

To add insult to injury, it was revealed to him that the purpose for this trip was in reality to witness the culmination of the train wreck that is Penny and Leonard’s relationship in a cheap Vegas chapel. Utterly humiliating.

He demanded that Leonard stop the car and let him out. He would rather walk in the desert than participate in this sham of a wedding. This was the last straw. He couldn’t be around these people, already making plans, contracts and letters in his head, Sheldon walked into the Nevada desert and was followed closely by an anxious Penny, an exasperated Leonard and an angry Amy.

"Moonpie, please, let’s go back to the car." Penny’s voice was pleading. Sheldon usually found Penny’s voice to be attractive, the tone would set him at ease, but this occasion he didn’t want to hear her.

Walking faster up a dune his longer gait gave him an advantage. Why couldn’t Penny understand that this wasn’t okay? It was beneath her, it was beneath him. "Don’t call me Moonpie!" The anger in his voice sounded more George than Mary and that only made him angrier.

Finally reaching the top of the dune he needed to vent, so turning and looking down at Penny, the rest were rather behind, Penny was the only one truly making the effort to reach him, and thus would be the recipient of his anger.

"Penny! Please stop, I expect nothing from the rest. But you? You were supposed to be my friend. I have made no secret of my feelings about you and Leonard’s relationship and now you want to make me complicit in it? In a cheap chapel that smells of vomit, smoke and alcohol no less. You deserve more, you deserve better." He’s panting now, due to the physical effort and the emotional outburst.

"Sheldon, I…" Penny raises her hands up in defeat "What do you want me to do? I lo-love Leonard and want to marry him." She once again pleads, "Please come down and let’s go to the car."

"Like hell I will. I will no-" Sheldon takes a step back in the middle of his sentence, he can feel the sand shift under him and suddenly a familiar feeling of being weightless so he closes his eyes and waits for the impact.

It never comes.

Penny scrambles up the dune as fast as she can. The sand burns her hands and legs but she doesn’t care. One moment Sheldon was there and then she saw the panic in his eyes as he tumbled backwards. She’s hoping and praying he hasn’t hurt himself by falling down the other side of the dune.

Except, there’s nothing there once she makes it up. There are no marks or trails in the sand, it looks undisturbed. A snake of anxiety and fear coils around her spine.

"Sheldon?!" She waits for a response. Silence.

"Hey Moonpie, where are you?!" Silence is the only response. That snake of fear now makes her body a home.

The others arrive soon enough, she explains the situation and everyone is searching alongside her, but they turn up empty handed. It’s as if he had just disappeared.

Amy mentions quicksand but even she doesn’t sound sure of it. They still end up calling 911, in less than 12 hours they get an excavator there and they only find sand.

Penny is shocked and doesn’t know what to do. She’s trying not to cry, to have hope. But her gut is telling her that Sheldon is gone.

The same gut that told her marrying Leonard was a bad idea. She refused to listen and look where it led them.

Sheldon said she deserved better. She was going to listen.

Sheldon woke up with a start, his mind already bringing his last moment of consciousness at the forefront. He expects pain, scorching heat, maybe a hospital bed, but the feeling under his fingers is that of blades of grass, his back is not hurting but he is wet, no, not exactly.

Opening his eyes Sheldon sees the early morning sun. Looking down at himself he finds his body and clothes covered in a light layer of dew, as if he had spent the night outside.

Further observation shows that his fingers were right, he is lying in grass. It’s a clearing, dense forest surrounds this clearing and he can hear birds, critters and nature all around him. The temperature is warm, probably Summer. This is…odd.

He tries to dig deeper in his memories but there is nothing, examining his own body reveals a change but not one he expected, or wanted, or even thought possible. He compares his hands to the ones he used to write an email this morning and they’re different. They’re still his hands but a quick search of his memory brings him the image he needs to compare them to, these are the hands he had at 22. He was now 35.

Focusing on the strangeness of the situation kept the panic at bay. Focus on the sensations and not the emotions he repeated to himself.

The clothes were the ones he was wearing in the desert. He checked his pockets, nothing. He still had his belt and belt buckle, the belt buckle had a small hidden stainless steel knife, custom made to his specifications.

Sheldon could feel the panic now, on the outskirts of his consciousness. Where was he? The empty pockets and the change in biome meant that someone or something had moved him. The fact that his body was younger made him more likely to believe that this was an extraterrestrial force.

But if that was the case, why leave him in the middle of a clearing like this?.

Long archived memories of his father and Meemaw teaching him how to survive in the wilderness as well as his own planning and education coalesced in one simple plan:
-Find where you are. Solution: Wait until nighttime in order to navigate using the stars.
-Find a safe spot to sleep. Solution: A tree should offer enough distance between most predators
-Find water and food. Solution: No sound of running water, needs further investigation. Belt can substitute as a sling. Belt buckle knife opened possibilities for food. Alternative, locate edible berry bush.

With a plan in mind, Sheldon set off towards the forest.

Sheldon was definitely not having a good time. He was thankful for the hunting lessons, it helped him avoid the tracks of bigger animals, he was also thankful for the lessons on how to navigate the forest. He was thankful for his acute hearing as an hour into his walk he was able to find a decent sized river and was moving upstream to try and find any signs of human life.

He was not thankful for his large frame, it made it harder to move silently. He was not thankful for the way his feet hurt and he was certainly not thankful for having to climb a tree just as the sun was setting.

The tree was decent sized, he found a branch that would hold his weight and sat to wait for the night to fall. He was running through different ways of how to contact his family once civilization was in sight, when all his plans came crashing down. He did not recognize these stars, no North Star, no little dipper, no Orion’s belt. Sheldon had a panic attack.

He tried to control his breathing but it kept coming fast, he was alone, he tried to not shiver and stay in place, he was crying, he was going to die. He wanted to live.

Morning came but it brought no respite to Sheldon. He had not slept for more than a couple of minutes at a time. He was now feeling dirty and that brought a new panic attack as he hyper focused on how long it had been since his last shower, the last time he used soap.

Sheldon was unable to leave the tree. Every time he tried to climb down fear would grip him and a new wave of panic would assault him. It was hunger that ultimately forced him to climb down but he was anxious and would jump at any noise and he wanted to climb back up that tree, but Sheldon had no one now, shivering and whimpering he forced his legs to propel him forward.

Each step felt jarring and wrong. How many times had he been compared to Pinocchio? Now he truly felt like a puppet, jerky and halting steps, one after the other. Keeping track of time was no longer a concern, he just knew that he needed to keep moving or he would die.

It was the sight of the berry bush that brought him back to the moment, his mind given something else to focus. ´Ribes uva-crispa or commonly known as Gooseberry, native to Europe but can be found in North America as wel-’

While his mind worked, Sheldon’s body acted. His long and deft fingers carefully avoided the sharp spines. He wanted to devour his small bounty but he wanted to at least run them under the stream of the river.

Sheldon resolved himself after the taste of the first berry. ‘ I will make it."

Sheldon continued to walk, the river his only guide. Gooseberries were plentiful but by day 5 he wanted something else. He hadn’t gotten sick so far and he needed to start considering the real possibility that he would not find another human anytime soon.

He had killed game before, had knowledge of how to make traps, knew how to clean and dress the kill. But he didn’t have a way to cook the meat, knew that the smell of blood and cooking meat would invite the larger animals that so far had been happy to ignore him. He needed to make a decision soon.

A plume of smoke in the distance takes his breath away. He can’t move fast enough towards it.

His feet are hurting, he is exhausted and he is almost at the point of origin of the smoke. But he found a dirt path and he can see that up a small hill there’s a sturdy looking wooden fence. A small isolated village most likely.

Sheldon can almost weep with relief when he sees someone is walking down the path, towards him. He tried to fix his appearance a little, but the stubble, bags under his eyes and red rimmed eyes makes it harder for him to feel confident. He feels his stomach lurch when the person he saw gets closer, he knows her.

It’s Penny.

Penelope was pissed. She had been training all her life to become an adventurer like her dad, she never made it a secret that this was her goal. She trained, trained and then trained some more until she could kick everyone’s butt in the village. Even Kurt was no longer a challenge. But her parents still refused to let her go in the next convoy to Safral.

It was the closest city to their village, she wanted to start small, just hunting goblins and picking up herbs and work her way up to orcs and bodyguard jobs until she could join a prestigious Guild. She knew that her parents loved her and worried about her, that was the only reason she hadn’t just ran away during the night, but she was turning 19 soon and didn’t want to stay here. She didn’t want to just become someone’s wife and pop out kids every year.

Wanting to clear her mind she decided to go down to the river and light the torches for the night patrol.

She’s so focused on her thoughts that she almost collides with a young man, her training kicks in and she easily sidesteps while grunting in apology. Except, the man doesn’t let her, he steps in her way again, and she can feel a headache start ‘Not another one.’

Penelope knew that she was beautiful, but this always invited creeps to think her beauty was some sort of invitation. Last year a merchant moving through their village kept asking her to become his wife, promised to love her, to give her everything she wanted and yet he never even looked up from her bosom when talking to her. She had to break his nose so he could understand she didn’t want anything to do with him. And now another one joins the list.

She’s already preparing her speech when the man talks. "Penny?" His voice is a whisper. And it’s the…broken and miserable tone that gets her to look up at his face. He is a handsome man for certain, if unkempt, he is wearing strange clothes in strange colors and she guesses that he had a rough day and might even be possibly sick due to his extremely pale skin.

He’s not looking at her bosom or at her legs, his eyes are on her face. Penelope has seen blue eyes before but the eyes on this man were as clear as a lake on a sunny day.

And then his hands are on her shoulders, boney fingers squeeze her but there’s no strength left in his hands. Still, she doesn’t appreciate being touched like this and she’s preparing to teach him a lesson when he drops to his knees and starts weeping. Penelope is not sure how to act, she had assumed he was coming onto her but this felt different.

Still keeping distance between them she puts a hand on his shoulder and asks him if he’s okay. His eyes are back on her face, he says "You’re not Penny." and she can see his eyes roll up and his body pitch forward, only her hand keeps him from a mouthful of dirt.

Penelope looks around, wondering if this is some sort of joke but they’re alone, no one is watching them. She should let the village leader know and let him handle this strange man, she should go back to her task. Instead she easily picks him up and throws him across her shoulders, for some reason she can’t just leave this to anyone else.

It’s while she’s halfway to her home that she remembers the soothsayer’s words ‘No man will pick you. You will be the one to pick him.’

‘Maybe mom is right and it’s just the fermented alcohol speaking and not the gods.’ Penelope thinks as she carries the strange man she picked up.

Sheldon awakes slowly, for a moment he thinks that he’s back in his bed and that the strange nightmare is over. Then his eyes adjust and sees an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, runs his fingers on the blanket covering him and the coarseness of it reinforces the reality. It wasn’t a dream.

Sitting up on the bed he looks at himself, he’s no longer wearing his filthy clothes, the shirt and pants he’s wearing are obviously handmade and made to last. Farmer’s clothes he thinks idly. His fingertips and feet hurt, but not as bad as they did before, someone bandaged him and guessing by the smell wafting from him the bandages were soaked in medicinal herbs.

Not a dream.

He covers his face for a moment, takes a deep breath and forces himself to face reality. He had met someone, no, not someone. Penny. Except, it wasn’t his Penny, this stranger was younger, tougher, her toned muscles and slightly height advantage over his Penny would make it that if they were side by side you could not mistake one for the other. This Penny had brighter and greener eyes.

Sheldon’s not sure how much time he spends in that position, trying to come up with plans for the future and coming up empty when the door into his room opens and Penny walks in. He can’t help it, he stares, he tries to find every single detail that makes this Penny unique.

A snap of fingers in front of his eyes forces him away from his examination. Penny is flushing in anger, her hips locks and her fists rests on them. "Eyes up here Stranger".

Sheldon tries not to laugh, he really does try, but the mannerisms, the tone, everything is just so Penny that he can’t help himself. A moment later he’s sobbing into his hands. He’s never going to see his Penny again. His Meemaw or his mom.

Sheldon has no illusions, whatever force brought him here is so beyond him that it might as well be a god. He was de-aged, transported to another world and put close to a place where he ended up meeting a version of Penny. He is but a dancing monkey.

Penelope couldn't understand this stranger, he woke up and the first thing he did when seeing her was to run his eyes over her body and when she demanded answers he started laughing and the next moment he started crying. She could only shake her head at him. Crazy, that one.

"Are you okay? I found you on the road here."

The man manages to control himself enough but now looks defeated. As if he just lost something very important. "I will be fine. Thank you for your assistance. I fear that without it I would have perished."

Wow, he talks like one of those wizard guys. Penelope still remembers that he called her Penny, it sounds cute but no one has ever called her that before. "I’m Penelope. What’s your name?"

"Sheldon. My name is Sheldon C-...just Sheldon."

"Nice to meet you Sheldon, do you need us to help you find this ‘Penny’ you were calling for?" He looks sad again but he shakes his head.

"No. She was my friend. You remind me a lot of her." A shy smile appears on his face for the first time and her heart jumps a little. No, she’s not going to fall for this tall stranger.

Caroline and Wyatt had been worried about Penelope. Their daughter had always been bullheaded and kept asking to go to Safral to become an adventurer, Caroline and her husband knew that they would have to agree at some point. Their daughter was capable of running away with only the clothes on her back.

But one day she brought home a young man, he was skin and bones and looked to have had a rough time in the forest. Penelope bandaged him up and once he woke up they would sit outside and talk for hours.

This young man who introduced himself as Sheldon was extremely serious and neurotic. He reminded Caroline of the priests in Safral and soon came to learn that Sheldon did not care for religion one bit, which already put him in her good graces.

As Sheldon recovered, Penelope started teaching how to use the sword. He was a fast learner but not very muscular which Penelope took to remedy. It was always a fun sight to see Sheldon help around the village while Penelope was behind him, following him like a lost puppy.

Oh, she could see the signs from the start. The way Penelope stopped talking about going to Safral. How she would spend all of her free time with Sheldon and scared off any girl that came sniffing around him. She could also see the way Sheldon’s eyes would soften at the sight of Penelope, he looked at her in the same way you looked at a sunrise, with awe.

Six months after Penelope found him, Sheldon started showing his true worth around the village. One night as they had dinner Wyatt mentioned how the village couldn’t afford an engineer from Safral to build a water wheel for the mill and they were trying to come up with the funds for next year when he was interrupted by Sheldon who promised he could build the village a water wheel. He was not joking.

A water wheel, a better wall, better roads, a way to pump water from the well, so easy to use that even children could do it. Almost like magic.

Sheldon became a hot topic around the village and she was not surprised by every family with a daughter of age making a play to get him married into their families. Caroline was surprised however, when Penelope declared in the middle of a festival that Sheldon was hers and everyone else should keep their hands to themselves.

Wyatt had to build the young couple a room separate from their house and even Caroline had to admit that she was afraid that Penelope was going to exhaust that young man to death.

A year after Sheldon first came into their lives her daughter announced that she and Sheldon would be traveling to Safral to become adventurers together. Sheldon had really grown into his frame, while he would never be a barbarian, you would think twice before messing with him. Not to mention he was deadly accurate with his rapier.

Thanking Sheldon in her head for giving her another year with her daughter Caroline gave the couple her blessing and asked them to write often and she hopes they come back soon.

Because Caroline has not given up on the idea of blond blue-eyed grandchildren.

Five years later Caroline is happy to temporarily move to Safral. Because she’s going there to help with the newborn twins.

Chapter Text

Sheldor was not a patient man. You don’t get to become the youngest Wizard ever at 8 by being patient. You don’t become proficient at silent casting and earn the title of Archmage at 12 by being patient. You don’t earn a second Archmage title at 16 for mastering a second school of magic by being patient. You don’t become ‘The Only Triple-Archmage’ at Age 25 by being patient.

Sheldor was not patient. But seeing the unconscious woman in the middle of the summoning circle makes him think that perhaps he needed to learn to be patient.

Last month he had visited a Warlock school out of curiosity for the school of magic (He found it rather superfluous and redundant with far too many drawbacks) and while he felt overall disappointed by the showing of magic, there was one young warlock that surprised him, he would never tell him this of course, the young warlock who insisted on being called Wolowizard despite not being an actual Wizard was accompanied by a wooden nymph. Wolowizard told him that there was a pact for companionship with a nature spirit and Sheldor purchased the knowledge right then and there.

Sheldor would never reveal this to anyone but he was lonely. 35 years in this world and the only people he could call close were his mother, and his twin sister. Due to his desire for knowledge and learning he was rather separated from even those that called themselves his peers.

This spell for a companionship contract should help with that. Nature spirits were easy to get along with, they were comprised of Nature Mana and as such didn’t need to eat or defecate. If one were to be crass about it they could even be called pets, though it depended on the level of sentience of each spirit. Nymphs were wise, Pixies were quick-witted, Lamias were wonderful assistants for people like healers, shop owners, etc. Succubus were a favorite for lonely old men…which Sheldor was not. If he wanted that type of companionship he could always visit ‘Coming of Page’, a rather exclusive bookstore that also offered pleasure services. Sheldor would never tell his mother but he had been a member of this establishment since he was 16.

He liked to read after all.

Focusing his thoughts on the matter at hand, Sheldor examines the woman currently occupying his floor. He quickly discards possibilities for the nature of this spirit. It can’t be a Nymph, no leaves or bark visible in extremities, too big to be a Pixie, normal human legs so no Lamia, Mermaid, etc. For all intents and purposes she looked like a Human. He briefly considered the possibility of her being a Succubus but there were no horns, no prehensile tail and opening her eyelid revealed a Human green pupil and not the classic Cat-like red eye of the Succubus.

Feeling a little disappointed, Sheldor moved to his spot to wait for the woman to react. If Wolowizard had sold him a defective spell he would come to learn why so many nations refused to go to war with Sheldor, because it was true, he had his ‘Triple-Archmage’ title, but he was rather fond of the one given to him by the regular folk, ‘Sheldor The Conqueror’.

Penny was not having a great week. And if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t really had a great anything since Sheldon disappeared behind that dune a year ago.

Leonard still wanted to get married even after Sheldon had disappeared so she told him to suck an egg. She went to the boy’s apartment and picked up everything labeled as Sheldon’s and mailed it to Mrs. Cooper and Missy, alongside a letter that explained that everything was a collectible and probably worth a lot of money. She also provided them with Stuart’s phone number.

Sheldon’s work and home PC, laptop, backup phone, social media accounts, cloud storage accounts and even his Youtube channel were all nuked after a week of Sheldon’s disappearance. Howard explained that Sheldon had a killswitch system and without him there to put the password everything was burned. Sheldon was paranoid. But then again, after seeing the disappointment in Raj and Leonard’s face at the news of Sheldon’s files being gone, maybe her Moonpie had the right idea after all.

She moved out of Los Robles into a hole in the wall studio apartment close to her office. Penny even tried to go out dating again but she was feeling empty inside, Sheldon was gone, Leonard, Howard and Raj were people she wasn’t sure she wanted to see again. Bernadette and Amy had pretty much cut contact with Penny after she refused to stop searching for Sheldon. She briefly considered going home to Nebraska but she would rather jump in front of a bus than put herself through that.

Feeling truly alone she logged in to the only place where Sheldon still existed in one way. Age of Conan. She would use the DM function to ‘talk’ to Sheldon and today, a year after he disappeared she simply wrote: ‘I miss you Moonpie, I wish I could see you Sheldor.’

Closing her laptop she went to get a glass of wine when she was overcome with an unexpected vertigo feeling, her shitty apartment suddenly turned into a carousel and darkness took her consciousness away.

The feeling of cold stone underneath her brings her back to the world of the living. She’s thankful that she had opted for comfy and fluffy pajamas rather than skimpy because this floor is not very warm or welcoming. It is strangely clean tho.

Looking around her she notices that she’s in stone building, for a panicked moment she fears that she was kidnapped and thrown in a basement ‘Fucking Leonard’ the thought is in her head before she can stop it. Leonard had not taken their breakup well. But she sees that wherever this is, there is a huge window looking outside, she can hear birds chirping so she’s not trapped.

She does a triple check once she notices a man sitting on a huge chair a few feet away from her. He’s completely focused on the book in his lap but the part that makes her brain screech to a halt is that this is Sheldon. Her Moonpie.

A second look makes her question that, this man looks like Sheldon but there is something that stops her from calling out immediately. This man has the same features but he’s more muscular, his hair is longer but is neatly brushed and he actually has a short beard.

Her third glance shows that he’s not wearing a comic book tee, or plaid pants. He’s actually wearing what she imagines Sherlock Homes would wear to impress Irene Adler in that Robert Downey Jr. movie. Stylish and hot.

She knows that it’s not him, not her Sheldon, but not having any other alternatives Penny decides to call out to him.

"Sheldon?."

Sheldor really needs to pay more attention to his surroundings, but he was home, he was in his spot and he was in the middle of a particularly interesting theory of how the current classification of dark vs light magic was wrong and they were both parts of the same energy. And then a voice yanked him out of it.

"Sheldon?."

Ah, this was interesting. This woman was clearly a nature spirit since she almost got his name right. That was a sign from the spell that the spirit was open for a pact. Well, this certainly made things easier, maybe he had discovered a new type of spirit.

Standing up to his full height and adjusting his clothes, Sheldor approached the summoning circle and the spirit within, and recited the speech as indicated in the book.

"Oh Spirit, I beseech you to listen to my request. I seek companionship and friendship, you will remain free to wander this world and I will provide hearth and shelter. I require that you acquiesce or reject my offer verbally and magically. I shall await your answer."

Sheldor felt that the speech was much too candid but he didn’t want to ruin this chance. The foci used for this spell were both expensive and rare. He had the funds to try again but would rather not have to wait months for all of them to be sent to his tower.

Sheldor also made sure to keep his eyes on the ground in front of him, some spirits would take eye contact as a challenge and try to attack him. Thankfully the summoning circle acted as a protection measure as well, the spirits couldn’t leave its confines unless they accepted the pact, and if they rejected the path they were immediately banished to their realm of origin. Sheldon knew that the protection runes in the circle could even stop a high grade demon so he was not worried if the spirit truly turned violent towards him.

When a pair of bare feet suddenly appeared in his vision Sheldor started to get a little worried. This was not supposed to happen, it was unheard of. Sheldor could feel cold sweat running down his back and he refused to look up at the face of the woman. She must be a demon king like this realm has never seen before to so easily break the protection runes.

"Hey!." He couldn’t stop his body from jumping "Sheldon, look at me." The tone was angry but also strangely wistful?.

"I would not dare do such a thing My Lady. Lest my eyes be burned by your beauty and splendor." Sheldor knew he was done for if he displeased her so he decided for full honesty. Sheldor had never had a lot of interest in demon summoning but even he knew that those high ranking demons usually had powers that allowed them to see into the hearts of men.

"Sheldon, what the hell are you talking about? And why are you dressed like that? It’s me, Penny. D-don’t you recognize me?" Her voice broke at the end and Sheldor finally looked up.

He only saw a sad and lonely young woman.

Penny’s day truly went from not great to possibly horribly bad. It took a while but this version of Sheldon had thought she was some sort of demon king at first as he had attempted to summon a nature spirit and well he got a Penny.

Sheldor, as he asked to be called, was a Wizard-oh sorry- The Wizard. Even in this version of the world he was an overachiever. Once he understood that she was just a woman and not a spirit of any kind she could see him get a little sad. Sheldor was more expressive than Sheldon so Penny had an easier time understanding his mood.

Penny also spent a good amount of time explaining alternate universes to Sheldor though she fears that her explanation was not a good one. But he at least understood that she knew a version of him before he disappeared.

"Was this other version of me at least the equivalent of a Triple-Archmage?" She hesitantly nodded because she truly did not know how to compare the two and Sheldor smiled, satisfied with the answer.

"Okay Sweetie, this was great (if it’s not a dream), I am glad that I got to see a version of my friend. Now, how do I go back?" She saw him pause.

"…go back?" Oh no.

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh," it came out slowly, her gut already filling with dread "You know, go back to my own world."

"Ah, of course." Nothing more, he just stared at her. One minute, Two minutes, Three minutes."I have no idea." He finally said.

Of fraking course.

"Can’t you just, Idon’tkno, do your magic thingy?"

"That’s a great idea Penny, let’s try the rejection chant for this summoning spell. Give me a moment to review the book. Ah, here it is. Ready?"

Penny nodded and closed her eyes, she tried to stay still, afraid that moving would somehow mess it up.

"Spirit, I reject your companionship. Begone, return to whence you came forth!" His voice was sure and confident.

After not feeling anything Penny opened her eyes and she was still in the same place, looking up at an embarrassed Sheldor.

"Allow me to try the most powerful banishment spell I know. I have never had to use this spell before and it’s actually in a different language, one long dead."

Sheldor started chanting and she couldn’t understand the words but she could feel the power. She could feel winds surrounding her and she closed her eyes in preparation of being transported. She didn't know if it would hurt or not but closing her eyes seemed like the best idea.

Sheldor’s chanting got more intense and she actually felt as if she was flying for a moment, the winds were carrying her, she heard a thump noise and then Sheldor’s voice stopped and her feet were touching the ground again.

No luck, she could still hear Sheldor gulping air as if he ran a marathon, but, no, she did feel different, she felt cold. A breeze between her legs made her open her eyes in shock and look down at herself. She was naked.

Her pajamas were strewn across the room and her panties were hanging from a chandelier above her.

Sheldor had not stopped looking at her so while glaring at him she kneeled and turned her back at him, trying to cover herself as much as possible. This finally seemed to make Sheldor move and taking his coat he used it to cover her. She still glared at him.

"Ah, my apologies. From everything that I have read this was not supposed to occur." He was flushing and couldn’t meet her eyes.

Penny took a deep breath, Sheldor, just like Sheldon was not a creep. He literally was just trying to get her home, even if she no longer knew what that word meant. Be patient Penny.

"Penny, were you aware that someone doodled on your buttocks?."

Then again, patience was overrated. Sheldor needed to learn about Junior Rodeo.

Mary was a devout follower of Helio (May his light purify the world). So when her little Shellybean started taking an interest in the books at church she was elated, he was only 5 and already reading.

She didn’t realize that the church doubled as a communal library in their little village so it came as a shock when her little Shellybean suddenly summoned a fireball one day when playing outside. Poor Snowball, at least he didn’t suffer.

While she tried to push Sheldor to study about Helio and his light he instead chose to keep learning about Wizard stuff, which wasn’t exactly against Helio’s teachings but she still felt that it was wrong. It was only because George told her to not limit their child that she relented.

But she feels it’s a little unfair, she lost her child. He was praised as a prodigy and was taken all the way to Adilin to study under the Archmages there. They told her that being a Wizard was a lifetime commitment, that it would take all of his lifetime to try and reach Archmage.

Sheldor was one at 12.

Mary had hoped that meant he would be back home but then her little Shellybean decided to travel all the way north up to Allebelle to continue studying. She received a similar speech as last time. Mastering a second school of magic was a lifetime endeavor, there were only a handful of Wizards that had done it and all were older than 50.

Sheldor was back in her house by the time he was 16.

Mary tried, she really tried to understand her youngest son but what hope she had when not even Melissa could, and she was the boy’s twin. They did show him love, because as much as he denied it, by the time he was 20 she could see a loneliness set deep in her son’s soul.

The boy could end a war with a wave of his hand but was clueless about how to approach someone for small talk. Mary worried about him, so she prayed and prayed and prayed some more to Helio to show her son the way. She even prayed to her dead husband (May Helio have him in his corn fields.).

So when her Shellybean showed up on her door one day with a blond woman by his side Mary almost jumped from joy. She couldn’t understand much but it seemed her boy had somehow dragged this young woman from her home without meaning to.

So of course Mary made him apologize properly, in front of her.

Sheldor had brought her here for a full wardrobe since the garments she was wearing looked well-worn and the girl, Penny, admitted they were used only for sleeping. Since Sheldor started earning money (just by existing it seemed) he had made her little seamstress shop into the biggest clothing store in the village, which had also seen a dramatic growth as the home of the ‘Triple-Archmage’. He had even taken Melissa to learn under actual high-class seamstresses and then dropped her right here with her and told them to run the shop. That boy had more of his daddy in him than he ever cared to admit.

As she measured and planned Penny’s clothes she didn’t miss the easy banter her son had with Penny. Penny was a no-nonsense kinda girl and to her it looked like it was exactly what her high and mighty son needed. Later that night Melissa shared her opinion that maybe Shellybean had found someone just for him.

She was lucky that Sheldor had built his Wizard tower in the village so she could see him and Penny often.

And if she does a fertility offering at Helio’s temple, well now, no one has to know.

Things are going well for three months. Penny is a wonderful young woman and she actually had a knack for performance. While Sheldor looked for a way for Penny to return home she made fast friends with Alicia, the bard. And soon enough both Penny and Alicia would perform two man acts and plays out in the city square.

Her Shellybean, the boy that said ‘The arts are a waste of time and talent.’ went ahead and built a theater for Penny. He claimed it was to protect her from the elements and for added security but Mary didn’t miss the way he looked at Penny, she had seen that look before, when he first summoned that fireball. But this time both his eyes and smile were as soft as silk.

She didn’t miss the way Penny would look at her boy as well. That girl looked at him like he was a tree full of fruit and she was a monkey. She made another fertility offering the day she catches that look.

And then it happens, she is walking up to Sheldor’s tower when she hears the screaming.

"I looked everywhere! Every school of magic, every Archmage, every avenue leads me to nowhere! I don’t want to lie to you, that’s why I told you. There’s no way back to your home." Mary has reached the door but she’s not opening it. Her son’s voice breaks at the end and he sounds truly heartbroken to be unable to help Penny.

"I’m not mad about that! I know you’ve been killing yourself trying to help me!"

"Then why are you mad?!"

"Because I don’t want to leave!"

Mary decides that it is better to leave them for now. On her way home she stops by Helio’s temple and makes a small offering, this time for Penny. That she finds peace and a new home.

The next time she sees the both of them there’s a closeness between them and the looks they give each other are not done in hiding. And Mary is happy for the both of them.

Mary’s hands are full, each hand holds the tiny hand of a 5 year old.

"Meemaw? Why are we staying with you tonight?" A blond girl asks her and she looks down at eyes that remind her of her son.

Penny had been the one to teach the children to call her that, Mary loved it.

"Well my little Honeybean, that is because your parents are going to be busy today."

"Busy doing what?" This boy looked so much like his father that Mary had already called him Shellybean several times, much to the boy’s displeasure. But his eyes and attitude were all his mother's.

"They’re…praying so you can get a little brother or sister."

"Ohhhhh"
"Ahhhhh"

"That’s why you’re coming to Helio’s temple with me, I’ll teach you how to make an offering so you can have a healthy baby brother or sister."

Both of her grandchildren nod and Mary smiles at them. Her heart has never felt fuller.

Chapter Text

Penny really should know better by now. Sheldon Cooper is prepared for everything. And yet, she’s still surprised, her Wackadoodle would never stop surprising her.

"Okay Sweetie, I get California. But why Texas and New York?"

"Austin actually has a growing acting industry, while of course New York offers several options including a bursting Theater scene."

"Wait, you chose those places while thinking of me?"

Sheldon gives her a very unamused stare, "Of course, you’re my best friend." And he shuts up as if that explains everything.

And maybe it did. Penny knew that Sheldon was different, he did not give out his friendship easily and everyone, including her at one point, had taken that friendship for granted.

It’s been only a few moments since she hugged him near his door. Sheldon is now at his desk and is making plans, he already has a moving company that does last minute work. He has their landlord on speed dial and after a rather short back and forth they’re both free from their leases but without their safety deposit. It stings a little but she’s ready to go.

And of course Sheldon has an approved hotel list. The Glenmark, Glendale is booked for a week (for now). Sheldon waves away her protests to pay for her part.

While he’s handling all of that she’s looking at the folders in front of her. He’s leaving this decision to her.

"Hey Sheldon, is this really okay? For me to decide I mean. What about your work?"

He looks away from his computer, "Penny. I can with full confidence tell you that it doesn’t matter where I work from. Caltech will bend over backwards to keep me, but should I wish to, I can close my eyes and select a random country in a map and find an offer to go work in said country in my email." He points to his machine "All I need is that machine. And you." He’s facing his computer again before she can even react to that statement.

A small flutter of something in her belly and Penny is fighting a smile.

Focusing back on the folders she thinks seriously about each of them. California is big and Sheldon has options for everywhere, but maybe she’s not made for California. It's been heartbreaking to see other girls get at least a recurring spot in a sitcom while Penny is left behind with commercials and porn offers.

Austin looks tempting. She didn't know that it was even an option but Sheldon had marked all the TV shows and movies filmed in Texas and she was pleasantly surprised, Transformers, Dallas (of course), Top Chef, Supernatural, Cheaters (so she liked trashy TV, sue her) and more. The city looked wonderful as well.

And New York, well, it was New York. Penny did love doing theater, the few chances she got it was always so exciting. Sheldon’s compliments on her theater performance are seared in her brain and heart. She shouldn’t make a decision like this based on one compliment Sheldon gave her a couple of years back. And yet.

Taking a deep breath she decides to let go of the fear trying to hold her back. New York sounds like a great place for them to start from scratch.

"Hey Moonpie, I heard New York has some great Thai restaurants."

They spent the rest of the night packing things. The landlord was more than willing to take their furniture and Sheldon is able to haggle a fair price. The next morning while she’s running on crappy coffee and DK donuts, Sheldon looks fresh and she hates him a little.

The moving company quickly takes all the boxes to the truck and will take them to storage until they are in their new place. They also take their furniture to the basement for the landlord to sell or use.

And that Sunday afternoon she’s taking a nap in a luxury hotel. She’s uprooting her entire life and couldn’t be looking forward to it more than she already is.

That night, after a shower and some wagyu beef tacos she’s in Sheldon’s room looking over his shoulders as he writes a long and detailed letter that basically amounts to ‘Fuck you all, don’t contact us.’ She adds that at the bottom and signs it, just to drive the point home.

She had wanted to confront the group. To yell at them but Sheldon refused to participate, he didn’t want to waste any time on them. She still wrote several emails. One for Leonard, she poured her anger, her disgust at his actions and asked that if he ever truly loved her, he would leave her alone. She still planned to block him.

Bernadette and Amy basically received the same email. They had both confided on their experiences with bullying, how it had marked them, how they hated themselves and how, now, they were the bullies. They made Penny feel bad for being herself, for not having a masters, for not going to college, for not being smart, for wanting to feel loved. Penny ended the email by wishing them well and that she hoped they could find a type of happiness that didn’t involve making someone else miserable.

Howard got a simple message. ‘You don’t deserve Bernadette. You deserve Leonard.’

Raj was the only one of the group that received an invitation to continue in communication as long as didn’t share anything with anyone else from the group. Penny liked Raj, the Raj that was not trying to imitate Howard, the Raj that liked chick flicks, the Raj that had borrowed her copy of the notebook and in exchange had lent Penny his copy of Twilight. She missed that Raj and she hoped he would reply.

They would wait until Monday night to send these emails, late at night.

Monday morning had Penny show to work and present her resignation. Her supervisor was shocked and requested to know more. So Penny told her the truth, her relationship had failed, it was toxic and she needed to get away. She was leaving for New York. Penny didn’t expect to be asked to hang around while her supervisor tried to find her a transfer for the New York branch.

Penny was actually surprised when it was approved and told her supervisor as much.

"Penny, you are our best sales rep. ZanGen wants to keep you." Huh, you could be great at a job you hated.

The transfer still needed time to go through and she had 2 weeks to get her shit straight before they were expecting her in New York. Penny was left feeling oddly touched.

She also asked that her information be kept private due to her ex-boyfriend, something that they readily agreed to.

She spends the rest of the day looking at the apartments and houses that Sheldon approved of. Penny already knows which place she wants, it’s the first on the list so she’s hoping this is Sheldon’s first choice as well.

A beautiful Town House on 8th street, Brooklyn. A stone throw away from Prospect park. It’s huge and definitely more room than they will ever need, but it’s perfect. It even has a backyard with a garden and there are white rose bushes everywhere. There’s even a room overlooking the garden that she can see Sheldon using as an office. The windows in the bedrooms are huge and she can see herself waking up to a face full of sunshine. This is the one.

Sheldon agrees with her and gives a small smile. It was his first choice as well. He actually has plans to turn one of the five bedrooms into a collectibles room, her Care Bears already factored in his plan.

Sheldon bought them new SIM cards, otherwise he suspects they will spend a large amount of time blocking number after number. They send their emails, block everyone they need to block and go have dinner.

During dinner Sheldon explains that Caltech had been more than happy to buy out the rest of his contract, against every expectation he had, they were happy to let him go. He still made them sign a release form with his lawyer present where Caltech forfeited any rights to his research. Penny could see the hurt in his eyes. She held his hand as they talked of their upcoming move, Penny promised to help him find a new comic book shop and she made him promise that he would help her find new acting classes, she wasn’t ready to give up on acting just yet.

Maybe she could get Sheldon to agree to get a cat.

Leonard couldn’t believe what he was reading, he was with Raj and Howard playing DnD when suddenly Bernadette bursts into the room and starts yelling at them to check their emails.

Leonard’s stomach drops when seeing the email from Sheldon, subject line ‘Termination of friendship and roommate agreements.’, his heart almost stops when the next email is from Penny, no subject. He opens Penny’s email first and quickly reads over it, he then reads it a second time, and then a third.

He can’t believe that Penny is ending their relationship because he left her to take care of Sheldon. It was going to take a lot to get her to forgive him. He leaves Howards’ house without talking to the others, he needs to stop by the liquor store to get Penny her medicine and try to calm her down from whatever shitfit this is. Maybe Sheldon finally pushed her over the edge and that’s why she’s acting like a brat.

Leonard doesn’t read Sheldon’s email. He can wait.

As he’s driving to his apartment after getting a couple of bottles he tries calling Penny but his calls go straight to voicemail. And he rolls his eyes because of course Penny has to be dramatic and block him. He was still practicing his best contrite look by the time he set foot on the 4th floor landing. For a moment he hesitates but he knows that talking to Sheldon right now is a bad idea, Leonard will just buy him something shiny and he’ll calm down.

Moving towards Penny’s apartment he rumples his clothes a little, makes sure his face looks sad and miserable and then knocks. Nothing. He knocks again and he shifts on his feet a little. No answer.

‘Of course.’ He thinks bitterly.

He’ll deal with the consequences later, pulling his copy of the apartment key he plans to open the door, find Penny, apologize, get her to drink half the bottle and then they can have make-up sex and things will be back to normal by morning.

The key doesn’t work. He looks confused at it, he is pretty sure this is the right key. He tries again to the same result. Could have Penny changed the locks? She wouldn’t do that…and then his mind focuses on who could do something like that. Sheldon.

Leonard would deal with Penny later, he now had a roommate to yell at. He enters 4A already yelling for Sheldon when his breath is suddenly gone. ‘We were robbed again’ it’s his first thought. But no, only Sheldon’s things are missing, running to the man’s bedroom shows an empty room.

Finally sitting down in his chair Leonard finally decides to read Sheldon’s email. He thinks he’s going to pass out. His brain focusing on certain parts only ‘Immediate dissolution of both friendship and roommate agreements’, ‘As per the agreement I Dr Sheldon Cooper have paid for 3 months of rent to grant the new leaseholder enough time to find a new roommate should they desire to’, ‘Due to the dissolution of the friendship agreement I have also sent proof of Leonard Hofdstater, Howard Wolowits and Rajesh Koothrappali’s involvement in academic tampering of Dr Sheldon’s Cooper Arctic Experiment.’ and then finally in what he can hear in Penny’s voice, the last line on the email is ‘Fuck you all. Don’t contact us. - Penny’.

What the hell had just happened?.

His phone rings and looking at the screen shows that it’s Howard.

"Hey Howard."

"No, they’re not here."

"Penny changed the locks to her apartment and blocked my number so I haven’t been able to talk to her."

"No Howard. I don’t know."

"I haven’t tried to call Sheldon yet."

"He broke up with Amy? Wow"

"Yeah, he went rogue it seems. Haha."

"No Howard, I’m sure he’s just angry and bluffing. He’ll need us to bail him out after he realizes this tantrum won’t work."

"Penny said that to Bernadette? What did Bernadette say?"

"Haha, wow, Bernadette has a mouth on her."

"Yeah okay, I’ll talk to you later. I’ll try knocking on Penny’s door again. Maybe learning that Sheldon is missing will get her to open the door."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, I just read it, what about it?"

"Oh…"

"Yeah I guess, if Penny signed it then she knows Sheldon is gone."

"I get it, I get it. God, Howard. I can’t catch a break."

"You too. I’ll talk to you later."

Leonard is not sure what to do now. According to Howard Penny had also sent emails to Amy and Bernadette calling them bullies. Maybe learning about Sheldon leaving had made Penny drank herself to oblivion and was now sleeping it off. He’ll try again tomorrow.

Before standing up Leonard catches the stack of papers left neatly in the middle of the coffee table. He is the new leaseholder and the landlord already approved and signed on it.

It isn’t until he’s in bed and about to fall asleep that he remembers the last line of Sheldon’s email. ‘ Don’t contact us.’, not Sheldon, not Penny, but ‘Us’.

He is not able to sleep.

The next morning as Leonard is having a cup of coffee he hears the door to 4B open and he almost drops his cup in his haste to go and talk to Penny.

And he does drop it when the open door to 4B shows an empty apartment. The landlord is there to make repairs and re-paint it so it can go up in the listings.

Leonard feels cold. The only heat coming from the coffee still in his belly slowly turning into bile.

Penny is gone.

Penny was happy. No, Penny was bursting at the seams from happiness.

The last week was a whirlwind of activity. By Wednesday Sheldon had confirmed that the Town House was theirs. She had asked how much rent would be and Sheldon had looked at her like she was a child that asked if the tooth fairy was real.

"Penny, the house was not for rent. It was for sale." And he went back to eating his dumplings.

A familiar fear started sneaking down her spine at this. This was big, this was commitment, she needed to run. So she stomped on the feeling. Sheldon was not trying to trap her. He called it theirs because for him it was that easy, she would talk to him later about it, she could pay for the services so it didn’t feel like charity and she was sure that once she explained it to Sheldon, he would agree without issues.

Penny told Sheldon that she would handle everything related to their trip to New York. She already had some counterarguments prepared so she was a bit surprised when he just agreed.

"I trust you Penny. We won’t be able to move into the new place until Friday morning. Our things in storage plus the bulk of our closets are already on their way and it’s scheduled that they will arrive on Tuesday afternoon, next week. We have time."

And he sounds so much more relaxed, so confident that Penny hadn’t realized that she missed this side of Sheldon until it was back. He is certain that his work will get him the Nobel so he feels no pressure to prove himself number one. He knows it, he’s just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

She’s looking at plane tickets when a sudden thought crosses her mind. She changes websites and makes some quick math. If they leave tomorrow night then they’ll arrive at Penn Station On Monday early afternoon. She hesitates for a long moment, 4 days in a train, from what she is able to gather the wifi is spotty at best, the food looked damn good though. She goes to book two first class tickets on Amtrak and is pleasantly surprised to see there’s an option for a private room. It looks like a studio apartment almost, they even give you a couch. Not to mention your own bathroom and shower. Feeling more confident (especially because she can afford it) she books the tickets and starts downloading movies on her laptop.

The next day was a hectic one, Penny woke up early to go and sell her car, Sheldon insisted on going with her until she reminded him that selling the car meant they would have to take the bus or a taxi to get back to the Hotel. He wished her a safe trip and he would handle everything related to checking out meanwhile. Wackadoodle.

Penny feels that she got a good deal on the car and before going back to the Hotel she decides to visit the mall. All of her pajamas felt too much like Leonard’s and she wanted to feel like herself again. A Hello Kitty shorts and tank top set, Care Bear lounge pants, and a My Little Pony cami make her feel closer to who she was. And right before leaving the store she sees it, a pink Care Bear onesie-bodysuit, this looks to be more for sexy times than for you to actually sleep in, but it’s so cute! It even has bear ears, and a cute bow!. But the cut reminds her of a Playboy bunny suit. But it’s really cute. No, she couldn’t. It’s too much. She doesn’t even have someone to show it to, well… there’s Sheldon, but no. Penny leaves the store.

A few minutes later she’s back in the store.

After they have an early dinner and make a stop to buy snacks, water and other small stuff. Sheldon doesn't understand why they need snacks and is getting cranky and she cracks, she tells him why and Sheldon goes from cranky man to excited boy once he realizes they’ll be traveling by train.

Arriving at the station Sheldon took charge and he had them on the platform before she knew it. She’s ready to board the train when Sheldon surprises her again with a crushing hug that takes her breath away. Before she can ponder on it he’s already moving and she struggles to follow him.

She hadn’t been aware but it seems because they’re in first class they actually get their own attendant and the meals are free. This train also had something called a quiet room but it was moot because they had their own bedroom. They were warned that even with their own room they should be mindful of other people and wear headphones when watching movies or listening to music.

Penny is kinda disappointed, the pictures online made it seem much bigger than it actually was. But they do get a couch (that becomes a bed), a reading chair, their own bathroom/shower, a pretty cute sink as well as a bunch of towels and linens. Sheldon is super excited about it all and she thinks that this a small price to see him so happy.

The attendant shows them how to unfold the beds and Penny is nicely surprised by the size, she’s going to be super comfy there, poor Sheldon will have to shrimp himself to fit but it looks like he doesn’t care.

They’re informed that the train will make a stop in New Orleans for refueling and checking the breaks, they will have 11 hours to do some sightseeing, shopping, etc. or they could stay in their bedroom but they were warned several times that they need to be back before the 11 hour mark or the train would leave without them.

Once they’re alone she sprawls into the couch and Sheldon joins her, still with that little smile on his face.

"Thank you Penny." He sounds so sincere and so honest. Her heart felt like bursting.

"You’re welcome Sweetie. Now, I don’t know about you but I’m too tired to explore the train right now. According to the itinerary the train is not leaving for another 2 hours. Want to join me on the bed and watch a movie? A girl at work recommended me this movie, ‘Rio’."

Sheldon nodded and yawned, it seems she wasn’t the only one feeling the last few days catching up with them here. In this tiny bedroom, she had to admit she felt safe. Even with them staying at a Hotel she had been dreading running into one of the guys/girls. Here, they were finally on their way to a new life.

"Good, let me go change." It wasn’t until she said the words and started rummaging through her bags that she realized there was nowhere to change. She could feel a funny little thing start in her stomach, she refused to acknowledge it as excitement as she looked at her bag and the bodysuit’s pink taunted her.

"Good idea Penny, I’ll go change in the bathroom." Sheldon quickly grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom.

Of course, the bathroom could also work as a place to change. She was super conscious of Sheldon, they had literally seen that a relationship between them could work but neither was willing to take that first step. Neither had acknowledged Sheldon’s confession in the Bizarro world. Grabbing her new Hello Kitty pajama she quickly changed and feeling a bit chilly adjusted the thermostat of their bedroom until it felt right.

She set up the laptop and soon Sheldon joined her, they lied side by side on the bed with the laptop between them, and when she was about to ask him to share one headphone each, he had produced a splitter, because of course he had. Sheldon Cooper was ready for everything.

The movie was actually funny but Penny was exhausted and found herself nodding off more and more and turned to Sheldon to tell him that they should go to bed, only to find him slumped dead asleep.

Penny put her laptop away, tried to adjust Sheldon as best as she could, but he still ended up on his side and with his back flush against the wall of the train. Opening the miniscule closet she found a pretty decent sized blanket, but just one. Looking at the man sleeping in the bed Penny recalled the words of another version of her ‘You’re both cowards and you’ll start dating in 5 years expecting the time be right for everyone but yourselves."

Very deliberately Penny lied next to Sheldon and covered him with the blanket and before she could reconsider she hugged him and tangled her leg in his. Sheldon was warm, she used the blanket to cover her head and she wasn’t sure if the thumping noise was the train or her heart.

Penny fell asleep with a man in her arms and for the first time in a long time did not feel lonely when doing it.

Sheldon felt warm, even with his eidetic memory he can’t remember the last time he felt this warm, and safe.

Opening his eyes reveal a mass of messy blonde hair, he frowns a little, this is obviously Penny as indicated by the way the sun played with her hair and the vanilla scent of her shampoo. He could feel her soft breathing somewhere between his neck and chest.

Trying to recall last night revealed that they were watching a movie when Sheldon, finally caught up with exhaustion, fell asleep a few minutes into the animated movie.

He could wake Penny up. He could move himself away. But, there was no schedule to adhere to, this train bedroom would be their home for the next 4 days. He had nowhere to be at.

Sheldon decided to go back to sleep. ‘Fascinating.’ was his last thought before Penny’s warmth and soft breathing lulled him back to sleep.

Neither acknowledged the event. Each pretending that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. They opted to have lunch in the appropriate car instead of in their room and Penny was happy that the food was amazing, not to mention that the coffee was heavenly and they could even make her an Irish coffee which she enjoyed in their bedroom as she read a paperback novel she bought on an impulse. Sheldon was working on his laptop as he drank a cup of tea. And Penny couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy and content.

When it was time for bed, neither said anything but as Sheldon prepared to unfold the upper bunk bed Penny grabbed his wrist. They looked at each other, Penny’s eyes begging him to understand.

Sheldon lowered himself on Penny’s bed and Penny followed him soon after. They would only use one bed for the rest of their trip.

While Penny was finding the train to be much more tolerable than she expected (even enjoyable). The break they had when reaching New Orleans was a welcome one. She dragged Sheldon to try new food, to go shopping and they even found a pretty tiny but cool comic store. Sheldon bought her the first 3 volumes of Sailor Moon and she was already planning on buying the other 7 when they got settled in New York.

The rest of their trip was peaceful. Well, that is, if you don’t count Penny realizing that they found one of Sheldon’s new favorite dishes. The man couldn’t get enough of Club Sandwiches and had already gathered a list of potential new restaurants close to their new home that had the best reviews.

The trip from Penn Station to their Town House was uneventful. The realtor was waiting for them outside the place and he was all smiles and pleasantries, he kept referring to Penny as Sheldon’s wife.

They didn’t bother correcting him.

Once the realtor had left and they were left alone Penny made it her mission to explore their new home, it was even better than she expected, and more spacious.

"Sheldon, where are we going to sleep without beds?" She can see him freeze in his inspection of the doors facing the garden.

"It might have slipped my mind."

And that’s how they find themselves trying to find a furniture store that is open and fate is on their side as only a couple of blocks away there is a store with fantastic reviews. They walk there using Sheldon’s phone as a guide and for a store simply named ‘#1 Brooklyn furniture’ Penny has to admit that it wasn’t empty boasting.

They get there with an hour to spare before they close. Sheldon defers all decisions to her and Penny lets her inner shopaholic out to play. The Cappuccino and Chocolate Sofa set basically choses itself, she can see Sheldon’s new spot as soon as her eyes land on the couch, the loveseat and chair can be used for when they have visits.

She had almost given up on finding a good Ottoman when an oversized gray Ottoman caught her eye and she had to have it. Same for the coffee table, it’s a beautiful walnut color and it has an open storage space which will be perfect to put the laptops or controllers away in a moment plus 4 drawers.

Penny continues to pick random furniture pieces that will fit their home when they get to the Bedroom section. She is suddenly very conscious of Sheldon. They should get two beds. Because they’re sleeping together, but not sleeping together. Penny is not sure what they’re doing but they haven’t really discussed it yet. The train was one thing, but this is a big decision and she’s sure Sheldon will talk about Lumbar support and how he needs his own roo-

"Please make sure to pick a queen bed so we can have enough room." Sheldon is looking very intently at a nightstand and she can’t see his face, but she’s pretty sure his ears are never that red on their own.

"Okay." Her voice comes out as a whisper.

She chooses a Platform Ireland Queen Bed that has a small bookcase in the headboard as well as several drawers. It comes in a beautiful Espresso color and it’s quite tall that she thinks she’ll need a stool to get in their bed.

Their. Bed. ‘Holy Crap on a cracker’. This should feel weird, this should feel wrong. Instead it feels like the most normal thing in the world.

Sheldon pays for it but she’s already done the math and knows how much she has to give him. She'll pay for half of everything, even if she has to force the money down his pants…she takes a moment to enjoy the mental image.

They sleep on the floor that first night in their new home.

Sheldon didn’t tell Penny, after he sent out his email containing proof of the sabotage done to his experiment, Caltech had been sending him emails almost daily, asking for him to return. Sheldon deletes all of them and instead clicks on the email from Columbia University.

Penny decides to get a car. She’s with Sheldon on this one, the subway sucks balls.

Her Care Bear onesie-bodysuit finally makes an appearance when they celebrate their first month living in New York. Sheldon approves. She’s not wearing it for long tho.

Penny’s first big break comes in the form of a music video. Her new agent insists that she listens to the proposal but Penny is not sure. She’s received those offers back in Pasadena and it always involved getting her in the skimpiest clothes they could legally get away with and have her and 6 other women gyrate and grind. But she listens to the proposal and she’s hooked.

She’s not playing a hot blond, she’s playing a mom running away with her daughter. Then she’s asked to appear in another music video, this time she’s a daughter mourning her father while fantasizing about running away with her boyfriend.

She then gets a role as a supporting actress in a small theater play. She’s still working her regular ZanGen job but Penny starts believing that she can make it as an actress again.

She can’t wait to get home to her Wackadoodle.

Howard is not sure how they are all still employed but he thanks his lucky stars. Sheldon left a year ago but not before throwing a live grenade behind him as a parting gift.

Since the Arctic incident Howard had been earning accolades on his own merits and that was what saved him from the worst of it. JPL had vouched for him and his work.

His buddy Raj had made a name for himself but was told in no uncertain terms that he should not apply for tenure any time soon.

Leonard was probably the one that was hit the hardest, his role as leading experimental physicist was given to Leslie Winkle and he was reduced to assistant and told to not make waves or his ass was grass.

Howard looked at Leonard eating lunch across from him and had to admit that he was concerned for him, truly concerned. Leonard had decided to move out from 4A as the rent would be too expensive to pay on his new salary…but for some moronic reason he decided that it was a great idea to move to 4B instead. Even for Howard this was a creepy thing to do.

Penny, their beautiful corn goddess had up and left them but Leonard was struggling to let the idea of her go. When Howard confronted him about moving to 4B Leonard had claimed that it was due to his new salary, that he didn’t have to pay movers which sounded perfectly logical. But Howard didn’t miss the way he would stare wistfully at the stairs, as if Penny would come prancing up the stairs and into her old apartment any day now. It’s been a full year and Howard is starting to get concerned that they might need to stage a friendly intervention for Leonard.

And it’s not like Leonard isn’t trying to date, but-

"Woxanne?" They hear Kripke and all three of them turn to him, but he’s looking at one of the TVs that litter the cafeteria. It takes a moment for Howard to understand what he’s seeing, a music video.

Penny looks good, she no longer has that air of defeat around her, she’s playing the character of a woman in love and Howard is already cringing before turning to Leonard, afraid of his reaction. But the man is lost, he has a goofy smile on his face and Howard doesn’t want to know what goes through his mind at that moment. He shares a look with Raj and his buddy catches the meaning immediately.

And then the credits are rolling, ‘Girlfriend - Penelope Cooper.’

Howard is not at all surprised by the sound of Leonard yelling "WHAT!" but the throwing of his lunch tray to the floor is unexpected and causes everyone, including Howard and Raj, to take a step back.

Leonard looks like he wants to murder someone and you don’t need to be a genius to know who that someone is.

Howard shares a grim look with Raj.

Raj has kept it a secret that he’s been emailing with Penny since she left. He knows about her weird relationship with Sheldon where they treat each other like husband and wife but neither will actually acknowledge it. Raj is convinced it’s an odd form of foreplay for them.

And Raj knows that ‘Penelope Cooper’ is a stage name, just like ‘ Marylin Monroe’. Her agent suggested it and to the surprise of everyone Sheldon agreed that it sounded sophisticated and he approved. Raj is pretty sure he knows the actual reason why Sheldon doesn’t mind.

Raj knows all of this but he won’t say anything. He’s not sure what Leonard would do with that information, and that scares him.

He’s still hoping he can escape Pasadena next month when Penny debuts as the leading lady in ‘Gigi’; he wants to be there on opening night.

After her second music video blew up Penny had to field calls about the whole ‘Penelope Cooper’ thing, not only from her mom and sister but also from Mrs. Cooper, Missy AND Meemaw.

"Honestly Sheldon, it would be easier if we just got married."

"I agree."

And it had been as easy as that. Penny sometimes was frightened by how easy this entire relationship with Sheldon was. And the idea of ‘Penny Cooper’ filled her with a sense of joy and excitement while before, the idea of being ‘Penny Something’ would have made her run for the hills.

Howard invites Leonard and Amy to have dinner. This is mostly so Bernadette can break the news gently to Amy. Raj decided to take a rain check on this whole thing and Howard can’t blame him.

Amy takes the news as well as Leonard did.

"THAT BITCH!"

He lets Bernadette take care of it, he has his own deranged individual to take care of.

"Hey man, talk to me." Leonard looks bad, after his episode in the cafeteria he can’t blame him. People started whispering, synapses making connections, Leonard was never a shy one, he bragged about Penny to everyone that would listen, and even to those that didn’t.

And the last name ‘Cooper’ was still talked about in Caltech hallways, 1+1=2

"Why did it have to be him, Howard?" Leonard’s voice is grounded glass.

Howard wants to be honest, even at his most neurotic Sheldon was always the one that girls flocked to. Instead he says "I don’t know man, it sucks but it’s not like the world is over. You were doing pretty well with that Kate chick right?"

"I guess, but she’s not-" And Leonard shuts up but Howard still hears it ‘ She’s not Penny’.

Howard let out his breath in a violent burst. " Let's get drunk. I think Amy will be happy to join us."

The next morning Howard wakes up in his garage with Bernadette in his arms. No sign of Leonard or Amy, at least until they get to their bedroom.

Howard was going to have to burn those sheets.

Penny loves their gigantic bed. Sheldon had requested it because he wanted the extra room but it didn’t matter. Even when asleep Penny would find Sheldon and wrap herself around him. He had wisely admitted defeat. Though, their cat loved the extra room to laze around.

"Hey Moonpie, why haven’t you revealed your machine? It’s been almost a year and a half." She loved to listen to his heartbeat like this.

"Ah, it was something that I discussed with that other Sheldon. Giving someone unlimited access to basically raid an unsuspecting universe will only lead to bad and worse outcomes. I will not be another Oppenheimer." His fingers played with her hair. She had noticed that Sheldon loved her hair and teased him about it, only to have him say that her hair was the inspiration he needed to come up with the formula for his machine. Sheldon Cooper got game, who knew.

"That makes sense, so you’re basically trying to get it to do the thing you wanted in the first place, the projector thingy?" She felt him nod.

"Basically. I no longer find myself plagued by thoughts of failure or recognition. Being here in our bed, I find myself satisfied. I know I will succeed but I am in no rush."

She squeezed him and gave him a kiss. "I believe in you."

"I know." And he pulled her up to give her a smoldering kiss.

Bizarro Penny was wrong. It only took them a 4 day train ride for Penny and Sheldon to stop dancing around each other.

But Penny can’t shake the feeling that Bizarro Penny had played her. But with Sheldon in her arms she finds that she doesn’t truly care.

fin.

Chapter Text

Raj was an outcast. He arrived in America and thought that he would be freed from the yoke of tradition and expectations, only to be met with racism, intolerance and hate.

Meeting Howard was lady luck herself giving Raj a break. The other man wore clothes that were a little too tight on him and he failed to understand why women found him creepy. But, he had accepted Raj as he was, and Raj for the first time found someone that understood that overbearing parents did not equal loving parents.

And then Raj was sucked into the orbit of Sheldon Cooper. The Physicist was brilliant, there was no other way around it. Raj devoured his papers and attended his (very) rare classes. The man was eccentric, Raj got sucked into comic book night, paintball, Thai food. Friends.

And then Penny joined their group, she was the Sun, Sunshine incarnated to this earth. She never made fun of his heritage, nationality or skin color. She would not make fun of him for his other hobbies, The Notebook, Twilight, 50 Shades, The Bachelor. She was a friend he did not know how to appreciate.

While he harbored a not so secret crush on Penny, the one from Leonard’s bordered on obsession. He brought it up once and Leonard whined and compared himself to the protagonists from those ‘chick things’ that Penny likes and Raj’s stomach twisted.

But Leonard was his friend. He ignored the voice that pointed that Penny was his friend as well.

Then the Arctic happened and it became easier to make fun of Sheldon. To reduce him to a cartoon, a child having a tantrum. It made it easier for Raj to ignore the pain in the other man’s eyes.

When Sheldon created the position for Raj, so he wouldn’t be deported, that’s when the first cracks appeared. Sheldon didn’t need to do that. Raj was aware that Penny was now in a higher totem position than himself, Sheldon would move heaven and earth to keep Penny in his circle, and yet he extended a hand to Raj.

Raj rationalized it, Sheldon was selfish, he’s only doing to keep you here. Raj should have focused on the fact that Sheldon wanted him to stay.

And then Raj’s own career started taking off, no longer his success would be tied to Sheldon’s name. It made it easier to regress to previous behaviors. ‘Ignore Sheldon’, ‘He’s special’, ‘He’ll be a real boy one day’

After working so closely with Sheldon it was easy for Raj to catch the small cringes, the twitching hands and blink-and-you-miss-it frowns that showed how their comments hurt Sheldon. But Howards was doing and looking expectantly at him. ‘Howard is my friend.’

But Sheldon had been his friend as well.

When Leonard finally was able to successfully date Penny, Raj had been jealous. How could he not be? But he remained her friend…at least for a while.

Raj had spent enough time around Penny to learn her moods and habits.
-Penny sat next to Sheldon. (Until a disapproving look from Leonard put a stop to that)
-Penny went out dancing. (Until Leonard guilt trip her into staying at home)
-Penny did things with Sheldon. (Until Leonard started being cruel and nasty towards Sheldon after he had been out with Penny)
-Penny smiled a lot when she got laid. (She didn’t smile as often now, only a forced smirk that made her look older)
-Penny joked around with all of them. (Her jokes had an edge now, cruelty right around the corner)
-Penny liked spending time with them. (More and more night she was alone or with the girls)
-Penny liked drinking a glass of wine with dinner. (After Leonard and her started dating, this became a glass with every meal and then Raj caught her smelling like alcohol during her shift at The Factory)
-Penny liked acting. (Penny stopped going to auditions after Leonard accused her of wanting to cheat)
-Penny dressed comfy and in bright colors (She only wore long sleeved blouses and pants in muted colors. Leonard whined if she wasn’t wearing his clothes, even though they didn’t really fit Penny as she was taller than him)
-Penny liked to watch Football and have parties. (Penny only hangs out with them and Leonard now)
-Penny hugged everyone. (Penny now looked to see if Leonard was around first)
-Penny is a happy person by nature. (Penny is no longer happy)

Raj could see how Penny became…less. A muted version of herself.

Leonard argued that Penny was doing better than ever, she had a better paying job (and that also seemed to rankle him), she abandoned acting, she was growing up, she ‘stopped being foolish’. And Raj was certain that Leonard didn’t realize how much like his mother he sounded like in that moment.

And then Penny and Sheldon left. Raj, like everyone else, was shocked, until he stopped to think about it. Sheldon had become withdrawn, just taking the punches from everyone else, including his girlfriend. And Penny was becoming someone Raj refused to recognize.

Sheldon was more than his eccentricities and Penny was more than the wine in her pantry.

The week after Sheldon and Penny were gone was the hardest for Leonard. Raj stopped going to Los Robles altogether when Leonard moved into 4B. He didn’t know how, but the man had purchased the same furniture that Penny had and was basically memorializing the place. One tense pizza night was enough for Raj to never want to return.

Seeing the way Leonard was acting was the wake-up call that Raj needed. He started going to Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) -he wasn’t sure why Howard snickered every time he mentioned it- and was happy to see results. He was able to talk normally to the new waitress at The Cheesecake Factory and was able to make small talk with the mail lady.

Two months after Penny had left, he decided to reply to her email. He apologized for not saying anything to Leonard. For failing as a friend and for not appreciating her enough. He did not mention Leonard, or Howard, or Amy, or Bernadette.

Hitting the send button Raj felt a sense of relief. He hoped that it was enough, he had purposely waited to reply in the evening so Penny could reply after she got home from work and mayb-

The Skype ringing sound makes Raj jump in his seat. It’s Penny.

Before being able to think it twice he clicks to accept the video call and there in all her pixelated glory is Penny. She looks fantastic, much more like the Penny in his earlier memories than the stranger that tried to take her place.

Her smile is back and is soft on her face as she gazes into the camera. "Hey Sweetie." She says softly. She’s clearly in bed and lying on her side, a small orange kitten is lying next to her head on the pillow.

A smile grows on his face as well and tears prickle at the edge of his eyes. Raj now understands what it feels like to see the sun after it has been hidden for years.

They talk and apologize to each other, for missed chances, for broken friendships and they both talk about starting over. Raj is about to ask Penny where she is and if she wouldn’t mind if he went to visit when an arm snakes across her front and she’s pulled back against someone.

Raj freezes at the suddenness of it all, he knows that she’s the one that called him but it still feels like he intruded in something intimate. He’s not sure why but he’s about to apologize when Penny beats him to it.

"Oh, sorry Raj, Sweetie. It’s almost midnight for us and Sheldon is a sleep-cuddler."

He’s having trouble processing any part of that sentence, but he sees the fond exasperation on Penny’s face, how her smile didn’t diminish and more importantly, that she’s sober.

Raj squees in pure excitement and soon Penny joins him. "I know right? But it’s been fantastic." and Penny sighs in pure happiness.

That night Raj goes to bed happier than he has been in a while and it’s all because he knows Penny and Sheldon are okay. Raj and Penny organized a call for next week, he wants to properly apologize to Sheldon and hopefully recover a semblance of a friendship.

Raj is able to talk things out with Sheldon, there’s too much baggage there for things to go back to normal but Sheldon still wants to try, Raj is floored by the offer. Penny later messages him to tell him that Sheldon was happy about starting over and was even considering inviting him to their home.

Penny and Sheldon are in New York. Penny’s social media went private when she left, but he’s lucky to be invited in again to see what their life has been.

There’s pictures of a train, of them eating beignets, Penny posing next to a Sailor Moon cutout, Sheldon in the middle of biting a sandwich, Sheldon with the softest expression ever holding a tiny orange kitten, Penny in a beautiful garden smiling widely with her arms stretched towards the sky, Penny struggling to get up on a gigantic bed, Sheldon and Penny in front of Columbia University, Penny laughing in what looks to be a Chinese restaurant, Sheldon giving a class, Sheldon and Penny sitting side by side on a couch and the orange kitten sitting between them.

They were happy. Maybe it was time for Raj to find some happiness of his own as well. Howard and Bernadette were together and Raj loved his buddy but things were not the same, he had different priorities now. Amy only hangs out with Bernadette, and Leonard dithers between being fully depressive to almost manic, plus there’s an edge there now. Whenever they go out Raj doesn’t miss the way Leonard’s eyes swivel and focus on every blond head.

A few months later Raj is happy to know that Leonard is in a somewhat serious relationship with an undergrad student named Kate, he brings her around for drinks one night and when he sees Kate for the first time he can’t help but share a look with Howard. Howard looks just as put out as him and even Amy makes a small comment. Kate could be Penny’s little sister.

Raj can see history repeating itself, the drinking, the manipulation, how Kate seems scared of Leonard’s reactions. He pulls her aside and tells her the truth. He’s happy to hear that she broke up with Leonard the next day.

And then it finally happens. They’re in the cafeteria when Kripke makes a noise, Raj has been thinking about his PTO days and when he should travel to New York next month when his brain finally catches up to him and he sees Penny on the screen. He has already seen this music video, Sheldon proudly showed it to him on their last call.

He knows there’s a credits roll and what it will say.

Turning to Leonard, Raj is dumbfounded, the man looks as if it’s his girlfriend on the screen. Raj still remembers how Leonard told Penny to grow up and give up on acting and this is that same man?. And it’s because he’s focused on Leonard's face that he sees how it changes, the way he scrunches up his features, the pinched lips that remind him of Beverly, and Leonard is suddenly yelling and throwing his lunch tray on the floor like a toddler being denied something.

He looks at Howard and he can see a similar fear on his face. Leonard is not okay.

New York is really fun. He was already fully crying when Penny came out with the rest of the cast to bow and he had never imagined that Sheldon could clap so much.

He spends a week there and the Coopers open their home to him. There’s Halo, and Pizza, the new addition is Club Sandwich night. They go and visit their new Comic Book Shop, and Raj is pleasantly surprised by the cozy atmosphere and attached coffee shop.

Raj makes small talk with the barista which he initially thought to be an Indian expat like himself but her French accent captured his attention immediately. Her name was Naeema and she was from Mauritius. Penny pulled Sheldon to explain that they should give Raj some space and Raj made a note to buy her a gift basket.

This first trip makes him look at New York and wonder ‘What if.’

By the time Penny and Sheldon announce their pregnancy a year later, Raj is living only 20 minutes away with his girlfriend, Naeema.

Verum Finis.

Chapter Text

Penny knew she shouldn’t do this, but she was so close, so close. Just a little push and she’d be golden and be able to go to sleep, satisfied and sated. Sheldon just needed to give her that push over the edge.

"Danger!, Dang-oh, it’s you again Penny." Sheldon looked tired and Penny kinda felt bad about waking him up again.

"I know, I know Sheldon but I’m so close to leveling up. I am so close to level 30 that I can taste it. But the NPCs are not talking to me and I’m in Semira and don’t know how to reach that peak without grinding Pastun mobs and that’s boring. Can you help me reach level 30?, pretty please"

"Penny, you’re already at Semir-no, no, no. This is the fifth night in a row that you interrupt my regular REM cycle requesting assistance with your Age of Conan character." Sheldon looked at her exasperated and Penny felt bad again because he did look tired.

"Sheldon, I swear this is the last tim-" He interrupted her.

"Would me assisting you in reaching orgasm, make you go back to sleep instead. And allow me full uninterrupted sleep from now on?"

"What?" Her breath is gone and it comes out as a breathless squeak. She must have misheard him. There’s no way he just said that.

"Penny. It has become abundantly clear that your new found obsession with Age of Conan comes from what you described as a ‘dry spell’. I am willing to assist you to reach orgasm without coitus so that you can return to your regular routine while still enjoying the game with moderation. Do you agree to these terms?" He looked at her expectantly.

Holy crap on a cracker. He really did just say that.

Penny flushed with anger. How dare Sheldon insinuate that the only reason she was playing AoC so late into the night was because she was sexually frustrated. Penny shook in anger and opened her mouth to tell Sheldon to go to hell, that she was fine, she didn’t need this so-called ‘help’ . Thank you very much.

"Okay." Penny was also horny.

Penny was 99% sure that Sheldon was just joking. He wanted to play chicken until Penny freaked out and called off the whole thing so he could go back to bed and not help her get to level 30. Well, Penny was an expert at playing chicken, she grew up playing chicken with the tractors on the farm and she never lost, not once.

And a tiny, really miniscule part of her brain was curious. She wasn’t blind after all, Sheldon was tall, he had really nice hands and forearms. He was skinnier than her regular choice of date but he had some good muscles under the superhero tees. ‘Okay Penny, stop.’ Maybe she did need to get laid if Sheldon Cooper was looking like a good option.

"Very well, do you have hot water in your shower?"

Huh? "Yes…" Penny answered hesitantly, unsure on where he was going with this.

"Excellent, then let us depart to your apartment. I’ll feel more comfortable if we do this under the shower, AFTER, we both clean ourselves of course." Sheldon got up and put on his robe, like they were going to have tea or something. His face didn’t even looked anxious or worried and that gave Penny courage ‘So you think I’ll chicken out just because you put on your robe huh?"

Penny opened the door and walked back to her apartment, careful to not make too much noise. She didn’t think she could explain what was happening to Leonard without sounding deranged.

Sheldon followed right behind her and Penny started feeling the first signs of anxiety. Sheldon was not backing down, but turning to look at his perfectly peaceful and innocent face made Penny’s resolve strengthen. She was not going to be the one to back down.

Once Sheldon was inside her apartment she made sure to lock it. The click suddenly very loud in her ears.

"Oh dear lord, Penny. I’m making an additional addendum to our deal. You will let me clean your apartment after I’ve helped you achieve orgasm."

Penny flushed, he sounded so very matter of factly, so business-like, and it rankled something inside of her. ‘That’s how you want to play Moonpie? Okay’.

"You’re sounding very confident that you’ll make me cum, for a virgin I mean." Okay, that came out meaner than she intended.

"A virgin? Ah, yes. I suppose my lack of ‘bragging’ compared to the horned up monkeys I call friends might have given you that impression. But no, I’m not a virgin." He had the same posture he did as when he lectured her on why one detergent was better than the other. "Shall we?." He gestures with one arm to her bedroom.

Penny can’t seem to close her mouth. In one sentence Sheldon just changed her entire perception of him. The anxiety in her stomach is suddenly much more present, ‘maybe he wasn’t joking?’, but then she takes a look at his regular smug face and Penny is not going to back down.

"We shall." She’s already removing her robe and throwing it on her bed.

She hears Sheldon click his tongue and looks back to seem him pick it up and fold it properly on top of her dresser. Sheldon is not backing down. The anxiety in her belly is suddenly joined by another feeling, excitement.

Before she can think twice about it Penny quickly removes her clothes and throws them on the floor. Then picks them up and throws them in the hamper instead. She walks into her tub and is debating on closing the curtains or not and if this will be enough to make Sheldon fold when the man himself walks into her bathroom.

Naked.

Not wearing anything.

Not a stitch of clothing on him.

Penny’s mouth is suddenly dry, ‘That Sheldon is really good at playing chicken.’, the feeling in her belly is now red hot and moving south.

Sheldon’s eyes don’t wander, he’s looking at her face, and for some reason that makes her want to cover herself. Penny has never been shy about her body. She knows she has great boobs and a fantastic ass, and whenever she brought a date home she would relish in the looks she received once clothes were off.

But Sheldon’s eyes don’t stray down further than her face. She knows she’s blushing and she’s the first to look down at him.

Sheldon looks good, he’s got that swimmer thing going on. All sinewy muscles and long limbs. She follows the line of hair from his bellybutton to his dick and she’s not sure why she’s surprised that he’s hard, but she is. He’s not the largest she’s ever seen but he’s packing heat. Her mouth is drier than the desert while her crotch is making up for the difference. ‘Maybe he wasn’t playing chicken.’

She’s not sure who this man is but it’s so unlike the Shel-

"Really Penny?, you need to invest in some adhesive stickers for your bathtub. For 99 cents you ensure proper safety while enjoying your shower."

Ah, no, this was still Sheldon. And that makes her calm down. He was still the same Wackadoodle.

Sheldon then gets into the shower, turns it out and tells her ‘Please shower’. And Penny is once again gripped in the vice grip of her pussy…metaphorically speaking of course.

As she washes her body and watches Sheldon do the same, Penny's brain is a mess of thoughts. She of course knew that Sheldon was tall, but now in the shower with her she was more aware of that fact than she ever had been. He could cover her with his body, she would need to climb him like a tree if she wanted to kiss him properly.

The way the muscles in his arms moved and rippled as he cleaned himself made her want to take a nibble of him and see the skin redden and bruise as he moaned her name…

Maybe Sheldon was right, she was too horned up for proper thinking.

"Would you like to start now?" How could he sound so normal when she was coming apart at the seams?

"Yeah" Her voice was deep and husky. She decided to just let go. The water spray was warm and she had a warm body next to her. Most likely this would be a disaster, he might try to jam two fingers into her and just wiggle them around expecting things to happen and she would be even more frustrated bu-

Sheldon’s hand is suddenly on her hip and her brain goes blank, he runs his fingers delicately over her skin, making her shiver. His other hand goes to her side, right below her breast, his thumb rubbing circles that almost touch the underside of her breast and she needs to close her eyes.

The hand exploring her hip suddenly grows more confident and runs down to her asscheek giving it a squeeze, harder than she expected.

There’s a moan and Penny takes too long to realize it came from her.

And then his hand is suddenly gone and Penny opens her eyes, desperately wanting to ask for more but when she sees the hand moving towards her crotch she thinks ‘Shut up and let the Doctor work’.

He doesn’t touch her aching pussy much to her displeasure, he instead is touching her tummy, running his thumb down the landing strip and frustratingly stopping before actually touching her pussy.

Penny holds onto Sheldon’s arms and mewls in disappointment. ‘I’m going to kill him.’

She turns to look up at him and demand that he touches her when he’s suddenly there. His hand is in her inner thigh caressing her and the length of his finger is suddenly rubbing her in a way that makes her knees weak, and then his thumb is dancing on her clit and Penny sees stars.

She’s always been vocal when coming. But the guttural growl that comes out of her is new.

Penny’s panting and holding onto Sheldon for dear life. She looks up at him to glare, this shouldn’t be happening. Sheldon is looking down at her and if it wasn’t for his raging cock and full body flush she would not be able to tell that he was affected at all, and that made her angry.

She sees one of Sheldon’s perfect eyebrows go up and he asks, "Would you like another one?"

Damn him, he sounds like he’s asking her if she wants another dumpling. She should tell him to fuck off, to go back to his apartment and leave her alone.

Instead she manages a shaky nod.

This time he’s more confident and plays with her lips. Penny finds it easier to moan this second time around. He takes his time, and she suspects that he’s keeping her on the brink of her second orgasm on purpose, his fingers teasing that they might slip into her only to pull back at the last second. She’s almost sobbing when Sheldon finally takes pity and plunges his fingers in her, he then hooks his fingers and does a c’mon sign twice.

This time Penny swears that she passed out for a second. She’s still holding onto Sheldon, barely. A part of Penny’s mind still actually offended, here she was, a nubile and fertile young woman in the arms of Sheldon Cooper and he had not touched himself, made suggestive remarks or even tried to rub his dick on her body. For all intents and purposes he was a gentleman (Ha, right.).

She looked up at him and this time she could see his slightly faster breathing. He is being affected by this. She wants to offer to help with his hard-on, to be sexy and inviting.

Instead Penny manages a very drunk sounding "Third’s time's the charm."

She passes out in his arms this time.

Penny wakes up feeling very relaxed. She can’t remember the last time she woke up feeling this good, the smile on her face was there since before she woke up.

She stretches her arms and the sheets shift slightly making her freeze. She’s naked. She never goes to bed naked. And the events of last night hit her like a freight train.

‘It was a dream.’ But the state of cleanliness of her room tells her otherwise.

Penny lets her head hit the pillow again and she just stares at the ceiling.

"Well…crap." She says to no one. "Now what?."

It’s still rather early, Sheldon and Leonard must be having breakfast right now. It would be normal for her to go get the milk for her coffee, right?

Putting on some cute (and clean) pajamas as well as fixing her hair and putting enough makeup to seem natural, she walks into 4A.

Sheldon is in his spot eating cereal and watching TV. Penny freezes at the sight of him. He looks very normal, very Sheldon-like, he’s not acting flustered at her entering his apartment. He offers a good morning and warns her to not use all the milk before going back to his cereal and show.

Maybe she did dream about it. But the way her body is hyper relaxed, the permanent smile on her face and more importantly the slight tingling in her belly reassures her that she’s not crazy and that it did happen.

