A/N: I'm sorry for the delay! Between finals coming this week (and my slight intermission to write my TBBT smutty OT3 called 'Three' LOL), life be crazy. That still doesn't take away from how much I adore you all for your lovely feedback and follows/favorites. You guys are amazing. ;]

Things are going to start moving along for our three main characters now that Sheldon's past is out of the box, which means less flashbacks. Enjoy this chapter…it was twice as long but I had to cut it in half, so hopefully this enough to suffice until I finish the second half of the next chapter. :]

Penny watched as Sheldon kept his eyes on her fingers that were still entwined with his. His brow furrowed deeper each time she completed another circle with her thumb over his knuckles. Her heart beat a little faster when he tightened his grip and sighed, his shoulders finally relaxing as he sunk deeper into the couch. She wasn't sure what Sheldon had thought would happen when he revealed his past to her, but it didn't scare her off. In fact, it intrigued her further. No one's past was squeaky clean, not even Sheldon Cooper. Certainly not Penny's.

"I'm glad you've chosen to trust me, Sheldon," she whispered, breaking him from the trance of her fingers. He gazed up and the cobalt in his eyes, studded with need, suddenly brought her to a screeching halt. She wriggled her hands from his grasp and cleared her throat. Sheldon's intense stare was nothing she was a stranger to, but something in his eyes led Penny to believe that he was doing more than trusting in her. The air in the room became stuffy and Penny's cheeks were reddening—what was this strange intimacy that had suddenly fallen over her and the man sitting on her couch? She chocked it up to the intensity of Sheldon's story and reminded herself to be there for him. He obviously was going to have to make a decision that was going to require her support. "What…what are you going to tell George Jr.?"

Sheldon recovered from the abrupt removal of Penny's hands in his and he straightened out, wiping his open palms on his khaki pants. His narrow tongue darted out slightly to wet his lips before he looked straight at Penny's television set. "I believe that the only logical decision would be to agree to help Junior in his endeavors."

"Logical?"

"Yes," Sheldon nodded slightly, never looking back at Penny as he stared straight ahead. "This man held me mentally hostage for years, Penny. And he changed my brother, for the worse. When I moved home, I could never let Missy go anywhere on her own. It was a…" Sheldon stopped and snuck a sideways glance at Penny before continuing. "It was a torment that I have never been able to let go, not even when Marky was long gone from Texas. I assumed he was dead in a ditch somewhere, hoped for it, even. But just the thought of him here, within miles of me, my life, my friends," another glance at Penny before quickly turning away, "Is more than I could comfortably bear."

"So, what exactly would you be helping Junior do?" Penny felt funny calling his brother that, like he was someone she knew personally. "Besides studying Marky's moves…is that right?"

"Yes, I suppose I'll have to find a way to watch him spar at the gym where he trains prior to their match and stay out of his sight until the fight commences." Sheldon suddenly stood up and began to pace thoughtfully. Penny watched him frown at nothing except for the frames on her wall, but she had a feeling he was looking somewhere else, somewhere far where she couldn't join him. "And whatever else I can do to help." He turned and faced Penny who still sat on the couch. "I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure that Junior finishes this once and for all."

"Wait." Penny finally rose from her sitting position and kept her eyes on Sheldon, who was now carefully looking anywhere but her. "Sheldon, what do you mean finishes this?" She saw the expression on Sheldon's face go from thoughtful to vacant. An urge to recoil at the sudden shift of Sheldon's mood, similar to yesterday when she confronted him in front of Raj and Howard, came over her. But again, as soon as the ice strewn from his glare settled over her, he turned away and she thawed out.

