Once again, I am so sorry for the LONG wait! I actually had about 3/4 of this chapter written for the longest time, but didn't finish it until today. The Walking Dead fandom has grabbed a hold of me and won't let me go and I have written a couple of stories for it. God, tonight's episode.

Anyways, I hope this chapter is worth the wait!

Chapter 10

Penny congratulated herself on her self-control. It had taken everything in her to not get out of the car and storm into that courtroom.

So, it had been Kurt this whole time. That bastard.

The coolness of the steering wheel felt good on her forehead as she leaned on it. Why hadn't Sheldon told her? Was it because she would have hogtied and castrated him in less than a minute, because she so would have!

She wanted to do that now, but there had been a reason why Sheldon had wanted her to stay in the car and she supposed Kurt was it.

How was she going to sit her and wait, while her Moonpie testified against that rat bastard of an ex-boyfriend?

~Two Hours Later~

He willed his hands to stop trembling as he descended the courtroom steps, but his body would not listen.

Spotting Penny's red car, still in the same parking space he had left it two hours ago, he lifted his chin and tried to walk as if he had some semblance of confidence left. Yet his heart still raced in his chest and his hands still shook, even while he clenched them in tight fists. His good hand stayed firmly at his side.

He reached her car and opened the door. Taking a deep breath, he hoped it would calm him down some. It didn't.

He slid into his seat as gracefully as he could and avoided looking at Penny. He was afraid she would read everything on his face and know who had been in that courtroom with him.

The car smelled like the fast food she had probably gotten while waiting for him and he noticed the bag stuffed under her seat.

He wasn't going to say anything about it though, she had done so much for him already and pointing out garbage under her chair probably wasn't the best way to start paying her back.

Shutting the door, he placed his good hand in his lap, still clenched, and sat there in silence.

Penny started the car before turning to him and asked. "So, how did you go? Did the bastards get what they deserved?" She smiled, but he could tell it was forced. Something was wrong.

"It went well." He finally looked at her and returned her smile. "They each received a jail sentence, albeit only six months. But they will be put away. I also received a restraining order against them. They cannot come within fifty feet of my person."

"That's good." Was her only replay and he definitely knew something was wrong.

It took him a couple minutes to finally get up the courage to say something.

"Penny, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing." Her replay was curt and her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Her knuckled turned white.

She turned into their apartment's parking lot.

"Penny, I know there is something troubling you. What is-?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She yelled, breaking hard into her parking spot. Dear Lord was he glad for seatbelts.

She sat there and waited for his answer. "Sheldon, why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Penny. Would you please inform me of this thing I did not tell you about?"

He knew what she was talking about. He did have an IQ of 187 after all.

"Kurt!" She cried. "Why didn't you tell me that he did that to you?" She gestured to his fractured wrist and now yellowing black eye.

"I-"

She interrupted him. "And are you going to ever tell me why Leonard and the guys decided to leave you at the University with no ride?"

"Penny, I wish I cou-"

"You know what, Sheldon? I don't want to hear it right now." She turned her face away, but not before, he noticed a tear slipping down her cheek. "I have too much on my mind right now." She opened her door. "I'll see you later."

With a slam, she left Sheldon alone in the car, only his thoughts keeping him company.

Leonard looked up from his computer when he heard the door to their apartment. Seeing Sheldon walk through the door, he turned his chair completely around to face him. "So, how did it go?"

Sheldon didn't answer him right away, which was odd. Usually you couldn't get him to stop talking. So he watched as his roommate walked to his desk to place his bag down and studied his mannerisms. From the way his shoulders were hunched, he could guess that maybe things did not go well.

"Did Kurt not-"

"Everything at the courthouse went fine." Sheldon interrupted him and stood up slightly straighter. But Leonard still could tell that something was wrong, just by looking at his face.

"Then what's bothering you, buddy?" He stood up to walk closer to his friend, but Sheldon turned from him and headed towards the refrigerator instead.

"Penny found out the identify of my assailant." Grabbing a bottle of water, he finally turned and looked at Leonard.

"Oh." That was all he could say to that. He knew Penny wasn't going to be happy once she had found out Sheldon had been attacked by an ex-boyfriend.

"She also wishes to know what it was I did that made you, Wolowitz and Koothrappli to leave me without a ride at the University."

Leonard was shocked. "You never told her? Why?"

Sheldon shrugged, another oddity coming from. "You're my best friend, Leonard, and as much as you haven't been acting like it lately I still considered you a friend. Telling Penny what I did to get left behind may cause her to strongly dislike you and I know how much you value your friendship with her."

He was speechless. He felt like an ass. What kind of friend was he?

"You know what, Sheldon." He fiddled with his hands and looked at his best friend. "Tell her. Tell her everything. I'll deal with the consequences." He sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. "I had no right to tell you that you couldn't date her. Penny isn't mine."

Sheldon set his unopened water bottle on the counter and just looked at his friend.

"You know what, Sheldon? Go and tell her now." He side-stepped away, as if clearly Sheldon's path to the doorway. "Maybe she'll be less upset with you."

Sheldon nodded. "Alright." And he started walking towards the front door, but paused before he reached the handle. Turning back, he looked at his roommate. "Thank you, Leonard."

"No problem, buddy." He forced a smile. It was going to hurt seeing Sheldon with Penny, after have wanting her for so long, but if they were happy so could he.

Sheldon walked across the hall and knocked on Penny's door, not using his normal knock knowing she probably wouldn't answer the door if she knew it was him.

The door opened. "Look Leonard, I'm fine. You do-" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw that it wasn't Leonard standing in front of her. In fact, it was someone much taller.

"Sheldon, I told you that-"

At that moment, Sheldon grabbed her shoulder, in a moment of impulsiveness he never knew he had, he tilted his head down and kissed her.

Thank you for reading! I will try to have the next chapter up sooner! It may be the last one!