Sadly, I don't own The Big Bang Theory

I understand that Penny and Sheldon should have different names but I have kept it to avoid confusion and make it easier for the reader to know who is who.

Part 1

Emerald eyes flickered behind the bushes as she stalked her prey. Armed with a knife she had fashioned out of a sharp rock, she crawled slowly to not register a hint of suspicion of the doe snacking on berries.

Her expression turned negative when she saw the doe's head turn before it darted off toward the dense area of the forest. That was it, no doe meat tonight; she would have to eat buffalo again.

She stalked back toward her camp when a young woman walked over with a woven basket in her hands filled with golden corn. "Penelope, I see the doe has eluded you this time."

"Don't remind me Amy." Penny replied as they walked into a tent and saw a short man tending to the fire.

"No doe tonight, huh?"

Penny narrowed her eyes. "Howard, if you went hunting once you would see how difficult it really is. What kind of a man doesn't hunt?"

"Hey, that's my brother you're talking about!" Amy defended, placing her basket onto the ground. "I'll have you know only I can talk to him that way."

She motioned with her hands for Amy to continue. "Brother, you are as useless as a coyote howling under a moonless night."

An Indian man walked with a tall man side by side down a newly paved street. "What is your purpose for coming to Jamestown?"

"Rajesh, must you ask?" He replied, adjusting his hat to the left. "Your reason is identical to mine."

"Sheldon, you have money why do you need more gold?"

This emitted a chuckle from him, surprising Rajesh. "How shallow. I came for the learning opportunity. There is no gold, even the governor's dogs know this. If there was any it would have been found by now."

He stopped and looked at his pale friend. "I hope you won't go hunting again. What if the savages mistake you for an animal? That is a death you must strongly avoid."

"Rajesh, they are not savages and I am highly trained in close combat. I shall have no trouble defending myself." Sheldon replied, walking further down the street.

"We'll see how you fare with an arrow jammed in your arse."

Penny sat impatiently as another doe finally appeared near the creek for its final sip of clear water. She poised her arrow, aiming for it's neck carefully and steadily when a twig snapped nearby, causing the animal to flee from her sights.

"Why is my fortune so black?" Penny mumbled, lowering her bow and arrow in frustration. Another twig snapped and she hid her position behind a boulder when she heard the sound getting closer.

Quickly taking out her knife she held it securely in her hand. Thinking it was an another animal she crawled onto the boulder and jumped off it, straight onto a man.

"What is the meaning of this?" He yelled as her eyes widened at the sight of him. He tried to sit up but the young woman was straddling his chest with all her strength.

"A white devil!" Penny gasped in her native tongue, putting her knife up to his neck, causing him to freeze.

"Now, there's no need for violence." Sheldon said calmly in English, slowly raising his hands but feeling the coldness of the stone was unnerving. One flick of her wrist and he would join the afterlife. It was then that he was surprised that she understood him when she spoke in English.

"What are you doing on our land?" She asked maliciously, glaring at him. His cerulean eyes were distracting her greatly; although he had a rifle, now knocked down away from them, the man did not seem threatening to her.

"I just came to perhaps hunt but mostly to enjoy the scenery. I bare no ill will."

Penny scoffed. "You are a pale skinned barbarian that came to kill my people and destroy our land for non-existent gold."

"I will concede to that but I am the exception amongst the barbarians as you say. I have no interest in gold and have tried to inform my colleagues that there are no precious metals here. Corn is considered gold to you, is it not?"

She brought the knife slightly away from his neck, surprised at his words. This man did seem different but she refused to trust any outsiders. A rustle of leaves caused them to shift their heads to the right and a short man with glasses appeared from the bushes.

He held a similar rifle in his hands and quickly brought it up to Penny's level, causing her eyes to widen.

"Leonard, don't shoot!" Sheldon yelled frantically quickly sitting up and pushed the woman off him as the gunshot resonated throughout the forest.

Penny perched herself onto her knees and her eyes met his pained ones as he clutched his bleeding arm. She was taken back that a paleface had saved her life for no reason and her gaze moved to the blood trickling down onto the ground. The man called Leonard was approaching them and Penny saw him signaling for her to run with his eyes.

