Sheldon eased open Penny's bedroom door and peeked around. He stepped inside and joined Penny by the window hesitantly. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Penny was silent for several seconds. "Do you think we should get married?"
He looked at her with surprised. "What do you mean?"
She turned her head and looked at him. "Do you think we should get married?"
He twitched slightly, thinking quickly to find the right answer. He could answer either way and it would be true. But which was the answer she wanted?
Penny turned toward him fully. "Don't tell me what you think I want to hear," she cautioned. "I want your opinion, Sheldon. What do you want?"
He reached up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Honestly?" She nodded and he plunged in with both feet. "I want to marry you. Because I love you. I also don't want to marry you because I am scared. When I am with you, I want to touch you and hold you. But part of me still struggles with the desire to shower immediately. Part of me still fights against germs and intimacy. It does not diminish my desire to be with you, and our child, but it does result in me feeling pulled in two different directions."
Penny flinched slightly as she watched his eyes. The intense way he was staring at her made her pulse pound.
Sheldon ran his hands up and down her arms. "What about you?" he asked worriedly. "How do you feel about this?"
Penny bit the inside of her cheek and dropped her eyes. "I'm terrified," she whispered. "I'm scared to trust someone so much. I trust you more than I trust anyone else, Sheldon, but even you scare me. We have so little in common, that I worry you'd wake up one day and wonder what insanity made you think you wanted me. I worry that you'll look at me and see nothing more than blonde monkey that trapped you into a relationship you never wanted."
"You've always had this… narrow vision of what your life entailed and where it was headed," Penny said softly. "Until now, until I got pregnant, I was never part of that vision. I don't want to marry you just because you think you have to 'do right' by me."
Sheldon shook his head. "You are wrong," he said softly. "From the moment you entered my life, you have been part of my vision. Granted, at first, you were merely my friend, but over time, you became more than that. You are the one person outside my immediate family that I trust without reservation. Three years ago I realized that I was halfway in love with you. You and Leonard had broken up because he said he loved you and you couldn't respond in kind. Seeing you withdraw from the group was painful for me."
"It was painful for me, too," she admitted softly. "Leonard and I… we were never good together. But he loved me. He wanted me when no one else did, so I clung to that. Howard and Raj dropped me the minute Leonard and I split up. Even you, for weeks, didn't speak to me. Not until I made you spaghetti. So, I accepted when Leonard suggested a beta test. Because I was part of the group again. I wasn't just the neighbor anymore." Her voice became a whisper. "I wasn't alone."
Sheldon was struck by the sudden knowledge of just how badly they had both screwed up. If he had just found the courage to tell her how he felt, or if she had found the strength to stand on her own two feet, then maybe neither of them would have been so miserable for the last few years. He didn't know if they would have ended up with each other, but it was a certainty they would not both have been beaten down and weakened by bad relationships.
The door opened behind them and Amy walked in. Her expression was concerned, almost timid. "Penny? Sheldon? Are you guys okay?"
Penny turned and shrugged sadly. "Dinner could have gone better."
Amy walked over and wrapped her arms around Penny. As Penny relaxed into her embrace, Sheldon watched the tension and worry slowly fall away from both women. However their relationship first began, it was obvious that they loved and needed each other. He found a true affection for Amy coming to life in his heart. She had been there for Penny when no one else could. It was Amy who had kept Penny from falling apart. And in doing so, Penny had given Amy confidence and a sense of true worth.
Amy looked up at her ex curiously. He had a look on his face like he had just solved one of his equations. She was about to ask him what he was thinking when he suddenly leaned down and kissed her cheek. She could only stare in shock as he smiled.
"Thank you, Amy. You are truly a remarkable woman. I am honored to call you my friend." Then he turned to Penny, who was smiling like she understood. He wouldn't be surprised if she did. She had always understood him when he least expected it. He leaned down and placed a tender, but brief kiss on her lips. "Good night, Penny. I hope you will allow me to visit you tomorrow. Perhaps you will allow me to join you for dinner."
Penny smiled and nodded. "I usually eat around 7:30 when I work evenings. Good night, Sheldon."
He left a moment later and Amy pulled away to look at Penny. "What was that?" she asked in a stunned voice.
"I'm not entirely sure," Penny said with a smile, "but I think Sheldon is finally realizing just how special you are." Amy started to shake her head but Penny pulled her in for another hug. "You are my hero, Amy. Without you, I'd have fallen completely apart. I absolutely love you, Bestie."
Amy hugged Penny tighter, trying not to cry. She knew if she did, Penny would. "I love you, too," she whispered. Charlie looked in on them for a moment before heading into the kitchen to clean up. He had high hopes for the group, and for Shenny in particular. They just needed some support and time. He would ensure they got it, if only to make Amy happy.
A/N: I know this Amy is nothing like the canon version, but I hope you like her as much as I do. I've no idea how much more there is to this story, but we've still got a ways to go.