Don't own anything. Part Six.

Three days after the fight and Leonard had gone to work, come home, eaten, and gone to sleep. His life took on a mechanical style, doing the same things day in and day out. He didn't feel like going to Halo Night or the comic book store. He didn't feel like doing anything.

He felt horrible. He should never have yelled at Penny. She had enough on her plate without him scooping some stress over the rest and making her eat it all at once. She was his pregnant girlfriend afflicted with mood swings and hormonal changes. She needed him to lean on, physically and emotionally, while she was going through this. She needed someone who didn't lash back and would just ride the rough seas with her. He was the smart one, but that didn't make him worthy of her. Leonard had made it as far as her door twice, but turned before going inside. She hadn't come to apologize. He had pushed her too far, and now she didn't want him in her life anymore. It was understandable. He'd ruined any hopes he had of being with her forever.

Now she couldn't get her mailbox open. Of course she couldn't. Penny yanked on the handle in frustration. The key fell out and clattered to the table. "Dammit," she said under her breath, finally yanking open the door. Nothing was going right, not even the little things. Not one thing had gone right since three days ago, when everything had gone very wrong.

She'd tried to hide her debt from Leonard because she hadn't wanted him to know what a failure she was. She'd wanted him to think she was a much better purpose than she really was. And why was it so important that he didn't know all of that stuff? Penny had come to the same conclusion every time she had revisited the situation over the past few days: because she wasn't good enough for him.

She had never been good enough for him. All the times she'd gotten food from them, or entertainment, or a place to stay, she had failed to realize how privileged she was to live next door to him. He'd always been there for her, and she knew she'd have given up on California many times if he hadn't been there to help her. And now she'd gone and let her emotions run away with her, and he'd seen what kind of person she really was…an abysmal disgrace. It was hopeless to try and reconcile. She'd pushed Leonard away, and she didn't blame him for leaving. She wasn't worth it.

She heard the door to the street open but didn't dare turn. If Leonard was the one who'd come inside she wouldn't know what to do. Thankfully, it wasn't.

"Good afternoon, Penny," Sheldon said cheerfully. He came up beside her and opened his mailbox easily. Go figure.

"Good afternoon, Sheldon," she said without a hint of the cheeriness as she looked through her mail. Another bill, what else? She was in so much trouble. Not bothering an attempt at small talk with Sheldon, she spun on her heel and headed for the stairs. By the first landing she was feeling a bit dizzy; by the second she became deathly afraid that she would pass out. She leaned against the door to apartment 2A, panting and struggling to catch her breath. God, why couldn't just one thing go right?

"Penny!" Sheldon reached the landing a few seconds behind her. "It occurs to me that if you had not taken the stairs at such a pace, you would not be in your current predicament."

"You think?"

"Yes. All the time." Sheldon looked perplexed. "The average human has more than 50,000 thoughts per hour, and even if most of them aren't voiced it still comes out to-"

"Thank you, Sheldon!"

He gave her another confused look. "Well…you're welcome!" He started for the third floor, mail in hand.

"Wait." Penny was hesitant, but she needed to ask the question, as it was eating at her heart. "Have you ever screwed up something really important to you?" He cocked his head, and Penny stood up straight. She knew he had no emotions, but perhaps there had been a time in his job…"I mean, have you ever single-handedly destroyed something wonderful?"

He thought about it for a split second. "No." Starting for the stairs again, he took a few paces and then turned. "Are you implying that you have, and recently, and are making an attempt to gain my sympathy and or advice?"

She shrugged. "I don't know…I guess so." Sheldon shifted his weight. "Yes, I guess I am."

"Well," Sheldon said, "as I've mentioned on numerous occasions, I have a working knowledge of the important things in the universe. The social sciences are not one of those things, and further more…" he trailed off. "Oh dear God."

Penny strained to hear what he seemed to be listening to. She could hear a faint yipping sound. "Oh, it looks like Mrs. Grossinger's home."

Sheldon's twitch was showing itself, and as the yipping increased he bolted for the stairs. Penny followed him, slowly this time. "Sheldon, please. I need help. Don't you have a story about this type of thing, like from Texas?" It was a long shot, but she looked at the theoretical physicist with what she thought was her last bit of hope.

Sheldon thought for a moment. "Hasn't your family ever encountered a situation similar to this one? I'm sure you would have paid attention to the pointless scenarios around the house. I've always had more important things to do, like unraveling the mysteries of the universe."

Penny sighed. He wasn't going to help her. He probably already had Leonard's side in this. She racked her brain but only managed to come up with a scenario that had began the month before she left for California with Kurt. "Well," she said, half to herself, "I suppose we could do what my friend Mary did. Trade the baby back and forth between homes, so it can spend time with each of us. We wouldn't speak to each other, but Mary and Walter made out fine, I guess…" Thinking of this possibility (and of how much she wished it wouldn't play out this way) Penny went back into her apartment, forgetting that Sheldon was even there.

Leonard had never believed in déjà vu, but he considered changing his mind. The circumstances were eerie. Hearing the door open, he turned to see Sheldon looking at him very matter-of-factly. "Leonard, I'm moving out."

"Again?"

"No. This time I'm really moving out. This is no secret, Leonard! This is much, much worse!" Leonard watched as Sheldon rushed to his bedroom, probably to grab his emergency bag. He was out again in an instant, bag in hand. "Good-bye, Leonard."

"Sheldon, what the heck? Why are you moving out?"

"I cannot live here in this apartment anymore, not with you and Penny on this floor!"

"Sheldon," Leonard said, "Penny and I are over."

"Exactly!" Sounding desperate, Sheldon ran out the door and slammed it behind him.

Leonard looked at the closed door in confusion. "O…kay…" he said to no one in particular. Great. Now he'd lost his best friend and his girlfriend. God, why couldn't just one thing go right? And with a lousy career life on top of it all, which he could do nothing about. He had no control over anything!

Well…that wasn't all true. There was one thing he could fix. He reached for the phone and dialed. Far away in Texas, Sheldon's Kryptonite answered.

Finally figured out how to insert that time-passing line, so y'all won't have to deal with "that evening...two days later..." that's done now!