Sheldon hadn't left his bed for a week. It was all he could do to avoid her, since his idiot of a roommate still was allowing that temptress into their apartment to steal her morning coffee. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid with his vast IQ to let a woman control his emotions and toy with his heart. Sheldon didn't know where he had gone wrong, when he had let blonde hair and green eyes change his own morals. He had an IQ of 187 for crying out loud, why did the mere sound of her voice turn said brain cells into mush?

He was about to cry into his pillow again when he heard a knock at the door, 'Sheldon, it's just me,' Leonard identified himself from behind the closed door before opening it and carrying a tray of soup across to Sheldon's bedside table.

Sheldon bolted up and shooed Leonard away, 'Leonard, I am hardly in the mood for company, if you could not tell I am attempting to wallow in my own self pity.'

'Sheldon, we're all aware of how hard this situation has been for you and I think it's time you got back to your old schedule.'

Sheldon turned away from Leonard and held his knees to his chest, 'I'm not ready to leave, I can't see her.'

Leonard shook his head as he tapped his best friend on the shoulder lightly, 'you don't have to see Penny, she's working all weekend but I do think you need to get out of this room. I made you appointment with a friend of mine at Lacuna. They helped me last time I had a bad break up.'

Sheldon sat up and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, 'do you really think they can help? Your mother suggested that I visit Lacuna last week but couldn't give me any proper references so I could research them. She just remembers going there after she left your father.'

Leonard nodded, 'of course, I can't remember what the treatment was like but I still can't remember why I felt the need to go there in the first place, so it must be good.'

Sheldon sighed, 'alright I will try your suggestion, only because I value your mother's judgment of those situations.'

Leonard sighed, 'okay then, eat your soup, split pea with little hot dogs, and we'll leave at 3 for your appointment.'

XXXX

Sheldon stared at the plain black door to the Lacuna offices, Leonard had assured him this was the right address but something made Sheldon hang back at the doorway when Leonard called him forward, 'come on Sheldon, I promise you'll feel better once this is over.' He took a deep breath and followed the man that was now his best friend again up the stairs, he didn't know if it was the dirty brick of the building or the tacky looking waiting room but a shiver of doubt ran down Sheldon's spine. Sheldon had a seat on the far side of the room, away from the judging eyes of the blonde behind the check in desk, he remembered Penny had once wore her hair the same way but he had always preferred it down.

'My friend is here for an appointment, his name is Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Leonard spoke to the woman who seemed to be off in her own little world but was still polite enough to provide him with a chart to fill out. Leonard carried the papers over to Sheldon and he took them happy for something to take his mind off of blonde hair.

Before he could finish the chart the blonde haired woman called, 'Mr. Cooper,' the doctor will see you now.' Sheldon stood too weak with heartache to argue with the woman about being called Mr. instead of Doctor and turned to Leonard who stood up next to him. 'Mr. Cooper your friend can wait for you in the waiting room,' the blonde said motioning her arm towards the offices and waiting for Sheldon to follow.

Sheldon nodded and watched Leonard sit down and pick up his chart, 'I'll finish this while you're in there.'

The blonde woman led him to a room with an older gentleman sitting behind a dark wooden desk which he assumed was Dr. Howard Mierzwiak based on the nameplate in front of him. The Doctor reached across the desk to shake Sheldon's hand and he returned his own hand to comply with social convention. 'Mr. Cooper, how can I be of service?'

Sheldon cleared his throat, 'actually, it is Dr. Sheldon Cooper. I would normally not seek out assistance from a medical professional with whom I am not acquainted with their body of work but I have been referred here by two valued colleagues. I have recently ended a relationship with a female and I find every memory of her makes me heartbroken. My colleagues said you could help me to forget these memories and restore me to my former self.'

'Of course, Dr. Cooper that is what Lacuna is all about,' Dr. Mierzwiak explained, 'helping people forget upsetting memories and take away all the pain like it never happened in the first place.'

'I wouldn't recall anything about my relationship with Penny?'

Dr. Mierzwiak nodded, 'it will have been as if you never had had a relationship with her.'

Sheldon shook his head, 'Penny is our neighbor, surely the first time I saw her, the memories would then return. If they didn't I couldn't go through life not recognizing someone in my social group.'

Dr. Mierzwiak assured him, 'that should be a problem Dr. Cooper, our software can pinpoint anything from your past, we will return your memories to a state before your relationship with Penny had began and thus leaving you with the memories of your friendship before any feelings developed.'

Sheldon thought for a moment before his head and his heart made their decision, 'how do we start the process?'

XXXX

Leonard had drove Sheldon home to collect everything in their apartment that would remind him of his relationship with Penny. He felt his heart aching as he emptied her drawer into a large garage bag. He had always thought it was ridiculous for his girlfriend to need a drawer when her apartment was only across the hall but Penny had always made the argument the closer her things were the more time they could spend in bed together so Sheldon had agreed to give her the top drawer of his dresser. The drawer didn't contain much, a pair of thick socks to keep her feet warm in the winter, a brush and some hair accessories, a tank top with a Superman logo in pink and a pair of pink shorts she would often sleep in.

