A/N: The beginning of this chapter was supposed to go with the last one, but I thought I'd separate it to give you guys a treat for Chapter 10. Thank you so much to all of you who have been here since Chapter 1 and to all of my amazing new readers – your kind words are the inspiration that keep me going.

Here's a little something to sink your teeth into before the real drama begins. This one is for you guys! Enjoy ;)

To say that Penny had a bad relationship with her mother was an understatement. She hadn't spoken to her in years. Her mother had an opiate addiction and rarely opened her mouth for anything more than to berate all of her children and her husband. When she was in 10th grade, Penny was suspended from school for being one of four kids caught fooling around in a ditch by the school and her mother was called to come pick her up. It didn't help matters when Penny's mother had arrived in a tight pair of jeans and lime green tube top that didn't flatter her figure at all and everyone was staring in barely hidden disgust, even the administrators in the school's front office. She slapped the top of the counter with her chipped, red nail polished-hands and demanded to be given her "goddamn kid". When Penny came around the corner, she grabbed her by her ear and yanked her a good five feet down the hall until Penny finally ripped herself out of her mother's grasp and they stared each other down with identical fiery green eyes.

"Girl," her mother whispered hoarsely. "Don't give me that look. Like you're better than me. I'm not the one who got caught jerking off some little prick behind my high school."

"I am better than you!" Penny shrieked, her slender body vibrating as the roar left her throat. She turned to leave, blindly walking anywhere her feet would take her. Then she heard her mother cackle.

"No you're not. You're a taker. Sooner or later, you're gonna take too much and get what's coming to you."

When Penny whirled around to argue, her mother had already turned her back and was walking away. Her steps were tentative, wobbly, because it was only 10 AM and she was already high off of her ass. Penny watched her slam her palms on one of the double doors and push it open then she jumped when it slammed shut behind her mother's figure as it was swallowed by the outside sunlight. She stood there alone in the foyer of the school's lobby for a very long time, mulling over her mother's warning.

It had been a little over 12 years since that day and she still thought about it more than she'd like to admit. Her mother eventually had to get clean before she received a liver transplant, but even sobriety failed to make her a more pleasant person.

You're a taker.

Penny tossed and turned in her bed, the sheets clinging to the bare skin on her legs and she felt swallowed inside of a darkness of her own making. She was a taker in this situation, swooping down in on Amy's boyfriend while she was away. Sheldon had made it clear that he would handle the situation with Amy, but that did little to alleviate Penny's guilt. And what exactly did he mean? Would he dump her and be with Penny? Would Amy hate her forever? And no matter what Sheldon did to "handle" it, it still left Penny with Leonard. Her poor, unsuspecting boyfriend who had left her with one task-to watch over his roommate. In some sick way, Penny was doing just as he requested. But when he came back from his voyage on the North Sea, he would be expecting Penny to jump into his arms and welcome him back then pick up where they left off. What kind of welcome would Leonard come home to now?

Sooner or later, you're gonna take too much and get what's coming to you.

She would lose Amy, of that she was sure. And also in the guarantee she would lose Raj and Howard who would no doubt take Leonard's side. Bernadette, she couldn't be certain. Penny fought back tears as she tossed in her bed again, flopping onto her side.

Maybe she was a taker, maybe she was selfish, and who knew if throwing away all of her friendships would be worth it? But it dawned on her that she needed Sheldon like air to breathe. If someone had pulled 21 year-old Penny aside and warned her that in six years she would fall for the quirky, thin and pale nerd who once banished her for sitting on the left side of the couch, she would have laughed in their face. Then again, if the same person had warned her that there was so much more than what meets the eye in Sheldon Cooper, she would still be doubtful.

When this whole mess began, she had set out to protect him, keep him from harm. But lately she had seen a whole new side of him, a side where he was set on protecting her. She had been shocked to see him standing outside of her car door while she cried for him. And then he admitted to be willing to take her pain and feel it himself…well, Penny would be lying to herself if she wasn't touched by that. And twice he initiated the touching, the kissing. She curled into a ball as she clenched her legs together, the passionate caress of Sheldon's kiss suddenly invading her memory and caused her lower abdomen to swirl with heat. Who knew that he had that in him?

Then came a sudden onrush of images of Sheldon, arms flexing as he overpowered his brother in the gym, the primal focus on his boyish face, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip as he dodged attacks in complete concentration. Penny had watched in awe as Sheldon's body moved lithely, elegant, almost as agile as his athlete brother, but with enough determination for the both of them. And in the midst of it all, he took every opportunity to teach his brother how to correctly perform a move or tighten his routine. Sheldon detested lecturing, but he sure didn't seem to mind lending his expertise to Junior.

