They pulled up to Amy's building, parked and rushed to her apartment. Penny knocked.

"Amy? It's me, Penny."

"Go away! I need to do this!"

"Do what?" Penny asked anxiously.

"Never mind, just go away!"

Leonard and Penny looked at each other apprehensively.

"Amy! I'm really worried about you. If you don't open up I'm going to call 911. I'm serious!"

There was a pause, then Amy opened the door a crack.

"Oh, all right. You can come in. But you're not going to –"

Amy noticed that Leonard was there, hanging back in the hallway, as Penny stepped into the apartment.

"You're the last person I need to see now, it just makes it that much worse!" Amy snapped. "Leave me alone!"

Penny looked at Amy with astonishment, then back at Leonard. Leonard shrugged his shoulders helplessly, then said quickly, "Okay, I'll go check on the apartment. Text me if you need anything."

Penny nodded and closed the door behind her. When she turned back to Amy, she saw that there was a large suitcase on the floor behind the couch, half-full of clothing.

"What's going on, Amy?" Penny asked.

"I have to get out of here," Amy answered.

"Amy, let's talk. I know a little bit of what happened between you and Sheldon; he told us about it. But tell me the whole story."

Amy sat on the couch, her head in her hands. She paused, then began talking.

"It was our fifth anniversary, and we were kissing, and in the middle of it Sheldon asked me about some stupid television show. I was so frustrated I nearly cried, and the worst thing was he acted as though it was my fault. So I came home and thought about our relationship, and I decided that I had to take some time to clear my head and consider whether it was all worth it."

"I understand," said Penny, sympathetically.

"No, you don't" said Amy, almost shouting. "How could you? How could anyone? Five years, and it took four of them for me to get my first kiss. At this rate…" her voice shook. "I need more, I deserve more, and I just don't think Sheldon can give me more. He's still the same old Sheldon, and he will never change."

Penny looked with concern at her friend. "You're right, I can't really know what it's like. Still, I do know that being with Sheldon has been very hard for you. It would be hard for anyone. And you have some tough decisions to make."

"But what about the suitcase, Amy?" Penny continued. "Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know," Amy's voice broke a little. "I just wanted to get away from here, from Sheldon, from everybody making snide remarks about us. But I don't really have any place to go. This is my home, and you guys are my only friends in the world. And if I break up with Sheldon, I know everybody will take his side. I don't know what to do…." Her voice trailed off miserably.

Penny put her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Amy, we just want what's best for you. Whether you're with Sheldon or not, you'll still be our friend. You'll still be my friend. You don't need to go anywhere else to think this through. The best place is probably here, where you have your friends, your home, your work."

"You're right, I guess," Amy smiled. "Especially since I couldn't think of anyplace else to go. I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks, while I try to figure out what to do."

"Whatever you decide," Penny repeated, "we will be here for you, whenever you need us."

"Thanks, Penny. That's really important to me."

"Good." Penny stopped to think. She wanted to be supportive, but more than that she wanted to be helpful. "But can I tell you something? You might not want to hear it, but I think you should."

"OK," Amy said hesitantly.

"He's not the same old Sheldon, and he has changed," Penny said firmly. "I know it may not seem like it, but he has. Five years ago I don't think anyone of us would have imagined that he would have a girlfriend, that he could tell her he loved her, and that he would be able to kiss her – and to talk about it. A while back when I asked him point-blank whether he could see having a physical relationship with you, he said, "It's a possibility." He may be changing too slowly for you, and that's for you to figure out, but he is changing. You've changed him – a lot, and a lot more than I ever thought possible."

"I know, I guess," Amy said, "but I don't know if it's enough for me. I'm 32 years old and I'm still a virgin; and at this pace I might be a virgin until I'm 50 – if I'm lucky. I do love Sheldon, but it's torture waiting for him to grow up."

"I get that," Penny said. She stopped to consider whether to go on, then started up again. "There is one more thing I wanted to say. When Sheldon told us what happened, my reaction was just like yours: what an idiot. But Leonard was different. He took Sheldon seriously, and talked about how he understood how important that TV show was. At the time I thought he was being just as stupid as Sheldon, but now I've rethought it. Leonard knows Sheldon better than anyone, so I figured he knew what he was doing. And he was getting inside Sheldon's head to understand why he did what he did."

"He did what he did because he couldn't care less about me," Amy said bitterly. "What more do I need to know?"

"Well, that's one way to look at it," Penny continued carefully. "But that's not what Leonard was getting at. He was saying that if Sheldon starts to watch a show, he has to watch every episode as long as the show is on, even if it's for ten years. That makes it a big decision."

"Christ, Penny, it's a television show – and about a superhero! I can't believe you're taking his side!" Amy exclaimed, hurt.

"I'm not taking his side," Penny explained patiently. "Just hear me out. It is a big deal – to him. That's the point. Actually, Sheldon said that to me once, when I made fun of something I thought was trivial but that for him was a big deal. And he was right. His mind works differently. Sometimes it's beautiful – you've told me many times how much you love the way his mind works. Sometimes it's just weird, in a way that only another Sheldon could really get – if there were another Sheldon," she said with a shudder.

"Here's the thing," Penny concluded. "You wouldn't want him to make fun of something you thought was important – like a physical relationship."

"I guess," Amy said cautiously, "but how can you compare a stupid TV show to intimacy in a relationship."

"You can't." Penny said. "Because they mean different things to different people. To Sheldon, that decision was really important. And to him, I think that asking your opinion showed that he wanted you to help him with an important decision, that you understood that it mattered to him. To you, going beyond kissing after five years is important, and you want him to understand that. I'm not saying the two things are equal. Just that in a relationship, sometimes, you have to try to focus on what the other person thinks is important, even if you think it's ridiculous. Even if it is ridiculous, which with Sheldon it usually is."

"I know, I know. But it doesn't make my life any easier to know that my boyfriend might be stuck at an emotional age of 13 forever."

"That's where you're the only one who can decide what's right for you," Penny said gently. "But whatever you do, you know that we'll always be there for you. No matter what."

They were quiet for a minute, until Penny asked, "Feeling better, bestie?"

"Yes, a lot better. Thank you, Penny. You're a real friend." And Amy did really seem calm. "I still have a lot of thinking to do, but I guess I have a better perspective now."

"That's good," Penny sighed. And the two friends continued talking, more calmly now.