Disclaimer: I don't own the Big Bang Theory. I have also not watched the entire series, so I apologize if I get information wrong. If it's something that I can fix without completely ruining the story than I'll be more than happy to correct it.

Summary: Instead of moving to Los Angeles with Kurt at the ripe age of eighteen, Penny is caught by her father, and he gives her advice. Choosing to follow it, she stays in Nebraska and attends college, being exposed to new things and more types of people. How will this difference affect her life when she meets the boys?

Notes: the eventual pairing will be Shenny. I'm not going to bash Leonard (meaning I won't be 'unfair' to him, but I will hold him responsible if he does something reprehensible.) Amy might be in the story, but considering it's a Shenny and she was brought into the group with the intent of becoming Sheldon's girlfriend, I'm not sure how I would introduce her. Even if I don't, rest assured that, even if it isn't shown, she gets a happy ending.

Timeline: this first chapter takes place before the series starts, when Penny is eighteen, the night when she would have left with Kurt. She's just finished a semester at the local community college, so I'll say it's early January, less than a month after her birthday (it's not that odd to turn 18 when you're already in college—I did, and not because I skipped a grade or anything.) Sheldon said she was a dropout, so obviously she'd been enrolled in a college at some point.

Also, yes, I'm going with the ever cliche giving Penny the last name Queen.

Enjoy!

In the outskirts of rural Omaha, Nebraska, a young woman, barely an adult, lay on the hood of a beat-up red car, staring up at the stars and contemplating the future.

She knew that there was something out there, somewhere in the world, just waiting for her. And if she stayed here, then she might never find it.

But was this really the right way to do it?

Running away into the unknown with a boy she'd only been with for a few months?

She wasn't sure.

Yes, she loved Kurt, or at least she thought that she did. To be honest, she wasn't really sure what true romantic love felt like. But she did know that she liked him better than her previous boyfriends.

It hadn't taken much for her to agree to go with him to Los Angeles, her to become an actress and him to be a football player, but when she agreed, she thought they were speaking hypothetically, just messing around.

But no, he was serious.

It was stupid, she knew.

There was nothing at all wrong with having big dreams, or working towards them. But an actress and a famous football player? They were two teenagers from Nebraska who'd never even been to California. How did Kurt expect them to make a life out there?

And it's not like he had proposed to her or anything. He had asked her if she wanted to come, but to be honest he hadn't seemed to care all that much about her answer, which was telling, considering that he hadn't been speaking hypothetically.

So he didn't think that she was essential to his plans or happiness out there.

But she loved him, right?

And he had told her that he loved her, too.

Still, she wasn't entirely convinced.

Sure, he had charmed her. Said all the right things. Made sweet, romantic gestures.

But he had a reputation with women, and Penny's papa hadn't raised a fool.

Speaking of…

"Slugger?" a voice called, and Penny sat up, startled, to see that her dad was on the front porch, making his way towards her car, which was still in the driveway. "What are you doin' awake?"

Penny smiled awkwardly. "Nothing much, daddy. Just looking at the stars."

Wyatt Queen looked up thoughtfully at the sky. "Clear skies."

"Yeah." Penny sighed.

"It'd fit your mood better if the sky was cloudy, wouldn't it?" he mused, not acknowledging the shocked look his daughter gave him.

"Papa—" she started, not knowing what to say.

"Slugger, you're going to get out of here someday." He said, cutting her off as he joined her on the hood of the car, leaning back to stare up at the stars with her. "Somewhere out there, you'll find what you need. But Kurt…"

He left his opinion of the man unsaid. Penny already knew what he thought of the kid.

Penny bit her lip, realizing that her father at least suspected what they were planning. "But if I don't go now, will I ever get another chance?"

Wyatt frowned thoughtfully. "That all depends on you, I think. You'd make it. Sure, you'd have trouble. Everyone does. But you'd get there in the end."

Penny exhaled slowly. "I don't know what to do. I want to go to California, don't get me wrong. I want to make a name for myself. But…I don't think now's the best time."

Her father nodded slowly. "I think you're right. Here, how about I give you reasons that it would be a good idea to stay, and you think of reasons it would be a good idea to go."

The blond eighteen-year-old hummed in agreement.

"If you don't get an acting gig immediately, you're going to need something to fall back on until you do. Or to pay the bills between gigs." He started. "You're already working on it at the community college, and you're grades were pretty damned good, as far as I'm concerned."

Penny smiled slightly.

"And with that train of thought, it would be a good idea to continue your education, even if you stop after getting your associates degree, right?" he waited for her to nod. "So, if you leave now, say you apply to a college in California to keep learning. You wouldn't be considered a resident of California for a year or two, and so you'd have to pay out-of-state tuition. That's hundreds of dollars more per credit, much less all together. So either you pay out of your nose, or you wait until you qualify for in-state tuition, where you'll still need an income in the meantime, and of course getting a job comes easier to people with degrees, these days."

Penny nodded.

"Number two." He took a deep breath. "You'd be livin' out there on your own. Sure, Kurt would be there, but he doesn't know any better than you at this point, and he hasn't been able to hold down a job, so you know you'll end up payin' most of the bills. Now, out here…well, if you wanted to move out, you could rely on me and your Mama if you need help. Or at least until you've got a handle on being independent. Out there, your support system isn't really close enough to help much. Meanwhile, you can get a job and save up for California, or maybe take a few acting lessons and whatnot. Try out for the local theater productions."

"You don't try out, you audition." She corrected automatically.

He smirked at her. "I know. You've just been quiet, and I knew that'd get a reaction."

"Of course I'm quiet; I'm thinking." She said with a huff. "About what you said, and about the pros of going to LA right now…and the only one I can really think of is my feelings for Kurt, and I'm really not even sure about those."

Wyatt raised an arm, tucking his daughter under it in a semi-awkward hug.

"So…" Penny sighed. "What do I tell him?"

He hummed thoughtfully. "Tell him the truth. It's not a good time. Maybe he'll stay, or go without you. If he does go, you could either break up or try the long-distance thing. Either way, if he loves you, he'll wait."

Penny's last before she fell asleep was her wondering to herself if she had been stalling because she hoped that someone would come out, realize what she was about to do, and ask her to stay.

Oh well. She'd made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.

The next morning, Penny couldn't even bring herself to be surprised when Kurt broke up with her after she told him that she'd be staying in Nebraska for now.

Strangely enough, she didn't feel the urge to cry like she did with her last breakups.

Her daddy was right.

If he truly cared about her, Kurt would have been willing to try and make it work.

Another place and time, maybe.

For now, she just had to try and become the very best Penny she could be.

Because in two years or so...she would be prepared.

She'd make her dreams come true.

It was only a matter of time.

Please review! :)

I'm already writing chapter two, but I don't know when it's going to be up.

FAIR WARNING: I don't really have a set schedule for updates, so while chapter two is probably going to be up sometime within the next day or so, the following updates will likely be more sporadic. I have a decent amount of stories in progress, so this is not the only story I'll be working on.

This is actually my second attempt at this chapter, and I have to say, I'm more pleased with this one. In the rough draft Kurt agreed to a long-distance relationship, but this way Penny can live her life without having to worry about what he thinks about it.

Also, I'm fully aware that in canon Penny has issues with her dad, who didn't want her to grow up and be feminine, but here they have a better relationship. He's less...sexist? No, I'm not sure that's the right word. He doesn't care as much about gender roles and norms, so he doesn't have an issue with his daughter being awesome at 'boy things' and being feminine.