Penny threw caution to the wind as she sat up in bed and reached for her cell phone. She unplugged it from the charger and looked at the time, noticing it was already a quarter after midnight. She knew chances were that he would already be asleep, but she found herself snatching her robe off its hanger and slipped it on anyway, stepping lightly around her apartment as she searched for a pair of slippers. She needed to see Sheldon at once.

Need, need, need. Maybe Penny's mom was right. But when it came to Sheldon Cooper, Penny was more than willing to give as much as receive.

Sheldon was slightly annoyed at everything, at himself.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, slouched over a mug of warm milk and the three pages drafted for the termination of his Relationship Agreement. What kind of person drew up Relationship Agreements? Who was he when he typed this contract? He nearly laughed at the severity and conformity of the Agreement, but there was nothing funny about losing touch with who you thought you were.

To obtain the adequate amount of sleep in order to be well rested for tomorrow, Sheldon should have been asleep two hours and 36 minutes ago. Instead, he was kept up by the incessant reminder of what tomorrow brought, of his impending decision to end his relationship with Amy, and more pressing, how disturbingly frequent the urges to touch Penny were becoming. For the last few days, he had been able to restrict his behavior to mere kissing, but even the act in itself, the willingness to exchange bodily fluids, the craving to illicit pleasurable sounds from her; it was hardly the proper behavior of a man like Sheldon. Even more disturbing was how much more he wanted.

An errant thought of pressing his own bare skin to Penny's had him flying out of his bed like it was on fire and into a brisk walk around his apartment an hour ago, willing the hardness between his legs to disappear. And when it finally had, the will to sleep had abandoned him.

Damn it all, he felt more vulnerable than anything else. Sheldon Cooper did not feel many things on principle, but vulnerability was the straw that broke the camel's back. He felt as though he was at the cusp of something deliriously exciting, like he was a one-man landing party from the Enterprise on a new uncharted planet that was ruled by Penny. But he was also disturbed by the amount of change that he would be arriving in his life. No matter what happened from now on, things would never be the same. He couldn't continue to live feet away from a woman he felt strongly for and return to normal when Amy and Leonard were back from their respective journeys. He should have realized that life would never be normal again after Junior arrived, no matter how hard he tried to maintain homeostasis.

He looked down at the paperwork and realized it signified a great deal more than just the end of his relationship, but also the insurmountable beginning of what was inevitably a tenuous future with Penny. He twirled the sheets of paper on the table top, watching the words become a blur when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway. "Shelly?" Sheldon remained quiet as his brother appeared in the kitchen.

"I saw the light on," Junior announced in a sleepy voice. He was shirtless and adjusting the waistband of his Batman patterned PJ bottoms.

"I didn't know you were a fan of the Dark Knight," Sheldon murmured, more to himself than an invitation to engage in conversation.

"These are actually from Missy," Junior said with a grin. "I think she wanted me to give them to you."

Sheldon frowned deeply and shook his head. "You would." He clucked his tongue, admiring the PJ's from afar.

"I didn't pack any PJ's," Junior defended. "I thought I'd be sleeping buck-naked in a hotel."

"No matter. I already have a sufficient amount of PJ bottoms and have assigned rotation for each wear during the week."

"Good to know," Junior muttered as he approached the table where Sheldon sat. "Whatchya drinking there?" He craned his neck and leaned forward to look inside the coffee mug full of milk but Sheldon hastily snatched to his chest before he could see, suddenly requiring privacy of his choice of beverage. Junior just shrugged and leaned back. "Thanks, by the way. For allowing me to keep staying here again."

"It's slightly more convenient having you here than in a hotel where you surely would be hard to reach after a night of drinking and love-making with a street walker."

"Hey, none of that while I'm training. You know how serious I take it," Junior protested, taking a seat across the table from Sheldon. "Speaking of which, you been working out lately?"

"Pardon me?"

"You're filling out, Sheldon," Junior marveled at his younger brother like a proud mama bird. "Plus, you roughed me up pretty good at the gym today. Sure you weren't just showing off for Miss Fancy Pants next door?"

