Sheldon went to bed that night at his normal time in his normal pajamas. Nothing new or surprising had occurred the entire day, much to Sheldon's liking. He laid down on his back to fall asleep and quickly drifted into his anticipated REM cycle.
He usually dreamt about super heroes, physics, or trains. But tonight, his subconscious was going to lead him to a world he didn't understand. Perhaps the world he understood the least.
In this dream, he found himself in a meadow, surrounded by lush foliage. The sun was setting, creating a pink-orange hue on the world around him. He stood there awkwardly for a minute looking around, trying to understand where he was and why he was there. Out of the mist in the distance, a young blonde female came walking toward him. She was wearing a baby blue t-shirt with jean shorts, with her hands perched in her own back pockets.
She walked right up to him and flashed him a big smile. "Hello Sheldon."
He blinked oddly and stared back at her. "Hello. How do you know my name?"
She giggled. "I know a lot more about you than just your name, sweetie. And if you think about it, I bet you know my name too."
Sheldon looked into her green eyes, hoping to have some sort of revelation about these unfamiliar circumstances. He then felt oddly calm and certain of his convictions. "I think your name is Penny."
"I think you're right, Dr. Cooper." She said playfully. "Walk with me."
The two walked side by side toward the setting sun. They both had their hands in their pockets and kept perfectly quiet. After what seemed like an eternity, Penny spoke. "Why do you think I'm here?"
Sheldon stopped walking and turned to Penny. "I… I don't know."
"Well, how do you feel right now?"
He thought about it for a minute. "I'm not terribly big on feelings, but I suppose I feel rather calm and content. Why do you ask?"
She turned to him and pulled his hands out of his pockets by his wrists. She then proceeded to hold his hands. "How about now?"
Sheldon looked down at his hands. Despite understanding that she was a stranger making physical contact with him, he didn't feel unnerved. "About the same. Maybe a little confused."
Penny smiled. "Exactly. There's a whole world out there, Sheldon. A world outside of the one you built for yourself. A world like this one!" She turned toward the sun and closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. "And as long as you let yourself explore it, it's yours to love."
He mimicked Penny's actions, then looked back at her. "But I don't know how to do that."
She turned back to him and opened her eyes. "I know, and that's why I'm here. Explore with me. Together we'll learn. Together we'll grow. Together we'll love."
Sheldon looked down. "I'm so used to discovering the world on my own. That's what I do as a physicist, you know."
She shook her head and smiled. "There are some things in life you'll never understand nor appreciate without someone there to do it with you." She looked behind her. "Come with me!" Penny took off running.
"Wait! Come back!" Sheldon yelled. A few seconds later, he chased after her. He felt his heart racing as he dashed through the dimming fields toward the golden locks in the near distance. She playfully turned around and began skipping backwards. "Do you feel that, Sheldon? Do you feel the wind? Do you feel the warmth? Do you feel free?"
"I feel fatigued." Sheldon said.
Penny laughed. "Man, even in your dreams you have no endurance. We need to work on that."
She stopped running when she reached a lake with a small wooden dock. She walked over to the doc's edge and took off her sandals. When Sheldon finally caught up to her, she dipped her feet in the water.
Sheldon put his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily. "You… are… really… fast…"
Penny smirked. "Yeah, I've heard that one before…" Sheldon missed her sarcasm, so she continued. "Sit with me."
"Alright." He sat on the edge of the doc with his knees bent and his legs pulled close to him.
She shook her head. "No, silly. Put your feet in the water. It feels nice."
"But we don't know what's in there. There could be germs, fish, sharks, disease ridden vermin…"
"And how will you know unless you find out?" Penny asked.
Sheldon pondered her question. "Well, most lakes are known for…"
She put her index finger up to his lips. "Shhh… you won't get hurt. Not here. Not with me. I would never hurt you. Now, do you trust me?"
He remained still as he looked at her. "It's not you I'm concerned about…"
"Do you trust me?" She reiterated.
Sheldon thought about her question and gave an honest answer. "Yes."
"Then put your feet in."
He tentatively poked at the water with one foot, soothed by its pleasantly refreshing chill. He then dangled both his legs in the water, akin to Penny, and took a sigh of relief.
"This is rather enjoyable. Thank you." He said.
Penny turned to him. "I told you. Sometimes you just need a little encouragement. Or at least another person with a different view of the world to introduce you to everything you've been missing out on."