Leonard is in the kitchen island with his own cup of coffee and newspaper. He’s trying to talk to her but she’s too distracted for conversation at the moment. She feels like a bitch but Leonard finally gets the hint and goes back to his newspaper.

Penny’s observing Sheldon. He shattered a lot of ideas she had of him last night. And yet here he was sitting down and eating cereal like it was the most normal thing in the world to do after giving Penny 3 earth shattering orgasms without actually fucking.

This. Was. Not. Fair.

She needed a plan. Leaving 4A with a quick goodbye Penny went back to her own place, she had a shift in a couple of hours and needed to think.

Penny was currently a very happy but confused girl. She knows that with everything that has happened this is not the correct thing to focus on but she can’t help but only think about one thing.

Why didn’t Sheldon ask for anything from her? Not like the ‘cleaning the apartment stuff’, but last night in the shower he was obviously very aroused. Penny would have happily helped him.

Wackadoodle. He had a deal after all and unfortunately for him Penny was now ready to get to the bottom of this. (And of his pants.)

Her shift went by rather quickly and she was happy to see it was a very good day for tips. She now needed to go back home and talk to Sheldon, maybe offer her help in the same way he had helped her.

It takes her 3 days to gather the courage to approach him. She can’t exactly blurt ‘Can you give me another orgasm?’ during dinner, so she waits, and waits, and waits some more. And then, after a long shift she’s entering 4A and only Sheldon is there.

"Hey Honey, where are the rest of the guys?"

"Hi Penny. Good evening. Leonard and the rest are partaking in the dreadful event that is Anything-can-happen-Thursday, and previous evidence suggests that this is actually Let’s-go-drinking-until-it’s-morning-and-we-realized-that-we-failed-to-find-a-partner-to-achieve-coitus-with-Thursday." Sheldon is shaking his head like this is the saddest thing he has ever heard. "This is why they will never be successful in their fields."

Sheldon looks at her, "I took the liberty of ordering your regular Chinese takeout order, I hope that’s acceptable?." He really had clear eyes.

And Penny is suddenly nervous, they’re alone. "Yeah Honey, thanks."

Sheldon nods and goes back to reading a handful of papers. Penny feels hyper aware of everything and she can’t just stand here in the entrance all night, but she’s not sure how to act. Since that night in her shower Penny has been trying to find the best way to approach him to talk about this, but he’s just been acting like the same ol’ Sheldon. Penny has been trying to catch him checking her out or see if he’s nervous about her being present, but no, he’s acting cool as a cucumber.

And that pissed her off.

Feeling that she was moving like a robot, she took her regular place in the middle cushion next to Sheldon and she tried to be discreet about observing him but his ‘Penny, what’s so fascinating about my hands?’ comment makes her realize she’s not successful.

The anger makes it easier to get the words out, and just as Penny opens her mouth, to demand that he tells her the truth on how he felt, if he enjoyed it, why he wasn’t bothered or acting differently. That’s the moment Sheldon chooses to speak.

"If you’d like another orgasm, can it please wait for after we have dinner?." And he doesn’t even bother looking up from the papers he’s reading.

Unfrakingbelieveable. The nerve of this man. No Moonpie, it doesn’t work like that. So she’s not sure why instead she answers with a "Okay, sounds good."

Sheldon nods and tells her "Thank you."

Maybe she fell in the shower and she’s hallucinating this entire thing? She’s bleeding out after knocking herself out on the edge of the tub and her brain is feeding her this fantasy…her brain was one sick puppy if that was the case.

Penny turns on the TV and is not even watching it, she’s high strung and coiled tightly. She keeps telling herself that she’s not looking forward to it, that she’s not counting down the minutes until the food gets there. And she’s failing miserably.

There’s a knock on the door and she jumps from the couch, grabs the money off the coffee table, launches herself to the door, takes the food, pays the delivery guy, closes (and locks) the door, and is back on the couch in seconds. Sheldon hasn’t even looked up yet.

"Oh the food is here, goody." Sheldon starts going through the bag and Penny can’t help but stare at him. He sounded more excited about the food than about making her cum, and okay, ouch. Penny’s resolve only hardens ‘We’ll see if you’re so calm later Moonpie."

Penny forces herself to eat at her regular pace, she almost chokes when Sheldon asks, ‘Would you like another one?’ and points to the dumplings. She’s ruined, he said that in the most innocent way possible and her panties are flooded. Penny can only close her eyes in mortification.

Sheldon was killing her and he didn’t even know it.

She gets that second dumpling, blushing for the entire rest of dinner.

Penny still finished before Sheldon did…and everything sounds dirty to her now. She can’t settle down, because she didn’t have to ask, Sheldon offered, and she’s feeling as horny as a Chihuahua with a plushie.

Sheldon is in no rush to finish his dinner, because of course he’s not. It’s not like he has anything to do right? Penny meanwhile is looking at his arms and hands, fantasizing about how his hands will feel on her which is made easier now that she’s not actually imagining it, but remembering it.

Penny has had enough. "Uh, are we doing this in your shower or mine?" She’s not sure if she managed the nonchalant tone she was going for.

"If you don’t mind, I think it would be safer for the both of us if we used my shower. I have whimsical ducks stickers that will keep us from slipping and cracking open our skulls." The calm way he was acting about this should not be getting her this bothered, he was not trying to be sexy or mysterious or anything like that, and his calm and quiet confidence was making her squeeze the cushion in a death grip and press her thighs together. Maybe Penny was the Wackadoodle.

"Okay." Penny said happily and was already moving to the bathroom before Sheldon reminded her to get a change of clothes as well as her own towel and robe, and Penny wants to scream in frustration. This was too much like orgasm denial for her liking and her suspicion that Sheldon was doing this on purpose grew.

Once again he asked her to go first while he got rid of the trash, disinfected the table, etc. but he did join her after a couple of minutes. She felt more confident in looking now so while she washed herself she made it no secret that she was ogling him and he did not seem to mind.

This time he doesn’t say anything, he just touches her sides, gently, softly. His huge hands are touching her like she’s something precious and the thought brings tears to her eyes. She’s had guys touch her like she’s a thing, manhandle her, painfully squeeze her and desperately touch her as if she would disappear. This feels new and good, the heat that made her think she was going to cum at his first touch is still there, but now it’s boiling slowly. Penny is going to enjoy this the second time around and not rush to the goal line.

Her hands grab ahold of his arms as she leans into his touch. She closes her eyes to enjoy the sensations more, one of his hands moves to her crotch and he starts playing with her scant pubic hair, he rubbing it between two fingers and she can feel the slightest of pressure as he pulls on the fine hairs. She’s really digging this, it feels slow and she’s going to be able to drag this feeling out.

And then Sheldon’s other hand lightly pinches her nipple and she’s undone in a moment. Sheldon must be cheating, there’s no way this just happened. Her mouth is still open from groaning and she looks up at the calm man lightly caressing her still and just says "How?"

She’s expecting him to not know what she’s talking about, to play dumb. But he answers her honestly. "I have an eidetic memory Penny. I can recall every caress that made you shiver, clench or jump at a moment’s notice. Analyzing this information to find the most efficient way for you to achieve orgasm and then creating and now implementing the plan was as easy as solving the issue of rockets retro-propulsion and reentry to earth."

And maybe you could catch crazy after all. Because that was the hottest thing she’s heard in months.

"Huh, that is actually very hot and cool."

Sheldon tilted his head, like a puppy. "How can one thing be two separate extremes at once?"

Penny can’t help it, she laughs and she hugs him fully and for the first time since this whole thing began she feels Sheldon freeze. Suddenly very conscious of the hardness pressing against her tummy she is about to step back when she feels his dick rub the smallest amount against her, but for Penny is triumph. ‘Got you Moonpie.’

"Penny, while appreciate the sentiment behind this gesture, perhaps we should disentangle so I can continue providing my assistance." His voice is no longer confident, the slight shake of it feels monumental to Penny.

Penny’s head is exactly the right height to bury her face in his neck and Sheldon’s arms go around her as if in response. She’s not sure if it’s to stop her or to push her closer to him but when her lips find that pulse point on his neck and kiss it, Sheldon lets out a quiet hiss.

"Hey Moonpie, why didn’t you ask for my help the other night? It was obvious you were also very horny."

"Penny, I find you incredibly appealing and I feel sexually attracted to you, however, please don’t use the name my Meemaw uses while we’re in this position. I implore you."

Penny laughs low and dirty because yeah, this is happening. It’s weird but it’s still very Sheldon. "Sorry Sheldon." And she kisses his neck in apology.

The sudden hand on her ass makes her jump a little and Sheldon’s voice is in her ear, low and husky. "To answer your question. It was not part of the deal. I simply assisted you, dried you off and put you to bed." A pregnant pause "I then retired to my room so I could satisfy my urges and once I had cleaned myself I returned to your apartment to attempt to clean it."

Penny doesn’t know why the thought of him returning to his room to masturbate makes her want to cry. She’s moved because it never even crossed his mind to take advantage of her, they made a deal and he stuck to it simply because it was the right thing to do. She’s also feeling proud because it means that she did affect him, the great Sheldon Cooper was attracted to her (she hadn’t missed THAT part). And she’s also feeling a bit sad because he was alone.

"So…can we alter our agreement? You help me, I help you."

"Penny. I-"

But she’s already making room between them and touching his dick, running her nails lightly on its length before taking a hold of it and starting to pump it.

Sheldon sort of folds on top of her, his face is now in the crook of her neck, his breath makes her shiver, and the hand on her ass grips her a little bit tighter while his other hand is splayed over her back.

Penny is in no rush. She doesn’t want this to be a competition to see who can make who cum the fastest. She’s always had a soft spot for Sheldon, even at his most neurotic, and this is another thing that they share. Penny is really unsure about what this thing between them is, but she can see it working. She can see herself falling for her tall neighbor and it’s not a scary thought. He drives her crazy but as this last week has shown, he can also drive her crazy in bed. She wouldn’t have to worry about him checking out other girls, much less cheating on her.

She can hear his breathing get more labored and erratic so she stops, she doesn’t want this to be over just yet, the groan of disappointment from Sheldon makes her smile.

"I’m also attracted to you. But you never showed interest, you seemed happy without being involved with me." Sheldon frowns slightly at her words, considering them seriously.

"Your hair." She’s the one frowning now, Sheldon is not looking at her, his eyes are far away deep into himself.

"The way the light played off your hair was the first thing I noticed. The way you smiled, fearless and brave made me want to see you smile at every waking moment. How, unlike me, you have a way of dealing with people and try to see the best in them. I was certain that your kindness was faked, that you would tire of us, of me. The moment I realized your kindness was true, I…" Sheldon shuts up and he’s back in the moment.

The emotion in his eyes threatens to swallow her. She’s not sure that she wants to identify it and yet, she’s longing for it. She should stop, this is getting too real, he wanted to explain that he was attracted to her and instead it sounded like a love confession. She needs to take a step back, the pain from her relationship with Kurt is a dull pain now, but she doesn’t want to commit again…does she?. Penny swallows the lump in her throat.

She can put a stop to this. She should.

It’s quiet in the bathroom but for the sound of the cooling shower spray, the soundtrack to this intimate moment.

And then Sheldon’s hand on her back pushes her to him. And she lets it.

She kisses him. And he answers in kind.

It’s awkward, he’s too tall, the shower is too small. And yet it’s perfect. The kiss is slow and gentle. She feels him slide down the shower wall until he’s sitting on the edge of the tub and she adjusts herself, straddles him.

Penny is not drunk, she’s fully conscious of what she’s doing and with whom, and it feels right. So she doesn’t hesitate to guide him into her. His length stretches her folds.

Her arms go around his neck and their foreheads meet, her hair forming a curtain around them. And nothing else exists in the universe.

Just Sheldon and Penny.

Hours later, Penny is laying in Sheldon’s bed. Her head on his chest and she’s watching him sleep.

After they had sex in the bathroom, the shower spray was suddenly too cold. She guided him to his bedroom and while she expected some sort of protest Sheldon just followed her quietly. Once in his bedroom Sheldon grew confident again, his kisses a little more intense and Penny lost herself in him.

The intense energy he used for Physics now focused on her.

He did not lie, even seemingly lost in passion Sheldon kept learning, once he found an angle that made her curl her toes he would hit it time after time. The right way to pinch her nipple or how much she liked when he caressed her ass.

Sheldon Cooper did not stop until he was the best at something. Penny was more than willing to help him along the way as she also learned what made him hiss in pleasure, what made him close his eyes to not be overwhelmed and what hip movement made him moan. Penny also wanted to be the best.

Penny is not sure what to call what they did in his bedroom. To call it sex seems insufficient, it was more intimate, more passionate, it left her feeling satisfied in both body and mind.

It was making love.

She’s expecting to want to cringe once it crosses her mind but she’s feeling pretty at peace with it. She’s not sure if she loves Sheldon, but she can see it. She can see herself falling in love with the big Wackadoodle.

She’s kissing the spot right below his nipple when Sheldon’s door is opened and Leonard’s head appears.

"Sheldon? Was Penny here? I think I saw her clothes in the bathr-"

Leonard freezes in place and his mouth is moving but not making any sounds. Strangely enough, Penny thinks that he looks like he’s about to cry.

"Hi Leonard, Sweetie. I’ll be staying the night, hope you don’t mind." Penny’s voice is soft and she gives him a friendly wave.

She can see Leonard swallow with difficulty and nod a couple of times. "Okay, ‘night." he squeaks and quietly closes the door.

Penny knew that Leonard had a little crush on her, so she’ll try to wake up early tomorrow to clear the air with him.

But for now she’s tired and she’s in the arms of a man she can love.

Penny has the best sleep of her life.

Chapter Text

Penny was feeling pretty stupid. As she waited for the moment for her head to hit the stone bench she wondered if they would make this moment a part of that TV show ‘1000 ways to die’. The girl that died on her wedding day because one of her heels broke.

She never thought that this moment would give her the time to think so much. But time was moving slowly and she just knew that once her head made contact with the stone bench behind her, that would be it for her. Kaput.

Penny is also pretty relieved to not have to go through the whole wedding thing. She had proposed to Leonard, he had said yes…and here they were. Penny knew that her entire attitude towards this wedding thing had been less than enthusiastic but she kept waiting for that moment of ‘I’m happy’, except, it never came.

She kept going through the motions, picking flowers, a wedding cake, calming Sheldon down by reassuring him for the 100th time that ‘Yes Sheldon, I do want to get married…yes, to Leonard.’. She did the whole pony and dog show while feeling pretty empty inside. She wanted to call off the entire thing but Leonard looked so happy that, well, she just played along.

Maybe her mom was right and Penny was going to hell.

Leonard just wasn’t it. She had been scared of ending up alone, he had been there, she had gotten used to him, it was just easier to pretend. She had reached her mid-thirties and everyone else was getting paired up, even Sheldon. So she took what she had and ran with it.

She does hope that Leonard finds someone nice after she’s gone. Here, moments away from her death she can be honest. They were terrible for each other. She found him boring and dull, he found her boring and dumb, the sex was okay most of the time…when he didn’t had to stop in the middle of it to take a hit of his inhaler, she missed eating cheese and ice-cream and resented him for it, they had nothing to talk about, most nights they ended up drinking way too much and she feared they were well on their way to become alcoholics. She lied about the spark. He cheated on her.

It felt good to let go of things. If she could go back in time, she would do things differently, be a better friend to Sheldon. Not date Leonard. Take acting seriously. Stop drinking. Not hook up with that guy that gave her a UTI.

Then her world fills with pain, she can hear a sickening snap and someone yelling her name. Then darkness.

Penny’s world is still full of pain for a moment after she wakes up. She keeps her eyes closed both because it makes it easier to handle the pain but also to try and keep the nausea under control.

‘Fuck, I survived.’ Penny knows that she should be grateful to have survived but she can’t, she’s probably going to be recovering for months, she might not walk again, she…is kicked out of bed.

Penny lies on the floor in utter confusion because she's fine. The fall from the bed makes her open her eyes and she automatically moves to stand up, noticing that her arms and legs are working fine, more than fine actually, she hasn’t felt this good in years. The pain that assaulted her when waking up is gone, now only a bad memory.

‘Can’t remember the last time I was kicked out of bed. The last time it happened it was when I was still with Kurt’ Looking around, Penny notices that this is not a hospital room. She’s in a room she thought she would never see again.

She’s at Kurt’s apartment and he just kicked her out of bed in his sleep.

It was a bad habit of his, born out of living in a house with 5 other brothers. She found it cute at first, she found it infuriating after 3 years.

Penny is feeling cold, like her limbs have been replaced with icicles. Nausea threatens her again but she loses this time, her body knows exactly where the toilet is and she just makes it in time before she’s vomiting whatever was in her stomach.

This was impossible. ‘You mean improbable.’ A memory surfaces, Sheldon.

On shaky legs Penny goes out to the kitchen, she always kept a calendar on the fridge, she needed to see the date. Her lower lip trembled, this was all too much, what was she supposed to do?

The calendar is exactly where she remembers and the date on it takes her breath away, 14th of December, 2002. Two months since they’ve been in Pasadena. Two months since Penny started working at The Cheesecake Factory. Two months since she left home and never looked back.

Penny is hyperventilating now, she can’t do this. She’s going to have to spend 4 years with Kurt knowing that he is already cheating on her? Once their relationship broke down he was not shy about telling her who he had fucked and when. Looking at the clock on the microwave showed that it was 5:23 am. Kurt probably had arrived here about an hour ago from the club, he would be dead to the world until 2 or 3 pm, she could be shooting buckshot next to his face and he would not wake up.

She was not planning on being here when that happened. Making a decision she grabbed the same bags that she used to escape Omaha and once again filled them to the brim and the stuff that didn’t fit she just put into garbage bags and carried it all to her car, she did not forget the TV this time.

Taking a moment to write a note for Kurt, she makes sure to burn that bridge thoroughly, Kurt will be pissed and also scared that she knows so much about his shitty behavior.

By the time 10 am rolled around Penny had emptied Kurt’s apartment of her things and was driving to Los Robles.

Penny is not sure what to expect when she gets to the building. She knows exactly why she’s here, because she needs her 0,0,0,0.

For the first time ever she thanks Sheldon for being his thorough self. The first thing she sees when approaching the lobby doors is a printed paper with the words ‘Roommate required’ and is signed by her Wackadoodle.

The elevator is actually working so her legs are spared the climb. While she waits to arrive at the 4th floor landing Penny takes a moment to check her appearance. She doesn’t own anything remotely business casual at this stage of her life so she goes with skinny jeans and a flowery blouse with no cleavage, her vans also received a quick wipe with Clorox and too many napkins.

She was nervous, she could admit that. Leonard told her horror stories of how bad Sheldon was before he arrived, but she was not the 21 year old Penny that would have balked at the Wackadoodle once he opened his mouth. She was the 35 year old Penny that had been friends with Sheldon for over a decade.

She was about to knock when Penny had a fun idea.

*knock, knock, knock*
*knock, knock, knock*
*knock, knock, knock*

Sheldon opened the door as soon as she finished with the third set and was looking at her with his eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise.

"Hi, my name is Penny. I saw the announcement on the door. Are you still looking for a roommate?"

"Hello Penny. I’m Dr. Sheldon Cooper, and yes, please come on in and I’ll ask you some questions to determine if you would be a good fit."

She entered the apartment and was surprised to see the couch missing and instead there were two lawn chairs, one in Sheldon’s spot and the other where Leonard’s chair would usually sit. Sheldon was now carrying a clipboard and had what she recognized as his ‘serious face’.

‘Bring it on Moonpie.’

Penny shouldn’t have been surprised by some of the questions he had, Star Trek, Paintball, Halo, Batman, Flash, if she knew how to use a gun, how she would act in a zombie apocalypse scenario, if she could drive him to work. Honestly, this was just regular Sheldon and not the robot described by Leonard.

"Last question. When would you be able to move in?."

"Right now."

"Excellent." He didn’t even bat an eye at that. Wackadoodle. "Here is the roommate agreement, once you sign it I’ll provide you with your own key. And since you’re moving in the middle of the month, as stated on the Roommate agreement you only have to pay for half of the rent and services, for a total of $208.50, which you have until December 28th to provide."

"Ah, no need, here you go." Penny was glad she arrived before her past self had spent it all on shoes.

"Excellent, allow me a moment to find the exact change." She didn’t bother arguing with Sheldon, she was perfectly aware of his views on owing anything.

Back at her car Penny realized that she had no idea when her next shift in The Factory was and she was thankful that her binder had the whole week planned. She didn’t have a shift today by pure luck but tomorrow she had the breakfast shift and experienced or not, Penny still hated that shift…which, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t had to work it in like 5 years.

In fact, she had already made a big change. She took the room from Leonard, which was fine, Leonard would still meet Sheldon at work and they’d hit it off so she didn’t feel bad about it.

One big change done, so why shouldn’t she also make other changes? Other decisions, better choices.

To start, Penny made an oath to never date Leonard. That was just a disaster waiting to happen and she wanted to do better this time around.

Take acting seriously, maybe go to UCLA for acting.

Find a better job.

She should listen to some of Sheldon’s ideas and suggestions from time to time.

Maybe try playing a Necromancer on Age of Conan.

Definitely drink less.

And...not be so focused on finding someone to be with. She’s explored that road and it's taken her to some bad places.

Yeah, all of that sounds great. Maybe she can even prevent Bernadette from meeting Howard. ‘There’s an idea’

For now though, she’s got a Wackadoodle in her life and that’s all she needs. And also tonight is new comic book night, if she remembers correctly.

Penny, feeling happier than she had in years, skipped towards her new apartment and roommate. ‘You got this Penny.’

Chapter Text

It’s been 6 years since Penny moved out to Pasadena. True, it’s not what she expected her life to be at 24, but overall she’s been lucky. She got out of her relationship with Kurt, she’s expanded her worldview thanks to her genius neighbors, she got a small role in a play, she was dating around and even had a little thing going with Leonard.

Which, okay. It wasn’t exactly exciting and maybe she was a little unfair but it felt nice to be wanted by a nice guy…and you could never pry this out of her mouth under torture but Penny had to admit it fed her ego in an ugly way. But as time passed she found herself considering saying yes to the date invitation that seemed to always be present on Leonard’s face.

She flirted with Sheldon a couple of times but the man was oblivious and Penny had her pride, she was not going to chase after a man, not after Kurt. Was it so bad to want to be chased? Yes, Sheldon had those pianist hands, and the baby blues, and the height, and the confidence, and that little shy smile that turned her to mush, and he would always try to find ways to get under her skin, and she could read his eyes to know exactly what he was thinking about…But, he needed to express his emotions better, he could be more than a little condescending, he needed to have his way every time, and he was not a flexible person. But dammit, he was her friend and she didn’t want to mess it up. He would never go for someone like her, and it wasn’t the not having a degree thing, unlike the others she knew Sheldon couldn’t care less, she impressed him with her wit and not backing down from a confrontation and Penny was fully aware that the pecking order in the group was changed from ‘just Sheldon’ to ‘Sheldon and Penny’. She chose as many activities as he did now and he would grumble but in the end would go for it.

And it was because of this man that she was sitting on her couch trying to find a way to break the news and keep him from freaking out or offending her little sister.

Penny was not the baby of the family. That honor went to Mindy who was 4 years younger than Penny and was moving to Pasadena in order to attend UCLA and get an English major, but in order to save money she had asked Penny to move in with her and Penny loved her little sister so she agreed without much thought.

Mindy was cute as a button, they shared the same dark blond hair and green eyes, but Mindy inherited more from their mother than Penny did. Mindy was already a couple of inches taller than Penny and worst of all, Mindy inherited their mom’s boobs, which, fine, Penny was proud of her rack but when your little sister of 4 years needs bigger bras, you can’t help but feel a little envious.

And not only that, Mindy was smart. That bitch. Penny loved her sister to pieces but while Penny struggled in school and eventually dropped out of college, Mindy was the complete opposite, she breezed through school, never struggled between keeping good grades or an active social life and worst of all, she was gracious and humble. Penny couldn’t even hate her because her little sister was a cinnamon roll that needed to be protected.

And Penny took on that role seriously. When Mindy was a Senior in High School she got together with one of the neighborhood boys, Little Thomas. He was always so nice, he wasn’t a football player or anywhere close to being a jock, he was a Mathelte for frak’s sake, and everyone was super happy that they were together. So it came as a shock that Mindy broke up with him after 4 months. Penny heard it all from her mom over the phone but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions yet, because she trusted in her little sister’s judgment. And then Mindy called her that night, sobbing, Little Thomas wasn’t so nice after all, he would try to control how Mindy dressed, who she could talk to, was pressuring her to have sex and overall being a creepo that thought he owned Mindy.

And so, Penny away from home did the only thing she could. She called Kurt’s big brother Lance, explained the situation and asked him to visit Little Thomas on her behalf so the creep understood that he needed to keep his distance. Lance didn’t like Kurt, but he liked Penny.

Little Thomas never bothered Mindy again.

And Penny was happy that she would get to live with her baby sister, but she also had a Texan eccentric that drove her crazy but could no longer picture not being in her life. She worried about these two meeting. Sheldon was, well, he was Sheldon. Mindy had a pure midwestern attitude, meaning that just like Penny she was a touchy person and was kind to a fault.

Maybe it’ll go okay. Mindy had her own shitty car, and was going to start working at the The Factory because of the flexible shifts. ‘Maybe Mindy and Sheldon could become best friends’, she thought and immediately discarded the absurd thought.

Mindy was going to be okay. Sheldon would simply have to learn to deal with the change.

Wackadoodle. Penny refused to admit the wistful tone.

Said Wackadoodle surprises her by just acknowledging that her sister is moving in and nothing else. Okay, this was good. She expected a fight of some sorts but maybe she should start giving him more credit.

"Penny, did you wash your hands before touching my plate?."

And we’re back to square one.

Penny had some very strong Deja vu vibes when Mindy pulled into the Los Robles parking lot. It was like watching a younger, happier, taller, curvier…Penny refused to finish the thought.

Penny really shouldn’t have worried about if it was going to be awkward to meet with her sister after 5 years but they just fit together nicely. Unlike Maggie, the relationship with Mindy had always been good.

So helping her sister carry her things into her apartment Penny found herself actually looking forward to living with Mindy.

"I can’t wait to meet Sheldon in person." Mindy said excitedly and Penny didn’t have the heart to break it to her. She only got to hear the funny parts of their adventures.

"You will, and I’ll ask if you’re still eager after talking to him once." Penny rolled her eyes.

It’s when they’re moving the last box into 4B that Penny gets another wave of Deja vu, she can hear the guys coming up the stairs and as they arrive on the 4th landing she sees that Sheldon is complaining about his Arctic expedition being canceled and Leonard is just pretending to listen while nodding. Of course Sheldon is the first to notice them, so she attacks first.

"Hey guys, remember how I told you that my baby sister was coming to live with me, this is her. Sheldon, Leonard, this is Mindy. Mindy these are the guys."

She’s about to tease Leonard about another tall girl when she catches the look of pure unadulterated lust that he’s giving her sister. Mindy doesn’t share Penny’s fashion choices, she’s just wearing some tight fitting jeans and cute top with a cardigan to finish the look, so she’s not sure why he looked at her like that. But as sudden as it was, the look is gone and Leonard is doing his shifting feet dance and puppy dog eyes at Mindy and welcoming her to the building.

Penny’s stomach churns.

Penny is disgusted at Leonard, because yes, Mindy was a beautiful young woman, but she was also Penny’s sister, the woman he currently was trying to actively date. This brought back all kinds of memories that Penny had conveniently swept under the rug. Alicia, Priya, Missy.

Not wanting to think about this right now Penny turns to her sister and sees the guarded look on her face. She noticed the look too. Ever since Little Thomas, Mindy has been careful around men and Penny can already see it, Leonard was immediately moved to the ‘Do not trust’ category. And Penny is trying to defend him in her head but is coming up empty, because Penny might be willing to risk herself, but she’ll never risk her sister.

‘Goddammit Leonard’ Because Penny knew, at that moment. Things had changed.

She needed to talk to Leonard. To set boundaries, she needs to have the same talk with Leonard that she has when a meathead approaches her at the gym, when a handsy bastard at the club thinks she’s too drunk to notice, or when a customer from The Factory is waiting for her after her shift. She really doesn’t want to do it but there’s no other option, she can see that. As much of a horndog Leonard is, she knows that he can be better. But she’s not doing this game anymore with him.

Sheldon moves to introduce himself after Leonard and Penny focus on that, because as much as she loves the Wackadoodle, he can be too intense when you meet him for the first time.

"Hello Mindy, I hope your trip here was safe and uneventful." He’s not smiling, but he does that half-smirk and nods once.

"Hi Sheldon, it was, thank you!" And Mindy is smiling up at Sheldon.

Something cold and heavy settles in Penny’s stomach at the familiarity of the greeting. But, she has to be wrong, they are just meeting for the first time, right?.

Her ‘Huh…’ is said out loud and Sheldon is oblivious about why she’s confused. But Mindy isn’t.

Mindy gives her a small smile and it’s for a moment but there’s some wickedness in that smile. The weight in Penny’s stomach gets heavier and colder and she doesn’t know why.

"Sheldon here, and I have been email buddies since your prank war. Who do you think gave him the idea of dressing your favorite Care Bear in your underwear and hang it from the telephone line?." And this time Mindy’s smile is teasing and full of sisterly love, her eyes are shining in mirth knowing she got one over Penny, even if indirectly.

Penny feels her stomach unclench and clear of that weird feeling. Last time she was having 2 day old enchiladas, it did weird things to her tummy.

Sheldon nods. "A fantastic idea I admit, although it did lead to Penny calling my mother on me." A glare but without any heat behind it, is directed at Penny.

"Don’t worry Sheldon, now I’m here and next time we’ll face her together." Mindy’s hand quickly taps Sheldon on the shoulder in commiseration. And while Sheldon flinches a little, he doesn’t reprimand Mindy or give her a strike, he just nods at her words.

Penny feels that weight settle back into her stomach with a vengeance and if it was cold before, now it’s freezing. She’s not sure what’s happening but she doesn’t like it.

"Yeah, yeah, you wish. Let’s finish unpacking Mindy. We’ll meet you guys for dinner later alright?" Not waiting for a reply she pulls Mindy by the hand into 4B.

Something weird was going on here and Penny was going to get to the bottom of it. Even if it was the last thing she did.

Chapter Text

Dinner with the guys went pretty well. Now the couch consists of Mindy, Penny and Sheldon in that order. Howard and Raj didn’t mind sitting on the floor and Penny was pretty happy…until she realized that it was so they could ogle her legs.

Thankfully nothing weird happened, until she excused herself to go get her mail and Leonard offered to go with her (even though he had already picked it up earlier), she was about to call him out on it but decided against it. It was the perfect moment to have that conversation with him. She did not miss the look of concern on Mindy’s face.

Leonard kept talking about his work and how he was getting some new funding and his laser experiment was actually a cool thing and Penny should be excited about it. Penny kept a neutral face and she would nod from time to time just to show she was listening but did not engage with him like she usually would do.

By the time they reached the mailboxes Penny could see Leonard getting desperate, twisting himself for her attention.

"Leonard, Sweetie. Stop." Penny held a hand up. "We need to talk."

"Oh! Sure, I love talking, you know me."

"Actually, I don’t think I do." That finally makes him stop shuffling.

"Huh?"

"Look Leonard…I don’t even know how to start so I’m going to take a page out of Sheldon’s book and just be brutally honest." She can see in his face that he truly has no idea what this is about. "I have a speech prepared for when someone approaches me just because I’m a hot blond. They mistake my kindness for an invitation to be sexually crude or downright rape-y with the way they address me or even try to touch me. You have never heard it, because even as creepy as Howard is, he’s always known where to draw the line." Deep breath because this part is going to be hard. "However, I think that you need to hear it now."

Leonard is looking confused, but he’s smart, it takes him a second to get it. And when he does, she’s happy to see the recoil in disgust he takes, because he was standing way too close to her. Maybe there’s hope.

"I am more than my ass or tits. I have feelings. I am not arm candy that you can parade around or someone that you can sleep with for bragging rights. My name is Penny, I have dreams, aspirations, and I am a human being."

The guilt on Leonard’s face doesn’t feel great. She refused to see it but she had always been aware that Leonard saw her as some sort of trophy. He was always so willing to twist himself into knots of whatever he thought was the right answer, so willing to leave everything he was behind. Comics? He reneged them until she showed interest, Star Trek? Claimed to have never watched it, Paintball? He always seemed so embarrassed to admit that he liked it, Star Wars, Chess, Cello, Board Games, that weird Klingon word game. There was no facet of his life that Leonard wasn't willing to betray and/or abandon if he thought it would give him a chance with Penny. She was the prize for finally getting the answer right.

And Fuck that.

"Look Leonard, I don’t know if you noticed but my sister is not exactly a fan of yours right now. Do you want to know why? Because the first time you saw her, she was not a human being to you, she was just ass and tits. She noticed the way that you looked at her and it made her feel shitty. Why do you think she looked worried when you followed me out here?."

Frustration makes her run a hand through her hair. As if untangling her hair could make all of this disappear.

"And it also didn’t make me feel great, Leonard. You’ve been asking me on dates since forever, but the moment a good looking woman passes in front of you, you forget that I exist until you get rejected or bored and then you come back sniffing my way."

Leonard’s face is a mask of guilt, far too many truths that have stripped away at him.

"Did you ever like me? Not as someone you could fuck, but as a person?"

"I did!, you’re beautiful and-"

"NO! Leonard, please! Tell me that you liked me for more than my body." Penny pleads "Tell me something that you like of me that’s not due to me being hot."

As Penny waits for his answer, she wonders why these emotional confrontations always happen in places where someone else could intrude at any moment and yet, they have the lobby for themselves.

"I like that you’re kind." Leonard finally says, but his posture is defeated. He realizes that he took too long to answer. He told the truth but either he had to think about it or for the first time ever realize that Penny existed as more than his fantasy of the hot blond.

"God. Leonard…" She wants to cry for him. He’s probably broken in a way that she truly doesn’t want to know. And she doesn’t know what else to say because she never expected for it to be this bad.

"Do you think we can still be friends?" His voice is on the verge of tears and Penny hopes it is because he realized how messed up he really is and not because he might have missed his shot with her.

"I don’t know Leonard. Can you be friends with me knowing that I’ll never sleep with you or date you?." And there’s the truth, because Penny can’t afford to take risks now that her little sister is here. In another life she might have given this relationship thing with Leonard a shot, to try and fix him just because he wasn’t her usual type of date, but this is no longer that life.

Leonard grimaces but seems to catch himself. "I…I didn’t have the best childhood, my mom is-no." Runs a frustrated hand over his face and removes his glasses. "I always wanted to be one of the cool guys, I thought that maybe you coul-no." Leonard shifts in place and looks intently at his feet. "I never really knew what-no." He exhales loudly and hesitates. "I fucked up." Leonard finally looks up at her, "I fucked up, that’s the truth. I am afraid of therapy. I kept telling myself that I didn’t need it. That I was fine. I was expecting a girlfriend to fix things for me. I loved Leslie but I broke up with her because I was afraid of committing to her…because I thought that would mean I was abandoning my chances of being with you."

Penny wipes a couple of angry tears from her eyes. Leonard needed major help, as in monumental size help. She’s now glad to not have said ‘yes’ to the date invitation.

"Penny, these two years since you’ve been living across from us it’s been great. We’ve -Howard, Raj, Sheldon and me- had more fun since you’ve been here. I know that I fucked up and couldn’t appreciate your friendship. But, yeah. I think I’d like to be your friend eventually, for real."

Leonard is not crying but Penny can tell that this took a lot out of him. Penny nods at him.

"I’d like that as well Sweetie." And she’s telling the truth, she’d like to know the true Leonard eventually.

"Can you tell Sheldon that I ran for an errand or something?" He doesn’t wait for her to acknowledge his words and leaves for his car.

Penny is exhausted. This was a long overdue conversation. Over two years overdue.

She trudges up the long way to the 4th floor.

Leonard finally parks his car. He is ashamed, and can feel it in every part of his body, so much that he fears that shame will become a part of his DNA, although he suspects it already is.

He wanted to refute Penny, to lie, to manipulate, to make himself into the victim, the good guy. But he couldn’t, the thought that Penny’s sister had clocked him as someone to not trust in their first meeting was a horrifying thought. He had always made fun of Howard because of his lack of tact, but he had to wonder if he himself wasn’t actually worse.

The fact that his first instinct upon being confronted was to lie and to try and play the victim card made him feel much worse, the same old excuses were already out of his mouth before he could actually think it through. Blame your mother, explain how you were unloved, play the kicked puppy. But he was almost 30 now, he couldn’t keep going through life like this.

With Penny in front of him he saw two roads. The first, he kept going as he was, hoping to manipulate a girl into loving him enough that he feels less broken. Or the second, take responsibility for his life. Leonard really, really, really wanted a hot girl to make everything suddenly right for him. He had hoped that Penny was that girl, but he didn’t understand her, she was a beautiful blond and yet she watched football, she was hot but she liked the same geeky things they did. It’s why when Penny was dressed like a slob during her Age of Conan phase Leonard didn’t pay any attention to her, he didn’t want THAT girl. He wanted the hot blond.

He wanted someone he could put in and out of storage to soothe his ego. He didn’t care if it was Penny or not, he can admit that now. He was trying to fool himself into thinking he loved Penny, but he didn’t even know her well. In the 2 years she’s been living in front of him Leonard hasn't ever bothered to know anything about her, he doesn’t know what her favorite color is.

The truth is, he doesn’t care.

And accepting that he doesn’t care comes at a high cost, because it goes against everything he believes himself to be. The nice guy. The guy who can’t catch a break. The victim.

A knock at his car window startles Leonard, he looks who it is and he takes a deep breath before lowering the window.

"What are you doing here Hofstadter?"

"Hey Leslie. I wanted to talk to you."

Leonard wanted to make things right. He knows that means taking therapy. But he owes Leslie an apology first.

Chapter Text

*knock, knock, knock*
"Leonard."
*knock, knock, knock*
"Leonard."
*knock, knock, knock*
"Leonard."

Leonard wakes up with a gasp. ‘Not again’ He wants to weep. He’s not sure when was the last time he actually had a good night’s sleep. And now Sheldon was here, it was impossible. He had come to Howard’s house to seek shelter. He was sure that Sheldon wouldn’t be able to find him here.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Leonard yells through the reinforced door. "JUST *hic* shut up." A sob escapes him and his voice loses all the strength it had. ‘I can’t do this anymore.’

The sickness had started innocuous enough. They had joked about ‘Code Milky Green’. Now they were here in Howard’s house, doors and windows barricaded.

"Really Leonard? Is that the proper way to react to a friend knocking on your door? Why, if you must know, in the past the rules of hospit-"

"Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup" Leonard can’t listen to him any longer

""Tsk, tsk." Leonard can hear Sheldon clicking his tongue in disapproval, and for a moment it’s all so normal. Maybe things can go back to the way they were before. "Really Leonard? For that, I will eat you slowly." And then reality comes crashing down.

Leonard can see Howard tensing up next to him, the man’s beard was now wild looking, but Howard refused to shave. Leonard himself doesn’t look much better, not even in the Arctic he felt so crummy.

"You know I don’t like to nitpick, but is this really your plan Leonard? You will simply barricade yourself and hope for the best? Maybe that’s okay for now, but one day you will run out of food and bullets. And then what? Have you thought about that? I'm not surprised to see you haven't thought it through enough. You never had the head for seeing the big picture and planning accordingly. But Leonard, that's what I do."

Leonard closed his eyes and slammed his head against the wall. He can see the effect of Sheldon’s words on Howard, the other man is about to have a panic attack. Leonard is not doing much better. It’s been weeks and Leonard knows that their time is running out.

"Penny? Can you talk to them? Leonard is refusing to see reason."

"Of course Sweetie." Oh nonononononononono God, why?

"Leonard? Sweetie. You know that Sheldon is right. You and Howard will die screaming."

Leonard bites the strap of his bag, hard enough that for a moment he fears he will bite it all the way through. He could barely handle Sheldon and now Penny was here as well. Her tone of voice was the same, but the words would make sure that Leonard can never have a good night’s sleep again.

"I know! Maybe we can reach a compromise, how about you open up the door and We’ll all come inside and eat your brains?. Doesn’t that sound good? It’ll be over fast."

No one should sound so cheery when saying those words.

"Well, I tried Moonpie."

"Only Meemaw can call me Moonpie. But, thank you for trying Penny. It’s not your fault that they’re being unreasonable."

Leonard can almost fool himself into believing that this is a bad dream. That his best friend and girlfriend are not Zombies trying to eat his brains.

"I know. Perhaps you can attempt to convince them Koothrappali."

Howard tenses up and Leonard can see tears in his eyes. This is torture. They wait for a moment but no sound comes from beyond the door, they can hear distant groaning but nothing else.

"Honestly Raj, you need to overcome this weakness of yours. Simply because Penny is present should not mean that you’re unable to communicate clearly."

Howard is laughing but it becomes a sob and Leonard goes to hug him. They can’t afford to break down, they need to survive and make it out of here.

"Yes, well. Moving on. Leonard, I know why you hesitate to accept our offer to open that door and I want to assure you that all we want is your brains. No one here is going to do something as barbaric as eat your eyes. We’re not Monsters."

"Sweetie, I think technically we are."

"What? Oh, yes, of course, I meant…well, you know what I meant."

"I know Honey."

Leonard considered just ending it all. They still had bullets, he could simply put an end to his suffering. From what they were able to gather, Humanity was doomed, they were done. They’ve been trying to hold on to something, but city after city has fallen.

There was no one coming to save them.

"I’ll think it over Sheldon." Leonard is surprised by how calm his voice is. Howard is looking at him like he just went crazy. But, what else are they supposed to do? Sheldon, even as a zombie, was a force to be reckoned with.

"I’m glad to hear that Leonard. I appreciate the way you’re working with me. I know we’re all busy so I’m happy to hear you taking feedback so well."

"Don’t worry Sweetie. I’ll make sure you don’t suffer."

"Leonard, I really appreciate the way you’re working with us. And don’t worry, we’ll finally put this issue to rest once I bash your head in. Now, if you don’t mind. Penny and I have another meeting."

"Take care Leonard, Sweetie. We’ll be back tomorrow."

"I’m really proud of you Leonard. I hope you don’t mind we leave Kurt here watching over the house. He’s not the brightest but he’s fast and strong and will keep others from chewing through your doors."

A loud and guttural groan comes from beyond the door. If Leonard had to guess, that was Kurt.

"No Kurt, no bashing just yet. Leonard (and to a lesser degree Wolowitz) are reasonable men and will see that we’re in the right. Eventually."

Leonard settles back against the wall and wonders for the hundredth time if it wouldn’t be easier to just shoot himself.

Because he knows that Sheldon and Penny will be back tomorrow.

Chapter Text

For the next few days things are weird between all of them, apparently Leonard came clean to the guys as well. But then Leonard takes vacations and flies back home to New Jersey. He doesn’t want to but he needs to, he tells her. His mom knows someone that can help him. She hopes that he can find the help he needs.

She’s sure that he can do better. Be better.

And without Leonard there the group still finds a way to keep things ‘normal’. Mindy’s addition helps with that. And Penny doesn’t voice this to anyone, but she can see how Sheldon is worried about Leonard, he just doesn’t know how to express it.

Her Wackadoodle had a bigger heart than he’d ever admit. He even stopped worrying about the canceled Arctic thingy.

Howard tells them during Pizza night that Leslie and Leonard are giving it another try after he returns from New Jersey and Penny is happy for him. She’s not sure how healthy it is to jump into a relationship after those revelations, but who is she to judge? Besides, he did admit to loving Leslie. That has to count for something.

And while the Leonard situation is something to think about, Penny's got her own bowl of weirdness to deal with.

Living with Mindy is great, more than great actually. Nothing like when they were younger, Penny is the messy one of the two, but not wanting to look bad in front of her baby sister makes her want to pick up after herself. That’s not the weird part.

The weird part is how well Mindy fits in the group.

Howard gets hit with the "I didn’t know you liked young girls. Do we need to notify the high schools around here?" and has been a perfect gentleman ever since. He still ogles Penny but as soon as Mindy is around he only has eyes for his shoes.

Raj and Mindy bond over Twilight and The Notebook. Penny comes home from the lunch shift to find the pair bawling on her couch, each has a blanket on their legs and a mess of snot and tears stained tissues on their laps while ‘I’ll be seeing you’ plays loudly. Penny starts bawling too. Howard tries to tease Raj about his love for Twilight and Mindy jumps right in "Switch the genders and you have one of those weird Animes that you love." Penny doesn’t understand what that means but it shuts Howard up and apparently gets him to read the books.

Sheldon is the one that surprises her the most. Her Moonpie has not complained once about Mindy’s presence. It’s…odd.

Penny hasn’t decided if that’s a good or a bad thing. On the one hand it gives Penny more free time, Mindy sometimes also gives Sheldon rides, Mindy sometimes works the shift when Sheldon goes to The Factory, Mindy sometimes joins Halo night. Which is great, Penny has time to go out dancing again, to try dating. But there’s still something weird going on and it gives Penny heartburn because she’s sure there’s something she’s missing.

Three weeks go by like this and then Leonard is back. He looks rough but the smile on his face is a good one, he joins the group again and one night after Halo he asks Penny and Mindy for a moment.

They get a long overdue apology about the way he treated them. It’s not perfect, but it gets them to the starting line.

Later when they’re alone, Mindy admits that Leonard looked genuine and Penny has to agree. Things are looking up.

Of course, because life has a sense of humor, that’s when things take an even weirder turn.

Penny is tired and cranky, she had to work a double shift and was expecting Sheldon and the rest but they never showed up. A quick message to Raj and she’s got more questions than answers. ‘Ramona didnt let Sheldon go’

‘Who the frak is Ramona?’ Was all Penny could think, and why the hell was she deciding where Sheldon could go or not. She was initially looking forward to a long bath but after that message she thought it would be wiser to visit 4A first.

Penny is on the 3rd landing trudging up the stairs when she starts hearing the yelling. It’s angry and fast, and more importantly, Penny recognizes one of the voices, Mindy.

Running up the rest of the way to her floor and the door to 4A is open wide. Penny doesn’t even hesitate to go in but stops at the scene in front of her.

Sheldon is in his spot and looks frightened, which would be funny, except he looks honest to god scared. He looked frozen even. Mindy is standing in front of him, as if shielding him from the fuming redhead that looked like she wanted to slug Mindy.

"You are a distraction to Dr. Cooper!"

"Shut the fuck up. Sheldon and me are going out to have dinner and that’s that."

"No! He needs to work!" Redhead takes a step forward and Penny is already preparing to serve a can of whoop-ass, because no redhead stringbean is going to threaten her sister.

"I told you to shut up. We’re going to have dinner an-"

"Oh, I see now, I see how it is!!" That girl had some pipes and she was gathering breath.

Mindy looks done, she was never one to slug it out behind the baseball field but Penny knew the girl could throw a punch, Penny taught her after all.

"You like Dr. Cooper and want to sleep with him!. You hussy! Well, he would never lower himself to be with someone like you!!."

Penny could see Mindy recoil as if she had been slapped. ‘That’s it, time to go Junior Rodeo on Pippi Longstocking here’

"Well, we already fucked, so you’re wrong!"

‘What?’ Penny felt funny, Mindy had just said something that made no sense. Her and Sheldon? No. Sheldon didn’t have a deal, he didn’t have any interest in the opposite sex. Poor Moonpie, his face must be a mess of tics and twitches.

Focusing on Sheldon so she can see his face, and there are no tics, no twitches. ‘Huh’

She can hear the redhead shout something but Penny can’t make out what it is, blood is rushing through her ears and she’s trying to remember how to breathe. Her eyes feel like they’re going to pop out of her face but try as she might, she can’t close them, no, she’s looking at her baby sister push and shove the redhead out of the apartment, the redhead is crying and all the fight seems to have left her.

Sudden pain in her hands and Penny takes the breath that had escaped her, she was clenching her hands so hard that it hurt a little. ‘Okay Penny, breathe, there must be a mistake here.’

And it’s not until she takes a couple of breaths that she’s able to hear again, Mindy is reassuring Sheldon. She’s sitting on the coffee table and her hands are barely touching his knees. He’s not flinching away. ‘Oh’

"I’ll go get you something for dinner Sheldon. Your usual BBQ burger is fine?" Mindy sounds so concerned and Penny has the sudden urge to slap her in the back of the head like when they were kids and sitting on the couch watching TV without paying attention to their surroundings.

Sheldon finally seems to restart at the dinner offer "Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger with the barbecue sauce, bacon and cheese served on the side. Please."

"I know Sheldon. Be right back, and don’t worry about Ramona. She’s not coming back."

"Oh…good. I fear she was becoming far too intense for my taste."

‘So you have a taste now Moonpie? Did you also taste my sister you moth-’

"Yeah, bitch was crazy. I’ll be right back." And Mindy finally notices Penny. "Oh, you’re here Pen."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m here. What did I miss?" Penny wants to cringe, her voice is high and frantic.

"O-kay" Mindy dragged the word out, unsure on why Penny was acting this way. "I’ll fill you in later, for now I gotta get Sheldon something to eat, he hasn’t eat since morning, all thanks to this stalker, tha-you know what, it can wait. Be right back." And off she goes.

Leaving her alone with Sheldon. Penny runs back to her apartment.

She’s still feeling weird, oddly light headed and with a clenched stomach. She also feels tears threatening to spill and is not sure why. That night she goes to bed without returning to 4A or talking to Mindy.

For the next few days she’s avoiding both Sheldon and her sister. She’s not completely sure why. Until one night she can’t avoid Mindy any longer, they both have the night off but it’s not an accident, Mindy changed one of her shifts and Penny didn’t realize.

"Okay Pen, what’s got your panties in a bunch?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Penny is pretending to be painting her toes.

"Yeah right. You’ve been avoiding me, so, c’mon, spill, we literally have all night." Penny hated that Mindy perfected their mom’s tone of ‘I’m not joking young lady.’

"Look Min-"

"If you say it's nothing then I’ll go and sleep with the first guy that walks by the lobby" Penny can see that Mindy is trying to keep things light, this is a joke, her voice is teasing. But for Penny it only brings back memories of that night when Mindy confessed sleeping with Sheldon.

And Penny tries, she really does try to not say it, but she can’t help herself, "Like you slept with Sheldon?" Penny can’t even look up from her toes, she’s embarrassed. Her voice was soft and hurt and Penny hated it.

"Pen…What the fuck are you talking about." Mindy sounds exasperated, like Penny just said the stupidest thing in the world.

And that makes Penny mad.

"What I’m talking about? What I’m talking about?!" She finally looks up from her feet to glare at her baby sister, "I heard you!"

"When?!" Mindy is also raising her voice.

"The night that redhead girl was in 4A trying to make Sheldon work!"

"Oh!" Mindy doesn’t even look embarrassed, just confused.

"Oh? Just oh?"

"Pen, I love you but you’re a dumbass."

Penny could only stare in disbelief at her baby sister.

"I was lying, you idiot!"

"Wha-no, but Sheldon. He wasn’t twitching!"

"Wow, no wonder you haven’t picked up on the fact that Sheldon likes you. You’re fucking blind."

"Hey! Since when you curse so much?"

"You’re right, sorry." Mindy drags a hand across her face in frustration. "Look, the point here is the following. I didn’t sleep with Sheldon. I don’t want to sleep with Sheldon. I like girls Penny."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, oh."

"Wait, you like girls? Why didn’t you tell me?" The hurt was back in Penny’s voice.

"I wasn’t ready, until you decided to be all dumb and emo. You honestly never noticed that Sheldon likes you?"

"He does?" And Penny hates the hope that creeps out in that question.

"Yeah, he does. I was teasing you a little, you know, trying to get you to act. And see where that got us."

"Oh…"

"I mean, it’s not all your fault. Sheldon needs to get his big boy pants on and just ask you out, but you know how he is."

"Yeah, I know."

"So…we good?"

"We good…but wait, why wasn’t Sheldon twitching that night?"

"Sheldon frozen-in-fear Cooper wasn’t moving? Who could have guessed?"

"…Sarcasm?" Penny tried to fight the smile. She failed.

"Just get your ass across the hall and deal with this before we all grow old and wrinkly."

"Wow, someone’s touchy."

"Someone had to give up a shift tonight to deal with their dumbass big sister, so yes, touchy."

Penny gave her baby sister a hug.

"Hey, I’m here for you. Do mom and dad know?"

"That you like Sheldon? Yeah, I told them."

"You told the-no, you know what I mean."

"No. I’m not ready yet."

"Okay. I love you brat."

"Love you too Pen."

Penny was feeling much better now. She knew that she had a bad habit of jumping to conclusions and was trying to curb that habit of hers, but man, she needed to do better.

She now had a Wackadoodle to deal with. And as she prepared to walk into 4A she wondered if maybe Sheldon and her were dumbasses, it would explain so much.

‘Okay, no more misunderstandings Moonpie. Time to come clean."

Chapter Text

Penny wasn’t really sure why she hadn’t just quit. This job was not for her.

She had dreamed of making it out of Nebraska, she didn’t want to follow her parents plans for her. Marry a cop and pop kids that will be cops down the line. She’d been preparing to drop out of the police academy and run to California with Kurt when her dad had the heart attack.

She knows that the heart attack is not her fault, but it still made her stay. Kurt left and she had never heard back from him. Penny graduated and became a cop and 2 years later here she was, a police officer in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, Nebraska.

Penny’s dad was not the sheriff, he was just another grunt, just like her big brother, just like Penny. When he had his heart attack she stayed and joined the force because she knew that her parents would need all the help they could get. Tommy was helping of course, but Maggie was a stay at home mom and she could only help by going to see their mom and dad, maybe cook something.

But Penny still dreamed of doing more. Here she was at 22, driving alone patrolling farms because in their little town there was no crime, she didn’t need a patrol partner. She always liked acting, maybe she could go in secret and audition for CSI?. Her cell phone interrupts further dreaming. Checks the ID and it’s Wallace, their dispatcher, this could only mean one thing. ‘Sheldon’

"Hey Wally."

"Hey Pen."

"Sheldon again?"

"Yeah, I didn’t want to use the radio for this."

"Thank you Wally. Where’s he at?"

"The Johnson Farm called, he’s sitting on their fence. They know he don’t bother no one, but the weather is turning up and they’re scared he’s gonna get heatstroke. A farmhand went out to talk to him but got no response."

"Got it. I’ll be there in 15. Thanks again Wally."

"No problem Pen, I like Sheldon, he’s always helping them kids in the library."

"Yeah…I like Sheldon too."

Penny hangs up and starts driving towards the Johnson Farm. Sheldon sometimes got so lost in his own head that folk worried about him, Penny heard them whisper about him.

Sheldon had arrived at their little slice of paradise 6 months ago. He rented a room for a month, and then started going to the farms just to watch the fields. So far it seemed like Corn was his favorite entertainment, that’s how Penny got acquainted with him.

Some poor farmer came to check on his crops and was half scared to death by the tall man in the Batman tee. He had called the cops and Penny was the lucky one to get cleanup duty.

He looked like a lost boy and it tugged at Penny’s heartstrings. He wasn’t there to cause trouble, she knew. So Penny sat next to him to watch the corn and asked him if he was okay. She didn’t expect it to work but he had turned those soulful blue eyes on her and told her.

Sheldon was apparently a big deal scientist from California. He had gotten lucky and gotten money for an Arctic expedition, but then his friends stabbed him in the back. They messed with his experiment and Sheldon was publicly humiliated.

He couldn’t stay there so he went back home to Texas. Except, his momma got tired of him moping around and told him he needed to git. And Sheldon took off, he’s been drifting everywhere ever since. But he says that looking at the corn makes him think of Physics, he talks about string thingies and how the corn is going to give him an answer.

Penny is about ready to call the hospital because he’s not making any damn sense.

Sheldon is carrying these notebooks that are filled to the brim with formulas that she can’t make sense of, but he’s looking so proud of himself and for the first time since they started talking he smiles, a smile that makes him look 10 and that gives her a glimpse of the man that existed before the betrayal.

Penny drives him to his motel room and says goodbye.

She sees him the next day. The librarian had requested help, a strange man had commandeer a whiteboard and was giving a class to the town’s children about math. Penny got there and saw it was Sheldon.

She waited for his class to end. Her nephew was 7 and hated math, but here he was asking Sheldon when the next class was going to be.

"He makes math fun Aunt Penny." And that’s all she needs to hear. Mickey needs to do better, she doesn’t want him to be a cop like Tommy. Penny talks to the librarian and manages to convince her to let Sheldon give those classes. She’ll come and watch to make sure nothing bad happens. She says that she’s doing this because of Mickey but she’s not really sure herself.

She had run his name last night after getting him back to his room and sure enough, Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD was a big time scientist from California. Though the Caltech website said he was currently in a ‘sabbatical’. According to Sheldon his career was ruined, Penny thinks that Sheldon has a flair for the dramatic.

She starts joining his classes and at some point she takes him out to lunch after. Sheldon is actually a twin, has a sister, his mom is religious, he likes comic books and star trek.

Penny memorizes his order, Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger with the barbecue sauce, bacon and cheese served on the side. Penny makes sure his order is right every time.

There’s something about Sheldon that keeps Penny coming back. He’s arrogant, a perfectionist, talks down to people and yet…she can see him. The Sheldon Cooper that is easily hurt, that loves his Meemaw, the one that is lonely.

A month goes by and his time at the motel is up. Penny offers him the spare bedroom in her apartment. Sheldon takes it.

Her apartment has never been so clean before.

Penny makes sure that he learns about Junior Rodeo though, no matter how good his intentions are, it’s never a good idea to organize her underwear drawer by color.

And despite wanting to strangle the Wackadoodle from time to time Penny finds herself having fun. It’s good to live with someone and that there are no expectations. Sheldon is not a perv, he’s not ogling her and barring that one instance with him organizing her panties Sheldon has never been inappropriate.

Six months pass like that before she knows it.

Sheldon has become one of them, he teaches classes in the library and sometimes he’ll go and watch the corn for hours. But he also cooks for Penny, has dinner with her parents, helps Penny practice the how-to acting videos she watches on YouTube. And it’s nice.

They’re having breakfast when Penny’s cell interrupts them, it’s Wallace. And Penny is confused, she can see Sheldon sitting in front of her so it can’t be about him.

"Hey Wally."

"Hey Pen."

"…I’m guessing you’re not calling just to catch up."

"Ah, no…the thing is, we got a missing person report reach here, and…"

"And?"

"Well, it’s for Sheldon. His family is looking for him."

"Ah, got it, thanks Wally. I’ll tell Sheldon."

"No worries, take care Pen."

Penny glares at Sheldon. "You didn’t call your mother like you promised."

She can see the twitching start "It might have slipped my mind."

"Uh hu, right." Gives him her phone. "Call her. Now."

He’s grumbling but starts dialing, puts it on speaker and goes back to his cereal. ‘Wackadoodle’

"Hello?" The voice is young, can’t be Sheldon’s mom.

"Hello Missy."

"Shelly Oh. My. God.!" The relief in her voice is very real and it makes Penny’s eyes sting. "MOMMA!, SHELLY’S ON THE PHONE" There’s some horrible thundering on the other end and then a teary voice.

"Snickerdoodle?" The hope is unbearable. Penny is going to kick Sheldon for making his mom worry so much.

"Yes mother, it’s me." Yes, definitely kicking his ass.

"Oh thank the lord!, Where are you Shelly? Are you okay? Are you eating well? Do you need money? Do you need us to go get you?"

"No mom. I am doing well. I am currently in Nebraska and thanks to Penny I am doing perfectly fine."

"Penny?" Uh oh.

"Uh, hi, yes. That’s me. I’m a police officer and found Sheldon 6 months ago or so and I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since."

"…" A thud is heard.

"Hello?"

"Hey, hi, sorry, momma just passed out." Missy is back on the line. She sounds unconcerned, like this is just something that happens. Sheldon is also looking pretty damn calm.

"Uhhhhh is she okay?"

"She’ll be fine." Wackadoodles, the lot of them. "Now, what I need to know is where in Nebraska are you Shelly."

And that’s how Penny finds herself organizing a visit from Sheldon’s family.

Maybe it’ll be okay…Who is she kidding?.

Chapter Text

Sheldon’s mom and sister were interesting to say the least. Oh, they were lovely, but they were…intense. Yeah, that sounds like the right word.

Penny had taken her own car to go and pick them up from the Motel. Sheldon had wanted her to go pick them up in the patrol car, but he had that little smirk on his face that meant he was pulling a prank. Penny put a stop to that.

She had been surprised at how natural Sheldon was able to hug his mother, this was the guy that took 2 months to stop flinching at Penny touching his arm and here he was giving a hug like it was the most natural thing. That’s it, pursing her lips Penny made a decision, she was going to get Sheldon used to hugging her.

When Sheldon told her he had a twin, she had imagined Sheldon but with lady bits. The statuesque gorgeous brunette had been a little surprising. The same way the Hulk is a little bit green. ‘You gotta stop letting Sheldon influence you.’ The hug Sheldon gave his twin was just as natural.

And that was when things got weird.

"Oh Penny, thank you very much for taking care of our little Shelly." ‘Ma’am, your son is almost thirty and taller than some professional basketball players.’ Mrs. Copper couldn’t stop thanking her enough. "You even took the time to pick us up. Let us buy you dinner as thanks."

"Oh no, don’t worry. It was my pleasure."

"No, no, I insist." Mrs. Cooper really did, she didn’t look like the kind of person that was used to hearing no.

"Wel, okay. Let me go change to something less farm-y." Penny walked to her room and closed the door. She quickly changed out of her flannel and mom jeans into a cute blouse and skinny jeans with open-toe flats. Basic, but very cute.

Coming out of her room reveals a frozen in place Mrs, Cooper and a smirking Missy. ‘Oh no.’

"So Shelly, you told me that you live here right?" Missy really was enjoying this.

"Yes, that is correct." Sheldon was examining one of the notebooks that Missy had brought from his room back in Texas.

"Huh," Missy knew how to act, she even slapped her knee. "Then where does Penny live?"

"Here of course."

*THUD*

Sheldon and Missy simply looked at their mother on the floor, Missy holding back laughter but Sheldon didn’t even look concerned. And Penny was still in her doorway, she might not be a genius like Sheldon but she knew when she was being played. Marching up to Sheldon she poked him in the chest and glared up at him. "You didn’t tell your mother."

Missy was finally helping Mrs. Cooper off from the floor.

"Tell her what?" Sheldon was rubbing his chest dramatically.

"That you were living with me, Sheldon!"

"Oh." Honest confusion on his face. "Was I supposed to?"

‘Don’t kill him Penny, that’s what he wants.’ Sheldon had done wonders to make Penny a more patient and understanding person. "Yes Sheldon, you were supposed to."

Penny moved to help Missy but Mrs. Cooper seemed to have recovered. Missy was still trying not to laugh.

"Are you okay Mrs. Cooper?"

"Wha’ Oh, yeah, yeah darlin’. Don’t you worry about me. Also seeing how things are, I think it’s best you start calling me Mary."

"Call you Mary?" And Mrs. Cooper's heavy look makes Penny get it immediately. "Oh! Oh. Nonononononono, we’re not like that. Me and Sheldon, no. We’re just roommates!"

"We are only roommates?" Penny and the Cooper women turn to gape at Sheldon. Missy is no longer laughing. "I thought we were friends."

And Penny hears her sudden intake of breath echoed twice besides her. Sheldon was really trying to kill her.

"Oh Snickerdoodle." Mrs. Cooper sounded resigned.

"Snickerdoodle?" Penny hadn’t commented on it before but it was such a unique nickname.

"That’s nothing, our Meemaw calls Shelly ‘Moonpie’, because he's nummy-nummy and she could just eat him up." The mirth was back in Missy’s voice and Sheldon threw her a glare which only seemed to amuse her even more.

"Moonpie huh?"

"Penny. No one but Meemaw may call me Moonpie."

"Right. Whatever you say Moonpie. Let’s go get dinner."

Dinner goes great. And she means that, Missy tells them the story on how she was worried about Sheldon but he had just disappeared so she went to Pasadena to try and figure out what happened. Sheldon’s eyes crinkle with anger and pain and Penny holds his hand under the table.

Missy keeps going, she meets Sheldon’s roommate and his friends and they just confess to messing with his experiment. No shame, no guilt, nothing. Missy records the whole thing because even if she doesn’t fully understand what happened, she knows that something is wrong in this picture.

Next day she brings it to Sheldon’s boss. Everyone ignores Sheldon’s complaint of ‘He’s not my boss.’

And Missy’s hunch was right. They request the recording and they tell her that they will handle everything but that she should contact Sheldon to let him know he was welcome with open arms. Sheldon is still holding her hand and Penny feels him squeeze, she’s not sure if it’s distress or happiness.

Missy while in Pasadena had been staying in Sheldon’s room and that day Leonard had come home drunk, he, Howard and Raj had just been fired and their names were blacklisted. Raj would have to go back to India. Howard yelled at Leonard to never talk to him again, and Leonard didn’t know what to do. He passed out in the middle of the living room. The next day he made plans to go back to New Jersey.

None of them seemed to connect it back to Missy.

"And that’s when we started searching for you Shelly. If you don’t go back to your apartment soon then you will lose it. None of Leonard’s things are there, he even took the couch. He did pay for that month so at best you have 2 weeks before you have to go back."

Sheldon nodded and Penny could see that he was conflicted. She had heard all about the betrayal, but these people were also his friends.

Sheldon remained quiet for the rest of dinner and it wasn’t until they were back in the apartment, his mom and sister safely back at the Motel, that Sheldon spoke.

"Penny. Would you like to go back with me to Pasadena?"

"Haha, very funny Moonpie." Penny was pouring herself a glass of water but turned to look at him when she didn’t hear his breathy little laugh or the ‘Bazinga’.

"It’s not a joke." No tics on his face.

"Wait…for real?" Penny was floored, and a little angry.

"Yes. I like being roommates with you."

"Sheldon! You’re asking me to uproot my life to go with you!" She slammed her glass on the counter. Sheldon could be clueless but this one took the cake.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Penny. Forgive me for being frank but you hate your life here. In the last 6 months you have stated several times your wish to run away to California so you can try living your dream of acting. Your father has recovered fully and returned to active duty. The debt you incurred to support your parents has been paid in full."

Penny wasn’t sure what to say, that was true, all of it. But her parents wer-

"And since I met you, you have expressed at least once daily your wish to ‘leave this place’." Damn, photographic memory was not fair.

"Sheldon, I don’t kn-"

"Penny. You were there for me when I felt that I had lost everything. You and the people of this town showed me more understanding and kindness than I ever experienced in Pasadena. I wanted to stop thinking about Physics but I couldn’t, and it was only because you accepted me and my weirdne-" No "Your quirks." They were working on not using negative language towards themselves.

Sheldon smiled at her "I apologize. I meant, my quirks. It was only because of that I was able to continue working, I believe that I have found the beginnings of a new research that can prove String Theory. I am confident, but I will need access to the labs and resources that only Caltech can provide."

He really had come a long way from the broken man she found in a corn field all those months ago. She much preferred this confident Sheldon.

"That’s great Honey. But where do I fit in there?"

"Penny! I thought it was obvious. I want you to also reach your dreams."

Tears pricked her eyes, Penny knew that it wasn’t a good thing for a cop to cry so easily.

But Penny didn’t want to be a cop.

"Honey. I…" She was getting choked up. Could it really be this easy? "I need to think about it Honey."

The next day Sheldon is out with his family and Penny decides to stop by her parents house. Her dad is sitting out on the porch relaxing as much as an old cop can.

Penny doesn’t even greet him, she jumps right into it. She tells him how she doesn’t want to be a cop, it’s killing her. She never stopped wanting to become an actress and now there was a chance, a real chance. She didn’t want to look back and regret not taking this opportunity.

Penny wouldn’t be alone.

Her dad did not say a word, he listened intently, at her words, her watery voice. He didn’t frown or scowled as she expected, he just listened. Once she was done she could feel her words hang heavily between them. Penny didn’t want to fight, but she would.

"Good luck Slugger. I love you."

Penny cried and jumped into his arms, it’s sad that she can’t remember the last time he actually held her like this. She goes inside and tells her mother but her response is less impactful…until she mentions Sheldon.

"You’ll do great Sweetie." Penny is already moving to hug her but stops at her next words. "Just make sure you and Sheldon use protection, with the luck in our family you’ll get pregnant as soon as you land a big role."

"MOM!" God, her mom never believed that Sheldon was just a friend.

Sheldon is happy but of course, he doesn’t know how to express it like a normal human being. "I knew that you would see reason."

And this is how Penny finds herself with only one week to pack up her life and drive to California.

This is the most freedom she has felt in years.

Chapter Text

"I see. Thank you for the update Georgie." Sheldon sat in the cabin of the truck and for the first time in a long time felt like he could relax. This was the news he had been waiting for, 7 long years finally coming to an end.

"No." His brother wouldn’t understand but Sheldon didn’t care.

"Yes, still the same plan." Sheldon was already making plans. He had saved basically all the money he ever got, he was more than comfortable. Freedom, it felt nice to say it.

"You too Georgie. Take care." A moment’s pause. "Send my regards to Missy as well."

After hanging up the phone and putting it away, Sheldon allows himself to relax fully in the seat of his truck. ‘Finally’

He was hungry and tired but suddenly feeling much better. Deciding that his hunger had priority Sheldon got out of the truck and walked to the apparently clean Truck Stop Diner ‘Flying J Travel Center’ a sign displayed proudly over the gas pumps and store, but it looked like the Diner itself was named ‘Max’s Highway Diner’.

The place seemed clean which was enough for Sheldon, after 7 years on the road he had seen all kinds of places. At least here it looked like they killed the vermin and not made it part of the menu.

It was still pretty early in the morning and as such there were only a couple of patrons inside. Ordering some tea (it still drew funny looks) and a bacon sandwich Sheldon opened his notebooks and started working. He would be able to return to his life, dedicate himself once more to science. Once he would have dismissed the idea of Fate, but both his mom and his Meemaw had been believers. Maybe it was no coincidence that his last delivery would be to Sacramento, a stone throw away from Caltech.

Sheldon still didn’t dare to pray to his mom or Meemaw, but he hoped that some of the energy that had composed them still lingered in this world in what other lesser minds would call ‘Watching over him’.

The tea and sandwich were decent, before setting back on the road later he would have to stop and buy more food and snacks for the road. Walking by the store he had seen that they had a decent selection of snacks and made-to-order food. But that could wait. He now needed to sleep.

This truck cabin had been his home for the last 2 years, the company giving him the top of the line truck thanks to him never being late on deliveries and hauling more than regular truckers. A trifle use of physics to determine the maximum load that could be safely delivered. As much as he had made this cabin his ‘home’, it still felt too much like a prison. He couldn’t wait to leave it behind.

Sheldon wanted to sleep but before moving to the back of the cabin he placed one important call. He had to announce that this would be his last delivery and he’d be leaving the truck in the company’s headquarters in Sacramento.

They tried to get him to stay, but nothing could move him now to do that. Some of the old arrogance is now back. A truck driver with a PhD? No, he needed to go back to being Dr. Sheldon Cooper, even if killed him.

Hanging up the phone and another weight had been lifted off of him. Almost free, he just needed that message from Georgie.

Setting up his alarm for 9 hours Sheldon moved into the back of the cabin and basically threw himself on the bed. ‘Soon.’

Sheldon woke up to his alarm and the first thing he did was check his phone. No messages. ‘Drat’

It could never be that easy.

Seeing the time, almost six in the evening and Sheldon sighed heavily. He really didn’t want to do the next part of the routine. But no message from Georgie means that his promise is still valid. He can see other truck drivers already leaving their cabins and moving towards the store, the diner…and the rooms in the back.

He could pretend. But no, He had given his word.

Walking out of his cabin and shouldering his bag, he walked towards the ‘sleeping rooms’ . Sheldon was glad that this would be the last time. He could at least use the time to work on formulas.

Already knowing what he was looking for, he was pleased to see that the person in charge was an older woman. He preferred to deal with madams than pimps. Asking for a room and companionship he was given a key and directed to room 4.

Sheldon was glad to have picked up the habit of wearing leather gloves. He didn’t want to touch anything directly, especially here. Opening the door, the room was standard fare, with poor lighting as these rooms were prone to have. ‘To hide the poor hygienic conditions no doubt’.

Pulling a plastic bag from his back Sheldon unfurled the splash blanket and put it on top of the only chair in the room. This had been a tip from a rather understanding woman in Arkansas, this way he could sit in peace and not worry about what might have been on the surface of these places.

He was already deep in his notebook when a knock announced his ‘companion’ had arrived.

"It’s open." Sheldon didn’t even look up from his notes as the other person entered the room, he could hear the rather decrepit bed creak as she took a seat and it made him cringe internally. That bed could not offer anyone proper lumbar support.

"Hi Sweetie, I’m Jewel, and you are?" Sheldon found her voice appealing but still did not look up.

"Sheldon." Page turn. "Please don’t mind me, this is something that I promised my father I would always do at rest stops. I will pay for your time all the same. You can simply use this time to rest or read or watch TV. As soon as the 2 hours are up, you can leave. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Wow, aren’t you a romantic one?"

At that Sheldon finally looked up. The woman, or perhaps girl was more accurate. She couldn’t be a day over 20, blond, aesthetically pleasing and with a fierceness in her expression that made her look like a warrior. Sheldon tilted his head.

"Excuse me?"

She had a pleasant laugh "Nothing. You don’t look like the usual kind of truck driver that we get around here."

"I should hope not. I have a PhD."

Once again that laugh "Oh wait, you’re serious?"

"Of course."

"Oh…so you’re like one of those ‘beautiful mind’ guys?"

"I suppose." He can’t make eye contact, the comment made him feel warm.

Jewel sat against the headboard and watched him. It seemed he would not be able to get back to his work. Sheldon was used to this as well, companions that preferred to chat to pass the time.

"So, why are you working as a truck driver then?" Her green eyes alight with curiosity.

"I suppose it could be called ‘bad timing’." Sheldon had told this story exactly 19 times, tonight would mark the 20th time and the last one, at least the last one told in a cheap room.

"By the age of 16 I had already obtained my first Doctorate and was preparing to move to California in order to attend Caltech and obtain my second one. However, my mother and Meemaw were involved in a fatal accident. Leaving only my father, my brother and my twin sister." Talking about his mother and Meemaw always brought out the pain in him, the best and worst part of having an eidetic memory, he could remember in detail the pain.

"My father was already a…well, an alcoholic. Losing my mother simply made it worse, my brother already had his own family and my sister eloped with her high school boyfriend. Leaving me as the sole caretaker of my father."

Jewel looked at him with such intensity that he couldn’t look away from her.

"I take my promises very seriously. And I promised to listen to him, he got it into his head that he needed to make a proper man out of me. He had already taught me to shoot, but now he also included hunting lessons, skinning and dressing the kill. How to drink. How to properly play football, how to punch and how to fight. All the while drinking like there was no tomorrow." Sheldon looks away from Jewel to take a look at his knuckles under the gloves, he knows they’re no longer the knuckles of a man of science.

"When I turned 18 he made me promise that as long as he lived I would have a ‘true man’s job’, after some short deliberation I decided that truck driver would be the ideal solution. It would limit the amount of time spent needing to be social, pay relatively well as well as allow me enough time to work." He shows her his notebook.

This is usually where he ends the story. But, it’s the last time, so he shares his plans.

"I never expected my father to live for so long. I took this job expecting the cirrhosis to take my father in 2 years…He managed to hold on for 7." Sheldon shakes his head in amazement. He loves his father, but the stranger that took his place after his mother’s death was just alcohol and rage.

"Perhaps if my mother or Meemaw had lived I would have been able to go to Caltech at 16, but now at 25 doesn’t sound so bad. My brother called me yesterday, and my father is in hospice care. He will not make it to the end of the week. As such, this is my last job." There’s something liberating in being able to vocalize his thoughts.

"I’ll drive down to Sacramento, buy a decent car and then drive down to Pasadena and continue with my life." Sheldon had refused to talk to his father after leaving Galveston, at some point he had become a ghost, someone Sheldon had already mourned.

Sheldon noticed how Jewel’s eyes were bright with unshed tears and he thanked her in his head, it felt good to be able to say all of this.

"You’re my last too, you know?" Jewel speaks up in a watery voice. "My ex-boyfriend, Kurt, he took out debt on my name and then bailed town. My parents are farmers, they don’t have money. I couldn’t do that to them." Sheldon doesn’t think that she belongs in this room, she’s too bright to be here.

"I was only 18 at the time, and very stupid and naive. A friend recommended this job, her mom is the lady out front so I got lucky…or maybe I didn’t. Anyway, I’ve been doing this for 2 years and I was able to make the final payment on the debt last week." Jewel looks determined and even in this cheap room she has a regal look.

"But this place doesn’t feel like home anymore. I’ve been saving money so I can go to California. I want to be an actress." She laughs but it’s not a pleasant sound, it has too much pain. "Stupid right?"

"I think you’d make a fantastic actress." And he meant it, there was something about her that captured his attention.

"Aw, thank you."

Sheldon tilts his head and considers it, she was going to California as well. She was saving money. ‘Perhaps…’

Once again he thinks about his mother and Meemaw, they believed in Fate.

"Would you like to come with me?" Sheldon is not really sure why he made the offer, but he doesn’t regret it.

Jewel is looking at him, as if she can’t believe he had offered. "Is tha-I mean…why?"

Sheldon considers her question seriously. "I do not believe in Fate. I believe in probability." A pause "But my mother and Meemaw believed in Fate, I think that instead of believing in Fate, I rather believe in them. And that they would have wanted me to make the offer." Sheldon doesn’t have to lie, so he doesn’t.

Jewel looks at him intensely. He doesn’t flinch, if she doesn’t accept then that’s that.

"Okay." She finally nods "My family doesn’t want me here anyway, everything I own is in a duffel bag and California is waiting."

Sheldon nods, feeling oddly satisfied. He tells her which truck is his and that he’ll meet her outside of it. Jewel stands up to leave the room but before stops with her hand on the doorknob.

"Penny. My name is Penny." And she’s out of the room. Sheldon thinks Penny fits her much better.

Before going back to his truck Sheldon makes a stop by the store. Water, snacks, antibacterial gel, alcohol wipes, red vines, mountain dew and 2 brisket sandwiches. Before leaving he sees the shoe cleaning and shining machine, he pays to use it.

By the time he gets to the truck Penny is there waiting for him, she looked anxious until she caught sight of him. He hands her one of the sandwiches.

Getting on the truck Sheldon thinks that things are looking up.

He’d like to think that his mother and Meemaw would be proud of him.

Chapter Text

Penny wanted to be in love. And Kurt came along, he said the right things, did the right things. They've been dating for a year and Penny was happy, she knew it wasn’t perfect but what relationship was? Her parents could barely stand each other and they were still married.

And one day Kurt told her that they could make their dreams true. He would make sure of it.

Penny thought she was in love. So she signed the papers for the bank loan. And the next day Kurt was gone.

Penny was left broken hearted and broke.

She could never pay back the loan, she went to the bank and begged and of course they laughed at her, the silly girl that had ruined her life. She hated her parents but she would still not run in the middle of the night like a thief to let them deal with the fallout of her stupid choices.

