Amy and Penny have a hard talk about what happened. There is a lot of anger in Amy and no one is sure if it can be overcome. Penny hopes they can find a way to be friends again.

She decided not to wait and see if any of the others would come see her. She had reconnected with Leonard, Sheldon, and to a small extent, Amy. She missed her guys more than she had thought possible in the almost three months she had been struggling to rebuild her life. She was nervous, though. Very nervous. So, she took the opportunity to stopping by Sheldon's office first.

She knocked, ignoring the people who stared at her as they walked by. She suspected it was just that Sheldon didn't encourage visitors. The door opened and her whackadoodle looked down at her with surprise.

"Penny? What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping back to allow her inside.

Raj was standing by the desk, looking hopeful. She smiled widely at Raj and he immediately moved across the floor to hug her. Penny gave a soft laugh and hugged him back. After a couple of heartbeats, Sheldon cleared his throat loudly and they separated. Raj grinned and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and Penny blushed.

"I'm glad to see you, too, sweetie." She turned to Sheldon who was glaring at Raj for some reason. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming. I know you hate surprises, but I got nervous and wanted a pep talk."

Sheldon took her elbow and led her over to the desk. She sat down in a chair and Sheldon took the one beside her. "A pep talk? For what reason?"

Penny sighed and fiddled with the strap of her purse. "I am going to go see Howard."

Raj and Sheldon both looked surprised and she shrugged. "I miss you guys," she said softly. "Until you and I spoke, I hadn't realized how much, Moon Pie. I miss HALO and Thai food. I miss those triple knocks of yours and Anything Can Happen Thursdays. I've spoke to you, Leonard, and Amy. But I miss everyone else, too."

"Howard is the one I was least close to," she explained. "I want to change that. I want to talk to him, and see if we can be friends. Real friends. Not just where we tolerate each other because we have mutual friends."

Penny reached out and slipped her hand into Sheldon's without thinking about it. She just needed comfort and support, and she instinctively turned to him. "Amy told me a little bit about how hurt she is. She's really mad at me, and it's not going to be easy to work through that. But Howard and I have never been close. We don't have a former friendship to rebuild. But I still have a place for him in my heart. I still care about the little weasel," she said with a wry grin.

Sheldon nodded and patted her hand, encouraging her to continue.

She sighed heavily. "I'm just worried that if I can't find a way to connect with Howard, I'll never be close with Bernadette again. There will always be that gap in the group."

Raj watched, understanding slowly growing in his mind. How long had those two been so deeply attuned to one another? He could see they didn't even realize it, either. They were two sides of the same coin. Sheldon and Penny loved each other. And neither of them saw it.

Sheldon gave Penny an look of impatience. "Penny. Penny. Penny."

She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "Sheldon. Sheldon. Sheldon."

He ignored her mimicry. "Howard has felt your absence just as much as the rest of us. In fact, he has called you the nexus of our group."

Penny frowned slightly. "Is that good?"

Sheldon nodded firmly. "It means you are the core, the connection by which we are all held together. He is correct. Until we met you, we were lonely, clinging to the mere basics of friendship. You made us a family, Penny. You brought us all together in a way we could not have done on our own. You brought Bernadette into our lives. Your influence made Raj and Howard seek out Amy for me. You showed us how to be friends. Howard has missed you, Penny. You do not have to worry about whether you and Howard can connect. You already have."

Penny sniffled and gave him a tremulous smile. "Since when did you get so smart?"

Sheldon looked at her with superiority. "Penny, have you forgotten that I am a genius?" Her smile grew wider and he looked chagrined. "Sarcasm?"

"Yep," Penny laughed.

"Drat," he muttered. "I was doing so well, too."

Penny leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Moon Pie. I feel a lot better." She stood and hugged Raj once more and headed to the door. She gave them both one last smile and left with a spring in her step.

Sheldon looked over to see Raj staring at him with shock. He blushed and headed around his desk to his white boards. "That woman is never going to learn that only my Meemaw can call me that, is she?"

Raj took a step around the desk so he could see Sheldon better. "Dude, when are you going to admit it?"

Sheldon looked at him with confusion. "Admit what, exactly?"

"That you love Penny," Raj answered.

Sheldon rolled his eyes and snorted. "Not you as well. Amy has also inferred that my friendship with Penny is based on romantic feelings. That is simply not true. Penny is my friend. I care about her, yes, but only as a friend. I have no desire to engage Penny in a physical or romantic paradigm."

Raj shook his head with disbelief. "Keep telling yourself that. Maybe someday you'll convince someone." With that he left Sheldon's office and headed down the hallway to his own. They were just starting to get Penny back. If this all came out, would it destroy the group completely? He couldn't imagine a scenario where Leonard would be okay with Sheldon pursuing Penny. Of course he also couldn't imagine Sheldon actually pursuing anyone.

What had Sheldon said? Amy thought there was something between Sheldon and Penny, too? He paused by his door in deep thought. He glanced at his watch and quickly pulled out his phone and fired off a text.

Amy, I have something important I would like to talk to you about. Are you free for lunch?"

He had just entered his office and sat behind his desk when he got a reply.

I am available. Where would you like to eat?

Raj hoped he was doing the right thing as he replied.

There is a small deli on Union beside the library. 1 o'clock?

He waited as patiently as possible for her answer.

I will see you there.

Raj checked his watch again and grabbed his coat. He had enough time to grab a beer at the bar across from the deli if he hurried.

By the time Amy showed up, Raj was nervous as a Chihuahua. Amy sat down, looking a bit shell shocked. He immediately leaned forward with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked carefully.

Amy took a long drink of the water in front of her. "I went to see Penny. I knew she was at her morning therapy, and I thought I would confront her about how she treated us." Amy looked up at him with wide eyes. "I agreed to start seeing Penny's shrink."

Raj watched her calmly. "Maybe that is a good thing," he finally said. "I have been thinking of resuming my own therapy. Seeing the effect it has had on Penny has me thinking that maybe I could benefit as well, if I stick with it."

Amy frowned slightly. "You think I need therapy, too?"

Raj shrugged. "Amy, no one has a perfect life. We all have things in our past and our present that we need help with."

Amy considered his words for several minutes while they ordered. Once the food arrived she changed the subject. "So, why did you need to speak with me?"

Raj looked uncomfortable. "Amy, I think that there may be the possibility that Sheldon has feelings for Penny. Sheldon said you suspect the same thing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Amy sighed and looked down at her turkey club. "I care a great deal about Sheldon. I am not sure how I feel about the possibility of Sheldon and Penny together. I am not sure if I am angry about this, or if my anger is over everything else. I'm very confused." Tears formed in her eyes and she groped blindly for a napkin.

Raj grabbed his and blotted her cheeks. "Amy, if you need to talk, I am here. You're my friend," he assured her.

"Thank you," she mumbled. She had to find a way to secure her place in the group. She couldn't bear being alone again.

A/N: Happy belated birthday to SunnyCitrus10. Sorry it took so long to post this one!