Sheldon removed the suit she had picked out for him to give his speech in from his closet and placed it in the bag. The doctor had told him anything that reminded Sheldon of their relationship or the feelings he had for Penny must go if he wanted these memories erased. He looked at the black suit in the bag once more remembering Penny's reaction to the ensemble, when he had seen her mouth hanging open in surprise he had known she could find him attractive and someone share his feelings for her. It was at that moment Dr. Sheldon Cooper started his web of seduction. It had started out sharing meals and a trip to a theme park but soon grow to whole Saturdays spent together. She would make him lunch, normally grilled cheese with the crusts cut off, they would follow lunch with a few hours of vintage video games, she was expert at Mario Kart even if she did always insist on playing Princess Peach. Saturday evenings were spent doing laundry at 8:15pm and then once everything was washed and folded, they would watch a film and eat either pizza or Chinese food depending whose week it was to choose. She had made him sit through every chick flick known to man and he had insisted they watch all the Star Wars and Star Trek movies one by one, although he was never sure Penny understood the difference between the two.

Their friendship had been perfect until the day Penny realized they had somehow started dating. They shared their first kiss during an episode of Firefly and Sheldon was not at all upset at missing any of the episode with Penny finally in his arms. It had taken six months before they had slept together but Penny had never cared, she loved him enough to wait and told him so that night before his first time. Things had been going perfectly for the first year of their relationship. They had attended Comic Con together as the Doctor and Rose, kissed under the missile toe at Christmas and even visited Texas so Penny could meet Sheldon's Meemaw.

Everything had been fine until Meemaw had asked them when they were getting married. Penny had blurted out, 'soon,' at the same time as Sheldon's, 'never.' She had reacted the way Sheldon hated, she cried and stormed out of Meemaw's house demanding, 'why she wasn't good enough to marry?'

Sheldon had tried to calm her and tell her how deeply he cared about her and that he wanted to spend his life with her but the institution of marriage was just a silly piece of paper they did not need to be a happy couple but she shot back at him, 'you don't even love me, do you Sheldon? You never say it. I tell you all the time that I love you and now you don't even want to marry me!'

Sheldon held her shoulders, 'love is a silly word, it doesn't compare to my feelings for you.'

Penny shook her head, 'forget it, Sheldon, if you can't even say you love me, we can't do this anymore,' she told him pulling away and heading for her rental car.

That was the last thing she had said to him, Meemaw had tried to comfort him and told him he should chase after her but he knew Penny and thought she needed time to cool down. When he had returned home he had tried knocking on her door and calling her but she refused to answer him. He even thought about using his extra key to see her but he respected Penny enough to back off, no matter how much his heart ached to see her smile again. 'Erasing our doomed relationship's memory was the only way he would ever feel normal around her again,' Sheldon told himself.

He picked the framed napkin off the wall and ran his fingers one last time over the glass before placing it in the bag, Sheldon knew that was last memory. The memory of when he fell in love with her, his heart had raced, his pupils dilated and he had felt the ridiculous need to touch and be near her. It was that moment he had decided he couldn't resist the blonde next door even if Leonard thought he was meant to be with her. His life with Penny had been reduced to one large Hefty bag of belongings; this was how their relationship would end once and for all.

XXXX

Sheldon slipped his coat on and picked up the bag of belongings he had collected last night. Dr. Mierzwiak had told him as soon as they went through the objects he could have what the doctor called 'the wipe' later that night. It was 8:30am and the office didn't open until 9am but Sheldon was eager to get there early so he could get his former life back. He opened the door and with the worst luck he had ever experienced Penny stood on the other side of the hall locking her own front door. She gave him a polite smile and nodded her head at him, 'good morning, Sheldon. Taking out the trash, early?'

Sheldon turned his own key in the lock, nearly breaking the key when he heard her murmur his name as he turned to her, 'something like that,' he told her staring at her shoes.

Penny walked over to him and placed her hand on his own which was still gripping the door knob, 'I'm sorry, how we left things. I should have talked to you sooner but I wasn't ready to admit I did anything wrong. I shouldn't have argued with you in front of your Meemaw. I know it probably upset you but I hope we can at least be friends again.'

Sheldon let go of the door knob and took her hand rubbing her thumb on the top of her hand, 'Penny, you know I don't beg but please don't do this.'

'Sheldon, we can't make this work. You know that,' she pulled her hand away from his and started down the stairs.

Sheldon dropped the Hefty bag to the floor and ran after her jumping in her path, 'Penny, I was going to wipe you from my memory but my heart races at the sound of your voice, I forgot how to speak and my pupils dilate at the slight of blonde hair. I have a strong affectionand personal attachment to you; I'm not sure whether to call this feeling love. I want to only to make you happy but I know for certain I do want you. Please don't make me erase you.'

Penny looked at him confused, 'erase me?'

'Leonard took me to this place, where they will take away our memories; make me forget we ever had a relationship. The trash bag upstairs is filled with things that remind me of you and why I think I love you,' Sheldon told her fighting back tears in his eyes, 'I'll erase those memories if you want, so we can just friends again but Penny part of me does not want to lose those memories if it's the only part of you I would have left.'

Penny's cheeks turned pink as she looked Sheldon in the eyes and smiled, 'then don't,' before wrapping her arms around him and joining their lips in a kiss.