"I'm a 33 year-old man," Sheldon said tiredly, dodging Junior's mention of Penny. "I was bound to assert an amount of bulk sooner or later. And if you must know, I have introduced far more protein into my diet than usual in the last two years as well as increased the amount of cardio-based XBOX Kinect games into my downtime. The proliferation of the undead fascination in media has reminded me that the zombie apocalypse will commence accordingly. It's in everyone's best interest to be prepared." He looked down and continued to twirl the termination to his Relationship Agreement with his index and middle finger, thumbing the handle of his coffee mug with his other hand.

"That's the little brother I know and love," Junior murmured after a minute of companionable silence.

"You don't know anything about me," Sheldon argued, slightly surprised by the fervor that soaked his sentence. He looked up hesitantly, unsure of what he'd find in Junior's face, but was taken aback by the amused squint he was facing. "What's so funny?"

"Penny told me the same thing last night." Junior suddenly shot out his hand and stopped the papers beneath Sheldon's fingers from spinning to pull them towards him.

"That's private!" Sheldon tried to grasp the papers back but it was too late as Junior was now reading the first paragraph aloud.

"I, Sheldon Lee Cooper, herein and further known as the 'ex-boyfriend', do move to terminate the entity of the Relationship Agreement between myself and Amy Farrah Fowler, herein and further known as the 'ex-girlfriend'." Junior looked up and studied Sheldon's face which was reddening by the second. "Are you…are you for real?"

"Like I said," Sheldon spit as he walked around the table and grabbed the papers back from Junior, crumpling them between his fists. "These are private matters. Go back to sleep, Junior. Leave me be." Sheldon towered over his brother who remained seated, but their eyes met evenly. Just as he was about to turn around to finish his milk in his room, Junior spoke.

"I know that you drink warm milk when you can't sleep. I know you send Meemaw requests for her homemade snicker doodles every winter's solstice because the sugar goes good with your hot chocolate. Your favorite song growing up was Bohemian Rhapsody. Your first imaginary friend's name was Frapton, Charles Frapton. You two were responsible for zapping Missy's eyebrows off with her Easy Bake Oven when y'all were eight. You demanded separate parties from Missy every birthday, and every year you wanted a Commander Spock birthday theme up until you were 9. It drove Mom nuts because the Party City back home didn't have Star Trek themed birthday props for kids. When you were 10, you snuck into my comic book collection and read your very first Flash comic. That year, your birthday was Flash themed." Junior's face was soft with nostalgia and he smiled at the empty space over Sheldon's shoulder as the younger brother remained silent. "Your favorite mixed-martial art strategy is the sprawl and brawl because you hate an incomplete takedown. And apparently you prefer blondes to brunettes."

"Hardly impressive," Sheldon said after clearing his throat. "All trivial." He looked down and frowned at his mug of milk. It was no longer warm. "And it was Charles Frampton." Betraying his will, Sheldon smiled as he looked up at Junior. "Missy's eyebrows grew in uneven for four full years."

"They still do," Junior laughed, slapping the table with an open palm. "I catch her every day, plucking the hairs on her brow like some obsessive compulsive. It gets me every time." They laughed together, quietly and easily. Sheldon's shoulders finally quit shaking long enough for him to inhale deeply and compose himself. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something else, Junior interrupted him. "That night sixteen years ago when Marky beat in Abel's head, I told you that I didn't know how I could ever do right by you again. Since that night, I haven't made much progress, Shelly. But if it means anything, I'm here if you'd like to…" he motioned with his neck at the crumpled papers of the termination lying on the table, "…talk about anything. About Penny or…Amy, was it?"

Sheldon's mood suddenly soured as he took circled the table and went back to his seat. "Not necessary. I'm perfectly capable of determining what is suitable for my own life, thank you."

"Sheldon, not even you, a genius by any measurable scale, have managed to get women figured out."

"Sure I have," Sheldon countered. "They're all bat-crap crazy." His face betrayed no emotion as Junior regarded him with an impressed nod.

"I guess you're right." They laughed together again, mirroring each other's tight grins and squinted eyes. Suddenly, Sheldon's apartment door nudged open slowly and in peeked a head full of blonde hair.

"Speak of the devil," Junior whispered. Sheldon barely heard him over the pounding of his own heart.

"I heard laughing," Penny croaked as two pairs of intense blue eyes studied her with curiosity. "I…I'm sorry, you guys were talking. I'll go."

"Nonsense," Junior bellowed, waving her over cheerfully. "You're here just in time. Sheldon's milk has gotten cold. He needs a new glass."

Penny pushed the door open further and gave Junior a dirty look. "I didn't come here to take orders, dumb ass."