"Marky isn't going to welcome Junior into the ring with a handshake and part ways after it's all said and done, Penny. This is a winner-takes-all state of affairs." He brought his hands out from behind his back and smoothed down his T-shirt. "I do appreciate your support, Penny. And I also thank you for discretion. I really did mean it when I wouldn't need your driving services this week, nor will I have the ability to host any nightly dinner activities. I…" he paused, finally able to look Penny in the eye again. "I will see you in seven days. Hopefully this entire mess will have been sorted out and resolved by then." And with a curt nod, Sheldon pivoted to find the knob of her door. Penny hadn't moved so fast since she was about 50 pounds lighter and 6 inches shorter and played shortstop on her 2nd grade T-ball team. She winced as the slight twist of her ankle caused a pain to shoot up her calve and she maneuvered herself between the door and Sheldon. "Penny, what on earth?"

"No," Penny breathed, wincing slightly at the pain in her leg. "You don't get to do that to me now." She let out a small squeak; goddamn ankle pain was betraying her resolve to stand firm to keep Sheldon from leaving.

"I don't get to do what?" Sheldon took a step back and searched her face. "Penny, are you okay?"

"You don't get to walk away from me now that I know what you're about to do and how dangerous it can be for you."

Sheldon frowned, a genuine look of curiosity crossing his face. "Did you hurt yourself just now?"

Penny's chest heaved up and down as she bit her lip, pushing herself to talk through the pain. She lifted her foot so that no weight was on it. "Sheldon! Don't change the subject. I don't want you to push me away."

"I'm not pushing you at all," Sheldon said in a rather juvenile tone. "I just figure it would be better for you not to get further involved than what you already are." He crossed his arms and his eyes landed on Penny's attempt to take the weight off her leg. "What is wrong with your leg?"

"You are pushing me away," Penny argued in a voice just as childish. "I know you don't handle this human contact thing very good…"

"Well."

"Well, what?" Before Sheldon could open his mouth again, Penny realized this was so not the time for a grammar lesson and she rushed to interrupt him. "Yeah, yeah, I meant you don't handle these types of situations well." She grimaced again, the dull ache in her ankle veering her off her point. "But as I told Junior—get used to this face. Because I'm not going anywhere." She set her lips in a straight line and looked seriously at her friend, her face tilted up to meet his glare. When did it become so hard to maintain eye contact with Sheldon? She felt slightly woozy and grasped the door knob behind her for some support and it was not lost on Sheldon. Before she could protest, he had slouched forward and suddenly wrapped a sturdy arm around Penny's waist, catching her totally off-guard. "What are you doing, Sheldon?"

"Leading you to the couch," he murmured before half-dragging, half-walking Penny to the middle of the living room and gently placed her on the cushions. "I think you might have a sprained ankle." He turned swiftly and headed to her kitchen, grabbing a rag off of the dish rack and ripping open her freezer door. Penny braced herself for a moment and sure enough, Sheldon turned around in a huff. "Penny! You have two empty ice trays just sitting uselessly in your freezer and absolutely no ice. You do know that you have to fill these things up with water, right? And not click your heels three times together and wish for the ice to just materialize?" He then turned around again and turned on her kitchen sink, filling the ice trays and making a racket while doing so.

"Relax," Penny said with a frown, but secretly forced herself not to laugh. "There's a frozen bottle of Grey Goose somewhere in there. Just wrap that in a towel and bring it here." After muttering something about "lush" and "Midwest", Sheldon returned to Penny with a sourpuss and her nearly empty bottle of vodka. She was about to thank him and take the bottle from his hands, but he gave her no chance to do anything but sit back as he lifted her leg and placed it on his lap. The denim skirt that completed her Cheesecake Factory uniform fell lazily across her thighs, her knee exposed. Though Penny was used to flaunting a lot more skin than that around Sheldon (and Leonard, remember that guy? Your boyfriend?), something about the way Sheldon masterfully removed her tennis shoe and sock in less than two seconds and cradled her ankle to him caused Penny to suddenly feel so bare. "Hey, Sheldon, I can do that…"

"Not as well as I can," Sheldon replied brusquely. There was no way to prepare Penny for the low tone of his voice and the double-meaning that Sheldon surely couldn't have intended in his statement. So she rolled her tongue around in her mouth and tried not to tremble. His fingers suddenly began to press on her skin, starting mid-calve and working their way down, feeling for any swelling. "Penny, I may have done a little soul-bearing tonight, but there's still a lot you don't know or understand about me." He continued to feel down her leg with his lithe fingertips, increasing the pressure as he made his way down to her ankle. "Human contact is something that yes, I have long tried to avoid. Since I was a young child." Penny desperately wanted him to keep talking but she hissed loudly as his fingers found the source of her pain. "Hurts here?"