He did not need to tell her verbally as she bolted towards the opposite end without a second glance.

"Damn it Leonard." Sheldon said through gritted teeth, staring at his bandaged arm. "I specifically told you not to shoot."

"I saved your life. If it wasn't a savage I would have thought you were romancing a woman by the river." He defended earning a glare from his friend.

"Luckily you only grazed my arm and that woman is not a savage; neither are her people. They aren't any different from you and me."

Leonard smirked, helping him put on a clean shirt. "Then why did she have a weapon poised at your neck?"

"She had a perfectly valid reason for that. I assumed she felt her life was in peril at the sight of my skin color." Sheldon explained, shooting him a look. "This is essentially because of people like you."

Penny paced around the tent deep in thought about the stranger she encountered nearly a week ago. Was he alright? Would he be treated? Would she see him again? This caused her to stop in her tracks. Did she really care about his condition?

"Hey, what's with you?" Amy asked, looking at her from her dream catcher that she was making. "You look like you are worried. Is it serious?"

Penny snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm fine. I just need some fresh air. I'll be back before the moon appears in the sky."

Amy watched her run off and shook her head. "There is fresh air everywhere. Why would she need to get some?"

Penny gulped and tightened the hooded cape around her. Luckily she had stolen some foreign clothes from someone's home nearby. Unfortunately, it was a baby pink dress and could be seen from a distance. So much for blending in amongst the pale faces. She kept the hood on tightly to conceal her skin and avoided eye contact, slowly walking through the cobblestone street.

She mentally cursed the matching heels, how did women walk in these? It was self mutilation that they bestowed upon themselves without a second thought. Maybe her father was right that these people were not in their right minds. Penny stifled a groan and peered down at her feet, she hadn't even walked into the center of town and it was already unbearable to go any further.

Nearing the statue of King James in the distance meant she was almost there and breathed a sigh of relief before she felt a strong hand grasp her forearm in the crowd. Her eyes darted upward and froze at the blue eyes staring down at her own.

"What are you doing here?" Sheldon asked coldly, his gaze matching his tone. Penny's eyes trailed down to his other arm and he noticed it. "I see. I am quite alright as you can tell. Now, I believe you haven't answered my question. Are you not aware of the consequences of your actions should you be discovered here of all places?"

Before she had a chance to speak he took his hand in hers and dragged her in the opposite direction toward the end of town; toward the way that she just came from. When they reached the forest he turned to face her and dropped her hand.

"I came to see if you were alright." She began, still feeling his warmth lingering on her skin. "It was because of me that you were shot."

His eyes softened slightly. "It was a slight graze; nothing serious so you needn't concern yourself with it."

She nodded slightly and looked down at her feet, the pain was long forgotten but she began to feel it again. "How did you know it was me? I kept my skin and face hidden from your people."

"A simple matter of observation. First was the way you were walking. A woman of society would be used to walking in heels from a young age unlike your slight limping." Sheldon answered smugly, earning a look from her. "Next was the dress combined with your hooded cape. In this scorching weather, a lady wouldn't wear one for risk of heat stroke. That in itself was suspicious. I am astounded you weren't spotted earlier by someone."

"Impressive. If I didn't know better I would say you are a genius." She replied sarcastically but he didn't catch it as he flashed a smile before pulling out a pocket watch from his coat.

"I suppose you could say that. Now the matter at hand regarding your safety. There is a patrol due for routine observations within the hour so I suggest you quickly return to your home. You do not want to be captured by the soldiers and sentenced to death or slavery."

Penny stood observing him, was he actually concerned about her? He watched her intently and he motioned with his head for her to go. She slipped off the heels quickly and walked past a few trees before glancing back at him.

"My white name is Penelope by the way. Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome. Sheldon Cooper is mine." He offered her a brief smile before she broke out into a run toward the dense forest.

Amy stared at Penny from top to bottom. "Where did you find those clothes, which make you look exquisite?"

She let out a laugh before picking up her own leather outfit and she could not stress this enough, comfortable clothes. Penny wrenched the zipper harshly as her friend rushed over quickly.

"Don't damage it! What if you need it later on?"