"So hard to find good help these days," Junior stage-whispered to Sheldon, rolling his eyes. "Alright, you two have fun. I'm out." He rose from his chair and winked at Penny. "Goodniiiight."

And then there were two.

Penny hovered near the door, half of her body still outside as she looked at Sheldon.

"Come in," Sheldon finally said, slightly hoarse from lack of sleep.

Penny's heart jumped at the husky texture of his voice and pushed forward, closing the door behind her. She tip-toed into the apartment, her slippers silently gliding along the wooden tiles. "Your brother is really annoying."

"Among other things," Sheldon rolled his eyes in a perfect imitation of Junior. "Has sleep eluded you as well tonight, Penny?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," she admitted, wringing her hands together in front of her chest. I couldn't get you and the vision of you flexing your pinning skills out of my head, she wanted to say. But could she be upfront and honest with Sheldon? Surely the kissing had been amicable, but what exactly did he want from all of this? Would her admission of feelings cause him to run for the hills?

"Would you like some warm milk?" His voice was creamy like soft-serve, jolting Penny from her worrisome thoughts.

"No thank you, sweetie," she shook her head and smiled. "So, why are you up so late?"

"I'm not sure," Sheldon admitted, his face suddenly thoughtful as though he was surprised by his own answer. Penny watched him mentally go back and forth with himself before he continued. "I suppose it's good that I am up anyway, or you would have snuck into an empty kitchen."

"Yeah," Penny said sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to knock in case you were sleeping."

A sly smile suddenly appeared on Sheldon's lips. It caused Penny's breathing to hitch; the playful expression on Sheldon's face was so out of character. "Why knock if you have a key?" He paused then added, "And if I had been sleeping? What then, Penny?"

"I…" Penny grasped for the words to finish her sentence but Sheldon was now up on his feet and slowly coming around the table to meet her. His robe was untied to reveal that he was only wearing his plaid PJ bottoms and a plain white T-shirt underneath. As he got closer, she could see his face in the dim light, a faint shadow of a beard dotting his usually smooth chin and cheeks. A rush of warmth came over her body as he continued walking towards her. Penny tried to rack her brain at warp speed, attempting to remember the last time she had been turned on by a man without first wasting countless minutes on lukewarm foreplay. Just watching Sheldon walk toward her and anticipating the feel of his body against hers was enough to make Penny's insides rain.

"Would you have come into my room?" he asked in a lightly scolding tone, waggling a lazy finger at her chest as he closed the distance between them. "Would you?" A flash of what seemed like daring suddenly appeared in Sheldon's cobalt eyes, initially causing Penny to go weak in the knees. But she quickly composed herself as he lowered his finger and pressed it lightly to the center of her chest, grazing the space between her breasts. Her eyes lowered until her gaze rested on his finger.

Penny recognized a challenge when she saw one.

"What if I said that I would've gone into your room?" Her voice sounded foreign even to her; it matched the low register and frisky undertone of Sheldon's voice.

"I…" Sheldon began, rolling his eyes up as if searching for a fit reply. "…would have administered you a strike." His finger lingered on Penny's chest, his touch dormant above the low neck line of her tank top.

"Oh," she pouted, maintaining eye contact with him as though her life depended on it. "That doesn't sound so bad." They were close enough to embrace now, but neither made a move to touch the other, save for Sheldon's finger that was still pressed against the sensitive skin of her cleavage. "Nothing I can't handle." As the last word left her mouth, he removed his finger from her chest and brought his hand up to touch her neck, his flat palm rubbing its way to the back of her head. She gasped when he curled his fingers and lightly grabbed a handful of the hair at the base of her neck.

"Your pupils are dilated, anatomically suggesting a release of oxytocin; which of course means you enjoy the sensation of your hair being pulled."

If it had come from any other person's lips, Penny would've been bored. Leave it to Sheldon to refer to a biological response and leave her weak in the knees. "Let's find out what makes your pupils dilate," she purred, one eyebrow perched high as she stared him down. His eyes went wide as Penny reached out slowly and placed both of her hands on each of his shoulders and lightly squeezed. "Warmer or colder?"

She secretly reveled in the increased rate of his breathing, figuring he would remove himself from her touch before it got more serious, but once again, he surprised her. "Cold." Penny lowered her hands, her palms flat against his shirt as they grazed over his defined chest, and stopped when she felt his hardened nipples. Biting her lip to stifle a giggle, she looked up expectantly for his response. "Warmer." She brought her hands down until they reached his hip bones and she jutted her thumbs inward, rubbing his stomach softly and watched in delight as he threw his head back, his pale neck exposing itself to her. "Warmer."