"Yeah," Penny squeaked, nodding quickly and rolled her head back. "I guess the ol' cowgirl just ain't what she used to be." When she brought her head back level, she saw that Sheldon was staring at her intently then he moved his eyes back down to her ankle. She bit back another grin.

"Yes, well, you're not as young as you once were, Penny." Penny wondered what Sheldon would do if she suddenly lifted her foot and kicked him in the jaw. But then he continued. "As I was saying, you're right, I don't do well with human contact, be it emotional or otherwise. But my stunted contact concerns have nothing to do with my insistence that you…keep your distance." His mouth was saying one thing and Penny tried to keep up, but his fingers were speaking a whole other language on her leg. Every nerve ending at the tip of her skin sighed with pleasure as Sheldon made his way around the heel of her and balls of her feet, then back up again. She peered down as one hand attempted to feel around her ankle bone while the other hand casually massaged the underside of her calve. He sure didn't seem to mind the lack of distance between them now.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Penny said softly. "But I'm not going anywhere. Have you learned nothing in the last 6 years? I'm hard to get rid of."

"Preaching to the choir," Sheldon said stiffly, but as he looked down at her leg, Penny could have sworn she saw a tiny crack at the corner of his lips. "Still, Penny. I don't want you to get involved." By the time he finished his sentence, his fingers had slowed down and were now lying dormant beneath her calve and hovering over her ankle. "I might not have stressed this point enough, but when I was truly involved in Junior's world, I was not entirely myself." He bit his lower lip and looked up at Penny again. "The last thing I want is for when all of this is finally over, for you to see me differently. I am not fully capable of explaining why this is so important to me, but it is."

"You want everything to go back to normal," Penny supplied. She longed for Sheldon to put his hands back on her, but quickly chastised herself for thinking this way. "I understand. But remember what I said earlier, about me being scared that you were disappearing?" She waited until Sheldon nodded. "This is what I'm talking about. I can't just sit here in my apartment for a week and wonder if you're going to make it home every night or if you're hurt and need help and you're only a few feet away from me, but I can't get to you because I'm honoring some stupid promise to you to 'stay away'." The end of her rambling came out rushed, panicky even, and Sheldon watched her with a pensive expression.

"Yes," Sheldon agreed. "I do want everything to return as normal as possible when Junior finally leaves. Mostly everything." He avoided Penny again while he looked down at her leg as if seeing it for the first time sitting in his lap. "There's no swelling, so it's not a sprain. Might have just stretched the ligaments slightly, so you will be fine. Just keep your feet elevated at approximately 35 degrees. Alternate between cold and hot compresses." He gave her a small, uncommitted smile and held her leg carefully as he removed himself from the couch. He added as an afterthought, "The water in the ice trays will be frozen in 45 minutes." Propping two throw pillows beneath her feet, he straightened his frame and cleared his throat. "I'd better get going."

Penny didn't say anything as he walked past her and headed for her door, but when she heard him turn her door knob, she spoke. "What don't you want to change?"

"I'm sorry?" Sheldon asked, turning slightly away from the door.

"You said you wanted 'mostly everything' to return to normal after Junior left. What has changed that you want to stay changed?" Penny waited, holding her breath mostly to keep from crying. She couldn't turn around and see his face. Something surely had changed since Junior's arrival, and Penny wasn't sure she wanted it to return to normal, either.

"I'm sorry, Penny," Sheldon murmured from his spot at the door. She heard his feet shift around. "I believe I misspoke. Everything must return to normal. Everything. Junior has been waiting a long time, so I will…I'll see you later." Without another word, Sheldon exited the apartment and closed the door, leaving Penny with her thoughts.