Right before dropping out of college she confided in anyone that could listen, Penny just wanted to vent. A girl that she had seen around the dorm a couple of times pulled Penny aside and told her about what her mom did for a living, that if she needed money fast then this was an option.

Penny was in a hole so deep that the offer felt like a match had been lit.

For a year and a half she did it. She was careful, never meeting anyone outside of the rooms. Truck drivers are a good choice, a face you will never see again. Make sure you see the money. Always bring your own condoms.

And of course, because things couldn’t ever go her way. Her parents found out. Penny doesn’t want to remember that fight, it might as well have been the last time she would ever speak to either of her parents. Tommy perhaps for the first time ever acted like a big brother and took her in.

She only had a couple of months more before she paid off the debt in full, so she crashed on her brother’s couch, until he was arrested for dealing meth. She had to learn to live off a duffel bag, and when she made that final payment it felt like she could breathe again. Only to find herself broke again, not even enough to pay for a goddamn ticket to California.

Penny had to sell her body, one last night. She’s sure that god finds it funny.

And then Penny met him. She entered the crappy room already dreading it but instead of the usual customer there was a young man. He looked well kept and wasn’t drinking or smoking anything, he was just reading on a chair.

He spoke and it reminded Penny of a doctor, his voice clinical and detached. And it turned out that he actually was a doctor.

They started talking and Penny felt for him. He was someone that didn’t belong in this room. But because just like her he refused to give up on the only parent he knew, he got screwed. But she can see the relief in him once he tells her that this is the last time he’s doing this. His eyes are bright and looking somewhere she can’t see.

Penny tells him her own story. She can’t help but laugh at her dream of being an actress, she had received offers to do porn before, but she wanted to keep this dream intact. Acting was her haven.

And then he offered to take her with him to Sacramento. Her chest filled with happiness and hope because she didn’t want to keep doing tricks, she would go be a waitress or a saleswoman but no matter what, this night would be the last.

But she didn’t allow her face to reveal any of that hope. She asked him point-blank why he made the offer. If he thought that she would be his squeeze for the duration of the trip then it was best to leave things clear now.

She did not expect the answer he gave. A part of her brain was telling her that this was a bad idea, this guy could be a serial killer or a rapist. The thought was dismissed just as quickly.

Sheldon paid for her time as promised and then they made plans to meet outside his truck. Penny went to pick up her duffel bag and in a few moments she was outside the truck he had mentioned but there was no sign of Sheldon.

Just as her anxiety was getting the best of her she heard footsteps and looked up to see Sheldon approach her. As a greeting he gave her a brisket sandwich and told her to get on.

The cabin of the truck was incredibly clean, almost brand new. The only thing out of place was a small blue shirt and pointed ear bobble head doll sitting in front of the steering wheel, it was doing a gang sign or something.

Looking at the back showed the bed and it was just as clean, she put her duffel bag in the back and turned to Sheldon. He was going through some sort of checklist and she remembers it as part of the ‘Learn to drive’ checklist that all newbies get in driving lessons.

"Uhh, didn’t you say you’ve been doing this for seven years now?"

"That is correct."

"Then what’s with the newbie checklist thing going on here."

And off he goes, he tells Penny about statistics of accidents due to carelessness and how proper procedures will ensure a smooth experience and Penny thinks that Sheldon is just a tiny bit particular.

It’s late, almost 10 in the evening if not later, so she asks if she can use the bed. "Hey Sheldon, do you mind if I crash in the back? I’ve been sleeping on couches for a long time and need some real sleep."

Sheldon tilts his head and looks at her like she just spoke in a different language and he’s trying to remember 5th grade Spanish, he takes long enough that she’s about to speak again but he interrupts her.

"You meant that you wish to sleep on the bed in the back of the cabin because you have only been sleeping in places that offer no lumbar support?"

"Errr yes?"

"Fantastic! It only took me a moment to decipher the local slang. I am getting better at this. And yes, you may use the bed to sleep."

Smiling and not really sure why Penny moves to the back, she takes off her shoes and is under the covers in a second.

"Penny, I will drive for 9 hours. At which point we’ll arrive at Salt Lake City where we’ll refuel the truck and take the chance to purchase food and snacks. If you’re still asleep when we arrive I will wake you up once I have located appropriate parking. Is this plan to your satisfaction?"

"Thank you Sheldon, yes it is."

"Excellent!"

And here she was, lying down on a proper bed without someone expecting her to open her legs. Sheldon didn’t turn to look at her even once as he drove, he put on classical music at a low volume. She wanted to keep watching him drive (and also in case he tried anything funny) but the exhaustion was too much. His bed is large and the covers are warm, Penny feels safe, the sounds of the cabin relax her and the next thing she knows Sheldon is shaking her awake. They’re in Salt Lake City.

Sheldon drags her still groggy ass to a diner, this place looks much more upscale than the one back in Nebraska. The restaurant is huge and even the napkins have the diner’s logo and name ‘Sapp Bros."

Sheldon orders tea and a roast beef sandwich and she gets the strongest coffee they have alongside eggs and pancakes. And it’s in the middle of their breakfast that Sheldon’s phone pings. He takes a look at it and because he’s in front of her she can see the sag of his shoulders, he even drops the phone on the table, he has a smile on his face and for lack of a better word, he looks liberated.

Penny knows she shouldn’t, but she peeks at the phone in the middle of them. It’s a rather short message. ‘Pa is gone. -Georgie’

Sheldon finally got his freedom back.

Penny expected him to maybe cry a little, or jump from joy but after a few minutes Sheldon just went back to his breakfast. Her heart ached for the man in front of her, she had no idea how deep his pain went but she thought that he deserved to smile a lot more.

"Penny, I would like to sleep. I usually try to get 9 hours of sleep. However, I find myself wanting to reach Sacramento in haste. Thus, I think I will go back to the truck and sleep for 6 hours, afterwards, do you have anything to do during that period of time?"

"Hmmm, I suppose that I need to do laundry, I saw a sign for the laundromat they have here and it looks okay. I would also like to buy some sneakers and then maybe browse the bookstore section of the store. So yeah, go to sleep, I’ll entertain myself."

Penny went back with Sheldon to grab her duffel bag but before going to the laundromat she decided to hit the bookstore first, that way she’d have something to read while waiting for her clothes.

Even after all the punches life had thrown her way Penny refused to stop believing in romance. Books were an excellent way for her to indulge in that. She picked up a random book, ‘A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux’s’, paid for it and moved to the laundromat. Once her clothes were done Penny wondered how she was going to pass time quickly, getting new sneakers would take a second. Hopefully the book will be good.

The book was amazing, it was torture for Penny to stop reading to move her clothes to the drier and then once it was done she basically shoved it all back into the duffel bag in order to get back to her book.

Penny was thinking about when it would be her turn to get a Knight in shining armor when Sheldon’s voice interrupted her.

"Ready?" He didn’t look any different and looked rested enough, even if his clothes were a little rumpled.

Penny cringed. "Sorry, haven’t gotten my sneakers, got caught up in a book."

The look Sheldon gave her made her feel like a chastised student. Quickly going to the shoe section Penny grabbed the first pair she liked while Sheldon went to buy water and food.

One snack run later and they were back on the road.

"It’ll take us 9 hours to arrive to Sacramento." Penny liked this relaxed version of Sheldon…well, as relaxed as he could get. "Once there I need to deliver the load which should take only 1 hour. I will then return the truck to the headquarters, this should give us plenty of time to visit a used car dealership, take the car to be professionally washed and cleaned while we eat. And by evening we should be on the road to Pasadena."

Penny was honestly flabbergasted, she thought that Sheldon was dropping her off in Sacramento and cleaning his hands off from her. She was moved to tears, this man was nicer to her than even her own family had ever been.

"Sounds great Honey." Penny couldn’t fight back the smile breaking her face.

They talked for a couple of hours. Sheldon had plans about working at Caltech and also obtaining a second PhD, he loved Physics and from what she was able to gather, he seemed to think that he had been born for it. Penny was able to hear some of his less painful memories, his mom chasing him around when he thought germs were going to kill him. His Meemaw’s illegal casino. Poor Snowball. Mandy and Ceecee. His time in Germany. And Penny was able to get a much clearer idea on who Sheldon Cooper was, she liked what she got.

Penny also told him about trying to be a good son for her dad and never being able to do it. Her slugger nickname. Junior Rodeo. Her love for Care Bears. Cheerleading. Getting drunk for the first time on peppermint schnapps in her best friend’s basement. Finding out that she loved Acting thanks to losing a bet and having to be Juliet in their High School’s play, it had been a joke, and after the first rehearsal it was no longer a joke to her.

It felt nice to be able to just talk. Sheldon became a better friend in 24 hours than her childhood friends had ever been.

Arriving in Sacramento early in the morning, Penny could see that Sheldon was just as excited as she was. He was basically vibrating in his seat.

They soon were in the lot of a place called ‘CarMax’, it was huge and the selection seemed impossibly large. But Sheldon was Sheldon and he already had a very specific set of parameters of what he considered acceptable. Not even an hour had passed since they arrived and they were already driving away in a Silver Toyota Camry.

While they waited for the car to be washed and cleaned they had lunch in a very nice cafeteria. Penny was drinking some pretty nice coffee when Sheldon once again surprised her.

"Would you like to be my roommate?"

Sheldon had quite enjoyed the company of Penny. She was chatty and overly excitable but he had to admit that it was appealing instead of being annoying.

Without meaning to, he had included Penny in his new plans. He didn’t want a studio apartment, after living in close quarters for so long he wanted a large apartment, a place where he could have a living room, a kitchen, a bath (He still remembered a time when that thought would have made him jump in fright, but after countless cold rest-stop showers he was ready to give baths a try), and maybe shelves, so he could start collecting things again.

Maybe Penny would like to be his roommate.

So he asked.

After choking on her coffee Penny was able to breathe again and she glared at Sheldon. ‘He’s trying to kill me.’

"I’m not saying no, but I’m also not saying yes. I need you to explain why you made the offer." Penny didn’t want charity, if he was asking because of some misguided sense of wanting to protect her then she would walk away right now.

"Well, because I want to." And he explained what he meant, he wanted to live in a place that he could call home. Oh he said a hundred words more but Penny had to wonder if Sheldon realized how…normal that dream was. Penny herself was looking for a home. And having a bigger place would be great, Penny didn’t have a lot of money, a roommate would go a long way for her.

This could be a mistake.

"Okay Honey, let’s be roommates."

Then again, it could be great.

Sheldon gave a smile that was pure joy and Penny felt more confident in having said yes.

Penny had noticed that Sheldon had a thing for driving at night. They were on their way to Pasadena and Penny was feeling pumped.

"Are you sure that you don’t need to check the map?"

"I already memorized it Penny, there’s no need."

"Wait, for real? So you have a photographic memory?" That would be so cool.

"No. I have an eidetic memory. I can remember everything, not just images, but I can recall sounds, sensations, emotions etc."

"Oh! That includes bad memories?" Maybe it wasn’t so cool after all.

Sheldon just nodded but she noticed that his grip on the steering wheel was tighter than it had been a moment ago.

‘Well…crap.’

"Let’s make some good memories then Sheldon."

A small smile directed her way is all the response she needed.

Pasadena is not quite what Penny imagined, it’s just another city. But this is where her dreams can come true.

They arrive very early in the morning, it’s barely 6 am. Sheldon drives them to a Denny’s and while they wait for their food Sheldon is using his phone to look for apartments. He wants something that’s close to Caltech but not crazy expensive.

When Penny is done with her pancakes Sheldon shows her what he thinks will be an ideal choice. Los Robles 2311.

The apartment is on the 4th floor but there’s an elevator and Penny has a feeling about it. She can see Sheldon and herself living in it.

It’s only a 10 minute drive to Caltech. They go check it out and both agree that it’s a good place. The elevator is working and the building doesn’t have any weird smells. They have their own laundry room.

Driving there showed that the neighborhood was pretty nice. The landlord was a no-nonsense kind of guy and just showed them the apartment right away. It was just as great as Penny expected, so much room. The rent was a little steep even divided in two, but after checking with the landlord how much a single bedroom would cost Penny had to admit that they were getting a deal.

Single room -850 USD
Two bedrooms -1300 USD

So Penny shut up and was thankful that it was only 650 for her rent. They also split the safety deposit of 1k.

And Sheldon and Penny now had an apartment.

They had no chairs, no beds, no TV. But they were ready to start living their lives now.

Chapter Text

Sheldon was able to get two lawn chairs from a store nearby and well, it was better than nothing.

"Okay Sheldon, we’ve got a lot of things to do. Getting beds should be at the top. BUT, priority number 1 is getting jobs."

Sheldon simply looked at her expectantly and with a tilted head. ‘That’s cute.’ But he didn’t say anything else.

"As in, any ideas are welcome…"

"Oh! Well, I will go tomorrow to Caltech and present my credentials as well as express my interest in pursuing my second PhD there."

"Okay, awesome, that’s great!." He really did look proud. "But I was asking for help. To be more precise, I don’t know what job would be good for me."

"Oh, then why didn’t you just say so?"

"…" Okay she liked Sheldon a lot but she was not a fan of this. "Yeah, this is me asking?"

"Well, do you have any special skills?"

"Uhhh, like being able to ride a horse?"

"Exactly like that."

Penny has to take a moment to think it through thoroughly "I can do that, ride a horse. Ummm I did Junior Rodeo so I know all of that, tie-down roping, bareback riding, breakaway roping. I know how to shoot. I can disassemble and reassemble the engine on a tractor…I can drive a tractor. I know how to castrate sheep. I can do any farm work." Penny has to sit down as she continues thinking about her skills.

"I did some baton twirling as a cheerleader. And…I think that’s it."

Sheldon nods along with every thing she listed. She was about to list the sex stuff, but doesn’t want that to define her. Penny is not in a place to have sex at the moment, it’s tied to bad memories, she doesn’t want to date either. Not after Kurt. And if she were to date…She very deliberately doesn’t look at Sheldon.

"What is your goal? Do you want to act or do you want to be famous?" Sheldon’s face is honest, he’s not baiting her.

"I like acting. I wouldn’t mind being famous but I guess that I can say that fame isn’t exactly my end goal. I would like to be able to make a living from acting and just be happy."

"I see." Sheldon had this very intense face he made when focusing and Penny really liked it. "There are several avenues that you can explore. Voice acting is at the top of the list, you have a very appealing voice. There is an entire industry for background actors which would also expose you to directors and producers. Theater is an underrated avenue, though it requires more effort. Videogames have a budding acting industry."

"Wouldn’t voice acting and videogames would be the same thing tho?"

"Not necessarily, while it’s true that some people lend both their likeness and voice to characters, there’s still people that are needed for body tracking, stunts, etc. After all, someone has to play the ‘bad guys’ as well."

"And what do you think it’s the best approach?"

"I believe that excluding Theater, you could try for all other avenues at the same time. Theater requires a commitment of time and effort, trying to focus on Theater and another avenue would lead you to not excelling at neither." Sheldon rubbed his knuckles as he thought seriously about her situation. She had noticed him do that when focusing deeply on something.

"I see. Thank you Sheldon."

"You’re welcome." A small happy smile sat on his face.

Penny needed to think about this, she didn’t have a problem with just getting a customer service job or maybe waitressing, but it didn’t feel like it would necessarily bring her closer to her dream. And Sheldon was always so happy to help.

She really was one lucky girl.

Sheldon was happy, it had been 4 months since they moved in to Los Robles and so far his plans were well underway. Caltech had been happy to receive him, more than happy, they had even set up a whole event celebrating ‘The return of Dr. Sheldon Cooper to Academia.’

He didn’t want to attend but Penny told him that she would be his date and that made the evening more tolerable.

Penny had also made strides, she had been surprised at how easy it was to get a job as a background character in sitcoms and movies. She liked how for one show she would wear many different shirts, dresses, wigs, all to try and make her look like a different background character.

Thankfully the jobs were plentiful and recently she was able to break through in voice acting as well. A small role in a cartoon called ‘As told by Ginger’ but Penny was beyond ecstatic, Sheldon hadn’t mentioned this but he was hopeful this would be the start to a great career for her.

His own efforts had not been any less successful, he was well on his way to earn his second PhD.

Sheldon had never neglected his education and Caltech was more than happy to accommodate him, and while he didn’t exactly love teaching, he only had 3 classes to teach a week which made it more tolerable than if it were 3 classes a day like some of his colleagues.

Not having the yoke of his father around his neck made Sheldon appreciate life more. He allowed himself to be dragged by Penny every weekend to throw a football at the park, while before football would bring memories of his father shooting at the TV as his team lost, recently he found himself thinking instead of how Penny would throw the ball while laughing.

Fascinating.

Penny was fidgeting in the elevator, it couldn’t arrive on her floor soon enough. She had to tell Sheldon the great news or she would explode. This was it. It’d been a little over a year since she arrived in California and her efforts were paying off.

As the elevator doors opened to the 4th landing Penny was already running on her feet, quickly opening her door. Sheldon was standing in the kitchen and he was serving two plates, he had found a love for cooking and she encouraged it.

"Sheldon!!!!!!!!!!" Penny knew that the squee was so high that it might hurt his acute hearing but she couldn’t contain herself.

Sheldon simply raised an eyebrow and calmly replied "Penny?" Wackadoodle.

"I got it!!!!!" Penny started jumping in place before launching herself at Sheldon and hugging him tightly with all 4 limbs, she probably looked like a monkey but she didn’t care. Sheldon on his part only held her by the hips.

"The role of the recurring enemy girl?" He was also getting excited, she hadn’t stopped talking about how she really wanted this show. She had found a love for voice acting and this would be her first big recurring role."

"Nope" Penny popped the P and her smile was as big as it ever had been.

"Forgive me Penny, but I’m confused, I thought you wanted this role?"

"I did. Until they offered me the role of the protagonist. You have in your arms the voice of Kim Possible!" Penny couldn’t stop squeeing, she was just so excited.

Sheldon finally hugged her properly and twirled her for a moment "Congratulations! You’ve worked really hard for this. I’m proud of you."

Penny knew that Sheldon only said things that he meant and him saying that he was proud of her made her finally start crying in happiness. She buried her head in Sheldon’s shoulder and babbled incoherently, wanting to thank him for being there and just being himself. Sheldon simply held her and kept saying "There, there. Sheldon’s here."

She loved him.

Sheldon didn’t doubt for a second that Penny would do great things. Obtaining this protagonic role was just evidence of that. She had been working hard, sometimes she would not come home for 3 days as she was running between acting jobs.

He was proud of her. So he told her.

With arms full of Penny, Sheldon felt that while their courses might have derailed due to circumstances outside of their control, they now had course corrected and were on their intended roads.

Sheldon only hoped that Penny wouldn’t lea-

Penny kissed him.

He tasted her tears, it shouldn’t have made for a pleasant experience.

He kissed her back.

Penny had been scared. She had known for a bit that her feelings for the tall scientist were no longer Platonical. But she was scared.

Penny had done a lot of things she wasn’t proud of, selling her body was number one on that list. It hadn’t really been her decision, but she was forced due to circumstances. She knew of girls that did it and loved it, but she was not one of them.

She had been scared of Sheldon rejecting her. He had never shown any aversion to her due to her past job, he didn’t flinch at her touch. He allowed her to touch him when she had witnessed Sheldon tearing the head off a sales girl for being a little too familiar with his person.

She had been scared of her feelings not being returned. Sheldon deserved someone better, someone that wasn’t tainted, someone that could understand his work.

Penny had been scared of all of that, until Sheldon kissed her back.

Penny thought she would die from happiness. Maybe Sheldon didn’t believe in Fate, but she did. And it was Fate that put her on the same road as Sheldon Cooper.

It was 2003 and the year had already started on a bad note. Louis/Louise moved away, Penny loved her neighbor and was sad about it but they were being transferred to LA.

Because of this Penny had been trying to get Sheldon to agree to move. She had found an amazing place for sale on E. Del Mar Boulevard, literally 5 minutes within walking distance from Caltech (And a gym, and a grocery store, and even more).

It was a beautiful Victorian style house, 5 bedrooms and 2 baths. Not only would they have a front garden, but also a backyard AND a huge plot for gardening if they wished to. But Sheldon was a little reluctant, he had a soft spot for Los Robles and she did too, but with Louis/Louise gone, it felt like the right move at the right time.

Arriving at the 4th landing, she saw that their new neighbor would be moving in. There were boxes around the entrance to 4B and Penny could see 3 young guys moving stuff inside the apartment. She was on the phone with Sheldon and trying to convince him while looking for her keys inside the mess she called a purse when a whiny voice was heard clearly.

"She’s perfect." Penny refused to turn around, she could feel the weight of lustful eyes and even without looking she knew the type. ‘Where are those damn keys.’

"Our babies will be smart and beautiful." Penny was ready to bring down her door but the only thing that stopped her was the idea that it would remove a barrier between her and this asshole.

Talking louder on purpose Penny wanted to make it clear she didn’t appreciate the comments "Honey, did you also hear that?"

"I did." Sheldon sounded upset as well and she was willing to bet his acute hearing was more of a curse right now.

"And this is why I want to move. I don’t want an asshole treating me like a piece of meat." Penny was finally able to find her keys and to start opening her door.

"I concur, let’s call the realtor."

"Thank you Honey. Love you" Penny locked the door behind her and stopped for a moment before putting the dead lock as well.

"I love you too."

Sheldon had been great at this relationship thing, he never pushed her for more than she was ready to give, and she was thankful for that. Penny was rediscovering sex with Sheldon and it felt nice to have someone actually care about you and not just your body.

Penny knew that they were both broken but strangely enough they fit together. The Penny from 3 years ago wouldn’t be able to believe that this would be her life after leaving Nebraska. There were a lot of things she still needed to do, like Tommy. He was getting out next year and during her phone calls with him she had floated the idea of him moving to Pasadena and finishing school and he seemed happy to try.

And this place, this apartment had been the first true home for both her and Sheldon as adults. But she was ready to start thinking long term.

She wanted to own her home.

Penny ignored the knocks at her door and the whiny voice accompanying them, she needed to contact the realtor as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

There comes a point in your life where you have to accept that this is it. That’s all there is to it. Nothing more and nothing less.

Penny comes to that realization at the ripe age of 28.

She had to give up on her dream of acting and now she has a soul-killing job as a sales rep, which apparently she’s really good at. So, yay or whatever.

Several things happen that make Penny finally say yes to marrying Leonard…none of them are good, sadly. Penny wakes up one morning with pretty bad back pain, Leonard calls her an old woman and she can’t let go of that comment for an entire month. Leonard starts hinting that she’s losing her ‘prime child years’, whatever the fuck that means. Penny is not turning as many heads, which is a hit bigger than she expected. And of course, her parents start asking about grandchildren, as if Tim didn’t already have 11 children with 5 different women.

So Penny says yes.

And then the shit really hits the fan after they tell the group. Howard and Bernadette act relieved, like Penny marrying Leonard will make their own marriage better. Amy calls dibs on the maid of honor role and Penny is too tired to fight her, besides Bernadette doesn’t exactly feel like her friend anymore. Raj is openly weeping and he can’t stop hugging them. Sheldon acts…strangely, and not in a Sheldon way.

He takes a good long look at Penny, like he’s seeing her for the first time and then tell her, quietly, so only she can hear, "My door is always open for you." which honestly freaks her out, because his intense look is replaced by pity.

Sheldon breaks up with Amy the next day. Of course the group is not going to let him get away with it. Penny is pissed because Amy has been non-stop crying since Sheldon broke up with her and while her feelings for the woman might be mixed, she’s still a friend.

Unfortunately, they all seem to have forgotten how stubborn and honest Sheldon really is. As Penny confronts him about breaking up with Amy he stuns the whole room with his response.

"Seeing as Penny and Leonard have decided to tank their current relationship in an ill attempt to deceive themselves that they love each other, well, that forced me to look at my relationship with Amy. She deserves someone that can love her, and that person is not me. I am not attracted to you Amy, I in fact find you sometimes intolerable." Amy only cries harder.

"It would be a disservice to our friendship to continue with this sham of a relationship. I refuse to become my father and have to reduce myself to constantly consume alcohol just to tolerate my spouse." Sheldon turns a glaring look at everyone in the room. "You trying to force me and Amy ‘back together’ only reinforces my decision. I will not be Howard constantly hitting on other women despite my vows. I will not be Leonard not caring who I marry to as long as they’re ‘hot’. And I will not be my father, tied down to a marriage he hated just ‘for the kids’."

Sheldon enters his room and leaves the group to handle the ugly truth grenades he just threw.

Howard and Bernadette excuse themselves and neither can look Penny in the eye. Raj offers to take Amy home, the woman had stopped crying at some point and instead looked pensive.

Leaving only Penny and Leonard in the apartment.

Penny can’t deny what Sheldon said. Leonard had several times in the past abandoned her like yesterday’s lunch if a new hot woman paid any attention to him. She had found that he still had intimate photos from his time with Priya, and Penny might have hated Priya but Leonard keeping them wasn’t cool. She deleted everything and asked Sheldon to do the same with any backups. Penny had refused to send Leonard any pictures after that.

"That Sheldon is crazy. It’ll be a relief once he leaves and you move in." Leonard can’t look her in the eye but still sounds confident somehow.

It takes her brain a moment to catch up with his words "What do you mean when Sheldon leaves? I thought it was his name on the lease?"

"Oh, that. He made a bet. He said you would never agree to marry me." Leonard looks smug "So he bet that if you said yes, he would be the one to leave. It’s in the roommate contract and everything."

"Huh." It doesn’t make Penny feel any better.

The group ignores Sheldon’s words.

Sheldon moves out rather quickly from 4A, he moves to a townhouse on Oakdale street. He’s able to walk to work now, 5 minutes only. He doesn’t invite them to his place.

Penny gets an email saying she’s welcome as long as she doesn’t bring anyone else. She keeps it a secret.

Routines are hard to shed, they’re all in the apartment for Thai night, except Sheldon. Penny calls him pretty pissed.

"Hey Sheldon, where the hell are you?"

"Hello Penny. I’m at home having Thai food. Why?"

"What do you mean you’re at home? Why didn’t you come to 4A?"

"Oh! I wasn’t invited. I sent Leonard a message but he never replied so in accordance with hospitality rules, I assumed that I wasn’t invited."

"Whu-"

"Besides, you are the only one that contacted me at all. Could I hazard a guess that the rest of the group didn’t concern themselves with my absence?"

Penny looks around and the other guys are playing some videogame while Amy and Bernadette are talking on the couch.

"I believe your silence is answer enough."

Penny wants to tell him that she misses him, that he needs to be here. But before she can get the words past the lump in her throat, Sheldon hangs up.

They get married pretty quickly after that.

Penny is shocked that Sheldon is not Leonard’s best man. No, it’s Howard. Sheldon never makes an appearance at the wedding.

Penny is not sure why this hurts her so much.

She’s in the reception and instead of dancing or sharing a fun moment with her groom, she’s near the entrance trying to call Sheldon. But he never picks up.

He still sends them a gift with Raj.

Later, much later, she’s opening Sheldon’s gift and Penny doesn’t know what to think. It’s a bottle of wine…an empty bottle of wine. There’s a piece of paper glued to the bottom of the bottle and reading it only makes Penny more confused.

"The bottom is always dry."

Penny is not sure what Sheldon is trying to say, she still saves the bottle. She puts it in the bottom where Leonard never checks, he only grabs the first one at the top.

They don’t see much of Sheldon after that. Penny is too busy with her honeymoon and then she’s exhausted once back in Los Robles.

Penny still texts Sheldon, he’ll send her beautifully worded messages and she’ll reply with a GIF of a show or movie that Sheldon has never watched. He never tells her to stop.

Howard and Bernadette announce their pregnancy a month after Penny’s wedding. Penny doesn’t miss the longing looks that Leonard throws her way.

In for a Penny, in for a pound, or whatever that fucking saying is. Penny stops taking her contraceptives.

Penny is turning 29 soon and she’s miserable.

She can’t get pregnant. They haven’t even had a scare so far. It’s as if she’s still taking the pill. Leonard’s look gets sharper, his words meaner. He’s not outright saying it but he’s blaming her.

He’s made some snide comments about Penny taking the pill in secret or somehow purposely sabotaging their chances. She doesn’t want to go to the doctor because going to the doctor will make it real.

Penny asks Sheldon during one of their weekly lunches.

"Penny, there are many reasons why couples can’t conceive. You will need to visit your regular OB GYN before assuming something is wrong."

And because Sheldon told her to do it, she does it.

"So what’s it look like Doctor?"

"Mr and Mrs Hofstadter. I’m afraid I don’t have great news."

Penny can feel a pit open in her. She never wanted children, not really. But getting pregnant is a thing that can happen to anyone right? She never hurt her tummy or crotch during Junior Rodeo.

"Have either of you heard about ‘Impaired ovarian reserve’?" Two headshakes. "This is a condition where-"

And Penny can feel blood rushing through her ears. Just a bad roll of the die for her, her eggs are not good enough to sustain life. They might never be, they might never have been. Penny is feeling pretty numb, she doesn’t know how to react. Should she cry?

And then Leonard is crying for the both of them.

There’s treatments and in the worst case scenario they can try IVF. Of course TRY being the key word. There were no guarantees.

And Penny tries it all, injections every day for two weeks, nothing. Synthetic estrogen with progesterone plus a pill, nothing. Hormone replacement therapy, nothing.

The doctor offers an experimental treatment with ‘high dose gonadoropins’ and Penny accepts out of desperation because it’s been 8 months since this whole treatment started and SOMETHING has to work. Still nothing.

They finally try IVF, the doctor promises a 90% chance of success. It fails.

Just like Penny’s marriage to Leonard.

From the start Leonard was the desperate one. Constantly reassuring her that thing would work out, that they could have a family.

Month after month and treatment after treatment, and Leonard became meaner and meaner with each failure. He resented Penny, as if she was somehow at fault for this. Her suffering and pain both physical and emotional not counting for even a little bit of sympathy.

She starts spending more and more nights in Sheldon's guest room.

Penny is about to turn 30, still no pregnancy. She’s preparing a nice dinner to ask Leonard that they try IVF again, but he never makes it to dinner. Or for breakfast, or lunch.

She’s getting ready to call the police when Bernadette calls her, Penny quickly explains that she doesn’t have time, Leonard is missing and she needs to call the cops but Bernadette stops her.

"Penny. Leonard is here with us. We need you to come here, Leonard has something to say to you." And Bernadette simply hangs up, as if Penny wasn’t freaking out.

Her head is a mess all the way to the Wolowitz house. She can’t think properly, has no idea what this could be about.

Once Penny is ushered in she sees Leonard sitting in the middle of the couch surrounded by all of their friends sans Sheldon. Her heart stops, maybe Leonard is sick, he could have cance-

"I got a girl pregnant."

It takes Penny a long moment to understand that the words came from Leonard. She has to repeat them to herself a couple of times before they fully sink in.

"…what did you said?..." Her voice is a whisper. She couldn’t have heard correctly.

"It was an accident!!" Leonard finally stands up and moves towards her but Penny doesn’t want him touching her so she backs away from him as quickly as possible.

"How?" Maybe this will be her voice from now on. This hurt whisper.

"Penny, you have to understand!" Leonard grabs his glasses in frustration and rubs at his eyes. "You were always in pain, we didn’t even have sex anymore!." Put the glasses back on and glares at Penny. "What was I supposed to do?"

Penny wants to tell him all sorts of things. He could have kept it in his pants. Could have not betrayed her. Could have been faithful. Could have divorced her. Could have been a good human being. Could have spared Penny the pain of all those treatments. Could have been less of a piece of shit.

Instead Penny removes her ring and throws it between them. Not a word.

She leaves the Wolowitz home and ignores everyone calling for her. She turns her phone off once it starts ringing.

Penny doesn’t even know where she’s going, she’s been driving without really paying attention and it’s a miracle she didn’t crash into anything. It’s not until she’s parked in front of Sheldon’s house that Penny starts crying. She stumbles to his door and pounds on it.

"Penny?"

And Penny is crying in his arms, she cries until she knows nothing but darkness.

Waking up on Sheldon’s couch with a massive crying hangover makes Penny remember that this is real. Leonard did get someone else pregnant.

Sheldon is there when she wakes up and gives her a cup of coffee, she almost rejects it with the well practiced line ‘No, thank you.’ There’s no need to worry about caffeine affecting her chances of getting pregnant after all.

She tells Sheldon everything, and she can’t stop once she starts. Penny tells him about her fear, the pain, how they prodded her and poked her, how the doctor and nurses looked at her in pity, how Leonard would imply she was somehow defective, how she wasn’t sure that she wanted children even after all of this, how she never expected Leonard to betray her.

She talked and talked until it was late. Sheldon ordered Pizza and forced her to eat a slice. He insisted that she could stay in his house for as long as she needed it. He then went out and came back 2 hours later with a duffel bag full of her clothes.

Her Wackadoodle was always her Knight in Shining Armor.

In the next week things move fast. Leonard doesn’t want to fight her, he signs the divorce papers but has the gall to ask ‘Can we still be friends?’ and it’s only Sheldon’s presence that stops her from beating Leonard to death.

She moves out all of her things into Sheldon’s house until she can find her own place. None of the others in the group reach out to her. Not even Amy. They had made their choice.

Penny finally has her first drink of wine in over a year and she cries herself to sleep that night and the next, and the next, and the next, until Sheldon throws away all the alcohol she brought.

Penny finds it easy to slip into Sheldon’s life. There’s comfort in the routine, they still have Thai night, Pizza night, Halo, and even Laundry night…of course it’s just them talking in Sheldon’s basement as their clothes spin around. There’s no one here to steal their clothes, they should go upstairs, and yet they stay right there.

Penny smiles again.

Chapter Text

Penny is not really sure she wants to stay in college. She’s currently a freshman at UNO, looking to major in fine/studio arts because she thought it would involve acting…which it didn’t do that exactly, they could eventually teach her to teach other people about acting but Penny was finding this whole college thing to be a bit of a bust.

She wanted to act, wanted to be the next Julia Roberts. But she was starting to think that if she stayed here in Omaha it would never happen. It was still her freshman year so Penny was perfectly aware that she was being impatient, but her 18th birthday was coming up in 6 months and it was just too tempting, she might just drop out and go to California in her shitty car.

The only thing that Penny liked about college so far was that she felt like she’d be able to find her true love here.

Tamika had told her that Kurt from the Athletic training program was asking about Penny and that her boyfriend Jack had confirmed he was going to ask Penny out. She couldn’t wait, she had a good feeling about this Kurt…yum yum, those muscles.

"Hey Pen." Penny liked Tamika, the girl was in the Physics department but looked like a damn supermodel. She was being wasted in the sciences building. Penny got lucky to get Tamika as a roommate.

"Hey girl, ready to go out clubbing tonight?"

"Ugh, can’t." Tamika really looked disappointed. "The Physics department is preparing to host a welcome party for the boy genius himself and we all have to be present. Can’t wiggle away."

"Boy genius?"

"Oh yeah, you probably don’t know. There’s this guy in the Physics world that is basically the second coming of Einstein. He got his first PhD at 14, the second at 16 and his name is attached to pretty much every award available, almost always followed by ‘The youngest ever’-something."

"Oh damn, sounds like a fun guy at parties."

"You have no idea. He’s also pretty famous, or rather infamous for being a pain in the ass. It doesn’t help that he’s almost always right, I heard he caused several researchers to quit after meeting with him for a couple of minutes."

"And he’s coming to UNO, why?" Penny had no illusions that their little University held any sort of importance.

"He’s actually on loan from Caltech. He’s staying for 3 months to give some lectures and do research using our equipment."

"Huh, how old is he?."

"Just turned 18, it’s actually a little creepy at seeing all the older ladies go gaga over him."

"Haha, poor guy then. Anyway, since you can’t come tonight, how about we meet on-" And Penny kept going with her life, this conversation soon forgotten.

As Penny worked her shift at The Cheesecake Factory she kept thinking about her future. College so far had made her feel like a failure, she felt stupid for choosing a Major without really understanding what she was signing up for and just because she thought it had something to do with acting. Sure, college life was fantastic, she loved living on campus and not having to worry about the farm anymore. Having clubs, coffee shops, and shoe stores within walking distance was a game changer.

And yet…Penny wondered if she should keep going. Was college really going to get her closer to her dream? For that matter, what was her dream? She enjoyed acting but if she was honest with herself she wanted the fame as well, she didn’t want to be a background character in a sitcom, she wanted to be in movie posters so that the bitches from high school would froth at the mouth when seeing her.

Maybe it was a better idea to drop out and go try her luck in California.

That idea was only reinforced by the book in front of her. It was a slow afternoon and her manager didn’t mind Penny doing homework at an empty table, Penny knew she wasn’t the only waitress that did that. Glaring at the book Penny had to wonder why learning to design clothes required her to know math, and it’s because someone replies to her that she realizes she actually said that outloud. ‘I need to stop that habit.’

"It’s to ensure the piece of clothing you’re designing actually fits correctly. You would also need it to calculate how much to charge for that piece of clothing." A boy her age is standing next to the table she’s using. He’s tall, way too tall and wiry, like one of those swimmers she loved to go and watch practice. And for some reason he’s dressed like one of her professors, a red plaid shirt over a light blue tee, khaki pants, and a tweed jacket. At least he was wearing cool sneakers. For some reason he looked really happy to be answering her question.

"As you’re probably aware, the clothing designing process always starts with a sketch. This sketch will contain shapes, patterns and sizes as well as how they relate to one another in space, in simpler terms, Geometry. Which is one of the fundamental branches of math." Without being invited to, the boy takes a seat in front of her.

"Of course, that is a vital part of the design process," points to his shirt "Squares, triangles, circles and other designs are always present in our clothing and can be easily defined as mathematical in nature, however, even those designs that can be defined as abstract still use geometry to ensure they’re aesthetically pleasing." Penny is not sure that he has taken a breath since he started talking and the way he’s talking to her reinforces the idea of a professor, he’s probably a freshman as well and trying way too hard.

"Math is also used by stores in order to determine stocking rates. And it goes without saying that return on investment is something present at every step of the way to determine that everyone will stand to gain from it. And it’s all thanks to…" He trails off and looks at Penny expectantly.

"…Math?..."

"That’s right! Excellent. And that’s why you need Math in clothing design." He looks so proud of himself that Penny can’t help but laugh.

"Okay, okay, thank you for the explanation. Can you then help explain how this formula becomes a graph? I’m not getting it, how is this a circle according to the book?" Penny shows him her book and the formula (x−h)2+(y−k)2=r2.

"Do you have your graphing calculator?"

"My what now?"

"Oh boy. How did you pass your SATs?"

"Hey! Don’t be mean."

"I’m sorry. Let me show you how to do it without a calculator."

And the boy did just that, Penny realized that all of this was stuff she had seen in High School but this boy took the time to show her how to solve formulas but also how to graph them on paper. It wasn’t exactly fun but she could tell he had experience tutoring people.

"Oh! That’s awesome, that makes so much more sense now."

"Yes, math is a wonderful thing."

"Thank you so much. Oh, your food must have arrived at your table by now. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time."

"No worries. I haven’t ordered yet. I was approaching you for that reason when I heard you pose your question about math."

"Oh gosh, I’m sorry. Thank you again. Let me get you a menu, don’t move from there."

Quickly going through the familiar motions she cleaned his side of the table and got him a menu.

"Don’t order dessert, as thanks for helping me understand this. I'll get you a slice of cheesecake after your meal. My treat."

And for the first time he looks uncomfortable "Oh, is this like a gift?"

"No, it’s just a way to repay the help you already gave me."

His face clears "Ahh, like Quid Pro Quo?"

"Sure, let’s go with that."

"Then, I accept. Thank you." His attention now on the bible of a menu in front of him.

Penny had to smile, this boy was weird but not in a bad way. It was probably his first time away from home and college had been scarier than he expected, and he wasn’t being a creep, he hadn’t even ogled Penny or tried to make a pass at her. In High School she wouldn’t have been friends with him but here it was perfectly normal, maybe they could help each other out with homework. ‘I mean, he can’t be good at every subject.’

After almost ten minutes of him going through the menu Penny is getting a little impatient. "All of it is good."

"Highly unlike. But this is my first time at this establishment so I suppose that asking for recommendations would be the next logical step. Is there anything that you recommend?"

"Hmmm, how about a burger? I just had the Smokehouse B.B.Q. Burger a few days ago and it’s really good."

"I’ll have that please, and a glass of lemonade."

"Coming right up."

Penny got him his burger and went right back to work on her assignment, thanks to this boy’s help she was getting it and didn’t want to stop. If he needed something then he could just ask her.

As Penny worked she took notice of this strange boy, he ate carefully, methodically. Her first thought was that maybe he was feeling awkward eating in front of her but he was ignoring her, completely absorbed in enjoying his burger.

She made good on her promise and got a slice of cheesecake. She got a gut feeling that he had a sweet tooth so she made it a slice of the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake. She was not disappointed, he basically devoured it.

"Thank you. You were correct on the hamburger and your selection of Cheesecake was equally pleasing. I might make this a weekly visit after today."

"Oh you’re welcome Sweetie. I always work this shift so you can find me here." Penny winced, it sounded too much like a come on. But the boy simply nodded and moved to stand up. And okay, Penny had at least been expecting for the boy to ask for her number but he didn’t seem interested in her. ‘Maybe he’s gay.’

"My name is Penny by the way, just realized we never introduced ourselves." She extended a hand to him.

He looked at her hand for a long moment and when she was about to put it down he reached out and shook it.

“My name is Sheldon. Pleased to meet you.” He gives her a small shy smile and Penny smiles back.

“I like that, Sheldon. It fits you well. I’ll see you around Sheldon.”

“Likewise.” And he’s gone.

Penny likes Sheldon, he’s a little high strung and talks like an old timey professor, but he’s a good boy, maybe he and Tamika can hit it off, talk science at each other.

After her shift Penny wanted to take advantage of the knowledge still fresh in her brain so she decided to finish all of her math work that same night. She might like this geometry stuff after all.

Tamika entered their dorm and went to slam face first onto her bed.

“Not a great party I take it?” Penny asked seeing the exhausted woman.

“Oh no, fantastic. Simply fantastic.” Tamika’s voice was slightly muffled but the sarcasm still shone strongly. “Boy genius is everything they claim and more. And he’s an ass, not five minutes into the party and he’s already offended everyone. I don’t know how he plans to lecture with that attitude.” Tamika laughs suddenly “And you know the best part? He left his own welcome party halfway through to go eat lunch." Tamika finally sat up to face Penny "Can you believe that?. And his first lecture is in a week."

"Wow, sounds like a fun guy.”

“I think it’ll be an interesting lecture…want to come and see?”

“Me? Why?.”

“C’mon, you owe me one.”

“Nuh uh.”

“I’m going to get Jack to organize a double date with Kurt. So you owe me.”

“...Okay.”

Penny really wanted that date, she’ll go and get bored for an hour and maybe even work on her homework. She’s also hoping that Sheldon will help her again.

Chapter Text

Penny was kind of getting the hang of this geometry thing. They were teaching them how to sketch correctly and Penny loved it, she could see how it all would come together into a design. And she was thrilled.

It was as if for the first time something clicked about college. She was having fun.

It had been a few days since Sheldon had helped her and she had tried to pay attention around campus to see if she could find him but she hadn’t had any luck so far. Maybe he was too shy and only went to classes and then back. He could use a friend and Penny could be that friend.

She didn’t see Sheldon until her Thursday shift, she was working the dinner shift and this time the restaurant was a little more active. She still had her notebooks on an empty table at the back but she had less chances to work on it. Penny was really liking the design classes and she had been taking them more seriously.

One moment the table with her stuff is empty and the next moment she looks, Sheldon is sitting there reviewing one of her notebooks. A smile comes to her face because he’s once again dressed like a mini-version of a professor…well, not so mini, the boy was tall as heck.

Making her way to him she prepared her notepad, technically this table wasn’t at her section but whatever. “Hey Sheldon!”

“Good evening Penny.” He gave her a small shy smile and Penny had to resist the urge to say ‘Awww’ out loud. “I see that you have made strides in your school work. Excellent job.”

“Aw thanks Sweetie.” Penny blushed a little, it felt nice to hear someone complimenting her progress. “Let me get you a menu.”

“No need, I have already memorized it. Thank you.”

Penny laughed but Sheldon only looked at her confused. “Wait, you’re serious? It’s like a bible sized menu.”

“I possess an eidetic memory. The menu is forever in my mind now.”

“Oh! Wow, that’s really cool. So that’s how you remember all that math stuff!” Penny pointed a finger at him.

“Yes, it’s also fun.” Of course he would find it fun.

“Well then Mr. Photographic memory, what can I get you then?”

“Eidetic, not photographic. I can remember sounds, feelings, smells, etc. not just images.” He corrected her “And can I please get a California Omelette and a glass of Lemonade please.”

“Coming right up.”

Just like last time she took peeks at Sheldon while he ate, he once again ate in a very deliberate and methodical manner, like a machine. The smile he had after tasting the omelette though, was very human.

As her section cleared she went to Sheldon. “Can I get you anything else Sweetie?”

“A slice of…” He trailed off frowning in thought, it was the first time Penny had seen him with this intense look and it was because of Cheesecake. ‘Wackadoodle’ The smile on her face was genuine, Sheldon was really cute. Hopefully no one was bullying him. “A slice of the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake please.”

“Be right back.”

After getting Sheldon his slice of Cheesecake, Penny sat in front of him and watched as he once again devoured his dessert. Sheldon could eat like a beast, maybe he was a swimmer after all.

“Is there something on my face Penny?”

“Oh, no. Sorry, I was lost in thought. Hey Sheldon if it’s not much of a bother, can you help me understand this please.” Penny pointed to her notebook.

Penny liked how Sheldon explained things. She did not like how he assumed things tho. He talked to her like she should know everything, but to be fair, once she explained that she needed a simple explanation he would make sure to adjust his tutoring.

Sheldon could come off as arrogant but Penny thought it was a defense mechanism. He was probably sheltered his whole life and school was the one place he always did well at so he most likely has a pride thing going on.

“Awesome, thank you Sheldon. I get it now.”

“You’re welcome Penny. I shall retire now.”

“Before you go! I wanted to ask you, what building are you in? Arts, Sciences or Sports?”

Sheldon tilted his head, like a puppy trying to understand something. “Sciences of course.”

“Of course, how silly of me.” No reaction at her tone. “Well, you know if you are free, on Friday mornings I go and watch the swimming team practice. So if you wanna hang out or something you can find me there.” Penny was no longer worried about Sheldon getting the wrong idea.

“Hang out?” He said it as if tasting something for the first time. Unsure if he liked it.

“Yeah, we can talk about stuff, school or life, or do homework together.”

He looks confused but then his face clears “Do homework togeth-Oh! Missy told me about this, is this an activity to determine if we can become friends?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Missy huh.

“Very well.” Sheldon looked really proud of himself, like he just figured out something super important. “I shall see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Sweetie.” Penny gave him a small waive.

The next day she didn’t have to look for Sheldon, he was in the bleachers, near the bottom and had 2 notebooks on his lap. Apparently he was working on both of them at the same time. ‘Definitely trying too hard.’

Penny doubts that she’ll be able to provide any assistance with his homework.

“Hey Sweetie, morning.”

“Good morning Penny.” He finally looks up from his notebooks and gives her the now familiar smile. ‘He needs to smile more.’

"I am unsure on what we should do to determine if we can become friends. Missy was unhelpful in this regard as she was not in her dorm room when I called her." Sheldon did look confused but eager. Penny took a seat next to him.

“Okay, that’s a start. Who’s Missy?”

“Missy is my twin sister.”

Penny was relieved. Sheldon was a sweet boy and she knew girls that would take advantage of that.

“Oh! You’re a twin, that’s cool. Where does she go to school?”

“She is currently attending the Nursing program at Galveston College.”

“Cool. Oh wait, why Texas?”

“What do you mean?” Honest confusion on his face. Sheldon didn’t do great with indirect questions Penny noticed.

“As in, why is she in Texas and you’re here in Nebraska?”

“Ah, I see. I’m from Galveston, Texas. Missy’s grades limited her scope of options so Galveston College was the best option for her. As for me, well I am-” A shrill whistle and a shout interrupt Sheldon.

“Penny!” Kurt is jogging towards them and he’s smiling. He was not part of the swimming team so seeing him here was a nice surprise for Penny. She could already feel herself blushing, Kurt was wearing a white undershirt that exposed a lot of his muscles, red shorts, and a whistle around his neck that completed the lifeguard look.

Penny was already smiling like a fool, but her smile was ripped out of her face by Kurt’s words. “Beat it creep. If I see you harassing Penny or any of the girls from the swim team I’ll beat your ass.”

‘Oh God no.’ Why did Kurt have to be an idiot and harass Sheldon. Penny had liked Kurt a lot and now she was going to have to beat his ass. Penny was already turning to apologize to Sheldon, expecting to see him frightened but against her expectations he looked as cool as a cucumber.

“Fascinating. You and Jason Davies must share a common ancestor. Though I suppose it stands to reason it was from the Neanderthal branch seeing your protruding forehead.”

Penny gaped at Sheldon, he had just insulted Kurt without any kind of fear. Now she most definitely was going to have to kick Kurt’s ass if he tried to hurt Sheldon. But Kurt only looks confused, she’s not sure if at the words or at the lack of fear from his would-be victim.

“What did you just say to me?” No anger in Kurt’s voice, just honest confusion.

“Language is both a blessing and a curse. I suppose in your case it’s more of the latter than the former. Allow me to try and simplify this so even you can understand-” Sheldon’s words are cut off by Kurt hauling up by the front of his jacket and Penny has seen enough.

“Let. Him. Go. Kurt.” Penny comes between them and she tries to remove Kurt’s hand from Sheldon’s jacket but Kurt is built like a brick house and she's not having much luck.

“Wait, Penny? You’re on this freak’s side?” Kurt can’t understand why she’s getting in the way, he’s supposed to be the hero.

“He’s my friend Kurt, now let him go before I kick your ass.”

Kurt doesn’t get the chance to respond. A heavy hand on his shoulder and a very unamused voice interrupts him. “Young man, let go or I will make you let go.” Two campus security officers are flanking Kurt and one even has a baton out. Kurt finally lets go of Sheldon.

Sheldon is not even looking anxious, he is more concerned about his jacket being crumpled than being moments away from being punched.

“Are you okay Sheldon?” It was way too early for this.

“I am. Thank you for your concern Penny. And for defending me.” Shy smile directed her way.

Penny looks back at Kurt and the officers but he’s already being escorted away. ‘Goddammit Kurt’ It seemed that Kurt hadn’t quite figured out that this was no longer High School. Penny made a mental note to let Tamika know that Kurt was no longer an option.

“No worries Sweetie, I got you. Now, how about we go somewhere else? Oh! I know, I’ve been meaning to go to the Aquarium, wanna go?” Penny shakes her car keys at him.

They spend the first half of the day at the aquarium and Penny has to admit that she had a great time. Sheldon was like her own walking encyclopedia, he had knowledge about seemingly every subject.

She also learned that Sheldon loved fish, but he was particularly fascinated by the glowing jellyfish. He talked her ear off about how very soon in the future people could have fish that acted as night lights and Penny could only shake her head at him. He was really cute in an innocent way.

They had a quick lunch at a McDonald’s and since the Zoo was right there, they might as well spend the rest of the day there. Penny refused to acknowledge the flutter in her at seeing Sheldon smile at the baby koalas. Nope, no flutter there.

“Hey Sheldon, want to go grab dinner before breaking off?”

“Oh my, it’s already this late. Yes please.”

And that’s how they end up at the only Chinese restaurant near the University. Penny thinks this is a great time to continue with some of the conversation from earlier.

“So, Sheldon, since your family is back in Texas, where are you living at right now?" She was curious about this, he seemed like a sheltered boy.

“I have an apartment at the Swivel building.”

“Wait, the one next to the Target? And you live alone?”

“That is correct, on both accounts.”

Sheldon liked to surprise Penny a lot. The Swivel building was a high end apartment building. Penny had gone there once for a party and it was an amazing building…and expensive as heck.

“Wait, who is paying for it?”

“The University.” And he went back to this Orange chicken like it was the most normal thing to do.

“Sheldon…are you smart-smart? Like super smart?”

For the first time since meeting him Penny can see Sheldon blush and look away shily. “...yeah.”

Damn, if she had been a better student she could have gotten a scholarship and an apartment like Sheldon here but no, she had to be dumb.

“That’s awesome Sheldon.” And it really was, he was so sweet but he looked lonely. Well, he now had Penny as a friend and wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. “Hey Sheldon, I was going to invite you to my dorm room tomorrow to ask for your help on some math stuff, but since you live alone can we meet in your apartment? I’ll buy us lunch as thanks.”

“I suppose that is acceptable.” And just like that she had a date with Sheldon. ‘No. Not a date-date. A study-date, as in friends studying together.’

Penny dropped Sheldon off at his building and made plans to meet him the next day at 2 PM. She kept smiling on her way to the dorm. It was fun to simply go out with a boy without him trying to grope her inappropriately or try and convince her that her car is the perfect place to hook up.

She was looking forward to Saturday already.

Chapter Text

Coming back to her dorm Tamika jumped on her as soon as she crossed the door.

“Have you heard?!” Tamika had her ‘I’ve got good gossip’ face.

“About what?”

“Kurt!”

Penny grimaced “Ugh, no thanks. No longer interested in that double date.” Penny waved her hand and moved out of Tamika’s grasp.

“What? No. Kurt is gone.”

At that Penny stopped and turned to look at the other girl “Gone?”

“He got himself expelled!”

“Holy crap! How?” Kurt must have attacked the officers or something, damn, she dodged a bullet.

“Apparently he attacked a faculty member!” Tamika looked happy to be able to be the one to break the news.

“No way!” Penny was shocked. Kurt really was that dumb, after his confrontation with Sheldon he must have gone berserk and attacked a professor or something.

“Yes way! And Jack says that Kurt was weeping and apologizing.”

“Nuts. I actually saw him this morning. I was with a friend sitting on the bleachers you know?”

“Of course, Friday morning.”

“Exactly, so we were there and Kurt comes and pulls my friend from the front of his jacket and next moment I see Campus security dragging Kurt away, he must have been brought in front of the dean or something afterwards for him to get expelled.”

“Holy shit, he caught you ‘macking with someone?”

“Errr, no. We were just talking and I don’t like how that word sounds, don’t use it.”

“Why not? My dad uses it.”

Penny shudders “Ew, no, it sounds gross. And not the point. We were just talking and Kurt was trying to, I don’t know, be an Alpha male or something. And my poor sweet friend almost got punched.”

“Oh damn, that’s who you were out with? Your ‘friend’?” Tamika did air quotes and had a shit eating grin on her face.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s not like that. This is a sweet boy from the science courses, if you weren’t dating Jack I would have played matchmaker with you two so you could talk science to each other. Poor guy is all alone.”

“Oh wow, I was joking but it sounds like you’re crushing on this guy.”

“Nah. I could never, he’s too sweet for me.”

“Does this mystery friend have a name?”

“His name is-” A pounding at the door interrupts her.

“Baaaabe, c’mon, let’s go!”

“Coming!” Tamika had a set of pipes. “I had a date with Jack, but do you want to come with us?”

Penny really loved her roommate but she couldn’t miss the look of ‘please don’t actually say yes’ on her face. Someone was getting busy tonight and it wasn’t Penny.

“Go, have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yay! You’re the best. Don’t wait up.”

A quick kiss on the cheek and Tamika is gone. That girl was falling in love and didn’t even realize it. Jack was from the Athletic training program as well but unlike Kurt was taking school seriously. He wanted to be a rehab specialist…and Tamika was falling head over heels for him.

Why couldn’t Penny find that as well? Was it really so hard?.

Before going to bed Penny made sure to put everything she needed to do work in her bag. Sheldon was already willing to help her so it was better to be prepared. Right before falling asleep Penny realized she never agreed on a time to meet with Sheldon. Good thing she had at least asked for his apartment number.

‘You got lucky Penelope. You dodged a bullet with Kurt and made a friend.’ That was Penny’s last thought before falling asleep.

Ever since coming to college, Penny would try to sleep in as much as possible. No longer being in the farm meant she no longer had to wake up at ungodly hours to help around with chores. Not having the breakfast shift at the Factory meant Penny slept in until noon. And today was no different, she woke up at 11 with some change and by 11:45 she was ready to start her day.

And yeah, Sheldon was not interested in her in that way but she still has her pride so she’s wearing cute jeans and a blouse with some cleavage…because, okay, she was just curious and wanted to see if Sheldon would take a peek. Just healthy curiosity, that’s all.

Penny is debating whether to buy something to eat or not but the grumbling in her tummy makes the decision for her. A short stop for a donut and crappy coffee and she’s ready to finally go to Sheldon's apartment. She’s glad that they never agreed on a time because by the time she arrived at his apartment door, it was closer to 1 than to 12.

*Knock, Knock* And the door opens a moment later.

“Good afternoon Penny.” Sheldon was still dressed the same way as the other times she saw him. Penny was hoping that during weekends he would be a jeans and tee kind of guy.

“Hey Sheldon!”

The apartment is immaculate, as in scary clean. Poor guy must be afraid of dirtying the place up. She puts her bag on a chair and looks around for any pictures or posters but there’s nothing like that.

“The walls look a little bare there, Sheldon. Not one for decorating?”

“Ah, this is only a temporary residence. I will not be using it after 3 months so I find it unnecessary to decorate.”

Ouch, so he was not here permanently, it made sense, it was the start of the year so the dorms were full to the brim, Penny had gotten lucky and scored hers pretty early on. And if Sheldon was as smart as she suspected then that meant the school was probably waiting for one of the single dorm rooms to become available for Sheldon to move in. Lucky bastard, those dorms had their own showers. ‘Maybe I can convince him to let me use his shower?’

“I see, too bad, this is a fantastic apartment.”

“It is satisfactory I must admit. Would you like a beverage?”

And that’s how Penny finds herself doing homework and advancing on her sketching class on a Saturday afternoon instead of going to a party or getting drunk. This is the shocking part, Penny is having fun.

Sheldon truly made for a great tutor. Penny was getting the hang of how to ask him questions. He did horribly with indirect questions or requests, but if you told him straight up what you needed, he immediately adjusted. It was a nice change of pace.

She only made him mad once while he helped her and it was for a very unexpected reason.

“I don’t get it. Maybe I am really stupid.”

“Penny.” It’s his serious tone that makes her look up from her notebook “You are not stupid.” Sheldon’s blue eyes are bright and full of something she can’t identify. It makes her laugh nervously, she hadn’t really noticed how blue his eyes were.

“Sorry, bad joke.” Penny mumbles.

Sheldon makes sure she gets it. He is very intense when helping her but Penny likes it, if only her teachers were like this she wouldn’t feel like a failure so often. So what if needs a little more help than others, it didn’t make her less.

And it’s because it’s on her mind that she blurts out the question to Sheldon.

“Sheldon…Do you think there’s a place for me here, in college?”

Sheldon’s face focuses on her fully, he is frowning in confusion. “What do you mean? Everyone has a place in College.”

“No, no. I meant…well, it’s just that, I feel like I struggle more than others at this stuff. Even now I’m asking for your help when I see all my classmates just do this without any concerns. And, and, and I chose this Major because I thought it would help me become an actress but no, and…I just wonder if I should keep going.”

Penny can’t look at Sheldon directly, she’s doodling nonsense on her notebook. She’s not even sure why she asked him.

“Why wouldn’t it help you become an actress?” She finally looks up and Sheldon is not looking at her funny or giving her pitying looks. Sheldon is giving her his full attention and taking her seriously.

“I mean, it can?”

“Of course it can, a BFA or a MFA can go a long way in helping you, or you can join the drama club and get theater experience which can be invaluable for obtaining future roles. As for options outside of college you can go to acting classes, there’s also summer programs that foster upcoming actors.” Sheldon’s intense look makes it impossible for Penny to look away. “Experience is important, and University can give you that room to obtain it, while also giving you the opportunity to network with people in the acting business. Many actors have been discovered thanks to theater. You are already on the correct road.”

Penny felt like crying, this is all she wanted to hear. Not her mom calling her stupid for wanting to act, not her dad looking at her in disappointment. Not her high school friends laughing at her dream and not the condescending looks of boys that just wanted to get in her pants.

“Thank you Sheldon.” Penny’s voice was watery but the smile she gave him was all happiness.

Needing to take a break she offered to go pick up lunch and Sheldon agreed. Since she was buying she told him it would be a surprise but seeing him start to get uncomfortable Penny cracked and told him she was going to get Italian subs which seemed to calm him down.

As she went to pick up lunch Penny had to admit that Sheldon was more mature than what she had given him credit for. He didn’t laugh at her dream and reassured her that she was doing the right thing, maybe she could stick with college for a little longer.

Sheldon liked the sandwich enough to ask her where she got it from, so that’s a win in her book. After lunch Penny is not quite ready to go back to studying.

“Hey Sheldon, don’t you miss your family?”

“I miss my Meemaw and my mother.”

Penny frowns slightly, “What about your twin sister?”

“Missy and I have drifted apart. Same with my older brother and his wife, and their daughter.” There’s a tone of something in his voice.

“But you miss them.”

“...I find myself thinking about them.” Now Sheldon is the one having difficulty looking at her.

“My mom isn’t a great person. She keeps drinking until she passes out, my dad resents her for it but does nothing. Coming to college was like a breath of fresh air, I was finally free from them. And even with all that, I find myself missing them at times.” Penny usually needs to be drunk to tell someone this. “They were shitty parents, but they still are my parents.”

The silence in the room is heavy.

“Missy and Georgie both resented me from a young age. It was easier to breach that gap when we were younger, however, as we grew older we were unable to do the same. My brother had his own family to worry about of course, but Missy…I miss what we had when we were younger.” Sheldon looks resigned and sad.

“Can you tell me about your Meemaw?”

Sheldon’s face immediately brightens and he tells her about his Meemaw, the woman with the underground casino, about her love for cigarettes and R-rated movies, teaching Sheldon how to shoot, teaching him how to bake cookies and how she tried and failed to teach him how to lie.

Penny can see it, a young Sheldon sticking to his Meemaw’s side in a house full of people that couldn’t understand him.

Penny told him about growing up trying to be the perfect son until her breasts started growing and her dad basically stopped talking to her. About Junior Rodeo and how even to this day she sort of misses it. And how she didn’t miss the farm work but did miss the animals.

And Sheldon told her about his father. Sheldon had loved his father, but then he lost his job and that changed him. It made him drink a lot more and it made him cruel, his mother the recipient of most of it. When his dad died it had come as more of a relief for the entire family, but that only further fractured it.

Penny had been right about Sheldon, he was lonely.

But not anymore, he had Penny.

They would kill it at UNO and college life.

Chapter Text

Studying and homework goes out the window after that talk.

They simply get to know each other. Penny tries to teach Sheldon the greatness of Rom-coms while Sheldon tries to get her to give Star Trek a chance. They end up watching The Lord of the Rings on Sheldon’s couch and Penny hates to admit that she’s into it.

Sheldon got her good, she loves the friendship between Frodo and Sam, it’s unfair how hot Arwen is and once Aragorn and Legolas come into play that’s all Penny needs to love the movie. She’s heartbroken to find out it’s only the first film of a trilogy that is not even fully out yet.

“Sheldon! We need to go watch that movie when it comes out!”

“Funny that you mention it, it’s slated to premiere next month in cinemas.”

“Yay, then we gotta go.”

“Very well Penny.” Sheldon gave her another shy smile. This boy needed to smile more.

“Thank you very much for today Sheldon, I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“Out of my hair? But you haven’t touched my hair.”

“No, I mean, I’ll go back to my dorm now.”

“Ah, I see. I’ll walk you to the door.” Penny made sure to not forget anything and was soon standing outside of Sheldon’s door. “So, thank you again Sheldon. Goodnight.”

“You’re welcome Penny. Goodnight.” And he closed the door on her face.

Penny pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the closed door. She wasn’t expecting Sheldon to invite her to spend the night, but he hadn’t even peeked at her cleavage. It didn’t sit right with her, made her feel like she was losing. ‘Okay Penny, kinda messed up thinking there.’

Maybe Sheldon just wasn’t interested. Maybe he was gay.

Penny didn’t see Sheldon again until Tuesday morning. It was another practice day for the Swimming club and when penny arrived at the bleachers Sheldon was already there writing something on a notebook.

“Hey Sheldon, mornin’ “

“Hello Penny. Good morning.”

Penny smiled at him, she was glad he was looking for her. Maybe Sheldon could be her gay best friend.

They sat side by side, Sheldon working on his notebook while Penny watched the male members of the club practice. As soon as they were done Penny tapped Sheldon’s knee. “Hey Sheldon, let's go get breakfast, my treat. I want a breakfast burrito.”

Sheldon jumped a little at her touch but did not say anything about the tap. At least he finally looked up from his notebook. “A breakfast burrito does sound…” and he just trailed off looking at where the pool was.

Penny turned and the first thing she saw was the women from the club walking towards the other end of the pool. Sheldon was looking at them. Well, to be more exact, he was looking at their asses.

‘Huh, so much for a gay best friend.’

Feeling a bit annoyed, Penny snapped her fingers in front of Sheldon’s face until he looked at her. The blush on his face meant he knew he was caught.

“Enjoying the view?” Penny raised her eyebrows.

Sheldon grimaced, blush still on his face. “I apologize Penny. I got distracted. We were discussing going for breakfast burritos.”

“I mean, I was. You were trying to-” Sheldon yelped.

“A breakfast burrito sounds like an excellent idea. Let’s go.” And he grabbed her by the hand to pull her towards the parking lot, his face red all the way to her car. ‘Wackadoodle.’

Once they had their respective breakfast burritos and they were sitting on a bench outside the McDonald’s Penny decided to mess with Sheldon.

“So…you’re an ass man.” Not a question.

Sheldon glared at her but Penny just glared back. “Penny. Liking women with good birthing hips is a biological response and-”

“That’s a yes then.”

Sheldon glared at her and she could see a small twitch on his cheek. He did not reply to her and took another bite of his burrito.

“I mean, that’s perfectly fine. I was just wondering why you weren’t-”

“Penny. I will be more than happy to assist you with your next assignment if you let this matter rest.”

Penny put a finger to her chin, pretending to think it over. Sheldon did look embarrassed and she had gotten her answer about why he didn’t peek at her cleavage, Sheldon was an ass man.

“Okay Sheldon. Deal.” Penny stood up and dusted off her jean-clad butt more forcefully than it was necessary, but she never took her eyes off from Sheldon and sure enough, his eyes were on her butt as she dusted imaginary dirt from it. ‘Oh yeah, an ass man.’

“Hey buster! My eyes are up here.” Penny couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice. Sheldon simply glared at her.

Penny had dropped off Sheldon at the sciences building, he said that he had a class to prepare for and that was fine, Penny was meeting Tamika at the cafeteria. Even with Kurt gone the other girl had forced Penny to go with her to the ‘Boy Genius’ class.

It was fine, Penny could lose one hour of her life on this. Not to mention that it would make Tamika owe her one.

‘Dammit, I should have brought Sheldon over. The class he was talking about must have been the Boy Genius one.’

Finding Tamika was easy, the girl was a damn supermodel, you only had to follow the drool marks. “Let’s go girl. Boring class time.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. This most likely will be a disaster. At least it’s only one class, the rest of his lectures will be for undergrads.” They walked together to the sciences building and Penny was not so discreetly looking for Sheldon. “What are you doing Penny?”

“Looking for my friend, he most likely will be attending this class as well and I wanted to see if he would sit with us.”

“Okay, cool. At least with someone else we can gossip.”

No signs of Sheldon on the way to the classroom and neither in the classroom itself. Sheldon was tall and not easy to miss. ‘Huh, maybe Math majors don’t have interest in this class.’

Giving up on finding Sheldon, she and Tamika found a place near the back of the classroom. If this guy was as much of an asshole as Tamika had described him then it was best to stay away.

Little by little the classroom filled until there was no place to sit, but even that didn’t stop people, they were standing up and pressing close to each other like sardines.

“It’s a shame you couldn’t meet Sheldon, he’s crazy for this type of stuff.”

“Yea-wait, you said Sheldon?”

An authoritative voice interrupted further talking. It was rare for the Dean to address them, this only reinforced that this was not a normal situation. “Listen up everyone. I want you all to pay close attention. UNO was very lucky to be able to get Dr. Cooper for these 3 months. Take advantage of it and don’t waste Dr. Cooper’s time.”

‘Huh, Cooper like Sheldon, small world.’

“Dr. Cooper. The floor is yours.”

And there, emerging from the back of the dean Penny saw her new friend, the boy that had helped her with homework, that introduced her to Lord of the Rings and the boy that was checking her ass this morning.

“Thank you Dean. My name is Dr. Sheldon Cooper and I’m here to try and teach you the wonderful world of physics. I am certain that my lectures will be wasted on you, but alas, I will still provide them.”

Holy crap on a cracker. Sheldon was an asshole…

Chapter Text

Penny was having a rough time trying to fit the Sheldon in front of her with the Sheldon from her memories. He was always arrogant, yes, but to her it was never more than a front.

But the guy lecturing a room full of people was an asshole. No other way around it.

Penny knew that this lecture wasn’t aimed at her, but seeing Tamika’s confused and awed expression meant that she wasn’t getting it either. And Penny was getting pissed. She knew that Sheldon hadn’t lied to her, he had never told her that he was a Freshman or something like that, it was her bad habit of assuming things.

If Penny was honest, she was trying to find a reason to be pissed at Sheldon. But she was coming up empty…present lecture not counting of course. Who knew that Sheldon could speak with so much derision and smugness.

“Hey. Are you getting any of this?” Penny whispered to Tamika.

“Like 10% Maybe, at best.” Her friend sounded frustrated and Penny didn’t like that.

Penny pursed her lips and tried to think how was this the same Sheldon that had been so patient with her, could it be possible for someone to change so muc-

A hitch on Sheldon’s breath and a small widening of his eyes as he noticed Penny sitting in the back. But what got Penny’s attention was that his tone of voice lost the smugness. He now just sounded like the Sheldon she knew.

Huh.

Scribbling quickly on the back of her notebook she made sure her chicken scratch was legible before pointing at Sheldon, she was sure he would be able to make out the words without problem ‘I’m not getting it Sheldon.’

She wasn’t sure if it worked or not but seeing Tamika start taking notes like her life depended on it made Penny think that it might have worked.

“How much are you getting now?”

“Like 70%, he made it easier to understand.”

Penny smiled and blew a kiss at Sheldon. He didn’t react, but she knew he normally didn’t have such rosy cheeks.

The lecture was supposed to be 1 hour long, Sheldon went on for 2. Penny’s ass was starting to hurt and she was hoping that Sheldon would wrap it up. But it took the Dean to finally step in and interrupt Sheldon for the dang lecture to be wrapped up.

Penny wanted to go and talk to Sheldon but everyone and their mother had the same idea and a line was starting to form to meet Sheldon. Like he was a long lost member of NSYNC. Penny simply waved at him and went about her day, still thinking about this discovery of hers.

She wasn’t worried about not seeing Sheldon, he had mentioned going later to the Factory for his dinner, during Penny’s shift. They would get the chance to talk later. But for now, she had a best friend to deal with while they walked back to their dorm.

“Dr. Sheldon Cooper is your Sheldon?”

“Not mine as in mine. But yeah, he’s my friend.”

“Wow, how can you deal with such an asshole?”

“Hey! He’s not an asshole. I mean, yeah, I wasn’t a fan of his tone at the start of the lecture but he adjusted pretty quickly right?” Penny was fiercely defensive of her friends and yeah, Sheldon was her friend. He might have been an arrogant ass, but he was her arrogant ass friend.

Sheldon just got too much into his own head.

“Uh huh, right. Whatever you say.”

“He is pretty nice once you get to know him. He likes Lord of the Rings and Star Trek, he knows how to shoot, he really loves his grandma and he is a little particular about food but nothing out of this world.”

“...”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not looking at you in any way.” Tamika lied.

“Well, don’t. Sheldon is nice but it’s not like that.”

“...”

“I mean, of course he is cute and tall. And he’s really passionate about stuff and he gets this intense look in his eyes that makes them look even more blue. But it’s not like that.”

“...”

“I mean, we barely know each other. So it would be crazy right?”

“...”

“And you know what? He’s an ass man.”

“...”

“Oh shut up.”

Penny kept thinking about Sheldon for the rest of the day. Even as her shift at the Factory started, she just couldn’t focus on anything else, and yet for all of that thinking the same question kept popping up over and over.

Did this change things?

And she didn’t have an answer. Sheldon hadn’t lied to her, it was literally bad luck that she didn’t find out until now. The Kurt thing now made more sense, and Sheldon hadn’t been the one to push for his expulsion, he’d spent the entire day with her and he never brought it up again.

No wonder he was so good at Math…shaking her head to clear it, Penny decided that she needed answers to a couple of questions and they could take it from there.

As if reading her mind, Sheldon walked through the doors of the restaurant and made a beeline towards her.

“Evening’ Sheldon.”

“Good Evening Penny.”

Penny sat Sheldon at the table containing her school stuff. It was in the back and they could talk without anyone getting in their way, Tuesdays were slow so she could take her time. Sheldon once again ordered his burger and lemonade.

Sheldon ate and Penny worked her tables. She had a good idea on what to ask him and weirdly enough she thought that she had the answers, but assuming had burned her before, so this time she would not assume anything and just be direct with Sheldon. He thrived with direct questions anyway.

“Hey Sheldon, mind I ask you a question?”

“I assume that you are referring to me answering the question you ask and not the fact that you are asking me a question?”

“Err, yes.”

“Amazing, I’m on fire this month. Yes you may ask me a question that I will answer.”

Penny had to laugh at how proud of himself he looked, this was the Sheldon she knew.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were a visiting…lecturer?” Penny wasn’t sure if to call him a professor or not.

“Oh. You never asked. Was it an oversight on my part?” His puppy head tilt was back.

“No, I just assumed that you were another freshman like me.”

Sheldon ponders her question seriously “Ah, I see. Thinking back on our interactions I can see how this misunderstanding occurred.” He ran his hand nervously on his pants and his face was suddenly cautious. “Is this an impediment for us to continue being friends?” His voice was calm but Penny didn’t miss how his hand was trying to wear out a line on his pants.

“Oh no, nononononono Sweetie.” Penny reached a hand across the table to stop Sheldon’s hand from hurting his leg. “We’re still friends.”

Sheldon sighs in relief and even he looks surprised by it. Her friend didn’t want to lose her and it warmed Penny’s heart.

“Good. The idea of no longer interacting with you is strangely distressing.”

“Aw, you would miss me?”

“I believe I just said that.” Okay, Sheldon was still a little bit of an ass but she could live with that.

“Sometimes you use too many words, Sheldon.”

“Penny, I have not mentioned this before but proper grammar-” And off he went, Penny didn’t really pay attention to his lecture, but at the way his throat moved and how his eyes shined.

Penny kept holding Sheldon’s hand until he asked for his slice of Pie.

“Can we still meet on the pool bleachers, Penny?” Sheldon was polishing the last of his pie but he refused to look Penny in the eye. ‘So cute.’

“Of course Sweetie.” Sheldon smiled at her “Even if I know you only go there to ogle the girls' butts.” Sheldon’s smile turns to a glare. “I’m joking! I’m joking!”

Penny was fully aware that Sheldon was only going to be here for 3 months so she’d make the most of it.

Chapter Text

Penny found that being friends with Sheldon was both cool and exasperating. She loved the boy but he could be really particular about stuff that didn’t matter.

Penny had wanted to study for a test and decided to switch her dinner shift for the breakfast one, she forgot to tell Sheldon and that night she had an angry texan boy knocking on her dorm door. Apparently he would only eat at the Factory if Penny was the one serving him. Which was cute but also a little too much.

And this same Wackadoodle also managed to be super sweet without meaning to. She confided about her fears of not being good enough to become an actress and Sheldon simply said “Penny. Your presence is magnetic and alluring. I’m starting to question your cognitive abilities if you are unable to see that and how invaluable it is for someone trying to become an actress.”

Not exactly the rousing speech at the end of a Romantic movie but she knew Sheldon meant well. And the one thing she learned during the last 2 months was that Sheldon couldn’t lie, like at all. If he tried to lie his face would become a twitching mess and he would end up blurting out the truth a moment later.

“Sheldon, pop quiz! Do I have a nice ass?”

“...” Sheldon’s face twitched like a machine about to pop. “Yes.” He said it through gritted teeth and his face cleared of twitching.

“Aw thanks.”

“Penny. I fail to see the amusement in my reactions to that question. Today marks the eleventh time you have asked me this.”

“Sheldon, sometimes a girl needs to feel appreciated without being harassed. I know you can’t lie and it’s sweet.”

“Oh…so you’re obtaining reassurance from my answer?.”

“I am.”

“Fascinating.”

And two days later it comes to bite her in the ass.

“Sheldon, pop quiz! Do I have a nice ass?”

“Yes Penny. One of the best I have personally seen.”

Penny could feel her face erupt in flames at his sure and confident tone. Sheldon’s face was clear of any twitching. She was confident in her body but to hear him say it like that made her feel like a 14 year old holding hands with her crush.

She had to bring her hands up to her face, she glared through her fingers at Sheldon. “Okay, you win Sheldon.”

Sheldon just looked confused.

Damn Wackadoodle.

“Hey Pen, not to be the bff that gets in your business but are you sure about this?” Tamika looked at Penny with some apprehension.

“What do you mean?” Penny didn’t have to fake the confusion on her face, she didn’t have a clue about what Tamika was talking about.

“...I don’t know if you’re this dense or if I’m the one overthinking this. But…are you sure you want to go on that date with Dean tonight?”

Penny stopped putting on makeup to turn and look at her roommate and best friend “Why?...” she dragged the word.

“Well, I’m all for girl power but…”

“But?”

“But you’re dating Dr. Cooper right? And now you’re going on a date with another boy. I just feel like I should say something before you go through with this.”

Penny shook her head “Wait, what? Nonononononono, I’m not dating Sheldon! We’re just friends.”

“Penny.” Tamika’s face was unamused “I’ve been witness to you asking him about your ass and him complementing it. That’s not something ‘just friends’ do.”

Penny tried to talk but she could only open and close her mouth without any sounds coming out. Eventually, breathless, she said “No. No. No. Sheldon and I are just friends.”

“Does Dr. Cooper know about your date tonight?”

“Yes. I told him because I had to switch shifts again and I don’t want a repeat of last time. Especially if I get lucky and Dean comes back here at the end of the date.” Penny wiggled her eyebrows at Tamika in the reflection of the mirror.

“And he’s fine with it?”

“Yes!” Penny was getting tired of this 3rd degree “He’s fine with it because we’re just friends.”

“Okay.” Tamika said in a tone that expressed that no, it wasn’t okay.

“Look, Sheldon doesn’t have an interest in dating. Anyone. He said so himself when I asked.”

“Okay.” That same tone “I’ll get out of your hair, I have a date with Jack.”

Tamika grabbed her purse and left their room. Only to return a moment later “I just think you’re making a mistake. That’s it. I’m not saying anything else. Take care, have fun, bye bye.” And the door closed gently behind her.