"It's about to start getting hotter," she teased, still moving her thumbs in small circles while her fingers splayed out onto his hips. She could feel the definition of the V-shape on Sheldon's stomach as she rubbed lower. Now her own breath was beginning to quicken. Abruptly, before she could change her mind, Penny slipped her fingers into the waistband of his PJ bottoms and hooked them onto the elastic of both the pants and his underwear.

"Hot," Sheldon whispered, lowering his neck so that he could meet her eyes.

But before she took the next step, she had to know. "Are you sure?" Penny hated herself for asking as soon as the question left her lips. She couldn't guarantee that even if Sheldon had asked her to stop that she could have. She was beginning to feel her most moist and luscious body parts begin to ripen.

"Don't stop," Sheldon pleaded, almost warning her with a shake of his head that she would be sorry if she did. That was enough confirmation for her.

"Your room," she commanded, releasing one hand from his waistband and using the other to yank him in the direction of the hall. He followed silently, their feet shuffling in sync as they passed Leonard's closed bedroom door where hopefully Junior was sleeping like a log. It was about to get loud in apartment 4A.

"Lock the door," Sheldon ordered as she pushed both of them into the solitude of his room. He must be thinking the same thing she was, Penny realized as she obliged, flipping the horizontal lock into a vertical position on the brass knob. The air inside of his bedroom was uninhabited, crisp and delicious, like the heartbeat of autumn. It was a temperature that caused Penny's own nipples to swell.

"Bed," she directed with a point of her finger as she shrugged off her robe with a roll of her shoulders. She smiled shyly as Sheldon sat down on the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes off of her as she revealed that she was only wearing a pair of black boy shorts and a very thin black tank top beneath her pink robe. She closed the gap between them and pushed Sheldon's knees apart with her thighs, standing directly in front of him. His face was conveniently eye-level with her breasts. She resumed her touch, placing her hands on either of his shoulders, and lowered her face so that she could place a light kiss on his lips. He leaned into her and wrapped his trembling arms around her waist, emitting a deep moan as he deepened the embrace. Penny pulled away and pressed her forehead to his. "You taste amazing," she said, meaning it.

"Penny." Sheldon's hands were suddenly on her waist, pushing her away with weak force. Her heart palpitated; he finally snapped and was about to kick her out on her ass. "I'm afraid I've approached the boundaries of what I consider to be my knowledgeable territory."

"English, Sheldon."

"I…I'm not quite sure what to do now." His eyes were round and fearful, but he appeared eager to know more. Penny felt relief wash over her, coupled with an almost primal awakening; she was about to teach Sheldon something he didn't know for a change.

She lowered her face to the side of Sheldon's ear, wetting her lips and whispered, "I want you to lie flat on your back right now." When he did as he was told, Penny climbed up after him, straddling him with a knee on either side of his hip. She kept her weight on her knees and pressed them further into the mattress so that she could avoid touching his center with hers. "I am going to go slow, Sheldon. I want you to relax and not worry. Stop me if you'd like."

"Penny," Sheldon whispered, his eyes dead set on her body as it hovered over him and his hands clenching her thighs. "I don't think I could stop you if I wanted to. Which I do not."

"You really are a genius." She winked at him as he narrowed his eyes. "Ready?" He nodded, and Penny lowered herself, gently lifting off of her knees so that she could comfortably rest her weight on top of him. Before she could sit completely, Penny's center was met with Sheldon's sturdy erection muffled by his pants. She hissed and shut her eyes as she completed her descent, angling her hips so that she didn't crush him but felt his hardness twitch against her. Her eyes flew open in surprise as Sheldon's large hands closed themselves on her hips and brought her down closer. On his own accord, he began to push and pull her, rocking her hips against him. "Feels good?" she asked him, trying to keep the porn actress out of her voice. She knew guttural 'yeah, baby's and 'you like that?'s would surely not be sexy to Sheldon.