"Never thought you'd get rid of her," Junior cracked lamely as Sheldon reentered the apartment alone. He was sitting in the center of the couch and flipping through the channels on the flat screen television. He had poured himself a glass of water that was sitting dutifully on a leather coaster on top of the coffee table.

"She is persistent," Sheldon said without emotion then faced his brother and immediately recrossed his arms. "Junior, you're sure Marky is here?"

"Positive."

"Does he know you're here?"

"Not yet. My connects haven't gotten in touch with him yet…he sort of a hard guy to get ahold of. But they have it on good authority that he's been here for years, and is fighting in secret rings like the way we did back in Texas." Junior cleared his throat and Sheldon watched in mild horror as for the first time that night, Junior looked nervous. His façade of macho, easy-going man that he was laying on thick for Penny had wilted away in the few minutes that Sheldon had been gone. "I need your help, Sheldon. I need you to watch him, study him. Let me know what I'm getting into."

Sheldon knew it didn't need to be said, but he said it anyway. "You could die, Junior." He felt his cheek twitch slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I could've died that night," Junior argued back, his wide nervous eyes suddenly slanting. "That night he sic'd those two guys after me to pay his debts. You were supposed to be there…"

"I had to live my own life," Sheldon began, feeling himself become heated again. "I earned the honor of my position at Caltech, and I wasn't going to turn it down out of fear of leaving you."

"No," Junior protested, raising his hands in surrender. "I mean, you were supposed to be there that night. You came with me to every match, and Marky knew this. So he sent his goons with knives and…you could've gotten hurt, too." His face fell and Sheldon studied him, his breath still coming in and out quickly. "It was one thing to threaten to hurt our sister and mother, but it was another to purposely set out to get you killed." Junior got up and shut off the TV, throwing the remote on the couch. "I know I came at you that night in anger, blaming you for a couple of stupid broken ribs. But I was actually terrified, Sheldon." Sheldon said nothing as he continued. "Because the truth of the matter is if you had been there with me that night, I wouldn't have been able to protect you. I barely got away with my own life."

The silence lolled out between the two brothers like a current, pushing them away and pulling them together as it always had. Taking a deep breath, Sheldon nodded. "I'm in."

"Really?" Junior asked. His face brightened for a split second before it fell again. "Are you sure?"

"I don't have a choice," Sheldon said. "You're going to fight him with or without me, but with my help you stand a better chance of winning."

"Sheldon," Junior lowered his voice conspiratorially, even though they were the only two in the room. "When I get my shot at Marky, I'm not going to stop until he's finished."

"That is what I'm counting on," Sheldon replied coldly. He and Junior held each other's gazes for a moment before Junior's signature smile reappeared on his face.

"Glad to have you back, Shelly," he said. Then he turned and walked behind Sheldon's couch to reach for his duffle bag. "We can get started tomorrow thinking of a game plan."

"You're not staying here?" Sheldon asked as Junior walked to the door.

"Well, I figure I've imposed enough on you and your girlfriend…which by the way, I'm sorry for being such a dick to her earlier. Apologize for me, will ya?"

"There are so many inaccuracies in your last statement that I feel inclined to correct you once and for all," Sheldon began, wringing his hands together. "Penny is not my girlfriend. My girlfriend, Amy Farrah Fowler, currently resides in London for the duration of the summer. Penny lives across the hall in her own apartment, therefore you are not imposing on her or me. My roommate is sailing across the North Sea on an expedition for the next four months and so I have an open bedroom here to accommodate you if need be. Unless, of course, you have made other arrangements to stay in a hotel."

"That blonde ain't your girlfriend?"

Sheldon's jaw dropped as he looked at his brother tiredly. "That's what you took away from that? No, Junior. Penny is not my girlfriend. So are you going to require quarters here, or…"

"Is she…single?" Junior inched away from the door, suddenly interested. But neither Junior nor Sheldon could have prepared themselves for the outrageous reaction on Sheldon's behalf.