He nodded and looked at his reflection in the water. Penny continued. "And sometimes, it's okay to try something out and get your feet wet."
"Ah, I get it. It's a metaphor. But Penny, I'm a creature of habit. I have a strict adherence to routine and I don't like other people. How do you propose I overcome these things?" Sheldon asked.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You will. One day. You just haven't had a reason to yet.
He looked down at his shoulder. "Why are you telling me all this?"
Penny lifted her head and looked at him. "You'll know soon enough." She lifted his hand and held it with her own.
Sheldon looked down at his hand. "You're holding my hand."
"Yeah."
"I don't know how to process this."
She smiled. "You don't have to. Not yet. It'll all make sense really soon." Penny stood up and picked up her shoes. She started to walk away when Sheldon quickly jumped up.
"Wait! Now where are you going?"
"It's time for me to go."
He shook his head. "But I don't want you to go. You're supposed to help me see the world. I need you!"
Penny smiled and walked back to Sheldon. "I know. And I'll be here for you. I promise."
"But Penny…" She silenced him with her index finger. He stood there silently looking into her serene soul. At that moment, she removed her finger and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
She then reached up and put her hand on his shoulder. "You said you trusted me. Don't stop now."
And with that last sentence, she walked into the sunset without looking back. Sheldon just stood there, watching her figure disappear into the horizon. He turned around and looked down at the lake to see his reflection. He saw a scared boy, akin to a younger version of himself looking back.
Sheldon sighed. "Maybe I really do have a lot more to learn."
Suddenly, Sheldon woke up looked around his room. He grabbed his phone and saw it was only 1:00am. He pushed off the covers and ran to Leonard's door.
::Knock Knock Knock:: Leonard
::Knock Knock Knock:: Leonard
::Knock Knock Knock:: Leonard
Leonard rolled over and grabbed his glasses to see the time. "Sheldon, what are you doing up in the middle of the night?"
Sheldon let himself in the room. "Leonard, I just had the strangest dream."
"Not the one with Iron Man again…"
"No, this one was different. This one was about a girl."
Leonard rolled over. "What girl?"
"That's just it. I've never met her before. But I knew her in the dream. And it felt like I'd known her for quite a long time." He explained.
Leonard looked smug. "Well, I knew you'd hit puberty eventually. It's okay to dream about girls, Sheldon. There comes a time in every boy's life. Or in your case…"
Sheldon shook his head. "No, Leonard, it wasn't like that. She did kiss me before she left, however."
Leonard smirked. "Great. Adorable. Can I go back to sleep now?"
Sheldon really didn't know what else to say. And even if he did, he didn't believe Leonard could possibly understand. "Fine. Goodnight."
He went back to bed and just stared at the ceiling for a while before falling asleep.
The next day, Sheldon and Leonard came home in the afternoon, bantering on the staircase per usual. When they got to the top, Sheldon turned to let himself in the apartment when he noticed Leonard staring into the apartment across the hall. Sheldon looked in the door of 4B and noticed a young blonde woman unpacking her suitcase.
"New neighbor?" Leonard asked.
"Evidently" Sheldon responded.
"Significant improvement over the old neighbor."
"Two hundred pound transvestite with a skin condition, yes she is."
When Penny looked up, Sheldon's heart almost stopped in his chest. Leonard and Penny said hi to one another repeatedly for lack of knowing what else to say. Sheldon just stood there dumbstruck. He didn't even notice the conversation taking place between the two of them.
She smiled, a smile that Sheldon knew all too well. "Oh, okay, well, guess I'm your new neighbor…"
At the same time, Sheldon spoke her name. "Penny."
She looked at him with a confused expression. "Um, yeah how did you know my name?"
He froze for second. "I, uh, um, well you look like a Penny. Lucky guess I presume."
Penny accepted that answer. "Really? I've always been told I look more like Katie."
Leonard kept looking at Sheldon oddly. As much as he found Penny attractive, it blew his mind to see Sheldon so smitten and dumbstruck.
Sheldon nodded. "Would you care for a hot beverage, Penny? I know moving can be tedious and stressful."
She smiled back at Sheldon. "Okay sure, that would be great! Thanks!"
She followed Sheldon into the apartment as Leonard just stood in the hallway staring in their direction. "Yep, Sheldon's definitely hit puberty."