A.N. And here it is, my first Big Bang Theory fanfiction. I was watching an episode, and I found myself suddenly inspired. This is based on the episode "The Bozeman Reaction." I don't want to give it away, so I won't say any more. All I will say is that I don't own Big Bang Theory. Now read on!

OooOooOooOooO (Penny POV)

I turned the lock and snuck into apartment 4A. In my haste, I forgot to the close the door behind me. I knew how angry Sheldon would be about me entering without permission, especially after the recent robbery, but I needed to grab my work uniform from Leonard's bedroom floor. I had left it there after our bad breakup this morning. And I had a key, so it wasn't like I was breaking in. Well, that was what I told myself, anyway. 'At least Dr. Whack-a-Doodle's not home now, or I'm sure that he would give me strike and shriek at me with that squeaky voice of his,' I comforted myself. 'And I really don't have a choice; I need my uniform now for work. I have to hurry though; he'll be home soon.'

I hurried into my ex-partner's room. I grabbed my yellow and blue outfit with a roll of my eyes and changed in the middle of the floor. 'Sheldon would yell at me for wearing dirty clothes. Wait- why am I thinking about Sheldon so damn much?' I questioned myself. 'I know he was freaked out by this whole robbery thing, but why am I so worried?'

Ignoring my strange thoughts, I trudged out of the bedroom and into the hallway of my neighbors' apartment. I was already bone tired, and I hadn't even started my shift yet. 'Oh, today's gonna be real fun.'

"Why is the door open?" I heard Sheldon complaining. 'Oh no. I'm screwed.' I decided to face the problem head on, so I strode confidently into the living area. The lanky physicist stood next to the couch with an irritable expression on his face as he stared at the still open door.

"Sorry, Sheldon." The man's eyes whipped around to take in my face. "I needed my uniform, so I let myself in. I guess I forgot to shut the door. I'll just be going now." As I reached the doorway, a large, muscled, tan man clothed entirely in black stepped into my path.

"I don't think you're goin' anywhere, honey," the man commented in a threatening tone. He placed a hand on my collarbone and shoved, sending me tumbling onto the couch. I rapidly adjusted my skirt to cover my necessary bits as the man crossed the threshold and closed the door. I heard the deadbolt click and I gulped silently.

"Excuse me, sir, but why have you entered my home?" Sheldon asked. "I don't believe this is a social convention I am familiar with, and I would like you to leave." Despite the words, I could hear a small amount of iron in his tone, and I was almost proud.

"And you can shut up," the intruder commanded as he pulled a very sharp looking knife from his pocket. I quailed slightly; I knew a practiced hold when I saw one. This man had used a knife like that before in a way that was almost certainly not legal.

"Sheldon," I whispered. I was honestly scared now, and I wanted comfort. Sheldon wouldn't offer any, I knew, but I found his name falling from my lips anyway. His blue gaze snapped to my face, and suddenly he seemed to recognize the danger. He took a step towards me, but then I was wrenched from my seat on the couch by strong, rough, unpleasant hands. My neighbor's eyes grew wide as I felt a cold presence on my neck.

"Let her go," Sheldon ordered firmly. A small bubble of warmth filled my stomach at his words, but it was cooled by the chill of the knife threatening to spill my lifeblood. Sheldon stared the criminal down, and I silently pleaded for my friend to be careful.

"I'll let her go when you fetch me everythin' of value in this here apartment. I know I missed some shit last time, and I want it all. Then I'll let this little darlin' free. Or maybe I won't; she's a pretty thing, ain't she?" The hand on my shoulder clenched tightly before stroking the fabric of my uniform sickeningly, and I felt a shiver of horror run down my spine at the implication of his words.

"You're the one who stole my electronics!" Sheldon exclaimed. The robber slid the knife across my throat ominously, and the blue-eyed man's mouth snapped shut. Then, predictably enough, it opened again.

"Don't hurt her!" The scientist nearly begged.

"Then get me the damn stuff!" The thief shouted. I winced reflexively and felt the knife dig into the tender skin of my throat. Sheldon visibly blanched, and I felt a trickle of liquid run down past the neckline of my top. A tear slid down my cheek as well. "Get to it." The man's tone had calmed significantly, but the cadence of anger underneath was unmistakable.

Sheldon hurried to obey, much to my surprise. I had expected him to be much more stubborn than this. Then again, there was a life on the line, and Sheldon had a comic book-style hero complex, so he wasn't likely to risk it. As he headed into his bedroom, probably for his comic book collection, I found myself being whirled around to face my captor.

"Alone at last," he muttered. Another shiver of disgust and fear followed the first. "Now then, let's get busy." He flipped the knife around in his palm, placed both hands on my shoulders, and bore me down onto the couch. I struggled fiercely, but even my Junior Rodeo skills weren't a match for this Neanderthal. Far too soon for my pride, I found myself on my back in Sheldon's spot with my attacker straddling me. As my shirt was sliced open in the front, ripped off of my body painfully, and thrown to the ground, a single scream escaped my lips before his hand was clapped over them.

"Sheldon!"

OooOooOooOooO (Sheldon POV)

I hurried into my bedroom and began frantically searching with my eyes. 'There has to be something heavy enough to do the job,' I reasoned silently. My mind kept flashing to Penny's terrified face, the blood running down her neck, and the tear on her cheek. I was failing her, and I knew it. Then my gut dropped to the floor as a cry rent the air.

"Sheldon!" In a split-second decision, I snatched up my bedside lamp on my way out of the room. The sight that met my eyes made me want to vomit. The intruder had Penny pinned to the couch, her shirt was on the floor in tatters, and she was being viciously and repeatedly backhanded.