Fists clenched and feet swift, he crossed the room in two steps and stood directly in front of his brother before growling, "She is not for you."

"Shelly." Junior tentatively raised his hands and kept them up by his face, as if in surrender. "Relax, little brother. I am only joking." When Sheldon's breathing returned to normal, a hot flash of embarrassment rolled over his entire body and he backed away slowly. Turning on Junior, he reached his desk chair and collapsed into it, covering his face with both hands. When had he become so unhinged just at the very thought of Penny?

"I figured as much," Junior gave out a small chuckle as he watched his little brother groan into his hands. "That she wasn't for me."

After an awkward moment of silence, Sheldon removed his hands from his face and glared up at Junior. "For the last time, will you be staying here or a hotel?"

"Well, since I don't have a hotel room booked for me yet, I would appreciate staying here, just for the night and tomorrow I'll find one. Don't want to put you out anymore than I already have."

"That's fine, Junior," Sheldon relented, rising from his sitting position and placed both of his hands flat on his lower spine as if he experiencing back pain. "I'll show you to your room." He started towards the hall with Junior in his tow before he turned suddenly as if remembering something. "I want this thing done with," he began, his blue eyes gleaming as he looked his brother over. "And after you take care of it, no matter the outcome, I don't…I don't want to see you again." Sheldon wanted to say he was sorry, wanted to explain that to his brother that his mere presence in his life was just too much for the physicist to deal with and that he couldn't tolerate the shifting of his balanced life for anyone, but he saw Junior clam up and his eyes, so blue like Sheldon's, become steel.

"Got it. Loud and clear," Junior grunted.

Sighing, Sheldon continued down the hall and let Junior in Leonard's room, informing him of the very tight bathroom schedule he was expected to adhere to.

To say Penny's night was restless was the understatement of the friggin' year.

After Sheldon left, she allowed herself to shed a small amount of unwarranted tears. What was happening to her? It was a question she had been asking herself a lot in the last two days, and she still did not have the answer. When she dropped Leonard off the day before yesterday, she had been almost relieved for the freedom and the space to seek out an adventure without him tailing her. But now she just felt alone, confused, and slightly sorry for his absence. Not that she could have confided in him about Sheldon's business anyway, or ask him for advice on Penny's sudden urge to wrap her arms around the lanky Dr. Cooper and never let him go (WHAT?). She closed her eyes, her feet still elevated, as she remembered Sheldon's tight grasp on her hands as if he were being led through the dark. He could say all he wanted to push her away, but Penny would not be deterred. Regardless of the strange feelings stirring inside of her that she couldn't put a name to, above all of that, she was still Sheldon's only friend left that he could count on. Raj was sweet, but entirely self-involved. Howard was totally unreliable and weak. And even Amy, her sweet friend Amy who was spending months in London, couldn't have been tough enough to help Sheldon had she even been here. Penny tried to imagine Sheldon pouring his past out to Amy and could only see the neurobiologist's eyes widening in horror and leaving him abruptly.

Penny would not leave Sheldon, ever.

So she wiped her face dry, and after a few more minutes, grabbed her purse and dragged herself off the couch, waddling to her bedroom. She figured she'd give Sheldon this one night alone with his brother, and then Penny would approach him tomorrow as relentless as ever. She removed all of her clothes except for her panties and collapsed into her cool sheets. Her bed was unmade but still felt crisp around her warm body. Her thoughts then returned to Sheldon as she reached into her purse for her cell phone that she had not looked at all day since her shift was so busy and the business with George Jr. arriving, then turned off her bedside lamp and relaxed into the dark. If Sheldon wanted to keep her away, he was going to have to physically put his hands on her and remove her. She shivered involuntarily at the thought of Sheldon's hands and cursed herself. Pressing buttons on her phone, Penny winced at the bright screen. She had eight missed calls and two texts, the latter of which were from Bernadette. None of the calls were from Leonard, she thought with a frown but not in surprise. Then she realized that all eight missed calls were from Amy Farrah Fowler.