As she finished getting ready, Penny considered her friend’s words, but still thought she was mistaken. Of course she’d thought about Sheldon in that way, but to start, he really wasn’t her usual type. Sure he was tall, but he was wiry. Penny preferred men like Dean, he was a friend of Jack from the same course and from everything Jack had told her, he was a good guy.

‘Pfffft me and Sheldon. Right.’

Sheldon himself had pretty much told her that he wasn’t interested in dating. He was going to win a Nobel and he lacked the necessary emotions. Called himself a robot. Of course Penny had to smack him in the back of the head and tell him “Would a robot love his Meemaw?”

So, no. Nothing between Sheldon and her.

Even if he no longer flinched when she touched him. Or that on those cold mornings when they met by the pool and then walked to get donuts, Sheldon would allow her to grab his arm as she nuzzled into his side.

‘Goddamn it.’

If only Sheldon would love her like that. But Penny couldn’t think about this right now.

She had a date to get ready for.

Dean was a nice enough guy. He wasn’t as smart or funny as Sheldon but who was?

That third month was a mess for Penny, she needed to keep her friendship with Sheldon while at the same time dating Dean. Thankfully Jack had pulled Dean aside and explained the tall geeky boy was actually a faculty member (temporary) and NOT dating Penny.

It was rough, but Penny didn’t want to just ditch Sheldon. She had made a promise to herself that he would no longer be alone and she kept her promises. Also, one time she had to cancel an outing with Sheldon because Dean wanted to go watch a movie and while for everyone else Sheldon didn’t show any emotions to those news, Penny could see it, the way he slouched a little, how his tone became a little more emotionless. Sheldon had been hurt. ‘Never again.’

Penny had also asked Sheldon for help to set up an email so they could stay in contact even when he went back to California and he had happily agreed. She hadn’t told him but she was starting to save money so she could go and visit him in California eventually. Sheldon didn’t do well with surprises but she was confident he wouldn’t mind…she hoped.

Almost like that first time she met him, the day he was supposed to leave he had dinner at the Factory while she worked. Well, not exactly worked, she was on the floor but as soon as Sheldon arrived she stayed at this table talking to him.

“I’m going to miss you a lot Sheldon.”

“I find myself oddly reluctant to return to Pasadena. The idea once brought me comfort but now it’s a source of distress.”

“So you’re going to miss me as well, huh?”

“I believe I just said that.”

Penny laughed, it was easy to do that instead of crying. She didn’t want to cry, she could do that later in her bed.

“You have to promise me, you will email me at least once a week.”

“I promise.” Maybe it was her imagination but Sheldon looked quite sad as well. He was writing something in one of her notebooks. “Penny. I think you’re my best friend.”

Goddamn tears. Penny had to hug Sheldon after he said that, she squeezed him and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder. “You’re my best friend Sheldon.” She sobbed.

Sheldon left for California that night, and he emailed her as soon as he was back in his apartment.

Penny would forget about what Sheldon had written in her notebook until it was pointed out to her by a classmate: (x^2 + y^2 – 1)^3 = x^2 y^3

‘Wackadoodle, always with the math.’

Chapter Text

‘Hello Penny,

Meemaw has requested that I ask if you would like to join us for Christmas dinner and festivities in our home in Texas (from the 18th of December to the 28th of December)

I personally was not meant to attend this year, however, after I talked to Meemaw on the phone and told her about you, she insisted that the both of us ‘had to attend’.

Of course, do not feel pressured to attend this gathering. Meemaw is perfectly aware that you have your own family and might already have plans in place that can’t be rearranged.

Your friend.
Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD.’

Penny had read Sheldon’s email like 400 times already and she was still baffled. Sheldon was inviting her to his home back in Texas. This was huge. What did Sheldon tell his Meemaw about Penny?

It’s been only a month since Sheldon went back to California. Her relationship with Dean had crashed and burned just last week. She had liked Dean, but there was something missing, Penny found herself not having anything to talk about with Dean, he wasn’t dumb. Not completely. But Penny couldn’t connect with him, she had tried to show him The Lord of the Rings but he fell asleep right when Frodo gets stabbed. Penny had felt offended for Sheldon’s sake as well.

Reading Sheldon’s email once more, Penny has to admit that it’s an interesting option. She wasn’t planning on going back to the farm for Christmas. She could do without her mother’s drinking and her father’s recriminations. Her brother and sister did not even cross her mind for her decision, they were all separated by more than physical distance.

Hitting the reply button and Penny sends him a quick reply.

‘Sure Sheldon, I would love to.

Ps. Stop signing your emails like that, we’re friends, you Wackadoodle.’

And well, if anything, Christmas should be fun this time around.

Penny didn’t expect Texas to be warm during winter, Nebraska was a blanket of snow when her flight left and now here she was outside the airport and the weather was pleasantly warm. Penny had to remove her snow jacket because she was starting to sweat.

It was a good thing that Sheldon was so tall, he was easy to spot.

Penny’s greeting died in her throat as she got closer to him. A stunning brunette was standing next to Sheldon. If Tamika was beautiful, this girl was gorgeous. Long legs flowed from under the really cute green flannel dress, legs that seemed to go for days. Penny had never been one to worry about her own height but for the first time in a while she wished that she was as tall as this girl.

Silently she moved towards Sheldon, all the while looking as this girl tried to poke Sheldon’s side. ‘Doesn’t she know that he doesn’t like to be touched?’ The bitter tone clear in her head as she approached the duo.

“Shelly, I might not be a genius like yourself.” Sheldon scoffed, “But I’m willing to bet good money that this little blonde thing is your Penny.” The brunette woman smirked at Sheldon and then Penny.

“Missy, while your observation powers are usually lackluster at best, in this case, you are correct. How could you tell?”

“She looks like she’s ready to break me in half.”

Penny was mortified and Sheldon was confused. This was Missy, his twin sister. And judging by the smirk directed her way, this Missy had her number. Penny could only close her eyes in shame.

“Well, that doesn’t make sense. Hello Penny.”

“Oh, it does Sheldon, trust me.” Missy was really having fun.

“Hi Sheldon…Hi Missy.”

At that Missy finally laughed and pulled Penny into a hug. Missy seemed to be wholly different from Sheldon, she had expected different but she didn’t expect to be met with a freaking supermodel.

Penny had missed Sheldon so as soon as Missy let her go she went and hugged him tightly, he had gotten better at hugging and Penny felt tears threaten to spill at being in close contact with Sheldon again.

“Hi Sheldon. I missed you.” Her words were muffled against his plaid shirt.

“Hello Penny. I missed your presence as well.” His voice was calm as always but Penny thought she heard a small hitch of emotion somewhere in there.

“Sweet. Baby. Jesus.” Missy’s voice was full of disbelief and Penny, still in Sheldon’s arms, had to turn her head to look at the other woman. At least Missy was no longer laughing but she now looked shocked into next week. ‘Huh, wonder why?’

Letting go of Sheldon, Penny went to grab her bags but Sheldon beat her to it and quickly stashed them in the back of the truck. A moment later they were on their way to the Cooper household.

Missy kept looking at Penny through the rearview mirror and it was starting to freak Penny out, she hadn’t done anything wrong, at least nothing to make Missy look like she was the second coming of Jesus.

“So Penny, Shelly here tells me that you’re studying to become an actress?”

“Ah. Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed being in the school plays and that eventually led me here. Thanks to Sheldon I’ve been having an easier time with my classes. He’s always ready to help me.”

Missy’s eyebrows went up and she turned to look at Sheldon in disbelief. Sheldon looked at her confused and simply told her “Missy. I do not wish to die a fiery death, please keep your eyes on the road.”

Missy asked no further questions after that. After a 40 minute drive Penny was delighted to see that they were driving into an island. ‘Holy crap, Galveston is an Island!’ Penny had been crap at geography.

The Cooper Household was a beautiful two story house, like the kind you’d see in Reba.

“Wow Sheldon, this is an amazing house!”

“I agree. After my father died we moved back to Galveston, though I spent very little time in this house I still have a room set up for me.”

“Yeah, our Meemaw wanted to get away from Medford and once Shelly bought this place, she just bought the house next door.” Missy really had a nice smile.

“Wait. You bought it, Sheldon? Weren’t you like fourteen when your father died?” Missy looked surprised that Penny knew that much.

“That is correct. By the age of sixteen I had won enough awards to be able to afford this house.”

“Awards?”

“Medals, achievements, etc. They all come with monetary prizes as well.”

Penny nodded as if that made sense. Sheldon was amazing to be able to do this.

“Let me go tell momma that we’re here while you and Penny grab her bags.” Missy said that and left for the house without waiting for a reply.

“Hey Sheldon, why is your sister acting so weird?”

“Weird? I don’t follow.”

“Yeah. Like she was acting shocked when I hugged you.”

Sheldon frowned and gave serious thought to her question. “I don’t know.” He said it slowly, as if he didn’t like the taste of not knowing something. “The only thing I can think of is that you’re the first friend I’ve invited back home.”

“Oh!” Penny felt warm and it had nothing to do with the weather. “Lucky me. Thank you Sweetie.”

“You’re welcome?” Sheldon had tilted his head once again like a puppy. ‘God I had missed that.’

Taking advantage that they were alone, Penny decided to hug Sheldon again. He smelled like Tide and something she couldn’t identify right away, but it was very Sheldon.

“I really missed you Sheldon. Movie nights over the phone just aren’t the same.” Penny no longer felt like crying, she just wanted to make the most of this visit and the ten days they had together.

“I missed you as well.” Sheldon’s arms hesitantly, awkwardly hugged her back. But the warmth in his voice made this the best hug she had received in years.

Penny could have stayed like this for hours but the voices coming from the house forced her to step back and face his family.

“See momma? I wasn’ lying.” Missy looked smug.

“Thank the lord!” The woman fist pumping like her team had just won the Super Bowl had to be Sheldon’s mom, Mary Cooper.

“Way to go Moonpie.” And the older woman cackling like a hyena had to be Sheldon’s Meemaw.

Sheldon sighed like an old man, “It’s hard to be the only normal one in this family.”

Penny could only gape at him.

Thankfully things calmed down quite a bit after that. She was quickly introduced to everyone and Penny got to meet Sheldon’s mom and Meemaw.

Sheldon’s mom was everything Sheldon had told her but dialed down to 2. She thought that Sheldon had been a bit unfair in his description of his mother, like sure, the woman was religious but not a bible thumper. And she had hugged Penny like she had known her for years.

Sheldon’s Meemaw on the other hand tho. That was a surprise, Sheldon would have made her believe that the woman was a saint. So the smoking, cursing and drinking older woman comes as a shock. Penny gets told immediately that she should call her Meemaw as well and Penny can’t fight back, doesn’t want to. Penny wonders if this is what having a Grandma feels like. Her dad’s parents died before she was born and her mom’s parents had disowned her.

“You’ll be staying in the room across from Shelly. You’re both adults so I will trust that there’ll be no sinnin’ in this house.” It takes Penny a moment to get what Mrs. Cooper means and her face flushes red.

“No, no, no, no. No sinning.” Her voice is high and Mrs. Cooper looks like she doesn’t believe Penny.

“Don’t worry mother. Penny and I will not engage in coitus under this roof.” How the hell can Sheldon look so calm as he says that Penny will never know.

Besides…couldn’t he hesitate for a moment?

It’s not until they’re all having dinner than Penny replays Sheldon’s answer in her head and almost chokes on a dinner roll ‘under this roof’

‘Get your mind out of the gutter Penny.’

Thankfully the rest of the dinner went well. They all seemed to know about Penny, how she wanted to become an actress, that she had come in third place in Junior Rodeo, that she found a love for clothing design. Which warmed Penny’s heart and face, she was sure that her face was pink as Sheldon told his family about how Penny could do anything.

Penny couldn’t take it, it was too much. She needed to change the subject.

“Sheldon! Pop quiz time.” Penny just wanted to ask him about ‘Meet Joe Black.’, it was the last movie they had seen together in their phone movie nights, sadly, she never got the chance. Before she could ask him ‘What nationality Claire Forlani is?’ Sheldon had replied already.

“Yes Penny. Your posterior is still one of the best I have ever seen.”

Utter silence fell on the dinner table while Sheldon kept eating like nothing was wrong. It was Meemaw’s cackling that finally forced Penny to stop gaping at Sheldon and to try and bury herself in her seat. ‘Goddammit Sheldon’

Penny was afraid to look at Mrs. Cooper but risked a peek, Sheldon’s mom was frozen in place and only her eyes moved, from Penny to Sheldon and back. Missy had a shit eating grin on her face and whispered something in her mom’s ear that made the woman look at Missy in shock and disbelief. Missy simply raised an eyebrow in a very Sheldon-like move and gestured with her head to Sheldon and Penny. Mrs. Cooper went back to eating looking pensive.

No one commented on Sheldon’s words and that was what weirded out Penny the most. Meemaw’s insane cackling did not count.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you Sheldon. You had to say that in front of your entire family?” Penny was in the room Mrs. Copper had assigned to her and Sheldon was helping her with her bags. Now that they were alone she felt that this was a good time to hash this thing out.

“Say what?” Not even his cute head tilt could save him this time.

“You know mister. About my butt.” Penny still couldn’t believe that had happened. Mrs. Copper had acted like nothing was wrong but she did mention that Sheldon and Penny couldn’t be in the same room and have the door closed. Missy spent the rest of dinner winking at Penny and Meemaw couldn’t stop laughing. Sheldon was oblivious through it all.

“I thought you received reassurance from my words?” Clear and honest confusion on his face makes Penny’s anger deflate a little.

“Yeah Sheldon, I do. But…okay, let’s do this. No talking about my ass in front of your family.”

Of course that’s the moment Mrs. Cooper chooses to walk past the open door, gives Penny a scandalized look before moving away. Penny has to close her eyes ‘I just can’t win today.’

“Understood Penny.” Sheldon didn’t look put out at all. And Penny didn’t want him to stop completely.

“When we’re alone like this, it’s fine.” Penny shouldn’t do this, not with his mother so close. But… “Sheldon, do I have a nice ass?” Her voice is soft, not wanting Mrs. Cooper to hear her.

“Yes Penny. One of the best.” Sheldon was serious like always and Penny could feel a blush creep up all the way up to her hair.

“Thank you Sheldon.”

Penny wanted to hug Sheldon again but Mrs. Cooper's loud and fake coughing made her think better of it.

Penny liked the Cooper home. Meemaw was amazing and Missy was someone she could talk fashion and reality TV with, she could already tell they’d be great friends as well. Mrs. Cooper was weird, she swinged from being aloof to super warm. She was never rude but Penny got the feeling that something was brewing in that head of hers.

She also got a shock out of Sheldon’s room. It was bare.

No posters, no DVDs, no books, no comics, nothing. There were several whiteboards but it didn’t look like the room belonged to anyone and that thought made Penny want to hug Sheldon. Penny has never been one to hold onto things for long, she ends up blurting out her question about his room. The concern would be clear for anyone else but Sheldon doesn’t take notice of it.

“Ah, that. As mentioned before I only spent a limited amount of time here. This will be my longest stay in this house since I was sixteen. My apartment in Pasadena contains all of the paraphernalia that you’re inquiring about. When you visit California and stay with me you will see it.”

Penny was relieved to hear that, she’d been afraid that Sheldon didn’t have anything setup. She knew he was a bit peculiar but the thought of him sitting all alone in an empty room made her want to cry.

Also she’s thrilled by the ‘When’. When, not if.

The days leading up to Christmas were a lot of fun as far as Penny was concerned. Sheldon’s Meemaw brought out a side of him that Penny hadn’t seen yet. Sheldon was still himself but there was an ease to his movements, the way he carried himself was a little bit more confident and less arrogant.

Penny meets Georgie and his family 2 days into her stay. Ceecee is as cute as a button and Mandy reminds Penny of herself. Georgie is still living in Medford and the 4 hour drive is not one he does often. Sheldon mostly ignores Georgie but plays with his 4 year old niece. Mandy looks sadly between Sheldon and Georgie and Penny immediately knows that there’s a lot unsaid between the brothers. Penny doesn’t say anything but she joins Sheldon in playing with Ceecee.

Missy takes her shopping one day and gives her the first shock of her stay.

“Penny, darlin’. Listen, I love that you and Shelly have your little thing going on, but I thought it was fair to warn you.” Penny’s stomach does a flip, “Shelly…doesn’t do Christmas. You look like the kind of person that loves the season, but yeah, just so that you’re aware that he might not be up for the whole dog and pony show. Momma will invite him to church and mass but he won’t go.”

Missy doesn’t elaborate further but Penny is already thinking how to approach Sheldon. Meemaw talks to her first.

Penny can’t sleep one night and she goes out to the backyard, only to find Meemaw sitting in the middle of the yard drinking a beer.

“Hey there Girlie, come, join me.” Meemaw points to one of the rusted chairs and Penny sits down. Meemaw asks her about her life and Penny finds it easy to spill her guts to the older woman.

Penny tells her how she was planning on dropping out of college and taking her shitty car to California because she simply didn’t know any better, that is, until she met Sheldon. He reassured her that she was on the right track and that she just needed to be patient. That for some reason led her to talk about her parents, how her mother was an alcoholic, her father might as well be a statue for all he talks to her. She mentions her brother and his newfound success in dealing meth and how it was just a matter of time before he got himself caught. Her sister followed their mother’s footsteps, getting pregnant as a Senior in High school and dropping out to get married, her husband was a nice guy at least.

Meemaw listens without judging but looks proud that Sheldon was able to make her give college another try.

“Your parents Girlie, they are just kids pretending to be adults. We all are. They will realize their mistakes too late to do anything about them. I’m not telling ya to forgive them because yeah, they’ve been shit to ya. But keep in mind that even after all, they still sent ya to college. I have a hunch they just don’t know how to talk.”

Penny doubts it but doesn’t retort anything. There was still a lot of resentment inside of Penny, a pain that couldn’t be washed away. Even now she was hoping to hear from either of her parents ‘Good Job’. In a lot of ways Penny was still that lost 9 year old searching for her Father’s approval as the Son he always wanted.

The comfortable silence is interrupted by Meemaw and she gives Penny the second shock of her stay.

“Ya got my Moonpie a present didn’t ya?” Meemaw is not looking at her, she’s looking at the few visible stars. Her voice is calm and certain. The smell and sound of the sea makes Penny think that the older woman belongs in a movie.

Penny nods, not wanting to add her voice to the scene. Meemaw is not looking at her but she nods as well as if Penny had spoken.

“My Moonpie doesn’t like Christmas or gifts. People will often misunderstand, call him weird or worse things. But ya see, my Moonpie has a heart as big as Texas. He feels too much.”

And so Penny hears about Sheldon’s Pop-Pop, how he encouraged Sheldon to pursue science and knowledge…and how when he died, the young Sheldon did the only thing he could think of in order to bring him back. He asked Santa.

Penny cries as Meemaw tells her how this soured Sheldon on Christmas ever since. A wound so deep that time hadn’t managed to heal it.

“So Girlie, don’t be too disappointed if Shelly doesn’t get you a gift. Just like his Pop-Pop, he can be as stubborn as a mule.” Meemaw gave her a sad smile and went back into the house.

Penny stays out and listens to the sea. Thinking of the gift wrapped bundle at the bottom of one of her bags, she wasn’t sure what to get Sheldon, but she knew she wanted to get him something. The gift basically chose itself, she was in the mall and walked past a comic book shop and sitting right there on the display was a Christmas Sweater, a Lord of the Rings Christmas Sweater. It was black and white with golden details of the one ring and Sauron's tower, and in the middle of it was Gandalf and Saruman facing off. It was perfect. It was expensive. Penny didn’t hesitate to buy it.

If Meemaw hadn’t talked to her, Penny would have been furious if Sheldon didn’t get her something, but after hearing that story she couldn’t be mad.

Christmas eve and sure enough, the family is getting ready to go to church. Everyone but Sheldon and Penny that is.

“Now, we’ll be back after midnight, so no shenanigans under my roof.” Mrs. Cooper was not one to let sleeping dogs lie.

“On the other hand, my house is open. Just air it out if you do use it.” Meemaw said these things more to mess with Mrs. Copper than with Penny but the result was the same, Penny flushed and laughed nervously as they all went outside to Missy’s truck.

“Would you like to watch a movie Penny?”

“Sure Sheldon. Lead the way!”

They ended up watching ‘Pitch Black’ and Penny loved it, she didn’t know Sci-fi movies could be like this, the action was out of this world and Penny made a mental note to grab a copy of the DVD once she was back in Nebraska.

Sheldon had made them cocoa with little marshmallows and sitting next him on the couch Penny felt content. She had missed movie nights with her friend.

“Sheldon?”

“Penny?”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’ve been having a great time here.” A pause “With you.”

“You’re welcome Penny. I must admit that coming here was not the dreadful experience I was expecting. Of course your presence has been invaluable. I was looking forward to seeing you again.”

Penny shouldn’t do this. She still does it.

“I like you Sheldon.”

“I like you as well Penny.

“No. I really like you.”

Maybe Sheldon detects something in her voice, finally turns his body on the couch to face her. He’s giving her a cautious look, unsure on what the difference is, but doesn’t say anything.

“I think you’re becoming my best friend.” It’s not what she wanted to say, but the relief in Sheldon’s eyes makes her think that she did the right thing. He’s not ready for this.

“You’re my best friend Penny. I really enjoy spending time with you.”

With a heavy heart Penny hugs Sheldon goodnight, lingering for a moment too long in his arms.

Christmas morning comes, gifts are given and sure enough, Sheldon didn’t get her anything. She knew this could happen. It still stings like a bee. Some of the sting is removed when Sheldon is left speechless by her gift, the hug he gives her is almost crushing but Penny wouldn't change it.

Missy, Meemaw and Mrs. Cooper try to make up for Sheldon not getting her anything, Penny is not sure how she will fit all of these new clothes into her bags.

And soon enough her time in Texas comes to a close. She still spends a lot of time with Sheldon and they even manage to create a MSN messenger profile for her. Email is nice but she’d like to be able to have a more instant form of communication with him.

Penny basically spends the last two days in Texas glued to Sheldon’s side. He never complains.

Her flight leaves Texas and Penny feels like a part of her stays behind, with the tall scientist whose blue eyes will haunt her dreams.

Chapter Text

“No Sheldon.”

“But Penny,” She interrupts him before he can start.

“No Sheldon, it’s my turn to pick the movie and I want to watch ‘Clueless’”

“Very well, if you insist.” The sigh that comes out of Sheldon could blow cities away.

“C’mon Moonpie, I bet you’ll like it.”

“...”

“You want to tell me to stop calling you that, right?” Penny could hear the smirk in her own voice.

“...I still insist that Meemaw should not have given you permission to call me that.”

Penny laughs at the pout in his voice. She loves these weekly calls with Sheldon, it always makes her feel lighter somehow.

It was May and the weather should be in the mid 50°s but for some reason the termometer didn’t go lower than 74°. At least finals are over. Penny was only wearing a tank top and her hello kitty panties. It was just her in the dorm, Tamika was on another date with Jack, she still insisted that they were taking it easy but Penny knew that look in her friend’s face, she was head over heels in love.

“No Moonpie, Tai wants to date Josh, but that made Cher realize her feelings.”

“Well, that’s convoluted.”

Sheldon still couldn’t get the appeal of rom-coms but Penny would not get tired of explaining them to him. Ever since spending last Christmas together they had been getting closer and Penny knew that she was in trouble.

She was halfway in love with him.

Not just him, but with his family as well. Meemaw had been sending her letters and Penny was more than happy to write back. Missy was always game for celebrity gossip talk and Penny really liked the other woman, she was also waitressing while going to school and in a way Penny found the sister relationship she never had with her own blood sister.

But Sheldon didn’t seem to want a relationship. Penny had been dropping hints but Sheldon was either ignoring them or they were going over his head.

Penny was still dating around but none of the guys were Sheldon and instead of getting drunk in their dirty dorm rooms she much rather stay in her room and speak with Sheldon over the phone. She did miss sex, and Penny was seriously considering getting rechargeable batteries because she was spending a fortune on disposable batteries.

“That movie was interesting Penny,” Translation, I didn’t enjoy it but I don’t want to make you sad.

“No worries Moonpie, we can watch it again next time.” Teasing him was always fun.

“Oh, no, no. Perhaps we should focus on movies we haven’t seen yet.”

“Yeah yeah, no worries, I already have our next movie in mind.”

“Oh goody.” For someone that didn’t do sarcasm, that was a good one.

“How is the new roommate doing?” Sheldon was having a hard time finding a roommate that sticks, apparently they all couldn’t deal with his idiosyncrasies.

“Not successful I’m afraid. He leaves dirty towels on the bathroom floor and has already ‘forgotten’ to wash his own dishes for the 4th time this week.” An exasperated sigh tickles her ear “At least he’ll be gone by the end of the week.”

“Aww I’m sorry Sweetie. At least that means that there’ll be no one there to cramp our style when I’m there for Summer break.”

“Are you certain that your parents won’t be upset with you for not going back to see them?”

“I’m planning to go see them for a day before I fly out to California.”

“Oh! Okay.”

Penny doesn’t feel bad about the lie. She did try to reach out to her parents, her father picked up the phone, greeted her cooly and then passed the phone to her mother. Her mother was drunk and started calling her a ‘little whore’ and mockingly asked if she was calling because she got knocked up and needed help. Penny doesn’t really want to talk to either of her parents, but Sheldon couldn’t understand, so he doesn’t need to know.

“I can’t wait to see you again Sheldon.”

“...”

Penny doesn’t fill in the silence. There’s been more and more of these silences lately, maybe she’s too optimistic but Penny thinks that they’re happening because Sheldon wants to tell her something. It’s just that he can’t or won’t voice it.

“Moonpie?” She says after the silence has dragged on for long enough.

“I have missed your presence as well Penny.” Penny thinks that his tone is heavy with unsaid words but she’s being too hopeful and quickly dismisses the idea. “And without a roommate you will be able to make use of the extra room instead of the couch.”

“Yay for me.”

“Yay indeed.”

California is everything Penny wanted it to be and more, and she hadn’t even left the airport yet. She’s trying to take everything in as she walks out and she’s able to spot Sheldon easily. No strange woman by his side this time.

Sheldon is sort of leaning against a car and he’s sweating something terrible. He looks like he just ran a marathon and Penny can even see him shake a little.

“Sheldon! Are you okay?!” Just her luck that Sheldon is sick as soon as she lands.

“Hello Penny.” Sheldon is the one that pulls her into a hug this time. The first hug he ever initiated, and Penny is worried because it feels a little frantic. She dreamed of him hugging her first but now she was worried about him. “I’m okay. California’s public transportation is a sure way to get sick or killed so I decided to rent a car for the length of your stay, but I had to drive it here. I don’t enjoy driving Penny.” Sheldon seems to calm down with each word coming out of his mouth, his shaking is almost gone and he’s no longer as pale.

“Awwww Honey, you did that for me?” Penny is touched, she knew how Sheldon felt about driving and yet he still did it. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome Penny. Now, I hope you don’t mind driving us back to the apartment.”

“Not at all, Sweetie. You’ll have to give me directions tho”

They were still holding each other and Penny was in no rush to end this particular hug.

“Perhaps we should move.” Sheldon’s voice is calm now.

“Yeah, we should.” But neither move. What forces them in the end is the loud klaxon of a taxi.

The drive back to Sheldon’s apartment is uneventful, Penny is looking around at the streets and trying to burn them into her memory. In another Universe she had dropped out of college and was trying her luck as an actress. Like in that movie Sheldon showed her ‘Run Lola Run’. She hopes that the Penny in that other world also gets to meet Sheldon.

Sheldon’s apartment building is huge, at least to Penny. He’s living on the 4th floor and Penny is glad there’s an elevator. Her bags have enough clothes but she’s not fooling herself, she worked so many double shifts to save enough money to buy clothes and shoes and not feel guilty about it.

Sheldon shows her around the apartment and Penny is surprised by how big it is, it’s like a proper home. Living room, Kitchen, bathroom with a bath, storage closet and a second bedroom. Not to mention all of the geeky stuff, figurines, models, trains, etc. This felt like a lived in place, a home. Not bad. Well, except he didn’t have a couch, he had lawn chairs for some reason.

“Thanks again Sheldon, for letting me stay here.” Penny told him once they were back in the living room. “Too bad you don’t have a couch tho.”

“You’re welcome Penny. Yes, the couch belonged to my previous roommate.”

“Maybe you could get one? You know we could sit there together and watch movies.” Penny wonders for a moment if she should say more, she shouldn’t. “And you know, we could cuddle.”

“...I see…” Sheldon frowns in thought and Penny sighs her hopes away. She should just give up, this trip was also a way for her to finally let go of her feelings for Sheldon. She was going to be staying here for a month and a half and if Sheldon didn’t give her any life signs that they could be more she’d be giving up on her feelings for him. They could remain friends, best friends.

Penny hoped that Missy was right about Sheldon also feeling something for her.

“Penny, would you please drive me to the furniture store? We need a coach.”

And maybe Missy was onto something.

That first week in California feels odd. Not in a bad way, but Penny felt more like a girlfriend moving in than a friend just staying for a while.

Sheldon and Penny go to pick a couch. They end up picking up a pretty cute green couch and matching chairs…and a coffee table…and a shoe organizer…a closet…a vanity, and okay, Penny might have gone a little shop-crazy and Sheldon just let her buy anything she wanted.

That second bedroom, well, more like the entire apartment, now looked like Penny lived there with Sheldon. It wasn’t helping her feelings.

Penny made good on her promise about cuddling with Sheldon on the couch. If it could be called cuddling, that first night on the couch it took Sheldon almost an hour to feel comfortable. But he never asked her to move away.

By night five Sheldon was holding her back and Penny was thrilled.

Sheldon still had work so Penny had the mornings free to do whatever she wanted. For the first few days it was just sleeping in, but then Penny started to hit the stores, as if she needed another reason to love California. The stores alone would make moving worth it.

Missy also called the apartment and squeed in delight when Penny was the one that answered the phone.

“Have you bumped uglies yet?”

“Missy! You know he has superhero hearing. He’s taking a shower but I bet he can hear from there.”

“Sweet. Baby. Jesus…”

“Not like that, just his regular after work shower.”

“Oh. Well, what are you waiting for? Just jump him.”

“And make him hate me forever? No. Thank you.”

“...look…I’m not supposed to tell you this but Shelly called me a couple of days ago. He asked me about-” Of course that’s the moment that Sheldon comes back from his shower.

“Penny. Who is that?”

“Oh, it’s just Missy.”

“Ah, I shall retire to my bedroom while you two talk. Please knock on my door once you’re done so we can talk about what to have for dinner.”

“We can make Hotdogs on a stick?”

“Oh Goody!” And he went back to his room.

Missy’s voice brings her back to the other conversation “See, you should get married already.”

“Nuh uh. You were about to tell me something big. Spill.”

“Okay darlin’ I don’t always like Shelly but I have seen the way you make him happy so I’m going to tell you this only once.” Penny is holding her breath, her heart beating quickly “Shelly called and asked what was the best way to ask you out. I told him to just be direct with you. I didn’t tell him how you’re about ready to throw your panties at him though.”

Penny can’t refute that statement.

“He asked you that?”

“On my momma, I swear.”

Hope burns brightly in Penny’s chest, the last time she felt this way she was about to face a rodeo. This time she would break more than her wrist if it went wrong.

That night, as she and Sheldon are cooking together she can’t help but steal glances at him through the night. He had really clear blue eyes and she noticed how the corners of his eyes would soften when looking at her. She loved how long his eyelashes were. How the muscles in his arm moved when he wrote on his whiteboard…and yeah, she was screwed.

Week number two brings two important events, one really good and one really bad.

One morning, out of curiosity she goes to UCLA, it’s only a 40 minute drive. She hasn’t told Sheldon yet but Penny has floated the idea of transferring to her advisor and while annoying, the process was actually simple. Simple, but not cheap. She hoped to talk to the Financial aid admin after visiting the office.

Penny sings and dances on the entire drive back to Los Robles. All of her credits could be transferred and if she wanted she could basically transfer next fall. Financial aid is not so great, she knows that her EFC is basically zero, so she’ll need to take out student loans…but she loved UCLA and its campus. And she had read that the students here attend auditions on the regular which also made her want to transfer ASAP. But before making any decisions she needs to talk it out with Sheldon, he’ll be brutally honest but she needs that right now, to know she’s not screwing herself for life. And she’s late for dinner, she stayed there far longer than she expected.

Penny is so thrilled that she doesn’t even wait for the elevator, she prances up the stairs and is already calling Sheldon’s name as she opens the door, but her voice dies as she sees the scene in front of her.

A strange girl is kissing Sheldon on their couch.

That’s the really bad thing.

Chapter Text

Penny feels hot and then cold. Time seems to be moving slowly and she’s not sure that she’s breathing anymore.

She wants to close the door, go back to Nebraska and cry for a year. Of course Sheldon didn’t love her, he was a bigshot scientist and she was just Penny.

Before leaving she needed to look at Sheldon’s face for one last time, she takes a step into the apartment.

“Penny, help!” Sheldon notices her and his face is a mask of terror, not of Penny seeing him with another woman. But of the woman straddling him.

Paying closer attention Penny can see that Sheldon is trying his best to glue himself to the couch, trying to put as much distance between him and the woman. His arms go up to his face in an attempt to cover himself and she can see tears falling from his eyes.

Penny is now feeling hot again. Hot red anger fuels her.

Before making the conscious decision to move her body is already in front of the couch. The other woman is finally turning to look at her. Penny doesn’t give her a chance.

Penny is tiny, she knows this. It has never bothered her. She’s got good muscles, farm work will do that for you. The other woman is not a challenge, Penny pulls her off Sheldon easily, throws her towards the still open door.

“Dr. Cooper!” The woman tries to say more but Penny is already there and pushes her out of the apartment. Slamming the door on her face feels really good. Penny is still not sure she has taken a breath since she first opened the door. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend!” The muffled voice is accompanied by a slam on the closed door.

Penny has to close her eyes to try and calm herself, pressing her forehead to the door. She just experienced emotional whiplash in a level she never thought possible. Her heart is still beating wildly and now that the…hussy is out of sight, Penny starts to calm down. She can hear panting and it takes a moment to realize it’s her own breathing. Opens her eyes and sees her chest heaving.

It’s then that she remembers Sheldon, turns to the couch but he’s gone. She can see the door to the bathroom is open and water is running. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself further she then moves to where Sheldon is.

The image that greets her both breaks her heart and fans the flames of her anger again.

Sheldon is bent over the sink and frantically brushing his teeth, she can see red splotches in the blue foam sitting at the bottom of the sink. Any other time this would be a funny image, but not today. Sheldon is crying and Penny is not sure he’s aware of it, he looks lost and even though he’s looking at himself in the mirror his eyes are empty and unfocused, there’s no more foam left in his mouth, he is brushing his mouth raw. This was more than an unwanted kiss for him.

“Sheldon. Honey. I think that’s enough.” He turns to look at her, but he’s not really seeing her, but at least he stopped hurting himself. But he doesn’t answer.

Penny takes a step into the bathroom “Moonpie?” At that his eyes finally focus on her. He still looks miserable and terrified. “Hey, it’s me.” Penny’s voice is soft, hand stretched out to him.

The look in Sheldon’s eyes doesn’t change, he’s almost back but not quite there yet. His eyes are wild with fear looking at her outstretched hand and then at her face.

Penny loved horses, she always did. But Junior Rodeo really allowed her to indulge in that love. There’s a wild freedom in riding a horse that can’t be compared to anything else. Penny loved Sugarcube, a beautiful chocolate Palomino mare, she was Penny’s partner for her entire time in Junior Rodeo. Penny loved horses so much that she would help around the stables just for the sake of it and to make sure Sugarcube was taken care of. The look on Sheldon’s eyes is the same look that spooked horses would have before trying to buck a rider, try to bite at you or before someone finds out why you shouldn’t stand behind a horse.

Sheldon has that same look.

“Hey Moonpie. It’s fine, that lady is gone. It’s just us.” Penny’s voice cracks, she’s terrified that Sheldon is somehow gone forever. It’s a stupid idea, one stupid lady can’t rob the world from Sheldon Cooper. Can’t rob Penny of her Moonpie. “It’s me.”

“Penny?” Sheldon’s voice is faint and it breaks her heart.

Penny gulps the heartbreak in her throat before replying “Yeah, I’m here.” Tries to sound stronger than she feels.

Sheldon's eyes finally focus, he grimaces in pain and looks down at the toothbrush in his hand in distaste. Throws it into the garbage can with more force than needed. Goes to rinse his mouth with water and Penny cringes at how red it comes out.

“I…” It’s rare to see Sheldon speechless but Penny doesn’t interrupt him, “She joined me for lunch at the University’s cafeteria.” Sheldon is holding onto either side of the sink, knuckles white, and he’s frowning at the foam still in the sink, “She’s an undergrad student and she wanted to talk about Physics. I had seen your message, as such I was aware that you wouldn’t be able to come pick me up so her offer to drive me home was ideal for the situation. Or so I thought at the time.” The grimace on his face is pure revulsion.

“She asked if she could see the apartment and while an odd request, I saw no reason to deny it. She had been respectful so far.” Sheldon laughs but not his breathy laugh, this one is ugly and Penny doesn’t want to hear it ever again. “I offered her a hot beverage but she then manhandled me into the couch and forced herself on me. I feel dirty. Even now, the urge to keep brushing my teeth is gnawing at me.”

Penny can’t hold herself back anymore and she walks fully into the bathroom to hold Sheldon, he is tall and her head is buried between his shoulder blades. She wants to fuse herself to him, to make him stop hurting. He flinches a little at her touch but soon relaxes.

“You know Sheldon. I never told this to anyone but the real reason why I quit Junior Rodeo is because one of the judges kept making passes at me.” Her voice gets watery right away, “Until one day, backstage, he forcefully kissed me and grabbed my butt so hard that it bruised.” She’s glad that Sheldon is not facing her. It took her a long time to come to terms with what happened to her and she’s pretty sure what’s running through Sheldon’s mind right now. “It’s not your fault Sheldon.”

Penny is not sure how long they stayed in the bathroom, with Penny holding onto Sheldon. But it was Sheldon’s stomach rumbling that finally made them move. Penny laughed at the suddenness of the sound and then Sheldon followed. It felt good to laugh after all that.

They ordered Pizza because neither felt like going out or cooking. It was Sheldon’s turn to choose the movie but he instead put on Star Trek TOS, Penny didn’t say anything but just cuddled with Sheldon on the couch.

She knew there were a lot of things unsaid, but for now they were safe on Sheldon’s couch.

Penny was starting to feel cold, her right side was cold and that’s what forced her to open her eyes. Batman’s logo is what greeted her.

Sheldon and her were lying side by side on the couch. She was between Sheldon and the backrest, they had turned the lights off to watch the TV, which was still on and that was what allowed Penny to make out Sheldon’s sleeping features.

Taking hold of the blanket on the back of the couch Penny covered them both.

“Thank you Penny.” Sheldon’s soft voice surprises her.

“You’re awake.” Her voice is just as soft. It’s only them in the apartment but it feels wrong to raise her voice. “Don’t you want to go back to your room?” She’s using his arm as a pillow and turns to look up at him.

“I find myself unwilling to move at this moment.” Sheldon’s chest rumbles a little with each word and Penny finds that it does funny things to her tummy…and lower.

“Okay.” Penny’s neck is a little uncomfortable in this position and Sheldon is using one of the throw pillows as a pillow. She shimmies up until she’s facing Sheldon, his arm moves lower and is under her waist, maybe she imagined that he had pulled her against him. “Hey there Moonpie.”

“Thank you Penny.” Getting this close to him was a bad idea, her hand moves on its own. Her thumb is lightly caressing his jaw. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome, Sheldon.”

“I’ve always been called weird. A freak. Almost a real boy. Among many other things. But you treated me like another person. You were nice to me.” In the dark Penny could only see some details of Sheldon’s expression and she wished that they had left the lights on, she wants to see what kind of face he is making right now. “I am unsure of when my feelings for you grew. Missy was less than helpful when I requested her assistance to analyze them.”

Penny held her breath, could it be. After a few moments of Sheldon not talking she had to know “How do you feel about me Moonpie?”

“I find myself wishing to hold you. Penny, you have to understand. This is a new feeling for me. I have experienced physical attraction before, but I have never experienced this…want to hold another person. Imagining myself in this position with someone else is almost painful. But…”

Penny hates the silence, and needs Sheldon to keep going. “But?” She prods him.

“But I’m separated from the average human experience regarding relationships like this. I don’t want to lose you.”

Penny’s heart is soaring. Sheldon hadn’t actually said the words, but she knew what he was talking about, knew what it meant. “Why would you lose me?”

This time she definitely doesn’t imagine it, the arm around her pulls her closer to Sheldon. “Because I have never been in a romantic relationship before. I don’t want to screw up. I don’t want you to hate me.”

“Aw Moonpie. We will screw up. You will say the wrong thing, I will do the wrong thing. The important part is that we don’t stop being friends. That you don’t shut me out. Remember that time you called me to ask why you had to play nice at the fundraiser gala? Or how you helped me plan for my acting career? We have each other’s backs already.”

“But Penny. What if I hurt you?” Penny remembers that night talking with Meemaw. Sheldon had a big heart, there was just a lot of science and geeky stuff around it.

“Then I’ll tell you. You’re always bragging about that eidetic memory of yours. You’re telling me that you’re not going to learn?”

“I would hate to lose you.”

Penny closes the distance and kisses him. She’s very conscious of what just occurred earlier and this might be a bad ide-

Sheldon is kissing her back. It’s unsure, awkward and it’s the best kiss she’s ever had.

This thing between her and Sheldon will not be easy, Penny is fully aware of that. But it can be amazing. Sheldon is a whole lot of difficult, but Penny is not scared of that.

Chapter Text

Penny is over the moon with happiness. She and Sheldon decided to give dating a try.

With her previous beaus that would mean making out and then jumping to bed, but Sheldon doesn’t work like that. And sure Penny misses sex, but she’d rather wait for Sheldon to be ready than to go out with some rando for a one-night stand.

Sheldon wants to write a contract, which is immediately shutdown by Penny. This will also be Penny's first actual grown up relationship and Sheldon chimes in that it will be his first romantic relationship. Penny wants them to talk about stuff.

She ends up regretting it a little when their first day as boyfriend and girlfriend is spent doing a verbal contract with Sheldon. At least it’s a conversation and not a piece of paper.

Penny asks that Sheldon must ask her directly if he has any questions about the relationship and Penny promises to not be mad if he accidentally offends her.

Sheldon asks that Penny be direct with him. Subtleties and indirect social queues make him anxious. His mother was fond of answering his father’s questions with a simple ‘I’m fine.’ but even Sheldon knew that she was in fact not fine.

Penny asks that Sheldon doesn’t accept random invitations from both women and men without checking with her first, she’ll be able to tell if it’s an actual friendly invitation or if they’re asking him on a date. Sheldon can’t agree fast enough to that.

Sheldon asks that Penny not try to make him jealous. Penny asks the same.

They agree on several things rather quickly. Penny has never been a fan of PDA and Sheldon is fine with that, but Penny does like holding hands and arms. She already does that with Sheldon as a friend so this is not a huge change.

Other things take longer to agree on. Penny wants to jump Sheldon’s bones but she knows he needs to take it slow. Penny balks at his timetable of a year for sex (or coitus as he calls it) and puts her foot down. They will go at their own pace but Penny is a physical person and it’s part of what she needs to feel loved. Sheldon eventually agrees to go by feel.

They kiss, and it takes Penny back to 9th grade. Chaste but somehow thrilling.

Penny calls Missy and there’s way too much squeeing from the both of them. Penny can hear Missy yell out once she calms down enough “Momma, it finally happened!!” Penny can hear a distant ‘Praise the Lord!’.

The call to Meemaw is somehow stranger.

“Oh Girlie! You made an old woman’s year. Now you listen to me. My Moonpie is a wonderful man, but he’s a man nonetheless. He’s going to mess up, he will say something he shouldn’t have and most of all, he will forget to tell you he loves you way too often. I like you Girlie, I know you’ll keep the boy in line.” Meemaw’s teasing voice turns serious, “But if you break his heart, I’ll run you down and shoot you like a rabid raccoon. Get me?”

Penny can only stammer “I get you Meemaw.”

Meemaw’s voice is warm again and full of teasing “Good! Now, I’ll be expecting the both of you for Christmas this year as well. Shelly already knows so I’m just telling you.”

Who knew that Meemaw could be scary like that.

“Hey Moonpie, why did you never wore your Superhero tees while you were in Nebraska…or Texas for that matter?”

“Ah, for Nebraska, I was going in my role as a visiting professor. My mother said the Superhero Tees would give the ‘wrong impression’. And Texas is too hot for layers, I prefer a simple shirt to avoid sweating.”

“I see, well I like your layers, but I wish you used jeans more.”

“Why?”

“I like looking at your butt in them.”

And on their next date Sheldon wore a pair of jeans that Missy had gifted him last Christmas. His butt really did look great in them.<

Sheldon starts reading a lot about dating online. It somehow leads to him patting Penny’s butt in what she can only assume is meant to be a playful spank.

Penny is preparing herself a cup of yogurt with cereal when she feels Sheldon move behind her. She doesn’t think anything of it, assumes he’s going to grab a box of cereal. His hand makes gentle contact with her behind, not hard enough to be a proper spank but solid enough that it makes a small sound.

Penny is surprised and delighted but she’s also shocked, because this is Sheldon. And this is huge, like she knew he had a thing about butts but she was preparing herself to have to wait months before Sheldon was able to be the one to make a move.

Turning reveals a thoroughly embarrassed Sheldon, there’s a flush from his neck to his hairline and it’s really cute. His face is unsure but he’s not twitching and he’s trying to not look at the bundle of papers in his other hand.

“Hey there Moonpie” Penny goes back to preparing her cup of yogurt, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

“Hello Penny.” Sheldon sounds nervous.

“More dating guides?”

“Yes. This one says that physical contact is a good way to increase affection. Playful touches of an intimate but not sexual manner are a good way to demonstrate interest in your partner.”

Penny hums like this all new information to her. “No way. Maybe you should do it again. A little bit harder tho.”

“I…what?”

“You heard me.”

Sheldon doesn’t respond but Penny will let him make this decision all on his own. Penny smiles at her cup of yogurt at the almost proper spank she gets. Sheldon is a quick learner.

Penny is not thrilled to learn that Sheldon is apparently a chick magnet, she asks about the grad student and Sheldon very proudly says ‘The other girls are not letting her get closer.’ Penny has to close her eyes for a moment before asking “What other girls?”

She learns that apparently everyone knows that Sheldon always takes his lunch at the same time every day, so it makes it easy for people to find him. There’s a group of women that sit near Sheldon but not with him and apparently they veto who can sit with him. Sheldon doesn’t mind because he likes to eat his lunch alone for the most part.

It doesn’t sit well with Penny but apparently it’s actually keeping girls away from Sheldon so she doesn’t say anything else. Penny only reminds Sheldon that he must answer to any invitation with ‘I need to check with my girlfriend first.’

Sheldon kisses her goodbye before he leaves for work, she’s still in bed and it’s only a peck but it makes Penny smile. It’s been only a week of them dating but it’s been great so far.

The kisses and touches are chaste but Sheldon is a fan of patting her butt and Penny has started to reciprocate, at first he jumped in fright but he has acclimated since and if her hand lingers for a moment too long Sheldon doesn’t mention it.

Penny doesn’t mention it to Sheldon, but she’s going to try and transfer to UCLA. She’s been having so much fun with him, she loves Pasadena and Penny is not willing to give up on her dream.

Nebraska is home, but Sheldon is also home. And Penny is aware that despite what Meemaw believes, her parents have already given up on her. Her dad gave up on her the day she needed to wear a bra and her mom gave up on her almost right away. If she stays in Nebraska Penny is certain that she’ll never leave, she’ll graduate and go back to live in the farm and then start popping out babies.

Babies are another subject that’s been on her mind. After seeing her parent’s relationship she had promised herself that she would never have them. Of course she had that pregnancy scare at sixteen which prompted her to start taking the pill religiously, because Penny didn’t want babies.

Sheldon doesn’t make her change her mind, she hasn’t even talked about this with him. Still too soon. But down the line, in 10 years, the idea of a little boy or girl doesn’t sound so bad.

Penny is in trouble, and she kinda doesn’t care as long as Sheldon is by her side.

Saying goodbye to Sheldon at the airport is hell. Especially because the last week they had together Sheldon was the one pushing for more physical contact, they even started French kissing, which yeah, it freaked him out a little at first but soon he became a very willing participant.

Penny doesn’t want to let go of him. This past month and a half came to an end way too soon.

“Penny. I know this is early, but would you like to spend Christmas with my family again?”

Penny’s voice is muffled against Sheldon’s chest. “I thought you didn’t like to go back home for Christmas.”

“Yes, well. Recent events have shifted my perception.”

Penny laughs because this is just like Sheldon, but Penny is now an expert in Sheldon-speak and knows what it means ‘I want to spend more time with you.’

“I would love it, Sheldon.”

“Oh good!”

Her flight is called over the PA and she feels Sheldon tense up. He might not show it but he’s as reluctant as she is to separate. Penny is thinking about whether to kiss Sheldon or not. They kissed back in the apartment because Sheldon didn’t want to do it in public, but she needs to kiss him one more time.

Sheldon kisses her.

It’s desperate, he’s holding onto her like she’s about to disappear and Penny takes a moment to wise up but she’s holding him just as desperately and kissing him back.

She’s not sure how much time passes but by the time her flight is called again she’s dizzy and she’s also pretty sure that her lips are bruised, but she doesn’t care.

Penny doesn’t start crying until her plane is in the air. This feels too much like a permanent goodbye and she hates it.

Chapter Text

Long distance relationships suck ass.

Penny knows it’s been only a week since she’s been back in Nebraska but it honestly feels like much longer. She’s been busy preparing for her transfer to UCLA, she’s only got a limited amount of time if she wants to start her next year of college in the fall and in Pasadena.

Tamika was very smug, telling Penny ‘I told you so’ over and over again when Penny told her she and Sheldon were finally dating. Only to turn into a crying mess when Penny admitted she was transferring to UCLA, Penny was crying alongside her, but this was something that she needed to do for her future.

And she wasn’t even talking about Sheldon and her. Penny wanted to act, wanted to be in TV and movies, and wanted to impress people in a theater. Penny wanted all of that plus Sheldon.

Sheldon was already on top of his field and he was only climbing higher and if Penny was fully honest, Sheldon’s worst enemy was himself. Penny loved the man but he didn’t know when to shut up. And because Sheldon was on top, Penny was going to try her darndest to climb right there next to him.

“And what does Dr. Cooper think about you transferring to UCLA?” The weather sucks ass and Tamika was the best friend ever by going out to buy ice cream sandwiches for the both of them.

“I haven’t told him yet. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Wait. Didn’t you tell me that he hated surprises?”

“...shut up…”

“Oh boy.”

And Penny knows that she should have told Sheldon about the transfer but she wasn’t sure if it was going to be possible until the last moment and by then she just wanted to surprise him. Which might go horribly wrong.

But Penny doesn’t believe that he will mind all that much, hanging up on Sheldon after their regular calls takes a toll on Penny now and the reluctance in Sheldon to hang up as well makes her think that he’s going through the same thing. Penny can’t wait to be able to hug Sheldon again.

Long distance relationships suck ass.

Maybe once she’s in California she can find a better job than being a waitress. Her feet are hurting and this is the fourth time in this shift alone that some grabby asshole tries to pinch her butt.

“Hey toots, more coffee here!”

Definitely getting a different job in California.

Penny gets the confirmation letter sooner than she expected. And she’s over the moon. She goes out dancing with Tamika and Jack to celebrate and at the end of the night punches some guy that thought it was a good idea to try and kiss her.

The next day brings her up short. She needs to tell her parents.

‘Maybe I can pretend that I’m an orphan?’ But no, Penny is no coward. She needs to tell her parents because it’s the right thing to do. Sheldon is rubbing too much on her.

The farm brings back good and bad memories. Penny loved taking care of the animals and she also hated taking care of the animals. Brushing? Yes please. Cleaning manure? Heck no.

But the memories are also about her family. Her mother drinking from so early in the morning that by the time Penny walked in on the kitchen for breakfast the only thing waiting for her was her passed out mom. Penny had to learn to cook from a very early age, her siblings not giving a shit about her.

Her father had been her idol for much of her life. He would roughhouse with her, take her to games, taught her how to shoot, how to throw a football. And once her breasts made themselves known her father dropped her like it all didn’t mean anything to him at all. Penny still hadn’t forgiven him.

She takes a deep breath before entering the farmhouse, something she’s done countless times but Penny is perfectly aware that this might be the last time she does it. This can go to hell in a moment.

Penny’s parents are in the living room, neither talking, her father was reading a magazine and her mom was watching TV, a glass of something in her hand.

“Hey mom and dad” Penny doesn’t sit, she leans into the doorframe and crosses her arms, she’s not looking forward to this but she still tries to project a strength she doesn’t feel.

“Penny?” Her mother is squinting at her and then turns to look at the glass in her hand.

“...” Her father doesn’t even grunt an acknowledgement, for that matter, he only glances at her and then goes back to his magazine.

“Yeah, good talking to you guys. I just came here for some stuff from my room…I’m moving to California.”

Her mother starts laughing mockingly “I told you Wyatt! She’s not smart enough for college. So what? Are you going to work as a porn star?” Penny is used to the mean streak, it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Her father finally closes the magazine and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Still with that acting bullshit?” His voice is equal parts exasperation and resignation.

Penny’s eyes fill with tears, she was expecting this but it still hurt. Takes a moment to compose herself, doesn’t want her voice shaking for this next part.

“No. I’m moving to California because I’m transferring to UCLA. I’ve already completed all the paperwork. I’m not here to ask for anything from you, from either of you. Not permission. Not money. I’ll go pack a bag and get out of your hair.” Penny hates that her voice breaks at the end.

She’s half dreading, half hoping that either of her parents will follow her to her room. Only silence follows her across the house. Penny packs a duffel bag while big fat angry tears blur her vision, her Junior Rodeo ribbons, her Care Bears, the Hello Kitty plush, her favorite sweater, her photo album, the glove her dad gave her on her 6th birthday stays on the shelf.

Packing her childhood takes too little time and there’s still only silence from the rest of the house. Penny walks through the halls of the only home she had known until a few years ago while uselessly wiping her eyes, it’s muted and gray, at least compared to her memories. She leaves out the front door unimpeded.

Penny says goodbye in her heart. She’s not sure if to her parents, to the farm or to the hope.

It hits her on the drive home.

Penny has to stop on the side of the road, corn surrounds her and she lets it all out. She hits the steering wheel in frustration, screams out in pain and grief. She can’t stop crying.

Once she’s able to compose herself Penny is surprised by how dark it is. She’s all cried out and her eyes hurt, but it’s a first step. Maybe one day she can move forward without this hurting.

But even with it hurting like hell right now, she’s not going to stop.

“Penny. I quite enjoyed this film.” Sheldon sounds surprised.

“Yeah? What did you like about it?” Penny is lying on her dorm bed and trying to pretend that the rolled up cover across her waist is Sheldon’s arm.

“While usually the films of this variety can’t wait to make the ‘main couple’ meet and enter into a romantic relationship. In this film the viewer never gets the catharsis of seeing them enter into such a relationship. It’s only hinted at. I found it refreshing.”

“But?” Penny knew Sheldon, he had something more to say.

“No buts…just that some of Annie’s actions could be considered a bit stalker-adjacent.”

“Hey! It’s romantic. She is searching for Sam and okay yeah, some of the things are a bit too much but…shut up.” Penny is not really upset but she was surprised that Sheldon saw it that way.

“I still enjoyed the film.”

“Yeah, me too. This is a favorite of mine along with ‘You’ve got mail.’ Hey! We can watch that next.”

“Of course.”

They stayed talking on the phone for a long while. Penny still hadn’t told Sheldon about her transfer, she knew he hated surprises but she had a feeling that he wouldn’t really mind this one.

Tamika helps her pack stuff, Penny wants to just throw everything into her car but the other woman looks horrified when Penny suggests the idea.

Even with stuff properly packed and organized it takes more than a little wrangling to make it all fit into her car.

“Well…I guess this is it.” Penny has her hands in her pockets and is awkwardly shuffling on her feet. Tamika was her first real friend in college and if there’s one thing that Penny will truly miss is Tamika herself.

“Come here you dumbass.” Tamika pulls her into a fierce hug and Penny is already ugly crying before Tamika is even able to get her arms fully around her frame.

“I will miss you so much!” Penny is probably ruining the other girl’s shirt with snot and tears but she can’t seem to stop crying. “You have to keep writing to me, and you have to call me every week. I better be invited to your-”

Tamika is simply saying yes to everything that Penny is asking and patting her in the back. They were supposed to be the same age but Tamika always acted like Penny’s big sister.

It takes Penny 10 minutes to compose herself and Tamika is right there next to her until she does and she never lets go of Penny’s hand.

“I love you Pen, can’t wait to see you on TV.”

“You better come to Caltech for your PhD.” Penny sounded like a petulant child but she didn’t care.

One last long hug and Penny is driving to California in her too battered car. It’ll be a long drive but Penny is looking forward to it.

Penny’s car was so shitty that it didn’t even have a CD player. No, she had to make do with the ol’ reliable, a cassette player, which was fine by her, it made it easier to record music. She had paid 10 bucks to one of the AV girls for a cassette with her own personal mix of Radiohead’s songs.

‘How to disappear completely’ played and Penny had to fight back tears thinking about her parents. Was Penny somehow in the wrong? She tried her best to be what her father wanted and yet he still stonewalled her when it was clear that Penny was a regular girl. Penny lost her dad from one moment to another.

‘Fake Plastic Trees’ is next and Penny thinks of her mother. If she could be called that. The woman was a mystery to Penny, a complete mystery. She seemed to hate being married to a farmer, resented living on a farm and refused to help with any of the farm work. And yet, there she was, on a farm and married to a farmer. Maybe it all was a personal type of hell for her mother, maybe that’s why the only good memory that Penny has of her mother is being 7 years old and sick as a dog, to the point that her parents thought she might not make it through the night. Her mother had fed her noodle chicken soup, caressed her face lovingly and even sat all night with her…then again, maybe Penny’s feverish mind had hallucinated the entire thing.

‘Creep’ began playing and Penny sang along with it. Letting out all of her frustration along with Thom Yorke’s yell of ‘What the hell am I doing here?’. There was always something so liberating about this song and Penny loved it, by the time she finished yelling ‘Run’ she was back to feeling excited about moving to California. Nebraska had been home, but it was too small for Penny and her dreams.

‘Let down’ plays as the ‘Welcome to Wyoming’ sign comes into view and Penny sighs in relief. She had the irrational fear that Nebraska would keep going on forever.

Gas station food is really as bad as it sounds, she sticks to bags of chips and beef jerky.

Driving through Salt Lake City is intimidating, especially at night. It doesn’t help that ‘Rabbit in your headlights’ starts playing, and yeah this wasn’t Radiohead but it had Thom York in it so Penny included it. A decision she was regretting now, the song always gave her the creeps and raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

Penny at least gets a decent meal at a Diner.

Vegas comes into view just as ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ is wrapping up and ‘No Surprises’ is starting to play. Vegas means that California is just up ahead, a stone's throw away and Penny can’t stop smiling, she sings along “No alarms and no surprises, please!”.

Penny stops to eat something at Vegas…and she also loses 30 bucks in the slots.

There isn’t enough space in her car for Penny to lie down when taking naps, she curls up as best as she can in her front seat. By the time she’s driving past San Bernardino National Forest her back is killing her and she can’t wait to sleep in a proper bed again.

Thom Yorke is singing about black eyed angels when Penny finally turns into Los Robles Avenue. She turns off the cassette player, seeing Sheldon’s building makes her tear up because she’s finally here. This is finally happening.

Penny gets on the elevator and tiredly presses the button for the 4th floor. She can’t help but lean against the wall, the gentle movement of the elevator threatens to make her fall asleep.

The door to 4A is the most beautiful thing Penny has seen. Her knock is tired and bordering on lethargic.

No answer.

Penny checks her clock and grimaces, Sheldon is at work. It’s a Thursday at noon. Of course, just her luck. Penny lets herself into the apartment. Sheldon had forgotten to ask for the spare key back and she’s so tired that there’s no guilt in using it.

Even as tired as she is, Penny makes sure that Sheldon didn’t got a roommate, the spare room looks exactly as she left it…but better to be safe, she goes into Sheldon’s room and crashes on his bed. She’s asleep in seconds.

Chapter Text

Sheldon watched Penny walk to her gate. She would occasionally glance back at him and he had the irrational urge to wave at her. He resisted it and once he couldn't see Penny anymore regretted it, he should have waved.

Watching her walk away to get on a plane made his chest constrict in a way that at any other moment in his life Sheldon would have run to the ER fearing a heart attack. It was irrational, it was nonsensical and it was very real.

Penny had come to stay with him for the duration of her summer break and Sheldon was perfectly aware that they spend all of their time together, time moved just the same but looking back it felt as if time had moved faster. He wanted more time with Penny.

Sheldon hated driving and yet here he was, driving to return the vehicle that he and Penny had used this summer. He had found himself doing a lot of things outside of his regular routine when it came to Penny. Trying to put it into words was beyond his skill, not that he hadn’t tried, he owned three notebooks filled back to back with his observations and theories about what was it about Penny that moved him so, only to come up blank.

Penny was the reason he had bought a couch despite faring well without one before. She was the reason his apartment now had throw pillows and blankets and yet it was not a source of distress for him. That second bedroom in his apartment now belonged to her, she didn’t know it of course, but how could he get a roommate when that room now had Penny written all over it. Figuratively of course. He couldn’t allow anyone else to use it.

As he sat on his couch Sheldon reflected on the night that he allowed himself to voice his feelings. That afternoon was still fresh, the disgust and anger he felt towards that handsy undergrad still made bile rise to his mouth. But Penny had saved him, she had seen him at his lowest and yet she did not balk or ran away. No, she instead ran towards him. She comforted him and patiently waited for him.

Sheldon wasn’t sure what romantic love actually was. But he was sure about what he felt for Penny. And he was certain that he didn’t want to lose her presence in his life.

He had asked Missy about his feelings of course, while nowhere near his intellect, Sheldon could admit that Missy was far more capable in social nuances and situations. She had immediately told him to ask Penny out…in a far cruder manner of course.

“Shelly, that girl is about ready to throw her panties at you. Just tell her genius.”

Missy had made it sound all so easy but nothing in life ever was, therein lies the beauty of the sciences and the unraveling of life’s mysteries. So he instead called Meemaw.

“Moonpie. This ain’t rocket science. Ya care for the girlie right?”

“Of course.”

“Then why don’t ya tell her that?”

“...She could not feel the same.”

“True. Or she could feel the same.” He heard her inhale deeply, a cigarette no doubt. “Are you telling me that my Moonpie is so scared of the result of the game that he won’t even get on the field?”

“I…don’t like sports.”

“But ya like Penny.”

“I do.” It had always been easier with Meemaw, she might not understand him but she accepted him fully.

“There ya go. That’s all ya need. I have a hunch that she does feel the same though and when she says yes I want ya to invite her back for Christmas.”

“Yes Meemaw.”

And in a way it truly had been as easy as that.

Sheldon had awoken to find himself lying next to Penny on his couch, the flickering light of the TV allowed him to watch her features, the rise and fall of her chest. He had intended to wake her up so they could go to their respective rooms. Instead, he muted the TV and he watched Penny sleep. Sheldon fell asleep without knowing how or when. The next time he opened his eyes it was because Penny had covered them with a blanket.

And there, in the dark of the living room, at an unknown time in the night Sheldon tried to convey his feelings. It was nerve wracking, but by simply having Penny close to him he got the necessary courage to continue.

Kissing had always been one of those things that Sheldon thought he would be unable to enjoy. Seeing it only as an activity that spreads germs, his parents never kissed, Georgie and Many rarely kissed, as such it was something that he never thought much about.

Kissing anyone was something that caused him to feel nauseous. Paige had kissed him by surprise right before he moved to California and it was a distressing event. He had ranted at her about germs, breaches of personal space and more until Paige left crying. No, kissing was not something Sheldon was interested in.

Until Penny.

Kissing Penny was exhilarating. Every kiss made him feel like he had just won the Stevenson award all over again. Sheldon took notice of Penny’s movements and copied them, learned what made her sigh, what made her fingers curl into his shirt, what drew that cute little squeak out of her. Sheldon always loved learning new things.

Sheldon was having dinner at the local Cheesecake factory and he was struggling to not say something to the waitress. But it was hard to stay calm knowing that Penny would not have made the same mistakes as this woman did.

She got his order wrong, touched his fries, and reluctantly replaced a fork that had a stain.

It was when she brought him the wrong type of cheesecake slice that Sheldon couldn’t contain himself anymore, he was about to go on a tirade about the woman’s incompetence when he saw her closely, she had nothing in common with Penny, this woman was a little older than Penny, she was a redhead, tall and with a line of freckles across her cheeks. And yet, Sheldon’s words died in his throat.

For a moment he had seen Penny and his stomach clenched at the thought that someone like him would have lost their patience and yelled at her. Sheldon usually wouldn’t care. No, he only started to care once Penny came into his life.

It had been a week since Penny had left and he found himself thinking about her more often than not.

Taking a deep breath Sheldon calmly explained that he had ordered a Peanut Butter Cheesecake slice and not the Strawberry one sitting in front of him. The waitress apologized and quickly brought him the correct slice. As he took a bite of his dessert Sheldon noticed a small piece of paper under the plate, torn from a notepad, pulling it out showed writing on it.

‘I’m really sorry, it’s my first day.’ The writing is frantic and messy. Chicken scratch as Penny calls it.

Sheldon stares at the note for far too long. Look up at the waitress, the hurried way she’s running from one table to the next, how the manager scolds her in a low voice, the tears threatening to spill and he has a sudden uncomfortable moment of realizing that he had almost been part of it.

This woman was someone’s Penny. Sheldon’s stomach clenches and he has to blink quickly to stop the onslaught of emotion that this simple thought brings him.

Sheldon always carries with him a blue ink pen, he carefully writes on the back of the piece of paper. ‘Persevere and succeed’. Puts it next to the tip and he hopes that she’ll be here next week.

It’s highly illogical but he hopes Penny runs into the same kindness at her own job.

“Penny. Can you explain again why Kathleen kissed Joe in the end? One would think she’d resent him for years to come.” The movie had been entertaining but Sheldon couldn’t reconcile the ending with the rest of the movie.

“Well Sheldon, you’re right, I’m not going to lie. It is a little unrealistic, but in my head I think it’s because as much as she loved her little shop, it was never truly hers. It was her mom’s and it was stopping her from pursuing her real dream of writing children’s books. Like…it was still shitty. But she was able to move on with her life because of it. She also had feelings for him from two different perspectives, as Kathleen towards Joe, but also as ‘Shopgirl’ towards ‘NY152’. That’s why she kisses him in the end.”

“I see. So despite Joe being the catalyst for change in her life, she was able to accept it due to the inherent need to move away from her mother’s shadow?”

“Err…yes?”

“Fascinating.”

Sheldon stared at his whiteboard intently. He was supposed to be working on integrals but instead his mind kept drifting to Penny.

He had wanted to approach Penny about the idea of transferring to UCLA. But he was unsure how to do that or even if he should, their relationship was still new and while for Sheldon there really was no one but Penny, he was perfectly aware that this was not the case for everyone, Penny included. Missy and him had been talking more often since he and Penny started going out, and while Sheldon would never admit this to anyone, he enjoyed those conversations with his twin.

Not that they were terribly stimulating, but they made him feel closer to his childhood home.

Shaking his head Sheldon tried to focus on work again but it was not to be, he needed to reset himself. Penny had introduced him to Radiohead and while Sheldon could admit a certain partiality towards the band, he still couldn’t ‘feel the lyrics’ as Penny had indicated.

Moving towards his desk and the portable CD player on it, Sheldon removed the Radiohead disk and safely stored it in its case. No, Radiohead had not been for him, it was a band for Penny.

Carefully removing another CD from the drawer Sheldon went through the now familiar motions of removing the disk from its case and putting it on the tray. It had been by chance that he found this band, he had been playing ‘Let Down’ on repeat in his office for hours when a rather disgruntled janitor had knocked on his door and shoved this CD in his hands.

“Here, listen to some real rock.”

And the man had left just like that. Sheldon had been tempted to simply throw the CD away, but he had to concede to getting tired of hearing the same song over and over. The cover on the CD was rather unique, evoking perhaps an Alien abduction, opening revealed a generic brand CD and cheap paper with penciled ‘Don Caballero 3’ on it. A bootleg. The urge to simply throw it away returned, but Sheldon decided that there was no harm in listening to it at least once.

Sheldon was hooked from the moment he pressed play. It was only music, no lyrics. And it was perfect. There was something about it that made his mind able to focus and work.

Before fully focusing on his whiteboard Sheldon had one last thought about Penny and how she had opened up his life to countless possibilities.

Sheldon entered his apartment and immediately noticed that something was off.

His acute hearing soon picked up the noise of snoring, snoring he knew. With that mystery solved, he took his time removing his bag, taking out his notebooks and storing them properly. Went to grab a glass of water, washed the glass and set it to dry. And he finally moved towards the ajar door of his bedroom.

Penny slept peacefully face down in his bed. He made a mental note to ask Penny if her septum had been damaged during her Junior Rodeo days, her snoring might be related to it.

Taking a quick glance around the room Sheldon was able to notice the regular bag and duffel bag now adorning his floor. There were many things to focus on, but try as he might, Sheldon couldn’t move past the reality that Penny was in front of him.

Questions could wait.

All that mattered was the fact that Penny was in Pasadena…well, maybe he should order dinner. Penny would appreciate that.

Chapter Text

Penny was having the best dream. Sheldon was dressed as a professor and she was dressed…well, she wasn’t actually dressed in anything anymore at that exact moment in her dream and just when Sheldon was about to switch from spanking her to something far more interesting, that’s when the smell of garlic bread hit her.

‘Wait, garlic bread?’

And her dream leaves her immediately making her groan in disappointment and frustration. Penny is face down in the bed and she’s almost fully awake, she can feel sleep trying to claim her again but she knows the dream is a bust, no going back to that.

Moving her face to one side she reluctantly opens an eye and thankfully the room is dark, but Sheldon’s door is open and some of the light from the hallway is spilling in, making it much easier on her eyes.

The smell of garlic bread is still strong and it’s making her tummy remember that the last thing it had as food was half a bag of beef jerky and some Cool Ranch Doritos.But the bed is warm so she stays for a couple of minutes longer, unable to go back to sleep and unwilling to stand up. The sounds of the apartment are much clearer, Sheldon must have the TV on at a low volume because she thinks that she can hear Spock’s voice. Sheldon’s footsteps are faint but Penny is reassured by their presence.

Rolling over to her back makes Penny groan like a petulant child and she’s already missing the warmth of the spot she was lying in.

Sheldon must have heard her because suddenly he’s entering the room and turning the light on. Penny has to close her eyes at the sudden brightness. “Hi Moonpie.” Her voice is husky with sleep.

“Hello Penny.” She had missed his voice.

“Surprise!” Penny said weakly, her eyes still closed. “I was in Nebraska when I realized that I had forgotten to pat your cute butt, so I had to come here in a rush.” Her tone is light.

“Sarcasm?”

“Nope.” Penny popped the word. “A joke.”

“Drat. I was doing so well. This is why you should start using Bazinga as a-” And the sound of his voice soothes Penny in a way that she did not expect. It makes her feel like things will be okay.

“I missed you Moonpie” Penny interrupted his rant.

“I missed you as well Penny.” And it’s the touch of his fingers on her cheek that makes her finally open her eyes. The brightness is still too much but Sheldon is touching her. It’s just two fingers, running across her cheek delicately, Sheldon is tracing some line that only he can see, and it’s not sexy, it’s not meant to be comforting but it still makes her eyes sting, she can feel the onslaught of tears threatening to break through.

She was home.

Sheldon’s finger’s freeze as the first tears spill out of her eyes. Penny quickly grabs his hand before he can take it away.

“I really missed you Sheldon.” Her voice is watery and weak, she’s probably crushing his hand with how hard she’s holding onto it. She’s expecting Sheldon to complain, to freak out about her tears.

“I have missed you terribly as well Penny.” Sheldon’s voice is soft and he takes a seat on the bed.

Penny can’t take it anymore, she tackles Sheldon against his headboard and crushes him in a hug and she’s thrilled that Sheldon is hugging her just as desperately.

It takes her an embarrassing amount of time to calm down but Sheldon stays with her and doesn’t complain about her ruining his shirt.

Calming down takes her a moment, Sheldon still doesn’t say anything about her being practically on his lap and it’s a beautiful moment.

Of course her stomach decides that the comfortable silence needs to be broken with a loud growl.

“I ordered dinner. I hope you don’t mind pasta.” Sheldon sounds like always, straight and to the point.

Meanwhile Penny is mortified, yeah, she’s not super girly but still, she’s got her girl pride which means this is one of the big no-no’s, alongside with Sheldon hearing her fart or hearing her pee. Penny’s thankful for not being a snorer because she couldn’t live with that.

“Dinner sounds great Honey. Thanks. Let me refresh myself.” Penny can’t look him in the eye, she can feel her face grow hotter and hotter and quickly runs to the bathroom to calm down and splash her face with water.

A quick bathroom break and Penny feels more awake now. She’ll just ignore what happened a moment ago and hopes that Sheldon will do the same.

Thankfully he says nothing and dinner goes swimmingly. They haven’t discussed Penny suddenly being in California of course, conversation was kept light about movies and shows. Sheldon made her watch Buffy and Penny is instantly hooked, she had seen Sarah Michelle Gellar in ‘Cruel Intentions’ and liked it well enough but to see her as the butt kicker of the group is what made her keep watching…and then Angel showed up and Penny never looked back.

“Penny, have you made arrangements for your stay in Pasadena?” Sheldon’s voice brings her out from her musings about sexy vampires. And this is the moment of truth, she could lie and say yes and go sleep in her car, but this is her first grown up relationship and she needs to start being more truthful. If Sheldon already has a roommate moving in in a couple of days then she’ll deal with it maturely.

“Ah…no, I was kind of hoping that I could stay here again?” Her sentence ends in a question and she’s smiling awkwardly at Sheldon.

“Penny, do you have gas? Your face seems to indicate so.” And he has the gall to look proud of himself.

“What?! No! Sheldon, why-” She has to stop herself, her Moonppie asked because he thought that was appropriate. “No Sheldon. Just no, no talking about gas. Especially after dinner.”

“Oh! Okay.”

Penny is holding her face in one hand, willing her blush to fade. ‘You knew he was special Penny.’ She reminds herself.

“And you haven’t answered my question Sheldon.” Her voice is muffled, she still can’t look at Sheldon directly.

“Of course you can stay here Penny.”

“Well, that’s the thing Moonpie. I actually transferred to UCLA and I’m starting classes in the fall.” At that she finally looks at him and she’s rewarded by one of his honest to god smiles, not the creepy one his mom forced him to wear at church, but the one that made him look 10 years younger.

“That is fantastic news Penny!” Sheldon actually hugs her, kinda. They’re sitting side by side on the couch and Sheldon puts an arm around her shoulders, it’s much better than it was at first but it still feels boney and awkward, but after a long moment he adapts and it’s nicer, warmer.

“Thanks Honey.” Penny leans her head on his shoulder and he only flinches for a moment before pulling her closer. “That’s why I was wondering, if you haven’t found a roommate yet of course, if you wouldn’t mind me taking over that extra room.”

“Oh!” She can’t see Sheldon’s face and can’t quite make out the tone in which he says it. But she’s already dreading the worst. She really was looking forward to living with Sheldon again. ‘You’re an idiot Penny, you should have told him about moving here. Now because you’re a dumba-’ She’s so busy feeling sorry for herself that she almost misses the rest of what Sheldon is saying.

“Of course. I haven’t searched for a new roommate. To be perfectly honest, since your stay last summer I have felt distress at the idea of someone else habitating in the space you had occupied.” Penny finally turns to him, sees that Sheldon is frowning at nothing. “It has been a disconcerting feeling.”

Penny gets it. Being in a relationship with Sheldon is both exciting and scary, it’s like they match each other’s crazy. Sheldon is not threatened by Penny’s forwardness and he’s not sulking because she doesn’t need protecting and he’s not put off by her drinking beer and loving football. And she’s not scared by his intensity to everything, understands that he is so smart that sometimes he circles back to stupid without realizing it, and the hardest pill to swallow is that he doesn’t do romantic, not in the traditional way at least, no, her Moonpie is subtle, he’ll put his hand near her and only put his pinky on top of hers, blushing like a schoolgirl all the while. And Penny is learning to see all of those subtle ways that Sheldon shows that he loves her, like allowing Penny to take a bite of his food (with a clean new fork of course), or taking her recommendations for movies seriously (Penny is aware how big a deal this actually is after one call with Meemaw where she mentioned it by accident), and not to mention going back home to Texas for Holidays.

“It’s okay Honey, I really missed you as well.”

“Yes, I suppose it can be put quite succinctly like that.”

Penny has to smile at how relieved Sheldon looks to finally be able to put a label on the feeling.

“So, ready to have me as your roommate Moonpie?” There’s teasing in her voice.

“Oh yes! I have already updated the roommate agreement.” Sheldon looks really happy about that.

“Err…” Penny was not a stranger to the agreement, she had helped Sheldon write it when he first got a roommate. And truth be told, it stinged that he wanted her to sign it. ‘No Penny, this is fine. Grown up relationship remember.’ Penny was going to ask why she had to sign it but instead changed it to “What kind of changes? I remember the whistling clause.”

Penny was afraid to be presented with the book sized agreement that Sheldon had made all previous roommates sign, as such she was pleasantly surprised to see only a handful of paper and the first piece of paper was only the words ‘Roommate agreement’ with a Lion underneath it for some reason.

“Wow Honey. When you said you had made some changes I thought that meant you had added more clauses, not less.” Penny leafed through the agreement and she was shocked that all the clauses about accidental super powers, time travel, robots, zombies, etc. Are simply gone.

“Well yes, I discussed the possibility of this scenario with both Missy and Meemaw and after they found out that for our relationship we had a policy of discussing things with no contracts, they both individually suggested that I follow that same method for our cohabitation. And I agree that our verbal relationship agreement has been a boon due to the trust shared between us, so this abridged agreement is only outlining the basics of cohabitation, rent, maintenance, laundry, dishes, etc.”

As Sheldon spoke Penny continued to read through the agreement. Everything seemed pretty reasonable, that is until she got to clause 9.1 and clause 12.3.

“Okay Moonpie, it all looks great, except for this one and this one.” She pointed to the clauses “For 12.3 I only have a question, what happens if we both have to use the shower at similar times? As in, let’s say I have class at 8 and you have to be at work at 8 too?.”

“Ah, I have actually taken that into consideration, if you take a look at the bottom, as long as I receive at least 8 hours notice I will concede to moving my shower earlier in order to accommodate for this break in schedule. Should this change be permanent we both need to schedule a roommate meeting to create a new schedule beneficial to the both of us.” Sheldon smiles at her and okay, that’s cute.