"Amy, what would I need it for? I have no intention of wearing clothes like this again, especially these odd heeled shoes. My feet are swollen and red."

This caused her to widen her eyes. "You had those shoes too and you left them behind to run barefoot? Are you mad?"

Penny stared at her in disbelief. "I think you are mad. If you wore those you would have thrown them away as well. Nothing is worth the pain from those heels."

A glint appeared in Amy's eyes. "Oh, I think you underestimate me my dear friend."

Sheldon walked into the house he shared with Leonard close to the center of town to find him writing at his desk. He looked up from his work and glanced at the pink shoes in his hands.

"Why do you have those?" Leonard asked suspiciously. "Did you purchase them for a lady?"

He shook his head. "I have no interest in those women and I am safekeeping them for someone if they so choose to return in the near future, although I wouldn't recommend it."

Leonard shrugged. "Whatever you say. What do you think of going hunting in a few days since your arm has almost recovered?"

Sheldon brought his hand onto his left forearm carefully. It hurt slightly but the skin had healed completely; as long as he didn't exert himself it would be fine. And he might run into Penelope again; an added perk.

"Why not? I could use the entertainment. This town is dull and the people here are the same."

Sheldon hunched against a tree, arrow poised at the antelope grazing near the waterfall. Leonard was nearby, deciding to hunt a moose instead which caused him to scoff. That would be a humorous sight to behold.

It didn't take long for the antelope to die when he shot the arrow at its neck and made the slow trek towards it when he heard growling near him. He felt his heart beat rapidly in fear and rushed to the waterfall, hoping for an opening to hide when a slender and dark arm shot out and pulled him behind it.

"What-" Sheldon managed to speak out when Penny pressed him against the cold stone and covered his mouth with her palm. He glared down at her but she ignored it.

"There's a black bear near here." She whispered as he mumbled something against her palm. "What?"

He cleared his throat after she lowered her hand. "I asked how did you know that? Were you stalking me?"

"No, I was picking berries when I heard your friend screaming about a moose chasing him. I assumed you were nearby and my instinct was correct. Your hunting skills are impressive for a pale face and you even hunt with our weapons."

"My teacher was a native back in my home town." Sheldon reminisced as water dripped down him from the waterfall. "He taught me everything he knew before he died of tuberculosis."

Penny saw that his expression saddened at the memory and she gazed at him. "I'm sorry. It seems like you respected him a great deal."

"Indeed. I regarded him as my father as my own was an alcoholic who never accepted me as his son. I have some native blood coursing through my veins on my mother's side you know."

She stared at him in surprise. "I never thought our races could mix."

"Why wouldn't they? We are of the same species capable of reproducing." Sheldon stated. "However, society and what my father thought of my mother when he learned of her lineage is derogatory and disgusting. Do we not bleed the same crimson blood when injured?"

Penny listened intently as the water drenched them completely. It made his eyes shine and he observed the way her clothes clung to her body.

"I was taught to avoid white men by my father but I see that you are different from the stories that he told me." She admitted. "My father was friends with one and he even taught me your language but ever since he was shot by him he doesn't trust white people anymore. I believe that this could change for the better if more were like you."

Sheldon let out a sigh and took a step outside with her before checking if there were any dangerous animals around. "If only everyone else thought the way we do. Are we not advanced enough to accept this as humans? I will concede that you have captivated me, perhaps this is a step that we must take for a brighter future."

Penny nodded and stared into his eyes as she slowly raised her hand up to his cheek. He didn't pull away and held her gaze, placing his own hand on hers. Sheldon leaned down towards her and captured her lips in his. She pressed up against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The sound of metal thudding against the soil started them from the kiss and they saw Leonard staring at them with his mouth agape.

"Are you insane?" He blurted loudly, glancing over at Penny standing near a tree in the distance. "She's a barbarian!"

Sheldon shot him a death glare. " Rescind that this instant! You are a knave for even harboring these thoughts!"

This took him aback; there were times when his friend would yell at him but not of this intensity. Sheldon pinched the bridge of his nose."I assume you wouldn't feel this way if you knew the truth."

"What truth?" Leonard asked curiously.

"I am part native on my mother's side." He admitted and watched the surprised expression appear on his best friend's face.