But Sheldon didn't speak, his own eyes fluttering closed and only nodding in confirmation. She allowed him to rock their hips together, feeling him push up with a tiny, rhythmic thrust of his pelvis. Each time his erection pressed against the sensitive lips of her opening, she felt a surge of satisfaction contract her insides. "Kiss me." His voice brought her out of her trance and she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his Adam's apple, then his chin, then finally his lips. He continued to use his hands to move Penny's hips in a circle, causing her moist center to rub harder against him, his breathing rapidly becoming shallow as his tongue explored her the inside of her mouth. Suddenly, he thrusted upward roughly, causing their kiss to break apart and Penny to let out a low whine of pleasure near his ear. She nipped at his lobe and Sheldon echoed her, allowing his own sounds of pleasure to fill the air.

Penny was done with foreplay. "I'm going to take off my panties now and pull down your underwear," she prepared him, lifting a leg and rolling off of him.

"I have a condom in my wallet," he said with an almost shameful expression. "Right there on the nightstand." He pointed with his head, his hands clutching the tail of his T-shirt. "Behind the, um, Justice League membership card."

"Got it," Penny held back a laugh as she reached for his wallet, ripping open the Velcro and reaching two fingers inside of his card holder for the condom in question. She pulled it out and set his wallet back down on the nightstand. "How long have you had this?" She was only asking because she wanted to make sure it wasn't a condom Sheldon had been holding onto for years and was way past its expiration date.

"Only about a month," Sheldon admitted, again looking shameful.

Penny did the quick math; a month ago, Amy had been over the moon after a private round of Dungeons & Dragons that had taken place in this very room between her and Sheldon wherein he admitted that the possibility of coitus with Amy had not been "ruled out". She called Penny with all of the details that at the time, Penny had found sweet yet extremely nerdy. Now, as she supplied Sheldon with a weak smile, it made her feel sick to her stomach, her mind jumping to undesirable conclusions. This condom was meant for Amy.

"Hey," Sheldon noticed the hesitation that Penny must have been wearing across her face. "Penny? Are you alright?" He released the hold on his shirt and propped himself up on his elbows, peering at Penny with sincere interest.

"Yeah," she said but wasn't sure if she was. "I…give me a minute. I have to go to the bathroom." She tossed the condom onto the nightstand and turned on her heels to exit. The air that had once felt cool and delicious against her skin was gone, the heat of her own embarrassment scaling every inch of her body as she rushed out of Sheldon's room and shut the door behind her. She walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light, reaching for sink and braced herself in front of the mirror. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were swollen from kissing Sheldon. She suddenly felt so stupid. And for a reason she couldn't understand, her conversation with Junior at the bar Sunday night echoed in her mind.

I see the way Sheldon looks at you like you're the next coming, and how willingly you put yourself on the line for him.

Penny found herself shutting off the light in the bathroom and marching straight back to Sheldon's room. She flung the door open and then locked it behind her, took a deep breath, then whirled around to face Sheldon. He was sitting Indian-style on his bed, his hands at rest on his thighs and he wore a concerned yet bemused expression. "Are you okay?"

"I'm giving up a lot here, Sheldon," Penny heard herself say shrilly, with rising panic in her voice. She didn't want to screw up this beautiful, erotic moment between them, but it had to be said. "With the situation I'm putting myself in tomorrow with Marky, and dealing with Junior, and the possibility that soon I'll be losing Leonard, Amy, Raj and Howard…I can't explain it any other way except that I'm willing to go all in with you. This—having sex—isn't going to be a one-time thing for me." She motioned with her arm, waving the air between them. "You mean a lot to me. And I need to know that it's going to be worth it." Penny never coined herself as an eloquent person, and she was more than sure that her sudden outburst was making no sense whatsoever, but she felt a load lift off of her shoulders. The time had come for Sheldon to define exactly what was happening between them, and to either admit what he felt for her or send her on her way. And the thing that was most disturbing was that this was out of character for her. Usually, she was on the other end of a needy person begging her to define the relationship.

"Sit down, Penny," Sheldon said after a moment's pause. He gestured with his hand to the space on the bed in front of him. She hesitated for a moment but then lowered herself on the bed and turned away, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. All was quiet for a few seconds before Sheldon cleared his throat and began. "I don't care if we have sex tonight, tomorrow, next week, month or year, or ever. I, as you may have noticed in the last 6 years of our acquaintance, am not a man driven by his baser urges. Now, I know that my behavior these last few days have suggested otherwise, with all the free-for-all making out and grab-assing I've allowed myself to engage in with you." Penny couldn't help but laughing at how southern and proper he sounded with his last sentence, but was quiet again after Sheldon gave her a stern look. She wiped a tear from her eye that she hadn't realized was there until she felt the dampness on her fingers, then nodded at him to continue. "Regardless of what happens tonight, you must know Penny, that what I feel for you is more than anything I've ever felt another human being. I feel anchored to you and as it scares me, it also fortifies me. I don't know if this emotional attachment to you has always been there as I have attempted not to view you as anything but a friend since the day Leonard claimed you for his own. But what I feel for you is real, almost as tangible as the bed we sit upon."