Penny's heart beat sped up and she let out a breath. "What a mess," she groaned and then tossed her phone onto to the floor. She waited for sleep that wouldn't come.

Sheldon lay awake in bed long after he left Junior to his own devices. Thoughts were harpooning him from left and right, and he tried fruitlessly to dodge each one. His decision had been made; he was going to help Junior defeat Marky the only way he knew how. But even the rage that had lied dormant inside of him for years towards Marky wasn't enough to stifle the fear that coursed through Sheldon's veins. He knew that Junior was going to try and fatally finish Marky once and for all, and it wasn't so much the concept of death that struck Sheldon to his very core, it was the fact that Sheldon wanted Marky to die. He thought of all the threats he made against Sheldon and his family, every time the vile man would give a long, meaningful look at Missy's body before turning to wink suggestively at Sheldon, and his blood boiled.

Hadn't Sheldon paid his dues? Hadn't he finally evolved from the blood-thirsty, cold-hearted minion that he served to Marky's satisfaction? For eight years, he was practically brain-washed and passed his free time calculating ways for Junior to beat another man senseless so that Marky could get paid, and when Sheldon wasn't in the infamous barn cheering for more blood spill, he was back to work on Monday, avoiding relationships and making indifferent, wary bystanders out of perfectly decently colleagues that he could have created bonds with. Marky had turned Sheldon into the robot that everyone teased him to be today.

And though Sheldon could hardly blame anyone else for his usual aversion to casual physical contact (germs, diseases, influenza), he had Marky to thank for his unwillingness to allow anyone to care for Sheldon, especially the likes of Amy who wanted nothing but to become more intimate, or in the way Penny was trying to care for him.

Penny.

Sheldon had been so put off when she removed her hands from his, relishing the massaged circles by her stubby thumbs rubbing into his red knuckles. But when she did, she had broken the spell for both of them. But he had been sucked right back in, charmed relentlessly as he found himself sweeping her leg into his lap. He never wanted to leave, but for her safety, he did. Then he tried thinking of the betrayal he was committing with his thoughts against Amy or Leonard, but he only saw their blurry outlines in the horizon, unwilling to acknowledge their presence when all he could see in front of him was Penny.

And before Sheldon knew it, his eyes were fluttering open in protest with the brightness of the morning sun pouring in through his windows. He stretched, his joints aching as though he had been running a marathon before a heavy weight in his pants directed his attention to his crotch. That was two nights in a row where he fell asleep thinking of Penny and awoke with the burden of the consequence resting heavily against his thigh. He was inwardly reprimanding his human half when the sudden clink of dishes and a light, female laugh coming from his kitchen caused his ears to perk up.

Wrapping his robe around him, Sheldon's temper began to flare up again. Junior had another thing coming if he thought he could invite any floozy he scooped up from the corner and bring her into Sheldon's home. He was formulating the stern rebuke when he emerged from his bedroom and froze at the sound of the laugh again. The familiar guffaw had him rushing faster to the kitchen and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as he saw Penny, freshly showered and fully dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt with the Harley Davidson logo sprawled across her chest (he quickly noted the shortness of the shirt and how it exposed a glimpse of her firm lower stomach) and Junior, also freshly showered but dressed in black jeans with a red and white flannel shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He struggled to understand and blurted out, "What on earth is going on in here?"

"Good morning, Shelly," Junior greeted, licking butter from his thumb before spreading the amount on the butter knife in his hand across the bread in front of him. "Breakfast is ready."

"I told him you liked French toast on Sunday mornings," Penny said with a wide smile. "Hope that's alright."

Sheldon refused to acknowledge the beat of his heart as it sped up at the sight of Penny's smile. "It most certainly is not alright. Penny, I asked you to stay away from me."