“Sounds great Honey, thank you for clarifying that. Now for 9.1” Penny takes a deep breath, this one is going to be a hard one. “I’m not always going to be available to be able to drive you.” Her voice is gentle, because she doesn’t mind driving Sheldon around, but she’s not really sure about her new school schedule, and she still has to find a new job. “I think you need to learn how to drive.”

“But Penny!” Honest to god panic in his eyes.

“It’ll be fine! I’ll teach you.” She takes a hold of his hand and Sheldon squeezes it. “It’s going to be okay Honey.”

Sheldon still has a bit of a wild look in his eyes but he nods at her and attempts a shaky smile. “Okay, okay.”

Penny smiles at him and because she can, she straddles his lap and kisses him. The roommate agreement can wait.

Penny had missed her boyfriend.

Chapter Text

Living with Sheldon was easy…yeah right. Her Moonpie was what one could call a little neurotic, which was fine by her. She already had that experience last summer so this was not a surprise.

Some things were always easy to adapt to. Penny is happy enough that Sheldon makes her breakfast everyday, back in UNO she would get breakfast burritos in batches and then put them in the freezer, 45 seconds in the microwave and she had her breakfast to go. So the tinfoil covered plate in Sheldon’s fridge that has a carefully placed omelet with a couple of slices of ham feels a lot like love.

Other things are a bit harder. Sheldon’s bathroom schedule taunts her every time she walks by the fridge and she doesn’t mind the little squares that say ‘Shower’, it’s the ones that say ‘BM’ that she struggles with. She’s happier pretending that the entire thing doesn’t exist.

Penny is flexible, she can adapt to Sheldon and she knows for a fact that the same applies to him.

That first week back in the apartment is all unpacking and printing the syllabus and then printing a comprehensive schedule with Sheldon’s help. College starts in 2 weeks and it’s not enough time for Penny.

Feeling like her options are limited she breaks and asks Sheldon for help.

“And that’s why I want to find a different type of job. Not to mention that it was hell on my feet.”

“I see.” Sheldon always frowns when thinking. It makes him look unfriendly and for a moment Penny wonders if this habit of his has prevented him from making friends…and then she remembers how Sheldon spoke to Kurt and the thought passes. “Have you thought about another type of customer service job? Last week when I was visiting the board game store, I saw a sign on the boutique next door requesting help.” He writes a phone number on her notebook “It’s on 1775 East Colorado Boulevard, right next door to my preferred board game store as well as only 17 minutes away from Caltech and 5 minutes away from Pasadena City College.”

And because Penny has nothing to lose she calls the number and scores an interview. The Boutique is actually more of a Thrift store, but it’s the cleanest and fanciest thrift store that Penny has ever seen. The owner meets her and tells her the story of the place, it’s actually a non-profit thrift store that aims to give back to the community and Penny loves it.

Penny is upfront about her school schedule and the owner’s eyes brighten when Penny tells her that she’s trying to become an actress. Penny brought a copy of her schedule and the owner agreed to give Penny a chance. She's going to be working 4 shifts a week and the pay is slightly more than she was making in tips in a regular week with a full shift schedule, so she’s happy about that. Also, employee discounts are a godsend.

UCLA is amazing, no other way to put it.

Meeting Sheldon made Penny appreciate school a whole lot more and now having actual classes about acting made it all feel so much more real. She could feel her dream be closer with each new class. Penny was also going to invest in singing classes because Sheldon had not so subtly said that it would be a good idea. Ouch. One of the downsides of having a boyfriend that was all about honesty.

Most days she had to leave school as soon as her last class ended in order to make it to her shift so all partying and socializing had taken a backseat. She still found an awesome group of girls to have lunch with, they were all from different courses so Penny got to expand her group of friends.

“Seriously Penny, you need to let me hook you up with Brad Mulligan. He’s in the Football team and he’s here on a full-” Penny interrupts her before she can finish.

“Sorry, not interested. I’m taken.” This is the third time this week that Penny has to field one of the girls trying to set up a blind date.

“Really?!” Something about the other girl’s tone makes Penny stop focusing on her lunch and look up at the girl. Monica? Marissa?

“Yeah. Really.” Penny narrows her eyes at the girl. Her tone is a little hard.

“Just sayin’ Brad is someone with an actual future you know?” The girl is playing coy “Much better than-”

“I don’t give a fuck.” Penny’s voice cuts through the conversation. “You don’t talk shit about my boyfriend. Period.” Penny picks up her stuff and storms out of the cafeteria. She’s got one more class before she can leave, she has a shift today and Sheldon will go pick her up after her shift. She can’t wait to see him, she needs to hug him.

“Are you certain that you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’ve observed that when you have a ‘bad moment’ during your day, you require this type of cuddling.”

Sheldon and Penny were lying on the couch, in the exact same way as when Sheldon kissed her for the first time. There was something very comforting for Penny being wedged between Sheldon and the back of the couch. Of course it brought good memories from that first kiss, but it also made her feel protected, as if the world only consisted of Sheldon and her.

“A girl during lunch made me angry and it ruined my day until I could see you.” Penny had considered for a moment to lie, but there was no reason to do it. Sheldon was happy to cuddle with her and the arm under her waist felt loving. With anyone else but Sheldon she’d probably feel trapped as hell in this position.

“I see.” Sheldon frowned and Penny was distracted for a moment by examining the way his forehead wrinkled, it was different than when he was focusing. “Did you go ‘Junior Rodeo’ on her ass?” He says it so seriously that she can’t help but laugh.

“No, no, Honey. Maybe next time if she continues to be rude.”

Sheldon lets out a huge sigh “I’ll have the bail money ready.”

Penny is so shocked that she almost misses the way his mouth is twitching and sure enough, a moment later he does his breathy little laugh and he can barely get the Bazinga out.

“Ha ha, very funny Moonpie.” But she loses the fight and a smile breaks through her face.

It felt good to be home.

“Hey Penny, I’m really sorry about what Marsha said yesterday.” Penny was sitting with the girl group again, but this time she sat on the other side, far away from that pushy girl from yesterday. However, the girl currently apologizing was not one that Penny was familiar with.

“Is that right?” Penny doesn’t want to be confrontational but she’s still a bit cranky about yesterday.

“Yeah, we have already told her to tone it down. Just let me know if she bothers you again.” The girl extends her hand and Penny considers leaving her hanging but she looks honest and it would be a good idea to make more friends, so she shakes the offered hand. “I’m Kelly.”

This Kelly girl turns out to be rather funny, she’s studying Sociology and she moved to California from Georgia when she was twelve. She didn’t laugh at Penny’s dream of being an actress and they bonded over growing up on a farm.

“No way! Your boyfriend is THAT smart?”

“Swear to God. He’s already the top dog of the Physics world.”

“The top do-OH! Your boyfriend is Sheldon Cooper?!”

Penny has to gape, because not many people should be able to make that connection so easily. “Yes! How did you know?”

“Are you kidding me? My boyfriend can’t shut up about him, I swear that if I didn’t know any better, I could swear that my boy has a thing for yours.” Kelly’s face is full of fond exasperation. “My boyfriend, Fred, is studying at Caltech. Apparently Sheldon Coop-oh sorry-Dr. Sheldon Cooper is the next best thing since sliced bread and Fred has been unable to actually make the cut to one of his classes. He thought becoming a sophomore would make it easier, but nope, only seniors get that privilege.”

Penny is still in shock, she knew that Sheldon was a big deal but here she had the perfect example of how that looked for others. Kelly was exasperated by her boyfriend gushing so much about Sheldon and his papers.

“Huh. So are you going to tell your boyfriend that you have an in to meet Sheldon?”

“Are you kidding? I’m taking this to my grave, I don’t want to lose my boyfriend.” But Kelly smiles as she says it and Penny knows that she’ll use the fact that she knows Sheldon’s girlfriend sometime in the future.

“Yes, well. Trust me, one night with my Sheldon and your boyfriend won’t want to enter his class anymore. He’s a genius but he’s not the best at meeting people. I love the man but I ain’t blind.”

“Love huh?”

Penny freezes for a moment but blinks and then nods happily. “Yeah, I love my Moonpie.”

It’s been a little over a year since she first met Sheldon and Penny is able to accept it. She is in love with Sheldon Cooper. They’re still learning a lot about each other, but she’s in this for the long run.

Sure, he wasn’t what she imagined as a little girl. No, he was somehow better.

Penny still missed sex tho. Now that things had calmed down, maybe it was time to start on her next plan.

Get Dr. Cooper out of his pants.

Chapter Text

Penny hates being called Mrs Hofstadter
It takes the nurse calling her name 5 times before Penny reacts at all.

She hates it, it makes her cringe in embarrassment. She knows it shouldn't but she can't help it.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Even admitting this outloud is torture. It’s nails on a blackboard.

“The doctor will see you now.”

“Thanks.”

Waiting for the doctor is hell, shouldn’t she be already inside the office? And Penny knows it’s her nerves talking, the doctor goes in after a couple of minutes that felt like hours.

“Penny! Great to see you.” The doctor is an older woman and Penny usually liked her, she had the kind of bedside manners that made her regular visits painless.

“...Yeah.” Her own response is muted and the doctor adjusts her tone, she’s probably seen a million women like Penny before.

“Right, let’s get to the point. I have your results right here.” Penny is looking intently at the papers in the doctor’s hands and for a moment wishes that she had x-ray vision. “Okay, so you’re not pregnant.” The doctor’s tone is neutral and her face is calm.

Penny starts bawling in relief, huge sobs with laughter mixed in make her body shake. “Thankgodthankgodthankgod.”

The doctor simply hands Penny a box of tissues and it takes Penny five minutes to calm down enough to be able to talk again.

“Penny, have you heard about Nexplanon? I was taking a look at your insurance and it’s covered.”

And so Penny hears about the wonders of modern medicine. An implant the size of a matchstick and Penny is protected for five years. Penny hates her sales rep job but apparently the health insurance is great.

Penny is all for it. They can do it right away if Penny wants it and she does want it. It’s a bit weird to have it inserted into her upper arm but the doctor says that Penny doesn’t need to do anything else, that was it. She has to wait a week before having sex or use condoms, but that’s fine, Leonard and her don’t have sex that often anymore. It’s a chore.

Last month was his birthday and that’s what landed her in the doctor’s office.

Penny didn’t want any children, especially with Leonard. She needed to do her best to ensure it didn’t happen.

Leonard was confused. He was certain that he had swapped the placebos in her birth control, thankfully Penny used the all white ones and not the ones in a gradient.

He had been hoping that Penny would be pregnant by now, he was certain that his math was correct. His birthday should have been the last day of her ovulation.

It didn’t matter, he’d try again. He knew that his marriage to Penny was in the rocks, but he knew, he could feel it in his bones that if they had a baby, it would fix everything. He and Penny would be better parents than his own, and once he made it happen he could rub it in his mother’s face, that he, Leonard, was not a failure.

Leonard loved Penny. She was his one. She completed him, fixed all of those bad parts of himself.

She didn’t need to know about the undergrad he was seeing on the side, she was just a distraction, a way to get rid of his urges. Leonard was not a bad guy, he wasn’t cheating on Penny, he made sure to always wear a condom. It was just stress relief.

Leonard was still afraid that Penny would leave him. And he loved Penny, he didn’t want to let her go.

If you love something, you have to let it go?

No. Leonard vehemently refused that conclusion.

If you love something, cripple it so it can’t leave you.

This was more to his liking. A baby would make everything better and Leonard would do everything to make it happen. Penny would learn to be a good mother, he’d also make sure of that.

Chapter Text

Penny was in UCLA, she had a job that paid well and she was living with her boyfriend. Life was good.

The only thing missing from her life was sex. No other way around it, she just needed that, and not just any sex. She needed sex with Sheldon.

Sheldon was more than good with kissing. He didn’t even freak out (much) when Penny introduced tongue to the game and it was great, Penny had always been one for kissing, she enjoyed it immensely.

But she was starting to get very frustrated. As in back to puberty frustrated.

So she started small, as they kissed on the couch she pulled his hands to her waist and then once the kissing got a bit more intense she put his hands on her ass. Fantastic success, after a couple of sessions like that Sheldon soon learned that he could touch her like that on his own.

And oh yeah, Sheldon had a thing for her butt.

All of that was perfect. The issue occurred when he stopped there, he’d caressed and fondle her butt, squeeze it while kissing her and…that’s it, they would stop kissing and go out, or go eat dinner, or watch TV. And it was killing her, not to mention that Sheldon didn’t understand why she had to go change after a kissing session.

Enough was enough.

Penny had prepared for this night, she was wearing a cute pair of sleeping shorts, they were loose and ‘innocent’, she had a large tee stolen from Sheldon and wasn’t wearing any underwear. Penny was ready.

The night went on as usual, Sheldon didn’t mention her attire and they had dinner, watched TV, and then washed their teeth. Sheldon didn’t like to kiss after eating without washing his teeth first, and Penny could live with that.

The kissing started innocently enough, Sheldon was in his spot and Penny was kneeling on the middle cushion, Sheldon was leaning half against the back of the couch and half against the armrest. As their kissing deepened and grew more intimate, Penny started pushing Sheldon more and more, until she was almost lying on his chest. Some adjusting from Sheldon’s end and they were making out with Penny between his legs and yeah, she could feel the effect she had on him, it was one of her favorite parts of making out in this position.

Sheldon’s hand began their familiar slide towards her bottom but once it got there he gasped and pulled back his hand. “PENNY!” He looked scared, as if he had done something wrong. The material of her shorts was thin and silky, he was used to there being at least two barriers of clothing.

“Hey, Sheldon. Look at me. It’s fine. You can touch me. No, I want you to touch me. It’s okay, I want this.”

Sheldon looks at her and Penny can see the conflict on his face. One part must be him being raised a good southern boy and another part is all Sheldon Cooper original. She’s still musing on Sheldon when she feels a tentative hand on her hip. Penny smiles at him encouragingly and then plants a kiss on his jaw. “That’s not my butt.” She murmurs.

Sheldon’s hand freezes and Penny fears that it’s too much, but she’s thrilled when his shaking hand makes contact with her ass. And Penny decides that more kissing is a good idea, so she does just that. Pulls Sheldon in for a kiss so he can’t focus on anything else and after a moment she can feel him loosen up again, he’s back to being an active participant in the kiss and the hand on her ass grows more confident, squeezes and makes moan. Doesn’t let Sheldon stop the kissing.

She can feel the material of her shorts start to stick to her lips, she’s also most likely getting Sheldon’s shirt wet but at this point she doesn’t care, she needs the friction as much as the kissing and a bad idea pops in her head, a really bad idea. Well, maybe not bad, but naughty.

Penny stops kissing him “Sheldon, trust me.” Sheldon looks a bit lost from the kissing but he nods and that’s all the confirmation she needs before grabbing his hand, turning it palm up and shoving it down her shorts. She never lets go of his hand because she knows he will try to pull it away.

Sheldon takes a sudden intake of breath and Penny joins him at feeling his hand, he’s frozen and not moving but Penny is moving for the both of them.

“It’s okay Honey.” She says between breaths. Penny doesn’t want to just rub one out using Sheldon’s hand, so she forces herself to stop and look at him. “Please Moonpie, touch me.” Penny is whimpering but she hopes that Sheldon can do it.

“Penny…you’re so wet.” Sheldon’s voice is an awed whisper and it makes Penny laugh.

“Yeah, you did that.” He looks at her in surprise. “Penny I-” Maybe his hand got tired of not moving, but his fingers move, it’s a small movement, just his hand clenching and then relaxing again but for Penny, it’s enough to drive her over the edge. Maybe it’s how innocent Sheldon looks with his hand down her shorts but Penny doesn’t care.

Penny is a happy girl.

Coming back to herself and she’s still basically straddling Sheldon’s hand while catching her breath and Sheldon is looking at her like she’s a formula he needs to decipher. She’s about to ask him if he’s okay when he moves his fingers in a more decisive manner and steals Penny’s breath.

“Fascinating.” Penny hears him whisper.

Sheldon spends the rest of the night learning what makes Penny whimper, gasp, moan and more. When she’s finally able to go to bed on shaky legs Penny only has one thought in her mind.

‘Eidetic memories rule.’

And next morning Penny wakes up annoyed. Sheldon hadn’t climaxed. He had been focused solely on her and that was great! Penny was overall thrilled that they had become more physical, but being fully honest, after that first orgasm she was a goner, Sheldon wanted to learn and Penny was happy to teach him.

Even as annoyed as she’s feeling, Penny can’t help but smile remembering Sheldon’s face when her tee hit the couch. He was looking at her naked chest with an intensity that made her nipples harden even more.

Sheldon spent a lot of time touching her, learning about her body. A shiver goes through her body remembering it, looking at the alarm clock shows that it’s still early, she doesn’t have school today but she does have a shift later in the day and Sheldon has gone to work.

Penny bites her lip, hesitating. ‘Might as well go for it.’ Penny thinks as her hand goes into her shorts.

Sheldon was conflicted. Not about last night’s activities. He didn’t subscribe to his mother’s religious ideas.

No, the conflict in him originated because he thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny’s skin had always been soft and smooth but last night it had felt incredibly smooth, warm and…Sheldon put a stop to that thought as he felt his body react to the memory.

He was thankful for his eidetic memory but he had a suspicion that even without it, last night would have been seared into his mind.

His mind was still full of Penny. He had yet to leave his office even once, the whiteboard sat forgotten in the corner and Sheldon had no motivation to change that any time soon.

Sheldon Cooper PhD had enjoyed physical contact of a sexual nature.

He can easily recall the first time he learned about sex, his lab partner in Germany had shown him magazines and like all things, it was something new to learn, so Sheldon did. He learned about the exchange of fluids, about orgasms and most importantly, he learned about diseases. That is what made him swear to never have sexual contact with another being.

Until Penny.

Penny smelled like vanilla, her skin shone golden and her eyes were improbably bright. And every time she touched him, his stomach clenched, not in disgust or rejection as it did for other people. No. In anticipation, the scent of her shampoo made him want to smell more of her. Penny had haunted his dreams ever since he first met her. Sheldon engaged in masturbation once a week and while he had been attracted to Penny, it wasn’t until he was back in California after that first trip to Nebraska that she made an appearance in his thoughts during that intimate time.

Sheldon had felt ashamed, Penny was his friend. It didn’t stop his treacherous mind from conjuring images of Penny bending over to pick up a dropped notepad, of her tousled hair and slightly puffy lips in the morning when they met by the bleachers, of the tight jeans she so favored as she walked to her car in front of him.

It was maddening.

Sheldon was born for science and physics. It’s something that he has never doubted, until last night. He had thought that masturbation was enough to keep those urges at bay, but he had been wrong. Last night only made him want more of Penny.

Of course Sheldon had considered to refrain from any sexual activities, to tell Penny that he, Sheldon Cooper, was above carnal urges. But that would be a lie. Sheldon Cooper was also a man.

And he was Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD. He could conquer both sciences and emotions. With Penny’s help of course. He was a man, but not just any man. He was more, greater. If lesser men than him could have both science and relationships, then Sheldon would not be left behind. He was Sheldon Cooper and he would not have to choose between science or Penny.

A memory of Penny writhing and moaning on the couch comes clear to him and he doesn’t stop it this time. The way her mouth parted, the grimace of pleasure as she neared her climax, one of her hands holding onto his arm for dear life…this needed further study.

Last night after Penny had gone to bed, Sheldon had stayed up and using the hand still covered in Penny’s fluids, he had pleasured himself in the bathroom. It was wrong, he knew, but that orgasm had been earth shattering for him. His emission of semen had been significantly larger than in previous occasions and still his desire for Penny was not decreased. He still took a shower before going to bed and yet another one in the morning, but he had the illogical sensation of still feeling Penny on his fingers and member.

‘Dear lord.’ Sheldon thought as the pain of epididymal hypertension hit him. He needed to talk to Penny.

And also cancel his afternoon classes, there was no way in hell he would go up on that stage with Penny running through his mind.

Chapter Text

Penny has a new routine for her Fridays, sleep in and then eat the breakfast that Sheldon left for her in the fridge while reading a magazine. Take a shower and then prepare her school stuff for her shift later that day, she can do homework while manning the counter at the boutique. Drive to work and park her car in the almost always full parking lot two blocks away from her job. Work her shift while working on homework and handling customers, do the closing tasks and call the Chinese restaurant to make their order while waiting for Perry the security guard, to close the boutique at 8PM sharp. Walk to the board game store next door and pick up her boyfriend.

This was her favorite part of the day.

Sheldon was usually in the middle of a Magic game. Ever since the new Odyssey set had been released, Sheldon hadn’t missed a single FNM, he wanted all the promos…and yeah, Penny now knew what all of that meant. No one was more shocked about that fact than Penny herself. But love makes you do crazy things.

Like how Sheldon now knew who Ethan Zohn was, and not only that, he had opinions about him! Her Moonpie surprised her every time.

Sheldon was in his praying mantis position as he focused on his current game. She knew better than to startle him.

“Hey Sheldon.” Penny stood next to him and said softly. She saw as he came back from whatever place he was in, he shuffled the cards in his hands and gave her a quick smile.

“Hi Penny.”

Now that he knew she was there, Penny sat next to him and watched the rest of the game unfold, this was his last game of the night because they had to go and pick up their order.

As Sheldon tapped lands, played creatures with far too many teeth and discarded cards from his hand, Penny had to smile at the thought that this was her life now. Penny from high school would have never believed it. She had always been a bit boy-crazy, trying to find the perfect man for her. She had imagined someone tall, muscular and blonde…basically Fabio. But she had found tall, lanky and brunette instead and she couldn’t be happier.

Sheldon finished his game, got his promo card and they walked to her car, which took her to another favorite part of her Friday nights.

Sheldon had to drive them to the Chinese restaurant and then back to the apartment. He had recently acquired his adult driver’s permit and this was one of the ways he could get experience without too much risk. From the parking lot to the Chinese restaurant, it was 8 blocks and then from the restaurant to the apartment it was 6 blocks. Easy.

It was supposed to be easy.

“C’mon Honey, you can go a little faster.”

“Penny, I’m driving at an ideal speed.”

“Ideal for making babies fall asleep.”

Sheldon was learning but he lacked confidence which was weird, but then she had already heard about Georgie being the cause for his fear of driving so maybe it wasn’t that weird.

The entire drive should have taken them 30 minutes tops, with Sheldon on the wheel it takes them 1 hour. Which, to be fair, it’s an improvement over that first drive of 2 hours.

“You got this Sweetie. Next time I won’t even have time to write an essay while you drive.”

“Sarcasm?” He questions.

“...”

“Sarcasm.” He decides.

Dinner is great as always, Penny is glad that they gave this new restaurant a try. Penny preferred the Orange chicken but Sheldon was gaga for their Tangerine chicken and Penny could see why, but she preferred sweet over spicy.

“Penny?” Sheldon had been watching TV but he muted it and turned to look at her.

“Sheldon?” Penny had been balancing her weekly expenses in her checkbook (Sheldon had taught her how to do it.)

“May I touch you?”

Penny sucks in a breath. She hadn’t brought up their actions from last night, because yeah, she was thrilled but also was kinda scared of pushing Sheldon for too much and too soon.

“Touch me? As in last night touching?” And she can’t look away from his face, he is blushing and is struggling to keep eye contact, his fingers are clenching and relaxing and that movement makes her crotch tingle in excitement.

“I…yes?” Sheldon gulps nervously but more confidently repeats “Yes.” He is facing this head on and Penny is all for it.

“Of course Honey.” Penny smiles in what she hopes is an encouraging way but it might be more Cheshire Cat than anything else.

She still has to brush her teeth, but honestly, she doesn’t mind. Not when she knows what’s about to happen.

“Sheldon, give me 2 minutes to change and I’ll be right back.” Penny doesn’t wait for an answer and runs to her room. Her room is not as messy as back in UNO but she doesn’t have anything sexy to wear. Yesterday’s shorts were all but ruined (not really, but she’s not wearing them until she washes them) and because laundry night is not until tomorrow, the only clean things she has to wear are not meant for sexy times. Period panties? Out. Boxers? Out. Baggy gray sweatpants? Oh yeah, so sexy. Not.

Standing in front of her closet Penny comes to the realization that she has nothing clean to wear. The only thing that is clean is definitely not sexy. ‘It’s not like you can go out there naked’ The thought crosses her mind but it makes her stop.

‘Well…why not?’ And Penny can’t come up with a counterargument, eyes the beach towel that is the size of a house.

Sheldon can hardly believe that he got the words past his mouth. His hands had been shaking as he pretended to watch TV, it had been maddening and he could hardly breathe.

But Penny had simply smiled and agreed to his request.

He needed to feel her skin again, touching her was the closest he’ll ever be to being able to touch sunlight directly…not good, Penny made him illogical. Soon enough he’ll be writing poetry. Sheldon has to laugh at himself for the ridiculous thought.

At least Sheldon could breathe again. He had brushed his teeth and was now waiting for Penny to come back from her room.

Last night had made him aware of the many ways he could give Penny pleasure, but he had also discovered that he received sexual gratification by the act. Penny had been improbably wet and he was aware of both men and women creating their own lubrication but he hadn’t expected that it would be so much.

It was an interesting sensation, and one he wanted to feel again.

‘Deep breaths Sheldon.’ Penny was still not back and Sheldon was already aroused. He had to remind himself to breathe.

“I’m back Honey.” Penny’s voice instantly draws him back to the moment.

For some reason Penny has covered herself with a large towel and Sheldon is about to ask her if she’s okay when Penny throws the towel off her body and onto the couch.

Sheldon can’t breathe.

Seeing Sheldon’s expression makes Penny proud of her decision to bare it all.

The apartment is warm, thanks to Sheldon’s almost obsessive calibration of the thermostat. But her skin still breaks into goosebumps and her nipples harden, and it’s all because of Sheldon’s intense look.

He’s looking at her with dark eyes the color of the ocean during a storm and it makes her want to giggle hysterically. They have come a long way from that first meeting.

“You can touch me Honey.” Her voice is deep and it comes from deep within her chest and it makes Sheldon jump into action, Penny’s not sure it was a conscious decision but suddenly he’s right there and Penny has to look up at him. ‘He’s so tall’ A nervous giggle escapes her.

“Penny.” Sheldon’s voice rumbles in her chest. “You’re fascinating.” His right hand is suddenly on her hip and the initial contact makes her jump a little. His touch is hesitant at first, as if Penny would suddenly have a change of mind.

Penny makes sure that Sheldon can see her smile before putting her hands around his neck and kissing him slowly. She’s hoping that it will help him relax and as his hands grab her with confidence she smiles into the kiss. Her hands travel down to his chest, go around his body and under his tee, she moans in disappointment at feeling the undershirt and not his skin. ‘Of course’

She jumps again when Sheldon’s hands find her bottom and squeeze.

“Take this off!” Penny growls and tugs at his undershirt and Sheldon moves to comply. Maybe he’s just as horny or maybe something in her voice bypassed all the smart, but whatever it is, she’s glad once Sheldon is shirtless.

Sheldon truly looks like a swimmer and the chest hair does funny things between her legs. Penny kisses him again and she takes his hands and places them back on her bottom. The following squeeze is all Sheldon tho.

Penny has had enough, she needs to feel his hands on her. “Come here.” She moves to the couch and fixes the towel on top of it. Penny is not sure how far this will go but the towel will help with the cleanup if things do get out of hand.

She lies down and Sheldon is on top of her. All he needs is her hand guiding his to her crotch for Sheldon to take over.

Penny first learned about shaving from a Cosmo magazine and it became part of her regular care, leaving nothing but a small triangle of fine hair leading to her vagina. And now that small triangle was like a target for the tall scientist still kissing her.

Sheldon caressed, rubbed and pulled at her pubic hair. And it was driving her crazy. He had yet to touch her directly and she was already leaking as much as yesterday. Lubrication had never been an issue for her, on the contrary, she had been a bit embarrassed about it with previous boys, one had even implied that she might need to see a doctor before leaving without touching her. Which she did, after that mortifying one-night stand, but no, everything was fine with her, she just happened to produce a healthy amount of it. Sue her.

Besides, if yesterday was anything to go by, Sheldon was more than fine with the healthy lubrication. She hadn’t missed the way he not so subtly played with it, spreading it and rubbing it between his fingers.

Penny’s train of thought is interrupted by Sheldon finally giving her poor neglected pussy some much needed attention. ‘Eidetic memories rule!’ Sheldon is able to quickly find the same spots that make Penny purr in pleasure. She opens her eyes after they flutter closed on their own to find Sheldon looking at her intently.

“Here.” She pulls Sheldon by the back of the neck to her chest and he allows himself to be pulled until his mouth is a whisper away from her nipple. “No biting, just use your lips.” Her voice is desperate and hurried, Sheldon is too good, she doesn’t have long.

But Sheldon doesn’t move and Penny stops looking at the ceiling to look back at him. He looks unsure, of what? She doesn’t know. “It’s okay Sweetie. I-” Penny is unable to finish her sentence because Sheldon Cooper is sucking on her nipple and it makes her groan in pleasure.

It doesn’t take long for Penny to come undone into a satisfied puddle.

Sheldon is not sure why he put Penny’s nipple into his mouth. It doesn’t make sense, it’s unsanitary and…he wanted to taste her. That’s the reality of it, he wanted to taste her skin, to feel her. Of course she didn’t taste of anything in particular, skin and salt and yet, he kept doing it. Her moans somehow increasing his own satisfaction. Maddening.

“Sheldon, Sweetie, stop. I’m too sensitive.” Penny pants and Sheldon stops sucking on her breast and stops moving his fingers. He quickly rubs his fingers and spreads her fluids on them, he’s fascinated by it all, the amount, the viscosity, the smell.

Sheldon wonders about the taste.

It’s that thought that stops him fully. He knew this was a very real possibility once he started dating Penny. Had assumed that intercourse would mean their genitals touching and achieving penetration.

He had been mistaken. It was so much more.

Sheldon had kissed Penny several times and never gotten sick. He of course had been concerned that kissing could bring influenza, infections and other countless numbers of bacteria and viruses. So far it has only brought him pleasure and satisfaction. Looking at his hand Sheldon only has one thought ‘Perhaps’.

Penny is still panting and recovering from her climax. Her tousled hair, the light sheen of sweat as well as the smell makes him push the words out past his mouth.

“Penny, may I taste you?” Her eyes widened and she nodded immediately. Penny seemed to be holding her breath.

Sheldon adjusted his position and moved down between her legs. Any other time this position would have embarrassed him, but his curiosity far outweighed his embarrassment.

The smell of Penny’s arousal was so much stronger in this position and Sheldon had the illogical impulse to breathe deeply, he had a hard time describing the smell even to himself, he just knew that he liked it quite a bit, a part of him knew that it was just an evolutionary response to finding an ideal mate. But he didn’t care about that, he just cared that it was Penny.

Sheldon licked Penny’s thigh first, still just tasted like skin and salt, though the smell of her arousal made the experience agreeable. Next he focused on Penny’s vagina, she obviously shaved, the small triangle of pubic hair was there for aesthetic reasons and Sheldon had to agree with her that it was a sound choice. His mind quickly conjures a now familiar graph formula and Sheldon wonders how challenging it would be to transform that triangle into a heart. Shaking his head Sheldon goes back to his initial query.

What does Penny in a state of arousal taste like?

A fortifying breath and he is licking her nether lips, just twice. He can hear Penny gasp and giggle. Her hands are now on either side of his face and she looks…worried?, anxious?

“Well?” Penny asks and her eyebrows go up in question.

“Well what?” He can’t understand the question.

“...” Penny glares at him but the blush on her face makes the image arousing rather than fearsome. “Well, did you like it?” She finally says, her tone is one of nervousness.

“Oh!” Sheldon takes a moment to think about his answer. Penny’s vagina tasted like skin and salt and her arousal added a slight tangy or acidic taste. Not unpleasant at all. He wouldn’t mind tasting her again. “I believe that I enjoyed it.”

Penny smiled like the sun. 'Dear lord, she’s turning me into a poet.’ Sheldon really liked that smile on her face. Still, no poetry.

Penny had worried that Sheldon would taste her and run to the bathroom screaming about germs. But her Moonpie kept surprising her time after time.

“My turn Honey.” Penny had been able to recover and now was ready to keep going.

“Your turn? For what?” Sheldon truly looked confused.

“My turn to touch you.” Before Sheldon can refuse she maneuvers him into his spot and she’s halfway unbuckling his belt when his hands stop her.

“Penny.” Sheldon looks anxious “I have never done this” His arms cross over his chest and for some reason Penny has the strong mental image of herself as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sheldon as Maid Marian from that scene in ‘Men in Tights’ with the chastity belt, and she wants to laugh low and dirty but fights the urge because Sheldon is still looking scared. ‘But put a pin on that Penny, costumes and role-play.’

“Hey Honey, it’s fine.” She continues to work on his belt and this time Sheldon doesn’t stop her. “It’ll be fine, I just want to feel you in the same way.”

“But Penny, I-Oh dear lord!” Sheldon throws his head back against the couch at the feeling of her hand on his dick.

Sheldon hadn’t been shy about admitting that he had never experienced sex before, apparently there was a girl back in Texas that stole a kiss but nothing further than that.

Penny wants to take her time with Sheldon but she knows that he might not last long. She’s not pumping him, she’s just caressing his length slowly before getting as close as she can to his ear to whisper “May I taste you Sheldon?”

Sheldon finally opens his eyes in shock, his mouth is moving but no sounds are coming from it. He looks overwhelmed by the entire experience but her Moonpie doesn’t disappoint, after only a moment he simply says “Please.” It’s low and soft and it makes Penny tingle in pleasure.

Sheldon was hers.

Penny doesn’t waste any time and places herself between his knees. This is no time for teasing or slowness. She takes him into her mouth, it doesn’t take long for Sheldon to grab her head and exclaim “Penny, I-” but it only makes Penny move faster, and it doesn’t take long for Sheldon to explode in her mouth.

‘One step at a time Penny.’ She repeated in her head, but she no longer feared that Sheldon wasn’t interested in sex. Oh no, this train was moving.

Sheldon couldn’t believe what just happened.

He had seen photos and videos about fellatio before. He had visited blogs about sex and found people praising fellatio as their favorite bedroom activity.

He now understood why.

Penny was still sucking on his member and she didn’t stop until Sheldon had softened somewhat, she looked up at him and smiled. Sheldon branded that smile into his memory as ‘Penny’s naughty smile’. He wanted to see it again.

“I love you.”

Sheldon was startled by the words. He hadn’t meant to say them.

“I love you.”

Penny was in the middle of swallowing when Sheldon shocked her again. She thankfully didn’t choke. Penny couldn’t help but laugh a little and had to stop herself from a full blown guffaw at seeing Sheldon’s pleased expression.

It was the first time she had seen him so relaxed.

Before he looked panicked at his words, at least there was no twitching on his face. She knew he meant it.

Straddling him on the couch she kissed him on the jaw.

“I love you too Honey.” It was as simple as that.

“Oh. Good.”

Penny finally laughed at that.

Chapter Text

Penny woke up early, not for a good reason, no, she had to pee. And she hated it, it was getting colder during the mornings and she would have to leave the warmth of the bed and of Sheldon below her.

Ever since that Friday night a month ago they had made it a habit for Penny to spend the night in Sheldon’s bed during the weekends. Because Penny loved Sheldon but being woken up at 5 AM was not fun.

That’s why having to get up at…she looks at Sheldon’s alarm clock, 4:43 AM. ‘Oh Man.’ Penny groans into the pajama clad chest she’s using as a pillow. She hates waking up early, she had to do it for the farm and she wasn’t a fan then either.

Penny tries to get up but Sheldon’s hand on her ass tightens for a moment before relaxing and she stays a little bit longer, enjoying the warmth and his scent. Sheldon used the same fabric softener that his mom used to buy, which apparently he had a hard time finding in California. It wasn’t until he visited a Mexican bodega that he found it again and has been purchasing in bulk ever since. It was called Suavitel and apparently it was a Mexican brand. He liked the soft scent and that it didn’t irritate his skin. Penny had switched from Downy to his fabric softener and she had told Sheldon it was just to make things easier during laundry but the truth was, that it made her think of him whenever she got a whiff of the scent throughout her day.

The pressure in her bladder stops her train of thought and Penny finally gives in and quickly moves to the bathroom. She does her business quickly and washes her hands which only makes her feel colder.

The apartment is silent and Penny is hit with a sudden wave of…Nostalgia? No. Longing, yeah, that sounds right. It’s almost November and her life has been great and so different from where she was 2 years ago, she’s scared that this whole thing is a dream.

Diving back into Sheldon’s bed and feeling his chest and breathing breaks her away from that line of thought.

This is real.

Sheldon starts making plans for their trip to Texas. They will leave on the 17th once all her finals are done and this time they’ll stay until January 4th and this time the bedroom arrangements are different.

“What do you mean we’re staying with Meemaw?”

“Apparently Missy met a young man that she wishes to introduce to the family.” Sheldon looks far too calm. “For that reason she will use my room and her-I suppose we should call him ‘boyfriend’-her boyfriend will stay in her room. Mother doesn’t trust Missy.”

“And you’re okay with that Honey? I know you don’t like people being in your room.”

“Yes, as I mentioned before, that room in Galveston was never really ‘my’ room” He did the air quotes. “There are no valuables there for me to worry about.” Sheldon pauses thoughtfully for a moment. “And I would be lying if I said I don’t want to spend more time with my Meemaw.”

“Awww Honey. That’s cute.” Penny goes up to hug him. “Are we getting rooms across from each other?”

Sheldon has been getting better at hugging and Penny enjoys it immensely.

“No. Meemaw only has 1 guest room.” Penny freezes, he wouldn’t.

“Honey?”

“Yes?”

“Does Meemaw know that we’re living together?”

“Yes, I’ve informed her.” One down.

“How about Missy?”

“I have mentioned it during our calls.” Two down.

“And your mother?” Penny holds her breath.

“I am unaware. I suppose Meemaw or Missy could have told her.”

Penny exhales loudly.

“Penny? While I usually enjoy your hugs, the current pressure you’re applying is slightly uncomfortable.”

“...”

“Penny?” He squeaks.

“I think I need to show you what Junior Rodeo is, Moonpie.”

Finals suck ass. That is all.

Flying alongside Sheldon was a new experience for Penny. He didn’t make things easy and Penny was about to snap at him because he had been adapting to change so well, she wasn’t sure where this extra-neurotic Sheldon was coming from. He only acted like this when…

Oh, Sheldon was scared.

Seeing things from that perspective made it easier for her to deal with his requests. Holding his hand during the flight is not a chore and it makes him able to even nap for a bit. And before long they’re landing in Texas.

Sheldon called a rental service ahead of time so they take an overpriced taxi to the car rental place and 30 mins later they’re driving away. Sheldon had just obtained his full fledged driver’s license so he’s the one that’s driving them.

They get a Nissan Pathfinder so while not a full truck they still fit in with the rest of the cars on the road. Penny thought that Sheldon would pick a Sedan but when she asked for the reason behind his choice he had simply said “It’s Texas. Trucks are non-negotiable.” And if that made sense to him, then it made sense for her.

The drive itself is calm, Penny is tired from having to wake up so early for their flight but Sheldon could not be moved. Not even a very enthusiastic blowjob had made him change his mind so Penny had to wake up at 4 AM to go to the airport.

Seeing the landscape passing by Penny relaxed into the seat, it would take another 30 minutes before they were even close to Galveston. She took the time to enjoy the Texas view as well as seeing Sheldon driving, the sight of seeing him be so confident now behind the wheel made her want to finally take that final step with him.

They still haven’t had sex. For now they were having fun with touching and using their mouths on each other, those weekends when she stayed in his room were her favorite. They would not fool around right away because Sheldon needed to take a shower first, but he didn’t mind if she joined him during his shower, which made it so Penny was much less frustrated during the exam season.

Kelly had also become a great friend, they had lunch together most days and she had even met Fred, her boyfriend, once. He was a tall and lanky redhead that reminded Penny of Conan O’Brien. He was head over heels in love with Kelly and yeah, they were pretty cute.

She had also stayed in touch with Tamika, unfortunately not as often as she would have liked but they still emailed each other weekly. Apparently Kurt had been allowed to return last fall with his credits still counting and hearing that made Penny glad she was not there, she would have decked the SOB.

Next thing she knows Sheldon is shaking her awake.

“Penny. We’ve arrived.”

Penny squints and looks around her, Sheldon had parked on the street and not in the driveway. The park in front of Meemaw’s house had children playing.

“Thank you Honey.” A yawn escapes her. “Let’s go say hi to your mom first.”

Sheldon simply nods and yawns as well. Flying coach tired even the great Sheldon Cooper.

Penny gets out of the truck and checks that the keys haven’t been left in the ignition, Sheldon hadn’t quite mastered not to do that. Sheldon notices and simply shows her the keys before slipping them in his jacket. She simply smiles at him.

Penny takes a hold of his arm and they walk to Mrs. Cooper house.

“Do you think your mom has cereal? I could go for something to eat.”

“If I know my mother, she must have a full lunch ready for us.”

“Nice.” Penny says and because she feels like it and she can, she nuzzles into his side. Sheldon never responds, but she looks up at him and sees the full smile on his face, his baby koalas smile.

Sheldon tries the front door but it’s locked, before Sheldon can start his knocking routine Penny simply rings the bell.

A moment passes and then Missy is opening the door. She looks amazing and Penny feels that she somehow got taller and more statuesque. Penny hates Missy for a moment before launching herself at the Amazonian and hugging the stuffing out of her.

“Hi Missy, I missed you.” She says into Missy’s dress.

“Hi Penny, darlin’, I missed you as well.” Penny can hear the smile in Missy’s voice and it makes her smile as well.

“Hello Missy.” Sheldon’s tone is dry but Penny can hear the affection he tries to hide from everyone else.

“Hiya Shelly.” Sheldon’s eyebrow twitches and Penny grabs a hold of him before he can start ranting about grammar.

“C’mon Moonpie, you promised me lunch.” She drags him into the kitchen and sure enough, Mrs. Cooper is cooking up a storm.

“Penny, darlin’,” She gives Penny a quick but fierce hug and moves to Sheldon to do the same “Good to see you both.” She goes back to the stove.

“Smells wonderful Mrs. Copper.” Penny grabs a cup and moves towards the coffee pot.

“None of that Mrs. Cooper. You can call me Mary darlin’.” Penny smiles at Mrs. Cooper but doesn’t reply, it feels daunting to just call her Mary.

“Mother, where is Meemaw?” Sheldon always has his priorities straight.

“She’s smoking in the yard. Go fetch her Shelly, now that you’re here we’ll have lunch.”

Sheldon moves to the backyard in search of his beloved grandmother. It gives Penny time to gossip with Missy, who also has her own cup of coffee.

“Sheldon told me you’re bringing a ‘young man’ to introduce to the family.” Penny takes a sip of her cup and forces herself to be patient waiting for the food.

Mrs. Cooper snorts in a very unladylike manner but doesn’t actually say anything.

Missy sighs and Penny immediately knows that this young man has been a topic of conversation around this table.

“Yes, yes, yes.” It’s uncanny how very Sheldon-like Missy can sound. “We know momma, you don’t approve.”

“I haven’t said nothin’ “ Mrs. Cooper can act coy.

“Anyway, yes Penny. He’s coming in on the 21st and staying until the 26th.” Missy looks excited despite Mrs. Cooper disapproval.

Mrs. Cooper has her back to them so Penny tries to whisper “Why doesn’t your mom approve?” She hopes it low enough.

“Momma is upset because Jonah is a Catholic.” Missy answers in a low voice as well.

“I’m not upset.” Mrs. Cooper claims as she beats the heck out of the eggs in the pan. “I’m simply worried about the poor boy’s soul.”

Missy rolls her eyes and Penny decides to stay out of it. No need to let Mrs. Cooper know that Penny’s last visit to church was…huh, well, it was a while ago.

Sheldon finally returns with Meemaw and Penny gives the older woman a huge hug which is reciprocated with as much force.

Breakfast is amazing. Mrs. Cooper can cook, but Penny will need to work out a little extra after she goes back home.

Everyone is at the table and Penny hates to do this but better sooner than later. She grabs Sheldon’s hand under the table and points with her head to his mother. Sheldon simply looks back confused.

She mouths ‘Tell her’ but Sheldon still looks confused and she’s about to try again when the silence around the table brings her up short. She can already feel something settling in her stomach and it’s not the eggs.

Missy and Meemaw are smirking but Mrs. Cooper is pale as a ghost. The feeling gets worse. ‘Oh no.’

“Mother. I have something important to tell you.” Because life is never fair, it seems that Sheldon finally got it, but Penny still has a bad feeling about this whole situation.

Mrs. Cooper pales even further “Oh Snickerdoodle. You’re going to be a daddy.” She somehow manages to sound both distressed and delighted at the same time.

Ofuckingcourse.

“WHAT?!” Missy and Meemaw are freaking out. Penny turns to look at Sheldon and he just looks confused by the whole thing but he also doesn’t look like he’s about to correct his mother.

“NO! People, I’m not pregnant!” Penny stands up and makes sure her voice is clear. “No Mini-Coopers here. Stop freaking out.” Penny is freaking out because this entire thing derailed super quickly.

“Aw” Strangely enough the one to voice her disappointment so clearly is Mrs. Cooper herself and Penny just presses the bridge of her nose. ‘This is your new family Penny.’

“Moonpie, don’t let go of this one. I really like her.” Meemaw is already laughing about the entire thing.

“Don’t worry Meemaw, I don’t intend to.” Okay, that was super sweet but not the right time for it. “No, mother, I was not announcing Penny’s pregnancy.” Sheldon is back on topic. “I simply wanted to inform you that Penny has transferred to UCLA and is currently living with me.”

“Oh. Your Meemaw had already told me that.” Mrs. Cooper looks nonplussed by what Penny had assumed would be a bombshell.

“Yeah Moonpie, your mother knew right away, I knew she would need time to adapt to the idea.”

The look Sheldon gave her made Penny understand that Sheldon understood the concept of ‘I told you so’.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go unpack Moonpie, we need a nap.” Penny says it without thinking and cringes before looking back at Mrs. Cooper but the woman is doing her best to pretend she didn’t hear it.

Whatever worked for her, worked for Penny as well.

Leading Sheldon by the hand they went back to the truck for their stuff.

Chapter Text

Penny was walking towards their truck still holding onto Sheldon’s arm but this time she was pinching his ribs.

“You little shit. You knew your Meemaw would tell your mom.”

“Penny! I bruise easily, stop it.” Sheldon tried to evade her but Penny was undeterred.

“It was so embarrassing Sheldon.” Penny stopped messing with him and buried herself in his jacket “I was so scared that your mom would hate me.” Her voice is muffled but he has Vulcan hearing.

“That’s ridiculous Penny! My mother appreciates your presence and she would not have invited you here if she hated you.”

“No Moonpie, I know your mom likes me…but, you know, things are different now. We’re in a relationship and living together and your mom, well, she can be a little intense with the church stuff.”

“I’d say. Were you aware that after the entire town found out about my father cheating on her she still went to church that next Sunday? She had to endure the stares of all those people.”

Penny hears something in his voice and turns away from the comfort of his jacket to look up at him. “Is that why you moved your mom back to Galveston?”

Sheldon frowns and his mouth twitches a little but he sighs and nods. “Otherwise she would have stayed there suffering the same thing over and over.”

“Aw Moonpie, that’s cute.” Penny hides her face again in his jacket, Meemaw was right, he had a huge heart. People just failed to see it.

“Penny. The children are watching.”

Penny turned to look at him again and noticed that he was looking across the street. Sure enough, a group of 5 boys and 1 girl were watching them intently from the park. None of them must have been older than ten.

“Kiss already!” One of the boys shouted. “With tongue!” The only girl added after a moment.

“Yikes. Let’s go take that nap Moonpie.” Penny dragged Sheldon back to the truck as the children groaned and booed. They scattered back to keep playing.

“Penny, should I bring this bag inside as well or do you prefer we keep it in the truck?” Sheldon hefted a large bag that contained all the presents she got for Sheldon’s family.

“Oh! Let’s bring it inside, the last thing we need is for someone to take it.”

Meemaw's house was comfy and smelled like cigarette smoke. Sheldon, her wonderful boyfriend that complained about cigarette smell at every restaurant they went to, said nothing.

The guest room was plenty big, Penny had been worried that the bed would be a single but it was a Queen. She loved spending the night with Sheldon but almost three weeks sleeping in a single, sounded like a bad idea all around.

“C’mon Sheldon, I’m tired.” Penny removes her shoes and lies on top of the bed, motions for Sheldon to join her, the yawn it's unintended but it highlights how tired she is.

“Just a moment Penny.” Sheldon is fiddling with the alarm clock next to the bed but after a moment he also removes his shoes and lies next to her.

Penny is tired but she’s also a cuddler so she drags her sleepy ass over to Sheldon and uses the crook of his arm to settle in for a nap. They didn’t even remove their jackets but she’s comfortable and doesn’t want to move anymore.

“G’night Moonpie.” Another yawn almost interrupts her.

“Goodnight Penny.” Sheldon’s arm goes around her side and Penny knows nothing more.

The alarm clock is hell and wakes them up. Penny is now on her own side of the bed and she can feel sweat cover her sides, sleeping with a jacket on wasn’t her greatest idea but she had been dead tired.

Opening one eye she looks at the alarm clock and it’s a little past five in the afternoon.

Sheldon looks like she feels but he’s getting up from the bed without complaining and looks down at her. Penny raises her arms and opens and closes her hands in her best ‘I’m baby, pick me up’ impression. Sheldon laughs his breathy little laugh and helps her up.

“Ugh, I’m still tired.”

“I must agree with that sentiment.”

“Early dinner and we go to bed?”

“Agreed.”

They move downstairs and Meemaw is watching the TV, horse racing of all things.

“Hiya Moonpie, Girlie.” At least she’s not smoking.

“Hi Meemaw.” Penny takes a seat next to her on the couch and like it’s the most natural thing in the world, Meemaw opens her arm and Penny leans against her side and closes her eyes. It felt good.

“Shelly, your mom has a church thing tonight and she’s taking Missy with her. So it’s just us for dinner.”

Sheldon nods and takes a seat next to Penny. “We were discussing having an early dinner. Penny and I are still quite tired.”

“Sounds like a plan Moonpie.”

Penny has to get up from her comfy position because she was about to doze off, rubbing her eyes and yawning makes Meemaw chuckle for some reason.

“Alright kiddos, my treat. Ya drive and I pay for dinner.”

“Meemaw, we couldn’t-” Meemaw is having none of it.

“Moonpie, are ya sassing me?” Sheldon is most likely missing the teasing in her voice.

“No Meemaw.”

“C’mon, let's go. Penny darlin’ what are ya in the mood for?” Meemaw slaps Penny’s knee lightly.

Penny hums thinking it over “Seafood any good?” She could go for some crab cakes.

“Ohhhh nice choice Girlie, there’s this place that has a great Po’boy and Beignets.” Meemaw is already moving to the door only to double back to get her purse.

Penny laughs a little, Meemaw has more energy than Sheldon and Penny together. She takes hold of Sheldon’s arm and starts following Meemaw. “C’mon Moonpie, let’s go. I’m already hungry again.”

“Penny, what if the restaurant is dirty?” Some anxiety in his voice.

“I’ll scope the place first, excuse myself to go to the restroom and peek in the kitchen, make sure they have their cleaning schedule posted and everything. Meanwhile you check the table, cutlery and all that jazz” Penny pats his arm.

Sheldon could be a little particular about where to eat. He would usually visit a place first take a look at how clean it was before deciding to stay to eat or bailing out. But he trusted Penny, she worked as a waitress enough to spot how truly clean a place was and yeah, ever since meeting Sheldon she was definitely more careful about where she ate. Except McDonald’s, you can pry the breakfast burrito out of her dead, cold hands before she stops visiting.

“Thank you penny. That would be acceptable.” Sheldon smiles at her and a little flutter of something in her stomach makes her go up to kiss him. She’s scared that he won’t kiss her back since they haven’t brushed their teeth but Sheldon simply kisses her back, it’s chaste and quick. Penny is smiling at him as they separate.

“But you’re driving.”

Sheldon groans “If I must.”

Meemaw is already waiting for them near the truck, and throws the house keys at Penny. “Lock the door Girlie please.” Penny makes sure the house is locked and returns the keys to Meemaw. “Thank ya Girlie. Now let’s go People!”

Meemaw jumps into the passenger seat of the truck. Penny climbs into the back and Sheldon is the last one to get in.

“Now Girlie, I’ll give ya the directions, it’s pretty close by.” Meemaw is looking for something in her purse, it’s starting to get dark out so she’s having issues. “For now, just back out and drive to the right, just around the corner, we’re going straight into 19th street until ya hit the beach and then another right and ya can’t miss it.”

Sheldon starts driving following Meemaw’s directions. All of that time practicing worked wonders, while still a little paranoid on the road, Sheldon was a perfectly normal-speed driver.

“Where did I leave that gosh damn lip balm.” Meemaw still had no luck with her purse.

“Here Meemaw.” Penny extended her hand.

“Thank ya darli-” Meemaw froze while handing Penny the purse. Her eyes were locked on Penny sitting in the back.

“Meemaw?” Penny didn’t want to freak out but the older woman was not moving.

“Girlie.” Meemaw’s voice was a harsh whisper. “Whose driving?”

“Umm Sheldon?” Penny didn’t see the reason for Meemaw’s sudden attitude. “Are you okay Meemaw?”

“Moonpie?”

“Yes Meemaw?” Sheldon was none the wiser about the freak out happening inches away.

“When did ya learn to drive?” Meemaw still looked anxious but she was trying to keep it cool.

“When Penny moved in. Due to our conflicting schedules, it would have been impossible for her to drive me around.”

“Improbable.” Penny mutters and she just knows that Sheldon wants to turn and give her a look but he won’t take his eyes off the road.

Sheldon keeps going “Because of that, Penny took it upon herself to teach me and allowed me to practice under her supervision. Penny is a very effective teacher, Meemaw.”

“Is she now?” Meemaw is no longer freaking out, instead looks pensive.

In the time it took for Sheldon to explain his new abilities, Penny was able to locate the lip balm and she handed it over to Meemaw alongside her purse.

“Penny.” So far Meemaw had only used ‘Girlie’ to refer to her, and Penny liked it. Meemaw was the grandma she never had. So this sudden serious tone and Meemaw using her name makes Penny nervous.

“Yes Meemaw?”

Meemaw turns in her seat and holds Penny’s hand tightly, looks her in the eye and even in the darkened interior Penny can see her eyes are bright. “Ya take care of him, ya hear me?”

There’s an intensity in her voice that scares Penny. Not scared because she basically just gave them her blessing, but because it sounds like a goodbye and yeah Penny is reading too much into it but her throat closes and her eyes sting. Penny doesn’t want to lose Meemaw.

Penny can only nod and give her a watery smile. Meemaw returns her smile and turns back to look at Sheldon again. She’s looking at him differently, she looks proud but also…content, like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

“I’m proud of ya Moonpie.”

“Thank you Meemaw.” Sheldon is unsure of why he was suddenly praised but he still smiles happily.

The Diner is all functional, not one of those fancy restaurants. For some reason the sign at the front says ‘Welcome Jeep People’.

Thankfully the place is clean and even Sheldon approves of the cutlery.

Meemaw seems to be a regular here, or at least she seems to know all the waitresses and the guy behind the bar.

The shrimp Po’boy is amazing as promised, Sheldon’s shrimp and grits also get praise and Meemaw devours her Gumbo.

Dinner goes by quickly and soon they’re back at Meemaw’s.

“Go to bed, kids. It’s too early for me but y'all been traveling and need the extra shut eye.”

They say goodnight and move upstairs. While Sheldon is using the bathroom for his night routine, shower included, Penny grabs the bags containing gifts and moves them to the closet.

A fantastic pair of Jimmy Choo Heels that the boutique had and that thanks to her employee discount she was able to afford. For Missy.

Mrs. Cooper will get a pretty cute but conservative sweater in a wonderful pastel blue. Penny didn’t want to risk getting her something she would never wear.

Meemaw was a bit harder to shop for. Sheldon hadn’t been too helpful either, according to him the perfect gift would have been a box of bird shot. Instead she got Meemaw a charm bracelet, it had stars with blue and green details. Penny knew it was childish and she might not like it but it just felt right for some reason.

The Final Boss. Moonpie PhD. Penny got stumped for a long while, basically because Sheldon bought himself anything he truly wanted. She had wanted to buy him a camera and boom, he arrived one day with his new Canon EOS 1Ds. After researching what board games he enjoyed she was going to order the English version of ‘Prophecy’ only to find out he had pre-ordered it months ago. Sheldon buys video games on Day 1. He doesn’t use jewelry or accessories. So she did the only thing that was available to her. Ask for a favor.

Kelly once during lunch had said ‘Leonard Nimoy often goes to the bar where Fred works at.’ For her it had been an offhand comment. Just a fun piece of trivia that no one would think about twice. For Penny it was salvation. It had taken her to agree to introduce Fred to Sheldon but after all was said and done she had a professionally framed A4 piece of paper with ‘Live long and prosper my friend. To Sheldon Cooper from Leonard Nimoy. Ps. You have a great girlfriend.’

She was sure that Sheldon was going to love it.

As for Missy’s catholic boy, well he wasn’t in the plans but still, Penny would go to Walmart or Target and get him a novelty pair of socks or something.

Sheldon returns to the room and Penny quickly moves to do her own nightly routine. She debates on not showering but in the end she decides to go for it.

The queen bed feels amazing, her last thought before drifting off to sleep in Sheldon’s arms is that they need to buy one for their apartment.

Chapter Text

Waking up that first morning in Meemaw’s guest room is heaven. Texas never really gets cold, at least not like Nebraska, but the morning is a bit chilly.

Sheldon is still in bed with her and despite the larger bed she woke up on top of him like back in Pasadena. Squinting her eyes at the alarm clock reveals that it’s only 5:55 AM and she lets her head drop back on Sheldon’s chest.

“I know you’re awake Moonpie.” Penny mumbles into Sheldon’s pajamas.

“Go back to sleep Penny. The alarm won’t sound.” Sheldon sounds properly awake.

“Nah. Not sleepy anymore. But we don’t really have plans either.”

Sheldon hums in thought. “We could always go visit the Railroad Museum.” He almost manages the casual tone.

“Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice your mom’s house just happens to be really close to that particular museum.” She had looked into the stuff to do in Galveston and the first thing to pop up was that little fact.

“Just a coincidence. I assure you.” Penny doesn’t even need to look up at him to know his face is twitching.

“Uh huh, right, just a coincidence.” She finally looks up at him and rests her chin on his chest. “How about the Moody Mansion? I heard it’s a must.”

“Oh! I had wanted to go there.”

They make plans in bed as the sun rises higher, neither is in a rush to move.

They talk about their plans, about what his mom will cook for Christmas dinner, Missy and her boyfriend and if Georgie, Mandy and Ceecee will come for Christmas.

“Oh crap! I forgot to buy something for Ceecee.” Penny moans.

“Penny. Ceecee will turn twelve soon. I believe she has outgrown Santa Claus.” Sheldon never failed to be a Grinch.

“Nah Moonpie. We gotta make a mall run to find something for her.” Penny bites her lip in thought. “She was really into videogames last time we saw her, right?”

“You are correct. She had a Pink Game Boy Color and was playing Pokemon Gold. She also requested your assistance with a boss battle in her The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening playthrough. Which you were able to help her clear thanks to my assistance.”

“There’s a new version of the Game Boy right?”

“Yes. The Game Boy Advance.”

Penny bit her lip in thought. “Do you think your brother would be mad if we got her that for Christmas?”

“I…am unsure.” Sheldon says slowly and it’s only when his brother comes up that he acts like this.

“Hey Moonpie, what happened with your brother? Why do you two walk on eggshells around each other?”

“I don’t know.” His face is clear of twitching so he’s being truthful. “After our father died, he changed.”

“Did you two have a fight?” Penny could see that this topic ate at Sheldon, not only because it was something he didn’t understand but also because as much as he griped about his family, Sheldon loved all of them.

“Our last conversation was terse but not confrontational.”

“Huh, what did you talk about?”

“Georgie asked that before Mother could move to Galveston that her mortgage should be paid first. I agreed to it but that only seemed to upset Georgie more.”

“Wait, I feel that I’m missing a lot of context here.” Penny was trying to wrap her head around this issue, she was sure that Sheldon had missed something. “You paid for the mortgage in full?” A nod from Sheldon. “Who was making the payments before that?”

“My father was.”

“Umm okay Moonpie, help me with the math here. Your dad passed away when you were thirteen right?” She waits for him to nod. “And you moved your mom here when you were fifteen or sixteen.”

“Fifteen. Correct.”

“So that means that for two years no one was making payments?”

Sheldon blinks in surprise and looks pensive.

“That is not possible, the house would have been seized by the bank…unless Georgie was making the payments.”

“Were you making money at the age of thirteen?”

“No. Yes. I had earned some awards but I always allowed my parents to manage it. It wasn’t until the age of fifteen that I truly was able to make my own financial decisions.”

Penny was taking a shot in the dark.

“Maybe Georgie feels that his efforts in making sure your mom kept the house were not appreciated?”

“I…” It was rare that Sheldon was left speechless, but Penny was not going to intrude in this realization. “I assumed that Meemaw had taken care of the mortgage but, this conversation has brought new information that I believe would make the action of buying Mother a house seem unappreciative of Georgie’s effort to not lose our childhood home.”

“And I know you’re special Honey, but still, it must have been frustrating to see his younger brother pay a mortgage and then go buy a house.” Penny’s voice is soft. Sheldon can be frustrating, he does things without looking at the people around him. And that worked perfectly for him in his job, but in his personal life, it left something to be desired. Penny was used to it and she had her Sheldon translator on all the time so it was easy to understand why he did something, but she also had to put her foot down and tell Sheldon outright why something was not a good idea or even veto some of his plans. Like leashing himself to bus seats.

But Sheldon was more than capable of understanding other people, you just had to guide him a little.

“I believe that I need to speak with Georgie.”

They go to his mother’s house for breakfast and it’s another amazing meal. Mrs Cooper made some mean pancakes.

After breakfast Penny goes with Sheldon to the backyard, they sit on his mom’s porch swing and Sheldon calls his brother.

It’s slow going, both Sheldon and Georgie are stubborn. It takes them a while to actually start talking about important stuff, Penny lies down and uses Sheldon’s leg as a pillow. His accent grows stronger when he’s stressed and that call is all Texas.

They manage to clear the air somewhat, it’s clear that they will never be the best of friends but maybe they can start being brothers again. Sheldon looks tired but happy after the call ends.

“Georgie says it’s fine if we buy Ceecee the Game Boy Advance, but it must be clear that it’s from the both of us and that it counts as two gifts. We can get her one game as well, but only one game.”

“You did good Moonpie.” She smiles up at him still laying in his lap and he smiles back at her.

Sheldon is not perfect, but he’s pretty damn great.

Turns out that Meemaw also needs to go to the mall and then Missy also tags along.

Penny wanted to make this into a sort of date but Meemaw and Missy are too much fun and she wishes she could have had this type of relationship with her own sister and mom.

“Missy, you take Penny and go buy that boy of yours something that he’ll actually wear.” Penny had voiced her plan of buying Jonah some funny socks and Missy was all for it. “Moonpie and I will go buy that darn Gamesomething and we’ll meet you in front of the Jamba Juice.”

Sheldon’s face is twitching a little but before Penny can question him Missy is pulling her towards the clothing stores.

They still end up buying Jonah a pair of socks, they’re really cute, mostly black with white stars all over it and some yellow sparkles but what made Penny get them is the white and red spaceships that travel around the socks. She does get him a pretty decent sweater that is approved by Missy. The store does gift wrapping so she makes sure the card says it’s from both her and Sheldon.

By the time they get to the Jamba Juice both Meemaw and Sheldon each have a cup in their hands. Sheldon is holding a bag and she looks in to make sure but all she sees is the gift wrapped box, at least the card does say that it’s from the both of them.

“The closest color to pink was fuchsia so I bought that one. I also bought her the new Pokemon game.” His face twitches “And a new RPG game that has been receiving a lot of praise, it’s called Golden Sun and-” Penny simply shakes her head and goes to order a smoothie.

Penny loves the Moody Mansion, especially because she has her own tour guide in Sheldon. Sadly they still have time to visit the Railroad museum…no man should look that excited at the idea of trains.

Jonah appears and Penny is not sure what she was expecting but the short (he’s the same height as Penny) man is not it. He’s handsome and seems to always have a smile plastered on his face and even Sheldon can’t help but like the guy.

Jonah is studying to become a pediatrician and he’s so in love with Missy. He also has the heaviest Boston accent she’s ever heard.

Penny can see Mrs Cooper doing her best to dislike Jonah but even she ends up throwing the towel and by the end of dinner Mrs Cooper has extended him an invitation for next Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That same night, Penny can’t sleep. Being surrounded by all of these people that became her family makes her think of her family back in Nebraska. She goes to the backyard.

Just like last year there’s someone already there but this time is Mrs Cooper.

“Penny, darlin’. Come, come.” Mrs Cooper pats the space next to her in the porch swing. She’s smoking and the floor at her feet is littered with cigarette butts. Mrs Cooper takes a drag of her lit cigarette as Penny takes a seat. “Don’t tell my children about this. It’s my one cigarette a year.” Penny doesn’t refute it.

“I couldn’t sleep. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Nonsense darlin’, you’re family.” Mrs Cooper covers Penny’s legs with half the blanket she was using.

“You know…” Penny hesitates for a moment, decides to push through. “I’m really thankful for your son. I really don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for him.” She plays with the blanket, Mrs Cooper has been the only one that Penny has felt some sort of barrier with and she knows it might be just in her head.

“The Lord works in wonderful ways.” Mrs Cooper is smiling kindly. “I love my Snickerdoodle but I have to admit that, well, I was afraid he would be alone.” It looks like she wants to say more but settles for “I’m glad he found you.”

“Me too.” The silence is comfortable, the distant waves are a welcome sound. “Umm, I don’t know when or how. But I am certain that your boy and I are getting married.” Penny turns to look straight at Mrs Cooper. She is as certain of this as she is of the sun coming out tomorrow.

Mrs Cooper takes another long drag and nods slowly “I figured that was the case.” A long pause “My Shelly was always special. But that also made him lonely, we loved him but couldn’t understand him.” another drag “He was always able to pick up things quickly. He plays piano, you know?”

Penny had seen the Yamaha keyboard in the apartment but had never seen Sheldon play it.

“He stopped playing when the woman teaching him called him a robot. ‘All technique and no feeling.’” Mrs Cooper laughs but not in amusement. “Should have decked the bitch.” Throws the cigarette butt to the floor and lights a new one. “May she rest in peace.”

“Most people will never know how big of heart he really has.” Penny had already made peace with this fact. More Sheldon for her.

Mrs Cooper nods “You take care of each other now. Don’t let anyone get between you.”

“Promise.”

“This is your home now as well you hear me?”

Penny doesn’t respond but she lets her head rest on Mrs Cooper's shoulder.

Texas was home.

Chapter Text

The days leading up to Christmas are calm. Penny doesn’t want to think about school, because while it was true that it was no longer a pain point for her, it didn’t mean that she had to focus only on it.

Shopping with Missy, Mrs Cooper teaching her to cook and Meemaw’s baking lessons fill her days and she knows it’s useless to think about what ifs, but Sheldon introduced her to the subject of alternate universes. Ever since she’s wondered if there’s another world where she doesn’t meet Sheldon, she hopes that world doesn’t exist.

Penny helps a little with Christmas dinner and by that she means that she’s staying with Sheldon in Meemaw’s house watching movies.

Mrs Cooper is a woman on a mission while cooking and you don’t want to get in her way. Missy is out with Jonah and they’ll be back in time for dinner…after the church service. Jonah is not the religious type but he knows his presence will cause more issues.

Penny and Sheldon will also not go to church and Penny is glad that Mrs Cooper isn’t pushing them. Church doesn’t hold a special place in her heart and she’s more than happy to skip it. Meemaw will go though, so they only have one mission while everyone else is out of the house.

Keep an eye on the turkey and baste it.

“Remember darlin’ every 30 minutes.”

“Got it.” It was the 6th time she reminded them.

“Now, we’ll be back at nine at the latest.”

“Yes mother.” Even Sheldon was annoyed by this point.

“Mary, leave the kids alone and move! You know I want to sit upfront.”

“Mom! That pastor is married and-”

Their voices fade as they leave the house and Penny has to chuckle, Meemaw liked going to church since ‘Reverend Yummy Pants’ as she called him, became the pastor of their church.

“Is your Meemaw going to be like this when we help her with the brisket?”

Sheldon shakes his head and Penny is relieved “No, she’ll be worse.”

Of course, she should have known.

“Come here Moonpie, I know a way we can spend 30 minutes.” Penny goes up on her toes and kisses Sheldon.

He’s gotten better at this sudden kiss thing. He doesn’t even hesitate before kissing her back. Penny is the one who deepens the kiss. They’ve been on their best behavior while in Texas and have been unable to do anything more than kiss chastely.

It was driving her mad.

She had intended for this to just be a couple of kisses and then they could go watch a movie, but now her hands were in his hair and Sheldon was pushing her hips against him and it was kind of getting out of hand.

Penny tries to stop, she really does, but Sheldon bites her lip and she stops thinking with her brain. Somehow she’s on the kitchen counter right next to the sink and she knows that she should stop this because Sheldon is not saying anything about it.

She doesn’t, she just keeps kissing him.

Penny moans into the kiss when Sheldon’s hand makes its way under her shirt, he’s just touching her back but there’s something great about feeling his hand splay on her back.

‘Ah fuck it.’ Penny knows that they might regret this but she starts working on unbuckling his belt and Sheldon doesn’t protest.

Sheldon’s wristwatch rings an alarm and it makes them stop. Both are panting and neither understands why the alarm sounds, until Penny remembers their one task.

“Fuck, the turkey.”

Penny tries to shake some of the fog in her mind and like a robot she goes through the motions of basting the turkey while ignoring her brain’s comment of ‘If only Sheldon basted you like that.’

She can hear Sheldon moving to the living room and it makes her breathe a sigh of both relief and disappointment. It’s fine, they were getting too into it anyway.

Turkey safely basted, Penny moves to the living room expecting Sheldon to be watching TV but instead he’s just sitting on the couch and watching her. A little shiver goes through her.

‘Well, maybe just a little more.’

“I can’t believe that I messed up.”

“Calm down darlin’ We’ll just go watch it tomorrow, the tickets are for the evening anyway. Plenty of time for gifts and family.”

Missy had been looking forward to the movie. She always liked Leonardo DiCaprio and rumor was that in ‘Catch me if you can’ he did a full front nudity scene. No way she was missing that. And she was fine with waiting a day but Jonah kept beating himself up. Momma would joke that it’s all that Catholic guilt.

Shelly and Penny were in charge of watching the turkey so she knew they were at home.

“We can watch a movie with my brother and Penny.” Missy opens the front door and is frozen in place.

“Missy?” She’s taller than him so she’s covering the view.

“Argh my eyes!!” Missy is being dramatic but she doesn’t care, she just saw her brother's junk and that’s just not alright. “We’re going to Meemaw’s! And fuck’s sake, open a window!” She yells behind her and drags a confused Jonah to Meemaw’s house.

Penny is honestly not sure how it got so out of hand.

One moment she and Sheldon are making out on the couch, the next they’re both shirtless, a kiss and like magic they’re not wearing pants anymore.

She’s straddling him and then Sheldon is holding her by the hips while she guides him inside of her.

It’s frantic and not as romantic as she thought their first time was going to be. Penny still kisses Sheldon and he’s the one that deepens the kiss this time.

He soon finds the right angle that makes her go weak and she tries to move but she’s close so she lets Sheldon take the wheel. His hands feel huge on her hips, like he can cover her without effort.

Penny can’t kiss him anymore, she’s so close. Instead she bites his shoulder, hard. She can’t help it, she’s coming. Sheldon buries his hand in her hair, maybe to pull her off from his shoulder, but his own climax hits and instead he’s pulling her closer, trying to make them one being.

They’re both panting, exhausted and all fucked out.

Of course that’s the moment Missy makes an appearance. Penny can’t help but laugh as Sheldon starts freaking out.

“I don’t want to move but we have to clean.”

“Penny! Missy saw us!” Sheldon was blushing tomato red.

“Yeah, we should have locked the door.” Penny is still resting her forehead on his shoulder.

“What if she tells our Mother?”

“Relax Moonpie. Trust me, she won’t.” Penny was getting sleepy and she was not looking forward to having to put back on her panties before cleaning herself up. But all of her clothes were in Meemaw’s house.

“How do you know?” Sheldon was too wired for someone that had just had sex for the first time.

“I just know. Now, pass me my panties unless you want to explain to your mom why we had to burn her carpet.”

They clean themselves up as best as they can, which is better than nothing. They do open all the windows they can and Penny is able to find a couple of incense sticks that she hopes are enough.

They also baste the turkey again, definitely not within the schedule set by Mrs Cooper but Penny hopes she won’t notice.

They’re two steps into Meemaw’s house when Missy and Jonah start clapping and whistling.

Sheldon is so embarrassed that he doesn’t even argue with Missy about the whistling. Penny walks all the way upstairs with her head held high knowing that she’s blushing just as much as Sheldon.

Penny showers first and changes clothes, maybe Mrs Cooper won’t notice the change. She goes back to Mrs Cooper's kitchen ignoring Missy and Jonah on the way out of Meemaw’s house. Basting the turkey is easy.

Making sure the living room doesn’t smell like sex…it’s a mixed result. Maybe there’s a fan somewhere in here?

Missy comes to the rescue with a bottle of Febreze from somewhere and Penny hopes it’s enough. The windows stay open even though it’s getting chilly.

Mrs Cooper and Meemaw come back from church, neither mention anything. Not even the fact that every single window was open.

Penny is ready to pretend that nothing happened and that they’re getting away with it. The rest have different plans.

“Smells like the back of Pop-Pop’s van in here.” Meemaw is on the verge of cackling and Penny can see her vibrate with all the energy of a toddler in a sugar high.

“Shelly always liked stuffing.” This from Missy accompanied by a horrible eyebrow waggle.

Jonah was acting like a damn kid, every time he glanced at either Sheldon or Penny he would start giggling in what he thought was a discreet manner.

Sheldon has been unable to look at his mother’s face and every time she talks to him he starts twitching something wild.

Penny thinks she’s handling herself very well but the heat in her face tells her otherwise. The dinner is amazing but Penny can hardly taste anything.

But Mrs Cooper doesn’t mention anything and Penny can almost believe that she’s getting away with it. That is until everyone is saying goodnight and Mrs Cooper hugs her and whispers “Babies can wait” And holy shit, that just about kills Penny.

Of course Meemaw can’t let them go to bed without a parting shot “I’m a heavy sleeper, so ya kids feel free to go plum wild.”

Penny has never blushed so much in her life.

It’s not until they’re cuddling in bed that they talk about it.

“We’re just two horny monkeys.” Penny grumbles against Sheldon’s chest.

“As much as I would like to disagree…yes, we are.” Sheldon sounds just as upset as her.

“Never having sex again.” Penny wants to crawl into a hole.

“...I would like to voice my disapproval towards that course of action.”

Penny finally laughs because yeah, she is not stopping either. It had been great and pretty close to mind blowing. ‘Thank God for eidetic memories.”

“Yeah, just kidding.” But Sheldon lets out a sigh of relief.

“Wackadoodle.” Penny can’t help the fondness from bleeding through. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It’s weird how easy the word comes for her. She had been ready to fall in love but she hadn’t said those words to any of her past boyfriends. It just didn’t feel right. Love was something precious.

Penny is really happy to have found it.

Christmas morning goes amazingly well. Georgie is there first thing in the morning to have breakfast with them and also to open gifts.

Missy and Mrs Cooper’s gifts are met with great praise and the hugs Penny receives feel like all the Christmases she never had with them.

She’s handing Meemaw her gift when Penny gets hit with a wave of embarrassment so big that it threatens to swallow her whole. ‘This was dumb, it’s so dumb!’ Penny is already regretting it but Meemaw takes the box from her hand before Penny can snatch it back and make an excuse. Sheldon takes a hold of her, a shy smile is on his face and it takes a moment to realize he’s trying to encourage her, to make her feel better.

She squeezes his hand back and lets herself fall back into the couch, pressing herself tightly against Sheldon’s side. His presence is a soothing balm against her embarrassment.

“Oh Girlie, this is wonderful.” Meemaw’s voice pulls her back into the now. Meemaw is looking at the bracelet and admiring it as if it were something precious.

Penny wants to speak up, to justify herself. She knows it’s a childish gift. But before she can say anything Meemaw is pulling her to her feet and hugging so tightly that Penny can’t do anything but cry, she’s not even sure why she’s crying. But Meemaw is there to hold her while she calms down.

Jonah lightens the mood making a big fuss about the socks and how much he loves them. He also surprises Missy with a beautiful silver cross.

Ceecee can’t wait any longer and asks if she can open her presents now and Mrs Cooper tells her to go ahead. That kid tears through wrapping paper like a racoon and soon has clothes, a new barbie doll, a colored pencil set that makes Penny jealous and finally she opens the Game Boy Advance and immediately goes to give Sheldon and her a huge hug while babbling thank you so fast that it sounds like she’s speaking tongues.

Mrs Cooper’s voice breaks through “All right, all right, let’s go have breakfast.” Everyone moves to go to the kitchen but Sheldon speaks up.

“Mother. I actually have a gift for Penny as well.”

Anyone that knows Sheldon Cooper just had their world destroyed. Which means only Jonah is left wondering why everyone looks so shocked.

Sheldon clears his throat “Penny. Meemaw informed me that people in a relationship give each other gifts to show affection and that it’s not about reciprocity.” He’s nervous. “Here.” From his pocket he produces a small velvet box and the room takes a collective surprised breath.

‘HOLYFUCK!!’ Penny doesn’t want to freak out, but she’s freaking out. She knows that she told his mother that they were getting married but this is too sudden, they haven’t discussed it. ‘HOLYCRAP!’ Penny can see herself marrying Sheldon but isn’t this too soon?

Her eyes are locked in the box and she knows it's not possible but that moment right before Sheldon opens it feels infinite.

‘Do I want to marry Sheldon?’ She doesn’t even hesitate. ‘Yes, yes I do.’

The box finally opens to reveal…earrings?

Meemaw’s laughter is so much like Sheldon’s that Penny knows right away she’s behind this entire thing.

The earrings are beautiful emerald and gold studs. She will be able to wear them to school and not look out of place. Part of her is relieved and another part is disappointed, she doesn’t want to investigate to know which part is bigger.

“Sheldon, Honey. They’re gorgeous.” Penny takes the box from his hands and truly looks at them. Ignores Mrs Cooper in the background telling off Meemaw and her pranks.

“Wait here, one second. I actually got you something as well.” Penny runs to Meemaw’s house, grabs Sheldon’s gift and then books it back. She’s panting ‘I need to exercise more.’

“I wanted to give you this in private because I know how you feel about gift giving.” Penny says panting “But I couldn’t wait after this.” She hands him the wrapped frame.

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting an-” Sheldon’s long fingers make quick work of the wrapping and he freezes once he catches sight of the framed paper.

