The next morning Penny and Sheldon had to be at the station at 5.00am to catch the train to Chicago so on the Sunday night the whole family sat around the table and enjoyed a family dinner.
Later in the evening Penny checked that she hadn't forgotten to pack anything when the familiar three knocks sounded on her door.
"Come in sweetie."
Sheldon entered and closed the door behind him. Penny walked up to him and grabbed his hands, he swallowed hard but then looked down at her and smiled.
"Penny we have to be up very early tomorrow I believe it would be prudent for you to go to sleep very soon. Although I myself may suffer from the gravy that we had tonight and find little REM sleep."
"Sheldon, thank you for not being too rigid these last few days, you've made it so much easier for me and my family, oh and I'm sorry I should have warned you not to touch my mom's gravy, it could sink ships."
"Well." he pursed his lips and bent down to her and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight Penny, sleep well." and with that he let go of her hands and was out of the door.
Penny brought her hand up to where Sheldon had kissed her, he was really trying.
There was another knock on the door and it was Pamela coming to say goodnight and goodbye to her little girl. Wyatt had agreed to take them to the train station tomorrow morning as Pamela had to work later in the day.
"Well Penny it's been so much fun having you here visiting us, shame it's not for longer"
"Thanks mom, I've really enjoyed myself."
"Sheldon is a strange choice for you Penny. Don't get me wrong I like him, in his own special way."
"Mom, he's a really nice guy once you get a chance to know him better, he can be so sweet. It's just that he isn't terribly worldly, too many years with his head stuffed in books. He certainly isn't the kind of guy I thought I would end up with."
"End up with? So you are serious here Penny, you think this one's a keeper?"
Penny sat on the bed and motioned for her mom to sit next to her. "I do, I think he is the one, and I think I've known it for years, even when I was with Leonard. It's no wonder I couldn't fall in love with anyone, I already was, just I didn't allow myself to believe it."
"Well your father will be slightly disappointed he liked Leonard."
"He doesn't like Sheldon?" Penny asked.
"He could talk to Leonard, I think Sheldon intimidates your father, but he will just have to get used to it won't he." Pamela hugged her daughter. "Well goodnight sweetie, and travel safely and good luck, but remember your mom and dad are just here if you ever need us."
"So you guys sure you got everything? I still have time to make a quick journey back to the house if need be." Penny's dad looked at the young couple standing on the railway platform, oh why couldn't it be Leonard he thought.
"No, not necessary," Sheldon replied. "I triple checked my list and Penny did too, we are good to go."
Penny shed just one tear as the train pulled away from the station and she watched her father turn away and start to walk towards his car. Penny sat back into her seat and looked at Sheldon, who had grabbed out the map that he used on the first leg of the journey, he was telling her all about the journey they were about to take and the sort of countryside they would be passing. When he talks about things that he loves his face lights up and his eyes shine bluer than seems possible. Penny had never known a man like him before.
When they arrived into Chicago in the afternoon, they transferred to their hotel, again Sheldon had arranged two adjoining rooms. Sheldon knocked on the door that joined their rooms.
"Penny I thought if you like we could visit the Adler Planetarium this afternoon if you are up to it."
"Sure, everything you like sweetie." Penny walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and wash her face.
"You should find it fascinating, it has the largest and most complete view of the Milky Way and you can see a life size model of the Mars Rover explorer."
"Oh the one that Howard crashed right?"
"Well not the one that Howard crashed obviously that is still on Mars, anyway how did you know that?"
"Well, it doesn't matter." Penny playfully replied.
He continued. "Tomorrow we can go to The Museum of Science and Industry, and I shall be your personal guide."
"Sounds great Sheldon, but I would like to go to Millennium Park too, they have a workshop where you can make your own instruments, sounds fun."
Sheldon looked at Penny with a look of puzzlement on his face.
"This is part of the meeting half way Sheldon, I take an interest in what you like and you take an interest in things that I like." Penny walked up to stand next to him.
"Oh." he brought his hands up to his chest and clasped them together. "Very well then."
Penny smiled at her boyfriend, and grabbed at his hands. She reached up and pecked him on the cheek, then turned away and ran into the bathroom to grab a shower and change.
That evening after they ate dinner in Penny's room, Sheldon retired to his room. Penny was flicking through the channels on the TV and saw that there was a repeat of Star Wars just about to start. She jumped off her bed and knocked on the adjoining door, and walked straight in. Sheldon was sitting on his bed with the TV on, just about to watch Star Wars.
Penny walked up to the edge of the bed. "Don't suppose I could sit on your bed with you?"
Sheldon had to think about her request he kept glancing at the bed and then at Penny. Eventually she got sick of waiting for him and just slowly sat on the bed next to him. "I just want to sit next to you Sheldon sweetie, and perhaps you can hold my hand during the scary bits."
"There are no scary bits in Star Wars." Sheldon replied to her.
"Sure there are, Darth Vader is very scary." Penny smirked at him.
"Very well you can sit next to me on the bed, and even hold my hand when Darth Vader appears." he agreed.
Penny had needed to hold Sheldon's hand most way through the movie.
"Time for bed, night Sheldon, I had a great time today." She leaned over and kissed Sheldon on the cheek, then jumped off the bed and went back to her room.