"Sheldon," Junior called in a deep, disapproving tone that jolted Sheldon. "We don't talk to women like that. At least not without a good reason." Sheldon ignored his George Cooper Sr. reasoning and his eyes remained fixed on Penny. "Besides, she's here to see me, not you. I invited her over." Sheldon finally tore his eyes away from Penny's hurt expression and glared at Junior.

"You what?"

"Invited her over," Junior repeated, throwing two slices of buttered bread into the batter. "I figured since she is such an important part of your life, and you are important to me, I should make amends with this pretty lady for the duration of my stay."

Penny remained quiet as Sheldon's eyes bounced from her to Junior. "What gave you the impression that she is impor—" He couldn't finish his sentence as he watched Penny lower her face to the floor. Luckily, Junior interrupted him.

"I'm not a goddamn idiot, Sheldon," the older man said, his southern drawl prominent. "Whether you've admitted it to yourself yet or not, this friend of yours is important to you. Argue with yourself about it some other time because we're going to eat a nice breakfast that Penny and I have made, then we're going to get down to business. Am I making myself pretty fuckin' clear?"

Sheldon's eyes oozed with venom as he glared at his brother, whose stare was equally as daunting. They were quiet until the oil on the pan in the stove began to sizzle. "Fine," Sheldon relented, walking towards the table where the food was being prepared. He didn't dare look at Penny and she avoided his eyes, too. Sheldon longed to explain his outburst to her, but he figured it was easier this way. Better to let her think he was a cold-hearted bastard than know he was up half the night (and early this morning) thinking of her.

"I apologize for my language, Penny." Junior grinned and dropped the battered bread into the pan. Sheldon rolled his eyes at his brother's patented charm. "Now, Sheldon. Your friend had some interesting news for me this morning." Sheldon remained quiet and Junior scoffed. "I can see you're dying to know. Anyhow, it turns out Penny knows exactly where the gym Marky supposedly trains at is."

This retrieved Sheldon's attention and he bristled, unsure if he should be angry with Penny for meddling or at Junior for involving her. He would have to engage in a conversation with his brother later about his apprehension, but for now, he was curious. "She does?"

"Penny?" Junior asked, wanting her to continue while he tended to the French toast.

"Yeah," she said softly, and finally met Sheldon's eyes. "Junior said his connects called him late last night and told him that there's a giant, golden sculpture of a lion in front of the gym somewhere in East Hollywood but they didn't know where it was exactly or what it's called." She turned her head for a minute toward Junior, and Sheldon watched her pony tail fall against the slope of her neck before she turned and faced him again. He averted his eyes as she continued. "Do you remember my ex-boyfriend Kurt?"

Sheldon swallowed and frowned deeply. "Of course I remember that mongrel." He caught a glint of amusement in Junior's eye and he scowled at him.

"Well, that's where he trains. And he has a lot of friends there, all friends that I've met on several occasions."

"Kurt was an MMA fighter?" Sheldon could hardly hold back the intrigue in his voice. Penny picked up on his curiosity and quenched it.

"He really wanted to be. But his size, you know how tall he was, made him slow. So he never won any matches and eventually just gave up. But he had a pretty persistent trainer, a man with red hair and eyebrows, and scars on his face like had an old rash, or something."

"Penny." Sheldon's hands suddenly shot up as one gripped the table and the other reached out for her. He startled her and she jumped back at the intensity of his voice. "What was this trainer's name?"

"Kurt called him Rob," she answered hesitantly, glancing at Junior as if for help. Watching her look to Junior caused a flare of an unfamiliar feeling to rise up in Sheldon. He quickly went through the catalog of his mind to define the sensation (hot, longing, envy?) but then fought to stay focused.

"Have you ever met him before?" he demanded, struggling to keep his tone even.

"Once or twice."

"Marky Robertson," Junior said softly, a devious smile on his face. "You think, Shelly?"

"It's a long shot," Sheldon breathed, his eyes never leaving Penny's nervous face. He watched as her lips parted slightly, her breathing caused her chest to rise and he suddenly snapped. "Penny cannot be involved."