Penny had been so confident about the gift but now she’s having second thoughts “I thought that-” She’s not able to finish her sentence. Before she can react Sheldon has already grabbed her and kissed her.

It’s slow and deep and it makes her toes curl. Penny is stunned for a moment but soon enough she’s responding in kind and it’s only Ceecee’s awed ‘Wow’ that brings Penny back to the present. That and needing oxygen.

Her Moonpie was a pretty fast learner.

“Okay, break it up you two. No need to show Ceecee how babies are made.” Meemaw’s joke makes the adults groan, and it makes Ceecee look back and forth between Sheldon and Penny like she could really see it happening.

Overall, one of Penny’s best Christmases.

Chapter Text

Paige started 2003 on a good note. Working.

She was working as an assistant to the curator in the Red River Valley Museum. The same museum she and Sheldon visited all those years ago.

Paige was perfectly aware that her parents, teachers and everyone else thought that she was wasting her life, but this job made her happy. Being a child prodigy is a curse, having to bear everyone’s expectations and not being able to live her life like a regular person, always having to look in and never be able to participate.

Sheldon was different from her and all other other child geniuses. He didn’t need people.

She’s not sure why but she’s still following his career closely and just as she suspected, he’s a trailblazer, debunking and confirming formulas, theories left and right without concern for what people might think.

Sheldon left Texas and didn’t look back. He did what she couldn’t do.

How could he so easily abandon everything in his life? Paige wonders if she can become like him but just the thought of all those expectations makes her want to curl up and cry.

And yet, some days she wonders…what if she had stayed with him?

A memory of him spitting and retching after she kissed him comes unbidden to her. The humiliation and shame are fresh. No. She would rather be normal, Sheldon could never be with a regular person, he most likely would stay alone for the rest of his life AND be okay with it.

She’s arranging a display of Quanah Parker and thinking about Sheldon when a childish voice breaks through her thoughts.

“Uncle Sheldon. Why are some so big?” A kid is in front of the flint points display.

Paige almost laughs, here she was thinking about Sheldon and someone just happens to be named Sheldon. Her mirth dies as soon as the person responds to the question.

She knows that voice, the almost arrogance always present. The tone of indifference makes Paige remember the tall gangly teenager she had a crush on.

The tall and wiry man that stands next to the child is handsome and Paige rages a little in her head, of course he had to be handsome as well. The familiar tingle in her belly reminds her that she hasn’t gone on a date in 8 months, hasn’t gotten laid in almost a year.

Of course Sheldon is not bothering to look her way, but Paige still stays hidden behind the displays. She wants to know more about the boy she once knew, or at least the boy she thought she knew. Very recently he published a paper about antimatter that got a lot of buzz and some of the people she still knew in those circles claimed it would be a breakthrough, but Paige refused to read it. She had left that part of her life behind.

Sheldon looks happy, which isn’t what she expected. Didn’t he know how many people looked up to him? How many expectations and hopes sat on his shoulders? He’s just standing there explaining basic history to his niece?

“Wait. So people can mistake flint for fossils?”

The voice belongs to a young blond woman standing next to Sheldon. Poor girl, she’s in for a surprise, Sheldon is being kind to his niece but that doesn’t extend to strangers.

“Correct. You can see more about this in the next display.” Sheldon points to the correct display and Paige sucks in a breath when that hand is pulled by the blond girl. Except, the blow up never comes, Sheldon allows himself to be led by the hand like some pre-schooler.

Paige is working, she shouldn’t be following guests around. Tries to remove the image from her mind, but it’s impossible, she needs to see more.

She follows them discreetly, it’s obvious that Sheldon and the blond girl know each other, but Paige is too far away and can’t listen in on them. Decides to risk it and moves closer, pretending to adjust the display next to the one they’re watching.

The little girl is between Sheldon and the blond girl, holding onto their hands and the image is that of a happy family. Something ugly churns in her stomach.

“Penny, could you hogtie a Polar bear?” The little girl turns eyes full of adoration towards the blond woman. Penny.

“Of course Sweetie.” Paige is close to snorting out loud but holds it in, Sheldon will not let that comment go unchallenged.

“Is that true Uncle Sheldon?” The same eyes turn to Sheldon.

“It is. Penny can do anything.” Sheldon’s face has never been as expressive as it is in that moment, the fond smile and bright eyes make Paige grit her teeth.

‘What the hell is going on?’ This can’t be Sheldon Cooper.

The blond woman. Penny. Is delighted and goes up to her toes to kiss Sheldon.

And. He. Allows. It.

‘What the fuck?’ He not only allows it, he kisses her back like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Paige is not really paying attention to what the girls are saying. She only has eyes for Sheldon, because this is not possible, he had gagged at her kiss, not the one where she tricked him to kiss her fingers, no, the one in his college dorm.

She had been honest, and had been rejected.

It isn’t until one of the tour guides asks her if she’s okay that Paige moves, and she realizes that Sheldon and his group are gone. She does a basic sweep of the museum but they’re no longer there. In a way it’s a relief, she can go back to her life.

Can she?

Paige remembers that her phone has a number saved that she hasn’t called since Sheldon left for Germany.

Missy is waiting for dinner alongside everyone else.

Jonah is actually helping her Momma in the kitchen so Missy is busy watching Shelly and Penny sitting on either side of Ceecee while she plays with her little Game Boy. They’re guiding and helping her and bantering with each other, it doesn’t help that Ceecee is blond like her mom, but Missy has the sudden image of an older Shelly and Penny doing the exact same thing for their own blond little girl.

Life does have a sense of humor. Missy was all for it, Penny was able to bring out a side of her brother that none of them even knew was there.

Her phone vibrates and interrupts her thinking. Checks the caller ID and grimaces a little, she had been half expecting this call when Shelly told her they were going to the Red River Valley Museum. No one notices her slipping to the backyard, she accepts the call but keeps moving all the way to Meemaw’s log bench in the back, she doesn’t want Shelly’s freaky hearing to pick up on this call.

“Hello?”

“Hi Missy, it’s Paige.”

They go through the motions of small talk and pretending to care about each other’s lives. Paige has never been a patient person and it doesn’t take long for the actual reason for the call to come through.

“So…how’s Sheldon?” Paige doesn’t manage the casual tone.

“He’s good. I’m gonna assume you’re calling because you saw him at the museum with his girlfriend.” Missy ain’t a genius like her brother but she’s not dumb and she’s also not a very patient person.

Paige makes a noise, it’s half hum and half groan. “Yeah, I saw them…” The silence might bother other people but Missy ain’t gonna help Paige with this. “How?”

“Don’t know. Shelly claims it started because he helped her with Math homework and she gave him cheesecake.”

Paige makes a sound over the line that Missy can’t identify. “She doesn’t seem like his kind.”

Missy really didn’t like the tone or the words. “His kind?” She deadpans.

“You know what I mean. Sheldon’s not like the rest of us.”

“Yeah well, he reproduces like the rest of us so there’s that.”

“Missy!”

“Paige.”

“I don’t know why I called. To get closure maybe.” Paige really does sound exhausted.and confused.

“Don’t kno’ what to tell you Paige. She is it.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

The line is silent and Missy has to check her phone to see that the call is still going.

“It’s not fair.” Paige sounds like that tween from all those years ago.

“No, it’s not.” Missy is not even going to pretend that she doesn’t feel for Paige, at one point she seemed like the only girl that could get the best out of her brother…right before Paige spiraled into whatever the fuck she became. Missy doesn’t like to think of Paige as less, but well, that’s the closest she can find that fits. Paige started losing her star and Shelly left her in the dust.

“I’m sorry for calling.” Paige doesn’t wait for an answer and hangs up.

Missy lets out a frustrated breath. That girl ain’t right. But even after all she hopes that Paige can get her head out of her ass and start living.

“Aunt Missy! Dinner!”

“Coming!”

Missy shakes off the remnants of the conversation and moves to have dinner in a full house. There are not many days left of this and she’s going to enjoy the ones she has left.

Chapter Text

The moment that Sheldon and Penny close the apartment door behind them is the moment that the both of them collapse on the couch. Sheldon is in his spot and Penny is right next to him.

“I love your family Moonpie, but I’m glad to be back home.”

“I concur. Though the fact that we only need to do this trip once a year makes it easier to accept.”

Penny nods tiredly, she was sure that come August they would be already looking forward to going back.

Way too soon for Penny’s liking classes start again and their life returns to normal. Well, almost, they now add sex to their routines and Penny couldn’t be happier.

A hard day at school? Boom, Sheldon blew her mind and she was suddenly feeling much better.

Sheldon was stuck on a problem? Wham, Penny made it so he could only think about her.

Life was good.

Penny has to make good on her promise and introduce Sheldon to Fred.

Sheldon agrees after hearing this is the guy that made his autograph happen. They meet at The Cheesecake Factory and Sheldon is not even fully seated before Fred explodes in pure fanboy energy and starts talking science at Sheldon.

She and Kelly let the boys geek out while they talk about school, clothes and jobs.

The meeting goes so well that they have another one soon, and then another and soon it just becomes hanging out. Fred is able to tone down the fanboy in him and it turns out he also plays Magic. Sheldon is super stoked because he now has someone to play double headed giant with…Penny didn’t even bother to ask.

Kelly and Penny manage to strike a true friendship and Kelly manages to introduce Penny to the wonders of smutty books. Penny in kind teaches Kelly the wonders of an employee discount. It’s fun to have a friend in school and even if they’re not in the same courses Penny feels content.

They get a new neighbor in 4B.

He? She? Is a police officer that also happens to enjoy dressing in drag. Sheldon feels more secure in the knowledge that there’s a police officer in the building and Penny is happy to have someone that knows even more than she does about makeup.

Either way, both Sheldon and Penny love having Louise/Luis as a neighbor.

She prefers to be called Louise and she makes a mean banana bread.

They also have their very first big fight.

Sheldon is helping Fred with homework and Fred is just not getting it. While not as much of a fanboy he still tends to take every word out of Sheldon’s mouth deathly serious. So when Sheldon makes an offhand comment about Fred’s intelligence, something snaps in Penny and in mere moments they’re screaming at each other.

Kelly has to step in and tell them to calm down. Fred looks guilty and that only makes Penny angrier.

Kelly and Fred leave so Sheldon and Penny stare at each other. It doesn’t take long for the yelling to start again.

“-happen if you weren’t such a fucking robot!”

Penny wants to hurt Sheldon. She sees him reel from her words and is preparing for his comeback. Instead his face crumples for a moment before an imperfect mask of indifference goes over his face, and without another word he leaves to his room.

Penny is left alone in the living room, her chest is heaving, she’s waiting to hear the slam of his door, but the only thing she hears is the click of his lock.

In frustration she scratches at her head, suddenly upset that her hair is so long. This is bullshit, she’s so tired, she decided to take classes from the Acting Major but it was all so close to being too much. She was almost late in one of her payments for her student loans (Sheldon had designed a plan so she could pay them early) and just yesterday her car had stalled, the ‘check engine’ light was almost permanently on nowadays. She had broken a nail and she dropped her coffee this morning, literally moments after buying it.

It was all too much, she just wanted time for herself.

‘Maybe just one drink’ She eyes the bottle of wine in the cupboard but the face of her mother flashes in her mind and Penny shakes her head in disgust.

Really, she just wants to cuddle with Sheldon.

And like a bucket of cold water, realization comes. She had called him a robot. Penny can only close her eyes in shame. She knew better, but she was hurting and wanted Sheldon to hurt too. There’s no easy way out of this, she’s suddenly feeling very tired, like her body is only moving due to some magic she’s not familiar with. Dragging herself she plops down right next to his door and slams her head against the wall.

“Sheldon.” Her voice breaks right away “I’m so sorry. I know it’s not enough, but I am.” Penny wants to slam her head against the wall again but she knows it won’t help anyone. Instead she grabs her head and it feels like it’s the only thing holding her at the moment.

“I know you appreciate honesty, so I’m going to be honest. I’ve been under a lot of pressure, so many things happening at once…it’s not an excuse.” Waits for any sort of acknowledgement.

“Please Moonpie. I’m so sorry.” The pain is making way to numbness. It’s all too much.

Sheldon doesn’t come out of his room for the rest of the night. Penny goes to her own bed for the first time since coming back from Texas. She’s sleeping alone for the first time in 6 months and she hates it.

Next morning Sheldon is gone to work as usual. Her breakfast plate is in the fridge in the usual place and the sight of it makes Penny break down.

She eats her breakfast, sobbing all the while.

Penny can’t allow this to go on any longer. She makes sure to wash the dish and then cleans herself up. Just a few moments later she's driving to Caltech.

Penny doesn’t have an actual plan, there’s no magic word to fix this. No one is coming to her rescue, she has to do this alone. She has to be better than her parents.

She’s able to find a parking spot easily, she knows the way to Sheldon’s office already. Not that long ago the cafeteria had closed and they had arranged a lunch date in his office. Soon enough his office comes into view and she can hear the sounds of ‘Chavez’ playing loudly. Sheldon had found an affinity for Math Rock and really, that just made sense.

Penny takes a deep breath before entering.

The music stops abruptly and Sheldon’s unbelieving voice greets her “Penny?”

She thought that she could talk, apologize, explain it to him, but seeing Sheldon makes her body act on her own. Penny strides towards him and before he can act she’s sitting in his lap and holding onto him for dear life.

“I’msosorrysorry” Penny is babbling but she can’t stop. She can’t stop the tears either and she only cries harder when Sheldon’s arms go around her and hold her.

The last time she cried this hard was when she was still a kid, she had wandered by accident to a different stable and had to witness a veterinarian putting an old horse down. Penny could only think about Sugarcube.

“There, there.”

Sheldon is holding her tightly, he sucks at comforting people usually. But right now, all that Penny needs is Sheldon.

It takes her an embarrassing amount of time to be able to calm down.

“I’m so sorry Moonpie. I’m a fucking idiot.”

“Penny.” His voice is harsh. “Don’t call yourself that.”

“I hurt you. I was so overwhelmed and I don’t even know why I reacted like that. I’m just like my mother.”

“Penny. You are not like your mother.” Sheldon rests his cheek against her forehead, she’s leaning against him. If anyone were to come in, they would see Dr Sheldon Cooper PhD at his chair with his girlfriend on his lap.

“I’m sorry Moonpie. I should know better. No. I KNOW better.” Penny can’t see his face, she’s playing with the hem of his shirt.

“I don’t enjoy fighting with you. I was often witness to my parent’s fights and last night was a stark reminder that I was not as separated from George Sr as I had previously imagined.” Sheldon cups her cheek and forces her to look up at him. “I am not my father. And I will not become my father.”

His face is impassive, but his eyes are bright. Sheldon blinks several times in quick succession. Penny can see tears gathering in his eyes but they don’t fall. Penny grabs his face and runs her thumb under his eye, her thumb comes away wet. Somehow it’s worse than if Sheldon had just cried.

Penny pulls his face down and kisses him, trying to convey her love for him. Penny hasn’t prayed in years, but she prays that Sheldon knows how much she loves him.

As Sheldon kisses her back, Penny makes a promise to herself.

‘Don’t make Sheldon cry again.’

That night they also have makeup sex for the first time.

It’s slow and intimate. Penny tries to convey her feelings and she knows that Sheldon is doing the same.

Penny locks her legs behind his back and Sheldon’s arm never stops embracing her. Their kissing on the other hand is hungry, far more intense than usual.

Sheldon, in a move that she never expects, bites down on her shoulder. Hard enough that she feels the pain without fearing he broke through her skin. Penny arches her back in pleasure and that only makes their bodies fuse together even more.

Penny returns the favor and bites him as well, enjoying the way it makes him push into her.

They will be fine. They have each other.

It takes them little time to go back to normal.

Kelly and Fred come around and Sheldon apologizes for being rude. Physics is his life’s work and seeing someone struggle with it, frustrates him.

“Penny advised me to teach you as if I were teaching her. That is, if you would like to continue with it.” Sheldon gives Fred a shy smile and maybe only Penny can see the hope behind it.

Fred has all the energy of a puppy and is quick to forgive Sheldon.

Kelly in private admits that she thought Sheldon was being rude but when she brought it up to Fred he said that it was good natured ribbing, that there was no heat behind his words. Still, Penny made a note to let Sheldon know that Fred wanted to be his friend and not his student.

Life goes back to normal except they now have friends to hang out with as a couple.

Summer comes around and Penny has the pleasure to attend Comicon, she didn’t realize it but Kelly was a geek and she’s the one pushing for them to do Cosplay.

Fred had wanted him and Kelly to go as Fry and Leela but Kelly vetoed that immediately. She wasn’t a fan of Futurama. In the end Fred still got his Futurama wish, he went as Zapp Brannigan and he had the smile to pull it off.

Kelly was apparently a different type of geek, she was more into Japanese stuff and Penny didn’t get it but both Sheldon and Fred were freaking out over her costume and how good it was. Sure, Kelly was super cute but to Penny she just looked like a very cute doll with weird ears. It was from a cartoon and the character was named Chii.

Penny didn’t even have to ask Sheldon. Spock was the only logical option.

As for herself Penny didn’t want to over complicate it, ever since helping Ceecee with her games Penny had been borrowing Sheldon’s Game Boy to play Pokemon and she loved it. So her costume was simply the female trainer avatar. She has a lot of fun putting the costume together and the final touch is a Torchic plushie that hangs from her waist.

The convention itself is not what Penny expects but she still has a lot of fun with Sheldon, Kelly and Fred. By the end of the day her feet are killing her, she doesn’t even want to think about poor Kelly in her light slippers, she had initially wanted to go barefoot but Sheldon and Fred had advised against it.

Penny wouldn’t be against going to Comicon again. Maybe next time they can do couple costumes.

“Girlie, I know you can’t travel due to school so we’re coming to you!”

Penny can’t even reply before Meemaw has already ended the call.

“Uh Moonpie, I think we’re having visits for Thanksgiving.”

Sheldon tilts his head and looks at the phone in her hand.

“Did I not tell you? Meemaw had informed me since last week.”

Penny purses her lips and sucks on her teeth “For someone with an eidetic memory, you forget a lot of things.”

“In my defense. It was the same night that we tried the position you found in that magazine of yours.”

“Oh! Yeah, that was fun!...Okay, we were both not in a state to remember stuff I’ll admit.” Penny looks at Sheldon “...maybe we can do it again?”

Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment is not a very traditional one. Meemaw and Mrs Cooper arrive on Monday and they will be the ones doing the cooking, they’re also teaching Sheldon and Penny how to make proper fried chicken, so they have that to look forward to.

They're having breakfast and Penny asks why Missy didn’t join them. “Missy is visiting Jonah’s family.” Mrs Cooper sounds normal and not upset which is great. Jonah and Missy make a great couple. “Oh by the way, we’re having Jonah and Missy’s wedding on New Year’s”

Penny chokes on a spoonful of yogurt and even Sheldon drops his spoon. Meemaw starts cackling in glee. “Told you it would be fun!”

Mrs Cooper has a tiny devious smile on her face but it's soon replaced with a more…mournful look “My kids grew up too quickly.” It’s weird how sad and proud she can look at the same time.

“Is Missy pregnant?” Sheldon is always the tactful one.

Meemaw cackles again and Mrs Cooper holds her head.

“Oh boy.”

Penny is still too stunned to talk, at least she’s not choking anymore.

Penny takes Mrs Cooper to the boutique and lets her go wild with her employee discount…which means Mrs Cooper buys 2 pairs of shoes, 1 blouse and 1 sweater. Penny has to basically shove the cute dress in her bag, Mrs Cooper had loved it, she looked great in it and it was super affordable, it’d be a crime to NOT get it.

Meemaw’s fried chicken is basically a heart attack on a plate. But it’s so, so, so freaking good.

Finals suck ass. Penny will never get tired of saying it.

Missy looks beautiful in her wedding dress, and you can’t even notice she’s pregnant.

The wedding is rather small, but it’s because they will have a second wedding in Boston for most of Jonah’s family. This one is for Missy and her family.

Jonah is smiling like a loon the entire time and Missy is simply glowing with happiness. It was pure luck that Missy finished school last fall, Penny couldn’t imagine being pregnant AND going to school at the same time.

The groom’s family looks like a cast reunion of ‘The Boondock Saints’ and Penny kinda digs it.

Thankfully the wedding is not dry, but they won’t serve her a thing because she’s not twenty one. Her protests of her Birthday being in February fall on deaf ears. Luckily she has a boyfriend that is over twenty one.

“No. I will not participate in your crime”

Penny’s eyebrows try to escape her forehead and she can’t close her mouth.

“Bazinga.” Breathy little laugh.

Penny narrows her eyes but she can’t fight the smile and ends up laughing a little. She still makes him get her a Cuba libre.

2004 starts with Missy’s wedding and Penny has a good feeling about it.
It will also be her last year in UCLA and she’s already preparing to start going to auditions. Her counselor is a wonderful woman named Laura, she’s teaching Penny about how to manage expectations and how auditions are not as straightforward as Penny once thought.

Casting Directors were your best and your worst friend. Just because you might have worked with one of them in a previous project, it meant little for your next audition.

Ruthlessness was the rule of the game.

Penny was looking forward to it, she was scared shitless of course. But it felt like getting on that horse right before a rodeo. It made her blood sing.

Chapter Text

Penny goes to her first audition, and she blows it, like huge chunks, whale sized chunks. Everything she has been working, studying and preparing suddenly flew out of her head as soon as the audition started.

Laura laughs a lot and tells Penny that’s the reason why the first audition should not be for your dream role.

Penny’s second audition goes better. It’s a part for a commercial, she just needs to look like the teenage daughter in the background, which she nails, it’s just a local commercial but Penny feels wired all week long after the shoot. They will air it sometime in March so she mentions it to Sheldon so he can remind her about it.

School is somewhat easier to manage, last year of college and for the first time she’s not playing catch up. Laura also has been a godsend and Penny is taking advantage of her presence as much as she can.

On the recommendation of Laura, she’s also attending improv classes and singing lessons.

The improv classes are fantastic! The singing lessons are…well, they’re singing lessons.

Kelly asks for help with a project and Penny can’t say no to her. Sheldon is the hard sell.

“I refuse.”

“Please, please, please Sheldon. It’s for my sociology project.”

“I understand, howe-”

“Penny will do that thing you like that she doesn’t.”

“Hey!” Why did Kelly have to drag her into it?

“Is that true?” Sheldon was suddenly all business.

Kelly turned puppy dog eyes at her and Penny couldn’t hold out “Yeah, yeah, okay. But only once!”

Sheldon nods satisfied “Very well then, I’ll participate.”

Later Kelly has the decency to apologize at least.

“I mean, he’s a guy, so I thought that would break his defenses. Which it did!” Kelly looks triumphant before looking subdued again. “Look, I’ll owe you one.”

“Deal.”

“I’ll even buy you the lube myself.”

“...what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, I thought that since he was so into your butt…that you know.” Kelly wiggles her eyebrows and it takes Penny a second to get it.

“OH!” Penny starts laughing hysterically “You thought he?” Laughter doesn’t let her continue. Kelly looks putout so Penny tries her best to control herself. “He was talking about a Star Trek TOS Marathon.” Laughter still bubbles out of her.

“Oh, well, that is less fun.”

“Not for him.” Her laughter reduces to a smile.

“So…you two never, you know?”

“And that’s my cue to leave.”

“Aw c’mon.”

Kelly’s project is supposed to be easy. Penny will emcee a small Q&A forum where the guests will be men in committed relationships. One of those men is Sheldon, another one is someone in their mid-fifties and the last one is someone in their sixties. Sheldon is sitting between the two older men and he makes for a striking figure, the other two were not what you would call ‘conventionally handsome’.

The attendants will be able to submit anonymous questions that Penny will read out loud so that the guests can reply to them. Kelly will also provide the attendants with a questionnaire where they will be able to submit their thoughts at the end of the event.

Also, all of the attendants will be women, students from UCLA.

Everything was going fine until the second question, as Penny reads it she can feel her eyebrows go higher and higher in disbelief.

“Thank you, now for our next question. This is for…’The cute one’, ladies, please remember, these men are in committed relationships. Especially Sheldon!” Her voice was hard. “Anyways, the question is: How did you meet your girlfriend? Sheldon?”

“I met her as she struggled with her math homework, I assisted her and she provided me with cheesecake.” His tone is clinical, nothing romantic about it, and still the women in the audience let out a collective ‘Awwwwww’ which just makes Penny narrow her eyes at the audience.

“Moving on, next question.” Her tone of voice is no longer warm. “For…’The Hot one.’” Penny smiled woodenly at the audience and in a sweet voice repeated “Remember ladies, committed relationships. We also have two other guests. The question is: What is your girlfriend’s worst trait? Oh that’s a great question. Sheldon?”

“She doubts her own skills far too often despite repeatedly showing proficiency.”

This time Penny wants to join in the ‘Awwwww’

The next 3 questions were for the other two guests and things seemed to be back to normal.

“This question is for Dr. Cooper, glad someone listened to his title.” Penny feels better so she’s back to joking. “The question is: My name is Maureen, would you like to have dinner with me? I give a mean blow-HEY!” Penny is fully glaring at the audience now, trying to find this Maureen. “Committed relationships Ladies!”

The rest of the night doesn’t go any better and Kelly agrees that this is the last time she asks for this type of favor.

Penny fumes while Sheldon thinks it all went swimmingly.

“So, let me get this straight. You want to propose?”

Sheldon is in his office and Fred is sitting in front of him.

“I believe that I have been clear about my intentions.” Sheldon is close to fidgeting, he is not sure on how to proceed with this matter, Fred was the obvious choice to ask due to him being his closest male friend while also knowing Penny.

“No no no, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great!” Penny had once said that Fred had the same energy as a Golden Retriever, Sheldon had to agree with that assessment. “But what is your question?”

Sheldon sighs annoyed, he liked Fred, but the man was easily distracted. “My question is, how to proceed? Penny does not enjoy public demonstrations like those shown in movies and shows.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh I got you, I see. Well…first of all, you should get a ring. Can’t propose without having a ring.” Fred scratches at a non-existent beard. “Also, girls like being surprised. So, make sure to do that. And since she doesn’t like doing it where people can see you, do it in a private place.”

Sheldon nods, a lot of what Fred is saying he had already considered. “I see. Thank you.”

“Anytime man!”

His Meemaw gives him similar advice. With the only difference being that he needed to go to Galveston to pick up Meemaw’s engagement ring.

“Are you sure Meemaw?”

“Boy, don’t ya sass me and come pick this thing up.” Even through the phone Meemaw’s voice was full of strength.

“Yes Meemaw.”

Penny was 99.99% sure that Sheldon was about to propose.

Fred had been acting funny around her, trying to not spill the beans most likely. And then Sheldon took an unexpected and spontaneous trip to Galveston.

Penny was 100% sure she was going to say yes to him.

But it’s been a month since that trip and nothing.

Sheldon hated surprises. Both being in the receiving end and the one planning them. He was certain that so far he had been successful at hiding his intentions from Penny.

But he knew his limits, it would not be long before his face started twitching and there was no way to prevent Penny from noticing that.

He was unsure on what counted as a sufficient surprise, which led him to create and run a survey.

Fred: “A romantic dinner at home, and then propose as you toast.”
Kelly: “Take her to a fancy restaurant and order champagne, once it arrives hide the ring in the flute.”
Tamika: “How did you get my number? Anyway, just tell her, she doesn’t do over the top romance.”
Laura: “Pack a picnic, take her on a hike and propose around sundown. Just the two of you.”
Missy: “Shelly, just tell her and then screw her brains out.”
Mother: Unintelligible
Meemaw: “Cook her something nice, tell her how you feel and just let it happen.”
Georgie: “Do everything Meemaw tells you.”
Mandy: “Whatever you do, don’t do a Bazinga.”

That feedback kills his favorite plan. He was planning on deceiving Penny into thinking he had fallen in love with someone else only to reveal that it was actually her all along. She was sure that Penny would have liked it and laughed alongside him. Alas.

Penny graduates.

Her family is there for her. Not her blood relatives, but the family that she found with Sheldon. Meemaw, Mrs Cooper, Missy and even Jonah are there. It makes her cry and thanks god for her luck.

Sheldon is still unable to find the right time.

Auditions are brutal. Penny is thankful for Laura’s advice because otherwise she’s pretty sure that she would have flopped down into a depressed blob.

She’s got a callback and it went great. It's for a small part in ‘Scrubs’ but Penny is happy because it’s for a patient, not for the hot cousin or the hot girlfriend but for the patient of the week. The role at least has some depth.

Penny has never been so anxious, the call confirming if she got it or not takes forever. At least it feels like it does.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod-” She chants after hanging up and once Sheldon comes home from work she tackles him against their door, not even giving him a chance to remove his jacket.

“IGOTIT!” She can’t stop jumping and squeeing.

“Congratulations Penny.” Sheldon hugs her, it’s the only way that she stays still, but she grabs the lapels of his jacket and runs in place. “I was confident in your acting skills.”

“I can’t believe this!” Penny looks up at him. “This day can’t get better!”

Penny sees Sheldon freeze for a moment before he slowly asks “If another event were to happen today, a happy event, would it add to your current level of happiness?”

It takes her a moment to run the words through her Sheldon filter. “Yeah. Of course it would.”

Sheldon nods satisfied and moves away to start putting his jacket away as well as his bag. “One moment.” Sheldon goes into his room and Penny is left alone in the living room. ‘Weirdo’, but the fondness can’t be hidden even in her own head.

Once he comes back, he’s carrying a towel for some reason.

“Er, everything okay there Moonpie?”

“Yes, Penny, could you please stand here?” He points in front of his whiteboard.

“Okay?” She does as he asks but he’s definitely acting weird.

“Excellent, one moment.” Off he goes, he rarely uses the dimmer but for some reason he makes sure the lights are low, the light from the early afternoon comes through the window and the apartment glows amber in her eyes.

“Moonpie?”

“Almost done.” Sheldon adjusts the lights one last time and then goes back to stand in front of her. An idea starts forming in her head and she can feel her eyes start to sting.

“Wha-”

“Penny.” He stops for a moment and puts the towel at her feet. The vague idea is now picture clear. Sheldon goes to one knee and her breath is gone. “Penny. You are t-”

Before Sheldon is able to finish she’s tackled him to the floor and is kissing him fiercely. Once her need of oxygen can’t be ignored any longer, she stops, grabs his face, makes sure that his eyes are focused on her before saying “Yes.”

“But Penny, I wasn’t able to-”

She kisses him again. Technicalities can wait until later.

Chapter Text

Sheldon is asleep under her, even having upgraded their bed to a double they always ended up wound up around each other. Penny is still admiring the ring he gave her. Eventually.

Penny knew that she could be a little impatient at times but yeah, this one took the cake, no way they can tell their hypothetical grandchildren that Sheldon popped the question while they were in the middle of sex because their grandma was impatient. Yeah no.

The smile on her face might as well be tattooed. This getting married thing was weird, when Penny was thirteen she had made the very conscious choice of not getting married, sure, she was a sucker for romance movies and books. But she never actually thought she would be doing it herself, it was something for everybody else to do. But not for her.

It wasn’t that she was jaded…well, it wasn’t just because of that. Growing up in her household didn’t exactly show her healthy marriage dynamics, her mom was a mess for sure, but her dad wasn’t exactly a saint.

And young Penny was smart enough to put two and two together and decide that marriage wasn’t for her. Of course, like any kid she thought this was normal and that all other kids lived like this, so she had quite the shock when finding out that no, not all moms got drunk at 2 in the afternoon and that the occasional screaming matches during dinner wasn’t something everyone experienced.

Young Penny had made that decision to not marry, and then Teen Penny discovered sex. It’s a hard lesson to learn that sex does not equal love.

Penny learned that in a gas station bathroom while crying and hoping the pregnancy test didn’t show a second line. Matt Robinson had promised that he loved her, that he would marry her and then he had told her to fuck off once her period was late. Not ideal, as Sheldon would say.

High School had been fun, she had kept her grades high enough to not ruin her chances at College, but mostly, she had fun, parties, boys and alcohol. Her mom would be proud.

And then Sheldon had come into her life, tall, gangly and cute as heck.

That Penny in 2000 had no idea how much her life would change just by meeting Dr Moonpie. She’s glad that it happened tho, otherwise she’s not sure where her life might have gone. That Penny had thought that acting was easy, that all she needed to do was smile and people would be lining up to offer her roles.

But that Penny is lost to time.

This Penny has a degree, is starting her acting career and very shortly will be married to over six feet of crazy. She can’t wait.

Sheldon had told her about multiverses, how every choice created a new possible universe. Penny doesn’t want to think about the universes where she and Sheldon never meet. They must be incredibly dull and sad.

Sheldon mumbles something in his sleep and Penny smiles at him. Her own eyes feel heavy, cuddling closer to Sheldon she closes her eyes.

Maybe she can dream of the other universes, the good ones, where a Sheldon and a Penny meet.

“It’s too early, Moonpie, I don’t want to move.” Penny whines and buries her head in the crook of his arm.

“Penny. It’s the same time I always get up.”

“And you get up way too early.” Her voice is muffled but she doesn’t doubt that he can hear her perfectly.

“I can stay in bed with you for another…11 minutes before I have to get up.”

Penny finally leaves the safety of his arm and places her chin on his chest to look up at him. “What do you say about marrying in Texas?” Penny yawns in the middle of her question and rubs at her eyes.

“I find the idea agreeable.” Sheldon tries to resist it but he ends up yawning as well. “Do you want to invite your parents? Though I believe I know the answer.”

“God no!” Penny shakes her head. “I don’t want them there.”

Sheldon nods, he already knew she would answer like this. “I am not a fan of elaborate and large events. But should you desire a larg-” Her hand covers his mouth before he can finish.

“Nah, I don’t want anything super lage, just your family and our friends and that’s it.” She removes her hand and continues. “In fact, if I didn’t know for a fact that it would break your mother’s heart, I would be happy just by going to the courthouse.”

Sheldon grimaces, reluctantly nods “Yes, I do believe that would be the case.”

“I liked Missy’s wedding, it wasn’t big or flashy.”

“Do you have a preferred date in mind?”

She actually did. Even before Sheldon proposed, she already knew the date she’d like. “Yep.” Penny popped the word and smiled brightly at him.

“Missy got New Year’s. We get Christmas.”

Sheldon hums “I suppose it’s fitting.”

“Yeah, that first Christmas at your mom’s was special and every Christmas since I’ve felt accepted by your family, it means a lot to me.”

“Christmas has been much better since you’ve been part of my life.” He gives her one of his authentic smiles. “I’ve come to appreciate Christmas again.”

Penny smiles up at him. Her Moonpie has-

Before she can finish the thought, Sheldon stands up and lets her face fall to the mattress “Time’s up, I need to get ready.”

Penny chuckles, and here she was about to say he had gotten better at intimate moments. “Have fun at work Honey.”

“Thank you Penny. I always do.”

It wasn’t long before Penny fell back asleep.

When Penny informs her (new) family and friends about Sheldon proposing, the lack of real surprise makes her realize that she was the one playing catch up.

Skype is a wonderful tool, most of the time.

Having the 3 Cooper women on a call would usually be great, except when they’re trying to organize your wedding. Penny had feared that Missy would move to Boston but Jonah’s disbelieving ‘I wanted sun, why do you think I moved out?’ is enough to make everyone laugh in relief. They bought a house in Galveston, close but not that close to Mrs Cooper home.

“Okay, stop, stop!!!” Penny wishes she could be in the same room as them. “We don't want anything big. We both liked Missy’s wedding and would like the same treatment.”

“Practical, I like that.” Meemaw agrees right away.

“We can start by booking the church and the hall. I’ll handle that.” A heavily pregnant Missy promises.

“We’ll get our pastor to do it.” Mrs Cooper hasn’t stopped smiling since she broke the news.

“I would love to get my dress while I’m there, but time-wise it’s going to be tight. So I’ll buy it here.”

“Nonsense Penny, we’ll travel to you and we can do it together.”

“Er, that would be lovely Mrs Coop-Mary, but Missy is due any day now and I’m sure a baby will be hard to manage.”

“Don’t you worry about that.” Mrs Cooper didn’t look worried. “Jonah’s mom is already here and she can sub in for a weekend.”

“Yeah Girlie, we do this together.”

Penny feels her eyes sting, she really got lucky.

Missy safely delivers a gorgeous boy that makes even Sheldon admits that he is really cute. Shane is a Virgo like his dad. Hopefully he’ll be just as jolly.

Her role in Scrubs is amazing! Zach Braff is a little full of himself but he’s never rude or impatient towards her, he’s directing the episode which makes Penny panic for a moment but he’s good at it and soon Penny is in the groove of things.

The hardest part of the entire shoot is makeup, she has to sit for 2 hours while they make her look sick, but not sick enough that the audience can tell how sick she really is. That’s the twist after all.

It’s all over far too soon for her liking. On the last day of shooting she cries on the way back home, but they’re happy tears.

Penny loves acting.

Mrs Cooper and Meemaw make good on their promise and they go dress hunting for an entire weekend. Penny finds her perfect dress on the second day.

It has long billowed sleeves which make it look dreamy, Penny loves the pleated waistband and bodice, it has a slit that ends at the knee and the keyhole back is conservative enough that even Mrs Cooper approves of it.

They still try more dresses but Penny is confident that she has found her dress.

Meemaw pays for it and it blows Penny’s mind.

“Nonononono, I can afford it, Meemaw. I just got my firs-”

“Girlie.” Meemaw’s voice is sharp and her face is serious. It makes Penny shut up right away “Ya’re family.” Suddenly her face broke into a very Sheldon-like smile. “I got ya Girlie.”

“Thank you Meemaw.” Penny choked out.

“Come here you big baby.” Meemaw laughed and pulled Penny into a hug.

Yeah, Penny had found her family.

“Buddy, did you watch Scrubs last week?”

“Oh man, the blonde?”

“I know buddy, I know, So hot.”

“Why can’t we get girls like those?”

“Because we’re short and nerds?”

“It was rhetorical Howard.”

“I know, I know. Your microphone sounds great by the way. Better than whatever crap you were using.”

“Thanks, I decided to replace my old headset.”

“I can’t wait for you to get here. Mobs at three o'clock.”

“Got them. Me too, just half a year before I’m done and get my PhD.”

“That’s awesome buddy. Your mom still the same?”

“Ugh, yeah. Watch my back, healing.”

“I got you. Well, soon you’ll be able to forget about her buddy. You and Me. Friday night. Clubbing. We’re gonna score so much.”

Before Leonard can react to that statement Howard is yelling.

“I GO CLUBBING MA!...YOU DON’T KNOW THEM!...BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE YOU ALONE AND THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!”

“Everything okay Howard?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, all good. By the way, have you thought about what I told you? We got that extra room and I think you and I could make for pretty badass roommates.”

“I don’t kno-”

“I’M TALKING TO LEONARD! Sorry, you were saying?”

“I think I want to try living on my own, you know?”

“Ahhhh I get you buddy, you want the bachelor pad, good thinking.”

Leonard couldn’t wait to get out of Jersey.

Chapter Text

Penny had thought that after her role in Scrubs it would be slightly easier to find her next role but Thanksgiving came and went without another role materializing for her.

She’s trying really hard not to let it get to her, but it’s really hard. Last month she auditioned for a sitcom and Penny really thought she had nailed it, but no callback. Laura had already told her that the rough part would never end, you would always wonder about what you could have done differently or better. The secret was in not stopping, not letting yourself stop trying.

There was always the next role.

“Fred. You can untap your Lob-”

“Sorry! Sorry, got it, almost forgot.”

“It’s rude to interrupt.” Sheldon saw Fred impish smile and could feel his eye twitch in annoyance, ever since they became friends Fred had taken upon himself to ‘tease’ Sheldon. Part of being friends. Usually he would only allow Penny to have that privilege, but Fred had an annoying way of being endearing.

“I untap my Lobber Crew due to casting-”

Their opponents could already see their end approaching and rather than face the humiliation of dying by a barrage of 1 damage pings, they simply scooped.

“GG guys, better luck next time.” It was amazing how Fred could easily disarm people with a smile, the Indian man in front of him seemed to have even blushed due to it.

Their opponents grumbled a response but Sheldon didn’t care enough to pay attention to it, he was carefully packing his deck and ensuring his cards remained in an ideal condition.

“Fred, Sheldon, let’s go!” Every head turned to look at the door, including Sheldon and Fred. Penny and Kelly stood there. “We’re running late for the movie.” Penny waved in apology to Summer whose turn it was to man the counter.

“We just finished our game and we’re ready to go.”

“Chop chop Moonpie.”

Sheldon narrowed his eyes at Penny who only smiled wider. He said nothing, he’d get even later.

“Dude, stop hitting me.” Raj rubbed at his shoulder.

“The blonde, the blonde!”

“What blonde?” Even though they had met not too long ago, Raj liked Howard quite a lot, but he could be way too excitable at times.

“The girl!” Howard gestured towards the door. “Scrubs!”

“Dude, breathe.”

“I could swear that’s the girl that appeared in Scrubs!”

“...Okay?...”

“Ah, forget it. Leonard would have gotten it.”

“Is this Leonard your imaginary friend?”

“He’s not…You know, you sound like my mother.”

“Low blow dude.”

“Let’s go find another game before we hit the clubs.”

“Nothing like Magic to prepare you for clubbing.”

“Howard, c’mon, let's go. I’m tired.”

“I was so close to getting her number!”

“You were close to getting a kick in your giblets.”

“Look, 10 0’clock, two girls. You take the chubb-nevermind, they have boyfriends.”

Raj shook his head in disbelief. “Dude, Monday it’s my first day. I would rather not have to spend my weekend in jail.”

“Okay, okay, but I’m only going along with this because I’m your friend and not because we couldn’t score anything.”

“Whatever dude.”

“Nervous about your first day?” Howard at least started moving towards the entrance and Raj followed him.

“A little bit. I heard Dr Cooper is quite intimidating.”

“Who?”

“Dude! You’re kidding!”

“Woah woah, I’m not. Don’t squeeze my arms so hard, I need to drive us home.” Howard rubbed at his biceps.

“Sorry, but dude! Sheldon Cooper is the one that wrote that paper about string theory and dark matter.” Unfortunately the only response Raj got was Howard’s blank face. “You need to get out of your Engineering cave more often. You’ve been working at Caltech for almost a year and you’ve never heard or seen Dr Cooper?”

“Hey, unless Dr Cooper is a hot chick, I don’t really care.”

“Is that the only reason you like Lynn Conway?”

“That woman is a national treasure and Caltech would be lucky to have her.”

“Well, that’s Dr Cooper for the Physics world.”

“I know you like your old and crusty old men but-”

“Dude!” Raj laughed “Dr Cooper is younger than you!”

“Wait, what?”

“Take us to McDonalds first and I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Weren’t you tired?”

“Never too tired for a cheeseburger.”

“Hey Howard, I just got my mount to-”

“Shut up Lenny! I got some fricking news for you! I SAID FRICKING, MOM!”

“Oh, okay?”

“Guess who we saw at the game store last Friday?”

“We?”

“Raj and I, remember Raj?”

“Is he-”

“No he’s not imaginary. We saw that blonde chick from Scrubs!”

“No way! Are you serious?!”

“As serious as my mom’s blood sugar levels.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Too real?”

“Yeah.”

“My bad. But yeah, man, she’s even hotter in person.”

“What was she doing in the game store though? That doesn’t sound like a thing a girl would do.”

“Oh, she was picking up her boyfriend, this redhead guy that kicked our asses at Magic. Have you ever watched Conan? This guy looked just like him and he was just as charismatic. I wanted to hate him, but I just couldn’t. They make the perfect couple.”

“Aw man, she has a boyfriend?” Leonard had the whine down to an art.

“Buddy, they always have a boyfriend.”

“When is it going to be our turn huh? Don’t we deserve a hot girlfriend as well?”

“I am actively working on that Bud, soon enough you’ll see me with a hot chick hanging from my arm.”

“So is your mom okay with me staying until I find a place?”

“Sure is Bud. Plan is still the same?”

“Yeah, I’ll apply to Caltech and hopefully be able to find a place of my own soon after.”

“Speaking of, does the name Sheldon Cooper mean anything to you?”

“THE Sheldon Cooper? You’re joking right? I’m a Physicist Howard, you can’t take a class without Dr Cooper’s name somehow showing up.”

“Oh wow, okay, I thought Raj was exaggerating about this guy.”

“He’s the reason I’m applying for Caltech. This guy is going to change the world Howard.”

“He can’t be all that-”

“Sheldon Cooper was the one that solved the issue of rocket retro-propulsion and reentry to earth. He was eleven.”

“...holy fuck…” Howard could hear his mom yelling at him for cursing, but he was too shocked to yell back.

“Yeah. He’s THAT good.”

“You suck Sheldon.”

Her Moonpie glared at Fred. Fred and Kelly have been helping them practice how to dance and while Sheldon was usually a fast learner at everything he did, it looked like dancing was his one weakness.

“Don’t listen to him Moonpie, he’s just jealous because Kelly actually can wear heels to dance with you and still look up and not look down like with him.” Penny pulled Sheldon’s face to make him focus on the dancing again.

“Ouch, okay. No more teasing Sheldon.” Fred acted as if someone had shot him after Kelly swatted at his arm. “You guys are still going to Kelly’s graduation right?”

“Yes. Our flight is scheduled for the day after her graduation, which should give us more than enough time to assist with the wedding preparations.” Sheldon talked as if they weren’t in the middle of dancing.

“Yep. We couldn’t miss it.” Sheldon had said he didn’t dance but maybe they could take dance lessons together, Penny wanted to learn how to Salsa. “And you guys already have your tickets right?”

Kelly answered happily “Yep. We were able to get some pretty cheap tickets thanks to Fred’s mom. We’ll fly out on the 22nd and then come back on the 27th. Leave you guys to your Honeymoon.”

Sheldon froze and Penny almost went tumbling. “Penny! A Honeymoon! We haven’t planned it!”

“What are you talking about? We’re going to Texas, doesn’t that count as a Honeymoon?”

“Oh. I see.”

“Nonononononononononononononono. NO!” Kelly was shaking her head at them and raised her voice at the end. “What do you mean that’s your Honeymoon? There’s no way you’re spending your first night as a married couple in your Mom’s house” She pointed to Sheldon.

“No of course no.” Sheldon looks offended. Kelly looks relieved until he talks again. “It would be Meemaw’s house.”

Penny wants to laugh at Kelly’s expression.

“That’s it, neither of you can be trusted with this. Penny, may I have your phone for a moment please?” Kelly extends her hand.

“What for?”

“I need to speak to someone with common sense and Missy seems to be the only option.”

Turns out that Missy was also scandalized about Penny and Sheldon not having made any actual Honeymoon plans, after much back and forth and several calls later, Sheldon and Penny have a 4 days and 3 nights stay at the Grand Galvez Hotel…In Galveston, a 5 minute drive away from Meemaw’s house. Sheldon grumbles about it until Penny points out they can have sex and not worry about his family bursting in unannounced.

Penny is reading a script. She’s got the option to audition for an upcoming sitcom, ‘How I met your mother’ is a weird title but the script is golden.

She’s so focused on it that when her phone rings, she doesn’t check the caller ID before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hey Pen.” Penny freezes at hearing the voice. Frowns in disbelief and takes a look at the phone screen ‘Dad’.

“Heeeeeeey dad.” This feels weird, it brings back all sorts of feelings. “Uh, how are you?” This is awkward, this is so awkward.

“We’re okay. So, uh, listen. We saw you on that doctor’s show.”

Penny can feel her throat close, the script now forgotten on her lap. “Oh.” She tries to say more but it won’t come out.

“Yeah.”

An awkward silence fills the static of the call. Her dad is the first to speak.

“I just wanted to call you. To congratulate you, that is.”

“Thanks.” Penny hates the warmth that fills her chest at her father’s words. “Dad.” She adds hastily.

“Uh, also, your mother says hi.”

Penny scoffs “No she doesn’t.”

“...Yeah…” No point trying to deny it. “Anyway, I’m proud of you slugger.”

Penny has to close her eyes, tears sting at her eyes hearing her father use her nickname again. “Thank you Dad.” She’s trying to keep herself under control but her dad must be able to hear Penny starting to break.

“I’m sorry.” His own voice breaks. “I’m so sorry.” And for the first time in her life, Penny hears her father cry.

“Daddy.” Penny says it in the same voice she did when she was five.

Her father gasps, she can hear him trying to get himself back under control. “I love you slugger.” He manages to say and Penny feels something inside of her dislodge, a weight she didn’t know was there is suddenly gone.

Slowly, painfully, they start talking about things they kept inside for far too long. Things that shouldn’t have been pushed to the side. Recriminations and apologies are now on the table, unable and unwilling to be ignored further.

Things are not okay, they’re both too bruised for things to be okay…but Penny can see a future where they’re okay, eventually.

“Dad, I’m getting married.”

“Ah…”

“Do you think, you could mak-”

“I’ll make it.” Her dad doesn’t hesitate. “I’ll make it.” He repeats it.

“Uh, mom…” Penny is unsure on how to finish the sentence.

“I don’t think she will be able to make it.”

“Yeah.”

Neither mentions that Penny hasn’t told him the date yet.

Plans are quickly made and her father promises to be there once again. After the call with her father, Penny has to take a shower. She knows that it’s silly, but as she’s drying herself she feels so much lighter.

Now to call Missy to make some changes to the wedding.

Chapter Text

Kelly’s graduation is so loud.

Her family from Georgia wouldn’t miss her graduation and once her name is called it’s like a stampede happened, there’s whistling, clapping, yelling and she’s pretty sure they’re stamping their feet.

Kelly looks proud as heck.

Fred and Penny join in making noise, and even Sheldon claps a little more enthusiastically while cringing all the while.

They all go have lunch with Kelly’s family and Fred ends up proposing in the middle of lunch much to the delight of everyone present.

As soon as the plane lands in Texas, Penny feels at home.

This place holds so many great memories and the family she didn’t know she needed. Meemaw and Mrs Cooper have been more of a mother figure than her own flesh and blood. Not to mention that she actually feels loved.

She’s the one driving to Galveston this time. She sings along with David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ and even Sheldon is tapping his finger to the rhythm.

Penny loves the view as they drive down I-45, it’s magical in a way she would have a hard time explaining to anyone else. Life is good.

They’ll be staying with Meemaw again right up to the wedding and then it’s off to the Hotel and then back to Meemaw’s house. Maybe down the line, when Penny has a steadier role they might go on a second Honeymoon.

Meemaw’s house soon comes into view and Penny loves the feeling of home it brings her. “Ready for a nap Moonpie?”

Sheldon yawns. “Perhaps we could have lunch first.”

Penny nods and tries to stifle her own yawn. “Hopefully your mom made pancakes.”

Sheldon brightens. “That would be ideal.”

Sadly Penny doesn’t get her wish, when they enter Mrs Cooper kitchen she’s prepared a breakfast casserole, and while it looks super good, Penny mourns for the pancakes that weren’t.

Mrs Cooper crushes Penny in a hug and she’s not sure why but she can feel tears start to gather, Penny hugs her back just as fiercely.

“Welcome home darlin’.” Ah this is why. She's tearing up because this is home.

Meemaw hugs her even harder and repeats the words. Penny doesn’t think she’ll ever get tired of hearing that “Welcome home.” Just two words and yet they hold so much.

Sheldon asks about Missy, but she’s with Jonah and Shane, they’ll come to Mrs Cooper’s house for dinner, Meemaw tells them.

The casserole is amazing and Penny regrets thinking it wasn’t as good as pancakes. Mrs Cooper is a magician when it comes to cooking, this is the last time Penny underestimates her.

Sheldon’s alarm pulls her out of her sleep.

Penny doesn’t know why but napping after a flight just feels really good, she wipes her mouth and hopes Sheldon doesn’t notice the wet spot on his jacket.

Squinting at the alarm clock shows that it’s still early for dinner. Sheldon looks tired still, but he still sits up on the bed.

“Come back to bed Moonpie, I’m tired.” Penny mumbles as she plants her face in the warm spot left by Sheldon.

“If we sleep for longer than we already have, our circadian rhythms will be affected.” He sounds way too reasonable for having just woken up a moment ago.

“Don’t wanna.”

“Missy mentioned in one of her emails that a new McDonalds recently opened up a couple of blocks away.”

“...I guess I could go for a McNugget…”

“A single McNugget?”

“...because of that, you’re driving.”

They eat their McNuggets in the car, Sheldon doesn’t want his mother to find out.

“Are you nervous Moonpie? About the wedding I mean.” Penny adds that last part, otherwise Sheldon might take it too literally.

He had just dipped his nugget in the BBQ sauce, stopped and faced her. “No. If I hadn’t been a hundred percent sure, I would not have proposed.”

Penny snorts, how could she forget, her Moonpie was the romantic between them. Sarcasm.

“I know Shelly, but, you know…” Penny looks down and pretends to be interested in dipping her nugget. “Maybe there’s someone better for you out there.” She has to close her eyes, shame creeps up her neck until she can feel her face flaming.

“Penny.” Sheldon’s voice is unusually serious. But Penny can still feel the shame burning itself on her skin and she refuses to look up at him. “Penny.” He repeats, but this time it is softer, warmer.

Against her better judgment she opens her eyes and is mortified at her blurry vision, on top of everything she was about to cry. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupi-’

Sheldon’s hand on her cheek stops her internal tirade. Carefully, his thumb moves back and forth on her cheek, it makes her close her eyes again and lean into his hand.

“Penny.”

“Sheldon.” She still has her eyes closed and shame still burns at the edges of her consciousness. Her voice is heavy with too many emotions.

“I’ve been physically attracted to people before. Some of my baser urges that I seem unable to rid myself of. However, not once did I ever feel the desire to share my life with anyone.” Sheldon’s voice is still soft, for anyone else it might seem like he is just speaking normally. But Penny knows him, she can hear the emotions in his tone.

“I found the idea of romantic relationships baffling and nonsensical. Until I met you.” Penny finally opens her eyes, she blinks quickly to try and clear her vision. Her hand covers his, still on her cheek.

“I didn’t expect…You.” Sheldon says it in a way that she knows he’s having a hard time putting into words. “You accepted me as I am. Offered your friendship and you were (and still are) never intimidated by my work or what I do. Your presence pushed me to do more, to be more. I wanted you to look at me.” A shy smile grows on his face. “I wanted you to look at me, the same way you’re looking at me right now.”

Penny smiles at him and her own hand goes to caress his face.

“I love you Penny.”

“I love you too Sheldon.”

Sheldon’s voice grows serious again. “There is no one better than you to stand by my side. Penny, I subscribe to the "Many Worlds" theory which posits the existence of an infinite number of Sheldons in an infinite number of universes, I assure you that in every single one of them I love you.”

Penny can feel heat on her face again, but this time it warms her from the inside out and turns her into goo.

Turns out that Sheldon was the romantic one.

That same night, Penny is too wired to go to bed, she has all of these feelings inside of her and if she stays in the same room as Sheldon for a moment longer she’s going to jump his bones. Which usually wouldn’t be an issue, except that Penny can hear Meemaw and Mrs Cooper out in the backyard.

If Penny can hear them, then they can hear Penny and Sheldon.

Since she’s already up, Penny decides to walk downstairs and join them. The night air is crisp and cool, before moving to join the Cooper women at the porch swing, Penny takes a big breath of night air and lets it out slowly.

“Couldn’t sleep, Girlie?” Meemaw is nursing a beer.

“Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t mind if I joined you.”

Meemaw laughs and motions for Penny to sit between them.

“Penny, darlin’, what is it? Are you nervous about the wedding?” Mrs Cooper also has a beer.

“No, no, well, yeah. I mean…yeah. I was feeling something but Sheldon reassured me and I’m feeling better now.” Penny sits between the Cooper women and this time Meemaw covers her legs with her own blanket. Penny smiles at her.

“Good, good. I would hate to have to dust off my old shotgun.” Meemaw jokes…well, Penny hopes it’s a joke.

“Darlin’, Missy mentioned something about your dad coming to the wedding. Is that right?”

“Oh, yeah. I…don’t know if I can say that things are okay between us, but, well, you know, I just…it just felt right to tell him.” Penny nods to herself. “Maybe one day we can be okay again.”

Mrs Cooper makes a noise in the back of her throat, Penny isn’t sure if it’s an approving noise or not but the hand on her leg is solid and supportive.

“If your daddy messes up, I’ll set him straight. Don’t you worry.”

Warmth fills her chest. “Thank you Mrs Cooper.”

Mrs Cooper smiles but it quickly turns into a frown. “Now, I remember telling you to call me Mary.”

“Ah…sorry, it's just-”

Mrs Cooper continues talking, as if Penny hadn’t said anything. “But I can see that it’s a bit hard for you.” Mrs Cooper's arm goes around Penny. “So, how about instead, you call me Mom.”

Penny freezes, but then slowly, allows her head to rest on the solid shoulder beneath her.

“I think I can do that.” her voice is choked up with emotion.

“Every day, I give thanks to the Lord for bringing you to us Darlin’. You’re exactly what my Snick-ugh.” Penny is already crying but she needs to be closer to this woman, to her mom. Penny hugs her suddenly and tightly, making the older woman squawk.

Meemaw laughs at the sound.

It feels weird to say it. Mom. But not bad weird. Her Mom hugs her back and rests her cheek atop Penny’s head.

Penny would never get tired of saying this. ‘I’m home.’

Kelly and Fred soon come to join them, as well as Tamika and Jack.

Fred and Sheldon pull Jack aside and the forever jock is treated to a crash course on Magic The Gathering. Soon enough Jack is playing against Fred and the both of them are hurling good natured threats and insults at each other, while Sheldon looks approvingly at the cards on the kitchen table.

Tamika looks confused at her boyfriend and Penny doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he was just converted to a new religion.

Her dad arrives on Christmas Eve, alone, thankfully.

“Penny, Darlin’. Why don’t you and Shelly go and check on Meemaw’s brisket.”

Penny wants to argue, but Sheldon takes her by the hand and they go to Meemaw’s house. They check on the brisket and perhaps it takes them 10 minutes total, when they’re back, her dad is red eyed and can’t look her in the eye.

“Penny, why don’t ya show yar dad the backyard?” Meemaw offers.

She knows it’s a setup of some kind but she still does it, they sit on the porch swing and neither says anything for a long while.

“You found some good people.”

Penny smiles and nods at her dad, she’s proud of this house and the people in it. “I did.”

“I’m glad…I’m glad…” Her dad trails off.

“Didn’t mom ask why you weren’t home for Christmas?”

“Ah, she’s spending it with Tim up at the joint. Apparently he found Jesus and he’s been doing okay, so they gonna let him have dinner with family.”

Penny nods but doesn’t say anything, her brother was a stranger so she didn’t have an opinion.

“Pen…I’m sorry.” Her dad deflates, he always looked so strong, but right now he just looks like a thin and tired old man. “I owe you an explanation.”

This was the rest of the conversation they left pending it looked like.

“Tim was always a mess. Ever since he was but a sprout, I could see it. I tried to set him straight, but your mother would just baby him. Maggie was never interested in the farm or anything that could get her dirty. And then you came along, I’ve always loved you Slugger.” A watery smile appears on his face. “You came out to the world swinging. Ever since you learned how to walk you were following me around on the farm, you wanted to learn how to fix the tractor, you played with the animals and you weren’t afraid of getting dirty.”

Her dad has a faraway look on his face. “You wanted to play all the sports too and I could teach you, we spent hours outside just playing with a football.”

Penny remembers it all, as much as she hates to admit it, those are her fondest memories.

“But, I was stupid. I had tricked myself into believing that you were a boy, my boy. So when it became obvious that you weren’t one…I rejected you.” His voice breaks but he harrumps and doesn’t break further. “It was a shitty thing to do to you.”

Penny is looking straight at her father. She’s trying to make as little noise as possible.

“You…I…” He huffs. “I was selfish. That’s the truth of it.” One of his hands scratches at his face in frustration before moving up to his hair and then to the back of his head where it scratches him violently before pulling it back down. “I’ve been a shitty parent. Your mother and I, we…we loved each other at one point. She wanted to be an actress, you know?”

Penny’s eyebrows go high on her forehead, she knew her mom resented being married to a farmer but she didn’t know this.

Her dad nods as if she had voiced her thoughts. “Yeah, I thought she would grow out of it. I was also a shitty husband…still am.”

His hands rub at his mouth, as if he was trying to remove something from it. “Seeing you on that TV show just made it clear. I failed to support you.” He looks at her and the pain in his eyes mirrors hers. “I don’t deserve it. But I’m glad you gave me a second chance, Slugger.”

Penny reaches out and grabs his hand.

“A second chance sounds good.” She smiles at her dad. His hand squeezes hers and Penny remembers they were in this exact same position when she was only nine and struggling with understanding why the vet had to put down that old horse.

“I know I missed a lot, but this boy you’re marrying. Tell me about him.”

Penny does, she talks about Sheldon and how he encouraged her to be better just by being himself. How he never doubted that she could make it. She talked and talked and then talked some more, until the day grew dark and Meemaw called them in to have dinner.

It might take years for them to have a normal relationship, and they might fail. But they were going to try. Penny hoped that her dad would stay in her life from now on.

Many, many years down the line, she hopes that her children will meet their grandpa.

Chapter Text

Penny was almost at the end of her shift when she received the call that Sheldon was in the hospital. For some reason she was set as his emergency contact, which was sweet in a way, that he trusted her so much. Especially after her messy break up with Leonard, of the group, Sheldon had been the only one to stay in touch and make time to meet with her.

Since her shift was almost over, her manager let her go without too much of a fuss but a Friday afternoon shift cut short still meant losing out on some tips.

Knowing that Sheldon’s life was not in danger, she decided to go to Los Robles first, both to take a shower and pick up a change of clothes for Sheldon. He despised hospitals already, so it would go a long way to calm his mind knowing he had clean clothes and that she was clean.

In less than twenty minutes Penny was on her way to the hospital, a Sheldon-approved transparent bag with his clothes neatly folded in it sat in the passenger seat. On the drive Penny had to wonder what could have led Dr Wackadoodle to land in a Hospital bed, all the nurse would say is that he was fine but he needed a family member there with him. ‘Guess that means me.’

She also spent the drive debating whether to call Leonard or not, he hadn’t been at 4A and things were still a little weird between them, she did hear that he had rekindled his relationship with Leslie Winkle so maybe he was on date.

The hospital comes soon into view and thankfully she’s able to find a parking spot easily. This is the same hospital that Sheldon drove her to when she had her shower accident, so maybe life did have a sense of humor.

Penny had been a little self conscious by coming to the hospital wearing her ‘Juicy’ sweatpants and a large hoodie but seeing everyone else in the waiting room looking pretty much the same, makes her shrug off the last of those feelings.

The reception is easy to find.

“Hi, I’m here for Sheldon Cooper. I got a call earlier.”

“Are you his girlfriend?” The nurse does not look amused and she’s staring straight at Penny.

Penny takes a moment to think, if she says no then they will most likely ask her to leave because she’s not a family member which will mean that Sheldon will have to stay here until someone can come get him out.

“Yes. I’m his girlfriend.” The lie comes out easily, no one will know.

“Thank god!” The relief in the nurse’s voice staggers Penny. Seems that she’s already encountered the wall named Sheldon Cooper personally. “Follow me.” The nurse motions to another nurse that takes over the reception and Penny has to move quickly to keep up with her.

“Mr-I mean, Dr Cooper suffered an accident at work.” The nurse hasn’t even looked back to make sure Penny is following. “He claims that another colleague of his was performing an experiment with liquid nitrogen.”

“Oh my god!”

“Don’t worry, he’s fine, it’s just some frostnip on his fingers. He could have treated this at home, but insisted on being treated here. He was also becoming disruptive, as such we moved him to his own room to prevent any incidents.”

Meaning that Sheldon was freaking out and that was causing other patients to freak out. ‘Great.’

“We gave him something to settle his nerves, but because of that he can’t leave on his own.” The nurse truly sounded relieved. Penny wanted to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get him out of your hair in no time.”

“That’s not all I’m afraid, but let’s wait until we’re with Dr Cooper.”

Penny doesn’t question the nurse any further and simply follows her. After a couple of minutes walking they reach the open door of a room. The room is rather small and there’s only one bed in it.

“Penny!” Sheldon brightens in relief when he catches sight of her. He is more expressive than usual but that’s most likely due to whatever they gave him to calm him down.

“Hey Sheldon.” She smiles at him but her smile falters a little at seeing his bandaged hands. Before she can ask anything the nurse tells her again that he’s fine.

“I got you a change of clothes Moonpie.”

“Thank you Penny. We can finally leave this infernal place.” Sheldon is already moving to stand up but the nurse stops him.

“Not so fast Dr Cooper, you remember what the doctor asked, don’t you?”

“I have an eidet-”

“Here you go. Once you’re done you can call a nurse and we’ll sign him out.” The nurse doesn’t even listen to Sheldon, she hands Penny a plastic bag and quickly tries to leave the room. Looking down at her hand she sees a plastic cup, like the ones you have to pee in.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Penny chases after the nurse “What’s this, what do you mean? I have to help him pee?” She’s freaking out a little because this just took a turn she wasn’t ready for.

“What? No.” Penny almost sighs in relief but freezes at the nurse’s next words. “The Doctor requested a sperm sample.”

Penny must have misheard her. There’s no way she just said that, but before Penny can move again the nurse is already gone, leaving Penny standing alone in the hospital hallway.

Returning to Sheldon, she could see him blushing fiercely and he had his eyes closed. ‘Oh right, freaky hearing.’

“So…uh, how are you Sheldon?” Penny decided the best way to approach this was to ignore it completely.

“I knew that wack of a doctor didn’t know what he was doing!” Sheldon said through gritted teeth.

“Wait, you told the doctor how to do his job?” A pinprick of suspicion starts to form in her mind.

“Penny. The man was a neanderthal that suggested I use aloe vera and ibuprofen to treat what’s clearly a severe case of frostbite.” Sheldon fumed and Penny’s suspicion was true. Sheldon made the doctor so upset that he requested a sperm sample, when the patient couldn’t use his hands.

Penny puts her face in the palm of her empty hand and sighs deeply. “Honey. You can’t go around offending people like that.”

“You don’t understand Penny, my-” Penny interrupts him.

“I understand. I understand that the doctor asked you to provide a sperm sample and you can’t use your hands. Do you see how this has ‘Fuck you’ written all over it?”

“Penny! There’s no need to curse, besides, I don’t see how that neand-...oh!”

“And there it is. You called him that to his face didn’t you?” Penny asks despite already knowing the answer.

“I…might have.” Sheldon at least looks ashamed.

“And that’s the reason for this.” She shakes the plastic bag containing the cup.

“Could you please ask the nurse if we can go?”

“Sure Honey, I’ll tell them you’ll apologize to the doctor.” Sheldon looks ready to protest but Penny raises an eyebrow and he grumbles an agreement.

Ten minutes later and Penny is back in the room. The nurses were adamant, Sheldon couldn’t leave unless they got their sample, and the doctor would not be back until tomorrow night, so it was either the sample or waiting for the doctor. She’s sure that the nurses were grinning.

“Sorry Honey, no luck.” Sheldon groans in disappointment once she explains that it’s either the sample or waiting for the doctor.

“This can’t be happening.” Penny agrees with Sheldon on that, it was so bizarre.

“Can’t you? I don’t know, hump the mattress or something?”

Sheldon glares at her. “You want me to…hump?” He looks offended that she dared to ask him that.

“Okay, okay, okay.” She placates him. “Do you have any better ideas?” Penny sits on the edge of the bed.

“Maybe, I could use my hand.” He lifts his right hand. “Can you help me remove the bandage?” A pause. “Please?”

Penny helps him, it’s not tightly wrapped so it comes undone easily. She gasps at seeing his fingers, the skin looks slightly bruised and swollen, she thought that Sheldon might have been exaggerating but it does look painful. Sheldon flexes his fingers cautiously and Penny doesn’t miss his grimace of pain.

“No. Just no. Sheldon, you’ll hurt your hand.”

“It’ll have to do Penny. I can’t stand to stay another moment more in this dreadful place.” He looks so miserable.

Penny bites her lip, looks up at the ceiling. ‘Ah fuck it.’ She’s single, he’s single. And this is to help him get out of this place. She gets up to close the door, sadly it doesn’t have a lock, but it will have to do for now.

“Listen Moonpie, not a word of this to anyone. Capische?”

“Of whaAAHH! Penny!” Sheldon screams because she’s unbuckling his belt and then his pants. His hands go to try and stop her but he doesn’t actually touch her. “Penny, what are you doing?”

Penny stops because she’s wondering the same thing herself.

“Look. This is the only way you’re getting out of this place. I’ll help you out or I can call Leonard and have him do it?”

“Leonard, Leslie, Koothrappali and Wolowitz are camping out in the desert again. Leslie promised them ‘the good mushrooms’.” Sheldon’s voice is still high and he explains this in a single breath.

“So you’re stuck with me. Actually, you’re not, I can easily just return tomorrow night when the doctor is in and leave you here.” She wouldn’t, not really.

Despite the pain it causes him, Sheldon takes a hold of her arm. “Please don’t leave me.” It breaks her heart.

“I won’t.” She puts her hand on top of his. “Now, can we get a move on this?” She gestures to his crotch.

“Can you sanitize first? Please.” He gestures to the bottle of sanitizing gel on the bedside. Penny doesn’t want to drag this any longer so she just does, dropping the bag with the cup next to his leg, she grabs the bottle and squirts a big dollop and rubs her hands until it’s gone.

“I also took a shower and brushed my teeth before coming here.” She says sarcastically but Sheldon actually looks relieved. ‘Wackadoodle.’

Suddenly feeling nervous again, Penny goes to sit back at the bed. Sheldon’s pants are open and she can see his underwear, as well as the bulge sitting there. She goes to grab him but the sleeves of her oversized hoodie get in the way, she tries to pull them but it’s no use, they fall back down.

Sighing in frustration she takes off her hoodie and puts it on the chair. The room is quiet, the only noise is the hum of the crappy AC, because of that she’s able to hear Sheldon’s sudden intake of breath. When she turns to look at him, he’s looking at her intently.

To be more precise, he’s looking at her chest.

Penny wasn’t expecting to remove her hoodie anywhere that wasn’t her apartment, so she didn’t put much thought about what she was wearing underneath. She had chosen a pretty comfy but ratty white undershirt, one that she had for years and that was pretty much see-through.

Not helping matters was the fact that the room was pretty cool, so her body reacted and now Sheldon was trying to make eye contact with her nipples, of course her nipples seemed to preen at the attention and now Penny could feel her own blush creep up to her face.

Just as she’s about to say ‘My eyes are up here.’ She can see that she’s having an effect on Sheldon. His underwear strains and she can see Sheldon Jr pop out the top. Her mouth is suddenly dry.

‘You can do this Penny.’

The last time she was this nervous around a dick, was when she was sixteen and in the back of Matt O’Brian’s pick up truck, not knowing what to do with her hands. ‘Holy crap, this is Sheldon.’ Her mind reminded her helpfully.

“Penny, perhaps we should give your idea of ‘humping’ a chance.” Sheldon finally stops looking at her chest and instead turns his eyes towards the ceiling, she can see he is flushing all the way down to his neck.

Shaking herself Penny draws a deep breath. “Too late Moonpie, we’re doing this.” Penny was not a coward, she once finished a Junior Rodeo competition with a fractured wrist, she can do this.

With a shaky hand she pulled down his underwear.

Sheldon gasped and his dick bounced for a moment before settling back down against his groin. Penny wasn’t sure what Sheldon would be packing, but damn, he was fine. Of course because he is Sheldon it means his dick is properly cared for and clean, she would go as far as to call his dick ‘cute’

Of course it was less cute because it looked like it was trying to escape and attack her. Maybe Sheldon hadn’t realized that he was moving his hips, probably trying to rub himself against anything at that moment.

It’s the itch between her legs that finally breaks her from the staring contest with Sheldon’s dick. Pressing her legs together confirms that she’s also being affected by this…bizarre situation.

Finally gathering up her courage, she reaches for his dick. It’s hot against her cool skin and it makes her squeeze it twice, it makes Sheldon groan in a way she’s never heard before. Her hand moves up and down but her hands are dry and it’s hard. ‘No pun intended.’ She laughs in her head.

Sheldon isn’t talking which is freaking her out even more. She was kind of expecting him to tell her how to do it and then berate her for doing it wrong, but the only sounds coming from his mouth are small grunts every time her hand moves up. It does something to her, to hear him like that, makes her feel in control, he’s making those sounds because of her. The great Sheldon Cooper is nothing but putty in her hands. She’s the one that’s making him close his eyes, her hand moving is what’s making him frown and grimace in pleasure.

She’s so focused on his face and the sounds he’s making that the feeling of his precum covering her fingers makes her flinch in surprise and focus on the dick at hand. ‘You’re hilarious Penny.’ Joking makes her not focus on the way her own body is reacting to this entire thing.

Thanks to the lubrication her hand has an easier time pumping him, she twists her hand on the upswing and right on the head of his dick which makes him buck his hips and fuck her hand.

“Penny! I-” His voice is frantic and panicked, the way he’s bucking his hips and pressing his back against the bed makes it clear what’s about to happen. Still pumping him she looks for the cup…and realizes it is still in the plastic bag, a bag she’s not going to be able to open, remove the cup and then open the cup before Sheldon cums.

“Sheldon, waitwaitwaitwait.”

But he’s too far gone, she can already tell he’s past the point of no return. She has a second to find a solution.

“You SO owe me for this!” Sheldon is not paying attention to her but she still says it loudly.

And then puts the head of his dick in her mouth. Sheldon finally looks down at her in shock and they make eye contact, she glares at him, daring him to say anything but Sheldon simply grunts and then her mouth is filled with semen.

‘I bet this is not covered in our friendship contract.’

Waiting for Sheldon to finish cumming, Penny has enough time to wonder how they did end up in this situation, how Sheldon is going to repay her, is he going to be remembering this the next time he jerks off and why the hell is he still cumming?

After what feels like an hour, Sheldon finally is done. Penny carefully removes his dick from her mouth and not wanting to keep using her mouth as a makeshift cup, she quickly breaks open the plastic bag, removes the cup and the lid and spits out the semen still in her mouth.

Sheldon gasps again, Penny turns to look at him and she can see his dick is trying to come back to life.

“Seriously? This is getting you hard again?”

“Ah. No?” So Sheldon after cumming was an idiot like every other man out there, that was good to know. Not.

Penny makes sure to put the cup away after putting the lid on it, she puts on her hoodie and does her best to ignore both the taste in her mouth and the way her panties are drenched. Of course she has to help Sheldon back into his underwear and then into his pants, which is not easy with him at half-mast.

Another huge glob of sanitizing gel and they’re ready to leave.

“Not a word to anyone Sheldon.” They’re walking towards the reception, Sheldon is holding onto the bag containing the change of clothes he never even used.

“Understood.”

She side-eyes him but he looks to be slowly composing himself into the usual Sheldon.

They reach the reception quickly and with the cup now containing the sample they finally allow Sheldon to check out. The nurse grinning all the while.

Once they’re almost out the door, Penny glances back at the nurse and witnesses the nurse throwing Sheldon’s cup into the trash. ‘Motherfucker!’

“Let’s go Moonpie, you’re buying dinner.”

Chapter Text

Hanabi's Sick Sheldon Jealous Penny Challenge:

Prompt: Sick Sheldon means most rules don't apply as long as he is being taken care of. So what happens when Sheldon gets sick and Penny is out for the weekend? When Penny returns, how will she react to not only finding out that Sheldon was sick but was being taken care of by someone else - e.g. a female grad student (though not crazy like Ramona), Martha (the girl Sheldon met as Raj's wing man), or Bernadette?

Penny walks into the apartment to see that girl being a little too friendly with Sheldon (sitting too close to him, cuddling with him on the couch and/or bed), and is actually going as far as to sing Soft Kitty. In turn, Penny becomes jealous of the other woman and tries to compete with her.

Hanabi's Jealous Penny Challenge:

Prompt: Penny's POV "Who's that girl Sheldon's hugging like it's the most normal thing in the world? . . . Oh! And more importantly: why do I care?"

The other girl could be a relative of Sheldon's, a colleague he "respects", or simply an OC of your choice.

Hanabi's 'Sheldon Wants A Baby' Challenge:

Prompt: As a joke, Penny tells Sheldon that she wants to have his baby. But she's shocked when Sheldon not only agrees but shows her plans to live with her and raise their child. He even provides kindergarten options and monetary plans for Penny and their child - and even a plan to conceive a second and possibly third child.

Prompt: Penny is Sleepwalking, but the Place she chooses to return to Rest is Sheldon's Bed . . . With Him in It

Hanabi's Sheldon Meets Fantasy World Challenge

Prompt: What if Sheldon (because of a weird experiment) is suddenly launched into an alternate universe that resembles a familiar fantasy world (Age of Conan, WOW, LotR, Suikoden, Dragon Quest, Eternal Sonata, etcetera)? In this AU, Sheldon meets Penny (a Barbarian or Warrior Woman) and the gang, and Penny doesn't understand what "no" means... and she wants Sheldon! Remember, though, that Sheldon is a physicist visiting this AU, not a part of it. This is about a-dorkable Sheldon finding himself in a new world without soap, toothpaste, comic books, or take-out - and he's meeting a more than assertive Penny.

Challenge: Later in the story, find a way for Sheldon to return to his normal world in Pasadena, bringing "Barbarian" Penny with him - if only for a day or two. There, Sheldon introduces Barbarian Penny to the rest of the gang.

Chapter Text

Penny is ready to get married.

Last night they all had a nice family dinner and Penny was fine. She was joking around with Meemaw, playing with Ceecee, holding Sheldon’s hand and bringing her father into this little slice of heaven that was the Cooper house.

Then this morning Missy did her makeup, helped her get dressed and all around made sure that Penny looked stunning. Sheldon and Georgie were in charge of making sure that everything was in place at both the church and the hall which meant that he still hadn’t seen Penny in her full bride glory.

Penny gets a little sentimental when Meemaw gives her a beautiful brooch to wear, it’s handcrafted and depicts three tulips, red, yellow and white.

“I made this Girlie. When Charlie and I got married, we didn’t have a lot of money.” Meemaw’s voice is wistful. “For our wedding day we simply wore our Sunday’s best, except for two brooches, that one you’re holding. I made it for him to wear on that day. The other one, my momma made it for me, that one went to Missy.” Meemaw’s hand is soft on her cheek. “One for each of my girls.”

Penny can’t stop the tears, she crushes Meemaw in a hug and weeps on her chest.

“There, there. Meemaw is here.” Meemaw pats her in the back.

Missy is not impressed at having to redo her makeup but Penny doesn’t miss that her own makeup looks fresh. Meemaw was the only one that didn’t need her makeup redone.

In what feels like too little time, Penny is taken to the church where everyone is already waiting. Her dad fixes up real good in his tux and he looks nervous, keeps looking at his shoes and practicing walking. The sight of it makes her relax and even laugh a little.

Mrs Coope-No. Mom comes to give a hug and a kiss before she has to walk down the aisle. “Penny. Darlin’ you look gorgeous.” Before returning to her place she gives her dad a pointed look and her dad simply nods.

“Ready Slugger?”

A deep breath “Ready.”

At some unseen cue the double doors in front of her open up and Penny is facing a church full of friends and family, but the moment she lands eyes on Sheldon, the rest disappears.