Penny willed herself to look up and meet Sheldon's gaze. "Sheldon…" she began, but was interrupted when Sheldon held up a hand.

"Your request for understanding is warranted, and I feel it is my responsibility to inform you that I am going to terminate my relationship with Amy just as soon as I can mail her the paperwork that would effectively end our contractual agreement. This is something I had been mulling over anyway, and I do not want you to feel responsible for something that does not concern you. As far as how you handle your relationship with Leonard, I would never tell you what to do. But Penny, how I feel for you isn't going to disappear when Junior leaves and Leonard returns from the North Sea. And it is with sincerity that I urge you to choose me." He paused, licking his lips. "But I do understand if the prospect of the upheaval of your social life is too big of a price to pay for someone like me."

"Someone like you," Penny echoed. "Sheldon, you are everything to me. It might have taken your brother coming to Pasadena and turn everything upside down for me to realize it, but you are more than worth it."

"Oh, I am?" Sheldon asked with a teasing smile. "Are you sure you aren't just swayed by my valiant display of male dominance at the gym earlier today?"

"That has something to do with it, yeah," Penny cracked, feeling a smile spread across her face. She raised herself from her sitting position on the bed and crawled on all fours to Sheldon, stopping just in front of his mouth. "Can you show me how you did that thing with Junior's arms again?" She leaned forward and nipped at Sheldon's lower lip, tugging on it with her teeth enough to make him hiss. And suddenly, she was on her back, her head pressed against the pillow and both of her arms were pinned against the headboard above her head. "That's now how you did it," she whispered, looking down at Sheldon as he lowered his head to her exposed stomach and kissed the soft skin above her navel.

"I'm the choreographer," he reminded her, kissing up her abdomen until he reached the fabric of her tank top that was bunched up underneath her breasts. "I am making adjustments as I see fit." Suddenly he was on top of her and looping his arm under her thigh, raising it so that it was hiked up on his hip, and then he lowered himself into her. She was delighted to feel that the whopping erection from earlier was back with a vengeance.

"Sheldon," she breathed as he ground into her with his hips, her center moistening with every subtle thrust. "Condom. Put it on." She waited while he continued to grind into her, her eyes blurring at the edges as his hold on her wrists above her head tightened. "Hurry. I need you inside of me."

"Okay," he grunted, releasing her wrists and slowly lifted himself off of her. He kneeled on the bed, motioning for her to grab the condom and hand it to him. When it was in his hands, he yanked open the package while Penny made herself useful and pulled down his pants and underwear. His hardness sprang out and greeted her, smooth and round at the head with a long and thick shaft that she had a difficult time believing she was seeing. She figured there was truth to the rumor about tall men, long fingers, such and such, but to see it on Sheldon was like discovering Santa Claus was real; it brought her great joy. She looked up to see Sheldon staring down at her with a coy smile. She had once heard the guys tell her that Sheldon described his genitals as aesthetically pleasing. She had rolled her eyes back then, but she was counting her blessings now to realize that he had been right all along, and by the look on Sheldon's face, she could tell that he was pleased she thought the same.

She took the condom from him carefully and applied it onto him, rolling the slick rubber out so that it enveloped him, and she pinched the tip to leave enough room for the end result. Then she reached for her tank top and pulled it off in one swift motion before lying back to wriggle the underwear off of her hips. Sheldon watched her undress and took the hint, removing his robe and shirt as well, then leaned to the side to kick off his PJ bottoms entirely. When they were both good and naked, Penny told him to climb on top of her. Holding the base of the condom to keep it secure, Sheldon made his way to Penny, hovering over her body and settled in between her legs. "Are you ready?" she asked him, running her fingers lazily up and down his arms that were pillared on either side of her head.

"Yes," he exhaled, nodding as he looked her in the eyes. "Are you?"

"Yes," she hissed, moving her hips up and felt the tip of his dick rub her opening. He inhaled sharply at the feel of her, then leaned down to kiss her. Taking the cue, Penny reached for him and guided him to her center, stroking his length in the process. Sheldon took a deep breath then pushed himself inside of her. Adjusting to his size quickly, Penny's mouth formed an 'O' of surprise, then pouted lustfully as Sheldon began to pull out and push into her wetness again, forming a rhythm. "Fuck, Sheldon, you feel so good."