"B-but you're-"

"Yes, I am white as you can see but that's because my mother's grandfather was a Métis. However, this is not why I hold regard for them as people. I learned of my heritage only a few years ago when my father told me the truth shortly before he died. My mother was afraid to tell me for fear of me having the same reaction as my father." Sheldon explained, cutting him off.

Even though Penny was far away from them she could hear every word that was spoken. She then heard her name and saw Sheldon motioning to her to join them. When she stood beside him Leonard watched her as if she was going to kill him any second now.

"I need some time to process this information. I hope you can understand that."

Sheldon nodded slightly. "Of course. I will admit that the connection between us is astounding and as you know I am prone to turn down women every single time I am propositioned."

"That is true. But how are you going to live now? Do you expect the sav- I mean natives to welcome you with open arms?" He asked before turning to look at her. "Or do you expect to live in our society? There are laws that can't be broken."

They were silent for a few beats before Sheldon broke the silence."If neither side will accept then we will just have to go somewhere where they will. Honestly Leonard, why must you make matters complicated?"

Penny watched the colony from afar as merchants sold items while a baker boasted about his bread to passerby's. She couldn't help but be a little jealous of Sheldon's world, they seemed happier than her people did in this 'town' as they called it. Jumping down from the tree she quickly ran behind one of the buildings near his home and pressed her back against it, peeking into the window for any sign of movement.

"All clear." Penny said to herself and moved onto the next one, spotting Sheldon in a heated discussion with an older man dressed in a uniform. She crouched down but managed to keep watch as the man mutely yelled at him and pointed his finger menacingly before stomping out of the house.

Sheldon massaged his temples as she heard a door slam with the crunching of gravel moving away from her. Penny slowly stood up and rapped on the window, causing him to turn around and look at her in surprise. He quickly came over toward her and opened it for her.

"Penelope, this is reckless on your part." Sheldon scolded as she jumped into the house. "Wasn't our arrangement to meet later tonight?"

She grinned. "It was, but I missed you. I hardly see you anymore."

He chuckled in response, how she missed his voice. "As do I but this could cause our downfall."

Penny wrapped her arms around him as he placed his chin atop her head, breathing in her scent. She smelled pure with a spicy undertone he could not place his finger on. A frantic knock startled him as they pulled away from the embrace.

"Hide in my quarters; it's the first room on your right upstairs." He told her quickly, earning a nod in response as she crept as quietly as possible. Penny heard his footsteps as he called out 'just a minute' in a calm and controlled tone.

Sheldon cleared his throat and frowned disapprovingly at the same older gentleman standing outside his door. "Captain Smith, we have concluded our argument by your slamming of my door moments ago. There is no need for pointless banal chitchat, my decision is final."

The man glowered at him and made his way inside, breathing heavily. "This is a court-martial offense. You are to proceed into battle as instructed against the savages!"

"I will not be subjected to slaughtering the lives of innocent people. This is their land rightfully and there is no gold." Sheldon retorted, picking up an ear of corn from his dining table. "This is their gold, a simple vegetable that holds no intrinsic value for men like you."

The general stared at the golden yellow vegetable that he had shoved into his hand before staring at Sheldon. "Lieutenant-Colonel Cooper, even if what you say might hold some merit, there is still your sense of duty. You are to proceed to the front lines to kill their leader with your men. It's either your head or his. You have until the morning to decide."

The man darted past Sheldon and closed the front door behind him as he sunk into an arm chair. Delicate steps descended down the stairs behind him and he closed his eyes. "I assume you heard everything?"

"Yes." Penny replied quietly, walking over to him. She stood in front of him as his eyes showed distress when he finally opened them. "Sheldon, I can warn my father, then-"

"I wish it was that simple." He cut her off, his voice laced with worry. "My house is currently under watch. There is no possible way for you to leave unnoticed unless you tunnel through the floor. I would strongly advise against that as I recently had the hardwood floors replaced."

She slumped into the arm chair across from him. "Then there is nothing I can do?"

Sheldon nodded slowly. "Correct, and I must report tomorrow to murder your father. I have yet to meet him and these are not the circumstances I had hoped for."

Stay tuned for part 2!