I do not own TBBT or any of its characters.

No really, I don't

After breakfast, Sheldon sat in the middle of the sofa, holding the Da Vinci Code in his hands. Penny sat with her back against the sofa arm, resting her legs in his lap, as he read aloud.

With the author's new book coming out, they decided to re-read the series together. They both missed the passionate discussions that they used to have when they were on the panel at the theater. They knew that these books would give them a number of opportunities for intelligent banter.

He finished the chapter and then handed the book to Penny. They switched every chapter or every other chapter. However, instead of reading, she took the dust-jacket placed it between the sheets to mark their spot, and closed the book.

"Bored already?" he joked.

"It's getting late."

"It's not even eleven o'clock."

"Yes, but the fields aren't flooded anymore, and they are starting to dry. My dad will probably be down here any minute looking for me."

He sighed and stood up, pulling Penny with him.

He buried his face into her neck, nipping lightly. "So I guess we won't have time for this, huh?" He knew the answer, but still held out hope that he could change her mind.

He was ecstatic when she did not respond with a rejection, but rather, soft whimpers escaped her lips. He reached down and gently hooked his fingers inside her sweatpants. However, before things could go further, she pushed him off calmly and stepped back.

"Stop it," she eyed him. "I do have an idea though. I am going to go up to the house; I'll keep my parents distracted. Get your stuff and go to my car," she handed him her keys. "Then, I'll drive you to your car, okay?"

He frowned. "Well, I guess. It beats walking."

She grabbed her purse and straightened out her clothes. "The small key is for the door. Lock the door behind you. Give me just a couple of minutes. I'll see you in a few." Then, she was out the door.

He watched out the window and saw her walk around to the back of the house, where the kitchen was, instead of going in the front door. After a minute or so, he did as she said, settled down into the passenger seat of her Prius and slumped down.

...

Penny wore a smile on her face when she opened the door and got in. She buckled the safety belt, turned on the ignition and pulled down the driveway.

"So?" he prompted.

"I told them I would go do the grocery shopping. Mom has to go in at noon, and I normally do the errands for her. I told my dad that since the fields are still a little too soggy, I would go to the store and maybe by the time I get back, we could get to work. That seemed to appease him."

"I see. And why does this make you so happy? Grocery shopping?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe if you needed to pick up anything, you could come with me?"

A smile lit up his face. "Sure! I mean…well, I don't know if that is such a good idea," he backtracked.

"Why?" she pouted.

"Well, I mean, Lana and I are not officially separated yet. We are both from the area. The chances are good at least one of us will run into someone we may know."

Her lips curled up into a devilish grin. "How about this? I drop you off at your car and then run to Target for groceries. You go to Target for groceries, which will be shopped for using a completely different cart. So, we'll be shopping separately. And, if we just happen to be in the same aisles at the same time…just a happy coincidence, right?"

He shook his head at her, but smiled. "You're scary, sometimes, missy."

"I think you mean genius," she said before looking both ways and pulling slowly out into traffic.

She saw the convertible with top up sitting out in front of the Shell station and pulled in.

"I'm surprised they didn't have you towed," she said sagely.

"Well, with the storm and everything, I'm sure they thought it was an emergency situation and gave it the benefit of the doubt."

Sheldon leaned over and kissed her tenderly before reaching for the door. As for her, as she was settling back into her seat, something flashed in her mirror that caught her eye. She adjusted the mirror, looked directly into it, and gasped. The noise caused Sheldon to turn to face her.

"What?! What's wrong?"

She glared at him and screeched loudly, "What is this? What is this?!" She pointed out a very distinctive gray-green bruise on her neck.

She was not particularly amused when the only response she received was a smile of she assumed to be pride. "Well?"

Penny pursed her lips in annoyance, even as he leaned forward to lightly kiss her neck over the offending area. "I believe," he kissed, "that is what they call," and another, "a love bite." He pecked at her once more, pulling away with another smirk.

She exhaled, and then glowered at the physician. "That is what they call quite noticeable. God, I hope my parents didn't see it. I'll need to buy makeup at Target to cover it up. What I have at home is too sheer. It's not cold enough for a scarf."

Sheldon continued to kiss her neck between speaking, as if that would make it all better. Unfortunately for her, it was working quite well.

"Tell them you ran into something in the dark."

"Something that bit me?"

He pulled back and caressed the spot with his fingers. "Does it hurt?" he whispered.

"No," she replied, eyes fully focused on his. "Well, maybe a little."

He placed one last kiss to her neck then pulled away. "I'm sorry, Kitten. I really am."