"Sheldon, she can get us close," Junior insisted as he flipped the bread over in the pan. "She can give this guy Kurt a call and…"

"No," Sheldon said loudly, causing Penny to jump and Junior to turn and stare at him with a perched eyebrow. "If it is Marky and he sees Penny with one of us, all he has to do is get through Kurt to find out where he can get to Penny. It's too dangerous."

"I want to help," Penny began but was silenced when Sheldon faced her. She swallowed hard before she straightened out. "Don't look at me like that. You're not scaring anyone."

"Whoo-ee!" Junior barked out a laugh as he served the finished toast onto a plate. "I knew I was right about this one. Little firecracker."

"Penny," Sheldon growled. "A word?" He motioned with his neck to the living room and when Penny didn't budge, Junior laughed again. "I've gotta go wash my hands before breakfast. I'll be back." He winked at Penny encouragingly before moving around her and walking lightly down the hall. When Sheldon heard the bathroom door close, he rested his gaze back on Penny. The metaphor of Penny being a 'firecracker' hadn't been totally implausible as Sheldon could see her eyes flicker at him like little pistons of gas that ignite at the end of a sparkler. "Just because Junior said that we need your help doesn't mean that it's okay for you to come in here and get involved when I specifically asked you not to, Penny."

"I am not helping because Junior wants me to," Penny objected. "I told you that I'm not going anywhere. You're my friend."

"You don't even know what you're saying," Sheldon said, his eyes wild. He had the rare urge to run both of his hands through his hair and pull. So he did. When the locks that were usually combed neatly over his head stuck up in different directions, Penny stared at him with a funny look he didn't recognize. "I asked you nicely yesterday, please…"

"Well I nicely declined," she countered, bracing herself by placing a firm hand on each side of her waist and squaring her feet. "You want to try and kick me out by force now?"

"Heavens, Penny," Sheldon said, his face scrunching up in distaste. "Tell the Junior Rodeo champ that her roping skills will not be necessary. Get ahold of yourself, woman." Then he stood up, walking around aimlessly as he tried to weigh the pros and cons of having Penny along every step of the way. He tried not to look back at her but couldn't help but feel slightly, he didn't know, (warm, calm, relieved?) at her ability to make him feel as though she was the one thing he could depend on in this entire mess. "When Junior told you that knowing Kurt's trainer, who may or may not be Marky under another pseudonym, could help us, he was only being partly forthcoming."

"Huh?"

An impatient glare and a deep breath later, Sheldon continued. "Penny, Junior is…he's using you. He has no regard for consequence. What if while I'm scouting the fights, Marky sees you with us? He knows how we operate because he's the one who taught me what I know."

"Sheldon." Penny clamped her hands together and took a few steps closer to him. "I know you're worried about me, sweetie. Now, imagine how I feel. I want to help you because I don't want you out of my sight." She glanced over her shoulder to see if Junior had left the bathroom yet, and when she realized he hadn't, she turned back to Sheldon, lowering her voice. "I'm not doing this for Junior."

"Penny," Sheldon pleaded, taking a step back as the blonde gained inches on him, advancing slowly. He wanted to pull back more but she grabbed him, both of his forearms, and pulled him to her.

"If you tell me right now you don't want me here, you and I will both know that it will be a lie."

Sheldon tried conjuring up any icy retorts he had left up sleeves that would deflect Penny, to make her turn away in anger—he'd even accept a slap to the face. He parted his lips, reaching deep inside to force himself to say anything that would make her walk out of that apartment for good. He watched, almost from outside of his body, as the shell cracked and the shards fell carelessly all around them. His hand reached out and around Penny's neck, feeling the ends of her pony tail between his fingers. She didn't pull away, and neither did he. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Penny breathed, her eyes fluttering open and closed as Sheldon's breath washed over her face.

He should have been thinking of Amy. Of Leonard. But instead, he thought of himself. "Don't leave me."