Sheldon is standing tall in his custom-made tux, it makes him look handsome but he still keeps that boyish charm of his. His eyes are also focused on her, she’s seen that face before, it’s the face he makes when he’s had a breakthrough, when nothing else matters but the formula in front of him, except, there’s no formula this time. It’s just her, Penny.

Ceecee is the flower girl and she’s doing a fantastic job, except Penny wishes that she could just run up at the altar, kiss Sheldon and drag him back to their hotel room.

She’s halfway through when Sheldon starts tapping his feet and she can’t help but smile, it looked like her Moonpie had the same idea as her.

Her dad tears up once he has to hand her to Sheldon, she hugs him and whispers a ‘Thank you.’ which breaks him and Meemaw has to drag him back to his seat because he can’t see through his tears.

She can hear Jonah snapping picture after picture and makes a mental note to ask if he was able to capture a good shot of her and her dad.

When she’s finally next to Sheldon, she’s surprised to see Fred occupying the best man spot, he looks pretty damn proud and she guesses that some of that hero worship is still there.

“Penny. You are breathtaking.” Sheldon whispers to her.

“You also clean up nicely Moonpie.” She teases him.

The rest of the ceremony goes without a hitch, Penny refused to have them write their own vows. She was barely holding on as it was and didn’t want to become a crying mess (again) right in the middle of her wedding. Corny was fine for movies and shows, but she wanted this to be an amazing memory they could look back on and not have to see a picture of Penny looking like a racoon.

“You may kiss the bride.”

And just like that, she was now Penny Cooper. She never really had a great attachment to her last name, everywhere she went, she was just Penny. Maybe it’s because she never felt any attachment to it that now that she’s Penny Cooper, it feels right. A piece of a puzzle finally fitting it.

Penny Cooper. She liked the sound of that.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, it is my pleasure to present, for the first time anywhere, Dr. And Mrs. COOPER!!”

Fred has a way with words and he’s able to hype up their entrance to the hall.

Penny is thankful for her family, thanks to Meemaw, Mom and Missy, Sheldon and her are able to enjoy their party without worries. They have their first dance while Jonah snaps away at what feels like five pictures per second.

Fred is a dear and he’s able to emcee the entire thing. They need to buy him something nice…maybe get Kelly to finally dress up as a Futurama character.

She’s glad that other people are dealing with this party thing. Penny is in no mood to focus on anything else at the moment. She dances with her dad and he cries again, he apologizes again and again, but Penny focuses on the feeling of being in his arms again and she feels six again, like when she ‘danced’ but in reality she was only standing on his shoes as he gently swayed and moved to the music.

And she knows why her dad is crying so much, because this dance feels too much like goodbye.

They will rebuild a new relationship, but they can never recover what was lost. Now she’s Penny Cooper, an adult, a married woman that is chasing her dreams.He’s saying goodbye to his little girl, the one he had rejected for so long. As the dance ends, Penny kisses him on the cheek and whispers “Thank you for being here dad.”

She’s able to maintain her composure, at least until she’s dancing with Sheldon again. He holds her closer and nuzzles the side of her head, a silent acknowledgement that he’s there for her. At some point they stop moving with the music and simply stand there holding each other.

“I love you Moonpie.” Her voice is shaky.

“I love you Penny.” His voice is steady, he’s telling her that grass is green. He’s telling her that the earth is round. He is stating a fact.

Penny grins up at him and kisses him, he is quick to reciprocate.

Penny flops onto the hotel bed, her feet are killing her and she’s dead tired. She had imagined her first night as a married woman having nonstop sex, but she just wants to cuddle with Sheldon and sleep for their entire stay.

Sheldon is not doing much better, he had sat down to remove his shoes but she can see that he’s closed his eyes as he tries to not fall face first into the carpet.

Groaning, she sits up next to him and bumps him with her shoulder. “C’mon Moonpie, let’s go to sleep.”

“I’m trying to remember the last time I felt this exhausted…I am unsuccessful to do so.” He is usually so energetic, but now his voice is slow and careful.

Penny snorts “Right there with you Honey.” She lets her head fall on his shoulder, the silence of the room makes it easier for Penny to hear his soft breathing, the inhaling and exhaling of air fills her with so much joy that she can’t help but smile.

Penny pulls Sheldon down with her onto the mattress, their legs are still hanging off the side.

“Penny. We should change.” Sheldon still has his eyes closed.

“I’ll get up if you get up.” Penny closes her eyes.

With a lot of groaning Sheldon sits up and pulls her up with him. They finally change out of their stuffy clothing and into their regular pajamas, when her head nestles in the crook of his arm Penny is fully gone, asleep in the arms of her husband.

The next morning they go eat breakfast, return to their room and don’t come back out until midnight.

McNuggets are the only thing they can find for dinner. They eat them in their car because their hotel room is a mess, they left a couple of windows cracked and Penny made a mental note to tip the maids extra generously.

Way too soon for her liking they go back to Pasadena and Penny decides to finally bite the bullet and get an agent, Laura has been a fantastic help but agents can be magicians and get you auditions you never even thought were possible…according to the internet at least.

She gets Sheldon to help her with the search and after a month they both decide on Paula Rossin. She’s got a great reputation and word on the street is that she’s a fierce protector of her actors.

Almost immediately it pays off.

Paula is able to nab an audition for Penny, a real audition, it’s for a cop show and Penny would audition for the main cast, not a one-off, but the main cast!

The role is for Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Penny studies the script front to back, goes on the internet to see how real cops act…and then realizes the character is an FBI agent, so she changes her approach. She finds out about Susan Roley Malone and Joanne Pierce Misko and reads as much as she can on them.

When the day of the audition comes, Penny is feeling the same butterflies she did whenever she was about to get on the horse for Junior Rodeo.

She’s ready to kick ass.

Penny is so wired, she’s waiting for the elevator to arrive but it’s taking so damn long. It finally arrives and she’s dancing from one foot to the other. Sheldon already went to pick up dinner and he’s just waiting for her.

The ride up to 4A has never felt this long before, Penny is getting antsy.

Finally after what she swears is an hour, the door opens and she’s sprinting to their apartment. Sheldon is in his spot and he’s reading something but before he can even greet her, Penny has already tackled him.

“I got a callback! I got a callback!” She’s so excited. “The casting director liked my audition so much that they want me back for a live reading!” Her voice is high and excited, she’s talking so fast that she wouldn’t be surprised if Sheldon didn’t actually understand what she was saying.

“Congratulations Penny.” He somehow manages to keep a cool tone of voice, he’s holding onto her strongly. Penny squees and returns the hug.

She had a good feeling about this.

Fred is the last to graduate from their group.

In what Penny considers the ultimate friend move, Sheldon not only decides to give a speech during the graduation ceremony. Something he’s doing for the first time ever, despite being in Caltech since he was 16. But, he is also the one that gives Fred his diploma.

Honestly, they've been friends for over a year now and Fred still has Sheldon on a pedestal. At least Fred teases Sheldon now, but seeing the redhead smile like a child on Christmas morning reveals how much this truly means to him.

Also, Sheldon looks kinda silly up there with so many ribbons on him.

On the other side of the country, Leonard is also graduating. But when his name is called there’s only silence, the places dedicated for his family are empty.

His mother had to go and attend a lecture being given by his brother. His dad never even replied to his email. His sister was in Japan.

As he trudges back into his seat, Leonard is only thinking about moving to California. There, things will be different, he will not be the runt of the litter, he won’t have to beg for scraps of attention, he’ll find a beautiful girl that will make it all better.

Leonard will finally be ‘One of the guys.’

They’re all in the middle of playing ‘Railways of the World’ because of course Sheldon had to get this board game as soon as it came out, when Paula’s call interrupts them.

“Penny dear. You got it. You’re ‘JJ’.” Penny had set the call on speaker and the response was immediate. Penny lets out a huge sob of relief, she had wanted this part so badly. She was so sure that she rocked it, but the silence after the live reading had been deafening.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Kelly and Fred bounce on their seats and holler loudly.

Feeling a hand on her cheek, Penny looks up. Sheldon’s smiling face greets her, and the softness and happiness in it makes her start crying in earnest. “Congratulations PennUHG” Sheldon can’t continue because she pulled him into a hug.

Yeah, life was good.

Filming is fun, it gives Penny a unique feeling. Sheldon was made for Physics and Penny was made for acting.

Funnily enough, in the show there’s a character that reminds her a lot of Sheldon. Dr. Spencer Reid was basically someone taking Sheldon and turning him into an FBI agent. It was a bit scary at times to see how similar the character was to her Moonpie.

Maybe one of the writers was a fan of Sheldon?

“HOWIE! SOMEONE’S AT THE DOOR!”

“I HEARD MA! -oh!- Hi Leonard, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have gone to pick you up from the airport.”

Howard pulls Leonard into a one armed hug and it’s sad how happy that makes him feel. Leonard needed to get out more if that hug almost made him cry.

“I didn’t want to be a bother, you’re already opening your hom-”

“HOWIE! WHO IS IT?”

“IT’S LEONARD MA! -what were you saying?”

“...Just that I’m happy to be here in California.”

“It’ll be amazing dude, as soon as you get hired by Caltech we’ll go out every weekend. You’ll see, we’ll be the hottest bachelors out there.”

“Than-”

“CLOSE THE DOOR HOWIE! YOU’RE LETTING THE COLD AIR IN!”

“MA! IT’S 120 DEGREES OUT HERE, WHAT COLD AIR?”

As Howard and his mother argued, Leonard started having second thoughts about moving to California.

Chapter Text

“HOWIE! LENNY! BREAKFAST!”

Leonard woke up with a start. He was never going to get used to Mrs Wolowitz’s voice. He’s been staying in the spare room for the last week and honestly, it’s been okay. He had been afraid that Howard’s mom would be too much to deal with, but other than being loud, she was a perfectly reasonable human being.

“I’M NOT REHEATING THE PANCAKES! HOWIE! LENNY!” She was a reasonable human being, most of the time.

Glancing at the alarm clock showed that it was seven in the morning, Leonard groaned a little to himself. He didn’t mind waking up early, but Saturdays were his ‘sleep in’ days. However, he didn’t want to upset Mrs Wolowitz so he tiredly went to eat his pancakes.

“I HEARD YOU MOM! IN FACT, THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD HEARD YOU!”

Maybe it was time to find his own place.

Leonard liked Raj, the Indian man was a nice change of pace from Howard’s constant horny energy.

“Dude! What do you mean you don’t eat Cheesecake?” Raj gaped at him.

“I’m lactose intolerant. It’s not that I don’t want to eat it. I literally can’t.” Leonard tried to keep the whine out of his voice.

“Lactaid? Hello?”

“I’m allergic to it, trust me, I tried.” Leonard shuddered, that particular ER visit had almost been his last.

“Oh dude. That sucks.” Raj truly looked sad for him.

“That’s fine, I prefer chocolate cake anyway. Reminds me of my childhood.”

“Okay ladies, shut up.” Howard told them. “We’re about to arrive at the club. Leonard, remember, you’re a hunter, feel free to roam the wilderness and sink your teeth on good game.”

“Dude, stop it with that, that’s why you’ve been going home alone for years.” Raj looked queasy.

“I don’t know Raj, I kinda like the metaphor.” Leonard tried to puff up his chest, the weather in california was mild but he still had a hard time letting go of his layers.

“Ugh, I can’t say I’m fully on board with this.” Raj still looked dubious.

“Look, buddy, you’re with the Alpha Males now.” Howard said with a straight face. “This is how we roll, we’re the hunters and the women are prey…okay, I’m hearing myself now. I know Raj, I know, you were right, we need to find a better metaphor.” Not even Howard could keep the whole ‘predator’ thing going and not cringe himself into oblivion.

“Look guys, I just want to celebrate being accepted into Caltech, please nothing crazy tonight.” Leonard knew his own luck, he didn’t want to end up passed out in a back alley somewhere.

“It’ll be fine buddy. Oh! Did you see that new Folgers commercial?” Howard said excitedly.

“The blonde!”
“The blonde!”

They both said at the same time.

“She’s so hot Howard, you gotta take me to that store. I can learn to play Magic.” Howard shot Raj an apologetic look while Raj simply glared at him. “...Or not.”

“Buddy, I said I was sorry.” Howard groveled.

“We can’t go back to that store anymore because Howard here decided that it was a good idea to hound the girl behind the counter about any and all information on ‘blonde girl’.” Raj looks properly pissed. “They threatened to call the cops if they saw us again.”

“Raj, look, I still say they overreacted.” Seeing Raj widen his eyes in shock, Howard quickly adds “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, how was I supposed to know the girl had mace behind the counter?”

“You think that’s the issue?” Raj’s accent gets more pronounced when he’s upset.

Leonard doesn’t say anything while Raj and Howard argue, but he has to admit to himself that he would have done the same thing as Howard, even at the risk of a facefull of mace.

Leonard’s clubbing experience isn’t great. Whenever he approaches a girl to try and chat they always cover their drink and quickly claim their friend is calling them.

What was it about him that repelled women? He was a nice guy, if they gave him the chance he could show them. Why did they have to choose the dumb guys over him? When would it be his chance to get the girl as a reward? Didn’t he deserve a girl?

What took the sting of the whole thing was seeing his fellow geeks have the same luck he was having. Howard actually received looks of disgust and even a slap, but the man acted like it didn’t matter, as if they slid off of him. Raj on the other hand…well, that was a revelation, the man sober was a wonderful and shy person, but drunk? He was an asshole to put it bluntly. So why did he decide to drink in the first place? Because he couldn’t talk to women otherwise. Quite a group they were.

And as a group they went back to Howard’s house to play WoW until 5 AM the next morning.

At least his first day at work goes swimmingly.

The labs at Caltech are amazing, he will be able to recreate experiments and even make some of his own. He also talked a little with Leslie, she is another experimental physicist and Leonard thinks that they really hit it off, she likes emo rock as well, plays WoW and her staunch belief in loop theory makes him think she might be onto something, he had agreed to help her with an experiment later that week.

She was amazing…except, she was also very opinionated and aggressive.

But she was great! He could see himself talking to her for hours and hours, and she might be into him as well, which was already more of a win than he could say about his entire dating experience since, well, forever.

And Leslie was…plain looking. Leonard cringes at himself once the thought comes up.

He doesn’t think of himself as a shallow person, he is not. But if starts dating Leslie, no one will high-five him like the jocks did in High School when they scored the top cheerleader or hottest girl. No one will turn to look at him like he’s the man, no one will be impressed. Leslie looks like someone that should be dating Leonard.

Didn’t he deserve better? Hadn’t he suffered enough? Was a hot girlfriend really that much of an ask out of life?

He pondered those questions as he waited in line at the University's cafeteria. Raj and Howard were already moving towards a table but Leonard had to make sure his lunch didn’t have dairy, nuts or wheat so he stayed back until he was satisfied he wouldn’t die after a bite of his food.

“How’s your first day going, Bud?” Howard looked happy.

“Oh, it’s great. I met Leslie Winkle and she showed me the newest laser that was installed.”

Raj nods as he eats his meatloaf. Howard nods as well “Ah, Leslie Winkle, that’s one fiery beast Lenny.”

“Dude. You agreed no more animal metaphors.” Raj does not look amused.

“Sorry Buddy, it slipped out.” Howard at least does look apologetic. “No more of that, I swear.”

Raj mumbles a thanks and goes back to his food. Leonard couldn’t understand the relationship between his two friends, he had suspected that they might be dating in secret, but Howard was way too horny about women for that to be true.

“Yeah, she’s really cool.” Leonard dips his head and smiles shyly at them.

“Good for you man, I asked her out once and she almost tore my head off without reason.” Howard looked confused.

“Dude…seriously?! You said ‘Did you just fart? Because you blow me away!’” Raj gaped at Howard. “I still don’t know how you didn’t end up meeting with the Ethics team after that one.”

Leonard laughed at his friends, Raj looked back at him with his eyebrows raised. “I wasn’t joking.”

“Oh…” It will probably be a good idea to not Leslie know he’s friends with Howard then.

“Whatever. People take things way too seriously, so I can’t flirt with a hot girl because it’s called harassment?” Howard looked offended. “People are too sensiti-OH! Gentlemen, please direct your eyes at the back of the line, that tall redhead is the man dating our blonde goddess.” Leonard almost got whiplash from Howard’s sudden change of topic.

Turning to look at where Howard mentioned he can see a tall and handsome man, but before he can notice anything more about him, Leonard’s eyes were focused on the man behind the redhead.

“That’s Sheldon Cooper!” He whispered to the other two.

“Where, where?” Howard moved his head frantically.

“Behind the redhead, the even taller man.”

“Oh dude, you’re right. That’s Dr Cooper.” Raj’s tone was wistful and Leonard had to turn to look at him. Raj was, well, there really was no other word for it, Raj was swooning. “I was able to attend his latest lecture on dark matter, the man is an artist.” Now also Howard turned to look at Raj.

“Whatever man, I still say he’s not that big of a deal.” Howard pouted.

“He is.”
“He is.”

Both Raj and him corrected Howard which only made him pout more.

“I wonder who's the redhead then? They’re talking like old friends.” Leonard had heard the rumors about the infamous Dr Cooper’s behavior to those he deemed lesser.

“I had never seen him before.” Raj is just as clueless.

“Man, if only I had a face like his. Look at him, he’s making the cashier girl laugh effortlessly.” Howard focused on the important part.

The trio observed as Dr. Cooper and his friend moved to a corner table to start eating and continue talking.

“That lucky bastard is also dating our blonde Goddess. Life is truly unfair.” Howard viciously stabbed at his food.

“Maybe we can ask someone if they know who this guy is. Do any of you have any friends in other departments?” Leonard turned to look at them expectantly.

Howard turned an inquisitive look at Raj who shook his head and said “Yeah no, you guys are my only friends.”

“Same here.” Howard shrugged. “Kripke is an acquaintance at best…and if you think I’m creepy, wait until you meet him.”

“Dude, maybe Leslie will know?” Raj offered.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth the shot.” Leonard wanted to know more about this guy, it was their only connection to the stunningly hot blonde. “Oh, but what if they’re not dating anymore?”

“He will still know who she is, and if they ended up on bad terms he might be willing to, you know, sell us pictures of her or something.”

Raj groaned in disgust and threw his fork on his plate. “DUDE! C’mon”

“Not like that! I meant her headshot or a selfie!” Howard started to apologize and try to calm Raj down. Hopefully Leslie will know who that guy is.

“Wait, did he look like a Conan O’Brian clone?” Leslie said as she calibrated one of the lenses.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, yeah, he did.” Leonard stopped writing to frown at himself.

“Ah, that’s Dr Frederick Chadwick.” Leslie said with a grin. “Protégé of one Dr Cooper.”

“Protégé?” Leonard asked, confused. If that were true then everyone in the scientific community would know about him. “Is he also a theoretical physicist?”

“Astrophysicist actually.”

“Huh…wait, what?”

“I don’t know what to tell you Hofstadter, that’s all I know. Rumor has it that Dr Chadwick was even Dr Cooper’s best man.”

“Dr Cooper is married?!” Leonard’s jaw couldn’t close.

“Yep. Haven’t met the Mrs yet, I’ve only been here for half a year.”

“Huh…”

So even the infamous antisocial and caustic Dr Cooper had been able to marry someone. Ouch, on top of everything else he also had to beat Leonard at that, and he was a year younger than Leonard. Double ouch.

“Now, enough yapping Hofstadter. Focus.”

“No way dude! Married?” At least Raj had the appropriate reaction.

Howard blew a raspberry. “Big deal, he probably married a female version of himself.” Howard made a jerking motion with this hand. “The important part is that now we know the name of our target. Watch the wizard work his magic.”

Howard started typing on his laptop.

“Hmmm, no. Not here either. Nothing here.” He kept muttering to himself as he typed. “Either this Frederick guy doesn’t have social media or I’m just dumb and can’t find him.”

“Can you find Dr Cooper’s page?” Raj suggested.

“Hmmmm…here it is.” Howard showed them, but there wasn’t a lot to see. Just a couple of posts regarding his published articles but nothing about his personal life and his friend’s list was empty. “No dice.”

“C’mon Howard. You’re supposed to be good at this, this is our only clue to find that blonde girl.” Leonard whined.

“Hold your horses, We just need to approach this from another angle, we need to be smarter. We need to talk to this guy directly.” Howard said smugly.

“Wow…” Howard said slowly.

“Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutpshutup.” Raj was holding his blushing face in his hands.

The plan had been easy. Raj was going to approach Dr Frederick, as fellow astrophysicists it should be easy to strike up a conversation. Except, the moment Dr Frederick turned his smile on Raj, it was all over. Raj flushed so much that everyone could tell even with his dark skin tone, he also lost the ability to speak and once Dr Fredrick laughed, Raj had run back to their table.

“Er Raj, are you gay?”

Howard turned to look at Leonard, an offended look on his face, but before he could say anything, Raj very softly said. “I don’t know.”

Leonard cringed away from Howard, he liked the man but he feared what his reaction might be. But Howard was frowning at nothing while his hands fisted on his legs. Leonard didn’t have anything against gay people, Raj was still Raj. However, Howard’s relationship with Raj might change forever after this revelation.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Howard took a seat next to Raj and put his arm around the still blushing man. “Raj, buddy. You’re going to be the perfect wingman.” Howard grinned and squeezed Raj against him.

Raj had been oblivious to Howard’s reactions. He finally looked up from his hands to roll his eyes at Howard. “Of course, that’s what you’re focusing on.” But Leonard didn’t miss the relieved expression on Raj’s face.

Leonard and Leslie had a thing going on. He didn’t know if he should call it a boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but it was a good thing as far as he was concerned. They worked together, played in the University’s band together, and more importantly, they slept together…as in, they had sex.

Leslie was a fierce woman and honestly, it scared him a little.

Wasn’t he supposed to be Alpha male? Sometimes it felt like it was the other way around. Leslie didn’t like it when Leonard paid for her stuff, she drank as much beer as he did and she hated girly stuff.

Leonard was happy. BUT. That damned ‘but’ kept him from being truly happy. What if there was someone better out there, someone that was girly, that liked nerdy guys. Someone that he could brag about, that he could show around and have everyone be jealous of him.

Leslie was great! But she wasn’t exactly…a bombshell, yeah, that worked.

He was happy with her, but…was it enough? He still didn’t feel like one of the ‘In’ guys, having a girl should have made it all better. Should have fixed that hole inside of him that craved love.

Because he liked Leslie. But…what if he could find someone better?

Comic Con was a bust for all of them, except for Raj.

Raj was able to hook up with a guy dressed as a female orc and they made plans to stay in touch. His friend looked genuinely happy.

As for Howard, the man was thrown out on the second day for touching a girl’s butt. He claimed it was an accident, but security didn’t care, they were lucky that the cops weren’t called.

For himself, well, Leonard started this whole thing with the left foot. He had assumed that Leslie would want to come, but she didn’t. He had assumed so much in fact, that he was paying for 2 tickets to everything plus a stay in a more expensive hotel that was not getting the use he was hoping for.

He and Leslie had finally put a label on their relationship but he still felt at odds. Never truly committing to anything. He hoped that the upcoming Caltech Gala would go a long way to solving some of that hesitation he still felt.

Leslie would dress up and he would be there showing her off. At least he hoped that he could show her off, he was slightly afraid that she would show up in her regular clothes.

The Caltech Gala was a success so far. Leslie had dressed up and she looked great, Kripke almost had an aneurysm when he saw her. Leonard was feeling pretty great, maybe this whole thing was just what he needed to strengthen his commitment to Leslie.

And then the blonde woman of his dreams was there.

Leslie hated this entire pony and dog show but attendance to the Gala was non-optional.

At least Leonard had finally shut up about her not dressing up enough. She liked the guy, but he could be rather meatheaded about things. Some days it seemed that he didn’t want a girlfriend but rather wanted a mother.

She also hadn’t missed how he tended to have wandering eyes when they were together. Blonde Barbie-like women seemed to be his achilles heel. He would then notice that she had noticed which of course would lead him to give her his kicked puppy look.

He wasn’t perfect, but Leslie wanted to give this relationship a try, it wasn’t all bad, he could be rather sweet, not to mention that he shared her passion for experimental physics and classical music. She was sure that with some work, he could be a great boyfriend.

Except. He dropped her like a bag of flaming poop.

They were standing and she was holding onto his arm, her heels were conservative so they were the same height instead of her towering over him. The Geology guys were in the middle of a lame joke when Leonard suddenly dropped her arm like it burned him.

Leslie was so shocked that she immediately turned to see if he was okay…only to find him drooling over some blonde girl. A Barbie. Leslie had to close her eyes to calm herself, she didn’t care about the sudden silence in their little group. She cared about her boyfriend dropping her arm like he didn’t want to be seen with her.

“Leonard.” Her voice was strong and restrained. She would not make a scene. “Leon-”

But it was of no use, he had already moved towards the blonde girl, completely ignoring her.

Leslie didn’t usually cry, but she was really close to tears now. Instead she laughed a little, of course, the night that she feels closer to him is the night he does this shit. She should have listened to her mom. ‘Workplace romances are a bad idea.’

“Leslie.” Turning her head revealed Wolowitz and Koothrappali. Their faces contrite “We’ll go get him.”

She shook her head. “Don’t bother. I’m going home. Tell him we’re through.” And with as much dignity as she could muster, Leslie left.

‘Fuck Leonard Hofstadter’

Leonard heard Leslie say his name, but he couldn’t miss this chance. He just needed to talk to the blonde girl for a moment. He left as Leslie called his name a second time, it was fine, he’d apologize later.

The blonde girl was talking to an older woman but otherwise was alone. Leonard looked around and saw that Dr Chadwick was in the middle of a large group of people, telling a story. Dr Cooper was there as well.

Leonard stayed back and waited for the right moment to move in. He knew he probably looked like a loser right now, pining over a girl that didn’t even know he existed, but he didn’t care.

Hearing a communal groan he turned to Dr Chadwick’s group and saw that Dr Cooper was saying something which made Dr Chadwick cringe a little. He quickly returned to look at his original target and saw that she was holding her face, embarrassed.

This was his chance, he quickly approached her and in his smoothest voice said “Embarrassing isn’t it?”

He tried to grin but it quickly disappeared at her frosty tone and hard eyes. "Excuse me?" He needed to recover quickly.

“I meant Dr Cooper. You know, he’s an embarrassment? He doesn’t know how to be a regular person.”

“Is that right?” Her tone was neutral.

“Yeah!” Leonard was excited, this seemed to be working finally. “He’s also overrated and not as good as people think he is.” Trying to puff himself up Leonard offered her his hand. “I’m Leonard. Dr. Leonard Hofstadter.”

The girl looked at his hand and frowned in distaste.

“I’m Mrs Cooper.”

The grin on his face froze. “Cooper?” He managed to get out.

“The wife of Dr Sheldon Cooper.” She was openly glaring at him now. “If you excuse me, I have to go meet my husband.” And she moved towards the larger group where she whispered in Dr Cooper’s ear and then in Dr Chadwick’s ear.

Leonard saw the two tall men glare at him and his stomach did an unpleasant flip. He might have just screwed up big time.

Chapter Text

Penny tiredly opened the door to 4A and yawned as she tried to make little noise. It was a little past four in the morning, Sheldon would still be asleep and she wanted to give him that extra hour. So despite wanting to throw her backpack and bag noisily to the ground she carefully removed them and put them near the door.

Filming was really fun but it could be so exhausting, she hadn’t considered that shows using soundstages didn’t depend on natural lighting, so they could be used for filming at any time of the day and their studio seemed to love to film from the afternoon and into the early morning.

They had just finished filming up to episode eleven, which was slated to premiere September 22nd, if the show had good ratings by episode 8 then CBS would greenlit the second back half of the season and Penny would have to go back to filming around October or November. She was hoping that the show would be a hit.

She sat tiredly on the couch and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew it was already bright out, somehow she was lying on the couch and not sitting on it, her shoes were off and a blanket was covering her. She squinted against the light for a moment before standing up and walking to Sheldon’s desk. She knew that he hated when she walked barefoot but she loved the feeling of the hardwood floor, plus Sheldon made sure the floors were pristine. The digital clock on Sheldon’s desk showed that it was almost one o’clock in the afternoon.

Checking the fridge, Penny was happy to see a tinfoil covered plate.

Filming was fun, but there was nothing like coming home.

After filming Criminal Minds, Penny was able to land a commercial for Folgers. She played a young mom and while the commercial did lean a bit too heavy on the ‘hot soccer mom’ angle, work was work. She was hoping that her show would be a success, but until she knew, she had to keep working. Of course she was on retainer, but one and done jobs like commercials were thankfully okay, her agent made sure to check.

Her dad had called her to congratulate her on the Folgers commercial, apparently it wasn’t a regional commercial but a nationwide one. It also led to an interesting conversation with her dad.

“Your mom says she’s proud of you.”

Penny scoffed. “You don’t have to lie, dad.”

“No, no, she really did say that.” Her dad sounded just as surprised as she was.

“Mom said that?” Penny frowned at the phone in her hand.

“She did…look, Penny, I know she wasn’t the best mother, but…I promised I wouldn’t say anything but, she’s been going to these AA meetings and it might stick this time.”

“...right…”

They moved on from that subject but once the call had ended and Penny was left alone with her thoughts, she was surprised and shocked by finding out that she didn’t care. She was happy that her mom was apparently finding the help she needed, but she can’t lie to herself. She’s indifferent to her mom.

She had tried so hard to please both her parents as she grew up, and while she had some good years with her dad, the truth of things is, she never had that with her mom. The one good memory she has with her might not be real at all and might have been a fever dream.

Hearing her dad say that her mom said she was proud of Penny made her confused, not angry, not sad, just confused. Did her mom even know that Penny was now a married woman? Did it matter?

At some point, the anger she had felt towards her mom had transformed into indifference.

Life returned to normal while they waited for her show to premiere. Caltech had a gala and it would be Fred’s first, Kelly was super nervous about being in a room full of bigshots, her dream had been to be able to help troubled kids and that’s why she became a guidance counselor. It took Penny, Fred AND Sheldon to get her to calm down enough to agree to go to the gala.

Penny took her shopping and to a spa. Kelly and her were going to stun people.

Penny had already attended several of these events, enough that she became one of the ‘faculty wives’ which was an amusing title for their group because it also included the husbands of several professors.

She knew the drill, several wealthy people would attend the gala, talk with the people there and then throw money at the University. (Sheldon still got upset when she described it like that.)

Sheldon hated these things but he was not blind to the fact that these people were what made experiments, grants, expeditions and more happen. He simply had to grin and play nice, and this time around he would have Fred with him, so it should be a piece of cake.

Well, that is if he didn’t tell one of his dad jokes. That was a thing he had recently discovered he liked, dad jokes. His favorite joke was “What do you call a factory that makes okay products?" "A satisfactory. Bazinga.” And he would do his breathy laugh.

She loved the man, but he could never read the room.

The gala had been going great. Kelly was nervous but she was able to mingle and make nice with people, Fred was keeping an eye on Sheldon to make sure he wasn’t too rude and Penny was able to catch up with people. All in all, it was business as usual.

And then an asshole had to come ruin it.

She had just said goodbye to Marissa Hooke, a lovely lady that worked as a theater director, they had hit it off almost immediately when they first met 2 years ago and ever since they made sure to make room for each other during the night. As soon as Marissa had walked away, she heard Sheldon’s voice “-sfactory. Bazinga.” and the group of people with him groaned good-naturedly at his lame joke.

“Embarrassing isn’t it?” A whiny voice said, she looked up from her hand to see a short geeky looking man in a horrible plaid suit, pointing with his chin at Sheldon.

“Excuse me?" He hadn’t just said what she thinks he said, right?

“I meant Dr Cooper. You know, he’s an embarrassment? He doesn’t know how to be a regular person.” He actually looked proud saying that.

“Is that right?” Her tone was neutral but she wanted nothing more than to deck the asshole.

“Yeah!” He looked excited, as if she had agreed with him. “He’s also overrated and not as good as people think he is.” He did a funny looking dance jumping on the balls of his feet, probably trying to look taller and extended his hand to her. “I’m Leonard. Dr. Leonard Hofstadter.” He put extra emphasis on the word doctor.

Penny looked at the offered hand in disgust and did not shake it. “I’m Mrs Cooper.” She made sure to say it loud and proudly.

The self-satisfied grin on his face froze and he squeaked out. “Cooper?”

“The wife of Dr Sheldon Cooper.” Penny was openly glaring at him now. “If you excuse me, I have to go meet my husband.”

Stiffly due to her anger, she walked up to Sheldon and Fred who immediately noticed she was beyond pissed off, she quickly whispered an explanation and pointed at the short man in the horrible suit, she had already forgotten his name.

“Dr Hofstadter. To what do we owe the…pleasure of seeing you here?” Dr Chadwick didn’t have his signature smile. Dr Cooper sat at his desk and looked at Leonard in an inscrutable way.

“I wanted to come and apologize.” Leonard knew this song and dance very well, make yourself smaller, look pathetic and make a pained face. “I drank a little too much on the night of the gala and said some things that I deeply regret.” Wring your hands together and shuffle on your feet. “I’m sorry.” Sound sincere.

Dr Chadwick glanced at Dr Cooper but then turned to focus on Leonard once again. Neither man spoke which made Leonard start to sweat.

“So, uh, yeah, that’s all I wanted to say.” Leonard could feel himself start to flush in actual embarrassment. Dr Cooper looked back down at the papers in his hands and did not acknowledge Leonard’s presence in any way.

“Uh, I read your latest paper on-” Leonard tried to tell Dr Cooper but Dr Chadwick interrupted him before he could say more.

“Dr Hofstadter, please close the door on your way out.” Still no smile, just a serious face.

“Ah, yes.”

Leonard closed the door and stood on the other side. He removed his glasses and rubbed at the tears in his eyes. Dr Cooper had been the main reason of why he had moved to Caltech, and now he might have just fucked up his chances to be able to collaborate with him in the future.

“God, I can’t catch a break.” He muttered to himself.

He doesn’t want to go to the lab, but he works there so against his better judgment he starts walking, like a man to the gallows.

Howard and Raj had told him that Leslie had told them that they were through, the night of the gala he had been too preoccupied with thoughts of his blunder to really think about the reason why Leslie was gone. Which only made him cringe at himself.

He had tried calling her, but his calls went straight to voicemail. He had tried going to her apartment, but she never answered the door. She had even blocked him on Wow.

Arriving at the lab he saw that the other two girls in the team were giving him the cold shoulder, he tried to ignore how that stinged and instead moved towards Leslie.

“Leslie.” He waited for her to acknowledge him but she kept fiddling with the vials in front of her. He knew how dangerous this could be so he waited until she was done before trying again. “Leslie.”

“Your tasks have been clearly marked in your logbook Hofstadter. There’s nothing that requires you talking to me.” Leslie was frowning as she wrote something down.

“Leslie, I know I fucked up. I really like you and like spending time with you. Please give me another chance, I swear to you that it won’t happen again.” He knew that his tone of voice was whiny, but he didn’t care. He had been too scared to commit to Leslie, but he wanted to do better. Be better.

Leslie laughed at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it to you.” He wanted to avoid his eyes, wanted to look down at his feet, but he knew that if he did that, it would be over.

“You can’t expect things to-”

“I’m not!” He interrupted her, uncaring of the looks given to him by the rest of the people in the lab. “I’m not. Let’s start over.”

Leonard had been stupid, he had a good thing with Leslie, but because of his own hangups he had screwed it. No one else but him was guilty of this. He was working at Caltech which was the dream of many and he had been dating a great girl, he hurt her because he was an idiot. He needed to do better.

“Let’s start over. Let me show you that I mean it. You can kick me to the curb if I mess up.”

Leslie looked up at the ceiling, as if refusing to watch him. “It’s not that easy.” Her voice trembled a little, and that killed him. Leslie was always so strong, so composed and he had caused her this pain. He wanted to hold her hand, he wanted to fix this somehow.

“Leslie.” His own voice was soft and trembling, he hated showing this level of emotion. He could hear his mom’s dismissive voice calling him overemotional. But Leslie was worth it. “Leslie, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry to have hurt you.”

“I swear Leonard. This is your fucking last chance.” She refused to let the tears fall and looked him straight in the eye.

“I know. I will do better.”

That’s a promise he made to himself as well. Leonard Hofstadter needed to do better.

Because of that promise it’s that later that week, when an undergrad named Joyce Kim approached him and started flirting with him rather openly, he quickly excused himself and told her he was seeing someone. Joyce Kim was beautiful and past-Leonard would most likely have gone along with her advances, but not his current self.

Leslie was waiting for him.

Chapter Text

“We’re going to McDonalds and that’s final.” Penny was annoyed, especially after witnessing that nurse throwing away the cup like it was nothing, like it hadn’t cost Penny.

“Penny.”

“And you’re paying too.” And all because Dr Wackadoodle was too much of a know-it-all and offended the doctor.

“Penny.”

“I want a damn Big Mac, nuggets AND an Oreo McFlurry.” She could still taste him because of course she didn’t have gum or mints in her car.

“Pen-”

“I don’t care if it’s not our regular Friday night food. I just gave your little buddy a handshake and a kiss that it had not earned.” Penny motioned with her hand to his crotch but didn’t turn to look at him, focusing on the road as she drove.

“Penny!”

“What?!” She finally turned to look at him but Sheldon motioned to the road.

“Please keep your eyes on the road. I don’t want to return to the hospital. I simply wished to capture your attention to inform you that due to my routine being already thrown out of the window-figuratively speaking of course-that I’m more than happy to purchase dinner for us from any establishment of your choosing.”

“Oh…well, good.” Now she felt silly. Finally turning to look at Sheldon, he seemed rather relaxed but still very much his regular Sheldon-self. Of course the relaxed part was probably due to him cumming in her mouth, but who could really know?

“How did you hurt your hands anyway?”

“Given that Leslie, Leonard and the rest took the day off work in order to drive to the desert. I thought it would be a good opportunity to make use of the lab. Leslie tends to hog lab hours. What I had not counted on, was that Leslie would leave an undergrad student in charge of her current experiment.” Sheldon sighed in annoyance. “When I entered the lab, the undergrad student was alone (this already was a huge breach of the safety protocol), and due to some miscalculations on his part, the liquid nitrogen was reacting in a rather volatile manner, but panic made him freeze, seeing as the experiment was quite literally about to explode in his face, I reacted by grabbing the experiment and throwing it into the waste disposal bin.” Sheldon grimaced in distaste. “A less than ideal solution, but one that was necessary.”

Penny was shocked. “Honey, you saved that kid?”

Sheldon looked uncomfortable. “No, had the experiment exploded then I would have been affected as well. It was an attempt to salvage my own life.”

Penny frowned at him but then focused on the road again. “Well, from what you’re telling me, it sounds like you did save that kid’s life.”

“An unintended consequence I assure you.” Sheldon suddenly brightened. “This also means that Leslie will have to restart her experiment, so I suppose there is a ‘bright side’ to this incident.”

Penny shook her head, Sheldon would never pass up an opportunity to laugh at Leslie.

After a quick stop at McDonald’s they were soon back at the apartment eating their burgers. Sheldon put Star Trek on the TV and Penny didn’t mind one bit. She had food, she was relaxing in her spot and it was a Spock episode, which was always great in her book.

Sheldon had to eat his burger and fries with disposable plastic gloves, that of course he already had in stock at the apartment. It kept the bandages clean and that was all that mattered.

Things were going great, the night might have started a bit rocky, but it was looking up. Penny was actually looking forward to going to bed early. Of course, because this was Penny’s life, life had to throw her another curve ball to deal with.

“Excuse me for a moment Penny.” Sheldon stood up to go to the bathroom and she didn’t think much of it. But a moment later Sheldon returned, blushing. Penny knew that meant trouble. “Penny, excuse me, I require your assistance.”

Penny put the palm of her hand over her eyes and squeezed them shut. “Of course you do Honey.” She sighed in defeat. “Does it involve me touching your junk again?”

“...” At Sheldon’s silence she finally looked up at him. He was fidgeting in place and looking everywhere but at her.

“Sheldon?”

“Ah! No.” He closed his eyes and was able to squeeze out “I just need your assistance unbuckling my belt and the button on my pants. I can take care of the rest.”

Penny looked at him, he looked uncomfortable as heck. Like he wanted to be anywhere else but there at that moment. ‘Okay Penny, he wouldn’t have asked if he truly didn’t need help.’

“Okay Sheldon, come here, I can do that for you.” She tried to keep her voice neutral.

“Can’t you stand up to help me?” A pause “Please.”

“Look Sheldon, I’m comfy here, just come here and I’ll have you out of those pants in no time.”

“Perhaps it woul-” Before he could chicken out more, she grabbed him by the belt buckle and pulled him to her until his crotch was in front of her face.

“Honestly Sheldon, I don’t know what the big deal is with you coming over here.” She grumbled as she started to work on his belt.

“No, Penny, this position is…” He trailed off, and that more than anything else made her stop, the belt was undone and she was starting to work on his pants, but Sheldon never got quiet, he always had something to say.

“This position?” Penny looked up at him and instantly got it. Here she was at eye level with Sheldon Jr, grabbing a hold of his pants, literally. Sheldon was blushing heavily. “Seriously? This is doing it for you?” Penny was more than a little surprised, Sheldon had always been so uninterested in sex, and yet here she was, making him hard just by existing it seemed.

“Penny.” He grounded out, still not looking at her. “I’m a healthy adult man, it’s only natural that my body has certain reactions to external stimuli.”

“Right.” She laughed a little because this was just so unexpected.

Penny finished unbuttoning his pants. She kept fighting a smile because yes, this was so very weird, but it was also very fun. This was Sheldon at his most ‘regular joe’ possible. Feeling playful, Penny said “All ready Honey.” and then pantsed him.

Sheldon would be a little embarrassed but that’s it, it was meant to be a harmless prank. A little payback for earlier.

Instead, when Penny pulled his pants down, she must have also gotten a hold of his underwear, because next thing she knew, something slapped her across the face. Sheldon screeched something at her and she was vaguely aware of him moving towards the bathroom. But she couldn’t move.

Sheldon had just cockslapped her.

It was an accident of course, and if you looked at it in a certain way, it had also been her fault. Penny didn’t move from her seat as she tried to digest what just had occurred. As she sat there, she could hear Sheldon moving from the bathroom to his bedroom and she squeezed her eyes shut, fearing that she had traumatized Sheldon or damaged their friendship.

Also, why could she still smell his dick?

“Thank you for your assistance Penny. I shall think of an appropriate method to pay you back.” Sheldon had returned, he changed into his pajamas and was looking very interestedly at the ceiling.

“Nonononono, don’t worry. This is me paying you back for the time you took me to the ER.” Penny was also trying to not look at him. He hadn’t brought up what just happened and she sure as hell was not going to be the one to bring it up.

“I see. I suppose that’s an acceptable outcome. Goodnight Penny.”

“Goodnight Sheldon.” Penny quickly left 4A and entered her own apartment, she made sure to lock the door and deadbolt it.

Penny sat on her couch, looking at nothing. Suddenly she put her face in her hands and screamed into them, embarrassment finally assaulting her. She could have kept going but the feeling of moisture on her hand and face made her stop to look. Her palm was smeared with liquid, she could also feel her cheek was equally smeared.

Moving to her bathroom, she opened the faucet to clean herself but before she could do it, her reflection greeted her as she looked at the mirror. It wasn’t that large of a smear, if it wasn’t for the smell you’d never know what it really was.

The tingling between her legs reminded her that it had been a while since she had some.

Quickly shaking her head, Penny went to wash her face and hands. Sheldon’s craziness must be contagious because her thoughts suddenly took a turn, the smell of him made her remember the taste of him, which made her frustrated because she was NOT going to touch herself thinking of Sheldon.

She would not.

“For fuck’s sake!” She growled at her reflection.

Quickly undressing herself, Penny turned on her shower and grabbed her pulsating shower head.

Sheldon had to pay for this, somehow, she was going to make sure to return the favor twofold. Her next thoughts were only about what a great investment her shower head had been and if Sheldon had always smelled so good.

Chapter Text

Penny was still very pissed off, how dare that goblin badmouth her Moonpie. Sure, he wasn’t the most social person, but he had come a long way to try and understand other people. She swiped at the angry tears on her face.

Penny had kept her composure for the rest of the gala but as soon as she got home and started to remove her makeup in their bathroom, the tears started. Of course she was perfectly aware that not everyone was a fan of Sheldon, she thought she had made peace with that, but to hear some asshole reduce Sheldon like that…it pissed her off.

Sighing, she let go of the feelings, Sheldon was still doing his routine of securing the apartment and preparing for bed. He would be waiting for her and no doubt notice how pissed she still was. ‘Inhale’ Her Moonpie was amazing. ‘Exhale’ He could be frustrating as well, but that didn’t make him less of a person.

And most important of all, Sheldon had Penny.

It was them against the world. He taught her that her efforts were not being wasted, that College was not a bad choice. That her dreams could come true. She loved her Moonpie, and he loved her. They had found each other and neither was letting go.

“Now Penny,” She said to her reflection. “Go screw your husband silly.”

Sheldon watched the short man close the door behind him.

“I still don’t understand why you and Penny bother so much with this insignificant man.” He told Fred. Both Fred and Penny had expressed a desire to cause bodily harm on the short man, Penny had also been upset for the rest of the night, even if she tried to disguise it.

Fred sighed. “Because you’re my friend, as simple as that.”

Sheldon nodded, before Penny he would have deflected and even minimized the other man’s feelings, but he wanted to make an effort in not only acknowledging the feelings of others, but also appreciating them. “I see, thank you Fred.”

“I still say we should make him pay more.”

“What worse punishment than being unable to work with me in the future?”

Fred laughed and smiled at him. “Yeah, you’re right Sheldon.” Fred stood up and stretched. “I’ll come pick you up at lunch time. Oh! Before I forget, Kelly wanted me to confirm that we’ll be there on the night Penny’s show premieres.”

“Excellent, I’ll inform Penny even though I suspect she already knows.”

“You know what’s faster than light?” Before Sheldon could respond Fred quickly said “Our girls talking to each other.”

Sheldon frowned and shook his head, he quite liked Fred but some of his comments could be nonsensical.

Penny sat in her spot as the credits rolled on the TV. She had her face in her hands and couldn’t look up to face her friends and husband.

“Well, I quite liked it.” Sheldon said.

“Yeah, it was pretty good.” Fred added.

“I wonder how much of it is-”

“Okay! I forgot that my character doesn’t appear until episode two!” Penny threw her hands up and blurted out.

Silence and then Fred’s laughter broke through, full belly laughter filled the apartment. Kelly also joined in and even Sheldon did his breathy little laugh. Penny had to join them, she couldn’t believe she had forgotten about that.

“So…same time next week?” Kelly was able to finally say after laughing her ass off.

“Maybe this could be our new Wednesday routine.” Sheldon mused.

“Yeah, that would be great!” Fred quickly agreed.

The following week Penny finally appeared in her role as ‘JJ’, and the group praised her acting. She had refused to check ratings for the show but she was hoping that it would be a success. Which is why the call to return to filming ASAP was a surprise, a welcome one, but a surprise nonetheless. CBS greenlit the rest of the season and they would start filming again on October 12th.

Her life was about to get really busy but Penny wouldn’t have it any other way.

Penny had been half right, someone at the show was in fact a fan of her husband. But it wasn’t a writer, but a producer/showrunner. It was always weird (but in a nice way) when someone went full fangirl because of Sheldon.

Maybe Sheldon would like to come to a shooting.

Shooting doesn’t go as fast as with the first half of the season, now that they have room to breathe and that everyone is employed the mood is more relaxed. There’s talks of CBS ordering 3 more seasons already but at the moment they’re only rumors.

She always dreamed of being the next Julia Roberts, of acting in movies and being a super star. But reality wasn’t as kind, back in UCLA, Laura had made it clear that the people that made it like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, etc. were the lucky ones, it might have been a breakout role or they captured the audience film after film. But, that was not the reality for most actors, for most of them a long term contract was the dream, to know you would be employed for the next 6, 7, 8 years.

It was a sobering thought.

Of course Penny had applied for movies, but she wasn’t blind. Some of the girls in those auditions were drop dead gorgeous, and more importantly, Penny had already beaten them. These gorgeous ladies had been in competition for the role in Scrubs and the one to get it had been Penny. Same for the Folgers commercial and Criminal Minds.

These jaw dropping women might never appear on screen once.

As such, when her agent was presented with the 4 year contract, Penny didn’t hesitate to accept it. Of course her agent made sure that the contract was more than fair, Penny would be free to star in movies and commercials as long as it didn’t interrupt regular shooting for Criminal Minds.

The interviews were a pain. She had never needed to do a press run but now that their names were out there, it was needed. Thankfully most of the interviews were done as a group and her time was shorter than for the older and more well known actors, which was perfectly fine with her.

Her dad calls her gushing about the show, she knew he liked Law & Order but wasn’t expecting him to get hooked on Criminal Minds. It feels nice to be able to talk with her dad about normal stuff, it feels mundane and normal, without all of the baggage they had been lugging around.

The Cooper family is also a big fan of it, even Georgie sends her a gift basket to celebrate. Ceecee is still too young to watch it but she’s in the spirit of things and sends her a drawing of her as a cop.

As promised, Fred and Kelly go over on Wednesdays to watch the show, even if Penny isn’t there because she’s filming the aforementioned show. They also get a double punch with bad and then good news.

The bad news is that Louise is moving away, she was promoted to Detective but it means she has to move away. She gives them one last banana bread loaf. Even Sheldon looks like he wants to cry.

The good news is that Fred and Kelly take over the apartment, so their best friends will now also live right across the hall. Penny and Kelly squee in delight while Sheldon tries and fails to suppress his pleased smile.

All in all, 2005 was a fantastic year.

2010

“What?” Penny couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Just what it says there, they’re not picking up your contract for season 6” To be fair, her agent looked even more pissed than Penny felt.

“What do they mean with budget cuts? Thomas and Shemar get paid double than I do!”

“I know Penny, I fought for it…you’re going to hate this next part too, they’re offering you a ‘recurring’ contract instead.”

“Fuck that!”

“Look Penny, this is just how the cookie crumbles sometimes. In my expert opinion, I think it’s smart for you to accept it. Go home. Talk it out with Sheldon. It sucks, I know, but you don’t want to slam the door on CBS’ face.” After a pause she adds. “This could be the perfect time for that baby you’ve been hinting at.”

THAT shut Penny up. Her rage melted away as she blinked a couple of times and then hesitantly smiled. “It would mean more time at home…”

“Go, talk with Sheldon.”

“-that’s what happened. Thoughts?”

Sheldon looked at her and tilted his head, like a puppy. Penny had calmed down quite a bit on the drive home. It's true that it was a slap in the face from CBS, but on the other hand, it would mean more time for other projects. Namely, a baby.

They had discussed the possibility of having a kid and both of them felt ready, Penny was about to turn 30 and the timing just seemed right.

She had been getting steady work thanks to her face getting more and more recognizable, heck, she had even been in a Stevia commercial with Jamie Lee Curtis. Overall Penny was pretty satisfied with her professional life.

Her relationship with Sheldon was still as strong and since Kelly had her baby last year, well, it had made Penny wonder.

Right before meeting Sheldon, she had been convinced of never wanting children. She didn’t want to punish a kid to suffer what she suffered. The neglect and loveless marriage of a kid pretending to be an adult.

But then Sheldon had come along and it was so different to what she expected out of a relationship. At some point without even knowing how or when, Penny had opened herself to the possibility of becoming a mom. It was frightening of course, but like with most things, knowing that Sheldon was by her side made it all the easier to face.

“I believe that we can make it work.” Sheldon finally said. “Fred mentioned that he had seen those new condos on East Glenarm Street and was quite satisfied with their quality. We can organize a visit to ensure they fulfill our needs.” Sheldon nodded to himself.

Penny laughed. “I mean, yeah, we can make the baby thing work and find a new place to live. BUT, I meant, the offer from CBS. Do you think I should take it or tell them to beat it?”

“Oh! I think you should take it. I have no doubt that this is the best move for your career moving forward, it might not be the road you would like to take, however, having someone as big as CBS as your enemy would be ill-advised to say the least.”

“Tsk, I hate it when you're all rational like that.” She went to hug him so he would know she was joking. “Well, baby here we go.”

Ceecee was lazily browsing the TV, it was a Sunday afternoon and there was nothing to do. She had wanted to go to the mall with Shane but he got the mumps and now couldn’t leave the house.

She kept changing the channel until a familiar face appeared on the screen. “MOM! Aunt Penny is on TV again.”

Her mom loved seeing Aunt Penny on TV, it didn’t matter what it was, she would watch it. Sure enough, a moment later her mom jumped on the couch next to her and Ceecee chuckled.

“-of a beautiful baby girl, Penelope Cooper!”

“She doesn’t like being called Penelope.” Her mom shushed her and turned the volume up.

“Thank you Ellen.”

“Before anything, congratulations on returning to Criminal Minds as part of the Main Cast for Season 7” The audience clapped and hollered. “After a massive outpour of support from fans as well as thousands of letters and petitions, your character is returning.”

“Thank you to all of you!” Aunt Penny gestured to the audience who once again hollered. Aunt Penny talked about her character, how much the support of the fans meant to her and what they could expect to see from JJ in the upcoming season.

“Fantastic!” Ellen said. “But that’s not the only thing to celebrate, you’re now the proud mom of a gorgeous little girl. What’s the name of the baby?”

“Yes, she’s a sweetheart and her name is Ella.”

“And here we have a picture of baby Ella.” Ellen pointed to the screen behind the chairs where a picture of her cousin was shown.

“Mom, when are we meeting Ella?” Ceecee had only seen the pictures that Aunt Penny had sent them, but last Christmas the baby was still too small to travel so they only saw her through Skype.

“Your Aunt says they’re definitely coming back for this next Christmas, so you’ll see her then.” Her mom replied but her eyes were stuck on the screen.

“Now, who is that handsome man holding the baby?” Ellen said in a teasing tone.

“Sorry ladies, he’s taken. That’s my husband, Dr Sheldon Cooper.”

“I’m gonna go see if Shane wants to play Age of Conan.” Her mom simply nodded but said nothing.

“Are my notes correct here? He’s a Nobel Prize Winner?!” Was the last thing Ceecee heard before going upstairs to her room. She had heard that story so many times already. She much rather level up her barbarian character.

fin.

Chapter Text

“Penny.” Sheldon’s voice was lower than usual. Authoritative. It made her break into goosebumps, still, she didn’t reply to him.

“Penny.” She might have imagined it, but she could swear there was a little growl in his voice now. She had to clench her legs together and couldn’t stop the shiver that went through her.

“Penny.” There was definitely a growl in his voice as he repeated himself again. Almost against her will she turned to face him, he stood next to his whiteboard. The apartment was dark and for some reason she couldn’t make out his features, the only thing visible through the darkness were his eyes, heartbreakingly blue, clear and so bright. “You made me repeat myself three times.” He told her, the promise of payback now in his voice.

Penny shivered again but also smiled at him, defiant. “And what will you do about it?” She was eager and didn’t care if he noticed it, she was not going down without a fight.

She saw as his eyes closed and despite not being able to see him, knew that he was shaking his head in disappointment. “Penny, Penny, Penny.” Blue and now stormy eyes are visible again. “Come here.” It’s an order.

“Make me.” She spits back.

Suddenly, his hand is tangled on the back of her head, Penny gasps, it’s not painful but she didn’t see him move, her sight is now only those blue eyes and despite being so close, she still can’t make out his features.

“I suppose further training is needed.” Sheldon says casually. She knows what he wants, wants her to kneel in front of him, to make her unbuckle his belt and release her favor-

A shrill noise interrupts her thought process. Sheldon disappears. Another hellish sound and she’s not in the apartment any longer.

She wakes up.

Groaning, Penny moves to turn off her alarm and she’s startled by the state of her body, her nipples are rock hard and she’s definitely going to have to wash this pair of panties.

“Fuck!” She says to the empty room. A wet dream.

A fucking wet dream. Her first ever wet dream to be more exact. And it was about Sheldon, usually she forgets her dreams as soon as she wakes up but not this one, oh no, for some reason, she could remember every single detail of this dream.

All of this was Sheldon’s fault. She had been feeling weird since she had to act as his temporary semen cup. Her brain grounds to a halt and her body flames with desire.

‘Oh nonononononononononono. No. No.’ This was all a bad joke, her body was playing a prank on her. She was never into swallowing or tasting cum, of course she sometimes pretended to enjoy it, but to get horny on the thought of it? Never. Until now. ‘If Sheldon gave me a new fetish I swear I will kick his ass.”

That morning she takes a cold shower, she’s got the brunch shift and this is not the time to focus on her weird dreams…or her reactions to that weird dream. As she leaves her apartment she eyes the door to 4A, chews her lip but moves to go to work, it can wait.

Her entire shift is a nightmare. Not because of the people, not because of the lack of tips, not even because she dropped a tray of dirty dishes. No, it was a nightmare because she couldn’t stop thinking about Sheldon.

To be a little bit more specific, she couldn’t stop thinking about what sex with Sheldon would be like. If that was the only thing on her mind she could ignore it like many of her impossible crushes. Except, it wasn’t only that.

She kept thinking about her dream and her reaction this morning. Thought back on her previous dates and…nothing, Kurt, Zach, Tom, Abel. Nothing. Remembering them brought memories of great sex but thinking about how they tasted? Nothing.

Thinking about tasting Sheldon again? It was like a switch was flipped. It was an Instahorny button. Honestly, it was throwing her for a loop.

‘Okay Penny, relax. This is just a phase, it will pass.’

Penny tried to convince herself of it, it was all a little fresh on her mind. It would all go away.

Right?. Right.

Her shift took a turn for the worse and all thoughts of Sheldon were slowly replaced by thoughts of murder. How could old ladies be so mean? Why did parents refuse to do any actual parenting on their little crotch goblins? And by the time she had lemonade spill on her a third time she had all but forgotten about what had been plaguing her waking mind.

She arrived in Los Robles a cranky mess, the walk up the stairs felt more tiring than usual.

“Good evening Penny.” Sheldon’s voice startled her. She had been looking down at her feet and not paying attention to the rest of the world.

“Hey Sheldon.” Penny said slowly, she frowned when seeing the way he was carrying his laundry basket in his arms, cradling it against his chest and it was the glimpse of his bandaged hands that made Penny remember exactly why she had been so frustrated earlier. “Do you need help?”

“Thank you, but I can manage. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Penny saw him descend down the stairs and she chuckled to herself a little, the others might not give Sheldon enough credit but he could take care of himself. Suddenly feeling better she hurried up the stairs to go pick up her own laundry basket, she needed to wash her current uniform as well.

Five minutes later she was on her way down to the laundry room. Hair in a messy bun and wearing her comfy pajamas, no going out for Penny tonight.

Sheldon was already sorting his clothes into piles, he nodded at her as she started her own sorting next him on the table.

“You know what? I’m too tired for this tonight.” She declared to the room and went to chuck everything into a machine.

“Penny. Stop.” Sheldon’s voice was firm and it made Penny stop in her tracks. Her dream from this morning is now suddenly present in her mind. Sheldon was frowning at her but soon he blinked in confusion at seeing a shiver go through her body.

Her body was reacting to him. ‘This is bullshit.’

“Sheldon, c’mon. I had a rough day at work.” By some miracle her voice is steady. She’s trying to stay in control, this is the same old Sheldon.

“I see. Allow me to help then, it’s part of the Quid Pro Quo between neighbors.” Sheldon’s face twitches a little and it’s cute, he’s trying to help her without outright saying it.

“Okay.” She agrees easily, because her feet hurt and Sheldon is being sweet in his own way. Penny sits on the table next to her laundry. Sheldon goes back to his own clothes first and Penny tells Sheldon about her upcoming auditions, which ones she’s more excited about, Sheldon doesn’t even pretend to be interested but he still listens to her.

“I do believe your midwestern charm should give you an advantage over the others.” Sheldon is done with his clothes and moves to her laundry.

“My midwestern charm?” Penny laughs as she says it, only Sheldon could say something like that with a straight face. “What, something like -Oh for sure I’m gonna eat you up like a hot dish you betcha! Ope, my panties are off dontcha kn-” She can’t even finish saying it because as soon as she had mentioned her panties Sheldon just happened to grab a pair from the pile and it’s all too funny, she laughs so much.

She expected to hear a scandalized ‘Penny!’ from him, or maybe he dropping her panties like they burned him, but Sheldon is quiet. She tries to stop laughing to look at him and her laughter dies immediately.

Sheldon is holding her panties and looking at them intently, like they’re holding some sort of answer and he’s not going to stop until he finds it.

“Uh, Sheldon.” She hates that her voice is a little husky, she can feel her nipples start to harden against the fabric of her pajamas.

Sheldon turns to look at her, his blue eyes are almost black now and Penny finds her mouth dry. Things have been getting a little weird between them but she’s also never felt this aroused just by someone holding her panties and she doesn’t know if it’s because it’s Sheldon or something else entirely.

“Penny.” Sheldon’s voice sounds exactly as it did in her dream. She knows that she’s going to need to change her panties before going to bed.

Penny is having a hard time looking away from Sheldon’s eyes. It’s as if they’re the only people in the world. She doesn’t know what to say or do, because this is Sheldon. He wasn’t supposed to get this sex thing. He was always talking about being a Homo Novus and how he was above baser urges.

But then his bandaged hand is on her thigh and Penny starts to suspect that he does get this sex thing after all.

“Penny.” His hand moves up a little higher and she slides up closer to him, her legs opening a little wider than they were before. Sheldon squeezes her thigh, his thumb is on the inner side, really close to her aching pussy.

Because they’re so close she can see the small grimace of pain that comes across his face, his hands must still hurt. But that’s all it takes, Sheldon focuses back on the moment and he’s looking at this hand on her thigh trying to figure out how it got there. His eyes come back up to meet with hers and she can see the panic starting to set there. Maybe because he’s afraid she’ll be mad, or because he did it at all and is afraid of his own reactions.

He’s preparing to run.

Before she can fully process the thought she’s gotten ahold of his pants. He’s wearing his pajama pants instead of his regular khakis. He looks down at her hand and opens his mouth but before he can say anything her hand has already snaked in through the front and is rubbing his length.

Sheldon groans and his hand goes back to her thigh, in this position it’s easy to maneuver him around so he’s standing in front of her and between her legs. He’s tall so even if he’s flushed against the table she can still rub him easily.

“Penny?” This time his voice is hesitant.

She shushes him and keeps rubbing him lightly, uses her other hand to slide down his pants and underwear a little, baring his dick out to the world. It looks exactly as she remembered it, and to her eyes it looks like it wants to jump at her, making her want to let out a dirty laugh.

Soon enough Sheldon is leaking and she’s able to gather his precum so she has an easier time pumping her hand on his dick, she’s taking her time. Her eyes glance at the open door. ‘Anyone could come in and catch them.’

That thought somehow makes her even wetter.

“Penny.” Sheldon groans her name, it somehow pulls at her insides, the way he’s saying her name. She hurries her pace, sometimes letting her nails graze him lightly and enjoying the way it makes him shake.

Sheldon gasps. “Penny!” Maybe he will only be able say her name from now on, the only word left in that big beautiful brain of his. He will beg her to touch him. “Penny!” He repeats with more urgency, he’s not going to be able to hold on for much longer.

Her panties are still in his hand, they’re cheeky and purple. She takes them and puts them on the head of his dick as she keeps rubbing, Sheldon boggles at her but almost immediately he lets go, his eyes close and the hand on her thigh squeezes painfully.

Penny is fascinated by the expression on Sheldon’s face, it’s only the hot liquid in her hand that makes her finally look away and down. The fabric of her panties is covered in Sheldon’s cum, some of it has leaked through the fabric and covered her fingers.

She shouldn’t.

Sheldon looks at her, his eyes dark with lust again. He’s panting softly and looking into her eyes.

Penny licked her fingers.

Chapter Text

“No, Sheldon, stop.” Penny said in a harsh whisper, her eyes focused on the entrance to the kitchen. Her husband or any of their friends could enter at any moment.

Sheldon didn’t listen to her, his hands were on her waist and moving towards her ass, they were rough. Possessive.

“You’re mine.” He growled into her ear.

Penny shivered in delight, both at the tone and the words. She should push him away, go back to her husband and pretend this never happened. But she didn’t want to do that.

“Sheldon, we can’t.” She tried again. “This isn’t right.”

Sheldon let out a sound of frustration. “You’re mine.” He repeated.

“Shel-”

“No. Say it.”

“...”

“Say it.” It was an order.

“I’m yours…” Penny said softly. She shouldn’t be doing this, she was married, she had made a promise to love and resp-

“Good girl.” Sheldon said and suddenly nothing else mattered. Sheldon had praised her.

She’s the one to kiss him first. It’s hungry and frantic, her earlier worries of someone entering the kitchen are now forgotten, the only thing that matters is the man kissing her back.

The hands that were kneading her ass cheeks move away and she mewls in disappointment, only to gasp and break the kiss. Sheldon had sneaked his hand into her yoga pants and was rubbing her panty-clad pussy, slowly, firmly.

“You’re so wet.” A pleased sound from the back of his throat made her shiver again.

In fascination she watched as Sheldon brought the hand he was using to rub her, up to his face. His fingers were wet. Sheldon looked her in the eye as he licked his fingers.

“Your turn.” Sheldon gently but firmly pushed Penny to her knees. She knew what was about to happen. Her mouth watered in anticipation, she couldn’t wait to taste him.

Penny woke up.

She stared at the ceiling, trying to gather her bearings. She was so horny that the usual itch between her legs was starting to get painful.

“What the hell Penny?” She said out loud.

She was freaked out. This was the second time in a row that she had a wet dream about Sheldon and this most recent one was…weird. In the dream, she was married but she was also cheating on her husband with Sheldon. Her brain was one sick puppy.

Penny closed her eyes in frustration. This was all because of last night, she had given Sheldon a handjob and licked his cum and now she was haunted with wet dreams.

Trying to not think of what her dream meant, she instead focused on the memory of last night. After licking her fingers clean, Sheldon had grunted her name and she was pretty sure that he was going to kiss her or at least do something to her, but then the rusty door to the basement creaked and the spell was broken. She tucked his softening dick into his pajama pants and threw the cum filled panties into her laundry basket. There was nothing they could do about the smell but she hoped whoever came in would just assume it was bleach.

Sheldon went back to sorting her clothes and in no time he was putting them into two separate machines. Penny stayed where she was but she kept her eyes on the door. Thankfully, no one actually entered the laundry room, they could hear someone open one of the storage cages and after a few minutes the sounds of the rusty door echoed again.

Penny let out a relieved breath. Sheldon did the same and he started talking about how soap became the fastest growing industry in the 1800’s, how enzymes changed soap forever and how by 1953 detergents actually surpassed soap sales for the first time ever.

They both pretended nothing had happened.

Penny almost believed it herself, but her dreams would not let her forget.

“Now what?” She said to her room.

Nothing and no one answered her, so she did the only thing that made sense. She touched herself to last night’s memory.

Sheldon panted as he stood under the shower spray. This was the third time he had masturbated to climax and yet, his desire did not decrease in a significant manner.

Last night Penny had touched him until he climaxed in her underwear and hand.

The experience had been both exhilarating and terrifying. The reasons for it to be exhilarating were obvious. Penny was a sexually attractive woman in his eyes. As much as he liked to deny it to others, he rather enjoyed the act of masturbation, having Penny assist him had been an eye opening experience.

In that horrible hospital room he had been unable to focus too much on the present, Penny’s warm hand was all he could think about in the moment…until the warmth of her mouth enveloped him.

It was an enlightening experience to say the least.

And then last night she had once again touched him. He was terrified because he wanted to do it again. He was supposed to be above these urges, but one touch from Penny and he was another man.

‘Biological responses such as these must be investigated further.’

Cleaning himself up, Sheldon prepared as best as he could, his hands were no longer hurting and he could perform regular tasks. ‘Such as masturbation.’

It was time to go see Penny.

Chapter Text

Penny paced in front of her couch, she had been trying to get the courage to go across the hall to 4A and deal with this Sheldon stuff.

She was very nervous and talking outloud to herself helped, The only witnesses were the Care Bears on her shelf.

Pace right. “This is silly, that’s what this is. You DON’T have a new fetish.”

Pace left. “Thinking about sucking previous boyfriends?” A pause. “See! Nothing.”

Pace right. “Thinking about sucking Sheldon?” Penny had to close her eyes, her body betraying her. She stopped pacing.

“Okay, this is just because of what has happened these past few days. Things will go back to normal.” Penny said through gritted teeth. It was ridiculous, she couldn’t have an instahorny button, it was something that had not ever happened before.

“Yeah, yeah.” She took and released a deep breath. “Yeah, things will be fine. Just ignore Sheldon for a week and it’ll be as if this never happened.”

*Knock, Knock, Knock.* Penny.

Oh no.

*Knock, Knock, Knock.* Penny.

Nonononononononono.

*Knock, Knock, Knock.* Penny.

Fuck!

Penny knew that she shouldn’t open the door, it was a bad idea…She opened the damn door.

“Hey Moonpie. Whatup?” She tried to project a confidence she did not feel and hoped that Sheldon couldn’t tell how off balance she really was.

“...wonderful grammar as always.” He deadpanned.

“What do you want Sheldon?” This was more like it, this banter. It was how it was supposed to be between them.

“May I come in?”

Wordlessly she moved aside and Sheldon moved to stand in front of her couch, in the same place she was pacing a moment ago. Usually Sheldon would have mentioned the state of her apartment, which wasn’t dirty, but it wasn’t clean to Sheldon’s standards, but he did not. Sheldon simply stood there awkwardly.

“So…how are your hands doing?” Penny closed the door and leaned against it, trying to keep some distance between them. Her hands nervously went behind her back to rest in the pockets of her shorts.

“What? Oh. I’m feeling much better. Thank you for asking.” Sheldon flexed his fingers to show her and she had to admit they did look much better than on Friday night, the nurse must have been right about the actual severity of the whole thing.

“Good. Good.”

“...”

An awkward silence settled between them. Sheldon kept looking at the ceiling and she didn’t want to look at him for too long, dreading that her body would suddenly become a ball of horny thoughts.

Sheldon swallowed nervously and opened his mouth but after a moment nothing came out, he simply cleared his throat and shuffled on his feet, his eyes darted to watch her face but soon he was facing the ceiling again.

Penny pressed her lips together and was sure she was making a funny face but she didn’t know how to start this conversation. ‘Sorry I jerked you off while doing laundry’. Yeah no.

“Uh…So…” She trailed off.

“Ah yes, the purpose of my visit.” Sheldon nodded to himself, overall he looked far more composed than she felt. “I wished to discuss recent events with you.” He looked nervous but serious.

Penny felt a hole open up in her stomach, this was it, Sheldon was going to tell her he had ruined their friendship or that he was disappointed in her.

“Look Sheldon, I’m sorry.”
“I would like to repeat our activity from last night.”

It took Penny a moment to process Sheldon’s words. Not only because they had spoken at the same time but because she could swear that he said he wanted to do it again.

“Come again?” Penny asked because she wanted to make sure.

“Well, yes. Basically.” Sheldon said

Penny couldn’t help but laugh. “No, Sweetie, I meant…well, you wanted me to…touch you again?” She hoped that he couldn’t hear the eagerness in her voice.

“I…have been feeling something that defies identification. It started that night in the hospital and ever since I have felt this…pull, yes, that works. This pull towards you.”

Penny felt her nerves disappear, the hole in her stomach filling with heat. “A pull?”

“I suppose lesser minds might call it ‘attraction’,” Sheldon made the air quotes while grimacing in distaste. “A base urge tha-”

“You want me to touch your dick.” Penny knew she shouldn’t be smiling but she couldn’t stop herself.

“Penny!...” He didn’t say anything else and for her it was as good as if he had screamed yes.

“I need you to say it.” Penny took a very deliberate step towards him.

“Seriously Penny. I want to perform an experimen-”

“Say it Sheldon.” She knew that he hated being interrupted, but this was groundbreakingly big and she had never been a very patient person.

Sheldon gulped and looked everywhere but at her. “I would like…” He trailed off.

“You would like…” She encouraged. Another step closer to him, one more step and she’d be right in front of him.

“Penny, please. These sensations are very disconcerting to me. I would appreciate a little seriousness.” His voice was starting to grow frantic.

“What sensations?” She was right in front of him now.

“I…”

Of course he decides this is the moment to shut up. But Penny was having none of it.

Her hand moved forward and carefully, almost tenderly, cupped his groin. Sheldon finally looked down to make eye contact with her and she simply smiled and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Penny?” His voice was soft.

“Sheldon?” Her voice was husky.

“Please touch me.”

Penny only smiled wider.

Chapter Text

Sheldon had been haunting her dreams for the past few days…payback was sweet.

Penny was sitting on her coffee table and in between Sheldon’s legs. As for the man himself, he was basically sprawled on her couch as she played with his dick. His pants pooled around his legs alongside his ridiculous underwear.

“Penny!” He panted.

As soon as Penny had touched his dick, Sheldon had covered his face with his huge hands, she’s not sure if it’s in embarrassment or pleasure and at this point, she doesn’t care. Once again he was putty in her hands and it made her feel powerful.

“Do you like this?” Penny said as her hand moved up and down his length, she was doing it slowly and carefully. She wanted to take her time and enjoy this as much as he was, the feeling of his precum covering her fingers, the smell of him, his voice and the sounds coming out of him mixed together to make her horny beyond belief.

“Penny!” Sheldon twisted his face to the left in desperation and that was as much confirmation as she was going to get.

“Tsk tsk, I know for a fact that you know more words, use them.” She teased him.

“Please, I-” A gasp and he twisted his face to the other side.

Penny couldn’t help herself, Sheldon was too cute, she needed to touch herself. So she did. Her shorts were too tight to be able to sneak a hand through the front so she made do with desperate rubbing against the denim fabric, it wasn’t enough friction. The feeling was dull and muted, it was only making her more frustrated but it was as good as she was going to get at the moment.

“Penny! I’m cl-” Sheldon tried to warn her but his words dissolved into a growl.

She was ready however, in fact, she had been waiting for this. She was too horned up to care about it being a new fetish or not. Penny dove in and swallowed the head of his dick.

“What?!” Sheldon asked before grunting, she didn’t look up to see if he was looking at her or if his reaction was due to the feeling of her mouth on him.

As the first rope hit the roof of her mouth, Penny shivered in delight. A tiny orgasm shaking her core. ‘Fuck! It IS a new fetish.’ She thought in despair and delight. She kept her mouth on him and swallowed the salty liquid until he started to soften a little.

She had her in a messy bun, but a few stray strands of hair had escaped. She let go of his dick and combed the hair back into place as best as she could.

“Thank you.” Sheldon said breathlessly, he had a look of wonder on his face and Penny couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re welcome Sweetie.” Her voice was sweet and happy.

They said nothing else and thankfully the air between them remained the same, no real awkwardness or regret. Penny was trying to think of a way to ask Sheldon if he would like to do this again in the future when a knock at her door startled them both.

“Penny? Do you know where Sheldon is?” Leonard’s voice signaled that fun times were over.

Penny patted Sheldon’s knee and pointed a thumb at the door. “That’s for you Sweetie. I’ll go wash my teeth and I’ll see you for dinner?”

Sheldon nodded. “I’ll order your usual.”

“Thanks.”

Penny went to her bedroom and listened as Sheldon answered her door, he said something to Leonard and then her front door closed, the voices growing faint.

She sighed in disappointment, Leonard had come back at the worst time. Now her fingers would have to do.

Her shorts hit her bedroom floor.

Chapter Text

Leonard adjusted the neck of his shirt for the ninth time in the last 5 minutes, it had been a dumb idea to agree to this blind date. He removed his glasses and cleaned them again. Just because Penny was dating Sheldon didn’t mean that he had to jump into a blind date.

Penny and Sheldon…that had come out of the blue and surprised everyone. Leonard most of all. He thought that he and Penny had something going on.

Sheldon had received funding for his Arctic Expedition and immediately broke his ankle jumping for joy. Because of that, Leonard Raj and Howard had gone on his stead, which yeah, the experience was amazing and even as Sheldon’s helpers it would be an amazing thing to add to their resume and records. Sadly the experiment didn’t reveal anything new and even Sheldon had to admit (over spotty Skype) that there was nothing more they could do but return.

Leonard should have known that something was wrong by Sheldon asking him to remember that they had been gone for 6 months.

The three intrepid explorers had arrived in Pasadena and then into 4A and had been met with the image of Penny straddling Sheldon while she did her best to check if he still had his tonsils.

Leonard could still feel his heart break.

Which fine, Penny didn’t owe him anything, but…he had seen her first. He had already named their hypothetical children and envisioned a future with her. All of that was gone, like smoke.

A flush of shame makes him remember the words he had hurled at this roommate and neighbor, he was truly ashamed of them and wished he could take them back. It was the first time he thought Sheldon would actually deck him, as for Penny, she did deck him before yelling in his face ‘I’m not a toy Leonard! You can’t just call dibs on me like a thing.’

That hurt.

Not only because of the punch, but because Penny’s words went against everything he believed himself to be. Had he really treated her like a thing? Looking back at their interactions made him cringe more and more until he was a ball of shame and regret. Every time he paid for her dumplings, he had done it expecting her to put out for him. He had thought that because he had treated her nicely that he deserved to sleep with her…

It’s a horrible thing to look at yourself in the mirror and not recognize your reflection.

He had apologized to both Penny and Sheldon, but not only that, he also started going to therapy. His natural response to anyone suggesting therapy had been to react defensively and to deflect the subject, but he couldn’t do that anymore. Not if he wanted to be the kind of person he thought he was before.

He had to destroy Leonard Hofstadter ‘The Nice Guy’ and rebuilt himself into Leonard Hofstadter the nice guy.

It wasn’t easy, of course he could see how his mother influenced him, but at what point did it become routine to simply blame her for everything and not take responsibility for his actions? To sweep it under the rug of his mother’s shadow. And now he had to take them back out one by one until he could no longer hide behind it.

Manipulating girls to be kinder to him by offering stories of hugging machines, funeral chocolate cake, being ignored for his siblings. Being ashamed of who he was and always being ready to leave it behind. Being snarky and sarcastic all of the time in order to not be vulnerable.

It all felt like learning the way you walked was wrong and you had to be conscious about how you’re stepping, how long your stride is, what shoes you’re wearing. At times you unconsciously went back to walk the same way. But as his therapist said “It will soon feel normal, you won’t have to worry about all of that stuff and you will be able to live the way you want.”

The flush of shame had almost disappeared by now but he helped it along by downing his second glass of water. He was glad the waiter had left the pitcher at the table because Leonard was thirsty.

He had arrived at the restaurant thirty minutes before the agreed time because old habits are hard to kick and he was nervous. This would be his first date in…a year. Leonard froze with the glass to his mouth, huh, he hadn’t noticed it had been quite so long. He’d been focused on his own personal improvement that dating was left behind.

In fact, he had only agreed to this because Howard and Raj had pushed him to it.

His friends had apparently set up a dating profile for him and arranged this whole blind date. He still wasn’t sure if this was a prank or not, Howard had been smiling a little too enthusiastically.

“Excuse me, I’m Amy Farrah Fowler. You’re Leonard Hofstadter.” A strong and firm voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hi, yes…” He trailed off after seeing his date.