Sheldon kept his eyes on her the whole time, biting his lower lip as he thrusted in and out some more, never slowing, never going faster. He was relishing the feeling, Penny realized, just as much as she was. She wanted to pull out her proverbial bag of tricks and take Sheldon on a trip around the world, but she quickly stopped herself from wrapping her legs around his hips and flipping him over to ride him like a cowgirl; it was his first time and she didn't want to scar him for life. So she settled for raising her hips in sync with each push of his hips, allowing the length of his dick to fill her further, almost splitting her in half, and at the same time providing a warmer, tighter sensation for Sheldon. His eyes went wide and his forehead was slick with a thin sheet of sweat.

"Penny, oh, God…"

Hearing him moan her name awoke a sleeping giant, and she reached up to pull Sheldon's head down, meeting his lips with an eager kiss. She gently sucked on his tongue on beat with their thrusts until a familiar tingle began to form deep within her wetness. Hello G-spot, my old friend. "Harder, Sheldon," she begged, staring at his swollen lips. She cried out as Sheldon pulled away from her and straightened his back so that he was looking down at her, and hoisted both of her thighs up high enough so that her ass lifted off the bed. He steadily continued to thrust into her, but at this new angle, watching the raw lust cross over Sheldon's features as he stared down at her body, Penny was about to fly over the edge. He positioned her so that one hand held onto her hip and the other reached out to knead one of her breasts, squeezing her hardened nipple. Obeying her pleas, he purposefully pounded into her at a quickened pace. "Sheldon! I'm going to come!" She warned him just time; at the sound of his body slamming into hers, she lost all control. Stars exploded behind her eyes, her loins were on fire, and she fell into a deep world of ecstasy, her orgasm pulling her under and threatened to keep her there for eternity.

Her cries were soon joined by Sheldon's as he experienced his own orgasm. "Penny!" he whined, using both of his hands to squeeze her breasts, then let his nimble fingers roam over her entire body as the bucking of his hips slowed down. When he finally finished, his forehead was lying between her breasts while one of his hands grasped her rear firmly and the other held onto the base of his condom as he reluctantly pulled out of her. Rolling over to his side, he lied next to Penny on the narrow bed while they both fought to catch their breath. After a comfortable silence that lasted minutes, Sheldon finally cleared his throat and spoke. "I hope you don't mind if I go wash up." He lifted his head and turned to face her, then motioned with his free hand at his other hand that still held the condom.

"Of course not, sweetie," she grinned. "Go ahead, I'll be right here when you get back." She watched him nod gratefully before sitting up and wobbling to his feet. The view of his firm, naked ass caused her to giggle like a school girl. Sheldon sure had a body on him underneath all those layers of geek shirts and khaki. He groped the floor for his robe, found it, and wrapped it hastily around his waist, still afraid to let go of the base of the condom, probably in fear of its contents leaking onto his floor. Then he slipped out of his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Penny sighed heavily and rolled onto her stomach, inhaling the smell of Sheldon in his sheets and allowed herself to get lost in thoughts that included her and Sheldon doing this on a regular basis.

A few minutes later, just as she was about to drift off into a cozy slumber, Sheldon returned. He smiled at her shyly, wearing the robe now around his body, and he began to pick up all the discarded clothes from the floor, folding them in half and placing them over the side of his hamper. "Are you feeling well, Penny?" he asked, his voice small, unsure.

She turned over on her back, exposing her naked body again to him and his eyes zeroed in on her as she teasingly squeezed one of her breasts between her hands, the other hand traveling down to stroke herself between her legs. "I feel amazing, Sheldon," she assured him. "Did you want me to go home so you can sleep?"

He watched her for a minute before removing his robe and setting it down with the rest of their clothes. His erection was rising by the second, pointing accusingly at Penny as he walked towards her. "If it were possible to hold you here forever, I would die a happy man." Soon, Penny and Sheldon were again a mess of entwined limbs and fevered kisses upon his bed, not to be bothered with lack of condoms or the race against the sun that would rise in just a few hours.

Sheldon never asked Penny to go back to her apartment that night, and Penny never offered again.

A/N pt 2: I'm sorry, I just have a thing for Sheldon lying on the couch and saying, "Don't stop," circa season 5, episode 23 The Launch Acceleration. Y'all know what I'm talking about. ;)