Immediately, Penny felt bad that she had made him feel bad. While she was bothered, she was really only half-serious about her irritation with him. It kind of made her proud that he had marked her as his own. And that brazen facial expression of his had been well worth it.

"No, don't worry about it! It's fine. If I get the right makeup, it will be as if it wasn't even there."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Go. I'll see you in a few minutes."

...

The matter was pretty much settled.

Except as they pushed their carts up to the front of the building, she felt a blush creep from her neck into her cheeks as he wordlessly, with only a brief look out of the corner of his eye, reached into her cart, picked up the makeup she had picked out, and placed it in his.

Penny's lips curled up into the tiniest of smiles. How lucky she was to have snagged such a true gentleman.

...

Penny rose from her bed Monday morning, and looked out to the sunny sky. She felt refreshed. While she would have readily accepted having a weekend to "re-discover" their relationship, as it was Sheldon had been on call. Plus they both decided that it would be better to wait until he dissolved his marriage with Lana, at least in spirit, leaving only the legal paperwork to make everything official, to join together as a real-life couple.

She couldn't explain how it felt. Like the calm before the storm in a way, but in a good way. She felt no anxiety, because in the back of her mind, she had the knowledge that in exchange for these few days of solitude, in return she would gain a lifetime of happiness and love. It was worth it.

She was surprised to look out the window and not see her father plowing away, as she would have expected. She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and walked out onto her porch. She did not hear any machinery noises either. She frowned. It was very quiet. Too quiet. Eerie almost.

She walked up to the house and let herself in the front door. Bless her parents' hearts, but they never locked the house, except when they went out of town. They lived in such a small, rural area that they had an inherent trust in people. It certainly made it easier for her to come and go, but she would be lying if she said it didn't worry her sometimes.

"Mom! Dad!" she yelled for them.

Relief washed over her when she saw her mother's face peek out from the kitchen. "We're back here, honey."

She made her way back to the kitchen, where both her parents were sitting at the kitchen table. Her father was reading the newspaper with a grave look upon his face. Her mother returned to her chair after putting something back into the refrigerator.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked.

Penny nodded, still looking worriedly at her mom and dad. "Sure." She walked over to the pot and poured herself a mug of the black brew, adding sugar, creamer, and a little dash of milk, before sitting at the table.

"Honey, have you talked to Michael recently?" her mom queried. "Today?"

"No, not today. Why?"

Her parents exchanged looks. Her father then folded up the paper and placed it in front of her, letting out a deep breath in the process.

There in the middle of the page was a bolded headline. She was positive that her heart stopped beating. She couldn't breathe. She imagined that she was rather pale, as she could feel the blood draining from her face.

Fiery Accident Claims Life of Walnut Creek Resident

Her eyes had gone blurry from unshed tears, and she had to fight them off so that she could at least read the article. Her hands shook as she tried to focus on each word. And then she saw it. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She wanted to cry.

Lana Cooper was dead.

She became emotional at how thankful she was that it wasn't another name. And, then she scolded herself; despite loving Sheldon with her whole heart, she would never have hoped for or wanted this to happen. It didn't feel right to be so grateful. But, it was human.

"Michael's stepmom?" she choked out.

Her mom looked at her with concern. "I know baby, just awful."

"Dad?"

"Farmin' is going to be pretty light today I reckon. I think you have other places you ought to be today," he gave her a supportive look.

Yes, she did. But, it wasn't what they thought.

When she made it back to her guest house, she dug around in her sheets for her phone, finally finding it on the fourth try.

She had one voicemail. It was from Michael, giving her the news. There were no voicemails, missed calls or text messages from his father, and that concerned her. Actually, it made her very sad. Why wouldn't he call her? As his lover and partner, she assumed that she would have been at least on the list of people to call. And yet nothing.

Well, invitation or not, she was going to go comfort him. And he didn't have a say in the matter. She loved him, and she wanted to do everything she could to take care of him during this trying time.

...

She pulled up to the Cooper home and nerves hit her like a ton of bricks. At home and on the drive over, she had been so sure of herself, so steadfast in her intentions. She was more than prepared to put on a brave face and be whatever he needed her to be. But, now, sitting in his driveway, she trembled.

What could she say? What should she do? Would he even answer the door? All these questions and more swirled inside her mind as she slowly got out of the vehicle and walked to the door.

She rang the doorbell and closed her eyes.

As the door opened, she was nearly knocked backwards by a pair of arms, as she felt herself being enveloped in an embrace.