Oh. It had been a prank. Amy was a nice girl but she was dressed like his grandma and the way she had spoken, well, that was a perfect impression of Sheldon. Man…he hadn’t expected that, not really.

Howard could be such an asshole at times.

“Raj! Buddy! You don’t understand!”

“I understand. Leonard has been doing his best to become a better version of himself and you wanted to prank him?!” Raj wasn’t exactly yelling, but was very close to.

They were outside of Howard’s house and were about to enter with their takeout but before they could do it, Howard couldn’t contain his glee anymore and told Raj of his ‘prank’.

“No buddy, no. It’s not like that! I just-”

“Howard! You better hope that Leonard forgives you.”

Leonard nervously shifted in place and looked up at Amy’s face. Her expression was the same as it had been for most of the night but she had a small blush on her cheeks.

Much to Leonard’s surprise, the date had NOT been a prank.

Amy was a wonderful and sweet girl, and much like Sheldon she was way too smart for her own good. She wasn’t imitating Sheldon, that was her own way of speaking plus nervousness.

Just like he had been afraid of being pranked, she had also shared the same fear. And after she shared some horror stories from her high school years, Leonard couldn’t blame her. Teenagers could be such cruel assholes.

“I believe that it’s customary for a date to end on a kiss.” Amy said, her voice was level and calm but her blush had intensified.

“Ah, yes.” He said smartly. Deciding that talking was not the best course of action at the moment, Leonard gave Amy a chaste kiss on the lips but almost right away Amy grabbed him by the back of the head and deepened the kiss.

“Woah…” Leonard said after Amy had let him go.

“I’m free next Friday night and will be expecting a call from you.” How could she sound so calm after that kiss was a mystery.

“Uh, yes.” Leonard gave himself some grace on his lack of eloquence, lack of blood to the brain does that to you.

“Goodnight Leonard.”

“Goodnight Amy.”

“Woah…” Leonard repeated once her apartment door had closed.

He touched his lips and looked at his feet, he felt like a teenager in the best sense. The cat was alive.

On the drive back to the apartment he kept thinking on the best way to thank Howard for introducing him to Amy. Maybe he could convince Sheldon to remove one of Howard’s strikes?

Chapter Text

Leonard took a hit of his inhaler and tried his best to smile and signal to Amy that he was okay. His naked chest heaved with the effort until the medicine relaxed his airway muscles and he was able to gain control of his breathing.

“Allow me to go fetch a glass of water for you.”

“Thank you, love.” He said breathlessly and enjoyed the way Amy blushed at his words.

Amy put on her robe and left his bedroom. Thankfully Sheldon was spending the night at 4B which meant Leonard and Amy had the apartment to themselves. Leonard relaxed against the headboard and enjoyed the sounds of Amy moving through the empty apartment, the sound of the cupboard opening and closing…it felt nice.

Being fully honest with himself, he had to admit that he hadn’t seen his relationship with Amy develop the way it had.

She was as smart as Sheldon but didn’t have the same hang-ups that he did about physical contact and sex. Pursing his lips he sucks on his teeth in annoyance. ‘Although it seems he doesn’t have those same hang-ups when it comes to Penny.’

Leonard shakes his head and tries to move away from those thoughts. Sheldon and Penny were happy and he was honestly happy for them as well. But it was a work in progress to try and stop the negative thoughts.

‘Focus on Amy.’ He reminded himself and it works. Amy had a very dry sense of humor that matched perfectly with his, she was actually very sweet but had trouble expressing those feelings, honestly their childhoods had been somewhat similar which also helped them bond.

Amy was also a very sexual being…and he could barely keep up with her. He thought he had wanted a girl that liked sex, but Amy was challenging that idea. In short, she was insatiable.

“Here you go Leonard.” Amy’s voice startled him out of his musings.

“Thank you.” He accepted the glass of water she was offering, took a couple of sips and once his throat was feeling better he took a big gulp. The water was cool and it helped to calm him down even more.

“So…ready for round two my sexy Hobbit?” Amy was also very direct.

Leonard almost choked as he drank, not due to shock, no. He was used to Amy’s somewhat inappropriate comments when she was feeling horny. No, he almost choked in laughter.

“Yeah.” Leonard pounced on his sexy girlfriend, they had the apartment to themselves for once and he was not going to waste this chance.

Later, as he laid between Amy’s arms, Leonard had to wonder if this position would have embarrassed the ‘Leonard from before’.

If anyone would have barged in on his room at that moment, they would have found Amy on her back and Leonard laying on top of her, his head nestled right underneath her breasts and her arms resting protectively against his back, surrounding him lovingly.

Leonard had always wanted to be the one that protected his girlfriend, to be a manly man. But therapy had helped him see how it also led him to see women as things without autonomy. He had been afraid that someone could come along and ‘take’ girls away from him, like they were toys. He’d been scared of that when introducing Amy to Sheldon…He’s glad that she’s sleeping because he can’t face her at the moment, he nestles his head closer to her chest.

A part of him, a part he hadn’t wanted to face had been afraid that Amy would have dropped him as soon as she met Sheldon, but he had been a fool. Amy hadn’t left his side all night and even kissed and openly showed her affection towards him. A bubble of laughter almost threatens to burst out of him. ‘If anything, I should have been wary of Penny.’ Amy almost instantly latched onto their neighbor, the trademark kindness of the blonde was a bonfire that Amy couldn’t ignore, even going so far as to declaring Penny ‘her bestie’.

It felt good to be in a relationship and not having to feel like he was competing against some invisible contender. Amy wanted to be with him and that was all there was to it.

And yes, he’s certain that if Howard knew about their sleeping positions there would be much teasing about Leonard being the girl in the relationship, but he honestly couldn’t care less what Howard, or anyone else for that matter thought. Amy loved to cuddle with him and the way she held him was loving and made him feel safe.

Leonard is sure that he loves Amy.

But he’s still in therapy and doesn’t want to scare her off, it’s only been 6 months since they’ve been dating which yeah, before, he would have been ready to move in with her, but Amy had her own circumstances with her mother and these weekends that they would spend at the apartment felt like a nice practice run for the future. There was no need to rush, they’ll get there when they get there.

His eyes felt heavy with sleep but he refused to go to sleep yet. He wanted to enjoy more of this time with her, the apartment was quiet and the only noises were coming from beyond the window.

For this moment in space and time, only Leonard and Amy existed in his consciousness. And then sleep took him and he dreamed of brunette children with square rimmed glasses. Although by morning he would not remember his dream, only the feelings of longing it left in him.

“Sheldon, stop fidgeting.” Leonard whispered to the man on his left.

“I do not fidget, Leonard.” Sheldon lied.

“Then what do you call this…” Leonard tried to discreetly show that Sheldon kept moving in place.

“It’s my first time being a ‘Best Man’ and I’m simply nervous. I want to perform my role correctly.” Sheldon avoided admitting he was fidgeting.

“I’m the one getting married, Sheldon. As long as you don’t lose the rings you’ll be fine.” Leonard saw Sheldon freeze in place and a pit of dread opened in his stomach. “Sheldon…the rings…” He trailed off not knowing how to even ask Sheldon if he still had them.

A breathy laugh “Bazinga. Honestly Leonard, I have an eidetic memory, I would never-”

Ignoring the rest of what Sheldon said Leonard took a deep breath and closed his eyes in consternation, he would tell Penny later about this inappropriately timed Bazinga so she could take care of her Wackadoodle husband.

At least this had calmed down his own nerves significantly.

Hearing the music swell and start to play, Leonard opened his eyes and like magic his eyes found Amy’s eyes across the church. She looked breathtaking in her white dress, the glasses he loved were absent which meant her eyes were shown fully to the world and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

Leonard Hofstadter was one lucky SOB. And he was ready to marry the love of his life.

fin.

Chapter Text

Any lingering fear that Penny might have had about things between her and Sheldon getting weird was squashed down during dinner that night.

Sheldon treated her the same as always, he sniped at her, got annoyed, corrected her and otherwise behaved normally which strangely enough was comforting. Just because they had added a sexual part to their friendship it didn’t mean that they had changed.

She wasn’t suddenly in love with him and he wasn’t fawning over her like so many guys in the past had done, expecting that doing so would make her more likely to play with their funny bits.

It was nice.

Once, before she started dating Kurt, some jock thought that he could sweet talk her into bed by saying that they needed no labels in their relationship…and here was Penny now, happily throwing the labels out the window. Maybe it was easy because it was Sheldon.

That night, no more wet dreams, which Penny took to mean she was doing something right.

It was amazing to think how often you can sneak in a quick blowjob or fingering between Sheldon’s busy schedule, but you could. Penny now had a copy of the actual schedule in her email, they synced their calendars and everything…Honestly that was more commitment than she ever had after Kurt. Leonard included.

20:00 Laundry night starts.
20:25 to 21:15 Sheldon and Penny time.
21:15 to 21:30 Fold clothes.

And that was it, even if someone caught a glimpse of their calendar no one would be able to tell at a glance what was going on between them.

One of Penny’s audition’s messes up with their weekly schedule and then Sheldon has to give a rare class which means that they don’t get any alone time until the boys’ scheduled dinner at The Factory.

They had 10 minutes, more than that and the rest of the group would be suspicious.

The supplies closet would have to do since Sheldon didn’t use public restrooms, not even to get a blowjob. Thankfully Bernadette, a cute new waitress, was spotting for them and pretending to arrange cutlery at the entrance of the hall leading to the room. She'd let them know if anyone was coming…Penny wants to make a joke but she’s too horny for it.

Things then got weird.

Penny was licking Sheldon’s dick in that way she knew he loved when the door to the closet opened and almost gave them a heart attack. Penny could swear that she could feel Sheldon’s rapid heart beating through his dick.

It was Bernadette. She had a look of intense curiosity on her face and before Sheldon or Penny could ask the obvious question, Bernadette herself told them.

“Do you guys mind if I join?” Bernadette’s mousey voice didn’t fit the situation at all.

“Uhhh…” Penny glanced up at Sheldon but the man was frozen in place. Penny turned to look at Bernadette again but by now her fellow blonde was kneeling right next to her and looking intently at the dick in Penny’s hands.

Penny was no prude, she liked sex and made no secret about it.

Having said that, she had never actually been in a threesome. Kurt had insisted but it wasn’t for Penny, she didn’t want to share her boyfriend. But Sheldon wasn’t her boyfriend.

“What do you say Sweetie?” She asked Sheldon.

“...” He looked down at her and then looked at Bernadette who was still looking at his dick. Sheldon’s dick jumped in her hand which was answer enough for her.

“Go at it.” Penny smiled and told Bernadette.

Right before standing up she could see that Bernadette was very enthusiastic but not very experienced. She kept bumping her teeth on Sheldon’s dick and it took her a moment to find the right rhythm.

“Uh uh, I’m still here Moonpie.” Penny said and guided his hand under her skirt.

Thankfully he got the hint and started rubbing her over her panties in that way that made her knees wobble. Mr Eidetic Memory was not lying about remembering everything.

But she was still feeling frustrated, these 2 weeks with Sheldon had been great and she had found an…appreciation, yeah, that worked. She had found an appreciation for blowjobs that she didn’t have with her previous partners.

Sheldon kissing her interrupted any further musings. They had never kissed before. Some sort of unspoken rule that he had now broke. Kissing was intimate in a different way. Kissing was for feelings. Kissing was a no-no. Kissing could only lead to trouble.

Penny kissed him back.

Sheldon got more frantic, in both the kissing and in fingering her. Way too soon for her liking he had her at the edge of an orgasm and she shuddered in anticipation. But Sheldon’s fingers stopped and he also stopped kissing her, a small grunt from him and a panicked noise from Bernadette meant that Sheldon had cum first.

Penny wanted to laugh but stopped when she turned to look at the other girl. Bernadette was doing her best to swallow but she was struggling and some slipped from the corner of her mouth.

It should have made for a funny image, but she didn’t feel like laughing anymore.

“Penny?” Sheldon asked.

She turned to look at him and he frowned at her and then blinked in confusion. He tilted his head to one side and watched her closely.

“Are you okay?” Even his voice sounded concerned now.

“Yeahyeahyeahyeah. Let me help Bernadette up, you should go back to the guys before they get suspicious.” Penny basically shoved him out the door and refused to look him in the eye.

She helped Bernadette up and made sure that both their uniforms were clean and in place. Bernadette kept thanking her for letting her join but Penny only half listened, she nodded when needed but otherwise kept to herself for the rest of her shift.

Penny kept a frozen smile on her face until she got in her car.

“FUCK!” She slammed her hands against the steering wheel, over and over until her hands hurt.

Hot fat tears threatened to spill from her eyes and she angrily swiped at her face using the back of her hands.

Seeing Bernadette at Sheldon’s feet and with his cum running down her mouth made Penny irrationally angry, she had wanted nothing more than to slap Bernadette and fuck Sheldon silly.

“FUCK!” She slammed the wheel again.

She was screwed.

Chapter Text

Worst moment to realize you have feelings for someone?

When he’s getting head by another girl.

Penny still had a hard time coming to terms with this entire thing, they were just having fun. When did feelings get added into the mix? Sure, she loves Sheldon, he had a way of worming into your heart and she liked those moments of the real Sheldon that he only seemed to share with her.

And yeah, they didn’t have sex or even kissed until tonight but Penny felt a closeness to Sheldon now that made her weak in the knees.

“Fuck.” She said softly and let her head rest against the steering wheel. She had just arrived at Los Robles but didn’t feel like going up the stairs just yet. “Fuck…”

It was supposed to be a fun thing, they had successfully fooled around for weeks and it hadn’t been awkward but now she would not be able to face Sheldon. Sheldon…it would destroy her if he no longer wanted to be friends after tonight.

Penny scratched at her head in frustration.

She wanted to kiss Sheldon again. That was the simplest truth she could face head on at the moment. She just wanted to kiss him again. Her fingers rubbed at her lips absentmindedly.

“Fuck.” Penny whispered softly.

Taking a deep breath, holding it for a moment and then letting go she finally felt ready to go up to her apartment. She made sure to lock her car, grabbed her mail and started the long climb up the stairs.

She didn’t have the mental endurance to deal with this tonight, she’d just take a warm relaxing bath and go to sleep. She didn’t have a shift tomorrow nor any plans and it was Anything-Can-Happen-Thursday so she’d be able to talk to Sheldon without the other guys there.

Arriving at the fourth landing she eyed the door to 4A, there was only silence behind the door and a part of her hoped/dreaded that Sheldon would open the door. But after a moment nothing happened and the hallway remained silent.

Dragging her feet to her own door she fumbled with the keys for a moment before finding the correct one and opening her door, her eyes never leaving the floor.

“Hello Penny.”

Startled, she dropped her keys and mail. Sheldon was sitting on her couch, he had been waiting for her. Penny quickly squashed the fluttery feeling in her belly.

“Sheldon! Oh, hi, hello.” She said quickly after picking everything up and throwing it on the coffee table. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

Sheldon stood up and faced her. He was nervous and kept touching his body, his hands would rub at his sides before trying to grasp at a bag strap that was not there before moving to rest behind him but after a moment he would scratch at his earlobe with one hand. He was avoiding meeting her eyes.

“I would like to discuss tonight’s events with you.” Sheldon said firmly despite his nervous appearance.

“Honey…can it wait? I’m dead tired.” It was true, but Penny also wanted to avoid having Sheldon break their friendship tonight. She wanted to go to bed and be able to dream that things were okay between them.

“I’m afraid not.” Sheldon finally looked at her. “Penny. After much consideration, I think that we should stop our current relationship.”

Oh…

Penny just nodded, she couldn’t talk, her throat had closed and she needed to close her eyes to stop the tears from flooding her apartment. The door at her back the only thing holding her up.

“I see, I’m glad that you agree.” Sheldon said and the relief in his voice could not be mistaken for anything else. “While physically I enjoyed the act, I have to admit that emotionally and even perhaps mentally, I found myself rejecting the act. I only enjoy it when it’s you.”

Penny has to open her eyes at that , she needs to look at him. He’s a blurry silhouette so she swipes at her eyes until she can see him clearly, her emotions no longer threatening to overwhelm her and something very close to relief now calming her heart.

“Wha? Do you?...” She takes a moment to collect herself. One of her hands comes up as if to ward him off. “You…still want to do it with me?” Not even Sheldon would be able to miss the hope in her voice.

Sheldon doesn’t say anything but he nods and Penny’s knees almost give out under her.

“Good.” She says after a moment and she hates how it sounds like she’s about to cry. She is, but she hates how it sounds. “Good.” She repeats, a little more confidently.

“Penny…excuse me if I’m mistaken, but after your coworker joined us and before you shoved me outside, I believe that you were experiencing distress.” Sheldon frowned in confusion. “I do not enjoy seeing you like that.” He finished slowly.

Penny could lie to him, misdirect him, avoid the subject, evade this entire thing. Perhaps she should.

“I hated seeing you with someone else.” She told him the truth. “Hated it.”

“...I believe that I would have experienced a similar reaction, had our roles been reversed…” Sheldon said after a moment. “Perhaps we should alter our current social and interpersonal paradigm.”

Penny was getting tired of leaning against the door so with a grunt she pushed off herself, took a couple of steps and collapsed on her couch. “What kind of alteration?” She said after making herself comfortable.

Sheldon gingerly sat next to her, took a long moment to adjust himself and then turned to look at her sprawled form. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Penny gaped at him before bursting out laughing. She moved so her head rested against Sheldon’s leg, she was still chuckling when she answered. “I would like that Honey. But I think we’re way past a first date.”

“Oh…Then I’m afraid that I don’t know what is the correct protocol to follow in this situation.”

“Me neither to be honest. But, we can figure it out.”

“Good.”

Penny felt really sleepy, all of this emotional whiplash exhausted her, but she was on her couch and Sheldon was with her. The rest could wait.

Chapter Text

Penny would never tell Sheldon that she’s just at the boy’s apartment so she doesn’t have to have her own AC on. She was trying to keep her power bill as low as possible.

“Mom?”

Penny dropped the magazine she was reading and stood up quickly from Sheldon’s spot to look around, the voice had been young, but not that young.

“Hello?” She said to the empty apartment, the boys were at work.

Silence was the only answer she received. For good measure she checked the apartment, even going as far as entering Sheldon’s room, but nothing was out of the ordinary. She did end up closing the window, maybe it came from another apartment she thought, even tho she could swear it had come from right next to her.

Warily looking around, she grabbed her magazine again before taking a seat, but this time on her own spot. Maybe it was something Sheldon had done to keep her from sitting in his spot while he was gone…yeah, it sounded like something he would do.

She went back to reading and soon forgot about the strange incident.

“Drat! I was so close.”

“I don’t know Connie. Maybe we shouldn't be messing around with your dad’s stuff.”

“C’mon Lenny, I want to meet my mom. I know dad does too. He told your dad that he thought he had cracked the right frequency.”

“...I don’t know…what if we get grounded? What if our dads forbid us from watching the season finale of Mistborn?”

Connie gasped. “They wouldn’t!...right?”

“I don’t want to find out.”

“Drat…why must you always be the voice of reason?”

“Dad says it runs in the family.”

“No one runs in your family.”

“...we have asthma…” Leonard Jr deadpanned in a very Amy way.

“Touché.”

The tweens made sure to leave no traces of their presence before locking Sheldon’s lab door.

Penny was relaxing in her bathtub, making sure not to jostle her arm too much. The cast had been removed that day and while the pain was no longer unbearable, it was still very present and she only had over the counter stuff to deal with it.

The warm water made her muscles relax and it made her sleepy.

“Mom?”

Her eyes immediately opened and she looked around her small bathroom. It was the same voice she had heard all those months ago. Strangely enough, she wasn’t scared…even though she was in a very vulnerable position.

“Hello?” She asked out loud.

“Mom!” This time the voice replied.

“Uhhh…wrong number?”

“...” A static buzz that reminded her of insects was the only reply and she got the impression that the person on the other end was seriously considering her reply. “Is this Penny Cooper?” Finally came through.

“Ummm…no? I’m Penny Quinn.”

“Do you know a Sheldon CoopAGH!” The voice couldn’t finish her question.

“Hello? Are you there?” Penny asked the air.

“Hello. Please ignore whatever my daughter might have said to you. Pretend this conversation never happened and carry on as you normally would…except, please remember that driving at night is dangerous. Farewell.” The voice of an older man replaced the young girl’s voice and the man sounded a lot like an older version of Sheldon. Well, not exactly, when he told her about driving at night there was a lot of emotion behind it that she’d only heard Sheldon use when it came to his precious Meemaw.

“Hello?” She asked the air but even the slight buzzing was gone.

Penny decided that perhaps it was time to get out of the bath and go talk to Sheldon about what she just experienced.

It was fracking weird.

Connie kept rubbing at her earlobe while her dad glared at her and at Lenny.

“Why would you think using my machine was a good idea?” Her dad was eerily calm which made her realize he was truly angry.

“I…just wanted to talk to mom…” Connie was never good at lying so she didn’t even try.

Leonard grabbed her hand and adjusted his glasses. He was terrified of her dad on a good day so she can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now. But he was still doing his best to stand by her side.

“You…” Her dad trailed off. “I see. I suppose this is a result of my actions.”

“You never talk about her.” Connie pushed.

Her dad nodded and pulled out his phone, two presses and he was talking to Lenny’s mom. “Amy. Could you please arrange for Leonard to come pick up your son? He and Constance were playing in my lab and using machinery beyond their ken. Thank you.”

“Dad, they live next door, couldn’t you…” She trailed off at seeing her father’s calm face. This was new, when her dad was angry, he would be emotional and sort of funny. There was nothing funny about his reaction now.

A knock at their front door made her and Lenny jump.

“You. Stay.” Her dad told her.

Lenny squeezed her hand twice before letting go and following her dad. Connie had the same hearing as her dad but even with it she could only make out a couple of words.

“...lab…punishment…finale…Mistborn…agreed.”

“Drat.” Connie whispered. It was serious.

Her dad returned soon and sat at his desk, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and started talking.

“Your mother was…I don’t believe that I have the correct skills to describe her in a way that will do her memory justice. She was the brightest person I had ever met, until you.” He gave her a small smile which turned wobbly and watery almost right away. “Losing your mother was…” Her dad struggled to continue.

Connie approached him and sat in his lap, she hugged him and buried her face in his chest. She wanted to cry as well. Her dad hugged her back and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Losing your mother was never a possibility in my mind.” His chest rumbled against her face. “A drunk driver took her instantly from this world while he came out unscathed. It was utter madness.”

“I remember her singing to me.” Connie said against his chest. The only memory she had of her mother.

She felt her dad nod. “Penny loved singing, even if it wasn’t her forte.”

And just like that, the floodgates were open.

Her dad told her all about her mother, moving to 4B, helping her get her TV back, Halloween, auditions, her shower incident, small chocolates, football games, dancing, Halo, Chinese food, laundry night, Soft Kitty and more. For the first time Connie was able to get a clearer image of who her mother had been, of course she had pictures and videos of her, but she needed to listen to this from her father.

He made her mother sound like she was the sun itself.

“We went on a date after your uncle Leonard dared us. Neither of us wanted to back down from it so we proceeded to go. And then we went to a second date, and then a third. Before we knew it, we were married and expecting you.” Her dad smiled softly at her. Connie is jealous of him, he has an eidetic memory so he’ll always have all memories of her mom fresh in his mind.

That’s why Connie clings desperately to the memory of her mother singing to her. It’s the last memory she’ll ever have of her own mom.

“Perhaps I should have never built this.” Her dad points to the machine. “It allows us glimpses into other universes, but our actions can disrupt the flow of those other universes. A butterfly effect.” He shakes his head. “I’ll have to think further on this.”

“I just wanted to see her…”

“I know…I think I would have done the same. Except I would not have gotten caught.” His Texas twang strong at the end.

“Can you tell me more about mom?”

Her dad did just that. He spent the rest of the night telling her about her mom, her love for Radiohead, how she loved quesadillas but always burned them, he even told her about what type of characters her mom loved playing in MMORPGs.

Connie was pretty happy and hoped that she hadn’t disrupted that other mom’s life in the universe she contacted.

Oh, and she was forbidden from watching the season finale of Mistborn. Lenny too, he cried.

“C’mon Moonpie, date me up if you dare.”

“Penny, just because you might be the only person that has made contact with an alternate universe does not mean that I will ‘go easy on you’”

“Huh…so you’re going to go hard at me?”

“I will most certainly wil-PENNY!”

Penny laughed without a care.

Chapter Text

Penny resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the teacher. She had promised her mom that she would try to fit in at the new school but these lectures about being a ‘proper lady’ were tiresome.

The girl to her left seemed to agree as well because she was doodling on her notebook instead of listening to the teacher.

Penny decided to imitate her classmate and started drawing as well, she missed the cows so her drawing was of a cute cow wearing a Bangora hat.

*Pssst*

A hiss made Penny stop drawing and look at the girl next to her doing a bad job of pretending to whisper.

“I like your cow.” The girl whispered rather loudly but the teacher ignored them.

“Thanks. I like your cat.” Penny tried to be at least a bit more quiet.

“Thanks! His name is Snowball.” The girl grinned at her and Penny couldn't help but grin back.

“I’m Penny.”

“I’m Missy. You’re new at school.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. I just moved here from Nebraska.”

“Cool, wanna hang out later?”

“Sure!”

And that’s how Penny made her first friend.

“Melissa, Penelope. Detention for the both of you.” The teacher’s voice was loud and unforgiving.

That’s also how Penny got detention on the first day of school.

“I’m just saying, why does it always have to be at my house?” Penny grumbled good naturedly at Missy.

“Trust me, I live with crazy people. I’m the only normal one.” Missy immediately shot back.

“Are we actually doing homework this time?” Penny asked and Missy burst out laughing.

“Of course not.”

“For a seventh grader, you got a mean punch.” Penny looked between Missy and the would-be bully girl.

“I got held back a year so I’m actually supposed to be an eighth grader…and my Daddy taught me how to punch.” Missy said proudly while holding her hand.

“Should we help her up?” Penny pointed to the girl laying on the ground.

“Nah. Laura is tough, she can take it.” Missy started walking away.

“...okay…” Penny followed her friend.

“Sorry, no can do today.” Penny shrugged and pointed at the house behind her where screaming could be heard. “Maggie is being very bratty today.”

“But…oh man.” Missy complained.

“Can’t we just go to your house?”

“...don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Georgie Cooper, you get back here right now!” A brunette woman yelled at a dreamy boy. She was following him across the front lawn as he moved towards the garage.

“That’s my Momma.” Missy said pointing to the woman and then pointed at the boy. “And that’s my brother.”

“That’s your twin?!”

“What? No. He’s the dumb one. Georgie.”

“The dum-” Before she could finish her question, Missy’s mom continued yelling.

“You can’t just pee in the sink where you wash your dishes!!!” Missy’s mom threw her hands up in the air before crossing her arms in front of her as the boy finally turned to face her.

“But it’s my sink!”

Missy grabbed her by the hand and led her into the house before she could hear the rest of the conversation, which was probably for the better. Her crush was now dead before it could even start properly.

She was not gonna marry someone that peed in the sink. Gross.

Missy’s room was actually clean, unlike her own room and half of it was just what she expected while the other half was full of geeky stuff and Missy very seriously told her to not touch any of the stuff on the geeky side.

“And where’s your twin at?”

Missy was rummaging for something in her closet. “He’s still at college, he’ll be home for dinner.”

“Ha ha, no, for real.”

“I’m serious. Aha!” Missy pulled a board game box and proudly showed it to her.

“CandyLand? Weren’t we supposed to do homework?”

Missy didn’t answer and just shot her a look.

“I had to try, in case my mom asks.” Penny grinned as she took the box from Missy’s hands. "I'll kick your butt."

Chapter Text

Penny checked their mail. Bill, bill, bill, another bill. Sighing she opened the door to 4A, she’s got a much better paying job now but the bills never stopped.

Before she could even look up from the mail she was pulled forward quickly, the door slammed behind her and she was shoved roughly against it. It took her a moment to react but before she could bring her knee up against whoever thought it was a good idea to manhandle her, she was free again and saw Sheldon move away from her.

“Sheldon? What are you…” She trailed off, seeing the state of the apartment. It looked like a hurricane had passed through but Sheldon kept opening drawers and throwing things on the ground.

“Honey…” Her voice was calm despite the fear currently racing through her veins. “Sheldon. Are you okay? You don’t live here anymore. Do you remember that? If you lost something then it must be over at your apartment” She gulped the knot of terror currently making its home in her body.

Sheldon ignored her and kept searching for something. She wasn’t afraid of him, but for him. They had all joked about him being minutes away from a mental breakdown but it looked like he was in the middle of one.

“I’ll just step out for a moment and go call Amy, okay?” She said slowly, but while he had been happy to ignore her before, now he reacted almost violently. He grabbed her shoulders roughly and pressed his face close to hers. His eyes were frantic and wild, he was covered in sweat and to put it quite bluntly, he looked ready to die of fear.

Like a rabbit.

“Don’t!” Sheldon’s voice was rough and hoarse, as if he had been crying for hours. “She’s not real!”

Penny’s heart broke for Sheldon, something had happened that pushed him over the edge. It would also break Amy’s heart.

“Honey, she’s real, she’s your wife.” Her first priority was to calm Sheldon down. Leonard would not be back until late and Amy must be over at 4B none the wiser to what was happening only a few feet away.

“She’s not-” Sheldon took a deep breath. “Why would I marry Amy?!” He begged her desperately.

“What? Because you love her!” This was silly, she should be trying to calm him down but hearing him say that made her recoil.

“Do I? At times I can barely stand her and the same can be said for her. Why would we marry each other?”

“Beca-” He interrupted her.

“Why would you marry Leonard?!” He asked her harshly.

“I love him!” She replied instantly and a bit defensively. A slight headache began forming in the back of her head.

“Why?!” Sheldon did not let up.

“Because…he’s not like the other guys I’ve dated before.” Her goal of calming him down is now forgotten. “He’s actually a nice guy.”

Sheldon laughed dementedly “Is he? IS HE?!”

“Honey, you’re scaring me.” Penny wasn’t lying. He looked on the verge of crying, she had never seen him like this.

“He cheated on you, he showed your topless pictures to his coworkers on the boat, he asked for your advice on how to best cheat on Priya, lied about your first date, stole your mail, left you for Alicia, fail-” Penny interrupted him this time.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” The headache moved from the back of her head to the front and was jackhammering her skull.

“I will not. Penny, I have glimpsed beyond the veil. We’re words on paper, puppets on invisible strings, victims of someone else’s whims!”

“Wait, Sheldon…” She slurred, it felt like her head wanted to break in half.

“Penny. Why would I ever abandon Physics?”

“...” Her hands grabbed at her head. It was breaking in half, her mind an egg slammed against a wall.

“Why would I abandon everything that makes me, Me?” He pleaded with her but she could barely stand up, much less reply to him.

“-my-” She tried to say.

“Why would you abandon your dream of acting?” Sheldon said softly.

Like a failing dam, his words caused her mind to break.

Ÿ̷̗͕̳͙̗̜͙́̒͒͑̊o̴̢̬̼̮̖͖̫̯̼̝̱̪͌͐̓̂̈́͌̏̉͋̎̐̍̉̀u̶̺̹̙̜͎̘̟̺͍͆̋͐̂̅͂̓͌́̂̋͘͘͝ͅŕ̸̨̛̩̱̼͎̠̤̜̗̠͔̘̉̀̏̎̈́̂͗̀͘͝͠͝ ̵̧̡̱̭̜̳͕͚̞̞̖̫̗̜͗ĺ̴̨̹̜̭͍̜̳͉̖͙̔̈́̓̎̔̑̌̈̂͂̚̕̕ḯ̸̯̌̆̔̑̈́f̷̛̘͂̅͆̍͒͛̒̓͒̏͊͘ę̶͔̪̙͑̿̑̃̈̿́͠ ̴͈͎̜̮͉͒̀̇͂̓̈̃͘͠ị̸̡̲̲͖̘͍̼̝̲͙̼̺̙̪̜̾̍͐̾̈̎̾s̸̬̤͑̏͝ ̷̝̘̼͔̿̔n̴̫̣̝̬̫̭̰̰̟̤̻̼̄̑̀̐̈̎̒̄̂͗̈̃͊̕͝ǭ̴̪͇̺̳͇̲̺̻̹͈̙̯͆̎̽̃̍̃̄̐̀̕͜͝t̶̨̖̩̹͓̪̏̋͛͂̀͒̕̕ ̷̥̪͇͕̍͆͑̿̎̒͌̀̍͊̚͝y̴̨̖̘̱͕̤̋̎̅̀͆́͒̏̎̀ǫ̵̨̞̰͇̬̝̫̹̤̹͕̀̇͛̉̑̇͊̈́̕̕̕͠ͅu̶̠̟̜̦͙̼̯̝̩͉̺̍̃r̴̼͓̥̠͔͔̜̳̘͊̓̆̚ ̴̢̹̼̳̪̦͖͔̑́͂́̾̓o̶̡̢̝̯̤͈̥̩͛̓͊̇̊̓̇͌͘w̵̧̨̢̜̯͚͉̠͉̘͎̗̰̜̿̆͠n̵̛̞͖̈́͆̏̒́̊͛̄͛͑͂̂͂̚.̸̙̬͔̯̮̬̇̀͋̂̏̈́̾̀̾̃ ̴͈̝̫͓̹̾̆̉̀̾̂̆̽͂̍̍̌̇̓͘͠D̴̙̣͎̯̬̤̙̮̖̮̝̠̪͚͍͔̀͆̒͂̀͋̀̆̓̏͋͘͝͝ȧ̴̢̝͈̬̹̯͈̮̥͍̘̖̍͛͝ṅ̸̼͇͖̻͕̟͍̹͖̪͎̭̼̈́̂́́̽̓͌̔̈̈́̌͌͛͑̐c̶̢̯̮̯̫̊̈́̂̕ë̷͓́̆̌̄̀́̈́̾̎̿̀̚͘͠͝ͅ ̴̻͔͇̘̘̦̯͕̩̹̳̱̯͊̊̈́̄̾͛͌̇̾̃͛̈́͊̑̚̚ͅm̸̨̟̲̻͇̖̭͒̾͝ͅȏ̷̧̨̬͎͕̗̝̗̞̪̱̯̤̍̔͛͛̈́͛̓̀͘̚͜n̴̛̟̟̤̖̱̠͇̩̄̈͌͘͜͝k̴̢̧͔̬̞̞͔̥͓͍̤̲̭̅͗̎̊̒̑̽͛̐͆͝͝ę̵̢̛̟͍̯̤͍̦̓͐̈́̅̂̈́̏̔̏̔͐͛̓ẙ̶̡͓̟͖̰̭̗̹̥͚̬̈́̀̄̕͜,̵̡̛̤̹͔̲̹̬̱͙̞̐̈͗͐̆͛́̉̅̍̊ͅ ̴̧̫̲̰͍̝͍̣̟͛͊̅d̵̨̲̭͕̫̫͚̟̎̃̈́̏͘ͅą̷̡̢̝̖͚̫͉͖͔͇̫̾́̔̕n̸̻̱͔̪̫̍̽̽̈́̿c̶̗͋̐͗̓̔̓͐̈̀͐̌̚e̸̼͎̕.̸͙̭͚͙͉̙̈́

Penny screamed. Terror filled every inch of her body, the body that was and wasn’t. She was not real, the memories of her childhood, her friends, her feelings, all fake, created by someone else. She was not a person, she was a thing.

Penny was created solely so Leonard could use her.

“There, there, Sheldon is here.” She was vaguely aware of Sheldon rubbing her back as she threw up on her floor. Was this real? Was her vomit merely words on paper? The heat of the hand on her back is just a trick from her brain?

Mustering as much strength as possible she pushed Sheldon away and stood up to sit tiredly at the couch. She wiped at her eyes but the tears would not stop.

She had gazed at the abyss.

“Now what?” She asked Sheldon. Her voice hoarse and the taste of vomit still very present.

“I don’t know.” Sheldon dropped tiredly in his spot. Did it matter?

“I’m…a thing.” Penny said softly while looking at her hands.

“No! We’ve broken from whatever thing was holding us. We’re people. We’re real.” Sheldon said passionately. “We need to go.”

With her help they were able to quickly locate Sheldon’s backup stash of cash and files. The people that had surrounded them for over a decade were puppets for whatever force was out there and Penny didn’t want anything to do with them anymore.

Whatever fog had occupied her mind was now gone and she could see clearly the actions of her ‘friends’. Whoever had created her to live in this hell was one sick bastard.

Leonard couldn’t believe that Sheldon and Penny had run away together.

It had caught them all off-guard…and now that he thought about it, what had happened with their respective marriages? Were they still…

Shaking his head, Leonard moved on to think of other things. Like that new neighbor that had moved into 4B after Amy left.

*Knock, knock*

Speaking of, he opened the door and there she stood. A preppy and gorgeous blonde girl that could have passed as Penny’s sister.

“Thank you so much for letting me use your shower.” Her name was Katie and Leonard was pretty sure that he loved her already.

“No problem.” He smiled shyly at her.

[Audience Awwwws]

“Leonard, a moment please.” Leonard looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Yes Kenny?” He turned to his new roommate. The gangly man had his arms crossed and gave Katie a look.

[Laugh Track]

Chapter Text

Sheldon laid awake. The bed was made perfectly to be as comfortable as it was humanly possible, the room was dark and he was wearing earbuds to dampen his sensitive hearing.

All of these things through the years made it easy for him to fall asleep, and yet, here he was. Awake.

He didn’t have to turn to look at the alarm clock, his own internal clock knew that it was three in the morning. Other people would most likely turn and toss in bed, but he was Sheldon Cooper PhD and he did not do such a thing.

Instead he laid awake and stared at his ceiling.

It’s been a month since the Arctic, a month since the betrayal was revealed. His ‘friends’ continued living as if everything was fine, as if they hadn’t destroyed his career. Leonard even achieved his goal of entering into a relationship with Penny.

But Sheldon laid awake, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

Betrayal. Such a curious word. Sheldon thought that it lacked something, it did not do justice to the feeling under his ribs, to the anguish that plagued his mind. Sheldon liked creating new words but even he found himself lacking trying to come up with a word that captured all of these feelings into a proper single word.

Ein Vertrauensbruch.

Sheldon hummed, something he rarely did before the Arctic event. German always seemed to have a word for everything and it was the closest word that felt satisfactory.

裏切り

Japanese seemed appropriate as well, to cut another in the back.

Sheldon let out a breath in frustration. Here he was, losing sleep while the rest of the world kept moving forward. His friends were more than happy to let him fall on his own sword. Sheldon did not miss anything…a bitter laugh forces its way through his mouth at his own lie.

He had missed the electric can opener.

Sheldon shook his head at the hubris he still showed despite knowing it had been his downfall. Habits are hard to break and Sheldon Cooper was a creature of habits. But no, he had not missed the way his friends not so subtly tried to make him accept all the fault so their career would not be jeopardized.

His mother might have been proud of him for forgiving his friends but now Sheldon couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t work. Couldn’t find satisfaction in his hobbies.

So, he laid awake at night and stared at the ceiling.

Something had to change or he would go insane. Sighing he closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep.

‘I need to talk to Meemaw.’

Sheldon opened his eyes in surprise. The thought had been errant, there before he could fully realize it…but it wasn’t a bad idea. His Meemaw did not have the same religious compulsions that his mother had.

She’d be a fair judge of the situation.

Penny smiled as the guys entered 4A, she knew that things were a little tense between them still but she was hoping that soon things would go back to normal.

“Sheldon, Honey. I got your Tangerine Chicken, I made sure the chicken was diced and-”

“Thank you Penny. But I’m not hungry at the moment.”

Sheldon moved to his room, never looking up from the floor and Penny’s words died in her throat. Her eyes watered at seeing him so defeated. She turned to the other guys in concern.

“Guys, we have to do something, Sheldon is not acting like himself since you went to get him back from Texas.”

“I know!” Howard said gleefully. “We have been able to have lunch in peace, we can eat burgers on pizza night and we don’t have to watch Star Trek on loop anymore.” He threw himself against the couch and sighed in exaggerated joy.

Raj nodded but his smile was shaky.

“Enjoy it while you can guys, soon Sheldon will be back to his normal self.” Leonard smiled wryly and went to kiss her.

Penny kissed him back chastely but she would not let herself be distracted.

“I’m serious. Something’s wrong.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at the group. “You’re sure that you told me everything about why Sheldon went to Texas?”

The guys shared a quick look but before she could judge if it was a guilty look they were already nodding and telling her how Sheldon took things out of proportion like always and he couldn’t take a joke.

Penny glanced at the hallway and decided against going to see Sheldon.

She’d do it later.

“...Moonpie.” Meemaw’s voice lost all teasing. “Why in the hell would you listen to your mother? Did you even explained it properly to her? What these bastards do to you?”

“No. Mother refused to listen and said that whatever it was ‘It couldn’t be that bad.’ so I stopped trying.”

“I will go and deal with her later. Now listen to me, Sheldon Cooper. I didn’t raise no bitch.”

“Meemaw!” Sheldon removed his phone from his ear and gave it a scandalized look.

“Shush! Now, listen to me very well. Our family, and yes, that includes your Pop-pop, our family doesn’t stay quiet. We get even.”

“...”

“I know your dad taught you how to fight. Why didn’t you swing at the bastards that did this?”

“Violence is a primal response and I’m an intelle-”

“You’re the one losing sleep.”

“...”

“You’re the one throwing away everything you worked for.”

“I’m no-”

“Are you really happy with the way things are right now?”

“...”

“Sheldon Cooper. I asked you a question.”

“No.” He muttered against his phone.

“I know you don’t like change. But Moonpie, things have already changed.”

“I…I will think on this conversation.”

“You better do that. Your Pop-pop would be terribly sad to know you let some no-good goblins bring you down to this level.”

“...”

“You’re Sheldon Lee Cooper. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I won’t.” Sheldon said quietly.

“I love you Moonpie.”

“I love you too Meemaw.”

Penny laughed at something Leonard said, she wasn’t sure what it was but the alcohol made it so it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

They were flirting and making out against the door of 4A after a successful date. Leonard was struggling to open the door but after a couple of attempts he was able to do it.

His laughter died right away once they entered the apartment.

“We’ve been robbed!” He yelled and ran to his room, leaving her in the middle of the apartment.

Her buzz was quickly leaving and she looked around, it was true that things were missing, but weirdly enough the place wasn’t cleaned out. The TV was still there, but the Xbox was gone. Half of the figurines were gone. Leonard’s desk was still as cluttered as it ever was but Sheldon’s was cleaned out.

Soon after Leonard returned with a confused look on his face. “My room is fine.”

“What about Sheldon’s?” She asked as she moved towards it. Sheldon would freak out if something was missing from his room.

An empty closet, a bed frame and a single piece of paper was all that waited for them.

Penny picked up the piece of paper and her eyebrows tried to escape her face. Leonard was still looking around Sheldon’s room.

“Uh Leonard, I think you need to see this.” She handed him the piece of paper.

Leonard took it from her and she could see his eyes dart across the page before he paled and passed out, hitting the floor hard. She tried to catch him but alcohol made her slow and she only succeeded in slamming her knees against the hardwood floor.

Sheldon was gone and he had apparently stopped wanting to protect his friends.

Joyce Kim, military fuel, a broken laser, misuse of Caltech’s labs, sabotage of a Caltech funded expedition among other things.

Sheldon had kept thorough proof of everything. And he had emailed everything to Caltech’s president, to the NSA and to Leonard’s mother.

Holy…

Chapter Text

Penny arrived at the fourth landing and her eyes landed on the door to 4A. From the outside everything looked the same, but on the other side of that door now was a different world from the one she had grown to love for the past couple of years.

Sighing, she moved to her own door.

4A was now home to a very cute gay couple that had moved in as soon as the listing went up. Tom and Kai were super friendly and even lent her some fabric softener when she ran out.

It’s funny to think about how fast life can change. One moment Penny has her guys and the next she’s all alone.

Sheldon took off in the middle of the day and no one knew where he went. She hoped that he was doing okay.

Penny removed her uniform and started on her bath as well as preparing for bed. No going out for her tonight.

Raj had to go back to India, apparently Sheldon had also emailed Raj’s parents. She was still in touch with him over email but he had kept mum -ha!- about how things were going for him. She was sure that his parents were being a pain in the butt.

Penny grabbed a yogurt cup out of her fridge, whenever she had the dinner shift she made sure to eat her fill at work, but she was still feeling a bit hungry.

Howard had punched Leonard twice before storming off from 4A forever. He had also lost his job but the part that truly drove him to violence had been losing his buddy. Howard had threatened Leonard that he would cooperate fully with the investigation from the feds.

Penny chucked the empty cup into the trash and moved towards her bathroom, the tub was almost full and the water looked amazing.

Leonard…poor Leonard. She wasn’t sure if he had truly messed up so much or if Sheldon was just that vindictive, but he had it worse than the other two. He lost his job and was arrested on the same day. She went to visit him at jail but all sympathy flew out the window when he asked her to lie to the feds and claim that Sheldon was crazy. She might have decided to give this relationship thing a chance but no way in hell she was lying for him.

Penny sighed and willed her body to relax even more in the hot water.

Leonard’s mother had come then and okay, Penny broke up with the guy while he was in custody but man…Beverly was something else, every word that came out of her mouth was a stab to Leonard.

“I should have known that this is all you would amount to.” And then Beverly sighed, honest to god disappointment in that sigh.

Penny is glad to have washed her hands of the whole thing. She hoped that Leonard would be okay but she was not going to be part of that circus.

In fact, she wasn’t doing so great either.

She hadn’t realized how much the guys were a safety blanket. They helped her cover expenses, she ate their food and overall they were a huge support beam under her roof. A support beam that crumbled and threatened to leave her homeless.

Penny had to not only increase her shifts at The Factory but also grind harder in order to get an acting role. It had truly become a life or death situation.

She was alone now.

Sheldon was alone.

He had taken a scorched earth approach and not looked back. And now here he was, on a train going back home. He wasn’t sure of where to go, Caltech with egg on their face had begged him to stay, but California was no longer home, it had too many bad memories.

Penny was the one bright spot but she was in a relationship with Leonard and mainstream media was clear on where her loyalties would lie.

Sheldon shook his head and focused on the topic again. Perhaps New York would be an ideal choice…if it weren’t for the terrible public transportation. No, not New York.

This topic could wait.

At least he had been able to sleep now, it wasn’t on his bed, but in an uncomfortable train seat. It was the best sleep Sheldon had experienced in a long while.

Sheldon had always been a good boy and listened to his mother. But, maybe it was time to listen to his Meemaw instead.

He couldn’t wait to see her again.

Medford was still as dusty and hot as Sheldon remembered.

At least his Meemaw had hugged him and made him cookies.

“No Moonpie, New York is not right for you. They won’t even let you carry a gun to kill the rats that roam the subway.”

“Rats?!”

“Here, let me show you a video.”

Suffice to say that New York was no longer an option.

“Dr Cooper. While we thank you for your cooperation in this case. Are you aware that not reporting this can also be considered a crime?”

“I was emotionally manipulated to remain quiet, however, I understand that you might want to press charges. If that were the case then please state it clearly so I can obtain legal counsel.”

The two agents shared a look that Sheldon couldn’t identify.

“No. Thanks to your thorough report we have a clear understanding of what happened and how your roommate contract was used against you.” The agent yawned. “This is just a routine visit. The NSA will handle everything from this moment onward.”

Sheldon hadn’t been truly worried about this, he still kept in touch with the two agents that originally had come to visit him as a child and he had created a nuclear reactor.

He wasn’t above calling them.

“How about Austin?” Meemaw was looking at the papers on the table. Sheldon had printed all of the options he would consider as his new academic home.

“Austin…” Sheldon picked up the piece of paper containing the information for the University.

An average of 230 days of Sunshine. The food selection was more than adequate. No state income tax. All great points in favor.

No public transportation, a car is a must. The temperature. High rent prices. Traffic. All cons.

“You could come and see me on weekends…” Meemaw pretended to be reading something while egging him on.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go and see the University.” Sheldon conceded.

Penny was dancing in her apartment, she had just gotten a part and was celebrating the best way she could without money. Dancing by herself in her apartment.

The last six months had been hell for her, she had almost ended up homeless several times and more often than not gone hungry if she wasn’t working the dinner shift.

Which ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Since she was working late shifts it gave her more time to go to morning auditions and finally, finally, after six long months she had landed a part.

Penny stopped dancing and stood in the middle of her apartment. The smile on her face slowly changed as she panted due to the effort.

She was so lonely.

She started crying in earnest soon after. She missed the guys so much. She missed being able to go to 4A and play Halo while eating takeout, she missed bantering with Sheldon, she missed watching chick flicks with Raj and she even missed Howard and Leonard. Before things got complicated.

Raj had come clean to her about what they really did to Sheldon with that electric can opener stunt.

It had been utter betrayal.

Not only of Sheldon but of science, of the University, of ethics, of so many things. No wonder Sheldon had acted the way he had.

Penny grimaced a little, she had tried to comfort Sheldon but it was too little. She had been busy thinking about Leonard and her. She thought things had been fixed…

And now here she was, with no one to celebrate. Ever since Rak got married, or better said, ever since his parents forced him to get married their emailing had all but stopped. Leonard was in a federal prison and she had no idea what had happened to Howard.

She couldn’t wait to start filming Dallas. Funny enough, it was filmed in Austin.

Penny needed a change.

Sheldon liked Austin well enough. True, he had been forced to finally get his driver’s license, but his new apartment was within walking distance to the University so he was rarely forced to use it.

31st Street Condominiums were his new home and he had taken the time to truly make it one. Little by little he started filling the bookshelves with his new comic books, with old and new figurines, his old DNA model was now joined by a new globe.

He even had found the perfect spot in his new apartment. It only took him 49 hours.

Sheldon liked his new life. He just needed company.

Chapter Text

“Sheeeeeeeeelyyyyyy!” Emily pranced into his office and Sheldon sighed in annoyance. He had been at UT Austin for a month and so far she was the only ‘friend’ he had made.

‘Friend’ That was a funny word.

“Emily. I’ve asked you to stop calling me that.” Sheldon capped the marker he was using a moment ago to write on the whiteboard. True, he had only been playing with vectors but still, the point stood.

“C’mon Shelly, it’s lunch time. Let's go!” Emily ignored him and smiled at him.

Sheldon narrowed his eyes at her but the young woman simply smiled at him. After a moment he relented, “Very well. Let us go to the cafeteria.”

“Yay!” Emily did a little jump.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Sheldon pondered on his current friendship…it’s odd how different it was from the one he had with Leonard and the rest.

Except perhaps Penny. He could admit that out of everyone she was the one he missed the most. She had treated him like a friend even at the worst of his…eccentricities.

Emily was bubbly and overly friendly but she seemed to honestly enjoy his company. She was an experimental physicist and despite Sheldon’s remarks about her choice of career it only seemed to make her want to try harder to get close to him.

Emily was half Korean but didn’t speak a word of it. She was fluent in Spanish though. She liked soap operas and anime. Loved spicy food. And more importantly, she didn’t mind driving him from time to time.

“Oooooohhhh black rice!” How could she tell without actually looking at the food, Sheldon would never know. They were at the entrance to the cafeteria. Her nose was as good as his hearing.

“I just hope they have jello.” Sheldon added.

Soon they had their trays and sure enough, the cafeteria made black rice. Sheldon and Emily ate as they talked about Kingdom Come and the art by Alex Ross which in turn led Emily to insist that Sheldon needed to watch Ergo Proxy and Sheldon countered talking about the upcoming adaptation of Meathouse Man into a graphic novel.

The banter during lunch felt nice.

Friend. What a funny word.

“I don’t know how you can watch Star Trek.”

Then again, maybe ‘friend’ was too strong of a word.

Penny was thrilled about Dallas. She was playing Emma Brown and she was loving it.

She had been worried about not being good enough, about everyone hating her, about the showrunner regretting choosing Penny.

Thankfully she was wrong on all accounts.

And while it was true that her contract was only for three years, but c’mon, she had stable work for three years and this role could open so many doors for her.

Her new agent was already telling her about a couple of commercials.

If she were to complain about something tho, it would be that she was lonely. A new city meant having to start from scratch, new friends, new neighbors. On the other hand, it also meant a fresh start.

She emailed Raj updating him on all this and then started to write an email to Sheldon that would end up simply saved in her drafts.

It was a habit she picked up when getting the role. She was scared of calling, texting or emailing him, scared that her call would go straight to voicemail, scared that her email would bounce. She still felt guilty for not doing more for him, not understanding the gravity of the situation.

‘Hi Moonpie,

Today I filmed episode 8 and it was supposed to be this big dramatic-’

Maybe one day she’d actually send it.

Maybe.

“Boom! You’re dead.” Emily laughed.

“Pure luck I assure you.” Sheldon’s face twitched and he put the controller down to take a sip of his glass.

Halo night was one of the routines he had been able to keep thanks to Emily’s presence. Now, if he could only figure out how she was so good at the game.

Emily sprawled on her side of the couch while dropping the controller on the seat between them. Sheldon simply raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. “I do not envy the back pain you will experience later.”

Emily laughed at him “My back already hurts. Because of these.” She cupped her breasts briefly. Sheldon only glanced at her chest for a moment before looking back at Emily’s face.

“Perhaps you should consider a reduction.” Sheldon grabbed his controller again and faced the TV. “Now, let’s keep going.”

“I’m glad I stuck with you Shelly. Us asexuals should stick together.” Emily sat back up and grabbed her controller.

Sheldon froze for a second before turning a confused look at her. “Asexual? I’m not asexual.”

Emily gaped at him, confused as well. “You’re not?” She said slowly before a smile broke her face. “Oh I get it, it’s one of your Bazinga’s right? Right?”

“Emily. I find coitus to be a messy and unhygienic activity, but I experience attraction even if at times I wished I didn’t.”

“...Oh…OH!...” Emily raised her hands to her cheeks. “Sorry, sorry. I just assumed, I mean, I’ve never seen you with a boy, but it makes sense, you just moved here.”

“I’m not gay either.”

“Oh…then…is it the trains?” She cringed as she asked him softly.

“...I’m not even going to answer that.” He sighed.

Emily laughed and Sheldon realized she had been joking. Drat, he had been doing so good.

“So if I’m not your type, who is?”

Before Sheldon can stop it fully, his brain conjures the scent of vanilla, of tanned skin and blonde hair. But he closes his eyes and focuses on the moment before the memory can fully materialize.

“No one.” His face twitched.

“Right…forget I asked.” Emily said with narrowed eyes and Sheldon knew that she would bring it up again in the future. “Now, let’s play, I need to kick your butt.”

“You can certainly try.”

Emily must have cheated because there’s no way he would lose so thoroughly.

Hi Moonpie,

We just wrapped up filming for the season. I wished you were here to make fun of the show because very few people actually have Texas accents. The director told me to not even try, it wouldn’t matter. Isn’t that funny?

The cast and crew have been really nice to me and I’m learning a lot from Linda Gray.

While the show will be on hiatus before we shoot season three, I’m not going to be on break. I got 2 commercials to shoot and I’m traveling back to LA to shoot a horror indie film. I'm playing the little sister of the lead actress and my character dies on the first 15 minutes lol.

I also found a new Thai place near my apartment that I think you would love. I checked the kitchen and everything is up to your standards.

I miss you.

A lot.

I’m also seeing someone, after Leonard I wanted to take a break but this guy is truly nice, he’s also an actor and while we’ve only been dating for a month, I have a good feeling about him.

Take care Sheldon.

“Shelly, can I stay here for a while?” Emily only peeked her head into his office, he hadn’t even heard the door open.

“If you must.” Sheldon agreed and turned back to his whiteboard.

“Yay, thanks.” Emily closed the door behind her and moved to the small couch resting under the only window in the room. “I’ll be quietly reading here. I promise. The school is shooting a commercial in my lab and I just can’t deal with all that.”

“Understandable.” Sheldon focused back on his formula, he was certain that even the failed experiment could help advance his work.

Sheldon’s thoughts were derailed by Emily’s soft singing voice which while not unpleasant was not part of ‘quietly reading’ promise.

“Emily.”

“Hmmm?”

“No singing please.”

“Oh! Sorry. Since we’re already talking, do you want to eat lunch here or want us to go somewhere?”

“It’s Thursday, we always eat at the cafeteria on Thursdays.”

“Ah, silly me. How could I forget?” Emily shook her head and went back to her phone.

“Perhaps you should review your calendar, I have already added our lunches there.”

“Yay.” Came the enthusiastic response.

Thankfully Emily didn’t interrupt him again until it was time for lunch. By this time he was used to her rather bubbly attitude to anything food related so he didn’t scold her for prancing next to him as they moved to the cafeteria. His long strides easily matched her dancing steps.

“Ohhhh banana pudding!”

Sheldon turned a confused glance at her. “We’re not even at the door yet.”

“You can’t get between me and banana pudding.” Emily tapped her nose and winked at him.

Sheldon shook his head at the nonsensical response but he couldn’t hide the small smile on his face.

Sure enough, they had banana pudding but Sheldon made sure that Emily also had more than just pudding for lunch. She pouted a little as he put a small plate of roasted veggies on her tray.

Their table was thankfully clear, it had only taken a couple of tries before people knew that this table belonged to them during lunch. Sheldon was pretending to listen to Emily as she listed all the reasons he should watch a new cartoon named Steven Universe when an unexpected voice interrupted them.

“Sheldon?”

Chapter Text

Sheldon could recognize that voice anywhere, even if he wanted to forget it, his eidetic memory would not allow it. He closed his eyes and suppressed the sudden rush of anger that coursed through him.

He was still his daddy’s son and anger ran deeply in the Coopers.

It was only a moment but he successfully mastered himself, opened his eyes and addressed the person interrupting his lunch with a slight nod of acknowledgment.

“Wolowitz.”

Emily startled, looked at the short man standing by their table and narrowed her eyes while not so subtly buttoning up her coat. Sheldon didn’t like talking about the Arctic but Emily wore down his defenses and she was fully aware of the reason why he no longer called Caltech his home.

“Heeeeeey buuuuuudyyyyy!” Howard exaggerated his greeting, even to Sheldon’s eyes it was obvious that he was uncomfortable. Howard shuffled in place, adjusted the neck of his too tight shirt and combed back his hair.

Sheldon could almost see the specter of Koothrappali in Howard making room for someone that was no longer there.

“What a coincidence right? I swear th-”

“Wolowitz, you should be fully aware that I don’t enjoy small talk. Please state your business so we can both go back to being strangers.”

Howard looked angry for a moment before deflating and taking a seat next to Emily and across from Sheldon. Emily quickly moved to sit next to Sheldon and no one missed the pout Howard shot her.

“Look buddy. I get it. No! I truly do!” Howard raised his hands stopping Sheldon from talking. “We screwed you over. No way around it.” Howard paused for a moment to see if Sheldon would interrupt him but Sheldon simply nodded and gestured with a hand that Howard should continue.

“I’m sorry. That’s the first thing I should tell you. I should have told you a long time ago…I…I get why you were-are?-whatever so angry at us. Leonard is in jail, Raj was sent back to India and I had to take a job at a private company installing lab equipment across the country.” Howard rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’s why I’m here. We’re installing some new equipment and filming a promo for it. It’s a new type of laser that uses-”

“I’ll be sure to let the University know that it should be checked so it doesn’t blow in anyone’s face.” Emily interrupted Howard. She looked really unhappy and loathe as he might be to make the comparison, she looked like an angry terrier ready to bite Howard’s face off.

“Uh…Hello-” Like a switch, Howard went from apologetic to flirty.

Sheldon snapped his fingers in front of Howard’s face. “Focus.”

“Right, right, right. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Look, I know what we did to you sucked and we all lost our careers because of it. I was about to work with JAL!...And then I listened to Leonard…and now I’m here.” Howard rubbed at his face with both hands. “So, I just wanted to apologize to you.” It looked like Howard wanted to say more but he stayed quiet and waited for Sheldon.

“I appreciate the-” Sheldon couldn’t finish because Emily jumped in.

“He doesn’t forgive you! You betrayed science you, you, you, you, you…pendejo!” Her hands immediately went to her mouth and she looked regretful.

“Huh, that means asshole right?” Howard turned to Sheldon.

“Essentially.” Sheldon was still looking at Emily amusedly before turning back to face Howard. “Anyway, as I was saying. I appreciate the apology. Though I feel that I should make use of the popular phrase ‘Too little, Too late’.” Sheldon made the air quotes.

Howard sighed but did not look surprised. “I know. But you left and your number changed, I only had your work email so, my options were limited, plus having to find a new job, dealing with the NSA and immigration. I had my own disaster to control.”

“Understandable.”

“Well, I see my crew is waiting for me. I’ll let you to have lunch with your?...” Howard led on and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Thank you Howard.” Sheldon ignored the question. “Though it might be hard to believe, I wish you success on your next endeavors.”

“Thanks buddy. I’ll see you arou-no. Sorry, force of habit. Good luck to you buddy.” Howard waved at Emily and moved back to the table filled with strange people.

“You’re okay Shelly?” Emily looked like she wanted to touch him but was holding herself back knowing of his boundaries which Sheldon appreciated.

“Strangely enough. I think I am.”

“WOAH! You’re kidding!” Even though Howard had just woken up at an ungodly hour to talk to Raj, all sleep left him at the news he just received.

“Nope! I’m going to be a dad!” Raj couldn’t contain his excitement and had to call Howard right away.

“Congrats buddy!”

Howard was truly happy for his friend. He had been worried about his friend for so many reasons but in a weird twist of fate, going back to India had been a catalyst for incredible change.

First, his parents refused to let him wallow inside their home so he was sent to work at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. How they got him a job? Not even Raj knew.

Second, if he wanted to keep living with his parents then Raj had to attend therapy so he could talk to women without drinking alcohol.

Third, he wasn’t being forced to marry, but he needed to go to a “Marriage Bureau” which was basically a Matchmaker, just under a different name.

Fourth, he met a wonderful Mathematician girl that was just the right amount of bossy and Raj was smitten right away.

And now Howard could add Raj becoming a dad.

The pair continued gushing about Raj’s news and organizing a visit from Howard so they could hang out again. Right before hanging up Howard remembered his own news.

“Waitwaitwaitwait, don’t hang up!”

“Whatwhatwhatwhat?”

“I wanted to tell you, I ran into Sheldon.”

Howard heard Raj gasp. “Wait, weren’t you installing a new laser at a University in Texas?”

“Yeah, it almost gave me a heart attack.” And so Howard told Raj everything.

Penny ran.

She had just landed back in Austin and was dog tired.

But she still ran.

As soon as she landed she had read Raj’s email and was so happy that her friend was going to be a dad. He had confided in her that it was both a dream and a nightmare, he was scared of screwing up.

This place was unfamiliar, she read door plate after door plate but each wrong name just filled her with more frustration. So she ran.

Penny had gotten to the bottom of Raj’s email and there, like an afterthought, was something that made her heart stop for a second.

‘I know where Sheldon is.’

So, Penny ran.

The drive to UT Austin was torture for her. Had Sheldon really been so close? Hell, the University wasn’t even that far from her apartment. They might even go to the same grocery store!

Her car still had her suitcase in the trunk, her previous tiredness forgotten.

Penny ran.

Penny grabbed the first person she saw in a lab coat to ask a very important question.

“Where is Sheldon Cooper’s office?”

Chapter Text

Thankfully the lab person knew where the office was and it took no time for Penny to be able to find the right hallway and the last door had the nameplate she was looking for.

Penny was in good shape but she was panting lightly as she stood and faced the door.

Apprehension took a hold of her. Here she was now without a real plan, she had been just so excited knowing that Sheldon was nearby that she rushed here without thinking it through.

‘Fuck.’

Penny shook her head and slapped her cheeks lightly. No time like the present. She’d deal with the consequences later. She took three deep breaths and fixed her clothes as best as she could, it had been almost a year since she’d actually seen Sheldon.

The door opened easily and she gulped as she pushed it. The office was decent sized, several whiteboards lined up one of the walls and right across from them sat a cute and comfy looking couch. She hoped that Sheldon didn’t have to use it to sleep in his office, she knew his neck would not appreciate it.

Unfortunately the office was empty.

Penny sighed in both disappointment and relief, she felt suddenly drained at the rather anticlimactic situation and went to sit on the couch to wait for Sheldon to get back.

What will she even tell him?

An apology will be good, she didn’t betray him. But she could have done more to understand him, she had been too caught up in Leonard being back to truly realize how much Sheldon was suffering or how it had affected him still.

Yeah, that sounded good.

“You have to admit it was very good right?” Emily needled him as they walked back to his office.

Sheldon tried to keep a stern face but the meal had been really good. “I admit that the Mexican dry noodles were much better than I expected, HOWEVER, I still don’t appreciate the break in our usual lunch routine.”

Emily laughed. “I’ll tell my mom you liked them so she can make them again for us.” She swinged the nylon bag carrying the Tupperware her mom had sent them like a happy kid.

“You and your mother speak fluent Spanish, love Telenovelas, cook more Mexican food than Korean food and your family even goes to a Mexican church. It’s fascinating.”

“It’s really not. When my mom moved here to live with my dad they didn’t have a lot of money, my uncle was a roofer and pulled my dad to work for him. Then my dad became best friends with one of the other roofers who was Mexican and so my mom started hanging out with his wife too and soon they all became really tight yaknow? My parents moved into a Mexican neighborhood and I grew up surrounded by the culture and well…it just kinda stuck.” Emily always spoke quickly but Sheldon was used to it by now.

“I see.”

“Besides, you also speak Spanish.”

“And German, Japanese and some French.” Sheldon pointed out.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re amazing.”

“Sarcasm?”

“What do you think?”

“...sarcasm.” He finally decided.

“I’ll give you a treat for getting it right.” Emily teased.

Sheldon glowered at her but she kept walking.

“Stop.” Sheldon’s voice was serious and Emily immediately complied.

“What?” She whispered harshly and looked around.

“Something is different.” They were almost in front of his office door and Sheldon looked closely. Something had changed. “We closed and locked the door but now it’s ajar.” He pointed with one finger.

“Ah, I forgot to lock the door.” Emily cringed a little and shot him an apologetic look.

Sheldon sighed. “Of course you did. Look at the carpet, there’s an indent there that wasn’t when we left. Several threads of unknown origin as well as long blonde hair now litter the front of my office.”

“Man…we really should go to one of those murder mystery things, we would kick ass.” Emily opened the door and entered without fear.

“No! Stop!” Sheldon raised a hand but also followed her in.

Emily stopped in front of the couch where a familiar figure was sprawled in a way that he knew she preferred over proper resting.

“Wow, look at all the drool.” Emily said in mock awe…at least he hoped it was mock awe.

“Yes, a terrible habit of hers.” Sheldon said distractedly.

Penny was here.

Penny was here, in Texas, sleeping on his office’s couch.

Why was Penny here, in Texas, sleeping on his office’s couch?

Sheldon ran through several different scenarios in his head but none of them explained why Penny would be here.

“Emma!” Emily gasped and pointed at Penny in true shock.

“No, her name is Penny.”

“No, no, no, no, no.” She said while pawing at the air like a drunk cat. “She’s Emma. Emma!”

Sheldon looked blankly at her which only seemed to upset Emily even more.

“Emma! From the TV!” She pulled out her phone and after a couple of clicks showed Sheldon a picture of Penny in what obviously was a soap opera or tv show set. “From Dallas!”

“I still think it’s nonsensical that the show called Dallas is not actually filmed in Dallas bu-”

Emily snapped her fingers at him. “NOT THE POINT! You know Emma!”

“She’s Penny, not Emma.”

“Actually I’m both.” A slurred voice interrupted them. “Hi Moonpie”

Sheldon wished he could measure the brightness in Penny’s smile. He could feel his own smile grow at the sound of her voice.

He had missed her.

Penny dreamed.

She dreamed of the time before things went wrong for their little group. She had tried to move on and continued living normally but that was no longer an option for her. Penny had quit The Factory right as a new wave of waitresses were coming in. She had seen a blonde girl with cute glasses who probably wanted to be an actress as well and now there she was, about to start her waitressing career.

It only made Penny try harder in auditions.

She dreamed of Leonard.

Poor Leonard, so many wrong steps taken just because he couldn’t like who he was. She had been dumb as well, to try and force a relationship with him. But that was her, the girl with terrible luck at love.

She dreamed of Kurt.

She had been so young and naive. Allowed him to step on her over and over and over just because she thought that was how relationships worked. And now, years away from him she could admit to having been a little scared of him at times.

She dreamed of alcohol and drugs.

Who knew that being a working actress meant that she would have access to so much of it. So, so much. She never touched the coke when it was passed around, but she definitely grabbed the bottle, she grabbed it so much that during hiatus from the show there were days she ate nothing more than Vodka and Tequila.

She dreamed of almost getting fired.

Alcohol almost took her career away. Penny messed up her calendar and didn’t realize that the call was for earlier. She arrived at the studio, well, more like she stumbled into the studio. The showrunner and one of the producers had noticed and it had led to a not so subtle reprimand and threat of cutting her from the show.

She dreamed of Sheldon.

The rehab center was a nightmare and the only thing that kept her sane was to write in her journal how she thought Sheldon would react to the situation. It was cold comfort, but comfort nonetheless.

She would have continued dreaming but bickering voices slowly brought her back to the waking world.

“NOT THE POINT! You. Know. Emma!” A really cute Asian girl said to Sheldon as she pointed accusingly.

“She’s Penny, not Emma.” Sheldon said stubbornly.

Her Moonpie looked exactly the same as she remembered. Well, no, he didn’t look as tense or as neurotic as he had after the expedition.

“Actually I’m both.” She said slowly while squinting at the pair. “Hi Moonpie”

Penny tried to subtly wipe the drool from her cheek but Sheldon clicking his tongue and giving her a wet wipe from his desk told her that she had failed.

“Moonpie?” The girl asked while grinning like a loon.

Sheldon closed his eyes in consternation and what Penny thought was resignation.

“It’s good to see you, Sheldon.” Penny said before standing up and hugging him fiercely. “I missed you so much.” Her voice was watery.

Sheldon flinched and Penny was about to step back before he relaxed and woodenly returned the hug. “There, there. Sheldon is here.”

Penny laughed-cried because it was just so like him. A puzzle piece sliding into place and Penny felt like she could breathe easier.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Shelly doesn’t like being touched.” The bubbly girl tapped Penny on the shoulder, not upset but firm.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry Sheldon.” But still Penny didn’t let go.

“It’s understandable so I will allow it for another 15 seconds.” Sheldon said snootily but Penny knew it meant he was happy as well. The bubbly girl looked surprised and even a little upset at Sheldon’s words.

Taking a deep breath and inhaling Sheldon’s scent of dry markers and Tide, she finally let go of him after squeezing one last time. She smiled up at him, suddenly feeling much happier and hopeful than she had felt in months.

“Hi.” Penny smiled up at Sheldon. “Are you one of those beautiful mind geniuses?”

Sheldon’s eyes widened for a moment before he dipped his head and smiled shyly at her. “Yeah.”

Here they were, almost 5 years away from that initial meeting and in another state, but they were still Sheldon and Penny.

Bubbly girl cleared her throat but neither Sheldon nor Penny looked away from each other.

“Emily. Would you please allow me a few moments?” Sheldon finally looked away from her and addressed the other girl.

Bubbly girl, now named Emily only gave Sheldon a suspicious look before nodding hesitantly, she rummaged in the bag she was carrying and pulled a Tupperware container before handing it to Penny.

“Can I please have your autograph?” Emily said. Penny borrowed one of Sheldon’s markers and signed the Tupperware. It wasn’t the strangest thing she had autographed, body parts not counting.

“Thank you! Shelly, it’s your turn to drive me home, don’t forget.” Emily left, cell phone already to her ear as she closed the door behind her. “Mom! You’re not going to believe who I just…” Her voice trailed off and Penny had to smile at that, she would never get used to being famous.

The sudden quietness of the room brought Penny back to the now and the fact that she was now in a room with Sheldon again.

“So…” She started, unsure of what else to say. Putting her hands in her back pockets and turning to face Sheldon. He had moved to sit behind his desk and his face still had that pleased smile.

This conversation should be easy.

“So..” Penny said nervously as she faced him again.

Sheldon had gone to sit at his desk. While he was happy to see Penny again, he was most assuredly off balance and his desk made him feel back in control.

“While I am most certainly pleased to see you again, I do have to ask. What are you doing here?”

Sheldon took notice of the way that Penny’s face fell at his question before a familiar flush of anger covered her cheeks. Penny narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

“I missed you! You, you, ass!” She said after a moment. “You simply up and left!” Her voice broke for a moment before returning to her usual fierceness.

Sheldon furrowed his brow, he hadn’t expected this.

“Oh, don’t look confused. We were friends and you just left like my friendship didn’t mean anything at all to you. Not a goodbye, not even an email!” Penny had started to pace his office, like a caged tiger. “Do you have any ide-”

He interrupted her tirade. “But I did send you an email.” Sheldon said calmly.

Penny sort of deflated and widened her eyes. “What?” She said breathlessly.

Sheldon quickly moved to his computer and pulled up his personal email, a couple of clicks and he soon had the email he had written to Penny. He motioned for her to move behind his desk, rolled his chair away and gave her room to read for herself.

Penny looked at him suspiciously but complied. She leaned in and Sheldon forced his eyes to look up at the ceiling. Penny was wearing jeans that accentuated her form rather positively.

‘3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494459230781640628620899862803482534211706798214808651328230664709384460955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196442881097566593344612847564823378678316527120190914564856692346034861045432664821339360726024914127372458700660631558817488152092096282925409171536436789259036001133053054882046652138414695194151160943305727036575959195309218611738193261179310511854807446237996274956735188575272489122793818301194912983367336244065664308602139494639522473719070217986094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056812714526356082778577134275778960917363717872146844090122495343014654958537105079227968925892354201995611212902196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999837297804995105973173281609631859502445945534690830264252230825334468503526193118817101000313783875288658753320838142061717766914730359825349042875546873115956286388235378759375195778185778053217122680661300192787661119590921642019893809525720106548586327886593615338182796823030195203530185296899577362259941389124972177528347913151557485724245415069595082953311686172785588907509838175463746493931925506040092770167113900984882401285836160356370766010471018194295559619894676783744944825537977472684710404753464620804668425906949129331367702898915210475216205696602405803815019351125-’

A sniffle interrupted his thoughts and he saw Penny cry, but before he could do anything else she sat across his lap and hugged him tightly.

“Penny!” Sheldon raised his hands and worried that if anyone were to come in at that moment, a slew of rumors would certainly circulate about what he did in his office.

“I thought you hated me.” She said it so quietly that even him, with his acute hearing, might have missed it. But he was Sheldon Cooper and he did not miss anything. Arctic incident notwithstanding.

“What are you talking about?” He was baffled by this entire situation.

Penny sniffed and with one hand swiped at her eyes in a futile attempt at cleaning herself. Sheldon wanted to start disinfecting his office right away but didn’t want to upset Penny even more.

“I never saw this. Or I would have never lost contact with you.” She was slowly gaining control of her emotions.

Sheldon’s mind quickly went over all possibilities before narrowing it down to only one. The same thing he had been victim of.

Sabotage.

“Penny. May I look at your phone please?” A small but intense anger settled in his stomach. Surely, he would be mistaken.

Penny didn’t even hesitate before handing him her phone.

Sheldon’s deft fingers navigated through the screens until reaching his objective which made the anger in him become heavy and real. A hot and cold flash and a conscious effort to not grind his teeth.

“Penny, I know it might not be easy to remember but did anyone else have access to your phone, laptop or email before I left California?”

She squinted her eyes in thought before widening them. “Leonard did! Right before the Arctic thingy. He said he was going to put his itinerary on my calendar.” Penny said happily before looking at his face.

“Are you familiar with email rules or filters?”

Penny didn’t think that she could ever be so disgusted. She was even shaking, with anger and so many emotions she couldn’t name. Only Sheldon’s presence grounded her.

“Let me make sure I understand this completely.” She said far too calmly. “Leonard set a filter so that any email sent from you would be marked as read and sent to the spam folder?”

“Precisely.”

Penny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking, she had never felt this much anger.

“That bastard!” She spit out as angry tears ran down her cheeks. “Why in the hell would he do something like this?” She asked aloud.

“I find myself at a loss as well.” Sheldon truly looked lost but resigned, like he could expect anything from Leonard. Hell, she should be on the same boat, how could she ever have thought that Leonard was a nice guy.

“If he wasn’t behind bars I swear I would go and kill him!” Penny couldn’t stop the shaking.

To her surprise, Sheldon nodded.

Penny sighed and slumped against Sheldon and the arm of his chair, suddenly feeling exhausted.

“Now what?” She looked up at him and yawned.

“I have already removed all filters from your email, unfortunately emails in the spam folder get automatically deleted after thirty days so there’s no way to recover them.”

“Can you send me that email again please? I want a copy.” Penny pointed to Sheldon’s computer screen.

Wordlessly he moved them closer to his desk, clicked twice and sure enough she received a notification on her phone. She stared at it for a long time and leaned closer against his chest.

“Thank you Moonpie. Oh, and to answer the question in your email. I would love to stay in touch with you. We’re friends and it doesn’t matter who I’m dating or not, that will not change.” Her arm went to his neck and she pulled him down for an awkward and uncomfortable one armed hug.

He tolerated it for a moment before clearing his throat. “Penny, if you don’t mind. My leg is going numb.”

She smiled up at him and teased him. “Are you saying I’m heavy?”

“You are in perfect balance for your height and-” Penny stood up as Sheldon talked and talked, she stretched her back while he kept talking, she didn’t really listen to him but simply enjoyed the sound of his voice. She had missed it. Had missed him.

But no more.

“Hey Moonpie. I’m actually living in Austin as well.” She interrupted him. “Over at Presidium Waterford Apartments, do you know where?”

“Research Boulevard?”

“Yes!” Penny gave him her full address.

Sheldon nodded and she was certain that he had filed it away in that brain of his.

“I’m currently residing at 31st Street Condominiums.” Penny pulled out her phone to check the address and to save it.

“Hmmm, Google says it’s only a 15 minute drive!” Penny smiled at her phone before turning that smile on Sheldon. “We can do Pizza night?”

“That would be acceptable.” While the words were lackluster, the small smile on his face more than made up for it.

Penny almost said goodbye, but she still hadn’t apologized.

“Sheldon…I’m sorry. I should have tried to understand the situation better. I was too caught up in Leonard being back and…yeah, I should have done more. Reached out to you. I’m sorry.”

“I accept your apology. Although I should point out that you were not part of the betrayal. You and Leonard were dating as such your loyalty lied with him an-”

“NO!” She made sure he was looking her in the eye. “No Sheldon. It doesn’t work like that. No matter who I date, my loyalty lies with my friends. I fucked up before but no more. You’re stuck with me now Moonpie.” She smiled at him.

Sheldon tried to fight the smile forming on his face but it was a losing battle and she was rewarded by a true, honest to god smile from him.

“Now that we’re back together…that girl that was here.”

“Emily.” He supplied.

“Yeah, Emily. Are you dating her?” Penny waggled her eyebrows at him.

Sheldon let out a frustrated sigh and it was as if no time had passed at all.

“No, she’s my friend in the same way you are my friend.”

“I was joking Moonpie.” Penny laughed.