Fury burned through my veins at the sight of the poor girl being thus abused. Without a second thought, I ran forward, slammed the lamp into the back of the man's head, and threw him off of Penny when he collapsed. The girl launched herself at me, sobbing hysterically, and I caught her without a qualm for germs or personal space. I pulled her away from the prone form of her tormentor, lifted her in my arms, and carried her back to my bedroom.

Somewhere in my brain, the thought, 'no one's allowed in my bedroom,' echoed, but I ignored it as I settled my neighbor gently on the bed. After a moment, I recognized her state of undress and sought to correct it. I yanked a drawer open, pulled out my Flash T-shirt, and tugged it down over her head without her assistance. I was forced to pull her arms through the sleeves, but still she didn't move. She seemed almost catatonic, and it worried me. Then the sobs resumed, and I let out a small sigh before settling next to her on the bed and gathering her in my arms.

"Shh, Penny. It's alright; I'm here," I murmured into her hair. Strangely, it was much easier to comfort her than usual, and it felt more sincere. After a moment, the weeping slowed, and the girl looked up at me through red-rimmed eyes. Her face was bruising terribly already, the blood on her neck had dried into a red-brown trail, and her throat looked painfully pink and irritated. I glanced down and noticed a slowly spreading stain on the shirt that the native Nebraskan was wearing.

In a moment, I had it lifted up to reveal a sluggishly bleeding gash on her chest from where her assailant had chopped her shirt up. Faster than even Flash could move, I was out of the room and fetching medical supplies from my kit. I also stopped to grab a pack of carrots from the freezer and my cell phone from the coffee table. Penny hadn't moved from where I had left her, and her shirt was still hiked up. I placed the frozen carrots against her swollen cheek, and her hand drifted up to hold it there.

"Sh-Sheldon," she slurred brokenly. Her jaw was obviously not working properly under the strain of the bruising.

"Shh," I cautioned her. "Just shush, Penny. It's okay." I placed a single finger over the woman's lips, and she quieted. Then I went to work with the alcohol wipes, soothing her neck injury first. It was superficial, but I didn't want infection to set in, so I swabbed at it dutifully. Once it was clear of blood and grime, I bandaged it with a Batman band-aide. Then, with a gulp, I moved on to her chest and stomach.

My hand trembled as it brought the clean alcohol wipe to her skin, and I could feel my skin flushing with embarrassment. She hissed in pain, and I winced.

"I'm sorry. I don't wish to hurt you, but this is necessary for your well-being. Trust me, please." She nodded slightly in understanding, and I returned to my task. She occasionally let out little noises of pain, but she never stopped me as I meticulously washed her wound. Then I rubbed anti-bacterial cream on it, the blush still firmly in place. She had one to match now, I noted.

Finally, I placed a swath of bandage over the cut and taped it down. "There. You're okay," I comforted. "It's over, and you're safe. I'm going to call the police so that they can come arrest that man, alright?" I spoke as if to a frightened animal, but I didn't want to startle or upset her. She gave a response that could be classified as a nod, so I picked up my cell and dialed the number.

Once the 911 operator picked up, I described the situation with a calm I didn't feel. Honestly, I wanted to go beat that abomination in my living room for reducing the strong Penny I knew to this quivering, frightened, conquered girl. I knew I couldn't though. I had to be there for Penny and care for her.

"I'm so sorry, Penny," I whispered. "This is all my fault. I should have saved you somehow. Some hero I am," I berated himself.

OooOooOooOooO (Penny POV)

Sheldon explained over the phone the crimes that had taken place, but I just sat there shivering. I couldn't think straight. After a few moments, I realized that the physicist was now speaking to me.

"I'm so sorry, Penny. This is all my fault. I should have saved you somehow. Some hero I am," he muttered. Despite the pain in my jaw, I knew that I had to contradict that statement.

"Sheldon," I groaned. His worried blue eyes lit on my black and blue face. "You saved me. Thank you." He smiled half-heartedly. It was obviously that he still wasn't completely convinced, but I took it that he was at least partially reassured.

"Of course, Penny. You were a damsel in distress; I had to." A slight smile graced my lips at that. 'Typical Sheldon.' Before I realized it, I was leaning closer to him. Not only was I curling up against his chest, but I was also getting closer to his face. 'I'm going to kiss him!' I discovered. 'And I really want to!'

He shied away a bit, but I settled the carrots in my lap and rested my other hand on his cheek.

"Allow your damsel to thank you properly," I added. He still didn't seem to get the gist, but he stopped moving. As quickly as I could in my state, I lunged upwards and brought my lips to his. He froze in shock for a moment before responding. I half-expected for him to push me away, and I mostly expected for him to remain stiff as a board and unresponsive. No part of me was ready for him to slide a hand behind my neck and kiss me back.

The kiss was clumsy because of his inexperience and my swollen face, but it was sweet and amazing none-the-less. I enjoyed it thoroughly despite its innocent and chaste nature.

"Thanks for being my hero, sweetie," I mumbled into his neck when we broke apart. He chuckled slightly.

"My pleasure.

OooOooOooOooO

A.N. Well, there's Chapter One. Have no fear; there will be more. It might be a short story, but there will be at least one more chapter. In the meantime, tell me what you think of this one! Please, I want to know! Were they in character, did it fit the storyline, and did it make sense? Oh, and yes, I know, Leonard and Penny didn't break up in that episode. But I know that Penny's not a cheater, so I had to add that to allow for the kiss. Yes, this is a Shenny fic, because Shenny is amazing. Live with it and love it! Other than that, how was it?