Author's Notes: This is my final chapter in the Vodka Flavored Ice Cream Experiment. Hope you enjoy it. Comments and reviews are welcomed :)

Summary: It starts where most stories end – with a break up.

Sheldon Cooper sat on the left side of the couch, his movements stiff and awkward – nervous, or maybe he was just being Sheldon. It was hard to tell. He'd been avoiding her a lot lately. In fact this was the first time they had been alone in a few weeks. What the hell is his problem? She thought, even though she was sure she knew.

They were together for a year – the happiest year of Penny's life, possibly the happiest year of anyone's life. But she knew the signs. One day, you're madly in love, and then you're not. It's the way life is. Except it wasn't the way it was for her. She was still truly, madly, crazy in love with Sheldon but if he wanted to be an idiot and dump her then… fine. She had been through this before. Yeah, breaking up is hard, her ego would be bruised, and her heart… – she fought back the tears.

"Excuse me," she said and headed to the bathroom. She was still surprised that Sheldon Cooper, Mr. OCD himself had actually changed his usual Tuesday-night-at-the-Cheesecake-Factory schedule and chosen to stay at his apartment and watch a movie with her. He even let her choose – The Notebook. She guessed he just didn't want to dump her in front of her friends and co-workers. How nice of him to consider my feelings.

"Loser," Penny said as she examined herself in the bathroom mirror. Yesterday she had been waxed, plucked, exfoliated, steamed, moisturized and spray tanned from her head to her toes. She hoped when he saw how hot she looked he would change is his mind, or at least he would see what he would be missing out on. She pulled her fingers through her ponytail and headed back to the couch.

Her former irritation at being dodged for the past few weeks was pale in comparison to the current anguish that she felt now. She looked at the man sitting on the couch next to her. She loved that man-child with all her heart. Loved his tall, thin figure, his every awkward movement, loved him even though he looked like a giant praying mantis. She smiled as she watched the sexy way his jaw clenched as he tried to decipher the movie. He would never understand romance movies, would he? She loved him. She clung to that feeling. It was better than being irritated or sad and distracted her from visualizing what was to come.

He laid his hand on her knee and smiled. She smiled back; it was effortless, easy, natural. "Penny…" he started. Oh God, here it comes, she thought, the smile fading from her face.

He took a deep breath, paused the movie and stammered, "We've been together for a year now..." he rambled on.

Just say it already.

He cleared his throat. "Well the thing is…"

She had never seen Sheldon speechless. This must be bad, very bad. I'm not just going to sit here and wait for him to do it. I don't deserve this. If he thinks he could just dump me then he is highly mistaken. "You know what Sheldon, I'll make this easy for you," she said and stormed out of his apartment.

"That stupid, self centered...ARGH!" She screamed as she angrily opened the cupboards searching for something to drink. In the year that they had been together she really didn't have a reason to drink and now that she had one she couldn't find any trace of alcohol. She swung open the refrigerator door and found an adequate replacement for liquor – ice cream.

I wish this ice cream had vodka in it, she thought as she slumped on the couch. It was ironic that this was exactly the way her relationship with Sheldon started – with her slumped on the couch, wishing for vodka flavored ice cream.

Knock Knock Knock "Penny."

"What the hell do you want?" she yelled as she flung the door open. He started twitching. She knew he didn't like when she opened the door before he finished his incessant knocking but this time she didn't care.

"How does leaving the apartment help me in any way?" he said still twitching.

"What did you want me to do? Sit there and wait for you to dump me?"

"Dump you?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I know the signs. You've been avoiding me and 'forgetting' to return my phone calls," she said making air quotations when she said forgetting. "I know you don't forget, the beautiful mind of Sheldon Cooper doesn't forget," she finished angrily.

He was still twitching. She wasn't sure if he was twitching because he didn't finish his crazy three knocks routine or because she was yelling at him. When he finally composed himself he said, "I've been avoiding you because as you know I'm not good at keeping secrets."

"Oh and now you're keeping secrets from me?" she yelled.

"I had a whole speech planned."

"A speech?" she asked curiously, less aggressive.

"Yes."

"Ok?"

He watched Penny cautiously, expecting more of the anger she had unleashed when he came to her apartment.

"Well just tell me what the speech was about."

He opened his mouth to say something then changed his mind. She threw herself on the couch and waited. "This isn't the way I planned this at all," he finally said disgruntled, sitting on the couch next to her. He reached into his pocket. Something dark was in his hand.

"I'm not good with all this romance stuff so here..." he said and placed the dark object on the couch between them. It was a little black box. She stared at it shocked.

What the hell?

"What the hell?" she was finally able to say.

"Well I think it's obvious but I guess it's the norm to pop the question," he said, emphasis on the word 'pop.' She gasped as he slid off the couch unto one knee. He looked at her, his blue eyes shattering her concentration. It was crazy that after a year he could still do that to her. He took the black box and opened it.

"This is the ring my grandpa gave to my meemaw," he said with a little smile.

"Oh," was all she could say. The ring sparkled. She stared at the princess shaped diamond ring. She had never seen anything so beautiful.

"So Penelope Moonves, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

It was hard to concentrate on the question. She stared confused at the ring in his hand. He took her left hand, and slid the ring onto her third finger. "Well?"

She never expected this. Not from Sheldon.

Could she really spend the rest of her life with him? Could she put up with his crazy OCD antics? Would she be happy with Sheldon Cooper? It occurred to her then that the answer for each of those questions was undeniably, unmistakably, explicitly, clearly; YES.

There were so many things she wanted to say. So many romantic things popped into her brain but couldn't find their way to her mouth. Nothing she could say was right for this moment so she opted for nodding like an idiot.